"Mine... where's mine?"
At this moment, Xiao Yi Xian was a bit stunned, stammering as she asked.
She had felt a bit of joy when she saw him nodding, thinking that this cold-faced jerk wasn't as bad as she thought!
But what happened next made her realize—he truly was a jerk.
After nodding, Xiao Bai first waved his sleeve, collecting all the jade boxes she was holding, and then he put the scroll in his hand into his storage ring.
Looking at her now empty arms, she couldn't believe it—he didn't even leave one behind!
"What do you mean 'yours'? Everything here is mine!"
Hearing Xiao Bai's calm and infuriating voice, Xiao Yi Xian felt a surge of resentment and aggrievement welling up in her heart.
She felt like she had been delusional earlier, thinking that despite his cold exterior, he might actually have a gentle heart. That's why she had acted cute and even tried to act coquettishly to ask him for the scroll.
But now, seeing his behavior, she realized that in his eyes, she might have always been like a clown.
Thinking this, Xiao Yi Xian was filled with anger and even had the impulse to fight him to the death. But considering his strength, what could she even do? Charging at him would only make him laugh at her for overestimating herself.
Her eyes turned slightly red, and tears welled up. She silently glanced at him, feeling disheartened. Without saying another word to Xiao Bai, she walked over to a nearby flower bed, sat down, hugged her knees, and quietly sobbed.
Xiao Bai didn't pay any attention to her and instead moved to the second box.
"Heh... boy, you really are heartless, aren't you?"
Yao Lao, seeing the situation, couldn't help but sigh in emotion, but there was a trace of confusion in his tone.
He didn't understand why Xiao Bai acted like this. From the start, although the boy was cold and distant toward this girl, it was clear that he cared for her a lot.
After observing Xiao Bai for so many years, Yao Lao felt that he had a pretty good understanding of him. The only other person Xiao Bai treated this specially was, after all, the girl from the Xiao family.
All the other girls from the same generation in the Xiao family had been treated with indifference—he kept a distance from them.
Yao Lao could tell that ever since that event in the cave, Xiao Yi Xian had clearly lowered her guard around Xiao Bai, yet the boy had responded like this.
Yao Lao shook his head, truly baffled by how young people thought these days. He then reminisced about his own youthful exploits, sighing at how straightforward things had been back then, unlike all the complications now.
Xiao Bai didn't respond and simply opened the second box. Inside was a black scroll.
Raising his eyebrows, he reached out and carefully took it from the box, his gaze lingering on the small text on the side of the scroll: "High-level Xuan Class Flight Dou Technique: Eagle Wings."
"Heh, Xiao Bai, is this why you came to the Magical Beast Mountains? Eagle Wings?" Yao Lao, looking at the black scroll in his hand, understood that this was Xiao Bai's goal for this trip.
"That's right!"
Xiao Bai's heart surged with joy as he finally obtained the Dou Technique he had been after.
Flying through the skies—something he had never even dared to imagine in his past life.
To travel from the North Sea to the Cangwu Mountains in a single day—who wouldn't want that? Yet, that was something only found in the dreams worlds of cultivators.
In the Dou Qi Continent, to fly, one needed to be at least a Dou Ling—and even then, a Dou Ling could only glide over short distances, not truly fly.
Only upon reaching Dou Wang, with the ability to project Dou Qi from their body to form energy wings behind them, could one truly break free from the earth's constraints and soar through the skies.
Flying Dou Techniques, while classified as Dou Techniques, were actually a mysterious secret method that allowed a person to extend two small meridians behind them. With these two extensions, one could achieve short-distance flight, even without reaching Dou Wang.
The scroll in Xiao Bai's hands was far superior to that kind of secret technique. It was made from the wings of a Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle, excelling both in speed and Dou Qi consumption.
Now wasn't the time to cultivate, so after examining it for a while, Xiao Bai stored it away. The purpose of his trip here was essentially complete.
Turning his gaze toward the third stone box, Xiao Bai walked over and opened it. Inside was another scroll, a pale yellow one with some frayed edges, clearly old.
He picked it up and looked at it. As expected, there was no surprise. It was a Xuan Class High-level Dou Technique: Roar of the Mad Lion, a soundwave Dou technique. If it was powered by spiritual energy, Xiao Bai would be interested, but unfortunately, it was powered by Dou Qi.
He casually tossed the scroll into his storage ring, then looked at the skeleton, feeling a bit puzzled. Why didn't it have a storage ring?
He had scanned the cave several times with his soul power and had seen the map, but there was no storage ring.
Shaking his head, Xiao Bai approached the skeleton and said softly, "Senior, having inherited your legacy, it is only right to let you rest in peace. Please forgive my intrusion."
After saying that, he used his soul power to lift the skeleton and gave a soft command, "Thunder, come!"
Suddenly, his Yang Thunder of Bing Fire erupted, and a thunderous sound shook the cave. The lightning struck the ground, creating a pit in the mud just big enough to place the skeleton in.
The skeleton floated into the pit, and during the process, an old item fell off. Xiao Bai waved his hand and collected it.
Nearby, Xiao Yi Xian, who had been saddened, was interrupted by the sound of Xiao Bai's command. She lifted her head, her eyes red with tears, and saw the skeleton floating in the air. The jerk's body emitted a brilliant red light, followed by a thunderous sound, and a charred pit appeared on the ground.
"This jerk is so strong! What cultivation level is he at?" Xiao Yi Xian was stunned, her lips parting in shock. But after the initial surprise, she thought about his attitude toward her and lost all interest in investigating further.
After placing the skeleton in the pit, Xiao Bai used his soul power to gather the surrounding soil and filled in the hole, creating a small mound of dirt.
He took out a jug of wine from his storage ring and poured it over the small mound.
After pouring, Xiao Bai stared at the small mound, slightly dazed.
"What's the point of cultivation? Look at this senior—no matter what his cultivation level was in life, in the end, he's just a pile of yellow earth!" Xiao Bai murmured.
"Ah, Xiao Bai, you're so young, yet you sound so world-weary. Look at me—even in this state, I'm still struggling. Do you still think there's no meaning?" Yao Lao, hearing his sudden lament, was both surprised and puzzled.
At his age, Xiao Bai should be at the peak of his vigor and ambition. Why was he suddenly pondering such things?
"Heh~ I suppose I've fallen into a lower state of mind," Xiao Bai chuckled, shaking his head. It wasn't that he was being melancholic or indulging in pointless introspection—it was just a momentary doubt.
In this world, can one achieve immortality?
This was the true cause of his reflection. Even with the realm of the Great Ruler, how much lifespan did one have? Could one truly live forever? These were things he didn't know yet.
If the Ruler realm also had lifespan limits, then even if he reached that level, would he one day end up like the senior before him—just a mound of earth?
Xiao Bai shook his head, dispelling these thoughts. Worrying about this now was pointless. He wasn't even sure if he could reach that realm.
"Senior, rest in peace," Xiao Bai said softly, taking one last look at the mound.
Then he turned and walked toward the white-clothed girl still crouched by the flower bed, silently nursing her sorrow.