Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 3: Spirit Beast

Chapter 3: Spirit Beast

Step Two in Conquering Li Muwan: Cater to Their Preferences, Exploit Their Weaknesses.

Watching his back disappear into the stone chamber, she turned to face the colossal creature. “Leave the rest to me.”

Wang Lin, who had just entered the cave residence, found it completely transformed. The outer area was adorned with corals and greenery, the table held freshly refined elixirs by Li Muwan, scattered jade slips were neatly arranged, and a few decorative plants added charm. A faint, complex emotion flickered through Wang Lin’s heart.

The pill furnace still radiated residual heat, suggesting she had been refining pills just moments ago.

[Soul Pearl: Fiend’s Favorability Changed, -10%]

Li Muwan, who had been pondering how to process the flood dragon, suddenly looked up. “The fiend’s favorability rose again? What caused it this time?”

Never mind, any increase is better than a decrease. She pushed aside distracting thoughts and drew a flying sword from her storage bag. Under her control, the sword swept across the flood dragon’s hide, but the skin proved too tough. Despite exerting immense effort, she struggled to peel the dragon-scale armor.

Left with no choice, she could only consider seeking Wang Lin’s help. Yet the recently improved favorability would likely revert to its previous state after such a request.

Unwilling to give up, Li Muwan produced two more flying swords. Simultaneously manipulating them with her divine sense, the swords became enveloped in spiritual light, transforming into blue radiance upon contact with the flood dragon. The blue light coalesced into sharp blade edges.

As she intensified her divine sense, the dragon-scale armor finally split open. Wang Lin, who had just entered the stone chamber to meditate cross-legged, sensed a faint vibration.

Cautious by nature, he immediately released his divine sense. Detecting that the disturbance came from Li Muwan’s efforts to peel the flood dragon hide, he maintained his surveillance for several breaths.

Only when Li Muwan finished processing the dragon-scale armor and extracted the dragon tendon did he withdraw his divine sense, satisfied with her focused work. After consuming the flood dragon core, his wounds vanished completely.

[Soul Pearl: Favorability Changed -8%]

[Li Muwan: Wasn’t the fiend healing inside? How is his favorability still rising?]

Intelligent and meticulous, having studied Wang Lin’s temperament thoroughly, she quickly deduced the truth: Wang Lin must have left a trace of his divine sense on her to monitor her movements. He remained vigilant.

The intact flood dragon hide proved difficult to store, forcing Li Muwan to saw it into smaller sections. Each completed piece drained her spiritual power, requiring nearly ten days to process the entire hide.

During this period, Wang Lin remained in closed-door cultivation.

“Senior Brother.”

After spending about a month processing the entire flood dragon, Li Muwan called out several times outside Wang Lin’s stone chamber.

“Senior Brother.”

Wang Lin sat with closed eyes, regulating his breath while consolidating the frost pill within his body. The stone door opened, yet he remained motionless. “What is it?” he asked coldly, still seated cross-legged.

Li Muwan scanned the chamber, noting only a few white lights he had conjured to illuminate the space and a gourd collecting water dripping from the rock ceiling.

She didn’t understand why Wang Lin always drank from the gourd when his spiritual power was depleted, but assumed he had his reasons. For the sake of her survival, asking fewer questions was always wiser.

“Senior Brother, I’ve finished processing the flood dragon.” Li Muwan stood at the chamber’s entrance, knowing her boundaries well enough not to step inside.

Only the flood dragon skull remained placed to one side outside.

When Wang Lin didn’t respond, Li Muwan lowered her gaze, her eyes shifting thoughtfully. She retrieved all the extracted flood dragon treasures from her storage bag, floating them before Wang Lin.

Without even looking, Wang Lin waved his arm, sending all the items back into his storage bag.

“Anything else?”

“Senior Brother, these are the elixirs I’ve refined over the past few days. Please see if any might be helpful.” Li Muwan had noticed that the longer he remained in seclusion, the more certain it became that he had reached a bottleneck in his cultivation. Any assistance she could offer would be meaningful – and this was for her own benefit as well.

Wang Lin lifted his eyelids, glanced at the figure outside the stone chamber, and waved his sleeve again to receive the elixirs.

“Senior Brother…”

He clearly wasn’t particularly patient, closing his eyes once more. Sensing his fluctuating mood, Li Muwan quickened her speech rhythm.

“While Senior Brother focuses on cultivation, it’s not right for me to keep disturbing you. But when I refine pills alone outside, sometimes I wish to consult with you, yet hesitate to call for you…”

A jade slip fell before her eyes as Wang Lin closed the stone chamber door. Li Muwan stared blankly at the stone door, stunned for a long while.

A thoroughly intimidating voice transmitted from within, “If there are important matters, use the Sound Transmission Jade Slip to inform me.”

Li Muwan collected the jade slip with a blooming smile. He had closed that door without leaving any room for negotiation – was he really in such a hurry to drive her away?

Fortunately, she had observed Wang Lin more carefully earlier. To make dragonhide armor, she naturally needed to take measurements, but she couldn’t openly scrutinize him, let alone have an opportunity to approach him for proper measurements.

She could only make rough estimates through visual observation.

Soon she had the measurements in mind. The fiend’s physique was robust, with shoulders and chest several inches broader than even her brother’s.

Making it slightly larger wouldn’t matter – it just couldn’t be too small.

Li Muwan paused her pill refining and began sewing the flood dragon inner armor. Though not particularly attractive, it would be worn underneath and remain unseen. Wang Lin was still wearing his War God Hall disciple robes.

She herself had long since changed out of her Luoshui Sect disciple robes when Wang Lin went out searching for beast bones, replacing them with more practical garments.

This outfit, when worn, carried subtle fragrance in its sleeves, appearing lively and charming.

She ultimately used the remaining flood dragon hide to complete two protective inner armors. Then from her storage bag, she used accompanying fabric to make a gray wide-sleeved robe that could be worn over the dragonhide armor.

[Li Muwan: Not sure if the fiend will appreciate this. Last time when I gave him the Flood Dragon Core and Dragon Marrow, his favorability increased somewhat. Hope this works too.]

[Soul Pearl: Target what he lacks, promising.]

Full of confidence, Li Muwan took out the Sound Transmission Jade Slip Wang Lin had given her, still considering whether to send a message. Would merely bothering him about clothing during his cultivation anger him?

Just as she was deliberating, the stone chamber door opened. Wang Lin headed straight for the cave residence entrance without glancing at Li Muwan pacing back and forth.

He only coldly left behind, “I’m going out for a while.”

“Senior Brother, wait.” Without thinking, Li Muwan seized the chance to stop him.

This time, Wang Lin paused his steps and turned to look at her, waiting where he stood.

Li Muwan hurriedly picked up both sets of dragonhide armor from the wooden table, her eyes shifting as if contemplating something.

Originally one was meant for herself, but she feared the fiend might suspect her of hoarding. After a moment’s hesitation, she could only bring both over together.

“Senior Brother, I made these inner armors from flood dragon hide. This dragonhide armor is impervious to blades and poison. The Sea of Demonic Cultivation is full of dangers, and you often venture out facing numerous risks. These are for your unexpected needs.” Her eyes held the same sincerity as when she’d offered the Flood Dragon Core and Dragon Marrow.

Completely devoid of any detectable ulterior motives.

Seeing Wang Lin remain unresponsive, she knew the fiend was still weighing her sincerity. To demonstrate her loyalty, Li Muwan made a concession, speaking with a hint of grievance, “If Senior Brother suspects I have ulterior motives, you may cast me outside the cave residence to reinforce the magic array.”

After a brief silence, Wang Lin unusually accepted the dragonhide armor with both hands, examining it carefully.

Since beginning his cultivation journey, no one had ever tailored clothing for himeven if it was just a piece of dragonhide armor, and this armor served a significant purpose.

Within those sharp, icy depths, a warmth quietly melted the frost. Wang Lin kept one piece, his tone slightly gentler than usual yet still carrying a chill, “One is enough. Keep the other for yourself.”

He turned to leave, but Li Muwan remembered something and hurried after him. Hearing her footsteps, Wang Lin stopped abruptly, but Li Muwan failed to halt in time, colliding with his solid, broad back.

Stumbling back two steps, she froze momentarily, awaiting any change in favorability from the Soul Pearl between her brows, expecting the fiend to lash out again.

Yet the Soul Pearl showed no reaction.

“What is it?” Wang Lin stared at the flustered Li Muwan.

Tucking stray hairs behind her ear, she looked up at him timidly, “This flood dragonhide armor is a supreme treasure. If other cultivators see it worn openly, it may invite fatal disaster. For this reason, I specially made an outer robe for Senior Brother to conceal the armor’s presence. If you don’t mind…”

Wang Lin glanced over her but saw no sign of the mentioned robe. Realizing this, Li Muwan blushed and retrieved the tailored robe from her storage bag.

“Senior Brother, please try it for fit. If it doesn’t suit, I can adjust it…”

Wang Lin took a deep breath, accepted the robe again, and turned to leave.

Initially worried the robe might not fit him, Li Muwan had just measured him with her eyesit should be perfect.

She had considered asking about the fifth-grade elixir furnace. Wang Lin had ventured out several times but never returned with one, and she feared he had forgotten.

She hesitated to remind himif the Sky Sundering Pill mattered to him, he wouldn’t forget, only the right opportunity hadn’t arisen. A fifth-grade elixir furnace wasn’t easy to find; chances were higher only at artifact refining pavilions or auction houses.

But the Sea of Demonic Cultivation was far from such places.

Securing a fifth-grade elixir furnace would be no simple task, so she swallowed her question.

Li Muwan sat back at the table, preparing to continue pill refining.

[Soul Pearl: Fiend favorability change, 0.]

[Li Muwan: I made him dragonhide armor and clothinghow is it still 0?]

[Soul Pearl: Conquering the fiend requires gradual progress. Do not be greedy, or all previous efforts will be wasted.]

[Li Muwan: If he achieves Core Formation before I conquer him, I can’t just follow him everywhere. Naturally, I want faster progress.]

[Soul Pearl: The fiend’s moods are unpredictable. Maintain proper boundaries.]

Li Muwan knew this well. Though she had gained some understanding of his temperament through recent interactions, it remained limited.

She aimed to conquer him without provoking him, showing goodwill without excessive flattery.

To Wang Lin, the dragonhide armor and robe Li Muwan crafted were not only the first clothing made for him since he began cultivatingthey were also the first garments tailored for him by anyone in this world besides his mother.

The heart that had been frozen solid by hatred and the pressures of the World of Cultivation was unknowingly experiencing imperceptible tremors. Were it not for the resonance of the Soul Pearl, Li Muwan wouldn’t have detected any change from his cold expression.

Meanwhile, Wang Lin, who had been wholly devoted to cultivating the Yellow Springs Ascension Art, had already formed three Frost Pills within him. The next step was to merge the three pills into one and break through the acupoints to achieve successful Core Formation.

However, refining the three pills was extremely difficult. With no one to guide him, he could only rely on his own comprehension.

After returning from outside, he went into seclusion for several months. Not seeing him emerge for so long, Li Muwan focused on her own pill refinement, using some of the medicinal herbs Wang Lin had provided.

Having previously earned the Fiend’s approval by crafting Dragonhide Armor for him, Li Muwan contemplated her next plan of action while refining pills. After careful consideration, she determined he needed dew, and thus began collecting it. During the Chen hour each morning, when dew was abundant outside the Cave Residence, was the optimal time for gathering.

Braving the mist, Li Muwan ventured out each time, never daring to go more than a few hundred meters, absolutely never exceeding a thousand li.

Most plants in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation grew on mountain rocks. Each day required two hours of Flying Sword travel, stopping intermittently, just to collect two or three pots of dew.

Several days’ worth of collected dew, filling over a dozen pots, sat on the table. Gazing at the Stone Chamber behind her, Li Muwan wanted to bring it to him but feared disturbing his cultivation.

In her dilemma, she remembered the jade slip. Taking it out, she transmitted her voice: “Senior Brother, how is your training going?”

Wang Lin, who was meditating and circulating his energy, was interrupted by the sweet, soft voice. Though inwardly unperturbed, his recent inability to breakthrough had left him frustrated. The Sound Transmission Jade Slip seemed to arrive at an opportune momentpersisting further would only waste time.

Just as Wang Lin wanted some fresh air, he opened the Stone Chamber and stepped out. Immediately, a long-haired spirit beast resembling a rabbit flew before him, its snow-white fur and two bright crimson eyes scrutinizing Wang Lin.

This was the spirit rabbit Li Muwan had rescued while gathering dew. Had she not found it injured and trapped in a mountain crevice, she wouldn’t have brought it back. After half a month of careful nurturing, the spirit beast recovered and gradually grew willing to interact with humans.

Li Muwan often played with it, feeding it spirit herbs and immortal pills. Because its pupils resembled the shape of the moon and glowed blood-red, she named it “Blood Moon.”

Through frequent interaction, Li Muwan helped Blood Moon lower its guard against humans, which was why it approached Wang Lin without hesitation.

Distracted by her pill refinement, Li Muwan didn’t notice immediately. Wang Lin’s instinctive defensive reaction sent the spirit rabbit flying several zhang away. Crashing against the stone wall, it let out a pitiful cry, injured once more.

Hearing the sound, Li Muwan rushed over anxiously. Seeing the injured spirit rabbit whimpering pitifully, she took out a healing Elixir and fed it to the creature.

Once it showed signs of improvement, she turned to glare at Wang Lin, reproach flashing in her eyes as if questioning why he would deal such a heavy blow to a small animal.

Wang Lin remained indifferent, merely stating coldly, “Where did this spirit beast come from?”

“Senior Brother, this is my spirit pet. Its name is Blood Moon.” Li Muwan averted her gaze. “If you dislike having spirit beasts raised in the Cave Residence, I’ll keep it under better control and ensure it doesn’t disturb you.”

“Please don’t kill it.” After the spirit beast took the Elixir, she wanted to transfer Spiritual Power to heal it, but her cultivation was clearly insufficient. She fixed her eyes on Wang Lin.

Holding the injured Blood Moon, she approached him. “Senior Brother, my cultivation isn’t enough. Can you save it?”

Wang Lin furrowed his brow, his expression grim. Li Muwan bit her lip, a trace of grievance flashing in her eyes. Seeing his stern demeanor, she muttered under her breath, “I barely managed to save it from the jaws of another fierce beast. It took me half a month of nursing to help it recover even slightly, and with that one strike from you, Senior Brother, all my efforts over these past weeks have gone to waste.”

Li Muwan heard only a soft sigh, followed by a circle of purple light slowly rising and enveloping the Spirit Beast.

Wang Lin extended his arm, channeling Spiritual Power into the Spirit Beast cradled in Li Muwan’s arms. The creature gradually levitated mid-air as he continued to infuse it with energy. Seeing this, Li Muwan fed it several more Elixirs.

Half an hour later, Wang Lin withdrew his Spiritual Power, clasped his hands behind his back, and glanced at Li Muwan as if gauging her reaction.

The Spirit Beast had fully recovered. Upon landing, it hopped about and nestled beneath Li Muwan’s skirt.

Li Muwan crouched down to embrace the Spirit Beast, and after confirming it was unharmed, a brilliant smile bloomed across her face. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”