Su Mo couldn’t understand why he was the only one who didn’t receive a reward, even though he had stayed in the ruins longer than Xia Qingqing and the others.
Was it because they saw I already gained so much and decided to withhold it?
If that were really the case, Su Mo felt like cursing.
My gains are the result of my own efforts. How shameless is it to just arbitrarily deny me a reward?
Didn’t someone once say that luck is part of one’s strength?
Faced with everyone’s questions, Su Mo could only brush it off: “Same as Luo Xiu—I got a technique manual.”
At that moment, A-Kun suddenly leaned in with a mysterious expression. “So… did you really get that Yazi inheritance or not?”
“What do you think?” Su Mo shot him an exasperated look.
“Yeah, I guess an inheritance like that wouldn’t be so easy to obtain.” Though A-Kun said this, he still suspected Su Mo was lying.
In his eyes, given Su Mo’s talent and abilities, he was absolutely qualified to receive it. If no one had obtained the inheritance, fine—but if someone had, it was most likely Su Mo.
Wang Yun and Lei Hao exchanged confused glances, having no idea what they were talking about. When they asked, no one bothered to explain, leaving them frustrated…
In truth, quite a few people knew about the secret treasure, but very few knew that the treasure was the inheritance. A-Kun had only learned about it from Luo Xiu.
And Luo Xiu had only given a vague explanation, skipping the details entirely—claiming he “forgot” when pressed.
A-Kun: “…”
By the time they reached downtown Tianyu City, it was already past two in the afternoon. The group hastily booked a hotel and immediately crashed for a long, well-deserved nap, finally making up for all the exhaustion of the past days.
Su Mo lay on the bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling as he mulled things over.
The trip to the Longshan Ruins was over, and it had been incredibly fruitful. Not only had he successfully reached the qihai realm, but he had also obtained the highly effective combat technique—Rage Mantra.
On top of that, he had discovered an unexpected bonus.
Perhaps due to those three ice pearls, his yin fire had actually evolved.
With a thought, a wisp of yin fire flickered to life at his fingertip. He brought it close to a glass of water, and the liquid inside instantly froze.
Then, when he touched the ice, it began to burn.
It was unbelievable—ice and fire coexisting. If someone had told him this before, Su Mo would have never believed it.
But now, there was one more crucial matter to attend to—Jade Seeding!
This was a unique cultivation method from the Jade Seeding Art, which could only begin after reaching the qihai realm.
“Jade seeding” referred to condensing jade seeds—functional equivalents of qi cores—within each of the five organs.
However, each organ corresponded to a different elemental jade seed, aligned with the five phases:
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Lungs (Metal): Metal-attribute jade seed.
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Liver (Wood): Wood-attribute jade seed.
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Kidneys (Water): Water-attribute jade seed.
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Heart (Fire): Fire-attribute jade seed.
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Spleen (Earth): Earth-attribute jade seed.
Each jade seed could significantly enhance the function of its corresponding organ. For example, a water-attribute jade seed would improve kidney function—ahem, those who understood, understood…
Generally, the first jade seed could be planted in any organ of the cultivator’s choice. After that, the rest would follow the order of the five-phase cycle.
Su Mo didn’t hesitate to choose fire—since he already wielded yin fire, planting a fire-attribute jade seed in his heart should theoretically be easier.
However, this didn’t mean he had to channel yin fire directly into his heart. The heart was inherently aligned with fire; all he needed was to meditate and allow the natural “fire” within it to coalesce into a jade seed.
This process might seem difficult, but it largely depended on one’s innate talent and comprehension. Some might spend their entire lives failing to plant even one jade seed, while others could plant all five within a few short years.
Su Mo didn’t know which category he fell into, so he could only take it slow and steady.
After about an hour, he had practically calculated how many red blood cells his heart pumped per minute—yet he still hadn’t sensed even a flicker of “fire.”
Am I really the talentless type?
Just as he was stewing in frustration, his phone suddenly rang.
Su Mo picked it up—it was Ye Qingyi calling.
For some reason, his mood instantly brightened.
“Hello, who is this?” he asked, feigning nonchalance, though the corners of his mouth were twitching upward harder than an AK’s recoil.
“Your dad,” came Ye Qingyi’s voice, deliberately gruff with mock anger.
Su Mo raised an eyebrow. No way I’m letting her win this. He immediately shot back, “Right now, I’m you, and you’re me. If I actually call you that, then that would mean—”
“Stop!” Ye Qingyi cut him off hastily, her tone suddenly softening. “Where are you right now?”
Hearing her artificially sweetened voice, Su Mo shuddered. “Hey, hey—cut it out. Don’t talk like that, it’s giving me goosebumps.”
Silence.
No response—only the faint sound of breathing on the other end.
Huh? Did I make her mad?
Su Mo guiltily rubbed his nose and tentatively added, “Uh… I just meant that if you keep forcing that voice, your throat might hurt. And if your throat hurts, you can’t eat spicy food… and you love spicy food…”
Before he could finish, Ye Qingyi burst into laughter. “Pfft—ha ha ha! How are you this adorable?”
Su Mo froze. I got played. “Oh, you little—just you wait. When we meet, I’m gonna teach you a lesson.”
“Why wait? How about today?”
“Wait, you—where are you?” Su Mo suddenly realized something and started scrambling for his shoes.
“At my place, of course.”
“My place?”
“No, no—my place now,” Ye Qingyi giggled. “You’re back in Tianyu City, right?”
“Yeah, resting at a hotel.”
“Name a place. Let’s meet up in a bit.”
“How about that beef noodle place on Second Street? Haven’t been there in ages—I kinda miss the taste.” Su Mo couldn’t help but swallow at the thought.
“Deal. See you soon. Oh—ah! M-Mom, why are you—”
The call abruptly ended with a series of beeps.
Su Mo’s expression turned complicated as he imagined the awkward scene of his mom interacting with the fake version of him.
Yikes… that’s gotta be uncomfortable.
But more importantly—why did she suddenly go to my house?
This is her first time visiting!
Unable to figure it out, Su Mo decided to ask her later.
After a quick freshening up and changing into casual clothes, he left the hotel.
With the red bumps on his face gone, he didn’t need to hide behind a mask anymore. He strode confidently along the familiar streets toward their meeting spot.
The moment he arrived, Su Mo spotted Ye Qingyi standing by the entrance. She saw him too and waved.
“Long time no see. You’ve gotten prettier.”
“You too—handsome enough to topple nations.”
Their reunion began with a round of shameless self-praise.
“By the way, what made you decide to visit my house? Don’t tell me my mom randomly ran into you and dragged you home?” Su Mo eyed her suspiciously.
“Wow, mother-son telepathy is real. That’s exactly what happened.” Ye Qingyi gave a thumbs-up. “Let’s eat first—we can talk while we eat.”
“Sure.” Su Mo took the order slip and handed it to the noodle chef. “Uncle, two erxi noodles, extra portion.”