《Heavenly Demon Emperor [Isekai • Xianxia • LitRPG]》 Prologue: A Fateful Duel Something big was about to happen: this many disciples wouldn¡¯t enter the Training Hall for no reason after all, nor would they gather around the raised stone platform and chatter away like newborn chicks. ¡°What¡¯s with the commotion? Is there an event on?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, you must not have heard. Dong Ju is going to be fighting a senior of the fifth layer today!¡± ¡°Dong Ju?¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of the most impressive ones out of the latest batch of disciples, already at the third layer of Qi Refining.¡± ¡°How did he reach the third layer in only two months? Hmm, must be from a cultivator clan.¡± ¡°Right. He¡¯s a branch member of the Dong clan, so he started body-refining before joining the sect. From the beginning, everyone knew he¡¯d follow in his brother¡¯s footsteps, but even his brother waited a year before challenging anyone two minor realms above him.¡± ¡°What about this disciple at the fifth layer of Qi Refining?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ someone called Zhang Fei, I think. Or was it Zeng Fei? I heard from other seniors that he¡¯s just talentless trash - he spent four years doing nothing but cultivating, yet only barely reached the fifth layer despite that.¡± ¡°So Dong Ju is expected to win?¡± ¡°Pahaha, without a doubt. Why else do you think Dong Ju would pick such a nameless person as the first person of the fifth layer to challenge? He¡¯s building up his reputation through consecutive easy wins before moving onto worthy contenders.¡± ¡°Hey man, who are you talking to? You¡¯ve been rambling to yourself for a while now.¡± ¡°Do you not see the senior over¡­ here? Huh?¡± ¡°Tsk, this is why I told you to wear proper safety equipment while doing alchemy. Breathing in those fumes has made you go crazy, see.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I swear, next time I see you refining pills without a mask on¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up! Look, that¡¯s Dong Ju coming over now!¡± A wave of excitement spread through the disciples as the boy of the hour made his appearance; since the outcome of the fight was a foregone conclusion, they had come to make connections with him in the first place. Even those inside the Training Hall uninterested in the fight couldn¡¯t help but glance over. No one would have guessed Dong Ju was thirteen from his outward appearance, already as tall as a grown man and thick of shoulder, likely as a result of the body refining art he practised. His lantern-jawed, fierce-eyed look gave everyone the impression a tiger had entered their midst, and the glimpse of vein-roped hands poking out from his sleeves hinted at the powerful musculature beneath the orange sect robes. Alongside him came his lackeys, their loud voices and coarse laughter better suited to a bawdy tavern than an Immortal Sect. But it was no matter as the Elder supervising the Training Hall only ever interfered if something went wrong during a disciple¡¯s training (and even in those rare cases, the Elder was said to correct the issue and leave without ever revealing their presence). Dong Ju took to the raised stone platform and elegantly bowed towards the crowd. ¡°Fellow brothers and sisters, this Dong is humbled to see so many of you gather for my minor sparring match. As some will already know, I recently made a breakthrough in my Orange Stripes, White Teeth cultivation technique.¡± There were multiple ohhs around him as they understood what he was trying to say. ¡°Indeed, I would have otherwise never dared to challenge a senior at the fifth layer with my paltry cultivation. It was my older brother who suggested I practise my new strength against an experienced partner, hence my challenge against Senior Brother Zeng Fei. Please forgive any inadequacies this Dong may display during the spar.¡± He flashed a charming smile to ingratiate himself with the crowd. Yet his expression gradually wilted as the arranged time for the duel came and went without his opponent making an appearance. Even though Dong Ju remained sullen and silent, his true feelings could be gleaned through his lackeys. ¡°What a useless Senior Brother this Zeng Fei is! How can he give any useful pointers to Brother Dong when he can¡¯t even show up on time?¡± ¡°Haha, too right. I wonder if our Senior Brother recognised his inability to guide Brother Dong and is in hiding right now? I always felt he was the spineless sort after all.¡± ¡°If so, how is his nonappearance any different from spitting on Brother Dong¡¯s face? Since Brother Dong is too kind to do anything about it, how about we ferret out our cowardly Senior Brother? Teach him a lesson on honouring his promises, eh?¡± Comments like these piled on until it was clear as day to everyone there that Zeng Fei should have just taken this one-time beating instead of painting a target on his back for prolonged bullying. Moreover, any doubt that Zeng Fei had simply been running late was extinguished once a half-hour had gone by since the scheduled time. Dong Ju grimaced, appearing moments away from calling the event off and apologising for wasting everyone¡¯s time when a sudden development revitalised the subdued environment. Every gaze in the Training Hall was fixed on the approaching figure. The boy had a nimbus of black curls, and wore sect robes that looked ill-fitting on his slim body. Those who¡¯d previously met Zeng Fei needed a second of squinting to recognise him: although his facial structure was identical to before, the Zeng Fei they recalled had possessed far more scars, acne, and blemishes on his skin, what they would overall describe as ugly; whereas the pale boy approaching them now was merely plain-faced, somewhat handsome even in a delicate, scholarly way.Stolen novel; please report. What was more eye-catching than his changed appearance, however, was his aura. Unlike Dong Ju¡¯s intimidating aura, Zeng Fei gave off such a faint aura that everyone inspecting him immediately dismissed him as a weakling; and yet he continued to carry his head high like an arrogant young master, unfazed by the hostile attention on him. Only when he got closer did one of Dong Ju¡¯s lackeys discover the reason for his diminished aura. ¡°Zeng Fei, you stupid bastard! Where is your cultivation base gone? How can you be at the first layer of Qi Refining when you were at the fifth layer the other day?¡± Like a pack of rabid dogs let loose, the others followed. ¡°The fool must have suffered qi deviation while cultivating. He¡¯s lost everything!¡± ¡°Ai, what an embarrassment of a Senior Brother! If anything, isn¡¯t it time he starts calling us Senior Brothers by now?¡± They barked insults and howled with laughter, yet they may as well not have even been there from the way he ignored them, taking to the stone platform opposite Dong Ju. Dong Ju bowed in Zeng Fei¡¯s direction. ¡°Senior Brother, I¡¯m sorry to see you¡¯ve faced inauspicious events.¡± Although Dong Ju tried to put on a sympathetic face, he couldn¡¯t hide the sneer tugging at the sides of his lips. ¡°Seeing as you¡¯re now at the first layer of Qi Refining, I am perfectly content with putting aside our friendly spar.¡± There were moans from the assembled disciples who¡¯d hoped to witness his power after his recent breakthrough, but Dong Ju addressed these by raising his hands placatingly. ¡°Please understand, my fellow brothers and sisters. It is not that I want to disappoint you, but rather that I cannot bear to bully my Senior Brother in his time of weakness.¡± A loud scoff came from Zeng Fei of all people. ¡°More like I¡¯m no longer useful in building your reputation without my cultivation, you little shit.¡± Dong Ju was momentarily stunned, before his eyes narrowed and voice fell to a threatening tone. ¡°Senior Brother, I didn¡¯t quite catch what you said there. Could you kindly repeat it for your junior?¡± One of his lackeys joined in with cackling laughter. ¡°Brother Dong, this fool Feng must have deliberately shattered his cultivation base to get out of fighting you!¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± another said. ¡°What a craven fellow our Senior Brother is. What guidance could he possibly offer you besides on how to run away with your tail behind your back?¡± Indifferent to the buzzing of flies, Zeng Fei ignored their commentary and met Dong Ju¡¯s gaze without blinking. ¡°Our spar will proceed as arranged¡­ unless, of course, you wish to forfeit.¡± The provocative arch of an eyebrow caused a sharp glint to pass through Dong Ju¡¯s eyes; his square jaw looked to chew over something before setting. ¡°If Senior Brother insists, naturally this Dong will comply.¡± He bowed. ¡°Please, Senior Brother, provide me guidance.¡± Zeng Fei did not return the gesture. ¡°My pleasure, little Dong.¡± He coughed and covered his smile. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I meant Junior Dong.¡± Incensed by this slight, Dong Ju raised his arms into a grappling position; his muscles bunched together and expanded, bulging through his robes. No longer was his viciousness cloaked by polite words or spoken through his lackeys as it lay bare for all to see in his bloodthirsty expression. Zeng Fei, meanwhile, stretched out his arm and expelled bright white mist from his palm. The spectators blinked from the sudden blinding light. When they turned to the stone platform again, they saw that the white mist had not diffused but rather solidified into a peculiar shape. As they watched, the light rapidly dimmed to reveal¡­ was that an animal? The crowd burst into noise as people tried to identify the strange creature in front of them. Donning a silvery-grey coat, it had big, round eyes and a black head with a white mask over the top. Between four and five feet tall, it had a chubby figure and stumpy flippers for arms. Given its beak, the creature was most likely a bird, yet one unlike any they¡¯d seen before. While they inspected the creature, the creature inspected them too, waving its head around in curiosity. With its cultivation at the first layer of Qi Refining, it did not appear threatening in the slightest; if anything, it looked adorable, clicking its tongue and nodding its head like it was happy to see them. Its cuteness tugged at their hearts, making the audience members want to fawn over this newborn chick. Even Dong Ju was thrown off by the creature; confusion overlaying his face, he released his stance. ¡°Senior Brother, what is this thing you¡¯ve summoned?¡± Every pair of eyes there congregated on Zeng Fei, wondering what he¡¯d say¡­ ¡­only to discover he was the most surprised of them all! It took him several beats to swallow down whatever had surprised him. ¡°You know what, whatever.¡± Zeng Fei pointed at his opponent. ¡°Get him, Pingu.¡± At his command, the creature followed the direction of the finger and stared at Dong Ju, who, in turn, steeled his heart to fight; although bemused, he wasn¡¯t in the business of showing mercy against his opponents, no matter how cute and cuddly they were. The creature began to waddle towards Dong Ju with unsteady steps. Dong Ju, meanwhile, glanced towards Zeng Fei and gave a small nod. ¡°While your technique is indeed novel and unfathomable, Senior Brother, don¡¯t hold it against me for¡­¡± As the creature was about to enter his proximity, Dong Ju compressed qi into his arm and fired a vicious blow to its head, giving off the faint image of a ferocious tiger swiping down its prey. ¡°¡­crushing your¡ª¡± Dong Ju was cut off as his vision suddenly spun sideways onto one of his lackeys stood outside the stone platform. Jaw loose and tongue hanging, Dong Ju touched his cheek, receiving a prick of smarting pain on contact. ¡°What the¡­¡± Turning his head back around, his vision spun once more but this time in the opposite direction, witnessing now the stunned expression of another of his lackeys. Before Dong Ju could say a thing, there followed a sharp punch to his gut, causing him to topple over holding his stomach. Another stinging slap followed in his downed position, and another, and another. Every single spectator could see he¡¯d never stood a chance - even when he¡¯d taken the initiative in attacking, the beast¡¯s wings had moved like lightning, resembling a snake ambushing prey. Given the serpentine aura the beast¡¯s wings were giving off, there was no doubt it was using a martial technique, though not one any of them recognised. With the entire Training Hall stunned into silence, the beast¡¯s searing slaps and Dong Ju¡¯s woeful groans echoed, each subsequent hit causing the spectators to wince. Like them, Zeng Fei too was caught off guard by the development: his eyebrows were raised in comic surprise and mouth drooped with shock. But unlike them, it was for a totally different reason: a line of text had appeared in his vision. Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Serpentine Slap has advanced to Level 2! ¡°¡­¡± Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Serpentine Slap has advanced to Level 3! Distracted by these notifications, Zeng Fei didn¡¯t pay attention to the fight until, seconds later, his qi ran out; Pingu¡¯s figure grew hazy, then dissolved into a white mist that returned to his body. Suddenly reminded he was in the middle of a fight, Zeng Fei glanced up at his opponent¡¯s state. Dong Ju was curled into a ball, the blood spattered over the stone tiles revealing how vicious the beating had been. As quiet descended over the surroundings, you could hear Dong Ju¡¯s low sobbing. To anyone with eyes, it was obvious how Zeng Fei had not been content with simply winning and had wanted to thoroughly humiliate Dong Ju; there was no question of his cruelty or his vindictiveness. As this realisation pressed down on Zeng Fei, he felt the world close in around him. What were the chances that anyone here would believe him now if he claimed to have been distracted and simply forgotten to recall the overeager penguin? Well, fuck...
No one tried to stop Zeng Fei as he ran out of the Training Hall; instead, they rushed to get out of his way, fearful that they too would otherwise receive his wrath. There was only one person who acted contrary to this: a strange disciple with long white hair stood by the Training Hall entrance did not seem in the slightest inclined to move for the sprinting Zeng Fei. Given how gaunt and shadowed this disciple¡¯s face was, it seemed unlikely they¡¯d ever get back up if someone were to run into them. To avoid this, Zeng Fei was forced to side-step the disciple to pass by. And while doing so, he didn¡¯t notice how the white-haired individual patted him on the back, a soft and swift touch, nor did he notice the blue Scrying Sprite this gentle touch attached to his body. It followed that he also failed to notice how the sprite¡¯s carefree expression turned ghastly almost immediately; before a full second was through, the sprite had spontaneously combusted out of existence. The white-haired individual, however, did notice. They appeared expressionless for a long moment, before the slightest of smiles curved their lips. ¡°Interesting.¡± Chapter 1: Prove your Worthiness! There was no light this deep into the cave, and yet the hand-shaped impression on the stone wall was clearly perceivable without having to use any qi over the eyes. Zeng Fei had come across it some minutes before, and a few seconds later, he was dead. The original Zeng Fei, that was. The Zeng Fei staring at the imprint now was an Earthling who¡¯d awoken to find that his soul had transmigrated into this xianxia world without ever consulting him about the move. But at least he had access to the original''s memories, which revealed Zeng Fei to have been an orphan who¡¯d been inducted into the Treading Infinity Sect four years ago despite having trash-like talent (the sect recruiter had been one short of meeting his quota and had really needed the bonus that year to pay off his debts). This effectively translated into Zeng Fei being someone with no status, no resources, and no real connections either seeing as he¡¯d spent almost all of his time at the sect cultivating in his room, even then only reaching the fifth layer of Qi Refining. These memories also informed Zeng Fei that the original had believed the palm imprint to be the remnant of a high-rank cultivator¡¯s technique, and it was in desperate hope of comprehending some of its profound power that the original had placed his hand over the imprint. Within seconds he had died, having only obtained the insight that the stone wall was unpleasantly cold to touch. In contrast, the transmigrator had straight-away viewed the imprint in an entirely different light: the hand-shaped depression reminded him of those sci-fi movies where high-security rooms had scanners outside that checked people¡¯s fingerprints and irises before letting them in. The fact that the original had died not-so-subtly implied that he was not on the entry list and should probably bugger off. So he¡¯d done exactly that, making his way out of the cave¡­ ¡­and as a result walking face-first into an invisible barrier at the mouth of the cave. No matter what he¡¯d tried over the subsequent minutes, this barrier had refused to budge; the walls too had resisted his attempts at tunnelling his way out. There was no question of it: he was trapped. As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, he quickly realised there were no food supplies or water in here either. Nor could he shout for help as the invisible barrier seemed to absorb all sound given he couldn¡¯t hear a thing from outside. Anyone else in this position would have crapped their pants by this point, but the original hadn¡¯t worn any beneath his robes so Zeng Fei was safe from this. His first course of action was to yell out the names of all the gods he could think of and beg for their forgiveness, just in case he had offended them somehow and this was their punishment. But nothing came about from this, so eventually he gave up. And so, head aching from repeatedly kowtowing, he decided to finally use his brain to figure out a solution. For one, he knew the original had sauntered into this cave, implying that the barrier had only activated after his entry. Could it be there was a condition he had to meet to be allowed out then? But what¡­? The only interactable item inside this cave, the hand imprint, was a literal deathtrap. Say, though, that it wasn¡¯t actually a trap. Given the xianxia setting, perhaps this cave was the inheritance room of an ancient cultivator, which was to say, A: the hand imprint itself was the test, likely one that scanned his innate talent, and B: he¡¯d already been deemed unworthy and failed. ¡°¡­¡± Zeng Fei glared at the imprint in silence, praying that this was not the case. Surely there had to be another interpretation? Well, if the hand imprint wasn¡¯t the test, then maybe the test was actually to see if he could figure out how to get out of here, ie the cave was an escape room. If so, the hand imprint could very well be a deliberate distraction to take his attention away from the true solution. Meaning that there was probably also an entity watching and grading him right now, akin to the employees at escape rooms, only in his case it was the cultivator equivalent of Jigsaw who was gleefully slurping up the sight of him gradually breaking down. Well, no more, as he¡¯d figured it out. Chuckling triumphantly for them to hear, Zeng Fei applied qi to his eyes and began stalking the cave floors and groping its walls in search of a secret mechanism. In the time it took to eat a meal, he had covered the entire cave and found¡­ nothing! The cave had been swept clean, with not even the odd pebble or patch of moss growth to be found.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. By this point, all Zeng Fei felt was the depression of defeat and the discomfiting sensation of a full bladder; at least one of those was manageable. He was about to go relieve himself in the corner of the cave, away from the eyes of the creep, when an eureka idea occurred to him. In sci-fi films, tech not working or suddenly malfunctioning was a problem that cropped up frequently. Solutions to this ranged from (ordered by most common to most out-there) turning the device off and on again, giving it a smack across the back, and pissing on it. Okay, maybe he¡¯d made up the last one, but hey, at least it¡¯d clear some of his frustration with this bullshit escape room. And so, without further ado, he walked up to the hand imprint and opened up his robes. Revealing his gun to the clammy air, he felt he finally had something to threaten cultivator-Jigsaw with. Accordingly, he adopted the tone of an arrogant young master: ¡°I have shown you mercy so far, but if you keep pushing me¡­¡± There was no response. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll remain polite if you still refuse to reveal yourself¡­¡± Still no response. This was when an intrusive thought wriggled into Zeng Fei¡¯s head and caused him to glance down: could it be cultivator-Jigsaw wasn¡¯t scared because they were looking down on his tool¡­? A surge of anger rushed to his head; although it wasn¡¯t the transmigrator¡¯s true tool, still, how dare they disrespect Zeng Fei¡¯s totally functional and perfectly sized tool? ¡°You! It¡¯s only like this because of the cold air! Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡± Fuelled by fury, his fire hose released with violent pressure onto hand imprint, causing a great deal of splashing. Zeng Fei even had to take a step back to clear himself from the blast radius, shaking his head at the sight. ¡°Sometimes I don¡¯t know my own strength.¡± When finally he¡¯d finished emptying his bladder, he tied the belt back up his robes and wagged a finger in the air. ¡°And if you think that¡¯s all I can do, keep testing my patience and I¡¯ll let you discover firsthand the true extent of my powers.¡± As the last of his words sounded, an arched doorway - visible in the dark in the same way the hand imprint was - burst open next to the hand imprint, startling Zeng Fei. He scampered back in surprise and coughed into the sleeves of his robes at the flare-up of dust. In truth, he hadn¡¯t believed his own wild theories and had just been saying that stuff to relieve his frustration, to get the sense he was getting back at someone; so naturally, he was floored to find out that his crackpot theory was correct. Maybe it was the threats that had done the trick, or perhaps the imprint really had malfunctioned after getting doused from his out-of-the-box thinking. Either way, he couldn¡¯t help but grin from ear to ear at the knowledge he¡¯d solved the impossible escape room! Little did he know that his conjectures had been initially correct, then turned wrong, then become so violently wrong that they¡¯d looped back around and become correct again. Indeed, the original Zeng Fei had stumbled into an ancient Immortal¡¯s inheritance room and awakened the spirit bound there that was in charge of assessing candidates¡¯ worthiness of becoming the Immortal¡¯s successor. As guessed, the hand imprint had been testing him, though not his talent or cultivation but rather his character. The spirit had gained full access to Zeng Fei¡¯s memories the moment he¡¯d touched the imprint, and it had found his character wanting. Orphaned early on in his life, Zeng Fei had been forced to turn to begging on the streets to survive. The daily hardships that followed had tempered his willpower, but also made him timid and distrustful of people. His lucky break would come several years later when a sect recruiter noticed by chance that Zeng Fei possessed spiritual roots, even if they were inferior roots of the five elements - the slowest type to cultivate with and widely considered to be trash. Still, Zeng Fei had managed to scrape through the entrance test and become an official Outer Sect Disciple of the Treading Infinity Sect, even if his talent constrained him to Foundation Establishment at best. The fact he¡¯d reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining in four years in spite of this was genuinely impressive, though less so when you realised his cultivation had been fuelled by a desperate and unfounded fear of being thrown back into his old life, and not out of a conviction to move forwards. These were excusable flaws for a boy of sixteen and understandable given his life circumstances, but they also made him unworthy of becoming the Heavenly Demon Emperor¡¯s successor, which was a role that required the resolve to face up to the entire universe by yourself. The spirit had snuffed Zeng Fei¡¯s life then - to prevent any risk of news about the Emperor¡¯s inheritance leaking before a successor was chosen - while feeling envious that this boy could pass on so easily. Except that he hadn¡¯t¡­ The boy¡¯s memories had shown zero awareness of reincarnation arts, nor had he hosted any additional souls or created any second bodies, so it had made no sense for him to get up shortly after his death the way that he had. This was made all the more suspicious by the fact the revived Zeng Fei had gone on to display behaviour and habits distinct to the beggar boy from before. (One may even go as far as to describe it as wild, audacious behaviour unbefitting of an Emperor, but bloody hell the spirit just wanted to die already, and to that end it was willing to show some leniency to promising candidates.) As the spirit had continued to observe over the following minutes, it¡¯d grown increasingly confident that the revived Zeng Fei shared a crucial trait with the Heavenly Demon Emperor himself, one that few had ever known about but that had also contributed massively to his prowess. The spirit would have liked to have observed for a bit longer to have gone from 90% to 100% certainty on this, but it¡¯d been forced to make an early decision when Zeng Fei had urinated all over the hand imprint and followed up with the threat of revealing the true extent of his powers if it kept dilly-dallying. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t that clean-up was an issue, but rather the fact that the rules governing the spirit forced it to watch everything the candidates did. Yes, everything. It wasn¡¯t allowed to look away for even one moment¡­ Hence, it¡¯d gone with its gut feeling that Zeng Fei, just like the Heavenly Demon Emperor, was an otherworlder who¡¯d transmigrated into a vacant body¡­ Chapter 2: Pulling a fast one on the Esteemed Senior Zeng Fei peered into the arched doorway that had opened up next to the hand imprint, but failed to see anything further as although the doorway itself was visible, everything beyond was totally dark. Until it wasn¡¯t anymore. The torches lining the room ahead lit as one, bringing into view a long corridor. Was the gloomy aesthetic of the corridor a tad suspicious? Sure. And what about the ghastly blue flames dancing on those torches? Naturally. But come on, who in their right mind could resist searching down a secret passageway that had just opened in front of them inside a dungeon? Probably a lot of people, to be honest, but it¡¯s not like Zeng Fei had anything else to do here. So after a few beats of gathering his resolve, he took his first step into the corridor. To his relief, nothing happened. A few tepid steps followed, and still the ground did not give way to a spiked pit, nor did a boulder abruptly teleport behind him, announce ¡°omae wa mou shindeiru¡±, and start barrelling towards him. And so Zeng Fei allowed himself to relax a little, the deafening thuds of his heartbeat no longer building towards a heart attack. At the corridor¡¯s end, he found a doorway leading into a massive hall that too was lit by ghastly blue torches on its walls. The hall itself was split into two halves, one half peculiarly empty as if to provide stark contrast to the other half further on that looked to be a private library, occupied by row upon row of bookshelves, each one stuffed to the gills with time-worn scrolls. Whoever it was that owned this place, their view on health and safety was all too obvious from the way they¡¯d recklessly placed countless torches with naked flames next to stacks of flammable material. Still, Zeng Fei wanted to get on their good side, so he did the polite thing by remaining in the doorway and calling out. ¡°Hello, is anyone here?¡± ¡°Why, yes.¡± An answer came immediately from beside him, giving him half a heart attack. Zeng Fei threw his gaze sidelong to realise a figure had been next to him this entire time, only unseen until now due to its complete lack of presence. It looked to be a wise and kindly old man, though not entirely human as it was also eerily translucent and lacked legs with everything below its torso appearing fog-like. Since it was the wrong genre for a genie, Zeng Fei figured this had to be the spirit of an ancient cultivator. Protagonists in cultivation stories always obtained their spirit advisers early on, who came in one of two flavours: either the sage-like grandpa from ancient times who¡¯d gift the protagonist with a long-forgotten legacy, or the pretty girl (who regardless of her true age would act like a teenager) that had been betrayed and was hiding from some celestial power. Realising this was his lucky break, Zeng Fei bowed deeply towards his future spirit adviser. ¡°This junior greets Esteemed Senior. I profusely apologise if I disturbed your rest.¡± ¡°Ohoho.¡± The spirit adviser twirled its long white beard in its fingers. ¡°Do you know who I am, child?¡± ¡°¡­No?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ huh, that¡¯s strange. I thought you would know.¡± The spirit adviser was caught afoot (no, not literally) by Zeng Fei¡¯s evident confusion. The question it¡¯d asked was to make certain this child was an otherworlder (and not simply funny in the head) before passing on the Emperor¡¯s legacy, and passing on itself. Normally, the most reliable way of doing this would have been to scour Zeng Fei¡¯s memories, but that wasn¡¯t possible here as the spirit adviser knew that bodies only contained memories made in this world; as for how otherworlders were able to access their past-life memories in spite of this, the spirit adviser had no idea. Either way, this meant it¡¯d have to tease out Zeng Fei¡¯s true nature through questioning, the most efficient way being to ask a question that only an otherworlder could answer and which the spirit adviser could also verify. It just so happened the Emperor had always attributed his oracle-like foreknowledge of how events would play out to his status as an otherworlder. Hence, the spirit adviser had believed Zeng Fei would be able to identify it despite meeting it for the first time. Zeng Fei, meanwhile, saw the frown on its face and quickly gathered that the posed question must have been another test. If he didn¡¯t want to end up like the original, he¡¯d have to pull a rabbit out of his hat pronto. ¡°Wait, Senior.¡± He placatingly raised his hands, palms facing out. ¡°Although I profess a lack of knowledge about Esteemed Senior¡¯s identity, I do have some rough ideas. If you¡¯d allow me to voice them¡­¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Eager to give him another chance, the spirit adviser gave an encouraging nod. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Okay, so I¡¯m thinking spirit adviser, Immortal¡¯s legacy, uh, betrayed by someone close to you, far weaker than original state, either critically injured or poisoned, uh, finding a worthy successor for a forbidden or long-forgotten ability, what else um¡­¡± The spirit adviser raised its hand to stop him. ¡°Good, good. You have proven yourself worthy of inheriting the Emperor¡¯s Legacy.¡± Zeng Fei¡¯s eyes widened, somewhat surprised his strategy had worked so well but more so that the test had been so short. It caused a doubt to crop up in his mind. ¡°Um, Esteemed Senior, I apologise in advance for my ignorance, but what exactly did I prove just now?¡± The spirit adviser appeared to be in no mood to entertain him, however, as it floated away to the centre of the empty half of the hall. ¡°Never you mind your little brain about such profound and esoteric matters, child. What matters is that I have found you worthy.¡± It paused. ¡°Though, that being said, your body is absolute trash and could never hope of inheriting the Emperor¡¯s technique.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then again, the same could be said about the Emperor¡¯s body back in those days. Which is why the first step of his technique is to reforge the user¡¯s body into something higher quality, into the sole Immortal Physique capable of cultivating the Emperor¡¯s technique.¡± The spirit adviser beckoned towards Zeng Fei. ¡°Come here now. Oh, and remove your clothes if you¡¯d like to use them afterwards as the body forging ritual can get messy.¡± Since it was common for cultivators to release bodily impurities in the form of black sludge whenever making big breakthroughs (especially for those practising body refining techniques), Zeng Fei did not find its comment strange, and he took off his robes in the corridor. In normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t have been self-conscious to be nude, but since the spirit had already called his body trash (mind you, without any need to either), he feared it¡¯d make another pointed remark now. As such, he figured he¡¯d play it safe. Teeth clattering, Zeng Fei rubbed at his arms while shivering. ¡°Brr. It sure is cold in here. Is the heating not on?¡± The spirit adviser glanced at him in confusion. Given the plethora of lit torches, it would have thought a human like Zeng Fei would have found the temperature to be toasty if anything, not cold. ¡°You know, I can practically feel my blood vessels constricting,¡± Zeng Fei continued, as though he hadn¡¯t seen its strange look. ¡°Brr, I feel like judging anyone¡¯s body in these conditions would be an unfair assessment.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Brr, so freezing. Brr.¡± ¡°Just come this way,¡± the spirit eventually said with palpable exasperation. Zeng Fei chuckled to clear the tension. ¡°Of course, Esteemed Senior, of course. I was just muttering nonsense to myself. Pay me no mind, haha.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Inexplicably, Zeng Fei¡¯s ploy had somehow backfired and seemed to have lowered the spirit adviser¡¯s assessment of him, causing him to internally grumble that its expectations were too high if it genuinely believed the stuff it¡¯d seen online were realistic depictions. Naturally, he didn¡¯t dare voice any of these thoughts aloud, and was all smiles on the outside as he went over to the indicated spot. Once there, the spirit adviser left him and began inspecting the empty floor, though Zeng Fei couldn¡¯t tell what for even after using his qi-enhanced vision. Not knowing how long it would take, he figured he may as well gather some information while waiting. ¡°By the way, Esteemed Senior, I have yet to hear the Immortal¡¯s name whose technique I will be inheriting.¡± ¡°Ah, my apologies, child - I must have forgotten to mention it in my hurry. In his time, my Immortal Master was known as The Heavenly Demon Emperor.¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time it was Zeng Fei¡¯s turn to go silent. He chewed over his thoughts for a bit, worried they¡¯d offend the spirit, but all the same felt he had to ask now before things went any further. ¡°You mean like the Heavenly Demon Emperor? The big baddie that everyone bands against in every story ever.¡± The spirit adviser waved aside his concern. ¡°Ohoho, of course not.¡± Zeng Fei sighed in relief. In truth, he knew he had little reason to worry as there was no mention of the Heavenly Demon Emperor in the original Zeng Fei¡¯s memory, which suggested that the Immortal couldn¡¯t have been the big baddie in this universe that his counterparts were in other stories the transmigrator had read. It¡¯d just been momentary panic out of fear he was in for a bad deal. Besides, the term ¡®demon¡¯ in xianxia stories referred to demonic beasts, which were better described as animals capable of cultivation. So the title ¡®Heavenly Demon Emperor¡¯ was really referring to a ¡®Heavenly Emperor¡¯ who just so happened to be a demonic beast, as opposed to someone highly skilled in Devilish Arts. This made Zeng Fei curious. ¡°So what is the name of the technique I will be inheriting, Esteemed Senior?¡± ¡°Are you worried I¡¯m tricking you into a bad deal?¡± the spirit adviser asked, flustering Zeng Fei with the startling accuracy of its guess. Thankfully, the spirit adviser didn¡¯t seem offended as it chuckled on seeing his reaction. ¡°Do not worry, child. The technique you are about to inherit was once the envy of the entire world, a legendary technique known as the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Forget a bad deal, he was in for the worst deal of all time. Knowing that he¡¯d be hunted from all corners of the globe if he allowed this ritual to proceed, Zeng Fei tried to move away, but to his dismay found that he couldn¡¯t; his entire body, bar his head, was frozen in place. ¡°Esteemed Senior, please wait! You know, I¡¯m having second thoughts about this whole thing. In fact, I don¡¯t think I can follow up on the Immortal¡¯s legacy after all - there¡¯s too much of a culture mismatch, you know.¡± The spirit adviser must not have heard him over its loud humming, in which time the petrification spread onto Zeng Fei¡¯s head as well and muted him. Finished inspecting the floor, the spirit adviser returned to him and gave a gracious smile. ¡°Well, thank you for waiting patiently, child. Like I said before, you don¡¯t have to worry, because everything I¡¯ve told you has been the truth; in fact, I am forbidden from speaking falsehoods to the Emperor¡¯s successor.¡± For some reason, Zeng Fei did not feel any relief from this assurance; instead, he got the feeling he¡¯d just been hoodwinked by a master conman. ¡°So yes, while it may be true that the whole world did band together against my Immortal Master, know that it was all because of a big misunderstanding, honestly. My master wasn¡¯t a big villain of any sort - ohoho, he would have laughed like so if he heard anyone accuse him of such.¡± The spirit adviser clapped its hands. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s not waste any more time. We¡¯ve got a ritual to get through. Ohoho.¡± Chapter 3: Sacrifice your Body for the Ritual Zeng Fei, frozen in place, watched as the spirit adviser directed a sliver of qi into the floor ahead of him. It spread across the ground in thin, well-defined lanes, spreading within seconds to the corners of the empty half-hall. Only now could Zeng Fei see what the spirit adviser had been inspecting earlier on, for it turned out there had been an invisible ritual diagram drawn on the floor. Now activated, the diagram glowed bright azure and revealed itself to be exceedingly complex, composed of a dense scatter of wayward lines that didn¡¯t appear to amount to anything further. Zeng Fei held this thought for half a dozen beats, when suddenly the lines began to squiggle as though alive. With jerky motions they were moving closer, fusing together, standing up, circling him. Astonishment filled him at the sight of these finger-sized figures that¡¯d taken on recognisable forms. Amongst them were countless penguins of different species, their flippers raised towards him as though they were worshipping him (or, alternatively, requesting alms); over there was a polar bear stood upright on its hind legs with its arms crossed and giving him a look of contempt; in the air flew a parliament of graceful snowy owls; closer to him, two arctic foxes cackled to themselves over an inside joke, most definitely concerning his big toe; and onto his feet came boinging a pod of walruses who promptly laid down. And these were merely the ones he could see; he could sense many more entities out of view. This was when he heard a voice resound in his head, its sheer presence threatening to make him fall unconscious. ¡°Unto my successor, I leave the culmination of my life¡¯s workings: the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Truth be told, I did not know what to name my technique when I first came up with it, hence the somewhat unfitting name that I chose, connected more to my Daoist name than anything to do with the technique itself. You see, long before I had become the enemy of the world, people used to mock me by calling me the Heavenly Emperor due to the fact that I led around Emperors and Kings, beings that were sovereigns in their own right. Some detractors went even further then by slanderously claiming I was a Demon, using the company I kept as proof while wilfully ignoring the fact that I was as human as any of my detractors. All the same, this was how my - then shameful - identity as the Heavenly Demon Emperor came into being. Their mockery abruptly stopped, however, once they experienced the power of my Heavenly Demon Divine Art firsthand. Ever since then, they only ever uttered my name with the gravity it deserved. Still, these small-minded folk feared my speed of growth and soon had the entire world rallied against me using a myriad lies. Even with my loyal companions by my side, I was nonetheless one man against the realm, and so I was unable to achieve my potential. But blessed are you, my successor, for you shall inherit everything that was mine and more. Let the entire realm tremble under your name, for you are my successor, the new Heavenly Demon Emperor! In return for my power, all I demand is that you never hide your identity as my true successor, my revenge come incarnate, so that all those who shamefully slaughtered me may feel the same terror that once plagued me. (The one exception is if my creditors are still kicking around and come knocking. In that situation, please inform them you have no connection to me, and that you are merely a fan who made up these grand claims to convince the public you are my true successor. A fool is he who underestimates the marvel of compound interest, I tell thee.)¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The last word hung in the air for a moment, acting as a signal for the ritual to start in earnest. Zeng Fei¡¯s very cultivation base began to seep out of his body towards the waiting animals, causing their forms to solidify. His cultivation rapidly fell from the fifth layer of Qi Refining to the very start of the first layer, his body weakening as the animals feasted on him. Yet still the penguins continued to wag their open bills towards him as though demanding more; the polar bear snorted and refused to even look at him anymore; the owls pecked at his shins; and the foxes nibbled on his toe; as for the walruses¡­ well, the walruses continued to lie there, but if you looked very closely, you could see they were not best pleased about the shoddy room service. The animals¡¯ collective suction force was so powerful it seemed Zeng Fei¡¯s entire life force would be drained by their voraciousness, devouring him before he ever got the chance to practice the technique. What saved him from this fate were a few uttered words. ¡°Take the rest from me.¡± The countless critters snapped their heads as one to register the spirit adviser¡¯s presence for the first time, lips being figuratively licked. No further encouragement was needed for them to start absorbing the spirit¡¯s cultivation, the effects of which were visible from the way the spirit¡¯s figure faded with each passing beat, reflected in reverse in the animals. As for why this technique needed to cannibalise its practitioner¡¯s cultivation base, it was a fundamental rule in the universe that the more powerful a technique was, the more difficult it would be to cultivate it - this was why the most powerful techniques were always reserved for characters with protagonist-like traits as only they possessed the borderline masochistic levels of pain tolerance to be able to cultivate them. The Heavenly Demon Emperor had not been about that life (he was more of a vanilla guy himself), so he¡¯d gone with a different design philosophy from the start. Instead of having insane difficulty during cultivation, he¡¯d moved as much of it as possible into the entry requirements. The result had been a one-of-a-kind technique that required you to sacrifice a Nascent Soul¡¯s worth of cultivation base in order to reconstruct your body into the sole Immortal Physique capable of cultivating this technique. When the animals¡¯ hunger was finally sated, their glow had grown so radiant that their original forms could no longer be distinguished in the blinding azure glare. The animals waddled, bounced, and skipped into Zeng Fei¡¯s body, each entrance adding another pang until he was under pain so excruciating that his brain was forced to shut down. Each entrance also caused his body to inflate more and more as it absorbed spiritual energy multiple times its maximum capacity. An indeterminate amount of time later, his innards had been thoroughly shredded, bones shattered into thousands of pieces, and his body was ripping at the seams everywhere, on the precipice of bursting like a flesh balloon. But it didn¡¯t, held together in one piece by a mysterious force. And finally the absurd amount of spiritual energy inside him began to expend, his body deflating as organs were reformed, bones recast and hammered, blood vessels and meridians relaid over flesh like gory circuitry. With the bodywork complete, every bit of remaining spiritual energy was directed towards a microscopic hole that had formed in Zeng Fei¡¯s lower dantian. This appeared no different from any other imperfection in his body given he was only a Qi Refining cultivator who hadn¡¯t practised body refining techniques. Yet, with each passing beat, this hole expanded, only stopping when it¡¯d requisitioned half of his lower dantian for its purposes. Here, it stabilised into a transparent bubble, and then clouded over until it became impossible to perceive what was going on inside. By this point in the ritual, Zeng Fei¡¯s body had returned to its original human form and lay still on the cold stone floor. His gentle frown seemed to indicate he was going through restless dreams. The spirit adviser made a gesture and caused the scrolls on one bookshelf to float towards Zeng Fei, where they waited for their turn to go up and touch his sleeping body like they were paying respect to a deceased relative. Whenever they made contact with his body, the information stored inside them in the form of ink was slurped up like noodles by the cloudy bubble, at which point the scroll would spontaneously combust into ashes. The spirit adviser mediated this process and cleared the ashes in between each turn. The ritual would continue until it had gone through every scroll on every bookshelf - although each scroll took a second at most, the entire process would last hours from the sheer number of scrolls stored here. The information stored in them made them the most valuable thing the Heavenly Demon Emperor had owned and, indeed, the the very reason he¡¯d become public enemy number one. Chapter 4: 🐧 When Zeng Fei awoke, he stared at the stone tiles that made up the ceiling in a daze. It took him several minutes to come to terms again with his transmigration into this world and the ritual he¡¯d been forced to undergo. At least he felt like himself still. As for the Emperor¡¯s strange words that lingered in his mind, Zeng Fei wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of them. Then again, they didn¡¯t matter too much to his present situation. Sighing, Zeng Fei rose and enrobed himself. When he took account of his surroundings, he was briefly stunned to find the densely packed bookshelves empty now. Did their disappearance have anything to do with him? Unlikely, he concluded, seeing as they had nothing to do with the ritual. The spirit adviser was sure to know, yet that old man spirit was nowhere to be seen. This was doubly bad as Zeng Fei needed the spirit to explain exactly what the ritual had done to him; while it may be a cursed inheritance he had received, the inheritance of an Immortal was still bound to come in handy if he knew how to use it. ¡°Senior Spirit.¡± He used his fawning tone as before, hiding his true sentiment on the trickster spirit, ¡°Oh Esteemed Senior. Are you still here?¡± There was no response, but when he scanned from side to side, something did catch in his vision for a split second. Squinting hard, he swivelled his head to try and experience that glimmer of light once more, gradually honing in to the edge of the bookshelf nearest to him. There, an ethereal presence lingered; the spirit adviser looked as though it¡¯d been rubbed out by an eraser, leaving only an outline and residual colour. It was not until Zeng Fei moved directly in front of it that the spirit adviser noticed him, raising its head. ¡°Oho, I hadn¡¯t realised you¡¯d awoken, Little Master.¡± Its voice had become hoarse and feeble, matching its almost transparent figure. When Zeng Fei tried to respond, the spirit adviser spluttered violent coughs over him. ¡°Little Master, the truth is I don¡¯t have much time left, so we must hurry in teaching you the basics. First, observe your dantian. There, you shall find the core of the Emperor¡¯s Divine Art.¡± Curiosity piqued, Zeng Fei scanned his body using his paltry divine sense - now that his cultivation had regressed to the first layer of Qi Refining - and discovered the opaque bubble in his lower dantian. When he touched its border, his consciousness was pulled into it and brought inside the world existing within his body. At the snap of a finger, he found himself amid breathtaking white terrain. It was an ice sheet, he realised after several seconds, a nival zone. There was also a hyaline lake, arctic-blue, on the edge of this domain space. The total area couldn¡¯t have been more than that of a small warehouse, and yet he was rendered speechless by the knowledge - from the original¡¯s memories - that stable internal spaces like this were exclusive to extremely high-ranking cultivators, not at all something a Qi Refiner like himself should be able to host. Moreover, the internal space should have just been empty space for storage, akin to those found in storage pouches, not inhabitable space like this. Indeed, the hot penny of a sun in the sky alluded to a day-night cycle, and the faint spiritual qi in the air implied that people could comfortably live here. It also appeared this domain space was independent of his body, as proven by the freezing ambient temperature which in no way reflected his soul. Zeng Fei had just taken in this wondrous sight when the spirit adviser appeared beside him. ¡°Welcome to your domain, Little Master.¡± Unlike him, whose teeth were clattering and body shivering from the unreasonable temperature, the spirit was faring far better in here as its figure appeared more stable and solid than outside. Zeng Fei¡¯s thoughts on the matter were interrupted then by a cry that sounded like a donkey braying with constant clicks, prompting him to turn around. His jaw dropped. Covered in silver-grey plumage, the newcomer had a black head with a white mask on top, and black button eyes that were locked on him. Its chunky huggable body did not distract him from the fact that it was also freakishly big, at most a foot shorter than him. The chick began to waddle towards him, meanwhile Zeng Fei turned to the spirit adviser with a look of disbelief and pointed. ¡°T-that¡¯s a penguin¡­¡± ¡°Ohoho, Little Master, that he is. A member of the legendary Blackcoats, the Emperor¡¯s elite infantry, once feared the world over. To think I¡¯d live to see¡ª¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying,¡± Zeng Fei hurried to clarify. ¡°I¡¯m asking why is there a penguin inside me?¡± The spirit adviser gave him a concerned look. ¡°He is your spirit beast, Little Master. Were you not paying attention to Master¡¯s last words, when he said he was given his title because of the Kings and Emperors he commanded?¡± ¡°Emperor¡­¡± Zeng Fei took another look at the penguin and noticed that it was indeed a baby Emperor Penguin, if a ginormous one. For some reason, he¡¯d thought the whole polar theme until now had been an aesthetic thing, not once having considered the animals he¡¯d seen to be combatants. His thoughts were put on hold as the giant plushie waddled into proximity and stopped before them. It tilted its beak and studied Zeng Fei¡¯s appearance for a long moment, its beady eyes shining with curiosity. It summed up its assessment by pointing its beak to the skies and giving a trumpet-like note. This made Zeng Fei look upon it more fondly, pleased that it had good taste in judgement.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. When the penguin then came closer and reared its head towards him, he scratched behind its neck and brushed at its soft down feathers. It wagged its head a few times until it had shaken off his hand, then pecked at said groping instrument. ¡°Ow! What¡¯s that for?¡± His positive assessment of the penguin had lasted all of ten seconds. ¡°He¡¯s peckish,¡± the spirit adviser answered, watching as the penguin waddled away towards the lake. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s not dally, Little Master. With my remaining lifespan, I must teach you the two most important things about the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. First, will yourself to leave this domain.¡± ¡°Wait, hold on. Are you sure you can¡¯t just stay in here and extend your lifespan that way? I mean, you look far more hale in here, so¡ª¡± Zeng Fei stopped as the spirit adviser gave a chest-wracking cough and disappeared from in front of him. Swallowing down his annoyance, Zeng Fei followed suit and willed himself out of his domain, returning his consciousness to the real world. The slight stiffness in his muscles implied that his body must have been frozen still in that pose while he¡¯d been inside the domain, meaning that the version of his body in there must have been a creation of his consciousness. ¡°Now, Little Master. The first thing is the method of cultivating using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Here, repeat as I say.¡± In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the spirit adviser drilled into Zeng Fei¡¯s head the oracular formula that he¡¯d need to chant while cultivating. When he tried it out, he noticed how the spiritual qi in the air drew to his breath and entered his body where it could be refined; although it was too early to say, this method seemed considerably more efficient than the technique the original had been practising. Once this was done, the spirit adviser informed him on how to summon his spirit beasts to fight for him. ¡°Now, please go ahead and try it out, Little Master.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re certain I need to do it in a passionate voice? Like I can¡¯t just do it normally, or even mumble it under my breath.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way Master always did it, so it must be. Think of it like a tradition - while it may be somewhat strange, it¡¯s also part of your lineage so no need to feel embarrassed performing it. Ohoho.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Zeng Fei closed his eyes and grumbled as though he was convincing himself to give it a shot. In truth, he could hardly contain the joy at being able to live out his childhood fantasy, the long-repressed chuuni inside him surging up. As such, when he reopened his eyes, he thrust his hand out as if lobbing a P***ball and yelled out dramatically. ¡°I choose you, Emperor Penguin!¡± ¡­ Nothing happened. ¡°Ohoho, Little Master. You must specify who exactly you mean.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± So he had to name his minions. There was one that immediately came to mind because of the penguin¡¯s size, but unfortunately it felt unsuitable because of the difference in species. And so, thinking strictly of Emperor Penguin names, it wasn¡¯t long before he recalled one from a cartoon he¡¯d watched long ago as a kid; one that felt fitting too seeing as how his minion had the cheekiness to peck at its very own master on first meeting. Once more he thrust out his hand and yelled at the top of his lungs. ¡°I choose you, Pingu!¡± His qi burst out in white threads and formed a blindingly bright penguin silhouette (in case the animators wanted to have an ad break here by asking ¡®Who¡¯s that P*****n?¡¯), before fading away to reveal the newly-named penguin. Startled by the sudden change of surroundings, Pingu glanced around, then shook his body vigorously to flick the freezing water off his feathers, getting it all over Zeng Fei who recoiled away like a cat. ¡°Fuck, fuck. Fine, go back.¡± The water-sprinkler did not disappear on command, however, and only went once the spirit adviser had explained to him that he needed to mentally draw the penguin back into his domain, almost like reeling in a fishing line. This was simple enough, but required a few seconds of focus due to his unfamiliarity with the motion. This was when he noticed how expensive the summon had been. Not only had materialising Pingu¡¯s form required a large amount of qi, but maintaining his presence in the real world had drained Zeng Fei¡¯s qi every second on top of that. At most, he¡¯d last a minute before running dry¡­ Talk about a criminally expensive PAYG plan! The spirit adviser clapped its hands in delight. ¡°How wonderful it is to see that Master¡¯s Divine Art has been properly handed over to the new generation. Now, this humble spirit can finally pass on with no regrets.¡± ¡°Woah, woah, woah, hold on,¡± Zeng Fei spoke with alarm, fearing that the spirit would once again disappear if he didn¡¯t act fast enough. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot more things to ask about. Before anything else, what¡¯s this about the whole world banding against the Emperor? I mean, won¡¯t they just do the same against me the second I summon Pingu?¡± ¡°No need to worry about that, Little Master. In truth, the Immortals banded against Master because he kept ambushing them whenever they left their nests. Eventually, he didn¡¯t even care about that anymore and moved onto raiding the sects themselves.¡± ¡°I thought he said they¡¯d been jealous about his growth rate¡­¡± ¡°Well, he was facilitating his growth by raiding them, so he wasn¡¯t lying.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zeng Fei felt like cursing himself for thinking that the spirit adviser¡¯s fondness for telling its version of the truth had been a standalone personality trait, and not a habit it¡¯d directly picked up from its master. ¡°I thought you said the Emperor wasn¡¯t a villain, and that it¡¯d all been a misunderstanding¡­¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, it had been a misunderstanding. He had no interest in their lives, and only wanted to take their techniques - not even take, really, just to read them. But who would have thought they¡¯d feel so touchy about sharing their work that they¡¯d collude against him like that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Disgraceful behaviour, I know, Little Master, but that¡¯s the reality of the cultivation world. Either way, you won¡¯t have to worry about getting recognised as most of Master¡¯s detractors died in the final confrontation; and the few who survived went onto purging every mention of him to hide their shameful conduct.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re certain that that¡¯s why they purged him from the history books, not for any other reason? Because to me it feels like the Emperor might have done a bit more to have earned such an extreme response.¡± ¡°Ohoho, you jest, Little Master - Master¡¯s growth was all the justification they needed to react like that. It¡¯s a tale as old as time itself for incumbents to engage in anti-competitive behaviour against promising newcomers who threaten to surpass them in the industry. If only there had been an antitrust agency to keep these bad actors in check, Master would have gone on to realise his plans of conquering the world and bringing in the Golden Age.¡± The spirit gave a heavy sigh. ¡°But alas.¡± So not only had the Heavenly Demon Emperor engaged in wanton IP theft, he¡¯d also genuinely been planning on world domination?! At this point, Zeng Fei was only surprised that the other sects hadn¡¯t got around to dealing with him earlier. The spirit adviser continued: ¡°If anything, Little Master, I would caution you more against hiding the Divine Art than displaying it. The Master hated meekness, so it¡¯s likely he engineered a mechanism into the Divine Art to punish you if you dare hide your status as his true successor. Then again, not even he thought it would take this long to find a worthy successor, so maybe you¡¯ll be punished anyway if no one around recognises the technique.¡± ¡°What?! How would he even know that? Isn¡¯t he dead?¡± ¡°I was not privy to the workings of the Divine Art, but I do know it had multiple astounding functions unseen in any other technique, including something that organised his troops autonomously to save him the effort of doing so manually. Perhaps that entity also observes your behaviour, but I unfortunately I don¡¯t know any more.¡± Zeng Fei pondered for a long period before speaking. ¡°Honestly, I feel like I can¡¯t unpack most of what you¡¯ve said until I get a good grasp of the art itself. So before you go any further, could you explain all the functions of the Divine Art that you do know of.¡± ¡°Of course. At once, Little Master.¡± The old man avatar of the spirit adviser smiled gently and nodded, hiding its true intentions. Now that it¡¯d activated the formation underlying this room, there was no longer any turning back. Chapter 5: The Golden Finger, Mr Spirit Adviser After the Heavenly Demon Emperor¡¯s demise, his surviving Divine Artefacts had argued feverishly over who would carry out his final order of choosing a successor for him; and once their words had failed to convince one other of their respective worthiness, they¡¯d been left with no choice but to battle over it. The loser of the subsequent rock-papers-scissors tournament had ripped out a fragment of their consciousness to create the spirit adviser, preferring a permanent loss to their strength over taking up the boring role of waiting an eternity for a suitable candidate to show up. After choosing a successor, the spirit adviser was supposed to replenish its spent lifeforce in the successor¡¯s domain, in there taking up a mentor-like role to the successor, true to its name. But the solitude of many millennia had caused the spirit adviser to desire death over everything else, even if this was an impossible wish due to the rules it was governed by. These rules also required it to listen to all commands from the successor, which the spirit adviser could not risk the Little Master learning of - already he had stopped addressing it respectfully, subconsciously having degraded it from superior to equal, so how much longer would it be before he stumbled on the fact that he was in fact the superior? In such a scenario, he could very well command it to take refuge in his domain and force it onto life support against its wishes. Now that he¡¯d asked to hear the functions of the Emperor¡¯s Divine Art, this was the do or not-die moment. Nor would the timing get better than this as the spirit adviser was currently at its weakest having officiated the ritual, and would soon pass away naturally if left alone. As for how it planned to accomplish this, well, it just so happened that while the rules cast on it were rigorous, they had never been play-tested in a real-life situation before. Hence, there existed loopholes that the Divine Artefact had never thought to consider. For example, one rule prevented the spirit adviser from ever intending harm on the Little Master, while another obligated the spirit to sacrifice itself if necessary to save the Little Master from danger, together ensuring that the spirit adviser would act as a proper guardian to the Little Master. And the spirit adviser took this role very seriously. ¡°So, Little Master, one of the primary functions¡ª¡± Zeng Fei¡¯s ears perked up at the noise of a deep rumbling, sounding like tectonic plates grinding against each other. Alarmed, he started scanning his surroundings like a meerkat, causing the spirit adviser to look at him oddly. ¡°Are you okay, Little Master?¡± ¡°Did you not hear that?¡± The spirit adviser showed a blank expression. ¡°Hear what?¡± Only then did Zeng Fei glance up at the ceiling; and his heart dropped. What he had believed to be square tiles on the ceiling were actually massive stone blocks stuck together¡­ and the one directly above him was prominently bulging out as though it was sliding out from its foundations. His mind flashed the image of his body being crushed into a mash of flesh and bones. His eyes expanded wildly at the surge of adrenaline, yet he couldn¡¯t move, frozen in fear; and so he watched the creeping approach of the stone block, staring so hard that he saw his very death written on its underside. And then the stone block slipped free of the ceiling, plunging through the air. Its looming shadow enveloped his body, its figure growing until it had encompassed the entirety of his vision. Suddenly Zeng Fei felt something wrench his vision from its fixed perspective, his body being shoved away as though someone had tackled into him; this shock force must have kickstarted his senses too as he could finally move again. Then came the peal of thunder from the stone block crashing into the floor, like an ordnance strike mere inches away. Shaken, Zeng Fei rose to his feet unsteady and saw what had saved him: there, trapped beneath the stone block, was the torso of a translucent old man, the rest of his body gruesomely crushed as made clear by the spirit¡¯s agonised expression. Yet, despite the pain it was under, the spirit adviser was screaming something towards him that he couldn¡¯t make out: a vacuum had opened up in his ears after the explosion, leaving his ears with a faint ringing and nothing else. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The spirit must have realised this as it stretched its hand towards him and released a sliver of qi into his body. Soon after, Zeng Fei could perceive the furious pounding of his heartbeat and, if he focused with all his effort, he could even make out what the spirit adviser was trying to say. ¡°The ritual must have strained the foundations of this room - the whole place is caving in! You have to escape, Little Master! Get out of here now!¡± Zeng Fei¡¯s mouth gaped open and shut like a fish out of water, trying to speak but finding the words to do so out of reach. ¡°You must survive, Little Master! Continue the Emperor¡¯s legacy! I beg you, don¡¯t let my sacrifice be in vain! Run, run for your life before the whole place collapses!¡± Hearing this, Zeng Fei glanced up and spotted multiple other stone blocks slipping from their foundations. No longer did his mind bother to think; he was running before he even knew it, his legs taking charge to flee the imminent danger. Every explosive crash behind him further invigorated him until he was sprinting at speeds he didn¡¯t know he was capable of. Within no time he was out of the corridor, into the dark cave, tripping off something but catching himself on the wall, running still, then finally leaping out of the cave towards safety. Only then, gulping down breaths, did he dare to pause and look behind, whereupon he saw the rocky facade of the mountain. The weathered rock had weeds growing in its cracks, no different from the surroundings. As for the cave entrance he¡¯d just exited? Gone. Gone with it were the violent noises he¡¯d been hearing, in its place the whispers of the wind and the bleating of a distant goat. Although the life-threatening danger had passed, his brain was too flooded with adrenaline for him to be able to pick apart what had just happened; it took many minutes of him standing there, staring blankly at the rock facade, for cognisant thought to return. And the first thing he thought of was the image seared into his brain: the translucent old man¡¯s pained and flushed expression, legs brutally crushed by that boulder of a stone block. Traumatic, yes; and now baffling. After all, Zeng Fei could have sworn the spirit adviser never had legs to begin with¡­ so what exactly had it been trapped under there? Zeng Fei¡¯s expression crumpled into a frown, then twisted into outrage as he realised the trickster spirit had gotten him again. How else was it possible the spirit hadn¡¯t noticed the stone block sliding until the very last moment when its senses were many times stronger than his? Or how come none of the stone blocks had shattered on impact with the ground, and caused him collateral damage? In fact, none of the bookshelves had been hit either while he¡¯d been in there, meaning no wayward splinters stabbing into him. And how come the crashing sounds had vanished the second he¡¯d exited the cave? Yes, that was a function of the invisible barrier set up by the entrance, so what a coincidence that said barrier hadn¡¯t been there to block him from exiting this time, yet had popped back up immediately after to prevent re-entry. All the signs pointed towards the spirit adviser acting in defiance of its assigned role and getting rid of him. In fact, it¡¯d rushed through the entire inheritance process from the start as though it was a just chore to get over with. In the end, it hadn¡¯t even bothered explaining the basic details of the legacy it¡¯d forced onto him¡­ What kind of terrible after-purchase service was this?! By this point, Zeng Fei was so incensed that he forgot all previous decorum and strode up to the rocky facade, threateningly waving his hand. ¡°Hey, you piece of shit spirit. Open this cave entrance right now! I fucking command you! You hear me?¡± The sole response he got was another bleating, sounding closer this time. Zeng Fei turned in that direction and saw a mountain goat peeking at him from behind an outcropping, bleating again as if asking him what all the ruckus was about. For some reason, this only infuriated Zeng Fei more. Over the next half-hour, an inordinate amount of cursing, complaining, and crying left his mouth before he finally gave up, unable to force the spirit adviser to show up. In truth, this was the best thing he could have done as the spirit adviser had not heard a single thing he¡¯d said. Immediately after he¡¯d ran out of the cave, it¡¯d rushed into a secret room it¡¯d built long ago with the specific purpose of being noise-cancelling. There, it had laid itself to rest in its coffin and prepared to peacefully pass away, comforted by the memories of pulling wool over the Little Master¡¯s eyes repeatedly, indulging in the occasional ohoho. The loophole it¡¯d taken advantage of was a simple one: although the spirit was unable to intend harm upon the successor, there was nothing stopping it from using its powers to place him in a dangerous situation with the intention of saving him before any actual harm befell. And if the Little Master just so happened to misunderstand the situation and run away with his tail between his legs, then what ever could the poor spirit adviser do, abandoned by its own master? At least the spirit adviser could be content it¡¯d accomplished the function it¡¯d been created for; even its trickery had been an extension of this, giving the Little Master a very practical lesson on how crafty old foxes would run circles around spring chickens like him if given the opportunity. After all, although otherworlders indeed possessed esoteric knowledge on how people would act and how events would develop, the Heavenly Demon Emperor himself had admitted that placing too much reliance on these beliefs was no different from begging for a nasty surprise. Now having shown this to Zeng Fei firsthand, the spirit adviser could only hope that he would glean the right lessons from this experience (and not the wrong one that it¡¯d tricked him solely to get rid of him or any other shallow reasoning like that). Chapter 6: Beware of 🐍 With no choice but to give up on his golden finger, Zeng Fei made a tactical retreat down the mountain, intending to return when he had a higher cultivation that could break through the barrier. He couldn¡¯t tarry here as one look at the sun informed him it¡¯d been hours since he¡¯d first entered the cave, meaning his arranged duel with Dong Ju would be starting soon. To prepare for such an event, the original Zeng Fei would have been best served sparring against other disciples, but what could he do when the only people he could ask - the friends he¡¯d made during his time at the sect - were nowhere to be found once he¡¯d been challenged by Dong Ju? In this, it could be seen that their connections with him hadn¡¯t been deep, better described as acquaintances than friends, hence their unwillingness to be associated with him while he was being targeted. This was why the original had entered the Crooked Mountain, which was sect-controlled territory containing weak demon beasts, under the belief he¡¯d at least get some combat experience here which was better than nothing. And how had that gone? Not great. The demon beasts here ranged from the first layer to the third layer of Qi Refining as these grounds were only intended for new disciples to gain their first proper combat experiences. And although the original was a newbie in terms of combat experience, the same could not be said about his cultivation base at the fifth layer. Hence, it followed that the demon beasts here wanted nothing to do with him; the only experience he¡¯d gained so far was chasing down a handful of first and second layer beasts that¡¯d been too slow to flee in time. Because of this, the original had been anticipating a humiliating defeat in his fight with Dong Ju; the transmigrator felt no different about his prospects, worse even seeing as that the ritual had taken his cultivation, the one thing he¡¯d had going for him. Still, despite this, neither of them had entertained the idea of avoiding the duel for a simple reason. Dong Ju had already challenged several third and fourth layer disciples before Zeng Fei, none of them worthy contenders but rather filler to prop up his record. One of the first ones to be challenged had known how one-sided it would be and, out of a desire to not be thrashed in front of his peers, had gone into hiding after receiving the challenge. And his reward for such an ingenious ploy? When he¡¯d made his return, Dong Ju¡¯s gang of goons had harassed him for weeks on end, in total dishing out many times the punishment the poor sod would have received if he¡¯d just shown up to the fight; his friends hadn¡¯t been spared either, leading him to be ostracised even after it was all over with. So while the transmigrator didn¡¯t like the idea of taking a beating, it was still preferable to being bullied by brats for weeks on end, hence his reasoning for returning to the sect in a rush. He made good progress, quickly clearing the mountain and proceeding through the plains, which was when he ran into a problem. From the long grass over a dozen metres away slithered out a Green-horned Python, its murky-yellow serpentine eyes locked on him. These pythons were a common sight in the plains and one familiar to the original Zeng Fei who¡¯d caught one earlier today. Lacking venom, they killed their prey by using their speed to coil around their victims and asphyxiating them to death. They could also use the finger-sized horn on the top of their head to stab if given the opportunity. What this meant was that as long as you kept your distance or had the strength to break loose of their hold, the Green-horned Pythons were relatively easy creatures to deal with. But there were two problems with such a laidback assessment right now. One, this demon beast was at the peak of third layer Qi Refining; although it was two metres long and chunky, with that kind of cultivation there was no question it¡¯d be able to rapidly strike once it got close enough and have him dead before he knew it. To have lived long enough to have achieved third layer, it clearly possessed a strong survival instinct for when to hide and when to strike. Two, Zeng Fei was by himself and had a cultivation base at the first layer of Qi Refining, i.e. he had the strength of a critter but many times the meat of one. In light of this, it should be no surprise the python was brazenly approaching him when, to it, he must have appeared like multiple rabbits on a silver platter. Given the unfavourable matchup, Zeng Fei was about to leg it when suddenly he got a strong sense of deja vu from this situation. It made him curious whether the P***mon response would work. Well, there was only one way to find out. He pointed ahead of the serpent and shouted: ¡°I choose you, Pingu!¡± The sudden flash of light caused the serpent to halt its approach, fearing it to be an offensive technique. However, as the light faded to reveal Pingu - an animal possessing not prominent muscles or large claws but a little beak, a chunky, fluffy body, and no cultivation base - the serpent dropped its caution and advanced. What especially frightened Zeng Fei was that the penguin hadn¡¯t even noticed the python yet, still busy appreciating his surroundings with a wandering gaze and carefree chirps. Zeng Fei screamed in panic: ¡°Pingu, look, goddammit. You¡¯re about to be attacked!¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. By now, he was regretting summoning Pingu, partly because the penguin seemed about as useful in this situation as a soleless shoe, and partly because he¡¯d begun considering Pingu as his pet and therefore felt terrible for putting his baby in harm¡¯s way. This wasn¡¯t P***mon after all! How was Pingu, a baby penguin (albeit a humongous one), supposed to know how to fight when he couldn¡¯t even do the basic task of identifying threats in front of him? But since he¡¯d been summoned so close to the Green-horned Python, there was no time to unsummon him either before¡­ ¡­the snake attacked, launching with blistering speed towards its oblivious prey. Its mouth spread wide, baring cruel serrated teeth. Only then did the baby penguin notice its presence and attempt to face it. But it was too late. Chomp! Sinking its teeth into Pingu¡¯s belly, the snake whipped the rest of its body up to coil around him, aiming for the neck. The penguin did manage to swing its wing into the snake¡¯s head where it was biting him, but this looked no more effective than if Zeng Fei had personally come up from behind and tried to tickle the snake off. Or so Zeng Fei believed until he saw the snake¡¯s airborne body shoot behind Pingu and harmlessly dump to the ground instead of coiling around. The Green-horned Python appeared indecisive for a moment, its head still latched onto the chubby belly, before releasing its jaws and falling down too. Fear turning to exultation, it dawned on Zeng Fei how powerful Pingu must be for his weak-looking smack to have dazed the Green-horned Python into retreating. Where human cultivators utilised qi by storing it in order to fuel powerful techniques, demon beasts utilised it by directly deploying it across their bodies, effectively buffing themselves; this meant that demon beasts possessed significantly more powerful bodies than cultivators their same level (barring those trained in body-refining techniques). But it seemed spirit beasts were a tier higher still; no wonder the Emperor¡¯s Blackcoats had been feared throughout the lands back in the day! And like so, the transfiguration was complete: Zeng Fei, the boy once known as Pingu¡¯s biggest doubter, took off his mask to reveal he¡¯d actually been Pingu¡¯s biggest believer all along, mirroring every sports fan ever witnessing their team kickstart the comeback of dreams. ¡°Get him, Pingu! Fuck him up! Show him who¡¯s top dog! Woof woof, that¡¯s you! Come on!¡± The snake, however, had no interest in watching the comeback narrative play out as it made to rapidly slither away. Although Pingu managed to place one unsteady flipper onto its body before it escaped, this was not for long as the snake¡¯s frantic attempts to flee caused him to slip and fall face-first onto its body, landing a finger¡¯s breadth away from goring himself on its horn. Although the snake violently squirmed and lashed its tail in a bid to escape, it had to contest with Pingu¡¯s full body weight and his¡­ bobbing head? Zeng Fei watched with a knotted-up forehead, unsure what the hell was going on down there but giving Pingu the benefit of the doubt seeing as the penguin had brought things around before. Zeng Fei¡¯s prayers were answered a dozen beats later when the snake¡¯s struggles devolved into shuddering, before then stopping altogether. Noticing then that his qi had dropped to 30% capacity, Zeng Fei hurried to unsummon the hungry hungry penguin before he was drained any further. He then cautiously moved closer to the Green-horned Python, relaxing only when he was certain the snake was dead. Blood oozed out of nasty puncture marks on its tube-like body, finally making sense of Pingu¡¯s head bobbing - the penguin had been pecking the snake to death during their tussle on the ground! The main reason Zeng Fei had gotten closer to the snake was to check if it had a demon core, a valuable component that demon beasts formed under certain conditions. He wasn¡¯t surprised to find that the Green-horned Python hadn¡¯t had one given how exceedingly rare they were at the Qi Refining stage. Having confirmed this, there was no reason to stick around, so Zeng Fei quickly continued on his way to the sect. He calculated that if he ran there without taking breaks, he¡¯d be able to reach the Training Hall in time for the duel. Fortunately, he wouldn¡¯t have to stop to refill his qi tank through meditation as he¡¯d naturally reabsorb enough spiritual energy on the way simply through breathing - a small blessing from having his cultivation base reset and his qi capacity drastically shrunken. He was excitedly anticipating the duel now. With how easily Pingu had dispatched the Green-horned Python, Dong Ju, who was also at the third layer of Qi Refining, would stand no more of a chance. It would also be a good opportunity to pay respect to the original whose body he had taken over: and what better way was there than by dealing with the bully who¡¯d kicked off the chain of events that¡¯d led to the original¡¯s demise? Zeng Fei couldn¡¯t wait to give that little thug a taste of his own medicine.
Unbeknownst to Zeng Fei, the reason Pingu had been bobbing his head earlier wasn¡¯t simply because he¡¯d been pecking the Green-horned Python to death but because he¡¯d been fishing inside its body. Guided by instinct, the penguin had pierced the correct spot and pulled out the serpent¡¯s marble-sized demon core unnoticed. There had been no hesitation in swallowing it. Whenever demon cores were used in alchemy, they were always ground up and mixed with other ingredients to prevent the large amount of turbulent qi inside them from damaging the users of the resultant medicinal pills. That was to say that directly consuming a demon core was a stupid idea, and other cultivators would only laugh at your idiocy if they heard that¡¯s how you¡¯d died. Even other demon beasts tended not to eat the demon cores of their prey due to how dangerous it could be. The consequences weren¡¯t as bad for spirit beasts, whose bodies were solely made of qi, but still, there was no question that Pingu would gain indigestion from this and learn an important lesson on why you should not swallow random pieces off the street. The demon core itself would eventually be expelled from his body. Or at least that¡¯s what should have happened under normal circumstances. Instead, the demon core embedded itself inside Pingu¡¯s body and raised his cultivation to the first layer of Qi Refining. This fusion was then acknowledged by the domain, which responded by imbuing him with esoteric knowledge. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Pingu had finished meditating on this newly attained knowledge (done so in his usual pose standing upright, not in a lotus position), and attained several insights. His wings gained a flexibility previously unseen, moving smoothly through the air, then lashing viciously like a snake lunging out from the undergrowth; they became like fangs, his body emanating the aura of a serpent eyeing you up, preparing to pounce. As Pingu practised this technique, the spiritual energy inside the domain began to diminish, causing it to draw more energy from Zeng Fei¡¯s dantian. If not for the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Zeng Fei would have noticed that his qi was accumulating far slower than it should be, almost as if there was a drain in the system somewhere. But as he was, he was too occupied imagining the scene of him giving his bully a good old-fashioned face-slapping to pay attention to anything else. Chapter 7: The System within the Cultivation Art Zeng Fei returned to his hut in a hurry, and activated the sealing formation on the door to lock it behind him. When joining the sect, Outer Sect Disciple were all assigned a hut of their own, fit with minimal furnishing and basic kitchen implements. Although the Treading Infinity Sect could have easily provided more, this was deliberately done to encourage disciples to provide value to the sect and earn any further furnishings they may want. Typically, this meant completing sect missions, which earned you contribution points that could be exchanged for items, or finding other ways of directly earning spirit stones, the primary form of currency in the cultivation world. The fact that Zeng Fei¡¯s hut still very much looked as it had done when he first received it four years ago spoke volumes to how the beggar boy had been content simply to have a roof over his head and a bed to lie on; outside of the completing the odd compulsory sect mission - from which he¡¯d earn the credits to meet his frugal day-to-day living needs - he had spent the remainder of his time stubbornly cultivating. It was plain to see why those around him had labelled him as a cultivation maniac, jealous of his willpower to be so committed to the path of cultivation but also derisive that he¡¯d only attained a mediocre fifth layer of Qi Refining despite all his effort. And now even that was gone. Zeng Fei ignored the memories attached to this place and went over to the rough-hewn bed. He laid down and entered his domain. Pingu, staring blankly into space, noticed his presence at once and began to approach him. The blood on the penguin¡¯s wings was gone, and the site where the serpent had sunk its teeth had healed up. But Zeng Fei¡¯s attention was on something else. ¡°So you actually are at the first layer of Qi Refining! How? You definitely had no cultivation base right before the fight.¡± The reason this was so shocking was because going from being a mortal to the first layer of Qi Refining was a lengthy process, requiring you to learn how to draw spiritual energy in with your breath and exhale impurities, as well as requiring you to open your meridians so that spiritual energy could circulate through your body. When these two conditions were met, you would be classed at the first layer of Qi Refining, which was also why Zeng Fei had not reverted to being a mortal even after his cultivation base had been consumed by those critters during the ritual. Zeng Fei rubbed Pingu¡¯s head and was glad to be spared from a pecking this time. ¡°Brr, brr,¡± the penguin said, enjoying the headrub. ¡°What do you mean you didn¡¯t do anything?¡± Those two criteria were certainly not things you could accomplish while standing around, so clearly something had to have happened. It took many minutes of questioning for Zeng Fei to realise that: one, although Pingu had high intelligence for a penguin, he was nonetheless a chick and was clueless what Zeng Fei meant by cultivation; two, even after simplifying the question, Pingu claimed he hadn¡¯t done anything besides eating the Green-horned Python¡¯s demon core and some ¡®stuff¡¯. ¡°Wait, hold on¡­ you ate the Green-horned Python¡¯s demon core?!¡± Eyes gleaming, the penguin proudly nodded. ¡°Spit it out then!¡± The penguin gave him a weird look. It was only after much back-and-forth that Pingu obliged, trying to retch out the demon core, though to no avail. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t explode or anything. And from now on, please don¡¯t gobble up demon cores just because you can.¡± ¡°Peep, peep.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t make any promises?! Why not? I¡¯m being serious, you know - doing that is going to kill you sooner than later.¡± But the penguin was unconvinced, so Zeng Fei rolled his eyes and gave up, figuring he¡¯d just have to snatch up any future demon cores before Pingu got the chance to gobble them. ¡°And where did you learn that martial technique you were using? I could have sworn your wings were giving off a snake-like aura in the fight.¡± A few cheeps, many clicks, and two toots later, Zeng Fei stared at the penguin exasperated. ¡°What do you mean it just came to you? That literally makes no sense¡­¡± Zeng Fei rubbed the tension out of his brow. Who would have known that questioning his own minion would be this bloody hard? If only there was a more convenient way of doing this. Suddenly his eyes widened, the answer coming to him. Back when Pingu had been slapping sense into Dong Ju, notifications had popped up in his vision mentioning that Pingu¡¯s Serpentine Slap had levelled up, disappearing shortly after. In the heat of the moment, Zeng Fei had not known if he was hallucinating from overexerting his qi or something, but now on reviewed his memories, he was almost certain those had been genuine and not a figment of his imagination.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He thought back to the webnovels he¡¯d read and wondered how they made the System overlay pop up. ¡°Status.¡± Nothing. ¡°Profile?¡± Nothing. ¡°Uh, options?¡± Nothing. ¡°I don¡¯t know, notifications log?¡± Finally, the translucent overlay showed up with a log of its previous messages. Seeing that the word Pingu was in bold, he pressed it. The screen changed to Pingu¡¯s Status. Pingu Race: Emperor Penguin Cultivation: First Layer Qi Refining (50%) Demon Cores: Green-horned Python (Third Layer Qi Refining) Strength: 10 Agility: 6 Constitution: 8 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 2 Perception: 7 Martial Techniques: Serpentine Slap (Mortal) - Level 3 Why did Pingu have a status screen, and not him? And what did those stats mean? If only there had been somebody here to explain it all to him¡­ Grumbling curses under his breath at the bastard spirit adviser, Zeng Fei pressed the Cultivation row. True Cultivation: n/a Artificially Gained Cultivation: First Layer Qi Refining (50% progress) from Green-horned Python Total Cultivation: First Layer Qi Refining (50%) Ah, so it wasn¡¯t that the demon core had activated something inside of Pingu and allowed him to attain that cultivation, but rather that the demon core itself was providing his current cultivation base. Well, a demon core was somewhat analogous to a dantian inside a demon beast, so by that logic, it wasn¡¯t outlandish that swallowing one would give Pingu the cultivation stored inside it. But why only part of it then? And what was the 50% progress about? Pingu had said earlier that he¡¯d sensed the presence of this demon core when he got close to the snake, and that he¡¯d felt an instinctual need to consume the core once he¡¯d dug it out of the snake¡¯s body. As far as Zeng Fei knew, this was not ordinary penguin behaviour, so he could only guess that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was influencing this behaviour. Moving on, Zeng Fei pressed the demon cores row next. Max Capacity: Third Layer Qi Refining Current Demon Cores: So consumed demon cores provided Pingu with not only a cultivation boost but also stat bonuses. These stats didn¡¯t appear random either as they matched up with the python¡¯s strengths as a constrictor snake. Unfortunately, any tactic of endlessly feeding demon cores to Pingu was off the table due to that max capacity figure. Worse still, Zeng Fei had no clue how it¡¯d been determined seeing as there was no other information provided. A dropdown of options did come up when he clicked on the Green-horned Python¡¯s core itself, but the options were all blank except for two: Fuse and Eject. Fuse was greyed out, so that was a no-go, whereas Eject looked normal. Curious, Zeng Fei pressed it. Immediately Pingu gave a jolt, then lowered his body until it was touching the ground. A frown of intense concentration cast over his face, followed by relief a dozen beats later. The penguin let out a chirp and waddled forward, giving Zeng Fei the opportunity to check out his handiwork. There, on the icy ground, the Green-horned Python¡¯s demon core sat pretty. Seeing Pingu going for it again, Zeng Fei yelled out. ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t eat it.¡± He had to move quick to snatch it up before the penguin belly flopped onto it. Ignoring Pingu¡¯s mournful cries, he inspected it in his palm and was glad to see there was no residue or skid marks on it despite the less-than-enviable route it had taken out of Pingu. The demon core was marble-sized, mostly an off-white colour with slivers of maroon and green inside that moved like the fluid inside a lava lamp. The core was unexpectedly hot too, making it quite comforting to hold inside the cold domain. The demon core also gave off such a potent qi signature that it was obvious it would cause harm to Zeng Fei¡¯s body if he ate it as Pingu had. Though this raised the question of why it hadn¡¯t already damaged him seeing as it was currently inside his domain, which was inside his dantian, which most certainly could not handle this much qi at his current level of cultivation. Well, just another oddity about the domain to add to the list. When Zeng Fei looked at Pingu¡¯s status again now, he saw that Pingu¡¯s stats and cultivation had fallen as expected. What was unexpected, however, was that the martial technique row had also changed, going from mortal quality to trash, despite not being listed in the Green-horned Python¡¯s demon core section. Pingu Race: Emperor Penguin Cultivation: n/a Demon Cores: n/a Strength: 8 Agility: 3 Constitution: 6 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 2 Perception: 5 Martial Techniques: Serpentine Slap (Trash) - Level 3 Curious to see why, Zeng Fei expanded the technique. Serpentine Slap - Level 3 Technique grade: Trash Positive modifiers: n/a Negative modifiers: Low level, Absence of Serpent Essence Ability effect: Increases the speed of unarmed strikes and concentrates qi into the tip of the slapping appendage, allowing for effortless piercing. [Emperor¡¯s notes: This was a rudimentary technique taught to disciples on joining the Venomous Court. Although dealing negligible damage by itself, the technique is deadly when used to administer poisons to the target¡¯s bloodstream. Worthwhile practising for any poison builds as it works well with the Venomous Court¡¯s advanced techniques, especially those under their Dao School of Dance. The ones that are directly linked to Serpentine Slap will be unlocked when this technique is levelled high enough.] Zeng Fei¡¯s mind was blown considering the manifold implications of the information here. At last he could see why the ancient cultivators had been so frightened of the Heavenly Demon Emperor that they¡¯d not only grouped together to kill him, but also gone through the effort of wiping his name from all the history books. Chapter 8: Auto Battler Emperor All the same, Zeng Fei would have to leave his domain soon as his consciousness was unable to tolerate the cold in here for much longer. Because of this, he decided to rush through the other things he wanted to check, and then organise his thoughts and observations outside. ¡°Hey, Pingu. Do that slapping technique you were doing before.¡± Having grown bored of standing there, Pingu was halfway to the lake, going to play. Naturally, Zeng Fei put his foot down and ordered his unruly minion to return at once (translation: a combination attack of coaxing, pleading, and making funny noises so that he seemed more appealing than the lake; faced with such devilish tactics, the poor penguin never stood a chance). And so, using his commanding voice and many years of life experience over his minion, Zeng Fei won the minor power struggle and re-asserted himself as the master in their relationship. Pingu waddled back over and made the motions to execute Serpentine Slap, but his wings didn¡¯t snap forwards at the blistering speeds of before, nor did they give off a serpentine aura. The technique¡¯s drop in power also looked to be greater than what Pingu¡¯s drop in physical capabilities could explain alone. This revealed how important the technique grade was, that a drop from mortal to trash quality had caused such a large effect on performance. Next, Zeng Fei fed the Green-horned Python¡¯s core back to Pingu, no longer having any qualms about doing this now that he knew it was part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and that the core could be removed at any time. Pingu¡¯s status returned to how it¡¯d initially looked, with Serpentine Slap pushed back into mortal grade now that the negative modifier ¡®Absence of serpent essence¡¯ had disappeared. When Pingu executed Serpentine Slap again, gone was the impression that he was flapping his wings at imaginary flies buzzing around him (or maybe until now he¡¯d just been cheerily waving towards Zeng Fei, who¡¯d misinterpreted it for a shoddy martial technique). His wings now propelled and swished the air loudly, certain to give a crisp smack to anyone unfortunate enough to be in their way. As Pingu repeatedly used the technique, the spiritual qi in the domain noticeably thinned, and Zeng Fei could perceive his own tank of qi being drained as a result. No wonder Pingu¡¯s summon had been cancelled so quickly during the fight, then, when the penguin had been guzzling down qi like an alcoholic who¡¯d just been told the company was covering all expenses tonight. Zeng Fei had to beg Pingu to stop using the technique before his qi ran dry again, before departing from the domain. His consciousness returned to his body lying on the bed, and he wrapped himself in the coarse blanket, trembling to the core. Once back to normal, the first question he addressed was where this System, hitherto unseen, had come from: the answer to which was clearly the Emperor¡¯s Divine Art. Why else would the Emperor¡¯s notes have been included in Serpentine Slap¡¯s description if not for some personal connection between the two? The System as a whole seemed intimately linked to the Divine Art instead of being a personal cheat he¡¯d received for transmigrating as why else would it only pop up for Pingu. As Zeng Fei pondered on the topic, he realised that the spirit adviser had hinted as much when it¡¯d said - after he¡¯d asked how the long-deceased Emperor would be able to tell if he was hiding his identity as the Emperor¡¯s successor - that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art possessed many astounding features not found in other techniques, including an entity that autonomously organised the Emperor¡¯s troops. Was that not precisely what the System was? Without Zeng Fei moving a muscle, it¡¯d guided Pingu to seek out demon cores; and once he¡¯d eaten the core, it¡¯d bestowed him with a fitting technique. With the System in place to micromanage his minions¡¯ day-to-day growth, all the Emperor had to do was select their build paths through the specific demon cores he fed them. When viewed that way, the System¡¯s resemblance to game systems in the auto-battler genre was uncanny, leading Zeng Fei to his second conclusion: the Emperor must have been someone from modern-day Earth. In light of that, could it be that the spirit adviser had been the one to summon Zeng Fei¡¯s spirit over to this world to inherit its Master¡¯s technique? Maybe that¡¯s why the spirit adviser had asked him to identify it on the first meeting, a test on how well-read he was on the xianxia genre, and therefore how well he could be expected to do in this world. Assuming he was correct on the Emperor¡¯s identity as an otherworlder, this implied two important things. One, in proving that Zeng Fei¡¯s transmigration was not an isolated case, it opened up the possibility there were more transmigrators out there in this world than just Zeng Fei.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He¡¯d have to be on the watch for anyone acting odd as other transmigrators had the dual-capability of being the most helpful people to him but also the most threatening. Two, time must flow differently here in relation to Earth for the Emperor to have already become an ancient cultivator despite having presumably been someone from Zeng Fei¡¯s era, and therefore transmigrated over a few years before him at most. So maybe Zeng Fei could regain his old life back if he figured out how to return to his original body (the primary appeal not being his lacklustre old life, but rather the opportunity to get out of this murderhobo-infested cultivation world where your entire clan could be exterminated for looking at some random Dong or Wong the wrong way). Or maybe that wasn¡¯t possible, actually, seeing as his body must have become vacant when his soul left¡­ Did that mean he¡¯d been declared dead already, or had another spirit taken over his vacant body in the same way he¡¯d taken over Zeng Fei¡¯s? The person most likely to know the answers to these questions, as well as the route to return, was the spirit adviser, making Zeng Fei¡¯s action plan very simple: get strong enough to break into that damned cave, grab the negligent spirit adviser by the collar, and start screaming abuse in its face. He wanted to see it ¡®ohoho¡¯ its way out of that one. Oh, and to get answers from it during the interrogation process. Naturally, Zeng Fei wasn¡¯t so spiteful that he wanted to do this solely because it¡¯d tricked him once or twice (okay, he was, but that was besides the point). Rather, it was because of something else the spirit adviser had done that Zeng Fei had been too late to clock on to. To understand, you had to begin with Serpentine Slap¡¯s description, where it was plain to see the Emperor had stolen the technique from a sect known as the Venomous Court. This by itself wasn¡¯t anything surprising given the spirit adviser¡¯s mention of the Emperor¡¯s fondness for acting like a highwayman and shaking down any cultivators unlucky enough to run into him, eventually progressing onto robbing the banks (sects) directly. While such conduct would have made him many enemies, it shouldn¡¯t have been enough to make the entire cultivation realm group up against him; stealing techniques was not an uncommon phenomenon to begin with, especially amongst rogue cultivators. The only reason stealing techniques wasn¡¯t more popular was: A, it created needless enemies; and B, doing so was more likely to worsen your combat prowess over the long term than improve them. This was because learning a technique to proficiency required you to put in substantial time and effort, rare resources too in a lot of cases. Hence learning many unrelated techniques that had little affinity with you nor each other was seen as spreading yourself thin; in actual combat, the people who did so almost always lost out against counterparts who¡¯d gone narrow and deep. The Emperor had gotten around this disadvantage by creating a Divine Art that acted both as a unit creator and a repository of knowledge to train his units with. No wonder, then, that the other cultivators had been so frightened of his potential; the longer he lived and the more techniques he stole, the more powerful his army of minions would grow, each of them specialised in different Dao Schools. In effect, the Heavenly Demon Emperor had transformed himself into the equivalent of an aircraft carrier in this world: a mobile sect that could park itself outside your doorstep and wage war at any time. With such capabilities, world domination was less of a pipe dream and more a matter of time as long as he picked off the opposition one by one. That¡¯s probably why, even after killing him, the ancient cultivators had gone further in destroying all records of him: to ensure that no one in the future would be inspired by him and come up with a similarly batshit cultivation technique. As for the spirit adviser¡¯s crime in all this, that was for saying that Zeng Fei wouldn¡¯t get in any trouble as long as he didn¡¯t start robbing cultivators willy-nilly like the Emperor had done. Even better, he wouldn¡¯t even have to as the Emperor had said his successor would inherit everything, which must include the stolen techniques as well: this must be what that library next to the ritual circle had been for. As to where those scrolls had disappeared off to, Zeng Fei¡¯s best guess was they¡¯d somehow fused with the Divine Art during the ritual; after all, how else could the System have gifted Pingu a suitable technique without already possessing the knowledge? Once you understood why the entire cultivation world had feared the Heavenly Demon Emperor (or more specifically, his created Divine Art) it became equally obvious that the spirit adviser¡¯s assurance that Zeng Fei would be fine as long he didn¡¯t start robbing people was ludicrously naive. After all, if the survivors of the final confrontation had hated the Emperor enough to scrub every record of him, what were the chances that they hadn¡¯t prepared for the eventuality of him returning, either through a second body or by passing on his will to a successor? In every story with Heavenly Demon Emperors, whenever they were struck down, there was nothing they liked to do more than to pretend they were in a cutscene: theatrically professing the futility of the heroes¡¯ actions and promising them that the baddies would rise again to take revenge before long, the whole shebang. All the evidence pointed towards this Emperor acting no different, especially when the sole demand he¡¯d made of his successor had been one intended to ensure his enemies would know he was the one responsible for siccing this mad-dog on them. There left no room for doubt: the Emperor¡¯s enemies were 100% prepared for round 2. It could be those same guys were alive even now - old powerhouses in the xianxia setting could live for literal millennia after all. But even if they weren¡¯t, they¡¯d most definitely set up some sort of agency or secret group to act as world protectors, just in case their arch-rival was playing the long game. This all went to say that Zeng Fei was royally fucked now: in his eagerness to slap sense into Dong Ju, he¡¯d summoned Pingu in front of countless disciples, foolishly believing the spirit adviser¡¯s words that it¡¯d be fine. It was too late to put a lid on this Pandora¡¯s box either seeing as rumours about novel techniques spread quicker than the speed of light. There was no point in regrets now - better he get himself strong enough to beat up the useless spirit adviser, and also to defend himself in case the Emperor¡¯s old enemies came knocking. I may be fucked, but I have the time to give myself a fighting chance at saving myself, Zeng Fei reassured himself. Unfortunately, this was only half correct. He was fucked; and it was too late, as he¡¯d discover by the morrow. Chapter 9: 🕺🐧🕺 Although Zeng Fei felt a desperate urgency to get powerful, he was comforted at least by the fact that the ways to go about this were straightforward. Given that he relied on Pingu for perhaps 90% of his current combat strength, it was a good thing that the System was handling the heavy lifting in Pingu¡¯s training. Out of the limited things Zeng Fei could do to help with this, some were better than others. One thing he could do was ask the penguin to practise Serpentine Slap during the downtime. This type of self-study would level up the skill over time, although it would also leave Zeng Fei perpetually drained of qi and, more importantly, was sub-optimal from a training perspective. Since Serpentine Slap was a martial technique, the most effective way to level it was by using it in combat, which would allow Pingu to gain insights against real-life opponents and result in rapid levelling of the technique. This had been established earlier on by Dong Ju who¡¯d kindly donated his face for demonstration purposes (truly a selfless hero, he was). And once the technique was levelled high enough, the Emperor¡¯s notes mentioned how this would unlock advanced techniques that Serpentine Slap had good synergy with, which altogether made this a clearly defined and unfailing route towards more power. That said, there were problems with speed-levelling the technique. For one, the notes mentioned that this technique originated from the Venomous Court, a poison-specialising sect, where it had been classed under the Dao School of the Dance. Unfortunately, Zeng Fei had no idea how he¡¯d go about acquiring poison, which was a large part of this technique and likely any that it had good synergy with. But even if that hadn¡¯t been an issue, the truth was that Zeng Fei didn¡¯t want to work with poisons in the first place because he feared they¡¯d be a bigger threat to Pingu than any opponent. After all, this was a penguin who had already refused to change his ways of putting random things in his mouth, certainly not the smartest chick in the colony¡­ The other problem with this route lay in the whole dancing thing. Now, it wasn¡¯t that Zeng Fei was underestimating the Dao School of Dance whatsoever; he¡¯d read enough cultivation novels to grasp the genre¡¯s unspoken rule that even the most mundane actions and objects could become deadly in the hands (or feet) of an expert. Rather, the issue with the Dao School of Dance was that he struggled to see how it could be a match made in heaven for a penguin who struggled to waddle in a straight line. As supportive as Zeng Fei wanted to be, if he were to be brutally honest, the truth was that he could not see Pingu ever making it into the Happy Feet cast. His belief was supported by Pingu¡¯s stats, which showed Pingu had an abysmal 3 Agility and 2 Dexterity once you removed the demon core¡¯s stat bonuses. In light of this, it seemed far more sensible for the penguin to focus on his true strengths, which incidentally lay within Strength at 8 and Constitution at 6. Pingu was a large lad who, although in possession of two left feet, had the physique to be a top-tier brawler, as had been shown when he¡¯d taken the Green-horned Python¡¯s hit and returned superior fire without blinking, or from how he¡¯d ripped Dong Ju¡¯s paper-tiger style apart.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Therefore, Zeng Fei felt the best way to buff Pingu would be to find a demon core and technique that complemented his brawler/champion fighting style. Zeng Fei didn¡¯t have any particular beasts in mind for this, mainly because the resultant technique, unlike the stats, did not appear to perfectly fit the beast it had come from. E.g. the Green-horned Python had been a brawler if anything given it was a large constrictor snake, yet the resultant technique had been a low damage one suited for venomous snakes, purely as a result of the serpentine essence in its demon core. Since it was evening and Zeng Fei was mentally fatigued by the day¡¯s events, he decided to hold off until tomorrow to head back over to the Crooked Mountain to grind out the beasts there for more cores. For the remainder of the day, he hoped to finally get around to cultivation, but he was unable to get a quiet moment to meditate as a result of the constant stream of people knocking on his door. Many of these people were unknown to him, inviting him out for tea to introduce themselves, and were best seen as rats jumping from one sinking ship to the next now that he was the new hot thing. And although he ignored their calls for him, it was never long until the next one came along to try their luck, safe in the knowledge they had nothing to lose. Others who visited were the original¡¯s supposed ¡®friends¡¯ coming out of the woodwork to congratulate him on the win and saying that they should celebrate together. There was ironic humour in that these were the same people who¡¯d been least present when the original had needed them the most, yet were all available to celebrate now that they were needed the least. It went without saying that every single one of them had unfaultable reasoning as to why they¡¯d been out of touch, excuses ranging from the logical - such as that they¡¯d been outside the sect on a mission - to the emotional, which comprised everything that tugged on the heartstrings. Zeng Fei had no interest, however, in socialising with people who were so evidently disloyal and self-interested; since the original¡¯s connections to them had been tenuous at best, he was more than happy to use this as an opportunity to cut those connections off for good. After being pointedly ignored, some of his ¡®friends¡¯ threw away their facades and cursed him in earshot; some tried to explain themselves further before giving up and claiming they¡¯d return later; and some simply walked away without another word uttered. Although these people had wasted his evening away, he was glad to see they¡¯d received his message loud and clear and wouldn¡¯t try to disturb him in the future. That evening, he also tried to exploit the system, doing everything he could think of to access its library of techniques and trick it into giving him a super cool and overpowered technique, alas to no success.
After a night of terrible sleep on that rough-hewn bed, the next day could not have come any sooner, though it took Zeng Fei a good while to ready himself in his grouchy and tired state. It was mid-morning by the time he departed for the Crooked Mountain. He was recognised and greeted by many on the way, aggressively so in some instances, though they all stopped on seeing his stony attitude and let him proceed. His demeanour of cold indifference became shattered in a single stroke, however, several minutes after leaving his hut. A blaring shout came from behind and caused him to flinch. ¡°Zeng Fei, I demand you stop at once!¡± It wasn¡¯t the command itself that stopped Zeng Fei but the intensity behind it, amplified by qi so that it shook him to his core. Alarmed, he spun around. A score steps away stood a grown man in the orange robes that all Outer Sect Disciples wore, his eyes blazing balefully. Wait, no, not a man - Zeng Fei recognised him through the original¡¯s memories: this was actually a boy who¡¯d entered the sect at the same time as him, one of the leading members of his cohort, and without a doubt the person he least wanted to run into right now. Dong Fu shared the likeness of his younger brother, only with those jock-like features placed on a meathead¡¯s body; where Dong Ju had looked like a handsome leading man in a soap opera, his older brother appeared brutish and far more dangerous, embodying the barrel-chested and grotesquely muscular thug that served as any good villain¡¯s right-hand man. Although Zeng Fei couldn¡¯t perceive Dong Fu¡¯s present cultivation realm, news had gone around a few months prior that he¡¯d reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining. Worse still, Dong Fu been fighting above his realm for several years now. On watching Zeng Fei¡¯s expression crumble, Dong Fu grinned viciously, his intentions bare to see. Chapter 10: Good Brother Dong Since it was clear what Dong Fu wanted to do to him, Zeng Fei went into crisis management mode at once, his heart pounding in his head. ¡°Greetings, Brother Dong. Why have you come to find this little cultivator?¡± Although Zeng Fei dearly wanted to sprint for his life, he didn¡¯t solely out of the knowledge that Dong Fu would catch him in less than a dozen breaths. So his only tactic was to delay and pray there was an Elder nearby who noticed the commotion. Thankfully, Dong Fu engaged with him and laughed in the face of his inane question. ¡°Was it not you who beat my actual brother like a dog? Did you really think that I, Dong Fu, would let you get away after spitting on my face like that?¡± ¡°He was the one who challenged me, so naturally I gave my best effort.¡± As the original¡¯s sparse memories of Dong Fu surfaced in Zeng Fei¡¯s mind, Zeng Fei realised he would be best served to try and absolve as much personal responsibility as he could. ¡°Although it was an intense fight, was it not better for him to experience this from a fellow sect member than an outsider where his life could be on the line?¡± ¡°Well said, Zeng Fei - I am marvelled by your sense of duty towards your juniors. And indeed, it shows in how you didn¡¯t stop even after he was unquestionably beaten and continued thrashing him until you had him bloodied and in tears.¡± Dong Fu laughed again, a harsh note. ¡°Though I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll claim this was done to ensure the lesson truly sunk in, no?¡± Zeng Fei was caught blindsided by how on the mark this was - he had been intending to claim he¡¯d simply wanted to teach Dong Ju a lesson but failed to control his power, i.e. taking limited responsibility but absolving himself of any intent to humiliate. But now that Dong Fu had called out his reasoning with scathing sarcasm, it was obvious that such excuses were complete hogwash; irrespective of intent, allowing Pingu to continue the beatdown had been an oversight on Zeng Fei¡¯s part, and therefore responsibility also lay with him. Since it wouldn¡¯t help bit to admit the truth that he¡¯d simply been distracted, Zeng Fei decided to instead switch tracks in the hopes this would defuse the situation. ¡°L-listen, it honestly wasn¡¯t as bad as it looked to the people watching. My minion¡¯s technique produces surface-level cuts in the skin, truly shallow, hence the misleading amount of blood there. And your brother wasn¡¯t taking a rough beating: he was immobilised by the shock of how unexpected the situation was, hence why it looked like a one-sided beating. If anything, this experience should teach him to never underestimate his opponents, and to keep his vigilance up in case of hidden cards.¡± Zeng Fei knew his litany of excuses was a moonshot, hence was surprised to find Dong Fu nodding along. ¡°Yes, yes, you make a valid point. Although it¡¯s been humiliating, this experience has been beneficial for Ju¡¯s growth by snapping him out of his dumb delusions that he¡¯s a heaven-sent hero in the making.¡± Dong Fu bowed to show his gratitude before resuming. ¡°And for the unreserved favour you showed him, is it not my place as the older brother to reward you in kind?¡± When Zeng Fei tried to respond, Dong Fu placed his open hand forth, palm facing out, to stop any follow-ups. The glint in his eyes made it clear the time for talking was over. Although fear was the main thing Zeng Fei felt, he also felt ashamed to have been out-argued by a brat who had not only acted contrary to his appearance as a brainless thug but who had also provided reasonable and valid points. Even though Dong Fu had come to correct grievances from the start, he hadn¡¯t jumped Zeng Fei out of nowhere or sent goons to do his dirty bidding, instead coming in person by himself and even giving Zeng Fei the opportunity, if brief, to explain himself. Hell, his conduct would have been respectable if not for his intention to beat the ever-living shit out of Zeng Fei.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Even now, he allowed Zeng Fei to prepare his defences. ¡°Zeng Fei, all these years, you¡¯ve been a craven creature scuttling around, so you can imagine my shock on hearing that you beat Ju. The rumours go that you shattered your cultivation to learn a bizarre art, which in turn made you more powerful than you were at the fifth layer.¡± He paused and nodded. ¡°Clearly it also gave you a backbone. Still, people who suddenly gain more confidence often overreach themselves soon after, forgetting that the sky still exists above them. So consider my reward to you now both as a repercussion and a lesson.¡± Zeng Fei summoned Pingu with a shout, before making one last attempt to dissuade Dong Fu. ¡°Dong Fu, even with the bad blood between us, do you not fear the Elders catching wind of this and punishing you?¡± His assailant laughed at the threat, making no motion to stop his summon. ¡°My guidance will be over before you know it, so there won¡¯t be any opportunity for anyone else to interfere. If they want to punish me afterwards, so be it.¡± Pulling his sleeves up, Dong Fu stretched his thick neck from side to side, viciously grinning again. ¡°No need to worry though, Little Zeng, I¡¯ll let you cling onto your life at least.¡± ¡°Get him, Pingu!¡± Dong Fu remained motionless as the penguin chick waddled towards him, peering at it with curiosity. ¡°So this is the creature that beat my brother, hmm? Must be stronger than it looks, but it won¡¯t matter. Do you happen to know what the biggest weakness is for cultivators who rely on demonic beasts?¡± Dong Fu didn¡¯t provide any time for an answer as he moved with stomach-reeling suddenness, dashing towards Pingu who initially startled but then steeled himself for a clash. As the human dashed into proximity, Pingu used Serpentine Slap, his wings snapping forwards with unseen speed¡­ ¡­and slashing through empty air. Dong Fu had frontflipped over the penguin, reaching Zeng Fei within two beats of landing. Relishing Zeng Fei¡¯s look of horror, Dong Fu delivered a powerful punch to the chest that sent him flying off his feet. Landing in a tumble of limbs, Zeng Fei groaned in agony, desperately trying to catch his breath. Bleary-eyed by tears, he tried to roll over onto his side so that he could get back to his feet. A shadow came over his face then, which he belatedly realised was Dong Fu squatting over him. He shuddered in terror and clawed a handful of dirt up, trying to chuck it into his assailant¡¯s face. But Dong Fu reacted before he could, and the arm limply dropped back down. The noise of flesh being smacked sounded out as Dong Fu slapped his face repeatedly, alternating from side to side in imitation of what Pingu had done to Dong Ju. These strikes caused Zeng Fei¡¯s head to violently jerk one way and another, threatening whiplash, meanwhile the callouses on Dong Fu¡¯s hands tore through the skin over the cheeks; soon the only sound was of wet, raw meat being pummelled, Zeng Fei not even given the opportunity to cry out before the next hit followed. Since his focus was completely broken, the channel of qi supporting Pingu collapsed and the penguin returned to his dantian, wailing despondently. With his consciousness reduced to the sole dimension of pain, Zeng Fei had no clue how long had passed when a resonant, qi-enhanced voice pierced through the thickets of agony. ¡°Dong Fu, you cowardly scoundrel! How dare you bully a junior who just joined the sect?¡± Zeng Fei did not recognise the voice, nor could he see its owner with his vision blinded by his blood. But it had to be someone of repute seeing as it brought an abrupt close to the beatdown. Dong Fu¡¯s voice followed, directed at him. ¡°Know that this is not over between us, Zeng Fei. I¡¯ll deliver the remainder of my gratitude next time I come across you, that I promise you.¡± With this said, Dong Fu presumably made a quick getaway before Zeng Fei¡¯s saviour arrived. Barely holding onto his consciousness, Zeng Fei blinked rapidly and his tears cleared some of the blood over his eyes until he was vaguely able to make out a girl approaching him but nothing more. ¡°How dare that wretch act in such a disgusting manner towards his juniors? Don¡¯t worry, Junior Brother, I will make sure the Elders hear of his disgraceful conduct.¡± She briefly checked Zeng Fei¡¯s condition, then, sighing with relief, picked him up and placed him in a fireman¡¯s carry. ¡°There¡¯s nothing critically damaged, but I¡¯ll bring you to the Medicinal Hall at once.¡± Zeng Fei didn¡¯t immediately lose consciousness on the way over - the original¡¯s persistent hard work and extraordinary willpower had resulted in a powerful consciousness. Because of this, he was able to observe from her shoulder that the beatdown had had far more onlookers than he¡¯d anticipated. He could also tell, even through the prevailing scent of blood, that she smelled nice. These were the last thoughts he had, with no comprehension of their content, before finally losing consciousness Chapter 11: Watched When Zeng Fei woke up, he did not recognise the ceiling above him. There was dull pain in his face, neck, and chest. Worse, touching his cheeks gently, he found them raw and stinging. He winced and pulled his finger away, and discovered that it was now coated in dried-up residual paste. An owl hooted outside, prompting him to look around. After scanning his environment, he got up and pulled the closed curtains to note that it was currently nighttime. The owl hooted again from somewhere nearby. Shifting the curtains back, he returned to the bed and laid down. He was in a room by himself, presumably inside some sort of treatment centre given the herbal balm on his face, though he didn¡¯t quite know why he was here. This was shortly answered as the last memories before he¡¯d fallen unconscious reemerged. He recalled he¡¯d been saved from Dong Fu¡¯s wrath by a mysterious girl, meaning that this must be the Medicinal Hall. Zeng Fei didn¡¯t know if someone would soon come around to check up on him, or if he¡¯d have to wait till morning. Either way, he didn¡¯t feel inclined to leave until he knew it was safe outside: after all, that bastard had left saying that the punishment wasn¡¯t over yet. If it hadn¡¯t been for that girl¡­ Zeng Fei shuddered at the thought and his gut cramped painfully, forcing him to rapidly exhale to release some of the tension in his system. He shifted his mind onto her to calm himself down: naturally, he wanted to thank her, but first he¡¯d need to find out who she was. If she was an Outer Sect Disciple, this would be a relatively easy task since there were very few in the Outer Sect who could make Dong Fu retreat like that; the issue was that Dong Fu¡¯s reaction was also fitting for a senior from the Inner Sect, even if they rarely showed up in the Outer Sect. All Zeng Fei had on her, besides what she¡¯d said, was that she¡¯d smelled pleasant, meaning she was likely to be someone who cared about her appearance. While this was not a detail that¡¯d help single out who she was, it was nonetheless meaningful as she¡¯d not hesitated whatsoever in placing his bloodied body against hers, an action made all the more significant by the multitude of bystanders stood around who¡¯d refused to move a muscle in his time of need. If anything, she was the odd one for doing what she¡¯d done, not them; ever since Zeng Fei had transmigrated over, he¡¯d been duped, bullied, and beaten by the people here. So what a breath of fresh air it was to finally come across someone with a sense of decency and honourable character. In sharp contrast to her lay Dong Fu, who for a second there had appeared to have a commendable character by not sinking to the lows of typical xianxia bullies, yet had then revealed himself to be a nasty piece of work all the same. To think he¡¯d wanted to pummel someone to death for the simple transgression of beating his younger brother in a fair spar. Only now did it sink in to Zeng Fei - no longer on a cerebral basis but on a deeper core level - that this was a cultivation world with its own set of logic drastically different from any found in modern, civilised society: here, might equalled right, not only at the highest level but at every single level and in every single interaction. ¡°Ah.¡± Realising how badly he¡¯d read the situation until now, Zeng Fei felt embarrassed. All this time, he¡¯d believed he¡¯d messed up by getting distracted during the spar and letting Pingu go too far against Dong Ju. But this was obviously not the case. Say that Dong Ju had taken those exact same wounds from Pingu but then gone on to win after a gruelling slug match; in such a scenario, would his older brother have come out to punish Zeng Fei? Of course not! In fact, even if it¡¯d been unclear during the spar itself, everyone there in the Training Hall should have noticed afterwards that the cuts from Serpentine Slap were shallow, and therefore deduced for themselves that Paper-Tiger Ju had only fallen so fast due to his weak mentality. For Dong Fu to come punish Zeng Fei despite this being common knowledge, it meant the wounds had never been the problem. Converse to what Zeng Fei had believed this entire time, his overreach hadn¡¯t occurred at the end of the match when he¡¯d failed to recall Pingu fast enough; it¡¯d occurred right at the very start when he¡¯d dared to win and let Pingu throw even the first punch! By doing so, he¡¯d prevented Dong Ju from being able to claim he could one-shot cultivators two minor realms above him, coveted bragging rights, and thereby spat on Dong Fu¡¯s face who¡¯d set the whole thing up. In fact, Dong Fu had admitted as much himself in the first thing he¡¯d said to Zeng Fei this morning; Zeng Fei had just refused to listen, instead trying to understand the older Dong¡¯s anger by modern, civilised logic.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It wasn¡¯t anything deep: his crime had been to be weak and yet act otherwise - after all, if he¡¯d been any stronger or had a backer behind him, there was no way Dong Fu would have carried out such brazen retribution. The message it left was clear: if you¡¯re only as strong as a dog, you better roll over when you¡¯re commanded to. No wonder then that the bystanders had thought one-sided walloping was justified, for this was a world where being weak in itself was a sin deserving of punishment. Zeng Fei smiled in self-deprecation on realising the truth; to think he¡¯d received such a brutal beating for such an inane reason. Yet, as he reflected on this, his fear and dread of Dong Fu began to transform into something more consuming: a terrible rage towards the one who had grossly mistreated him. But all the same, what he could do when he was too powerless to act? Well, at the very least he could carry out prompt reflection, he told himself: by identifying what mistakes he¡¯d made, he could avoid making them again and earning another hiding; besides, doing so would distract him from his current feelings of victimhood, anger, and impotence. Exercising his self-control to the limit, Zeng Fei tore his mind¡¯s eye from his turbulent emotions and turned its searchlight onto the events of the last two days. His mistakes were forthcoming:
  1. The weak link in combat was Zeng Fei. Sure, Pingu most likely would have lost against Dong Fu in a fair fight anyway, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that Zeng Fei had been so useless he¡¯d been knocked out before Pingu could even get to him.
  2. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; likewise, in a world where might equals right, every fault begins with you being weak and ends when you¡¯re powerful. That was to say Zeng Fei would continue getting mistreated by all corners of the world until he had the power to hold his own ground.
  3. And not just that; he¡¯d also need a mindset shift to make himself less vulnerable to the whims of others. He had to wake up from his main character syndrome.
It¡¯d been the belief that he was someone special due to his status as an otherworlder that¡¯d made him susceptible to the spirit adviser¡¯s trickery, and then had him needlessly puzzled when Dong Fu had not acted according to a thug archetype. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; and boy oh boy, he needed to avoid a third time at all costs with how dire the consequences could be. This was clearly not a neat and tidy cultivation world where characters and tropes played their part to accommodate the transmigrator¡¯s rise to the top; this was a world in which cultivators acted according to their independent motivations, just like people on Earth, meaning they¡¯d behave predictably at times, but just as easily not if circumstances changed, which too were largely out of Zeng Fei¡¯s control. The belief that others would fit cliched moulds and allow him to exploit their behaviour was the height of delusional arrogance; if that really were the case, then why had the Heavenly Demon Emperor, a transmigrator possessing unimaginable power, succumbed to the unthinking natives in the end? What sucked was that Zeng Fei didn¡¯t think being alert would have changed any of the events so far: the natural disaster that was the spirit adviser would have crashed into him no matter how he acted, and if not the older Dong beating the life out of him today, it would have been the younger Dong beating the shit out of him yesterday. Still, being alert was a whole lot better than flying blind into uncharted territory while under the delusion it was home turf. Reaching his conclusion, Zeng Fei transmuted his feelings of powerlessness into a frustration with himself, yes, but also into the belief that he had the ability to outplay his adversaries if he played his cards right. Having reached a better state of mind, he wanted to get started on powering himself up straight away by starting his cultivation. But he figured he ought to check up on how Pingu was doing first. Although this recent beating had woken Zeng Fei up to the reality of his situation, it was likely to have had a deeper impact on Pingu, and likely a more negative one too seeing as, from his perspective, he¡¯d failed to protect his master. Zeng Fei would have to use his maturity to guide the inexperienced chick away from such negativity spirals onto a more productive mindset; they couldn¡¯t afford to waste any time on a pity party, not when they had pressing matters to attend to. Zeng Fei smiled wryly; he may have contained his anger, but in no way had he let it go. First they¡¯d fuck up Dong Fu, and after that, the spirit adviser; and not in several years time, but now (well, not now as in right this second, but close enough that he could mentally summarise the intervening period as a brief training-montage). He was done taking names; it was time to start kicking arse.
The owl turned its head sideways towards the strange creature sharing this high branch with it. Blue and faintly luminescent, the creature made non-stop undulating motions as though in danger of being swept away by the wind, despite holding its place effortlessly. Ever since it had perched atop the branch, the creature had cast a watchful eye on the grounds below, evidently scanning for tonight¡¯s dinner. And yet the owl was puzzled by how this creature would even hunt, seeing as it lacked claws, fangs, or even a beak. Perhaps it was the type to lift its quarry and drop them from great heights? Although it was technically a competitor to the owl, it was also so wildly incompetent that the owl didn¡¯t feel threatened in the slightest. Its biggest mistake was in staring solely at the spot next to the pungent man building - it was a silly choice of location, not close to many trees or covered by the long grasses that their prey favoured. And yet the foolish creature refused to diversify its hunting grounds, stubbornly fixated on that single spot. The owl gave a piteous hoot at its incompetent competitor, though to no response. But suddenly there was, as the strange creature vibrated with manic excitement, its gaze still glued to the same spot. Wondering what could have made it react this way, the owl looked over as well but found nothing there, at least not on the spot itself; but next to it, a man silhouette had appeared in the window of the pungent man-building, before disappearing again after a few seconds. Pupils dilating, the owl turned towards the strange creature with newfound reverence. Never in its wildest dreams would the owl have imagined that this harmless-looking creature favoured hunting not voles or mice but man-things! But hell, the owl was all for it! The owl let out a hoot of excitement, deeply curious to observe how the strange creature would make the kill. Chapter 12: Cheering up the Troops Entering the domain, it was night inside too. The sky was dark but the stars were bright enough to provide dim lighting. Pingu was stood by his usual spot, by the lakeside, peering out. To have an air of maturity about himself, Zeng Fei channelled the energy of a father trying to spend time with their teenage son. ¡°Hey there, little guy. What are you up to?¡± Pingu must have been deep in his thoughts as he turned around and blinked in surprise. ¡°Sqwuak?¡± He speed-waddled over (only falling over twice), speaking too rapidly in chirps, peeps, and toots for Zeng Fei to understand what he was saying. Still, the general sentiment was easy to guess. ¡°Ha, what are you crying so much about? Almost makes me wonder which one of us really got their arse whooped out there.¡± Pingu tilted his head to the side, then responded with a single-note answer. ¡°Sqwuak.¡± ¡°Yeah, me. So why are you feeling ashamed when I was the one who was embarrassingly weak?¡± Zeng Fei put on a strong front and ruffled Pingu¡¯s head, brushing the soft feathers. ¡°Don¡¯t get it twisted, kiddo; I failed you, not the other way around.¡± ¡°Chirp chirp.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Zeng Fei paused, thinking he¡¯d misheard. ¡°¡­Sorry, what was that?¡± ¡°Chirp chirp.¡± ¡°¡­you already know that?¡± The penguin gave a slow, exaggerated nod to ensure his master couldn¡¯t possibly misinterpret the action. ¡°Chirrup.¡± Zeng Fei stared at Pingu, the inspirational speech he¡¯d prepared freezing up in his throat, too embarrassed to leave his lips now. Pingu, meanwhile, concerned that his master was slow of understanding, raised one flipper and flexed it, the tiniest bulge swelling up and hinting at the existence of muscle; Pingu pointed at this with his other wing. ¡°Toot toot.¡± Using the same wing to then jab at Zeng Fei¡¯s biceps, Pingu gave a sorry shake of the head. ¡°Noot noot.¡± Zeng Fei had not expected, just when he¡¯d gotten over Dong Fu¡¯s beating, to be struck with an attack this cold, not from someone so close. Who would have know that the Green-horned Python¡¯s demon core also had the effect of turning penguins into a snakes¡­ Zeng Fei took a step back and turned so that the little kiddo wouldn¡¯t see him blinking away tears. ¡°Sorry, just one moment. Something¡¯s in my eye, ha.¡± Finally wiping away at the snot and tears with the sleeves of his robes, Zeng Fei faced Pingu again. ¡°Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s good to hear we¡¯re on the same page.¡± He cleared his throat to stop himself from choking up again. In truth, he felt awfully tempted to accuse Pingu of failing to defend him, just so that he could see the penguin act the slightest part guilty, but he held himself back because he was the bigger man, he told himself. Someone had to act like the adult around here. He did not know Pingu had his sights on that too. Seeing how his master looked conflicted and downcast, Pingu took his first step towards maturity, stepping forth and patting Zeng Fei on the shoulder. ¡°Sqwuak¡­ sqwuak sqwuak. Toot, toot, chirp.¡± The consoling was super effective as the uplifting message pulled Zeng Fei out of the dumps. ¡°You really think so?¡± ¡°Chirrup.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right! We¡¯ll show them! Let¡¯s hit those sons of bitches right back. You hear me, Pingu? I¡¯m done playing around.¡± Pingu gave an encouraging nod but then, having to strike a fine balance between amping Zeng Fei up and getting him to acknowledge reality, proceeded to jab him in the chest a few times. ¡°Noot noot? Chirp brr. Toot toot!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you too, goddammit! I¡¯ll show you and all the others haters - just watch me. I¡¯m going to get stronger, so strong no one will be able to stop me!¡± Content with Zeng Fei¡¯s show of resolve, Pingu gave a fond look and pointed his flipper into the distance, slowly nodding while closing his eyes. The implication was obvious: now that Zeng Fei had found the right path for himself, it was time to go start walking it. What Pingu actually meant by the gesture was that it was bedtime, and if Zeng Fei would kindly see himself out of the domain already, Pingu could finally get some much-needed shuteye.¡± ¡°I hear you loud and clear,¡± Zeng Fei said, grinning. ¡°Prepare to be dumbfounded the next time you see me, at how powerful I¡¯ve become.¡± With a self-indulgent laugh, he departed.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Pingu did not say anything to rain on his master¡¯s parade. He hadn¡¯t consoled Zeng Fei out of cognition but rather instinct; something deep inside him had warned him the master being depressed and lethargic was bad for the colony, almost like a locked memory.
Zeng Fei returned to the real world in high spirits, feeling he¡¯d done a good job at consoling Pingu. Granted, he¡¯d almost fumbled the bag at one point, but he¡¯d clutched up at the critical moment to turn it around. The results spoke for themselves with how motivated he felt now. At the thought, he released another self-indulgent laugh, ¡°Ohoho¡ª¡±, only to stop abruptly as he realised how much he sounded like that dastardly spirit adviser. He activated shameless mode to pretend he hadn¡¯t done that and cleansed the moment from his memory. Moving on promptly, it was time to get started on increasing his personal strength. At first glance, the way to go about this seemed obvious: cultivation. Zeng Fei would have to chant the mantra the spirit adviser had taught him, drawing in spiritual energy and expelling turbid internal energy from his body, repeating this meditation practice over and over like a monk. The original had practised a different technique: after joining the sect, he¡¯d been handed the manual for Clear Light Refining, a rudimentary cultivation technique that was suitable for those with False Spiritual Roots of the five elements. But although the technique was different, Zeng Fei would still be able to make use of the original¡¯s cultivation insights, giving a minor boost to cultivation speed and the ability to bypass any bottlenecks up to the fifth layer of Qi Refining. This was because the cultivation process remained largely the same for all techniques within the Qi Refining realm. Regardless of the specific technique practised, you needed to circulate qi from the dantian, around the meridians, then back to the dantian where you may be able to condense it, the reliability of actually doing so and the amount condensed depending on your talent. Once you¡¯d done this enough times, you¡¯d reach certain acknowledged levels of condensed qi that were known as the layers of Qi Refining, of which there were nine layers in total. But while this was a reliable route to increasing personal strength, the issue with it lay in Zeng Fei¡¯s abysmal cultivation talent, as exhibited by the original who¡¯d toiled long and hard just to reach the fifth layer in four years. Talent had multiple determinants, but what people almost always meant when using the term was what type of spiritual roots you had. Spiritual roots were what allowed cultivators to absorb spiritual qi from their environment, and hence were what differentiated cultivators from mortals. These spiritual roots could come in five primary attributes: metal, wood, fire, water, and earth; possessing a certain attribute allowed you to absorb the corresponding spiritual qi from your environment. For example, if someone had metal-attribute spiritual roots, they¡¯d be able to absorb metal-attribute spiritual energy from objects around them or the atmosphere, which itself was a mix of spiritual energies of various attributes. Given this, you¡¯d think having more attributes was better as it¡¯d allow you to absorb more types of spiritual energy; the reality of the situation, however, was the exact opposite: the fewer attributes your spiritual roots had, the faster you would cultivate. Why was this the case? Well, the original¡¯s understanding of the phenomenon went as follows: lower purity leads to inefficiencies due to imbalances/mismatches/something along those lines. This was, in fact, the rough answer you¡¯d get from most cultivators if quizzed on the topic, even those with much higher cultivation bases, and with good reason. If you were to draw a parallel from cultivation to mathematics, and viewed the question of how to cultivate as a maths problem, then the manuals, arts, and sutras that cultivators used to guide them could be viewed as long-proven solutions. And if you had the solution in your hands, why would you go through the personal effort of figuring out the process from first principles? It¡¯s not like there were exam bodies in this world that would test your comprehension of these underlying concepts. Doing all those extra steps for little to none practical benefits was for nerds. And if you were to ignore all the meditation that cultivators did and judged them solely by their behaviour, you would quickly discover cultivators were far closer in nature to hot-headed barbarians than inquisitive scholars. Thankfully, there would still be people around in this all brawn, no brain xianxia setting who were interested in the theory of it all. So to understand the exact mechanism by which certain spiritual roots were better than others, Zeng Fei would need to connect with these kindred, civilised souls, with the potential added benefit of finding out how to remedy the root cause of his trash talent as well. Still, although the original had known little about the underlying mechanics of spiritual roots, he had known much more about their wider practical impacts. If you had four or five attributes, you were said to have False Spiritual Roots, which were the most common type in the cultivation world. Possessing False Spiritual Roots destined you to the Outer Sect of any Immortal Sect that took you in, at best becoming a caretaker within the sect or of any businesses/industries the sect ran outside. Everyone acknowledged this, and hence was why the original¡¯s peers had looked down on him so much: he¡¯d not just misunderstood his lane, but gone further in desperately striving to get into a better lane than them. From the start, they¡¯d had contempt for him due to his background as a beggar, and this had only grown over time as they¡¯d viewed his dogged efforts to cultivate as an attempt to show them up - a perception his unsociable personality hadn¡¯t helped with. Was their crab mentality immature? No doubt. But what more could you expect from a bunch of teenagers who were insecure about their places in the pecking order? And besides, they had a point: if Zeng Fei had possessed that lead-protagonist pzazz, this would have been the perfect setting for him to show them all up with his persistent hard work and unfailing self-belief; it just so happened, however, that real life was far less forgiving than fictional plot devices. Moving on, if you had two or three attributes, you had True Spiritual Roots, which were uncommon to rare. With them, you would still join a sect at the Outer Sect level, but with the expectation of reaching the Inner Sect over your lifetime, perhaps even becoming an Elder if you worked hard enough and were sufficiently lucky. If you had one attribute, you had Heavenly Spiritual Roots, which were exceedingly rare. With Heavenly Spiritual Roots, you¡¯d immediately get placed in the Inner Sect and groomed to become an Elder or - if you showed sufficient promise - even a future Sect Leader or Grand Elder (that being said, many Grand Elders were cultivators with True Spiritual Roots who¡¯d been exceptionally lucky over their lives, simply due to how rare Heavenly Spiritual Roots were). At this talent bracket, you were treated like a nepo baby but far more extreme. And alongside Heavenly Spiritual Roots holders in this talent bracket were those with Immortal Physiques, i.e. people possessing ancient bloodlines or other special constitutions that made perfect for certain techniques/Dao Schools. That last point was important, for it would be what would make or break Zeng Fei¡¯s cultivation efforts. Chapter 13: Learning to Cultivate After all, the spirit adviser had told Zeng Fei that his trash talent wouldn¡¯t matter because the body-reforging ritual would transform his body into the sole Immortal Physique capable of cultivating the Heavenly Demon Divine Art (which was likely a unique Immortal Physique given that the Emperor had custom-made it for his technique). The issue was that Zeng Fei did not feel any different in his reforged body to his pre-ritual one¡­ Could it be, then, that the artificial Immortal Physique was solely designed to support the domain inside his body and had no other effects? If so, there would be little point in him stubbornly cultivating like the original had done; to accomplish his goal of gaining as much personal power in a limited time, he would be better served committing to another path such as body refining. Since his assigned spirit adviser - the one entity that could have explained the effects of the Immortal Physique - was hiding from him, the next best way to find out about the effectiveness of cultivation was to try it out himself. So, bearing with the aches in his body, Zeng Fei assumed a meditative pose on his bed and began his chanting cultivation. He intended to go as long as he could, then measure his gains and compare it against the original¡¯s progression over a similar period. He didn¡¯t expect it to be long. This was because of the two main drawbacks of cultivation: boredom and pain. The first one was self-explanatory, and the second one was because cycling qi through your meridians caused strain and expanded them a little each time, nothing serious unless you repeated the motion countless times without rest, in which case they¡¯d eventually start hurting. If you continued past that, your meridians were increasingly likely to rupture, causing agony until they healed back up. The original had gritted through the pain and continued, having his meridians burst and heal back many times over the four years, eventually perfecting the intuitive art of stopping right at the border, resting for a bit, then doing it all over again. Since the original had viewed cultivation as a taxing and tedious activity, Zeng Fei, having skimmed through these memories, readied himself for much of the same. Consequently, he was not prepared for how¡­ enjoyable it was? This was not to say that the process wasn¡¯t strenuous or difficult; indeed, the act of getting his paltry qi to efficiently circulate his body was beyond convoluted, let alone the challenge of condensing it at the end. But the circulation felt like he was street racing in a car with clunky controls, and the condensation, although he couldn¡¯t put his finger on what it reminded him of, provided instant feedback on how well he¡¯d performed it. The whole process reminded him of the feedback loop in roguelikes or MOBAs: start from zero each time, every little action you do on the way having a lasting impact that couldn¡¯t be erased away by loading up a save file, and finally reach the endgame, the moment of truth where you¡¯d discover if you¡¯d done enough to come out on top. The novelty, constant feedback, and sense of improvement from each cycle kept his dopamine receptors firing like there was no tomorrow; unlike the original who¡¯d persisted on willpower, Zeng Fei actively applied himself to the exercise, fuelled by stimulation. In the end, he only stopped cultivating two hours later when the pain grew too exacting for him to bear it anymore. Yet, any surprise he felt over how long he¡¯d lasted paled next to his astonishment at the progress made: within two hours, he¡¯d made it to 30% of the way up the first layer, equal to two months of cultivation by the original! While the chant did draw in more spiritual energy than the original¡¯s breathing exercise, this by itself was nowhere near to explaining the mindboggling progress he¡¯d made. Was this what cultivation felt like for people with Heavenly Spiritual Roots? Did that mean the ritual had transformed the attributes of his spiritual roots without him knowing? But how come he could still absorb spiritual energy of the five elements then? These thoughts revolved in Zeng Fei¡¯s mind as he lay back down, fully exerted and sweating profusely from how much he¡¯d been shaking enduring the pain of cultivation. Over a course of minutes, his body cooled down, and although the pain was still considerable, his exhaustion was greater still so he drifted off to sleep before long.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Meanwhile, shortly after Zeng Fei had stopped cultivating, Pingu awoke to the sensation of something cool landing on his down feathers. He opened his eyes to see the sky filled with dots falling down. He raised his wing and peered at it under the moonlight: his coat was peppered with whatever this thing was. The penguin vigorously shook himself and cleared his coat. He made one step, then stopped from the faint crunch noise. Raising his foot, he saw he had left a print in the¡­ what? Somehow, this thought activated a circuit deep in Pingu¡¯s subconscious, the answer suddenly becoming known to the conscious part like it¡¯d known all along, merely forgotten until now. This was snow! The domain was always chilly, but this was the first time it had ever snowed inside. The realisation that it was snowing elicited emotions inside Pingu akin to what a kid feels when waking up to unexpected snowfall outside the window and hearing that their school had already called in a snow day. What followed was Pingu running around the domain flapping his wings, honking and brrring, rolling around in the snow and making snow angels. The time it took to belly-slide from the edge of the lake to the other end of the domain did feel a bit longer, but Pingu chalked this up to the snowy terrain slowing him down. Only once the penguin had tired himself out on play did he return to his usual spot and prepare to sleep again. Which he would have proceeded to do if not for the oddly familiar, yet unknown, sensation pulling at his consciousness. Curious as to what it was, Pingu followed through on the urge, instincts driving him to remain still and shift his breathing and mentality. He had no idea what he was doing, except that it felt good and¡­ correct? For some reason, this action felt so natural it was hard to believe he¡¯d not been doing this every day of his lifetime. Must be the influence of snow, he thought.
Zeng Fei was pulled awake by the burning in his cheeks. It was bright outside and there was a young lady standing next to his bed, the same one causing the pain. He was about to yell out when he noticed her sect robes was light green; aside from the Outer Sect Disciples who wore orange robes, none of the other positions in the sect had set uniform codes to follow. They could wear whatever as long as their clothes bore the Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s insignia: two footprints at a diagonal angle, concentric swirls rippling out as though someone had just been treading over water. Still, almost everyone observed the tradition of wearing robes that revealed their area of expertise, shown by colour, and rank, shown by intensity of colour. Under this system, a faint green signified an Inner Sect Disciple proficient in alchemy or healing. Simply the fact it was an Inner Sect disciple caused Zeng Fei to hold his tongue. He spread out his divine sense to note that her cultivation was unascertainable by him as expected, which, given the sense of strength and solidness she emanated, meant Foundation Establishment at least or higher. Naturally, she had noticed he¡¯d awoken. ¡°Good morning, Junior Brother. This may sting a bit, so please bear it.¡± The bowl in her hand had a potent herbal stench, and the areas where she¡¯d already reapplied the paste felt as though they¡¯d been covered with hot wax drippings. With no real choice but to endure it, Zeng Fei bit down and steeled his mind, knowing he was in for a long ride from her unhurried, somewhat lethargic movement. Half an eternity later, she was done. Although he was spiritless and hoarse-voiced by this point, he forced his torso up and performed a fist-and-palm salute. ¡°This humble junior is Zeng Fei. May I know Senior Sister¡¯s name?¡± She gave a wan smile. ¡°Dai Xinyue.¡± Dai Xinyue was thin and had long black hair tied up in a bun. She looked to be just out of her teens, but also had prominent bags under her eyes that reminded Zeng Fei of healthcare workers from back home who¡¯d been doing back-to-back shifts for years. Although Zeng Fei felt guilty for adding to her workload, he couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity to gather information. ¡°Senior Sister Dai, could you please let me know about the state of my body?¡± ¡°The rest of your injuries were minor, so they¡¯ve healed up. Only your cheeks were in a worse state, but that face mask I reapplied should be the last of their treatment - the paste heals the skin and enhances flesh recovery, so they should be back to normal by tomorrow.¡± Zeng Fei regained some of his lost spirit on hearing this: it meant he would be able to make it to the Crooked Mountain and start grinding the beasts there today. ¡­Though, this was contingent on his ability to go undetected by Dong Fu, whose threat to finish off the job hung ever-present in the air. Especially if such an encounter took place outside the sect, it would effectively be a death sentence: even if Dong Fu didn¡¯t directly kill him, what difference would it make if Zeng Fei was left so injured he was incapable of defending against the next monster he encountered? As difficult as it was to swallow, the truth was that no matter how well Zeng Fei played his cards, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to beat Dong Fu as he was now. In the first place, Dong Fu hadn¡¯t used any qi or techniques in their last fight, only his physical prowess; if that brute was to go all-out, he had the ability to beat up ninth layer Qi Refining disciples. Had Zeng Fei made a dangerous enemy? Yes¡­ Had Dong Fu made an even more dangerous enemy? Naturally. Chapter 14: The Cultivation Thief ¡°Many thanks for your treatment, Senior Sister. I will not forget the kindness you have shown me.¡± Zeng Fei bowed in his bed. This made Dai Xinyue chuckle. ¡°No need - this is my job. If you wish to show gratitude towards someone, do it towards Sun Ru; she was the one who brought you here.¡± This name didn¡¯t bring up much in Zeng Fei¡¯s mind; besides her appearance, all the original had known about Sun Ru were a few rumours. ¡°Yes, of course - I¡¯ll be sure to personally thank her.¡± Zeng Fei cleared his throat. ¡°And do you happen to know anything about Dong Fu?¡± Dai Xinyue gave a wide yawn and stretched her arms out. ¡°Yes, Junior Sister Sun informed the Elders about what had happened. After a prompt investigation, they concluded Dong Fu was at fault.¡± Dai Xinyue¡¯s expression turned thoughtful. ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯ve treated Junior Brother Dong and the people he¡¯s fought many times in the past, so I did feel it was out of character for him to target someone far weaker than himself and in such a tyrannical manner too. I can only imagine there must have been a deep grievance between you two to have caused this.¡± ¡®Nope, but there is now¡¯, Zeng Fei held himself back from saying. ¡°The Elders must have thought likewise, for they have punished him with a month of forced seclusion, which¡ª ¡°¡ªisn¡¯t a punishment,¡± Zeng Fei finished off for her. Although he hadn¡¯t expected much from the Elders, it still stung to hear how blatantly they showed their favour towards Dong Fu, and no doubt because he was far more promising in their eyes than Zeng Fei, a weakling with pitiable growth and no backers. Dai Xinyue gave a sympathetic look. ¡°Right. Given the timing, it¡¯s effectively a reward by forcing him to focus on his training during the month leading up to the Outer Sect Tournament. But on the plus side, at least you won¡¯t have to worry about getting targeted again over the next month, and perhaps longer if he moves up to the Inner Sect. Though should he fail to¡­¡± She left the sentence unfinished, to which Zeng Fei gave a small nod to show that he understood. ¡°So if I were in your situation, I would seek to preemptively mend matters with Junior Brother Dong; although that may sound daunting, I have found him to be a more thoughtful and reasonable person than his appearance would suggest. Of course, if you¡¯re unwilling to take that step, I recommend you think up ways of making yourself small and unnoticeable should he return next month.¡± ¡°Many thanks, Senior Sister,¡± Zeng Fei relayed in a sincere tone, bowing once more. ¡°I¡¯m touched by your concern, and will take your advice to heart,¡± Something must have told her that he had no intention of even remotely considering her suggestions, however. Sighing loudly, she made for the door. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all up to you. Ultimately, we must make our own decisions in life; I just hope you won¡¯t come to regret yours, Junior Brother Zeng.¡± Zeng Fei did not respond, waiting until she was gone to allow his lips to curve into a wry smile. He wasn¡¯t scared of Dong Fu failing in the Outer Sect Tournament and sticking around in the Outer Sect for longer; he was scared of Dong Fu succeeding there and scuttling off to the Inner Sect. Such an outcome would massively delay his revenge given the minimal interaction between the Inner and Outer Sect Disciples. While Zeng Fei could rely on luck to hope that Dong Fu wouldn¡¯t ascend, it would be better for him to enter the tournament himself: that way, either Dong Fu would be knocked out by someone else, or enjoy successive victories and run into Zeng Fei. Granted, this did mean Zeng Fei would also have to power himself up from the lowest layer of Qi Refining to the highest layer in a single month, which was nothing short of fantastical, but then again so was accomplishing 30% of the first layer in two hours! Going at the ungodly cultivation speed he¡¯d discovered yesterday, he believed he could achieve the impossible. Or at least this is how Zeng Fei felt for several beats until he happened to scan his body - to confirm that it really was healed up as Senior Sister Dai had said - and in the process discovered something not quite right: his cultivation was 10% of the way through the first layer, not 30%. He¡¯d lost two-thirds of his gains overnight¡­ Although many elements of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had previously confounded Zeng Fei, this was the first time he felt so baffled that his brain simply short-circuited and blanked out. When finally he brought himself back together, still reeling from the shock, he directed his divine sense around his body in search of answers, though finding none. So he then sent his divine sense into the dantian itself, towards where his cultivation base was pooled. This attempt looked just as futile until he chanced upon an ephemeral tendril leading away from the cultivation pool; it almost looked like a hose someone had snuck in to drain his watering hole¡­ As to who that rapscallion might be, Zeng Fei had a bad feeling about it when he noticed the tendril led into his domain. Entering, he was greeted by the sight of snowfall as far as the eye could see (which, admittedly, was not very far in the small domain). There was a sense of power in the scene that made him question whether this was ordinary snow, becoming more convinced that it wasn¡¯t when he observed how the snow on the ice sheet was thinnest at the edges of the domain and thickest¡­ by a certain penguin. In fact, if you paid particularly close attention, you could see that the snow on the ground itself was moving, converging on the miscreant as though getting carried by invisible ants, and that the snow immediately beneath the scoundrel was disappearing into his body as though being siphoned in. Wallace and Gromit had been right all along: penguins everywhere were fowl little deviants who¡¯d trick you without a moment¡¯s hesitation for their gain!The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Hey! What the hell are you doing in here?¡± Startled out of his meditation, Pingu looked about and waved cheerily on seeing Zeng Fei. ¡°Sqwuak!¡± At any other time, this sweet Club-Penguin-esque gesture would have endeared Zeng Fei; in the current context, however, it looked more like a taunt. It was as if he¡¯d just caught the thief who¡¯d embezzled his money red-handed, only to discover they were totally chipper and glib about the whole thing. Zeng Fei refused to fall for the ¡®It¡¯s just a big misunderstanding¡¯ trope, and he pointed an accusatory finger. ¡°You cheeky little shit! How dare you?¡± Pingu glanced over his shoulder to see if Zeng Fei was addressing someone behind him but saw no one there. Puzzled, he turned back around and pointed a flipper at himself. ¡°Meep?¡± ¡°Who the fuck else could I possibly mean when you¡¯re the only one here! What the hell are you doing with my cultivation base?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Pingu scratched his head and gave a shrug. ¡°Sqwuak, sqwuak, sqwuak.¡± ¡°You saw snow falling, and so decided to do the ¡®thing¡¯? Wow, what an amazing explanation - that makes perfect sense now! Thanks a million!¡± Pingu acknowledged him with a click of the tongue. ¡°Mrrp.¡± ¡°I¡¯m welcome?!¡± Pingu nodded. ¡°Chrrp.¡± Anymore, and Zeng Fei feared he¡¯d get a stroke; he had to turn to the skies and take deep breaths to calm himself down. Of course, what he would have loved to do more than anything else right now was march over and give the uncooperative penguin an arse-whooping, but besides the fact that he suspected he¡¯d be the one getting his arse handed to him in such a scenario, the truth was that he was too loving and gentle a master to dish out physical discipline, even though his mutinous minion had most definitely earned it. So he had to settle for cursing the little bugger instead (naturally, grumbled outside of Pingu¡¯s earshot, not because Zeng Fei was intimidated but because he, as a mature adult, refused to teach such filthy words to a little kid). Since answers about the missing cultivation weren¡¯t forthcoming from the culprit himself (who¡¯d decided to flop around in the snow while waiting around, calling on his master to come join him), Zeng Fei opened up Pingu¡¯s status to see if there were any clues there. Pingu Race: Emperor Penguin Cultivation: First Layer Qi Refining (67%) Demon Cores: Green-horned Python (Third Layer Qi Refining) Strength: 10 Agility: 6 Constitution: 8 Intelligence: 5 Dexterity: 2 Perception: 7 Martial Techniques: Serpentine Slap (Mortal) - Level 3 He opened up Pingu¡¯s cultivation tab, then felt like a massive idiot for even bothering to question the penguin instead of coming here immediately. True Cultivation: First Layer Qi Refining (17% progress) Artificially Gained Cultivation: First Layer Qi Refining (50% progress) from Green-horned Python Total Cultivation: First Layer Qi Refining (67% progress) Of the 20% cultivation Zeng Fei had lost overnight, the majority of it seemed to have ended up in Pingu¡¯s cultivation. As for the missing 3%, it could well be that the embezzling process wasn¡¯t perfectly efficient, with the lost amount equalling the transfer fee. Alternatively, perhaps the embezzlement wasn¡¯t complete, which would suggest that the snow currently in the domain was the 3% missing from his cultivation base. If so, could he take it back? Since there wasn¡¯t anything about it on Pingu¡¯s status interface, Zeng Fei had to go the old command-line way and use his thoughts to demand his body to stop liquidating his cultivation base. A while later, the snowfall halted. Encouraged by his success, Zeng Fei then ordered his body to reverse the flow to see if he could recover the embezzled funds. As though lifted by a sudden updraught, the snow on the ground was blown towards the edges of the domain and disappeared soon after; simultaneously, the hose that¡¯d been draining Zeng Fei¡¯s cultivation pool into the domain reversed its flow. Zeng Fei ignored Pingu¡¯s wailing and pondered what to make of the entire shebang. From the way his body listened to his commands, clearly he had control over the cultivation base liquidation process, which implied it was part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and not a case of Pingu suddenly going rogue on him. But why would the Emperor have wanted this? Maybe it was for the simplest reason of sharing his cultivation base with his minions and Zeng Fei was overthinking it, but he had an inexplicable feeling that there was more here. Still, he had no clues as to what that could be, so he decided to flick through Pingu¡¯s other status screens to see if anything else had changed. Nothing had, but for some reason he was drawn to the demon cores screen, particularly the max capacity row. Max Capacity: Third Layer Qi Refining Current Demon Cores: Normally, when someone increased their cultivation, they would enjoy an increase in their power and qi capacity (which was the maximum amount of spiritual qi they could carry inside their body to use for techniques). But Pingu had never absorbed spiritual qi. Whenever he¡¯d used techniques, the funding for it had always come from Zeng Fei¡¯s domain; even when Pingu had used Serpentine Slap against Dong Ju, the requisite qi had been funnelled from Zeng Fei to him through their summon link. Using the analogy of a PAYG contract, maintaining Pingu¡¯s form in the real world was like having an active call that incurred a small but constant cost, whereas using techniques was like purchasing an eyewateringly expensive add-on that wasn¡¯t included in the contract. The fact that Pingu needed Zeng Fei¡¯s spiritual qi to fund techniques implied that the penguin was incapable of absorbing qi from the environment by himself. Which shouldn¡¯t be the case, unless¡­ could it be Pingu¡¯s spiritual roots were attributed to Zeng Fei¡¯s cultivation? If so, there¡¯d be no point in a qi capacity increases for Pingu whenever he ranked up as he already wasn¡¯t expending any personal qi for techniques (that¡¯s what daddy¡¯s credit card was for). Rather, the only type of capacity increase that would be beneficial was an increase in his capacity to hold demon cores. Such a conclusion relied on too many assumptions and could easily be wrong, but if it were to be true, its effects would be out of this world. Zeng Fei¡¯s eyes increasingly widened as he considered the possibilities; this could well be the Hail Mary he¡¯d been desperately wishing for. Exhilarated, he was about to run over to Pingu, grab the penguin¡¯s shoulders, and start screaming in joy when suddenly he spotted the penguin was already belly-sliding towards him, only at a speed that indicated a complete lack of intent to safely stop ahead of him. If anything, the exact opposite: it seemed Pingu saw himself as the heroic bowling ball, the only one who could take down the evil pin that¡¯d stolen snow from the lands and joy from the hearts of the people (namely himself). Actually, the whole celebrating thing with Pingu could wait, Zeng Fei thought, immediately departing from his domain back to reality. Without wasting any time, he left the Medicinal Hall and promptly made for the Crooked Mountains. Within a single month, he had to go from being an unremarkable first layer Qi Refiner to competing with those at the ninth layer, the very peak of the realm! It was time to grind out some demon cores! Chapter 15: Hustle and Grind Crooked Mountains. Late Morning. With Zeng Fei standing in the open, it wasn¡¯t long before a beast took the bait. A second-layer Thunderhoof Boar made a beeline for him. A child, it was half as tall as him with tusks as long as hands and hooves that weren¡¯t yet thunderous, better described as coconut shells being clapped together. In preparation for dangerous situations like this, the original had learnt one martial technique: One Fist, Three Punches. Though the technique was nothing fancy, it was a popular offensive skill amongst the disciples for its effectiveness. The reason Zeng Fei hadn¡¯t used it in his fights so far was because the original had practised the technique to minor proficiency and no further, meaning he could only display roughly 40% of its power. And a strike at 40% efficiency from someone at the first layer looked very different to the same strike from someone at the fifth layer. So although the boar was a child, it was by no means an enemy he could take on. Thankfully, Zeng Fei had taken measures to appease the vigilante in his domain, having bought back the restive penguin¡¯s loyalty by letting it snow again. Zeng Fei pointed ahead of him and yelled. ¡°I choose you, Pingu!¡± Pingu had been briefed they were here to fight, so he was ready to go from the get-go. The boar, meanwhile, changed the direction of its charge towards the closer target seeing as this one was also at the first layer. Pingu didn¡¯t attempt to run (not that he could at his waddling pace) and instead stood attentive like a martial artist ready to strike, wings partially raised. Just before the boar entered his proximity, it bellowed an aggressive trumpet burst to rattle him, though to no avail as Pingu immediately casting Serpentine Slap with both wings. His flippers slashed down quicker than even the boar¡¯s charge, tips piercing through the boar¡¯s eyes. Yet, this also meant it was too late for him to dodge. Colliding into Pingu, the boar gored him with its tusks and used its momentum to drive him a fair distance before violently jerking its head and flinging him to the ground. In a fit of pain and rage, the blinded boar continued its charge, shortly after running headlong into a massive tree and bouncing back. Knocked onto its side, the boar mewled from the ground; it couldn¡¯t gather any strength in its legs, and one of its tusks had snapped off. Zeng Fei, through his connection to Pingu, could tell the chick was badly hit in the belly, blood soaking down the grey fur. Hence, he was impressed by the penguin¡¯s show of resilience: Pingu bit down the pain and rolled to his feet, speed-waddling towards the stunned boar before it got a chance to recover. Arriving, Pingu used Serpentine Slaps as testing strikes to see how well the boar could defend itself. Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Serpentine Slap has advanced to Level 4! When it turned out the answer was not at all, Pingu stopped with the elegant technique usage and began slugging the boar to death - if ever Zeng Fei needed a reason not to get on Pingu¡¯s bad side, this display of savagery was it. Within half a minute, the deed was done: the boar¡¯s legs squirmed one last time as though trying to escape, then stilled for good. Pingu moved his beak closer to the body in search of a potential demon core but found no scent; he gave Zeng Fei a head shake. Zeng Fei clicked his tongue. ¡°Drats. Oh well, rest up now.¡± He returned Pingu to his domain. Under normal circumstances, it was well worth the effort to dress Demonic Beast corpses due to how much their parts went for. But since the Crooked Mountains were sect-controlled hunting grounds, the sect already had an excess of components from the beasts here. As such, Zeng Fei chose to clamber up a wide-boughed tree nearby, seeking out a position between the branches where he could sit comfortably. The plan was to meditate up here, mumbling the chant, and lie in wait for another demon beast to show up attracted by the scent of the fresh corpse. If Pingu was healed back up by then, they¡¯d catch the beast unawares and get their second kill as simple as that.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that Zeng Fei was underplaying Pingu¡¯s injury - as far as wounds went, getting gored in the gut was pretty damn serious - but rather that he knew spirit beasts had highly enhanced healing rates, as had been shown after Pingu had been bitten by the Green-horned Python. The downside to Pingu¡¯s impressive healing rate was that it caused the domain to engulf the spiritual qi Zeng Fei was circulating, actively hampering his cultivation efforts. Zeng Fei briefly entered his domain to check what was going on and discovered that Pingu had become a vortex, the qi in the atmosphere rushing towards him to heal the wound whilst the snow on the ground crawled towards him. It did feel unfair to Zeng Fei that his minion got to gobble up everything, forcing the master to make do with the scrappings that fell from the table; still, there was no denying who was doing the heavy lifting and who could utilise those resources better, so he left in the end sighing to himself.
It was in this manner that the duo spent their time: hunting demon beasts in the Crooked Mountains and cultivating. With every fight they won, their skill markedly improved and their strategies evolved. This was especially the case once Zeng Fei started getting involved in the fights, initially because they¡¯d been waylaid by two beasts at once, but afterwards because he realised how foolish it would be to act like the original and be scared of getting his hands dirty. Even if he didn¡¯t want to fight, intelligent enemies would ignore Pingu and go for him - as Dong Fu had proven - so it was vital for him to acclimatise to being in the thick of it; and better here, where the beasts were relatively weak and had known weaknesses, than to be thrust into the position amid a life-or-death battle. Since Zeng Fei didn¡¯t bother to skulk around the sect or hide his presence, it wasn¡¯t long before Dong Ju caught wind of his activities. A few days later, when Zeng Fei was near the peak of second layer and Pingu had reached third layer, the junior Dong caught them in the Crooked Mountains, claiming that he wanted to have a rematch to wipe his shameful defeat away. As for why he brought his lackeys along with him to do this, go figure; maybe he was feeling shy and needed half a dozen burly cheerleaders to cheer him on? Suffice to say, Dong Ju and his buddies never bothered Zeng Fei again. Their pitiful appearances at the Medicinal Hall soon set off new rumours about Zeng Fei¡¯s strength, though hardly anyone came to lick his shoes this time. The ones who¡¯d done so last time had observed everyone else staying ostensibly clear of Zeng Fei following the spar in the Training Hall but hadn¡¯t thought as to why that was, instead only smelling the opportunity to curry favour with the new hot thing. Naturally, they had been enlightened when Dong Fu had publicly smashed Zeng Fei¡¯s face to the curb, and so weren¡¯t feeling super inclined to make that same mistake again so soon. The overall reaction to the latest rumours about Zeng Fei was worse than before; even those sympathetic to his case believed he should have just taken a beating from junior Dong to bury the hatchet instead of worsening the issue like this. Having made the mistake once and been punished for it already, people couldn¡¯t help but view him as a mad dog begging for another beating. Not that Zeng Fei minded: he was afforded peace wherever he went now that people avoided him like the plague, fearful of being associated. Other than cultivating, he also practised his techniques daily in the Training Hall, which included One Fist, Three Punches as well as a new technique he¡¯d learnt. He¡¯d originally gone to the Techniques Hall in search of a technique that would allow him to heal Pingu during a fight, but had found nothing that allowed for rapid healing from a distance. Because of this, Zeng Fei had instead picked up Shifting Steps, a footwork technique that allowed for rapid repositioning, useful for brief bursts of movement and escaping. He put off the task of finding a good support technique for when he made it into the Inner Sect. After all, the Treading Infinity Sect contained countless wondrous techniques in their Scripture Pavilion, accessible to Inner Sect Disciples and higher. The techniques in the Techniques Hall, by contrast, had been selected for being effective, easy for beginners to learn, and commonplace in the cultivation world such that the sect wouldn¡¯t face any losses even if they were stolen. Some Immortal Sects had many criteria and a high bar for selecting disciples, whereas others took the opposite approach, taking on disciples with any level of cultivation talent, giving minimal guidance, and waiting around to see who had sufficient talent, luck, or diligence to make it into the Inner Sect, only at which point would they get treated like true disciples. This was because at their core, all top-tier Immortal Sects were lean organisations of high-quality candidates; and the Treading Infinity Sect, despite taking on disciples of Zeng Fei¡¯s talent, was no different. Where some sects had Elders deciding what traits would contribute the most to success on the path towards immortality, other sects acknowledged that the will of the heavens was the biggest contributing factor and as such used their Outer Sect wings as an extended entrance test to have the heavens select candidates for them. Besides getting a new technique, Zeng Fei also tried to approach Sun Ru to thank her for saving him, but was told he couldn¡¯t meet her as she¡¯d gone into closed-door cultivation. In fact, this was the case for most disciples at the top end of Outer Sect as they were all preparing for the Outer Sect Tournament. And so, Zeng Fei settled into a routine of training - cultivation, technique practice, and monster hunting. A month passed by without incident, and the application period to participate in the Outer Sect Tournament opened. Applications poured in from those eager to prove their ability to ascend to the Inner Sect. By the time it closed, there were many ninth and eighth layer names, a smattering of seventh layer names from disciples confident in fighting above their rank, and a single name from a disciple at the fifth layer. Chapter 16: Outed! Elder Ma used his divine sense to scan through the names of those who¡¯d signed up for the tournament, recognising only a handful out of the scores of hopefuls. There were three main ways of ascending to the Inner Sect: one, have someone high-up acknowledge you as their disciple, a route exclusive to supremely talented individuals; two, prove your potential through the Outer Sect Tournament; or three, reach Foundation Establishment through your own efforts. Depending on the quality of disciples in a certain cohort, the number of disciples capable of achieving this could be as high as one-tenth of the cohort or as low as one-hundredth. Still, since the ravine between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment could take multiple years to surmount, it was far more advantageous to gain the sect¡¯s support beforehand than after the fact. This was why even disciples who weren¡¯t combat-focused still tried their luck in the tournament, in the hopes of getting recognised. Elder Ma guessed this was also the case for this odd application from the fifth-layer disciple; the only reason he hadn¡¯t immediately denied the application was because the disciple¡¯s name had sounded familiar, although Elder Ma couldn¡¯t remember where from for the life of him. As such, he¡¯d had requested the disciple¡¯s details from the sect¡¯s administrative wing to check if they were in fact a prodigy, in which case he¡¯d allow them to participate in the tournament. Yet, the case file in his hands for disciple Zeng Fei told a different story. Five-Elemental False Roots, diligent and focused, highly withdrawn personality, mediocre cultivation progress; to Elder Ma¡¯s eyes, from every angle this seemed to be someone who¡¯d achieve the higher layers of Qi Refining, then become a caretaker at one of the sect¡¯s businesses. If they¡¯d been at eight or ninth layer already, he wouldn¡¯t have minded giving them a chance in the tournament but not as they were now. He was about to reject the application when he saw a peculiar note at the bottom of the case file, recently added. Old Gu told us this disciple was an interesting one. To reflect that, we have begun a probe into the disciple. Investigation ongoing. Indeed, from anyone else, such a comment would have warranted a mildly curious eyebrow raise at most, but to hear the same from Old Gu was enough to make one¡¯s brow furrow. It made Elder Ma want to find out more.
Visiting the Training Hall, Elder Ma made no effort to hide his presence, and was brought into Old Gu¡¯s private cultivation room shortly after. The emaciated old man was sat on a mat on the floor in the lotus position; his long white hair was an unstyled mess that would not let him look odd-placed next to the homeless on the streets. Elder Ma bowed and clasped his hands in greeting. ¡°I hope you are well, Old Gu.¡± Old Gu did not respond; with eyes closed and breaths low, he appeared asleep. But Elder Ma knew Old Gu¡¯s temperament and wasn¡¯t insulted. ¡°I came to find you because a fifth-layer disciple named Zeng Fei applied to the Outer Sect Tournament. When I checked his case file, I saw that you had described him as being interesting, which made me wonder what kind of circumstances could have led you to making that comment about an otherwise unremarkable child.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Old Gu went quiet again, seemingly considering how to explain himself. Elder Ma gave him the space to do so and did not disrupt his thinking. That was, not until many moments of silence later, when Elder Ma realised Old Gu must have taken his sentence as a statement, not a question to answer¡­ Elder Ma cleared his throat. ¡°To be clear, Old Gu, I was wondering about the circumstances, and now that I¡¯ve directly come to you, I would like you to share them with me.¡± ¡°I see. That child won a spar against another child named Dong Ju.¡± This was a name Elder Ma recognised - the younger brother of Dong Fu, who was one of the most promising candidates in the Outer Sect and someone that the Enforcers faction, unfortunately, had already taken as one of their own. Recently, when Dong Fu had roughed up some disciple who¡¯d just joined the sect, it was this faction that had fought hard to ensure he received only a tap on the wrist, even going as far as to cite this incident as proof for why he was a good culture fit for them (after all, who had ever heard of a sheepish debt collector who was successful?). ¡°Even if he won a spar against Dong Fu¡¯s brother, I can¡¯t see what¡¯s noteworthy about someone at the fifth layer beating someone two minor realms below them.¡± ¡°He was not at the fifth layer back then; he was a first layer disciple who beat someone two minor realms above him.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Elder Ma was perplexed. ¡°I spoke to Disciple Zeng just before this, Old Gu - I can assure you he is at the fifth layer. It could be that you misread his cultivation a month ago if didn¡¯t measure it in person.¡± ¡°He is at the fifth layer now, yes.¡± Elder Ma¡¯s expression creased into a gentle frown, confused at what this old man was trying to say and also embarrassed that he¡¯d become confused by someone who never spoke in riddles, if anything the opposite. Suddenly realisation dawned. ¡°Wait¡­ do you mean to say that Disciple Zeng went from first to fifth layer in a single month?¡± Elder Ma shook his head violently. ¡°That¡¯s just not possible.¡± Old Gu remained as still and expressionless as a corpse. ¡°No.¡± ¡°As in you¡¯re agreeing with me, or are you refuting¡ª¡± Elder Ma abruptly stopped and sighed; how was it this difficult to communicate with someone who always spoke directly and truthfully¡­? He tried again. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s say I believe your claim that Disciple Zeng went from first to fifth layer in a single month. Since I assume you¡¯ve been keeping tabs on him, you should know how he did this then, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°He cultivated.¡± Old Gu paused and, as if realising he was being confusing, decided to expand on his answer. ¡°He cultivated a few hours every day.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Elder Ma took a deep breath and massaged the knots out of his brow. ¡°But you see, Old Gu, people don¡¯t usually achieve such ridiculous growth from cultivating daily. So there must be something different about this child, something particular that contributed to his growth, no?¡± ¡°There are many things that contributed to his growth, yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the case. But in your opinion, what is the biggest contributing factor to his growth?¡± ¡°Hmm, probably the fact that he inherited an ancient cultivator¡¯s legacy.¡± ¡°WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU SAY THAT EARLIER?!¡± Elder Ma dearly wished he could tear this old man¡¯s hair out. All the same, Old Gu remained unperturbed; it was to the point you¡¯d be hard-pressed to tell if he was even awake at the present moment. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t ask earlier.¡± Refuted by flawless logic, Elder Ma just wanted to cry; if it had been anyone else sat opposite him, he would have thought they were deliberately making a fool out of him. ¡°Okay, so you think this disciple has inherited an ancient cultivator¡¯s legacy. Is crazy fast cultivation speed the only unusual characteristic you noticed about the inherited cultivation technique? And if it isn¡¯t, feel totally free to answer with what those other characteristics are. In fact, don¡¯t even feel free; I explicitly beg you to do so.¡± ¡°No. The inherited technique also appears to give him the ability to summon spirit beasts that fight for him.¡± ¡°Spirit beasts? Like the ones you use? But I thought they were fragile and quick to dissipate in combat, not going to be of much use at his level.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So if he¡¯s got beasts fighting for him, aren¡¯t they more likely to be demon beasts? Perhaps the technique allows him to teleport in demon beasts from a stored location, which could certainly appear like summoning at a glance.¡± ¡°It is not about likelihood - he uses spirit beasts, not tamed demon beasts.¡± Hearing this, Elder Ma¡¯s emotional landscape flipped towards concern. ¡°If everything you¡¯ve said is true, then this child almost certainly has inherited an unknown ancient cultivator¡¯s legacy. Given that the investigation on this child is still ongoing, I¡¯m guessing they haven¡¯t figured this out yet. So it is of paramount importance we inform the Sect Leader of this at once.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, have you already told him? Or maybe the guys investigating this matter?¡± ¡°No.¡± Elder Ma sighed, feeling sorry for himself. ¡°¡­because none of them thought of directly asking you, I take it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡±
Leaving, Elder Ma hurried to inform the Sect Leader who, upon hearing what the Elder had uncovered, profusely thanked him, although it was unclear whether this was for the information itself or for simply not being like Old Gu. The truth about ancient cultivator legacies was that they were almost always cursed in some manner; hence, Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s protocol for dealing with them started by testing the quality of legacy received before coming to any conclusions. Elder Ma volunteered to do this, having a plan in mind. Earlier on, he¡¯d remembered where he¡¯d heard the name Zeng Fei from: in the Dong Fu incident a month ago, the afflicted party had been a kid named Zeng Fei. Disciple Sun Ru had erroneously believed him to be a junior who¡¯d just joined the sect due to his cultivation base, which too was why Elder Ma hadn¡¯t initially connected the first-layer victim from a month ago to the fifth-layer tournament applicant. Old Gu¡¯s revelations made clear, however, that they were one and the same. Could this be why Zeng Fei was so set on joining this year¡¯s Outer Sect Tournament instead of waiting for the next one, then? A month of nonstop cultivation fuelled by a desire for revenge also made first to fifth layer in a month sound more plausible, though not by much. What was important was that if turned out Zeng Fei was a genuine talent, then Elder Ma could expect any favours he made now to be repaid many times over in the future. These above pieces came together to form Elder Ma¡¯s plan: since Zeng Fei had a grievance against Dong Fu, whom the Enforcers had already claimed, wasn¡¯t this an opportunity to kill two birds at once? Elder Ma informed the Sect Leader of his intent to indirectly test out the disciple in a real-life combat situation by pitting them against Dong Fu, a proven fighter with ninth-layer capability. It was unclear whether the Sect Leader was aware of the underlying motivations or not, but it ended up not mattering for the plan was shortly approved. Chapter 17: Gains from Grinding Outer Sect Arena, Morning. With the tournament set to start soon, the seating surrounding the arena was packed with disciples, eager to watch the spectacle of their strongest peers battling it out. Many even had bets running on who they believed would ascend to the Inner Sect this time round; besides the finalists who were guaranteed to ascend, anyone who showed notable skill could be selected. The formation beneath the arena prevented any spells released inside from affecting the viewers and stopped the combatants from falling out; as for the combatant¡¯s safety, there were multiple Elders within the audience ready to intervene should things take a turn for the lethal. These Elders, unlike the disciples, weren¡¯t here for entertainment but rather as talent scouts, hoping to find suitable disciples to bring into their factions. Since they didn¡¯t know the names of the competitors or the match-ups, which were kept secret by the tournament organiser, they too felt a sense of anticipation akin to the disciples. This made for a nerve-wracking experience for the competitors themselves, however, who were brought into separate waiting rooms in advance of the qualifier stage, leaving them clueless as to who they could be up against (barring those who¡¯d publicly announced their participation, of course). Naturally, the organisers was aware of how stressful this tournament design was; yet they continued it under the argument that this format recreated the conditions of an actual battlefield, where you¡¯d have no guarantee as to who you¡¯d face. While this was partly true, the bigger reason was that it simply made for better entertainment. Cooped up in his small waiting room, Zeng Fei was not immune from the prevailing tension, especially since the chatter of over a thousand disciples was inescapable: a low drone like that of a mosquito¡¯s buzz that frequently surged and fell high during moments of excitement. Still, he remained largely composed all the same. He¡¯d gone through exam season enough times to know that worrying about uncontrollable factors wouldn¡¯t amount to anything this late into the process; better to place his faith in the preparation he¡¯d done, and pray that it would be enough. It helped that he was unimaginably powerful now compared to a month before, bolstering his confidence; for several days now, he and Pingu had been the uncontested Demon Kings of the Crooked Mountain. And yet, despite having cut their way through over a hundred demon beasts, they had discovered a pitiable three demon cores in total, each belonging to separate species. Despite having multiple cores, the option to fuse them was still greyed out, indicating that the cores needed to be of the same species to be fused together. Of these new cores, the first one had been the most disappointing. Growler Monkey (Second Layer Qi Refining): granting +2 agility, +2 dexterity, +1 intelligence, +1 perception The stats themselves were not great, but the technique it unlocked was what really took the biscuit. That¡¯s Not Chocolate Rain - Level 1 Technique grade: Mortal Positive modifiers: n/a Negative modifiers: Low level Ability effect: Form a dung-like object in your hand which can be fired at opponents. [Emperor¡¯s notes: This was a unique technique I took from someone who I initially thought to be a beggar, only for him to reveal himself as a rogue earth-elemental cultivator when I tried to rob him. His name for this technique was stupid, so I renamed it so due to the fact it can be fired like artillery shells in quick succession, which makes it hard to dodge. Although the technique does almost no physical damage on impact, this is made up for by its considerable mental damage; it splatters and goes everywhere. Still, the primary purpose of this technique is something else entirely: the turds, made from the user¡¯s earthly qi, are used to create a connection between the user and their target, therefore acting as a medium to launch more devastating attacks from. I discovered this firsthand after blocking the rogue cultivator¡¯s excremental attack with a barrier, as he then cast Shattering Earth Steps through his turds to break down my barrier. As surprising as that was, it¡¯s really a one-time strategy as it can be easily countered once your target catches on to your game plan. Unlocks Shattering Earth Steps when levelled up high.] Granted, the explanation behind ¡®That¡¯s Not Chocolate Rain¡¯ did make the technique sound more reasonable, at least in theory. But when Pingu used it for the first time, it became clear the creator of the technique had put an unhealthy amount of effort into making the artillery shells as realistic as possible, covering senses from sight to stench to texture and even sound when forming the artillery shells! This wasn¡¯t superficial scatological interest, but something that ran far deeper. Zeng Fei had recoiled away and ordered Pingu to put the munition down; it just so happened, however, that they¡¯d been having snowball fights in the domain recently, and so Pingu must have thought it would be funny to chuck this peculiar snowball at his master¡¯s face.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. It went without saying the demon core had been removed immediately after, and that it had been to Zeng Fei¡¯s delight to find out he could delete techniques from Pingu¡¯s repertoire as well. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t long before they discovered another demon core. Yang Rabbit (Third Layer Qi Refining): granting +2 strength, +3 agility, +2 constitution, +2 perception. Pure Yang Phoenix Fist - Level 1 Technique grade: Mortal Positive modifiers: n/a Negative modifiers: Low level Ability effect: When cast, charge up your fist to deliver a powerful fiery attack. [Emperor¡¯s notes: A core attack technique from the Creed of the Phoenix Tongue. Good pick-up for melee builds. Each level up increases the qi cost by more than what a normal technique would experience, but this increased level-sensitivity also applies to the power of the technique. The first time I saw a Grand Elder use it, having watched her sect juniors perform it many times before, I believed it to be an entirely different technique until I interrogated the truth out of her. Not linked to any other techniques, but this is made up for by various upgrades the technique undergoes when levelled up.] The Green-horned Python¡¯s demon core was immediately swapped out for this; although Serpentine Slap had utility in blinding foes, it did so little damage that in most cases it was more effective for Pingu to throw out a normal slap than use the technique. Moreover, Pingu had levelled Serpentine Slap to level 9 by this point, but this was still not high enough to unlock any of the Venomous Court¡¯s linked techniques. Then there was the third demon core they¡¯d found. Kung Pao Rooster (Third Layer Qi Refining): granting +4 strength, +4 agility, +1 constitution Kung Ho - Level 1 Technique grade: Mortal Positive modifiers: n/a Negative modifiers: Low level Passive ability effect: The user learns the basics of martial arts and gains increased efficiency of qi application across their strikes. [Emperor¡¯s notes: A technique I created early on by combining the forms and attacks found in multiple other martial techniques. It also allows the user to apply qi more efficiently over their strikes, great for beginners. Not linked to anything else; just something I used to quickly impart basic martial art knowledge to minions.] This was the first passive technique Zeng Fei had come across, and upon Pingu ingesting the core, its effects were transformational. No longer were his kicks awkward and clumsy; now, he could even jump and deliver flying kicks (which, admittedly, did look hilarious given Pingu¡¯s short-limbed legs, but Zeng Fei stopped sniggering when he saw Pingu deliver a flying kick to a Growler Monkey and cause it to fall unconscious in one go.) Pingu¡¯s wings, already capable of forceful slaps, suddenly became capable of a far greater variety of strikes, especially potent when extra qi was used to pack more punch into those strikes. The penguin¡¯s glaring weakness in mobility was also partially done away with by the martial arts knowledge and his increased agility. Pingu Race: Emperor Penguin Cultivation: Sixth Layer (2%) Demon Cores: Yang Rabbit (Third Layer Qi Refining), Kung Pao Rooster (Third Layer Qi Refining) Strength: 10 -> 24 Agility: 6 -> 15 Constitution: 8 -> 19 Intelligence: 5 -> 10 Dexterity: 2 -> 7 Perception: 7 -> 12 Martial Techniques: Pure Yang Phoenix Fist (Mortal) - Level 4; Kung Ho (Mortal) - Level 3; Serpentine Slap (Trash) - Level 9 It turned out that each time Pingu went up a layer, his capacity for demon cores also went up by a layer, therefore allowing him to equip two cores at once from the fourth layer onwards (since capacity was +2 layers from current true cultivation). As for why Pingu didn¡¯t have the Growler Monkey¡¯s core equipped as well, even if just to get its stat bonuses, this was because his true cultivation was near the peak of fifth layer, which showed up as sixth due to the artificially gained cultivation from the equipped cores. Pingu¡¯s stats also rose across the board with each layer up, each attribute going up by 1 except for strength and constitution that went up by 2 - in turn further supporting the idea that Pingu was made for a brute/champion style build, not that of a fast and flighty dancer. Altogether, this was why Zeng Fei felt confident they would come out on top with relative ease against any ordinary opponents; given how physically powerful Pingu had become, it would be over once the penguin closed in on the unfortunate disciple - akin to a heavyweight delivering haymakers to a flyweight. Still, it was an open question as to how they would fare against the favourites to win the tournament - who all either possessed excellent footwork or defence techniques - or those who cultivated body refining techniques and could therefore be considered in the same weight class as Pingu. Zeng Fei had been inside his waiting room for over an hour when an abrupt grinding sound interrupted his meditation. Opening his eyes, he saw the stone wall in front lowering to reveal a route, giving him a sense of deja vu to when the door inside the spirit adviser¡¯s cave had opened. But where that had been a doorway into darkness, this passageway led to a bright arena at the end which had just been swept of the last combatants¡¯ blood. Zeng Fei composed himself, then made for the limelight. No matter who his opponent was, he was resolved to not lose until he saw Dong Fu¡¯s face getting dragged through the dirt. Simultaneously, Elder Ma called out the match-up, his voice imbued with qi to be audible to everyone in the area. ¡°This qualifier match will be between Dong Fu, a disciple at the seventh layer, and Zeng Fei, a disciple at the fifth layer. I wish them both good luck.¡± Hearing the announcement, a girl in a waiting room opened her eyes. Her irises briefly flickered in shades of vermilion. She frowned at the wall ahead of her for several beats before shaking her head and sighing deeply. Still, she was too distracted to return to meditation, so she spread her awareness out to pay attention to the fight; although she was too far away to directly observe the arena, she¡¯d be able to catch the play-by-play commentary from the disciples watching. In contrast, the audience¡¯s response to the announcement was subdued: although people knew of Dong Fu, hardly any of them knew who his opponent was and hence were questioning how a fifth layer had even made it into the tournament; meanwhile, those that did know of Zeng Fei were questioning if they¡¯d misheard the match-up. This reaction applied to Dong Fu as well, who couldn¡¯t quite believe his luck. Exiting his tunnel, he threw his gaze across the arena to the other open one, wondering if it really was the same weakling he¡¯d crushed a month before. There, he saw Zeng Fei stride out with a head held high and a grin so wide he appeared a reflection of the Cheshire Cat. Chapter 18: Bad Brother Dong (1) Zeng Fei couldn¡¯t believe his luck either: it was like the one question he¡¯d tirelessly practised during his revision had just come up on the exam paper. Was it the will of the heavens for them to clash, the original¡¯s karmic connection that he¡¯d inherited ever since taking over this body, or had someone deliberately set up this grudge match for reasons unknown? The few Outer Sect Disciples who knew of Zeng Fei spoke with audible confusion. ¡°Is that really Zeng Fei? He¡¯s not as skinny or wan as I remember him being¡­ and wasn¡¯t he at first layer Qi Refining when he beat Dong Ju a month ago?¡± Their comments set off other disciples who didn¡¯t know Zeng Fei but had heard the rumours from that fateful day. ¡°Oh, you mean the kid who fights by summoning demon beasts. Maybe that¡¯s why they let him into the tournament with such a low cultivation.¡± ¡°Right. If he can beat Dong Ju while being two minor realms lower, surely he also has a chance at beating Dong Fu while also two below?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? The heavens are clearly picking on this Zeng by pitting him against that demon boy!¡± Although some of this caught Zeng Fei¡¯s ear, he ignored the chatter and made his way into the arena. Besides getting revenge on his bully, he had another reason for entering the tournament. During his training-arc month, he¡¯d thought long and hard about how to get around the Heavenly Demon Emperor¡¯s condition - that he couldn¡¯t hide his identity as the successor - and eventually he¡¯d realised there was nothing in it to prevent him from acting timidly and taking attention off himself; this would prevent people from caring about him in the first place. Indeed, even if he were to assume that, irrespective of what actions he took, Interpol would come knocking for Demon Emperor Junior eventually, the point still remained that he could delay their arrival by keeping low. Better yet, he could use that extra time to get stronger in secret¡­ but how? This was where the strategy of ¡®hide and bide time¡¯ fell apart. After all, it¡¯s not like he was a regressor or that this world was based on a book he¡¯d read, cases in which he would have been able to use his knowledge of the future to keep a low profile while simultaneously farming valuables before anyone else. He was merely genre-savvy, and even then, it had already become clear that this trait could just as easily bite him on the butt as it could benefit him. In the stories, transmigrators always received a gift of power from a goddess before getting reincarnated in another world; if he were to think of what best fit that description in his situation, it would be the Heavenly Demon Divine Art itself: an unwillingly received gift, yet a valuable one nonetheless. So what if he threw caution to the wind and displayed his capabilities in full? It would give him less time to prepare for the Emperor¡¯s old foes, no doubt, but revealing his potential would also open the way to explosive growth by giving the rich and powerful a reason to invest in him. Ultimately, there were too many unknown variables to pick an optimal strategy between the two extremes. But Zeng Fei knew which one fit his style better: he didn¡¯t want to play the expert hidden in the background, which would involve a continuation of people looking down on him and having to handle every task by himself. Therefore, this tournament could be viewed as a stage for entrepreneurs like himself to market their potentials to the panel of hard-nosed venture capitalists in the audience; for as long as they impressed the Elders, they¡¯d be gifted with wondrous elixirs, pills, and tools far beyond anything they could scrounge up themselves. Already, it was working: since his curiously low cultivation had captured everyone¡¯s attention, he¡¯d felt multiple divine senses scan his body the second he appeared in the open - most were from nearby seniors, but the most intensive ones came from Elders who were scrutinising his quality as a product they could invest in. Or at least this was what Zeng Fei told himself while bearing with the sensation he was getting groped up by countless invisible molesters; contrary to his internal discomfort, he performed a fist-and-palm salute towards the Elders and bowed deeply. ¡°This humble disciple greets his seniors and the esteemed Elders.¡± ¡°Never in a million years did I think a bitch boy like you would dare to join the tournament,¡± Dong Fu hailed from the other side of the arena, roughly 30 metres away, suddenly shattering the illusion. ¡°Ha, were you really that eager for another arse-whooping from this uncle?¡± Although Zeng Fei felt a tic tighten his facial muscles, he forcibly relaxed them then under the knowledge this idiot¡¯s barbaric lack of manners only made him look better in comparison. As such, Zeng Fei coolly met his bully¡¯s gaze and bowed towards him too. ¡°Ah, Dong Fu. This junior greets you too.¡± Raising his torso back up, he showed a gentle smile. ¡°Please provide me guidance, Senior Brother.¡± Unfortunately, this was where theory divorced from reality as, unbeknownst to Zeng Fei, his inner maliciousness was so great that even his respectful gesture and controlled smile failed to contain it. The combination ended up being so chilling, facial muscles too strained as though the skin didn¡¯t fit, that even Dong Fu paused his shit-talking to make a double-take. The Elders who had so far viewed Zeng Fei as a polite, humble disciple also changed their minds, now spotting guile in him that did not match his youth. Even some of the disciples who¡¯d previously been saying how pitiable Zeng Fei was couldn¡¯t help but gulp for Dong Fu now, and they were all too vocal in their thoughts. ¡°That Zeng Fei has to be a devilish cultivator in disguise! Look, there¡¯s no way somebody on the side of righteousness would grin like that!¡± ¡°Good point. There was also that creepy-ass smile he had on when he walked out too, not at all the face of someone about to confront his bully. I reckon he¡¯s a skinwalker from the Occult Flesh Palace.¡± ¡°Man, that sicko must have laid out multiple traps to humiliate Dong Fu or worse, then. I¡¯m worried!¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Hearing this, Zeng Fei glared in the direction of the commentators. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°He¡¯s marked you as his next sacrifice, no doubt.¡± ¡°No, his next meal - look at those hungry eyes! You¡¯re done for, Little Bro.¡± Thankfully, these comments were in the earshot of Elder Ma, who stepped in: ¡°Those making baseless accusations, continue doing so and I will regard you as deliberately interfering with the match and punish you. Disciples Dong and Zeng, you may begin when you are ready.¡± This finally hushed the rowdy viewers and returned the focus to the two in the arena. Although Zeng Fei was confused how his charm offensive had failed, it wasn¡¯t the end of the world since he¡¯d resolved to speak with his fists from the start. He pointed ahead and yelled with dramatic flair. ¡°I summon you, Pingu!¡± The spectators gasped on seeing the odd-looking demon beast appear from the white mist; only those with higher cultivations were able to glean that it bore the same qi signature as Zeng Fei, suggesting it was actually a summoned spirit beast despite its realistic corporeal form. Many others, meanwhile, couldn¡¯t have cared less whether he was a fire or water type P***mon; enamoured by Pingu¡¯s good looks, they - especially the girls - gushed over him, feeling jealous that Zeng Fei had such a cute and cuddly companion while they didn¡¯t. As for the one in the eye of the storm, Pingu looked relaxed facing all this commotion like he was a long-time celebrity and this was business as usual. He threw the fawning paparazzi a bone and showed them his good angles (which was actually just him intrigued to find out so many of his master¡¯s species existed, and that they were huddling altogether in a colony, yet keeping a distance from his master whose hygiene habits they were evidently disgusted by). His gaze stopped roving when it came across the other human in the arena, the very same one who¡¯d beaten the living daylights out of his master (and who he was not surprised to find out also had exceptionally poor hygiene). Overcome by emotion, Pingu cast his head low, releasing a trumpet-like sound as he then stretched his head to the skies. In contrast, Dong Fu, who¡¯d been made uneasy by Zeng Fei¡¯s creepy smile, was relieved to see his opponent¡¯s tactic was the exact same as before; he released his tension through a harsh note of laughter. ¡°Oh, Little Zeng, you big fool. You must have believed you could face me after raising your cultivation, but let me tell you something: I didn¡¯t use any of my techniques last time!¡± Zeng Fei snorted - of course he knew this, having seen the original¡¯s memories. Unlike the younger brother who cultivated Orange Stripes, White Teeth - a technique that was ferocious and aggressive in battle - Dong Ju practised a cultivation technique which provided prodigious defensive abilities instead. Years ago, when people first uncovered that the brash loudmouth Dong Fu cultivated Small Turtle¡¯s Supreme Shell, they had teased him endlessly and challenged him to teach him a lesson. Nobody had expected him to trash not only these losers but also the seniors who they¡¯d called up as back up. What appeared to defy logic on first glance made perfect sense, however: as a body refiner, the damage others could do with their qi, he could achieve with his bare hands, so picking an aggressive cultivation art on top would have made a glass cannon out of him, similar to his younger brother. Whereas the reason he¡¯d stomped seniors several minor stages above him was because although they possessed the advantage in qi and speed, what use was that when they couldn¡¯t get through his defences? In contrast, they were goners the second he got his hands on them. ¡°Unyielding Carapace!¡± Every inch of Dong Fu¡¯s visible skin became imprinted with a hexagonal shell motif, the lines which then, due to his seventh layer cultivation, projected outwards an inch to become three-dimensional. Covered in this translucent green shell, Dong Fu beckoned towards Zeng Fei and Pingu. ¡°Come on, then. This uncle will entertain you.¡± Pingu did not need any further encouragement; he showed off his agility increase and speed-waddled forwards (about twice as fast as a normal waddle) without falling over! As the penguin approached, Dong Fu raised his arms in defence and released a roar, ¡°Ha!¡± Pingu, too, let out a shout. ¡°Sqwuak, sqwuak!¡± ¡°Pure Yang Phoenix Fist!¡± Zeng Fei translated for the crowd, who suddenly sat up; although none of them had heard of this exact martial technique, they could sense the qi concentrating into the tip of Pingu¡¯s flipper, licks of fire flickering down his feathered wing. This flaming fist tore towards Dong Fu. ¡°Brace!¡± An influx of qi flowed into the projected shell, causing it to flare brighter. The collision between the two caused an explosive sound and inky black smoke, yet what followed was Dong Ju¡¯s foot as he raised his leg and kicked forcefully into Pingu¡¯s belly. ¡°Peep!¡± As the penguin toppled over, Dong Fu lowered his arms. The faint smoke dispersed to reveal that the qi shell was charred where it¡¯d been struck, but no further. Dong Ju turned towards Zeng Fei. ¡°Not bad. But let me show you how a real man pu¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t get a chance to as the supine penguin kipped up from the ground in a flurry of movement, launching towards Dong Fu with a flying kick before he could react. Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Kung Ho has advanced to Level 4! The audience winced at the crisp smack, a solid hit, but Pingu wasn¡¯t finished. Multiple Pure Yang Phoenix Fists came through in quick succession, mixed in with a collection of stinging slaps and merciless blows. Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Pure Yang Phoenix Fist has advanced to Level 5! Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Kung Ho has advanced to Level 5! On the defensive, Dong Fu¡¯s projected shell shook under the intense barrage, cracks cropping up across the projection. Suddenly Dong Fu shrunk back, one arm held up to protect his face while the other arm fell; but Pingu refused to let him get away that easily and gave chase with a wide swinging blow. It was only spectators on the side of the fallen arm who caught the influx of qi into it and how sand materialised out of the skin. In a practised motion, Dong Fu abruptly reversed direction and lurched his torso forward, his fist surging out from beneath the penguin¡¯s field of view in a devastating uppercut, sand granules exploding out in every direction. ¡°Crumbling Castles to Sand!¡± The blow was so vicious it launched Pingu into the air for a brief moment. The penguin plopped to the ground, tried to rise to his feet, then floundered back down onto his wings, his head spinning dizzily in half-moon circles. Dong Fu, meanwhile, gathered his phlegm and casually spat a bloody mouthful to the side. Although his shell still held, it had collapsed in multiple areas, his face and neck scorched in spots where the Phoenix Fist had landed and bloodied where Pingu¡¯s strikes had cleaved his skin. Despite enduring damage that would have made another disciple yield, Dong Fu looked to be in good humour, baring his teeth in a bloodstained grin. ¡°Zeng Fei, even though I taught you last time the biggest weakness of cultivators who fight with beasts, your dumbass refused to learn a single fucking thing. So this time, I¡¯ll make sure the lesson stic¡ª¡± Zeng Fei interrupted him with an evil cackle, tilting his head up so that he looked down on Dong Fu. He spoke in a voice far deeper than before. ¡°Settle down, Small Dong, you little fool.¡± The audience watched with their hearts in their mouths, caught by surprise by each development so far; already this qualifier bout had exhibited a grudge fight worthy of a finale, so many had been wondering if it could really get any more exciting than this? The answer lay bare to see in Zeng Fei¡¯s cocky expression, in his audacity to whip out Dong Fu¡¯s hated insult from the past, in the way his eyes were locked on Dong Fu like a serpent watching a small mouse hopping about in front of it. The real fight was just about to start! Chapter 19: Bad Brother Dong (2) ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to finish the job myself.¡± Zeng Fei stretched out his hands with an air of indifference and cracked his joints. ¡°Ready yourself.¡± He took one step forward¡­ ¡­and used it to pivot his body around and sprint away from Dong Fu. No way in hell was he going into go into melee range with a body cultivator! The jaw of the audience dropped: what kind of junior brother was this? Dong Fu, who¡¯d been preparing a vicious counter for when Zeng Fei attacked, too was momentarily stunned by the (brilliance of this) strategic retreat. ¡°Get back here, you coward!¡± He raged, sprinting after his opponent who was stuck at the edge of the arena. Yet, as Dong Fu closed in, Zeng Fei¡¯s expression morphed from a tense frown into an impish smile. ¡°Nope.¡± Activating Shifting Steps, his figure blurred, creating afterimages that headed right and left. Dong Fu hesitated on which route to close off, and this provided Zeng Fei enough time to swap places with one of the afterimages and reposition himself at the opposite end of the arena. Safe once more, Zeng Fei wagged his finger in the air. ¡°Tut, tut, tut.¡± Seething, Dong Fu came after him again, this time charging down the afterimage closest to him the second it appeared. The beauty of Shifting Steps, however, was that the afterimage the user swapped to was not pre-determined and could be selected at anytime; hence, Zeng Fei simply chose to swap with the other afterimage and escaped Dong Fu¡¯s grasp once more. This process repeated over and over, each time Zeng Fei clicking his tongue and wagging his finger to provoke his opponent that much more. And like an enraged bull, Dong Fu continued to smack down the afterimage closest to him. It wasn¡¯t that Dong Fu didn¡¯t have his own footwork technique - Turtle Rolling Down the Hill - but that this technique required plenty of space to build up speed, making it unusable in this small arena. As such, he had to resort to draining Zeng Fei¡¯s tank before going in for the kill. Shifting Steps was a qi-intensive technique due to how much it took to create those afterimages, though they could be reused during the next casting as long as they hadn¡¯t been destroyed; it followed, therefore, that destroying those afterimages was the best way of preventing successive uses of the technique. But although Dong Fu was backing Zeng Fei into a corner, he abruptly stopped in the midst of his chase. He paused to take measure of his surroundings, and in no time became more enraged than before as he realised Zeng Fei had been herding him like cattle all this time. Since Zeng Fei himself showed no interest in confronting Dong Fu, it was obvious what he was pinning his hopes on to win this fight. Zeng Fei panicked on seeing Dong Fu change direction towards Pingu and realised he had to take drastic action at once. Adopting the air of an arrogant young master, he pointed audaciously at Dong Fu: ¡°Since you¡¯ve pushed me this far, don¡¯t blame me for not showing any mercy.¡± Zeng Fei raised his thumb and bit down, drawing blood. ¡°Blood Arts!¡± The audience tensed up, wondering if they¡¯d misheard; simultaneously, the Elders leaned forwards, preparing to charge in and stop the fight at any moment. Dark reddish qi in the form of devilish flames began to emanate from Zeng Fei¡¯s leg. Bearing a grim expression, he leapt high into the sky, and descended towards Dong Ju with his leg leading the way like a thrown javelin. ¡°Devilish Lance!¡± Dong Ju made a split-second decision to roll to the side, dodging the devilish attack that, in fact, went wide anyway. Zeng Fei landed with a combat roll and immediately got back to running, the flames around his legs fading as quickly as they¡¯d appeared; his heart pounded in his ears and the discordant sound of the spectators was deafening. This was why the Elders hadn¡¯t interrupted the fight as they¡¯d been able to tell straight away that his technique was all smoke and mirrors, just inefficient visual effects that had consequently left Zeng Fei close to dry. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. At least if Pingu had been up by now, the deceptive ploys would have been worth it, but instead the penguin was still barely struggling to his feet¡­ Whilst checking up on his partner, Zeng Fei happened to spot something blurry in his peripheral vision, something rapidly gaining ground on him. This partial glimpse was enough for him to know that jig was up; and although he had enough qi to use Shifting Steps again, doing so would mean sacrificing Pingu, his win condition. In that instant, Zeng Fei did not think: he acted. The pains and efforts he¡¯d gone to train; the ploys he¡¯d prepared to distract Dong Fu in case Pingu lost the one-on-one and needed time to recover; the burning sense of vengeance demanding that he punish the one who¡¯d treated him so unjustly; in this critical moment, everything driving Zeng Fei told him to man up and protect his baby penguin. Under this surge of resolve, Zeng Fei suddenly pivoted and threw a wild haymaker at his furious opponent, casting One Fist, Three Punches. His fist connected against Dong Fu¡¯s shoulder. Which just so happened to feel like punching a wall three times, scraping skin off his knuckles¡­ Ah right, all that adrenaline had made him momentarily forget why classic cultivators hated being in close-quarter combat against body refiners; it had fooled him into believing he too could achieve what his dopey little minion could do. All things considered, that was a bit silly¡­ Oopsie, I guess? These were Zeng Fei¡¯s final (coherent) thoughts before he was caught in the stomach with Crumbling Castles to Sand; sent flying, he crashed to the ground and rolled to a stop. He felt he had been gutted, wheezing for breath that didn¡¯t come. All the same, he crawled on his knees and elbows, impelled by fear to get away. Towards those faces that exhibited everything from delight to dismay. When the shadow then appeared over him, he collapsed down, hyperventilating. A grip tightened around his upper arm and forcibly rolled him onto his back. Above, he saw a face of malice relishing the moment, overcast over his figure like the ugly face of the sun. It scorched down¡ª huh?! Zeng Fei¡¯s eyes widened as he witnessed a fiery punch appear out of nowhere and crash into Dong Fu¡¯s face. Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Pure Yang Phoenix Fist has advanced to Level 6! Dong Fu stumbled to the side from the impact and shivered, blood dribbling out of his open mouth and nose. But when he glanced up, those were eyes that bore glints of steel. Breaking away from the script, Dong Fu ignored Zeng Fei - who was one or two good hits from lights out - and stepped forth towards Pingu. ¡°You¡¯ve got some fire in you, I¡¯ll admit. But let¡¯s see how well you can take it, little man.¡± Dong Fu socked Pingu across the face before the penguin could react. The sound of flesh being clobbered resounded through the arena, yet Pingu did not fall back. And when he then glanced up, he too revealed unyielding, steely eyes. ¡°Chirp chirp¡­? Noot brr noot!¡± It was like a madness had overcome Dong Fu, his voice quivering with dangerous instability: ¡°Come on, then! You think I¡¯m scared of you, motherfucker?!¡± Pingu¡¯s wing arced from below for a vicious uppercut; Dong Fu ate it up full. Dong Fu threw a one-two combo; Pingu made no attempt to dodge. Again and again they went, man and penguin, taking turns and firing shots; for each successive blow, the blood from the human flowed freer still until his body became a natural gallery of grisly waterfalls; meanwhile, the penguin¡¯s very form fell apart, the composite qi structure breaking at the seams from the punishment endured. Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Kung Ho has advanced to Level 6! ¡­ Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Kung Ho has advanced to Level 7! This gave Zeng Fei enough time to regain his breath but not much more. Since his qi had ran out, he was currently experiencing backlash throes for drawing too deeply on his qi, his muscles randomly cramping and body violently shaking like amid a spasm. Nonetheless, he kept Pingu¡¯s summon active by desperately reciting the mantra in this state, willing to endure the agony for however long it would take. To his fortune, it wasn¡¯t much longer. Dong Fu, bleary-eyed and unsteady on his feet, watched the silver wing slice towards him like a sword; and as before, he refused to dodge. The impact pushed him backwards and caused him to trip over himself, crumpling like a ragdoll. Yet, even in defeat there remained a smirk on his face, his half-shuttered glassy eyes staring off into the distant sky. The arena erupted with noise as Pingu raised his wings to the skies victoriously; by his translucent webbed feet lay his bested opponent (as well as his bested master, for that matter). There was no question of who the champion was, and everyone knew his name: their chanting thrummed the earth: ¡°Pingu! Pingu! Pingu!¡± The penguin showed his gratitude towards his adoring fans by bobbing his head about at the explosion of noise, joining in then with trumpeting of his own. Moments later, his body liquefied into a mist of qi and returned to Zeng Fei. This provided some relief from the qi backlash to Zeng Fei, who, despite being delirious from pain and teetering on the edge of consciousness, couldn¡¯t help but feel there was something awfully wrong about this situation. After all, here he was, cast to the side of the arena like some unloved toy while the crowd went crazy for his minion. This couldn¡¯t be right, surely not¡­ The emotional pain from this, on top of everything else, was what tipped him over the edge. He too fell unconscious facing the sky, a frown lining his face. Chapter 20: Tournament Results Medicinal Hall, Late Evening. When Zeng Fei awoke, he found himself back in the same room he had been in a month prior. The pang in his gut informed him why he was there before his memories were given an opportunity to. Still, he had to rack his mind to remember what exactly had happened just before he¡¯d fallen unconscious. He had won, right? He could have sworn the audience had been exclaiming Pingu¡¯s name at the end there, which had to mean victory¡­ but why Pingu¡¯s? Wasn¡¯t it his victory? So why not his name?! Fuck, if only he¡¯d had friends in the audience, they would have begun chanting his name right after the win and everyone else would have followed suit. On reflection, Zeng Fei could finally see that just like the original, he¡¯d fallen into the trap of chasing a goal to a fault and isolating himself as a result. But at least now that the messy vengeance business was all dealt with, he could more freely put in the active effort to socialise. And once he had friends, he could get his name promoted before future matches and afterwards! It was a few minutes after he¡¯d awoken that Senior Sister Dai attended to his room. She looked as before in her light green robes and bone-tired expression. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re up now, Junior Brother Zeng.¡± ¡°Yes, many thanks for your treatment, Senior Sister Dai.¡± Zeng Fei tried to sit up but winced at the pain from his midriff, so he gave a partial bow instead. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± ¡°Mm, I certainly didn¡¯t expect to have to treat you so soon after last time for similar injuries, nor for them to be inflicted by the same person, only this time with you having sought out the quarrel. I see you made good use of my advice.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zeng Fei gave an awkward chuckle and scratched his head, wondering if there were any excuses he could give. He could claim he¡¯d only cared about entering the tournament and not facing up against Dong Fu, but it didn¡¯t seem she¡¯d buy it. ¡°It was fated to happen?¡± he eventually offered. She sighed and shook her head. ¡°You battle-obsessed cultivators are little different from barbarians, treating violence as the solution for all of life¡¯s problems and giving headaches to everyone else.¡± Of all things, Zeng Fei hadn¡¯t expected to hear his complaint about cultivators to be voiced by someone else about him¡­ and for him to be unable to refute it either! Feeling a flush of shame, he lowered his gaze. ¡°Still, who could have guessed that in a mere month, you¡¯d be able to battle it out with Dong Fu and come out on top? With growth like that, I suppose you¡¯re not wrong that it was fated for you two to clash sooner or later.¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± ¡°But even then, you should have just accepted the loss instead of committing the idiocy that you did.¡± She was clearly referring to how he¡¯d continued to sustain Pingu¡¯s summon towards the end by pulling qi out of his flesh and bones; any cultivator could tell you that doing so was immensely dangerous and stupid, making it all the more surprising that he felt fine now (except for in the gut, of course). Seeing that he was going to ask about this, Dai Xinyue waved her hand dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re only okay right now because of the Elder in charge of the tournament, Elder Ma, who rushed in and stabilised your condition.¡± Zeng Fei sighed in relief, causing her to squint and add: ¡°But if it¡¯d been a real fight, you would have faced qi deviation and lost your cultivation base or, worst case, perished.¡± He half-bowed once more. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for my recklessness, Senior Sister. I¡¯ll avoid from ever doing that again.¡± Of course he knew it¡¯d been dumb thing to do even then, but that was just how badly he¡¯d wanted to clinch the win. ¡°Good. Besides, it¡¯s typically a futile action anyway, so you were incredibly fortunate that it actually helped out, fortunate in that Junior Dong is an even bigger battle-obsessed fool than you, refusing to finish you off so that he can prove himself to be a man¡­ to a summoned beast.¡± ¡°In that way, his condition right now can be considered the heavens¡¯ punishment for severe cranial impairment.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Though the real tragedy being how no amount of blows to head is going to get through that numbskull¡¯s brain to change his ways. I just hope that your petty feud with each other is over now.¡± Although Zeng Fei wanted to answer her stern finger-wagging, he couldn¡¯t as he was unsure himself whether it was over yet. Before anything else, it had to be said that he didn¡¯t feel so much like he¡¯d beaten Dong Fu as much that both he and Dong Fu had been beaten by a certain dastardly penguin who¡¯d stolen their thunder to emerge victorious.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Nonetheless, this was a result that made Zeng Fei feel he¡¯d gotten back at Dong Fu: he had, after all, fucked over Dong Fu¡¯s chances of ascending to the Inner Sect, a negative several times more severe than the beating he¡¯d received a month prior. This was why Zeng Fei no longer felt motivated by his dislike for Dong Fu: he believed he¡¯d already gotten back for the initial transgression. But therein lay the problem: in solving his grudge, he had given Dong Fu plenty of reason to form a grudge against him! And the feud wouldn¡¯t be over until both of them agreed to bury the hatchet, so it wasn¡¯t something Zeng Fei alone could decide. Which reminded him. ¡°By the way, Senior Sister, is the Outer Sect Tournament still going?¡± ¡°No, it wrapped up a little while ago. In normal circumstances, they would have healed you up to have you continue onto the next round, but given the qi backlash your body was enduring, it wasn¡¯t something they wanted to gamble with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable. Do you know who won then?¡± ¡°That would be Wang Li.¡± She wasn¡¯t surprised to see his confused reaction. ¡°He entered the sect in the cohort before yours, actually, and his name spread shortly afterwards from the news that he¡¯d gone from being a mortal to third layer within a month. He was acclaimed as being a cultivating genius despite having False Spiritual Roots.¡± This only confounded Zeng Fei further. ¡°So has he been in closed-door cultivation during my time at the sect? I¡¯ve never heard his name come up.¡± ¡°Not at all. Wang Li would continue his groundbreaking pace until he reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining. As you know, there are two notable bottlenecks in the Qi Refining realm: the minor one at the fifth layer, and the major one at the seventh layer. Everyone expected Wang Li to pass through this minor bottleneck like it didn¡¯t exist.¡± Senior Sister Dai gave a sad shake of her head. ¡°Do you mean to say he¡¯s been stuck at the fifth layer this whole time? For almost eight years?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as you say.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The cogs revolved in Zeng Fei¡¯s mind, confusion turning to understanding. ¡°So I imagine people went from calling him a genius to calling him trash.¡± Senior Sister¡¯s polite smile remained, though her tone dipped. ¡°It breeds envy when you have a peer who is far beyond your reach and praised by all. Naturally, should their talent then fail, it follows that this envy evolves into contempt. Junior Brother Wang¡¯s treatment has not been kind, no. His betrothed even broke off their years-long engagement, declaring that she didn¡¯t want to marry a useless weakling like him.¡± Hearing this, Zeng Fei felt a sense of kinship with Wang Li due to the original¡¯s experiences of also getting ostracised. ¡°I see, so he had already become a nobody by time my cohort joined. Could it be he won the tournament then with his cultivation still at the fifth layer?¡± ¡°No. Just a week ago, he finally broke through the bottleneck, and progressed through all of sixth layer, all of seventh, and to the peak of eight in one go.¡± With this, Zeng Fei¡¯s suspicions were confirmed - a genius getting stuck and overtaken, everyone treating him poorly, then out of nowhere him rising leaps and bounds. There was no question of it in Zeng Fei¡¯s mind: Wang Li had a spirit adviser by his side. Wang Li clearly possessed an Immortal Physique or ancient bloodline, unknown by others and most likely himself too, which explained why he had a blazing quick cultivation speed despite having inferior roots. As for the lack of progression for almost ten years, this was because the celestial grandpa inside him had been draining his cultivation gains to recover from their wound. And now that the old geezer had recovered, naturally he was paying Wang Li back by offering to be his spirit adviser. It went without saying that Zeng Fei did not want to end up on the bad side of someone with such potent protagonist qualities. Hell, even if an overpowered enemy attacked Wang Li, all that would happen is that Wang Li would fall into a pocket dimension, inherit another super legendary immortal legacy whilst in there, train up for a few centuries, then come out powerful enough to squash the once overpowered enemy with a fart. Zeng Fei addressed Elder Sister Dai. ¡°Wang Li sounds like an inspiring character who has been through a lot. I hope to meet him at some point. Besides him, do you know who else was selected to become Inner Sect Disciples?¡± ¡°The other finalist was Junior Sister Sun Ru, so her. And then there¡¯s Dong Fu.¡± ¡°What!¡± Zeng Fei sat up in shock, before gasping and dropping again from the pain in his gut. ¡°But how? He lost to me!¡± ¡°Yes, and¡ª¡± She was interrupted as a middle-aged Elder in off-white robes and a pencil moustache appeared in the doorway - Zeng Fei recognised him as the one who¡¯d been officiating the tournament. Elder Ma smiled gently towards the disciples. ¡°Disciple Dai, could you give me a moment with Disciple Zeng please?¡± Dai Xinyue nodded and got up to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to you later then, Junior Brother Zeng.¡± Once she was gone, Elder Ma took the seat she¡¯d been using and clicked his finger, silencing any sound from outside. ¡°I¡¯ve set up a sound-cancelling array to prevent anyone from listening in on us, Disciple Zeng.¡± This abrupt action strung Zeng Fei¡¯s nerves so tight you could play the violin over them; fearing what was about to follow, he had to force himself to present as unconcerned an expression as he could manage. Elder Ma didn¡¯t appear to notice and placed his hand on Zeng Fei¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Before anything else, I would like to congratulate you - the other Elders and I were highly impressed by your ability to eke out a win over Dong Fu while being two minor stages below. In case you weren¡¯t aware, he was one of the favourites to win the tournament, expected to reach the semi-finals at the very least. And because of your accomplishment, you have been selected to ascend to the Inner Sect.¡± Zeng Fei¡¯s self-composure fell apart as he couldn¡¯t help but beam at the news. Although he had intended to impress the Elders, he hadn¡¯t thought it possible for him to ascend given how low his cultivation was; if entering the tournament had been the raffle ticket, then this was the unexpected lottery prize. Although he¡¯d succeeded one of his aims for the tournament by beating Dong Fu, he¡¯d thought the other of attracting attention from the sect had failed due to his disappointing performance of dropping out after his bout. ¡°But before that, we¡¯re going to have to discuss your¡­ special circumstances,¡± Elder Ma continued without a change in tone as though he were mentioning a minor matter. ¡°You see, the sect suspects that you inherited an ancient immortal¡¯s legacy about a month ago. Now, would you be so kind as to relay to me whose legacy it was that you received, as well as how it played out?¡± At that moment, Elder Ma¡¯s gentle smile looked frightening actually, rather frightening indeed. Chapter 21: The Grand Elders Convene (1) Council Hall, Central Peak. Late Evening. Around a large table, there were eight seated. Some were old and looked seconds away from dozing off, whereas others were young and beautiful (and also seconds away from dozing off). This was a routine meeting that they were required to attend - after all, with great power also came great obligation to attend meetings (which honestly could have just been summarised into a jade slip to save time, but the Sect Leader ignored every submission they¡¯d made about it to the suggestion box). Indeed, despite appearing like a random selection of people picked off the market road, these eight individuals were in fact the most powerful people in the Treading Infinity Sect: the Sect Leader and the Grand Elders. As per, the Sect Leader was prattling on from his seat, painting a rich image and gesturing rousingly to stir their spirits. ¡°So, what do you all think?¡± The First Grand Elder was painting a not quite as vivid but nonetheless gripping image in watercolour, showing a pond skater¡¯s daring escape from a chorus of frogs wielding whip-like tongues. The Third Grand Elder was busy racking his brain on writing a daoist love poem, assisted by the Fourth Grand Elder who was giving thoughts on it from the female perspective. The Fourth Grand Elder, meanwhile, was busy racking her brain on how to prevent her Senior Brother from sending over such horrific text to his crush and creating a diplomatic crisis between their two Immortal Sects. The Fifth Grand Elder had his arms at right angles on the table, forearms clasping elbows, creating a bed to lie his brow on and stare into the table from; he was deep in thought pondering over the matter the Sect Leader had raised, even if his loud snoring and occasional nonsensical mutterings suggested otherwise. The Sixth and Seventh Grand Elders were sitting up straight at least but with glassy-eyed looks that made it obvious that they too were in the same mental space as the Fifth, fiercely debating over the matter the Sect Leader had raised, of course. The Eighth Grand Elder was drinking her green tea in peace. Accordingly, none of them heard what the Sect Leader - who was also the Second Grand Elder - said. He had to noisily clear his throat once more. ¡°I said, does anyone have any opinions?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The First Grand Elder looked up from his painting, glanced to the others for help, and discovered they were more oblivious than him, even now paying no attention. ¡°Er, I agree with whatever decision you believe is best, Old Lao.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Surely we should debate on this topic before proceeding.¡± the Sect Leader said. But a glance around the table later, he showed a resigned expression. ¡°Hmm, well, alright then. I¡¯ll jot it down as a topic of discussion for our next meeting.¡± The First said nothing at this, knowing there¡¯d be no point. ¡°Now, onto the next matter,¡± the Sect Leader continued, ¡°it was brought to my attention a few days ago that one of the Outer Sect Disciples was showing signs of having inherited an ancient cultivator¡¯s legacy. This looks ever more likely after today¡¯s events.¡± As one, the Grand Elders paused whatever they were doing and snapped to attention (except the Fifth who continued snoring and the Eighth who continued sipping). The Sect Leader used his divine sense to message Elder Ma waiting outside the Council Hall, who entered at the signal and bowed deeply towards the table. ¡°Martial Nephew greets the Grand Elders.¡± ¡°Be at ease, Ma. I trust the Outer Sect Tournament went without a hitch?¡± ¡°Yes, Sect Leader. I have prepared these jade slips for you all to see - this one shows the matchups and who won against who, and this one shows the candidates that the other Elders and I believe showed sufficient promise to be elevated to the Inner Sect. If you have any challenges to make regarding the chosen candidates, please let me know.¡± ¡°No, no, that¡¯s quite alright. We have faith in your judgement,¡± answered the Third Grand Elder; it went without saying that managers at their level were all experts in the Dao of Delegation. ¡°To have brought this to our attention, I assume the ancient cultivator¡¯s legacy inheritor was one of those selected?¡± ¡°Yes, Fourth Grand Elder. The reasons for doing so are included in the jade slip. I also questioned the disciple named Zeng Fei earlier today on all other relevant details, so I should be able to satisfy any other queries you have regarding him.¡± The Grand Elders looked positively on Elder Ma¡¯s preparation and scanned the jade slip with their divine senses, skimming through the content. ¡°Are you sure this is something to do with an ancient cultivator and not that ¡®Charmer Gu¡¯?¡± ¡°Ha, good point - he is the only one in the sect who uses spirit beasts. Could be ¡®Sweet Talker Gu¡¯ finally decided to take on a disciple.¡± ¡°About time that ¡®sycophant¡¯ decided to pass on his teachings.¡± Elder Ma nodded along their jokes with a polite smile. ¡°As Martial Uncles have guessed, Old Gu was indeed present when Disciple Zeng returned to the Training Hall for an arranged duel and displayed his new cultivation art for the first time. Old Gu tried to attach a Scrying Sprite to the disciple out of curiosity for their circumstances, but the spirit beast spontaneously combusted on touching the disciple¡¯s skin.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°¡­¡± The Grand Elders were speechless as to how this was in any way close to what they¡¯d guessed; although Elder Ma was both reliable and attentive, he was also overeager to kiss ass whenever given the opportunity. Still, this Outer Sect Disciple¡¯s peculiarities were starting to sound like a headache to them. ¡°Do you think¡ª¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± ¡°Textbook case,¡± the Sect Leader said. ¡°Since we¡¯ve all agreed an ancient legacy is involved, we can skip ahead to what to do about it.¡± The important question on all their minds was whether this ancient¡¯s legacy was actually desirable or not. After all, anyone who created good techniques should have no issue finding worthy successors, a fact that applied as much now as it did in the past. The truth was that most ancient cultivators created techniques that were flawed or that came with overly high drawbacks, which is why no one in their time had wanted to learn these techniques. Yet, rather than acknowledge the reality of their situation, these people preferred to insist they¡¯d been born in the wrong generation, surrounded by ignoramuses who couldn¡¯t understand the awesomeness of their techniques. But at least someone in the future would surely comprehend their genius, they told themselves, proceeding to hide their graves - within which contained their legacies - for some poor sod to fall victim to many millennia later. It went without saying that they referred to themselves with imposing names to trick all those who stumbled upon their grave, some even going as far as to design traps and tests so that the poor victim would feel a false sense of achievement, naturally leading them to believe the legacy being awarded must be something super special. If anyone else went through this much effort to deceive their fellow man, society would label them a cheat or a trickster, which in turn were fitting descriptors for these ancient cultivators who had no one to receive their legacy. For the Grand Elders, it was rather embarrassing that one of their disciples had fallen prey to such a legacy scam while within sect grounds, not even journeying the wider world. ¡°Sixth, wasn¡¯t it your job to scan the Crooked Mountains for legacy rooms before opening it to the disciples?¡± ¡°Oh, lay off it,¡± the Sixth Grand Elder replied in an aggrieved tone. ¡°If those graves were so simple to find, do you think the modern cultivator world would be awash with loudmouths who¡¯d inherited this ancient¡¯s and that ancient¡¯s legacies?¡± The Sect Leader nodded, adding, ¡°These ancient scammers knew no one of our experience would fall for their lies, potentially even destroy their lairs, so they came up with myriad different ways of designing their gravesites to escape the notice of people above a certain threshold. It¡¯s no coincidence that everyone who receives a legacy also has a low cultivation base; get them young before they know any better, that¡¯s the motto these ancient cultivators roll by.¡± ¡°Ma, out of curiosity, what did the disciple say the ancient cultivator¡¯s name was?¡± ¡°Disciple Zeng¡¯s master went by the Daoist name Heavenly Demon Emperor.¡± The Sect Leader glanced around to see head shakes and shrugs. Sixth was even chuckling to himself. ¡°This guy must not have gotten the memo that went around all the other ancients, because they all renamed themselves stuff like the Unmatched Under the Heavens Sword Demon Asura and the Peerless Primordial Poison Heavenly God Emperor.¡± Sixth put on a despondent look and sighed. ¡°If only these lofty figures had been recorded in the history tomes, we could have known more about them. What a tragic loss.¡± ¡°Ma, what exactly did the inherited legacy consist of? If it¡¯s just a technique¡­¡± The Fourth Grand Elder trailed off on seeing Ma¡¯s head shake. ¡°In order to inherit the cultivation art, Disciple Zeng was forced to undergo a body transformation ritual, which also caused his cultivation base to drop from fifth to first before his duel in the Training Hall. I scanned his body to check his claim.¡± Elder Ma paused, before continuing. ¡°When I initially met the disciple, I noticed nothing amiss about his body. It was only after hearing about the ritual that I carried out a more thorough scan, specifically searching for any tell-tale signs, and¡­¡± Elder Ma deliberated over his words. ¡°Although his dantian and meridians look ordinary on the surface, the extent of esoteric transformations they¡¯ve undergone is so great that I was briefly stunned Disciple Zeng had even survived such a ludicrous ordeal. I can confidently say any attempt to reverse course will result in the disciple¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Makes sense - it¡¯s common for these legacies to come with irreversible body modifications that make the inheritor more suitable for cultivating the technique. Out of curiosity, what was this one called?¡± ¡°The Heavenly Demon Divine Art.¡± The Sixth Grand Elder broke into heavy laughter now, banging on the table (the Fifth adjacent to him slept through this, unperturbed). Even the other Grand Elders who were less familiar with ancient cultivator legacies couldn¡¯t help but smile at the name; given that divine grade was the highest grade of techniques, it was clear this ancient cultivator had possessed zero talent in naming whatsoever. It was the First Grand Elder¡¯s voice that cut through the laughter. ¡°Still, we should not forget the small possibility that this is a legacy from a legitimate ancient Immortal and not a scam. If anything, the fact that the daoist and technique names are so simple would suggest that they didn¡¯t care for people¡¯s opinions of them, a quality often found in eccentric powerhouses.¡± This insightful comment gave pause to the others, including the Sect Leader who turned thoughtful. ¡°What were your thoughts on the disciple, Ma?¡± ¡°Since Disciple Zeng¡¯s cultivation technique is beyond doubt a unique art, it is unknown how promising it will be in the future. But equally, at the present moment it cannot be denied that it is an incredibly potent art. The one who Disciple Zeng fought in the tournament, Dong Fu, was a body refiner that¡¯d repeatedly shown the ability to challenge disciples at the very peak of Qi Refining; indeed, Zeng Fei himself was downed by a single punch from Dong Fu, and it was his spirit beast that went toe to toe with Dong Fu and eventually bested him.¡± ¡°This Dong Fu was strong enough to also earn a place in the Inner Sect, right? In which case I can see why even someone as impassive as Gu was moved into curiosity: a spirit beast that has the strength and endurance of a demon beast is remarkable, even more so if this art can allow more than one beast to be summoned at once.¡± Elder Ma had an awkward look on his face. ¡°Disciple Dong is a capable body refiner, yes. There was an existing grudge between himself and Disciple Zeng, so I believed a match between them would push Zeng Fei to reveal the full extent of his abilities¡­ though, I was under the belief that Dong Fu would win in the end. As such, there was much debate about ascending him to the Inner Sect after he¡¯d lost.¡± Despite the obscure wording, the Grand Elders naturally understood what he was trying to say having worked up the sect system themselves. The Sixth smacked the slumbering Fifth on the head. ¡°Oi, wake up!¡± ¡°Huh, wuh.¡± The Fifth blinked at the rest of them agape, looking not all that different from a water buffalo dumbstruck by a fly buzzing in front of it. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Seeing as your Enforcement Faction strongarmed Dong Fu into the Inner Sect, he is someone capable, right?¡± Eyes widening, the Fifth stared at them agape. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Okay, so someone below him made the call then. Well, if Zeng Fei turns out to be the real deal, you may want to preemptively clear the air between the two.¡± At this point, the Fifth¡¯s eyes were so wide they were like moons. ¡°Still who?¡± Alas, his earnest questions went unanswered. Chapter 22: The Grand Elders Convene (2) ¡°Before we get ahead of ourselves, remember that it¡¯s still unknown if this disciple¡¯s legacy is the real deal. After all, it¡¯s also not uncommon for these inherited arts to be powerful at first, with ruinous negatives coming further down the line that completely stonewall progress,¡± cautioned the Sect Leader. This, Elder Ma knew, was what the entire discussion was truly about: how high could Zeng Fei go. If they¡¯d been truly curious about the ancient cultivator, they would have forcibly scoured Zeng Fei¡¯s memory; but they didn¡¯t because even the safest memory scouring technique caused brain damage to the target, which could be what prevented their sect from gaining a powerhouse further down the line. If they¡¯d been truly curious, they would have done a thorough search of the ancient cultivator¡¯s legacy room or personally investigated Zeng Fei¡¯s body; but at the end of the day, none of this mattered much to them, who were powerhouses in their own regard. The discussion had never been about ridding Zeng Fei - even the slimmest possibility Zeng Fei could become a future sect asset was enough for them to keep him around and see what he made of himself - but rather how much to invest in him and who to place him under to get the most bang for their buck. If not for Elder Ma, they would have directly questioned Zeng Fei to get an idea of his potential, which would have been slightly more cumbersome but no more. Naturally, Elder Ma had good reason for proactively completing this step for them; there was much for him to gain here if he played his cards right. Zeng Fei¡¯s performance in the tournament had been beyond Elder Ma¡¯s greatest expectations: the kid could clearly take down an ordinary eight or ninth layer disciple despite being almost half their cultivation. As a result, Elder Ma was convinced the kid¡¯s received legacy was the real deal, which was to say that the kid was a shooting star in the making. And there would be no better time for him to tie his destiny to the kid¡¯s than before the star took off. Moreover, if the legacy was the real deal, Elder Ma should also find goodies galore in that legacy room - the kid hadn¡¯t seen any, but that was clearly because the inheritance spirit he spoke about had been hiding them somewhere. It should be simple for Elder Ma to beat up a spent spirit and interrogate it for the ancient cultivator¡¯s treasures. In fact, Elder Ma had been impatient to go check straightaway when he¡¯d heard about the legacy room, and only hadn¡¯t because the kid had taken so long to reawaken that after questioning him, Elder Ma had needed to immediately rush over to the Council Hall in time for the Grand Elders meeting. Of course, Elder Ma wasn¡¯t some stupid devilish cultivator who was thinking of abusing the kid for personal benefit or anything; rather, he was willing to invest much into the kid right now to ensure he got powerful as quick as possible, at which point Elder Ma would regain his original investment many times over. To ensure they got off to a good start, Elder Ma had already been treating Zeng Fei like a personal disciple for a while now: Even the way Elder Ma had described Zeng Fei to the Grand Elders, although none of it had been lies, everything had been said deliberately framed to give them the impression Zeng Fei was a worthwhile investment but not too worthwhile that they¡¯d feel obliged to take him themselves to guide his talent. Elder Ma kept reinforcing this impression in the many minutes that followed while the Grand Elders continued to question him and argued amongst themselves. And then finally, a decision was made, his efforts coming to fruition. The Sect Leader clapped, ¡°In light of everything we¡¯ve discussed, I agree with Ma that we cannot leave a potential talent in the Outer Sect. It seems only right that an Elder takes him in as a personal disciple.¡± None of the Grand Elders disagreed, yet none of them looked eager to take up the job themselves either. Elder Ma¡¯s heart leapt in joy; he wanted to volunteer himself at once, but held off out of the knowledge there was a pecking order to this: first the Grand Elders, then the Elders (of which there was only one present - what a coincidence). Several Grand Elders leaned back on their chairs, one whistling innocuously, another splaying fingers over their belly. ¡°It sounds like a pain,¡± said the Sixth Grand Elder, shaking his head. ¡°How am I supposed to guide a cultivator in an art that is alien to me? I don¡¯t know anything about summons or spirits.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°That same logic applies to all of us,¡± spoke the Third Grand Elder. ¡°How about Gu then?¡± the First Grand Elder suggested. ¡°Even if the Disciple Zeng¡¯s spirit beasts are unfamiliar to Gu, he¡¯s still going to know more about them than anyone else in the sect.¡± Half of the Grand Elders made assenting hums and nods, making Elder Ma want to yell at them; if he¡¯d put in all this work just for the prize to end in Old Gu¡¯s aloof and indifferent lap, he felt he would tear his hair out. He was tempted to speak out of line to stop the consensus from shifting towards Old Gu, but thankfully the other half of Grand Elders didn¡¯t look too fond of the idea anyway. ¡°Let¡¯s be real, Gu¡­¡± The Sixth Grand Elder was about to say something, before smacking his hand over his lips, holding in laughter. So the Fourth Grand Elder went. ¡°I don¡¯t think Gooey Bear will be too happy to have a disciple forced onto him.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be too sad either,¡± the First rebutted. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll feel much of anything to be honest - our words have as much impact on him as the wind.¡± ¡°Besides, he needs to pass down his knowledge to someone eventually,¡± the Fifth said, now awake and fully caught up on the discussion. ¡°At least someone with spirit beasts will be able to make better use of his knowledge.¡± ¡°But who¡¯s to say Gu¡¯s would be a good teacher,¡± the Sixth hit back with. ¡°I pity the fool who has to squeeze a single answer out of ¡®Chatterbox Gu¡¯, let alone the tortured soul who has to squeeze multiple teachings out of him. When the child runs away from our sect, unable to take it anymore, I just want you all to know that his blood will be on your hands.¡± ¡°Oh, can it,¡± the Fifth said, scoffing with laughter. ¡°Gu¡¯s not that bad. He¡¯s just solemn and stoic, a true stone cold man, that¡¯s all.¡± The Sect Leader interrupted these two before they derailed the entire discussion. ¡°Granted, perhaps Gu¡¯s better to have as an occasional teacher than a full-on master. After all, a master has many responsibilities to cover in taking care of their disciples. Perhaps we should consider another Elder for that role and¡ª¡± The Seventh, who until now hadn¡¯t said a word, suddenly spoke over him in a voice layered with angelic notes. ¡°No ordinary Elder shall be able to manage that child. One of us, it must be, who takes that toll, who makes that sacrifice.¡± Her electrifying voice pierced through the room and left in its wake shattered schemes and ruined ploys. Yet despite this, none of them doubted her prophetic comments as they knew the Seventh¡¯s cultivation art randomly subjected her to insights. ¡°Did you have anyone in mind?¡± the Sect Leader asked - in truth, he could guess who it was from the snippet she¡¯d said, but he was a team player at heart and as such refused to steal her limelight. ¡°I saw no exact person in my vision, let it be known. But the current that runs through me whispers in my ear now that one among us may be better suited than the rest¡­¡± She coughed and gave a sidelong glance at the Eighth Grand Elder; given that the Seventh¡¯s eyes were blaring bright with heavenly light, this gesture was impossible to miss. And so, further coughs were made amongst the eight; whistling was carried out innocuously; and fingernails were inspected in the manner of one waiting for something particular to happen. And yet, the Eighth Grand Elder, who¡¯d been quietly drinking tea all this time, did not appear to notice the odd atmosphere and continued sipping without a word (she was either an incredibly slow drinker or the cup had an inexhaustible supply of tea, take your pick). After a while, the Sect Leader felt forced to speak, lest they all have to wait there for hours for the Eighth to pick up on their signs. He gave a small gasp and said, ¡°Could it be you she¡¯s talking about, Little Eighth?¡± ¡°Verily so,¡± the Seventh immediately added. ¡°It is only Junior Sister who has the qualities required for the job.¡± The Sixth jumped in. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing insight, guys. Little Eighth is the resident master at dealing with freakshows after all¡­ Ahem, I meant curious disciples, of course.¡± The Eighth Grand Elder put down her cup. ¡°But I too am unfamiliar with spirit beasts.¡± ¡°You were unfamiliar with the interests of your other deviants as well, but now look, you get on swimmingly with them,¡± the Fourth added diplomatically. ¡°Ahem, I meant curious disciples, haha.¡± ¡°But my current disciples aren¡¯t even independent yet like many of yours are.¡± The Sixth couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes at this. ¡°Well, they may as well be with the amount of control you exert over them.¡± When the others glared at him, he merely shrugged. ¡°Let us not forget, Little Eighth, that it was only you who could have taken on my disciple after my inability to guide her,¡± said the Seventh. ¡°Same thing with mine,¡± the Fourth said. ¡°And mine,¡± the Third said. When the Eighth showed a contemplative expression, they knew they had her on the ropes. Just needed one more push. It was their eldest who cracked through her final resistance with his words of wisdom: ¡°Little Eighth, now that Seventh has spoken, it is clear to us all that no matter who we assign this disciple to, they will be nothing more than a transitionary master because in the eyes of profoundly eccentric disciples, all roads lead to you. Though none of us can claim to understand the phenomenon, nor can we ignore the undeniable legitimacy of it.¡± The Eighth gave a chest-heaving sigh. ¡°Well, alright. It¡¯s not the best timing since my cultivation is at a critical phase, but I suppose I can take another disciple on.¡± The Grand Elders huzzahed, but nonetheless continued to flatter her and assuage her concerns - mentioning that not much guidance was needed at the Qi Refining realm anyway - as they feared what would happen if she changed her mind. The Seventh¡¯s prophecy, although short of proving that the legacy was the real deal, had made it clear to them that whoever took on this disciple would suffer a living hell; in which case, who better to take him on other than the one with expertise in the Dao of Catastrophic Disciples? Elder Ma, meanwhile, watched this all occur while internally crying tears of blood. The greed tugging at his heart made him unwilling to write off his investment in Zeng Fei¡­ but then again, it¡¯s not like he had a choice if it was the case that this child was destined to end up under the Eighth¡¯s wing. Out of all the factions and powerbases in the Treading Infinity Sect, hers was the single one where you had to tread very lightly indeed, lest you had a death wish. Chapter 23: The Chosen Talents In the end, Zeng Fei¡¯s trepidation towards Elder Ma turned out to be misplaced as the Elder had been unfailingly polite and easy to talk to during the questioning, not someone harbouring malice towards him, at least not outwardly. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that Zeng Fei had wanted to admit everything willy-nilly but rather, from the moment Elder Ma had asked who his master was, it had become a losing battle for him. Naturally, this question had been followed up with where did you get this legacy from; and once that had been answered, there came the question of what the hell happened for your cultivation to drop so drastically? A body transformation ritual, is that so? Right, who administered it? It turned out the ever-present fear of what this powerful Elder would do to him if he didn¡¯t answer was effective at teasing the answers out of his mouth. Even if he wanted to give false details, the fact was that once you¡¯d admitted 50-60% of the truth, it became very difficult to make up the rest and still have it be consistent with what had already been divulged. So the major facts about his situation had come out quickly enough. If there was a silver lining to this, it was that Elder Ma had not recognised the Heavenly Demon Emperor, nor the Divine Art. And although the Treading Infinity Sect was one of the foremost Sects on the side of righteousness, there did not appear to be an issue with Zeng Fei¡¯s legacy coming from a Demon Emperor (the interpretation being that the Emperor had been an ancient demonic beast cultivator and not a devilish cultivator). Moreover, from how easily Elder Ma had accepted Zeng Fei¡¯s claim that he¡¯d been walking through the Crooked Mountains and randomly become trapped in a legacy cave, it seemed he wasn¡¯t the first person to whom such an event had happened. In fact, Elder Ma had gone further in giving his word that he¡¯d help Zeng Fei get back into the cave and teach that dastardly spirit a lesson; while having someone else do it on Zeng Fei¡¯s behalf would ruin some of the catharsis from the moment, at least it would be a lot quicker than waiting out many years for him to be able to do so personally. It was this assurance, in combination with the fact that he was being promoted to the Inner Sect, that gave Zeng Fei hope that the sect was planning to incubate him as a talent instead of extinguishing him for being a threat. Zeng Fei¡¯s optimism lasted less than two hours in total, which was the amount of time it took for Elder Ma to attend a routine meeting with the sect¡¯s top brass. Zeng Fei smiled on seeing the Elder return, though this quickly wilted when he caught the arrival¡¯s bleak expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Elder Ma?¡± Had the divulged information predictably come back to bite him in the arse¡­ But the Elder did not respond, walking towards him in silence. At least there seemed to be no active threat as the Elder carried his head low, downcast. Elder Ma stopped at the end and bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Disciple Zeng. It was not meant to be.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re destined for different pastures, so I couldn¡¯t protect you in the end. Just remember that¡­¡± the Elder stopped and deliberated. ¡°Sometimes in life you¡¯ll find yourself hanging out with the wrong crowd, and in those situations the best thing you can do is to know yourself at heart and not let yourself get influenced by them.¡± ¡°So you mean I should be cautious of people who don¡¯t have my best intentions at heart?¡± ¡°Well, even if they do¡­¡± The Elder suddenly coughed over himself. ¡°Ahem, what I mean to say is that I know you¡¯re a good kid at heart, so just don¡¯t let others change that, alright? Don¡¯t let them corrupt you, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t understand¡­¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Unfortunately, the Elder was in no mood to explain himself any further as he promptly made for the exit. With no time to think, Zeng Fei blurted out with the main thing on his mind. ¡°What about the cave, though, Elder Ma? Are you still going to help me get break down the barrier?¡± The Elder stopped at the callout with a shiver and hung his head a bit lower. ¡°You won¡¯t be needing me anymore.¡± And so, Zeng Fei was left blinking in confusion, wondering why on earth the vibe felt like the Elder had just broken up with him¡­ Clearly something must have happened in the meeting the Elder had just attended, and whatever it was, it didn¡¯t portend well for Zeng Fei¡¯s future. Should he leave the sect now and lay low somewhere until the heat died down? Probably best that he didn¡¯t notify the sect either, in case they¡¯d try to stop him. He was beginning to seriously consider doing this when two Enforcers rocked up in his room, their arrival making it all too clear that it was too late for escape plans¡­
The announcement of which Outer Sect Disciples would be advancing to the Inner Sect was given on the same day as the tournament. Almost all of the names had been expected, except, of course, Zeng Fei¡¯s. People had witnessed his bizarre technique and his summon¡¯s strength, even managing to squeeze out a win against Dong Fu (who, while also on the list, was not someone others could complain about given the repeated provings of his strength), but it was also clear to everyone that Zeng Fei¡¯s single victory had relied heavily on pulling multiple rabbits out of the hat. They couldn¡¯t help but feel the decision to elevate him now was premature given the numerous others who¡¯d performed better than him in the tournament; indeed, now that he¡¯d exhausted his element of surprise and become a known quanta, many ninth and eighth layers felt they could take him on without much difficulty. Moreover, didn¡¯t his hasty elevation go against the Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s dogma of waiting around to see what the disciples made of themselves? So how come someone of his talent and status was receiving preferential treatment instead of having to slog up the muddy hill like the rest of them? This was the general gist of comments made within the Outer Sect regarding his elevation. But so what? Even if the result was senseless and dissatisfactory to them, it was nonetheless something their voices had zero sway over. Besides, they all understood the implications: from this moment on, their fates had diverged from Zeng Fei¡¯s who¡¯d effectively just won the lottery. This, in turn, encouraged many disciples stuck at the lower layers to re-engage with their training; all this time they¡¯d been discouraged by their slow pace of cultivation, having long acknowledged that there was no hope of them ever making it into the Inner Sect¡­ but Zeng Fei had just a set a precedent for them to follow, showing how the tortoise could beat the hare as long through pure dogged determination. News began to circulate that Zeng Fei was the disciple with the lowest cultivation base to ever ascend to the Inner Sect, though this was quickly shut down by the stewards - former disciples who¡¯d chosen to stay with the sect in lieu of returning to the mortal world, now charged with taking care of the Outer Sect. Every intake, there were a small number of disciples gifted with celestial constitutions that were placed in the Inner Sect from the get-go, but these lot weren¡¯t counted as they¡¯d never been in the Outer Sect to begin with. Rarer than them were the instances of people who the sect hadn¡¯t thought too highly of during the initial screening, yet who¡¯d gone on to display overwhelming power in unexpected areas shortly after. These individuals were the reason that the Treading Infinity Sect kept recruiting talentless losers into their Outer Sect that other Immortal Sects wouldn¡¯t touch with a ten-foot pole, as well as why the Outer Sect Tournament was held a half year after the intake. Although Zeng Fei hadn¡¯t managed his ascension within a half year, he could be counted amongst this lot due to his ability to fight ordinary eighth and ninth layers with a fifth layer cultivation. The last person before him had been several decades ago, a girl skilled in alchemy who¡¯d achieved similar feats but from the third layer! In fact, two of the stewards had gone up against her in the tournament back then and still received nightmares about it to this day. As for the record holder, he wasn¡¯t someone whom any of the stewards had personally witnessed since his accomplishment had been several hundreds of years ago - Qi Refining cultivators typically had a lifespan of c100 years - but the legends went that a sword-fighting disciple had won the tournament at the first layer of Qi Refining! As unreasonable as it sounded, the reason why this claim wasn¡¯t disputed was because that same individual was now a forefront disciple in the Inner Sect. While Zeng Fei¡¯s achievement wasn¡¯t nearly as striking as these two, it was impressive all the same, especially because it¡¯d been facilitated through his talent in spirit beasts summoning, which itself was a rare enough Dao School that the simple news there was another one of them in the Treading Infinity Sect caught interest around certain corners of the world. Of course, this was nothing more than minor curiosity, no different from noting down a fact of trivia, as nobody who was a somebody within the cultivation world would pay attention to news about measly Qi Refiners. Well, almost nobody. Chapter 24: The Divine Truth Scouring Abode The sects within the cultivation world were ranked in the following order: Immortal, first-grade, second-grade, and local. But the cultivation world was made of more than just sects as there were many other notable institutions and factions with their own functions and powerbases. One such example was the Divine Truth Scouring Abode, the premier information brokering agency. If you wanted to learn certain details or keep tabs on someone, the Truth Abode was your go-to guys (provided you were rich and powerful). While they openly sold information about second-grade sects, and even first-grade sects to an extent, they weren¡¯t daring enough to do so for information pertaining to the Immortal Sects. Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say that they flat-out refused to sell information about Immortal Sects, just that they were incredibly selective about what that information was and who they were selling it to. Under normal circumstances, the Vice Chief of the Divine Truth Scouring Abode, Cai Ling, wouldn¡¯t have been notified about a random disciple in the latest intake of the Treading Infinity Sect. But these weren¡¯t normal circumstances. Since those joining the Inner Sect of the Treading Infinity Sect were seen as equivalent to ordinary disciples taken in by other Immortal Sects with more exclusive joining criteria, this information wasn¡¯t seen as particularly confidential. It was certainly wasn¡¯t the sort of thing someone of Cai¡¯s stature would give personal attention to. Yet here he sat, parsing the jade slip in his hands with his divine sense; he instantly absorbed all relevant information and confirmed it had been tagged correctly. Every piece of information the Truth Abode received was thoroughly tagged with relevant labels, then entered into their data storage vortex; this system of tagging was how they¡¯d distinguished themselves from their competition and become the premier brokerage for information. The reason for this was simple: if someone called in centuries later asking for information on the eccentric powerhouse Dong Fu, the Divine Truth Scouring Abode would be able to pull out all information tagged with his name, check your clearance level, and then provide you with an insanely detailed report starting from his very earliest days. No other information brokerage could come close to accomplishing this, neither in depth nor speed. Although direct information requests were the Truth Abode¡¯s bread-and-butter business, their business department covering standing information requests was the more profitable one. This was where a client would notify the Truth Abode about tags they were interested in, and as long as they kept paying a subscription fee, they would be notified whenever any information was added to that tag. This had become the main method by which people chased down fugitives and runaways, as well as how eccentric powerhouses efficiently sought out the rare resources and kept up with the world during extended seclusions. In the eyes of the masses, the Truth Abode had been the one to innovate this business, but the truth was that it had been suggested to them a long time ago by a client, in fact one of the first clients they¡¯d attained after founding 20,000 years ago. Back then, their founding ancestor had received a request from an anonymous entity, stating that the entity was willing to pay a set amount of spirit stones per month if the Truth Abode agreed to immediately notify them whenever any news about spirit beasts came out. What made this request noteworthy was how long it had lasted: the client had never missed a payment within the subsequent 20,000 years, supporting the Truth Abode through thick and thin and over time becoming their biggest client by an astonishing margin.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Yet, besides the constant stream of payments, everything else about this standing information request was suspect. For one, no one in the Truth Abode knew who this entity was. Was it an individual or a group of people? Perhaps the founding ancestor had known, but if he had, he¡¯d taken it to the grave with him as he¡¯d refused to speak on the matter, not even to the sons who¡¯d succeeded him. Subsequent Chiefs had made attempts to dig into the identity of their mysterious biggest client, but all Cai Ling knew was that they¡¯d never gotten too far before hastily calling the entire operation off. The reasoning given was always the same - let¡¯s not rock the boat and risk losing our biggest cash cow like this - which rung hollow, true, but also sent a clear message through its undertones of fear The Chiefs that came afterwards had learnt the lesson from their predecessors¡¯ mistakes and not even bothered asking. The other strange aspect was that although the client had never missed a payment in many millennia, they¡¯d also never adjusted their request or made any additional requests in that period. Even when they were sent information on spirit beasts, 90% of the time they never responded to the Truth Abode¡¯s information transmissions, and the remaining 10% they showed little more than minor interest, asking a question or two before stopping. From Cai Ling¡¯s perspective, it was like someone had one day decided to start forking over money for information they didn¡¯t actually care about, and just never decided to stop. And fair enough: wasting money and being no poorer for it was the prerogative of people with fuck-you levels of wealth. The reason he¡¯d become involved with them was because clients of this size and delicacy required a relationship manager within the Truth Abode, which - given how undemanding they were - was perhaps the easiest role in the world, and one he¡¯d kept up for almost 300 hundred years now. Having finished checking the information on the Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s newcomers, Cai Ling split the parts about disciple Zeng Fei onto another jade slip, including his physical description, rough age estimation of 14-17, the conflicting reports of fighting either using a uniquely complex spirit beast or a bird-type demon beast, and that this beast (either a pingu or named Pingu) appeared to be capable of using certain martial techniques. Once it was complete, Vice Chief Cai Ling sent off the jade slip to the client¡¯s address, which was within chaos space that even powerhouses baulked to enter due to the ever-present possibility of space destabilising and killing you before you could react. In the time Cai Ling went and had tea, many more requests had come in requiring his attention, but such was the life of a Vice Chief. Still, since his working hours were done for today, he was going to place them aside for tomorrow morning; he was in the process of sorting them into groups when his divine sense felt weighed down by a certain jade slip. Physically, it looked small and made of stone like a primitive¡¯s attempt at a jade slip. But there was no way Cai Ling would mistake that qi signature for anything else, not when it made his hair stand on end and heart clench from simply sensing it. Preparing his mental defences, Vice Chief Cai Ling unfurled the VIP client¡¯s response, whereupon he froze. The response wasn¡¯t anything complex: simply another standing order requesting information on Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s latest Inner Disciple Zeng Fei. What made it stunning was the mountain-load of high-grade spirit stones being offered for carrying such a simple task out. Honestly, it was absurd... To pay this much for basic details, they better be using this information to stop a world war from breaking out or something, Cai Ling mused. Not that he would decline free money, but it was just that delivering on a request so easy yet expensive made him feel uneasy, almost like he was missing a piece of the puzzle here. Oh well, whatever; at least his job was straightforward. While it was true that the Divine Truth Scouring Abode had created the tag on this previously insignificant disciple mere minutes ago, and therefore possessed no further information on him, that wasn¡¯t going to be a problem. From the moment this much money had been offered, this child¡¯s fate had been decided for him: a backroom deal had been done to open up his life to levels of scrutiny never before endured by any individual in the history of man. Or at least that¡¯s what Cai Ling was willing to do for this sum of money - he was a professional with occupational standards to uphold, after all. It wasn¡¯t long before the Vice Chief¡¯s orders went out. All informants in the Treading Infinity Sect were to dig up every single detail possible on this child; and would additionally get paid out a bounty for every piece of information delivered, depending on the juiciness. The disciple known as Zeng Fei had been placed as a target of interest of the apocalyptic-level, a category solely reserved for eccentric powerhouses who looked poised to begin massacres. Until today, that was. Chapter 25: Entering the Inner Sect Zeng Fei was relieved to learn that the Enforcers had not come to beat a confessional truth out of him, but to take him to the Council Hall before the list of ascending disciples was made public. His mood dropped again though once he realised it wasn¡¯t just him they were taking. His former opponent¡¯s wounds had been slathered with herbal paste and bound with bandages, giving the image of a mummified disciple; nevertheless, Dong Fu still managed to look more at ease than Zeng Fei. Given Senior Sister Dai¡¯s complaint about the frequency of Dong Fu¡¯s visits to the Medicinal Hall, it made sense that the thug was already well-accustomed to moving around while in such a condition. Besides coldly snorting in Zeng Fei¡¯s direction, Dong Fu refused to acknowledge him any further, which Zeng Fei was perfectly content with. Also joining them was Sun Ru, who looked completely fine and not like someone who¡¯d lost. Although Zeng Fei didn¡¯t know how the final match had played out, he knew that at the least, it should have been as intense as his bout with Dong Fu; for her to have healed up to this extent in the time since, it was clear she either possessed an insane recovery rate or had received more expensive treatment than them. The original had heard rumours long ago that Sun Ru possessed True Spiritual Roots and cultivated a powerful fire technique, which was most likely the explanation for why her hair, styled in a pony tail, was the colour of rich auburn, or why there were bronze glints floating in her irises. In terms of appearance, she had dainty features, manifestly clear skin, and a fit build, neither slender nor muscle-bound, giving her an overall image that captivated both men and women. Once she had greeted the Enforcers, she fell into step alongside Zeng Fei and Dong Fu, disrupting the chilly air between them. It gave Zeng Fei his much sought-after opportunity. He showed a friendly smile. ¡°Greetings, Sister Sun Ru. Many thanks for your help last time. I definitely owe you for that.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°And I hope you¡¯ll forgive how long it has taken me to tell you that.¡± To his relief, she accepted his gratitude warmly. "That¡¯s okay, Brother Zeng Fei - I heard you came by while I was in seclusion. Besides, I did what was only natural so no need to feel indebted.¡± She paused, squirmed her mouth, then dipped her head lower. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for not recognising you back then - I only learnt of your identity afterwards.¡± Her personality was indeed true to the rumours: polite and gracious, even showing face to someone insignificant like him. He waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Please don¡¯t be. I¡¯m not small-minded and thug-like to feel insulted by something so minor like that.¡± Zeng Fei chuckled frivolously like it was a random untargeted comment. Although he¡¯d told Senior Sister Dai he¡¯d lay off the issue, he just couldn¡¯t help himself here, the presence of Sun Ru and the two seniors bolstering his confidence. Unfortunately, though, he couldn¡¯t tell if he was successful in provoking Dong Fu due to the bandages covering the face. Sun Ru glanced between the two rivals, then showed a strange expression towards Zeng Fei that he couldn¡¯t quite decipher. Had she not known there was history between them before the fight? Or was it something else on her mind? But before she could speak, the seniors interrupted them. They were now out of the Medicinal Hall, and the Enforcers were beckoning the three onto a small, simple Chinese pavilion, which covered 1.5 metres squared of stony ground that looked out of place against the surrounding grass. Once they were under the pavilion¡¯s coverage, Zeng Fei felt his heart jolt as the platform suddenly lifted into the air; flustered, he grabbed onto the nearest pillar in a hurry. The unabashed chuckle in the background caused him to flush and look away from the group, immediately knowing who it was. Cultivators at Foundation Establishment had qi pools large enough to freely use magic artefacts, and Zeng Fei also knew that almost all disciples at this stage travelled via flight. Yet although he¡¯d occasionally seen flying platforms streak through the skies, he¡¯d never seen one up close before and hadn¡¯t been anticipating this unseeming pavilion to be one.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. He quickly got over his embarrassment once it got moving; even with the Enforcers going at a slow speed, the experience of flying without walls confining you was exhilarating. Zeng Fei had to use his qi to attach himself to the platform, aware that he would otherwise get flung off by a random gust of wind. Within minutes, they reached their destination: the Council Hall. The Council Hall sat on the edge of the Inner Sect territory, and was therefore one of the only buildings visible to those in the Outer Sect; this was why it had become a beacon of aspiration in the eyes of Outer Sect Disciples, somewhere they wanted to step foot into within their lifetimes. The original, especially, had yearned for it like it was the promised land. So although it was disappointing to learn the building was used for administrative and bureaucratic purposes (hence disproving the many theories said about it in the Outer Sect), it was nonetheless a special moment as it showed how much Zeng Fei¡¯s stock had risen in one day. The disciples were ushered into a room to the side of the building, where the Sect Leader was waiting alongside a young man that Zeng Fei presumed to be Wang Li. One glance was sufficient for Zeng Fei to confirm his suspicions that this person carried around a spirit adviser: sharp-jawed and bright-eyed, Wang Li was toned and elegantly handsome, the perfect look to go on the cover of a Chinese webnovel. What was surprising was that Wang Li¡¯s attention too was exclusively on Zeng Fei, observing him with a measuring gaze, expression inscrutable. The Sect Leader, a dignified scholar in crystal white flowing robes, meanwhile thanked the Enforcers and let them go, before gesturing towards the disciples to take their places next to Wang Li. They bowed as one towards him. ¡°These faithful disciples greet the Sect Leader.¡± ¡°By now, you should all be aware why I have gathered you here.¡± The Sect Leader assessed them one by one, giving a small nod each time. ¡°And what a good crop this year; the Elders truly had wise judgement this time. There is no doubt in my mind that you shall grow to be the future foundation of our sect.¡± Although it was obvious he said the same thing to every intake, there was something undeniably encouraging to hear those words from someone unfathomably more powerful than themselves, causing the disciples to beam many lux brighter. The Sect Leader continued. ¡°Now, I know you are curious as to what comes next, but before we get onto that, let me speak a little on your present situation.¡± He cleared his throat and adopted a serious mien. ¡°I know you are probably feeling ambivalent towards the sect: as the Sect Leader, I will freely make the admission that you weren¡¯t shown much love in the Outer Sect.¡± The disciples grew alarmed he was calling them ingrates and tried to say otherwise, but he stopped them with an open palm gesture. ¡°The road towards Immortality is not only difficult but also obscure, hence the belief of our sect¡¯s founder, Daoist Scattered Mind, that it is nigh-impossible to pick out who would be successful in pursuing the Dao. But if that is the case, how are we supposed to know which candidates to tutor then?¡± He gave a few moments for them to think before answering. ¡°If we cannot trust our own judgement, then we must place our trust in the judgement of the heavens. I can reveal to you now that your circumstances in the Outer Sect were deliberate: it is by design we allowed the rule of the jungle to reign supreme and provided little guidance. Indeed, the entrance test you all passed on joining the sect was a ruse; the true test to see if you were worthy of admission was in fact your experience in the Outer Sect.¡± ¡°And today you have proven yourselves worthy. You...¡± he said, meeting each of their gazes, ¡°have earned your place with blood, sweat, and tears. Never forget that because no matter which of the infinite paths you take towards Immortality, those are the only reliable currencies to take you there.¡± The Sect Leader clapped, and the wall behind him disappeared. The sudden extension to the room was plain except for an odd sight on the marble floor: footprints from someone walking diagonally over the space, their steps creating concentric ripples as though they¡¯d been treading over water instead of marble. The footprints appeared engraved and unchanging, whereas the water was in motion even now, despite both being made of the same marble medium. This sight was reminiscent of the Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s insignia on their robes, though the insignia had only two footsteps. None of the disciples were able to scrutinise the rippling waves for more than a handful seconds before being overwhelmed and forced to look away whilst clutching their heads; insights far beyond their comprehension were trying to force inside their minds. The Dao was alive within this artefact, and not just of any particular path but of a potential infinite paths as the collisions between the ripples destroyed the existing Dao intent and created anew. Profound sword intent transmuted into spear intent, into piercing, blood arts, healing, and so on. The Sect Leader waited until they had returned their attention to him. ¡°This behind me is a magic artefact left behind by our founder, which I cannot tell you the name of at your level. Honestly, it has no real use, more an art exhibition than anything else, but some do manage to obtain insights from it. It¡¯s also become a tradition for those joining our sect to witness this right at the start, for it helps explain the true character of our sect better than words could ever do.¡± The Sect Leader grinned and stretched out his arms wide. ¡°So with that out of the way, I¡¯d like to welcome you all, my dear disciples, to the Treading Infinity Sect!¡± Chapter 26: Acknowledging his Master ¡°Now, it is customary for us to assign each new joiner to a master, who is there for counsel and wider assistance. Based on the talents each of you has shown so far, we have selected Elders for you who we believe will be able to effectively guide you on your individual paths. However, if you feel another Elder may be more appropriate, or that your true talents lie in another direction, feel free to say so, and we will do our best to accommodate you.¡± ¡°For you Disciple Wang Li, due to your talent in the Dao of the Sword, we have picked Elder Wan Yu, a sword practitioner renowned the world over for his domineering style of combat.¡± As the Sect Leader announced, a ruggedly handsome man with a sharp aura entered the room and took his place beside the Sect Leader. Wang Li walked up to Elder Wan and kowtowed. ¡°Please accept this humble one as your disciple, Elder Wan.¡± Elder Wan smiled and helped Wang Li up. ¡°Wang Li, I acknowledge you as my personal disciple and will strive to guide you to the best of my ability.¡± The Sect Leader nodded at the sight and continued. ¡°For you Disciple Sun Ru, due to your skill in the Phoenix Reemergence Technique and talent within the fire domain, we have picked Elder Hong Lin, a per-eminent master of fire and forging.¡± A beautiful woman entered this time, her aura fiery and rousing. Sun Ru went up to her and followed Wang Li¡¯s example, kowtowing before her master. ¡°Please accept this humble self as your disciple, Fairy Hong.¡± Fairy Hong helped her up. ¡°That I shall, Little Sun.¡± ¡°As for you Disciple Dong Fu, due to your skill in body refining, we have picked Elder Gong Zemin, a body refiner who is distinguished even amongst his peers for winning countless battles against severe odds and time and time again surviving the unsurvivable.¡± A large, ferocious man entered this time, his visible skin scarred all over which was a feature rarely seen amongst cultivators who were able to heal from even the most severe wounds at higher levels. It followed that his aura was terrifying, not necessarily thicker than the other Elders but speaking solely of pain and conflict. Dong Fu went up to him and did as the others, kowtowing before his master. ¡°Please accept this humble self as your disciple, Elder Gong.¡± Elder Gong looked fondly at the bandages covering Dong Fu. ¡°Good. You are acknowledged, boy. Raise yourself.¡± By now, Zeng Fei was hardly able to contain his excitement, imagination going wild about who his master would be. The Sect Leader cleared his throat. ¡°And lastly, for you Zeng Fei, who has shown talent in spirit beast summoning, we have picked Grand Elder Mi Mi.¡± To the sound of gasps, the Eighth Grand Elder walked in. She was a very short woman with straw-blonde hair that was beginning to grey and a kind grandmother-like expression that made her eyes appear like horizontal slits. Same as the Sect Leader, she did not have a perceivable aura. The look of envy was naked on the faces of the other disciples, wondering how on earth he¡¯d ended up with an esteemed Grand Elder as his master. Once they reached that rank, Grand Elders almost never took on further personal disciples; so to have forced one out of retirement, it meant Zeng Fei had to be super special in some way that evidently wasn¡¯t visible. Yet, Zeng Fei saw a wildly different set of emotions on the faces of the Elders, who, despite controlling their expressions better, still revealed subtle signs of their inner thoughts.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Towards the Eighth Grand Elder, they showed trepidation and fear, whereas towards Zeng Fei, their expressions were split between wariness and pity. It reminded him of his last interaction with Elder Ma, who¡¯d commented that he was a good kid and that he should not let others change him, as well as apologising for failing to protect him. ¡­Could it be any more obvious the sect was trying to feed him a spoonful of poison? Since he couldn¡¯t go forward, he knew he¡¯d have to somehow backpedal without falling off this tightrope if he wanted to survive. There was no time to think up the optimal method, so Zeng Fei went for the only way out he could think of. The Sect Leader nodded towards him to prompt him forwards. But he did not step forward and kowtowed on the spot. ¡°This humble disciple appreciates the sect¡¯s thoughtfulness, but I am patently aware of my limitations and know that I am undeserving of personal tutelage from such an esteemed person. Out of fear that I cannot live up to your expectations, this disciple humbly respects another Elder for his master.¡± Grand Elder Mi Mi¡¯s expression did not change one bit despite Zeng Fei¡¯s rudeness, to the point it was unknown if she¡¯d even heard him. However, the Sect Leader¡¯s did, who forced a smile onto his face. ¡°Disciple Zeng, those concerns are natural for all cultivators to experience, so put yourself at ease. Besides, Little Eighth, ahem, I mean Grand Elder Mi Mi is an expert at guiding her disciples, so there is no question you will bloom under her tutelage, that much the sect is certain of.¡± Zeng Fei did not raise his head. ¡°All the same, everyone can see that my cultivation speed is shamefully slow, which even the greatest guidance will struggle to overcome. I already feel graced to be entering the Inner Sect, so I cannot bear the thought of wasting the time of someone so esteemed with my dire talent. I deeply implore that you reconsider, Sect Leader.¡± Everyone there could see the Sect Leader¡¯s smile getting progressively more strained, a nerve even cropping up on his brow. Against appearances, however, the Sect Leader was impressed with Zeng Fei: who would have thought this youngster was not only a wily fox capable of seeing through their ploy in an instant, but also shameless and audacious enough to risk offending a Grand Elder to request a replacement? Any other brat faced with this situation would have been blinded by the bright lights and started counting their lucky stars already; this made the Sect Leader all the more confident that Little Eighth was the right glove to fit the hand. But even then, so what? Just because you could see the game for what it was did not mean you had the cards to play. There were levels to this, as the Sect Leader was about to teach this young grifter. ¡°Disciple Zeng Fei, you cannot request another master.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zeng Fei looked up out of surprise. ¡°I thought you said we could¡­¡± ¡°Yes, the others could, but you cannot.¡± The Sect Leader coughed into his fist. Grand Elder Mi Mi finally spoke, her voice soft and soothing to the soul. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m the only one possible for you. The other Grand Elders didn¡¯t¡ª¡± The Sect Leader hastily interrupted, clapping his hands. ¡°Good good, well I¡¯m glad to see everything¡¯s sorted. With this, your induction to the Treading Infinity Sect is complete: you are now all officially Inner Sect Disciples. I will let your masters take it from here.¡± In the blink of an eye, the Sect Leader zipped out of the building, followed on shortly by the other Elders with their disciples in haul. There remained only Grand Elder Mi Mi, unperturbed by their hurried departures, and Zeng Fei, still kneeling on the ground with his mouth hanging, really starting to question how he¡¯d ever thought revealing his talent would not end up fucking him over¡­ ¡°Come now, Zeng¡¯er,¡± Grand Elder Mi Mi said. She walked up to him and took his hand in her own. She tugged at him to pull him forwards, which, because of her short stature, was reminiscent of a manchild being lugged around by his mother. When they exited the Council Hall, the Grand Elder gave a whisk of her wrist towards the sky, causing the clouds to rapidly descend towards them and coalesce beneath their feet. In a matter of seconds, this cloud structure had solidified to support their weight and lifted off the ground. Strangely, the cloud also formed manacles against Zeng Fei¡¯s feet, latching him to the structure. He was just about to question what they were there for when suddenly the world blurred. His breath caught in his throat and eyes rolled backwards as though he were amid an epileptic seizure; if not for Grand Elder Mi Mi protecting him, it was more likely than not that the wind would have flayed the very skin off his flesh and his organs would have flung out of their flesh casing. Such was the absurd acceleration his body had just endured. And they weren¡¯t even at top speed yet¡­ If the journey towards the Council Hall had been exhilarating, then the journey away was a flat-out heartstopper. Chapter 27: Senior Siblings and Puppets Zeng Fei roused in shock and pain, flailing his hands in front to try and defend himself. Freezing. Wet. His conscience became aware he was submerged in cold water. Wait, no - not that wet. He blinked open his eyes to see the oddest entity standing in front of him, holding a large jug at an angle which left no doubt as to who had rudely awakened him. Behind it, an astonishing landscape scene stretched out under the evening light, revealing that he was presently at high elevation: fog obscured everything in the far distance except for seven peaks that poked out of the white blanket. He realised he must be on one of the eight peaks of the Treading Infinity Sect - these peaks were visible everywhere in the Outer Sect. Shaking his head and unclogging the water from his ears, he heard the Eighth Grand Elder now: ¡°Ah, he¡¯s awake. Good job, Butler-bot.¡± Frowning quizzically at the unexpected name, he made a double-take on the odd entity that had awoken him. It was an anthropomorphic puppet attired in a black morning coat, a white bow tie, and nothing else. Its body, made of varnished mahogany, was stunningly beautiful, and while humanoid in frame, it wasn¡¯t a crude attempt to ape the human form as could be seen from the angular contours and unnatural sleekness of its figure. Forget function, this puppet was a masterpiece in form, the work of a true artisan. Well, except for the design choice to have buttons as eyes and a line for the mouth¡­ Zeng Fei had to make a triple-take and quadruple-take at the puppet, which turned towards the Eighth Grand Elder standing beside, bowed, and then departed. Its movement was so smooth it was almost at human levels, as good as any robot from Boston Dynam***. Grand Elder Mi Mi, meanwhile, tilted her head at him, wondering what was making him gawp like this. ¡°That puppet¡­¡± he prompted. ¡°Hmm?¡± She cast a questioning look towards Butler-bot, before finally catching onto his meaning and giggling. ¡°Ah, I forget how novel it can appear to others. That¡¯s a puppet crafted by your second senior brother to help around the house.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± So he had a senior brother who was proficient in puppet making: that was sure to come in handy. ¡°Good thing you¡¯re awake now,¡± Grand Elder Mi Mi continued. ¡°I thought I¡¯d been going at a okay speed, but you were out before I knew it. Sorry, it¡¯s been a long time since I interacted with someone at the Qi Refining realm.¡± She took hold of his hand again and tugged him onwards. ¡°Anyway you¡¯re fine now, so come on.¡± Finally taking stock of his surroundings, Zeng Fei noted that the ground was perfectly level, which meant that this must be the sole mountain peak with a flat top, unimaginatively nicknamed by the Outer Sect Disciples as ¡®Flat-Top Mountain¡¯. It had been presumed this feature was natural, but now standing on the perfectly level ground, it occurred to Zeng Fei that it almost looked like someone had sliced a good portion the mountain peak off, as absurd as it sounded. The other thing that caught Zeng Fei¡¯s attention was the mansion ahead. Naturally, he¡¯d spotted it earlier on - it was impossible to miss - but it was now while focusing on its grandness that he realised how excessively rich Grand Elder Mi Mi must be. Of course, that could have been guessed from her rank alone, but there was a difference between logically deducing something and literally observing it in front of you. This point was particularly prevalent here as Zeng Fei had full-on misread the Grand Elder on first glance, owing to her lack of aura and homely appearance. Thankfully, the ride on the cloud had cleared any doubts about her power, and the mansion here now corrected any misconceptions he¡¯d held about her status. All of a sudden, he felt very small and very subservient to her, realising only now how lucky he¡¯d been that she¡¯d not become offended by his request for another master. There was a puppet wearing a flannel straw hat tending to the garden ahead of the mansion, but the Grand Elder didn¡¯t allow him to dawdle and stare as she brought him inside, where many more puppets were going about their duties. A few steps into the entry hall was a table with multiple items on, seemingly all prepared for him. First up were new robes, the black robes of¡­ to be honest, he had no clue. He knew the colour and intensity of colour signified your faction/area of expertise and rank. I.e. he could safely assume Wang Li would be in a light grey robes the next time he saw him, Sun Ru in light red, and Dong Fu in light brown. But as for jet black, he had not the foggiest - never had he heard it mentioned as the colours of a faction. To make matters more confusing, Grand Elder Mi Mi herself wore a sunny knitted cardigan, dust-coloured barrel leg trousers, and sandals - if there was any meaning to her clothes, Zeng Fei was willing to wager that it was one beyond the comprehension of even the most eagle-eyed video essayists on Youtu**. A better example of the clothes-colour system in play was the Sect Leader, whose crystal white robes slotted him neatly into place amongst those in his faction, such as Elder Ma who wore off-white robes. Grand Elder Mi Mi recreated the form of the black robes in translucent qi and superimposed it over his body - she squinted, changing the length and cut several times before growing satisfied. ¡°Tailor-bot, please make the changes I¡¯ve specified to these robes.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it A puppet wearing a fancy hat nodded and took away the robes to another room. The Grand Elder addressed Zeng Fei. ¡°Those are standard issue robes, so they are waterproof, dirtproof, and fire resistant. They also have limited protection against qi.¡± She sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I have no talent in refining or tailoring, so this is the best I can do. But when your senior sister leaves her seclusion, I will ask her to make you custom clothing to your liking.¡± Zeng Fei was taken aback as he¡¯d never expected such personalised care, certainly not from someone this powerful. He bowed to show his gratitude. ¡°No, this is already much to my liking. Thank you, Master Mi Mi.¡± ¡°Alas, your senior sister will likely force you all the same.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± His master coughed to divert attention, and had the next item float up. It was a grand-looking amulet that must have been many times more valuable than Zeng Fei¡¯s own life. The string was attached to a gem half the size of a palm, which had black and white spilling into each other like a messed-up taijitu; and the Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s insignia was engraved into its centre, with smaller, indecipherable inscriptions carved around the perimeter. ¡°Every joiner is given a standard-issue amulet that proves their identity as an Inner Sect Disciple of the sect. But since you are my personal disciple, you will instead have this custom amulet that further identifies you as such.¡± She took it in her hands and gestured for him to bend his neck down. She placed it over his head, then clapped. ¡°With this, you are now officially my disciple.¡± It reminded him he¡¯d not followed the protocol in the Council Hall like the other disciples had done. Now, having been graced by the Grand Elder¡¯s generosity and consideration over the last few minutes, he could see that had been a mistake. He moved to rectify it at once by kowtowing on the ground. ¡°I, Zeng Fei, recognise Grand Elder Mi Mi as my master. I plead you to forgive my earlier transgression and to take care of me going forward.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± His master seemed pleased by his words, showing her sloppy smile as she helped him up. She next brought over a box of pellets with a strong medicinal smell. ¡°As you are in the Qi Refining stage, these Energy Gathering Pills will greatly aid your advancement. These are all I have on hand, but if you ask your senior sister, she can easily craft more for you.¡± Zeng Fei accepted the box of twenty pellets, and bowed to show his gratitude. So it seemed he had one senior sister, who was a mix of a refiner and an alchemist, and at least two senior brothers, one of whom was a puppet master. That sounded far more convenient than having seniors who were solely battle maniacs. ¡°It¡¯s also tradition for the master to gift their disciple a magic artefact upon accepting them. But since I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ll like, I¡¯ll leave that to Crooked Cao - I¡¯ve told him to let you select a treasure of your liking from the Myriad Treasures Pagoda. Though there¡¯s no hurry since you¡¯ll have to wait till you¡¯ve reached Foundation Establishment anyway to utilise the artefact.¡± ¡°Many thanks, Master.¡± Given how kind and gentle Grand Elder Mi Mi was, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder why those Elders had reacted the way they had when they¡¯d learnt he was going to be her disciple. Could it be his master¡¯s faction was currently weak to the point of non-existence - which would explain why he¡¯d never heard about it - and those Elders had been fearing he was the golden boy who would revitalise her power base? ¡°Mm. As for guidance on your cultivation technique, that is where your master will be lacking.¡± She bowed towards him, flustering Zeng Fei. ¡°Not at all, Master. This is already more than enough for your humble disciple.¡± But Grand Elder Mi Mi was insistent. ¡°No, the reality of having a master is not just for material goods but also to provide spiritual guidance so that you have the smoothest path to higher realms. But I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll be able to help given you inherited a unique art from an ancient cultivator.¡± Zeng Fei had further developed his cover-up since speaking to Elder Ma, but he wasn¡¯t given a chance to respond with it here as his master continued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, neither the technique nor the inheritance is of concern - we Grand Elders discussed it already, which is why it was determined that your master would have to be a Grand Elder as an ordinary Elder would struggle to give any guidance at all.¡± ¡°Master, if you¡¯ll forgive my rudeness, could I ask why you were chosen?¡± Zeng Fei¡¯s original plan had been to go under an ordinary Elder like Elder Ma and slowly accumulate his strength like transmigrators always did in the novels he¡¯d read. Of course, he was now pleased to have the generous Grand Elder Mi Mi as his patron, aka master - his gamble to impress the sect seniors having worked out beautifully - but he remained curious why her specifically. Could it be she¡¯d volunteered? ¡°I am the youngest of the Grand Elders: it¡¯s been a while since the others had to guide a disciple seeing as most of their disciples are now Elders themselves, so I suppose that was a factor. But it was more so because you share similarities with my other disciples.¡± The revelation widened Zeng Fei¡¯s eyes. ¡°They also cultivate ancient arts?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± she said, batting it down. ¡°Your senior brothers and sister have each created their unique cultivation arts and are, therefore, equally difficult to guide. Hence, I do have some experience in dealing with such disciples.¡± She clapped. ¡°But that can all wait for another day. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re exhausted from everything you¡¯ve been through today. Usually Inner Sect Disciples would select a cave in their respective peaks as their home, but you can choose a room here in my mansion and stay for as long as you like. It¡¯s already too big for me alone.¡± This was music to Zeng Fei¡¯s ears: the spiritual energy here was many times denser than it¡¯d been in his old mud hut, probably denser than anywhere else in the sect too given this was a Grand Elder¡¯s abode. Though her comment did make him wonder why she was living in such a large mansion if she found it too big - must be to preserve face amongst her peers, he presumed. She must have detected his thoughts. ¡°I used to have a nice cottage further down this peak, but it was your eldest senior brother who declared it wouldn¡¯t do given my status. So he sliced away the peak, put down this mansion, and demanded that I live here from now on. I eventually moved in just so he¡¯d stop pestering me, but then he went and publicly announced that the fact my mansion was on the summit, more elevated than any of the others¡¯, reflected my standing as the greatest amongst the Grand Elders, and that if they didn¡¯t like it, they could suck it.¡± Zeng Fei just stood there blinking, wondering if she was pulling his leg. Surely there was no way his eldest senior brother had actually forced her to move into this mansion just to have an excuse to trash-talk the other Grand Elders, right? That would not only be trampling all over their face but hers too! Yet from the way Grand Elder Mi Mi ruefully shook her head, Zeng Fei was inclined to believe his eldest senior brother may have done exactly that... ¡°It¡¯s fortunate they all saw it for the joke it was, and let it pass without any punishment.¡± She sighed, wearing the expression of mothers everywhere who had their hands full with a problematic child. Right, there was definitely no way such proud and powerful individuals like Grand Elders would let that kind of disrespect fly without punishment¡­ Was she really under the belief they¡¯d forgiven him just because they¡¯d told her as much? ¡°I¡¯ve said to that boy time and time again to stop with his silly pranks, but he just won¡¯t listen. And recently it¡¯s like the other two have also caught whatever crazy bug he had. But I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t turn out that way, right Zeng¡¯er?¡± Suddenly the pitiful and wary looks from the Elders in the Council Hall made sense to Zeng Fei: it was not because of who his master was, but who his seniors were¡­ Chapter 28: Living like an Arrogant Young Master After assuring his master that he would most definitely not turn out like his seniors, Zeng Fei went and selected an empty room in the mansion. He was told to wait outside as Butler-bot and Maid-bot (a puppet wearing a white half-apron with ruffles) went in. The sounds of construction played out: wood being sawed, nails being hammered, screeching metal¡­ wait, what were they doing in there? Bard-bot (identified by its floppy Renaissance Tudor cap with feathers) came over at the commotion. It tried to regale Zeng Fei with its hand-held harp, performing a poem about a legendary breakup fight between two star-crossed dao companions. When Zeng Fei told it he wasn¡¯t in the mood for music but that he¡¯d totally listen later, Bard-bot walked away moping, strumming the harp dolefully. When the puppets were done with his room and allowed him in, he found that his possessions from the mud hut had already been brought over (though this wasn¡¯t saying much given how poor the original had been). More importantly, the room was now fitted with a bed that had a mattress and two juicy and voluptuously plump pillows. The sight almost brought him to tears on the spot: comfy sleep was amongst the luxuries he most missed from Earth. After he¡¯d settled in, his master gave him a run-down on what being an Inner Sect disciple involved, gave some pointers on what he should focus on next, then went off somewhere far away into seclusion. She was at a pivotal part of her cultivation and had only come out of seclusion to attend the mandatory monthly meeting for Grand Cultivators. Given that he¡¯d been lying unconscious for much of the day, Zeng Fei thought he¡¯d struggle to fall asleep that night; but it turned out he was as susceptible to the siren calls of his alluring pillow as the next man. It was morning before he knew it, and he was wincing and groaning at the light piercing through his eyelids. Blinking crust away, he questioned which bloody fool had pulled the curtains open. When it turned out to be Butler-bot, he swallowed the rest of what he had to say back down; in his master¡¯s absence, Butler-bot was the chamberlain of the house, the go-to puppet for any problems he had. Zeng Fei was then stripped of his blanket by the equally tactless Maid-bot (who folded it up neatly). ¡°Breakfast,¡± it said in its electronic-like voice, before heading off. It was in this manner that Zeng Fei¡¯s next few days started (he did think it was a bit lopsided that they forcibly woke him, yet never tucked him in, but alas). Although it was odd at first to live in a mansion with a court of puppets, he got used to them quick enough. They were not nearly as robotic as first impressions had led him to believe; instead of following, say, a uniform set of behavioural code, they seemed to have distinct personalities that became apparent once he got to know them. Evidently his second senior brother had serious skill in puppetry to be able to create autonomous machines. Out of them, Zeng Fei¡¯s favourite puppet was without a doubt Chef-bot. Until his arrival, the unfortunate puppet had been in the slump of a deep depression, questioning the very purpose it had been made for. Chef-bot had access to top-quality ingredients, such as demon beast meat, and could use them as liberally and experimentally as it wanted - substituting ordinary herbs with spirit herbs to take one example. But what use was any of this when Grand Elder Mi Mi didn¡¯t eat in the first place? Cultivators could go without eating for longer periods the higher their cultivation, and from Nascent Soul onwards they didn¡¯t need to eat at all. Because of this, Chef-bot had been at the bottom of the list of useful puppets along with the likes of Bard-bot and Massage-bot (who did not have sufficient strength to be able to massage the Grand Elder). With the coming of Zeng Fei, however, the Useless Trio¡¯s fortunes were transformed: not only was Massage-bot great for improving muscular circulation - a godsend for resolving meridian pains before they progressed into ruptures - but Bard-bot could also do more than just recite poetry, possessing the ability to play motivating or calming soundtracks by itself - very handy for getting in the cultivation mindset. Then there was Chef-bot¡¯s scrumptious qi-infused food and drink that Zeng Fei was guzzling down, having the effect of improving both his general constitution and cultivation gains. As well as the fact he was in a location with dense qi in the first place; the only areas more beneficial for cultivation practice would be incredibly rare locations such as qi streams and the like, which was probably where his master had gone into seclusion. Not to forget the Energy Gathering Pills his master had given, which when swallowed released a large amount of qi over many hours and, crucially, made it easier to refine spiritual qi into one¡¯s cultivation base too. When you combined these advantages altogether, you ended up with something that looked like the ultimate pay-to-win cultivation strategy. No wonder, then, for the insurmountable chasm that existed between ordinary cultivators and young masters; Zeng Fei, meanwhile, felt like a stray dog that had been adopted by a wealthy owner, and he couldn¡¯t have been happier about it.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Hell, now that he¡¯d experienced the high life, he was willing to run around on all fours and bark if that¡¯s what it took to keep these crazy privileges. But just like any other lottery winner, he couldn¡¯t help himself from going wild with his newfound wealth, and within a mere two weeks had exhausted all twenty Energy Gathering Pills. For the longest time, Zeng Fei had been worried about how he¡¯d get around the minor bottleneck at the fifth layer and the major one at the seventh - unlike his rapid rise up to the fifth layer, he didn¡¯t have the original¡¯s experience to sponge off this time. When he¡¯d asked his master about this before she¡¯d left, she¡¯d given him a strange look before cheerfully saying that she believed he could do it, and that consistent effort would eventually pay off. No matter your cultivation technique, there simply wasn¡¯t much more to the Qi Refining stage than absorbing spiritual qi and refining it; that said, he had been hoping for a little more from her given her stature, something like a hidden cheat or hack way of breaking through. Because of this, at the time he¡¯d believed her reaction to be her discreet way of questioning whether he really had the right to be a Grand Elder¡¯s personal disciple if he couldn¡¯t even clear such minor hurdles. So it had been out of fear of losing his newly attained privileged lifestyle that he¡¯d begun popping pills like a Soundcl***d rapper, praying they¡¯d see him through. But now having finished them off, he finally understood why she¡¯d looked at him strangely: bottlenecks simply didn¡¯t exist in the face of overwhelming wealth, as shown by the fact that within those mere two weeks, he¡¯d also reached the peak of ninth layer! And moreover this had been achieved despite Pingu dissolving his cultivation base all the while! Which was to say he¡¯d added to his cultivation base quicker than the Divine Art had been able to remove, even at maximum dissolution speed. When they¡¯d begun, Zeng Fei had been at the start of fifth layer and Pingu near the peak (true cultivation wise), but now the situation had reversed to have Zeng Fei at the peak of ninth while Pingu was still stuck on the seventh. Though it went without saying that Pingu¡¯s strength went far beyond just the cultivation rank, especially since Zeng Fei had spent this period not solely cultivating but also trying to buff Pingu. After pondering long and hard about how he could take advantage of this heaven-sent environment for Pingu¡¯s benefit, he¡¯d realised he could use all this wealth at his fingertips to just buy demon cores for the penguin instead of having to slaughter the beasts themselves. Yet, just when things looked too good to be true, a blockade to this genius strategy popped up in the form of a certain Butler-bot. The puppet was not receptive to the idea, relaying to him that the Grand Elder had explicitly ordered it to not let him make any unauthorised purchases using the master¡¯s funds. Apparently there was immense value in the experience of gathering resources that she wanted him to learn from, and also she didn¡¯t want him to become like his senior sister¡­ Despite Zeng Fei¡¯s assurances, it seemed his master didn¡¯t have much faith for him to not turn out like his seniors, which honestly felt a bit offensive given how morally dubious his eldest senior brother sounded. Nevertheless, since Butler-bot had already rejected his ask, Zeng Fei had no choice but to give up on his plan¡­ nope, of course not! He instead just went up to Chef-bot and summoned Pingu, stating that his ol¡¯ penguin buddy was absolutely starving because he was on a demon-core-only diet but hadn¡¯t found any to eat over the last few days. Even though the chef was disappointed that it wouldn¡¯t get an opportunity to display its culinary skills, its purpose was ultimately to feed, so¡­ The next day, Pingu speed-waddled towards the package that had come for him and without hesitation gobbled down the ninth layer demon core. Zeng Fei grinned at the sight, simultaneously patting Chef-bot on the shoulders to reassure the puppet that was experiencing buyer¡¯s remorse that it¡¯d done the right thing. No, you didn¡¯t need to cook it - look, see how much he likes it raw. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be fine, he¡¯s just freaky like that. Besides, you know what they say: the customer is always right. Just get your mind off it and you¡¯ll be fine. Hey, how about you cook up a storm for dinner tonight? I¡¯ll eat whatever you make today, no matter how experimental it is. Ah, that cheered you right up - go on then. Yes, yes, I promise. Come on, Chef-bot, you¡¯re doing me dirty even asking me that. Don¡¯t you have any faith in your old buddy? ¡­ That was something entirely different, okay? Don¡¯t speak a word about this to anyone or we¡¯ll both end up in trouble. No, I¡¯m not disobeying her - she¡¯s my esteemed master for crying out loud. As a matter of fact, I¡¯m insulted you would even suggest such a wicked and baseless charge against me, Chef-bot! Any more of this tomfoolery from you and my standing offer to eat whatever you make today also goes. Hmph, good. And I¡¯m being serious, not a word about this to anyone, you hear me. ¡­Why did you already tell those two?! Fuck¡¯s sake - I¡¯m going to go and have a small chat with them. You get back to your cooking, and for the love of all things divine, please do not tell another living soul! Yes, that includes animatronics! I was obviously including you guys in that - I¡¯m naturally inclusive like that. Although Zeng Fei had been earnest when promising his master that he wouldn¡¯t turn out like his seniors, the truth was it that it was also a big pain in the arse to have to personally gather resources; he could fully understand why his senior sister preferred to have her ingredients express delivered. Besides, having others do it for him had been one of his primary motivations for showing off in the tournament in the first place, so this was just him following Elder Ma¡¯s advice to stay true to his heart and not let anyone around corrupt him with their wicked ways. And anyway, this was just a practice run. It¡¯s not like he was going to abuse this method to cheese his way to the best and strongest demon cores or anything whilst not lifting finger. No chance, not even if someone put a gun up against his head and forced him to. ¡­Though he may make a few more test runs, just to understand the Heavenly Demon Divine Art better. Honestly, it¡¯s no different from scholarly research. It¡¯s not like it was his fault he¡¯d not received the user manual to this cultivation technique; he was just improvising to the best of his ability with what he had. Pulling himself up by his bootstraps and all that. Chapter 29: The End of Peacetimes There was just one small issue with Zeng Fei¡¯s strategy of cajoling Chef-bot into purchasing demon beast cores for Pingu to gobble up: it didn¡¯t work, simple as. Although Pingu ate the core with no issue, a minute later it rolled out of his other end, having failed to latch on inside. Once this sequence of events had repeated more than a dozen times, Pingu began to wail and thrash his flippers on the ground throwing a hissy fit, forcing Zeng Fei to give up on his genius plan for real this time. The big question on his mind was why it hadn¡¯t worked. Were ninth layer demon cores indigestible even though Pingu had the capacity points for it? Or was there a hidden capacity points fee that applied to demon cores beyond a certain strength that hadn¡¯t been accounted for? Or¡­ as crude as it was, could it be something to do with the fact they hadn¡¯t harvested the core themselves? Something like the freshness of the core, perhaps? On the face of it, this conjecture made no sense because Zeng Fei had removed the Green-horned Python and Growler Monkey cores and left them lying around in his domain for several days, and they were still usable with no change. In contrast, the purchased ninth layer demon core had been from a fresh kill, which Chef-bot¡¯s impressively efficient supply chain had delivered from corpse to kitchen within a single day. So it made no sense, unless¡­ what if it was something to do with his domain? In the same way different types of produce required different storage conditions to keep them fresh during the delivery, could it be that the domain¡¯s freezing conditions were what was keeping the demon cores stored inside from going off? To test this theory out, Zeng Fei decided to experiment using the Growler Monkey¡¯s core by taking it out of his domain for a minute, then checking if Pingu could still absorb it - he could. After repeating this many times, Zeng Fei discovered the critical point: once the core had been outside for ten cumulative minutes, it became no longer usable by Pingu. The result made a bit of sense as demon cores didn¡¯t deteriorate while inside a beast¡¯s body either, and in a way, being stored in his domain was the same as being inside a functioning and alive body. Though, there was also obviously more to this than just that. After all, the cores equipped by Pingu went with him whenever he was summoned to the real world, and since Pingu¡¯s form was a qi construct, this meant they¡¯d effectively been out in the open for well over ten minutes already. Moreover, none of the other Dao Schools that used demon cores, say alchemy or refining, particularly cared about the freshness of the core. So it seemed to be something particular with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which at its heart was the domain, that was the issue here. Regardless, this result proved that Grand Elder Mi Mi had been right all along: something valuable was indeed lost when you got stuff shipped to you as opposed to resourcing it yourself. Couldn¡¯t argue with the wisdom of Grand Elders, it seemed. Which was also why Zeng Fei, despite having reached the peak of ninth layer, held off from attempting to break through into Foundation Establishment, as his master had advised that he stabilise his cultivation base once he reached this point. Unlike progressing between layers within Qi Refining, the act of proceeding from one cultivation realm to the next incited heavenly tribulations that were said to be devastatingly violent. Hence the importance of stabilising your cultivation base and getting comfortable with your full capabilities before attempting the ascension ritual. (Also, Zeng Fei was hoping his master would return before then and give him a pill or something to make the process much simpler and safer, but that didn¡¯t sound as respectful as him choosing to listen to his betters.) Therefore, he decided to start exploring the Inner Sect. The reason he¡¯d not done so over the last few days was simple: it took several hours just to get down from the mountain peak¡­Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The fact that the Treading Infinity Sect was split into the Inner and Outer Sects made it sound like the sect was split evenly, but this couldn¡¯t be further from the truth: in terms of space allocation, the split was closer to 90:10. Travelling up and down the peaks was a lengthy affair even for Foundation Establishment disciples with flying platforms, let alone a Qi Refiner like him who had to make the journey on foot. Still, there was much he needed to do off Flat-top Mountain, so there was no helping it. His first port of call was the Hallowed Treasure Peak, where the Sixth Grand Elder, the one his master called Crooked Cao, resided. Here, Zeng Fei intended to pick up his magical artefact - even if he couldn¡¯t use it until Foundation Establishment - and also ask the Sixth Grand Elder for assistance breaking into the spirit adviser¡¯s cave, as this was what his master had recommended he do when he¡¯d mentioned the topic to her.
The Sect Leader glanced up at the officer from the intelligence wing who¡¯d come to find him. ¡°Hmm, what is it?¡± ¡°Our reports indicate that Inner Sect Disciple Zeng Fei has been placed on the Divine Truth Scouring Abode¡¯s list of targets that are of apocalypse-level interest. And not just theirs: every information brokerage has done the same.¡± The Sect Leader raised a quizzical eyebrow. ¡°So?¡± Of course the brokerages had preemptively placed Disciple Zeng Fei on their watchlists, that much was a given when Little Eighth and all her other disciples were already on either that list or worse! Those watchlists weren¡¯t just a recognition of power either - there were separate trackers for benign and inactive powerhouses, which is how most of the other Grand Elders were seen. Rather, the watchlists were explicitly for people who were likely to cause large-scale havoc wherever they went, hence why the majority of names on there belonged to cults and devilish sects. Although the Grand Elders had known from the start that this would happen, they had still pushed for Little Eighth to become his master, not out of cruelty or (purely) laziness but because Seventh¡¯s prophecy had made it crystal clear that Zeng Fei was destined to end up on the watchlists anyway! The officer clarified: ¡°This was deemed worthy of your attention because of the timing when Vice Chief Cai Ling of the Divine Truth Scouring Abode sent out his orders: it was after the names of which disciples would be entering the Inner Sect had been made public, but well before we¡¯d released anything about who their masters would be. In fact, the monthly Grand Cultivator meeting had just wrapped up when he gave the orders.¡± Face creasing into a frown, the Sect Leader dismissed the intelligence officer and closed his eyes to ponder. Obviously none of the eight had leaked the information in advance to those brokerages, that didn¡¯t need any consideration. As for Ma, they¡¯d all been aware of his sneaky manoeuvring, but nonetheless had been willing to let him become the master of the child since he was so eager for it. Or at least, that had been until Seventh had spoken, at which point it¡¯d become clear that dumping that child on Ma would no longer be a reward for saving them the effort, but rather a cruel and unusual punishment if anything. But even if he¡¯d been discontent with the outcome, Ma was also someone absolutely loyal to the sect and therefore could be crossed out from having leaked any information. And there was no one else who could have done it. Maybe Gu, being the first one to notice the child, had leaked something long ago, and¡­ The Sect Leader broke off chuckling before finishing the thought. That reticent guy hadn¡¯t even bothered to tell the people within the sect that he was supposed to tell for matters like this - and that was despite multiple Grand Elders speaking to him over that period, providing ample opportunity! - so there was no chance in hell he¡¯d mentioned a thing about it to anyone outside. Nor had Gu been possessed by any greater spirits over that period, which could have had him acting contrary to his ordinary behaviour. So he too could be crossed out as a suspect. Which left behind only one option: nobody had leaked information about Disciple Zeng Fei¡¯s master in advance. This was to say that someone must have requested Disciple Zeng Fei to be placed on that watchlist not because of anything linked to Little Eighth or the Treading Infinity Sect, but because of news regarding himself! The timing implied that it was his performance in the tournament that had caught this mysterious admirer¡¯s eye, and the sole part worthy of intrigue within his performance had been the ancient cultivation technique he¡¯d showcased. Stroking his beard, a wily smile broke out over the Sect Leader¡¯s cast of concentration. Well, wasn¡¯t that just curious? Although none out of them eight had ever heard of this Heavenly Demon Emperor or his Heavenly Demon Divine Art, there was apparently someone else out there in the world who not only had heard of the ancient cultivator but evidently bore a deep interest in the figure as well. As it so happened, this made the Sect Leader awfully curious about them too. The Sect Leader took out a jade slip from his storage pouch, filled it out, and attached it to a dove. ¡°To the Vice Chief of the Divine Truth Scouring Abode you go.¡± He released the dove and watched for a moment as it soared into the distance. Chapter 30: Taking on a Mission The reason why Zeng Fei¡¯s master had told him to ask the Sixth Grand Elder for assistance was because while others may have been able to break down the barrier, there was always the risk that the creator could have set up traps that triggered on forceful entry, at worst destroying any resources inside that they wanted to keep out of the hands of gravediggers. The Sixth, however, could deal with this being the sect¡¯s preeminent expert on formations, as well as the one with the most experience gravedigging ancient cultivators¡¯ tombs. Perversely, this made him the perfect candidate for protecting the sect¡¯s treasures too, which was why the Myriad Treasures Pagoda was located on his Hallowed Treasures Peak. It was also where the Hallowed Herb Garden was located as the Sixth was a master of farming too - if there was a link between these two specialisms, it wasn¡¯t one that Zeng Fei could see. Maybe the Grand Elder used the formations to improve crop efficiency and regulate the environment or something like that. After Zeng Fei had made his way up, he was told by a senior that the Peak Master was currently out on some business. Thankfully, this senior allowed Zeng Fei to hitch a ride back to the Core Valley, which was the central hub between the sect¡¯s peaks. As they flew, the senior made small talk with him, asking who he was under as no one in the Inner Sect wore black. Could it be a new faction or Dao School had been established in the sect? When Zeng Fei identified himself as the Eighth Grand Elder¡¯s Fourth Disciple, the senior made a shape with their mouth like they were whistling. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Zeng Fei gave a friendly smile. ¡°I became her disciple two weeks ago, so I¡¯m still very new to the Inner Sect.¡± For the rest of the journey, the senior didn¡¯t say a word and pointedly avoided his gaze. Once they had dropped Zeng Fei off at Core Valley, they gave him a nod, then scooted off into the sky without a moment¡¯s wait. As Zeng Fei watched the departing figure, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was the identity he really should be hiding¡­ But even then, how was it that his identity as the disciple of a Grand Elder was more toxic than his identity as the successor of a literal villain the entire world had united against?! What on earth could his two senior brothers and senior sister have possibly done to have earned such a reputation¡­? Either way, there was nothing he could do if others chose to preemptively paint him in the same colours as his seniors. He cleared his mind and made his way towards the Customs Office, which was where Inner Sect Disciples received a monthly budget according to their rank. Qi Refining Disciples were allocated ten lower-grade spirit stones, five times what they would have received in the Outer Sect. Having exhausted the original¡¯s savings during the training arc month, Zeng Fei was glad to have some money again. The qi inside the spirit stones could also be absorbed if you wanted, though the effect was lesser than consuming a cultivation pill. The most valuable items in the sect, however, could only be attained by exchanging contribution points for them, which forced the disciples to complete missions for the sect. Even if you didn¡¯t want anything, there was no escaping this duty as disciples were forced to complete a mission for the sect every quarter year. This was what Zeng Fei was intending to do now, seeing as it a good way to stabilise his cultivation and earn some points seeing as he currently had a paltry 32 points, the original having exchanged 500 points for a cultivation pill a month prior to his passing. The other reason Zeng Fei wanted to do this was because of the types of missions available: they ranged from caretaking responsibilities, investigation missions, elimination missions, and so on. Whereas the original had always gone for the dull and poorly paying caretaking jobs, Zeng Fei was intent on completing a mission in the outer world as they were better paying due to the higher risk involved. Moreover, there were many missions to do with eliminating demon beasts, providing an opportunity to simultaneously collect demon cores for Pingu. Since Zeng Fei had needed to identify himself to receive his monthly allowance, it wasn¡¯t long before the news spread across Core Valley about who he was. As expected, there were many who cringed away from him or sized him up as he searched the Task Hall for a suitable mission. What surprised him was that this wasn¡¯t a universal reaction: there were also many who appeared to have a favourable view of him after hearing about his identity. Of course, Zeng Fei¡¯s first thought regarding these lot was that they owed his goon-like senior brothers and sister money, and hence were trying to ingratiate themselves with him. But following a few interactions, he realised that no, these people genuinely seemed to be fond of the ¡®Devilish Three¡¯ (the collective nickname that he¡¯d overheard).The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. After some time scouring the missions on offer, Zeng Fei eventually honed in on a particular one: at a village not too far away, there had been a spate of mysterious disappearances suspected to have been caused by a demon beast. Since it was targeting mortals and had only recently started, the guess was that the demon beast was within the Qi Refining realm. The completion reward of 400 contribution points reflected that details of the demonic beast were unknown, with room for more points to be awarded if additional complications cropped up. Zeng Fei took this to a senior working there. ¡°That¡¯s a good mission to start on. Do you have someone in mind to do it with?¡± the Senior Sister asked. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°We enforce new disciples to do missions in pairs for the first few times until they become experienced enough to reliably carry out solo missions. I know this is just a Qi Refining level quest, but we expect it to be more difficult than a normal one because of how the beast¡¯s killings have sped up - that¡¯s why this mission is being displayed here and not in the Outer Sect.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Uh¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t have anyone in mind, then there was someone else interested in this mission last week. If you¡¯re happy to proceed with this mission, I can call her here for you.¡± ¡°Yes, please do, Senior Sister. Many thanks.¡± In the time to brew a tea, she returned with someone in haul: a young beauty with rich auburn hair and now in aesthetically matching light red robes. Zeng Fei bowed towards her. ¡°Sun Ru, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± Sun Ru returned his greeting, visibly stunned to see him. ¡°Brother Zeng, you went from early Qi Refining to mid within a month, and now have reached peak Qi Refining in just two weeks... You must have been in intensive training until now to have made such mighty advancement!¡± ¡°Yeah, something like that. Have you been keeping busy?¡± ¡°I did some training, after which Fairy Hong advised that I was ready to move on to Foundation Establishment. So I¡¯m currently building up the contribution points to purchase the Foundation Setting pill to assist with that.¡± Their senior assisting them returned then and handed them a scroll. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s been recorded down that you two are handling this mission. This here can be used as proof of your mission once you get to the village. Since you¡¯re both at Qi Refining, I recommend you lease a carriage from the stables - the cost of it can be taken off the final contribution points, so you don¡¯t have to worry about paying it now.¡± Following her advice, they headed for the stables whilst making conversation on the way. ¡°Ah, by the way, Brother Zeng, there was something I was curious about earlier that I haven¡¯t had the chance to ask you about yet.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°During the Outer Sect Tournament, I was in my waiting room whilst you fought against Dong Fu. That¡¯s when I believe I heard you yell out Pure Yang Phoenix Fist.¡± The bronze glints in her irises glowed faintly. ¡°Could it be you know the technique?¡± ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s my minion¡¯s technique.¡± Seeing her excitement, Zeng Fei wondered if it was in fact a super legendary technique from ancient times - he recalled that Sun Ru practised the Phoenix Reemergence Technique. ¡°Do you know of it?¡± ¡°Somewhat. There are four different variants of Yang Phoenix Fist: the Cleansing, the Healing, the Enduring, and the Domineering. I¡¯m able to perform all, though the Domineering variant is the one I¡¯m the most proficient in. Since it was my first time hearing anyone use the Pure Yang Phoenix Fist, I¡¯d been questioning if that was a fifth variant that I hadn¡¯t known about.¡± The Emperor¡¯s description of the technique had mentioned that everyone in the Creed of the Phoenix Tongue had used the technique, so it wasn¡¯t surprising to hear that the technique was widespread in the present day, though it was curious how there existed multiple variants of the technique. Could it be those were more advanced techniques from the Creed of the Phoenix Tongue, or perhaps even forms of the technique that had evolved out of the pure version in recent times? Sun Ru interrupted his musing. ¡°Brother Zeng, could I ask for a favour?¡± ¡°Yeah, go ahead.¡± ¡°Could you please have your summon perform the technique in front of me?¡± She gave a bashful smile. ¡°I have this burning curiosity to find out how it differs from the other variants.¡± ¡°Sure, that¡¯s no problem at all.¡± It was then that it occurred to Zeng Fei: if the technique level corresponded to your understanding of it - which would explain why the level could be increased through repeated practice - surely you could also achieve this effect by receiving guidance from someone more proficient in the technique. ¡°Sister Sun, just to preface, he is still a novice in the technique. Since you know it well, would you be able to instruct him on how to improve it as you watch him? I assume there¡¯s significant crossover between the variants.¡± She nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll gladly give pointers where I can.¡± Without further ado, Zeng Fei summoned Pingu in front of her, causing her to stare in wonder at the giant fluffball. ¡°Wow, is this your summon?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± ¡°But he¡¯s so¡­ adorable! How could he ever fight when he¡¯s so cute?¡± She stepped towards Pingu and hugged him, rubbing the hair on his back. ¡°And so warm!¡± ¡°Brr, brr, chirp.¡± Pingu, meanwhile, asked his master why this human was huddling with him, and not with master. When Zeng Fei didn¡¯t reply, Pingu wagged his beak from side to side and sighed. ¡°Chirp, chip, noot noot.¡± Which could be translated as: ¡°This is why personal hygiene is so important, master - notice how no one from your colony has huddled with you so far. You should really pick up on these signs without me having to tell you.¡± A vein cropped up on Zeng Fei¡¯s brow listening to his insolent minion. He cleared his throat aloud to interrupt Sun Ru. ¡°Oh¡ª¡± She stepped back from the penguin, blushing. ¡°Sorry, Brother Zeng. I don¡¯t what came over me - it felt like I was in a trance. He just looked so snuggly.¡± She paused. ¡°But can your minion really use the Pure Yang Phoenix Fist? He doesn¡¯t have a fist to perform it with¡­¡± Zeng Fei stared at her stupefied, unable to think of a response. Now that she mentioned it, how was Pingu performing a punching technique with his wings¡­? ¡°Uh, yes he can. You¡¯ll see how he does it now. Pingu, could you demonstrate Pure Yang Phoenix Fist for Sister Sun? She¡¯ll be able to give you instructions on how to improve.¡± The penguin nodded, pulled his flipper back, then with zero hesitation threw a flaming fist right into her face. While there may well be multiple improvements that could be made to the execution of the technique, there was no questioning the power behind it, which Sun Ru could attest to first-hand; she dropped flat onto the ground, knocked out clean. Chapter 31: Rumours about his Senior Sister Dai Xinyue massaged her brow. ¡°Are you for real, Junior Zeng? You went and beat up the person who had previously saved you?!¡± Zeng Fei raised his hands, palms showing. ¡°No, no, Senior Sister Dai, please, you misunderstand.¡± Despite her skinny frame and fatigued appearance, Dai Xinyue had a cultivation that could beat him effortlessly - now that he was at the peak of Qi Refining, he could tell she was at peak Foundation Establishment or perhaps even Core Formation. ¡°What do I misunderstand? It was your minion that knocked her out, no?¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± he stopped and grimaced. ¡°Okay, yes it was my minion. But hear me out, he was trying to demonstrate a fire technique that she had wanted to see, just that he misunderstood demonstrate as to mean to use it on her.¡± Dai Xinyue clicked her tongue in distaste and glanced at Sun Ru lying on the medical bed. ¡°You¡¯re lucky she simply fell unconscious from the physical shock of the blow - hardly any damage was done due to the Phoenix technique she cultivates. If not for that, I wouldn¡¯t have believed you this easily.¡± Zeng Fei sighed in relief, grateful that it was finally over. After Pingu had knocked Sun Ru out, the penguin had taken the liberty to nod towards Zeng Fei as though he¡¯d just carried out the orders Zeng Fei had given. Zeng Fei had unsummoned the penguin at once, cursing the heavens for giving him such a dunderhead of a minion, but by then it was already too late. Within seconds, he was incapacitated by seniors who¡¯d been passing by. Only after taking pains to explain that it¡¯d all been an accident did they take Sun Ru and him to the Healing Hall, next door to and dwarfing the Medicinal Hall that Outer Sect Disciples used. It was there he discovered that Dai Xinyue worked in both hospital wings, and for some reason he¡¯d had received a very bad feeling from seeing her, instantly growing anxious. Luckily she was busy tending to another patient and hadn¡¯t noticed them. But then one of the seniors who¡¯d brought Zeng Fei here called out to greet her, and he¡¯d been a second too late to stop them. Dai Xinyue had spun around and glanced, made a double take and narrowed her eyes, glowering at them, clearly in a foul mood. It was no small mercy that she was already occupied with another patient. In fact, it turned out to be no mercy at all as she¡¯d simply dumped the patient she¡¯d been treating for another medical practitioner to handle and stormed right over. (Wasn¡¯t there something in the Hippocratic Oath to prevent people from doing this?) It was only now, after chewing him out for several minutes, that she listened to his side of the story and conceded his innocence. Regardless, she refused to let him off the hook. ¡°Honestly, from the first time we met, I knew there was something strange about you.¡± Dai Xinyue tsked. ¡°If only I¡¯d seen earlier that you were going to turn out like Peng Chenglu, I would have put you in the soil myself back then.¡± Hoping that she was joking (a natural deadpan comedian, he was sure), Zeng Fei was caught on the name she¡¯d mentioned: he could have sworn he¡¯d already heard it several times today from the people gossiping behind his back. His brain made the connection, and his eyes widened dramatically. ¡°Wait, you know my senior sister?¡± Dai Xinyue scoffed, then, seeing his confusion, gave an uncharacteristically harsh note of laughter. Although unquestionably rude, her gestures lacked the edge that genuine dislike possessed: to his eyes, it didn¡¯t seem that Senior Sister Dai hated his senior sister as much as that they were close enough to treat each other snarkily. But even then, weren¡¯t the friends of your older sister supposed to treat you more nicely when you randomly ran into them outside¡­ so why had Dai Xinyue gone the opposite direction after hearing he was Peng¡¯s junior brother?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. What he¡¯d gathered about Peng Chenglu so far - from his master¡¯s words and from overhearing others - was that her fashion style was a hot topic of discussion for girls and boys, and that she was talented in alchemy and illusion magic, which in turn was why some were fond and others apprehensive of her. As far as Zeng Fei could speak from direct experience, he knew that the Energy Gathering Pills she¡¯d refined had been of incredible quality, incomparably more effective than the one the original had bought using contribution points. If not for them, he would likely still be at the sixth or seventh layer, even when accounting for all the other advantages, since that¡¯s how impactful the pills had been. ¡°Senior Sister Dai, could you tell me more about my senior sister?¡± Dai Xinyue scoffed, then turned towards Sun Ru. ¡°Since you¡¯re awake, I think it¡¯s time the two of you trotted along to complete your mission. Leave me to treat patients who actually need my help.¡± ¡®What, like the one you dumped to treat us?¡¯ Zeng Fei thought of saying, almost did say, did in fact start saying, only to clear his throat then and act like it¡¯d just been a random noise; at the very last moment, he¡¯d become aware that he could either make that sarcastic remark or leave the Healing Hall alive today, not both. Having already been caught in the crossfire between Peng Chenglu and Dai Xinyue, he didn¡¯t want to catch any more strays, and so wisely decided to close his mouth. Only as they were leaving did Dai Xinyue address Zeng Fei¡¯s question. ¡°As for your senior sister, you¡¯ll get to know her yourself soon enough. She¡¯s preparing a surprise for you.¡± ¡°A surprise as in a gift, or do you mean something I should be wary of?¡± Apparently he too was a natural-born comedian as his unwitting comment caused her to crack up, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes; though it was odd how her gaze made it seem she was laughing at him, not with him¡­ not that he was laughing in the first place.
The Vice Chief of the Divine Truth Scouring Abode, Cai Ling, glanced between the two requests he¡¯d received in quick succession. Since sending out his orders, the informants had gathered manifold details on the target disciple, which he¡¯d then used to send the VIP client a basic profile on Disciple Zeng Fei. Yet even armed with all this additional information, Cai Ling had not been able to figure out for the life of him what the VIP client saw in this insignificant child or what had caught their attention so. This was when, as though rebuking his shortsightedness, the heavens themselves had deigned to answer him through the form of a report he received a few days later, stating that Zeng Fei had been accepted as Grand Elder Mi Mi¡¯s personal disciple. The association alone earned the Disciple Zeng Fei his place on the watchlist, and furthermore commented much about his nature if those lot had taken him in as one of their own. For the VIP client to have gleaned this before anyone else, they were evidently prescient. That, or¡­ The first jade slip the Vice Chief had received today was from the VIP client, requesting that he let them know the instant Disciple Zeng Fei was seen leaving his sect grounds, as well as any information on where he was heading. To Vice Chief Cai¡¯s nose, this entire situation stunk of not mere prescience but a full-blown prophecy: the client setting up tripwire over news regarding spirit beasts and maintaining it for many millennia; immediately identifying the chosen one through signs only they could recognise; and moving before anyone else¡­ to do what, though? Was Zeng Fei the chosen one, their promised saviour, or was he the destroyer they intended to eliminate in advance? What complicated matters was the second jade slip the Vice Chief had received today, from the Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s Sect Leader, Lao Yating. That old fox had directly demanded that Cai Ling share who it was that¡¯d requested Disciple Zeng Fei to be put on the watchlist, brazenly assuming that it hadn¡¯t been Cai¡¯s decision. The Truth Abode had a strict policy of never divulging which of their clients had made which informational requests, and the Vice Chief himself had enjoyed the honour of denying countless similar asks from powerhouses in the past, uncaring for the powers they wielded or threats fielded. It wasn¡¯t like the might of the Divine Truth Scouring Abode was something to be sneezed at or anything. Though that said, there were a few organisations that even the Truth Abode didn¡¯t want to get on the bad side of, the Immortal Sects very much counting in this category. This was why the Truth Abode granted certain backdoor requests to the leaders of these groups as a way of keeping them happy. Nor did it matter here that the Vice Chief simply didn¡¯t know the VIP¡¯s identity to be able to answer the Sect Leader¡¯s request: even if that were the case, they would be expecting him to hand over what he did know - namely the VIP client¡¯s address. Any decision not to do so could be viewed as the Truth Abode aligning itself against the Treading Infinity Sect. Yet any decision to do so could be viewed as the Truth Abode aligning itself against the VIP client, who clearly was also not someone to get on the bad side of as evidenced by the multiple former Chiefs who¡¯d meekly dropped investigations into their identity. Such an important decision was not one Cai Ling could make as the Vice Chief; and thank the heavens for that, he thought to himself as he got up to go meet the Chief. Chapter 32: Traveling with Sister Sun Coasting through the skies and treading over clouds, the Heavenhoof Horse hauled along the carriage that Zeng Fei and Sun Ru had leased out. Due to the formations cast on the structure, it was surprisingly quiet and peaceful inside without major jolts or the wind roaring in their ears. Ever since she¡¯d come to, Sun Ru had been eerily quiet and reserved, causing Zeng Fei to fret that she¡¯d taken great offence at what had happened. To clear the air between them (and to prevent the risk of her doing a Dai Xinyue on him), he kowtowed towards her. ¡°Once again, Sister Sun Ru, I¡¯d like to wholeheartedly apologise for what happened there. I had no idea he would do that - he¡¯s such a handful you wouldn¡¯t believe it. If I¡¯d known¡ª¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m also at fault for getting so close in the first place.¡± Though the content of her speech was unremarkable, the strangely soft tone she used prompted him to glance up in curiosity. Her irises were glimmering, like someone had littered tiny jewels within. ¡°Although I was supposed to help your minion, it was he who helped me. When I got hit¡­¡± She paused, her gaze distant in the likeness of someone reminiscing; suddenly a current ran through her body, causing her to quiver and let out a mellow moan. ¡°~I never expected it to be so hot.¡± Zeng Fei¡¯s vision shook. ¡°Huh?¡± Why was he getting yandere vibes from her? This couldn¡¯t be right. Yet, as she trained her fervent gaze on him, he could swear the temperature of the surroundings went a notch higher. ¡°That fire, it wasn¡¯t normal.¡± Raising her delicate fist, Sun Ru inflamed it and allowed the tongues of flame to scorch the air around. ¡°Do you see?¡± She held it out in front of Zeng Fei, who was mightily unsure if she was currently threatening him or not. ¡°Do you smell the difference?¡± ¡°Um¡­ no?¡± She pulled her arm back. ¡°For those who are not Dao-seekers of the Flame, I imagine it must be difficult to tell the difference until higher levels. But your minion¡¯s, Pingu¡¯s, Pure Yang Phoenix Fist was more fiery, more cleansing, more everything. The instant I was hit, I knew the Domineering Fist, no, all the variants I¡¯d been learning were flawed imitations of the one Pure Fist.¡± Her chest rose high, then dropped as she exhaled. ¡°Even though I¡¯m more proficient in the technique, I cannot hold a candle to his flame.¡± Zeng Fei didn¡¯t know where his polite, justice-minded Sister Sun had disappeared off to, but he dearly wanted her back by now. Trying not to make a sound from the floor of the carriage, he sat up and crawled backwards on his hands away from this maniac. He didn¡¯t get very far before her blazing eyes caught him. ¡°Eek!¡± She lunged at him, in one smooth motion clambering over his body and grabbing him by the collar of his robes. Her body practically laid over his, face flushed, yet any notions of romance felt more distant now than if she¡¯d been staring at him stony-faced. ¡°Where did Esteemed Pingu learn that technique from, Brother Zeng?¡± Unlike before, her disturbing tone went unnoticed as the content of her speech functioned like a trigger word, activating the sleeper agent inside him; arching an eyebrow, he took hold of her hands in his. ¡°Nuh uh, he¡¯s really not esteemed, alright? Let¡¯s not be fooling ourselves now. And trust me, I would know - I¡¯ve been with him since day one.¡± Noting how hot her hands were then, he released them and cleared his throat, regaining his composure. ¡°As for where he learnt it from, I don¡¯t know. Some stuff he just knows to be honest. Maybe he had a past life or something, haha.¡± Since Zeng Fei could hardly admit the deepest and most contentious secret to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, he made a flippant joke to ease the tension between them. Yet Sun Ru¡¯s face scrunched up with seriousness. ¡°Hmm, I did hear from Fairy Hong that you¡¯d inherited a technique from an ancient cultivator¡­ could it be¡­¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Right, that must be it! Pingu must have learnt the Pure Yang Phoenix Fist in his former life, whereas the ones around today are mere derivatives that hold a fraction of the whole!Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Nah I was just joking, I swear¡­¡± His denial of the self-evident truth went unheard. ¡°You must teach me, Brother Zeng!¡± She got off of him, moved back, and kowtowed. ¡°I beseech you to teach me, Brother Zeng!¡± But at least the conversation was on safer grounds now. Zeng Fei exhaled in relief and righted his clothes. ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t but if Pingu wants to¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, please allow Esteemed Pingu to grace me with his flames once more.¡± Zeng Fei¡¯s voice dropped. ¡°Hey, listen up, buddy, if you keep calling him an esteemed person, I swear to god you¡¯re going to catch hands.¡± He snarled and pulled his arm back like he was threatening to throw a punch (naturally, he wouldn¡¯t actually do so because she would most definitely thrash him in a fight without Pingu¡¯s help, but still, he refused to cede ground on this matter). ¡°Hell, if you¡¯re so insistent on it, you can call me that, but not him.¡± Zeng Fei felt zero shame in saying this either: that cheeky penguin had already lapped up more than enough adulation at the tournament, so it was only fair Zeng Fei got to enjoy his share of the limelight this time. Sun Ru banged her head against the carriage floor once more. ¡°Please, Brother Zeng, I beg that you bid Pingu to share his technique with me.¡± For some reason, her perfectly worded request just pissed him off more.
Even with their flying carriage, the journey to the village took three full days. The horse must have had a sat nav built into it as they simply had to tell it that they wanted to eat or lodge overnight, and it would automatically take them towards the nearest restaurant or inn. In the meantime, Sun Ru learnt the true Pure Yang Phoenix Fist by observing the way Pingu directed his energies when performing the technique. Zeng Fei had made it explicitly clear to the penguin that he was to do it in the air, against an imaginary opponent if he was so inclined, but under no circumstances into her face again - even if, say, she were to explicitly ask for that (just as a precautionary measure). Since she¡¯d learnt all the modern variants, she was able to pick up the original easily enough, and furthermore was also able to carry over many of her insights, which she in turn shared with Pingu. Zeng Fei acknowledged his position as the third wheel and only occasionally stepped in when he needed to translate what Pingu had said for Sun Ru, otherwise meditating to keep his cultivation at peak Qi Refining whilst it was being dissolved. He pointedly ignored the penguin¡¯s endless remarks about how Zeng Fei should use this opportunity to learn to huddle and perhaps even go a step or two further with this girl. Although Pingu wasn¡¯t too knowledgeable about human tastes, this girl was clearly respectful, a universally good trait to have in your mate no matter the race. Listening to this prattle, Zeng Fei couldn¡¯t help but muse if Pingu really did have a past life: there were occasional flashes of an older soul inside the little baby hatchling, after all. Of course, there was no denying that Sun Ru was a beauty who would further grow up to be a femme fatale, but Zeng Fei could now also see there was a reason why xianxia protagonists always ended up going for the kuudere ice-cold beauties¡­ To be precise, he didn¡¯t think Sun Ru was actually a yandere, better off described as a pyromaniac, an unabashed aficionado for all things fire-related and the type to believe that justice was best served by burning people at the stake¡­ Were all fire-based cultivators like this? The other major happening during the journey was that Zeng Fei learnt that combat wasn¡¯t necessarily the quickest way to level up Pingu¡¯s techniques. Indeed, over the course of the three days, Pingu rapidly levelled the Pure Yang Phoenix Fist, going from level 6 to level 16 by the time they arrived at their destination. At level 15, two brand new traits were unlocked for the technique, and the technique grade also went up from mortal to quasi-earth as the ¡®low level¡¯ modifier disappeared. Pure Yang Phoenix Fist - Level 18 Technique Grade: Quasi-Earth Positive modifiers: n/a Negative modifiers: n/a Ability Effect: when cast, charge up your fist to deliver a powerful fiery attack. Unlocked trait at level 15, Cleansing: bathes your arm in Pure Yang Heavenly True Fire, which purifies yin entities and counters Pure Yin Death True Fire. Potency depends on qi expended and level of technique. Unlocked trait at level 15, Enduring: the fire can no longer be doused by ordinary means and must be smothered with qi to extinguish, which, while simple, will burn through your target¡¯s qi reserves. [Emperor¡¯s notes: A core attack technique from the Creed of the Phoenix Tongue that everyone in that sect practised. Good pick-up for melee builds. Each level up increases the qi cost more than what a normal technique would experience, but this increased level-sensitivity applies to the power of the technique as well. The first time I saw a Grand Elder use it, having watched her sect juniors use it many times before, I believed it to be an entirely different technique until I interrogated the truth out of her. Not linked to any other techniques, but this is made up for by various upgrades the Phoenix Fist undergoes when levelled up.] Pingu Race: Emperor Penguin Cultivation: Seventh Layer (72%) Demon Cores: Yang Rabbit (Third Layer Qi Refining), Kung Pao Rooster (Third Layer Qi Refining), Green-horned Python (Third Layer Qi Refining) Strength: 24 -> 28 Agility: 15 -> 19 Constitution: 19 -> 23 Intelligence: 10 -> 11 Dexterity: 7 -> 8 Perception: 12 -> 15 Martial Techniques: Pure Yang Phoenix Fist (Quasi-Earth) - Level 16; Kung Ho (Mortal) - Level 7; Serpentine Slap (Mortal) - Level 9 Chapter 33: Mysterious Murders It was near noon when they reached their destination, Little Ox Village. The sight of a sky-treading horse caused the villagers to gather and gander at the spectacle. Even though the ones who exited the carriage were baby-faced, the villagers showed deference out of knowledge these teenagers were cultivators. When they heard Zeng Fei and Sun Ru were here regarding the string of recent disappearances, the villagers became all the more respectful, many breaking into tears and praising the cultivators¡¯ benevolence. While mortals were generally courteous and humble before cultivators, the reception here was far beyond what Qi Refiners usually received; since those at the Qi Refining realm had only made the first and easiest step onto the path of immortality, they could be beaten by well-trained opponents and even the untrained if up against overwhelming numbers. The other thing immediately noticeable about the village was the sheer amount of medicinal herbs attached to buildings and people¡¯s clothes, giving off a potent, discordant stench that forced you to wrinkle your nose. It was as if these trinkets meant to ward off danger had been taken to a paranoid degree. In no time, the two of them were brought towards the biggest building in the village, the Village Head¡¯s home. Once greetings were given and confirmation of their mission carried out, they were seated in the living room while a housemaid served them green tea. The Village Head was a large middle-aged man who had bloodshot eyes, a sickly cast, and an aura of instability; and in that, he was a reflection of everyone else in this village. He bowed his head once more. ¡°I cannot thank you enough for responding to our request, Esteemed Immortals. We have been waiting anxiously for your arrival.¡± Sun Ru took a sip of the tea and placed the cup down. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since the request went out, no? Has something happened since to have caused this dire mood?¡± ¡°Yes, Fairy Immortal is truly discerning. Although it hasn¡¯t been long, the case has worsened considerably. The first to disappear was one of our local hunters, and then a woodsman, followed by a housewife who¡¯d been out foraging. One disappearance can be chalked up to misfortune, but three in a spate made it clear our village was being targeted - that was when I sent out the request to your sect.¡± ¡°Did you not take any preventative measures to stop the disappearances?¡± ¡°Yes, of course - I ordered everyone that they must go at least in pairs if they¡¯re to go outside the village boundaries, and preferably for them to not go at all unless it¡¯s business that must be attended to. And indeed, the disappearances stopped shortly after, leading me to fret that I¡¯d misread the situation and requested the Treading Infinity Sect¡¯s help far too hastily.¡± The Village Head stopped, his portly face quivering. ¡°Now, I wish that were the case and that only I would face your discontent for wasting your time. Instead, the respite lasted three days, whereafter the disappearances restarted and in a far more audacious fashion. No longer was it those who wander far outside the village being targeted: it was a retired hunter with an amputated leg yesterday, a child the day before, and my daughter who was pregnant¡­¡± The Village Head heaved a massive sigh and deflated, his eyes losing focus as he looked down towards the floorboards, leaden with misery. The two cultivators gave him time to recompose before continuing. ¡°I note that you¡¯ve referred to every incident as a disappearance so far.¡± Zeng Fei voiced. ¡°Does that mean there the people taken could still be alive?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s absent gaze focused onto him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but¡­ I don¡¯t think so. In every incident, there was no blood left behind, nor any signs the victims had struggled or resisted - hell, we couldn¡¯t even find any scraps of their clothes left behind, only ever the tools they¡¯d been carrying or the like.¡± ¡°At first, we too thought there¡¯s a chance they could still be alive, just kidnapped. But we haven¡¯t heard any ransom demands, not once. And the fact that so many have been taken makes it far more likely the vile beast is taking them to its lair and.¡± The Village Head nodded with a grave expression and spoke no further. Sun Ru raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wait, if it¡¯s attacking so close, surely someone must have seen it taking the victims away. You must have an idea of what it could be, no? Or even a rough description of its appearance.¡± ¡°No one here has seen it¡­ It strikes out of nowhere, making no noise or struggle, and it seems to disappear with its prey back into nowhere. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so haunting - you may see someone, not have them in sight for a few seconds, then look around to see that they¡¯re gone. In ordinary times, you¡¯d think they¡¯ve just gone elsewhere to do something, but we can¡¯t even assume that anymore. That¡¯s why we¡¯re all sticking together in the village, trying to maintain constant surveillance on each other. Yet even then, the briefest moment is all the beast needs to be able to strike!¡± ¡°Is there anything else about the recent disappearances that stand out against the ones from before?¡± ¡°Not about the disappearances, but we noticed that our graveyard had been dug up before the recent disappearances started, though we don¡¯t know exactly when. This was noticed on the day after the first reoccurrence, when someone went to pay respects to their deceased relations.¡± ¡°Why did it take so long to notice? Is there not anyone who manages the graveyard? Or who lives nearby?¡± ¡°The graveyard is further out and managed by our medicine woman, Granny Ju, who lives nearby. Or at least she used to until two months ago, when she became too weak to be able to easily leave her home anymore, though still able to take care of herself - you could see she didn¡¯t have long left even then, so it may be she¡¯s passed on already. The last one to see her was the person who noticed the graveyard robbery.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The Village Head showed a rare look of hope. ¡°Thank the heavens, she¡¯d regained some of her strength then, and on hearing what¡¯d taken place in the village, she asked for quiet and started going through her books to see if she could figure out what¡¯s tormenting us. You see, although Granny Ju¡¯s not the most knowledgeable about demon beasts, she said that the circumstances of this case were eerily reminiscent of something she¡¯d read about many years ago.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know - the person we sent to check up on her disappeared. Even when we sent groups, none of them returned. So I made the order that no one should brave the distance anymore, not when we¡¯ve already lost so many¡­ too many.¡± ¡°And this phenomenon only started once Granny Ju began to look into what the beast could be? Because the person who visited the graveyard initially was fine, you said.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s almost like the vile creature¡¯s retribution for us daring to make an effort to get rid of it.¡± Zeng Fei quizzically frowned. ¡°So why bother stopping you from reaching her when it¡¯d be far easier to strike the source and take her out directly? In fact, why did the demon beast not do so from the start when it was desecrating graves and that close to her?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know, but we thought maybe the medicinal stench clinging to her home repulses the monster: after all, demon beasts typically have a heightened sense of smell. That¡¯s why we strapped medicinal herbs everywhere here, though it hasn¡¯t worked so far to ward off the beast. Though that could be because we¡¯re using the wrong type - Granny Ju had the largest collection of medicinal herbs here by far, including many rare types.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s possible she could or already has discovered the identity of the beast, as well as what endangers it. And since it knows this, yet is unable to harm her directly, it shows aggression towards any who try to approach her.¡± Zeng Fei stroked his chin in thought. ¡°In any case, this demon beast must be sentient and have a critical weakness that it desperately wants to hide.¡± Sun Ru added. ¡°If your medicine woman can figure out the beast¡¯s identity, there could also be others who can do likewise. Even if not in this village, perhaps in nearby villages. So why not ask for help from them, especially after the situation got this bad?¡± The Village Head gave a helpless shrug at her suggestion. ¡°We did, but those we sent to nearby villages to request for help have yet to return, and still no help comes our way. So we concluded that they too had ¡®disappeared¡¯. And since we believed Esteemed Immortals would come to our aid, we figured it¡¯d be better to stay here as one clump than to move recklessly and risk further needless deaths.¡± ¡°When you mentioned that the beast had dug up graves,¡± Zeng Fei said, ¡°was there anything particular about the graves it dug up?¡± ¡°They all belonged to people who¡¯d died within the last two years, though not all the graves from that period were dug up, I believe. And it looked to have been rushed work with only small amounts of dirt displaced. Almost as if the perpetrator dug small holes over the graves simply to observe the decomposing corpses.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean that the corpses themselves weren¡¯t taken?¡± ¡°No, they were. But it shouldn¡¯t have been possible from how small the holes were said to be.¡± ¡°Ah, right, I see. That¡¯s why you think this too was the workings of the beast - the inexplicable way in which it transports bodies,¡± Zeng Fei deduced. ¡°If only we knew why certain bodies were targeted and not others, that could have helped. All the same, it sounds like our best option is to check in with Granny Ju.¡± The Village Head¡¯s expression brightened, showing a glimmer of hope. ¡°But before that,¡± Sun Ru interrupted, ¡°could you give us some space so that we can talk in private for a moment?¡± Since messaging through divine sense was something only higher rank cultivators could do, they¡¯d need to discuss their thoughts in the old-fashioned way. Once the Village Head left, Sun Ru¡¯s look of composure gave way to a grave expression. ¡°This case sounds far more troubling than the mission description mentioned, Brother Zeng. The lack of bloodshed during the disappearances points towards a quick-acting poison or some other way of rapidly incapacitating prey, especially since no one heard any struggling sounds from the victims. And given that we¡¯re only at the Qi Refining stage, it¡¯s almost guaranteed to work against us too.¡± Zeng Fei did not respond, causing her to continue. ¡°Moreover, that period of quiet the Village Head mentioned could have been the demon beast moulting or, worse, evolving into a more powerful form! Based on how its behaviour became far more aggressive and reckless, I¡¯d not be surprised if it¡¯s reached Foundation Establishment; in which case it only has to incapacitate one of us to win against us.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying we should dip?¡± Zeng Fei was surprised to hear it from his (supposedly) honourable and justice-minded Sister Sun Ru of all people. She grimaced but didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I think the sect would have assigned Foundation Establishment seniors if the true extent of the situation was known. There¡¯s a very real risk that this mission is already beyond our ability to solve.¡± ¡°Still, I would have thought you would demand we stay and protect the people no matter what.¡± Sun Ru gave a resigned shrug. ¡°If we lack the ability to protect them, what more is there to say? We¡¯d be needlessly sacrificing further lives by wasting time dithering around; it would be more beneficial for the people if we acted decisively and with haste.¡± Zeng Fei gave a nod, impressed - he was glad to hear it wasn¡¯t out of cowardice but of cold hard practicality. Nonetheless, for some reason he found himself unwilling, and not out of fear of disappointing the locals. So what was it then? Well, leaving now would mean he¡¯d lose out on a potential demon core, of course. But more importantly, there was no evidence so far that this monster was beyond their ability to handle: why else would it go to such lengths to hide its identity? If it was as powerful as Sun Ru feared, surely it would have acted with far greater arrogance. And it couldn¡¯t be the case that the beast was simply cautious of attracting the attention of big scary cultivators: if that were so, it wouldn¡¯t have started recklessly killing in the first place. On top of this, there was the intrigue from the unanswered questions: how was this beast transporting bodies (and would that technique show up in its demon core?)? Why was it targeting different people each time and not showing a preference for one type of group or the other? Why had it dug up decomposing corpses when there was easily accessible and defenceless prey nearby - was this not about sating its hunger, then? When he reviewed all the details of this case, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something wasn¡¯t adding up¡­ but nor could he point it out, despite the wealth of information they¡¯d received from the Village Head, who had certainly appeared to be honest and exhaustive in what he¡¯d said. Watching the hesitation flicker on Zeng Fei¡¯s face, Sun Ru sighed. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m happy for us to check up on Granny Ju before making a decision¡­ but I also fear it might be too late by then.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Zeng Fei stared at her in bewilderment, questioning why her words had struck him so deeply. Suddenly, eureka: the answer breached his mind, piercing through the thick maze of questions in there. It was not that something wasn¡¯t adding up in this case: no, if anything, the issue was that it was adding up all too well! Chapter 34: There is Only One Way to Defeat the Monster The journey towards the graveyard took almost an hour because of the vigilance they had to take. Zeng Fei had summoned Pingu in advance, aware they could get ambushed on the way like those who¡¯d previously attempted to make the journey. They were escorted by the Village Head and a handful of hearty men wielding farm tools, providing additional protection to the group. Although the cultivators hadn¡¯t asked to be chaperoned, they hadn¡¯t declined the offer either when the men had volunteered; if the monster really was as strong as Sun Ru feared, they could use all the help they could get. Yet, their preparation was for naught as the journey ended up being uneventful. At the graveyard, they confirmed the holes made over graves were as reported: small and only over certain graves, the corpses within long gone. The markings on the boundaries of the holes indicated they were dealing with some kind of clawed demon beast. Sun Ru caught Zeng Fei¡¯s smiling sardonically at the sight. ¡°Do you recognise the beast¡¯s identity now, Brother Zeng?¡± He chuckled and gave his answer to the entire group. ¡°No, no. But I can tell it¡¯s a wily beast that we shouldn¡¯t underestimate in the slightest - let us all pray it hasn¡¯t already figured out a way to break through Granny Ju¡¯s defences and devoured her too.¡± The villagers trembled on hearing this and further increased their vigilance. Sun Ru, however, had some familiarity with Zeng Fei¡¯s personality by now and felt this was an odd remark for him to make - it reminded her of a mastermind in the shadows, pulling strings and making remarks that clearly held double meaning. Which didn¡¯t fit the image of Zeng Fei built up in her mind: a brash and foolhardy boy whose single claim to fame was his luck at coming across Esteemed Pingu before anyone else. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the thought¡­ If only it¡¯d been her instead. Zeng Fei, meanwhile, saw how she¡¯d gone deep into thought trying to figure out what he¡¯d meant and gave off an indulgent laugh. He felt rather carefree now as everything had worked out as he¡¯d expected: the passage over had been safe, and the markings on these graves really were from some ferocious beast as best as he could tell. The set-up was perfect. From the graveyard, it wasn¡¯t long to reach Granny Ju¡¯s cottage, which bore a potent and complex medicinal odour built up through decades of shared presence. It reminded Zeng Fei of Dai Xinyue, which in his eyes was the most damning evidence so far. Inside, they found Granny Ju alive, though not in the best state. She was bedridden with heavily wrinkled skin and shrunken flesh. Hearing the noise they made, the old lady awoke and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. ¡°Ah, children. And¡­ if my eyes don¡¯t fail me, could you two be sect disciples of the esteemed Treading Infinity Sect?¡± The fact that she had a third layer Qi Refining cultivation indicated she¡¯d been a failed sect disciple in her younger years or perhaps had picked it up during her medical training. ¡°Indeed, we are disciples of the Treading Infinity Sect, Granny Ju,¡± Sun Ru said, showing a sympathetic expression. ¡°Ah, let me greet you properly¡ª¡± The old woman tried to raise herself, but broke down into a coughing fit which could well have been the death of her. The villagers rushed to place her in a better respiratory position and provide her with water to drink. Once she¡¯d recovered, she spoke towards the cultivators again, her voice ever more feeble now. ¡°I apologise for this ugly display, Esteemed Ones. But don¡¯t worry: despite my current state, I can still help you with what you came here to know. It took several days of searching but I finally found the entry on the beast haunting our village - an Astral Hopper. It¡¯s sinister beyond anything I previously thought.¡± ¡°Is that something we¡¯ll be able to handle?¡± Sun Ru asked. ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯d be most prudent for us to hurry back and have our seniors come in our stead.¡± ¡°It must be dealt with urgently, Esteemed One!¡± Granny Ju said with sudden strength, though this faded just as quick. ¡°I believe the Astral Hopper has gone into hibernation once again, giving us a golden opportunity to deal with it. But if we were to wait for your seniors to arrive, it¡¯ll have devoured the entire village by then as its next phase is far more dangerous and aggressive.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± Seeing Sun Ru¡¯s hesitation, Granny Ju assuaged her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have also found a way of weakening the beast - which additionally turns out to be why it refused to approach my home from the start. But the amount I have on hand won¡¯t be enough to deal a critical blow, so we need to gather more with haste. What you need to d¡ª¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Why bother?¡± Zeng Fei interrupted. The unabashed insolence in his tone caught everyone there unawares; half a dozen faces spun to regard him with emotions ranging from bafflement to concern. ¡°What do you mean, Esteemed One?¡± Granny Ju asked, followed by a few more spluttering coughs. He watched the granny¡¯s show of weakness stony-faced, wholly unimpressed. He¡¯d long learnt his lesson that unlike on Earth where people weakened and lost ambition with age, here it was the elderly who were the powerhouses with the wiliest of minds. After all, wasn¡¯t it just two months ago when another old bastard had put up this same display of weakness and infirmity just to fuck him over? As if he¡¯d fall for the same trick twice! ¡°I said I¡¯m not going on your wild goose chase, you doddering coot! I declare that you are the villain haunting the village, Granny Ju! If you want to live, let alone have me listen to a single another word out of your foul mouth, you must first prove your innocence!¡± The local men who¡¯d accompanied him here felt affronted by his blatant disrespect and began to make motions towards the skinny teenager to remind him of his place - as mortals, they couldn¡¯t sense his strength and had only been treating him with so much respect out of the knowledge he was a cultivator here to aid them. But as men, were they just supposed to stand around when the village¡¯s medicine woman, who had been with them for all their lifetimes, was accused like a common criminal, especially while she was in such a frail state? The answer turned out to be yes, yes they were! Pingu waddled in front of his master and wagged his beak towards the men, making clicking noises; although they couldn¡¯t sense his cultivation base, they simply got a sense of instinctual danger from him - akin to a rabbit coming across a slumbering lion - that it reminded them how foolhardy they were being thinking they could intimidate a cultivator. As such, the men stopped in their tracks and shifted their attention towards Sun Ru, silently pleading that she appeal to her partner gone mad. Even without their prayers, Sun Ru would have done so. ¡°Hold up, Brother Zeng. Where is this sudden accusation coming from?¡± ¡°Sister Sun Ru, don¡¯t you think the details of this mission are awfully suspicious? The initial description suggested a demon beast well within our capability to handle, yet once we arrive, we¡¯re faced with a different situation.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a good reason for that - the Village Head mentioned how the beast was quiet for a brief period, so it¡¯s likely it was evolving into a more aggressive phase then too.¡± ¡°Indeed, it is a perfect explanation, isn¡¯t it? And how lucky that there¡¯s somebody here who could identify the beast even though none of the villagers caught a glimpse of it. Yet, how unlucky that they weren¡¯t allowed to access this information until we came along. And now that we¡¯re here, we¡¯re told we must seize the moment to kill the beast, or else accept the fact that everyone here will wind up dead. Which effectively takes away the option of calling our seniors.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Sun Ru asked, to which he shrugged. ¡°The entire chain of events clicks too well into place, wouldn¡¯t you say? Almost like someone is corralling us.¡±
The Chief of the Divine Truth Scouring Abode had heard out the dilemma from her Vice Chief, Cai Ling. On the one hand, their VIP client was effectively asking for tracking information on the latest disciple of that two-faced demoness Mi Mi. And on the other, the Sect Leader of the Treading Infinity Sect, Lao Yating, was demanding information about the VIP¡¯s identity. It was shaping up to be a clash of titans. And since both sides were unfathomably powerful and would hold a grudge against the Truth Abode for siding with the other, their situation had become the literal definition of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Nor would denying both information requests achieve anything as the two would take that too, however unreasonably, as the Truth Abode aligning against them. Once she understood the situation, the Chief had remained statue-still with her hands arched for a long while, contemplating. When eventually she had come to a decision and shared it, Cai Ling had felt embarrassed about his own ineptitude that he had been unable to realise the solution by himself. He¡¯d gotten himself into a twist considering the power of the parties involved and the stakes in play here. But if you stripped away the power politics and potential repercussions, leaving behind only the core problem, then the solution was obvious. It came down to this: why ever should the Truth Abode select champions from their clientele when that forced them into a position of managing risk and preparing countermeasures if things went tits up? If their clientele wanted to clash, so be it; it simply wasn¡¯t in the Truth Abode¡¯s business to get involved. Indeed, the optimal strategy in such a scenario was not to act like a kingmaker but an auction house: let the clientele know of each other, make them aware that they¡¯re competing, and then allow them to go at it. The winner would get the prize, simple as, in this case being access to the Truth Abode¡¯s services. It had given Cai Ling no small amount of guilty pleasure to write his response to both clients. [Although you are our cherished customer, there is an opposing force that would punish us if we were to release the information you desire. All the same, we wish to do our best to deliver the outcome that you want. As such, could you kindly respond with a display of your dedication to uncovering the requested information, in light of the fact that adverse forces exist.] If they wanted to find out so badly, fine, show your commitment first. This would help the Truth Abode decide which side was stronger, or otherwise which felt more strongly about this matter. As for the exact form their response could take, Cai Ling had deliberately left this part vague to let the clients decide that for themselves, whether it be money, magic treasures, promises, or whatever. With the messages sent and under the impression he¡¯d just deftly navigated intense political turbulence, Vice Chief Cai Ling had stewed in his satisfaction for all of an hour before the first response had arrived - which was incredibly quick even by powerhouse standards. It was from the VIP client, and after a cursory scan with his divine sense, Cai Ling did not dare open the jade slip. Not when his senses were screaming that he would die the instant he did so¡­ Chapter 35: Murders and Threats of Death ¡°Are you accusing Granny Ju of causing the disappearances?¡± the Village Head budged into the conversation then. ¡°But how can she in her feeble state?¡± ¡°Did you know that she¡¯s a cultivator herself?¡± Zeng Fei questioned in turn. ¡°Not particularly powerful but a genuine one all the same.¡± Words weren¡¯t needed for an answer as the locals turned to Granny Ju in surprise. ¡°Esteemed One, I can understand why you¡¯re suspicious, but you see, I joined a sect in my youth, only I was unable to advance my cultivation beyond the paltry third layer and was let go off.¡± Her answer made Zeng Fei scoff. ¡°Of course you would have good reasoning - it¡¯s pretty damn clear you¡¯ve crafted this entire scenario rather well. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got a book that has a description of this Astral Hopper as well, just in case we questioned your advice, or excuses ready as to why it took you so long to hear about the disappearances occurring in the village. But it doesn¡¯t matter because I see through you, hag.¡± Granny Ju was about to respond but was beaten to the punch by Sun Ru. ¡°Even if she¡¯s hiding something or the other, what¡¯s to say she carried out the murders? Especially considering they are her own kin?¡± ¡°The events and circumstances here work too perfectly in landing us in her hands and listening to her advice to be a coincidence. And I do know that anyone learned in healing concoctions would also be knowledgeable about creating poisons, including the sort to rapidly incapacitate targets. And I do know that the disappearances here point towards a local human mind, not an exotic beast one: how else did the grave digger-upper know which graves belonged to those who¡¯d died recently versus those from a long time ago - don¡¯t tell me Astral Hoppers can read too?¡± Zeng Fei paused, eyes narrowing. ¡°And why were the victims each time of a different phenotype? Grown men, then women, amputees, children, pregnant women, bodies at varying levels of decomposition - such a selection doesn¡¯t speak of taste testing, but of there existing a functional output that can be gained from each one. It¡¯s like somebody was testing to find out which ones gave the most output, the best bang for the buck. Well, from mortals at least. Because she knew from the start what she really wanted: cultivator bodies. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t kill everyone from the start - it would have escalated the situation too quickly and scared us off, or had our seniors, who are well out of her capability, come over instead.¡± ¡°You mean that her current cultivation base is built from her victims?¡± Sun Ru¡¯s demeanour suddenly grew serious. ¡°She¡¯s a cultivator of devilish arts?¡± Since Zeng Fei didn¡¯t know if that was the case or not, he elected to give a knowing smile instead, giving Sun Ru the freedom to glean whatever answer she liked from it. ¡°How do you reckon she¡¯s kept hidden all this time while carrying out murders? Or how is it she¡¯s been teleporting bodies? Or how has she been observing the happenings in the village?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out, shall we.¡± Zeng Fei showed a predatory grin towards old Granny Ju, and threw the entire prepared story arc on its head. What should have happened was they¡¯d discover clues that it was someone inside the village or that someone inside the village was helping the demon beast, all the while enduring attempts on their lives. More villagers would die while they were here. And finally, when their suspicions landed on Granny Ju, she would disappear, perhaps to a secret lair with a hostage in haul to set up the final confrontation. But Zeng Fei couldn¡¯t be bothered with all that fluff, so why not just skip to the ending and accuse the culprit, Spanish Inquisition style? He just needed Sun Ru¡¯s approval to act, but he could tell he almost had her. One more push, that was all it¡¯d take. Luckily for him, he had just the thing.
Cai Ling stood before the Chief¡¯s desk where he¡¯d placed down the VIP¡¯s lethal jade slip.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. She stared at it with a distant gaze. His anxiety blossomed as the minutes passed, and still she didn¡¯t say a word. By the time she did, his back was soaked in sweat. ¡°It¡¯s a carrot and stick in one.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± The Chief glanced at him and sighed. ¡°Do you know what this is Vice Chief?¡± She gestured towards the jade slip. ¡°I don¡¯t think I do, Chief,¡± he admitted, bowing his head. She hummed and leaned back on her chair. ¡°It may look identical to the jade slips the VIP has always sent, but this is in fact a talisman. To be precise, it¡¯s a Fool¡¯s Execution Talisman.¡± ¡°The VIP is mocking us for daring to ask them to prove their strength?¡± ¡°No, no, no.¡± The Chief chortled at his suggestion. ¡°An Execution Talisman causes grievous harm to your target, with the aim of killing them outright. They enjoyed brief popularity 3000 years ago, before falling out of fashion when it became known the numerous ways in which they could be deflected, or worse, reflected. The Fool¡¯s Execution Talisman was a variant that was created by Bai An of the Radiant Glass Emporium Sect.¡± These were names Cai Ling recognised at least. The Radiant Glass Emporium Sect was an Immortal Sect, which was best described as the world¡¯s greatest refinery for magical treasures, weapons, and talismans. Bai An was a Grand Elder who¡¯d significantly advanced the Dao School of Talismans during his time: he¡¯d disappeared from the world roughly 1500 years ago and therefore had long been presumed to be dead. ¡°I see that you know of Bai An,¡± the Chief continued. ¡°This variant was crafted back when he¡¯d been competing for the Grand Elder spot with another individual within the sect, both prodigiously talented in the Dao of Talismans. His opponent was infinitely better at making use of conventional talismans in ingenious ways, whereas he was the undisputed greatest talisman crafter in the world.¡± ¡°After coming up with the Fool¡¯s Execution Talisman, Bai An proceeded to play dirty and swap out his competitor¡¯s authentic Execution Talisman for it without them noticing, and then challenged them to a duel. On that day, his opponent executed themself in front of the entire sect.¡± ¡°Naturally, the news spread like wildfire and led to the practice of talisman users always double-checking their tools before going into battle, negating all future effectiveness of the Fool¡¯s Execution Talisman. Though it didn¡¯t matter as Bai An had already proven himself as having the guile of a Grand Elder and earned his promotion.¡± Vice Chief Cai Ling took a moment to digest all of this. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the VIP is Bai An? Meaning that he never died and has been in hiding this entire time. Which would mean that the fact he¡¯s now brazenly revealing his identity to us is a show of trust.¡± ¡°Potentially, yes,¡± the Chief said, ¡°But note that although Bai An never shared the formula for the Fool¡¯s Execution Talisman, we can¡¯t cross out the possibility that other talisman masters - for example the First Grand Elder of the Treading Infinity Sect - have since deduced how to craft it.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s only a possibility. Whereas we have the genuine talisman in front of us!¡± the Vice Chief interrupted in excitement. ¡°Indeed, we could deconstruct it and reverse-engineer its formula as long as we don¡¯t open it, hence it can be considered a valuable gift, even if it is only a half-completed version.¡± ¡°What?! Are you sure, Chief? Already this would kill me if I opened it, so how could it be half-completed?¡± ¡°The lethality would be the same with a complete one, only you wouldn¡¯t have known of its deadly nature until opening it. You would have had to be a skilled tailisman crafter to notice in time. Meaning that the creator deliberately skipped the masking step here.¡± She met his gaze. ¡°Now do you understand their response?¡± He gave a solemn nod. ¡°Here is something for your trouble, but don¡¯t push your luck because I can kill you without any difficulty. Could it be the VIP was irritated we had the gall to ask them to prove their power? So they rewarded us, threatened us, and proved their ability to carry it out, all in one.¡± ¡°Without fully compromising their identity either,¡± the Chief finished. ¡°Regardless of whether this is Bai An or another reclusive eccentric, there is no question of their viciousness and cunning. If anything, the fact that they responded like so to our innocuous request implies they are unhinged, or worse, that this is a casual move in their eyes.¡± There was a beat of silence as the two highest officials of the premier information brokerage stared at each other. The Vice Chief broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯ll go and send them their desired information regarding that Outer Sect Disciple Zeng Fei. He was reported leaving his sect recently, so maybe the information of where he went will appease any irritation the VIP has with us.¡± The Chief did not respond, and watched with a blank expression as Cai Ling left her office. She had much to ponder on. Chapter 36: Dealing with Crones Sun Ru stood in the way, preventing Pingu from handling Granny Ju. ¡°I cannot sanction us harming an old lady when there¡¯s no proof of anything you¡¯ve said. They¡¯re just conjectures.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, good sister. I won¡¯t be punishing her but testing her guilt.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°A trial by fire is what I propose. The flames will melt away the lies and reveal the truth of the matter.¡± ¡°What?¡± the Village Head yelled. ¡°This is barbaric! You would have us burn our own medicine woman for these absurd accusations?!¡± The village men¡¯s voices added to the fold, proclaiming their outrage as well. But Zeng Fei wasn¡¯t appealing to them in the first place. ¡°The Pure Yang Heavenly True Fire from the Pure Yang Phoenix Fist will only cause an extreme reaction against evil yin entities, so it¡¯ll become apparent straightaway if Granny Ju is lying or not.¡± Sun Ru frowned. ¡°But, Brother Zeng, devilish entities can be of yin and yang constitution, so¡ª¡± Zeng Fei had forgotten this, and became flustered from her rebuttal. To cover his tracks, he quickly changed tracks. ¡°Sister Sun Ru, do you not have faith that the heavens will protect her if she is truly innocent?¡± Zeng Fei shouted over her. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯m saying this a flawed test¡ª¡± ¡°I ask thee, Disciple Sun Ru of the Treading Infinity Sect,¡± he bellowed in his most commanding voice. ¡°Are you a true Dao-seeker of the Flame, or were you merely dressing up as one? Does the desire for justice not course through your veins and the love of fire through your meridians? I tell thee, the Holy Flames will burn away all false pretences, so better you confess now if you were acting to be a pyromaniac all along!¡± As expected, wielding Sun Ru¡¯s kryptonite against her in the manner of a preacher caused her to lower her head and acknowledge her loss. Her final, wavering resistance was washed away, even though her misgivings remained. ¡°If Esteemed¡ª¡± Sun Ru cleared her throat. ¡°If Pingu believes such actions will genuinely result in justice, then I will choose to believe in you. But if I may quickly lay the case against it, Pingu, I want to remind you that we have no proof of Brother Zeng¡¯s claims. Moreover, in the case that Granny Ju is innocent, who knows if she¡¯ll survive even the ordinary damage caused by the flames given how frail her body is.¡± Pingu tilted his head. ¡°Brr?¡± Zeng Fei watched with an impassive expression, doing his best to conceal his emotions as he knew he¡¯d otherwise be snickering at her attempts to pervert the course of justice, however well-intentioned she may be. There was no need for him to fear Pingu would be convinced by her appeals. If Zeng Fei had gleaned anything about his minion by now, it was that his loyal minion was borderline enthusiastic about beating up humans, case in point Pingu¡¯s beatdown of Dong Ju and even Sun Ru - even if he had misunderstood the orders, notice how he hadn¡¯t hesitated in the slightest to carry them out. This penguin did not give a single crap if you were a man or woman, young or old, resisting or not: he would beat you up all the same. No wonder when he¡¯d been a member of the legendary Blackcoats, the Emperor¡¯s elite infantry who¡¯d once been feared the world over. Pingu waddled forward, and Sun Ru interpreted this as his answer; she consequently got out of the way. The men standing there also had no choice but to move as Pingu cast Pure Yang Phoenix Fist, which now at level 16 caused the flames to emerge out of his wing with such intensity it forced them to back off. All that remained was poor Granny Ju in her bed, cringing away in abject fear. Yet, just as Pingu stepped into her proximity, Granny Ju launched herself to the other side of the bed with such sudden haste that the people there failed to capture her movement. Nonetheless, this didn¡¯t apply to the penguin in front of her, whose attack homed in onto her figure even after she¡¯d moved away, the roar of flames washing over her. These flames were chilli-pepper red and accordingly burnt Granny Ju¡¯s very essence, causing her to shriek and wail. ¡°Huh, so it turns out she was a yin entity after all,¡± Zeng Fei remarked. This was his first observing the Pure Yang Heavenly True Fire being used against a yin-aligned entity, and he had to say its effectiveness had not been exaggerated in the slightest. After all, it was likely that Granny Ju possessed techniques that would allow her to get out of this predicament or even fight back, but what use were they when she wasn¡¯t given an opening to be able to use them? With her body burning away, she urgently needed to get rid of the Pure Yang Heavenly True Fire. But to get rid of it, she needed to douse it with qi, which if she were to do at her level would leave her drained of qi. This meant she was as good as dead whether she acted or not.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. She must have realised this as her struggles abruptly stopped, and she directed her remaining willpower and qi for a different purpose instead. Pointing at the mastermind of her undoing, she howled in a malignant voice. ¡°You, bastard child, with all my remaining essence I curs¡ª¡± ¡°No chance - finish the hag, Pingu!¡± he yelled over her. As if he was going to get himself cursed by a two-bit villain. Congratulations! Pingu¡¯s Kung Ho has advanced to Level 8! Pingu delivered a brain-rattling blow to her head before she could complete the curse, saving his master from the effort of going through pain in the arse ordeals to get rid of it. This marked the end of Granny Ju - even though Sun Ru rushed in and doused the flames using her qi, all that was left was a charred corpse. Everyone in there cleared the smoky cottage and chucked the corpse outside. Sun Ru ordered the village men to bury it under a shallow mound of dirt here, not out of respect but to get rid of the sickening smell of burnt human flesh. While they did this, she marched up to Zeng Fei and grabbed him by the collar. ¡°Why did you execute her so swiftly, Brother Zeng? Do you even understand what you¡¯ve done?!¡± He brushed her hands away. ¡°Oh, come on, how can you blame me when I was right about her guilt?¡± ¡°Yes, exactly! You were right, and now that you¡¯ve executed her, we¡¯ve lost the opportunity to interrogate answers out of her! All we know is that she was most likely the culprit behind the disappearances, but no more. Was she working with others? Is there a tamed demon beast under her control hidden somewhere? How was she causing the disappearances? Who knows if we¡¯ll find out answers for those now.¡± Zeng Fei cleared his throat. ¡°The stupid hag shouldn¡¯t have tried to curse me, then.¡± Despite saying this, he knew he was at fault here. He¡¯d expected Granny Ju to reveal her true colours when under threat and had planned to hurt her into submission. It was just when she¡¯d begun cursing him, he¡¯d impulsively reacted and ordered her death, thinking fuck that. Sun Ru walked away in exasperation, rubbing the tension out of her brow, simultaneously updating her view of Zeng Fei. On one hand, her peer was remarkably impressive in how he¡¯d seen through to the truth of the monster haunting this village within hours of landing, despite having observed the same details she had. It was almost like he was a seasoned veteran at solving such problems. Yet, on the other, he clearly had at least one screw loose, and most likely several. He was lacking in certain areas of thought so much that it was to the point she wondered if he was an idiot savant. Meanwhile, the village men and head were shaken by what they¡¯d witnessed in there, as well as by the ramifications of Granny Ju being the likely culprit behind the string of disappearances. After all, she had been the midwife for most of their births and their children¡¯s births, someone who they had known and trusted their entire lives. Even now, it was close to impossible to believe she had been the one targeting them, her own community, in such a merciless manner. Their view of the two cultivators had also drastically shifted, especially of Zeng Fei who had displayed immense power and chilling ruthlessness in how decisively he¡¯d dealt with Granny Ju. The Village Head approached him with a visible tremor, followed on by the men, and kowtowed in front of him. ¡°Esteemed One, I hope you won¡¯t take to heart any of our actions in there. We didn¡¯t know¡­ we wouldn¡¯t have ever thought.¡± Zeng Fei brushed it aside. ¡°No matter.¡± ¡°Thank you for your benevolence and understanding, Esteemed One. But regarding the disappearances, do you know if¡­?¡± Zeng Fei turned towards the cottage. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to wait till the smoke has cleared before having a thorough look through her stuff. But I can tell you that everyone who disappeared is almost certainly dead, exactly as you feared. You see, I don¡¯t think her cultivation base was from spending early years in a sect - I think she was practising a form of devilish cultivation whereby you accumulate condensed qi from other people.¡± ¡°But none of the people taken were cultivators¡­¡± ¡°Well, cultivators are the best targets, but mortal bodies would still do at the low level she was.¡± ¡°Actually, mortal bodies can work as a cultivation resource for higher levels too depending on the type of devilish cultivation you practice,¡± Sun Ru added, having paced around the cottage several times and hearing their discussion. ¡°The type of devilish cultivation you¡¯re thinking of, Brother Zeng, is the traditional type whereby the practitioner steals chunks of other people¡¯s cultivation bases to add to their own. Those who follow such methodologies form devilish sects, what are also sometimes referred to as unorthodox sects. But I suspect this Granny Ju to have belonged to the other type of devilish cultivators.¡± Zeng Fei frowned. ¡°There¡¯s another type?¡± ¡°Yes, the key difference being that they don¡¯t directly steal the cultivation base of their victims - instead, they use those corpses as sacrifices to eldritch beings, which in turn reward them with power. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t immediately sense Granny Ju¡¯s nature as it¡¯s not possible to glean from her cultivation base that she¡¯s a devilish cultivator. That¡¯s also why it was crucial we interrogated her - she was a cult member!¡±
¡°Lord, a response has come from the Divine Truth Scouring Abode.¡± A low hum. ¡°At least they were quick this time. What reads it?¡± ¡°Your message was most-effective Lord: they have kindly provided us Zeng Fei¡¯s location.¡± Bai An smirked, glad to hear they¡¯d understood their situation well from his little warning. ¡°And?¡± ¡°The disciple should currently be at the Little Ox Village in the Verdant Mounds Province. He took out a mission to complete a task there and has yet to return.¡± ¡°Can any of our agents reach there quickly? That additionally would be suitable for this mission?¡± ¡°In terms of speed and suitability, the best would be Sharpshooter Shen, who¡¯s less than a day¡¯s travel away if he goes at full speed.¡± Bai An parsed his memory for a moment. ¡°Ah, right, he was cultivating in that pocket realm nearby there. If he¡¯s back, he must have achieved the peak of early Nascent Soul.¡± ¡°It is as you say, Lord.¡± ¡°Very good - his skill set is perfect for this. Have him make the journey at once.¡± Bai An paused, narrowing his eyes. ¡°And make absolutely clear to him what his mission is. Nothing, and I repeat, nothing must go awry. If this child truly is the Heavenly Demon Emperor¡¯s successor, then we are officially living in the nightmare that our forebears warned us about. Even if everyone else has forgotten and turned their backs on our mission over time, we must endeavour to protect them all the same. The Emperor shall not rise again.¡± ¡°Not for as long as I live,¡± his minion intoned. ¡°I will see to your instructions at once, my lord.¡± Chapter 37: Cultist Contact ¡°Oh¡­¡± Reprimanded, Zeng Fei cleared his throat and looked away, feeling more penitent about his hasty execution now. Since the original hadn¡¯t possessed much information on devilish cultivators, he¡¯d thought Granny Ju was a devilish cultivator like any other and hadn¡¯t thought much of killing her; nor had his modern sensibilities bristled at doing so when Granny Ju was a serial murderer who¡¯d gone after her own kin, cruelly using them as cultivation materials. Noticing his abashed expression, Sun Ru¡¯s frustration melted away somewhat as she was satisfied to see that he finally understood why it¡¯d been so important to interrogate Granny Ju. Although she did not know about his past, she guessed from this that he must be someone who¡¯d always stuck to internal sect missions until now. After all, it was a realisation everyone had early on during fieldwork: how being hotheaded almost always resulted in a worse outcome than otherwise, all the more so if the alleged culprit turned out to be innocent after you¡¯d punished them. In light of this, Sun Ru continued in a softer tone. ¡°While there¡¯s a chance that Granny Ju¡¯s abilities were sourced from the eldritch being behind her cult, we can¡¯t yet discount the possibility there is still a demon beast involved here, perhaps even the very Astral Hunter she mentioned. Lies are at their most convincing when mixed with truths.¡± They waited outside the cottage until the smoke and stench had cleared from within, then got to combing through Granny Ju¡¯s possessions in search of cult-related material or anything else that might explain the disappearances. There was much to go through, and so it wasn¡¯t until hours later that they found a bamboo scroll containing what they sought. [Acolyte Ju, Now that you have displayed your continued interest, I gladly welcome you into our fold with open arms. I tell you that you need not fret about the advanced age you¡¯ve reached, for the shackles of mortality are of no significance before the Divine Deliverer. Display your faith in him and spread his name, and you too will be liberated by his grace, make no doubt. In order to help you, I have attached eight Totemic Poles, a Sacrificial Pad, and a Knife of Deliverance. These are the instruments by which you can prove your devotion, and thereby receive his heavenly aid. The best offerings are careless cultivators, but I would advise against procuring them at your current level of strength. Instead, I recommend you to tribute a flock of mortal lambs to him first, receive his blessing, and progress from there. The following will instruct you on how to do so: Use the Totemic Poles to mark out the boundaries of your sheep pen as before, but ensure you place these above ground as they need access to the air to function. Also, since they struggle to work if even one is broken, ensure they are well camouflaged and unlikely to attract attention. Now, within that area, find a concealed location to set up the Sacrificial Pad - hidden groves, difficult-to-reach caves, and abandoned ruins are locations that past acolytes have found great success with. Next comes the difficult part of leading your flock to the abattoir. The Lord will handle the logistics of transportation - whenever you strike someone with the Knife of Deliverance, they will be sent to the Sacrificial Pad by his grace - so don¡¯t worry. But that still leaves you in charge of securing them and preventing any mishaps from happening afterwards. We¡¯ve found that best practice for ensuring target compliance is for them to be dead, but given your personal strengths, you may get away with - and indeed, it may be better to - coat the knife with a concoction that kills or subdues the target until you can get there to finish the job. Give yourself a pat on the back if you get to this point as that¡¯s the hardest part of the process over with. Now, ensure the target is laid atop the Sacrificial Pad and not in any state to wander off. Proceed through the worship ceremony as taught. Through this, you will perform communion with our Lord: your tribute will provide him sustenance through the lamb¡¯s blood essence, and he, in turn, will shower you with condensed qi.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This shall shock-wake your sleeping spiritual roots. As you need to clear your meridians before proceeding any further, your progress will be slow at first. But I tell you, nothing worthwhile comes easy, so do not lose faith and keep chipping away at it, for this is the path that shall give you all that you desire. Moreover, the set-up you have received is an upgrade of our usual, one that we recently invented and which we believe will revolutionise the game. Since you are the first to take advantage of it, you can be seen as the harbinger of our cult upon the world. It appears fate has big plans for you, Acolyte Ju. I eagerly await to hear back from you once you have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, blessed acolyte. Also, ensure that you do not burn this missive like the others and keep it hidden near yourself. This missive is an artefact that acts as a one-way messaging portal - if ever I sense danger heading your way, I will use this to warn you in advance and prevent your death. Yours sincerely, Grandmaster He Who Cannot Be Astrally Bound PS: Should you be aware of any other individuals with spiritual roots, inactive or otherwise, who would be amenable to our cause, please have them contact me as nothing brings me more joy than to grow the Lord¡¯s fold. Better yet, if you find ten such individuals, I will commend your efforts by sending you additional rewards that can aid your efforts to the next stage.] ¡°Sounds almost like an MLM.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zeng Fei cleared his throat. ¡°Nothing.¡± Sun Ru gave him a sceptical look before moving on. She inspected all the sides of the scroll and then shrugged. ¡°Seems like Granny Ju¡¯s handler didn¡¯t warn her about us. So maybe it doesn¡¯t work as he claimed.¡± ¡°Or maybe we too were expected to be lambs for the slaughter,¡± Zeng Fei suggested. Sun Ru grimaced, knowing that that could have well been a reality if not for Zeng Fei¡¯s quick thinking; if she¡¯d been assigned Dong Fu or Wang Li instead, who knows if they would have followed Granny Ju¡¯s script and wound up dead by now. Shaking her head, she cleared those useless thoughts. ¡°What¡¯s important now is to find the Totemic Poles and Sacrificial Pad as soon as possible. Do you happen to know where they could be placed, Village Head? Or what they look like?¡± ¡°No, Esteemed One. I haven¡¯t heard anything of the sort. But if you deem the area to be safe now, I could have the villagers search the surrounding area and alert you if they find anything.¡± ¡°Yes, have that done at once. Some of the victims may still be alive, just subdued, so time is of the essence here.¡± While the villagers went about this, Sun Ru scanned the qi signature of the bamboo scroll, then used this to find the knife that best matched it. The Knife of Deliverance was a nondescript sheathed utility knife that had been on Granny Ju¡¯s bedside table - in hindsight, it was clear that the hag hadn¡¯t been trying to dodge when Pingu had attacked but attempting to snatch up her knife. Testing the weapon on a lizard that failed to scamper away in time, Sun Ru noted how the lizard flickered for a second, then disappeared in its entirety. It was evident that the Totemic Poles were functioning as a formation, and that the knife activated it to transport the target to the set point inside. While many formations could achieve similar results, those were high-rank formations made of literal magic treasures; in contrast, these items looked to be ordinary household goods that somebody had engraved using an indecipherable script. This mattered because it meant these items were working solely by nature of the eldritch being whose power was being called upon, i.e. this was a being so immensely powerful that they were able to have an effect millions and millions of miles away. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t possible to tell if the lizard had been poisoned and subsequently died from the wound. Hence, Sun Ru was forced to drop any thoughts of using the knife on Zeng Fei to speedrun discover the Sacrificial Pad¡¯s location. While heat treatment could work to break down any protein poisons, who knew if it would break the knife¡¯s magical properties as well? To get around this, she had Zeng Fei go to the nearest village on the Heavenhoof Horse and grab hold of the medicine man there. And as suspected, when Sun Ru gave the man the knife to check, he detected a deadly poison on it, a particularly frightening one if his reaction was anything to go by. The first Totemic Pole was found several hours later, after which the others became easier to spot. And once they¡¯d figured out the rough area of the formation, the location of Sacrificial Pad came not long after. It was in a large burrowed tunnel on the side of a nearby hill, hidden by the thick vegetation outside. Since they didn¡¯t know what could be inside, Sun Ru had commanded the searchers to immediately inform her when any likely locations were found. As such, the large dark hole was still unexplored by the time Zeng Fei and Sun Ru stood outside, flanked by many villagers who either bore weapons or gripped their hands together in prayer, hoping against all odds that their loved ones still lived. Zeng Fei and Sun Ru watched this with a heavy heart, all too aware of the chilling blood-soaked aura emanating from the cave, but knowing it would be cruel to dash the villagers¡¯ hopes like this. Besides, the truth was that they had no idea what was inside. Could it be the demon beast they¡¯d been tasked to handle for this mission was waiting inside? If so, this would be its optimal time to attack, while they walked blindly into its territory. On the flip side, this risk came with the opportunity of reward: of obtaining a stronger demon core. Chapter 38: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice… actually, how about you just don’t do that? Ever since the spirit adviser had led him by the nose into a ruse, Zeng Fei had learnt to be vigilant whenever entering unknown caves, paranoid that their jaws would clamp down behind him and trap him inside. As such, he summoned Pingu and ordered the penguin to scout ahead. Watching the penguin waddle off into the darkness without any hesitation or wariness, Zeng Fei was able to confirm what he¡¯d suspected before: Pingu was dauntless, potentially even incapable of fear. It happened to remind Zeng Fei of when he¡¯d first summoned Pingu into battle, against that Green-horned Python. Back then too, Pingu had disregarded the snake after noticing its predatory advance, showing none of the alertness that came after noticing a threat. Was this fearlessness a quality that all spirit beasts possessed, or was it strictly a Pingu thing? Tracking his progress by the softening taps of his feet, the cultivators and villagers waited with their hearts in their throats, muscles tensed and eyes locked on the darkness. The ground-shaking roar they were expecting never came, however. Zeng Fei was messaged by his minion through their connection that it was all safe inside, causing him to feel equal parts relieved and disappointed. He and Sun Ru had agreed they¡¯d be the ones to go in next, just in case Pingu had done a sloppy job of scanning the area for dangers. ¡°Sowing the Sky.¡± Sun Ru made a gesture akin to scattering seeds in the wind, though what left her grasp was an incandescent bulb which floated in front of her. With its bright shine staving off the darkness, the cultivators followed after it. The foreboding bloody aura intensified as they went inside, causing them to raise their guard further. Nonetheless, the penguin hadn¡¯t lied, and they reached the end of the tunnelled-out cave within a minute of entering. Any remaining questions regarding the victims¡¯ mortality were answered by the plethora of bones strewn about. From the way the flesh had been stripped off to the last morsel, they had presumably been juiced for every last drop of blood essence by the eldritch being. The Sacrificial Pad was a handwoven mat that bore a similar qi signature to the Totemic Poles and Knife of Deliverance, and upon it lay the lizard Sun Ru had tested the knife on, long deceased. There was nothing else in the cave, making for an anticlimactic mission conclusion, but the two cultivators were just glad it was finally over. ¡°Peep peep,¡± Pingu exclaimed to them. ¡°There¡¯s something you want to show?¡± Zeng Fei repeated after him, clueless what he could be referring to. Pingu gave an enthusiastic nod and got onto the Sacrificial Pad. He shifted left and then right, followed by a 180 spin, shifting both directions once more, another 180 spin, then a weird motion with his wings like he was flaring his forearms in and out of his belly¡­ If Zeng Fei didn¡¯t know any better, he would have thought that penguin believed the Sacrificial Pad to be a dance mat and simply wished to show off to them his dance moves (which, mind you, looked eerily similar to the C**b P*****n dance)¡­ Indeed, this must be what Sun Ru believed to be the case as she shortly began to clap to the beat, feeling blessed to have been allowed to witness such a wondrous sight. But Zeng Fei knew the truth was more complex as he sensed his minion draining his qi while busting out moves, expelling it through his webbed feet into the mat where it dissipated. Or at least it seemed to dissipate, yet for some reason this dispersal reminded Zeng Fei of when the spirit adviser had directed qi into the floor of the inheritance cave: there, the sliver of released qi had proceeded to spread into a scatter of thin, well-defined lines, over a few seconds revealing an invisible ritual diagram that had been drawn on the ground.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Yet it was clear to see there was no ritual diagram drawn on the Sacrificial Pad here. So could it be then that Pingu had simply just wanted to let his feet shine and boogie down? The penguin was a little glory hound after all, hungry for praise, especially any that he could divert away from his master, the cheeky bugger! But if that was the case, why was Zeng Fei having such a hard time shaking off the association between the two events, almost like something in his subconscious was snagging on the corner whenever he tried to pull them apart. Suddenly there was a sound reminiscent of a sharp sword being drawn from behind Pingu as a gleaming blue portal materialised from thin air. It was flat and and amorphous in shape, though very crudely resembling a door. The blockhead penguin appeared not to notice this rather notable development as he proceeded to moonwalk (very poorly, it had to be said) into the portal. Pingu disappeared just like how the lizard had disappeared after being stabbed, all too abruptly and all at once, leaving no doubt that this was the work of the eldritch being. Though that fact was far from Zeng Fei¡¯s mind, as for the first time ever he felt Pingu separated from his consciousness, just completely cut off to the point that even unsummoning didn¡¯t work anymore. Once he¡¯d clocked onto this, he summarily came upon the unsettling self-discovery that he¡¯d been a tsundere all along: although he¡¯d loved to grumble and hate on Pingu¡¯s success at every turn, now that he was finally rid of the pesky penguin, all he felt was the undeniable despair birthed from loss¡­ ¡°Pingu!¡± he screamed at the top of his lungs, matched by Sun Ru as it just so happened. They both sprinted for the portal in sync. She used some kind of technique to go faster still and left a fiery trail in her wake, royally pissing him off as it forced him to switch lanes. What the fuck was wrong with this girl, acting like Pingu was her bloody minion and not his?! To the extent she was cheating to ensure she was the first one Pingu would see rushing to his rescue! He dearly hoped he was overthinking it, though had a feeling he wasn¡¯t. Cursing her underhanded tactics and intractable personality, Zeng Fei took the longer route around the fire and followed them into the portal. He was hit with a disorientating blast, followed by the inconceivable sensation of someone molesting his entire body - which was to say not just his skin, but the flesh inside, the bones, and the entrails too¡­ The eldritch being whose power was being used to transport him across space-time was doing so by physically unravelling his body and recreating it elsewhere, a fact which Zeng Fei knew to be the case on an instinctual level as though the information had been transferred over during the trip. Next thing he knew, he was stepping out of the portal and doubling over, retching violently onto the ground ahead. Only once the worst of the queasiness passed did he raise his head and take stock of his surroundings, eyes widening at the environment which was unlike any he¡¯d seen before. Gone was the sparsely furnished cave, and present was a haunted forest of bloodwood trees. Wherever this was, the simple fact that it was connected to the eldritch being made it patently clear that it wasn¡¯t somewhere you wanted to have an extended stay at, not unless you had ¡®let a cult use you as their ritual sacrifice¡¯ on your bucket list. Several paces ahead of him, Sun Ru was straightening herself with a hand over her stomach and a drawn expression. Further on from her, Pingu wandered around the grove they were in, examining the peculiar trees with the energy of a middle-aged factory manager inspecting his rank-and-file workers. Sun Ru called out in a strained voice: ¡°Esteemed Pingu, why did you bring us here?¡± Even though vomit was rising up his throat, her comment caused Zeng Fei so much irritation that torrid anger exploded out first. ¡°Fuck you, bitch!¡± He was forced to stop and clench his teeth, holding off against a surge of bile, before continuing. ¡°Who cares why? I want you to get your arse back in the portal right this second, Pinguis Brattius!¡± It was long overdue that he drew boundaries between his minion and this crazy bitch who seemed to be under the illusion she was the Heavenly Demon Emperor¡¯s successor, not him! Although Zeng Fei had never taken pride in the role before, how could he not feel possessive when this darned girl kept overtly wanting to take his troops from right under him?! As expected, Zeng Fei¡¯s command fell on deaf ears. He was about to unsummon Pingu as punishment when two things happened in quick succession. The first was that the sound of a sharp sword being drawn repeated; Zeng Fei threw his gaze back and felt the blood drain from his face as he saw the portal was gone¡­ The second was that, perhaps attracted by their voices, something gave a bone-chilling howl in the distance, which prompted another howl, and another¡­ To make matters worse, the hubbub of humans was audible beneath the howls: people chasing after their pack of hellhounds. With all this sensory information gunning for his attention, Zeng Fei was slackjawed in disbelief at how quickly his fortunes had flipped. How on earth had it gone from being a dreamlike conclusion of a mission to a literal nightmare of a situation seconds after?!