Chapter 38: Chapter 38: A Gift for the Young Aunt
The situation on the stage changed too quickly. Just as everyone thought that Lan Ning was about to clinch the victory, there was a sudden change of weapons, and the battle knife was added to the mix, astonishing a large crowd.
"Sorry, I won."
Shi Xiaole said.
With the activation of Stone Touching Qi Cyclone, it was just like cheating. The only way to beat him was if your technique was far superior, or else he would take advantage of every loophole.
However, unless it was absolutely necessary, Shi Xiaole did not wish to use Stone Touching Qi Cyclone too frequently.
Firstly, it would make him reliant, not helpful for the improvement of his abilities.
Secondly, and more importantly, Shi Xiaole gradually realized that every time he used Stone Touching Qi Cyclone, his mental energy would be consumed, unable to be replenished in a short time.
This was different from finding Mystic Crystal Stones.
Due to the spirituality contained in the Mystic Crystal Stone, it would resonate with the Stone Touching Qi Cycline, replenishing mental energy while the Stone Touching Qi Cyclone was being consumed.
But if he used the Stone Touching Qi Cyclone in battle, it would only continue to drain.
It was important to know that mental energy was a significant part of a person’s energy. If it was lacking, it would affect one’s spirit, willpower, vigor, and even perception, etc.
It could have endless adverse effects on future cultivation and battles!
Shi Xiaole could not feel it now, but by the time he did, it would be too late.
Of course, Shi Xiaole could also recover his mental energy by practicing Perception Tactics. The problem was, due to the quality of the Perception Tactics, it could not 100% recover his mental energy, at most about 60-70% or so.
Therefore, Shi Xiaole had made up his mind that in future battles, unless the situation was life or death, he would not plan to use the Stone Touching Qi Cyclone.
"How did you do that?"
A slightly trembling voice sounded in his ears. Lan Ning was staring intently at Shi Xiaole with wide eyes, wanting an answer.
Shi Xiaole said, "I thought I was going to lose, so I took a chance, and luckily, I succeeded."
"Luck?"
Lan Ning frowned and then laughed coldly. Did this Shi Xiaole think she was a fool? But because of her inner pride, Lan Ning did not ask again.
The principle she always believed was, if you fall somewhere, you get up from there.
If she lost to Shi Xiaole today, she could just go back and practice hard and then win it back.
"Referee, aren’t you going to announce the result?"
Having heard nothing from the referee for a while, Shi Xiaole turned to ask.
The referee blinked, looked around, then opened his mouth and shouted, "Shi Xiaole wins."
Not until then did the spectators come to their senses, looking at each other, all feeling a sense of indescribable shock.
Shi Xiaole won. He actually won against the Golden Phoenix Tower’s recognized genius!
"Hidden talents."
"As expected of the leader’s nephew, he certainly has skills."
People didn’t know how to express their feelings, so they could only vent it by saying these useless words.
This decade’s big competition had indeed given everyone a ’surprise’.
Bang!
The second leader slapped the table, his face as dark as water.
The third leader and fourth leader also narrowed their eyes. But in addition to the surprise and anger in their eyes, there was also a hint of schadenfreude.
No matter what, Jin Wuwei and Sha Zongheng would not be able to become the next leader, so when they saw Lan Ning being defeated, the two elders were secretly delighted.
"Hahaha, the Young Master actually won! With the momentum he has now, the position of the next leader is within reach. Happy, damn happy!"
Unlike the silence of the three deputy leaders, Meng Qi, as the Chief Steward, had already burst into laughter unscrupulously, his honest face flushed with excitement.
He had strongly encouraged Shi Xiaole to compete earlier, not expecting him to win at all. He simply wanted Xiaole to stir things up and prevent Lan Ning and the others from winning too easily.
But who knew, Shi Xiaole turned around and gave him such a big surprise!
After this, Meng Qi suddenly realized that he seemed to have underestimated the potential of this young master.
"Lele."
More pleased and excited than Meng Qi, of course, was none other than Su Yanru.
She wasn’t happy because Shi Xiaole had intervened and disrupted the plans of the three deputy leaders, but simply because it was Shi Xiaole.
No one wouldn’t want the person they cared about to get better. Shi Xiaole was raised by Su Yanru since he was a child, and she had invested the most feelings in him.
With the final match over, the remaining competition was completely devoid of suspense.
In the following matches, Shi Xiaole defeated Ye Kang and Jin Wuwei one after another, and truly became the winner of this competition with an undefeated record.
Lan Ning won five times and lost once, second only to Shi Xiaole.
Jin Wuwei, Sha Zongheng, and Ye Kang were ranked third, fourth, and fifth respectively.
Su Yanru looked at the Grand Elder among the Elders.
The Grand Elder sighed silently, slowly getting up from his seat, and announced to everyone on the scene, "The competition in the tower is concluded. Now I announce that Shi Xiaole is the champion and will be the next leader of the Golden Phoenix Tower. He is also granted a Qi Gathering Pill!"
A gasp swept through the crowd.
There was suddenly loud applause all around.
Many young people rushed towards Shi Xiaole, either to congratulate him or to deliberately praise him. Those who had offended Shi Xiaole in the past couldn’t help feeling remorse now.
They didn’t mind his nephew’s title, but once Shi Xiaole transformed into the tower owner, the meaning was quite different.
From then on, he could make things difficult for them with just one word.
While the young crowd was busy congratulating Shi Xiaole, all the prominent figures of the martial world flocked to Su Yanru, showering her with endless compliments.
Su Yanru responded with a smile to everyone’s praises. Her already charming face was even more radiant, exciting many men.
By contrast, the expressions on the faces of the deputy tower leaders were hard to look at, as though they had eaten poop.
Just thinking about not only losing the position of tower heir, but also the Qi Gathering Pill worth two hundred thousand taels going to Shi Xiaole, they felt like vomiting blood.
"Hmph, don’t get cocky just yet; you won’t be laughing tomorrow!"
The second tower leader shot a bitter glance at Su Yanru and muttered under his breath.
The grand event at Golden Phoenix Tower lasted until everyone had finished their meals and left under the cover of darkness before officially ending.
Ru Garden.
Shi Xiaole followed the maid in, and after the maid left, Su Yanru’s soft lazy voice came from behind the screen, "Lele, roll over to aunty."
Shi Xiaole smiled helplessly and went over as instructed, only to be left dumbstruck.
Su Yanru was lying on the couch, wearing only a thin pink veil. A pillow underneath her abdomen accentuated her already stunning buttocks, giving them a more enticing perky roundness that made one want to give them a pinch.
The flickering candlelight, the jade-adorned scent, the lazily lying beauty— Shi Xiaole felt an urge to turn tail and run.
"What are you waiting for, why don’t you scratch aunt’s left shoulder?"
Su Yanru commanded casually, her eyes still closed.
"This, isn’t it inappropriate?"
Oddly enough, Shi Xiaole, who could remain calm even in the face of death, was now so nervous that his palms were sweaty.
"Lele, you’ve changed."
At those unpredictable words, Shi Xiaole was taken aback. He told himself to calm down, sat down on the edge of the bed, and began scratching her back according to his memories of her requests.
Her left shoulder had been itchy from time to time since she was fourteen. She had sought many famous doctors from the martial world for a cure to no avail and had carried the issue till now.
As Shi Xiaole scratched, she would occasionally moan like a cat, causing his blood to speed up. He felt he was trapped whether he continued scratching or not.
"Lele, don’t you have anything to say? Or are you planning to keep things from me?"
After a while, Su Yanru suddenly spoke, her voice filled with sadness.
Shi Xiaole knew it was coming and immediately swore, "Auntie, you’re the best person in this world to me. Even if I were to deceive god, I would never deceive you! Actually, all these martial arts skills I’ve acquired just appeared in my mind after I woke up from sleep one day."
Wasn’t his system in his brain?
Su Yanru suddenly turned around, revealing a large patch of fair skin on her neck and her red belly band to Shi Xiaole. She coldly asked, "Lele, do you regard me as an outsider?"
Shi Xiaole’s face changed, his eyes quickly filling up with tears. He said, "If you don’t believe me, auntie, you can as well tear my heart apart to see if I’m lying to you. I don’t want to live anymore!"
Although he felt nauseous saying these words, in his memory, his aunt was fond of such drama.
While it was undeniable that Su Yanru was good to him,
Shi Xiaole was somewhat surprised to discover that his aunt showed an almost pathological possessiveness toward him, besides her doting love.
Her possessiveness manifested directly in her discomfort whenever he kept something from her, however trivial it might be.
So, for the future, Shi Xiaole had to dispel Su Yanru’s suspicion about his drastic change this time, or else it would cause endless troubles later.
Sure enough, once Shi Xiaole ’cried’ out of ’grievance’, Su Yanru immediately cheered up and cooed as she hugged his head, "Silly boy why are you crying? Auntie just wants to know the reason behind your sudden advanced improvement. Baby, stop crying."
Was she treating him like a baby?
Shi Xiaole was both exasperated and amused; however, he needed to play along until this issue was resolved, or else the suspicious Su Yanru would keep probing.
So he continued ’crying,’ complaining that his aunt didn’t trust him and he’d rather die. He caused Su Yanru to console him continuously and the last doubts in her mind regarding him vanished.
No matter how openly dignified, confidently peaceful he was in front of others, in her eyes, he was still the same playful naughty kid!
"Auntie, I have something for you."
After crying for a while, Shi Xiaole broke free from her embrace, saying solemnly.
"Little Lele, what good stuff have you prepared for auntie?"
Su Yanru stretched languidly, not taking it to heart.
Shi Xiaole smiled mysteriously, took out a secret manual from his bosom and handed it over. The four big characters on it read, "Fuyang Qi Skill". It was a copy he had made just now in the room.
To give the Fuyang Qi Skill to Su Yanru was a decision Shi Xiaole had made long before.
On this earth, Su Yanru could be said to be the only one who truly cared for Shi Xiaole. Although this alluring woman had severe trust issues and a strong possessive desire, that did not diminish his gratitude for her.
Su Yanru opened the Fuyang Qi Skill book; being a connoisseur of sorts, she skimmed through it for a while before her eyes widened, and she exclaimed in a suppressed voice, "Lele, this secret manual..."
"It’s a second-rate lower-level inner qi cultivation method, a gift I’m giving to my aunt.",
Shi Xiaole replied with a smile.
