Chapter Seventy-Four: Now You Are Free!

At those words, the Rainbow Pipi Eel’s eyes suddenly lit up, and it let out a muffled sound, calling out to Chen Xiang.

Chen Xiang glanced back and said, “What? You have an idea?”

“Mmm! Mmm!” The Rainbow Pipi Eel nodded vigorously.

Chen Xiang fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, but you mustn’t speak. Otherwise, we’ll have to start all over again.” He reminded it once more.

“Mmm!” The Rainbow Pipi Eel nodded.

Chen Xiang stepped forward and pulled hard at the dogskin plaster sealing its mouth. It took considerable effort; after all, anything produced by the system was of the highest quality—even a simple dogskin plaster had extremely strong adhesion!

The Rainbow Pipi Eel dared not make a sound. Instead, it immediately opened its mouth and spat out half a bottle of Vital Essence Liquid.

Chen Xiang caught the precious fluid, then said, “Pipi Eel, this half-bottle of Vital Essence Liquid is supposed to be my payment, isn’t it? Do you really think I’d use it on you?”

The Rainbow Pipi Eel’s mouth twitched, but it was clearly impatient. It opened its mouth again and produced a small jade vial containing a quarter-bottle of the liquid.

Chen Xiang caught this second vial as well, nodding with satisfaction.

“Good, with this life force, the final strike is within reach!” Chen Xiang said, smiling.

Without further ado, he uncorked the quarter-bottle of Vital Essence Liquid and, right before the Rainbow Pipi Eel’s eyes, “drank” it down in one go.

A trace of heartache flashed through the Rainbow Pipi Eel’s mind but passed swiftly. Compared to freedom, the Vital Essence Liquid was of little importance—it was not yet time for it to use the elixir, as it was still in its growth phase.

Chen Xiang finished the vial and let out a symbolic belch. In truth, he’d already activated the system and stored away all the Vital Essence Liquid—this cost him a full hundred reputation points!

“Excellent brew! Hiccup~”

He no longer bothered to pretend. His complexion swiftly grew rosy before returning to normal, as if he’d just recovered his energy by drinking the Vital Essence Liquid.

Lifting the Coiling Dragon Staff, he grinned at the Rainbow Pipi Eel. “Alright, now for the final Forbidden Breaker Strike. Brace yourself!”

The Rainbow Pipi Eel stood at attention, its face solemn, though inside it could barely contain its excitement.

“Ha!” Chen Xiang shouted softly, raising his staff and bringing it down.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel reflexively shut its eyes.

While it was distracted, Chen Xiang channeled a surge of spiritual power into its body, shattering the imprint within. The seal was broken in an instant!

Given all the treasures the eel had just offered, Chen Xiang decided to go easy on it. He simply tapped its body lightly with the staff.

“It’s done,” he said. “The imprint is gone. You’re free now!”

The Rainbow Pipi Eel’s consciousness had never left its own body—it could not afford to take risks when its freedom was at stake.

When it saw the imprint dissolved in an instant, a wave of emotion surged through it, as if a mountain of sorrow had been lifted from its shoulders.

“Woo… finally, I’m free!” The Rainbow Pipi Eel was moved to tears.

The memory of ten thousand years ago was still fresh—its nightmare’s beginning. Back then, it had been swimming leisurely in the Sea of Immortals when a masked stranger appeared, beat it senseless, and dragged it to the Ice Valley for sealing. In all these millennia, there were hardly any creatures to talk to—the loneliness was indescribable.

Chen Xiang found its reaction quite amusing. This Pipi Eel was truly a simple creature.

Now that everything was resolved, he was ready to continue climbing the tower. The system had just detected that this place could temper spiritual consciousness—a welcome boon. Most importantly, it would greatly accelerate the cultivation of his Divine Spirit Technique!

He’d already tried once: the Divine Spirit Technique couldn’t be upgraded with proficiency points; it could only be cultivated through personal effort. In fact, all secret techniques were like this.

A secret technique was not like an ordinary cultivation method—it was far more precious. Its power grew alongside the practitioner’s comprehension and insight. Brought to the peak, some secret techniques could rival the highest-level arts and martial skills, but if poorly cultivated, they were no better than the lowest grade.

So, a place like the Ice Spirit Tower was a rare treasure. How could Chen Xiang pass up such an opportunity? With this thought, he headed toward the sixth floor.

The Rainbow Pipi Eel was still lost in the bittersweet memories of its past and the joy of newfound freedom, paying him no mind at all.

Outside the tower, a vast crowd had already gathered. All eyes were fixed on a snow-white identity token floating outside the fifth floor.

At the very front stood several imposing middle-aged men and elders. The foremost was a dignified man, and they too watched the changes within the tower.

“I say, hasn’t that genius been on the fifth floor for almost an hour now?”

“That’s a remarkable achievement. Remember, he’s only at the peak of the Core Formation stage, and many Nascent Soul cultivators can’t even set foot on the fifth floor!”

“Exactly. Of those challenging the tower, only a handful of Nascent Soul cultivators have reached the fourth floor, and even then, the longest anyone has lasted is an hour!”

“If we could recruit this young man, the Snowveil Sect would surely rise to new heights!”

Everyone was talking and sighing in admiration. Even the imposing figures at the front couldn’t help but raise their eyebrows.

“Changfeng, is this Chu Liuxiang really as formidable as they say?” one elder suddenly asked a young male disciple standing behind him.

This disciple was the Nascent Soul stage man who’d been at the reception desk. At the elder’s question, he replied respectfully, “Yes, Fourth Elder. As soon as Chu Liuxiang entered the tower, he went straight to the fourth floor, taking less than a quarter-hour to do so. He lingered there for about another quarter-hour before ascending to the fifth floor. On the second and third floors, he even boasted loudly that he would reach the very top.”

The Fourth Elder nodded thoughtfully. He didn’t mind the boasting, chalking it up to youthful arrogance. Besides, with Chu Liuxiang’s talent, even if he failed now, no one would hold it against him.

“I suppose he must be stuck on the fifth floor, barely able to move,” said the stern middle-aged man at the front. “The spiritual pressure on the fifth floor is at the Transformation stage’s level. No matter how gifted he is, he can’t possibly withstand it with only a Core Formation consciousness. He can’t be feeling too well right now!”

“Exactly, Sect Master. If he were at the Nascent Soul stage, he might have a chance at the sixth floor, but as things stand, it’s unlikely. But Sect Master, shouldn’t we use a spell to bring him out? If his spiritual foundation is damaged, it would be a great loss.” A Transformation-stage elder beside him spoke up with some concern.

The Sect Master smiled faintly, casting him a glance. “What’s this, Yao Xuzi? Are you feeling protective already? Have you taken a liking to this gifted youth?”

The old man shook his head with a smile. “Ah, Sect Master, there’s no need to point it out. I know my own cultivation will hardly improve in this lifetime, so I focus on my passion for alchemy. With such a talented youth, I naturally wish to pass on my legacy.”

“Hmph, Yao Xuzi, that’s not quite right. My path of formations also requires a worthy successor. This young man is even more suited to studying arrays with me. Wasn’t there a female cultivator at the seventh level of Core Formation who lasted half an hour on the fourth floor? She stated clearly she wished to join your Alchemy Pavilion, and she’s a genius too. Why not leave this youth to me?” interjected another Transformation-stage elder.

“That’s not accurate, Third Elder. The girl chose the Alchemy Pavilion of her own will. I didn’t force her, and you’re free to invite her to learn formations. I’m set on this young man!” Yao Xuzi replied with bureaucratic indifference.

“You—” The Third Elder wanted to retort, but the Sect Master intervened.

“Enough, enough. You can argue over disciples later. For now, let’s focus on bringing this young man down safely before anything goes wrong,” the Sect Master said, obviously uncomfortable at being caught in the middle.

“Hmph!” The Third Elder shot Yao Xuzi a glare and snorted.

Yao Xuzi’s calm expression showed he found the argument pointless.

But just then, another wave of astonished cries rippled through the crowd.

“What? The token moved! He’s ascended to the sixth floor!”

“To be continued…”