This time, Zhou Qing still fell at the second wave. A whole group of ten late-stage Golden Core Realm Wandering Souls made him flustered and hurried.
If it werenât for the doubling gravity, which restricted his movements, plus the Thunder Sword Skills that restrained the evil spirits, even if he couldnât win, he wouldnât be so embarrassed.
Especially with the Flame Spirit Blood Ointment absorbed over the past half month, his cultivation had improved again, making those Wandering Souls seem to have been amplified in difficulty accordingly.
"Itâs a bit tricky!"
Lying on the bed, Zhou Qing sighed. Thirty pieces of mid-grade Spirit Stones were wasted just like that, without hearing a single sound.
"If the Ignore Points could refresh more often, the probability of being overlooked would be much higher."
However, being in the sect and now labeled as a "wastrel," there were few opportunities to refresh the points.
Two days later, Yan Xiaohu came running with an old hen in his arms, all excited.
"Old Four, come to my place. I have something good to show you!" Yan Xiaohuâs face was filled with excitement.
Before Zhou Qing could refuse, Yan Xiaohu pulled him along, hastily heading towards his own residence.
"Have you taken a fancy to someone recently?"
Descending from the flying sword, Zhou Qing looked around Yan Xiaohuâs courtyard. Originally, it was littered with chicken droppings and scorched by fires, making the surroundings look like a wasteland. Now it had begun to flourish with green trees.
Though sparse, it was at least a good phenomenon.
Yan Xiaohu pouted, "Women only slow me down from drawing my sword, but I must admit, you do observe closely. Actually, I dug a secret base."
After speaking, Yan Xiaohu opened the courtyard barrier, hurriedly pulling Zhou Qing inside. He then sneakily poked his head out to ensure no one was following before quickly shutting the door.
"Here, here!"
Once inside, Yan Xiaohu placed the old hen aside and slowly moved a large water jar.
Instantly, the ground emitted a cracking sound, followed by layers of steps appearing.
Zhou Qing looked puzzled.
Yan Xiaohu chuckled, "Remember the Black Market in Lingyun Mansion? I got the inspiration from there. Downstairs, Iâve created a huge secret chamber. To avoid attracting attention, I planted trees outside to cover it up."
With curiosity piqued, Zhou Qing followed step by step downwards.
"Youâre not going to gut me, are you?" Seeing the pitch darkness ahead, Zhou Qing couldnât help but speak up.
Yan Xiaohu didnât reply, snipped his fingers, and the entire secret chamber lit up instantly.
One had to admit, it was indeed quite large inside, all paved with giant blue bricks, spanning at least a kilometer.
"When did you dig this?" Zhou Qing marveled.
Yan Xiaohu replied, "It didnât take too long. After all, your senior brother here is in the Nascent Soul Realm. By the way, youâre the first person to come to my secret chamber. If Iâm not at home, Iâll probably be here."
"Why did you build this place?" Zhou Qing felt like Yan Xiaohu was overdoing things.
Youâre not worried about being assassinated, so are you planning a golden chamber to hide a beauty?
Facing Zhou Qingâs inquiry, Yan Xiaohu answered seriously, "Youâre an ordinary person now, right? Sometimes when cultivating certain divine techniques, you might be seen. But here, you can use them freely without anyone noticing."
"Furthermore, Iâve reinforced the sound insulation array and other protections outside. No one will discover it."
Hearing Yan Xiaohuâs words, Zhou Qing was taken aback, his eyes reddening. Yan Xiaohu, however, turned around and continued, "I now possess Nascent Fire. Refining items can be dangerous, so I started digging this place long ago."
"When we went to Lingyun Mansion, it was already half-done. I planned to find elixir materials and refine them here in peace. Surprisingly, it was ready-made. See that mat? I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage right there."
Following Yan Xiaohuâs direction, Zhou Qing couldnât help but shed tears of emotion.
He thought Yan Xiaohu had built it specially for him, only to realize it was just a coincidence.
"By the way, the main reason I called you here is for this!"
Soon, Yan Xiaohu eagerly patted his storage bag, promptly bringing out a drum as tall as two people.
The drum had a deep dark purple hue, neither metallic nor wooden, seemingly formed by layers of ancient demon beast scales, each scale shining with a cold luster.
Besides that, a pair of pure black drumsticks lay on the drum surface, looking like they were forged from the humerus of some powerful demon beast.
"Whatâs this?" Zhou Qing was a bit surprised as he touched it.
Yan Xiaohu wore a look of pride.
"A while ago, I gave Old Mo a Top-Grade Spirit Stone, asking him to help me find some powerful cultivation techniques. It just so happened that the exchange hall had this treasure suppressed at the bottom of the box. Old Mo exchanged it for meâthis is it!"
Leaning on the drum, Yan Xiaohu extended three fingers, "This drum is called the Withdrawal Drum, worth three thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones. Its only drawback is that it requires two people to use..."
"Wait, whatâs it called?" Zhou Qing hurriedly interrupted.
Yan Xiaohu was a little embarrassed but still said, "Withdrawal Drum. Donât look down on its name. Once beaten, the waves it generates will immediately slow down anyone approaching us, just like the Gravity Zone."
Zhou Qingâs eyes lit up. This was great!
"What does it mean it requires two people to use?" he asked curiously.
Yan Xiaohu immediately took out a manual, "Look at this, itâs the Heart Method Mantra. One person beats the drum, slowing the enemyâs speed, while the other recites the corresponding mantra, urging the waves to form sharp Spiritual Blades to kill the enemy. Both roles are indispensable."