Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improved Spirit Rice

Chapter 97, First Test

After doing all this, Qi Zhong put away the magical artifacts and armor he was wearing.

As his armor disappeared, his massive, almost ferocious body shrank back to its original form, and the beast-patterned mask on his face turned into specks of light and vanished.

He grinned, reverting to the carefree, cheerful smile he had when they first met, as if the cold-faced butcher who had just torn apart the demonic cultivator was a completely different person.

"Okay, it's alright now."

Qi Zhong patted the bloodstains off his hands and walked towards the three of them.

"I have completely eliminated the demonic cultivators who infiltrated the ship. The ship's escort team is currently repairing the ship's defensive formations, and it won't be long before we can set sail again."

"You guys can just stay put. There won't be any more trouble on the way."

Hearing this, Luo Qingyi finally relaxed.

She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if all her strength had been drained away in that instant, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

However, when her gaze swept over the pool of crimson blood and the mutilated body parts on the ground, a look of disgust couldn't help but appear on her face.

She instinctively reached out and grabbed Zhao Chengan's arm beside her, using it to regain her balance.

It was only then that she noticed that in her emotional outburst, she had pinched Zhao Cheng'an's arm until it was covered in bruises.

A look of apology immediately appeared on Luo Qingyi's face. "I'm sorry, Fellow Daoist Zhao, I was just—too excited."

Looking at the clear finger marks, she asked somewhat shyly, "Would you like me to rub them for you?"

"No need, it's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a couple of days."

Zhao Cheng'an waved his hand, not taking this small matter to heart.

At this moment, his gaze was fixed on Qi Zhong, his face filled with undisguised excitement and curiosity.

"Senior Brother Qi, was that the legendary Dao soldier you were wearing just now?"

Qi Zhong smiled and nodded: "Not bad, you have a good eye."

He stretched his limbs and introduced with considerable pride, "This set of Daoist weapons is called Earth Demon Primordial Embryo."

"To master it, one must first be a cultivator with a lightning-attribute spiritual root. It is constructed with the Yuan Magnetic Gravity Law as its core, combined with corresponding spells, bloodlines, and a complete set of exclusive magical artifacts."

"As you can see, it's quite good in both attack and defense. The only downside is that it's too heavy, which makes it a little slow."

Qi Chong paused, then added, "However, the narrow and enclosed space inside the immortal ship is exactly where its strengths are maximized. Those demonic cultivators were trapped in the corridor and had no way to escape."

"If we were in a wide-open area like a restricted zone, it wouldn't be so easy to wipe them all out so cleanly."

Luo Qingyi listened from the side, but a look of suspicion gradually appeared on her face.

She always felt that this Senior Brother Qi knew clearly from the beginning what was about to happen on this ship.

Otherwise, as the captain of the guard, how could he have happened to be there at the critical moment of the demonic cultivators' invasion, dealing with the three most troublesome Qi Refining Perfection demonic cultivators, and arriving just when the three of them were about to give up?

But during the very time when they needed help the most, he was nowhere to be seen.

Thinking about how she had been in grave danger by that poisonous woman and the boy carrying the corpse, Luo Qingyi felt somewhat unhappy.

She stepped forward and poked Qi Zhong in the chest with a finger.

"I'm talking to Senior Brother Qi."

Luo Qingyi put her hands on her hips, her tone accusatory, "You're not holding a grudge because I told you before that you stole the red silk cake, so you deliberately hid to watch us make a fool of ourselves, and only came out when we were about to give up, are you?"

"Senior brother, you're such a grown man, you wouldn't be so petty, would you? Tsk tsk."

Qi Zhong quickly put on a pleading expression, scratched the back of his head, and laughed, "Oh, my dear junior sister, you're wronging me. No one can predict in advance when the demonic cultivators will launch their attack or from which direction."

"but----"

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious: "As the captain of the Immortal Ship's guards and a true disciple of Tongming Mountain, I may be unreliable on ordinary days, but I certainly can't let you down at crucial moments."

"The overall situation is indeed largely under my control."

"And my hiding isn't because I'm petty; it's a requirement of Tongming Mountain. To put it bluntly, some of the unexpected situations you've encountered along the way are part of the entrance assessment."

Qi Zhong put away his playful smile and said seriously, "As the leader of the righteous sects in the East Sea, Tongming Mountain wants to see not only how much you have learned in class, but also how you can react in a real life-or-death situation and whether you can stick to your true nature."

His gaze swept over the three of them: "Overall, you all performed quite well."

Qi Chong first looked at Ning Zixu, who was wiping his sword not far away: "Your reaction was the most alert, and you were well prepared before the crisis even occurred. Moreover, your combat ability is very strong, and you can suppress a demonic cultivator who is a level higher than you."

Ning Zixu did not speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Qi Chong then turned to look at Zhao Cheng'an, clicking his tongue in amazement: "And you, you must have cultivated the formulas of the Chaotic God lineage of the Hunyuan Cave, right?"

"To be able to see right through the Heavenly Demon's disguise, that's quite remarkable."

"Although his vigilance was somewhat lacking, he remained calm under pressure. He managed to seize the magical artifact at a crucial moment and achieved a surprising victory. He also assisted Ning Zixu in defeating the Heavenly Demon. His performance was quite good and deserves praise."

Finally, his gaze fell on Luo Qingyi, and he hesitated for a moment: "As for you, Junior Sister Luo—um—"

Qi Zhong frowned and considered for a moment, "It's quite commendable, but there's a lot of room for improvement."

It sounded like a compliment, but the tone clearly conveyed a sense of "choosing the best among the worst."

Wherever Luo Qingyi goes, she is praised as a prodigy.

This was the first time she had been treated like this, and she was immediately embarrassed and angry, her cheeks puffing out slightly.

But then she thought about it again. Today's events had taken a turn for the worse. First, she had summoned the servant possessed by the Heavenly Demon, and then she had almost been pierced through the throat by the Poisonous Woman's flying shuttle. If it weren't for Zhao Cheng'an, she would have died at least three times over in that battle.

Of the three, it seems that I did perform the worst.

This instantly deflated her resentment.

Although there was still some displeasure in her gaze towards Qi Zhong, Luo Qingyi eventually turned around and solemnly cupped her hands in greeting to Ning Zixu and Zhao Chengan.

"Many thanks to the two fellow Daoists for protecting me today."

Her tone was very sincere, "I will always remember this kindness!"

Ning Zixu waved his hand, "It's no trouble at all."

Zhao Cheng'an also smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Luo, there's no need to be so polite. We're in the same boat now, and we're from the same sect, so we should support each other."