Zhen took a deep breath and exhaled softly, releasing a bit of his aura.
Nothing seemed to happen, but the Golden Crow, which had not yet awakened its cultivation, appeared extremely pressured as it felt his aura. Its beak opened and closed repeatedly, as if it wanted to say something but couldn't.
Zhen simply smiled as he watched its reaction.
'In a sect like the Sacred Wind Sect or the Hundred Flames Sect, I could now be considered a senior disciple,' he thought.
"Boy, could you give me your Dragon Qi again?" the Golden Crow said after a long silence.
Its tone was a little gentler now, as if it was unconsciously showing him respect.
"First of all, stop calling me 'boy'. Did your ancestor always call people that, so now you follow suit? You know, that's how elders refer to little kids," Zhen replied.
"My name is Xia Zhen. You can call me Zhen directly," he added when he saw the Golden Crow looking confused.
It seemed like it was merely imitating what its ancestor did.
"Zhen? Zhen!" It began to say his name, but with a tone that suggested it was struggling to pronounce it. Its tongue didn't seem well-suited for speaking his name.
Zhen didn't really mind, as long as the crow stopped calling him 'boy.'
"Since you told me the location of the beast's lair, I'll give you some of my Dragon Qi," he said.
After that, he released his Dragon Qi—enough to fill the entire cultivation chamber.
Upon seeing this, the crow instantly grew excited.
It began to swallow the Dragon Qi greedily, as if it were parched.
"My cultivation will awaken faster with this. I might even undergo a special evolution," it said.
Zhen ignored what it was doing for now.
His stamina and vitality had recovered thanks to his breakthrough, and he was ready to fight again.
He couldn't help but be curious about exploring the lake in the middle of that forest again.
There were two Level 11 Beasts there that could give him practically 200 System Points—but what intrigued him most was the fish-head statue.
Once the Golden Crow finished absorbing his Dragon Qi, Zhen finally stood up.
He stepped out of the inn again.
However, he was forced to stop in his tracks because, in front of him, there stood a woman with long black hair wearing a simple white dress.
Who else could it be but Lin Qingxue? Zhen didn't expect to see her here.
No—she seemed to be waiting for him specifically.
The woman eyed him from head to toe, her gaze narrowing slightly.
"Just a moment ago, you were only at the Tenth Stage Qi Master level, and now you're already at the First Stage Earth Master? That's kind of ridiculous. I don't remember you being that skilled at gaming," she said.
Zhen was naturally surprised to hear that—she had detected his cultivation level.
"Boy—no, Zhen—the Heavenly Light Body reveals many hidden aspects of objects or people exposed to its light. Even though the woman's cultivation is lower than yours, she could easily sense it. She might even be able to estimate your strength," the Golden Crow, hiding behind Zhen, informed him through Inner Communication after seeing his surprise.
Zhen pretended nothing was wrong. In response, he asked, "Is there something you need, Miss Lin?"
"I want your help saving my grandmother from the Hundred Flames Sect," she answered, not hiding her intent at all.
"Ohh…" Zhen made a strange face at that.
"Weren't you all gathering Spirit Coins to pay an NPC?" he asked.
"Yes. That NPC ran off after taking our Spirit Coins," Lin Qingxue replied.
Zhen: "..."
Zhen actually wanted to laugh upon hearing something like that, but he held it back so Lin Qingxue wouldn't think he was mocking her.
"Miss Lin, why are you so determined to save your grandmother? If she logs out, her character will die, and she can just start over," he said.
He suspected that the old woman's character had some special qualities, but that was only a guess.
"She doesn't want to die and start over again. If there's a way to save her, we'll take it," Lin Qingxue replied.
She didn't state the main reason why they had to save the old woman.
Then she continued, "The prison where my grandmother is held is only guarded by cultivators in the Qi Master Realm—people considered ordinary by the Hundred Flames Sect. With your cultivation, defeating them all wouldn't be hard. Zhen, if you help us, we'll give you a reward of 200,000 dollars, and you can also make a personal request of me."
Zhen was a little taken aback because Lin Qingxue used his name again, showing that she was serious about asking for his help.
Of course, hearing the sum of 200,000 dollars again made it difficult for him not to be interested.
That was two hundred thousand dollars. Even his salary as a lecturer for five years wouldn't amount to that.
But what interested him even more was the fact that he had become stronger now.
If the prison was only guarded by Qi Master Realm disciples, he figured he could act without alerting the sect.
"You're sure you'll fulfill one request from me?" Zhen asked.
"Yes, as long as it's not something weird," Lin Qingxue replied, looking him in the eye seriously.
"Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to ask you to reminisce about the past," Zhen replied, deliberately saying that because of the way she was looking at him.
Upon hearing his reply, the woman unconsciously furrowed her brows, perhaps wondering what kind of things a man and woman with a history together would do to 'reminisce.'
It felt like simply taking a walk together wouldn't cut it at all.
But since Zhen didn't say he wanted that, Lin Qingxue didn't press the matter.
She waited for him to state his request.
"I want my jade bracelet back," Zhen said, immediately changing Lin Qingxue's expression.
He had once given her a jade bracelet—but it wasn't a gift. It was a symbol of a bond.
He had inherited it from his mother, and it was meant to be given to his wife.
When he was dating Lin Qingxue, he gave it to her. But after their breakup, the woman refused to return it, even though he had asked several times.
Of course, Zhen wanted it back, as there was no longer a special relationship between them, and to him, that bracelet was meant for the woman who would be willing to become his wife.
He couldn't let an ex-girlfriend keep it.
In fact, the jade bracelet was now incredibly valuable because it belonged to a rare type of jade. But the price wasn't the point.
What mattered was that it was a family heirloom—something only the Madam of the Xia Family could wear.