In the side room of the villa, Master Jiu's voice suddenly emerged from within the small mouse's belly.

At this moment, as the celestial light shifted, the shadows outside the window swayed with the wind.

The light and shadows in the room decorated the furniture with elegance, yet Master Jiu's gentle, aged voice unexpectedly emanated from the small mouse's belly.

The voice was distant and old, as if it carried an echo.

Upon hearing it, Chen Xu felt momentarily dazed, as though he had returned to that secluded midnight when he had first heard the demon's words, his heart pounding with alarm.

At this moment, he was equally startled, first because Master Jiu had suddenly spoken, and second, because as Master Jiu spoke, Chen Xu noticed the small mouse's vitality sharply declining;

Thirdly, it was the mention of "the disaster of fate and fortune" in Master Jiu's words that stirred up Chen Xu's emotions.

Chen Xu immediately reached out, intending to pick up the small mouse from the table and mobilize the Life-Reflected Fiend to absorb the evil qi flowing within it.

From within the small mouse, Master Jiu's voice sighed and said, "Mr. Chen, do not act. I can only sustain this for thirty breaths."

Chen Xu's hand paused, and Master Jiu spoke rapidly yet clearly: "Since the dawn of time, extraordinary people always face unexpected calamities. Your fate is turbulent, and though your literary fortune is abundant, it may not withstand the current disaster.

This old one can observe fate but is not skilled in calculations.

I fear our and Ah Shi's demonic qi may disturb others... If you have concerns or fears, you may as well release us, Ah Shi and I, back to the wilderness.

This old one has a slight premonition, fearing that the person who forged the furnace may seek us, Ah Shi and me, again."

The tone of the last two sentences gradually softened, and by the time the voice faded, the small mouse had already closed its eyes completely, its body suddenly tipping forward.

"Ah Shi, Master Jiu!"

Chen Xu quickly reached out to catch the small mouse, only to see the little creature curled up in his palm, its breath weak, as if back to the day they reunited under the tree.

His heart pounded, his chest feeling as though stuffed with a tangled mess of grass, an indescribable feeling of disorder and bitterness.

With his left hand cradling Ah Shi, Chen Xu's right hand moved to draw the Life-Reflected Fiend from the Fire and Smoke Kitchen, executing the Spirit Manipulation Technique, making it operate in an orderly fashion to absorb the Disease Fiend within Ah Shi.

This process was rather nerve-wracking.

Because Ah Shi's condition was much worse than before.

When the Life-Reflected Fiend absorbed the Disease Fiend, Chen Xu could sense that Ah Shi's small body seemed to become a porcelain statue covered in a web of cracks.

With the slightest carelessness, this porcelain-like body might shatter completely, beyond any possibility of recovery!

Fortunately, Chen Xu was at Level 2 of Chopping Wood, and his Microscopic Ability was several times stronger than before.

Within his sight, around him, in the inch of space, including every subtle change inside the small mouse's body, he could feel it all clearly.

Chen Xu discovered that the small mouse's blood vessels were indeed extraordinary.

Even in such a horribly weakened state, it could always maintain a thread of life.

This was because whenever it reached the brink of death, some extremely subtle pale golden mysterious substance would arise in the small mouse's blood and bones—

That mysterious substance possessed a thin vitality and a wondrous balance, although in extremely scant amounts, and was exceptionally vigilant.

For instance, when Chen Xu first noticed the presence of this mysterious substance, his divine thought instinctively shifted, intending to attach and investigate.

Unexpectedly, as soon as his divine thought touched it, that seemingly peaceful mysterious substance suddenly burst into intense movement.

In an instant, it dispersed like smoke.

Chen Xu immediately withdrew his divine thought, no longer daring to probe further.

Fearing that too much interference might destroy the inherent potential of the small mouse's body, inadvertently harming Ah Shi.

In the end, he could only gingerly maneuver the Life-Reflected Fiend to absorb the scourging Disease Fiend from within Ah Shi, one by one.

In this process, his experience in Spirit Manipulation Technique rapidly increased.

[Spirit Manipulation Level 1 26/100]

The stronger the experience in Spirit Manipulation, the more sensitive the divine thought's perception of the world becomes.

After half a quarter of an hour, most of the Disease Fiend within Ah Shi had been absorbed.

Leaving just a trace to maintain its current bodily balance.

Chen Xu rummaged through his Fire and Smoke Kitchen, fetching a small bowl of Profound Yang Fire Jujube Soup to feed Ah Shi.

The small mouse, curled up asleep, would open its mouth to swallow even in its slumber when Chen Xu brought the spoon near.

After a few bites, its breath stabilized slightly.

The little creature turned over, suddenly sprawled out with limbs extended, then curled on its side, burying its head, falling asleep again.

It murmured words in its sleep: "Delicious, being with the scholar is so good, the scholar's porridge is even better..."

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Chen Xu smiled slightly, gently stroking the small mouse's furry body, before placing the little creature back into the Spirit Garden Pouch.

Releasing them "back to the wilderness" was out of the question.

Chen Xu was not so incompetent!

As for the talk of fate, Chen Xu did not underestimate Master Jiu's method of observing fate.

However, despite knowing the fate to be turbulent, he lacked a clear direction on how to pre-emptively counter it.

Chen Xu contemplated that numerous factors could influence fate.

To face the unpredictability of destiny, strengthening one's own strength is foremost.

After all, things change but never stray from the essential; strength is everything fundamental.

Chen Xu has several methods to enhance his strength, alongside practicing the Food God Technique Scroll to enhance cultivation, he also practices the Stove Fire Body Protection Technique.

Achieving the Fire Armor Body soon will add another layer of protection.

Next is the All Things Transformation Talisman.

This talisman can help plants develop spirituality and grow into spiritual materials!

Although Chen Xu seems to have a lot of spiritual materials, the consumption is actually quite rapid.

Especially, the regular spiritual materials like Red Blood Spirit Ginseng, Profound Yang Fire Dates.

He feeds the small mouse daily with Qi Blood growing materials, his initial stockpile of such spiritual materials is nearly depleted.

It's time to put the All Things Transformation Talisman to use, to see if it can bring any surprise.

However, Chen Xu currently lacks land and suitable plants, hence using the All Things Transformation Talisman still faces some obstacles.

Furthermore, his newly learned talisman requires some time to practice until proficient enough for use.

Chen Xu plans to head out to the market, to see if he can purchase some potted plants with medicinal value, then attempt to use the All Things Transformation Talisman to transform ordinary materials into spiritual ones!

But before that, he plans to cast a divination for himself.

The Spiritual Cicada Jade Robe can be used for divination once every ten days.

Today is the first day of May, exactly ten days since Chen Xu last divined.

Recently, whenever there's sunlight, Chen Xu has taken the Spiritual Cicada Jade Robe to bathe in the morning's purple aura.

Now the Spiritual Cicada Jade Robe is ready for use anytime.

Chen Xu took out this treasure, and just like last time, held the pen with ink.

He pondered for a moment, considering how he should phrase his question.

Should he directly ask what crisis he will face next?

No, that's too vague.

As soon as Chen Xu moved the pen, a sense of dread arose, making him realize that the question was too broad, and writing it out without careful thought might not only yield no clear answers, but could also invite backlash.

In that case, why not ask whether he should continue to stay at this Prefecture City villa to prepare for exams, or if he should now depart straight to Pingyang City, the main city of the Celestial South Dao?

Or perhaps ask whether he should go to the Ghost Market on the first day of May?

Chen Xu considered the potential sources of a crisis.

According to the original plan, he would stay quietly reading at the villa until the first day of June, when he would set off to Pingyang with Yunqi and others.

But since Master Jiu predicted that Chen Xu might encounter difficulties, the original plan certainly needed to change.

The original plan needed to change, but the goal of participating in the provincial examination wouldn't change, and Chen Xu's aim to break through to the Core Formation Realm as soon as possible wouldn't change either!

So should he ask how to quickly break through to the Core Formation Realm?

No, still too difficult to pen down, the sense of dread intensifies.

Chen Xu pressed his left hand onto the thin silk-like Spiritual Cicada Jade Robe, his right hand wrote: [I wish to participate in the provincial examination...]

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