ETR | Chapter 24

The cross-dressing thing? Just a joke. Shen Guan would rather die than comply.

In fact, after Xiao Xueman shattered that crystal orb, there really hadn’t been any movement from Qin Lou’s side. He probably had truly lost any way of finding them.

Nothing unusual had happened in the Thirteenth Heaven for quite a while—it all looked perfectly calm. Xiao Xueman and Shen Guan bought a small courtyard house near the edge of the city, hired a tutor to teach Xiao Wan his cultural studies, and kept their spiritual power suppressed to the level of a Spirit Master—nothing that would stand out among the many ordinary folks here.

Neither of them were flashy types, so they didn’t get to know the neighbors much. Life was simple and relaxed.

Cultural tutors were way cheaper than cultivation instructors, and here in the Thirteenth Heaven, the price of Peiyuan Pills had more than doubled compared to the Fifteenth Heaven. It was probably because spirit cultivators here were all desperate to break through that Lower Realm barrier—anything cultivation-related was super expensive.

In a blink, a few years passed.

In that time, Xiao Wan had grown from a five-and-a-half-year-old little bean into a ten-year-old boy. He learned fast, with almost photographic memory. Every six months they had to swap out tutors because he’d already learned everything. His self-study was getting more and more efficient, and at this point, it was hard to even find a teacher qualified to teach him.

Xiao Wan didn’t mind. Whenever he wanted to learn something new, he’d head to the library and dig out a related book. If even the books didn’t have the answer, he’d go ask Uncle Shen or Daddy—and 99% of the time, he’d get the answer he needed.

“… Manruo Grass has a mild hallucinogenic toxin. When picking it, find a water-type cultivator to water the roots with spiritual power first. That’ll cut down the toxicity, and make it much better for alchemy use.” Xiao Xueman would teach him occasionally. “This part’s not in the books, so just remember it yourself.”

Xiao Wan nodded and jotted it down in his notebook.

Ever since he quit school, his cultivation hadn’t fallen behind. He didn’t have to worry about drawing attention for being “too special,” so he relaxed and followed his own pace for leveling up.

The seal on his body had long since been fully undone. His strength had climbed from Spirit Practitioner to Spirit Knight, and now he was at Spirit Master. His dual wood-fire spiritual power was incredibly stable and under masterful control.

A ten-year-old Spirit Master—yeah, even in the First Heaven, that was top-tier genius level. And this was dual-type spiritual power, known for being slow and hard to cultivate.

As Xiao Wan grew up, he looked more and more like Xiao Xueman—almost like he’d been carved from the same mold. Sometimes Shen Guan would glance over and get a little confused for a second.

Maybe there was some truth to Xiao Xueman insisting this kid was all his and had nothing to do with Qin Lou. Aside from the fire-type spiritual power in him, Xiao Wan showed no signs of Qin Lou’s presence at all.

Thinking about this, Shen Guan sat down beside Xiao Xueman with a tray of snacks and placed it on the table. Xiao Xueman leaned over naturally and grabbed his favorite candied fruit.

“Xiao Wan’s been reading a lot of alchemy books lately. Is he thinking about learning how to refine medicine?” Xiao Xueman chewed slowly on the candied fruit and said, half-mumbled, “It’s a rough road, though.”

Wood-type cultivators mostly played support roles in combat. Xiao Xueman was a rare exception with his destructive wood-type power. Most wood-type cultivators ended up as spiritual alchemists. Those with talent often gave up advancing their cultivation and devoted themselves to refining medicine.

But with Xiao Wan’s current condition, giving up cultivation was definitely not an option.

“I want to learn,” Xiao Wan replied seriously. “I’m not afraid of hard work. Can Daddy teach me?”

Even just judging from the Peiyuan Pills alone, it was clear that spiritual alchemists made bank. All their living expenses over the past few years—including the house—came from this. And Xiao Xueman had only sold five pills. He still had a stash of money left untouched.

Xiao Wan was getting older, but his burning dream of “protecting Daddy” hadn’t faded—in fact, it had only gotten stronger.

He didn’t think buying a basic protection-type spirit instrument was enough anymore. Sure, Daddy was happy no matter what he got, but that kind of gift wasn’t really helpful.

He needed to learn more, as fast as possible.

Most of the time, Xiao Xueman didn’t refuse his son’s requests. And he did believe his kid had talent for this.

“If you want to learn, then learn,” Xiao Xueman propped his chin up. It had been a long time since he’d taught anyone hand-on, and his expression grew a bit more serious. “Hmm, let me think…”

Alchemy needed materials, of course. The basics were easy to find in the market.

Soon, Xiao Xueman went out and picked up a furnace—also called a medicinal cauldron. But aside from that, he didn’t buy any other materials.

“If Xiao Wan wants to learn cultivation and alchemy,” he said, switching into teacher mode and growing more stern, “then you’ll go harvest the ingredients yourself from the forest outside the city. Good training, and you’ll get familiar with the herbs too.” He handed him a piece of paper. “I’ve written the list. Everything on it can be found in the forest. If you can collect all of this in three days, I’ll start teaching you alchemy.”

His requirements weren’t too harsh. The list had a mix of plants and parts from spiritual beasts—bones, fur, that kind of stuff. For a Spirit Master like Xiao Wan, it wasn’t that big a deal.

He’d fought during his cultivation journey before. The forest was right by the city, and he went there from time to time. But experience-wise, he still had a lot to learn. The arena required blood registration for identity, and Xiao Wan knew he was a sensitive case—didn’t want to risk leaving any trace. Plus, the arena was brutally intense, minimum age sixteen. He couldn’t even get in yet.

On paper, a dual-type Spirit Master could beat just about anyone at the same level. Here in the Thirteenth Heaven, few could bully Xiao Wan. Plus, he had Xiao Xueman’s necklace on him—plenty of protection. Still, real combat was messy, and Xiao Xueman didn’t want his kid to just be all theory—he wanted him to get out there and practice.

No better way to kill two birds with one stone.

Xiao Wan took the list—it had a bit over twenty ingredients. Some easy, some tough.

“You can form a team or go solo. Use dual-type spiritual power or keep it subtle with just one—up to you,” Xiao Xueman said, plopping back down and helping himself to more candied fruit from Shen Guan’s tray. “Xiao Wan’s grown up. You decide how to handle it. Daddy won’t interfere.”

Xiao Wan nodded, signaling he understood.

He never disappointed Xiao Xueman. He was naturally aloof toward outsiders, so teaming up hadn’t even crossed his mind. He quickly changed into a light protective outfit and headed straight for the forest outside the city.

It wasn’t that rare for ten-year-olds to go hunting spirit beasts, but usually they came in school groups. A solo kid like him? That was rare.

Xiao Wan analyzed the list and mapped out a route for the first day based on item location and weight. Storage-type spirit instruments had to be at least four-star and weren’t cheap—nobody in the Lower Realm could really afford them. So he just carried everything in a regular pack.

The first five items were all herbs. Harvesting wasn’t hard, though sometimes specific spirit beasts grew nearby as guardians. Beating those was the tricky part.

His use of dual-type spiritual power had become super flexible. One hand used wood-type to nimbly pull the herbs toward him—eerily similar to how Xiao Xueman did it before—but he wasn’t nearly as fast. So, the other hand used fire-type to keep the guardian beasts in check. After grabbing what he needed, he didn’t linger—just moved on to the next location.

Xiao Wan’s plan was going surprisingly well, faster than he’d expected.

Now, he was crouched in the bushes, waiting for the final target on today’s list: the Banded Python.

Once he took it down, he could go home. Should still make it back in time for dinner.

In his bag, aside from the ingredients Daddy wanted, he had also stashed some wild fruits—tucked way at the bottom, carefully padded.

Xiao Xueman had been into candied fruit lately. Xiao Wan had asked around and found out that the forest had some types sweeter than what you could find at the market. He planned to take them to a shop later, pay a little to get them made into preserves—just something nice for Daddy to snack on.

He didn’t really like sweets anymore now that he was older. But Xiao Xueman? He was practically regressing.

Right at that moment, Xiao Wan heard a faint rustling. He looked ahead and saw colorful shifting spots—the distinct markings of the Banded Python.

As the snake slithered closer, Xiao Wan realized it was way bigger than he’d imagined—about as thick as a water barrel and the length of three grown men.

Spirit beasts ranged from Tier 1 to Tier 9, similar to how spirit herbs and instruments had 1 to 9-star ratings—but the systems weren’t quite the same. Technically, the term “spirit beast” only applied in the Lower Realm.

Once a beast surpassed Tier 9, it developed intelligence and became a member of the demon clan. Demons and their descendants were born with spiritual intelligence, which was why in the Middle and Upper Realms, demons could rival human cultivators and compete for Spirit Realm resources.

Most adult Banded Pythons were Tier 6—Xiao Wan could handle that. But this one looked nothing like the usual. Judging by its form, it was probably Tier 7. These rare superior individuals were considered “Kings” by cultivators.

This one was definitely a Banded Python King.

A Tier 6 Banded Python matched a Tier 1 Spirit Master. But a Tier 7 King needed someone at Spirit Master Tier 5.

Xiao Wan wasn’t like most people. And he did want the experience. After weighing it for a bit, he decided to go for it. He’d studied the necklace Daddy gave him—found out it could create a shield in emergencies. If things got out of hand, he could escape.

He lay low in the bushes, waiting for the Python King to get close. Then, he pounced.

Strike a snake at the seventh inch. Everyone knew their weak point. But the King-level python was no regular snake. Xiao Wan’s charged-up strike only forced it to retreat—and it quickly blocked the attack, protecting its vulnerable spot.

The snake retaliated instantly, baring its venomous fangs and lunging at him.

Xiao Wan didn’t panic at all. His dual-type spiritual power moved like chains—or a flexible whip. One part restrained the python’s movements, while the other slashed it open again and again.

Eventually, the Python King realized this wasn’t some easy target. It coiled up tightly, assuming its best defensive stance.

The sky was getting darker. Most spirit cultivators had already left the forest.

This area was pretty secluded. Xiao Wan hadn’t seen another soul all day. Now that he had the upper hand, he figured he could end this before night fell—and still make it home for dinner.

The python was getting more wounded, its movements sluggish. When it wavered slightly, Xiao Wan seized the moment and fired off a fire-type blast straight at its weak spot.

But just then—an arrow came flying from behind and struck the same weak point at nearly the exact same time.

Xiao Wan’s protective gear was already a bit damaged from battle, and the arrow also tore through the strap on his bag. Everything spilled out.

The ingredients were fine—easy to clean. But the wild fruits? Thin-skinned and juicy, they rolled everywhere, most of them smashed and ruined. Useless now.

Those fruits had been way harder to find than any of the herbs.

Xiao Wan: “…”

His face instantly darkened.

Strangely enough, he didn’t even care about the fact someone had randomly shot his target. There were tons of Banded Pythons in the forest, and the experience of fighting a Python King was what really mattered.

But the snacks he was preparing for Daddy were gone.

And that—that made him furious.