Unlike most metals found in nature as minerals, Hair Crystal was incredibly pure, reaching nearly 100% purity.
In its natural state, Hair Crystal appeared as small, perfectly round golden particles, about the size of a grain of rice.
"Hmm, very few people know about this stuff. Some call it Hair Crystal. Try infusing it with your soul power."
Chu Chengzhou, who was busy picking up Hair Crystal from the pile of crystal powder on the floor, spoke without turning his head.
"Hair Crystal?"
Muttering to herself, Xiao Wu activated her soul power and attempted to infuse it into the tiny golden particle in her hand.
Instantly, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The golden Hair Crystal particle, under the infusion of Xiao Wu's soul power, slowly extended itself. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a hair-thin golden thread.
It was thinner than a strand of hair and over three inches long. If not for its golden color, it would have been nearly impossible to notice without careful observation.
"It looks like a strand of hair—no wonder it's called Hair Crystal."
Peering closely at the Hair Crystal in her hand, Xiao Wu finally understood why it had such a name.
With her butt sticking out, Chu Chengzhou collected all the Hair Crystal from the pile of crystal powder into his spatial jade stone. Turning around, he intended to explain the wonders of Hair Crystal to Xiao Wu but accidentally bumped into her as she curiously examined the needle-like Hair Crystal in her hand.
This bump? Oh no, big trouble!
A light bump wouldn't have been a problem—she'd just fall over at worst.
But unluckily, Xiao Wu happened to be holding a needle-like Hair Crystal, nicknamed "Dragon Whisker (Beard) Needle," at that moment!
Just as Chu Chengzhou realized he had accidentally collided with Xiao Wu, he felt a mosquito-bite-like sensation on his buttocks, followed by an unimaginably intense wave of pain.
"Ahh~!"
Overwhelmed by the sharp pain, Chu Chengzhou instantly donned a mask of agony, tears welling up in his eyes.
"??? What happened? Huh? Where did my Hair Crystal go?"
Looking at Chu Chengzhou writhing in pain, Xiao Wu was utterly confused. She glanced down and noticed that the needle-like Hair Crystal she had infused with soul power was gone.
She looked at Chu Chengzhou wearing a mask of pain, then at her empty hands where the Hair Crystal had disappeared. Her eyes widened in shock—had she caused this?
Still, such a fine needle accidentally pricking him shouldn't have caused such a strong reaction, right?
"Can I say it wasn't intentional?"
Shrinking her neck, Xiao Wu said innocently.
"Hiss~, hurry, help me pull it out!"
Grimacing and sucking in cold air, Chu Chengzhou urgently told Xiao Wu.
Now wasn't the time to discuss whether the little rabbit meant it or not—it was crucial to extract the Dragon Whisker Needle embedded in his body before it was too late. Otherwise, cutting flesh would be the only option.
When infused with soul power, Hair Crystal particles transformed into three-inch-long Dragon Whisker Needles.
However, these needles were extremely fine and couldn't hold much soul power. Once the infused soul power dissipated, they immediately reverted to their original granular form.
But since the needle was already embedded in flesh, blocked by blood and tissue, the Dragon Whisker Needle inside his body couldn't revert to its granular form. Instead, it curled and tangled together with nearby flesh.
Thankfully, only one needle was stuck in his buttock. If there had been more, the pain would have surpassed even the torment of being flayed alive!
"Ahh~, you want me to pull it out? But wouldn't that mean..."
Xiao Wu hesitated. The buttocks weren't like arms or legs. Though the two were close, she still felt awkward.
"Don't hesitate, hurry up, hiss~!"
Clenching his teeth and sucking in cold air, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but admire Zhao Wuji.
One Dragon Whisker Needle was already this painful—it was hard to imagine how Zhao Wuji endured ten of them in the original storyline.
Seeing Chu Chengzhou genuinely unable to bear the pain, Xiao Wu no longer hesitated and quickly pulled down his pants.
As the pants came down, Xiao Wu immediately saw a walnut-sized lump on Chu Chengzhou's right buttock. It had turned a deep blackish-blue due to accumulated blood.
Seeing the severity of the injury, Xiao Wu's eyes reddened, and she nearly shed tears.
She never imagined that their accidental collision would lead to such serious consequences.
Though the injury wasn't on her buttock, she could tell it must hurt terribly.
"Brother, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Anxious, Xiao Wu carefully examined the wound. Unfortunately, the Dragon Whisker Needle was already embedded deep within his flesh, leaving no trace of the needle tip on the surface. She was helpless.
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
In the original story, Tang San could extract needles from Zhao Wuji, but that didn't mean Xiao Wu had the same skill.
"I'll deal with you later!"
Glaring fiercely at Xiao Wu, Chu Chengzhou limped into the bathroom.
With his buttocks sticking out and facing away from the mirror, Chu Chengzhou twisted his head to inspect the injury.
Then, channeling soul power within his body, he infused a thread of soul power into the tangled Hair Crystal embedded in his buttock.
Instantly, with the infusion of soul power, the tangled Hair Crystal began to transform back into a Dragon Whisker Needle.
However, due to the obstruction of flesh and tissue, only the ends of the fine Hair Crystal turned into needle tips, while the middle section remained tangled.
To make matters worse, as the tip of the needle straightened, it pierced another half-inch deeper into the flesh.
"Hiss~!"
Pain upon pain—Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but suck in another breath of cold air.
But there was some good news: the tail end of the needle had emerged from the lump.
Infusing soul power into his fingertips, Chu Chengzhou grasped the exposed needle tip, gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and yanked it out with force.
"AHHH—!"
Another heart-wrenching, tear-inducing scream echoed from the bathroom.
Extracting the embedded Dragon Whisker Needle was far more painful than when it first entered.
As the needle was pulled out, it tugged at the already tangled flesh and tendons, causing an indescribably excruciating sensation.
After forcing out the accumulated blood from the lump, Chu Chengzhou flipped his right hand, materializing his True Spirit Flag martial soul. Two purple thousand-year soul rings shimmered brightly.
As soul power surged, the first soul ring lit up, and a towering Sky Azure Tree summoning spirit condensed into existence.
Thankfully, the summoning spirit was a product of his soul skill, formed from condensed soul power. With his purple-tier Mastery skill, Chu Chengzhou could control its size; otherwise, the cramped bathroom of the Rose Hotel suite wouldn't have been able to accommodate the massive Sky Azure Tree.
Next, the Sky Azure Tree emitted a greenish glow as its innate soul skill, Healing, activated. A surge of vibrant green light, brimming with life energy, enveloped Chu Chengzhou.
Soon, under the influence of this healing energy, the lump on his buttock visibly recovered at a rapid pace. Damaged flesh, blood vessels, and tendons beneath the skin rapidly healed.
In the blink of an eye, the blackish-blue lump disappeared, and Chu Chengzhou's buttock returned to its original pale whiteness.
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