Gazing at Feng Shanshan’s smiling face, Mu Chen was lost in thought. For the past two days, he and Wan Xian’er had taken turns healing her. Yet, despite his Spiritual Power, Mu Chen found himself unable to perceive Feng Shanshan’s Martial Artist Realm. If her realm was beyond the Martial Sect, that would be understandable. After all, it would be far higher than his own, so failing to see it would be perfectly normal.

However, if her Martial Artist Realm truly surpassed the Martial Sect, she never would have been knocked unconscious for two full days by a mere collision with the Hurricane Horse Carriage. When this doubt first arose, Mu Chen had even asked Xu Fei about it. But after probing her himself, Xu Fei had simply shaken his head with a baffled expression. And Xu Fei was in the Martial Emperor Realm. ’Could it be that Feng Shanshan’s Martial Artist Realm is even higher than a Martial Emperor’s?’

That was clearly impossible. First, there was her age; she wasn’t much older than Mu Chen or Wan Xian’er. Second, her physical condition also suggested her Martial Artist Realm couldn’t be that high. This left only one possible explanation for their inability to see through her... Feng Shanshan’s Spiritual Power was stronger than both his and Xu Fei’s! So strong that their own Spiritual Power was completely incapable of probing her Martial Artist Realm!

"Mu Chen! Mu Chen!"

Lost in thought, Mu Chen suddenly felt someone touch his side. He turned his head reflexively and saw Wan Xian’er looking at him with a dark expression. Stunned, Mu Chen asked, "What’s wrong?"

Wan Xian’er snapped, "You’re asking me what’s wrong? You’ve been staring at her ever since you walked in the door. Have you no shame? You playboy!"

Mu Chen’s face instantly flushed red. He realized that he had been so lost in thought that he’d forgotten himself and had been staring at Feng Shanshan the whole time. When he glanced at her now, he saw she had long since turned her head away, her face bright red.

"Ahem..." Mu Chen quickly let out a dry cough to ease the awkwardness and said apologetically, "Miss Shanshan, I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I was just thinking about something and got a little carried away..."

"Oh... it’s alright. I could tell from your eyes that you didn’t mean anything by it."

Mu Chen had expected her to ignore him, assuming she, like Wan Xian’er, now thought he was a playboy. But to his surprise, Feng Shanshan simply blushed, smiled, and forgave him.

This put Mu Chen’s mind at ease. He rubbed his nose and said, "Thank you. But you’re still recovering and haven’t eaten in two days. I’ll go have them make some light porridge and send it up. You should get some rest. After all, we still need to enter the Senluo Ruins."

Hearing the words "Senluo Ruins," a peculiar light flashed in Feng Shanshan’s eyes, but it was mixed with a host of complex emotions that Mu Chen couldn’t decipher. After repeatedly instructing Feng Shanshan not to move around, Mu Chen led Wan Xian’er and Xu Fei out of the room.

"What do you all think of that girl, Feng Shanshan?" Mu Chen asked suddenly as they walked from the fourth floor of the inn down to the second, after closing the door behind them.

Wan Xian’er answered without hesitation, "She’s a very kind and gentle girl. I don’t sense any ill will from her, but I get the feeling she has a lot on her mind."

Xu Fei nodded as well. "I agree. Even a big oaf like me can tell she seems to be hiding something from us."

Mu Chen smiled. "So I’m not the only one who noticed. But that’s her business; everyone has secrets. Since we’ll all be entering the Senluo Ruins, we might as well look out for each other."

Xu Fei agreed. "Right. I might not be the most perceptive guy, but I’m a pretty good judge of character. That young woman doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. She could make a good temporary teammate."

Wan Xian’er gave Mu Chen a suggestive smile. "That’s right, a temporary! Team! Mate!"

Of course, Mu Chen knew Wan Xian’er was teasing him. He simply rolled his eyes and pretended he hadn’t heard, leaving Xu Fei to snicker to himself as he watched the show.

After ordering the porridge from a server, Wan Xian’er volunteered to take it to Feng Shanshan’s room, saving Mu Chen from further embarrassment. It was, after all, improper for a young man to be going in and out of a young woman’s room. After a quick word with Xu Fei, Mu Chen returned to his own room. Their four rooms were close together, making it easy to respond if anything happened.

Once inside his room, Mu Chen set the Profound Jade Box aside and took a smooth, round stone out of his Storage Ring. A faint, dark green light swirled around the stone’s surface. As the light touched Mu Chen’s skin, a refreshing coolness spread across his palm.

This stone was none other than the Stone Immortal, the prize he had won at the Spirit Selection Conference. He had left in such a hurry, and the three months of bumpy travel in the carriage had offered no good opportunity to study it, so it had remained stored away until now. Gazing at the stone’s smooth patterns and its vibrant, dark green glow, Mu Chen couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. ’To think such a heaven-defying treasure has ended up in my hands.’

Just from the feel of it, Mu Chen knew this Stone Immortal must have been harvested shortly after maturing, which explained its potent vitality. Of course, Mu Chen wasn’t foolish enough to break the stone open now. Once the Stone Immortal’s shell was cracked, its contents had to be used immediately. Otherwise, its dense life force would rapidly bleed away, leaving behind nothing but a useless, withered herb.

With a mere thought, a faint dragon’s cry echoed as a white light flashed from Mu Chen’s chest. With a WHOOSH, the White Dragon Cauldron emerged and floated steadily before him. Inside the milky-white cauldron, nine miniature white dragons coiled around a lamp that resembled a Seven-Colored Glaze.

"The second extinct medicinal herb," Mu Chen murmured as he placed the stone, with its swirling pale green light, into the White Dragon Cauldron. He had originally planned to use the Seven-Colored Glaze as an aid for healing or cultivation. Now, however, it was clear he had to preserve it carefully. After all, the Divine Transformation Pill was a Supreme Grade pill, a treasure one could only dream of finding, let alone actively seek out.

With a small smile, Mu Chen quickly recalled the White Dragon Cauldron into his chest. He closed his eyes, lay down on his side, and began his cultivation. Deep within his mind, a faint purple light suddenly flashed inside the Extreme Spirit Pearl. The glimmer vanished in an instant, so quickly that even Mu Chen himself didn’t notice.

Meanwhile, in Feng Shanshan’s room, Wan Xian’er, who had been taking care of her, suddenly frowned. She set down the napkin she was about to hand to Feng Shanshan and said, "Sister Shanshan, I need to step out for a moment. I’ll be right back."

Feng Shanshan smiled gently. "Of course. Go on, I’m not completely helpless."

Wan Xian’er stuck her tongue out apologetically—it was always easy for girls to become fast friends. She quickly stepped out of the room and, with a flick of her wrist, a strange golden crystal appeared in her hand. The crystal was emitting a faint, flickering light. The flashes went from incredibly rapid to extremely slow before finally fading away completely.

This crystal was a gift from her grandfather, given to her when she left her mountain home. He had told her to protect it no matter what, and it was also tied to a mission he had given her for this journey. The mission was this: if the crystal ever began to glow with a steady, dazzling light, she was to aim it in every direction. If the crystal flickered, the direction was wrong. If it held its steady glow, she was to find the person in that direction and bring them back to the Ding Palace.

A moment ago, while sitting in the room, she had felt a pulse from the crystal—an extremely strong one. But by the time she took it out, the light had already vanished. Wan Xian’er’s brow furrowed, and her expression turned grim. ’It disappeared so fast... Did they just pass through the area?’

After aiming the crystal in every direction again and finding nothing, Wan Xian’er sighed in frustration. ’This mission is impossible! Why was I sent to find someone without any description of them whatsoever? The Extreme Martial Continent is huge! How am I supposed to find anyone?!’

Stomping her foot, Wan Xian’er put the crystal away, composed herself, and walked back into Feng Shanshan’s room. Mu Chen was lucky indeed. If he hadn’t recalled the White Dragon Cauldron so quickly, Wan Xian’er would almost certainly have discovered it. What might have happened then was anyone’s guess.

Five days passed in a blur. During that time, whenever Wan Xian’er had a free moment, she would take out the golden crystal to scan the area. But after five days of finding nothing, she finally had to conclude that the person she was searching for had merely been passing through.

Meanwhile, there was a new passenger in Xu Fei’s Hurricane Horse Carriage: Feng Shanshan. With her injuries healed, a healthy, rosy color had returned to her cheeks. She was quite a beauty, though perhaps a tier below Wan Xian’er.

"Sister Shanshan, all these days, this guy has done nothing but cultivate, leaving all the work of taking care of you to me! The two of you barely know each other, so let me introduce you. His name is Mu Chen, and he’s a very special Martial Artist. As for what makes him so special, you’ll find out once we enter the Senluo Ruins. He’s very calm and composed..."

As she rattled off a string of compliments, Mu Chen couldn’t help but blush. He quickly cut in, "Alright, alright, any more of that and I might actually start getting a big head."

"Hmph! But this guy is also a pervert, a playboy, and a scoundrel! A beautiful woman like you, Sister Shanshan, has to be careful around him. He loves to peek... Mmph—"

Seeing that Wan Xian’er was about to bring up the bathing incident, Mu Chen quickly slung an arm over her shoulder and clamped a hand over her mouth. He gave Feng Shanshan an awkward laugh. "Haha... that was just a misunderstanding. Please don’t take it to heart."

To his surprise, Feng Shanshan just covered her mouth and giggled, then gave the two of them, now in an intimate-looking embrace, a very suggestive look...