I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 185 - 183: Xi Yuan Tournament (Part 9)
Li Xing’s provocative actions and tone were blatantly obvious. The Red Armored Scorpion was enraged, its large pincers clamped tightly with a crunching sound, and its tail sting whipped towards Li Xing.
The pair of pincers opened and closed, aiming to pinch Li Xing’s slender waist. Li Xing leaped into the air, and the pincers snapped shut on empty air, producing two dull "cracks." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Li Xing employed the Green Smoke Step, her figure agile like a flying swallow, landing on the Red Armored Scorpion’s pincers before it could retract them.
Li Xing formed a seal with her right hand, and her figure suddenly became unpredictably elusive, dissipating like green smoke on the spot, and the next moment, she appeared on top of the Red Armored Scorpion’s head.
The Red Armored Scorpion’s head and chest were connected, forming a trapezoid. The back of its head was covered with a shell, and at this moment, Li Xing was standing on it.
Being stepped on by a tiny human, the Red Armored Scorpion felt utterly humiliated. Its long tail sting suddenly jabbed at Li Xing from behind. Li Xing seemed to have eyes on the back of her head, slightly turning her head to dodge, then punched the third segment of the tail.
The Red Armored Scorpion’s tail was composed of five segments and a sting, with the third segment in the middle, acting as a bridge. When injured, the entire tail lost its threat, limply dragging behind.
This punch was unexpected, causing the Red Armored Scorpion to emit a sharp, kettle-like scream of pain. It couldn’t fathom how such a petite person could flatten its tail segment with a single punch. Was this a human? It must be a Star Beast that looked human!
Li Xing chuckled, her fist creaking.
"Admit defeat, Da Hong?"
Red Armored Scorpion: Admit defeat, my ass!
Its tail immobilized, the Red Armored Scorpion still had its large pincers. It lowered its head as much as possible, shook its body left and right, and lifted its pincers like scissors, trying to pinch overhead.
The Red Armored Scorpion’s head shell wasn’t a solid piece but composed of hundreds of diamond-shaped small shields, arranged like overlapping tiles.
Li Xing crouched down, wedged her fingers into the gaps of the head shell, anchoring herself steadily, unmoved despite the Red Armored Scorpion’s shaking.
Li Xing’s position was clever, right in the small triangular blind spot formed when the pincers lifted from above. The pincers were only centimeters away from her, yet they couldn’t reach her, how frustrating!
The Red Armored Scorpion, holding its heavy pincers aloft, struggled for ages to no avail, exhausting itself, spinning circles in frustration.
The surrounding vegetation, trampled and damaged by the agitated Red Armored Scorpion, revealed patches of red ground. The soil near the ground cracks caved in under its feet, lava oozing out, flowing over its legs.
Familiar warmth traveled from its legs, and the Red Armored Scorpion suddenly had an epiphany: it remembered it was of the fire element. Unable to catch this vexing humanoid Star Beast, it resolved to burn her instead.
The Red Armored Scorpion lifted its pincers again, aimed them at Li Xing, and two massive fireballs formed between them, exuding a terrifying heat that warped the air with their temperature.
"Boom—" with a thunderous sound, the two fireballs released simultaneously, attacking from the sides, engulfing Li Xing’s figure in a blaze of red flames.
The explosive impact of the flames frightened other Star Beasts lurking around, waiting to profit from the battle, causing them to scatter in panic. The plants destroyed in the fight were swept away by the airflow and high temperature, leaving nothing behind.
Just as the Red Armored Scorpion thought Li Xing was doomed, an uncontrollable throbbing pain erupted from its head, as if its skull had been lifted off. It screamed again, its legs twitching, and collapsed heavily to the ground.
Li Xing sat atop the Red Armored Scorpion’s head, holding the small, round Little Fatty she summoned back for protection, tossing it like a ball. Just moments before, a piece of the Red Armored Scorpion’s head shell was pried off by Li Xing, exposing the pink brain tissue beneath.
Li Xing coldly chuckled, "Playing with fire, it seems your brain needs some stirring." With that, she plunged her fingers into the brain and stirred vigorously.
The length of Li Xing’s fingers couldn’t penetrate the cortex of the Red Armored Scorpion’s brain, causing no substantive damage, but its pain was excruciating.
This punishing method, cruel yet non-lethal, would earn Li Xing the title of master from interrogation expert Zhao if he saw it.
All of the Red Armored Scorpion’s legs and tail continually twisted and twitched with Li Xing’s finger movement, the kettle noise was incessant.
Li Xing stirred the brain while shouting, "Do you submit or not!"
Neither its physical nor elemental attacks matched this humanoid Star Beast, finally instilling fear in the Red Armored Scorpion. If it didn’t concede, the humanoid Star Beast would surely extract its brain to feast on.
The brain was a valuable asset and still useful; compared to life, what was dignity worth? It was the time to surrender!
The Red Armored Scorpion tried hard to control its trembling body and with difficulty, retracted its pincers to its sides, opening and closing repeatedly.
Seeing the Red Armored Scorpion display a submissive gesture, Li Xing nodded satisfactorily, ceasing her torment.
From the Spiritual Pendant, she retrieved the Immortal Binding Rope, tying one end to the Red Armored Scorpion’s head shell and holding the other in her hand. Li Xing flipped off, her hands behind her back as she walked toward the ground fissure.
Reaching the Red Essence Ginseng, she cautiously picked more than a dozen sprouts, placing them into the Preservation Jade Box. Only then did Li Xing smile. With the Spirit Grass in hand, after refining the Clear Wind Powder, there’d likely be leftovers, serving as mental damage compensation for Red Armored Scorpion’s attack on her.
The Red Armored Scorpion lay on the ground, its six round little eyes gazing resentfully at Li Xing. If the Red Armored Scorpion could cry, it would have already drowned in its tears. Not only did Li Xing hit the scorpion, but she also stole its Spirit Grass—surely her heart was as black as coal.
Feeling somewhat guilty under its gaze, Li Xing touched her nose and feigned anger, "What are you looking at! If you hadn’t attacked me, I’d have only picked one sprout. Blame yourself."
The Red Armored Scorpion wished it had eyelids to close its eyes or a neck to turn its head; it didn’t want to see this ingratiatingly opportunistic person!
"Don’t worry, I’ve buried an Energy Stone beneath the Red Essence Ginseng. In a few years, it will sprout new shoots, bigger than before, and then you’ll be grateful to me." Li Xing didn’t need the temperature-adjusting talisman at the moment, so she pried off the Energy Stone, making a small offering.
The Red Armored Scorpion and Red Essence Ginseng had a symbiotic relationship; the scorpion protected the ginseng from being eaten by herbivorous Star Beasts, and its dung was nourishment for the ginseng. Meanwhile, the ginseng’s secreted Spiritual Milk was a source of energy for the Red Armored Scorpion’s advancement.
By helping the Red Essence Ginseng, Li Xing was helping the Red Armored Scorpion.
With matters settled, Li Xing hopped onto the scorpion’s back, using the Immortal Binding Rope as reins, and snapped it with a "crack." The Red Armored Scorpion obediently turned in the direction led by the reins, sprinting towards the temporary camp with its six legs.
In the livestream chatroom.
The viewers had been dazzled to the point of losing sanity by Li Xing’s daring maneuver; never in Qianyuan Continent’s history had anyone ridden a Star Beast as a mount. They were witnessing a miracle, finally having a boast to share with their future great-grandchildren and beyond.
//No one on Qianyuan Continent has ever tamed a Star Beast; Li Xing is absolutely unrivaled! I’m in awe, instantaneously a fan! @Star Alliance, please accept this unworthy junior, forgive my late realization of Sister Xingxing’s charm. Hereafter, I’ll dedicate my life to her service! //
//Wow, woke up startled, seeing someone ride a Red Armored Scorpion; going back to sleep for a bit longer... //
//Not a hallucination, wake up, buddy; you’d regret missing this spectacle your entire life! //
//How did Li Xing tame the Red Armored Scorpion? Could it be she invented a new drug? @TheStore, hurry and drop a link! //
//Riding Star Beasts is incredibly cool! If there’s truly a drug that makes Star Beasts obedient, I’d spend everything to try it! //
//Guys, calm down for a bit. I just watched the battle replay frame by frame. The way the goddess star Xing tamed the Red Armored Scorpion relied entirely on her personal prowess. Riding a Star Beast is an isolated case, not replicable. Life is precious, please proceed with caution. //
At this moment, a flamboyant yet familiar colorful comment drifted by:
//TheStore solemnly declares that Master Li has not commissioned any individual or group to sell any drug for taming Star Beasts. Master Li himself has never crafted such a drug. Anyone claiming to have special channels, firsthand sources, or exclusive buying options for the Beast Taming Elixir is a swindler. Please stay vigilant, report related information to @Federal Anti-fraud Center! Online fraud prevention is a responsibility for all! //
