Thirty minutes. That’s all it took for Yi Chen to slay the remaining nine thousand or so Glacial soldiers.

Letting out a deep breath, he glanced at the battlefield that was covered in black shards.

Although swinging his sword in the air for hours had somewhat relaxed his mind...in the end, nothing was as therapeutic as breaking down things which, in this case, were the Glacial soldiers.

"You know what? No matter how many times I see you slay hundreds of them in just a matter of minutes, I still can’t help but feel amazed by it. You’re really something."

Gao Zhen praised while letting out a soft chuckle.

"It’s not like Madam Gao isn’t doing well herself. The Black Glacial Soldiers you are capable of summoning right now are twice as strong as the ones we are facing, not to mention your swordsmanship, which has also improved tremendously over the years...

To finally be able to see you successfully slay more than three thousand of those Glacial Soldiers today felt truly satisfying."

"...Young Master Chen sure knows how to flatter someone," Gao Zhen laughed light-heartedly at his praise. However, a subtle hint of delight was evident in her eyes as she said those words.

Yi Chen smiled back, seeing her reaction, when, in the next instant, his attention was drawn to the thousands of shards that soon turned into black wisps and began rising towards the sky as usual.

’Wait a minute...’

Yi Chen’s eyes widened as his eyes were plastered on the dark Qi that was slowly forming into a massive cloud above.

’I haven’t checked the status of dark Qi yet!’

The moment that thought entered his mind, he immediately willed it and opened its status panel.

======= STATUS =======

Name: Dark Qi

Remark (1/3): One of the origin elements [Regenerate: 10,000 EXP]

=====================

’Origin Elements? What’s that?’ Yi Chen thought with a frown. However, before he could think further on it, his eyes were drawn towards the tiny increment in the panel next to him.

Gritting his teeth, he immediately generated the next two responses.

[Remark (2/3): Can only be utilised by the Demons (Regenerate: 25,000 EXP)]

.

.

[Remark (3/3): Has devouring properties]

The moment he was done glancing over the final remark, his gaze immediately turned towards the progress bar.

[Progress: 95% -> 97%]

His expression darkened that very instant.

’Just two percent...just fucking two per-!’

However, before he could complete his thoughts, he was interrupted by Gao Zhen.

"Is there a matter?" Gao Zhen asked with furrowed brows the moment she noticed Yi Chen’s expression darken.

"A-Ah that..." he muttered while glancing towards her, colour returning to his face as he continued, "Nothing...just..."

He pointed towards the black clouds and said, "Seeing the black clouds...I suddenly started missing rainfall..."

"That’s true...it’s indeed been years for me as well. But..." Gao Zhen stared at him for a couple of seconds, making Yi Chen feel that she had seen through him.

However, the very next second, a bemused expression appeared on her face as she said, while chuckling, "...just why was the first thing you were reminded of rain? Especially in this bone-chilling weather. Are you a maniac or what?"

An amused expression tinged with curiosity appeared on her face the next instant.

"Well... maybe I am." Yi Chen answered while scratching the back of his head, unable to think of any better reply than that. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

His answer only invited a fit of laughter from Gao Zhen’s side, which made him smile in return as well. A light exhale left his lips as he too joined her the next moment, infected by her laughter.

*GRUMBLE*

However, a couple of seconds later, his stomach grumbled loudly in protest as the laughter died out the next instant.

"Don’t worry. I won’t judge." Gao Zhen nodded with an understanding smile while placing her hand over his left shoulder, "It’s only right to be hungry after dealing with thousands of Ice monsters, no need for you to be embarrassed."

Even though she said that, amusement could clearly be seen leaking from her eyes despite her trying hard to restrain herself.

Yi Chen narrowed his eyes, seeing this, and said, "Indeed. It seems, despite slaying thousands of Ice monsters yourself, you’re still not as hungry as me."

"As an experienced cultivator, I’ve trained my mind to control my hunger over the years, so it’s only normal." She nodded in confirmation, "Don’t worry, with time and effort, Young Master Chen will also be able to achieve mastery over his senses."

Lightly patting his shoulder with her fingers, she retreated her arm the next instant. A victorious grin appeared on her face.

"Madam Gao is indeed a true master..." Yi Chen nodded in agreement, making Gao Zhen feel even more flattered.

However, the next instant, his ring shone, and a large fish wider than his shoulders appeared in his arms.

"I had thought that if we both were hungry enough, then I would prepare this new fish that I caught tonight...Alas, it looks like I’ll have to postpone the plans."

Yi Chen muttered with a regretful expression and was about to place the fish back into his storage ring when-

*GRUMBLE*

An embarrassed expression immediately formed on Gao Zhen’s face when she felt Yi Chen’s eyes directed towards her stomach.

Cough.

"Looks like I’ve yet to master my mind completely...However, since it’s come to this, Young Master Chen can surely prepare that fish tonight, right?" she asked while gulping, a voracious glint evident in her eyes.

"Hahaha...Yes, I can surely do that for Madam Gao," he said while chuckling, making sure to meet Gao Zhen’s eyes as he said those words.

Sensing Yi Chen’s gaze, Gao Zhen’s face heated up with embarrassment as she forced a soft chuckle and said while nodding, "Y-Yes...let’s get inside the tent then. It’s freezing out here."

With that said, she briskly walked towards his tent, making Yi Chen shake his head in amusement. His mood had recovered tremendously thanks to this little interaction.

He soon followed after her and began preparing the fish for the two of them to savour.