Chapter 33: Carving the Clouds and Cut Out the Moon
“A well-behaved mommy’s boy?” A strange expression surfaced on Long Zhenglin’s face as he heard Yuan Chuling’s description of Tang Xiu.
Would a well-behaved mommy’s boy enter the Game Hall? Could the very same well-behaved mommy’s boy make the Game Hall’s boss lose his coolness and manners?
“Wait-wait… Hold on! What is with that strange expression? Could it be that those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds have spoken the truth?” Having clearly seen the changes in Long Zhenglin’s expression, Yuan Chuling subconsciously glanced at Su Xiangfei’s direction.
When Yuan Chuling had just entered the cla.s.sroom this morning, he heard someone spreading rumors and said that, after Tang Xiu left yesterday’s evening cla.s.s, he had gone to the Game Hall and played there all night.
Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan were the source for the rumors.
Everyone easily believed the rumors spread out by this trio, because the fact was, Tang Xiu really didn’t come back to the dorm last night. They spoke about Tang Xiu with a disdain and contempt-filled expression. Even if Tang Xiu got poor results, but to go as far as leaving to spend all night to play slot machines, wasn’t it the same with the broken moral and mental sickness?
But when Tang Xiu’s Monthly Test’s results came out, the direction of public opinion immediately changed.
Everyone thought that the rumors were intentionally spread out by Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan to discredit Tang Xiu because the three of them were well known to often go out and play in the Game Hall. But never once did everyone hear about Tang Xiu entering the Game Hall.
Besides, entering the Game Hall was not the worst thing everyone ever did, since most of the students in the ordinary cla.s.s, in fact, had played at the Game Hall and many of them also had played the game all night long. So even if what Su Xiangfei’s trio had said were true, for Cla.s.s 10’s students, it was not enough to even loathe Tang Xiu in the slightest bit. They even felt closer and thought that he was not an out-of-reach kind of existence.
On the contrary, they were much more loathing Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan’s behavior since they were starting rumors and causing trouble, ratting about their own cla.s.smates to the teachers behind his back. This was not a gentleman behavior, this was a dishonorable behavior.
This was the power of scoring 712 points in the Monthly Test’s results. This was the power of s.n.a.t.c.hing out the first rank in grade.
Su Xiangfei’s trio apparently didn’t expect that not only did they failed to discredit Tang Xiu and get him punished, but instead got themselves alienated by all their cla.s.smates. It was just like they were trying to get the advantages but ended up losing worse, while also suffering a double loss after trying to trick somebody.
“Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds?” Following Yuan Chuling’s eyes, Long Zhenglin also looked at the direction of Su Xiangfei’s trio as a trace of coldness flashed from his eyes.
Yesterday, Long Zhenglin was also aware that Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan were trailing behind Tang Xiu because he also had been following Tang Xiu. Moreover, he also heard this trio’s curses and disrespecting words towards Tang Xiu.
At first, Long Zhenglin only thought that this trio were completely pa.s.sers-by. They were merely jealous due to Tang Xiu’s success to sweep away the Health and Prosper Club and then said those words. But he had never thought that they were Tang Xiu’s cla.s.smates, causing a surge of disgust to be born in his heart.
Feeling the disgust from Long Zhenglin’s eyes, Su Xiangfei’s trio subconsciously lowered their head as their complexion turned pale.
In fact, after Long Zhenglin came to the cla.s.sroom, Su Xiangfei’s trio literally became ostriches that dove their heads into the sand. They didn’t even dare to breathe, as to not to be noted by Long Zhenglin. But they didn’t expect that Long Zhenglin eventually s.h.i.+fted his attention toward them.
“Fatty, you and I have been friends for a long time. Why don’t you tell me where Tang Xiu is?” After having stared at Su Xiangfei’s trio for a while, Long Zhenglin retracted his vision back and asked with an anxious expression.
“You can ask me but to whom I have to ask, huh? Eldest Brother had basically run away after he left a leave of absence for today. He said that he had something urgent to do and must go out to deal with it…” Recalling his previous experience, Yuan Chuling answered with a bitter expression.
“This…” Long Zhenglin was dumbfounded after listening to Yuan Chuling’s answer. “Fatty, if Tang Xiu comes back, you must call me ASAP. If Tang Xiu does not show up by tomorrow morning, my Older Brother could really die this time.”
Having not found Tang Xiu, Long Zhenglin then hurriedly left after he left his message.
Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan were staring with eyes opened wide in Cla.s.s 10’s cla.s.sroom, as they were dumbfounded with doubting and shocked expressions on their faces.
The shocks and surprises Tang Xiu had brought them in these 2 days… were simply too big. First, he broke the record and became the Monthly Test’s first scorer, and now it was followed shortly that he had unexpectedly turned into a G.o.d of Gamble.
Had it been someone else that told them Tang Xiu was a master in gambling techniques, they would have snapped and scoffed at him. But since it was Long Zhenglin who told them and also personally came to ask Tang Xiu’s help, even if they didn’t want to believe it, they had no choice but to believe it.
The moonlight was just like threads of thin silk, projecting a huge black shadow of the hill on the earth.
On the summit of Walled Hill Village, the stars’ lights were spraying down from the sky as it enveloped Tang Xiu’s body.
Bathing himself in the star lights, each pore on the whole of Tang Xiu’s body crazily absorbed the stars’ lights and refined it into Star Essence.
This was the second time Tang Xiu cultivated the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis on his own initiative after his rebirth.
The first time, he actively practiced this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was when he found that his body accidentally fitted itself to cultivate this cultivation technique. He used to recite this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis in the Immortal World for days and nights. And now, since his body had been pa.s.sively cultivating this cultivation technique, and out of curiosity, he was now actively practicing this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.
But that time, Tang Xiu felt that something was not right since his body was torn in pain as if it was being split apart. And for a very long time, Tang Xiu was afraid to actively practice the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.
But now, since he already obtained most of the raw materials and ingredients to concoct the Body Refining Liquid, Tang Xiu also braved himself and dared to actively practice the breathing practice for the first stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.
Along with the stars’ lights seeping into his body, the Star Essence inside Tang Xiu’s body was increasing with a speed that could be seen with the naked eye.
One, two, three, four…
While Tang Xiu actively practiced the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis for the first time, he only produced a half sphere of Star Essence inside his body. Only after pa.s.sively having practiced it for a month did that half sphere of Star Essence gradually become round, barely forming a full and complete sphere of Star Essence.
The reason for this second time of actively practicing this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, was that Tang Xiu was sitting on top of a Spiritual Vein. And compared to the previous attempt that he actively practiced the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, the star light absorbing speed was faster by a dozen fold. Thus, the Star Essence’s condensation inside his body was also faster accordingly.
Within a short time of 2 hours of practice, the Star Essence’s sphere inside his body had changed into 4 spheres from 1.
However, when the Star Essence’s spheres inside Tang Xiu’s body had reached 4, his absorption speed sharply declined as his face and shoulder muscles fiercely twitched and convulsed while thick sweat permeated out of his body, creating a pool of water under his b.u.t.t-ocks.
The strength requirement to cultivate the Heavenly Art Cosmic Genesis was really extremely high. Although Tang Xiu had been exercising his body day and night for about a month and enhanced his strength by a lot, but before he soaked and tempered himself in the Body Refining Liquid, Tang Xiu’s body was still that of an ordinary person’s.
A human corporeal body had a bearing and tolerance limit. While the Dantian, meridians, meridians’ channels, blood vessels, and internal organs also needed to rest. It was impossible to continue circulating the energy unceasingly.
After the 4 Star Essence’s spheres had been condensed inside his body, Tang Xiu felt that his body had reached the limit it could tolerate. The explosive power inside these 4 Star Essence’s spheres felt like it would make his body explode into pieces at any time.
“Aaaah…” The severe and acute pain made Tang Xiu look up to the sky as he hissed loudly, as if his voice could shock the world.
Tang Xiu’s body immediately began to roll about everywhere as his head then hit a stone.
For a moment, violent gales howled on top of Walled Hill Village as it blew off sand and stones, and turned the sky and earth dark.
For most of the time, Tang Xiu was fully tossing himself everywhere. Only when he had vented out part of the power inside his body did he immediately feel an intense sense of hunger, making him felt dizzy.
At this very moment, Tang Xiu was even thinking that he would be able to swallow a few cattle easily.
“Huh?! How come all those turtles and hares are gone?” When Tang Xiu intended to eat the wild game he had hunted to appease his hunger, he found that all the games, except vipers and scorpions in his school bag were gone, making him dumbfounded.
It was 1 AM when Tang Xi began to practice, it would be impossible for someone to go uphill in the middle of the night. Those hares and turtles also had been tied with Tang Xiu’s special technique, so it was impossible for them to escape. Thus he found that this was extremely strange.
After having been struck with a short thrill, Tang Xiu quickly calmed himself down while a trace of excitement flashed in his eyes.
Had it been ordinary people, they could have thought that the hilltop was haunted and be scared s.h.i.+tless, wetting their pants and running down the hilltop while weeping and wailing.
But Tang Xiu was not an ordinary person to begin with. He had been living and cultivating in the Immortal World for 10,000 years, and he specifically didn’t come to Walled Hill Village for sightseeing.
“Really, I’ve been strolling far and wide to look for you, only to find you this easily.” Tang Xiu had been desperately trying to find the fierce beasts’ traces and in the end didn’t found it. But at this time, he knew that a kind of fierce beast had s.n.a.t.c.hed the games from his hands.
After calming down his mind and soul, Tang Xiu’s sense was strengthened by more than 10 folds. He had been pa.s.sively practicing the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis for a month, resulting in his sensing ability to be strengthened, and was 100 times stronger compared to an ordinary person. His senses were 100 times stronger, and nothing could escape from Tang Xiu’s eyes and ears.
When Tang Xiu realized that his games were gone, he didn’t even notice it at all. So this explained that the one who s.n.a.t.c.hed his games was neither a human nor a wild animal, but was a fierce beast that had been cultivating.
Tang Xiu didn’t immediately set out to find the fierce beast, but he picked up some dry branches and wood from the roadside grove and burned it. He then leisurely started to roast the games.
In his 10,000 years of life in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu not only had reached the ultimate perfection in cultivation, but he was also gifted in other aspects such as alchemy, formation arrays, refining tools and devices, drawing magic symbols, and other academic or artistic attainments. All in all, he had mastered those fields at an equal expertise degree, making it very difficult for anyone to catch up to him.
And Tang Xiu still had one G.o.dly skill, cooking delicious food…
Only to satiate his gluttonous nature, Tang Xiu didn’t hesitate to spend 100 years to enter the mundane world. He travelled all over the countries in the mortal world to find and study various legends and folklores, and finally reached mastery in the G.o.dly culinary technique of “Carving the Clouds and Cut the Moon”.
10 minutes later, a tempting aroma emitted out from the stick that forked the vipers in Tang Xiu’s hands.
Tang Xiu didn’t hurry to eat it, but he took out salt, seasonings, c.u.min powder, and 13 types of spice from his school bag as he skillfully sprinkled the seasonings above the snake meat.
Along with the snakeskin being bloomed and popped, the white and tender snake meat’s color slowly turned into a golden yellow as the meat flavor in the air became richer.
Suddenly, Tang Xiu heard a loud sound that broke out of nowhere, as his nose smelled a foul and bad stench of fumes at the same time.
“Evil creature! I’ve long been waiting for you!” Tang Xiu seemed to have long been antic.i.p.ating such a scene. He quickly rolled down his body to the front and avoided to get sneak-attack from behind, as he kicked a pile of burning charcoals and overwhelmingly poured it away in a torrent toward the direction behind his body.