Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: Big Brother, Need a Sidekick?

Abao’s eyes widened in astonishment at the sight. "Huh? You have the ability to manifest an inner universe, too?"

Li Yunfei felt a stir in his heart. An inner universe? Could it be that this panda spirit also possessed a storage space within its body?

He did not answer Abao, but instead smiled and opened his hands, revealing two identical spiritual bamboo shoots that appeared out of thin air.

Waving the two shoots, Li Yunfei laughed, "I do have a space within me, though I’m not sure if it’s what you call an inner universe. However, I have a special ability: I can replicate anything in heaven and earth. Watch."

As he spoke, the two bamboo shoots vanished from his palms, and when they reappeared, there were four. He Ming watched this with a thoughtful expression, his eyes growing brighter. This boy was truly a treasure trove; one could only wonder what other bizarre yet incredibly practical abilities he might possess.

Li Yunfei had carefully considered using this excuse to showcase the functions of his system shop. Since he had chosen to join the Zixiao Sect, his secrets would be difficult to keep hidden for long. Rather than letting others discover them and speculate wildly, it was better to craft a plausible explanation and reveal them proactively—this would make many things much more convenient.

"I took one of your bamboo shoots, so I’m returning four. Here, take them!"

Abao snatched the four shoots Li Yunfei tossed over. After comparing them side-by-side, he found them to be perfectly identical, without the slightest discrepancy. He looked up at Li Yunfei with burning eyes and blurted out, "Holy cow, that’s a divine skill! Big brother, do you need a sidekick? What do you think of me?"

"..."

Abao was thinking that if Li Yunfei had this ability, wouldn’t he have an endless supply of spiritual bamboo shoots by following him? That way, he wouldn’t have to keep begging Uncle Hippo for them. Oddly enough, while Mount Qingcheng wasn't among the top ten bamboo regions of the Great Xia, the spiritual bamboo and shoots grown there were the most potent and delicious. Unfortunately, the groves on Mount Qingcheng were small, and the yield was low; the Qingcheng Sect barely had enough for their own use. He Ming himself was a major consumer of spiritual materials, and Abao had to nag him for a long time just to get a few dozen shoots. He rarely ate them himself, and though he was truly generous toward Honghong, the "delicacy" he cherished was worthless in the eyes of the little girl.

Abao’s reaction left Li Yunfei and Zhang Ziying speechless. He Ming stood with his hands behind his back, a mocking smile on his face. "You want to be a sidekick? What can you even do? Perform tricks and act cute?"

"You're as lazy as a pig. All you do is eat, sleep after you're full, and eat again as soon as you wake up. What use are you to anyone?"

"Uh..."

If anyone else had been mocked like that, they would have been furious or at least deeply ashamed. But this little fatty was different. Despite He Ming’s ridicule, he showed no sign of offense, simply scratching his head and saying weakly, "I’m still somewhat useful. Otherwise, why would Uncle Ziwei have brought me here?"

While speaking, he didn't forget to store the four bamboo shoots into his own inner space. Seeing him like that, even Honghong couldn't help but chuckle. Li Yunfei, however, quite liked the little guy; he was gentle, honest, easy-going, and possessed a thick skin.

He Ming couldn't be bothered to argue with him and instead asked, "Are you the only one who came?"

Abao replied, "Xiaobei came too, but she’s sleeping in the room!"

He Ming rolled his eyes, speechless—that was typical panda behavior. "Fine. We have business with Ziwei and no time to waste on you. Where is he?"

Abao answered honestly, "He’s in the conference room having a meeting."

"Understood." He Ming turned to Li Yunfei. "Let’s go! We’ll see Ziwei first."

Li Yunfei nodded, smiled at Abao, and strode off behind He Ming.

Abao trotted along by Li Yunfei’s side, whispering, "Big brother, are you sure you won't reconsider? I’m very easy to keep, really! Just 50—no, 40—bamboo shoots a day will do. I’m very powerful; I can help you fight."

Li Yunfei said helplessly, "Little brother, it’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m not the one who makes the decisions! Unless Ziwei nods, I’m afraid I’m powerless."

Abao grew excited at this and said happily, "You said it yourself, so you can't lie to a kid."

Li Yunfei was left between laughter and tears. "I wouldn't. Why would I lie to you? But tell me, just how powerful are you?"

Abao puffed out his chest, opening his mouth to speak, but after struggling for a long time, he couldn't find the words to describe his own prowess. He scratched his head in frustration. "I don't know how to say it, but in short, I'm very powerful."

"..."

Seeing this, He Ming slowed his pace to walk alongside Li Yunfei. "He’s not bragging about that part. This kid and his sister, Xiaobei, are both born with the 'Innate Yin-Yang Holy Body,' a type of innate Dao body."

"The siblings are naturally capable of controlling the power of Yin and Yang. They possess the ability to manipulate the universe and the primordial Yin and Yang energies, and they each have a vast inner space within their bodies."

"The Kunlun Sect’s great defensive array, the 'Life-Death Obscurity-Brightness Illusion-Extinction Yin-Yang Dust Array,' has extremely harsh requirements for its construction materials, and it requires eight high-level cultivators at least at the Golden Core stage to maintain it."

"Yet, once these siblings reach the Golden Core stage, they alone can successfully deploy this array without any materials."

"When they deploy it at the Golden Core stage, they can suppress high-level Nascent Soul cultivators; only those beyond the Yang Spirit realm can break it."

"Furthermore, their talent and comprehension are exceptionally high. In less than half a year, they have learned all the martial arts of the six major sects, as if they were born for martial arts—especially the Wudang Tai Chi; even Wang Zhiwu might not be as proficient as them."

As He Ming explained this to Li Yunfei, he subconsciously glanced back at Abao. He saw that at some point, the panda had wandered over to Honghong, standing tall with his chest puffed out and his belly protruding, looking immensely proud of himself.

Li Yunfei and Zhang Ziying looked at him in wonder. They hadn't expected this seemingly goofy little fatty to have such impressive abilities. Li Yunfei could roughly understand: since "the Wuji gives birth to Tai Chi, and Tai Chi manifests the Yin and Yang," as these two pandas possessed the "Innate Yin-Yang Holy Body," their understanding of Tai Chi and the Yin-Yang balance was naturally far superior to others. It was even possible that their knowledge was innate; the moment they gained consciousness, the principles of the universe and Yin and Yang had been etched into their souls like instinct. Learning Tai Chi would naturally be many times easier for them.

In this light, this pair of panda siblings were indeed excellent helpers. If he could really take them on as sidekicks, it wouldn't be a bad deal at all.

He Ming, watching Abao’s smug expression, found it inexplicably annoying and continued, "It’s a pity they’re just too lazy. With such high aptitude, if they were willing to spend more time on cultivation, they would have condensed their inner cores long ago, and the trouble in the ancient battlefield would have been resolved by now."

"All they do all day is sleep and eat. Expecting them to help in a fight is like expecting a macaque to turn into the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!"

For the demon race, the Inner Core realm was equivalent to the human Golden Core stage—the second major watershed after the Spiritual Movement stage.

Abao’s "I’m so awesome" posture vanished instantly. His shoulders slumped, and he looked tangled and miserable. "Uncle Hippo, would you die if you didn't mock me?"

"Hmph."

"Hahaha..."