I Can Merge Techniques

The thought of his ever-increasing Pollution Level gave Chu Fan a headache.

Now that he knew these two treasures were in the Profound Origin Secret Realm, he had already made up his mind to participate in the competition, even if Leng Qingqiu hadn’t instructed him to.

Just as Chu Fan was lost in thought, something unexpected happened!

"Argh—!"

Several suppressed groans of pain rang out at once, shattering the room’s tranquility.

Chu Fan snapped back to his senses. He saw Li Mubai, Nangong Yue, and the others, their faces deathly pale and their foreheads beaded with cold sweat, collapse to the ground in agony. They curled into balls, clearly suffering immense pain.

Chu Fan was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening—the side effects of the Fleeting Beauty elixir were kicking in!

He remembered clearly that while this elixir wasn’t as potent as the Beast Transformation Pill the Blood Shadow Sect Leader had taken and wouldn’t drive a person into a frenzy, it would inevitably cause excruciating, full-body pain for a period after consumption. One would need to rest in bed to recover.

Seeing everyone’s pained expressions, Chu Fan cried out, "Ouch!" and collapsed to the ground with them, knitting his brows and pretending to be in unbearable agony.

Just then, Nangong Yue, who was lying beside him, reached out and gave him a gentle push. "Stop faking it!" she said irritably. "There’s nothing wrong with you!"

Chu Fan flinched slightly and opened his eyes to look at Nangong Yue.

Though her face was contorted in pain, her eyes were exceptionally clear. "I was standing right next to you. I saw what happened just now perfectly clearly!"

"..." Chu Fan blinked, putting on a blank, innocent expression. "I really am in a lot of pain! My whole body feels like it’s being pricked by needles! I feel like my skeleton’s about to fall apart..."

As soon as he said this, the other Demon Suppression Captains, who had been groaning in pain, couldn’t help but laugh and curse.

"This kid, still faking it at a time like this!"

"Exactly! When we all collapsed, he was just standing there in a daze!"

"His acting is just terrible!"

Seeing everyone’s amused and exasperated expressions, Chu Fan felt a bit awkward but remained stubborn. "I really am in pain..."

"Alright, you don’t have to pretend anymore," Leng Qingqiu said, her tone laced with a hint of resignation and amusement. "Your physical strength far surpasses theirs. The toughness of your bones and meridians is beyond compare. I’m afraid the side effects of Fleeting Beauty truly have no effect on you."

Hearing this, Li Mubai and the others were all dumbfounded. They turned to look at Chu Fan in unison.

’Just how tough are this kid’s meridians and bones?’

’He’s even immune to the side effects of Fleeting Beauty?’

One had to understand, they were all Martial Artists at the Fifth Heaven of the Acupoint Realm.

At this moment, they felt as if their bones were about to shatter and their meridians were being sliced by knives.

The feeling was like ten thousand ants devouring one’s heart—a pain so excruciating they wished for death!

But then they remembered how Chu Fan had taken a palm strike from a fourth-realm expert head-on without even using a Magical Treasure and emerged completely unscathed...

The fact that he could take Fleeting Beauty and be perfectly fine seemed quite normal in comparison.

Just then, Leng Qingqiu snapped her fingers crisply.

In response, a few Demon Suppression Guards entered from outside. They carefully helped Li Mubai and the others to their feet, preparing to take them back to their rooms to rest.

When these Demon Suppression Guards saw Chu Fan standing off to the side, perfectly fine, they were all astonished, their eyes wide with curiosity.

Their stares made Chu Fan feel uncomfortable. He coughed drily and glared, "What are you looking at? It’s not like I took Fleeting Beauty!"

"Oh, so that’s why!"

The group of Demon Suppression Guards came to a sudden understanding and nodded one after another.

Hearing this, Li Mubai and the others were all left speechless.

Those who hadn’t yet been helped out the door stumbled and nearly fell over again.

’This kid’s ability to lie with a straight face is getting more and more refined!’

While the others didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, Chu Fan had already strode up to Leng Qingqiu, his face wreathed in an expectant smile. "Lord Leng, I’ve made some contributions on this mission, right? Could I be rewarded with two bottles of that Fleeting Beauty elixir?"

As soon as he said this, Li Mubai and the others gasped, nearly jumping up from the arms of the Demon Suppression Guards supporting them.

Fleeting Beauty was an exceptionally rare treasure that could cause a Martial Artist’s Cultivation to skyrocket in a short time.

The entire Demon Suppression Bureau had only a meager supply.

For this kid to ask for two bottles right off the bat was truly an outrageous demand!

Leng Qingqiu couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his words. "Two bottles? No way," she said irritably. "I can give you five pills at most."

Hearing this, Chu Fan immediately looked dissatisfied. "Only five?"

"You think that’s too few?" Leng Qingqiu glared at him. "Even the Demon Suppression Bureau doesn’t have many of these elixirs left! Do you think they’re candy beans?"

She paused, then changed the subject. "By the way, you took that Alchemy Master’s Sumeru Ring earlier. Did you find any Fleeting Beauty in his Storage Ring?"

Chu Fan shook his head honestly. "No."

"Then there you have it," Leng Qingqiu said helplessly. "How could an elixir like this, one that can instantly boost Cultivation and turn the tide of battle, be easy to create? Giving you five is already an exception."

She looked at Chu Fan, her tone serious. "Your constitution is special, and you don’t suffer any obvious side effects after taking it, but you still can’t be careless. This elixir’s medicinal power is extremely strong. Remember not to abuse it; you must use them sparingly."

With that, Leng Qingqiu took an exquisite Small Jade Bottle from her robes and handed it to Chu Fan.

Chu Fan took the bottle, uncorked it, and took a sniff. A clear fragrance wafted out, and he immediately beamed. "Understood! Thank you, Lord Leng!"

Watching Chu Fan’s gleeful expression, Leng Qingqiu shook her head helplessly. ’This kid,’ she thought, ’maybe he really can create another miracle in the Profound Origin Secret Realm competition.’

Chu Fan carefully placed the jade bottle containing the Fleeting Beauty pills into his Sumeru Ring.

His gains from this trip had been substantial. Satisfied, he cupped his hands in a salute to Leng Qingqiu and prepared to take his leave.

"Wait."

Just as Chu Fan was turning to leave, Leng Qingqiu’s cool voice came from behind him, as clear and crisp as jade striking a platter.

It was pleasant to the ear, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Have you forgotten something?"