Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

"...Junior Brother, this is an illness, it needs treatment."

Even Liu Tangxi was, for the first time, rendered speechless.

Sighing, she thought her junior brother was good in every way, except for this peculiar hobby. Without giving Jiang Feng any chance to retort, she continued, "After the Nine Peaks Martial Arts Competition this time, Xiao Qing will choose to transform again."

"Currently, she has made some progress following the ancestor's cultivation. Recently, I've prepared quite a lot of rare heavenly materials for her. If all goes well, she will be able to complete her transformation this time and become fully human."

"The physique of a Spiritual Beast is unique; after transformation, there's no need to start cultivation from scratch, as her realm and strength will be intact. However, such precedents of ancient Spiritual Beasts transforming into humans are rare even in the entire Cultivation World. At that time, the two of us will protect her together."

"You should also try to explore the laws of Spiritual Energy flow from her, which will surely benefit you greatly."

He nodded.

Though they fought every day, causing chaos and turmoil, their relationship was actually quite good.

It was rather strange, Ao Qing didn't get along well with the other disciples in the Mountain Gate, but she was particularly close to Jiang Feng and Lu Luo. When Su Yi went to feed her or groom her fur, she was relatively obedient.

However, the other few people in the mountain generally reacted more indifferently, neither close nor distant, without much enthusiasm, often leaving them resigned.

Clearly, she preferred the Demon Race, especially Jiang Feng.

To others, this might be puzzling, but Mr. Jiang himself wasn't surprised at all, since within him...there resided a Demon Lord.

He vividly remembered one night he forgot to close the door while sleeping, and halfway through the night, he felt suffocated, conscious but unable to move, the symptoms exactly like the legendary sleep paralysis!

When he opened his eyes in terror, what truly startled him was the bluish-green Ghost Fire burning before him, hovering right over him, writhing incessantly, nearly giving Mr. Jiang a heart attack that night.

Then.

He discovered it was Ao Qing.

Ao Qing, who had sneaked into his room that night, bluntly lifted his quilt, a massive head constantly nuzzling his belly, its pink nose sniffing the scent, evidently very familiar to her.

Her face filled with confusion, seemingly recalling something; from then on, Jiang Feng knew this Senior Sister Ao Qing might have some connection with that Demon Night True Monarch. Even if not, the nearly overflowing demon aura within him was clearly noticeable to her.

Hence.

Ao Qing chose to harass him daily.

Lu Luo was still flying everywhere in a wheelchair daily and naturally couldn't play with Ao Qing, but Jiang Feng was different, with all limbs intact, full of energy, resembling a human, yet thick-skinned and robust, making him the best playmate for this Spiritual Beast.

"Don't worry, I haven't yet seen a Spiritual Beast transform into a human form either. Lu Luo and Xin Yue seem to have been born in human form, right? How is that different?"

His interest was piqued.

The bluish-green Spiritual Energy burning on his buttocks had dissipated. It's undeniable that such a Spiritual Beast with ancient lineage was indeed a treasure; a casual bite filled one's mouth with Spiritual Energy, especially pure, no wonder esteemed cultivators were proud to own a Spiritual Beast.

Liu Xianzi, unhurried, sat on the chair, glanced at Jiang Feng with flash of undisguised satisfaction in her eyes. She rarely showed such emotions, it was clear this young fellow performed better than she expected.

She wasn't of a vain nature, but when a disciple she taught could shine in the sect, naturally as a senior sister, she felt proud. Today, seeing her junior brother defeating Wang Quan of Core Formation High Grade head-on without any tricks and free from chaotic external interferences was already sufficient proof of her junior brother's potential and ability.

Based solely on today's performance, even if Jiang Feng forfeited the competition later, he could still secure a spot in the Phoenix Heavenly Cave with certainty.

She returned from Dragon Head Peak immediately to check her junior brother's condition, and now it seemed only his Spiritual Energy was severely depleted. Yet, he was still vibrant, and after a quick assessment, she accurately gauged Jiang Feng's strength.

"This young fellow should be able to exchange a few moves against Gu Miyun of Dragon Head Peak, Wei Jie of Zhu Mingfeng, and Chen Shan of Qingxia Peak. Though unable to win, at least he wouldn't lose too embarrassingly."

"Among the third-generation disciples, aside from those who have reached the Nascent Soul realm, no one can confidently say they'll easily defeat my junior brother. His mastery of Daoist Skills is superb, even those cultivators who have practiced for nearly a century may not possess such proficiency in Daoist Skills."

"Self-taught, every day poring over books in the study has let him effortlessly integrate Sword Dao and Thunder Technique. More frightening is that he's only been cultivating for three years, such talent seems like pure fantasy when mentioned."

"Yet...is it truly my junior brother's talent, or is Demon Night True Monarch's Divine Soul at play?"

Countless thoughts flickered through her mind.

The talents Jiang Feng displayed indeed didn't resemble those of a beginner; the body sculpted personally by Demon Night was truly terrifyingly formidable. She had confirmed Jiang Feng's Divine Soul repeatedly, it was very clean, pure, untainted by anything.

Yet, there was still some concern in her heart, though her expression remained unchanged, she continued to respond to her junior brother's queries.

"The two are naturally different."

"In terms of bloodline, skills, Spiritual Energy, Cultivation Technique, the differences are quite significant. If the Demon Race is born in human form, their attributes would lean more towards humans, plus the Cultivation Techniques they master can only be used within the same race, hence unsuitable for direct application by Spiritual Beasts."