Transcending The Jiang Hu (Generic Xianxia Cultivation)

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 30 – Camp Black
​

"To teleport to Camp Black will cost you five spirit stones," The foundation establishment said with a monotone voice as they studied a tiny, palm-sized book.

Xing Yi was slightly stunned upon hearing the price but laughed at himself for thinking that it was going to be cheap in the first place. And even having taken out a loan of one hundred spirit stones, he couldn't afford to casually spend his money and had to carefully delegate each purchase.

And being able to go to Camp Black was vital to keeping the magic cauldron a secret. If he were to casually waltz over to Martial Uncle Yang and he started asking for loads of spiritual herbs, he would start asking questions.

Firstly, the logistics of him being able to pay off the loan would be out of the questions as Yang knew that he hadn't even refined his first pill yet and would be asking him how he was going to be able to pay it all off. He would immediately think that he has a death wish, and that something was fishy going on.

If he didn't have some kind of formation to protect himself from prying eyes, any core formation elder or even a foundation establishment inner sect disciple for that matter, could come over and spy on him with their spiritual sense without him even knowing.

Grimacing, Xing Yi pulled out five thumb-sized blue gems from his leather bag and handed them over to the cultivator behind the desk. The cultivator was surprised he had enough to pay and looked him up and down.

Saying nothing, the cultivator got out of his seat.

Scratching the back of his neck, he waved Xing Yi over in a lazy voice, "Follow me, I'll show you over to the transportation formation."

The pair walked through a large hallway that was several meters wide and tall, passing many dark blue vault-like doors. At the end, sitting on a brown straw mat was an old wrinkly man with dishevelled hair and a tired face filled with wrinkles.

Hearing the footsteps from down the hallway, they opened their eyes and raised an eyebrow at Xing Yi. Immediately, he noticed the peculiarity of the boy.

"An external cultivator. Hmm, it's been a long time since I've seen one. They are quite a rare bunch," The wrinkly man noted as he roused from his seated-lotus position and walked over with his hands behind his back.

"Hey Bai Fan, not now. Put that thing away," The old man ordered.

Xing Yi, looking out of the corner of his eyes, saw that the foundation establishment cultivator was still reading the book with intense focus. When he read the title on the front of it, he was taken aback, not knowing what to think.

"Li Li's Erotic Adventures in the Xi'an State."

Bai Fan seemed to roll his eyes and pocketed the hand-held book.

"Where's he going?" Bai Fan asked, cracking his neck with a side-to-side motion.

"Camp Black."

"Alright."

Walking several meters back up the hall with Xing Yi following from behind, the two cultivators came to a particular door.

Standing a few meters apart, they each assumed a strange stance with their hands in convoluted positions and legs spread wide apart.

Exhaling at the same time, there was a brief moment of silence before they took action. Suddenly, they both moved. Spinning his hands in a circular motion, the old man created a circular wind
that seeped into small, tiny, runic cracks inside the door.

As for the young man, he spat fire out of his hands that also seeped into these tiny cracks. After a few moments of intense work, something clicked within the door.
Hearing this, the two foundation establishment cultivators stopped without breaking a sweat.

Then, a fiery red core emerged in the direct centre of the door where a dark circle previously lied. It quickly filled up over, the fire and wind coursing through the tiny cracks to reach the core.

Once the core became full, another click sounded out. With a low rumble, the door split in half and swung open, banging against the walls.

Stretching his body, Bai Fan suddenly began making a slow humping motion with his hands behind his back.

"You know Senior Martial Brother Que Zhi, I think I'm ready for the special groin technique now. I've been doing this job for what- three years now- so I know how to handle fire pretty well now. I think it's time to take my fire techniques to the next level. You know how cool it would be to just shoot fire from down there when I'm-"

"Stop there," Que Zhi reached out towards Bai Fan with his hand and tightly closed it, causing him to involuntary seal his lips. He let go shortly after and the young man's lips were set free, and he once again rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Anyways, what's your name, boy?" Que Zhi asked as the three strolled into the room.

"Xing Yi, Senior."

"And I presume you're an unofficial if you're wearing white robes," Que Zhi discerned as he squinted his eyes.

"Yes, Senior" Xing Yi smiled awkwardly.

"Don't worry, I too was an unofficial disciple once upon a time. They were very difficult times, but in the end I triumphed over all who doubted the validity of my pursuit of immortality," Que Zhi reminisced.

"Wait, you were?" Bai Fan was stunned.

"I was," Que Zhi nodded. "Now, stop gawking at me like that and get on the other side of the circle."

Without saying a word, Bai Fan and Que Zhi stood opposite of each other around a gold, cryptic circle engraved atop a jade platform.

"Xing Yi, please step onto the platform," Que Zhi kindly asked.

Xing Yi bowed to Que Zhi and then Bai Fan before he carefully stepped onto the platform as if he was wading into water. Compared to the various transportation pavilions scattered across the sect, this was far more elaborate and obviously far more valuable, evident in the heavy protection and the requirements to unlock the door leading into it. He looked at the dark grey walls and didn't think they would be any less weaker than the door itself either.

Reaching the middle of the circle, he tucked his arms in and stood as straight as a stick. Que Zhi gave a knowing look to Xing Yi and proceeded with the teleportation.

Both cultivators bent down and implanted their hands into hand-shaped jade indents on the ground and inserted a small amount of their qi into it. Not a second later, four fist-sized spirit stones placed in the four cardinal directions around the circle lit up in varying lights of blue, red, and brown.

And with that, Xing Yi blinked over to the other side.

Instantly, he noticed that he was in a small, crudely built stone tower and stood on top of almost an exact replica of the formation back the Bloody Path Sect.

"Identify yourself," A mighty voice echoed throughout the tower.

Pulling out his badge, Xing Yi bowed, "This one is named Xing Yi and is an unofficial disciple of the Bloody Path Sect."

After a moment, the voice replied, "Good, now don't make any trouble and we won't have any problems. Ok?"

"Yes, Senior," Xing Yi bowed.

The exit was a large arch and had no door, so Xing Yi walked right out.

Straight away, he was greeted with a view of the entirety of Camp Black. It wasn't really a camp. It was actually a town situated deep within the Western Forest that was established and ruled over by two nascent soul level cultivators.

Looking around, he saw that he was on a tall hill located directly in the middle of the town. Beyond the edges of the town was a thick, green jungle.

The reason why Xing Yi was here today was to buy spiritual herbs in bulk to practice pill refining. Since the cauldron could transform alchemical waste back to its original ingredients, he could technically practice pill refining endlessly.

If he failed, the alchemical waste would eventually turn back into its original ingredients and he could try again. The biggest problem that pill refiners faced was a lack of ingredients to practice their skills with. But with the magic cauldron?

He could circumvent that problem and become a Pill Refining Grandmaster overnight.

AN: Yes, there is cheat item. I planned that from the beginning and it took 30 chapters to reveal its use but I'm gonna add that as a tag now.

Also, I'm not gonna wait for royalroad to catch up to qq anymore. I'm just gonna keep going.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 31 - Paragon Emporium​

Camp Black was established well over two-hundred years ago and serves as a safe haven for cultivators foraging into the perilous Western Forest. Populated by countless tribes and sects of demon beasts, humans are not a welcomed existence. It was only with the strength and support of two nascent soul cultivators that it had survived the test of time.

In fact, the border between the Western Forest and the human realm has always been guarded in a joint effort by The Eight Great Sects since almost forever- the Bloody Path Sect being one of them. Without this joint protection, the human realm would've long been invaded by the demon beasts and turned into a wasteland.

However, immortal sects didn't guard the border from the human realm because they necessarily wanted to. Yes, they were humans too and they obviously wouldn't allow their people to be slaughtered so easily, but it was only because it was the only place with adequate ambient spiritual qi for their cultivation.

From the far north to the south extended a long mountain-range that divided the mortal realm from the Western Forest, rich with veins of qi. These veins, situated deep underground with almost inexhaustible supplies, released qi that created the perfect environment for cultivation. The ambient qi that these veins produced significantly increased the cultivation speed of any cultivator.

It rejuvenated the soul, sprouted wild spiritual herbs amongst the valleys, and allowed them to train without worrying about how long it was going to take them to recover.

In comparison, the mortal realm is completely barren. There are only a few minor veins within its entirety and this lack thereof is the reason why immortals don't meddle with mortal affairs.

This was also the reason why in the east, cultivators are thought to be myth. Whereas, in the west- close to the border - they are instead urban legends and often talked about in rumors. Like how the old man living next door who is blind in one eye, witnessed two robed man barge into his house and fight while literally flying across the room, how a little girl saw a man disappear into nowhere after turning a corner that had a dead-end, and how old guards say they saw the clan patriarch get on his hands and knees in front of a mysterious, masked figure.

But why would two nascent soul level cultivators decide to establish a town all the way in demon beast territory? It wasn't because they were genuinely trying to establish a civilization.

It was to procure the rich resources that the Western Forest provided. It was a treasure trove filled with the would-be corpses of powerful demon beasts, their accompanying cores, and rare, aged spiritual herbs that only grow in isolated places deep within the Western Forest. Metallic ores, earth fires, yin and yang outcroppings, the eggs of demon beasts waiting to be stolen, and the list goes on.

Yet, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. It wasn't rare for even core formation cultivators to go missing. Those at foundation establishment were killed by the dozens every year and for a vessel cleansing cultivator to venture into the Western Forest was a death wish.

As for nascent-soul level cultivators, they could tread without worrying about their own safety so long as they didn't provoke any nascent soul beasts. Neither party wished to casually engage in mortal combat as they each had long lives ahead of them and would only do so if it heavily leaned in their favour.

So, as Xing Yi walked down one of the many streets of Camp Black, he paid great attention to the wares of each merchant that laid their wares bare, hoping to find the spiritual herbs that he was looking for.

For a place all the way out in the middle of the harsh jungle, it was very well kept and quite tidy. Although its many humble buildings were small, they were built with great craftsmanship.

Walking past a particular shop with a collection of a variety of strange, colourful fruits, he saw that the owner of it sat upon a wooden chair, smoking out a pipe and blowing smoke into the air with each puff. And to his left, a dark-skinned man with skinny legs silently meditated on a yellow straw mat in lotus-position. He sold big chunks of spiritual wood with tough, dark brown bark.

None of them had what he wanted and as he continued, he saw all sorts of bizarre things being sold. There wasn't a large crowd of cultivators on the street, but there were always a few cultivators within the nearby area, either looking at items or on the hunt for a particular thing like he was.

A few hours passed and Xing Yi still hadn't found a clue where he could find spiritual herbs. So, walking up to an orange-robed monk chanting 'Amitabha' over and over and selling gourds, he asked him kindly, "Excuse me senior. Do you mind if I ask a question?"

Stopping in the middle of his meditation, he opened an eye and replied, "Of course. What question does almsgiver have for this one?"

"Does Senior know which merchant this junior could buy spiritual herbs off of?" Xing Yi asked.

The monk raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, does almsgiver not know the circumstances of Camp Black?"

"No," Xing Yi shook his head.

"All spiritual herbs and demon-beast related items are monopolised by the two Light Clan patriarchs that own Camp Black. No one else but them can trade them in Camp Black," The monk explained.

Just as Xing Yi lost hope, the monk pointed to a tall, green-roofed seven-floored pagoda in the distance, "That pagoda is the only place you can buy spiritual herbs. But I will warn almsgiver in advance, the prices are very, very high."

Relieved, Xing Yi bowed to the monk before travelling to the pagoda. After a twenty-minute walk, he arrived at the stone steps that lead inside the red, towering giant. Walking inside, he was greeted by a beautiful, tall woman with enchanting green-eyes. A golden, rectangular-shaped earring dangled from her right ear.

"What brings you to the Paragon Emporium today?" The lady

"I would like to buy spiritual herbs." Xing Yi said, looking up at the lady who was a couple heads taller than him.

Smiling, she turned around, "Follow me and we can talk privately."

Following in her steps, Xing Yi walked past glass cases containing shiny treasures, tall jade pillars, and other cultivators currently browsing the Paragon Emporium's wares.

They came into a spacious room adjacent to the main hall and Xing Yi took a seat at the table at the centre of the room. Upon the wall to the side was a small window that let in a few rays of golden light.

"Are you looking for any specific one?" She asked, taking a seat next to Xing Yi. She held up her chin with her elbow against the table, a cute expression on her face.

"Oh, yeah! Let me pull this out…" Xing Yi fumbled around his leather bag until he found what he was looking for,

Unfurling a yellow-paper scroll, he read from a list totalling seventeen ingredients. Once he was finished, the lady seemed be surprised at how much he was looking to buy.

"Oh, are you perhaps looking to refine the Lotus Explosion and grade-one Qi Gathering Pill?," The lady exclaimed.

"How did you know?"

Her face brightened up with a smile, "Why wouldn't I know such things? I work at the Paragon Emporium after all. "

Xing Yi blushed, not sure if he was reacting like this to the lady's beauty or his lack of foresight.

"How many pills are you looking to refine each? Tell me and we can get you the correlating amount of ingredients for each. And don't worry, our Paragon Emporium will not slight you of a single leaf. You can check yourself too," The lady explained.

Xing Yi thought on it for a second but recalled what he originally planned and went with that.

"I want to buy enough ingredients for five of each."

"Ok. I will go call for a man by the name of Hua. Once he arrives, we can stamp out the cost of these spiritual herbs." The lady said.

Over the course of a few minutes, the lady hit up some small talk with him, asking him about his origins and whatnot. He danced around these questions for the most part, but when the lady touched his hand out of nowhere, he became flustered.

Just then, a moustached man wearing green-robes and green eyes walked in.

"Please Ying'er, he is just a boy. Maybe if it was an older customer it might work. All you are doing is making him feel shy," The man smiled.

AN: Sorry to sound like an NPC but please for god's sake, follow TTJH on royalroad.com if you haven't already and help me reach my goal of reaching Rising Stars!!!

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 32 - Earthly Pill Refining​

Xing Yi exited the Paragon Emporium with sixty-four less spirit stones than when he entered. Walking down the stone steps of the emporium, he tightly carried a large wooden drawer by his side in one arm.

As the box slid down the side of him again and again, threatening to fall down, he would have to constantly lift it back up with a pull of his arm and shoulder. Although anyone could fit their fingers around the circumference of his arm, they were not weak and easily held the large object in place.

Upon the front and back of it were several gold metal latches that withheld drawers from sliding out and onto the ground. Created by a mortal grandmaster; a servant of the Paragon Emporium, this drawer was created out of a wood that could keep spiritual herbs fresh for years.

The spiritual herbs for the ingredients required for five Lotus Explosion Pills and the other five grade-one Qi Gathering Pill had cost him sixty spiritual stones, while the wooden drawer for storage cost him four.

In the first place, he didn't have a spatial storage pouch, but even if he did he wouldn't be able to store them in there as it would result in their immediate destruction and instead had to be stored in a special container like the one he was currently carrying.

It was a good deal for what it was and he didn't have any qualms about it. He still had thirty-six spirit stones in the bank and would be very conservative with what he would spend it on in the future.

Soon, Xing trekked up the hill and forgot all about the Paragon Emporium and thought upon how he was going to refine these pills and what he was going to do now. Teleporting through the formation,
he appeared atop a jade platform in a grand hall.

Nearby, upon a lone, tall wooden beam several metres high in horse position was a grey-bearded old man. Sensing that the formation went off, he opened his left eye for a brief moment before closing it and returning to his own cultivation.

Xing Yi bowed to Elder Wang, the man who was responsible for the defence of the Bloody Path Sect and oversaw all teleportation into the sect. If enemies were to casually teleport into this hall-where all outside teleporting was received- they would be immediately sent back in the blink of an eye by Elder Wang. There were countless other security measures in case but he wasn't important enough to know about them.

But the thing was that this place wasn't actually inside the sect. It was in a nearby area not disclosed to the public. No one could actually directly teleport into the sect without going through here.

Thus, with a single wave of his hand, the cryptic red engravings on the jade platform lit up in a red light and he was once again whisked away. Then, he actually arrived into the sect and was greeted by the sight of another elderly man.

He wasn't an elder though and was merely at foundation establishment. He too, gave him the same treatment as the elderly man and with a single look, he too closed them and resumed his sitting cultivation.

Exiting the room and following down the hallway, he found himself inside the lobby of the Void Hall. To his right, with his legs kicked up on the desk, a black-haired young man with shaggy hair read a small, palm-sized book. He didn't even notice Xing Yi's entrance and continued to read.

However, Xing Yi knew that he noticed him as once one reached foundation establishment, a cultivator's senses would become so keen to the point where they could smell blood from kilometres away, see the individual hairs on an ant's legs several metres away, and hear people whispering from across a bustling street if they so wished.

Yet, with his status, he had no option but to respectfully bow to his seniors, even if they didn't notice his existence. As he did so and proceeded to leave, he hoped that once he grew stronger, that they would finally acknowledge his existence and not so nonchalantly ignore him.

From time to time, he imagined himself as a cool cultivator that everyone wanted to talk to and was so strong that everyone respected him. And that he would shock everyone with his talents and he would be taken in by a core-formation elder. That he would eventually become a nascent-soul level cultivator in terms of earthly cultivation and save a village from an abrupt landslide.

He had many fantasies that he constantly thought about and all of them involved becoming stronger. Over the course of his time in the Bloody Path Sect, he noticed that his wants had quickly shifted from making use of the opportunity that his grandfather gave him and making his family proud, to becoming a powerful immortal capable of splitting the ocean and creating ravines with a single move of his hand.

He had read the myths, felt their strength, and been enlightened by their vast wisdom many times in the past. He wanted all of that too.

So, as he came to his house, he became determined to succeed.

Without wasting any time, he waded through the jade slip and consumed its knowledge. Two days later, he had completed sorting through it and within his mind temple was a book named 'Earthly Convergence'.

In it, he learned that earthly pill refining did not differ greatly from heavenly pill refining. They merely used different energies.

Pill refining was one of the very few practices that heavenly and earthly cultivation shared in common. It is one of the pillars of the foundation that the world of cultivation was built upon. If it were to become shaky-say all pill refining Grandmasters were to suddenly die overnight- chaos would ensue.

In the few myths and legends that covered the lost art of earthly cultivation, they would often consume the corpses of spirit beasts and their cores to improve their cultivation. But over time their bodies would grow resistant to this energy and they would seek other ways to increase it.

This led to them also discovering and learning the art of pill refining. It also proved to be very useful as they would be able to use pre-prepared pills to recover their diminished qi just like the heavenly cultivators did at the time.

But, while heavenly cultivation is a gentle spirit and easy to control, earthly cultivation is fierce and dangerous, like trying to control a wild beast. And when a refiner is unable to control this rabid energy, it results in the explosion of all the energy they were currently controlling.

Fortunately, they are earthly cultivators and don't have to worry about getting injured and can simply carry on without worry. Just so long as they aren't trying to refine high-grade pills far above their own cultivation level. It didn't usually happen but when and if it did, they could very well maim or even kill themselves.

And when Xing Yi found himself reading this, he couldn't help but sigh. Everything related to earthly cultivation just had to be extremely difficult.

Didn't it?

No wonder Elder Yang gave this slip to him. He was basically throwing out the trash!

And if a heavenly cultivator were to try to use this technique themselves- Xing Yi couldn't help but chuckle to himself, feeling as if he had gotten ripped off- their cultivation would begin to dissipate!

That stingy old man! Acting all wise and benevolent just to scam him in the end.

Regardless, the old man was centuries ahead of him. Literally.

Sitting up from his mat, he walked out into the hallway and came to a particular door. Opening it up, he was greeted with the sight of fire-wood fully stacked inside a small closet.

Putting his small hands on his chin, he stood in place, feeling lost as to how he should proceed. He stared all around himself as he walked around, leaned on the wall and stared through a window at the end of the hallway.

"If only my brother was here…" Xing Yi mused.

A few minutes later, after a lot of blank moments of thinking and standing, he finally hauled all the firewood out of the closet and into a pile near the house, right next to the fire pit.

Heaving the black cauldron from out of the closet, he carried it across the house, trying his best not to scratch the floor as he noticed that his earlier efforts had caused white scratches to appear on the wooden flooring.

Bringing it out into the courtyard beside the house, he once again stood in place, unsure of his decision.

"Surely they wouldn't notice. Right?"

He was facing a dilemma. Either to be secretive and make sure no one finds out or to refine out in the open. He had already made up his decision but couldn't help but feel apprehensive about it.

There was no way he could really hide that he was pill refining from the cultivators of the sect with their powerful and far-seeing spiritual sense.

But what made him less worried was that he lived in an isolated part of the sect, right in the middle of the valley with the least ambient spiritual qi in the entire sect. So much so, that the only reason that the valley he dwelled in was included within the sect-wide protection formation was because to the east of it was a tall mountain that could be used as high-ground.

So, after much delegation and self-assurance, he finally began the arduous journey of pill refinement.

AN: Fresh out of google docs.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 33 – The Boy (1)
​

There was not a single cloud in sight in the blue sky as a short, beige-robed old man wandered across the land. The hair on his chin was braided into a single strand with the string of a wilted, yellow plant. His eyes shined a bright golden, and within them, a gentle warmness.

He carried himself like any other ordinary man and apart from his lively complexion and strange eyes, nothing was out of the ordinary. As he treaded further upon the dirt road at the same slow but steady pace, time passed. The man continued to walk on the road, not encountering a single person. When the sun set, the old man walked over to a nearby patch of grass adjacent to the road and laid down, dozing off to sleep without care. And when he awoke, the sun was glistening from over the horizon.

Thus, this cycle continued. Many days passed and eventually he found himself walking on a stone road next to the coast. Sandy beaches extended into the distance, churning waves washing over the sand to his right as he walked. And after another day of walking, he reached a small town with a port filled with boats.

Walking on its main street, he passed many happy faces. Children holding the hands of their fathers and mothers, boisterous merchants asking their customers about their days, and wild birds peering their surroundings above the tall roofs of the nearby buildings.

It was a serene scene. Something that the elderly man knew was precious. Something that was to be protected no matter the cost. It was a sanctuary, a place untainted from war and its bloodshed. It had evaded natural disasters and was lucky enough to not have been discovered by bandits yet. The old man had seen many things and many places. But places like this were scarce and hard to find.

As he continued his stroll, he eventually stopped and came to a certain stall. A man of similar-looking age to him sat behind it, carefully cutting the leaves of a bonsai plant. The elderly man watched the man behind the stall for many moments, not wanting to interrupt him when he seemed so focus. The elderly man had a keen eye for things like this. Moments of focus were not to be interrupted.

So, he waited.

The merchant delicately handled his tiny steel cutters, taking time every so often to lean back and analyse his work before he further continued. He took it leaf by leaf, the process taking an excruciatingly length of time to make progress. When he finally finished, he ended up with a lush green plant, its trunk forming a distinctive s-shape. Setting down his tools and wiping sweat off his forehead, he let out a big sigh. Satisfied, he revealed his teeth in a big grin.

"Your craftsmanship is beautiful," The elderly man praised.

Turning in his seat, he appraised the person before him and chuckled to himself, "No, no. I still have a long way to go."

Standing up from his chair, he walked over to the front of the stall and asked the elderly man, "You're a new face. I haven't seen you around. What's your name?"

"My surname is Wan," The elderly man named Wan answered.

"Call me Qin. Well, Mister Wan, you looking to buy some apples?" Merchant Qi raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the large array of bright red apples laid upon his stall.

Stroking his beard, he pointed to five apples out of the bunch. Compared to the rest, they were all slightly discoloured, and one could say they were the worst ones of the entire stock. Still, he seemed stern of his decision and smiled as they were handed to him and pocketed them inside the pockets of his robes.

Pulling out a bronze coin, he gave it to the merchant.

"You are the first customer to deliberately buy the worst ones I have. What's wrong with you?" Merchant Qin jested with a laugh and his hands on his hips.

Mister Wan shrugged his shoulders as he bit into one of the apples he bought, "They're not that bad."

The apple merchant could only smile as Mister Wan left.

Leaving the main street, Mister Wan came into a less-travelled side street. Wooden houses standing side-by-side, the old man saw groups of children and varying ages of woman along the street. Many of the men would be out during this time out day, fishing at sea on big boats. The women were left with the household chores and the children were left to their own devices, free to play and run around.

After waving to a passing elderly woman, Mister Wan came to the end of the gravel road, which marked the beginning of a dirt one. Upon a large plot of land, at the end of the road, there was a wooden manor. The old man reached the manor after a brief walk and couldn't help but smile when he saw a squirrel looking at him with a funny face, eating an acorn atop a tall tree nearby.

Knocking on the door, the elderly man heard a pair of skittering steps before the door was opened. Surprisingly, two small children opened it. One was a snot-nosed, shaven-head child while the other was a red-haired, freckled girl.

Both stared up at the elderly man for a short moment before they both brightened up and screamed, jumping at him, "Mister Wan!"

"Oh-Hoh!" Mister Wan laughed as the pair cheerily jumped into his embrace.

This caused more children to pour out from inside and soon nearly thirty children or so had surrounded him. A few though, peered out from windows inside, unsure as to who this person was. Then, a tall, black-haired, middle-aged women with remnants of a beautiful young lady on her face, walked out and greeted Mister Wan.

"I was wondering when your next visit was going to be," The tall lady smiled.

Herding the children inside, the group sat back down and went back down to eating their food, consisting of fish and rice. It wasn't fancy but it was still far better than what many people were eating out in the larger world.

Greeting each child and how their day had been, he eventually came to those he hadn't met before. As the newest kids in the place, they all happened to sit at the same table together.

Walking up to the table, he sized up each one with a cheeky smile.

"You know, I don't really like hearing about sad stories. How about some apples?" Revealing several, bright-red apples from beneath his robe, the group of children perked up from their previously sombre and less giddy mood. If Merchant Qin happened to be here at this moment, he would be scratching his head at how the previously discoloured apples had somehow turned bright and red.

Immediately devouring the apples, Mister Wan proceeded to make several jokes and comments, cheering the children up. After several minutes he left them with smiles on their faces and walked up to the tall women who was currently cleaning up in the kitchen in the next room over.

"You need a hand?" Mister Wan asked.

"To any other person I would say no. But since you're such a persistent and helpless old man, I have to say yes," The woman replied, chuckling as she cleaned the metal pot in water, scrubbing it up and down with a rough fabric.

Helping her, the duo quickly finished up cleaning up the kitchen and the two came to a room upstairs. Inside was a study with bookshelves and a wooden desk. In front of a window was a wooden desk with paper and ink. Here, the old man and lady caught up with each other over the past year that they had been apart, reminiscing over what had happened in the time they had been apart.

The women talked about the children at the orphanage while the elderly man talked about his travels around the world and all the things he had seen during this time. How he travelled to the centre of the world and met a small clan of monks to discuss religion. How he accidentally awoke a zombie from their grave, and that he helped a few men catch a murderer.

They were all interesting tales, but as the lady began talking about the children once again, the topic came to a specific child.

"Chao An?" Mister Wan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, he is quite a troublesome child. He is always creating mischief and creating trouble. But there is something incredibly strange and unique about him," The lady explained.

Mister Wan nodded.

"He-"

However, just as the lady was about to continue, a tremor shook the building. A loud rumble sounded in the distance and the children playing outside began wailing and crying. Books flew from their shelves, and the lady's chair lost footing and she fell to the ground. Amidst this situation, Mister Wan retained a calm expression and his golden eyes shined as he looked into the distance out the window and towards the town's port.

AN: My first attempt at an "intermission" chapter. It is a pretty deep seed too lol.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 34 - The Boy (2)​

From time to time, Chao An felt like his powers came in handy.

And it was as he was annoying a certain merchant by the surname of Qin that he felt like it was one of those occasions.

"You know, I'm really hungry right now. Like really, really hungry. I could eat grass at this point!" Chao An made an act of pity as he eyed the array of red apples before him.

Standing with their arms crossed behind the stall, intently watching the boy was Merchant Qin. His hefty black beard did nothing to hide the frown on his face.

"You're getting nothing from me. Now scram," Merchant Qin firmly stated.

It would actually be more accurate to say that he wasn't annoying the man, but actually begging.

"Come on, Pleeease. Apples are my favourite food out of like- all time," Chao An pleaded once more.

Merchant Qin didn't budge.

"Come on-"

"Hello Miss, how can I help you today?" Merchant Qin suddenly brightened up, greeting a young lady while at the same time, keeping a keen eye on the boy and making sure he didn't pull any tricks.

At this, Chao An noticed the lady's attire and couldn't help but hatch a plan. It took him a couple seconds and a moment of his eyes flickering around to gauge his surroundings, but he put it right into action.

Not this time Merchant Qin.

As the merchant and the lady began talking, Chao An curled up his pointing finger repeatedly like he was pulling on a string, causing a small ball of dust to form in front of him. Then, focusing on a wooden box covered in a white fabric that sat inside the stall, Chao An clenched his fist, causing the ball of dust to rush up his nose.

Raising his head backwards, he prepared himself and then flung his hands forward. All at once, he loudly sneezed and a large gust of wind blew past the other two people and blew the fabric off of the wooden box and with it, several dozen apples.

In the chaos, Chao An carefully plucked an apple from its flight mid-air with another gust of wind and swiftly hid it in his robes. Finally, he mustered up his best guilt expression.

"Sorry?"

"You goddamn fiend!" Merchant Qin shouted, raising a clenched fist up in the air as Chao An ran away with another gust of wind. The middle-aged man didn't bother to chase though, knowing that it was useless to try and catch him.

After a couple of turns down a few alleyways, he pulled out the apple and threw it in the air repeatedly, smiling to himself.

Eating the apple, he eventually found that throughout his mindless wandering he had arrived at the port. It was the most heavily constructed part of town with stone-paved paths along the coast, long wooden bridges extending out into the bay, and many large and small ships anchored down in it.

With the sea wind blowing against his face and a blue sky stretching out into the horizon, he took a seat on the edge of port, his legs dangling down to the rocky outcropping below, the sea waves periodically smashing against the wall.

Chao An looked into the distant ocean with a melancholic expression, a half-eaten apple in hand.

"Hey," A voice said as a hand touched his shoulder.

Chao An jumped back in fright and yelled, "Ah!"

Looking to his right, Chao An saw a small girl with a cute face.

"Li Fen?"

"What are you doing out here Chao An? You look so lonely. Are you okay?" The little girls asled in her-pitched, cute voice.

"Just… thinking," Chao An replied, averting his gaze to the ground.

"About what?" Li Fen asked, confused.

Suddenly, Chao An changed topic and asked, "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Putting a finger on her chin, the little girl gave a moment of thought before answering, "A nurse. So, I can help my mommy all the people who got big scars and can't get up from bed."

Chao An nodded.

Then, he let out a big, long sigh.

"Why? What do you want to do when you're older?" Li Fen asked, getting a bit too close to Chao An.

A few moments of quiet silence passed until he replied, "When I grow up, I want to-"

Suddenly, an earth-shaking tremor shook the ground, causing the girl to fall over the edge of the port, down to the rocks below. Be it due to his magical powers, Chao An didn't move an inch but the girl had.

Relying on pure instincts, he lifted his hands up and, in a blood-curdling screech shouted, "Rise!"

The low-tide suddenly rose several meters within an instance, catching the small girl in a water-shaped hand. Controlling the magic water hand, he brought her back to land.

When she landed, she was terrified and ran over to Chao An and hugged him. She began sobbing. Then, another tremor ripped through the ground, but this time Chao An had a decent hold of her and didn't let her go.

Chao An stood up and looked around, wondering what the cause of the tremor could be. Then, it happened again. But instead of fading, it turned into a low rumble.

A man nearby who had been fishing shouted in pure terror, not hesitating to run away, "Tsunami!"

Unfortunately, when Chao An snapped his head to look into the distant sea, he saw a tall wave that continued to rise every second. Seeing this, Chao An fell to his knees. He didn't know how to respond and stared on with wide eyes, terror taking a hold of his heart.

"Are we going to die?" Li Fen questioned, tears falling down her cheeks.

Chao An couldn't answer that question.

It had all come so suddenly. One moment he had been relaxing and in the next he was facing his imminent death. He could already see how big the wave was too. It was gigantic. It looked to be at least a hundred meters tall. The whole town would surely be killed by it. There wouldn't be a single survivor.

Chao An shivered in fear as he faced the tsunami. He almost wanted to curl up in a ball and let it happen. But, deep inside him was a force that wasn't going to let this happen.

Somehow, he found himself standing back to his feet and he confronted the tsunami. He stood with his head up high and his fists curled.

Wiping an emerging tear from his face, he let Li Fen back down to the ground and told her, "I'm going to save everyone."

Li Fen didn't stop crying but a sliver of hope could be gleaned from her expression as she looked on at Chao An.

"I haven't ever pushed my powers to their limits before. I hope it's enough," Exhaling all the air in his lungs, he squatted down and put his hands in front of him, palms facing the tsunami.

The life of everyone in town was on the line. He thought about all the other kids at the orphanage, Merchant Qin, the happy families that called it home, and all the people interacted with on a daily basis. He may have not of gotten along with everyone, but they were human and thinking back on it, they weren't all bad.
And all of it to be taken away by some tsunami.

No.

No.

NO.

"Please!" Chao An screamed with all his heart as he pushed against the impending tsunami with his magic.

Instantly, he felt a great force smash against his hands, sending him flying through the air.

"I-I'm going to-" Chao An's foot slipped as he tried to regain his footing and stand up.

Trying again, he gritted his teeth and stood up.

Taking a look back down the previously quiet street, he saw a large crowd rushing through it to escape the impending tsunami.

"I guess I'm going to have to use this stuff then," Chao An admitted as he looked at his surroundings.

He would be incapacitated for the next while but so be it. He didn't think of himself as the hero-type but it was a sacrifice he was going to have to make.

Chao An stomped on the ground and suddenly a golden aura wrapped around his figure. It ravaged around his figure like a storm. The very matter that made up the surrounding air, ground, trees, and buildings trembled as a kind of energy trembled and prepared itself.

Chao An, his eyes having turned a bright golden, pulled on this energy and summoned it forward, causing an illusory tsunami to pounce forward to face the real tsunami.

"Never!" Chao An's entire body screamed in testament to his fate, refusing to give up. This time, he didn't get blown away, but it was still like pushing against an immovable boulder.

With each second that passed, he tried harder and harder to use more and more of his power. The golden light in his eyes shined brighter and brighter. His nose began bleeding, and he felt a distinct crack in his hands.

With Chao An's efforts, it seemed that the tsunami would be stopped but it had only slowed down slightly. For kilometres along the coast, a significant portion of the water had been pushed off the wave and back into the ocean. It looked shorter than before, but it was still a mighty opponent that wouldn't go down just like that.

"One… final… push," Chao An muttered underneath his breath, gasping for air in between each word.

Once again, he summoned all the energy in his surroundings but this time he reached further beyond. Beyond this town and deep within the surrounding forests and neighbouring coastlines. Beyond the mountains and rivers. Deep within the earth and high up, past even the clouds. The ravaging golden aura around him blew up in size, becoming several meters tall and his eyes now glowed as bright as the sun.

And in that moment, something seemed to take control over his body.

Moving like lightning, he grabbed onto the energy of the surrounding ten kilometres. His body was a blur as he launched forward, smashing all the world's energy against the tsunami.

In one push, the tsunami was completely blown apart, water being blasted backwards and away from the town. Only a few-meter tall wave remained, only big enough to cause a small flood.

And with that massive expulsion of energy, the golden energy surroundings Chao An dissipated and he fell to the ground. The last thing he saw before falling unconscious was Li Fen's face of shock.

But it was not a moment later that a short, beige-robed figure appeared from thin-air and hovered over Chao An's unconscious body.

"I-impossible. For there to be an eighth must mean that the heavens have gone mad. There can only be seven worldly beings. But here he is. And to think I would find him in a small village like this," An elderly man muttered underneath his breath as he gazed upon Chao An.

"It seems that the world will be thrown into chaos once more."

AN: A bit dramatic lol. Next chapter is back to Xing Yi pill refining.

Also, if you haven't already, considering giving the story a rating on royalroad.com. It'll help the story gain traction and boost it to Rising Stars. Not only that, it's free, and you can always change it any time.

Thank you for reading.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 35 – Failure​

It was only shortly after attempting to refine his first pill that the entire thing blew up in his face.

"Woah!" Xing Yi shouted as he skittered away from the cauldron and inside the house to take cover.

With his back against the wall, he didn't even see it happen when a loud boom resounded throughout the valley. When he peeked through the window, he saw a thick black fog rising up into the air. Black marks stained the paved tiles and the remaining heat left from the burnt liquid quickly dissipated. Black liquid stuck to the side of the cauldron, a slow ooze leaking out of it.

Xing Yi, despite almost being killed, could only slump forward in defeat.

"I really have to clean all of this every time I fail?" Xing Yi complained as he stared on at the mess he had created.

With a long sigh, he grabbed a mop, bucket, and spare cloth to clean it all up. As for the black marks, he could already see the future. For if any cultivator of the sect dared visit him, they would find a black circle around a lone cauldron in the side courtyard. That would raise many questions, but he could always play dumb.

Earlier, when he had been pondering how he should go about his pill refining, he was worried that if a senior were to have questions, they would go and sifting through his mind. If such a thing were to happen, he would be practically braindead from that point on.

Mortal minds like his were vulnerable and couldn't bear the strain of a powerful cultivator searching through their mind for information. They couldn't just do that either.

Cultivators could also fuse souls into puppets, brainwash people, control others from a distance, plant ideas into their minds for them to eventually discover and act out upon, and or cause them to self-detonate, killing the person instantly.

Cultivators capable of controlling the soul were very few and despite many of their capabilities, their most feared ability was their soul-fire. It was a type of torture that was several hundred-fold more painful than being burned alive. Even the most courageous and fearless cultivators would immediately bend to this type of torture and would be at the other person's mercy. It was what anyone would come to think of first when they heard the person knew soul manipulation techniques.

So, before Xing Yi began his next attempt, he began worrying about whether or not the spiritual ingredients were going to return back to normal from this. Not all the liquid was inside the cauldron. The majority of it had been mopped up by him and he didn't know if the cauldron could transmute parts of a completed ingredient. But fortunately, about an hour later the illusory lid had reappeared over the cauldron.

Immediately, his next question was whether or not it recreated as a whole or just that part. And it was to his surprise an hour later that he discovered all his ingredients fully intact.

"That's pretty cool. But where does it come from?" Xing Yi wondered as he looked underneath and around the cauldron.

Shrugging his shoulders, he walked inside the house and sat in front of his desk. It was a low table that was only knee-height. On it, in neat piles, were a few books and a fresh leather book. It was a thick, large one, filled with a few hundred pages.

Dabbing his pen into the inkstone, he began on the first page.

Attempt #1:

First attempt was pitiful. It blew up in my face as soon as I powered my inner qi into the cauldron. It was sudden and I couldn't control it. From this, I acknowledge that I lack control, experience, and skill. I must overcome this roadblock through repeated efforts. Discipline is what I need.

Rich with the readings of many age-old cultivators and their writings, he wrote in his pill refinement diary with neat calligraphy and frank words. With a focused mind, he began once more.

He hauled water up from the river and poured it into the cauldron, added firewood back underneath the cauldron lit it aflame, and added in his ingredients all at once. Again, unlike heavenly pill refinement, he could not be slow. He had to be quick and quickly coalesce the pill in the shortest time possible.

The aggressive and rabid energy of earthly pill refinement gave a lot of room for error, and he could not waste time slowly adding in the ingredients as the more time he spent refining, the higher the chance it could all blow up in his face.

So, sitting down in front of it in a seated lotus-position, white robes covering his ankles, he placed his hands upon the black cauldron. Unlike heavenly cultivators, he couldn't refine pills from a distance and instead had to be in contact with the cauldron throughout the whole process.

Taking any of his hands off the cauldron could botch the whole refinement and it was very important that he stayed alert to make sure that didn't happen. Taking in a few deep breathes, he felt for the energy of the cauldron, patiently waiting for the right moment to begin.

During this brief waiting period, he protected himself from the blistering heat by creating a layer of inner qi over his palms. It was a technique that he learned from the unnamed pill refining art he received Elder Yang. Despite having all of its contents, the information inside the jade slip didn't contain its title.

Strange, he reminisced.

For now though, he thought of it as the Earthly Pill Refining Art.

Then, as the energy bubbling inside the cauldron reached a certain point, Xing Yi reached inside and attempted to take control of the energy. However, just as his inner qi made contact with the qi inside the cauldron, an instantaneous chain reaction occurred, causing an explosion to instantly occur.

Sadly, the same thing had happened, and he didn't have any time to be sad about it because he had to run.

Again, he cleaned up the whole thing and went back inside to journal about his second attempt. Much of it was similar to his last entry and he could only tell himself to focus and stay disciplined.

Journalling was a tool of inner reflection. To face the inner demons, overcome weakness and mental clarity. Xing Yi had read very well from many master cultivators that it was unacceptable to go without mental reflection. To do so would be moronic.

Other than other cultivators, inner demons were the greatest threats to one's cultivation. As one's cultivation progressed, any undefeated inner demons would slowly materialise and turn into actual demons within the mind temple.

Cultivators, to destroy these neglected demons, would have to enter a dream-like realm and face against them in combat. It wasn't real combat but more a clash of wills to see who was more valid and stronger. The paradox of right or wrong could be skewed in any side and if the other couldn't argue back, they would lose sight of what they were fighting for and would succumb to the other side.

They were serious threats and not to be taken lightly and, in the literature, Xing Yi had read of the many toils of these great cultivators who had not only struggled with enemies and rivals in real life, but within their mind temple that haunted them whenever they meditated and could only be defeated in a life-or-death battle.

He could not let these struggles with pill refining haunt him. Even with his pitiful cultivation, a small seed could be sowed within his mind without knowing and he would be forced to deal with it when his cultivation had further progressed.

And when he made another attempt, same thing happened.

Then again.

And again.

And when he woke up the next day, he ended up doing the same thing.

After each attempt, he had about an hour before the ingredients rematerialized and he could attempt refining again. He spent the first twenty minutes cleaning and the other forty doing to rounds of twenty meditation cycles according to his cultivation technique. Cultivating with his talent wasn't going to do much in terms of him progressing but it would keep his mind focused and his meridians fresh.

And before going to bed, he would do an extra quick round and leave the alchemical waste of that to rematerialize overnight.

He made about fifteen attempts every day, which if other pill refiners were to know, would cause much envy and that supposed waste of its usage on someone like Xing Yi.

In time, the toils of time left Xing Yi failing again and again with a big explosion right in his face.

And to the knowledge of nobody, a legendary pill refining grandmaster was being born.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 36 - Wandering Butterfly
​

Time passed by in the blink of an eye as Xing Yi trained.

​

The notes in his journal grew each day. The ground around the cauldron had eventually turned into a distinct black circle and the frequent explosions that boomed into the valley had caused the natural wildlife to be wary of the area.

​

And surprisingly, completely unrelated to his training, Xing Yi discovered how long his hair had really gotten. Looking at his reflection in the clear, calm water of the river, he noted his long black hair. It reached his shoulders and was unnaturally healthy, with no split ends and as smooth as silk in his palms.

​

Back in the village, some of the women would bathe their hair in rice water to take care of their hair. From his perspective, Xing Yi saw no difference between their hair and those of the other women in the village. But it was only because of how much the women gossiped about beauty and one other occasion that he noticed this about his hair.

​

On this one occasion, one of the daughters of their reigning lord had visited the village and her hair was so healthy that all the women of the village were praising her for it and wouldn't stop pestering her how she got it to look so shiny and healthy. Apparently, what she used to make her hair like that had been really expensive so the women of the village could only be contempt with their current methods.

​

Other than that, his hair had never been long. Every few months his mother would cut his hair really short and it was only after being apart from his family for so long that it had been able to grow so long. He hadn't really paid it attention and would slick his hair back after washing it. After about half an hour, it would naturally form a middle part.

​

Judging his appearance, he felt that he looked a bit like a girl. Not a very pretty one though. He still had tanned skin, not the perfect white skin that was coveted by so many women. In the end, all that mattered to him at this point in time was cultivation.

​

He didn't like being blatant or over-showy, but he reckoned that if he further progressed in his cultivation and strength that he could beat any mortal man in a fight with his eyes closed. Surely that would attract some pretty ladies? Didn't they like strong men? At least that's what his older brothers had told him.

​

Ah well.

​

Ruffling his hair and taking one last look at himself, he picked up the four buckets he had filled up-with two in each hand- and made his trek up the mountain.

​

And once again, his routine commenced. It was not long after that an explosion sounded out, scaring all the nearby wildlife and Xing Yi walked out with a massive smile on his face.

​

"Yes! I finally got it," Xing Yi celebrated.

​

He had finally grasped it.

​

It took a little bit. A second at most.

​

The explosion didn't just happen instantaneously.

​

Both earthly and heavenly pill refining were like yin and yang. Heavenly pill refining was gentle, flowing, slow, mysterious, and elusive. However, earthly pill refining was aggressive, direct, fast, and solid.

​

He could not be gently weaving his qi throughout the energies to combine them. No, he had to continually smash them together again and again in a tight chain reaction. To do this, he had to have reached the Penetration Realm, the first of several stages of mastery in the Earthly Refining Art.

​

It basically meant he could interact with the energies inside the cauldron without them immediately blowing up in his face. The term for the energies of the boiled ingredients of the spiritual herbs was the Plane of Convergence. There were other fancy terms for it but the most common and agreed upon one was the Plane of Convergence.

​

To reach this realm, he had to learn to weave his qi in such a way that it would penetrate into the energies and not merely press into it. Frightened by the harsh, dominating nature of his inner qi, the Plane of Convergence would explode. It was a process that had taken him over a thousand attempts over the course of two and a half-some months.

​

One-thousand and seventeen to be exact.

​

When this number resounded in Xing Yi's mind, he couldn't help but be proud of what he had done. It had taken him a while but now having acquired the Penetration Realm, he could now start to begin the actual pill refinement process. But one thing was certain, the sound of his cauldron exploding would forever be ingrained inside his mind.

​

Xing Yi couldn't wait until he started refining pills, which he knew was not too far away at this point. Then, he could consume some of what he made and progress his cultivation. With the regular consumption of pills, it would only take a few short months instead of years to reach the next layer.

​

Not only that, he would also sell some of the pills he had created to the Paragon Emporium and then in turn buy more ingredients for more pills than he did last time. This would create a positive feedback loop leading to more pills, more spirit stones, and his cultivation to continue to progress faster and faster.

​

Pill refiners were the only cultivators whose cultivation never stalled. They would only be stopped at crucial bottlenecks that required them to experience the world or attain enlightenment. And unless he encountered one, Xing Yi's cultivation would continue to progress at a fast pace, rivalling that of a genius.

​

So, as Xing Yi renewed his efforts to embark on a new part of his journey, taking pen to paper to journal, it was completely unbeknownst to him that two cloaked figures were hiding away in the nearby forest.

​

Covered in an illusory rainbow light, the two cloaked figures spied on Xing Yi with their spiritual sense. They stood their in silence for some time until one of them seemed to be finished with holding up something close to their mouth.

​

"Ok, she's ready!" A female voice cheered as they lifted up a butterfly into the air.

​

The other cloaked figure sighed and had a male voice as they replied, "Finally, now can we go?"

​

"Of course, but let's make sure the butterfly works before we go. Ok?" The other perosn replied.

​

The male-voice cloaked figure nodded in response.

​

Flapping its small wings through the air, it travelled through the air, through a slit in the roof, through the hallway, and onto the book Xing Yi was currently writing. He was halfway down a page when he noticed the butterfly. It had purple wings, small black limbs and mesmerising green eyes.

​

He only looked at it for a brief moment before raising an eyebrow and shooing it away. At least that is what he tried to do. Instead, he stood up and stiffly walked out of his room and out the door.

​

What am I doing!

​

Xing Yi screamed inside his mind as he watched his limbs move.

​

And out of the bottom of his vision, he saw the butterfly comfortably sitting upon his shoulder. Xing Yi's mind was in chaos as he desperately tried to reach out to his body and take back control but it was as if all his bodily sensations had suddenly been robbed of him. He couldn't feel a single thing!

​

Watching this unfold from a distance, the two cloaked figures were satisfied with the results.

​

However, the male-voiced cloaked figure voiced his concerns, "That kid couldn't even retaliate. What was he supposed to do again?"

​

The other person replied and when he heard what it was, his fear for the other person only grew. And as the pair of cloaked figures left, Xing Yi's body began to pick up the pace and began to jog. The strangeness of this situation and lack of control over his body left him completely terrified and wondering what was going to happen to him.

​

Hours passed as his animated body, under the control of the butterfly on his shoulder, traversed the mountain range. And eventually, he found himself running up a familiar mountain. Trekking up the soiled mountain path, his cloth-bound feet carrying him up with each step, he reached the top after a twenty-minute hike.

​

When he was there, he saw a large stone-paved arena with crowds of cultivators floating through the air, some sitting upon tall wooden beams, a few lounging upon white clouds, and in ten black thrones all around were the mighty core formation elders.

AN: Damn, this one was a grind.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 37 - Lou Zhou​

Silently floating on a sword next to his master, Lou Zhou meditated as he waited for his next match. His master sat on a black obsidian throne that was several metres high. He was a man with fierce, angular eyes and heavy wrinkles. As the fights unfolded, he had a deep frown on his face.

"Master, is something upsetting?" Lou Zhou noticed the look on his master's face.

Leaning onto the throne's armrest, he replied, "That mortal boy. Something is up with him."

Looking in the direction of his master's gaze, he saw a young boy wearing white robes. He had gentle eyes, tanned skin and on his left shoulder was a purple butterfly with green eyes. Sitting comfortably on a patch of grass, he diligently watched the ongoing fight with a seemingly keen interest.

Using telepathy, he exclaimed, "I don-t remember the name of it but could that be a hypnotic butterfly?"

"It is a Wandering Yivok. Although a grade-one spiritual beast, they can easily hypnotise even peak Vessel Cleansing cultivators. That boy wouldn't have been able to resist its powers," Lou Zhou's Master explained.

"Master, what could it be doing with him then?" Lou Zhou squinted his eyes.

The loud cheering of the crowd erupted as the match came to an end, the decisive last blow having decided the winner between two 6th layer Vessel Cleansing cultivators.

Yielding on their knees with long bloody gashes all over their body, Wu Jia held his shining silver sword against their throat. With a calm expression on his face, he sheathed his sword in a fancy demonstration and arrogantly harrumphed.

He gave his defeated opponent one look before snapping his neck in Lou Zhou's direction. The other person, instead of waiting for his master's reply, stared back with confidence.

Not a single word was exchanged as Wu Jia eventually made his way off stage and broke eye contact. At this point, the large crowd numbering over a thousand had calmed down and now seemed to anticipate the next match. Only the ten core formation elders on their tall black thrones showed no emotion. Only small details could be observed from time to time as they maintained their statue-like facade.
And as the next match commenced, Lou Zhou's master silently wondered to himself, "What could it be…"

Like that, another hour passed and eventually Lou Zhou was told by his master that he was up now.

Flying down to the arena on his sword, he hopped off of it and faced his opponent for the match. Standing before him was an ordinary young cultivator with a hopeful look in his eyes. He had nothing on him and the only notable thing about him were the red burn marks on his hands and cheeks.

"This match will decide who will face up against Wu Jia for the finale. On the left we have elemental disciple Yi Heng and on the right is sword prodigy Lou Zhou!" A core formation elder wearing a white mask announced from her throne.

A cheer came from the energetic and youthful cultivators in the crowd. People sat and watched in various ways. On their flying swords, wooden and earthen chairs were created using their elemental abilities, with one leg balancing upon a wooden staff, and some even just standing or in seated meditation.

"Begin!" The elder decided the start of the match abruptly after a short moment of waiting.

Leaping toward his opponent using qigong, Lou Zhou closed half of the gap in an instant. Unsurprised, Yi Heng lunged back and spun his hands wildly, conjuring up a red fire whirlwind that completely entombed Lou Zhou.

Gritting his teeth, Lou Zhou grit his teeth as he spun his sword and conjured up the Bloody Path Sect's main cultivation art. It was a blood-red aura with lifelike tendrils that waved around his body. Still, a few sparks of fire landed on his body and left him with soldering hot burns that ate through his purple robes.

By swinging his sword at a speed that caused his limbs and jian to turn into whip-like blurs, the fire parted and Wu Jia glimpsed Yi Heng from beyond, creating distance between them by blasting fire from his hands and feet.

Squinting his eyes, Lou Zhou spun quickly and swung his jian to the arena ground. In unison with his sword hitting the ground, he released qi from the tip of his sword in a long straight line.

Yi Heng was interrupted in the middle of the flight and faltered in his flight technique momentarily and was caught with a thin, vertical gash across his right shoulder.

However, this was all Lou Zhou needed and his eyes suddenly turned blood-red, a black slit at its centre. His eyes locked onto the young cultivator, he pounced forward and cut horizontally. His sword and body glowed red as the distance between his blade and his neck became smaller.

Eyes widening in shock, Yi Heng released a burst of blue flame from his mouth. For a moment he thought he was safe but was shocked when he saw Lou Zhou's blade cut right through his blue flame and continue towards him.

Left with nothing else, he could only hopelessly conjure up a barrier of fire around his body to protect himself. And it was just as Lou Zhou's blade seemed to cut through Yi Heng's neck, both cultivators froze in place and the latter hung his head down in bitter defeat.

Looking to the mysterious white-masked core formation elder, one could see that she had her hand raised. Then, by lowering her hand, she slowly lowered the two cultivators to the ground.

"Lou Zhou has achieved a decisive victory," The white-masked elder announced in her chilly, womanly voice.

Once again, the crowd cheered and in response to this, Lou Zhou could only exhale out a big breath of air that he had made before his victory-winning jump.

"Woah." Xing Yi was awe-struck. After a few hours of his body being taken away from him, his deep fear for the butterfly had turned into a slight discomfort and wondering what was going to happen to him. In this kind of environment with a large crowd he was sure that no life-threatening harm would come to him.

He speculated that someone, be it an elder or someone high in power was using him for something. Controlling others using hypnotism wasn't uncommon and difficult to do. So, as Wu Jia came onto the stage for the finale, he could only watch on helplessly, even his own eyesight having been taken from him.

Wu Jia or Lou Zhou did not exchange a single word before their fight. Neither underestimated each other and only wanted to win.

Lou Zhou's arrogant attitude had been quickly extinguished in recent times due to his uncle's methods that had forced him to cultivate in isolation for three-straight months. It had worked and he was now at the 3rd layer of Sanguine Arts. It was a variation of the Bloody Path Sect's main cultivation art.

As for Lou Zhou, he had always been a quiet person. He had never gloated about hsi victory and always stayed disciplined and focused on pursuing the path of the sword.

So, as the two met each other at such a critical point in their journeys to immortality, both put all the chips onto the table. Undoubtedly, the most important moment in their lives so far.

"Lou Zhou, you have the right to recuperate before your next fight. Do you wish to take the opportunity to do so?" The Lady asked in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, Elder Fang. Twenty minutes to complete a single cycle is all I need," Lou Zhou bowed.

He proceeded to sit down in a seated lotus-position and after tapping the storage pouch at his waist, a white pill floated into the air and flew into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he cycled the mending energy of the pill to fill his meridians.

They were only slightly below full capacity but in a fight against his most difficult opponent yet in the finale didn't mean that he wasn't going to fight on low fuel. After twenty minutes of cycling the energy, his meridians returned to full capacity and he even felt light. Leftover excess energy from the qi recovering pill was released through his breath as a light blue fog.

Unsheathing his sword and holding it out in front of him, he stared down his opponent. Likewise, Wu Jia circulated the Sanguine Arts and revealed blue veins all down his arms and legs. A blood red aura emanated from his body. But unlike Lou Zhou's untamed tendrils, his was uniform and covered him in a thin layer.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 38 - Sunrise​

From a raised earthen foundation that had been created by one of his close confidants, Wu Qing watched keenly as the match began. Standing on the edge of the platform with his hands behind his back, his red eyes glistened in the light. He clutched the wrist of one arm while the other softly clasped a brown, shell-like object.

Out of the corner of his eye he spied a piece of trash that should have never been.

Even a piece of trash can be useful if one is smart and talented.

To tell the truth, Wu Qing originally thought that man's disciple was also a useless piece of trash too. But in the end she ended up having something as useful as Yivok in her disposal. He was grateful that he was smart enough to foresee creating a good relationship between himself and Elder Jin. Not only would a single swing of that man's blade kill him, but he was also a very smart man. Just like him.

"Attention, disciples! This is the final match of the Golden Blood Assembly! These two young disciples will fight to decide who will receive the Red Jin Chan Pill and an High Earth-Grade armament of their choosing from the Bloody Path Sect's treasury."

The Golden Blood Assembly consisted of three stages. The first was to weed out the weak. It was a test conducted by the senior-most elders- that being Elder Kun and Elder Hui. Each disciple was required to have a bout with either elder, the depth and strength of their cultivation would be tested, and they would undergo three fights over the course of three days.

Based on their overall performance, the two elders would convene and come to a final judgement. Those who failed, would take a working position in the sect, doomed to never progress past foundation establishment and made a slave of the sect.

Fortunately, those who passed would live to cultivate another day. From there, they would fight against their fellow brothers and what few sisters they had to determine who would become eligible to fight on stage for the grand prize.

But it wasn't all a one-sided matter where only the sole winner of the assembly came out with something to show. All disciples who reached the third and final stage of the assembly would be granted with a Falling Sky Pill that would assist them when making a breakthrough to the coveted foundation establishment stage.

It was said to increase one's chances by over twenty percent! It may not sound like a great difference, but when speaking of a cultivator's chances of a breakthrough, it was no small matter. Say a cultivator was alone in the jungle with a stranger and the other person knew that they possessed a Falling Sky Pill. If they were of similar strength, conflict would only be inevitable.

And as for the earth-grade armament of the winner's choosing. That would be for when the winner broke through to foundation establishment. From Vessel Cleansing to Foundation Establishment, the cost of weapons steeply increased and for a while most cultivators would usually be left without a suitable weapon for many months. They would be forced to use the weapon they had used when they were at Vessel Cleansing until they finally found an earth-grade weapon that could replace it.

But the gifted earth-grade armament wasn't any old thing. It was high-grade! Only inferior to peak-grade armaments, it would be powerful enough to bridge the gap between an entire minor stage.

With the champion's prize at stake, Lou Zhou stared at his opponent with his sword at the ready. His sky-blue eyes calmly rippled in the light, a few red tendrils from his past attack still visible.

…

Four months ago.

Lou Zhou stood alone in his courtyard, only a few dim lights in the distance to illuminate his surroundings. Sweat dripping down his body, his chest heaving for air, and a silver blade in his left hand, he once again steeled himself to perform the twelfth form just one more time.

"Hagh!" Lou Zhou groaned as he made a slow, sluggish lunge forward and twisted his blade mid-air.

Moving across the training square, he went through the motions in a familiar but strained manner. His movements were unnatural and stiff.

Forward! Back. Twist. Up. Back again. Exhale. Focus!

Lou Zhou repeated these commands within his mind as he went through the motions, drilling the twelfth form into his very bones. As he continued, he grew slower, and his body seemed to not want to respond.

It wanted to rest. But-

Never give up! Don't stop moving until you collapse of exhaustion! And then when that happens, tap into your blood cultivation technique to keep on going!

His eyes were bloodshot.

He never rested for water. Not for water. And not for himself.

He resisted against his urges as his body warned him of his parched throat, rumbling stomach, and aching muscles. Finally, after two minutes of sporadically dragging his body across places, he finished the twelfth form.

But this wasn't the end.

Breathing deeply, he began once again.

Up! Back!

Not good enough.

Again damnit!

Twist. Back. Back. Back!! Listen to me body!

Again.

Move for me!

Again.

Again.

AAAGH!

His body uncontrollably shaking and not able to stand, he reached to his blade that he had dropped not too far away.

He grabbed it and despite his shaking, he made sure he didn't let go of it again.

But when he tried to stand, he couldn't. No matter how much he screamed to his limbs to move, they just wouldn't. So, he did the only thing he could that would make them.

"Blood Realm. First layer!" Lou Zhou groaned.

Releasing the qi from his first vessel, it spread throughout his body and gave him life once again. He wasn't completely fresh but he could keep on going.

And as he stood back up, he exhaled red fog. He was on borrowed time using his first layer. But he still had seven more he could use.

Again!

No longer were his moves sluggish but held within were a silent ferocity that refused to never give up. His focused eyes contained an unwilling resolve that shined brightly in the darkness.

But soon, his movements quickly deteriorated, and he found himself growing sluggish. It was only a short while later that he ended up on the ground, his body not only quivering in the cold night air but in incredible pain.

His body was not supposed to do this.

However, Lou Zhou did not show any care for this fact.

"Second layer!" Lou Zhou groaned deeply, his determination growing.
Raging across the training square in a silent frenzy, Lou Zhou kept tapping into his cultivation to keep going.

"Third Layer!"

"Fourth layer!"

"Fifth Layer!"

Everyone thought that he was a sword prodigy.

But, If Lou Zhou had a say in what others called him, he wouldn't include the sword part. Yes, he was gifted with a once-in-a-hundred-year talent that allowed him to blitz through vessel cleansing like he was strolling through a little garden.

But the sword part…

Not so much. He was below the natural ability of even a common disciple.

When he was three, he picked up the sword for the very first time. He wanted to make his parents proud so that they could have a higher standing the sects. As the child of mortal parents, he was mistreated by all the other children his age and had to train harder than others if he wanted to make sure his parents weren't bullied.

So that they could live comfortably and didn't have to work in the fields anymore. He wanted a better life for them. It was natural for any child to want the best for their parents.

But he was below the average. Far below. What took someone else an hour to get the hang of would take him the entire day.

And thus, he found the toil of his existence.

Yet, sometimes, he would remember why he even kept training the sword if he could've just walked a different path.

"I would rather die than give up!"

Oh boy, the look on his mother's face when she had heard what he said.

He may be talented but without strength he wouldn't be able to defeat even a trifling outer court disciple. He may progress fast but that didn't mean he could walk around with his head high and without worry.

So, he compensated. And because of that determination, he was not only praised as just a prodigy, but a sword prodigy.

If, and only if, does he win the Golden Blood Assembly, will he be able to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Because, if he loses, he would be afraid to admit that the shame and impact of his failure would cause his dao heart to falter and he wouldn't be able to breakthrough to foundation establishment.

Only by breaking through to foundation establishment will he gain the strength to retire his parents by wrestling against the proud and snot-nosed elders of his clan.

Completing the twelfth form one last time, Lou Zhou collapsed to his knees, his final layer completely drained, and his body wasted. Toned, lean muscles heaved with each breathe that he took in. His dishevelled, shoulder length black hair covered his oily, sweat-covered face.

Noticing bright rays of light from over his courtyard walls, he squinted his eyes in pain. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted, and he realised something.

It was sunrise.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 39 – Foul Play
​

"Begin!" Elder Wan announced, a white fox mask covering the beautiful face behind it.

Without hesitation, both Wu Jia and Lou Zhou bounded forward with their swords held in front of them.

Their blades met with aggression. Red sparks flew and their eyes met. Two red auras collided temporarily.

"He has been training," Lou Zhou thought, gritting his teeth as his feet dug into the ground beneath him.

Silver blurs reappeared in rapid succession, the two cultivator's blades colliding loudly each time. Each
movement was enhanced with qigong, accelerating their movements beyond the limit of the mortal man. Wu Jia's eyes constantly flickered, whereas Lou Zhou's remained on his opponent.

Back and forward, their swords entrenched them into a tight battle that brought them across the entire area of the arena. Again and again, with widened eyes, bulging blue veins, and their robes fluttering in their gathering wind, both Wu Jia and Lou Zhou fought in a deeply focused manner.
It was strangely hypnotic.

At this incredible showing, the crowd of young cultivators were in awe.

"They have both reached the peak of mortal swordsmanship! And they are both teenagers. Just incredible."

"Wu Jia is able to keep up with Lou Zhou despite being at the 7th​ layer!"

"Hmph, that may be so. But not for long."

It was not too long before Lou Zhou found a slim opening as Wu Jia jumped back to create a small opening. His eyes dialled in. His muscles constricted and he released a surge of qi throughout his body. In a flash of red light, a vertical slash appeared along Wu Jia's leg.

"Strong Qigong!" Several cultivators shouted.

Seeing this, Lou Zhou's master—still unofficial as of yet—could only smile.

"Since when!" Wu Jia exhaled in shock.

qigong was a level beyond normal qigong, wherein one could use threefold the normal amount of qi to enhance one's movements and attacks. However, it could only be used in small bursts due to the high energy cost.

Lou Zhou did not react to anyone's shock, and continued, attacking again with another red flash of light. The first attack having shaken his balance, he defended with an inadequate stance. Like when he defeated his last opponent, Yi Heng, his eyes turned blood-red, a black slit at its centre. Like a deadly beast.

"Hup!" Arriving at Wu Jia with a downward slash, the grey-haired teenager strained against the great force with his entire body. So much so, he spat blood from his mouth and nose. He felt many of his bones crack and felt as if his spine was going to be split in half.

"Wait, I could lose! I'll just have to do it now then." Wu Jia screamed in his mind.

Pushing back against Lou Zhou's pressure, he took a long gash to the arm but was able to just escape. Using the most qigong he could, he jumped backwards and swiftly clasped his palms together in a hand gesture.

"Boil!" Wu Jia had goosebumps appear all over his body as he witnessed Lou Zhou bound forward like a predator, sword at the ready to slice him in half. But just in time, Wu Jia's body completely hardened, his skin turning a dark maroon.

"Hm?" Lou Zhou furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what Wu Jia was possibly doing as he stopped in his steps. Boiling his blood would protect him from any of his attack temporarily but not for long.

Sighing in relief, Wu Jia gave Wu Qing's distant figure a look out of the corner eye before continuing. Flicking his hands downward, cold blue veins appeared on his hard red skin.

Then, he raised them. He paused.

Over a hundred meters away, standing ominously upon the earthen foundation, held the brown shell with a tight grip. He stared at the two distant fighters with a mysterious look in his eyes.

Then, Wu Jia strained against Lou Zhou's weight, "Up!"

Squinting his eyes, Lou Zhou summoned up his own blood cultivation to resist against the force bringing him up into the air. He could barely stop himself from floating into the air, only a single foot keeping him in contact with the ground.

His head turned crimson, and he gasped for air. Wu Jia could only hold on like this for a bit longer, but Lou Zhou wouldn't be dead by then. After a moment, Wu Jia's force began to weaken, and it was at this time that the brown shell within Wu Qing's hand was crashed.

Instantly, Lou Zhou felt a tight cramp in his lower abdomen. But it was no ordinary cramp. It twisted and turned in his belly like a crazy fly. Then, it clamped onto one of his vessels and pinched.

"Agh!" Lou Zhou elicited a blood-curdling screech as the cramp somehow clamped onto one of his vessels. He was brought to his very knees and held his stomach in pain. His face contorted into a horrible expression.
Wu Jia was taken aback at this and release his cultivation, his appearance returning back to normal.

Just what type of bug did he put in his food?

His screaming continued and he fell to his side, head banging against the ground.

It was then that the white-masked lady decided to stop the match. But before she could say anything, Lou Zhou's master stepped in. He looked furious.

"I call foul play! Who dares slight my disciple?"

He flew down to the arena and held him up. He slapped his storage pouch and with a show of telekinesis, summoned a white pill to fly into Lou Zhou's mouth.

Wu Qing could only smile.

As for Wu Jia, he looked on with a mix of worry and relief. He had won but Lou Zhou also looked to be in a lot of pain…

He knew from personal experience how much a stalwart the guy was. But this, even this put chills down his spine. Just what sort of bug did he plant in his food?

"Senior Martial Brother Kun, I ask you to calm your anger and look at the situation rationally-"

"Rationally? This is a scandal! The culprit is right here. I just have to find him," Elder Kun interrupted Elder Wan as his eyes turned blood red and he scanned the crowd with his spiritual sense.

It was when he locked eyes with a smirking Wu Qing that his attitude turned worse.

"It was you. I will make a public showing of your hanging once I give you a proper beating!"

However, as Elder Kun jumped through the air, he was surprised when he saw a familiar face appear in front of Wu Qing.

"Martial Brother Jin, why are you standing there? Get out of the way so I can beat and kill this cheater," Elder Kun stared down the black-robed man. His close rival.

"I am afraid I can't do that. Not only are your accusations false and unproven, me and Wu Qing hold a very close relationship. I can't just let him be murdered. Not just for my reputation, but because he is also an important person to me," Elder Jin crossed his arms as he explained.

"This-"

Elder Wan bumped in between the two.

"Please, Martial Brother Kun, he may have had a vessel cramp. He has cultivated through Vessel Cleansing in a short amount of time and could've cleansed his meridians improperly," Elder Wan tried to calm down the situation.

"No! If he really tries to protect that bastard I will-"

Mid-speech, Elder Kun quieted down and seemed to look towards Elder Wan with a strange look. Progressively, the anger in his eyes seemed to fade.

He sighed.

"Fine. But, I'm leaving!" Elder Kun stormed off and brought Lou Zhou with him. The pair flew off into the distant sky and quickly disappeared.

Elder Wan let out a long, depressive sigh before giving cultivator Jin a look. Her face hidden by the mask she was wearing, no meaning or what she was thinking could be discerned.

Witnessing all of this, the crowd was in sheer awe and did not know what to think. The two sword hall elders had almost fought!

The majority were relieved while some were disappointed a fight didn't happen.

As for Xing Yi, he couldn't even know what to think. He was repeatedly surprised by every revelation that occurred.

Eventually, Elder Wan and Jin returned to the seats at their thrones and the silent crowd began in low murmurs and whispers. However, Elder Wan silenced even this and announced with grievance, "Please… excuse us elders. Sometimes, we gain a certain temperament. Regardless, Wu Jia wins due to technicality."

The crowd did not cheer. It was a boring way to win.

"I'm sorry," Wu Jia thought as he looked towards where Lou Zhou had initially fell.

He had to do what he had to do. At least, what Wu Qing wanted him to do.

He looked up and saw that the elders and crowd were waiting for him. For anything.

After a moment, Wu Jia sheathed his sword and sized up the crowd.

He announced, "If any Vessel Cleansing disciple has any qualms about my victory, step forward and I will meet you with my blade and respect. If you defeat me, you will take my place as champion"

This surprised everyone present. Even the core formation elders, they seemed intrigued to how this would unfold.

Wu Jia, though outshined by Lou Zhou, was not weak. He was second to only Lou Zhou. The outer court disciples all feared him, and it had been a long time since the last time someone tried fighting him. It would always end in a one-sided beating after all.

Several seconds passed, and no one answered Wu Jia's call.

That was until Xing Yi found himself standing up.

Wait, what are you doing to me butterfly!

Xing Yi screamed inside his mind as he watched his body walk over to the arena and up its steps.

"I challenge you to a duel!" Xing Yi replied to Wu Jia's call with a confident expression.

Everyone was shocked.

A mere mortal dared?

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 40 – Public Beating
​

Just as Xing Yi finished those words, the purple butterfly on his shoulder disappeared into motes of light and he suddenly regained control of his body. And so did his confident mannerisms.

"I-I didn't mean to say that! A purple butterfly was controlling me," Xing Yi frantically explained as soon as he could.

Xing Yi's complete three-sixty caused the crowd to be greatly confused. As were the elders. But, a certain elder thought him to be lying.

"Insolence! Why spout such lies. You are clearly doing this for attention," Elder Jin objected. His hair was tied up into a tight bun and he had hawk-like eyes.

"And what of that butterfly? Neither my eyes nor my spiritual sense had seen such a thing!" Elder Ge added. He was an elderly man with black, ugly spots all over his face.

"Hmph! Having delusions of grandeur despite being a mere mortal. Wu Jia, teach him a lesson for his foolishness!" Elder Hui ordered . He was man that looked akin to a skeleton. His wrists were like tiny sticks and his cheekbones popped out. Despite this, he had a full head of healthy black hair.

Elder Wan did not say a word and watched the situation unfold blankly. As for Elder He, a handsome young man who sat adjacent to Elder Wan, neither did he.

Elder Yang didn't either. He had an amused expression on his face.

"Interesting," Elder Yang held a hand on his chin. He took the situation very lightly.

Whatever that happened would be not his problem.

And the only person who ended up speaking up was Elder Ye.

"What are you three saying! I, along with Martial Brother Kun-"

Wait, he left.

Elder Ye bit his lip as he realised that Brother Kun had left and wouldn't come to his aid to back him.

"I saw that butterfly sitting on Xing Yi's shoulder the entire time. Then, it disappeared right as he challenged Wu Jia to a duel. Brother Yang, don't you agree?"

Elder Ye looked to Elder Yang. Tied onto his waist by string was a yellow book.

Elder Yang stayed silent and gave Elder Ye a cursory look.

"Tch," Elder Ye clicked his tongue in annoyance. Elder Yang had a strange temperament. He just didn't care for anything other than his herb garden, three disciples, money, and anything that would end up benefitting him. Unfortunately, Xing Yi wasn't one of them.

And in the end, it was his opinion versus three other elders. If Elder Kun was here, he could stop this madness. But without him, he could only let it happen.

He couldn't get any help from the disciples either. Of course, some of them may have seen the butterfly. But they were mere disciples, their voices would not be weighed in arguments between the strong.

Elder Jin, Ge, and Hui smiled. And sitting on his earthen foundation from far away, Wu Qing was delirious.

All was going to plan. That was when he sneaked a look at someone who was seated on the opposite side of the arena. On a necklace around their neck was a flute, their hair was done in a ceasar haircut. There face was a pale white.

This man was Li Guoji. He had attempted to keep Xing Yi out of the Golden Blood Assembly, even making an exemption for him. But Wu Qing wouldn't let that happen.

After all, what would happen if Xing Yi embarrassed the sect like this? All because of some Heaven Chosen Medallion that was an ancient relic of the past?

"As you wish," Wu Jia bowed with closed eyes, hands cupped as he heeded the orders of Elder Hui.

As Wu Jia exited his bow and turned to a vulnerable Xing Yi, he summoned a wooden sword from his storage pouch.

"Little boy, I will do my best to not kill you. But I will warn you, this will be very, very painful."

The many sleepless nights that he had accumulated over the last three-month period had caused dark eyebags to form under his eyes. The droopy, dejected expression that Wu Jia gave Xing Yi, gave the young boy a big fright.

His entire body shaking, he ran away and attempted to leave the arena. But, he encountered a barrier at its edge. Where he impacted it face first, a blue ripple was made and spread throughout a massive invisible dome that had covered the arena.

Elder Wan had held up her hand at that instant, not allowing Xing Yi to escape.

Xing Yi scrambled back up from his fall and kept running along the arena edge to gain distance from Wu Jia. The sword-wielding teenager didn't let his eyes off his prey and walked at a brisk pace, knowing that Xing Yi, like a cornered animal, would eventually run out of energy.

"Please, don't do this!" Xing Yi begged, tears starting to form at his eyes.

He felt so frustrated that it had already been almost two years since his cultivation journey started, yet he was so weak. He had made little progress despite how hard he has worked and because of this, he was forced to run away from Wu Jia like this. If only he had been stronger, he could stand with his head up high and fight him on equal terms.

Regardless, he was completely helpless and couldn't do anything but run.

He hated being weak.

Xing Yi, over the course of several minutes, ran circles around Wu Jia while trying to persuade Wu Jia to stop. However, his words fell on empty ears and the sword-wielding youth continued to walk towards him with a calm expression. There was simply nowhere for him to run.

Still, Xing Yi's work hadn't been for nothing. By passively circulating his inner qi, he could keep running for hours. Even days if he had cleansed just a couple more meridians. Other than circulating his qi really fast for quick bursts of strength, it was his only ability.

It wasn't too long before Wu Jia and the elders noticed he wasn't tiring out.

"Wu Jia, just get to it already," Elder Hui ordered.

Nodding, Wu Jia used qigong to cross the distance.

"No, please-"

These were the last words Xing Yi said before being smacked squarely in the face with the end of Wu Jia's sword. It stabbed right into the gap between the bones of his jaws and caused all his teeth to rattle and ache in pain.

Anticipating the next attack, Xing Yi put up his hands to defend his face. However, this ended up being useless as Wu Jia slashed down the slim gap between his fists and forearms, hitting him right on the top of the head.

Xing Yi moaned in pain as he held the top of his head in pain.

Another blow to his side sent him to the ground in a ball.

The only thing he could do now was to wait out the storm. Until it finished.

Again and again, at random places all over his body, Wu Jia's sword hit him. Each hit was followed by a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream. In between were Xing Yi's incoherent murmuring and him begging Wu Jia to stop.

But Wu Jia didn't. He continually hit Xing Yi again and again, in places where it hurt most. The stomach, legs, head, face, and back. He had a soulless expression as he acted out this beating, not a shred of human emotion showing.

On the inside, Wu Jia did his best to distance himself from what he was doing. This wasn't like him, and he wouldn't do something like this again. Well, he hoped he didn't.

He had done this kind of thing before when other disciples had challenged him but not to this extent. But after those three-months of training, he didn't feel like doing these types of things. Especially to a kid. Maybe it was just a phase?
He would be lying if he didn't feel bad when he heard how Xing Yi was wailing and crying.

This beating continued for several minutes, each seemingly lasting for an eternity as Xing Yi's cries echoed throughout the mountain top. A few cultivators had left at this point, not wishing to see a child be beat.

But at some point, Elder Ge had raised his hand.

"You can stop now," Elder Ge said with a satisfied expression.

"Yes, Elder Ge," Wu Jia put away the wooden sword into his storage pouch and bowed. He exhaled a big breath of air, slightly exhausted by the experience.

Despite his emerging hatred for the man and the rest of the elders who had let this happen or even approved of his beating, Elder Ge's words had left him filled with gratitude that the pain had just finally stopped.

For the first time, he understood what it was like to really feel pain. Something that wouldn't stop no matter how much he wanted it to. He felt a strong feeling of catharsis, ecstasy coursing through his entire body.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 41 – Anger
​

Moments later, Xing Yi's limp and bruised body was thrown off stage. Wu Jia didn't even spare him another look as he returned onstage.

Xing Yi couldn't gather the strength to stand. His entire body ached in pain. From every muscle and bone to places that he didn't even knew could experience pain. He was a stiff ball that couldn't move, as even a single contraction would cause that very muscle to wreathe in pain. And any attempt at a full breath would cause a sharp pain in both lungs.

And he didn't know how many, but a lot of his bones were completely broken. Smashed to little, tiny bits. He could feel loose pieces rattling around with every little movement.

He stayed like this for a while as the Golden Blood Assembly continued to its exhibition matches. Wu Jia, after trading a few moves with a foundation establishment senior, yielded to save face and returned to his spot beside Wu Qing.

The exhibition didn't stop for Xing Yi as he continued to write in pain on the ground. The surroundings cultivators made sure to stay away from him and didn't dare to get even ten meters of him. After all, no one wanted to associate with a mortal. Especially someone who had just been humiliated in front of the sect.

During this time, Xing Yi silently circulated his inner qi, in hopes of making a quick recovery to stand up and leave as soon as possible. Every so often, he would hear someone laughing at him or calling him pathetic. He just wanted to disappear from this place and be gone.

Meanwhile, the Bloody Path Sect's Stewards were gossiping.

"Li Guoji's dirty little secret has finally reached the day of light. No longer is the mortal's existence a mere rumour but reality!"

"When he made the call to allow him entry into the sect, I thought that I was dreaming."

"If it were me, I would've snatched the medallion away from him, forced the matter into secrecy and sent the boy on his way home with a big bag of gold for his troubles."

With Xing Yi's public beating and the scrutiny of the sect's elders, the many stewards used this as an opportunity to insult and attack the now vulnerable Li Guoji. Even Li Guoji's closest members began to doubt him, and some were so audacious as to talk about him when they were only several meters away!

"That scheming bastard!" Li Guoji gritted his teeth in anger as he stared at a smiling Wu Qing from across the arena. His hands held in tight fists, he held back the urge to fly over and rip him into shreds. Wu Qing noticed his staring and it only made Li Guoji even more furious when the other person continued to ignore his gaze.

"Martial Brother Li, do not make any rash decisions. Once the assembly is over, we can take some time to recuperate and think of a counterattack. Simply handing the position of Head Steward is not our only option. We have plenty of time," One of Li Guoji's close confidants came to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Heeding their advice, Li Guoji nodded his head in agreement and calmed down, "Yes, I think that is quite advisable for this situation. I must not hand over the position to that fiend. If he ever happens to become the Head Steward, it will surely spell disaster for the Bloody Path Sect."

However, at some point, as the pain came down to a barely tolerable level, an inextinguishable rage had been alit within Xing Yi. It was sudden and abrupt. It arose when he remembered the emotionless face of the crowd and elders, how no one had come to help him, the ruthless beating the Wu Jia gave him, how pathetic the meaning of a cultivator's "face" was, and how the strict rules of the strong and weak and allowed this to happen.

That sword had never stopped. It had continued to break bone after bone, tore muscle, and was an unpredictable torture that rocked his entire body. He had begged it to stop so many times and eventually he had given in.

And now that he reflected on that and realised, he had given in, he almost felt his head explode. His entire body shook in uncontrollable rage as he forcibly craned his neck up to stare daggers into the distant figure of Wu Jia. Even from hundreds of meters, he recognised that grey-haired youth. He wore dark purple robes, his hair slicked back at a short length, and a steel sword, jade lining its hilt.

He wore a smile that he shouldn't have been wearing. It shouldn't be there. He should've been on the ground suffering in pain begging to Xing Yi for mercy. Not up there with a happy smile and without a care in the world.

He should just drop dead.

Did kindness exist? Why did none of them care to stand up for him and point out that he had been hypnotised by a butterfly? Why was he framed by three of the elders?

Countless questions flashed through his mind as his head shook in pure rage, simulating the many ways that he would kill Wu Jia for this transgression. His body trembling in pain, he somehow managed to move his arm forward and pull himself forward in a slow crawl.

When he first embarked on his journey to the sect, he vividly remembered the words his parents had said. At that moment, they were simply the worries of coddling parents. But now, he saw the wisdom in their words and he wanted to live up to them.

"Don't be afraid to fight back," His father had said.

He seemed to stick onto that phrase as he moved forward, a mission on his mind. The weakness, humiliation, and suffering he had experienced under the hand of Wu Jia would not be forgiven. No matter how strong he may be, he could not let this go. For the sake of his honour. Not for his face.

Face was something created by fools!

He wouldn't let himself be trampled on. He would fight back no matter who they were.

Even if they were a so-called immortal.

Xing Yi reached the edge of the arena with bleeding fingernails and his eyes wide open in a furious expression.
He pushed himself onto the arena and pointed in Wu Jia's direction.

Ignoring the foundation establishment cultivators currently fighting on stage, he screamed, "Wu Jia, you have wronged me!"

It may be suicidal to say this out in the open. But he had learned that one thing cultivators seemed to latch onto was face. And he would use it to his advantage.

Although his voice was drowned out by the many chattering voices in the crowd and ongoing fight, his voice still reached Wu Jia and the surrounding cultivators. Wu Jia's smiled quickly disappeared and looked over at Xing Yi with a dark expression.

It wasn't a moment later that Wu Jia unsheathed his sword and jumped forward. Within just a few seconds, he bounded towards Xing Yi and without hesitation, aimed to slice his head off in one clean slice.

But, Elder Wan intervened.

Wu Jia immediately froze.

At the same time, the fight on stage temporarily paused as all eyes were now on the pair yet again. Even while being frozen mid-air and his blade only inches away from Xing Yi's neck, Wu Jia stared at Xing Yi with wide, murderous eyes.

Wu Jia was too close for comfort, his face only a half-meter away. He could even feel his breath against his face.

Xing Yi realised a grim reality that if Elder Wan hadn't frozen Xing Yi in time…

Looking at Wu Jia nervously and his hands quivering, he declared, "I will take revenge. I will grow stronger and show you that I'm not someone to be easily trampled on. In three years, I am going to challenge you to a duel and win!"

As Xing Yi finished saying this, Wu Jia's blade seemed to shake, dancing on the edge of Xing Yi's skin.

Elder Guoji almost fainted.

Wu Qing couldn't be any more delirious.

Elder Yang smiled in amusement as he stroked his beard.

Elder Hui blinked his eyes in surprise.

Elder Wan's emotionless façade slightly faltered as she turned her head in confusion, not sure she had heard Xing Yi correctly.

The crowd erupted into chaos, a mix of uncontainable laughter and mocking chatter.

Elder Wan lifted her pointing finger, allowing Wu Jia to move his mouth and speak.

"Once I am released from Elder Wan's entrapment, I will kill you."

Wu Jia's words sent a chill down Xing Yi's spine.

Was Wu Jia really not going to accept his challenge and instead kill him outright? Fortunately, his worries were quelled when Elder Yang spoke up.

AN: Follow the novel on royalroad.com if you haven't already! Follow it here if you wish to do so.

Also, I would like to personally thanks all the people who have regularly liked my chapters. Meloa, kminari, bloodwolf, caspian, spadeofpain, radtank, 1441, mandrake, and scammer. And an additional thanks to my followers travelerayga, readsalot, and Amaan123. You guys mean alot to me and just by clicking that 'like' button on my thread posts, you have helped me keep on writing this series.

And to those silent readers, still a huge thank you! You guys give meaning for this story to exist and without you guys I wouldn't be writing at all.

I will make sure to follow TJH all the way through for all of you

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 42 – Three Years
​

"Wu Jia, calm yourself. To kill him right now would not be wise," Elder Yang warned.

"Tch," Wu Jia clicked his tongue. He exhaled a breath of air and with it his anger. He then thought of something, his eyes wandering to the sky.

"Three years?" Wu Jia asked.

Xing Yi gulped, "Yes."

"Hmph, by then I will have broken through to foundation establishment. Killing you will be as simple as simple as slapping away a fly. Elder Wan, please release this humble disciple. I no longer have the intent to kill him prematurely,"

Wu Jia grew bored of Xing Yi and called to Elder Wan with a nonchalant expression.

Sensing the disappearance of his killing intent, Elder Wan unfroze Wu Jia with a wave of her flawless white and nailed hands.

Landing on his feet, he smirked at Xing Yi.

"And what makes you so certain that you won't run away before our duel?" Wu Jia placed his hands on his hips.

Xing Yi didn't have an answer for that. But Elder Hui did.

"Our Bloody Path Sect is renowned for its Blood Oath technique. The connection of two cultivators' though their very blood is something that very few techniques can accomplish," Elder Hui explained.

"To make sure you don't run away, I will place a blood oath on you," Moving his hands through a sequence of hand gestures, Elder Hui spat out a thumb-sized ball. It was a shade of red so dark that it was almost black.

Allowing its form to stabilise, he smiled and flicked it at Xing Yi's direction.

Like a ghost, it disappeared into Xing Yi's body. Dark red waves rippled across his body before settling and assimilating with his body.

"It is a nice change of pace. All who I have cast this oath upon had all been begging for mercy and moving about needlessly during the process. This was far easier. If you don't show up to the duel in three years, I can end you with just the snap of my fingers. No matter how far away you are, the blood I implanted into you will explode, killing you instantly," Elder Hui smiled in satisfaction.

Xing Yi felt a sense of immense dread towards his own body, terrified knowing that Elder Hui could end him at any moment. He almost regretted his spontaneous actions.

Almost.


He felt as if he had regained his part of his honour through this. To put his life on the line for his very honour and cultivation filled him with hope. It relieved him.

"Alright, someone take away this arrogant mortal and drop him off at Small Leaf Valley, I wish to watch the rest of the exhibition without any further interruptions," Elder Hui crossed his arms.

"I will!" A black-haired woman jumped at the opportunity. Literally.

With just the tap of her foot she reached the other side of the arena.

Squatting down, she came next to Xing Yi's face, "This might hurt you a bit. Sorry."

Slapping her small black storage pouch, she summoned a wide wooden board. On it was the crude drawing of a field of black flowers drawn in stencil. She hopped up onto the board and raised her hand to Xing Yi. Blue tendrils came forth from her hand and wrapped around the boy.

In unison with raising her hand, Xing Yi was lifted into the air. Xing Yi's delicate body strained under the pressure and grit his teeth in pain until his body was gently placed onto the platform. He let out a sigh of relief.

The woman bowed to Elder Hui before departing, "Take care, Master."

Elder Hui nodded, "Make sure to come back in time, Xiu Li. You wouldn't want to waste an opportunity to trade pointers with your peers."

Nodding, Xiu Li sat down in a seated lotus position and smashed her fists together, powering the floating platform to shoot forward into the sky and into the distance. Groaning in constant pain, Xing Yi held his hands to stomach. He was hurting all over, but he did whatever he could do to trick himself into thinking it wasn't as painful as it really was.

In just a few short minutes, they were over the horizon and the tall mountain top that the Golden Blood Assembly took place on had fully disappeared. All that was left was the white clouds and loud wind rushing against his body.

"You're pretty brave, you know?" Xiu Li commented with a bright smile.

Right as Xing Yi was going to thank her, she added, "But also pretty stupid. You're going to die if you don't find a way to dispel my master's blood oath."

Xing Yi gave a pained laugh through the pain.

"Wu Jia isn't some pushover, you know? Sure, he is a lazy bastard. But he's pretty damn talented. Also, are you really just a mortal? Don't you do that earthly cultivation stuff?"

Xing Yi couldn't explain why someone who was obviously at foundation establishment was talking to him so casually, but he played along with it. Either way, he couldn't care to continue to honour formalities with all the pain he was in.

"Yeah, I do. I'm only at the first layer though," Xing Yi replied.

"The first layer? Oh, you really are dead," Xiu Li placed her hand on her chin, seemingly in deep thought.

"N-No I won't. I'll beat him," Xing Yi affirmed her. Nails dug into skin as he said this.

Xiu Li noticed this out the corner of her eye, but she didn't say anything about it.

"Then how are you going to get stronger? Isn't it supposed to be way harder than heavenly cultivation? And you've been what—cultivating for almost two years now—and you're still at the first layer. That isn't so promising," Xiu Li said with a worried expression.

Xing Yi couldn't really answer her. He couldn't risk leaking the Black Cauldron's existence, nor the regenerative abilities it had on alchemical ingredients.

"I have my ways," Xing Yi quoted a line that was often said by mysterious cultivators.

"Maybe you're delusional?" Xiu Li had further doubts.

Throughout the trip, Xiu Li continued to pester Xing Yi with countless questions. And it was to Xing Yi's pleasure that after about thirty minutes of flight, they arrived in front a small complex of wooden houses. The dirt path they floated above lead to a green paifang at the entrance of the small, closed-off valley.

Jumping down from the platform, Xiu Li still held the wooden platform with Xing Yi on it above the ground with the simple wave of her hand.

Walking at a brisk pace, she walked to the largest building. It was a large wooden hall with an open entrance. Walking through the door, they were greeted by the sight of a tiny old man.

Holding the sides of the bed while gritting his teeth, a young man dreaded each time the man plucked or stabbed a sharp, silver needle into his body. He was completely naked, with only a single white cloth covering his lower half. It was just as the tiny old man stabbed a needle into the young man's arse and eliciting a low groan, that he noticed their presence.

Raising his gaze from the man, he pointed to the bed behind him, "Place him there and I will deal with the rest."

Xiu Li brought Xing Yi over the bed. With a wave of her hand, the platform disappeared into her storage pouch, and he landed softly on to the bed.

"Alright, I got to get back to the Golden Blood Assembly. I'll make sure to watch your duel when it happens. Until then, just find out a way not to die!" Xiu Li gave him a bright, encouraging smile before flying off.

After a moment, Xing Yi let his head fall to the cushion.

"I will," Xing Yi sighed.

Completely exhausted and the unbearable pain having finally subsided, he drifted to sleep.

But it felt like only an instant that he had slept when he felt a slap to the face.

"I used to rub the sternum when waking patients. But these days, I'm not that kind," The tiny old man was only slightly taller than Xing Yi and was slim as a stick. He flaunted a thick white beard and sharp, angular eyes.

Xing Yi awoke in confusion. He heard the old man speaking but he was too tired to listen. He closed his eyes again so that he could go back to sleep but instead received another slap to the face.

He wasn't drowsy anymore.

AN: Internal -> Heavenly Cultivation , External -> Earthly Cultivation. Will use these terminologies from now on.

This chapter was really hard to write btw.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 43 - Recovery​

"-And if you wish for a speedy recovery, cultivate for at least three hours a day, don't perform any strenuous physical activity, and sleep at least 8 hours a night," Doctor Ye explained as he handed him a note with each key point on it. It was a small parchment of paper the size of his palm.

Xing Yi took the small piece of paper with an expression of thanks and a small head bow.

Standing up from the bed, he took care to take his first movements with care, lest he damage a muscle or bone that Doctor Ye had just fixed. For the last hour, Doctor Ye had gone around his entire body, stabbing needles in the weirdest of places.

Although each one was extremely painful and had him gripping the bed, holding his breath in anticipation every time, bit by bit, his muscles loosened up and the constant throbbing pain in his muscles would disappear.
Once all his muscles were fixed up, he reconnected his bones.

According to Doctor Ye, over forty of his bones had been broken. He was lucky that Elder Hui had Xiu Li fly him here. Walking here all by himself would have been torture. Using his tiny hands, he pressed into Xing Yi's skin, releasing a cold energy into his bones that caused them to put themselves together again.

Xing Yi liked this far better than the needles.

"This humble disciple thanks Martial Uncle Ye," Xing Yi bowed, wincing at the sharp pain emerging in his lower back as he did so. He hoped that he didn't have to do too much bowing before he made a fully recovery.

"Receiving thanks from a mortal. The heavens sure are strange," Doctor Ye muttered to himself as he reached into his storage pouch and grabbed a wine gourd.

Without a care, Doctor Ye took a few sips from the gourd. Xing Yi could smell the wine from where he was, standing several meters away as he slowly acclimated his body to moving.

Doctor Ye didn't stop drinking. In just about twenty seconds, he had drunk the whole thing. He elicited a big gasp as he finished, wiping his mouth with his hand. It was just as he did that he noticed Xing Yi staring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Doctor Ye asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no. I was just curious about Martial Uncle's Needle techniques," Xing Yi replied truthfully.

"What about it—and come follow me outside," Doctor Ye threw the gourd back into his pouch before waving Xing Yi to follow him.

Xing Yi was surprised. But he went with it. It was rare to find someone willing to talk to him.

Maybe he's lonely, Xing Yi thought.

Xing Yi caught up to Doctor Ye as he came off of the Infirmary's front steps, asking, "Do you know Dianmai[1]?"

"Why ask such an obvious question? Of course! I'm a master. No one in the sect except for the patriarch is more knowledgeable in it than me. If I got close enough to any of the elders, I could paralyse them with just a few taps. They wouldn't ever let me get that close though."

"Wow! Martial Uncle is very strong." It was normal for disciples to flatter their seniors to curry favour, but Xing Yi meant it. The elders were the same as God to him. They could do anything they wanted and could kill him with just the wave of their hand.

However, this comment caused Doctor Ye to deflate. He didn't respond.

Right as Xing Yi was going to ask another question, Doctor Ye turned away from him.

"You should go on now. I am a very busy man, so I don't have much time for these types of conversations. Make sure to listen to what I said, ok? I even wrote it down for you so that you wouldn't forget. I will make my leave now," Martial Uncle said as he abruptly ended the conversation.

The old man turned around and made his way back to the infirmary.

For a moment, he wondered what caused Doctor Ye to react that way when he praised him. Xing Yi silently bowed before making his leave too.

He walked at a brisk pace, making sure not to overexert his body. Apart from the odd pain in a muscle or bone here or there every so often, he felt fine.

After an hour, he reached a teleportation pavilion. But as the disciple there asked him where he wanted to teleport too, he had a change of heart. Something that he had forgotten long ago had come to mind. With a flash, he appeared on a large platform sticking out the side of a mountain.

The library.

He greeted the librarian with a forced smile.

"It's you," The librarian squinted his eyes with scrutiny, as if he was trying to find any excuse to kick him out.
The man had been quite kind to him when they first met. But as he spent more and more time in the library, he had slowly turned on him and grown to despise him.

If he hadn't already made sure to return the books he had copied, he would have had something to worry about. He could only grimace when he thought about doing that. He had been walking on thin ice back then. Fortunately-
"I know that you copied those books," The librarian revealed, staring daggers into Xing Yi.

Xing Yi stopped in his steps, his breath stalling. For a second, he thought about running at first but calmed that thought. He couldn't act carelessly here. It was life or death.

He slowly met the librarian's gaze. He was a skinny, short-bearded man with oversized robes.

"Senior Bai, I-" Xing Yi was cut off.

"There is no need to worry about it," Senior Bai raised his hand with an assuring smile.

Xing Yi's shoulders slumped back down in relief.

"I have known about it for a while now and was going to kill you right as you made another visit. But, it just so happened that I learned from a disciple that just came in here, that you challenged Wu Jia to a duel in three years," Senior Bai explained.

Xing Yi's heart dropped. Just when he thought he wasn't that bad.

"Little mortal, I will make sure to watch you squirm. Try you may, but your death is inevitable. Wu Jia will slaughter you like a pig," Senior Bai smiled.

Xing Yi had no words. He wanted to get out of here immediately, but he had to borrow a book.

Wiping the sweat off his hands and onto his robes, Xing Yi replied cordially, "This disciple is humbled that he deserves this much attention from Senior. This one would now like to excuse himself. "

Surprisingly, Senior Bai decided to lend a helping hand.

"Don't waste your time searching for the book. What's It called? I'll get it for you in seconds. After all, you've only got three years?"

Xing Yi could only grimace and accept his help. He told him the title of the book and the librarian smiled.

"Interesting!" He exclaimed as he waved his hand to the right, a book to fly over from a shelf at the edge of the library.
It flew into his hand with a loud smack of the leather.

"Here," Senior Bai smiled.

Pursing his lips, Xing Yi reached out to take the book. As he did, the man's hand seemingly by accident, brushed against his. It was ice cold and caused Xing Yi to look up. Senior Bai was staring straight at him, smiling.

A chill ran down his spine, his eyes widening in fear.

Wasting no time, he made a hasty bow before almost running out of the library.

Even after going through the teleportation pavilion, he run all the way home. He disregarded the paved dirt paths and went the most direct way home, through the thick green foliage and past wild animals that scrambled away in his presence.

He only felt safe when he came inside his room and shut the door behind him. He slumped down the door, completely exhausted and gasping for air.

Terror took hold of his heart as the possibility of death became a reality.

Cold tears ran down his cheeks as he covered his face contorted into an ugly, terrified expression.

Shining through the window, warm rays of sunlight offered him comfort.

AN: [1] Striking the Meridians / Acupoints (点脉 diǎnmài) (点穴 diǎnxué) – often left untranslated as "Dianmai" and "Dianxue". Also known as "the Touch of Death" or "Hitting Pressure Points". Fighting techniques which target the opponent's meridians and acupoints in order to kill, cripple, immobilize, or control the opponent.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 44 – First Success​

With his hands against the cauldron's cold metal, sitting in lotus position and his eyes closed, Xing Yi opened his mind's eye. Instantly, without needing to adjust or prepare, he became intimately close to the inner qi circulating throughout his one and only meridian.

His mind's eye allowed him to sense qi—his sixth sense. It wasn't an actual third eye in his forehead, but a metaphorical term describing what cultivators used to see beyond reality.

It was a warm, thick energy whose true shape and consistency eluded him every time he attempted to grasp. It was like trying to look at something out of the corner of one's eye while still looking somewhere else. It was just a vague silhouette.

He could feel the heat of the cauldron even through the coat of qi he had surrounded his hands with. It was smouldering hot. Even a single drop of water could peel skin off flesh.

Inhaling, he prepared himself. Then, he exhaled. Using the momentum of the breath, he expelled his inner qi up to chest, towards his shoulders, then down the length of his arms, to his fingertips, and into the cauldron.

One of the most difficult things about pill refinement was maintaining a clear image one's qi within the cauldron. Whilst Xing Yi didn't have spiritual sense, even heavenly cultivators had to restrict it lest they lose their focus jumbling two things at once.

One could only navigate the plane of convergence by feel.

But with thousands of attempts, Xing Yi knew that inside of the black cauldron like the back of his hand. He knew the slope of every surface, all its curves, and had an exact feeling for its height, width and length through his mind's eyes.

And beforehand, when placing the spiritual herbs inside the cauldron, he did so in a methodical manner that made sure the same result occurred each time. This reduced the error margin to almost nothing. He knew where almost every energy was before he even entered.

Xing Yi penetrated the plane of convergence with an immediate objective. Travelling upwards near the surface, his qi penetrated the Red-Eyed Storm Flower's energy bubble without resistance. Pushing forward to the other side, he penetrated the Ironwood's bubble with even more ferocity than last time.

Narrowing his focus, Xing Yi pulled the energies together with a swift pull on his qi.

A small shockwave erupted throughout the cauldron, but Xing Yi continued.

To the remnants of a Three-Horned Bird's fire, a Grey Brussel, and a Neutralising Spiritual Cham.

In a tight chain reaction, the ingredients were combined only several seconds apart.

And this time, Xing Yi was feeling great. Not just great. But dominant. He conquered the plane of convergence. The energies yielded to his will like sheep.

Whilst heavenly pill refined was that of harmony and an attempt to coax the spiritual herbs into combining, his earthly refining technique was a bloody massacre. They would combine, whether they wanted to or not.

And eventually, Xing Yi came to the final ingredient.

For an instant, doubt entered his mind. And the fear of failure.

But he crushed it.

Combining the twelfth and last energy into the collective that he had gathered so far, Xing Yi gasped.

Quickly, he manifested a tight grasp around the contained energies. He poked around it, shaped it. It could not be disfigured or oval-shaped. It had to be a perfect circle.

It was his first time doing so but, in this moment, he had clarity and found it simple.

Over the next few minutes, Xing Yi brought it into a tight ball. Slowly lowering it, he brought it to the bottom of the cauldron. He waited for a moment and when he saw no movement, he exited the plane of convergence.

Picking up a shovel next to him, he shovelled out the burning fire underneath the cauldron and patted it down until it was just embers. Sitting back down and placing his hands back on the cauldron, he entered the plane of convergence once again and wrapped a tight constraint around the combined energies.

At this point in time, the combined energies was a hard piece of sludge. But that would change.

Creating a vacuum with his qi, the boiling water was pulled inside the piece of sludge. It seemed like a black hole with how greedily it sucked in the water, despite remaining the same size. Within minutes, the water inside the cauldron was sucked in by the pill.

Still, Xing Yi had to remain vigilant and keep the pill together, lest it fall apart along the way.

But soon, all the water was gone and after a moment, Xing Yi left the plane of convergence and stood up. Laying at the bottom of the black cauldron was a tiny, thumb-sized pill. It was plain white, with a few black spots dotting its surface.
Xing Yi didn't have time to think about the pill's quality because he had just refined one.

And for the first time, it didn't end in a loud boom.

Xing Yi celebrated, bouncing around the entirety of his courtyard, cheering and shouting.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Xing Yi repeated over and over with the pill in hand.

It was a mere grade-one, basic Qi Gathering Pill, but it was a pill, nonetheless.

Pills were divided into grades from one to five, correlating to each cultivation level. A grade three pill was suitable for a core formation cultivator, whilst a grade one pill was made for vessel cleansing cultivators.

And for a good reason. Consuming a pill of a higher grade could result in one exploding due to not being able to fully consume and control its energy. Meanwhile, consuming pills at lower grades than one's cultivation would have little of its intended effects.

He eyed it in the light of the sun and inspected its surface. Not only were there black specks throughout it, there was a very small but visible protruding bump on it. Lastly, it was a dull white, not the flawless shiny white that was desired.
Using layman terms, this pill was third-rate, nothing compared to those refined by true masters.

That was when something came to thought. Walking inside his bedroom, he pulled open a small drawer. Inside it was a white pill bottle. Tipping it down, several circulate white pills came out. They were half the size of his pill but were a pristine, unblemished, white, smooth and shiny.

He had received these from Mo Zhi just as he had entered the sect.

Placing the pills side by side, he saw the stark difference between them. Although they were grade-zero satiety pills, they were perfect. They had no impurities within them. If someone were to consume the satiety pill, they would reap its benefits without any side effects.

However, if someone were to consume his shoddy, third-rate qi gathering pill, although they would be able to consume the energy within to advance their cultivation, they would sooner or later be forced to expel the impurities. Otherwise, these impurities would hinder their cultivation or cause meridians to be blocked.

And it took time.

Depending on how much impurities there were, it could potentially take months to cleanse it all.

And these impurities were caused by small mistakes he had made throughout the refinement process.

There were countless things that Xing Yi could improve on but for now, he was satisfied.

It had been just over a month since challenging Wu Jia, and he had finally made the breakthrough he was looking for. And this wouldn't be the end either.

He eyed the large drawer at one side of his room with a smile.

He had successfully refined one grade-one qi gathering pill, but he still had four more pills worth of ingredients. Not just that, but he also had enough ingredients for five lotus-explosion pills.

Before that, Xing Yi wanted to consume the pill.

Not waiting any further, he sat down in a seated-lotus position on a red mat. Completing three cycles of his cultivation technique for a totalling hour, he adjusted himself to the best state he could possibly be in for consuming the initial energies of the qi gathering pill.

Bringing the pill from his lap and to his mouth, he swallowed it one big gulp.

Instantly, like an explosion had been set off, rogue qi exploded in his lower dantian.

Neither aspected to heaven or earth, it ran through his body, waiting to be converted. Shockingly, with this amount of qi, he felt confident enough to tackle his second meridian.

And that is just what he did.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 45 – Second Breakthrough​

Cultivation was very simple.

Drawing in the ambient qi through one's breath, it would travel down to one's lower dantian. If one did not nurture this energy with their own, it would naturally leave their body as they exhaled. At first, refining any amount of qi would be strenuous.

But as one advanced in their cultivation, the amount they were capable of refining would quickly catch up to and surpass their ability to intake the world's ambient qi.

Unless one had a qi gathering formation or one learned a specific technique, one's ability to gather the ambient qi would slowly increase with each layer. It was only at core formation that one's ability to gather the ambient qi would see a significant increase.

Until then, one could only be content with their ability to gather the qi of the world.

What made the difference between those who were talented and those who weren't was the difference in absorbing the natural qi of the world.

In some cases, some cultivators could cultivate at tenfold the speed of others, able to refine nearly all the qi that they gathered.

No one, not even those who stood at the pinnacle of cultivation, could fully explain why some were able to cultivate faster than others.

It was the same for when one consumed pill. But it was to a lesser extent.

Being refined as part of one whole pill meant that they were less wanting to part from the other energies that they had fused so closely with.

"Hmm, I don't think I can breakthrough with just this one qi gathering pill," Xing Yi mused as he pushed against the unmoving impurities that blocked his second meridian.

And soon, the initial aggressive wave that was best for flushing out the impurities and making a breakthrough would pass. Then, his chances of making a breakthrough would become zero.

But Xing Yi didn't worry. He still had other pills that he would eventually refine and consume. He became content with refining the remnant energy of the pill and merely hoped that with another pill, the increase in his inner qi would allow him to make a breakthrough.

But as time passed, Xing Yi grew shocked.

None of the pill's qi had dissipated through his breath. What was the cause of this?

But it was he finished a complete cycle of his cultivation technique, spanning twenty whole minutes, he found that the impurities had given way. He didn't dare spend any more time wondering about why the qi hadn't dissipated.
This was an opportunity!

Shocked by this revelation, but at the same time, not daring to wait any further, Xing Yi redirected the wave of inner qi to his lower dantian and into his second meridian. Smashing the churning wave of inner qi against the impurities plugging his second meridian, he gasped in exhilaration as it flushed out all at once.

A hot surge emerged where his second meridian was, causing him to elicit a painful shout.

Cleansing all the impurities had been too much for his young body and he almost keeled over where he sat. But soon that was the least of his worries as the impurities naturally escaped outwards to the pores of his skin, causing a disgusting stench.

Much like his first breakthrough, he made sure to dissipate the remnant impurities that remained in his second meridian.

For a moment, he grew ambitious and attempted to push at the impurities plugging his third meridian. However, this was wishful thinking as he found the plug to be as stalwart as a stone wall. It was like expecting a boulder to crack in half by pouring a bucket of water on it.

Laughing at himself for overestimating himself, he smiled in ecstasy as he continued his cultivation.

After six whole hours of meticulous cultivation, Xing Yi had fully cleansed his second meridian. Opening his eyes and inspecting his body however, he saw that he had ruined another set of silk robes.

For a moment, he sighed in annoyance.

He only had three of them and he had already ruined one of them.

Now he only had one of them left.

At this point, he was going to have to ask to borrow one from the servants.

Making a walk down to the river, he cleaned himself in the water and dressed himself in the last clean set of robes he had. Throwing away the dirty robes into the hallway closet, he couldn't contain his joy as he walked.

He felt as light as a feather. Skipping around, he pushed himself a meter high with each little tap of his feet.

Now this was fun!

Giggling to himself, Xing Yi ran around himself at speeds that even scared himself.

He ran through the nearby jungle with a keen dexterity and agility that made him feel like he was flying. He jumped over tall bushes like they were stairs. He climbed up trees with ease, reaching the top of them without any difficulty.

Testing his strength, he gave a random tree a casual punch. It flew forward with incredible speed, creating a fist-sized indent on its surface. He looked at his fist in awe.

He was so strong now!

This continued for another hour as he tried out all sorts of things.

But soon, the charm of his power calmed down and he returned to his home with hope.

This was not the end.

Another week passed and he successfully refined the other four qi gathering pills. However, he didn't consume them. He just continued refining pills. After a few days of preparation and testing, he attempted to refine the Lotus Explosion Pills.
Lotus Explosion Pills were magical wonders praised by all who consumed them.

When consumed—as the name suggests, a Lotus Explosion pill would explode in a cultivator's lower dantian in a lotus pattern. It was made specifically to help a cultivator with breaking through any bottlenecks.

They were highly coveted by first level cultivators and all who consumed them found their persistent bottlenecks to be suddenly undone. It was said that if one had enough Lotus Explosion pills, no bottleneck could not be overcome!
It only took Xing Yi two weeks to refine all five Lotus Explosion pills.

Despite his temptations to gobble up all his pills and make another successive breakthrough, he didn't dare be so brash. Through his readings, he learned that in order to have a stable foundation, he had to give his body, mind, and spirit time to adjust to the increase in strength.

Taking the advice of Lao Qiguang, he decided that before every breakthrough, he would wait at least two months. This meant that in under two years, he would have reached the peak of meridian cleansing. This was excluding any bottlenecks that wouldn't budge no matter how much pills he threw at it.

If that happened, he would venture out into the world to gain experience.

In addition, he would only consume one out of every five pills he refined. The other four he would sell to the Paragon Emporium at Camp Black. As for keeping his identity a secret, he didn't have to worry about it at all.

The two nascent souls of Camp Black were in closed door cultivation and wouldn't bother to investigate about someone who was selling grade one pills to them. As long as they made spirit stones, they didn't care. They may try to negotiate a trade deal with him but that only benefitted him.

And unless he revealed some of his skills, he could continue to silently cultivate in peace.

A day later, he exited from the Teleportation Hall with a bag filled to the brim with spiritual stones. Ninety-five to be exact!

Although his pills were third-rate, they were still pills and cultivators were desperate for any they could get their hands on. The ingredients for each of his pills had cost six spirit stones each. He sold each Qi Gathering Pill for each ten spiritual stones each and Lotus Explosion pills for eleven each.

That was thirty-one spirit stones profit—he had bought the spiritual ingredients for five Qi Gathering pills and Lotus Explosion pills again.

If he went to the Paragon Emporium, he could buy a Mid-Mortal Grade armament of his choosing from the Paragon Emporium. In fact, much like one's cultivation and the grades of pills, armaments were divided into five tiers.

Human, Earth, Heavenly, Spiritual, and Celestial.

Not only that, but each layer also had four tiers. Low, mid, high, and peak.

But Xing Yi would only buy an armament of any heavenly-path treasure for that matter if he was an idiot. To use any of these treasures, he had to have spiritual qi to activate it.

And he did not have any.

Either way, Xing Yi was walking the path of earthly cultivation.

According to Lao Qiguang, he didn't need treasures. All he needed was his body.

And if he was going to defeat Wu Jia, he had to become strong.

And quickly.

AN: Next several chapters Xing Yi is about to become Stronk!

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 46 – Discrepancy
​

Three months passed by in the blink of an eye.

In this time, he had swiftly advanced to the 4th​ layer of meridian cleansing with the generous help of eight qi gathering pills and one lotus explosion pill as the bottleneck to the 4th​ layer had been quite hesitant to yield.

Not to mention that each pill he consumed was worth about ten spirit stones each. If one were to buy it from a place like Paragon Emporium which was outside the sect, it would cost upwards of fifteen. If other cultivators at his level were to know how he were eating them like candy, they would begin crying in envy, feeling as if they had enacted some injustice against the heavens.

It is as if all his past efforts had finally tipped the scales. His growth had been exponential.

In just the past few weeks, he now had a sixty to seventy percent success rate when refining. In addition, he was now able to refine 2nd​ rate pills. Only a few blemishes could be spotted throughout them. It was still a dull white too.

Most of his time spent cultivating was spent expelling impurities, which was a gross process and simply time-consuming. With the Qi Gathering Pills, he quickly bridged the gap between the layers, able to make breakthrough after breakthrough in little time.

His pill refining had also turned into a lucrative business. Even Xing Yi was speechless when he realised how much spirit stones, he had made from his ventures. He was making so much that he was able to pay off his loan.
And he still had three hundred spirit stones left over then.

It was then he decided to embark on a manhunt for earthly fighting techniques. There were none in the sect's library. All they had were vague records and accounts of their fighting prowess. It was nothing to go off on. It wasn't just about learning how to punch and kick; it was about how to combine inner qi with it as well.

And it made it a hundredfold more difficult.

Without one, it would be the same as a bird with clipped wings trying to fly.

The first place he went to was the Paragon Emporium. In the past months, they had been nice enough to seal an exclusive deal between him and his 'Master'. They didn't exist. It was simply him creating a cover up story so that the talkative women whom he dealt with every time would stop trying to figure him out.

And he of course didn't want people thinking a thirteen-year-old mortal was refining these pills.

That would for sure make a stir and might even catch the attention of the two nascent soul ancestors of Camp Black. But so far, they were nowhere to be seen.

Being straightforward, he asked them to find him any records of earthly fighting techniques. Getting past all the questions with a mysterious guise, he sealed the deal with a deposit of one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

It was a steep price, but it was a price Xing Yi was willing to pay in order to learn how to fight.

The Paragon Emporium were a large organisation and within just two weeks, they found what he was looking for. And apparently, the man they had gotten it off of was a well-known bandit that hunted weak cultivators amongst the Western Forest.

'Weak', in their terms, didn't mean only Vessel Cleansing. It also meant Foundation Establishment.

He had been killed a few years back and the two manuals, respectively named 'Southern Dragon Fist' and 'Flying Baboon Style', were loosely bound together with old string and they only had a dozen pages each. They had been waiting in the Emporium's archives for a long time at this point and with Xing Yi asking for top price for an item like this, they eagerly pulled them out.

Even with his growing wealth, Xing Yi found himself hesitant to hand over his spirit stones.

They were one-hundred spirit stones each. A total of two hundred.

"These earthly fighting techniques may not be complete as only their first few forms are recorded, but our appraisers have recognised these to be of a mysteriously rich origin. Upon the bottom left of each page is a red stamp, an indication of an earthly cultivation clan whose name has been lost to time. Even I don't know why that bandit had these in his possession."

The lady sitting opposite of him continued to explain the two items, but Xing Yi stopped her at when she mentioned the bandit who originally had them.

"Excuse me for interrupting you, but did this bandit cultivator perhaps be an earthly cultivator?"

Xing inspected the two books before him, his keen eye flowing along the lines of black characters.

The lady shook her head. "No, he couldn't have been. He was able to manipulate the earth element. Earthly cultivators are incapable of manipulating any elemental qi."

Xing Yi tapped his finger against the yellow, aged paper in deep thought.

"This humble guest would like to see the rest of this bandit's possession, if you still happen to have them that is. Is that within the Paragon Emporium's capabilities?"

Xing Yi's voice was no longer high-pitched and had slightly deepened, gaining a more adult-like tone. The long cording muscles striding down his biceps and bulging within his forearms caught the lady off guard. He was but a child.

"Of course!" The lady smiled, leaving to call for the rest of the man's possessions.

However, when Xing Yi saw what was there, he was unimpressed. All heavenly cultivator treasures that he was incapable of using.

However, amongst the items was something that shocked him. Upon picking up a small wooden bead with a strange sign grafted into it, he felt a tingling sensation throughout his body.

His inner qi seemed to wiggle in happiness and any stiffness in his meridians began to ease.

"I'll take this wooden bead," Xing Yi decided, pocketing it in his robe. It may come in handy later. He didn't really know, but it was cheap, and he felt that the strange effect it had on his qi might help in his future cultivation.

Paying her a combined sum of two-hundred and three spirit stones, Xing Yi walked out of the Paragon Emporium with both books and the bead in his robe pocket.

Before leaving however, he took a small detour to a small building on the outskirts of Camp Black. He walked with a newfound confidence as he strode past the many heavenly cultivators that walked amongst the streets.

He walked with his head high and a confident smile on his face.

He still had doubts within his heart but with his growing strength, even that was turning into just a dull knock on his door. Buying a green string from a small merchant, he braided the string through the hole in the bead's centre and tied it around his neck.

He hid it under the white cloth and smiled.

He left through the teleportation formation and after meeting Elder Wang in the intermediary zone, whom he noted to be a mysterious figure, he came out on the other side in an instant. As he came out of the room for inbound teleportation, an aged voice came from behind.

"Hey, care to spare some time for this old senior?"

Xing Yi stopped in his steps and turned around, seeing an old man with many wrinkles sitting against the wall at the other end of the corridor. He was stick thin and had shoulder length hair. He had a thick head of hair and an intelligent look in his eyes.

Xing Yi guessed the man to be almost two hundred years old, the near maximum lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He couldn't fathom living for such a long time.

The old man stood up, stretching his limbs and cracking his head like he always did.

"What's with you?" The old man asked, his hands held behind his back.

Xing Yi chuckled, "What does senior mean? This humble disciple is merely on his way home. Has junior wronged senior?"

"No, you are not in trouble. I merely want to inspect junior's cultivation more closely."

The old man jumped forward, grabbing a hold of Xing Yi's forearm with a tight grip.

Xing Yi's eyes widened.

"What is Senior-"

"Incredible! Junior has truly advanced three layers in only four months," The old man exclaimed.

Xing Yi removed himself from the man's grasp. "This disciple feels uncomfortable near Senior. Could this disciple ask why Senior had grabbed disciple so suddenly?"

"Oh! The strength of an earthly cultivator is something else. Without my spells and qigong, I'm afraid I would be helpless against you. You managed to escape my grasp with such ease." The old man was in awe of his strength.

"Senior?" Xing Yi was confused.

"I would ask you where such strength came from as I have my suspicions. With you selling pills and whatnot I know something is not right. Bah! Secrets that this foolish Que Zhi needn't know. What's the use of acquiring a treasure when you're already approaching death's door. It is better to gift such an opportunity to the young generation!" Que Zhi muttered underneath his breath with his finger on his chin.

Xing Yi was just about to turn around to try and leave but was stopped by Que Zhi with a surprising proposition.

"Xing Yi, I have heard much of you amongst my peers. Although I am merely a dying old man and do not meddle in the sect's internal affairs, I have heard much of you. You challenged Wu Jia, a rising star amongst the Outer Court to a fair duel in a few years. It is a death wish but if you wish to defeat him, meet me at my residence tomorrow morning. I may be able to help you."

Xing Yi looked at the old man, stunned.

AN:


Firstly, I'm sorry I couldn't update on Wednesday. And secondly, I would like to say that there is a massive plot hole I haven't addressed. The Black Cauldron is wide out in the open. If anyone happened to be suspicious of it then he would be dead immediately. Carelessly, I glazed over this plot point and continued to write without creating a plan for Xing Yi to cultivate in secret.

It is my mistake and messes with the suspension of disbelief in the story. Now, I didn't expect this to be such a massive problem. This chapter took me three days of outlining and planning to think about how I was going to progress the story. I could've haphazardly addressed the plot point but at this point I think it is pointless.

If I were to rewrite this, there would be no plot holes and tedious, "filler" chapters but in the end this is a web serial. No rewriting here. This isn't a professional story and I never plan to rewrite this in the future because I hate rewriting and know how tedious it is if you're doing so for a web serial.

I don't mean to make Xing Yi look dumb. I am trying my best to make everything make sense but when writing a web serial plot and logistics can be difficult to keep a track of when your writing and then immediately releasing it each time. I'm not excusing myself for this and I don't think it is the end of the world but I felt like I had to address it in someway before people start commenting on it.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 47 – Ten Times as Hard
​

It was the day after, and Xing Yi was scratching his head while looking at a yellow scroll that vaguely described the location of Cultivator Que Zhi. Walking along a mountain path, he came to a tall mountain at the edge of the sect.

He looked up from the map several times towards a wooden house at the top of it before he gave up. He hoped this was the right place.

Inhaling, Xing Yi leaped forward. The hidden strength lying within his legs boosted him forward with ease. Each step taking him forward several long strides, he reached the top of the mountain in a couple minutes.

He didn't show any sign of tiring and walked over to the front door. The house was similar to the one he had in his small village. Small. He wondered why someone so accomplished, being Foundation Establishment, would want to live in a house like this.

He took a big breath and knocked.

"Come in!" An old voice came from the other side.

Xing Yi sighed in relief. He got the right place.

Walking in with trepidation, he saw a thin old man sitting on a wooden chair in squatting position. The leggings of his purple robes were rolled all the way up, revealing his thin, tanned legs. In his hands was a white porcelain bowl containing a generous portion of meat and rice.

On a tray next to him was a steaming pot of tea. Its soothing fragrance permeated through the air.

"Xing Yi greets Senior Que," Xing Yi cupped his fists and bowed. He spoke in a respectful manner.

"You're finally here. Just stay right there while I finish this meal," Que Zhi said before completely devouring the remainder of his meal.

Xing Yi waited patiently until Que Zhi finished moments later.

A minute later, he wiped his mouth clean with a tablecloth and walked past Xing Yi and out the house. "Follow me."

Xing Yi came to his side and silently followed him to the back of the mountain. It was an open area. A few small trees dotted the backyard, lush grass brushing against Xing Yi's ankles as he followed in suit. However, if one walked too far, they would end up walking off the edge of the cliff.

Que Zhi came to a stop in the middle of the outcropping with his hands behind his back. Xing Yi stopped too. A light gust of wind came by. It was silent for a moment until Que Zhi spoke.

"Did you bring the two books like I asked you?" Que Zhi asked.

"Yes, Senior. Here," Xing Yi pulled out the two thin books before bowing with them in front of him.

He heard a few footsteps and felt Que Zhi take the two books from him. He heard him flip through the two books in rapid succession, reading each page for a brief moment before continuing. Once he finished reading both, Xing Yi exited his bow and looked to Que Zhi.

"These 'Southern Dragon Fist' and 'Flying Baboon Style' are both very interesting. Both complement each other very nicely if cultivated in tandem. Though it is incomplete, these basic forms can bring you quite far!" Que Zhi praised, slapping the books in hand.

He then gave them back to Xing Yi, who placed them back inside his backpack.

"You have two years. Probably even less, to defeat Wu Jia," Que Zhi stated.

Xing Yi's heart skipped a beat.

"If you want to defeat him, you have to do so before he reaches Foundation Establishment. To defeat him, you must know his every weakness, gain an indomitable spirit, train ten times as hard as Wu Jia, learn to fly, and finally reach the peak of Meridian Cleansing. Lack any one of these criteria, and your death will be certain," Que Zhi declared imposingly.

Xing Yi's jaw dropped in awe.

This turned to a smile as he bowed once more.

"Yes! I hope Senior will take good care of me."

They begun training immediately.

The first form of the 'Southern Dragon Fist' was 'Southern Dragon Whips Its Tail'.

Back at the bottom of the mountain, Xing Yi ran up it in a strange manner. He shook his bottom with every step and did so in a zig zag pattern, the hell of his foot rotating as he touched down each time.

Immediately, His spine felt as if it was going to be split in half. And with just a few more steps, his arse felt as if he had been sitting on a sharp protruding rock for an entire day.

Xing Yi briefly stopped, exhausted and his bottom rear in great pain.

"Do not worry about the pain. It is normal for the body to have an adjustment period before it naturally finds the optimal way to do things. Keep going!" Que Zhi sat on a boulder nearby, observing him keenl

Xing Yi had a moment of respite before he steeled his will.

He was going to die if he didn't push himself now!

So he carried on, drilling the first form of the 'Southern Dragon Fist' into himself. Soon, each moment caused his muscles to burn in pain and sweat dripped down his entire body, soaking his robes.

What was this 'Southern Dragon Fist' technique. It was pure torture!

Not just his body, but the attention required to continually cycle his inner qi in the way that the technique required of him was also very difficult!

But what pushed him forward was the memory of him being beaten by Wu Jia. Especially the cold, seemingly arrogant face he had on his face as he did so.

It angered him.

And unknowingly, only briefly noticed by Que Zhi for an instance was a red light that lit up within his eyes. He repeated this gruelling training for an entire hour, travelling up and down the mountain.

Eventually, as Xing Yi arrived at the top of the mountain once more, his lower body completely spent, Que Zhi's came like a rusty knife scraping against metal.

"Now it's time for the first form of the Flying Baboon Style!"

The first form of the flying Baboon Style was 'Flying Baboon Gouges The Eye'.

Que Zhi in a seated-lotus position on the roof of his house, Xing Yi kicked the air, moving forward with each one, as if he truly was a monkey flying through the jungle. This time, it felt as if the bones in his feet were going to break. Each step on the ground was agony.

For an entire hour, Xing Yi repeated the First form of the Flying Baboon Style, his entire body sweating and shaking. And once Que Zhi called for him to stop, his next words came like a death sentence.

"Now it's time for the second form of the Southern Dragon Fist!"

Xing Yi went through the remainder of the forms. All of which, through his excruciating pain, only existed as a distant blur in his future memory.

The second form of Southern Dragon Fist, 'Southern Dragon Greets the Sun'. Xing Yi jumped up and down in large strides up the mountain. A small imprint on the ground came each time he impacted against the ground.

At this point, he was shirtless. Without Que Zhi popping in every so often to offer him a drink from a leather bottle, he would've already collapsed.

The second form of Flying Baboon Style, 'Flying Baboon Grabs The Peach'. Xing Yi made a grabbing motion, holding a large rock in hand. He did this for an hour. He could not feel his hand for the rest of the day.

The third form of Southern Dragon Fist, 'Southern Dragon Dives Into The Ocean'. Xing Yi Punched the air. When he created enough momentum, he would strike the ground, creating a small crater. His fingers felt like they were going to fall off. He did this for another hour.

The third form of Flying Baboon Style, 'Flying Baboon Rips The Flesh'. This form was much similar to the second form but was done so backwards. He pulled back with the same rock in hand again and again. At the end of the hour, a large hand imprint was dented into it.

The rock dropped to the ground with a thud. Xing Yi did so too, his face resting against the hard rock ground soundly. He fell asleep.

He awoke seemingly hours later. It was late into the afternoon. The sun was beginning to set.

"Get up. It's time to eat," Que Zhi said. At the same time, Xing Yi noticed the aroma of hot food with a single sniff of his nose.

He scrambled to his feet, wincing at the pain throughout his body.

Nearby, Que Zhi had set up a campfire. Sitting over the campfire was—

"You killed a bear!" Xing Yi exclaimed, shocked at the sight of a bear being stoked over the fire. Well, at least half of it. The rest was already neatly aligned into several plates on a wooden table, appropriately seasoned and a sweet sauce marinating it as it sat.

His empty stomach called him as he walked over in a daze.

Ignoring the aching in the bones of his feet as he walked, he stood awkwardly for a moment. His mind hadn't caught up to his mind yet and so he waited there, seemingly waiting for Que Zhi to say something.

"Can I really eat all of this?" Xing Yi asked, eyeing the juicy meat without shame. He licked his lips in excitement, imagining its succulent taste. Never before had he been so hungry.

Que Zhi laughed, "Of course. Didn't your mother tell you? If you want to grow, you have to eat a lot!"

Xing Yi gave a massive grin.

He slumped down and immediately buried his face in the food before him. The only word he could think of was 'delicious'.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 48 – Hidden Dragon Bites Off the Rat's Tail
​

That afternoon, Xing Yi arrived home drowsy. He struggled to keep his eyes open and groaned in despair when he realised, he still had one more thing to do. Taking a few trips down to the river, he filled up a large wooden tub with water.

Then, grabbing a handful of various spiritual herbs from his herb cabinet, he tossed them inside the bath. Then, Xing Yi stripped down and hopped inside.

A herbal bath. Using spiritual herbs to nourish exhausted muscles and meridians, it healed and strengthened the body. To create this herbal bath, the ingredients required were worth one spirit stone. With just a few uses, there would be no noticeable results. But with regular use over a long period of time, the results would be extraordinary.

That was thirty spirit stones a month but with how much Xing Yi was currently making from pill refining, it was nothing to worry about.

Xing Yi had stumbled upon this strengthening technique early on when he voraciously read the books in the library to transcend his earthly cultivation. He didn't find the answers he was looking for but found some that he didn't know he wanted.

The book he had borrowed after recovering at Small Leaf Valley was the Eight Primordial Herbal Baths. Described within the book were eight baths that would help strengthen the body, each successive herbal bath being stronger than the last.
The last herbal bath was meant for even mid to late Nascent Soul level cultivators.

This strengthening technique wasn't necessarily an earthly cultivation and could be used by both paths. However, as the strength of the baths increased, so did the cost. Just a single bath of the 5th​ level herbal bath would set him back over one-hundred spirit stones.

For something that needed to be used over a long period of time to see results, it wasn't very cost effective.

But it was said by the author of the book that if they successfully cultivated a physique using all eight herbal baths at the appropriate cultivation stage, they would be able to punch a hole in the heavens and withstand heavenly tribulation in their sleep.

In the future, Xing Yi didn't truly see himself using all eight herbal baths to increase his physique. But, if he happened to have enough wealth to splurge, he wouldn't bat an eye.

Xing Yi exited the bath after half an hour, noticing that the bath's efficacy had immediately declined in the last few minutes. After he dressed himself back up, he noticed that the originally green liquid had turned a dull grey. And it was starting to stink really bad.

Picking up the cauldron with ease, he tipped its content into the Black Cauldron, allowing it to recover overnight.
About three months ago, Xing Yi had been having these herbal baths everyday and noticed that his strength was skyrocketing.

Cleansing his impurities was like relieving a weight off his shoulders. While strengthening his body using the herbal bath made his body stronger. It was a two-way increase in the strength of his physique.

Major changes were being made on a weekly basis.

Peeking under his robes, he spied abs. His arms had started filling out his robes, and he noticed the connection between his mind and muscles had become closer and closer.

He went to bed only moments after his head hit his pillow.

The next day, Xing Yi went about his day as he usually did.

He refined a few pills, cultivated in closed-off meditation, and poured over the notes in his books. However, when it was just past midday, he made his way over to Que Zhi's residence, to train with him once again.

The path he took was quite secluded as he lived on the edge of the sect and was out of the way as Que Zhi also lived in a place far out of the way.

Most of the sect lived near the centre of the sect and in a place like his home, he would see no one for many days unless he travelled further into the mountain range. It also acted as a decent warmup before his training since he ran all the way there.

It didn't take too long either. It only took him fifteen minutes to get there.

However, it was as he was running down a certain stretch of the forest path that three figures appeared from bushes at the sides.

They all looked very young. They were all the same height as him and still had baby fat on their face. They were probably the same age as Xing Yi, maybe even younger. From the looks of it, they were disciples that had entered the sect at the start of the new years a few months ago.

At most, they would be at the 2nd​ layer of Vessel Cleansing.

"Is this him?"

"Of course it's him!"

"Shut up, who told you to speak?"

"Sorry-"

"Stop blabbering, he's looking at us."

"Hmph, idiot."

The three argued amongst themselves before one of them came forward and crossed his arms. He looked at Xing Yi menacingly.

"Hand over everything you got and we'll leave you with just a light beating," The young boy smirked.

Xing Yi froze up for a moment, but his many months of extended meditation and yesterday's training came back to him and reassured him.

This is really happening, Xing Yi thought.

He had been under the radar for the long time and had existed as just a rumour for a long time but with his public beating, some of the other disciples would come looking for trouble.

Plain old extortion, stealing, and beating other disciples was not allowed, but if one happened to offend another cultivator or was caught somewhere that a supervisor, teacher, or elder were, then it would be overlooked.

And Xing Yi didn't have any more time to react when the three came over in tandem, smiling and laughing.

"Oh look, he's scared!" One of them said with a mocking smile.

Xing Yi didn't deny it. He was scared.

But, as Xing Yi took in a deep breath and remembered how much stronger he had grown, he made the resolution to right back.

His body shaking, and his eyes wide open, he assumed the first form of the Flying Baboon Style, 'Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye'.

His legs split into a lunge and his shoulders and arms raised up in a weird hunch, adrenaline coursed through his body and his heart thumped through his chest as the start of the fight came closer.

Obviously, the three had underestimated him as they didn't bring out any of their spiritual armaments and thought their fists and qigong were enough.

The one leading at the front walked over casually, as if he was stealing from a baby and lunged forward with a uniform, straight punch.

Now!


Kicking the front leading cultivator's face with Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye, his foot flexed, it connected and caused the young man to fly several meters to the side. His face was bloodied and the bones on the side of his face had been broken.

For a moment, the young cultivator laid there limp on the ground, seemingly unconscious. The other two cultivators were shocked and could only stand still, unable to believe what they had seen.

Not missing this critical chance, Xing Yi bound forward with Southern Dragon Whips Its Tail, crossing the gap in a single step. The cultivator summoned a flying sword from his storage pouch. Not having enough time to clasp his hands together, he formed a one-handed gesture.

His silver sword swung through the air, threatening to kill.

Xing Yi, with his quick reflexes, narrowly dodged the sword to the side and used Flying Baboon Grabs the Peach, his arm reaching forward like lightning. He grabbed onto the young man's wrist and with Southern Dragon Greets the Sun, they rose into the air.

The other young boy's face was pale.

"What are you doing!" The young boy shouted as he flailed around, punching Xing Yi in the face and chest.

As the sword was redirected back into the air to follow Xing Yi and try to cut him again, Xing Yi kicked back in a circular motion with Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye, sending the sword flying backwards.

Southern Dragon Dives Into The Ocean.

Xing Yi and the young boy, left without any more options, were brought back to the ground with a slam. Xing Yi landed on top of the other boy and with a leading punch that caused him to recoil and spit blood.

But he wasn't done. The third boy had a face of horror. He stepped back while screaming at the top of his lungs. "I-It's a monster! He's possessed by a demon!"

Xing Yi stood there, standing over the unconscious bodies of the two cultivators. He didn't continue as the third showed him no aggression but this changed as the third swept his arm to the side, causing the earth to protrude from the ground and strike Xing Yi in the side.

Xing Yi coughed air as he rolled several meters away. It was a sharp pain, but it was nothing he couldn't overcome.

Using Southern Dragon Whips Its Tail to close the gap again, the third boy summoned several sharp balls of earth and sent them whizzing forward. Xing Yi dodged the first with a nimble step. For the second, he was hit square in the shoulder, but was left unscathed due to his tough, resistant skin.

The third he dodged once more. But the fourth and fifth hit him in the face and leg.

He almost stumbled on the fifth but had closed the gap by then and used his forward momentum in a Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye. Right before his foot hit the cultivator, he summoned a thick armour of earth that protected his body.

But Xing Yi was stronger.

The earth crumbled away like gravel, and he sent him flying away just like he had done with the first boy. He too was knocked unconscious.

As Xing Yi stood, gasping for air and his rapidly circulating qi and heart slowed down, he looked around in amazement at what he had done. Despite the potential trouble he could get in for this, he couldn't help but smile.

Even if they were but tiny rats that had attempted to bite off his skin, he was proud of himself.

Throughout his long journey of pain, he had finally found salvation. He wasn't the weak one anymore. He wasn't just a helpless ant at the mercy of the world, but a hidden dragon that possessed frightening strength.

He wanted to live in this moment for as long as he could.

But first, he had to run.

AN: I need some help. Whenever I past text to reply to the thread, it is all combined together and without the original spaces that I put into the text. Each time, I have to manually separate it. I have tried using the paste as text button but it doesn't work. Does anyone know how to fix this?

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 49 – Trouble Stirring
​

"Which master refined these pills?" A hunched-back old man raised a small white pill in his hands and looked over its smooth, shiny white surface.

Sitting opposite him was a woman with long-black hair and a pendant tied around her neck.

"Wu Xing Jin. His mortal niece drops off his stuff to us every month or so. We also have a trade agreement with him. Why?" She replied.

"Could you pass me over the pill bottle, Yu Er?" The old man smiled at her with a loving smile.

"Of course, Grandfather," Yu Er smiled as she passed them to him.

Pouring the pills into a large wooden tray sat before him, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. As the old man sorted through the pills and inspected them one by one, he asked an off-handed question.

"When did Master Xing begin trading with us?" He asked.

"Over a year ago."

At this, the old man stopped what he was doing and slowly raised his head.

He blinked his eyes a few times in a lost gaze before asking kindly, "Yu Er, could you get someone to fetch out past records with this… Wu Xing Jin?"

"Just a moment," The woman pulled out a blank talisman before whispering into it. After, she let it go and it shot into the air in a streak of white light.

As the pair waited in patience, the old man continuing to peruse over the pills before him, a black-robed man arrived before them in a blur. He presented a small book to the pair with a bow. The woman took it from him and then sent him off with a nod. The black-robed man disappeared again in a blur.

She flipped through the pages until she found the first transaction.

"Says here that he bought ingredients for five Qi Gathering Pills and Five Lotus Explosion Pills. He also bought a Herb Holding Cabinet. Then, he sold us Four Qi Gathering Pills and Four Lotus Explosion Pills. After that…"

The woman went through all of the transactions as the old man listened on. After several minutes, she finished listing out them all and the old man had a disgruntled expression on his face.

"Over a year ago, he was selling third-rate pills. Correct?"

"Yes." Yu Er nodded.

"And now he is selling us first-rate pills?"

Yu Er paused as she realised the same thing as her grandfather.

The old man explained, "To bridge the gap between third-rate and second-rate requires several years of training. And even decades to bridge the gap between second and first-rate. Now these are only grade one pills but the same principle follows all the other ones. One can't become a Pill Refining Master overnight. But…"

He paused, unable to believe what he was about to say.

"If one person has been refining all these pills since the start, which I suspect to be the case, then something strange is happening," The old man said.

"What should we do?" Yu Er asked with a worried expression.

The old man deliberated for a moment before he decided. "Find out who his master is. In a year, your Great Ancestors should come out of closed-door cultivation. When that happens, they will help us."

---

"All three of you lost to a single mortal?" Ge Yifeng could not believe what he had heard.

All three young boys nodded their heads with hesitation. They were all ashamed to what they were confessing. One of them was even looking the other way.

"I can't believe it. When did this happen?" Ge Yifeng asked.

The one standing at the front answered, "Over a year ago. We haven't told anyone else about this either."

"I thought you beat him up and took all his stuff!" Ge Yifeng raised his voice, staring at the trio with wide eyes. The aura of his cultivation technique spilled over, scaring them even more. Some of it even coalesced, forming red tendrils around his eyes.

The three suddenly bowed with cupped fists.

"Senior, we beg your forgiveness."

Instead of punishing them, sending them away, or letting them go, he asked, "Where does he live?"

As soon as they finished explaining where he lived, he shoved past them and out the door.

"I'll take care of him myself," Ge Yifeng tsked in annoyance.

Stomping past other disciples who feared his reputation as Wu Jia's right-hand man, the recently declared number one outer sect disciple, he made his way down from Gestation Mountain. Once outside of its perimeter, he flew up onto his flying sword and into the sky.

He flew through the air like an arrow, fueled by the anger coursing through him.

That damn trash. he dares bully my juniors? The only way he could've won that fight was by using tricks. He must have expended some of his lifespan using some of those attacks. I'm sure of it! There is no other way for such a little bastard to eke out a full-blown, one-sided victory. By the time I'm finished with you, even your mother won't be able to recognise you!

Harsh, anger-driven words coursed through his mind, veins popping out of his head and neck, his fists clenched tightly. Soon, his eyes locked onto a particular mountain. On it was a large wooden house. It was rectangular-shaped and had several spacious rooms, dozens of wooden chairs and long desks in each.

An abandoned school?

Hmph, this trash is really freeloading off an abandoned building. Let's see his face when I destroy the only place he calls home!

---

Xing Yi was in a trance as he skipped forward with Dragon Whips Its Tail. Each touchdown was followed by an immediate leap forward. Just a few months ago, he had left deep footprints on the ground when using the first form of the Southern Dragon Fist.

But now he barely rustled the surface soil.

He was like a ghost as he zoomed forward with another step that would've been equivalent to the several dozens of a mortal man walking on foot.

A rustling wind was left in his wake, brushing against the leaves of the trees, bushes, and the grass.

The wind seemed to slide past him as he seemed to fly through the air, his hair blowing in the wind. He held his hands hand behinds his back as he did so, a mesmerised expression on his face as he focused closely on his movement.

A year had passed since he had began training under Que Zhi. He had made leaps in bounds in strength in such a short amount of time and was now at the 9th layer of Meridian Cleansing.

It was like a dream!

Everyday, he was excited to wake up and couldn't wait to begin training and grow stronger.

In addition, he had also fully exhausted the first herbal bath. It no longer worked on him.

But it wasn't something to be sad about as he had built an incredible physique and now possessed supernatural strength. He could lift boulders with one hand, jumped tens of meters high into the air with a single tap of his foot, and could tread water if he was sprinting!

Everyday, he would be stunned again and again at what he could do. He imagined what his parents would think if they knew how strong he was. They would be shocked.

He chuckled to himself as he thought about this.

Circulating his inner qi was now completely subconscious for him and he had finally reached Minor Comprehension to all six form of both Southern Dragon Fist and Flying Baboon Style! He had a still long way to go, but even having only reached the Minor Comprehension realm, he felt like both were second-nature, as if he truly was a dragon or baboon.

But his happy mood was interrupted as he noticed a strange sound from in the distance. He was just about to arrive home too.

Could someone be there waiting for him?

Continuing forward, his expression grew worried as he recognised these sounds to be the smashing of wood and rock being split in half. Xing Yi accelerated the circulation of his qi and moved forward.

With furrowed eyes, he came out onto the other side of the thick jungle and felt his heart drop.

Long wooden boards were strewn across the ground. Yellow bricks were torn in half, small rocks laying beside them. A large portion of the nearby forest had been upturned, several trees split in half. Small craters dotted the area and the walls of his courtyard had been crumbled into debris.

And standing on it all was a tall youth with long black hair.

Noticing Xing Yi, they turned around and smiled. They had ugly, crooked yellow teeth.

For a few moments, Xing Yi didn't say anything as he scanned the wreckage. When he came to the reality of the situation, his face turned cold.

Xing Yi made the first move without hesitation.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 50 - Piece of Shit Dog​

"Fuck your mother and your whole family! You dare beat up my juniors using some tricks!"

The youth spat insults as he unfurled a green rope at his side. It shined with a green light as he whipped it forward. It was a complete blur as it suddenly tied around Xing Yi who had been approaching.

He was stopped as he felt a sucking pressure around his entire body, causing his muscles to turn weak. He lost strength in his legs and keeled over, unable to move a muscle.

"Haha! What a piece of shit dog. Come beg to this young master for mercy!"

Xing Yi ignored his incessant slurs as he focused on untying himself. Sure, this rope was incredibly tight and possessed a strange ability to sap the strength from his body. But it didn't cripple his inner qi.

With an aggressive shout, Xing Yi released his inner qi outwards in unison with Southern Dragon Greets the Sun. Like a soaring dragon rising from the sea and into the sky, he jumped several meters high into the air and unravelled the green rope.

"Impossible! My Green Whisker Rope is a Mid-Human Grade Armament!" Ge Yifeng's chin dropped, unable to believe a mere 'mortal' had broken free from his treasure.

As he landed, he grabbed hold of the green rope.

Flying Baboon Rips The Flesh!

Stretching the length of the rope's material to its extreme, the threads holding it in place were gradually split in half.

"You motherfucker!" Ge Yifeng's eyes glowed red as he jumped forward and released a ray of red light towards Xing Yi with a swipe of his hand.

This was his most beloved treasure that he had painstakingly saved up for after several years. With it, he had defeated many opponents and had gained a reputation as the 'Crooked Bandit'.

It had cost him over sixty stones to buy and was Mid-Grade Human Armament!

It wasn't a top-grade treasure that could upturn seas and split mountains in half, but it was something that he valued almost as much as his life. If it were to be destroyed, his standing in the outer court would plummet. A treasure was the difference between a trash that would get bullied and a fearsome tiger that could walk around the jungle uncontested.

When he had bought it off of the store clerk, they said that the rope was unbreakable!

Bullshit! Just a little bit longer and it was going to split it in half!

Like a dragon swimming through the air, Xing Yi dodged Ge Yifeng's red light from earlier with a single pivot of his foot. Then, he bounced back a few times with Southern Dragon Whips Its Tail to gain more time.

If not, Ge Yifeng would've already been on him.

All of this took an instance to happen but after a moment Ge Yifeng realised his foolishness and immediately activated the strength sapping ability of the rope and attempted to wrap Xing Yi up again.

"Let's see how you escape from this!"

This time, Ge Yifeng didn't hold back and expended a large portion of his qi. He refused to think that Xing Yi could escape from it this time. It may be unthreaded in one spot, but if he kept fuelling it his qi, there would be no way for him to escape.

The Green Whisker Rope suddenly animated from its previously limp state and wrapped around Xing Yi with several times the strength than last time. So much so, Xing Yi found it difficult to breathe. It was a like a snake that was threatening to choke him to death.

And Ge Yifeng used this opportunity to charge a powerful attack.

First and Second Layer!

Whatever this bastard used to escape, he had some serious strength!

He couldn't continue to underestimate it him. He had to defeat him now before he could escape again!

Inside Ge Yifeng's body, his blood abruptly turned boiling hot and steam rose form his skin! The veins on his hands popped and all the muscles on his body blew up in size.

No longer did Ge Yifeng look like a thin and scrawny boy who barely ate his dinner, but he now looked like a mountain giant who had been eating meat his whole life! It was a shocking transformation that even caused Xing Yi to pause in surprise.

The techniques of the Bloody Path Sect's main cultivation technique were very versatile. It could allow the cultivator to have extraordinary strength, agility, or endurance depending on the situation.

Some of its secret techniques could even be used to control their opponents like puppets or regenerate decapitated limbs.

He had seen similar techniques at the Golden Blood Assembly, but it had been so long ago, and had been watching from so far away that he wasn't able to really take in the abnormal transformations that its cultivators made! Seeing it up so close was a shock.

But he didn't have time to be in awe because this guy was trying to kill him!

Xing Yi used the same technique to escape but this time, he discovered that the rope was like an iron bar and didn't budge. He tried again with an even larger portion of his inner qi but discovered that it only loosened slightly.

What was this Green Whisker Rope!

Xing Yi felt that if he were to expend a large portion of his inner qi one more time, he could escape. If he hadn't underestimated this armament then he could've escaped in one go, but Ge Yifeng was already upon him with a sabre!

"This may only be a low-grade Human Armament, but in combination with the paralyzing abilities of my Green Whisker Rope, no opponent of mine has escaped alive!" Ge Yifeng thought as he plunged his sabre into Xing Yi's stomach.

Clink!

Like a blade striking against a steel wall, his sabre helplessly ricocheted off Xing Yi's skin. Ge Yifeng helplessly stumbled back a few steps and stared at Xing Yi with wide eyes. Ge Yifeng was silent as his jaw dropped in pure disbelief.

His dirty mouth that could only spit insults was unable to conjure anything more in face of this ridiculous situation.

Not only was Ge Yifeng stunned, but Xing Yi was too!

Earthly cultivators were rumoured to not only have incredible strength, but to have bodies that were seemingly made out of steel and could withstand any attack. Even if they were to eat metal or swallow poison, they wouldn't feel a thing.

This was one of the most remarkable things about earthly cultivation! The body was akin to a treasure in it of itself and was the cultivator's most precious possession. There was no need to rely on external means. All they needed was their body to beat any opponent!

Xing Yi was also in awe of his body's resilience. It was able to withstand such a powerful attack from someone who was part of the upper strata of Vessel Cleansing. Ge Yifeng was at least at the 5th layer.

Smiling and chuckling to himself, he released himself of Ge Yifeng's entrapment and split his rope in half once and for all.

Ge Yifeng was a very smart person and wasn't a fool. He didn't shit where he ate, he licked the boots of his superiors to curry favour, and he trained hard. He didn't think of himself much but he wasn't weak either. But when faced with this absolutely bizarre person, he couldn't help but feel his legs give out on himself.

Which tree had he tried barking up!

This person was obviously not an ordinary character.

But he couldn't stop now. He was still in the middle of a fight!

Renewing his efforts, he decided to go all out. Even if it meant breaking his sabre, he had to save his own face. If his juniors were to discover that he had not only had his precious Green Whisker Rope broken by Xing Yi, but had also been beaten like a dog, there would be no way he could continue to live! The shame would be unbearable.

"Ancestral Technique!" Ge Yifeng screamed as his body further ballooned up in size and his sabre glowed a crimson red.

With Ge Yifeng's rope broken, Xing Yi could finally fight properly. He smirked. This person was nothing compared to Que Zhi.

The two of them were only a few meters apart but the ensuing clash was lightning fast.

Crack!

The ground beneath both cultivators was suddenly destroyed as both jumped forward to meet each other.

Xing Yi didn't hold back and used the secret technique that he had only started learning after half a year of vigorous training, when his body was finally able to withstand its strength. Something that even Que Zhi was shocked when he saw its power.

Southern Dragon Fist's eleventh form, Southern Dragon Splits the Heavens!

Ge Yifeng wasn't holding back either and used his third, fourth, and fifth layer of energy for this attack.

As Xing Yi's fist and Ge Yifeng's sabre met, there was a distinct crack that came from his sabre. But before he could realise it, his sabre had crumbled away, and it arrived before his face.

Shit! What the f**k!

Ge Yifeng couldn't believe it.

Xing Yi's fist rocked Ge Yifeng's world. He was sent flying backwards, vomiting blood as he did so. He tumbled backwards several times and landed into the wreckage of Xing Yi's house. Sharp rocks and wood stabbed into his lower back where he laid.

This bastard—

He lost consciousness not a moment later.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 51 - Cub's Playfighting Goes Astray​

As soon as Xing Yi defeated Ge Yifeng, he slumped to the ground and looked at the wreckage in mourning. This was his home. He slept, ate, and trained here for the last few years of his life. These were simple things but to Xing Yi, it meant a lot.

For a while, he knelt in sadness. Eventually, he let out a sigh and stood to his feet.

Where was he going to live now?

Thinking about this, Xing Yi squatted over Ge Yifeng, waiting for him to awake.

A couple minutes later, the crooked teethed cultivator awoke in a state of drowsiness. As soon as he awoke, sharp pain stabbed into his lungs. Not only that, but his face also felt strange. As if it was deformed.

Xing Yi looked on with little pity as he gazed upon his face. Upon his final attack, it had collapsed in on itself and one of his eyes was popping out in a weird manner. Unless he consumed a rare medicinal pill, there would be little hope of recovering his original appearance.

Xing Yi didn't care about this. It was the least he deserved for destroying his home. He wasn't cold-hearted, but for a slight instance he was scared at how ruthless he had been.

As soon as Ge Yifeng awoke, Xing Yi questioned, "Why did you destroy my house?"

He stared at him in a threatening manner, causing the drowsy Ge Yifeng to shiver in fear. He was now completely awake.

"O-Over a year ago, three of my juniors were out for a stroll in the mountain forest when they were ambushed by you!" Despite his shameful defeat, Ge Yifeng still held contempt for him. He hadn't gone docile because the person before him was a little scary.

If his life was in their hands, it would be a different matter. But since they were in the vicinity of the sect, if he dared to kill him, the consequences wouldn't be something to overlook. At the very least, his cultivation would be crippled.

After overcoming his initial fears of Xing Yi, he spat blood at him, landing on his face.

He laughed, "You like that, you little fuck-"

A fist suddenly descended on his face, further disfiguring his face and sending a few teeth flying through the air. He vomited blood onto his clothes and his eyes rolled back.

Phew. He hoped that punch would teach him to treat him with a little more respect. He had used a decent bit of strength in that strike so it should do the job.

He wasn't limited to only using the two fighting forms of the Flying Baboon Style or the Southern Dragon Fist. He could also make simple kicks and punches without those two techniques behind them.

But it was as he was wiping the mixture of spit and blood off on the cloth of his robes that he made a shocking discovery.

Ge Yifeng's breathing had grown silent and rising of his chest was a shallow tide. His eyes had even rolled back into his eyes and froth formed at his mouth.

Wait…

Was he going to die?

Xing Yi's eyes widened in surprise as his mind blanked, unsure what to do.

They had just been enemies at each other's necks, but now one of them was on the verge of death. Although Xing Yi disliked him, it wasn't to the point of cold murder. Moreover, what he was more worried about was the soul life candle in the Sect's Main Hall.

When each disciple was registered into the sect, they would drop a piece of their blood onto a piece of paper to make a soul life candle. No matter how far the cultivator was or what they were doing, even if they were in a different dimension, the candlelight would extinguish if they were to die.

It also represented their current life condition. The smaller the light was, the closer they were to death!

And since there was always an elder on watch, they would for sure notice the movement of Ge Yifeng's candle! Which means that the sect was going to be asking about his whereabouts very soon now.

And if his juniors had any involvement in this, then they would know where he had gone and that he had come here specifically to beat up Xing Yi.

If Ge Yifeng were to die…

Xing Yi had to act now!

The time it would take to travel to the nearest transporation pavilion would take him a few minutes. But time was of the essence! This poor young man could die any moment now!

Biting his tongue, Xing Yi begrudgingly pulled out a medicinal pill from a leather knapsack at his side. He shoved it down Ge Yifeng's mouth and even expelled it forward and down his throat with a quick burst of inner qi!

After breaking through to the 6th​ layer of Meridian Cleansing, he was able to use qigong to expel qi in a distance of a few inches around his body. It wasn't much but for earthly cultivators, this was still quite much!

The heavenly qi of the world naturally rejected the inner qi of earthly cultivators, so even a few inches was quite good for him.

Forced to swallow the pill, a Ge Yifeng teetering on the edge of death and seemingly in a black void, felt a warm feeling seep through his stomach, giving him the strength to stay alive.

Unconsciously, be it through a survival instinct or some other divine intervention, Ge Yifeng found himself circulating this energy throughout to his dry and thirsty meridians. It healed and nursed his broken bones and muscles, easing the pain that he felt.

But it wasn't enough, it was like trying to climb out of a bottomless pit that had walls covered in slime and a stench of death permeating through the air! His meridians had recovered their qi, but his body was still teetering on complete collapse!

But throughout this half-conscious, half-unconscious state, his ego finally emerged from the darkness and started screaming at him to survive!

Live!

This single idea filled his spirit as he renewed his efforts to circulate the nourishing qi from within his stomach. Still, Ge Yifeng was once again reminded of his meagre talent. He was absorbing the qi at a snail's pace!

At this rate, his body would give out on him before he could start healing himself!

Outside this inner battle within Ge Yifeng's self, in the real world, Xing Yi could only grimace as he forced another pill down the man's throat.

Another pill gone!

He judged this man's condition to be far from good and could only force him to swallow another pill. The first pill had been a Nourishing Meridian Pill, and the second one was a Lotus Explosion Pill.

After gaining a basic grasp of the Qi Gathering and Lotus Explosion Pills, he had branched out to other types of pills to further his understanding of Pill Refining and had ended up with several types of pill bottles. Each contained a dozen pills and was no small number.

Although he had a lot, Xing Yi had not known the high life of wealth for long and was unwilling to let go of something that he knew was worth a lot of money so easily!

The first pill had been too slow in terms of absorption rate and if he wasn't already on the brink of death, it would've been enough to slowly heal him back to his original state in terms of qi and preserve his life.

But what he needed right now was a large influx of energy that he could immediately use! He didn't know much about healing others and medicine, but he was certain that if he shoved a few pills down him, he would live to see another day!

This may be naïve thinking but to Xing Yi it made sense! Each of these medicinal pills were worth almost twenty spirit stones and to be wasting them on an enemy that had just destroyed his house, he felt a great deal of annoyance!

Inside Ge Yifeng's body, he suddenly felt a great energy emerge in his stomach. It was several-fold stronger than the previous energy and rampaged through his meridians with so much force that it was threatening to tear his meridians apart!

His previously dry meridians weren't accustomed to this! Usually, when recovering one's qi after exhausting it, one would recover the amount they lost at a slow but gradual rate. But with this harsh energy that his meridians weren't used to, they felt much pain in the process!

He strained under this pain and for some reason, this caused Xing Yi to think that this still wasn't enough!
And instead of just one Lotus Explosion Pill, he also added an additional Meridian Nourishing Pill on top of it! There was no way he was going to die now! If he died, he would doubt his own abilities as a Pill Refiner!

What would happen next was something that he didn't expect to happen.

With this sudden influx of energy that was like a waterfall smashing against an already full bucket, through whatever part Ge Yifeng could muster of his conscious mind, he instinctively directed this raging tidal wave to his seventh vessel!

Although Ge Yifeng looked young, this was only because of a special pill he had taken in his youth that had reserved his appearance. It only worked on Vessel Cleansing cultivators, but it had still costed him a great fortune!

For the past five years, he had been stuck at the peak of the sixth layer of Vessel Cleansing with no progress! It was like no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to climb over this unsurmountable wall!

As a regular outer court disciple that worked as a guard on the sect's perimeter, he wasn't paid that well and was already approaching his fourties! His hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment were already bleak and as time passed, he grew more and more depressed about this fact!

He only got paid a measly single spirit stone every three months of work and could only take odd jobs with others to make ends meet to have hopes of saving up for a treasure or pill that could advance his cultivation past this stubborn bottleneck!

And now that an opportunity was before him, he didn't hesitate to take it! His heart had yearned it for so long that he didn't even have to be awake to do this!

Even if the qi of the combined energies of these pills hadn't been refined by him yet, the amount was so great that it almost didn't matter! And in the first place, this looked like his only possible way of survival. If he didn't break through to the next layer of Vessel Cleansing, he would die!

With each successive breakthrough in cultivation, one would experience multiple wonder benefits that couldn't be specifically identified. But based off of his experience, if he could do this, his body would ascend to another level of existence, significantly increasing his chances of survival!

He didn't believe this, he knew it!

And thus, he smashed this tidal wave against his clogged meridians.

Swoosh!

A tremendous force of qi tore the plug of impurities apart, washing it all away in one fell swoop!

AN:


I was planning to kill this bastard off but instead I did this. *sigh*

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 52 – Just F**k off Already!
​

At this time, deep within the inner chambers of The Bloody Path Sect's Inner Sanctum, a Deacon at the peak of Vessel Cleansing, was suddenly alarmed by a green candle light that was now merely a small spark.

Just a few moments ago, it had been kindling six inches high. But now it was less than half an inch in length. With the Deacon's encompassing perception that had been honed by his many years as the watcher of the Sect's Life Candles, he immediately noticed this.

He noted the name written into a jade tablet beneath it.

'Ge Yifeng'.

On a square indent adjacent to his name was the white stamp of a full circle.

Amongst the many jade tablets, only a minority of them had half-circles. These half-circles meant that they were outside of the sect. A full circle meant that they were still inside the sect.

And for Ge Yifeng's candle to be on the verge of dying out like this…

The Deacon naturally knew of Ge Yifeng's reputation as Wu Jia's right-hand man. Despite being a mere perimeter guard, due to his advanced cultivation and his infamous Green Whisker Green Rope, he was a feared opponent.

If someone were to be trapped inside his rope, their fate wouldn't be hard to guess.

It wasn't uncommon for fights to occur within the sect. The most common time for this to happen was during group training.

So if someone had a grudge against another disciple, they would naturally do so in front of anyone else and would even gamble on it to net more than just the win itself.

They happened a few times a week but the Foundation Establishment Supervisors wouldn't allow the disciples to inflict any serious injuries to the other opponent. However, outside of training this was rare.

The sect didn't supervise any places outside the immediate area of the training grounds, dormitory, and mess hall. So, if one were to step outside of them, they would put themselves at risk of being ambushed.

But the amount of people who did this were only a small number and those who did, did not care about their reputation. They would be isolated from others and be known as a wretched bandit hated by all fellow disciples.

Over a thousand years ago, the sect had much harsher rules and basically ruled the entire place a free-for all where the strong ruled the weak. It was a beast cage where only the strongest animals survived while the rest died off.

But in recent times it had changed and now there were several times the number of disciples. Apparently, there used to be only two hundred disciples in total because the allied clans associated with the sect had stopped sending them their youths. However, the individual cultivators themselves were far weaker.

They didn't know as much bloodshed as their past contemporaries and only the sect's ancestor would know about this.

So as the Deacon who supervised the Bloody Path Sect's life candles saw Ge Yifeng's flame almost extinguish despite being in the sect, he was alarmed.

He immediately sent out a transmission talisman to notify a few important figures so that they could quickly investigate. However, a few moments after sending the talisman, he was surprised to see his flame suddenly rise back up at a visible rate.

It had just been less than a quarter an inch in length, but now it was approaching two inches in length.

Hadn't he just been on the brink of death?

He raised an eyebrow as he stood in front of the life candle, measuring it very closely. But as it kept on rising, he hesitated to send out another transmission talisman to call the investigation off.

But then he worried about what his Seniors and Elders would think when they hear this. Would they think him to be incompetent, sack him, and then replace him with someone else? If even a single person in power doubted him, he could very well lose his position.

Being the Deacon of the life candles wasn't the most important or powerful position, nor was it the worst. Other than having to constantly have one's spiritual sense spread out to observe the life candles, one was left alone in solitary for the majority of the time.

He was able to use this to advance his cultivation much faster than his peers who had much more demanding and taxing jobs! If he wasn't the Deacon of the Bloody Path Sect's life candles, he wouldn't have reach ever reacged Middle Foundation Establishment!

The Deacon continued to mutter about what he should do until he eventually had a moment of realisation of what it could be.

A demon could've possessed Ge Yifeng!

And as Ge Yifeng saw the flame rise up to seven inches of height, his suspicions were almost confirmed. These could only happen if the strong bloodline of a demon were to enhance a cultivator's strength, making their vitality stronger and thus the height and strength of their life candle.

But who should he contact?

He considered the options with a count of his fingers and quickly this was reduced to a single one.

He sighed in despair. The only one he could possibly call to help for at this moment would be Elder Yang.

With a shaky hand, he activated a transmission talisman…

---

When Xing Yi smelled a familiar stench and saw a sticky black substance seeping into Ge Yifeng's clothes, he almost passed out in frustration.

"Fuck!"

This bastard really just broke through a bottleneck!

He helped someone who had destroyed his house into making a breakthrough!

If Xing Yi could vomit blood, he would!

He slapped himself on the face! If he had been just a little more careful with himself, all of this wouldn't have happened!

At this point, he noticed that Ge Yifeng's complexion had turned healthier, compared to its previously pale colour. And he was now breathing in an even and consistent manner.

Well, at least he was alive. He sighed as he searched through the wreckage and with his monstrous strength, waded through the debris with ease. He quickly found a large wooden cabinet. Seeing this was fully intact, Xing Yi gave a sigh of relief.

If this guy had destroyed this, then he would've probably gouged his eyes out. He laid it aside of the wreckage and then found the Black Cauldron in the closet. Whenever it was regenerating, he would place it inside this closet and would cover it with a brown cloth.

It wasn't that elaborate, but it had worked.

However, as Xing Yi pulled it out of the wreckage and beside the Herb-Holding Cabinet, he was confused at how the Black Cauldron still seemingly weighed the same amount, no matter how much stronger he had become.

It was as if it adjusted its weight to whoever was lifting it. It was very strange, but he wrote it off to whatever machinations that governed it. It didn't necessarily weight a lot, but whenever he did, it always weighed a lot.

It was one of the only things left that could really challenge his strength. Thinking about this, he suddenly realised he could use this to train himself, but he left this for later. Gradually, he dropped the Black Cauldron beside the cabinet, his tired muscles thankful that they were done.

When Xing Yi turned around again, he was surprised to see Ge Yifeng already standing. His face was completely disfigured and bruised. His purple robes were covered in black goo that even from several meters away, assaulted Xing Yi's nose with its horrible stench.

Before Xing Yi could get in a word, Ge Yifeng bowed at an exact ninety degree at his waist and cupped his hands.

"This one who calls himself Ge Yifeng will spell his name backwards if he doesn't repay Senior Martial Brother Xing for today! Only because of Brother Xing's kindness has this fool been able to break through to the 7th​ layer of Vessel Cleansing after five years of failure!"

"Ok, Fengyi Ge. Do me a favour and fuck off!"

His aggressive training and the hardship he had experienced over the last year had toughened up his personality. But it wasn't just that either, Que Zhi's straightforward personality had rubbed off on him.

The man wouldn't shy away from swearing when he wasn't pushing himself and was quite harsh sometimes.
Ge Yifeng wasn't fazed and stayed in a deep bow.

"Saviour," Ge Yifeng started, changing his use of pronouns, "This one would like to say that if saviour has any troubles or needs help with anything, you can always contact this one for help in any matter. I would also like to apologise about your house…"

Once Ge Yifeng mentioned Xing Yi's house, he trailed off in embarrassment.

His brief fight with Xing Yi was the first time he had teetered on the brink of death in his entire life. He had been on a few missions into the Western before but on any of those occasions, he never travelled more than several dozen kilometres from Camp Black.

He had survived death and truly been reborn. Right now, he felt like a phoenix that had experienced nirvana after a thousand years of falling within a black void. But now, he had escaped and been born anew!

He was a new man. His qi revolved more smoothly and lively than every before. His tight muscles had loosened, and his dao heart had improved. Maybe Foundation Establishment really was possible!

He wouldn't have to be a mere perimeter guard anymore!

"Just fuck off already!" Xing Yi exclaimed, still mourning over the loss of several medicinal pills. They had all gone to waste on someone he despised. His mere existence was an annoyance!

"But Saviour—"

Ge Yifeng's voice was cut off as a suffocating pressure suddenly descended on both of them. Floating in the air without the assistant of any Armament was a blue-clothed cultivator. He had a short grey beard and an appearance that was reminiscent of a handsome youth.

Elder Yang!

Both Ge Yifeng and Xing Yi immediately recognised this lofty figure and entered deep bows.

"Greetings, Elder Yang!" Chimed the two disciples in unison.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 53 - Arrogant Swindler​

Elder Yang was silent as he frowned. He perused over the cultivation of the two disciples before him in deep thought.

'This Ge Yifeng's cultivation is unstable, and his blood vitality is seemingly recovering from a near-death experience. As for his soul, there are no markings, nor does it differ from what I remember it.'

'His sould is quite timid and soft. It is nigh impossible for such a weak and cowardly demon to exist. It seems I came out here for nothing. I'll make sure to give Deacon Wang a big scare so this doesn't happen again.'

However, as he scanned Xing Yi, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

'This is unusual. Xing Yi is at the 9th layer of earthly cultivation. Where did this talent come from? Maybe he encountered a fortuitous opportunity?'

'I remember giving him an earthly pill refining cultivation technique but that was merely me organising and getting rid of trash that I didn't need. If he could've learned to refine pills with just that and advance his cultivation, I would laugh all the way to the heavens. And it seems I have a favour I need repaying…'

Elder Yang asked, "Xing Yi what happened?"

He didn't trust Ge Yifeng enough to tell the truth.

"Elder Yang, Ge Yifeng destroyed my house. I beat him up for this transgression. But I didn't expect his face to be so fragile, to the point where he was on the brink of death. I was forced to feed him some pills I painstakingly bought from the Paragon Emporium in order to save his life."

"Although he is an enemy, we are after all, still martial brothers of The Bloody Path Sect. If it doesn't trouble Elder Yang, this humble disciple would like to request elder to enact punishment and have him reimburse for what I have lost today.

Xing Yi replied with a half-life, half-truth approach, touching lightly on the subject of where he acquired the life-saving pills.

"Is that so?" Elder Yang stroked his beard, further goading the cultivation of Ge Yifeng and Xing Yi to assure himself of his previous evaluation.

Suddenly, Elder Yang's voice turned cold.

"Ge Yifeng, you will reimburse Young Xing Yi one-hundred spirit stones! After which, you will be sentenced to a month in the Cave of Silence! Is this reasonable to Martial Nephew?"

"Yes!" Ge Yifeng shouted in joy.

He didn't care about the punishment he had received. One-hundred spirit stones to make a breakthrough? That was a bargain!

Even if with that amount of spirit stones in wealth, he might not have broken through! He just hadn't experienced the world enough and after this life and death experience, he was finally able to break through this bottleneck.

"I trust that you can find your way there yourself?" Elder Yang's aura pressed down on Ge Yifeng, causing the previously joyful person to quiet down and shiver in fear.

"Yes, Elder Yang!" Ge Yifeng shouted before flying away, grimacing underneath beneath Elder Yang's aura.

Once the other person was gone, Elder Yang asked with curiosity, "How did you break through to the 9th layer of Meridian Cleansing so fast?"

Xing Yi had only been at the 1st layer of Meridian Cleansing over a year ago. Although Elder Yang was one of the more jaded cultivators and wouldn't give many people face, he couldn't help but break his façade momentarily.

Just what was his secret?

Xing Yi laughed awkwardly, "Elder Yang…"

His laugh trailed off as he genuinely did not know what to say. A silence formed in this moment and Elder Yang grew suspicious.

"Speak up. Or do you have some kind of secret you are hiding?" He squinted his eyes, glazing over the Herb Holding Cabinet and the strange Black Cauldron that had somehow evaded his spiritual sense.

A treasure that evaded his spiritual sense. Very, very strange.

"Elder Yang, to tell the truth. This disciple has found pill refining to be quite natural. It only took this disciple three attempts to successfully refine his first pill. Due to this, this one has been able to make a small fortune and thus swiftly advance his cultivation."

"Nonsense!" Elder Yang's voice rang loud as it echoed throughout the nearby valley and past the mountains. His eyes were wide open, and he stared at Xing Yi with a solemn expression.

Three attempts to successfully refine his first pill!?!?

This was the craziest joke he had ever heard! If Elder Yang was eccentric, he would've broken out into laughter just now!

This boy, he was making a joke of him.

He is saying it only took him three attempts to successfully refine his first pill. He didn't even have a teacher!

This was an insult to Elder Yang!

Elder Yang was no heaven-defying talent, but he was a Grade Five Pill Refining Talent!

It had taken him over one-hundred attempts to refine his first own pill! And this brat who was born in a small village in the middle of nowhere claimed that he was a heaven-defying genius.

"Young Xing Yi. Cut off your tongue right now and I will make sure you only receive a light beating."

Dark shadows had formed over Elder Yang's eyes. At the same time, the wrinkles on his face had seemingly darkened. He truly had a terrifying experience. Elder Yang was a kind man, but when one insulted the one thing he had dedicated his life to, he wouldn't hesitate to teach those people a lesson.

For the longest time, Xing Yi had been thinking of just showing off his pill refining abilities to Elder Yang and claiming he is a heaven-defying talent so that he could possibly escape the possibility of death in his duel with Wu Jia, but he felt like this was something only a weakling would do.

His heart of martial arts had coalesced into reality over his past year of training and his determination to regain his dignity was a burning passion. If he wanted to win, he had to do so under the consequence of death.

But after he encountered Elder Yang, he was forced to tell him the truth as he didn't know any other way to put it.

"Elder Yang, I truly did refine the a pill on my third ever attempt!"

"Xing Yi! Do you dare test this old man's patience? Do I have to come over and do it myself?"

Elder Yang's hands were suddenly lit aflame in a red fire. Their burning heat could be felt by Xing Yi from over a hundred feet away.

Xing Yi grit his teeth. He couldn't stop now! He got to his knees and entered the deepest kowtow he could offer, digging his head into the ground.

"Elder Yang! This one swears on his very life that he was able to successfully refine a pill on his third attempt!"

Elder Yang blinked his eyes.

"Is that true?"

"Yes!"

Silence…

Elder Yang erupted into a crazed laughter, his face looking into the skies incredulously. His laughter caused Xing Yi to grimace, his face turning pale.

"You are the most arrogant and unbelievable person I have ever encountered!"

He stated this before continuing his bout of laughter. Eventually, he calmed down and he gave Xing Yi a death stare.

"Show me the pills you have refined. If you don't have any, I will sever your meridians right here and now."

Xing Yi's hands trembled as he took out three bottles from the knapsack at his waist.

"Stop joking. You bought those from the Paragon Emporium. Aiz, it seems that this old man is going to have to truly lay waste to your cultivation."

Upon the surface of each pill was a black cauldron. This was a marking that Xing Yi learned how to half a year ago once his skills progressed far enough. He decided to make his marking of a Black Cauldron, because without it he wouldn't have been able to make any pills in the first place. It truly was a heavenly treasure.

Elder Yang had a dark complexion as he flew down. He pointed at the pills Xing Yi had in hand.

"The one who made those pills was a master by the name of Wu Xing Jin. His marking is of a Black Cauldron and his grade-one Qi Gathering and Lotus Explosion Pills are quite noteworthy. Even this elder could take some time to learn from his…"

Suddenly, Elder Yang trailed off , his index finger quivering as he pointed at them.

"Boy, what is your name? Perhaps I heard incorrectly."

"Wu Xing Yi."

Elder Yang turned into a bolt of lightning as he appeared next to Xing Yi, snatching a pill out of his hand and latching a hand on his wrist.

"Yi!" Xing Yi exclaimed, shocked by the sudden speed of Elder Yang.

Elder Yang injected his spiritual qi into Xing Yi's body and inspected the pill for its qi signature.

Quickly, his breath stalled and his jaw dropped. The pill he was holding in hand fell to the ground.

"Impossible!!" Elder Yang gasped for air as he gave a shout that shook the very ground he stood on.

 

[bandicoot879]

The word that you are looking for is HongChen(Red Dust) rather than Jianghu. Most xianxia refer to being immortal as transcending the red dust or transcending the mortal world.

Click to shrink...

Thank you for replying. I would change the title but initially, I saw the title "Transcending the Jiang Hu" as a metaphor for going against nature.

If my Chinese isn't too terrible, I think "jiang hu" roughly translates to "mountains and river". I hope that is right and I'm not some western sperg who can't get chinese translations right lol.

The main character goes beyond what others and even he himself thinks he is capable of, going against his "nature", or predetermined fate so to say.

Thank you though, I haven't heard of that phrase before.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 54 – Impossible Genius
​

He Yazhu was quite proud of himself. He carried himself with a confident strut, his head high and his shoulders back. Often, he would find himself giggling at how all the common disciples without a teacher would reel back when they saw tendrils of his fire spit out.

When he was born, he was determined to have an Origin-grade fire compatibility. Not just that, he was born with only two spiritual roots!

He was said to be the hope of his clan. All his relatives would dote on him, and the patriarch made special attention to him to ensure his growth.

When he turned twelve years old, it came time to join a sect.

Of the Eight Great Sects, his first choice was the Nine Nirvana Sect. Their fire cultivation technique was renowned all across the Long Tang Cultivation region. They were also the most ancient and well-established sect amongst them all. They had a legacy of over two-thousand years and two-nascent soul seniors.

And they were the only sect to have two nascent-soul Great Protectors!

But when Yang Tie, a peak Core Formation senior heard of his Origin-grade fire compatibility, he offered him to become his disciple as long as he had a Grade Four pill refining talent.

He Yazhu agreed and it was to both of their surprise that they discovered he had a Grade Six talent!

It had only taken him eighty-two attempts to successfully refine his first pill!

To clarify, there were ten grades of talent. It was determined by how many attempts until one could refine the basic, Grade One Qi Gathering Pill that contained all the fundamentals of pill refining.

It tested a combination of their focus, presence, instincts, wisdom, and perception.

In order from Grade One talent to Grade Ten it went:

1000, 750, 500, 250, 100, 75, 50, 25, 10, 5.

As for if a cultivator could successfully refine a pill on their first attempt?

That was just myth.

Some people just weren't naturally talented with pill refining. Furthermore, one's ability to manipulate fire became significant once one wanted to refine pills of Grade Two and higher. Without a high Fire Compatibility, the most they could do was refine Grade One pills.

When Elder Yan first found He Yazhu, he would've thought it be heaven-defying if he had even a Grade Four pill refining talent. Instead, he had a Grade Six talent that was even higher than his own!

He Yazhu had high hopes for his disciple and treated him as if he was his own son!

Everyday, he imparted all that he knew about cultivation and had a smile on his face whenever he saw him. His master piled endless praise upon him and it seemed that with his talent, there would be no point in having other disciples because it would be a waste of time to not be teaching him!

One day, once he broke through to early Foundation Establishment, he would be able to inherit his master's legacy technique and all his secrets that he didn't tell even his own peers!

Having two spiritual roots, he didn't worry about his chances of breaking through and spent his days diligently cultivating, waiting for the day he would inevitably inherit his secrets and legacy technique.

This legacy technique had been passed down by his master's master, and he would do the same for his own disciple. Every night, he dreamed of this mystical legacy technique and craved the day he would learn it.

He never doubted if he would inherit this legacy technique. Because he was his only disciple.

But one day, he was in the middle of closed-door cultivation when his master sent him a transmission talisman, telling him that he had to come to him now as a matter of urgency.

He spoke with an excited voice that was very unusual.

Confused and slightly worried at the same time with a strange sense of foreboding, he stopped cultivating and flew over on a red cloud of fire. Their residences were not far away from each other, and he arrived at his master's Hall in just a couple of minutes.

When he saw smoke coming out of the underground chamber's chimney, he raised an eyebrow. Why would his master call him while he was in the middle of pill refining, or he was seemingly about to start doing so?

He walked inside and down the stairwell that led underground.

The underground chamber that his master refined pills in was one-hundred feet deep and had a chimney on its roof that allowed the smoke to escape to the surface. It wasn't a thick stench that clogged your lungs as the wood he used was a special type that he imported directly from another elder that owned a Spirit Tree Farm.

It had a sweet fragrance that kept one wanting to smell it more and more. It was especially addictive.

As he came down the steps of the stairwell and into the chamber, its stone walls completely laid bare, he was shocked at what he was seeing.

Sitting in front of a red cauldron with the picture of a golden dragon on it, Xing Yi had his palms laid upon it, his eyes closed in meditation.

Was Xing Yi… pill refining?

He almost couldn't believe it at first as he halted in his steps but as he felt the distant qi fluctuations from the cauldron with his spiritual sense, he confirmed this to be true.

"Master, what is happening?" He Yazhu asked, gulping.

His master was in a squat position, hovering in mid-air as he closely observed with an incredulous expression on his face. He was like an excited little kid looking at a cool toy he had seen at the shop. He grinned from ear to ear as he watched, his eyes shining brightly.

Why was his master acting like this?

He came to the side of the cauldron and watched on with a weird expression, not knowing what to think.
But from the faint qi fluctuations that he had become very familiar over the past several years, he knew exactly what Xing Yi was managing to do.

He was refining a pill!

And by the time he had this stubborn realisation, Xing Yi had already finished.

Laying at the bottom of the cauldron was a shiny white, spotless longan-sized pill. It was a perfect sphere. As of yet, there was no black cauldron marking on it as Xing Yi hadn't taken the time to imprint it. Nor would he because Elder Yang immediately jumped forwards and grabbed it, eyeballing it with a shocked expression.

"First Rate. Hah! A fourteen year old boy refined a First Grade Qi Gathering pill, I must be dreaming! This is an impossible talent I have stumbled upon!"

Elder Yang jumped around the room like a monkey. Then, he made a proposition that made Xing Yi speechless.
"Xing Yi, you want to become my disciple?"

Xing Yi did not know how to respond as he considered it.

He Yazhu stepped in.

"Master, what are you thinking?!" He Yazhu was similarly shocked and raised a finger at Xing Yi.

His position was being threatened!

"Quiet, stand to the side until I finish speaking with Young Xing Yi here." Elder Yang's voice suddenly turned cold, stabbing daggers into him with a fierce stare.

The hair on his arms raising and a chill running down his spine, he respectfully bowed as he reasoned, "Master, surely you jest. Just because he is able to refine a First Rate, Grade One pill doesn't mean he is fit to be your disciple. He is just an earthly cultivator after all! And what about our face! What would the others think when they realise you have accepted someone who can't even fly."

"I will not say it again." Elder Yang had a solemn expression.

At this, He Yazhu could only back down. If his master was truly serious, he could not interfere. He could only hope that this fool would not be accepted for some obscure reason that his master hadn't taken into account yet!

"Young Xing Yi, this old man is a respected elder at the peak of Core Formation. I am the wealthiest man in the entire sect and everyone is at my beck and call. Even the Great Protector of the sect has to show me some respect!"

"I can offer you insights into cultivation even through the barrier that exists between our naturally opposite styles of cultivation that would rapidly advance your cultivation beyond speeds you could never even imagine. I could mould you into a star. You would be making so many spirit stones that you wouldn't even know what to do with it all."

"And I can offer you protection from Wu Jia. Even if you lose, I will make sure you escape with your life and cultivation intact, even if you lose a little face for me and yourself. In a few decades from now, Wu Jia will be begging you to making him pills and no matter where you go, everyone will be trying to curry favour with you."

"Although you may be talented, without proper guidance, even you with a Grade Ten pill refining talent, would face a few bottlenecks. What else could you want? If that doesn't satisfy you then I don't know what will. Tell me!"

Xing Yi considered Elder Yang's offer in deep thought, his finger laid upon the bottom of his chin. After several long moments of silence, he answered, "Elder Yang, this one will become a disciple on one condition."

"And what is that?"

"You must wait until after my duel with Wu Jia. You can't help me prepare for the duel, nor must you interfere in its outcome. If I die, I die. And If I survive, I will become your disciple," Xing Yi said boldly, a determined look in his eyes.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 55 – Jialing Tribe
​

"What!" Wu Jia almost spat out the wine, his eyes bulging in shock.

Wang Kai smiled awkwardly as he continued explaining, "And now Ge Yifeng has been confined to the Cave of Silence for a full month."

Wu Jia's arm slumped down from the beautiful girl at his side and he placed it on his chin.

He squinted his eyes. "Just how is that possible? Did he use any kinds of tricks?"

"No, he just… beat him up. He had such thick skin that Ge Yifeng's full power Ancestral Technique attack just ricocheted off him, and with just a few moves, he was defeated."

Wu Jia blanked.

"Are you joking?"

"No."

Suddenly, his face of surprise turned into a smirk.

"Hmph, there is no way for someone to gain heaven-defying strength overnight. He must've used a technique that sacrificed his lifespan or summoned a ghost to possess his body in exchange for his soul in the afterlife. Such forbidden techniques will leave him bedridden in just a few short months."

Over a year ago, he had told Ge Yifeng to send out some people to rough Xing Yi up. And now a year later, he discovers that not only were they beat up, but so was Ge Yifeng!

There was a moment of silence as Wu Jia slung his arm back around the girl at his side. He proceeded to flirt with her, immediately forgetting the matter altogether. It was absolutely ridiculous, but Wu Jia didn't feel threatened whatsoever. A mortal was always a mortal. No matter how strong he may get, he wouldn't amount to anything.

Such a little bug posed him no threat whatsoever, regardless of whether or not he used forbidden techniques to gain strength in a short period of time.

---

A day later, Elder Yang, Xing Yi, and He Yazhu had arrived at a particular mountain. Upon it was a small palace. Green vines grew across its walls and its bright red tiles was like a long red dragon.

As soon as the three of them touched down, a loud hearty voice came from inside.

"Brother Yang! You look strangely happy for some reason! Has fellow brother encountered some kind of fortuitous opportunity?"

Elder Yang had been smiling non-stop ever since he discovered his talent. His cheeks were a beat-red, several wrinkles forming at his eyes and cheeks.

"Hehe, Indeed!"

"Yi! We can discuss these matters inside then. Please come inside!"

A several-meter high arching door made out of white marble opened, allowing them entry inside.

With Xing Yi and He Yazhu at Elder Yang's side, they arrived in a grand wooden hall. At the end of it was a raised plaza with a small stairway leading up to it at the front. On it was a low wooden table with silk cushions surrounding it.

Sitting upon two of them were two elderly men who were currently in the middle of what seemed like a boisterous and happy reunion.

Elder Yang pointed to two young men standing at attention in front of the plaza. "You two go over with them and wait. Don't speak unless you are asked to."

He Yazhu and Xing Yi nodded. They bowed before skittering away and joining them in line.

Standing side by side with the other two people, he was able to get a better look of them. The closest to him was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with long-black hair and a calm expression on his face. His appearance instantly reminded him of someone.

It was Lou Zhou, the person who had been defeated by Wu Jia after an "accident" occurred.

Next to him was a handsome youth with short black hair. He had a gentle smile on his face, and his eyes reminded one of gentle ocean waves. They stood a meter apart from each other and silently eavesdropped into the conversation on the plaza.

For over an hour, the three elders smiled and laughed with each other over several matters until they finally got to the heart of the matter.

Elder Ye asked, "Brothers, the reason I have brought us together today is because I have noticed movement in the Western Forest."

"Movement?" Elder Kun asked.

Elder Ye raised an eyebrow at this.

Xing Yi and the other three perked up when they heard this, listening intently.

Elder Ye nodded, "Yes, I have noticed that the Jialing Tribe have had erratic movement."

The two elders gained interest.

"What of those half-bird, half-human scum?" Elder Ke asked.

"The Jialing Tribe inhabit a small, unnamed mountain range and has been their home for hundreds of years now. They are a weak tribe—only having a single member at core formation—but their human-like intellect and their lack of desire to take up territory beyond their small mountain range has allowed them to thrive for hundreds of years."

"However recently, they have moved beyond their mountain range, which is something they have never done before. I haven't done any investigating myself, but I suspect this is because a natural wind treasure has been born!"

The other elders were surprised.

"A natural born wind treasure? Such a thing couldn't be any higher than grade-one. Otherwise, one of the Jialing would've absorbed it themselves. What is the point?" Elder Yang asked.

"Hehe, I do not gamble that the wind treasure is any higher than a grade-one at all Brother Ye, it would have no use on any of us, nor would it sell for a great amount. Our cultivation is too high for it to be of any use. But as for our disciples… that may not be the case. If they were to ever find themselves in a difficult situation, they could use it to fly away at speeds several times faster than any flying sword. They could protect themselves against a life-threatening attack with a barrier of wind, or split their enemy apart with a blade of wind."

Elder Ye explained.

Hearing his explanation, the two other gained interest.

"Of course! This one was a fool for thinking that everything was about him! It is best to leave this for someone of the younger generation. Not only would this wind treasure act as a good reward, but it would allow them to experience the outside world and strengthen their martial spirit!"

"As one rises in cultivation, their martial spirit becomes more and more important to their progress. A strong martial spirit can be nurtured through life-and-death experiences in the outside world and strange encounters that test if they are worthy. Their qi will flow more naturally, and they will be in unison with the universe! Not just that, but they can break through crucial bottlenecks!" Elder Kun praised the idea, nodding.

At that last part, Elder Ye showed some slight pity and gave a sideways glance to Lou Zhou.

He sighed, "That would be best. This is also one of the reasons I also suggested the idea to Brother Kun. Your first disciple is quite pitiful to see like this. But I found out that-"

Suddenly, they switched to voice transmissions, causing the four disciples to be curious. Lou Zhou's face however, darkened. Xing Yi was the only one to notice his hands scrunched up into tight balls.

A drop of red blood seeped from its grips, causing his eyes to widen in shock.

But the three elders' voices soon returned and promptly called the four of them up.

When Xing Yi came up with them, Elder Kun and Elder Ye squinted their eyes in confusion. What was Xing Yi doing with Elder Yang. They held the question off until later and continued with their introductions.

"Introduce yourselves. Ye Hai, go first," Elder Ye asked them.

"Yes!" The young man with short black hair took a step forward and bowed.

"Ye Hai pay his respects to esteemed elders! This disciple is seventeen years old and at the 7th​ layer of Vessel Cleansing! I practice talisman refining underneath Master Ye, and in the future, will take up my master's stead!" Ye Hai said with enthusiasm.

He took a step back and the next person down the line came forward.

Following in the same fashion as Ye Hai but with less enthusiasm, He Yazhu introduced himself. "He Yazhu pays his respect to Elder Ye and Elder Kun! I am seventeen years old and at the 6th​ layer of Vessel Cleansing!"

Then came Lou Zhou.

"Lou Zhou, 8th​ layer of Vessel Cleansing, 18 years old. This humble disciple greets his wise elders."

That was all.

At this short introduction, the elders felt almost insulted, but once they heard the final sentence, they were satisfied.

And then came Xing Yi.

"Greetings elder. This one's name is Xing Yi. I am at the 9th​ layer of Meridian Cleansing of earthly cultivation and 14 years old. If I defeat Wu Jia, I am to become Elder Yang's disciple!"

"What!" Elder Kun stood up from his seat in shock, unable to believe the words that the boy was spouting.

"Is this true?!" Elder Kun asked Elder Yang with wide eyes.

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 56 – To Travel Into The Unknown
​

Elder Kun sighed.

His arms crossed and his eyes closed, he thought to himself, 'Yang must have gone crazy. He has always been a bit strange from time to time, but I think his age has finally gotten to him. Either that or he is scheming something so far beyond me that even I can't predict what it could be.'

Elder Yang had just explained that Xing Yi was a Grade Nine refining talent and how he had singlehandedly beaten a senior disciple with his bare fists. For the sect, this was good news.

But for the elders, this was not good. Elder Yang had a past history of abusing his power to gain as much advantage over others and squeeze them as much of their money. Once Xing Yi stepped up and took his place, with his additional backing, their pockets would only suffer.

"It seems my eyes betrayed me that day. If I had the chance, I would've sweeped up Young Xing Yi and stopped that menace Wu Jia from even touching a single hair on his head!" Elder Ye praised Xing Yi's talent, nodding his head with an appraising expression.

The revelation of Xing Yi having monstrous talent was a shock for both elders, as they would've never have foreseen a disciple of the sect to have a Grade Ten pill refining talent. Especially not a mortal.

The amount of people who had a Grade Ten pill refining talent could be counted with zero fingers, because there weren't any.

At the back of Elder Ye's and Elder Kun's minds, they heavily doubted Elder Yang's claims and merely thought he was bluffing or making some showing for political purposes. Of course, Xing Yi must have some degree of talent that was at least Grade Five, but beyond that they were hesitant to believe such.

Whatever it was, they hoped they weren't implicated in it.

Elder Kun in particular had his speculations but didn't voice them. He squinted his eyes at Elder Yang in suspicion before breaking the emerging silence with a light cough.

"Shall we return to our previous matter?" Elder Kun smiled, clasping his hands together.

Elder Yang and Ye suddenly came back to their usual mannerisms, and they resumed talking about their disciples' expedition.

Half an hour passed, and they eventually came to a verdict.

"Three days from now, at sunrise, we will convene at the Bottom Carp Gate. From there, our disciples will embark."

With those final words, the elders exchanged some formalities and they promptly left.

As Xing Yi arrived back at Elder Yang's residence, him and He Yazhu were given a lecture from him about the journey they would embark on. The dangers they must avoid, how to interact with others, and pieces of wisdom such as 'not to bite off more than you can chew'.

Then, he sent them off to their residences and told them to undergo a period of closed-door cultivation to hone their minds for the upcoming journey. The day before, Xing Yi had been introduced to a large, furnished house. It had its own dedicated meditation room, guest room, a living room with chairs and tables, and a large courtyard with a raised stone platform for training.

It was within Elder Yang's valley of residence and with a five-minute jog he was there.

Thankfully, Elder Yang raised no questions when he brought the Black Cauldron along with him to his residence and settled in quickly. With his old home destroyed by Ge Yifeng, he wasn't as comfortable as he liked and still dearly missed it.

But like many great cultivators who had come before him, he didn't worry too much about his living conditions and pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind. If it didn't directly affect his prospects of cultivation, it was irrelevant and wasteful to spend time thinking about it.

With these three days and Elder Yang's promise to not intervene with his progress, he was left to his own devices. For the next three days, he revolved his cultivation technique, purifying his meridians of any remnant impurities.

His lucrative use of medicinal pills had left him with many unexpected long nights of cleansing his meridians. A single third-rate pill contained so many impurities that he would be spending as much time absorbing its qi as he was cleansing his meridians of impurities!

If it was a grade-three or grade-four pill used by high level cultivators, they could potentially spend months or even years cleansing themselves of impurities that were caused by a single pill! That is why the quality of a pill mattered nearly as much as it's own effect on the cultivator.

Any old fool could refine a pill. But refining a high-quality pill was a different matter.

But as Xing Yi swiftly progressed in skill, his pills contained less and less impurities until they only contained a slither of them. If he were to create a grade-one Qi Gathering pill and consume it, cleansing the impurities would take him less than twenty minutes!

But there were things called micro-impurities that infested the smallest corners and crevices of one's meridians. These were far less noticeable and took far longer to cleanse than normal impurities. Unless one was attempting a breakthrough or adjusting themselves to a peak state, these micro-impurities would be left alone.

Now that Xing Yi was embarking on a journey where he could face demonic monsters or even die, he began to cleanse himself of these micro-impurities. This could take potentially weeks. But having navigated the Plane of Convergence for hundreds of hours, his inner sense was refined to a very high degree.

In a single eight-hour long session, he purged all these micro-impurities.

On the second day, he further consolidated his cultivation.

However on the third day, he took a trip to an old man who lived in a small house on an ordinary, unnamed mountain.
What would've took a mortal Xing Yi two hours, was instead reduced to a brief five-minute run.

He flew through the air, high above the treetops with each step, and contained his muscles was a hidden strength. As he jumped, he exhaled. And as he fell, he inhaled, preparing his body for the next movement.

He advanced with incredible speed and as he reached the foot of a certain mountain, he climbed up it with a few pulls. The cording muscles of his back and forearm strained as they grabbed the rocks on the wall.

Like a monkey flying amongst the branches, he ran up the side of the cliff with overwhelming power. His grip was so strong, that he pulled out an entire boulder by accident, falling to the ground with a loud smash that reverberated throughout the surrounding land.

Xing Yi winced at this loud sound and stepped back with an apologetic smile when he saw an old man step out with a frown on his face.

"Making a ruckus at a time like this. What do you want?" Que Zhi asked, wrinkles stretching around his mouth, evident that he had just been asleep a moment ago.

The sun was just rising over a distant hill as Xing Yi responded. "Senior, tomorrow I will be embarking into the Western Forest with a few other distinguished disciples. This junior begs for senior's forgiveness if his visit is a disturbance to senior's cultivation, but this one would think it inappropriate to leave without telling you."

A cold breeze brushed over the hill as the warm hue of the morning sun painted Que Zhi's pale, aged face.

The old man smiled. "No, no. I do not mind. That is in fact good news. Very good news! It is due time that you finally gained some experience in that place. I was thinking of sending you off to somewhere sometime soon, but it seems that you have already encountered other opportunities."

Que Zhi stared into the valley below, shadowed by the hill that the sun peeked over from.

"Only through real world experience such as treading through dangerous places like the Western Forest, can your martial spirit be refined. Wu Jia has a strong martial spirit, forged through many victories over his peers and confidence in his own strength. You however, have little compared to him."

"A single victory against a few bumbling kids who still stink of their mother's milk and an idiot who had been stuck at the 6th​ layer of Vessel Cleansing for five years are nothing to him. Although Wu Jia is not a monster like Lou Zhou, he once defeated three disciples of equal cultivation at the same time. And that was a year ago."

Xing Yi grimaced.

"Xing Yi, you have potential. But as of now, your martial spirit is in its infancy. Without refining your martial spirit, you will find Wu Jia impossible to difficult. Not only that, but your cultivation is inferior to his and your technique is years behind. The difference between you is that of heaven and earth."

"But that can change. Right now, time is of the essence. I do not have time to school you about every little weakness he has and the intricacies of every single technique. I cannot coddle you any longer. In this trip into the Western Forest, you must undergo a complete rebirth. Do whatever you can to push yourself to your limit and go beyond anything you ever thought was possible. If you have to, abandon the other three and go own your own journey."

Xing Yi bowed, "Yes, this Junior will do as Senior says."

Que Zhi looked at Xing Yi strangely. "Xing Yi."

"Yes?" He answered, looking Que Zhi in the eye.

"There is a very high chance you will die. If you do, you will be forgotten, and Wu Jia will go onto become great. At the very least, he will advance to Core Formation. If you come back with nothing to show for it, I will kill you myself. I am aging and have nothing to lose at this point so do not test me. Do you understand?"

Xing Yi's replied, his breath heavy and sweat sticking between his clasped hands, "Yes, this Junior will make Senior proud. This one swears on his life that he will be reborn and return as a different person!

Que Zhi's eyes shone as he nodded in satisfaction, "Good! That is the mindset a great cultivator should have!"

Xing Yi smiled, hope filling his heart.

But then, there was silence. Xing Yi sensed that Que Zhi was about to say something very important and thus withheld his words.

Eventually, Que Zhi spoke up with hesitation in his voice.

"Xing Yi, there is something else that I must tell you. It is about Wu Jia. I had been withholding this information for a long time, but I think now is the right time. His origins are… complicated. Only a few people know about his past and to fight him properly, you cannot continue without this knowledge…"

Xing Yi's breath ceased as he hung on Que Zhi's words.

---

The next day, Xing Yi, Elder Yang, and He Yazhu had convened at the Bottom Carp Gate.

Waiting for them was the other elders and their disciples.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Elder Yang announced their arrival with an apologetic smile.

"There is no need for Brother Yang to apologise. Doing this also helps my disciples test their patience. Getting frustrated over a few minutes of supposedly wasted time is a sign that one is unsuited for the path of cultivation," Elder Kun waved it off with an energetic smile.

Again, with their strangely hospitable words, the three elders had a brief discussion before they faced the four disciples before them.

"You four are on your own now! Your objective is to acquire the wind treasure that the Jialing tribe is protecting. At the very least, perform reconnaissance on them. If you aren't able to acquire the wind treasure, try and save us elders face by finding another treasure of equivalent value or worth. However, even if you acquire the wind treasure, you must spend at least a month in the Western Forest. Do not return until then! In case you encounter disaster, we gave each of you a long-rang transmission talisman. Use it at your own discretion. Finally, if you encounter others, let the name of our Bloody Path Sect known!"

AN: Was procrastinating writing TTJH by writing other things...

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 57 - Tongue of Fire​

Travelling down the mountain range, Xing Yi expended little effort to keep up with the other three. While they used qigong, he used the pure strength of his own body.

At one point, He Yazhu voiced sarcastic concern.

"Junior Brother Xing, if you find it difficult to catch up with us, then when it comes time to fight demonic beasts, you might become a burden for the rest of us-"

But when he noticed Xing Yi's smooth gait, that he was still breathing through his nose, and his complexion a gentle calm, he stopped speaking.

His long-red hair fluttering in the wind, he pursed his lips and he harrumphed.

"It seems you do have some skill. Make sure to keep up if you don't want to get crushed underneath the hoof of a demonic beast," He Yazhu smirked.

Just then, Ye Hai spoke up, "Brother He Yazhu, your words are just like your spells–hot fire! This is a team expedition. Hold your tongue or it would spell disaster for all of us."

Suddenly, He Yazhu was enraged.

"What do you mean! I was merely offering advice to a Junior. What; are you just trying to find a way to trade blows?"

Stopping upon the branch of a treetop, Ye Hai came to a stop atop a treetop with one leg. He stood steady as he peered down towards He Yazhu.

"You really are an oaf! I don't have energy to waste on someone like you, not to mention we are already treading into the Western Forest. We can fight when we get back!" Ye Hai crossed his arms before continuing onwards.

"No, fight me now!"

"Shut up!" Lou Zhou interjected with a hiss, blood-red eyes staring back at He Yazhu.

He Yazhu's breath ceased, his fiery temperament melting in an instant.

For a moment he stilled. But then he snapped himself out of it with a turn of his head, avoiding the snake-like eyes of Lou Zhou. He didn't offer a word of apology and spat to the side.

Then, they continued running through the forest, continuing to travel into lands that as they moved away from the groomed plains of the Bloody Path Sect's border, they ran into wild, unkempt jungle with gigantic treetops and small beasts and birds that spied on them as they passed.

However, their tightly-knit formation soon fell apart, conflicting parties finding their presence displeasurable.

They each drifted apart from each other, Xing Yi included, and it was only after a harsh shout from Lou Zhou that they were put back into formation.

None dared test his ire, nor his sword.

Behind the backs of everyone, Ye Hai studied the elusive back of Lou Zhou.

He then sighed, forgetting about the matter as he continued running. Ye Hai merely hoped that everyone would make it out alive, but with Lou Zhou like this…

As for Xing Yi, he circulated his inner qi in silence, allowing his mind to drift away to other subjects. This loud-mouthed Senior Brother was causing him trouble, but he would tolerate it for now. In the future, he would gain redemption from all who had wronged him.

And for an instant, a red flash sparked within the centre of his eye.



Soon, it was the end of the day and the sun had set over even the most distant of hills. Only a vague purple hue remained as the four dusted off their feet and unbound the cloth from their feet.

Somewhere along the way, Lou Zhou had cut down a red-furred boar with green eyes. With a single swing of his blade, the beast was felled and they acquired dinner.

Fire kindling from a campfire and the beast being turned upon a metal rod over it, Ye Hai salivated.

Far from he group, He Yazhu sat in the darkness with a frown. His arms crossed, he tapped his finger against his forearm as he stared at a smiling Ye Hai.

'Ye Hai…you are one pretentious bastard. Right underneath Lou Zhou's nose?'

Ignorant of He Yazhu's inner turmoil, Ye Hai laughed away as he told a story to Lou Zhou and Xing Yi.

"And then my master said," His back suddenly keeled over and he seemingly transformed into a shrivelling old man with dark wrinkles, "'Ye, Become one with the brush, and you shall be one under the heavens'."

Xing Yi laughed, slapping his hand on his thigh. Lou Zhou did too, eliciting a small chuckle.

He Yazhu snorted.

It hadn't even been a full day, yet they were already buddy-buddy with each other!

A vibrant and boisterous atmosphere surrounded the flame, warding against the darkness and enticing the stubborn He Yazhu who sat in the dark, his back against the wood of a tall oak tree as he circulated his qi.

An hour passed, their laughter and words beguiling and disturbing his tranquil meditation.

His previously tranquil lotus-position became animated as his leg became restless, bouncing up and down in a constant, agitated rhythm.

The conversation reached a high and He Yazhu was shaken out of it, now shooting sharp glares towards the group.

Why did he have to speak with these people? He should've just told his master that he wasn't going to go. His time would be better spent training his pill refining techniques and learning to better control his fire.

Soon, He Yazhu reached a breaking point, his head trembling like a volcano that was ready to erupt.

Just then, Ye Hai looked over to He Yazhu and asked with a smile, "Hey, you wanna–"

"Ok!" Yazhu interrupted him with a loud grumble, proceeding to stomp over with loud steps and take a spot next to Lou Zhou. He dropped to the ground with a loud thump. He held his breath as he peeked at Lou Zhou out the corner of his eye. Seeing Lou Zhou's tranquil eyes, he relaxed and breathed out.

"I get it alright! How about we eat now? That thing looks cooked by now." He Yazhu's arms were still crossed as he gestured at the boar with an upward bob of his head.

At this point, the red tender meat had turned a gentle brown with spots of crusty black.

Sitting away from Xing Yi and Ye Hai on the opposite side of the campfire, he looked around, seemingly disinterested in the food before him.

Agreeing with He Yazhu's judgement, Ye Hai pulled the boar off the campfire and brought it onto a large wooden boar he had summoned from his storage pouch. He cut its meat into portioned pieces, preparing its meat with smooth dexterity.

"Do any of you guys want the organs?" He Yazhu asked, lifting his head up from his work.

Lou Zhou stroked his neck, flashing a quick look at the eager chef.

"I'll take the heart," he replied.

Ye Hai nodded, immediately grabbing the liver and dicing it up.

Xing Yi thought about it before also speaking up, "Can I take the liver?"

"Of course Junior Brother Xing Yi."

Then Ye Hai astutely mentioned, "As for myself, I will take some of the sweet bone marrow."

In just a few minutes, he served their plates with fully seasoned meat and their accompanying organs.

"Eat up!"

Everyone was eager to dig into their meal, all except for He Yazhu. He eyed the large tongue at the centre of his plate before he suddenly broke out into a crazed, staggered laughter.

"What's so funny?" Ye Hai asked, raising an eyebrow with a mouth stuffed full of meat.

He Yazhu returned a massive grin, "It's nothing."

Ye Hai stopped chewing when he noticed a break in the porcelain plate in his hands.

"What's wrong with the tongue? Do you not like it?" He asked, looking between He Yazhu and his meal with furrowed eyebrows. For an instant, Xing Yi swore he saw the black-haired youth's mouth curl upwards.

He Yazhu clenched his fists, squeezing a piece of meat between his hands. Ramming it into his mouth, he scoffed the whole steak in one single gulp. In less than a minute, his plate was clean.

But still sitting on his plate was a fat brown tongue.

He Yazhu stood up and dusted off his robes. "I'm off to bed now."

"Hmm? Does Martial Brother not want his tongue?" Shamelessly, Ye Hai crawled over on all fours and picked up the tongue by its end, tilting his head to the side.

He Yazhu turned around and his jaw dropped.

"Could I have it?" Ye Hai asked innocently.

He Yazhu was speechless, perplexed by Ye Hai's boldness.

"You… Heh, yeah. You can have it. I was going to tell you but eating tongue makes me sick."

He Yazhu placed his hands behind his back.

"Really? This little chef did not mean to try and poison Martial Brother. This one was only thinking that if he ate the tongue, maybe his very own would have the strength to hold back his words."

"Martial Brother is truly virtuous! Alas, this one is hopeless. However, he hopes that fellow Martial Brother and an ever wiser friend, would care to give him a few pointers in the near future. Would that be asking too much?"

"No, no. Of course not! Martial Brother is truly precious to me. All you would have to do is ask."

"Thank you. Martial Brother's kindness has given this one much to reflect upon. But for now, this one will return to bed."

The two were all smiles as they bowed to each other.

He Yazhu then retreated into the darkness.

AN:

I decided to make the change to writing a character-driven plot, instead of planning it all out by myself.

I was inspired by Inoue Takehiko after seeing a documentary about him and his creative process as he created his manga 'Vagabond'. From this point on, TTJH is going to be different. I am going to do something that the cultivation genre has never really seen before.

So far, many of the characters--including Xing Yi--were dead. But now, I am going to truly bring them to life and bring you all on a spiritual journey.

I don't know where this will take me, but I know that just from writing this chapter, that it is going to be far more challenging than before. This chapter alone, caused me to contemplate and reflect on each character's true nature. It was a dire inner philosophical battle as I tried to summon and animate these people to life.

And due to that, I firmly believe that this is the best chapter I have ever written so far. Not just in TTJH, but in my entire life.

In the future, Transcending the Jiang Hu is going to transform and blossom into something beautiful.

To all my readers, I thank you for joining me on this journey so far.

This is the beginning of something new.

*bows*

 

[bandicoot879]

Chapter 58 - Dance of Shadows​

That night, Xing Yi was on guard duty.

Meditating to pass the time, while looking around every so often to scan his surroundings, the night passed slowly. The white moonlight illuminating the land, and the kindling embers of the fire now but tiny red specks, a peaceful calm had descended.

However, a loud boom from down the mountain shook this quiet, immediately alerting Xing Yi.

Stumbling to his feet, Xing Yi shouted as he ran over to his martial brothers. "Brothers, wake up! There was a loud boom…"

"Huh?" Xing Yi blinked, only seeing Lou Zhou rousing from his sleep. His Senior Martial Brother didn't even bother to get up from the ground, stretching his arms as he yawned.

"Don't worry about it, He Yazhu and Ye Hai are probably fighting," Lou Zhou mumbled, turning onto his side while brushing some hair out of his face.

"What? Senior, why would they be fighting?" Xing Yi asked, confused.

Just then, memories of yesterday came back to him and he had a nod of understanding.

Lou Zhou mumbled, "He Yazhu is a fool, that's all. And don't go running after them either. You are to stay here."

Just as quickly as he woke up, Lou Zhou turned silent and fell asleep.

His head turning to the direction that the boom sounded out from, he momentarily deliberated. Slowly walking to the edge of the mountain top, Xing Yi cast one last look to his Senior before disappearing down the mountain with Southern Dragon Greets the Sun.

Whistling through the air as he descended, he jumped down several layers of cliffs and large boulders, gradually bringing him to a large clearing where he saw two figures intertwined in a close battle.

One seemingly was made out of fire, a glowing red energy emanating from within their body as they blasted fire from their body at their opponent. Just as fast as one would blink, large spouts of fire would be shot from their body, temporarily lighting up the entire area.

Twisting, daunting shadows were cast from trees of black bark, dancing in rhythm to their deadly dance.

Azure blue skies shined within the eyes of the other person as they effortlessly evaded the burning fire, moving with the wind as they silently observed He Yazhu. in response to his attacks, Ye Hai slipped his hand into a leather pouch at his waist, reaching for aged yellow parchments of paper.

With hidden whispers, golden sigils glistened to life on this paper.

Golden Characters shot out, enlarging to the size of a mammoth.

"Imprint of Earthly Woes"

Retracting backwards like a snake bearing its teeth, He Yazhu lifted a leg as he fell down, sending a powerful kick that released a crescent of red fire to match the golden sigils.

Eroding away the golden sigils like rust to metal, the fire entrapped the golden sigils, dimming its golden light.

Ignoring the battle between fire and sigils, Ye Hai slipped into the shadows outside the clearing, sending a curious look to Xing Yi who sat outside the battle on a lone stone monolith that shot into the sky.

Seemingly disappearing from sight, He Yazhu tsked in annoyance and sent an all encompassing circle of fire as he blasted into the air, surveying his surroundings to find a trace of Ye Hai.

Still, his opponent eluded him.

Landing back onto the ground, He Yazhu snorted fire.

"You're a coward! No wonder Mei decided to pair cultivate with Tan Lei rather than you!"

There was no response. The black shadows remained still, and He Yazhu walked with careful steps as he remained alert for his opponent's next attack. His sharp eyes flickered back and forth as he did.

Suddenly, He Yazhu seemed to have almost stepped off a cliff as he fell straight backwards, releasing fire out the front of him as he did.

Narrowly dodging He Yazhu's fire, Ye Hai appeared from thin air and followed up with an azure shuriken that disappeared into nothing as he threw it, arcing through the air to meet an unsuspecting He Yazhu.

Taking the metal star into the side of his stomach, He Yazhu grit his teeth in pain and stomped on his foot. An infinitesimally small red mark that hid amongst the grass, right below where Ye Hai was standing, was suddenly lit aflame.

Fire spouting in a vertical beam, Ye Hai was set aflame.

But just as soon as he did, He Yazhu felt a strange tightening one of his meridians, as if it was being choked by a fishnet. Looking to the side of his stomach, blood dripped down the side of his leg. A large gash was exposed, his robes having been ripped in half by the shuriken that Ye Hai had thrown at him, that was no longer there…

It had disappeared!

Instantaneously entering his mind's temple, He Yazhu's eyes widened when he noticed a silk-like, almost invisible blue thread, wounding around one of his meridians.

Instantly dropping to his knees, He Yazhu shouted, "I yield! Stop! Release your thread!"

"So I take that as my win?" Ye Hai asked, stepping out from the shadows.

Grumbling, and his head exploding in irate anger, he spat on the ground. "Need I say it again? Release me now! Just because my master is friends with yours, doesn't mean he would be lenient if you crippled one of my meridians!"

Shrugging, Ye Hai released the thread with a wave of his hand. Subsequently, the shuriken emerged from He Yazhu's side, wriggling out from the gash like a parasite.

He Yazhu screamed in pain as it made its way out his flesh, and when the shuriken finally popped out onto the ground, he fell to his side exhausted and drenched in sweat. Wincing in pain, He Yazhu slowly stood back up.

Heaving for air, He Yazhu was exasperated when he noticed that Xing Yi had been watching the whole time.

"What are you looking at!?" He Yazhu growled, snorting hot flame from his nostrils.

Xing Yi smiled, "Nothing. I merely came out to make sure you two didn't hurt each other! Isn't that right, Ye Hai?"

Laughing with his head back, Ye Hai nodded his head in agreement, "Yes! I was originally asking to have witness to our battle but this hot-headed Brother of mine refused! I am grateful Xing Yi came along to take this role. After this battle, our record is 1-1! I finally got revenge for my younger self. At the same time, I'm grateful Brother He Yazhu became egotistical enough to give up his original advantage! Much Thanks Brother He Yazhu!"

He Yazhu's face turned grim. Turning on his heels and sending one last desperate spout of fire at Ye Hai, He Yazhu vanished into the forest.

"Woah!" Ducking underneath the fire, Ye Hai patted his hair, making sure none of it had been burned by the fire.

Peering into the forest, Xing Yi asked with a raised eyebrow, "Is Senior Brother He Yazhu going to come back?"

"Of course. By sunrise he'll be back. That prideful fellow can't even take a single loss. Anyways, let's get back. Every bit of sleep that you can get is important!" Smiling, Ye Hai retreated back up the mountain.

Xing Yi stayed around a bit longer, but after seeing that He Yazhu wasn't coming back, he left too.

The rest of the night passed quickly, and by sunrise, He Yazhu, as expected, has quietly returned.

Not exchanging any words between anyone else, he silently meditated underneath an oak tree, seemingly unscathed and not any worse for wear than the day before.

As Lou Zhou woke up, he gave an appraising look to Xing Yi before shaking his head.

"Alright, let's get going. We still have five more days until we reach our destination! However, we are already a third of the way there. The only problem are the many tribes of demonic beasts and rogue families that inhabit the Western Forest. Past this small mountain pass we are currently on, we will then truly enter the Western Forest. Is everyone prepared?"

---

Moving through the forest with trepidation, Lou Zhou led the group through the Western Forest. His right hand resting on the handle of his sword, his yellow eyes kept a watch for any movement.

The strange thing about him was the illusory, rainbow veil covering their bodies. As if they were incorporeal ghosts, reality bent around them as they moved. Their faces were akin to their reflections drawn across the surface of a lake, long, wavy, and blurry.

This was because of a rainbow-coloured talisman that he had cast on all of them. With it, even Foundation Establishment level demonic beasts wouldn't be able to detect them.

The only way to tell each other apart was the position they held in the formation. He Yazhu was at the back by himself, Lou Zhou leading up front, and Xing Yi and Ye Hai in the middle of the pack.

However, all four abruptly stopped when they heard a deep roar. The sound caused the group to tremble in fear, sweat dripping down their bodies.

It was as if a dragon had descended.