A Will Eternal

by Srtyi

One will to create oceans. One will to summon the mulberry fields. One will to slaughter countless devils. One will to eradicate innumerable immortals. Only my will… is eternal. Translator: Deathblade

2. 32

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Chapter 32: Heaven-Defying Luck

It wasn't just the audience. Even Du Lingfei was feeling a bit jealous of how lucky Bai Xiaochun had gotten. It was the same with Chen Zi'ang. The other four people who had reached the top 5 had all spend a lot of energy already. If they had managed to get the blank marble, it would have given them a bit of breathing room to rest, which would have been an immense advantage during the rest of the fighting.

Elder Sun looked at Bai Xiaochun and smiled, whereas Li Qinghou's expression remained the same as before.

Bai Xiaochun looked on excitedly as the next round of fighting began. Du Lingfei's opponent was a fierce disciple who frequently left the sect on missions to slay wild beasts, and was the type of person who was used to seeing a lot of bloodshed. On the other hand, Du Lingfei's skill with Lightness-in-Heaviness was quite fear-inspiring. Not only did it provide her with powerful defensive capabilities, but she was also able to move with incredible speed.

The audience was completely focused on the match, and occasional 'oohs' and 'ahs' could be heard. Both fighters were clearly in danger of being injured, and yet… there happened to be a certain voice calling out, taking the lead in the cheering.

"Whoah! Nice sword move!

"Look at that reverse Dragon Tail attack! Oh no! Look behind you! Quick, look behind you!

"Rah rah rah!" Bai Xiaochun was really getting sucked into watching the fight, to the point where he even started applauding at key points. It wasn't an act either; he really was impressed by Du Lingfei's performance, and by now, had forgotten that he was actually one of the competitors.

When Elder Sun saw what was happening, he coughed dryly. Li Qinghou's face was completely expressionless, but inwardly all he could do was shrug his shoulders. After all, Bai Xiaochun had already accomplished the assigned task.

Facing such a powerful opponent, Du Lingfei had no time for distractions. She focused completely for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and after using Lightness-in-Heaviness three times, she finally secured victory.

However, she ended up exhausting over half of her spiritual energy. Sweating, she was just about to walk out of the arena to rest up a bit, when she heard Bai Xiaochun cheering her on. Then she thought about how incredibly difficult it had been for her to get into the top 3, whereas Bai Xiaochun had done it without any effort at all. Irritation rose up in her heart, and she wished she could simply blast him with a powerful attack right then and there.

When Bai Xiaochun noticed that Du Lingfei was glaring at him angrily, he blinked a few times, feeling a bit offended. Then he glared back at her, which seemed to push Du Lingfei to the point where she almost couldn't restrain herself from attacking.

Chen Zi'ang's next fight went a bit smoother. However, he still fought for about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, and wasted quite a bit of spiritual energy.

He was also feeling quite envious of Bai Xiaochun.

"We now have a top 3. All three of you are Outer Sect… celebrities." Elder Sun cleared his throat. "Please come to determine the fighting order. This time, the number three marble counts as the blank marble. Whoever picks it will advance directly to the final match." Elder Sun waved his hand, causing the bag to appear once again.

Chen Zi'ang was the first in line this time, and when he pulled out the marble and saw the number 'two' written on it, he sighed and stepped off to the side.

Du Lingfei took a deep breath as she stepped forward. But then she stopped in place and turned icily to Bai Xiaochun.

"You go first!" she said coldly.

Bai Xiaochun, who had been watching the exciting fights this entire time, didn't refuse. He reached into the bag as Du Lingfei looked on with an icy expression. It wasn't just her that was waiting to see what would happen, all eyes in the audience were fixed upon Bai Xiaochun.

Even Elder Sun and Li Qinghou were craning their necks.

Being the focus of attention in this way caused Bai Xiaochun to feel a bit embarrassed. Actually, he didn't even really care which marble he pulled out, and yet when he finally did remove his hand, his eyes went wide with shock.

Number three.

Bai Xiaochun looked back at Du Lingfei, coughed dryly, and said, "Um, hey, you asked me to go first."

Eyes gleaming ferociously, Du Lingfei clenched her hands into fist and stared murderously at Bai Xiaochun. Her chest rose as she took a deep breath; she seemed to be on the verge of exploding.

Chen Zi'ang's eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. The idea of someone being so incredibly lucky simply exceeded his imagination. Yet again… Bai Xiaochun would skip an entire match.

When the surrounding disciples saw the marble in Bai Xiaochun's hands, they couldn't restrain themselves. Instantly, a huge commotion broke out.

"He advances automatically again! His name is Bai Xiaochun, right? How… how could he be so lucky!? He got the blank marble twice in a row!"

"How shameless of this guy! He hasn't done anything, and yet has made it all the way to the final match…."

"How could a guy like that make it to the finals? Dammit, if I was as lucky as that, I could do the same thing!" Everyone was in an uproar, and the people who had been eliminated from the competition earlier seemed especially envious.

Elder Sun hesitated for a moment and then looked over at Li Qinghou. Li Qinghou let out a long sigh; he had to admit that Bai Xiaochun really had gotten lucky.

In Bai Xiaochun's mind, there was no reason for the crowd to react in such a way. Smiling awkwardly, he hurried out of the arena, standing outside with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Ai. I was planning to concede anyway…." he thought, looking incredulously at the marble in his hand.

Du Lingfei took a deep breath to suppress her extreme irritation. Gritting her teeth, she looked at Chen Zi'ang, simultaneously settling her Qi and clearing her mind. She had done her homework on Chen Zi'ang, and knew that he was a very powerful opponent.

Chen Zi'ang smiled bitterly, taking a deep breath as he gazed back at Du Lingfei.

After staring off for a few breaths of time, they sprang into action. Almost instantly, booms and bangs began to ring out. This was actually the most spectacular fight in the entire competition so far. Chen Zi'ang erupted with his full power, going to the lengths of throwing out some seeds, which he then catalyzed into full-grown plants with attack powers. When Bai Xiaochun saw him use his skill in plants and vegetation in such a way, his eyes glittered.

As for Du Lingfei, she used Lightness-in-Heaviness to send her flying sword whistling through the air. After they had fought for a bit, she then produced a wooden sword, which swirled about in conjunction with the ordinary flying sword, turning the battlefield into an even more spectacular scene than before.

The two of them couldn't keep using their trump cards for very long, and were rapidly running out of spiritual energy. The fighting only continued to grow more bitter.

Bai Xiaochun was watching excitedly, whooping and hollering the entire time.

The battle went on for about an hour, until a massive boom rang out as Du Lingfei pushed the wooden sword so hard that it exploded. The resulting fragments were then propelled by Lightness-in-Heaviness in a huge attack that Chen Zi'ang simply couldn't dodge. He was forced into retreat and ended up drawing on all of his spiritual energy. Finally, he sighed and conceded.

The surrounding Outer Sect disciples were quite impressed by the intense battle, and their eyes gleamed with admiration as they gazed at Du Lingfei. They were now fully convinced of how amazing she was. As for Chen Zi'ang, his reputation also improved because of the fight.

Even though he had lost, he was sure to become even more famous in the days to come.

Elder Sun seemed quite pleased, and was even considering taking Du Lingfei on as a personal apprentice.

At the same time, no matter how the competition ended, Bai Xiaochun's name was also sure to spread….

The moment Chen Zi'ang called out that he conceded, Du Lingfei slumped in place in the middle of the arena, her face pale. She was swaying back and forth in exhaustion, her spiritual energy almost completely depleted. Taking a deep breath, she produced some medicinal pills which she instantly consumed. However, she knew that the pills would only replenish so much, and she could only recover completely by sitting cross-legged in meditation for several hours. After all, she had just fought four battles in a row.

However, according to the rules of this type of competition, the disciples were not given very much time for rest. After all, it was only a small-scale competition.

"Bai Xiaochun, get out here!" Du Lingfei said through gritted teeth. Her eyes gleamed with a ferocious light as she looked at Bai Xiaochun standing outside of the arena. She wanted to take advantage of the little bit of spiritual energy she had to defeat this damnable Bai Xiaochun, who had gotten into the final match only by pure luck.

As soon as the words left Du Lingfei's mouth, everyone in the audience turned to look at Bai Xiaochun, eager to gloat in his misfortune. In their minds, even if Du Lingfei was bone tired, Bai Xiaochun had only achieved victory by random chance, and she would be able to defeat him easily no matter the circumstances.

Bai Xiaochun blinked a few times, then looked at Du Lingfei standing there unsteadily, and suddenly realized that he… could actually take 1st place.

"This is the time for Bai Xiaochun to finally become super famous. Once I go out there and use my Lightness-in-Heaviness, then everyone is going to be completely shocked." Puffing his chest out proudly, he strode into the arena, envisioning the scene of everyone reacting in shock to his win.

However, the instant his foot touched down, Du Lingfei's eyes flickered coldly, and she suddenly performed an incantation gesture and pointed out. Instantly, her flying sword shot toward Bai Xiaochun.

A brutal air emanated off of the flying sword, sending intense coldness out in all directions. Clearly this one attack was backed by all of the spiritual energy Du Lingfei could muster, causing the sword to emanate incredible pressure.

Even more shocking was that Du Lingfei flew into the air behind the sword, almost as if she were about to merge with it and become one.

A boom rang out as the sword accelerated toward Bai Xiaochun with shocking speed, a speed that vastly exceeded the speed she had used when fighting Chen Zi'ang. A piercing whistling sound echoed out as it became a prismatic beam that bore down on Bai Xiaochun.

Everyone watching was completely shocked by the sword move, and began to cry out in shock.

"Solitary Sword, Flying Immortal!!"

"I can't believe Elder Sister Du is actually using that sword incantation!!"

Elder Sun's eyes gleamed brightly, and Li Qinghou nodded. Both of them could tell that Du Lingfei had actually never successfully pulled off this sword incantation. However, at this point in the battle, when her spiritual energy was virtually depleted, she managed to succeed. Using her last bit of energy, she just barely managed to unleash the sword incantation.

"By putting everything on the line, she gained enlightenment of the sword incantation," Li Qinghou said, eyes gleaming with admiration. "This Du Lingfei isn't bad. She actually seems more suited to the cultivation of Green Crest Peak."

All of the Outer Sect disciples were completely shaken. Everything seemed to turn into a blur, except for Du Lingfei and her flying sword, which merged together into a picture of perfect clarity.

The sword whistled through the air, followed by the sword wielder, becoming a powerful attack. Du Lingfei looked exhausted, but her eyes gleamed with a sharp light. She was extremely confident that this sword move would secure her the victory.

In almost the exact same instant that the flying sword and Du Lingfei closed in on Bai Xiaochun, Bai Xiaochun's pupils constricted. Rumbling sounds then echoed out as all of his numerous defensive assets erupted out layer by layer, including the jade pendant and all the amulets. At the same time, he flew backward at top speed.

The flying sword was clearly not an ordinary object, and it quickly began to pierce through the shields. It stabbed through layer after layer, collapsing all the defensive shields until it actually reached Bai Xiaochun himself.

However, by that point, it didn't seem to have much energy left. Before it could actually stab into him, it got stuck. Even as he flew backward, the sword keeping pace, it was possible to see the layers of leather clothing he was wearing.

When the audience realized this, their jaws dropped, and they gasped.

"B-Bai Xiaochun… has so many defenses!!"

"How terrified of dying is this guy? Is it really worth it? He actually used magical items and talismans for a little competition like this? And on top of all that he wore leather armor!?!?"

Du Lingfei's face was pale white as she watched Bai Xiaochun running away like a rabbit whose tail had just been stepped on. Not only was he moving with incredible speed, her sword was still stuck in his clothing. Gritting her teeth, she performed an incantation gesture and pointed out in an attempt to drag the flying sword back to her. However, she had so little spiritual energy that all she could do was make it tremble a bit.

She tried one last time, but even as she tried to circulate her spiritual energy, blood began to ooze out of the corners of her mouth, and she staggered backward several paces, where she stood unsteadily for a moment before dropping down to sit on the ground. Her face was deathly pale, and her spiritual energy was completely drained.

In her heart, she felt that it was a big injustice. She had struggled so hard to get into the top 2, whereas Bai Xiaochun had done almost nothing. In fact, he hadn't even used any of his spiritual energy. Her irritation quickly turned into rage; gritted her teeth, she stared murderously at Bai Xiaochun, wishing she could kill him several times over. In fact, if she had the energy, she would go over and bite him.

Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath as he sped backward in retreat; he had never imagined that Du Lingfei would actually use a move like the one she had.

Unexpectedly, all of his defenses had been pierced.

"Fudge, it's a good thing I was thinking straight and put on eight leather jackets." He looked down at the flying sword sticking into his shoulder. It was now completely devoid of any energy, and was stuck fast within all the layers of leather. By the time it actually reached his skin, it had nothing left to push it any further.

Furthermore, thanks to his Undying Skin, when it actually touched him, it didn't even match up to a mosquito bite.

Fear lingering in his heart, Bai Xiaochun eyed the sword and then carefully pulled it out. Then he glanced over at Du Lingfei, who was sitting there gasping for breath.

"Elder Sister, you really shouldn't throw your treasures around like this. Do you want this sword or not? If you don't want it, then I'll take it." Looking extremely pleased, he put the flying sword into his bag of holding, then took out his own little wooden sword. Just as he was about to launch an attack, people in the crowd began to cry out in alarm.

Seeing Bai Xiaochun take her flying sword caused Du Lingfei's eyes to be shot with blood.

"You…." she said. Just as she was about to flip out completely, she passed out.

She was the second person in the competition to faint because of Bai Xiaochun.

"Eee? What did you go and faint for?" Bai Xiaochun looked at the unconscious Du Lingfei, and then back at his little wooden sword. Finally, he shrugged.

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Chapter 33: Disqualify Bai Xiaochun!

The surrounding Outer Sect disciples, especially the ones who had been eliminated from the competition early on, glared at Bai Xiaochun angrily. Many people even began to shout out.

"Shameless! You are completely shameless, Bai Xiaochun!"

"Winning that way doesn't count and we all know it!!"

"Disqualify him!"

Everyone joined together in their rage, causing Bai Xiaochun to instantly grow jumpy with fear. He also realized that showing off his Lightness-in-Heaviness ability wouldn't abate the crowd's fury, and in fact, could potentially lead to worse consequences, and cause them to call him even more shameless…. Instead, he turned to look at Elder Sun.

"Elder Sun, I got 1st place, right? Could you go ahead and announce it?"

Elder Sun smiled wryly in response. As for Li Qinghou, he sighed; how could he ever have imagined that requiring Bai Xiaochun join the competition would result in him taking 1st place?

Elder Sun shook his head and chuckled. "Uh… well I guess I might as well. Bai Xiaochun has taken 1st place in the competition!"

In response, everyone stared furiously at Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun was of the opinion that he was actually pretty powerful, but considering how many people there were… his heart began to prickle with fear. Just when he was about step out of the arena and leave this dangerous location, Du Lingfei, with the help of some bystanders, regained consciousness and sat back up. Panting, she glared angrily at Bai Xiaochun, gritted her teeth, and then cried, "Bai Xiaochun, I refuse to admit defeat!

"You might have taken 1st place, but that's only because I let you have it. And that doesn't change how much I hate you. Do you dare to have another fight!?"

Bai Xiaochun gave a sarcastic chuckle and kept walking. In his mind, he would be crazy to fight with this deranged woman again. Besides, what would happen if she passed out again?

"I won't fight you with magic," she continued. "Besides, as Outer Sect disciples, we're both apprentice apothecaries of Fragrant Cloud Peak. Why don't we compete in skill with plants and vegetation?!" Du Lingfei glared at Bai Xiaochun the entire time, and wehen she spoke, her words were spoken slowly and decisively.

"If you win, you can keep that Pinewood Sword of mine. But if you don't agree, then you'll regret it!"

Bai Xiaochun stopped walking. Having heard skill with plants and vegetation mentioned, he couldn't help but turn his head to look back at Du Lingfei.

Seeing that Bai Xiaochun had stopped and was apparently hesitating, she resisted the impulse to unleash a savage attack, and quickly continued, "Bai Xiaochun, if you can defeat me in terms of skill with plants and vegetation, then you can even have this Cloudsoaring Incense!" With that, she produced a stick of bluish-purple incense.

As soon as the incense appeared, it began to pulse with spiritual energy, and the surrounding Outer Sect disciples' eyes instantly gleamed with envy.

"A tier-1 spirit medicine! Cloudsoaring Incense… it's a really remarkable tier-1 spirit medicine. Definitely very expensive, and useful for anyone under the seventh level of Qi Condensation!"

"Du Lingfei must have spent a lot of merit points on that in preparation for breaking out of the fifth level of Qi Condensation…."

"Elder Sister Du's skill with plants and vegetation got her into the top 20 of the first three stone steles outside the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion. Bai Xiaochun is definitely going to lose!"

Bai Xiaochun instantly recognized the Cloudsoaring Incense, which he had read about when studying the introduction to Cloudsoaring Grass in the third volume of plants and vegetation. He was instantly moved, and that was even before he heard everyone mention that Du Lingfei was only in the top 20 on the stones steles, after which his eyes gleamed.

Taking a few steps back, he stammered, "Y-you're… you're really in the top 20 on the stone steles of plants and vegetation?"

He actually just wanted to confirm that what he had overheard just now was true.

"Are you going to compete or not!?" Du Lingfei said through gritted teeth.

"But I've only studied the first three volumes about plants and vegetation…." he said hesitantly.

"That's what I'm talking about! Compete with me in the first three volumes! Come on, I dare you!" Du Lingfei was so angry she felt like she was about to explode.

"Fine… I'll compete!" he said. "Happy?" Although he looked as though he wanted to cry, inwardly, his heart was blooming with flowers of joy. He couldn't help but think that this girl really was a bit dim-witted.

As soon as the crowd heard Bai Xiaochun's words, they began to boo and heckle him. Du Lingfei took a deep breath, sucking in quite a bit of spiritual energy, which stabilized her a bit. Glaring angrily at Bai Xiaochun, she stalked forward to Elder Sun, then clasped hands and bowed.

"Elder, Disciple Du Lingfei requests that you bear official witness to a battle of plants and vegetation between myself and Bai Xiaochun."

Elder Sun's opinion of Du Lingfei was increasing by the moment. He stroked his beard for a moment before smiling and saying, "Very well. I shall bear witness. However, since we are speaking of skill with plants and vegetation, perhaps it would be better for the Peak Lord to decide the nature of the challenges."

He looked over at Li Qinghou. Li Qinghou looked deeply at Bai Xiaochun for a moment, then nodded.

The surrounding disciples were now quite excited, as was Du Lingfei, who turned to Li Qinghou, clasped hands and bowed.

Bai Xiaochun was also very pleased that he wouldn't have to engage in any dangerous fighting to make a name for himself. He stood there, no longer looking like he was about to cry, but rather, with jaw jutting out, looking arrogantly out at the crowd in the same way a Chosen would. Du Lingfei snorted coldly.

At this point, Li Qinghou glanced at Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei, then began to speak, his voice cool, "The Dao of plants and vegetation is unpredictable. Although we will limit things to the first three volumes, those volumes contain numerous variables. Today I will present you with two challenges. We shall see which of the two of you can secure victory." With that, he tapped his bag of holding and produced two seeds.

"These two flower seeds can be catalyzed with spiritual energy. The level of your skill with plants and vegetation will determine how many petals the resulting spirit flowers have. This is how we will decide the winner of the first round." Li Qinghou waved his hand, sending the two seeds flying to Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei respectively.

Du Lingfei caught the seed without any hesitation. At the same time, Li Qinghou sent a medicinal pill flying her way, which she also caught, a look of shock appearing on her face.

"Take that pill to restore your cultivation base," Li Qinghou said calmly. Du Lingfei's face lit up. After expressing her thanks, she consumed the pill. After a few breaths of time passed, she trembled, and her eyes began to shine brightly; her cultivation base had been completely restored.

Bai Xiaochun wasn't very happy with that, but he didn't dare to say anything. Instead, he looked down at the spirit seed lying in his palm, and began to study it closely.

"Don't recognize it?" Du Lingfei said, sneering. "Well I can tell you that it's a Bluespirit Thistle seed." With that, she completely ignored Bai Xiaochun, closing her eyes and circulating her spiritual energy, which she then poured into the seed in her hand.

Almost immediately, an emerald green sprout climbed up from the seed. It grew rapidly until it was about one-third of a meter tall. Then, it bloomed with a blue spirit flower, and began to grow even taller.

Bai Xiaochun looked over at what was happening, and then turned his attention back to the seed, which he continued to study thoughtfully.

Li Qinghou was watching Bai Xiaochun the whole time, and soon, a virtually undetectable flicker of surprise could be seen deep in his eyes.

While Bai Xiaochun stood there thinking, all of the surrounding Outer Sect disciples were watching Du Lingfei. The plant in her hand was already two thirds of a meter tall, and already had a second flower.

By the time Bai Xiaochun sent some spiritual energy into the seed, Du Lingfei's spirit plant had already already sprouted with three flowers. Bai Xiaochun didn't maintain a steady flow of spiritual energy, but rather, sent it in in fits and bursts. In fact, when the seed sprouted, he even blew the first few sprouts away with a breath of air.

After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, Du Lingfei's face was ashen, and she was gritting her teeth. With her final bit of energy, she caused a sixth blue flower to sprout, after which she breathed a sigh of relief. Placing the plant down next to her, she clasped hands and bowed to Li Qinghou.

Li Qinghou nodded. "Six spirit flowers, all of them superior-grade. Nice job."

Feeling very pleased with herself, Du Lingfei looked over at Bai Xiaochun. When she saw that his spirit plant wasn't even one third of a meter tall yet, her sneer widened.

The surrounding outer Sect disciples were getting very excited.

"Elder Sister Du definitely deserves her reputation. That Bluespirit Thistle bloomed with six flowers. That's incredible! Bai Xiaochun hasn't even caused one flower to bloom. He's completely good for nothing."

"A competition of plant catalysis first involves studying the seed, and then using unique catalysis methods to cause it to grow. In that regard, Elder Sister Du is really at the head of the pack."

In the middle of all the conversations, Bai Xiaochun's spirit plant gradually reached a height of one third of a meter. Next, a somewhat shrivelled blue flower appeared. Compared to Du Lingfei's flowers, it looked rather malnourished, and even elicited some laughs from the crowd. But then, all of a sudden, a second blue flower appeared on the short plant. Next was a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh….

In the space of a few breaths, Bai Xiaochun's spirit plant bloomed with nine flowers!!

This instantly led to widespread shock and disbelief.

Du Lingfei was staring at what to her was a completely unimaginable scene. "Bluespirit Thistle blooms with one flower every third meter. How could this plant have nine flowers when it's only a third of a meter tall!"

However, things weren't over yet. Even as the nine small blue flowers appeared, Bai Xiaochun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then suddenly exhaled sharply. That one breath contained spiritual energy which settled onto the nine flowers and, in the blink of an eye, caused them to begin to shiver and change colors. No longer were they blue, but rather, indigo!

Indigo starts out as blue, but its color is deeper and more profound! 1

As soon as people realized what was happening, their eyes went wide with astonishment.

"That's… that's not a Bluespirit Thistle!!"

"Indigospirit Thistle! It's Indigospirit Thistle, the seed of which is very difficult to distinguish from that of the Bluespirit Thistle! In fact, if you use the catalysis method for Bluespirit Thistle in Indigospirit Thistle, you'll actually produce a Bluespirit Thistle, except you'll have wasted the seed!"

Everyone was shocked, and were starting at Bai Xiaochun in disbelief.

Bai Xiaochun opened his eyes, then placed the Indigospirit Thistle off to the side. Chuckling sarcastically, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked at Du Lingfei.

His skill with plants and vegetation had already reached an indescribable level. After studying the seed for a while, he had noticed the differences, and was easily able to tell what type of seed it was.

Du Lingfei's face flickered; to her, it felt as if someone had just slapped her across the face. She staggered backward a few steps, looking first at her Bluespirit Thistle and then at Bai Xiaochun's Indigospirit Thistle. Suddenly, her face flushed with heat. Earlier, she had berated Bai Xiaochun for his lack of knowledge, but then, moments later, he had proven definitively that she had wasted the seed.

"This Bai Xiaochun is definitely extremely lucky," she thought, grinding her teeth. "I assumed it was a Bluespirit Thistle, and he guessed that it was an Indigospirit Thistle. Well, that was just a lucky chance on his part, not him actually identifying the seed!"

"Bai Xiaochun takes the first round," Li Qinghou said coolly. "That truly was the seed of an Indigospirit Thistle, not a Bluespirit Thistle. They look similar, but some of the veins grow differently. Without studying it down to the finest detail, it's easy to confuse them." Looking over at Bai Xiaochun, he waved his hand again, causing a spirit plant to appear.

It was a very unique, with four colors, and nine leaves of different shapes. It also had two flowers on it, one black and one white. The flowers almost seemed in sentient, as they were constantly struggling with each other, as if they wanted to suppress each other. Although the plant seemed like one single plant, if you looked closely you would see the signs that it had been grafted together.

"The first round was dedicated to catalysis. As for the second round, it will focus on identification. This particular spirit plant has been grafted together from numerous other plants. Whichever of you can correctly guess the greatest number of graft materials… will be the winner."

Li Qinghou sent the grafted plant floating out in front of him, then looked over at Bai Xiaochun. Considering he had brought Bai Xiaochun into the sect, he was very curious to see what other surprising things he could do.

Du Lingfei gritted her teeth. In her mind, she had just been careless moments ago. Now, she was unprecedentedly focused. Taking out a jade slip, she walked up to the spirit plant.

Bai Xiaochun's eyes gleamed with interest as he also stepped forward and began to examine the plant, occasionally making notations in a jade slip. A moment later, Du Lingfei stepped back, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Then she looked over at Bai Xiaochun with a grim expression on her face. She had identified eight types of plants. The others were types she didn't recognize.

However, Bai Xiaochun wasn't finished. His eyes were glowing even more brightly as he buzzed around the plant in circles. Occasionally he even cried out in surprise, as if he had just noticed something very interesting.

"Wow, you can do that!?

"Well this… this is very interesting!"

The crowd looked on silently. None of them believed that Bai Xiaochun could identify any of the plants, and in fact, most of them were convinced that the reason he had catalyzed the Indigospirit Thistle was simply luck.

"Faker!" Du Lingfei thought. "Yeah, you just keep on faking it!" Inwardly, she was starting to feel uneasy, and her hatred for Bai Xiaochun only continued to grow.

Enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, and Bai Xiaochun was still going. He really was completely absorbed in what he was doing, and had even forgotten that he was in a competition. Seeing a grafted plant like this had seemingly opened up a huge door in his mind regarding skill with plants and vegetation. All of a sudden, he realized that the tens of thousands of medicinal plants he was familiar with were not just useful on their own, but could actually be mixed together.

Eventually, he backed up reluctantly, eyes shining with fascination and admiration.

Li Qinghou and Elder Sun exchanged a glance, and then Li Qinghou said, "Very well. The time has come to reveal which spirit plants you've identified. Du Lingfei, you go first."

Du Lingfei gritted her teeth, then pulled out her jade slip and began to speak.

"I saw eight types of plants, including Waterheaven Rhubarb, Coldsole Root, Earthdragon Fruit, Dawnfog Lichen…." She continued on until she reached the final medicinal plant. "Sealwort Flower!" With that, Du Lingfei looked over at Bai Xiaochun, certain that he would never be able to surpass her. Of course, although eight didn't seem like a lot, it was an incredibly difficult task to identify the various elements of a perfectly grafted medicinal plant like this. Eight was actually quite a bit.

"Hmph. If Bai Xiaochun is shameless enough to say the same eight plants," she said coldly, "then we can can consult the jade slips as proof!"

Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat, looked around, then flicked his sleeve and pulled out the jade slip that held his notes.

"Let's forget the eight plants that Elder Sister Du mentioned. Other than those, I saw a total of 67 types of medicinal plants. Unfortunately, there were 31 that I couldn't identify. That means that in the end, I identified 36." His words instantly sent the surrounding disciples into an uproar.

"36? How is that possible!"

"Seven or eight should be the limit. How could he possibly have identified dozens?!"

Du Lingfei glared coldly at Bai Xiaochun. She simply didn't believe his words, and assumed that he was going to just randomly guess the types of plants.

"Junior Brother Bai," she said sarcastically, "why don't you just say there were 30,000 types of plants. That would cover everything in the third volume of plants and vegetation, so at least you would be certain of guessing a few right."

1. This is a common Chinese expression to express how something that comes after/from something else, is superior

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Chapter 34: Crushing It in Plants and Vegetation

All of the Outer Sect disciples in the audience snickered in response to what Du Lingfei had just said. None of them believed that Bai Xiaochun's skill with plants and vegetation could possibly match up to hers.

That was especially true after hearing the last thing he said, which seemed completely unbelievable. Obviously, Bai Xiaochun was just going to blindly guess at the grafted plants.

"If Bai Xiaochun really can identify all those types of plants, then his skill with the plants and vegetation of the first three volumes would put him on the same level as Elder Sister Zhou Xinqi! How could that be possible!?"

"Ah, he's just being cryptic to confuse everyone. This guy is so annoying! At least he'll finally be exposed as a fraud!"

As everyone jeered and mocked Bai Xiaochun, he stood there, frowning slightly.

"Are you people finished yet?" he said, his expression ice cold, true anger finally burning in his heart. If this were a combat situation, he wouldn't feel like that. But considering his grand aspiration of becoming a master apothecary, for people to doubt his abilities with plants and vegetation was a huge insult.

"You can say I'm just lucky, and you can say I won because of my magical items. But when it comes to the Dao of plants and vegetation, don't think that your superficial knowledge enables you to see the length and breadth of Heaven and Earth!"

When his voice echoed out, solemn and serious, his slight frame suddenly seemed more like a towering mountain. The cold way he looked at the Outer Sect disciples caused their laughter to turn into stares of shock.

Even Du Lingfei was taken aback. The Bai Xiaochun in front of her right now seemed like a completely different person than the one from before.

Bai Xiaochun snorted coldly and then flicked his sleeve. Abandoning his normally charming yet aggravating demeanor, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looked around coldly, and then began to speak, radiating a strange, indescribable energy. "This spirit plant, which I'll tentatively refer to as a Black-White Orchid, contains Goldsilver Root, Heavenyellow Leaf, Watery Netgrass, Ninelands Fruit, Spiral Pulp, Bordercloud Bloom, Searchwind Stalk, Yang-Soaking Fruit…."

As he continued to speak, that energy grew stronger and stronger, leading to strange expressions on the faces of the spectators.

That was especially true of Du Lingfei, whose frown deepened as she looked over at the spirit plant. She was familiar with all of the medicinal plants that Bai Xiaochun referenced, which were indeed from the first three volumes of plants and vegetation, and yet she couldn't see any evidence whatsoever that they existed within the grafted plant.

Du Lingfei snorted, still completely unconvinced that Bai Xiaochun was actually identifying the grafted plants. "Seems like you really are just going to recite a bunch of random plants from the first three volumes of plants and vegetation. If you can actually recite all of those plants from memory, then I guess I'll have lost, and in fact, I'll admit defeat."

Everyone began to once again ridicule and mock Bai Xiaochun.

"Yeah, that's right. If you're good enough, then why don't you recite the entire first three volumes of plants and vegetation!? Then you'll definitely win!"

"Trying to seem cryptic, huh? Superficial knowledge? The length and breadth of Heaven and Earth? You're the one with the superficial knowledge. If you don't recognize the plants, just say so. There's no need to try to pull a fast one. How despicable!"

Bai Xiaochun looked coldly at Du Lingfei, then back at the crowd. Then he laughed, looked back and the plant, and continued, "Grow Hundredgrass Root for thirty years until it becomes fullgrown Hundredgrass. Remove the stalks and veins, roast them, then soak them in spirit water. After that, graft them onto Skybleak Leaf, and you end up with this distinctive spotting pattern." Bai Xiaochun waved his hand, causing a slight gust of wind to lift up one of the leaves on the plant, revealing a distinctive spotting pattern.

"Nine Skybleak Leaves have been combined into a single leaf, and then fed Whiteburn Flowers as they grew. You can see that right here!

"Whiteburn Flowers only bloom once they reach one hundred years of age. When they do, you have only one hundred breaths of time to graft them onto a Clover Ginseng, which you can use to feed the Skybleak Leaf. This white flower here is obviously a Whiteburn Flower!

"Clover Ginseng, when roasted with spirit fire, eventually withers, infusing the ginseng with the essence of the leaves. That will then aid in the growth of Flatshell Seed, and the two can be combined!

"Then, that Flatshell Seed…." As Bai Xiaochun spoke, he gestured grandiosely, pointing out the various parts of the spirit plant which contained the evidence he referred to. His descriptions were very precise, and even included the various techniques involved. Soon, the looks of scorn faded away, and everyone began to breathe heavily. Faces fell, and eventually, all the Outer Sect disciple had looks of disbelief on their faces. There were even some people who cried out aloud with shock.

"This is impossible!!"

"Heavens, how could he be doing this!?"

Each and every statement uttered by Bai Xiaochun was like an invisible palm slapping these people. After all, all of them were apprentice apothecaries. Earlier, they hadn't been able to see through the secrets hidden in the spirit plant, but with Bai Xiaochun's detailed explanation, all of a sudden, it seemed to make more sense.

Everything Bai Xiaochun said was correct, and complete. His performance was a like a huge slap in the face to all of the Outer Sect disciples.

"I can't believe that this Bai Xiaochun… has such shocking skill with plants and vegetation!!" The Outer Sect disciples felt like explosions were going off in their hearts. Their previous ridicule and mockery now caused their faces to burn so hot it hurt.

Even more astonishing was that his explanations were obviously inferred in reverse. He was able to discern the grafting method merely by looking at the grafted plant; only someone with an unbelievably advanced skill with plants and vegetation could do something like that.

Even Elder Sun's eyes were wide with disbelief. "He's inferring everything in reverse! He… he understands plants and vegetation to an incredible degree….

"He's only an apprentice apothecary, and yet he is able to analyze a spirit plant grafted by the Peak Lord himself. This… this…."

As for Li Qinghou, his eyes were shining brightly; he almost couldn't believe he was looking at the same Bai Xiaochun he knew from before.

Du Lingfei's face was ashen, and she staggered backward. Based on her skill with plants and vegetation, as soon as she heard Bai Xiaochun's explanation, she knew that he was right. In fact, at a few points during his speech, she didn't even understand what he was saying. By this point, she was feeling completely and utterly embarrassed.

Currently, Bai Xiaochun wasn't using any sort of magical technique. However, every statement he made was backed by his understanding of plants and vegetation, and became like divine abilities or magical items. Du Lingfei was simply incapable of processing what was happening. She felt like lightning was crashing around in her mind, and she backed further and further away, her face growing even more pale.

"Flaming Crow-dipper and Nineflames Sky can be used to make the spirit bulblets impervious to strong sunlight. Merge them into Crow-dipper Fruit, and it will give birth to Blackskull Lily! That is the last of the spirit plants that I recognize." It took Bai Xiaochun about half the time it takes an incense stick to burn to finish his explanation. His eyes flashed like lightning as he scanned the crowd and then eventually looked straight at Du Lingfei.

"Elder Sister Du. Ladies and gentlemen of the sect. The Dao of plants and vegetation is deep and profound, and contains no absolutes. Were that not the case, it would be impossible for you to make any progress with your skill with plants and vegetation. And yet, you actually want me to list out all of the plants in the first three volumes of plants and vegetation. What's so hard about that?!" Setting his jaw, he flicked his sleeve and began to recite.

"Spiritwinter Bamboo….

"Earthdragon Fruit….

"Inkroot…." His voice was clear and his expression tranquil as he spoke. Complete silence filled the arena. As his words echoed out, they were like a huge invisible hand smacking everyone a second time.

Everyone present was filled with profound shame, and gasps could be heard. Some people even pulled out jade slips with information about plants and vegetation, which they compared with what Bai Xiaochun was saying. Soon, they began to tremble, and their shock increased.

Du Lingfei's face was deathly pale as she backed up, looking at Bai Xiaochun as if he were a ghost.

The reason she had spoken such snide words earlier was because she had never seen anyone actually recite 30,000 different types of medicinal plants. To her, it seemed like an impossibility. If someone was actually able to do that, then they had to already possess completely Heaven-defying skill with plants and vegetation.

As time passed, Bai Xiaochun spoke more and more quickly. With almost a single breath, he talked for two hours straight. To the audience, it almost seemed like no time had gone by at all, and virtually everyone had taken out jade slips to study along with Bai Xiaochun's recitation. 1

After two hours, he finished reciting all of the medicinal plants. Then, there was deathly silence for a moment, followed by an explosive outburst that was audible even outside of the arena.

"Heavens…. Not a single mistake! He was completely correct…. I can't believe I just witnessed this happen!!"

"All 30,000 medicinal plants…. Bai Xiaochun's skill with plants and vegetation is simply shocking. Wait… what is his ranking on the stone steles of plants and vegetation?"

"For Du Lingfei to compete with Bai Xiaochun in skill with plants and vegetation is like throwing an egg at a rock!"

As the uproar went on, Du Lingfei looked at Bai Xiaochun with increasing bitterness. Her reaction to losing in the fight hadn't lead to a feeling like this. But right now, in terms of skill with plants and vegetation, she had been utterly and thoroughly defeated.

How could she ever have imagined that Bai Xiaochun, with his incredible luck and multitude of magical items, would actually be so monumentally ahead of her in skill with plants and vegetation?

It was a huge blow to her, and she couldn't help but laugh bitterly. She threw the Cloudsoaring Incense over, then turned and fled the arena. It was simply impossible for her to even consider staying, considering how embarrassed she was.

Now that Du Lingfei was gone, the other surrounding Outer Sect disciples started to feel even more embarrassed. They quickly clasped hands and bowed to Bai Xiaochun, then hurried off. It was easy to imagine how long the profound shock they felt would last.

Soon, the arena was virtually empty. Bai Xiaochun was the only one left behind, coughing dryly. He realized… that he had really done it this time. Putting the Cloudsoaring Incense away, he looked over cautiously at Li Qinghou.

"Apprentice… will take off now," he said, turning and leaving so fast that he almost left behind a dust cloud.

Elder Sun watched Bai Xiaochun leaving, and his the shock in his eyes was still evident.

"Peak Lord, this kid… is outstanding!" he said softly.

Li Qinghou threw his head back and laughed loudly, then waved his sleeve and shot back up toward the top of the mountain.

1. Okay so I did the math, and for him to recite 30,000 words in two hours would require him to say over four plants per second. The fastest talker in the world can speak about eight words per second, so it's not impossible!

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Chapter 35: Another Encounter with Xu Baocai

It only took about half a month for the news about Bai Xiaochun crushing Du Lingfei in the competition to spread among virtually all the disciples, and cause a huge commotion throughout the entire sect.

Whenever Bai Xiaochun went out, the Outer Sect disciples he encountered would call out cheerful greetings. For the first time in his life, Bai Xiaochun felt famous. Now, he enjoyed leaving his residence. He would even approach random people and start to chat with them, all in the hopes that they would ask who he was, whereupon he would proudly reveal his name.

Bai Xiaochun really enjoyed living such a luxurious life. He also performed a threefold spirit enhancement on Du Lingfei's medicinal pill. Consuming that pill then pushed him from the great circle of the fifth level of Qi Condensation all the way into the sixth level.

As far as his Lightness-in-Heaviness magic, the more he practiced with it, the more refined it became. In fact, he had even begun to probe the second level of the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art, which was Heaviness-in-Lightness.

Although it seemed incredibly difficult at first, after numerous attempts, he made a bit of progress.

On one particular day, he was seated cross-legged in his courtyard, practicing Heaviness-in-Lightness, when suddenly his expression flickered. Putting away his wooden sword, he looked up at the main gate of the courtyard. A moment later, someone knocked.

"Elder Brother Bai, are you home?" After hearing the familiar voice, Bai Xiaochun's brow furrowed slightly. People didn't often come to visit him in his courtyard. He waved his finger toward the gate, which creaked open to slowly reveal a gaunt young man.

He wore the garments of an Outer Sect disciple, and his expression was very serious as he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Xu Baocai offers greetings, Elder Brother Bai."

"What are you doing here?" Bai Xiaochun asked, looking shocked. This young man was the very same Xu Baocai with whom he had fought back in the Ovens, when he was in the third level of Qi Condensation. Apparently, Xu Baocai was now an Outer Sect disciple.

After seeing that Xu Baocai was still in the third level of Qi Condensation, however, he felt much more relaxed. Putting a very stern expression on his face, he said, "What, now that you're an Outer Sect disciple you refuse to let bygones be bygones? You still want to fight me?"

Xu Baocai immediately shook his head. A wry smile on his face, he once again bowed to Bai Xiaochun.

"I was ignorant and foolish back then. Please don't ridicule me, Elder Brother Bai. I've come today to apologize for what happened. Let's forget about all that." Xu Baocai seemed very earnest about wanting to forget about everything that had gone on. After all, now that he was an Outer Sect disciple, past matters weren't really very important.

The most important thing was that Bai Xiaochun was now very famous on Fragrant Cloud Peak. Now that Xu Baocai was an Outer Sect disciple on that very same mountain, he obviously wanted to avoid any complications that could arise because of the past.

Bai Xiaochun blinked, thinking back to everything that had happened back then in the Ovens. In some ways, Xu Baocai counted as an old friend. He quickly rose to his feet and invited Xu Baocai in, whereupon they sat down and began to reminisce.

Thinking back to that unforgettable Blood Notice, Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but ask, "Now that you mention it, back then, I really didn't understand why you would write the character 'die' so many times with blood. Eventually I got it, but even then, I was always curious; didn't it hurt to use so much blood to write so many characters?"

Xu Baocai's face flushed with embarrassment when he thought back to his outlandish behavior back then, and he quickly changed the subject.

"Elder Brother Bai, you need to be careful about the people from the Supervisor's Department. I heard that Chen Fei and the others who you forced into the Outer Sect have been harboring a grudge this entire time."

"Chen Fei?" Bai Xiaochun's heart instantly filled with vigilance as he thought back to that burly, muscular man from the Supervisor's Department.

"What level is his cultivation base now?" he asked, looking very serious.

"I heard he's in the great circle of the fourth level of Qi Condensation," Xu Baocai replied immediately, hoping that revealing these matters to Bai Xiaochun would clear the air between them.

When Bai Xiaochun heard the fourth level of Qi Condensation mentioned, he felt a bit better, and actually looked even calmer than before.

Xu Baocai didn't go into further explanations. He and Bai Xiaochun began to chat about the sect, and soon Bai Xiaochun realized that Xu Baocai actually knew a lot more than he did. He seemed to be in the know regarding just about everything that occurred on the south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect. He knew about the big events and the inconsequential matters, and had even heard about things that were supposed to be big secrets. Eventually they started talking about the latest gossip, and the discussion got even more lively.

"Elder Brother Bai, did you know there are five beauties here in the Spirit Stream Sect, each one of them astonishingly good-looking? Cultivators like us who could be with even one of them would be able to live life without regrets."

Bai Xiaochun's interest was piqued, so he asked Xu Baocai to explain further.

Bai Xiaochun wanted to hear, and this was a subject Xu Baocai loved talking about, so his eyebrows instantly shot up with excitement.

"The five beauties are virtually on equal footing when it comes to how pretty they are. However, their positions within the sect are all different. In first place is Xu Meixiang, Master-Aunt Xu, who is truly ethereally beautiful and alluring…. Oh, right, she's Big Fatty Zhang's Master."

"Really?" Bai Xiaochun was truly shocked to hear this news. Big Fatty Zhang had mentioned his Master on several occasions, and had always called her an old shrew. Then he thought back to how skinny Big Fatty Zhang had been when they reunited, and how it was because that old shrew hated fat people.

All of a sudden, things made more sense to Bai Xiaochun. Clearing his throat, and his mind, he decided not to think about the matter further. It was simply too dangerous.

"The next two in the rankings are actually from Fragrant Cloud Peak. The first is Zhou Xinqi, Elder Sister Zhou, and then Du Lingfei, Elder Sister Du." Xu Baocai was explaining everything he knew, so when he brought up Zhou Xinqi, it also necessitated talking about Chosen.

"Elder Brother Bai, you probably already know that on the south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect, there are three great Chosen. One of them is Zhou Xinqi from our Fragrant Cloud Peak. Another is Lu Tianlei from Violet Cauldron Peak, and the last is… Shangguan Tianyou from Green Crest Peak! All three of them are consummate geniuses!" Xu Baocai's eyes gleamed with envy. 1

"If they're so awesome, how come they're in the Outer Sect like us?" asked Bai Xiaochun, his mouth twisted in a bit of a sneer. Although he didn't know much about Shangguan Tianyou and Lu Tianlei, he had already encountered Zhou Xinqi. In fact, the jade pendant in his bag of holding had been a gift from her.

Xu Baocai coughed dryly. Although he inwardly looked down on Bai Xiaochun, he didn't dare to express that feeling, and instead chuckled wryly and said, "Elder Brother Bai, if it weren't for the strict sect rules, those three would already have left the Outer Sect for the Inner Sect. Even still, they're extremely famous, and fully deserve to be known as the number one figures in the Outer Sect. Even the Inner Sects fear them. Once their cultivation bases reach the proper level, they'll definitely become stars in the Inner Sect too! Although, for them, even the Inner Sect will just be a springboard to their eventual goal of becoming Successor disciples!"

Bai Xiaochun still wasn't very convinced.

"Take Zhou Xinqi for example. Because of her spirit meridian of plants and vegetation, she'll definitely inherit the mantle of Peak Lord Li, and will become a master apothecary of the Spirit Stream Sect. And then there's Lu Tianlei. He grew up in a very poor family, and started out as skinny as a piece of firewood. But he had a rare spirit meridian of lightning, and the magical techniques he cultivates are of the path of the Dao of lightning. In fact, the Sect Leader personally said that he'll have an extraordinary future."

"Really?" Bai Xiaochun asked, clearly surprised. He was no longer a newcomer to the cultivation world, and understood a lot about how things worked. When he heard about the spirit meridian of lightning, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. A spirit meridian like that would cause one's magical techniques to be explosively powerful, and would ensure that few bottlenecks came up within cultivation.

Seeing that Bai Xiaochun was finally reacting like people usually did when hearing about these things, he went on to talk about the third person: "Of course, there's also Shangguan Tianyou, who's even more amazing. He has a Sword Spirit body, and some people even say that he's the reincarnation of some almighty sword cultivator. For some reason, it's like the Heavens are guilty, and have blessed him with an entire life of good fortune. When he was three, he was walking down the road and happened to find an ancient sword; when he was seven, a baby Crimson Cloudbeast fell out of the sky and instantly accepted him as its master; when he was thirteen, he acquired a golden light shield. That is why his name is Tianyou, and as soon as he joined the sect, the Prime Elders were completely shaken."

Bai Xiaochun's eyes were wide, and he looked somewhat perturbed. "The Heavens are guilty!?!? Three years old…? What luck! What kind of… wait, he's the reincarnation of some almighty ancient cultivator?"

In that moment, he decided that he would definitely not do anything to provoke Shangguan Tianyou, who even the Heavens catered to.

Xu Baocai was extremely pleased to see Bai Xiaochun so shocked, so he sighed and then decided to explain a bit about Foundation Establishment. "Those three will definitely reach Foundation Establishment. Elder Brother Bai, we cultivators start out as servants and then join the Outer Sect. We liken our promotion to the fish which leapt over the dragon gate. However, the truth of the matter is that only by breaking through from the Qi Condensation stage to Foundation Establishment can you truly be that fish who leapt over the dragon gate. It is only then that your life actually changes, and you truly shed that which is mortal. That is the true path of Immortality, when your longevity is increased by a hundred years."

Even as Xu Baocai sighed, Bai Xiaochun heard about an increase of one hundred years of longevity, and his eyes lit up with a light more intense than anything which had ever been seen before in his eyes. He even began to tremble, and his mind filled with rumbling sounds. He reached out and grabbed Xu Baocai by the arm.

"Did you just say that after you reach Foundation Establishment you get an extra hundred years of longevity?"

Xu Baocai stared at Bai Xiaochun's bloodshot eyes in shock. Feeling a bit frightened, he nodded his head.

Bai Xiaochun inhaled sharply, and then began to pace back and forth within his courtyard, waving his arms around and gesticulating wildly. He almost looked like he had gone crazy, and was muttering to himself and laughing maniacally.

Xu Baocai was now really scared, and had no idea what was going on. A chill ran down his spine, and he said that he was going to leave. Bai Xiaochun didn't even notice; it was almost as if he had been bedeviled.

Xu Baocai took a deep breath and sped away in fear.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Bai Xiaochun looked up, his hair disheveled as he took a long, deep breath. Then he threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"One hundred years! Foundation Establishment! I'm definitely going to reach Foundation Establishment!"

1. Lu Tianlei's name in Chinese is 吕天磊 lǚ tiān lěi. Lu is a common surname, Tian means "Heaven" or "sky." Lei means "rocky" or "uneven." Shangguan Tianyou's name in Chinese is 上官天佑 shàngguān tiānyòu. Shangguan is a relatively uncommon two-character surname. Tian means "Heaven" or "sky." Yu means "blessed" or "protected." Together, the name "Tianyou" basically means "blessed by Heaven"

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Chapter 36: The Little Turtle Proclaims Superiority!

Xu Baocai had completely ignited Bai Xiaochun's desire to reach Foundation Establishment. In the following days, he went to the Scripture Pavilion on numerous occasions, and eventually, even went to the Divine Might Hall.

The Divine Might Hall was a place where much general information about the cultivation world was gathered for the purposes of study. After studying the detailed explanation about Foundation Establishment, Bai Xiaochun confirmed that what Xu Baocai had said was accurate, and it was like a spark was lit within him.

In his view, only by reaching Foundation Establishment could he truly take his first step upon the road of eternal life.

What got him even more excited was the information about how there were three ways to reach Foundation Establishment, each of which affected longevity in a different way. At long last, he had a much clearer understanding.

"Heaven, Earth, and Man. Three types of Foundation Establishment….

"Foundation Establishment via the Dao of Man requires a Foundation Establishment Pill. The probability of success is low, but if you succeed, you acquire a hundred years of longevity.

"Foundation Establishment via the Dao of Earth involves absorbing Earth energy and transforming it into shocking power. The probability of success is even lower, but the result is an addition of two hundred years of longevity!

"Last is the legendary… Foundation Establishment via the Dao of Heaven! That's very rare, and can only come via random chance. However, if you can succeed with that type of Foundation Establishment, then you get an extra five hundred years of longevity!" After more detailed study, Bai Xiaochun confirmed that Foundation Establishment via the Dao of Heaven could not be specifically pursued. As for Foundation Establishment via the Dao of Earth, there were special requirements to be able to acquire Earth energy.

Therefore, the simplest thing for him to do was aim for Foundation Establishment via the Dao of Men, which required a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Bai Xiaochun put down the jade slip he was holding and took a deep breath, his eyes shining brightly. "I need to start planning for the future, and make sure I'm completely prepared. And I have to get one of those Foundation Establishment Pills….

"Foundation Establishment Pills are expensive, and just to be prepared for all possibilities, I should definitely have more than one on hand. In that case… the best thing to do would be to concoct some myself!" Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered as his dream of becoming a master apothecary and concocting a Live-Forever Never-Die pill became even stronger than ever.

"Apprentice apothecary, journeyman apothecary, master apothecary…. Right now I'm an apprentice apothecary. To become a journeyman apothecary, I have to concoct some medicinal pills and take the promotion test…. The minimum requirement for the test is that you master the fifth volume of plants and vegetation. But that alone is no guarantee. I also need to completely master all five volumes of spirit creatures." Eyes gleaming with determination, he pulled out the jade slip that contained the third volume of plants and vegetation and went through it in detail one more time. After confirming that he had memorized everything, he immediately left his courtyard.

However, moments later, he came running back and quickly put on several layers of clothing, and also disguised himself a bit. Only then did he actually leave.

"Those fans of Zhou Xinqi are too frightening. Supposedly they've been telling people they're going to cut me to pieces…. I really have no choice other than to keep a low profile." He still felt a little bit uneasy.

After considering the difference between himself and Zhou Xinqi's fans, he finally reached a decision. "Hmph. Just wait until I reach Foundation Establishment. Then I'll make a big scene and tell everyone that I'm Lord Turtle. Then we'll see who dares to try to cut me to pieces!"

As usual, the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion was completely packed. It wasn't just Outer Sect disciples from Fragrant Cloud Peak in attendance, there were also disciples from Green Crest Peak and Violet Cauldron Peak, who for various reasons were required to be proficient in plants and vegetation.

Currently, Bai Xiaochun was worming his way through the crowd, trying to make sure he didn't attract any attention. After reaching the log cabin dedicated to the third volume of plants and vegetation, he snuck in, took the test, then melted back into the crowd.

Although he had originally planned to just leave, after a moment passed, he couldn't hold back from popping his head up and looking around. It didn't take long before a clamor rose up as people realized that on the stone stele of the third volume of plants and vegetation, the turtle design had overtaken the magic bottle.

Feeling quite pleased, he plastered a shocked look on his face and shouted out in astonishment. However, it only took a moment for Zhou Xinqi's fiendish fans to appear, which caused Bai Xiaochun to ball his fists in frustration.

"It's their fault that I have to keep such a low profile," the thought angrily. He glared at them for a moment and then turned and hurried away.

In the following days, news about the little turtle once again spread like wildfire through Fragrant Cloud Peak's Outer Sect. Everyone was talking about the little turtle design that was so prominently displayed on the stone steles.

However, another month later, just as the rumors were beginning to settle down, the disciples outside the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion suddenly noticed that the little turtle had appeared on the fourth stone stele, and it had once again passed the magic bottle to take 1st place.

The result was an instant uproar!

"The little turtle is going to completely surpass Elder Sister Zhou Xinqi soon! He has four 1st place spots!"

"He has four stone steles, and Elder Sister Zhou Xinqi has five. Just who is the little turtle…?"

Of course, it was Bai Xiaochun shouting these things out, and it made him feel quite good. However, when Zhou Xinqi's fans started devolving into a frenzy, he cleared his throat, lowered his head, and went on his way.

A few days later, Zhou Xinqi showed up in the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion and studied the four stone steles, a very serious expression on her face. Then she entered the tenth stone stele. When she emerged, her name now occupied the 1st place spot.

By that point, all of the Outer Sect disciples on Fragrant Cloud Peak were paying close attention to the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion. Zhou Xinqi had her six stone steles, and the little turtle had four….

Everyone was speculating as to whether or not the little turtle would eventually take a fifth stone stele, which would put him on par with Zhou Xinqi.

In fact, some of the Outer Sect disciples were starting to place bets on whether or not the little turtle could actually take 1st place in five stone steles. It even reached the point that some of the Elders of Fragrant Cloud Peak were taking note.

Bai Xiaochun was going absolutely all out to try to take that next 1st place spot. After getting the relevant jade slip, he studied it day and night. Coupled with how much he hated Zhou Xinqi's fans, whenever he made his monthly visit to the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion and got a first place spot, he would make a point of whipping up the crowd in favor of the little turtle.

Gradually, quite a few disciples began to admire the little turtle, and much of that had to do with Bai Xiaochun himself. He never passed up an opportunity to promote the little turtle to whomever he could speak to about it. For example, by this point, Hou Xiaomei was thoroughly obsessed.

Eventually, a month later on a bright and sunny day, the magic bottle on the fifth stone stele flickered and then dropped down by one spot, whereupon the little turtle appeared above it.

As of that moment, the Outer Sect disciples of Fragrant Cloud Peak were thrown into pandemonium. Entire crowds came to check out the scene, and soon, all conversations on the mountain revolved around the little turtle.

"The little turtle's skill with plants and vegetation is definitely at an indescribable level. How else could he be so shocking?"

"So awesome! The little turtle and Elder Sister Zhou are about the same now…."

It wasn't that nobody in the crowd suspected that the little turtle might be Bai Xiaochun. In fact, some of Zhou Xinqi's fans didn't ignore any possibilities, and naturally were paying attention to him.

Feeling quite indignant, Bai Xiaochun decided that he needed to get rid of any doubts, so he made a big scene of reluctantly trying to take the test for the fourth stone stele. He remained inside for a bit, after which he stepped out and did his best to convince everyone that he had performed badly.

After doing this a few times, Zhou Xinqi's fans started to shift their attention to others. Of course, there was no way to prove anything about anybody one way or another.

However, they continued to spread hateful gossip, telling people that if they found out who the little turtle was, they weren't going to cut him into bits, they were going to cut him into teeny tiny bits!

When Bai Xiaochun heard about that, and thought about what he would look like in such a state, he began to tremble. Finally, he gritted his teeth, and his vicious determination once again bubbled up.

"Not happy, huh? Well I'll make you even less happy when I take more 1st place spots!" Gritting his teeth, he decided that he was going to make that happen, and close the distance between himself and Zhou Xingqi.

A month later, the little turtle took 1st place on the sixth stone stele!

After another month, it took 1st place on the seventh!

Shouts of alarm and astonishment rang out around the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion at that point.

"Seven 1st place spots! Go, little turtle, go! Not even Elder Sister Zhou was able to get ten 1st place spots!"

"Hahaha, I like this little turtle. He's definitely going to pull it off!"

Even as numerous disciples in the crowd were crying out such things, there were a dozen or so young men in the area, all of whom had very grim expressions on their faces. Some of them were even Inner Sect disciples, whose expressions were particularly icy. One of them was a young man with a pockmarked face, whose eyes glinted with particular ferocity.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fellow disciples," he called out. "If anyone knows who the little turtle is, please tell me, and I'll owe you a favor!" That pock-faced young man's voice caused everyone to tremble, and instantly silenced all of the voices calling out about the little turtle.

People in the crowd immediately recognized who this young man was, and quickly averted their gazes. Others were incensed, but were too afraid to speak up.

"That's Elder Brother Qian from the Court Hall, Qian Dajin…."

"I heard that he's been chasing both Elder Sister Zhou and also Du Lingfei…."

Bai Xiaochun stood there in the crowd, glaring at the pock-faced Qian Dajin with righteous indignation. Finally, he stalked back to his courtyard, feeling very irritated.

"You can't even find me, and yet you insist on fighting a duel with me!?" Setting his jaw, he focused on studying the fifth volume of spirit creatures. As he learned more about how the various parts of spirit creatures could be used when concocting spirit medicines, his skill with plants and vegetation made further advancement.

In fact, because he was able to compare and contrast the two, and see how they worked together, his skill with plants and vegetation actually experienced significant growth.

The next month, the little turtle design replaced the magic bottle as the 1st place spot holder on the eighth stone stele!

After another month, he took 1st place in the ninth!

He now had nine 1st place spots!

The Outer Sect disciples around the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion were aboil. More and more people were loudly proclaiming that the little turtle was definitely going to take ten 1st place spots.

As for Zhou Xinqi's fans, there was nothing they could do to stop it at this point. All they could do was watch as the little turtle's popularity gradually exceeded Zhou Xinqi's.

When the final month came, Bai Xiaochun went to the 10,000 Medicines pavilion when it was at its busiest. He went in disguise, but his expression was one of determination as he worked his way unnoticed through the line leading up to the log cabin beneath the tenth stone stele.

Once he entered, he sat down cross-legged, reached out, and placed his hand onto the stone altar. Rumbling filled his mind as he once again entered that familiar void.

In front of him were 1,000,000 flickering fragments of medicinal plants and spirit creatures. Eyes gleaming with focus, his hands began to fly about and reorganize the pieces.

1,000. 5,000. 10,000….

30,000. 50,000. 80,000

This was the most difficult of all the tests he had taken so far. Soon, sweat was dripping down his face, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked crazed, as if he had forgotten about everything else. He was fully immersed in the process of reconstructing plants and vegetation, and spirit creatures. His hands hurt, and his mind reeled, and yet he kept going.

Before long, the test was over, and Bai Xiaochun sat here, his hands trembling as he put the last medicinal plant together. With that, his vision went blurry, then cleared, and he was back in the log cabin.

Breathing heavily, eyes shining with satisfaction, he wiped the sweat from his brow and clenched his fists.

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Chapter 37: Heaviness-in-Lightness

Ten stone steles, ten 1st place spots!

The three peaks on the south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect were completely shaken.

Outside the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion, a buzz of conversation could be heard. People were speeding over from all directions to catch a glimpse of the little turtle in 1st place on all ten stones steles. Gasps rang out.

"Ten 1st place spots! The little turtle actually did it!"

"The last time anyone in the Spirit Stream Sect ever took ten 1st place spots in the stone steles was a thousand years ago! How could I ever have imagined that I would see something like this in my life!?"

Everyone was clamoring in shock, and although many people had predicted that this would happen, it was still a shocking event. That was especially true considering the previous three months, in which one stone stele after another fell into the hands of the little turtle. When people thought about that, they simply couldn't stay calm.

"Just who exactly is the little turtle…? In less than half a year, he started from the third stone stele and then swept through all his competition in the rest of them. This guy is totally famous!"

"His skill with plants and vegetation completely exceeds Zhou Xinqi's. Maybe in the future, there will even be another master apothecary in addition to Zhou Xinqi!"

In the same moment that the little turtle secured 1st place on all ten stone steles, the steles began to vibrate, letting off intense rumbling noises that that merged together, and then were joined by the sound of a clanging cauldron coming from further up the mountain.

It was as if someone were striking a medicine cauldron with an enormous log. The muffled booms spread out through all of Fragrant Cloud Peak, and then echoed out to fill the entire south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect. It was accompanied by a medicinal aroma that filled the area, and caused the mists that covered Fragrant Cloud Peak to grow even thicker.

At the top of Fragrant Cloud Peak was an Immortal's cave where Elder Zhou was in the middle of feeding some of his cherished five-colored spirit birds. When he heard the sound of the cauldron, his eyes lit up with surprise.

"The Fragrant Cloud Cauldron?" He sent his divine sense out and instantly detected what was happening among the ten stone steles outside the 10,000 Medicines pavilion. His expression immediately flickered, and he stepped out into the air.

Next, Elder Sun appeared, along with other Foundation Establishment cultivators. All of them had heard the sound of the cauldron, and were now proceeding in the direction of the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion, excited expressions on their faces.

The last to appear was Li Qinghou, who had been in the middle of meditation. When he heard the sound of the cauldron, his face flickered, and he looked outside. Then, he transformed into a beam of colorful light that shot toward the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion.

As the sound of the cauldron rang out, the crowd grew even more excited. Both the Outer Sect and Inner Sect disciples of Fragrant Cloud Peak were completely shaken, and many began to rush in the direction of the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion.

"That's… the sound of the precious treasure of Fragrant Cloud Peak, the Fragrant Cloud Cauldron!"

"Someone took ten 1st place spots at the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion! That hasn't happened for a thousand years! This is unheard-of!"

Excitement even broke out on Green Crest Peak and Violet Cauldron Peak. Big Fatty Zhang was hanging his head as a beautiful, alluring woman berated him. That woman was none other than the old shrew that Big Fatty Zhang had complained to Bai Xiaochun about. As soon as she heard the sound of the cauldron, her expression flickered, and she looked off into the distance. Big Fatty Zhang's face fell in shock as he did the same thing.

"The sound of the Fragrant Cloud Cauldron. Could it be that some disciple on Fragrant Cloud Peak has actually gotten perfect results in all of the tests?"

Similar scenes played out on Green Crest Peak, causing the Elders and the Peak Lord there to look over in astonishment.

More and more people were filling the area around the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion.

Bai Xiaochun was there in the crowd, and when he heard the uproar, he looked up at the ten stone steles. Although he didn't join in with the shouting, his heart was filled with an indescribable feeling. He stood there, a smile growing on his face; not a complacent smile, or a lofty smile, a smile of pure happiness.

It had taken him more than a year to work this miracle. He had started from the first stone stele, then taken 1st place in all ten. However, having a bunch of 1st place spots didn't mean much to him in the end. The most important thing was that he had gained a complete mastery over plants and vegetation, as well as the spirit creatures, something that apprentice apothecaries needed to be proficient in.

He had crafted an unprecedentedly deep foundation. As he thought back to the long days and endless nights he had spent obsessively studying plants and vegetation, and then spirit creatures, Bai Xiaochun sighed emotionally.

In the entire Spirit Stream Sect, there weren't even any Inner Sect disciples who had such a strong foundation in their skill with plants and vegetation. Currently, Bai Xiaochun was feeling very satisfied.

Soon, numerous beams of light could be seen flying through the air, all of them emanating powerful cultivation base fluctuations. Among them were Elder Zhou, Elder Sun… and of course Li Qinghou.

They looked over the ten stone steles, and the little turtle in the 1st place spot, and their eyes began to shine brightly. That was especially true of Li Qinghou. That little turtle design caused him to first start in shock, then begin to laugh loudly, a strange expression on his face. He looked out over the crowd, and caught sight of Bai Xiaochun, after which a glint of praise appeared in his eyes that no one could detect.

After a long moment passed, he flicked his sleeve and left, quite happy after having guessed that the little turtle belonged to none other than Bai Xiaochun.

Soon, the other members of the Senior generation left. However, more and more Inner Sect disciples were showing up to stare in shock at the little turtle. After all, they had all risen up from the Outer Sect, and knew very well that only Outer Sect disciples were allowed to challenge the stone steles. They also knew how difficult of a challenge that was.

"Any Outer Sect disciple who can do this is definitely a Chosen…."

"Hmph. We're journeyman apothecaries, so all we care about is spirit medicines. Incredible skill with plants and vegetation is meaningless if you can't synthesize spirit medicine!"

Some of the Inner Sect disciples clearly admired the little turtle, and others disdained it. However, regardless of their feelings, a deep impression had been made, and in fact, most of them were actually a bit frightened.

None of them had any idea how skilled this person would be at medicine synthesizing, but with such a solid foundation, once that person became a journeyman apothecary, his path would certainly be much smoother.

The uproar continued until eventually Zhou Xinqi showed up. She stood there on her blue flying silk, examining the little turtle. Slowly, the crowd quieted down, and all eyes turned in her direction.

The sight of the little turtle in the 1st place spot on all of the stone steles caused an unyielding gleam to appear in her eyes. In the past, this was the sort of complicated expression that she caused to appear in the eyes of others, but now, the opposite had happened.

"Just who are you…?" she murmured through clenched teeth. Although she couldn't bear to admit it, she had tried hard on numerous occasions to match the mysterious little turtle in terms of skill with plants and vegetation, but his ability was just too profound. As of this moment, she had no confidence whatsoever in being able to surpass him. By now, that little turtle was completely and utterly branded onto her heart.

"You might be stronger than me with plants and vegetation, but just wait until you become a journeyman apothecary. I refuse to believe that you'll surpass me when it comes to medicine synthesizing!" She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She had already taken the test and been promoted to journeyman apothecary, so after giving the stone steles one last look, she spun and vanished off into the distance.

After giving the ten stone steles one last look, Bai Xiaochun turned and left. "This is just the first stop along my path to becoming a grandmaster apothecary!"

The matter of the ten stone steles caused a commotion that lasted for months. People talked about it nonstop, especially when they went to the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion and actually saw the little turtle on the stone steles.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xinqi's fans were combing the sect, employing all tactics possible to try to figure out who the little turtle was. That was especially true of the young man surnamed Qian, who was infuriated about the matter.

The entire south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect was affected. While people were constantly discussing the little turtle, Bai Xiaochun was in his courtyard, eyes bloodshot as he controlled a tree leaf that floated in front of him.

He was now studying the stage of Heaviness-in-Lightness. Actually, he had repeatedly attempted to do so throughout the past half year, but it wasn't until now that he had been able to do anything with it.

Because of how things had ended at the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion, Zhou Xinqi's fans were constantly searching for him. A sensation of crisis slowly built up within him, so he decided to weather things out in his residence while he worked on Heaviness-in-Lightness.

"Lightness-in-Heaviness is about speed. Heaviness-in-Lightness… is about control methods!" A thoughtful expression appeared in Bai Xiaochun's eyes as he pondered everything he had come to understand recently.

"Or perhaps you could say that such control is actually an eruption of one's internal spiritual energy!" Bai Xiaochun's eyes glittered. He was now in the sixth level of Qi Condensation, and his internal spiritual energy was like a huge river. When it came to Lightness-in-Heaviness, he could sustain it indefinitely, and unleash shocking speed.

He had long since come to understand that the so-called stage of Heaviness-in-Lightness was simply a way of utilizing one's internal spiritual energy. It was like how a flat leaf could be used to pull a small branch up into the air, but a rolled up leaf could hoist up a small rock. Likewise, if you cut a leaf into strips and then braided it into a rope, it would be able to lift even heavier objects.

Many materials were like that; in the end, the different weights that could be lifted depended simply on how one combined the various elements.

Heaviness-in-Lightness was just such a technique, and by mastering it, you could reach a new stage.

Bai Xiaochun thought about the matter for a bit longer, then waved his hand, causing another leaf to fly over, which he began to experiment with. Sometimes the leaf moved quickly, at other times it moved as slowly as if a mountain were crushing onto it. However, he wasn't getting the result he wanted.

After one try didn't work, he tried ten times. After ten tries didn't work, he tried a hundred times. After a hundred tries didn't work… he tried a thousand times.

He eventually lost track of how many times he had tried. Soon, his courtyard was filled with fragments of leaves which had been destroyed, and he even had to go out looking for new leaves. Eventually, nearly all of the spirit plants on Fragrant Cloud Peak were devoid of leaves, until, on one particular day, Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered, and he performed an incantation gesture and pointed out. The leaf in front of him was floating there gently, but when it fell to the ground it sounded like a boulder.

A huge boom rang out, and the entire courtyard residence shook. It was as if that one leaf weighed hundreds of kilograms.

"It worked!" Bai Xiaochun's eyes were shot with blood, but his expression was one of excitement. He suddenly waved his hand, sending his little wooden sword flying out. It turned into a black streak that shot through the air with incredible speed. It was now even more incredible than before, and emanated a shrill whistling sound as it pierced through the air.

Then, a boom rang out as a huge boulder was shattered to pieces.

Such incredible power was no longer equivalent to the sixth level of Qi Condensation. Even someone in the seventh level of Qi Condensation would be completely shocked by what had just happened.

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Chapter 38: Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning

Bai Xiaochun looked very excited as he leaped to his feet and shook out his arms and legs, then sent the wooden sword flying around the courtyard dramatically. Sometimes it would speed through the air rapidly, other times it would hang ponderously in the air, motionless.

The wooden sword experienced a complete transformation there in the courtyard. Soon, sword qi swirled around the entire area, almost as if a huge wind had kicked up. Bai Xiaochun was even more excited than before.

A moment later, he waved his right hand, and the little wooden sword flew back into his hand. The gaudy sword didn't look very remarkable, but the truth of the matter was that thanks to the threefold spirit enhancement, it was completely beyond what it had been before.

"If I can master both Heaviness-in-Lightness and Lightness-in-Heaviness, then by using them together, I can perform… the only divine ability within the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art!" Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with anticipation.

"Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning!" Bai Xiaochun put the wooden sword away, then closed his eyes for a long moment. Suddenly, he lifted his right hand and pointed up into the sky. Instantly, his previously invisible internal spiritual energy suddenly appeared in a dazzling flash, the thin strands of spiritual energy rapidly forming into the outline of a cauldron.

It was as if some mysterious power were guiding them, transforming them into that specific shape.

Pulses of incredible pressure began to radiate out from the cauldron, spirit pressure which was even more powerful than the pressure from the flying sword.

Bai Xiaochun's face rapidly drained of blood as the spirit pressure within him was depleted by nearly eighty percent. At that point, the cauldron was fully formed, and was emanating an intense spirit pressure. Bai Xiaochun gestured with his fingers, sending the cauldron smashing down toward the ground.

When that happened, the cauldron shattered, and vast quantities of spiritual energy scattered about.

A powerful boom echoed out, and the ground for 300 meters in all directions emitted cracking sounds as fissures spread out.

Thankfully, Fragrant Cloud Peak's protective spell formation almost instantly repaired the damage. Even still, quite a few Outer Sect disciples who were nearby heard the muffled boom, and were shocked.

Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath. He had never imagined that the Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning would be so impressive. A single attack from it seemed almost unbeatable.

"Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning definitely deserves to be the only divine ability within the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art. No wonder it can only be unleashed after both Heaviness-in-Lightness and Lightness-in-Heaviness are completely understood." Bai Xiaochun eyes shone with a brilliant light, but almost in the same instant, he frowned. Although this divine ability was strong, it took a lot of energy out of him.

Bai Xiaochun knew that the reason he had wasted only eighty percent of his spiritual power, and not more, was because it was so pure. Any other disciple who gained enlightenment of this divine ability before the eighth level of Qi Condensation would have had all of their internal spiritual energy drained. The only way to truly utilize the technique without incredible wastage was to wait until the ninth level of Qi Condensation.

"According to the description of the Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning, it can be divided into high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade levels. The cauldron I just produced was low-grade. If I can reach the mid-grade level, I'll be able to form two cauldrons. By reaching high-grade, I can have three cauldrons, then form them together into one big cauldron!" After standing there thoughtfully for a moment, Bai Xiaochun sat down cross-legged and began to perform breathing exercises. It was not until the moon hung high in the sky that he finally opened his eyes, revealing a bright spirit glow in his eyes. As of now, his cultivation base had almost fully recovered.

"A divine ability like this can be used as a trump card. If Zhou Xinqi's fans ever mess with me, I can use it to crush them." Although Bai Xiaochun felt a little bit better, when he thought about the Inner Sect disciple named Qian, his brow furrowed.

"You have to be at least in the eighth level of Qi Condensation to get into the Inner Sect…." When he thought about that, Bai Xiaochun felt just as worried as before. He glanced down thoughtfully at his skin for a moment, and his eyes glittered. With that, he rose to his feet and took a few steps forward, picking up speed as he reached out with his thumb and index finger. A black light flashed as the tips of those two fingers then touched each other.

Cracking sounds rang out in the air, along with an explosive aura. Bai Xiaochun looked at his two fingers in surprise for a moment before recovering his composure.

"This is a killing move… that I can use to save my own life." After some more thought, he came to the conclusion that the more powerful the killing move, the better it would be for him. Now, the main thing he was worried about was the Undying Live Forever Technique.

After acquiring his Undying Iron Skin, he had attempted to continue cultivating the Undying Live Forever Technique, but found that as soon as he began, he started feeling hungry again.

Furthermore, the Spirit Tail Chickens on the south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect were no longer an option. He had only ordinary spirit food to rely on, which he was sure wouldn't be enough to stave off his hunger.

He had searched the rest of the mountain high and low for other spirit creatures to eat, but ever since the Chicken-Thieving Fiend's rise to fame, the three mountains on the south bank began to closely guard all the areas where spirit creature were raised.

The anxiety on his face grew as he contemplated the problem. Even as he pondered how to solve the problem of the intense hunger, he suddenly thought back to the Age-Prolonging Longevity-Enhancing Pill.

"Yeah, that's right…." he said, eyes beginning to shine brightly. Not only could that pill increase one's cultivation base, it also replenished vital energy. After acquiring his Undying Iron Skin, he realized that cultivating it actually required vital energy, which was why he got so hungry.

"I've made huge strides in my skill with plants and vegetation, and although I haven't been promoted yet, I can still concoct medicine on my own. Furthermore, although the cost of some spirit medicines is very high within the sect, the actual ingredients relatively cheap." Bai Xiaochun was becoming more and more convinced that he had come up with a solution.

"Basically, I can just concoct my own medicine. That way, when the time comes to take the promotion test, I'll be much more confident. Also, it will be much easier to concoct a Foundation Establishment Pill in the future." Having made his decision, he set his jaw thoughtfully to ponder the matter further. The next morning at dawn, he fairly leapt to his feet.

"Concocting medicines requires medicine formulas, and I can get those even without being promoted to journeyman apothecary. All I have to do is head to the market at the bottom of the mountain and I'll be able to purchase whatever random medicine formulas are available." Bai Xiaochun patted his bag of holding and thought about how he hadn't really spent much money at all since arriving at Fragrant Cloud Peak. As an Outer Sect disciple, he was given a stipend of spirit stones every month, which meant he had quite a bit of savings built up.

The truth was that Bai Xiaochun didn't really care much about material possessions, though. He immediately flew out of his courtyard onto the path that led down the mountain.

During the entire time he had been on Fragrant Cloud Peak, this was only the second time he had left the mountain to go to the markets. The first time was when he had purchased the medicinal plant he needed to trade for that medicinal pill. Almost as soon as he stepped foot off of Fragrant Cloud Peak, two people suddenly flew toward a nearby courtyard residence.

"Elder Brother Chen, are you home?!"

"Elder Brother Chen, Bai Xiaochun left the mountain!" These two people were both quite powerful, with extraordinary cultivation bases in the fourth level of Qi Condensation. They burst excitedly into the courtyard, where a burly man could be seen sitting cross-legged in meditation.

The burly man was incredibly muscular, as broad-shouldered as a bear and a tough-looking as a lion, and as soon as he heard the words spoken by the two men, a bright gleam flickered in his eyes.

"Bai Xiaochun? So, he finally left the mountain, huh?!" The burly man laughed viciously, then suddenly shot to his feet. He looked as big as a mountain, and had profound energy, which came from a cultivation in the fifth level of Qi Condensation. As a result, he emanated a powerful spirit pressure.

This was none other than Chen Fei, who used to work in the Supervisor's Department.

These three had been friends since back in those days, and at that time had lacked for virtually nothing. Not only did they have other servants to wait on them back then, they had also been able to embezzle quite a sum of spirit stones. Of course, they had never expected to be literally pushed into the Outer Sect by Bai Xiaochun and his friends. The past two years had been hard on them, and their hatred for Bai Xiaochun had seeped deep into their bones.

However, they couldn't afford to provoke Big Fatty Zhang, much less Third Fatty Hei. On the other hand, even though Bai Xiaochun seemed strong, they were of the opinion that he was actually relatively weak. Thus they had long since planned their revenge. Unfortunately for them, during that entire time, Bai Xiaochun never left the sect. And in the end, even though Chen Fei had some connections, he didn't dare to violate sect rules.

Actually, his biggest connection in the sect was his older cousin, who was an Inner Sect disciple. However, his cousin didn't pay much attention to him, and had only helped him to a limited degree, even in his days as a servant.

Therefore, they had been been forced to wait for two whole years for Bai Xiaochun to leave the sect. Now, the moment they had been waiting for had arrived. Chen Fei was feeling completely confident thanks to his recent breakthrough into the fifth level of Qi Condensation. After asking around, he knew the level of Bai Xiaochun's cultivation, and had also heard about him taking 1st place in the recent competition, although the news was that he had won that victory by pure chance.

"Back then he scared us all by tricking us into thinking he had mastered Lightness-in-Heaviness. Hmph! I can't believe he forced us into joining the Outer Sect. At long last, I'm going to give vent to this anger of mine!" A fierce gleam appeared in Chen Fei's eyes. His plan wasn't to kill Bai Xiaochun, just crush his bones and sever his tendons, enough to keep him bedridden for at least a year.

Although the sect would surely investigate the matter afterwards, because there would be no eyewitnesses, because no death would be involved, and because Chen Fei had connections in the sect, the big matter would become a small one, and then that small matter would be easily resolved.

"You can't blame us if he just doesn't measure up!" Chen Fei flickered into motion, immediately heading down off the mountain, followed by his two friends. The three of them moved at top speed to a certain path they knew that Bai Xiaochun would pass on his way back from the market, and lay there in wait.

The market wasn't huge, so it didn't take Bai Xiaochun long to find two random tier-1 formulas. One of them could be used to replenish spiritual energy, the other was to enrich vital energy. When it came to formulas for enriching vital energy, the high-tier versions were very expensive. However, the low-tier versions, despite being uncommon, were mostly used by mortals for health and exercise purposes.

Although most cultivators wouldn't find them useful, to Bai Xiaochun, they were like precious treasures. After using his turtle-wok to perform a threefold spirit enhancement on the resulting medicinal pills, they would have completely different results.

Bai Xiaochun didn't even spend very many of his spirit stones to get the necessary medicinal plants he would need to concoct the spirit medicines. Patting his bag of holding in happiness, he began to hum a little tune as he left the market. As he walked along the little path back to the sect, he fantasized about what it would be like to concoct the medicines, and he was very happy.

However, before he had walked very far down the path, his expression suddenly flickered, and he stopped in place. After reaching the sixth level of Qi Condensation, his senses had grown much keener, and he could instantly detect the breathing of three people hiding in the nearby bushes. Their hearts were also racing as they watched him coming up the path.

Seeing that Bai Xiaochun had stopped in place, Chen Fei and his two friends burst out to stand in front of him.

"Bai Xiaochun," he said viciously, "the day has come to end our grudge!" His friends wore equally ferocious grins on their faces as they spread out to flank Bai Xiaochun.

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Chapter 39: Crushing….

"Chen Fei?" Bai Xiaochun blurted, blinking. He quickly scanned Chen Fei and his two friends, and after determining the level of their cultivation bases, immediately relaxed.

"Bai Xiaochun, even if you drop to the ground and beg for mercy, it's too late. It was your idea to force us into the Outer Sect, and you're going to pay for that. I, Chen Fei, have been waiting for this day for a long, long time!" Laughing loudly, Chen Fei waved his right hand, unleashing the power of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Numerous leaves were swept up into the air as a result, making for a very impressive scene.

"After joining the Outer Sect, I spent the entire time practicing cultivation, and now I'm in the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Let me tell you, Bai Xiaochun. Today you will truly understand what it means to be bullied. Your bones are going to be broken and your tendons severed!"

Laughing with complacent arrogance, Chen Fei performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing a green flying sword to appear. It was only about 15 centimeters long, but radiated a cold, ancient air.

As for Chen Fei's two friends who had flanked Bai Xiaochun, they smiled viciously as they unleashed their cultivation bases and produced their own flying swords.

Considering they had him surrounded, and outnumbered him three to one, they were completely confident that they could crush Bai Xiaochun. That was especially true after their own analysis led them to the conclusion that Bai Xiaochun had never fully mastered Lightness-in-Heaviness like they originally thought he had.

"You would have been safe if you had never left the mountain. But here you are, outside the sect. And now you will understand the great price to be paid for the error of your ways!" Chen Fei felt a little better after having vented in this way, although anger still burned within him.

"Aren't the three of you afraid of violating sect rules by ambushing me here?" Bai Xiaochun asked, genuinely curious.

"Sect rules? Hahaha! We're outside the sect right now. Plus, you don't measure up to us at all in skill. No one's going to blame us for breaking a few bones and severing some tendons. At the worst, we'll have to make some apologies, and then the whole matter will be over with." Chen Fei laughed proudly, imagining the image of Bai Xiaochun smashing into the ground. He was even preparing some good taunts to use after beating him down.

However, when he noticed how calm Bai Xiaochun was acting, he suddenly realized that something wasn't right. Despite being surrounded on three sides, Bai Xiaochun's expression hadn't changed at all, and in fact, he seemed to find the situation somewhat odd.

Looking like a master cultivator, Bai Xiaochun proudly said, "Oh, so that's how it is. Well in that case I feel a lot better."

Chen Fei's pupils constricted, and he felt even more ill at ease. However, now was not the time for pondering the situation.

"Attack!" he barked, performing an incantation gesture to send his flying sword shooting toward Bai Xiaochun. At the same time, his two friends also performed incantation gestures and sent their flying swords into action.

Three flying swords were bearing down on Bai Xiaochun, who suddenly smiled. He didn't even produce a magical item; he simply stepped backward. To the eyes of Chen Fei and his friends, Bai Xiaochun just seemed to vanish into thin air.

When he reappeared, he was right next to one of the burly men in the fourth level of Qi Condensation. The man's eyes went wide, but before he could do anything, Bai Xiaochun clenched his right hand into a fist and punched out.

The fist moved with incredible speed, landing on the man's neck with a boom. The man's entire body was shaken, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood as he bent over backward. It was as if some massive object had slammed into him; he immediately flipped head over heels, slamming into a nearby tree.

The tree shuddered, and the man coughed up some more blood, then collapsed, unconscious.

This sudden development left the man's companion staring at Bai Xiaochun in complete shock. His mind felt as if it were being struck by countless bolts of lighting. Even in his wildest dreams, he would never have imagined that Bai Xiaochun… could possibly move so fast, or unleash such astonishing power.

Chen Fei's face fell, and he gasped. Without even thinking about it, he backed up, looking at Bai Xiaochun in disbelief.

"You…."

"Too weak," Bai Xiaochun said, looking like a profound master, alone in the world, unable to find a worthy opponent. Sighing, he took a step forward, appearing directly in front of the other fourth level Qi Condensation cultivator.

The burly man let out a maddened shout, causing cultivation base power to surge wildly, sending the flying sword slashing toward Bai Xiaochun at top speed. However, because of the Undying Live Forever Technique, and his Undying Iron Skin, Bai Xiaochun's fleshly body had reached a shocking level. He easily sidestepped the sword, then once again punched out with his right fist.

A boom rang out, and the man let out a miserable shriek. Blood sprayed everywhere as he was sent spinning backward. There was no tree for him to run into, so he landed about thirty meters away, his internal organs vibrating painfully. He couldn't even get back to his feet; he just lay there, seemingly struggling to hold on to life.

"Too weak," Bai Xiaochun said, shaking his head. Then he looked back at the trembling Chen Fei.

"Y-you… you…." Chen Fei's mind was spinning, and he suddenly felt like a complete fool. He had absolutely no confidence in being able to win now; Bai Xiaochun had suddenly transformed into something like a wild beast.

Two fist attacks had easily knocked out his two friends; that in itself required an incomprehensible amount of power. Subconsciously swallowing, Chen Fei backed away; he had no desire to keep fighting, and the only thing he could think about now was to flee.

Before he could get very far, though, Bai Xiaochun flew forward at top speed, hand clenched into a fist which sped toward Chen Fei. Before it could land, a flashing light appeared in front of Chen Fei, and a little shield materialized, which met Bai Xiaochun's fist.

The resulting boom caused Bai Xiaochun to sigh. He shivered slightly, but at the same time, the shield trembled, and it was sent spinning off to the side, its spiritual energy fading rapidly.

Chen Fei was now scared out of his mind. He had spent quite a few merit points on that shield, and it should have been able to hold out for a while even against the sixth level of Qi Condensation. And yet, Bai Xiaochun had severed his connection with it in a single blow.

"Bai Xiaochun, y-you… you push things too far!!" he shrieked.

"Hmph! Let me tell you, today you will truly understand what it means to be bullied. Your bones are going to be broken and your tendons severed!" Bai Xiaochun was happier than ever to see the terror in Chen Fei's eyes. He would never give up an amazing chance like this. Furthermore, he didn't just repeat Chen Fei's words, he also unleashed his cultivation base, allowing the power of the sixth level of Qi Condensation to erupt out. A huge wind swept up, sending his hair flying about, and his energy soaring.

"Sixth level of Qi Condensation…." Chen Fei gasped, his eyes bulging and his scalp tingling in fear. He staggered backward as Bai Xiaochun closed in with another punch. This time, there was nothing he could do to block it, and the fist slammed into him.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he flew backward, his entire body vibrating. A miserable shriek rang out. It didn't matter that he was as broad-shouldered as a bear and a tough-looking as a lion, or that he was in the fifth level of Qi Condensation. He was now going all-out to escape, heart filled with intense bitterness, rueing his decision to try to ambush Bai Xiaochun… in a place so far away from the sect.

However, Bai Xiaochun was chasing after him like a wild beast, causing Chen Fei to shriek, "Bai Xiaochun, aren't you afraid of violating sect rules!?!?"

Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat, then repeated Chen Fei's own words. "Sect rules? Hahaha! We're outside of the sect right now. Plus, you don't measure up to me at all in skill. No one's going to blame me for breaking a few bones and severing a few tendons. At the worst, I'll have to make some apologies, and then the whole matter will be over with." Then he kicked out with his foot.

That kick sent Chen Fei flying up into the air, where he once again coughed up a mouthful of blood. A look of despair appeared on his face, and he screamed. However, before he could even land on the ground, Bai Xiaochun began to batter him with more punches and kicks.

Chen Fei was terrified, and couldn't stop screaming. Soon, he was completely swollen from head to toe, and his screams were weakening.

His bones were broken, his tendons severed, and his face ashen. He soon lay there, numb and staring at Bai Xiaochun in complete horror.

Although Bai Xiaochun was pure, fair and somewhat skinny, what Chen Fei saw was a vicious beast disguised in human skin. That was even more so the case when Chen Fei realized that Bai Xiaochun hadn't even used any magical items. He had only relied on the terrifying strength of his own body to crush him.

Off in the distance, the two burly men in the fourth level of Qi Condensation regained consciousness, and when they saw what was happening, their scalps went numb and their hearts began to pound. They immediately pretended to go unconscious again, not daring to move lest they attract the attention of Bai Xiaochun.

Seeing that Chen Fei was gasping for breath, Bai Xiaochun finally lost interest. He settled his spiritual energy, then emptied their bags of holding and also took the little shield. Humming a little tune, he continued on his way down the path.

As he watched Bai Xiaochun leaving, Chen Fei wanted to cry, but no tears would come. "Who the hell told me that Bai Xiaochun won the Fragrant Cloud Peak competition by pure chance!?!?"

If he had known all along that Bai Xiaochun was this terrifying, not even the threat of being beaten to death could have convinced him to stir up trouble.

As for the other two burly men, they were scowling miserably, hearts filled with terror as Bai Xiaochun made his way off.

"Elder Brother Chen, what do we do now…? Let's just leave him alone, let bygones be bygones. I heard that's what Xu Baocai did." The two men anxiously awaited Chen Fei's response.

Chen Fei's heart was filled with bitterness. After a moment of thought, he gritted his teeth.

"I want revenge, but can't get it myself. What should I do… I need to think…."

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Chapter 40: Pursuing the Pinnacle

Bai Xiaochun returned to the sect humming a little tune and feeling secretly delighted. After reaching his courtyard, he sighed.

"I practice Immortal cultivation to live forever. People like that who are always fighting and killing are complete lunatics."

He sat down in his courtyard, and began to organize the various items he had taken from Chen Fei and his friends. They were by no means rich, which meant that Bai Xiaochun didn't actually make off with very much, although he didn't really care either way. When he was finished, he took out the medicinal plants he had just purchased and examined them carefully for a while.

Although he had a profound foundation in plants and vegetation, he actually didn't have much experience dealing with the plants themselves. Now that he was able to examine these plants in person, his observations melded with the information that already existed in his mind. He even scratched the surfaces of some of the plants off to examine their internal structure.

After doing some tests, a thoughtful expression appeared on Bai Xiaochun's face, and he pulled out the two random formulas he had acquired. After glancing at the formula for replenishing spiritual energy, he focused on the other formula, designed for mortals who wished to strengthen their physical bodies.

"Longevity Incense…." he murmured. This particular medicine formula didn't require the use of very many medicinal plants, only seven. Furthermore, there wasn't anything very special about the way they interacted. However, by using the techniques of mutual augmentation and suppression, it was possible to draw up the power of those seven medicinal plants, crush them into a powder, and then turn that into incense.

Two of the plants were even toxic. If a cultivator consumed them, it would merely lead to two weeks of diarrhea. To mortals, however, they would be fatal.

"There are many types of of spirit plants in Heaven and Earth. Some can be directly ingested, whereas others need to be concocted into pills to bring out their optimum effects. There are many which, because of their toxicity, can only be used to concoct incense." Muttering to himself, Bai Xiaochun took out the medicinal plants needed for the Longevity Incense, whereupon he began to study them in minute detail.

"I'm still not totally confident in this," he thought. "The most important thing to think about in concocting medicine is the success rate. Even the simplest tier-1 spirit medicines still have a high rate of potential failure.

"I have ten sets of each medicinal plant. I can't waste them." Bai Xiaochun was a cautious person, and prefered to be confident before doing anything. That was exactly how he had been back when he had absorbed himself in memorizing all the different types of plants and vegetation, and the current situation was the same. Instead of immediately trying to concoct the medicine, he preferred to pore over the medicine formula first.

Seven days passed. After fully absorbing the information from the medicine formula, he then closed his eyes and began to analyze the matter further. It was evening when he finally opened his eyes. Then, after a bit more thought, he produced the formula for the spiritual energy replenishing medicine and began to review it.

Two more weeks passed. Bai Xiaochun's eyes were bloodshot, but by now, he felt that he completely understood all of the various medicinal plants that were part of these medicine formulas. After more thought, he rose to his feet and walked out of the courtyard.

Medicine concocting required a pill furnace, but those were quite expensive, more expensive than Bai Xiaochun could afford. Thankfully, in the Medicine Concocting Pavilion, there were pill furnaces available for use by disciples in their medicine concocting, at the price of a few merit points.

The Medicine Concocting Pavilion was on the east side of Fragrant Cloud Peak, not too far from where Bai Xiaochun lived. It wasn't like the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion, which was always teeming with crowds of people. The Medicine Concocting Pavilion was a relatively quiet and peaceful place. After all, even on Fragrant Cloud Peak, people who qualified to concoct medicine were relatively few in number. Of that small number, quite a few already had their own personal pill furnaces, and didn't need to come here to rent one.

Bai Xiaochun paid for the right to use the Medicine Concocting Pavilion facilities for an entire month. He was given a personal workshop, complete with a protective spell formation that prevented any interference from outside while he worked.

Clutching the wooden key he had been given, Bai Xiaochun quickly found workshop #13 and walked inside. It wasn't very large, and was completely empty except for the pill furnace and the flame which burned beneath it.

After sitting down cross-legged, Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath, then examined the pill furnace closely. When he tried to manipulate the flame with some spiritual energy, he found that he could cause the flame to grow much hotter, filling the entire room with intense heat. At the same time, the pill furnace itself began to glow bright red.

Drawing upon his foundation in the Violet Qi Control Art, he performed some tests, and quickly got used to the intense heat. It didn't take long before he became familiar with how to control the level of the flame. Finally, he slapped his bag of holding to produce the various types of plants and vegetation.

"The Longevity Incense is too important to put first on the list to concoct. First I'll get familiar with the general concoction process, then I'll try. I'll start out with the Spirit Replenishing Pill. That's a tier-1 pill, useful for the fifth level of Qi Condensation and lower." Bai Xiaochun was now completely determined. Expression very serious, he mentally reviewed the medicine formula for the Spirit Replenishing Pill, then began to concoct.

He produced the first medicinal plant, then waved his hand, causing the leaves to fall off. Eyes gleaming with concentration, he sent his internal spiritual energy out, forming a powerful yet gentle force that crushed the leaves together into nine beads of sap, which he then dropped into the pill furnace.

A plopping sound could be heard, and a green mist instantly rose up within the pill furnace. Bai Xiaochun's eyes gleamed brightly, and as soon as the mist actually appeared, his hands flew through the air as he extracted the stems and veins of the medicinal plant, which he then tossed into the furnace as well. Occasionally, he adjusted the flame, ensuring that more and more mist built up inside the furnace.

None of that mist escaped outside, though. It congealed together, swirling as Bai Xiaochun pulled out the second medicinal plant. After catalyzing it briefly, the medicinal plant bloomed with flowers, the petals of which he plucked and put into the pill furnace.

Time passed. Bai Xiaochun was completely focused on what he was doing as he pulled out one medicinal plant after another. Soon he was on the eighth plant, and his eyes were shining brightly as he stared at the pill furnace. As he continuously adjusted the temperature of the flame, sweat dripped down his face.

Two hours later, a muffled rumbling could be heard from inside the pill furnace. Black smoke poured out, to be absorbed by the room's spell formation. Bai Xiaochun was choking and coughing, and a frown could be seen on his face as he stared at the charred slag inside of the pill furnace.

"Failure…." he murmured. Sitting down and placing his chin on his hand, he began to think. After reviewing everything he had done, he didn't begin another batch immediately. After all, he was a cautious person, and whether it came to memorizing plants and vegetation or concocting medicine, he always wanted to do it in the most prudent way possible.

He contemplated the matter for three full days. During that time, he reviewed what he remembered regarding his first attempt at least a thousand times. That helped him to identify at least fifty problematic areas. Finally, he took a deep breath, rested for a moment, and then once again heated up the furnace.

The actual time it took to produce the pill wasn't very long. Four hours later, the pill furnace emitted rumbling sounds once again, and when the smoke cleared, the spoiled remnants of the pill once again became visible.

At this point, his stubborn determination once again rose up. Removing the slag from the pill furnace, he examined it closely, then compared it to the information he had gleaned so far about medicine concocting. He then spent ten more days further examining the medicine formula, as well as the plants and vegetation involved. Finally, eyes bloodshot, he began to try a third time.

The third batch seemed much more stable, but just in the moment when the pills were about to solidify, everything fell apart, accompanied by muffled booms. Bai Xiaochun leapt forward and stared at the slag again. After more thought, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to ponder the matter further.

This time, he spent nearly half a month. His time in the Medicine Concocting Pavilion was almost up. Finally, his eyes opened, and he gritted his teeth as he began a fourth batch.

Eventually, his time was up, and the most recent batch was a failure.

If any journeyman apothecary could observe what was happening, he would find it hard to believe. Almost any other person would have attempted at least dozens of batches of medicine within a month's time, and would have succeeded in at least some of them.

Even if they only came up with one pill in the end, it would still count as a success.

After all, most people viewed medicine concocting as something extremely difficult. If that weren't the case, then there would be more than a mere two master apothecaries in all of the Eastwood Continent.

Even journeyman apothecaries were not very common, and most of them didn't have any hope of ever becoming master apothecaries.

Of course, the real reason for that was… most people didn't have access to the resources which were needed to truly develop as a journeyman apothecary.

In the end, though, if anyone worked long enough at it, their chances of eventually becoming a master apothecary would be much greater. Therefore, most people believed that the best way to increase one's success rate in medicine concocting was simply to practice a lot!

And that was why most people simply pursued practice.

After you got familiar enough with the process, your confidence in success would increase. Of course, simultaneously, journeyman apothecaries came to view failure as an ordinary thing. After a failure, one could just begin again, and thus slowly improve. That was especially true of the more ordinary medicinal pills. Ingredients for pills like that were not very expensive, and could be used as fuel for that hard work and practice.

However, Bai Xiaochun walked a different path than others. He went much slower, and after every failure, he would spend more time analyzing why he had failed than he had in the actual concocting process.

This had a lot to do with his caution. It would even be appropriate to call him scrupulous. Only a bit of that scrupulousness had come out during his time studying plants and vegetation. Now that he was making his first forray into medicine concocting, his scrupulous nature increased dramatically, becoming the most outstanding aspect.

Because of that scrupulousness, he was able to identify even more problem areas than the average person would. In fact, the number of problems that other people might identify couldn't even compare. He thought and pondered the matter in ways that others wouldn't even consider, and thus identified various fishy areas.

Because of his caution, even the slightest problem was something he would wish to control before he continued with any concocting. It was because of these reasons that he spent so much time thinking.

The month had passed; Bai Xiaochun's hair was disheveled and his face was streaked with ash. Exhausted, he left the Medicine Concocting Pavilion and returned to his courtyard, where he sat there thinking and reviewing.

"There are still nine problem areas. Once I solve those problems, I should be able to continue with the medicine concocting." Gritting his teeth, he sat there in his courtyard, eyes closed, analyzing the matter, occasionally taking a medicinal plant out to observe and study.

Half a month passed before he suddenly rushed out, spent the merit points, and entered the Medicine Concocting Pavilion again.

The fifth batch… was a failure!

After analyzing the matter for seven more days, he found more problems, solved them, and then tried again.

The sixth batch… was a failure!

His eyes were bright red. He spent twenty days contemplating the matter before trying a seventh batch.

Two hours into the process, no rumbling sounds could be heard. Instead, a medicinal aroma spread out, and Bai Xiaochun's face lit up. There inside the pill furnace were two green medicinal pills. The seventh batch was a success!

He tried again, and the eighth batch… succeeded, producing three pills!

The ninth batch… succeed, producing five pills!

The tenth batch… also succeeded, However, in the end, only one pill appeared. It was not green, but rather, black. Furthermore, it emanated no medicinal aroma, but rather, different odd scent.

Even as Bai Xiaochun pondered the matter curiously, the entire Medicine Concocting Pavilion was thrown into an uproar.

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Chapter 41: The Effectiveness of Spirit Enhancement

There were no rats or mice on Fragrant Cloud Peak. Such things could not exist in a cultivation location such as this, not unless they were actually spirit creatures. However, ants were a common thing on the mountain.

Ants were an ordinary part of nature, and usually lived in the cracks and crevices of the boulders which could be all over the mountain. They didn't cause problems for the cultivators, and were essentially just an ordinary part of mountain life. As such, few people paid them much attention.

Today, however, the disciples on duty around the Medicine Synthesizing Pavilion were shocked to find that innumerable ants were filing across the ground toward the pavilion itself.

The disciples on duty gasped; there were so many ants it was impossible to determine how many they were. The sight itself was enough to make their scalps go numb. "What's… what's going on!?"

At the same time, many of the disciples in the various pill-concocting workshops cried out in alarm, and the sound of exploding pill furnaces could be heard. Although the pill-concocting workshops were protected by spell formations, they were also built into the mountainside, which meant that the ants could easily get into them through the various tiny crevices that riddled the mountain.

All of them were heading toward one particular workshop.

That was of course the workshop occupied by Bai Xiaochun, who wore an expression of curiosity as he looked at a black medicinal pill. It was at about this time that he noticed the clamor outside, and suddenly realized that the workshop he was in happened to be filled with ants.

The ants almost seemed to have gone insane, and all of them were heading directly toward him.

"An ant apocalypse has struck Fragrant Cloud Peak!" Bai Xiaochun shrieked, leaping to his feet. Unexpectedly, even as Bai Xiaochun leaped to his feet, so did the ants, heading directly toward the black medicinal pill he held.

Bai Xiaochun's scalp was completely numb, and the first thing he could think of to do was throw the medicinal pill away. Almost as soon as it left his hand, the ants changed directions, pouncing onto it.

The pill was instantly engulfed, transforming into a ball of ants, the sight of which caused the blood to drain from Bai Xiaochun's face.

A moment later, the ant ball suddenly collapsed, and the ants scurried back into the cracks and crevices. No trace remained of the medicinal pill.

In fact, not an ant remained in the entire Medicine Synthesizing Pavilion. The ants had come quickly, and vanished just as quickly. Of course, many of the disciples who had lost the spirit medicines they were working on felt a bit depressed at what had happened, but there was nothing they could do about it. Furthermore, the disciples on duty, having determined that no major losses had occurred, decided not to report the strange incident.

Bai Xiaochun knew exactly why the ants had gone crazy, but as for everyone else, the only thing they saw was a mass of ants passing through.

Bai Xiaochun's heart was still thumping in fear. There hadn't seemed to be anything unusual with the pill he had just concocted. However, he had been very focused on doing a perfect job, a job even better than the previous attempt. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he had actually made some adjustments to the ratios in the last Spirit Replenishing Pill batch.

"Could it be that the final Spirit Replenishing Pill was something extremely beneficial to ants?" Bai Xiaochun shook his head as he thought about how incredible he was. Not only could he concoct shocking medicinal pills, he could concoct pills drove ants crazy.

Upon leaving the workshop, he heard the depressed mutterings of the other disciples, and felt a bit guilty. Ducking his head down, he quickly hurried away.

A few days passed, during which Bai Xiaochun confirmed that the incident in the Medicine Synthesizing Pavilion didn't cause any waves in the sect. Finally, he went back, paid his merit points, then selected a different workshop within which to concoct medicine.

This time, he started working on the Longevity Incense.

Concocting incense and concocting pills were two different things, and required the use of different techniques. Pills were consumed, whereas incense was inhaled. Of course, the final form was different too, one being a pill, the other being a stick of incense.

Considering what happened last time, Bai Xiaochun was very careful in the way he went about working on the Longevity Incense. Two months passed, and after using ten batches of ingredients, he ended up with seven portions.

He left feeling quite satisfied, seven portions of Longevity Incense in hand. Back in his log cabin, he performed a threefold spirit enhancement, after which the Longevity Incense changed to a deep violet color. Although the threefold spirit designs were somewhat faint, they were still visible. Furthermore, the feeling he got when looking at the incense was completely different than before.

Bai Xiaochun looked thoughtfully at the Longevity Incense, and realized that he himself was also very different than he had been. Before, he didn't understand much at all about spirit medicine, but after concocting some on his own, he was much more knowledgeable. For example, he knew that any type of spirit medicine would have impurities, impurities that shouldn't be absorbed into the body, and yet were difficult to separate out. Such impurities could build up inside the body and eventually become so-called medicinal toxins.

That was why many experienced members of the Inner Sect were hesitant to recommend that less experienced disciples consume medicinal pills. Theoretically speaking, much of the medicinal toxins could be expelled out of the body. However, if someone consumed too many medicinal pills and accumulated too much medicinal toxin, it could influence their future cultivation.

Therefore, depending on how many impurities existed within a given spirit medicine, it would be classified as one of six different levels.

"Low, mid, high, superior, premium, supreme…." he murmured, looking down at the Longevity Incense. If the medicine was more than ninety percent impure, it would be considered a toxic medicine, and wouldn't be classified in the hierarchy. Furthermore, such medicines would never be consumed unless absolutely necessary.

If the medicine was around eighty percent impure, it would be considered low-grade, which was the most common type of spirit medicine. Sixty percent impurity was considered mid-grade, and such medicines were not common. In fact, only true master apothecaries were known to produce such medicines.

Medicines which were only forty percent impure were high-grade, and were rare. As for medicines that were twenty percent impure, they were considered superior-grade, and if they were only ten percent impure, they were premium-grade. Those were medicines that usually only appeared in large auctions.

Then there were the spirit medicines that had no impurities whatsoever, the legendary supreme-grade medicines.

Before, he hadn't really understood what he was doing when he performed spirit enhancements on the spirit medicines. But after closely examining the Longevity Incense, he realized that it didn't make it more powerful, the way it did with magical items. Instead… it actually improved the quality of the spirit medicine!

The Longevity Incense he held was now only forty percent impure, meaning that it was a superior-grade medicine!

As soon as he realized this, Bai Xiaochun got very excited. Then he considered the matter a bit more, and decided to make a trip to Violet Cauldron Peak. His purpose was not to visit Big Fatty Zhang, but rather, to visit the only Spirit Enhancement Hall that existed on the south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect.

There, Outer Sect disciples could spend merit points to get help from the Elders in the Spirit Enhancement Hall to perform spirit enhancements. Although there was still a chance of failure, many disciples frequented the place.

After looking around the Spirit Enhancement Hall, and also making some discreet inquiries, Bai Xiaochun was able to confirm that performing spirit enhancements on spirit medicine did indeed reduce the impurities and make them more effective.

After returning to Fragrant Cloud Peak, Bai Xiaochun looked excitedly at the incense he had made, then finally lit one stick and took a deep breath. Almost immediately, he felt as full as if he had eaten a big meal. Furthermore, as the aura of the incense spread out within him, he felt warm and comfortable. It was as if the flame of his life force had been fueled, and was now burning a bit hotter.

Continuing to inhale the incense, he went on to cultivate the Undying Live Forever Technique. As soon as the feeling of hunger hit him, he took a deep breath, and the feeling quickly faded.

The seven sticks of Longevity Incense enabled Bai Xiaochun to cultivate the Undying Live Forever Technique for half a month. During that time, he could sense his Undying Iron Skin growing tougher and stronger.

Feeling in very high spirits, he organized his bag of holding, then went down to the market and sold some of the things he had acquired from Chen Fei and his friends. Using the profits, he purchased ten more sets of ingredients for Longevity Incense, and then once again began to concoct medicine.

Thanks to his constant caution and attention to detail, his success rate in concocting the Longevity Incense increased, rising from seventy percent to eighty, and eventually reaching one hundred percent.

However, he still wasn't satisfied. Although his success rate had reached one hundred percent, the quality of the resulting spirit medicine was merely low-grade.

His skill was not something that could be changed in a short period of time, leaving him with only option: use spirit enhancement to remove the impurities. When he used the Longevity Incense in cultivation, he would breathe in deeply and feel the true happiness that could be attained in Heaven and Earth.

His Undying Live Forever Technique improved with each day, as did his cultivation base, which was now nearing the great circle of the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

His greatest progress was with this Undying Live Forever Technique. With only a bit more work, he would be able to achieve a major success with his Undying Iron Skin. Bai Xiaochun's body was far tougher and more durable than before, and when he used the Throat Crushing Grap, his fingers were an even deeper black color than before.

By that time, though, the Longevity Incense was beginning to slowly lose its effectiveness. In the end, it did virtually nothing, causing Bai Xiaochun to sigh. He was aware that if you consumed enough of any given spirit medicine, the body would eventually adapt to it, and it would lose effectiveness.

If he wanted to continue his cultivation, he would need a spirit medicine that was even better than the Longevity Incense. Unfortunately, the formulas for spirit medicines like that were strictly controlled. It was impossible to purchase them at the market; they could only be acquired with merit points after being promoted to journeyman apothecary.

The only other option would be to go to a larger market, but places like that were some distance away from the sect. After considering the matter, Bai Xiaochun lit up with determination.

"I'm going to get promoted to journeyman apothecary!"

Considering his experience concocting medicines, as well as his skill with plants and vegetation, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to qualify for promotion. However, just to be safe, he spent the following several days buying a few more random medicine formulas. After concocting each one a few times, then analyzing his failures, he felt much more confident, and went to sign up for the journeyman apothecary promotion test.

Of course, the promotion test wasn't something held for a single individual. Only when enough people had signed up would the test be held. After waiting for another month, even as he was pondering some matters regarding spirit medicines, his identity medallion inside of his bag of holding began to vibrate. When he pulled it out, an ancient voice filled his mind.

"Tomorrow at dawn, come to the Journeyman Apothecary Hall, where the test for journeyman apothecary promotion will be held."

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Chapter 42: Promotion Test

The Journeyman Apothecary Hall was located on the south face of Fragrant Cloud Peak. It was surrounded by lush trees and vegetation, and could only be accessed by a narrow limestone path which snaked off of one of the main thoroughfares that ran up and down the mountain. Unless there was a promotion test underway, few people would walk along that path. However, when the time came for the test, it would be packed.

In addition to the disciples who had come to take the test, there were also friends who had come to support the test-takers, or even people who weren't confident enough to take the test without first observing it being held a few times.

From a distance, the Journeyman Apothecary Hall actually looked like a person sitting cross-legged in meditation. In front of that person was a pill furnace, beneath which was a passageway that led into a main square.

Set up in that main square were twenty pill furnaces, all of which looked completely identical. Laid out next to each of the pill furnaces was a bag containing various types of plants and vegetation that could be used in medicine concocting.

It was dawn, and Bai Xiaochun, worried about getting lost, had come very early. However, when he arrived, he found that there were people who had arrived even earlier than him. There were dozens of people standing around in groups of two or three, chatting quietly, and even some people who stood apart from the others alone, waiting cross-legged in meditation.

Bai Xiaochun wasn't the type of person to sit around like an idiot meditating. After glancing around, he caught sight of Xu Baocai and walked over. When Xu Baocai saw him approaching, he clasped hands in greeting, and the two of them began to chat. It quickly became apparent that virtually nothing went on in the sect without Xu Baocai finding out about it.

"Elder Brother Bai," he said, "did you hear that about half a year ago, Chen Fei and his friends were mysteriously beaten into bloody pulps? They've been bed-ridden ever since, and for some reason, won't talk at all about what happened." Even as he spoke, he looked at Bai Xiaochun carefully to see his reaction.

Bai Xiaochun yawned dramatically, and was just about to start boasting about what had happened when all of a sudden, a buzz of conversation rose up in the crowd. At the same time, Bai Xiaochun felt as if someone had suddenly looked in his direction. When he turned his head, he saw a young woman walking toward him.

She wore the long garment of an Outer Sect disciple, but it did nothing to conceal her curvaceous figure. She had a waist as slender as a willow tree, which only served to accentuate the rest of her curves, and make her seem incredibly beautiful. She had long legs, and a perky rear end, and as she approached, people couldn't stop from staring.

With her pretty face, and clear white skin that seemed so delicate it might be broken by a faint breeze, she oozed an attractiveness that could easily prove fatal to almost any man.

Bai Xiaochun was a bit disgusted to hear people gulping dramatically, even Xu Baocai.

Xu Baocai licked his lips, and his eyes shone with infatuation "That's… Elder Sister Du, Du Lingfei!" he whispered excitedly. "She's one of the five hottest women on the south bank! She's the Immortal beauty of my heart…. Oh my goodness, she just looked at me!!"

"She's looking at me!" Bai Xiaochun said derisively. He simply watched as Du Lingfei got closer. Suddenly, her phoenix-like eyes flickered with a murderous aura as she glared straight at Bai Xiaochun. She had long since come to admit that Bai Xiaochun's skill with plants and vegetation exceeded hers. However, she was still filled with complete and utter revulsion for him. With a slight snort, she walked off to the side.

Xu Baocai stared at her in a daze, completely oblivious to Bai Xiaochun's derision. In fact, he seemed more infatuated than ever.

"So Du Lingfei is going to take the test too…." Bai Xiaochun thought. After looking over the twenty pill furnaces, he calmed himself down and focused. "Ah, whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm not here to compete with her. This is an exam administered by the sect, not a contest. Everybody has a chance to get promoted."

Soon, Chen Zi'ang appeared, and when he noticed Bai Xiaochun, he hesitated for a moment, then grinned and called out a greeting. Bai Xiaochun smiled and clasped hands in response, after which Chen Zi'ang sat down off to the side to wait.

Eventually, even Zhao Yiduo showed up, whom Bai Xiaochun had first encountered outside the Missions Offices. Then, more and more people began to appear, and a good-sized crowd built up.

Before too much time passed, the main door of the Journeyman Apothecary Hall creaked open, and an old man walked out. He had a full head of white hair, and piercing eyes, and as soon as he appeared, everyone quieted down.

The old man's expression was calm as he strode forward with hands clasped behind his back. He came to a stop at the front of the square, looked around at all the Outer Sect disciples, then nodded his head and began to speak.

"I am surnamed Xu, and I shall preside over this test for promotion from apprentice apothecary to journeyman apothecary.

"The test will consist of one portion regarding plants and vegetation, and another regarding medicine concocting. To pass the portion regarding plants and vegetation, simply walk through the passageway." Elder Xu didn't seem to want to offer any further explanations. After speaking only three sentences, he simply closed his eyes and ignored everyone.

Even as Bai Xiaochun blinked in response, a long-faced young man walked out from the crowd. After clasping hands and bowing to Elder Xu, he strode toward the passageway leading under the giant pill furnace.

As entered the doorway of the passageway, a beam of light appeared, which surrounded him, then vanished. A moment later, the pill furnace trembled, then let out a five muffled reverberations.

Xu Baocai leaned over and whispered, "Five reverberations means that his skill with plants and vegetation encompases the fifth volume…." He definitely deserved his reputation of knowing about everything in the sect.

Bai Xiaochun blinked again. Before coming, he'd had no idea of how exactly the test would be carried out. Having heard Xu Baocai's explanation, he examined the huge stone pill furnace, and suddenly had the feeling that it must be connected to the stone steles outside the 10,000 Medicines pavilion.

"What do I do now…?" he thought hesitantly. "Zhou Xinqi's fans are still combing the mountain for me."

Soon, more people approached, most of whom received five reverberations. However, one of them only received four reverberations, upon which Elder Xu flicked his sleeve, sending that disciple spinning away.

"Elder Xu!" the disciple exclaimed, face flickering. "I thought volume four of plants and vegetation was the minimum requirement to be able to take the test!"

"The rules have changed. Now it's the fifth volume."

"But…." The young man stared in shock, then bitterly clasped his hands and bowed. Not daring to say anything further, he left.

This turn of events caused the sound of whispered conversations to swell. Xu Baocai's eyes flickered with surprise, and he suddenly produced a tiny notebook, within which he began to take notes. Bai Xiaochun looked over and saw a page filled with lines of handwriting, each character as small as the head of a fly. Apparently it was a record of all matters pertaining to the sect, large and small alike. Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but admire how seriously Xu Baocai took the whole matter.

It was at this point that Zhao Yiduo stood up and entered the passageway. The reverberations echoed out six times, after which Elder Xu opened his eyes and nodded slightly. Zhao Yiduo clasped hands and then stepped out of the passageway.

Chen Zi'ang's eyes flickered. He and Zhao Yiduo had never gotten along, so he snorted coldly and walked into the passageway, after which six reverberations could be heard.

After giving Zhao Yiduo a meaningful stare, and sat back down cross-legged off to the side.

The fact that both Zhao Yiduo and Chen Zi'ang had received six reverberations caused a buzz of envious conversation to rise up. At the same time, Du Lingfei's eyes flickered, and she walked through the passageway. As she did, six reverberations could be heard, which caused even more envious gleams to appear in the eyes of the onlookers.

Murmured conversations instantly broke out.

"Chen Zi'ang, Zhao Yiduo, and Du Lingfei are all persons of outstanding talent within the Outer Sect. Not only have they mastered five volumes of plants and vegetation, but they also have command of the first volume of spirit creatures. I would say that they have a seventy to eighty percent chance of passing the test and being promoted to journeyman apothecary."

"Historically speaking, anyone who takes the journeyman apothecary test having already mastered six stone steles will pass, as long as that disciple's performance in medicine concocting isn't lacking."

Even as everyone discussed the matter, Bai Xiaochun gritted his teeth. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about Zhou Xinqi's fans. Just as he was about to take a step forward, a figure suddenly appeared off in the distance, speeding along the mountain path. It was a middle-aged man, his hair completely disheveled, but his eyes sparkling with life. Even before he arrived, his voice echoed out to be heard by all.

"I, Han Jianye, having spent seven years in secluded meditation, and have finally made a huge breakthrough in my skill with plants and vegetation. Finally, I have emerged once again into the world, not just be promoted to journeyman apothecary, but to become the top journeyman apothecary in the entire test!" Looking very proud and lofty, he flickered through the air toward the giant pill furnace's passageway.

Elder Xu didn't pay the man any heed, not even deigning to open his eyes. However, everyone else in the crowd seemed astonished to have heard the name Han Jianye.

"Han Jianye? Who's that? I've never heard of him before."

"Considering how old he is, he must be an Outer Sect disciple from seven or eight years ago…. He wants to be the top journeyman apothecary, which isn't a very easy thing to do."

Even as everyone expressed their shock, Han Jianye stepped into the passageway, looking extremely proud and confident. Almost immediately, powerful reverberations began to echo out into the air.

One reverberation, two reverberations… five, six, seven… before anyone in the crowd could even react, eight reverberations echoed out from within the pill furnace.

Elder Xu's eyes snapped open, and he looked over at the middle-aged man, a broad smile of praise on his face.

"Five volumes of plants and vegetation, and three volumes of spirit creatures," he said. "Excellent!"

Looking very excited, Han Jianye clasped hands and bowed to Elder Xu. Then he turned, and when he looked at Du Lingfei and the others, the pride in his eyes was very clear. Swishing his sleeves, he sat down confidently in front of the center-most of the pill furnaces.

Finally, gasps could be heard from the crowd, as well as the clamor of conversation.

"Eight reverberations! Not only did he master everything about plants and vegetation, he even got through three volumes of spirit creatures!"

"It seems he might be able to do exactly as he said and become the top journeyman apothecary!"

When Bai Xiaochun witnessed what happened, he was left feeling quite underwhelmed. Therefore, when everyone in the crowd started getting excited, he almost couldn't believe it.

"He only mastered three volumes of spirit creatures, right?" he asked of Xu Baocai. "Why is everyone making such a big fuss?" If he remembered correctly, when it came to the third stone stele of spirit creatures, over a thousand people were listed as having passed it. Even the tenth stone stele had been passed by hundreds of people.

Xu Baocai rolled his eyes, feeling more contemptuous than ever of Bai Xiaochun. Of course, he didn't dare give voice to that contempt, and instead cleared his throat and said, "Elder Brother Bai, you just don't understand. To master all five volumes of plants and vegetation is hard enough as it is. The volumes of spirit creatures are even harder! Even mastering one of them is enough to make you the subject of much envy. Obviously, to master three is even more shocking. Do you think everyone can be consummate Chosen like Zhou Xinqi or the little turtle? Look, just forget about those two. On all of Fragrant Cloud Peak, there are probably less than fifty people who have passed the stone steles of all five volumes of plants and vegetation plus all five volumes of spirit creatures!

"Each and every one of those people are dragons and phoenixes among mortals. Think about it! There are a lot of names on those stone steles, but those name lists are thousands of years old. Plus, many of those people have already moved on to the Inner Sect, leaving only their names behind here in the Outer Sect!

"Furthermore, you only need to master five volumes to take this test. This guy has eight! Just as he said, he's definitely going to become the top journeyman apothecary, which will earn him the 5,000 merit point prize."

Although Xu Baocai's words were actually a bit contemptuous if you paid close attention, Bai Xiaochun didn't really notice. Eyes gleaming with elation, he looked at Xu Baocai and said, "Did you just say that Zhou Xinqi and the little turtle are consummate Chosen? Are they really that awesome?"

"Of course! Especially the little turtle. He's completely shocking. He's the first person in a thousand years to get first place in all ten stone steles. Elder Brother Bai, I have to say, you really shouldn't aim too high." Even as the contempt in Xu Baocai's heart rose to new heights, Bai Xiaochun laughed heartily. The more he was around Xu Baocai, the more he liked him. Clapping him on the shoulder, he suddenly strode forward.

Xu Baocai gaped in shock as Bai Xiaochun walked toward the passageway. Of course, Bai Xiaochun was somewhat well-known for his skill with plants and vegetation, considering that he had defeated Du Lingfei. It was a given that he would eventually take this test.

However, what happened next caused Xu Baocai's eyes to bulge. Xu Baocai strode proudly into the passageway, after which a flash of light could be seen, and the muffled reverberations began.

One, two, three… six, seven, eight!

Everyone became deathly quiet. However, the reverberations didn't stop. A ninth reverberation echoed out and then… a tenth!

RUMBLE!

When the tenth reverberation echoed out, Elder Xu's eyes shot open, and they glowed with unprecedented brightness. He looked over at Bai Xiaochun, completely shocked.

It must be stated that it would be rare enough for one of the thousands of Outer Sect disciples on Fragrant Cloud Peak to master all ten of the volumes, including the five for plants and vegetation, and the five for spirit creatures. Virtually all of them would have already taken this test. For someone to be so patient as to wait until they had mastered all ten was something that Elder Xu had never seen, not until this very day.

Even Zhou Xinqi had taken the test after having mastered only nine.

Du Lingfei's eyes went wide as she stared at Bai Xiaochun standing there in the passageway. Although she had already known that he was far more advanced than her in his skill with plants and vegetation, she had never imagined that he would have reached such an astonishing level. Not only had he completely mastered plants and vegetation, he also had shocking skill with spirit creatures.

Her mind was spinning, and she could do nothing but gape blankly. She couldn't help but recall how she had demanded to compete with him in skill with plants and vegetation, and how he had cautiously and even nervously asked about her ranking. Then she thought about how anxious he had looked when he had agreed to compete.

As of this moment she realized that Bai Xiaochun's nervousness back then had been a front, concealing the wide smile that had blossomed in his heart.

"Bai. Xiao. CHUN!!" she thought, gnashing her teeth.

Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo also gasped and stared at Bai Xiaochun in astonishment.

As for Han Jianye, who had spent so many years in secluded meditation, he began to tremble. He was glaring at Bai Xiaochun, his mind spinning, waves of shock crashing into him as he realized that Bai Xiaochun was definitely his lifelong archenemy.

"The most important part of the journeyman apothecary test is medicine concocting!" he thought. "He might be strong, but I refuse to believe that he can outdo me in concocting medicine. I spent seven years in secluded meditation just to take the top spot in this test!!"

At the same time, the surrounding Outer Sect disciples were gasping and even crying out in shock.

"That was… ten reverberations! That means he mastered all five of the volumes of spirit creatures too! He passed all of the stone steles outside the 10,000 Medicines Pavilion! There aren't even fifty disciples in the entire Outer Sect who can do that!"

"This guy has incredible patience! He waited to pass all ten of the stone steles before taking the promotion test!"

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Chapter 43: Slow… so slow….

"Don't tell me… he's the little turtle!?!?" The crowd was in an uproar.

Of course, most flabbergasted of everyone was Xu Baocai, who was staring at Bai Xiaochun with eyes so wide they seemed to be on the verge of popping out of his head. Moments ago, he had despised Bai Xiaochun for not thinking much of having mastered three volumes of spirit creatures, but now, he clearly had every right to have that attitude….

"Mastery of plants and vegetation and mastery of spirit creatures…. Bai Xiaochun was clearly just messing with me!! But this is simply unbelievable. He's only been in the sect for a few years! Could it be… that he really is the little turtle?" Gasping, Xu Baocai pulled out his little notebook and began to write down the new developments. Inwardly, he was rejoicing that he had chosen to smooth things out with Bai Xiaochun, and was also rejoicing that he hadn't said anything too derisive earlier.

Even as everyone was giving voice to their shock, Bai Xiaochun walked out of the passageway, sighing. Actually, if there had been a way to conceal his accomplishments regarding the ten stone steles, then he would have. After all, there were still Inner Sect disciples among Zhou Xinqi's fans.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about it. He couldn't just give up on the promotion. Despite the fact that he had been forced to reveal the truth, when he saw how excited the crowds were, and when he heard people calling out his name, he was actually quite moved.

"What wonderful fellow disciples. Ah, if only everyone were like that!" Sighing emotionally, and under the eyes of everyone in the audience, he selected a pill furnace and sat down.

Elder Xu looked thoughtfully at Bai Xiaochun. A smile flickered across his face, but quickly vanished. After recovered his composure, he calmly said, "The bag in front of you has ten sets of medicinal plants, which you can use to concoct ten tier-1 spirit medicines, specifically, Inkspirit Incense!

"You will be judged based on your success rate, with a minimum of two successes being the requirement to pass. Whoever has the most successes… will be awarded 5,000 merit points! You may begin immediately."

The Outer Sect disciples in the audience instantly began to buzz with excitement in response to Elder Xu's explanation.

"This time the test is to concoct Inkspirit Incense!"

"Inkspirit Incense isn't the most difficult tier-1 medicine to concoct, but it's not easy…. It's not like Spirit Condensation Incense or other spirit medicines like that, which many apprentice apothecaries have experience with."

"Hmph. They're only refining the ways to test one's qualifications in medicine concocting. Can't you see what's happening? Before, they required four volumes of plants and vegetation, now it's five. They even increased the level of difficulty of the spirit medicine to be concocted. Presumably, things will only continue to get harder in the future."

As everyone discussed the matter, the group sitting in front of the pill furnaces in the square had very serious expressions on their faces. Although some of them smiled bitterly when they heard that the test involved Inkspirit Incense, they didn't allow themselves to be distracted, but instead opened the bags and began to inspect the medicinal plants.

Xu Baocai had mentioned the matter of the 5,000 merit points earlier. Now that Bai Xiaochun heard confirmation from Elder Xu, his heart was thumping. He was already running low on merit points, which he needed to get medicine formulas and medicinal plants.

"If I can get those 5,000 merit points, it will save me a lot of time and effort." With those thoughts on his mind, Bai Xiaochun opened the bag, within which were the ten sets of medicinal plants, plus a jade slip, which was none other than the medicine formula for the Inkspirit Incense.

He didn't immediately begin to concoct the medicine, but instead settled his qi and cleared his mind, then began to study the formula.

He took his time, which was how he had grown accustomed to concocting medicine. Even the slightest question about anything needed to be analyzed completely until he felt completely confident.

His initial research alone took him two hours.

By that time, Du Lingfei and everyone else had already finished inspecting the plants, and were beginning to actually concoct the medicine. In fact, most of them were more than half finished with their first batch.

It didn't take long before everyone except Bai Xiaochun was already in the middle of medicine concocting. Bai Xiaochun was the only one who was sitting there, looking thoughtfully at the jade slip. That sight left Xu Baocai somewhat shocked.

By now, the first batches of spirit medicine were coming out. Rumbling sounds began to emanate from the pill furnaces of everyone except Bai Xiaochun. Most of them had long faces as black smoke rose up, indicating that their first batches were failures.

Han Jianye, on the other hand, threw his head back and laughed loudly. His pill furnace was trembling, and a medicinal aroma began to spread out. Shockingly, a three-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense appeared.

The surrounding Outer Sect disciples all craned their necks to look.

"He succeeded with his first batch!"

"This Han Jianye sure has talent in medicine concocting!"

An excited expression appeared on Han Jianye's face as he glanced around at the other test-takers. His gaze lingered for a moment on Bai Xiaochun, and when he realized that he was still studying the medicine formula, a look of disdain appeared in his eyes. Finally, he pulled out the second set of plants and began concocting a second batch.

Du Lingfei and everyone else all had unsightly expressions on their faces, and gritted their teeth as they began to work on a second batch.

Time passed. By the time the fourth hour of the test had passed, most of the group was finished with their second batch. Muffled rumbling could be heard as… not a single test-taker succeeded.

It was at about this time that Bai Xiaochun put the jade slip down. His mind was now permeated with the medicine formula for Inkspirit Incense. However, just when everyone thought he was about to begin, they were stunned to see him take out one of the medicinal plants and begin to study it closely.

"What is Bai Xiaochun doing? He already studied the medicine formula for four hours! What's the point of studying the plants?"

"I know this is a test, but does he really have to go so slow…?"

Xu Baocai's eyes were wide with disbelief as he watched everyone else starting their third batches.

The audience waited in befuddlement as the sixth hour of the test arrived. By now, eighteen of the test-takers had all consistently failed. Soon eight hours had passed, then ten. Eventually, four people succeeded in concocting the Inkspirit Incense, including Du Lingfei, Chen Zi'ang, and Zhao Yiduo.

The aura of the incense spread out in all directions. Han Jianye was chuckling proudly at being the first person to concoct a second stick of Inkspirit Incense. Looking around proudly, his contempt for Bai Xiaochun grew.

At this point, Bai Xiaochun was studying the fourth of the medicinal plants. Occasionally he would even tear a perforation into the plant itself, which left the audience shocked. Even Elder Xu had noticed.

Time flew by. Soon, twelve hours had passed. Everyone failed in their sixth batch of spirit medicine, except for Han Jianye, who was the only person to succeed.

That caused quite an uproar, and even elicited a slight nod from Elder Xu.

"This Han Jianye has already concocted three sticks of incense! Nobody else even has more than one!"

"In tests past, two successes meant you passed the test, and four successes made you a Chosen. All Han Jianye has to do is concoct one more stick to become a Chosen!"

As everyone discussed the matter, a gleam of self-confidence could be seen flickering in Han Jianye's eyes as he murmured, "I'll definitely concoct a fourth stick of Inkspirit Incense. I'm going to be Chosen, and I'm going to be the top journeyman apothecary!'

Swishing his sleeve in grand style, he began to work on his seventh batch.

Du Lingfei's face was ashen as she gritted her teeth and began working on her own seventh batch.

When the fourteenth hour arrived, Du Lingfei's eyes shone with elation as a medicinal aroma began to spread out from her pill furnace. Even as black smoke rose up from everyone else's seventh batches, she produced the only success!

"I've met the minimum, but mere promotion is not enough!" Du Lingfei constrained her excitement, taking a deep breath as she, along with the ashen-faced Han Jianye, began work on another batch.

In the sixteenth hour, more rumbling sounds could be heard as yet again… everyone met with failure.

As of this moment, of the nineteen other people besides Bai Xiaochun who were taking the test, Han Jianye had three successes, Du Lingfei had two, Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo both had one, and everyone else… had nothing but failures.

As for Bai Xiaochun, he was studying the last of the medicinal plants.

"This test is so hard…."

That was the thought running through the minds of the Outer Sect disciples in the audience. They could feel the anxious pressure building up. Most of the test-takers only had two sets of ingredients left. With the exception of Du Lingfei and Han Jianye, who had already met the minimum requirement, and Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo, who both had one success already, the other test-takers had to succeed with both sets of ingredients, otherwise they would fail completely.

Those remaining disciples were now extremely nervous. Essentially, this ninth batch was the most crucial batch; if they failed, then Elder Xu wouldn't allow them to waste the ingredients set aside for the tenth batch.

If that ninth batch failed, then… their test-taking effort would be a complete failure.

Filled with apprehension and nervousness, everyone focused completely on their ninth batches…. Each and every step received complete and utter attention; those who had already met the minimum requirement wanted to get a better final score, and for those who hadn't met the minimum, they had to do everything they could right now to pass.

Bai Xiaochun, on the other hand… was sitting there holding the final medicinal plant. Apparently, he was considering some important question about that plant, as his brow was furrowed thoughtfully. By now… few people were paying attention to him.

The eighteenth hour seemed to pass very slowly. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Soon, rumbling sounds echoed out. As for the disciples who had not succeeded at all, they rose to their feet, faces pale, chuckling bitterly. After clasping hands to Elder Xu, they dejectedly left the square.

One by one, the disciples left, until soon, only six people remained concocting medicine.

Soon, rumbling sounds echoed out from the six test-takers' pill furnaces, and yet a medicinal aroma emitted from only one of those furnaces, the one belonging to Zhao Yiduo.

Zhao Yiduo's hands were clenched tightly into fists, he was panting, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. He was more excited right now than he had ever been before; he had met the minimum requirements. With two successes, he passed!

Some people were excited, some were depressed. Five people had failed, two of them being disciples who hadn't succeeded a single time. Sighing, they rose to their feet and left.

Chen Zi'ang couldn't be more on edge. He was glaring at Zhao Yiduo, heart filled with bitterness and anxiety. Then he looked with bloodshot eyes at the final set of medicinal plants.

Du Lingfei frowned, then closed her eyes to think. Han Jianye felt the least pressure of all, and yet, he wasn't happy to be stuck with only three successes. He wanted to break through to become Chosen.

"The last batch!" People took deep breaths as they looked out at the square, and the five people left behind. Han Jianye. Du Lingfei. Zhao Yiduo. Chen Zi'ang. And of course… Bai Xiaochun.

Three of them had already met the minimum requirements. Chen Zi'ang had one chance left to do so. As for Bai Xiaochun… people weren't even paying attention to him, and were actually beginning to wonder why he had even come. After eighteen hours, all he had done was study the medicine formula and the medicinal plants. Some people were even wondering… if he had just come to be a part of the excitement.

It was with unprecedented seriousness that Du Lingfei and the others began to focus completely on their tenth and last batch of spirit medicine. As everyone looked on with fixed gazes, the twentieth hour slowly passed.

Rumbling sounds could then be heard from Zhao Yiduo's pill furnace, after which black smoke rose up. He sighed. He had failed in the final batch, but at least he still met the minimum requirements.

In almost the exact same instant that Zhao Yiduo failed, Chen Zi'ang's pill furnace began to emit a medicinal aroma. His wasn't the only one. Medicinal aromas were also spreading out from Du Lingfei's and Han Jianye's!

In that instant, all three of their faces lit up with joy as they realized that they had succeeded!

"I did it! Four sticks of Inkspirit Incense! I took the top spot!!" Han Jianye shot to his feet and his excited laughter began to ring out in all directions. Du Lingfei sighed in relief. Although she hadn't reached the level of a Chosen, three successes was still astonishing.

Chen Zi'ang felt almost as if he had been resurrected from the dead, and began to laugh heartily.

As of this moment, the feelings that the four of them had been suppressing for the last two hours finally erupted out.

"What a difficult test! The fact that Han Jianye could succeed four times despite this level of difficult shows that he really is a Chosen!"

"Du Lingfei got three successes, Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo both got two…. They all met the requirements to be promoted. I bet if the test wasn't so hard, they all would probably have been able to get four successes!"

Even as everyone began to discuss the matter, as the friends of the test-takers were cheering in support, as Elder Xu nodded approvingly at Han Jianye and was about to announce that the test was over… Bai Xiaochun moved.

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Chapter 44: The Sun is Rising

After fully studying the final plant, and resolving all of the issues he had, Bai Xiaochun continued to completely ignore all of the clamor around him. He had focused hard on the information in the jade slip, had become completely immersed in the Dao of plants and vegetation, and had even entered a sort of trance.

Nothing short of the crash of thunder and lightning would be able to break his concentration, nor did he even glance at the results of the others' concocting efforts.

Of course, that attracted the attention of some in the audience, including Xu Baocai. Curious expressions could be seen on their faces as they looked over, clearly wondering why Bai Xiaochun had spent so much longer in his initial observations.

"This Bai Xiaochun is just too slow. Everyone else is finished and he's just starting. Shouldn't the test be over by now?"

"Hmm. You know what, I don't think I ever heard anything about the journeyman apothecary promotion test… having a time limit…." It wasn't clear who exactly said that last sentence, but when people heard it, they began to turn toward Elder Xu, blank expressions on their faces.

Elder Xu hesitated for a moment, but the truth was that the journeyman apothecary promotion test really didn't have any time limit. Therefore, he continued to stand there watching Bai Xiaochun concoct medicine.

Han Jianye wasn't worried at all, and was even chuckling coldly, eyes flashing with disdain. At first, he had been worried that Bai Xiaochun would be a formidable opponent, but after the way this part of the test had played out, he was convinced that there was no way Bai Xiaochun could surpass him.

Du Lingfei's brow was furrowed; Bai Xiaochun rubbed her wrong no matter how she considered the matter.

Bai Xiaochun's movements were blindingly fast, and his eyes glowed brightly. To him, the entire world consisted only of that pill furnace. The various medicinal plants rapidly changed form as he kneaded them into pastes, broke them down into powders, or made other preparations. Then, after putting all of the ingredients into the pill furnace, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and pointed at the pill furnace, causing the Earthflame underneath to burn brightly.

Two hours flew by, and soon a strong medicinal aroma emanated out from the pill furnace. Bai Xiaochun waved his hand, causing a four-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense to fly out. As soon as it landed in his palm, he examined it, and then frowned.

Everyone in the audience had very serious expressions on their faces, and Elder Xu's eyes were flickering. However, just when everyone was expecting Bai Xiaochun to start his second batch, they realized that instead, he was simply… studying the incense.

"What is he doing??"

"He succeeded! Why hasn't he started the second batch?"

Everyone was looking on, stunned.

As for Bai Xiaochun, he was looking at the Inkspirit Incense, feeling quite unsatisfied. Although he had indeed succeeded, he knew that based on the ingredients he had used, the incense should have been seven inches long.

"What went wrong?" he thought. Then he contemplated the matter… for six hours.

Just when everyone was getting to the point where they were running out of patience, Bai Xiaochun's eyes glittered, and he produced a second set of ingredients and began to concoct. Everyone in the audience anxiously watched him work.

Yet again, two hours passed. This time, the medicinal aroma was even stronger than before as a five-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense flew out.

Du Lingfei's face flickered, and shocked expressions could be seen on the faces of both Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo. As for Han Jianye, his eyes flickered, but his expression remained calm. Only he knew that, inwardly, he was starting to get anxious.

Of course, what made him anxious was not just that Bai Xiaochun had succeeded two times, but that… he might continue to succeed!

Under the shocked gazes of all present, Bai Xiaochun flicked his sleeve, sending the third set of medicinal plant ingredients out. His third batch was now beginning, and all of the Outer Sect disciples were watching closely.

Two hours passed in silence. Suddenly, the pill furnace shuddered, and a medicinal aroma even stronger than before filled the area as a six-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense appeared!

"Three times in a row! How… could this be happening!?!?"

"How is Bai Xiaochun doing this? Could it be that he has actually concocted Inkspirit Incense before?!" Cries of astonishment could be heard because of the successive successes; people could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Du Lingfei's breath came in ragged pants as she glared at Bai Xiaochun, waves of shock battering her heart. Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo were both gaping dully.

"Three in a row…." Han Jianye thought, clenching his hands into fists. His eyes were now completely bloodshot. "He must already be familiar with Inkspirit Incense. Well, he got lucky with this batch, but the next batch will be a different story!"

Just when everyone was expecting Bai Xiaochun to start his fourth batch, he held up the six-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense, then frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Then everyone waited… for ten hours.

If this sort of thing had happened with the first batch, everyone would have left. But after having seen Bai Xiaochun succeed three times in a row, they knew that a fourth success would push him past everyone else to the same level as Han Jianye. That was something everyone was itching to see happen.

"Bai Xiaochun takes way too long! It's only a tier-1 spirit medicine! Why does he need so much time to think about it!?"

Of course, Du Lingfei and Han Jianye were the most invested of all, and were staring dead at Bai Xiaochun, completely unwilling to leave.

It was at this point that Bai Xiaochun's eyes glittered brightly. His eyebrows shot up as he waved both hands, sending plants and vegetation flying out as he began his fourth batch. Everyone was now looking on in complete excitement.

Two hours later, rumbling sounds could be heard, but not the type that indicated a failure had been met. Instead, a powerful blast of medicinal aroma spread out, filling the entire area in the blink of an eye. Then, astonishingly, a seven-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense appeared!

The fourth batch was another success!

The audience went wild.

"Four in a row!"

"I can't believe something like this actually happened…. Just how many times will Bai Xiaochun actually succeed!?"

"Two successes are the requirement to pass, and four makes you Chosen! If I remember correctly, Elder Sister Zhou Xinqi got seven successes back when she was promoted!" As the crowd clamored, Du Lingfei's face turned very unsightly. Although she was aware that Bai Xiaochun's skill with plants and vegetation far surpassed her own, to see that such a vast gap existed between them in terms of medicine concocting filled her with mixed emotions.

As for Han Jianye, he was grinding his teeth, and his hands were clenched tightly into balls. He was trembling, and couldn't bear to believe what he was seeing. And yet, everything was happening right in front of him, making it impossible for him to deny it.

"Four successes! Four successes has to be his limit. The rest will definitely be failures!"

Everyone in the audience was now buzzing with speculation regarding how many total successes Bai Xiaochun would achieve. But then, they realized that Bai Xiaochun was simply staring at the Inkspirit Incense.

"What is this guy doing? He's doing more studying?!" Although they were a bit chagrined, the audience members weren't about to leave now. Instead, they sat there, waiting and watching, looking forward to seeing the results of Bai Xiaochun's next study session.

Sixteen hours passed before Bai Xiaochun finally took a deep breath. His eyes were completely bloodshot. Although no one else realized it, the fourth batch he had just produced had come very close to failing.

"This Inkspirit Incense is much, much harder than any of the other spirit medicines I've concocted in the past." Bai Xiaochun was prudent and meticulous. After thinking back to all the other batches he had produced so far, he identified what the problem was, and after confirming that he could prevent it from happening, began a fifth batch.

He was completely oblivious to any of the conversations around him; when he was concocting medicine, his level of focus exceeded imagination. It didn't matter what anybody said, he wouldn't begin to concoct unless he was absolutely confident in succeeding.

Everyone in the audience had been sitting here for so long that they were completely exhausted, and were having trouble staying focused, and yet they were now all craning their necks to see what was happening.

It didn't take long before more rumbling sounds could be heard, and a medicinal aroma spread out in all directions, a fragrant odor that sent shock into the hearts of everyone present.

The fifth batch was a success!

Han Jianye sat there dumbfounded, heart overwhelmed with bitterness. After a long moment, he simply sighed quietly.

This was the moment the crowd had been waiting for. Bai Xiaochun waved his sleeve and began the sixth batch.

Before long, more rumbling could be heard, and smell of incense spread out. The sixth batch was a success!

Bai Xiaochun's eyes glittered. Not pausing for even a moment, he pulled out more medicinal plants and started his seventh batch. However, in almost the exact same instant that he started the seventh batch, an acrid odor suddenly wafted out. It was very faint, and could only be detected by Bai Xiaochun, and yet it caused his heart to begin pounding.

He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and pointed out, reducing the Earthflame temperature. After manipulating the ingredients with the greatest care, he succeeded with the seventh batch!

However, this stick was only three inches long, and contained many impurities, leaving it on the verge of being low-grade, almost toxic. However, as far as the audience was concerned, that still counted as a success!

At this point, the audience was completely and utterly wrapped up in what was happening. Everyone was panting in excitement, especially Xu Baocai, whose eyes glowed with disbelief.

"Seven successes…. Heavens! Bai Xiaochun actually succeeded seven times!"

"He's just as good as Elder Sister Zhou Xinqi! I remember hearing that the only person to ever exceed eight successes was a disciple from years ago named Wang Qingshan, an Elder Brother who is now in the supreme position of being a Successor disciple!"

"Succeeding nine times… is completely unheard-of. Nobody has ever done it!"

The audience was in an uproar, but Bai Xiaochun was sitting there quietly, looking at the pill furnace. His eyes were bloodshot, and by this point, he wasn't even thinking about the test. He was immersed in thoughts of concocting medicine, and was analyzing the near failure from all angles. Next, he pulled out the ingredients and began to examine them again to try to determine the cause.

"This spirit plant is called Inkfruit, and the ink elements within each one are slightly different…." He held the Inkfruit in his hand and continued to observe and analyze it.

Time passed, and more wry smiles could be seen on the faces of the audience as they realized what was happening. Although they were excited, Bai Xiaochun was so thoughtfully slow in medicine concocting that it could make one bristle with anger.

And yet, nobody was willing to leave. The Outer Sect disciples all sat there cross-legged, some of them meditating as they waited for Bai Xiaochun. Others were so exhausted that they leaned up against nearby boulders to sleep.

A strange expression could be seen on the face of Elder Xu. Coughing dryly, he sat there cross-legged, waiting.

Of course, Du Lingfei and Han Jianye weren't going to leave. Although Bai Xiaochun left them physically and mentally exhausted, they had no choice but to sit there quietly.

Everything was very quiet, except for the occasional snores which echoed out. And yet, people were still waiting, and watching Bai Xiaochun. Xu Baocai was among their number.

Hours passed, during which some people awoke from their sleep to find Bai Xiaochun sitting there in contemplation. They couldn't help but sigh.

"I can't believe he's still studying."

"The sun is rising…."

Eventually, after more than twenty hours had passed, Bai Xiaochun suddenly looked up, and his eyes were completely bloodshot.

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Chapter 45: I Could Kill You, Easy!

Bai Xiaochun was panting. By this point, he was focused to the point of tuning everything else out. He wasn't even worried about whether or not he would succeed. His eyes were bloodshot, and his mind was occupied with only one thing: how to be completely and utterly confident!

Unless he was totally confident, he wouldn't start the next batch!

When it came to concocting medicine, his cautious and prudent personality was fully on display.

However, even after all the thought he had put into it, he still couldn't figure out how to solve the problem without first standardizing the ink elements within the Inkfruit. Although that wouldn't count as changing the medicine formula, it would be a slight adjustment to it. After a moment of thought, Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered with determination.

"The only way is to adjust the formula on a case-by-case basis!" He quickly crushed the Inkfruit.

A squishing sound could be heard as juice flowed out, although Bai Xiaochun didn't send it into the pill furnace. Instead, he congealed it in the air in front of him, then began to make adjustments here and there.

Most people in the audience were surprised, but didn't really understand what he was doing. Even Bai Xiaochun himself didn't really think that his actions were anything special; he just felt that this was the best course of action considering the circumstances.

However, Elder Tu had opened his eyes, and a gleam of shock flickered deep therein. Although he had been a bit surprised that Bai Xiaochun had succeeded seven times in a row, what he was doing now was far more shocking.

"This Bai Xiaochun is actually trying to adjust the medicine formula! Incredible! No wonder the Peak Lord told me to keep an eye on him while he was away from the mountain!" Elder Tu continued to observe Bai Xiaochun silently.

A moment later, Bai Xiaochun waved his hand, flushing away the extra ink elements, leaving behind a drop about the size of a fingernail. After sending it into the pill furnace, he produced the rest of the medicinal plant ingredients and then began his eighth batch!

The pill furnace instantly turned bright red. This time, it didn't take two hours. After enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn, the pill furnace trembled, and a medicinal aroma spread out. The eighth batch had succeeded!

Elder Tu looked at the pill furnace, and what he saw was a seven-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense that was black with violet specks!

"That's almost mid-grade!" Elder Tu thought, his eyes shining brightly.

Bai Xiaochun could also tell that this stick of Inkspirit Incense was different than the others. Although he was initially confused, he suddenly realized why all of the other spirit medicines he had produced before were low-grade.

"The medicine formula isn't standardized…. If you adjust things based on your current needs, you can concoct… mid-grade spirit medicines or higher!" Bai Xiaochun suddenly felt as if the world had been opened up to him. Feeling very excited, and before even waiting for the crowd to break out into an uproar, he started his ninth batch!

Everyone was panting, and nobody was talking. They were all completely and utterly shaken. They might have been excited before, but now that they had personally witnessed Bai Xiaochun succeed eight times in a row, they were in a state of complete and utter incredulity.

Not only had he surpassed Zhou Xinqi, he was now on almost the exact same level as the Successor disciple Wang Qingshan!

Before everyone could recover from their shock, Bai Xiaochun rapidly went about concocting the next batch. He only used the time it takes an incense stick to burn before rumbling sounds could be heard from the pill furnace, and a powerful blast of medicinal aroma spread out. The ninth batch… was a success!

"This is unheard-of!!"

"Nobody has ever succeeded nine times, and especially not with Inkspirit Incense! Bai Xiaochun spent an infuriatingly long time thinking, but… but his success rate is completely astonishing!!"

Xu Baocai's mind was spinning, and his jaw hung wide open. Du Lingfei felt her heart being battered by waves of astonishment, and couldn't help but think back to the competition, and how Bai Xiaochun had analyzed that grafted plant.

Han Jianye simply sighed bitterly. Although he was disappointed, he was no longer enraged. If Bai Xiaochun had surpassed him by a small amount, he might have continued to pursue a grudge, but now, he had to admit that he had lost….

"With only one more success, Elder Brother Bai will do something nobody has ever done, not even in ancient times! He… is going to pull off a miracle!"

"Boy was it worth it to come watch the test this time. We got stuck here for a few days, but it was definitely worth it!"

As of this moment, Bai Xiaochun was the center of all attention. Everyone was panting, and their eyes gleamed with intense anticipation. Even Elder Tu felt completely shocked, and was staring with wide eyes.

Finally, Bai Xiaochun moved. His eyes shone with focus as he produced the final set of ingredients. After organizing them into the order that he would use them, he began to feed them into the pill furnace, then performed a double-handed incantation gesture to stoke the Earthflame.

Time passed in complete silence. The only thing the audience could hear was the beat of their own hearts as they waited for the time it takes an incense stick to burn….

An intense rumbling sound could be heard from within the pill furnace. No smoke of failure poured out, and yet, neither did a medicinal aroma. Everyone was shocked.

"Did he fail?" Xu Baocai thought, so nervous that his tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth.

Bai Xiaochun stared in shock, but then he suddenly realized what was most likely happening, and his eyes began to shine.

It was at this point that everyone watching could see a scintillating light shining out from the joints and cracks in the pill furnace. Elder Tu suddenly leapt forward to peer into the pill furnace, within which was a one-inch-long stick of Inkspirit Incense that was completely violet. His eyes danced with elation.

"Mid-grade!" he said, laughing loudly. Flicking his sleeve, he collected up all of the pill furnaces and sticks of Inkspirit Incense which had been concocted.

"The final round of the test is over. Bai Xiaochun, Han Jianye, Du Lingfei, Chen Zi'ang, Zhao Yiduo, you five have all been promoted to journeyman apothecary! Bai Xiaochun, you take the top spot and… are awarded 5,000 merit points!"

The crowd dissolved into wild commotion, the sound of which echoed out in all directions.

"Ten successes! He got ten successes!!"

"Plus, the final batch produced… a mid-grade product! He's only a journeyman apothecary, but can already concoct mid-grade spirit medicine!!"

Xu Baocai, Du Lingfei, Han Jianye, and everyone else present were completely stunned.

It was somewhat grudgingly that Bai Xiaochun watched the only mid-grade spirit medicine he had ever concocted be whisked away by Elder Tu. He was of a mind to give voice to his discontent, but Elder Tu seemed too imposing, and was clearly not going to return the incense.

Bai Xiaochun sighed and exhaustedly left the square. As he walked through the crowd, people looked at him with excitement and admiration. Obviously, the fact that he had succeeded ten times in a row was no fluke, and was something that an ordinary disciple could never do.

"Congratulations on pulling off a miracle, Elder Brother Bai! This is completely unprecedented!"

"Congratulations, Elder Brother Bai, I truly admire you!"

"Elder Brother Bai, I have some questions about plants and vegetation, do you think you could help a Junior Sister out….?"

Bai Xiaochun blinked. He had been so engrossed in medicine concocting that he had completely tuned everything else out. After seeing what a commotion he had caused, he quickly clasped hands and bowed to the audience.

At the moment, he felt nothing short of elated. Back when no one knew who the little turtle was, he had never been able to find the right opportunity to make a big debut. Now that he had, he was experiencing exactly the feeling he had hoped for.

As for the female disciples who were asking for his help, Bai Xiaochun instantly nodded in agreement. Furthermore, as for all of the disciples who were calling him Elder Brother Bai, he asked them to call him Bai Xiaochun, lest people be unaware of his full name.

Just as he was feeling exceptionally proud of himself, he suddenly caught sight of a young man in the crowd, glaring at him. Bai Xiaochun instantly recognized him as one of Zhou Xinqi's devoted fans. Bai Xiaochun's face flickered, and he quickly extricated himself from the crowd and sped off.

After hurrying all the way back to his log cabin, he realized that he was feeling a bit dizzy. Having spent days concocting medicine, he was completely drained, and instantly fell asleep on his bed.

He slept for two days straight.

In the afternoon of the third day, he opened his eyes, feeling completely refreshed. Then, he thought back to how he had personally concocted a mid-grade spirit medicine, and how Elder Tu had then taken it away. Sighing, he took a look at his identity medallion to confirm that 5,000 merit points had been added, and then felt a little bit better.

With those merit points, he could continue to work at concocting medicine, which would also help him cultivate the Undying Live Forever Technique. Next, he made a quick trip out of his residence to retrieve seven or eight medicine formulas from the sect. After picking one for vital energy replenishment, he spent some merit points to get a large quantity of medicinal plants.

The entire process went quickly, but he was jumpy with fear the entire time. Wherever he went, it seemed people recognized him, and he even noticed some of Zhou Xinqi's fans, who glared at him with cold smiles, then produced jade slips to transmit messages to their cohorts.

Bai Xiaochun nervously got all the medicinal plants he needed, then headed, not to his courtyard residence, but to the Medicine Concocting Pavilion. Using the remainder of his merit points, he bought an entire year's worth of time, and then holed up.

"I was a bit careless this time…. Hmph. Just wait 'til I come out. I'm going to make a big breakthrough in my Undying Iron Skin, and if you people mess with me…. Well, if you come at me one at a time, I'll take you out. If you gang up… then I'll just call for the Peak Lord!" Snorting coldly, he began to concoct medicine there in the workshop.

He could well imagine how, during those two days in which he had slept, word of him being promoted to journeyman apothecary had spread. In fact, it wouldn't take long before the entire Fragrant Cloud Peak was talking about it.

And of course, that was exactly what happened. Furthermore, many people were already speculating that Bai Xiaochun… was the little turtle!

There were too many coincidences for there to be any other explanation. Not only had he shown amazing talent with both plants and vegetation and spirit creatures, but Bai Xiaochun had concocted a mid-grade spirit medicine. He had even passed the journeyman apothecary test with ten successes in a row.

Zhou Xinqi's fans immediately sprang into action, as did Du Lingfei's fans. However, none of them realized how cautious Bai Xiaochun was, so much so that he would never return to his residence, but would instead stay at the Medicine Concocting Pavilion. Then they found out that he had purchased an entire year's worth of time in one of the workshops, and they were instantly enraged.

However, the Medicine Concocting Pavilion wasn't a place that they could just barge into. Furthermore, Bai Xiaochun's new status struck fear into their hearts. Although they couldn't really do anything to him, if they roughed him up to teach him a lesson, the sect wouldn't care. After all, people who provoked those above their skill level would get what they deserved.

However, there was nothing to be done now, so the group which had gathered to catch Bai Xiaochun dispersed begrudgingly. However, there was one of their number, a pock-faced young man, who looked at the Medicine Concocting Pavilion with a cold smile.

"You think that hiding in there will keep you safe from me? I couldn't care less that you beat up my cousin Chen Fei. However, you bullied my beloved Junior Sister Zhou, and also my most cherished Junior Sister Du. Plus, my favorite of all, Junior Sister Hou, won't stop talking about you. Bai Xiaochun, you might have talent in plants and vegetation, but killing you won't be any trouble at all for me!" The young man laughed coldly. He was none other than the Inner Sect disciple surnamed Qian, Qian Dajin!

Bai Xiaochun spent one carefree day after another in the Medicine Concocting Pavilion, either concocting medicines or cultivating his Undying Live Forever Technique. As the days went by, he truly did advance by leaps and bounds in the Undying Live Forever Technique.

His skin became tougher and more durable, and he could move even faster than before.

"Another two days, and my Undying Iron Skin will be complete!" Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath, and his eyes gleamed with elation.

However, it was on that very night at dusk that, all of a sudden, a green beam of light shot from the Missions Offices toward the Medicine Pavilion. It completely bypassed the protective shields surrounding the pavilion, and appeared right there inside of Bai Xiaochun's workshop.

Bai Xiaochun gaped in shock at the command medallion which was now hovering in front of him!

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Chapter 46: Mission for the Hall of Justice!

The command medallion was pitch black, and in the very center was the character "Justice," which emanated a bleak and somber air.

Even as Bai Xiaochun stared in at it shock, a cold voice echoed out into the workshop.

"Outer Sect disciple Bai Xiaochun. After an investigation carried out by the Hall of Justice, it has been confirmed that after being in the sect for several years, you have only accomplished a single mission, to raise a spirit plant. Because of this violation of sect rules, you must participate in a mandatory out-of-sect mission, which beings three days from now!"

From the cold and sinister nature of the voice, it seemed apparent that if Bai Xiaochun refused to comply, he would receive the strictest of punishments!

"The Hall of Justice!" Bai Xiaochun's eyes bulged, and his heart began to pound. At the same time, the command medallion transformed into a black glow, and then vanished.

Everything was dead quiet. Bai Xiaochun's face flickered with various emotions as he pulled out his identity medallion. Sure enough, he found that a mandatory mission had been added.

He had completely forgotten about the rule about a minimum number of missions required for disciples on a yearly basis. However, the abrupt arrival of the command medallion from the Hall of Justice was something that Bai Xiaochun found very odd.

After a moment of thought, he left his workshop, walked out of the Medicine Concocting Pavilion, and headed toward the top of the mountain.

"Something's not right here. Why do I feel like a cold wind is running down my back…? Well, I've been in the sect for years now, and have never taken the initiative to go see the Peak Lord. I might as well go pay my respects and see if I can figure out what's going on." Bai Xiaochun was wrapped up in very important thoughts the entire way up the mountain. Eventually, he found Li Qinghou's Daoist assistant, only to discover that Li Qinghou had been out of the sect for several months.

Bai Xiaochun was feeling very bitter, and very nervous. Instead of returning to the Medicine Concocting Pavilion, he went to find Xu Baocai. After all, Xu Baocai knew everything that was going on in the sect, so perhaps he would have some clue about what was going on.

Xu Baocai was still an Outer Sect disciple, and lived on a different part of the mountain than Bai Xiaochun. By now it was evening, and not very many people were out and about. Soon, Bai Xiaochun had arrived outside Xu Baocai's courtyard residence.

This residence was not as remote as Bai Xiaochun's, and was clustered together with seven or eight others. Now that it was dark, firelight could be seen shining out from several of the courtyards.

Bai Xiaochun ducked his head down to make himself inconspicuous. Instead of knocking on the main gate, he flew over the wall, after which he caught sight of Xu Baocai bent over a little notebook, writing.

"Xu Baocai," he whispered.

Xu Baocai was startled, but once he saw who had come, he said, "Elder Brother Bai."

A bit confused, he rose to his feet and invited Bai Xiaochun into his room.

"Elder Brother Bai, weren't you in secluded meditation in the Medicine Concocting Pavilion?" he asked curiously. "What are you doing out here?"

"Xu Baocai, what do you know about the Hall of Justice?" Bai Xiaochun asked immediately.

Seeing the grim expression on Bai Xiaochun's face, Xu Baocai could tell that something was wrong, and quickly responded, "The Hall of Justice? Well, there's a southern Hall and a northern Hall, who administer the two different parts of the sect. They oversee the Outer Sect disciples and servants, but usually don't do anything unless there's been a serious violation of sect rules.

"If a violation does occur, they have a lot of power. There are all sorts of punishments they can enforce. In fact, they even have the power to execute traitors. Essentially, the Hall of Justice is like a sword hanging over the necks of the Outer Sect disciples, ensuring that none of us ever dare to violate sect rules.

"If someone does, and gets noticed by the Hall of Justice, they'll receive swift and severe punishment….

"Of course, although the Hall of Justice has a lot of power, that power is limited. As long as you don't violate sect rules, then you don't really have to worry about them at all." As usual, Xu Baocai went on to give a very detailed description of the Hall of Justice to Bai Xiaochun, based on everything that he knew.

He even went on to tell Bai Xiaochun the grisly fates of some of the disciples who had run afoul of the Hall of Justice.

"Five hundred years ago, a traitor rose up within the Spirit Stream Sect. The Hall of Justice tracked him down for seven days before finally killing him and wiping out his soul!

"Three hundred years ago, an Outer Sect disciple flagrantly violated sect rules. Although the Hall of Justice gave him a chance to repent, he ignored it. In the end, the Hall of Justice reported the matter to the sect, and the disciple was punished in the Blackwind Abyss, where to this very day, he is constantly scourged by biting winds.

"A hundred years ago, the Mount Zhou Society planned an armed rebellion. Despite warnings from the Hall of Justice, they refused to back down. When they finally made their move, the Hall of Justice executed all the cultivators from the Mount Zhou Society, sparing only the mortals."

As Bai Xiaochun listened to all of this, his expression grew more unsightly than ever, and his heart began to pound.

"Are you telling me that normally the Hall of Justice gives a warning first, and resorts to serious punishment only if you don't repent?"

"Yeah, exactly. That's one of the limitations placed upon the Hall of Justice. Otherwise, they would have far too much power." By this point, Xu Baocai had guessed that the Hall of Justice must have set their eyes on Bai Xiaochun. However, matters pertaining to the Hall of Justice were sensitive, and Xu Baocai was intelligent enough to look out for his own interests. Therefore, although he told Bai Xiaochun what he knew, he didn't dare to get any more involved than that.

In the end, just before Bai Xiaochun was about to leave, Xu Baocai hesitated for a moment as he thought about Bai Xiaochun's skill with plants and vegetation, and then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Elder Brother Bai, do you happen to know an Inner Sect disciple from Green Crest Peak named… Qian Dajin? He's Chen Fei's older cousin, and he also happens to be a member of the Hall of Justice."

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Bai Xiaochun left. As he walked along the path in the sect, he looked up at the moon and thought about everything Xu Baocai had said, which only served to confirm what he had already surmised. In the end, he sighed.

"I didn't offend anyone in the sect!" he thought, clenching his jaw. "Other than Chen Fei, there's only the fans of Zhou Xinqi…. Qian Dajin. Qian Dajin!" After returning to the Medicine Concocting Pavilion, he sat down cross-legged in the workshop and looked at the pill furnace. Then his face twitched.

"It's pretty obvious that me failing to complete a sect mission every year is just an excuse. Something like that wouldn't be noticed unless someone specifically looked into it, and even still, it isn't a very big deal. Besides, I couldn't possibly be the only person in the sect who has done that. Since Qian Dajin is a member of the Hall of Justice, he's using his public office to avenge private grudges!" After more thought, Bai Xiaochun's eyes were growing increasingly bloodshot.

"If I go on this mission, he'll definitely make sure something happens to me at some point. Why else would he go through all the trouble of setting this up? However, he would still have to be careful to make sure the sect doesn't find out. Overall, I still have the initiative.

"If I ignore the mission order, then I would be falling right into his hands. He would be able to take control of the initiative, using his status in the Hall of Justice to directly punish me!"

Bai Xiaochun thought about it from many directions, but there was no perfect solution. Eventually, he took out his identity medallion and examined the mission. It only took a moment before he realized there was a familiar name in the mission description.

"Hou Yunfei?" Bai Xiaochun's eyes went wide as he thought back to when he had first become an Outer Sect disciple, and the detailed introduction to the sect Hou Yunfei had given him. Then, he closed his eyes to think more. 1

This mission didn't seem to be a difficult one. A few years ago, Hou Yunfei had accepted a mission outside of the sect, and would check back in every month with news. That was a common arrangement for disciples who took on long-term missions.

However, two months ago, contact was lost, and no news had come back.

Therefore, this new mission had been handed down. Three Outer Sect disciples would be sent to investigate, with no specific instructions regarding the clues they were to gather.

Search missions like this were common within the sect. All the disciples had to do was investigate a bit, turn up some clues, and then come back to the sect to let someone follow up further.

Furthermore, for an Outer Sect disciple to go missing wasn't a very important matter as far as the sect was concerned. Of course they were still disciples, so the matter had to be handled eventually.

That was why missions like this existed in the first place.

Bai Xiaochun thought about it further, and after weighing all the options and facts, clenched his teeth.

"Fine, I'll take the mission." Panting, eyes bloodshot, he immediately began to concoct more medicine. If he was going to go out of the sect on a mission, then he needed to have a major breakthrough with his Undying Iron Skin.

Two days later, Bai Xiaochun's body was shaking, and his skin was vibrating. Suddenly, a wave of blackness spread out across him, which quickly vanished. However, if you looked closely, you could just barely see red streaks of light flashing across him.

"The black is iron, the red is bronze!"

When he pushed down on his skin, a sound like ringing metal echoed out. Next, he shot to his feet and confirmed that he was much faster than before.

After a few more tests, he leaped up into the air and pinched his thumb and index finger together. There were no cracking sounds this time, but rather muffled booms. They weren't very loud, and yet Bai Xiaochun could tell that this move of his was at least twice as powerful as before.

"Breakthrough with my Undying Iron Skin!" he thought excitedly. As of this moment, he was a bit more confident regarding the mission.

"It's too bad I can only concoct tier-1 spirit medicine appropriate for the fifth level of Qi Condensation and lower." Bai Xiaochun stood there in the workshop feeling a bit disappointed. However, time was limited, and he simply couldn't produce the type of tier-2 spirit medicine appropriate for the eighth level of Qi Condensation and lower.

Because of that, his cultivation base couldn't progress very much, and remained in the great circle of the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

"Tomorrow at dawn I leave the sect…." he thought anxiously. This would be his first time truly leaving the sect since he had joined, and he didn't feel safe at all. In fact, he even took out the shield he had acquired from Chen Fei and performed a threefold spirit enhancement on it. That didn't leave him feeling very safe, though. Next, he performed spirit enhancements on the leather clothing he had worn in the competition.

After more thought, he went out in the middle of the night and found Big Fatty Zhang, to borrow his big black wok that supposedly had an Earthflame spell formation built into it. Even still, he didn't feel at ease. However, there was nothing more to be done. Looking very anxious, he returned, not to the Medicine Concocting Pavilion, but his courtyard, where he waited for the sun to rise.

"Qian Dajin, you just wait until I get to Foundation Establishment. Then I'll show you a thing or two!" Bai Xiaochun was more nervous than ever, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. He was scared of dying, after all, and now that he was no longer a newcomer to the sect, he was well aware of how the cultivation world worked.

For the entire night, his imagination went wild as he thought about all the bad things that could happen, until eventually… the sun rose.

1. Hou Yunfei showed Bai Xiaochun around the sect in chapter 14

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Chapter 47: Xiaochun Ventures Out of the Sect

At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight poked out into the sky, Bai Xiaochun felt his identity medallion vibrating. He stood there at the front of his courtyard, looked back at what had been his home for the past two years, and let out a long sigh.

"I'm definitely going to need to be very careful. I absolutely must not lose my poor little life…." Bai Xiaochun had a very anxious look on his face. He had eight layers of leather clothing on, and was wearing Big Fatty Zhang's huge black wok on his back. Although he was actually relatively skinny, having dressed up in this fashion made him look almost spherical.

With a very serious look, Bai Xiaochun left Fragrant Cloud Peak and headed toward the main gate that marked the border of the south bank. On the way, the numerous disciples who looked at him all stared in shock at his unusual getup.

He scowled miserably the entire time, and whenever he ran into people he knew, he would simply wave goodbye to them. Soon he was approaching the main gate, whereupon he saw two people who had arrived ahead of him. One of them was a young man sitting cross-legged in meditation. The other was a young woman who was pacing back and forth in front of the gate, but who currently had her back to him, and yet looked familiar.

"Du Lingfei?" he thought, a look of shock appearing on his face.

It was at this point that Du Lingfei also caught sight of him, and her jaw dropped. Then she noticed what he was wearing, and her brow furrowed.

"You're the last person in the team going to investigate Elder Brother Hou's whereabouts?" she asked.

"Yeah, what a coincidence…." he replied with a dry cough. Then he looked from Du Lingfei over toward the young man. Although his face was expressionless, a murderous aura rippled off of him, and as soon as Bai Xiaochun looked over at him, he opened his eyes and looked back, an enigmatic half-smile on his face.

Bai Xiaochun's heart twitched. After analyzing the matter, he had come to the conclusion that the easiest way for Qian Dajin to do something to him was to place a friend within the mission group. Then, after they all left the sect, that friend could strike at him secretly.

At the moment, he found both Du Lingfei and this young man to be worthy of suspicion. And yet, he acted completely at ease, and even smiled widely at the young man.

"Bai Xiaochun at your service," he said. "Elder Brother, you are…?"

The young man smiled back and replied, "Feng Yan of Green Crest Peak."

Bai Xiaochun quickly clasped hands in respect. "Oh, Elder Brother Feng, I should have known it was you. At first glance you're obviously an extraordinary individual. This is my first mission outside of the sect, so I really hope you can show me how it's done, Elder Brother Feng." It only took a moment for Bai Xiaochun to assess that Feng Yan's cultivation base was at the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

"No problem. You flatter me." A flicker of scorn passed through Feng Yan's eyes. The only reason he'd agreed to take the mission was that Inner Sect disciple Qian Dajin had promised him a lucrative reward to secretly kill Bai Xiaochun.

As far as he was concerned, that wouldn't be difficult at all. All he had to do was be careful and make it look like an accident; Bai Xiaochun was as good as dead.

The only thing he had to be careful about was to make sure that Du Lingfei didn't see. Of course, he was mostly convinced that Du Lingfei had taken the mission for the same reason he had, because of Qian Dajin.

As for Du Lingfei, she was currently frowning. She had never imagined that accepting a mission outside the sect would result in her being stuck with one of the people she despised the most. After all, no one had forced her to take this mission; she had selected it on her own. Although there might be some danger associated with it, it was a relatively simple mission with a hefty reward of merit points.

She had been stuck in the great circle of the fifth level of Qi Condensation for some time now, and needed some Cloudsoaring Incense to break through, which of course required merit points. As soon as she thought about Cloudsoaring Incense, her revulsion for Bai Xiaochun stirred.

"The lily-livered rat!" she thought, glaring at Bai Xiaochun in disgust. She especially despised his sphere-like appearance with all the clothes and the black wok, which made it more obvious than ever that he feared death.

Snorting coldly, she completely ignored Bai Xiaochun and turned toward Feng Yan to clasp hands and bow.

"Elder Brother Feng, now that we're all here, please produce the Windskiff. The sooner we get this mission done, the sooner we can come back."

Feng Yan gave a slight smile, then slapped his bag of holding, causing a white beam of light to fly out. A blast of wind could be felt as the beam transformed into a small white ship, about six meters long.

Fluctuations of spiritual power emanated off of the ship, transforming into an extraordinary pressure.

Bai Xiaochun looked it over and immediately blurted, "Elder Brother Feng, what's that?"

This was his first time seeing anything like this. As the ship hovered there in midair, it was obvious that it was some type of vehicle. Even as Du Lingfei's eyes flickered with scorn, Feng Yan smiled.

"This is a Windskiff. When missions require us to go some distance away from the sect, we can rent ships like this from the sect to make things easier. We can save some of our own spiritual power, at the cost of some spirit stones." With that, he leaped up into the air and settled down into the ship.

Du Lingfei quickly followed, as did Bai Xiaochun. The ship wasn't very big, and was somewhat cramped, but there was still plenty of room for the three of them. Bai Xiaochun sat down in the very back and began to study ship even more closely. The more he looked at it, the more he realized that it truly was an incredible item.

"One of these days," he murmured, "I'm going to get one of these for myself."

Seeing Bai Xiaochun looking like a complete country bumpkin, Du Lingfei couldn't hold back from sarcastically remarking, "Even if you sold yourself into slavery you couldn't afford one!"

Bai Xiaochun looked over at Du Lingfei, measured her up, then nodded.

"True. But if I sold you, I could definitely afford one."

"YOU!" Du Lingfei's phoenix-like eyes went wide, and she was just about to say something more when Feng Yan sent the Windskiff flying off into the distance in a beam of prismatic light.

As they sped along at top speed, whistling through the air, a shield sprang up around the ship, creating a barrier against the wind. Although they could hear the wind buffeting the shield, the inside of the ship was very calm.

Meanwhile, back on Fragrant Cloud Peak, in the Journeyman Apothecary Hall, Elder Xu, who had been in charge of the promotion test, was looking at a jade slip and frowning slightly.

"The Hall of Justice circumvented Fragrant Cloud Peak to force Bai Xiaochun into accepting an outside mission?" After examining the jade slip a bit further, his frown faded away. After examining the details of the mission, he realized that although there might be some danger involved, it was nothing deadly.

Then he thought about what Li Qinghou had mentioned about Bai Xiaochun's personality. "If the kid's a bit lazy, then some punishment isn't uncalled for."

Finally, he put the jade slip down and continued to concoct medicine.

At the same time, Qian Dajin stood outside his Immortal's cave in the Inner Sect, watching the ship flying off into the distance, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

"With Feng Yan's cultivation base, secretly killing Bai Xiaochun should be as easy as flipping over his hand. Bai Xiaochun… you might have exceptional skill with plants and vegetation, but unfortunately, you'll never have a chance to do anything with it. You're dead!" A sinister gleam appeared deep within Qian Dajin's eyes. Smiling, he turned and headed back into his Immortal's cave.

The azure sky stretched out in all directions. Bai Xiaochun sat there on the ship, feeling somewhat nervous, but at the same time looking out excitedly as the scenery changed.

Off in the distance he saw numerous mountain peaks that looked like swords sticking up into the sky, part of a mountain range that looked like a slumbering dragon. There was also… a massive, shocking river!

"The Heavenspan River…." he said, taking a deep breath. After becoming an Outer Sect disciple, had done a lot of research, and had learned that the entire cultivation world relied on the Heavenspan River.

It was actually the source of all spiritual energy.

That was why all of the sects were located in areas near it. Furthermore, the further you went into the Upper Reaches of the river, the stronger the spiritual energy was.

Although the Spirit Stream Sect was technically in the Middle Reaches, even that position had allowed them to stand strong and tall for ten thousand years. According to what Bai Xiaochun had read, the Spirit Stream Sect hadn't always existed in its current position. It had previously been located in the Lower Reaches. But then an extraordinary Patriarch had appeared among the countless sects and cultivator clans there. After distinguishing himself in intense fighting, he gained the approval of a higher ranking sect, and thus earned the qualifications to establish his own sect in the Middle Reaches.

"Supposedly, the sects in the Upper Reaches of the Heavenspan River are so powerful that the Spirit Stream Sect can't even compare to them. Furthermore, according to the legends… there are even more terrifying sects at the source of the river." Bai Xiaochun forced himself to calm down, and reminded himself that he needed to be extra careful in this mission.

Off in the distance, the Heavenspan River looked golden, almost like a huge churning sea. Furthermore, hugging the river were four towering mountain peaks.

"That must be the north bank of the Spirit Stream Sect," Bai Xiaochun thought. Also visible was the main peak of the Spirit Stream Sect, which arched over the Heavenspan River like a huge bridge!

"Mount Daoseed!" Bai Xiaochun had actually seen all of this when Li Qinghou had first brought him to the Spirit Stream Sect. However, at that time he had been a mere mortal. Now that he was an Outer Sect disciple, he got a completely different feeling when looking at it.

The ship shot away from the sect at top speed, following the rippling water beneath as they headed toward the Lower Reaches.

"Junior Sister Du, Junior Brother Bai, I presume both of you have already examined the details of the mission," Feng Yan said coolly, his voice so light that it was almost hard to hear. "We're heading to an area in the Lower Reaches of the Heavenspan River called the Fallenstar Mountains. Junior Brother Hou's last message came from that area. The Fallenstar Mountains mark the boundary of the Spirit Stream Sect's sphere of influence. The rest of the mountains count as the territory of the Blood Stream Sect.

"We might find ourselves in some danger on this mission. However, by preparing ourselves mentally, and also being as cautious as possible, we will likely avoid any major problems.

"However, our final destination is quite a distance away, and will take quite a few spirit stones to get there. Most of our time on this mission will be spent traveling, but with our Windskiff, we will be able to bypass some of the more difficult terrain." With that, a cold gleam flickered in his eyes before he closed them in meditation.

Du Lingfei ignored Bai Xiaochun and began to perform breathing exercises.

Bai Xiaochun felt more vigilant than ever. Despite also sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes, he was really pondering which among these two had been sent by Qian Dajin.

"It's unlikely to be Du Lingfei," he thought. "Which means… there's an eighty to ninety percent chance that its Feng Yan!"

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Chapter 48: The Big Wide World

A day later, when the first spirit stone was completely used up, Feng Yan put the Windskiff away, and the three of them stood atop a mountain peak under the evening sky, watching the sun slowly set over the horizon. Soon, darkness blanketed the lands.

At the foot of the mountain, the dense jungle echoed with the roars of animals and wild beasts. The air was very humid.

"After we get past this jungle, we can rest," Feng Yan said coolly. "What do you two think?" He looked at Du Lingfei and Bai Xiaochun.

"It's dark," Bai Xiaochun pointed out. "That jungle might have some dangerous wild beasts in it; why don't we just fly over it with the Windskiff?"

"Take a break on your own, if you want," Du Lingfei said with a cold snort. "It's just some trees." Not concealing her disdain for Bai Xiaochun's fear of death, she flashed into motion, heading directly toward the jungle.

A glimmer of scorn stirred deep in Feng Yan's eyes, but he smiled nonetheless and then shot down the mountain.

Bai Xiaochun frowned as he watched the two of them leaving. Finally he sighed, and followed them down the mountain toward the jungle, more vigilant than ever.

The humidity increased when they entered the jungle, and there were even some spots which were marshes or bogs. Animals appeared occasionally, but these were three Qi Condensation cultivators. They didn't slow down at all as they proceeded along, gradually forging their way deeper and deeper into the jungle.

Time passed. Eventually, the night deepened. By the time the moon rose, they were already about halfway to the others side. So far they hadn't encountered any fierce beasts. The trip had gone very smoothly. Bai Xiaochun was in the rear position, and even the slightest sound or movement would cause him to leap in fright. Du Lingfei's scorn grew stronger.

"Watch out!" Bai Xiaochun suddenly blurted, stopping in place with a very uneasy expression on his face.

Du Lingfei laughed coldly, and was just about to say something sarcastic when all of a sudden, a wild wind blasted toward them, along with an acrid odor. Du Lingfei's face flickered, and she looked out into the jungle to see countless eyes staring back.

They were bright red, and in almost the exact same instant that she saw them, the sound of flapping wings could be heard. Numerous bats appeared, each one about the size of a hand, flying in their direction.

"Two-headed Bats!" exclaimed Feng Yan. "Their venom dries up the blood and seals the throat! Split up and meet at the mountain peak on the other side of the jungle." Face flickering, Feng Yan burst into motion, heading off at top speed.

Du Lingfei's pupils constricted, and she waved her hand in front of her, throwing out a paper talisman. As it burned, a blue light spread out, covering her with a shield and also increasing her speed. She picked another direction and sped off. Looking over her shoulder as she left, she was shocked to find that Bai Xiaochun had long since disappeared.

Bai Xiaochun had begun fleeing as soon as the wind kicked up. Of course, Bai Xiaochun was very careful and perceptive, and was extremely attuned to danger.

Even as he fled, the bats approached, causing a droning sound to fill the air. They quickly split up into three groups, which began to pursue the three disciples.

A cold smile appeared on Feng Yan's face as he sped through the jungle, and he quickly put away the stick of incense that he had just been holding. That stick of incense was what had attracted the bats, and was also why had had chosen to pass through this jungle on the way to their mission. He had sensed that this would be a likely location to contain Two-headed Bats.

"The weakest of them are at the third level of Qi Condensation. Bai Xiaochun, don't blame me that someone wants you dead." Laughing coldly, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a wooden stick. After blowing a breath of air onto the stick, it ignited with black flames that caused the bats to let out piercing shrieks. Apparently, they hated those flames, and thus instantly dispersed.

Feng Yan smiled and then continued onward, feeling much more at ease.

As for Bai Xiaochun, he was speeding along through the jungle being pursued by numerous bats. However, the bats couldn't match his speed, and before long, there was quite a distance between the two of them. Occasionally, a beam of sword light would flash out, and a bat would scream and fall out of the air.

Bai Xiaochun ran along, and after enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, he looked over his shoulder and frowned.

"It sure was strange for all those bats to suddenly show up," he thought. He walked back a bit and found one of the bats he had killed with a flying sword, and after examining it closely, his eyes gleamed.

"These aren't Two-headed Bats, they're Violetvein Bats! They're just as venomous, but they're different from Two-headed Bats in that their fangs are the main ingredient for the tier-2 spirit medicine Bloodburning Incense!

"Back in the sect, you can sell fangs like this for fifty merit points apiece." Bai Xiaochun was immediately delighted. Not very many people would recognize that these bats were actually listed in the fifth volume of spirit creatures.

Feeling very excited, he began to collect the corpses of the bats. It didn't take long before he had ten bats, from which he began to extract the fangs.

"These bats aren't that strong after all…." he said, chuckling. Soon, a shield sprang up around him, and he began to search through the jungle. Before long, an entire group of Violetvein Bats was flying toward him.

He quickly performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, sending a flying sword bursting out toward the bats. Its speed was incredible, and before they could even get close to him, miserable shrieks filled the air, and numerous bats began to fall to the ground. The few that made it past the sword slammed into his shield and were sent spinning away.

Bai Xiaochun collected the dead bats. Realizing that he was actually in no danger, he felt more at ease than ever. Puffing his chest out proudly, he continued to search through the jungle.

It was in that fashion that he made his way along, collecting more and more fangs….

Four hours later, Feng Yan made his way out of the jungle to the appointed meeting spot on the mountain peak. There, he sat down cross-legged, a slight smile on his face as he waited.

Another two hours passed, and Du Lingfei shot out from the trees, looking very bedraggled. As she sped up the mountain, she looked back anxiously at the dark jungle. Eventually, she reached Feng Yan, and realized that Bai Xiaochun was nowhere to be seen.

"Bai Xiaochun hasn't come out yet?" she asked.

Feng Yan sighed and shook his head. "I wish Junior Brother Bai all the best. Unfortunately, Two-headed Bats are most active at night. If we go back in looking for him, we would be in a lot of danger." In order to make things look even more realistic, he didn't rest, but instead craned his neck anxiously toward the jungle, as if he were waiting for Bai Xiaochun to appear.

Du Lingfei maintained her silence. Although she hated Bai Xiaochun, she didn't hate him so much that she wished him dead. After all, they were fellow members of the same sect. Finally, she sat down cross-legged and looked down at the jungle, sighing.

Time passed, and soon it was almost dawn.

After waiting through the entire night without seeing Bai Xiaochun, Du Lingfei was getting a very uneasy feeling.

Feng Yan rose to his feet. After having stayed up the entire night, his eyes were bloodshot as he looked dejectedly toward the jungle. "If he hasn't appeared by now, I'm afraid it means that Bai Xiaochun… has met with disaster. It's all my fault. If I hadn't suggested to go through the jungle, Junior Brother Bai wouldn't have… ai."

"Elder Brother Feng, don't blame yourself," Du Lingfei said. "Who would ever have thought that there would be Two-headed Bats in this place? Maybe Bai Xiaochun isn't dead yet. Besides, if he is dead, then as fellow disciples, we should go retrieve his corpse!" She was unsure of exactly what sort of emotions she was experiencing, which was a very strange sensation. Although Bai Xiaochun annoyed her, she somehow felt disturbed. After all, there was no deep grudge between the two of them.

Feng Yan sighed and nodded seriously. "You're right, Junior Sister Du. No matter what has happened, we can't give up on him."

With that, the two of them prepared to head back down the mountain to begin the search.

However, it was only a moment later that they caught sight of Bai Xiaochun strolling out from within the trees, yawning. As soon as he was out of the jungle itself, he stretched lazily.

Du Lingfei's eyes went wide, and Feng Yan almost couldn't believe what he was seeing as Bai Xiaochun casually began to walk up the mountain path.

He almost looked like he had just woken up from a good night's sleep. He seemed excited and energetic, as opposed to Feng Yan and Du Lingfei, who were weary from a night without rest.

Soon, Bai Xiaochun was at the top of the mountain. When he caught sight of Feng Yan and Du Lingfei, he hurried over and called out, "Good morning! Elder Brother Feng, Elder Sister Du, that jungle is way too scary! I almost lost my little life."

Bai Xiaochun truly had rested well that night. After clearing the entire jungle of bats, not only had he profited handsomely, he'd found the bats' cave, where he had experienced wonderful night of sleep.

An unsightly expression could be seen on Du Lingfei's face as she glared at Bai Xiaochun. Snorting coldly, she thought back to the complicated feelings she had felt, and suddenly felt even more annoyed with Bai Xiaochun.

A cold glitter passed through Feng Yan's eyes, although his expression was one of joy. "Junior Brother Bai! I'm so glad to see you safe. We worried about you the entire night."

Bai Xiaochun chuckled, and although his expression seemed normal, deep within his eyes, a cold gleam flickered.

Soon, the three of them were on their way again, seated in the ship. Considering what had just happened, Bai Xiaochun suggested that they fly on the ship at night and proceed along on foot during the day. In rare fashion, Du Lingfei agreed, and as for Feng Yan, after a moment of thought, he nodded.

Thus, they proceeded along down the Heavenspan River as they headed toward the lower reaches.

A month passed.

This was the farthest Bai Xiaochun had ever traveled in his entire life. He saw numerous mountains and jungles, places where there was no sign of human habitation at all, and everything was like a huge wilderness.

At one point in their travels, the ground began to quake, and Bai Xiaochun looked off into the distant mountains to see something completely astonishing. It was an enormous giant covered in thick fur, which caused the ground to shudder with each step it took.

The sight of the giant caused Bai Xiaochun to gasp.

One night when they were flying along, lightning crashed off in the distance, and Bai Xiaochun saw… an enormous bird that was just as large as Fragrant Cloud Peak. As it whistled along through the air, countless bolts of lightning danced across its body. The mere sight of such a creature flying along in the middle of the night was completely astonishing.

The most memorable thing Bai Xiaochun saw was during the daytime when he caught sight of a beast on the south bank of the river. It had four stumpy legs, and a head as huge as a mountain. Suddenly, a huge 30,000-meter golden crocodile burst out from within the Heavenspan River and gobbled up the first creature. As the crocodile sank back down into the water, it cast a cold glance at Bai Xiaochun and the others.

That single glanced caused their minds to reel, and blood to ooze out of the corners of their mouths. Splitting pain tore at their eyes, and it took a long moment for them to recover.

Bai Xiaochun shivered and then muttered, "Terrifying. The outside is so terrifying!"

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Chapter 49: Luochen Clan

Although Feng Yan had been on many missions outside the sect, this was his first time traveling so far away. Even his scalp numbed after what had just happened, let alone Du Lingfei, who was petrified.

Thankfully, none of the incredibly powerful creatures they encountered showed any interest in attacking them. At the most, they would look over curiously. Apparently, the auras cast off by the group of three caused such creatures steer clear of them.

Bai Xiaochun got the feeling that it was because they were disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect. Although this area was far away from the sect, it was still within their sphere of influence.

Despite the fear the group felt, they continued onward. After the first month of travel, they made contact with the sect on a pre-appointed day, informing them of their current location. The same thing happened after the second month. It was around that time that they reached the area in the Fallenstar Mountains which was the border of the Spirit Stream Sect's territory.

Along the way, Feng Yan had considered making a secret strike against Bai Xiaochun, but the things he was seeing along the journey left him unnerved. He was in no mood for fighting, and when you coupled that with how cautious Bai Xiaochun was being, and how close he stuck to Du Lingfei, Feng Yan was simply too apprehensive, and couldn't find a chance to make his move. In the end, he was forced to simply bide his time.

When Feng Yan looked at Bai Xiaochun, an imperceptibly sinister flicker could be seen in his eyes.

"So, he's really determined to kill me, huh…." Bai Xiaochun thought, eyes narrowing. "Hates me that much…." Bai Xiaochun was getting worried. He was a perceptive person, and was now very sure of what was going on in Feng Yan's head.

The Fallenstar Mountains were a mountain range that swept from north to south. They looked endless, like an enormous sleeping dragon that split apart the lands.

In fact, even the sky looked different above the mountains, almost as if it were tinged with blood.

According to the legends, many years ago, a star had fallen from the skies and slammed into the earth, causing some of the lands to collapse, and other parts to rise up into the form of this mountain range.

The mountains were covered with dense jungle and filled with wild beasts. However, numerous rare types of plants and vegetation could be found there. Because of that, there were always cultivators willing to go in and brave the danger, however terrifying it might seem.

"These are the Fallenstar Mountains," Du Lingfei said. The long journey had left her exhausted, so to catch sight of their final destination after all this time caused her to sigh with relief.

"The last messages sent to the sect by Junior Brother Hou came from this area," Feng Yan said, producing a magical device from his bag of holding: a Feng Shui compass.

The Feng Shui compass had a silver needle on it, which was currently spinning around in circles.

"According to sect rules, disciples on outside missions are supposed to notify the sect of their location every month. This Spirit Stream Compass should help us locate Junior Brother Hou's last known position." Even as he spoke, the silver needle on the Feng Shui compass suddenly pointed off in one particular direction.

"Got it!" Feng Yan said, flashing into motion. Du Lingfei's expression flickered as she followed along behind him.

Bai Xiaochun looked out over the Fallenstar Mountains, and the thick vegetation which covered them. It was like a sea of plants, within which could be heard the cries of various beasts. Even the occasional roar echoed out.

Bai Xiaochun had a very serious expression on his face as he activated the shield from his jade pendant. With that in place, not even the slightest breeze would get past him unnoticed. Only then did he cautiously follow after Feng Yan.

Feng Yan and Du Lingfei proceeded along without pausing for a moment, speeding along through the Fallenstar Mountains until they found themselves deep in a valley. The valley was filled with trees that had been growing together for so many years that their branches were all interlocked. The knotted and gnarled bark added to the effect; if it were nighttime, the entire scene would be extremely terrifying.

After proceeding along through the valley for two hours, they suddenly came to a stop. Feng Yan looked down at the Feng Shui compass, the needle of which was pointing toward a tree with a trunk so wide that ten people could circle around it with arms extended.

Feng Yan looked at Bai Xiaochun and then pointed toward the huge tree. "Junior Brother Bai, please go investigate."

Bai Xiaochun hesitated for a moment, then looked the tree over. Seeing nothing initially suspicious, he tapped the jade pendant hanging at his waist, causing the green shield to grow a bit stronger. He also placed some paper talismans onto his body before finally edging closer.

"So afraid of dying, and yet you still want to practice cultivation?!" Du Lingfei gave a cold harrumph. She have never liked Bai Xiaochun, so even though she herself was afraid of the dangers they had witnessed, to see him so incredibly terrified of dying made her look down on him even more.

Bai Xiaochun didn't have the time to worry about Du Lingfei. Cautiously approaching the tree, he noticed a portion of bark that seemed to have grown recently. Taking out a flying sword, he cut away that portion of the tree and found that a jade slip was hidden inside.

After removing the jade slip from the tree, Bai Xiaochun scanned it with divine sense, whereupon his expression flickered, and he tossed the slip over to Feng Yan.

Within that jade slip was a single fragment of information.

I found some other clues, and I'm going to the Luochen Clan to get proof….

After looking at it for a moment, Feng Yan frowned, and then handed the jade slip to Du Lingfei. Du Lingfei looked at it, whereupon her expression turned grim.

"The Luochen Clan…." she murmured after a long moment. Then she turned to stare deeper into the Fallenstar Mountains.

These mountains were very large, and filled with numerous natural resources. Considering that this place was on the very edge of Spirit Stream Sect territory, where it bordered with the territory of the Blood Stream Sect, it was only natural that the Spirit Stream Sect would have the area guarded. Those guards were none other than… the Luochen Clan.

The Luochen Clan was a relatively large clan, which had stood guard in the Fallenstar Mountains for a thousand years. Every generation of the clan had Foundation Establishment Patriarchs. Generally speaking, the mere threat posed by such people was more than enough to help them in their duties of guardianship.

In fact, the mission instructions even said to make contact with the Luochen Clan if they ran into any danger.

However, Hou Yunfei's jade slip seemed to indicate that the Luochen Clan… was where he had been heading to find some sort of evidence. After that was when he lost contact.

"What do you guys think?" Feng Yan asked. "Should we go check out the Luochen Clan?" Feng Yan glanced over casually at Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei.

Bai Xiaochun immediately said, "Elder Brother Feng, Elder Sister Du, having found this jade slip, our mission is complete…. We should put safety first. What's the point in going on?" This entire place made Bai Xiaochun feel as if an invisible pressure was weighing down on him.

Du Lingfei hesitated for a moment. If they went back now, they would only be able to acquire the minimum amount of merit points. However, if they investigated further, they might be able to get more.

Feng Yan could see that Du Lingfei was hesitating, and he frowned, thinking about how going back now might reduce the chances he had to kill Bai Xiaochun.

After a moment, he said, "I think we should go to the Luochen Clan and look around. We've come all the way here, how could we simply go back now? After we find out exactly what befell Junior Brother Hou, we might even be able to get help from the Luochen Clan in finding him. If we do, we'll be rewarded with many more merit points.

"Furthermore… as long as we don't go into the depths of the Fallenstar Mountains, we should be relatively safe. Besides, if you're worried about the Luochen Clan, don't forget that all of the cultivator clans in Spirit Stream Sect territory have special seals placed into their blood, making it impossible for them to turn traitor. How could they possibly treat us with any disrespect?" After he finished speaking, Feng Yan looked over slowly at Du Lingfei.

She nodded. After all, what he said made sense. "Very well. We'll go to the Luochen Clan to look around. Who knows, maybe Junior Brother Hou left the Luochen Clan, and then went missing."

Seeing that she had agreed, Feng Yan smiled. Then he turned to look at Bai Xiaochun, and his gaze grew a bit colder.

Frowning, Bai Xiaochun asked: "We accomplished the mission, why let ourselves get dragged into side issues?"

"If you're so scared, then just don't come with us," Du Lingfei said, turning a cold shoulder to Bai Xiaochun as she headed off.

"Junior Brother Bai," Feng Yan said, "I'm responsible for evaluating our performance on this task. We're supposed to make our decisions unanimously. If you don't come with us, it will make it hard to make my evaluation." With an enigmatic smile, he began to follow Du Lingfei. In his opinion, Bai Xiaochun was sure to come along. If he didn't, Du Lingfei would be able to corroborate the fact that the had committed dereliction of duty. When that happened, the Hall of Justice surely wouldn't let things slide.

Bai Xiaochun's face darkened, and his blood began to surge through his veins as he stared with bloodshot eyes at Feng Yan walking away. He might be afraid of death, but as of this point, he was coming to the conclusion that he needed to take control of the situation. Only by settling things with Feng Yan could he ensure that his own position was stable.

"Feng Yan, you're forcing my hand!" he thought. After standing there reticently for a few breaths of time, he bowed his head for a moment, then strode forward to follow Du Lingfei and Feng Yan. Soon, they disappeared into the jungle.

Four hours later, they were still hurrying along. Evening was falling, and the sun was setting, ensuring that the jungle was slowly getting darker and darker.

"We're here!" Feng Yan suddenly said. The three of them stopped walking and looked off into the jungle. Up ahead, the trees thinned out, and numerous limestone boulders could be seen protruding out of the ground.

Numerous courtyard houses were visible, which were organized into the larger form of a mansion that could apparently house hundreds of people. At this time of evening, a clan would normally be at its most active, but unexpectedly, the mansion was completely dark and quiet. Considering the darkness of the sky, the entire place seemed almost abandoned.

The only light provided was by two lanterns which hung at the main gate. Even though there was no wind, the two lanterns swayed back and forth, casting flickering shadows onto the guardian stone lions beneath them.

The scene caused Feng Yan and Du Lingfei's faces to flicker.

As for Bai Xiaochun, as soon as he laid eyes on the mansion, a feeling of impending danger rose up in his heart. It felt like every inch of flesh on his body wanted to scream.

"Something's off about–" Feng Yan said, his heart thumping. However, before he could even finish speaking, the main gate slammed open, and a vile wind blew out. At the same time, a figure emerged noiselessly through the gate.

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Chapter 50: Bizarre Courtyard

The courtyard gate opened, and Du Lingfei, Feng Yan and Bai Xiaochun were completely on guard as they peered inside. Bai Xiaochun was so nervous that he started slapping paper talismans all over himself.

The figure which had just appeared held a lantern in its hand, and stood in the opened gate, wreathed in shadows as it gazed at the three of them.

"Why, might I ask, have the three of you come to the Luochen Clan on this dark evening?"

The flickering light of the lantern just barely revealed a young man, standing there looking at them calmly. He wore a long, green robe, and his face was pale and devoid of any color of blood.

After seeing that that it was a person who had appeared, Feng Yan and Du Lingfei breathed sighs of relief. Somehow, the creepy feeling they had experienced moments ago had subsided a bit.

Feng Yan clasped hands and said, "Hello, Fellow Daoist. We are are disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect, paying a visit to ask a few questions."

By this point, Du Lingfei had noticed the numerous shields which were flickering around Bai Xiaochun, and her brow furrowed in response.

Bai Xiaochun didn't notice Du Lingfei's look. For some reason, the fact that a young man had appeared hadn't caused his sensation of intense danger to lessen at all.

"Ah, Fellow Daoists from the Spirit Stream Sect," the young man said. "Please, come in, and we can discuss matters…." The flickering of the lantern cast shadows on the young man's face, making it difficult to see him clearly as he turned and walked off.

The courtyard gate then opened wide to allow the three disciples to enter.

Feng Yan hesitated for a moment, then walked through the gate. Du Lingfei followed along behind him. As for Bai Xiaochun, he looked around for a moment before gritting his teeth and cautiously entering the courtyard.

Even as the large gate closed behind them, the two stone lions beneath the lanterns outside suddenly turned to look in the direction the gate, their eyes flickering with a blood-colored light.

Inside the courtyard was a green limestone path that wound through various plants and decorative rocks. Faint moonlight shone down, casting everything into partial shadow. The only light came from the lantern, which swayed back and forth in the young man's hand.

The four of them walked along the path, surrounded by gloomy silence. This place almost seemed like a different world than the one beyond the gate.

On the right-hand side of the path were several fruit trees, laden with red fruit. Strangely, despite a lack of any breeze within the courtyard, the leaves on those trees suddenly rustled.

Du Lingfei and Feng Yan seemed more on guard than ever, and Bai Xiaochun, who was last in line, looked around cautiously in all directions. For some reason, those rustling fruit trees seemed very bizarre.

Gradually, a smell like that of fresh blood rose up, faint, but simultaneously distinct.

Bai Xiaochun's heart began to thump, and he was just about to say something when, all of a sudden, fruit began to fall off of the fruit trees, landing on the ground and rolling toward Bai Xiaochun and the others. Strangely, faces could be seen on the fruit, child-like faces with broad smiles that almost seemed to have been painted on.

"La la la! Hello!"

Arms and legs sprouted out of the fruit, and as they ran toward Bai Xiaochun and the others, they clasped hands and then began to skip in circles around the shocked group of three.

At the same time, the fruits began to cry out in excited voices: "Auntie said to be good and not cry! We can only laugh! Ripe fruit is the best fruit!"

Their voices were very charming and sweet as they danced around and began to sing children's lullabies. Now that they were so close, it was possible to smell a sweet fragrance wafting about. It was so sickly sweet, in fact, that upon inhaling it, Bai Xiaochun and the others felt as if they were about to puke their guts out.

When the fruit got too close to the young man with the lantern, he completely ignored them, and even stepped on some of them, crushing them. However, the crushed fruits simply crawled back to their feet, smiling as they continued to dance and sing.

"What the hell are these things?!" Feng Yan exclaimed, eyes flickering. He waved his sleeve, causing a gust of wind to kick up and send some of the fruits flying away. After splatting onto the ground, they lurched back to their feet and re-joined the circle, laughing just as loudly as before.

Bai Xiaochun felt goosebumps rising up all over him, and by this point he was fully surrounded by flickering shields.

Du Lingfei looked at the fruits all holding hands and singing, and her facial expression flickered with fear. Pushing down the disgust in her heart, she gritted her teeth, and her phoenix-like eyes flashed with anger. She was just about to perform an incantation gesture when suddenly, the fruits' faces fell in terror.

"Auntie's coming!!" they cried, running pell-mell back to the tree and leaping up into their original positions. Soon, their laughter and singing had faded away, and they looked like nothing more than ordinary fruit.

The young man from the Luochen Clan didn't look back at them, but they could hear his voice as he said, "Those are some spirit fruits the Patriarch brought back from the depths of the Fallenstar Mountains. What do you think of their singing, Fellow Daoists? They love to sing."

Unsightly expressions appeared on the faces of Feng Yan and Du Lingfei as they followed along.

Bai Xiaochun was still in the very back. Suddenly, the cold feeling of fear rose up inside of him as he realized that… another set of footsteps could be heard!

Step, step, step….

It was impossible to determine when exactly this development had occurred, but as of this moment… there were clearly five people walking along the path!

Perhaps those footsteps had been mingled in with theirs from the moment they had entered the courtyard, and they hadn't noticed because of the strange fruits. But now, in the silence that followed the fruits' outburst, the sound of the additional footsteps was extremely conspicuous.

The echoing footfalls caused Bai Xiaochun to shiver. What was most frightening was that the footsteps were coming from right behind him. Suddenly, an icy breeze seemed to run down his back, as if someone were behind him, breathing on him.

"Hey guys…" he said, "did any of you realize… there's another set of footsteps!?" As the hairs on the back of Bai Xiaochun's neck rose up, Feng Yan's face flickered as he also detected the footsteps.

Du Lingfei's pupils constricted, and she began to pant.

The three of them suddenly stopped walking, and as they did, the sound of the other footsteps vanished.

Bai Xiaochun's heart was pounding. Gritting his teeth, he slowly turned his head to find himself staring into the eyes of a young woman wearing a red robe!

Her robes swayed gently, and her face was as ashen, as if she were dead. She smiled oddly at Bai Xiaochun for a moment before her lips twitched, and she said, "This fire won't do, help me."

The suddenness of what had just occurred caused Bai Xiaochun to leap into the air and scream. The red-robed young woman suddenly transformed into a streak of light that vanished in the blink of an eye.

Bai Xiaochun's face was pale white as he looked around, but nothing was there… except for the echoing sound of his own scream.

Du Lingfei and Feng Yan looked around in fright. Although they didn't see any unusual figure like Bai Xiaochun did, their hearts were still pounding.

Then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out, singing a song. The lyrics drifted throughout the courtyard, strange and mysterious, almost like a lullaby being sung to soothe a baby. The mere sound of it caused the darkness to seem even more spine-tingling than before.

"Good little baby, it's time to sleep; the wind is blowing and the flames do leap; don't you weep and don't make a peep…."

"Enough with the parlor tricks!" Feng Yan blurted, clearly nervous. He instantly performed an incantation gesture, summoning a flying sword, which began to swirl around him.

Simultaneously, the young man with the lantern turned around to look at them. The flickering light from the lantern made him appear stranger than ever.

"What are you standing there for? Come on, let's keep going." He smiled, a smile that was somehow very abnormal.

Feng Yan took a deep breath, and then his eyes glinted with a fierce light as he said, "No, we're not going anywhere. Look, we're here to investigate the disappearance of one of our fellow disciples. Fellow Daoist, do you happen to remember anyone like us coming around here about five months ago?"

Du Lingfei had already pulled out a magical device, and her eyes were shining in concentration.

"No, I don't think so," replied the young man. His softly spoken words floated out into the air and seemed to harmonize with the woman's singing voice.

"Fellow Daoist," Du Lingfei suddenly said, "how come none of your fellow clan members are around?"

The young man's smile widened to the point of looking unnatural. "Oh they're out on business. Are you done with your questions?"

"Yes, we're done here," said Feng Yan. "We'll take our leave now." With that, he turned to walk the other way back down the path. Du Lingfei followed suit, and as for Bai Xiaochun, he had long since taken to flight, and was further on ahead of them.

The young man's smile was now so wide that the sides of his mouth began to rip open, almost as if his head were about to be torn in half! "If you don't want to go any further, the least you could do is stay behind… stay behind to keep us company…."

The lantern suddenly turned a greenish color, making the entire courtyard even darker than before. Even as the words left the young man's mouth, he suddenly began to float through the air toward Feng Yan.

Feng Yan's face fell, and he performed an incantation gesture and pointed out, sending his flying sword speeding toward the young man. A boom rang out as the young man let the sword stab through him. Then, his smile widened even further as he shot toward Feng Yan.

Panting, Feng Yan fell back, simultaneously pulling out a black medicinal pill, which he threw down onto the ground. A rattling boom echoed out as the pill then exploded.

The charging young man was hit by the blast and sent tumbling backward, his body riddled with wounds. However, he apparently didn't feel any pain whatsoever. Smiling the same as ever, he arced through the air as fast as a kite on a windy day, to once again charge toward Feng Yan.

In the spot where the medicinal pill had exploded, numerous glowing lines were now visible, all of which emanated a strong aura of death as they began to form together, as if they were repairing themselves.

As soon as he saw the designs on the ground, Feng Yan cried out in alarm, "There's a spell formation here! It's a Shadowhell Formation!!"

At the same time, the green limestone beneath Du Linfgfei's feet began to vibrate, and then eyes popped open upon them. Emaciated, corpse-like arms as skinny as twigs stretched out. Just beneath the surface of the skin of those arms were countless, worm-like creatures, wriggling and writhing. Those arms… grabbed Du Lingfei's right leg.

Voices rose up from the green limestone, sinister, fear-inspiring voices.

"It hurts when you step on us…."

"Come. Come be with us…."

Du Lingfei's face was ashen. She quickly performed an incantation gesture and pointed out, causing a flag to fly out from her bag of holding. It instantly transformed into two mist beasts, which swirled around her defensively. Simultaneously, a flying sword appeared, and the sword light that shimmered out severed the hands which had grabbed onto her leg, allowing her to fall back.

As for Bai Xiaochun, the woman's singing suddenly grew louder in his ears.

"Don't you weep and don't make a peep…."

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Chapter 51: Elder Brother Feng, Such A Good Guy!

Bai Xiaochun's scalp was tingling so hard it felt like it would explode. Eyes crimson, he let out a powerful shout as he slapped more and more paper talismans down onto his body, causing more and more shields to spring up. Soon, he was surrounded by a barrier almost two meters thick.

Almost in the same moment that all the shields sprang up, the red-robed woman suddenly lunged out of the darkness toward Bai Xiaochun.

A bang could be heard as she pierced roughly thirty percent into the shield barrier before being stopped in place. Then she screamed, a scream that was apparently capable of piercing through the shields. When the ear-splitting sound stabbed into Bai Xiaochun's ears, he began to lose consciousness.

Shocked, he bit his tongue hard, which made things clear just in time to see the woman transforming into a swarm of countless red beetles, which then began to batter against his shield.

However, the shield was too thick, and the red beetles were incapable of piercing through the seventy percent that remained. After bouncing back, they flew back and re-formed into the shape of the red-robed woman.

She stared at Bai Xiaochun for a moment, then began to laugh as she charged toward him once again.

Simultaneously, popping sounds could be heard as the ornamental rocks began to ripple and rise up, transforming into Stone Golems. The fruit trees also sprouted arms and legs, wrenched themselves out from the ground and began to walk forward toward Bai Xiaochun and the others. Especially bizarre was the fact that the fruit on the trees began to laugh and sing nursery rhymes again.

One of the trees joined the red-robed woman to specifically target Bai Xiaochun.

"Puppets!" Du Lingfei gasped.

Bai Xiaochun was trembling violently. In all the years in which he had lived, he had never experienced such a sensation of imminent danger. As the woman closed in on him, he quickly performed an incantation gesture, drawing upon all his spiritual energy as he waved his finger at her.

Instantly, his wooden sword flew out at top speed, a black streak that kicked up a huge blast of wind. Then, a boom echoed out as the sword stabbed into the woman's head.

The woman let out a shrill scream, and her body suddenly dissolved into a mass of red beetles, which twitched and spasmed as they fell down onto the ground and then shattered into pieces.

The wooden sword didn't vanish; after stabbing through the woman's head, it continued to speed onward toward the fruit tree behind her.

It stabbed through the tree, which lurched to a stop and then suddenly exploded. Instantly, the fruit on the tree shriveled up, and yet continued to sing happily even as they died.

Everything that was happening caused the hair on Bai Xiaochun's body to stand on end. Thankfully, his wooden sword was extremely powerful, and after stabbing through the tree, it continued to sail through the air and then blasted a hole into the nearby wall. As soon as the hole appeared, though, tentacle-like tendrils began to swirl out from the broken sides, as if the wall were preparing to re-form itself.

"Get out through that hole!" Du Lingfei cried, instantly flickering into motion. However, Feng Yan was the closest of all of them to the hole in the wall. Wincing at the pain of wasting such a valuable item, he produced another of the black medicinal pills and then threw it down in front of the young man with the lantern. A huge boom echoed out. Feng Yan then borrowed the force of the resulting explosion to fly toward the hole.

Just when he was on the verge of shooting out through the hole, though, his face fell, as two huge stone lions leapt in from outside. Roaring, they charged, one of them toward Feng Yan, the other toward Bai Xiaochun.

Astonishingly, these were the same two stone lions which had been standing guard outside the main gate!

"You can't escape," said the young man with the lantern. "Everyone from the Spirit Stream Sect… shall DIE!" He began to laugh as he once again began to fight with Feng Yan.

When Feng Yan saw that the hole in the wall was already beginning to mend itself, he roared, hands flashing in a double-handed incantation gesture as he summoned a head-sized fireball. That fireball emanated blistering heat as it expanded, sending a wave of flames out in all directions.

The stone lions were shoved back, and the young Luochen Clan cultivator's face flickered. There were also two Treants who were caught up in the flames, one of which exploded.

The other Treant tried to fall back, but was then directly hit by Du Lingfei's deadly flying sword.

Rumbling booms echoed out as green sap exploded out from the destroyed Treants. At the same time, it was revealed that inside of the two Treants were emaciated, gasping figures, whose life force seemed to have been almost completely absorbed.

One of those figures collapsed, unconscious, whereas the other struggled to open his eyes, and then looked excitedly at Du Lingfei.

"Elder Brother Hou!" she cried, having instantly recognized Hou Yunfei. She immediately scooped him up into her arms.

At the same time, the weakened Hou Yunfei grabbed Du Lingfei's arm and poured his last remaining bit of spiritual power into her. "The Luochen Clan has turned traitor. We have to get out of here and warn the sect!!"

Du Lingfei's spiritual energy instantly swelled. Gritting her teeth, she held Hou Yunfei in her arms as she shot toward the hole in the wall with even greater speed.

When Bai Xiaochun looked over, he instantly recognized Hou Yunfei. Then, he flickered into motion as he dodged the stone lion and sped toward the hole in the wall.

As of this point, Du Lingfei was now closest to the breach in the wall, with Feng Yan and Bai Xiaochun close on her heels. The fastest of them all was Bai Xiaochun, who was quickly closing the distance between himself and Du Lingfei.

Feng Yan's face was pale white. The fireball he had just unleashed had taken quite a toll on him. However, after noticing the speed with which Bai Xiaochun was moving, his eyes suddenly flickered with a cold glow, and he held up his hand, within which could be seen a black medicinal pill.

"Junior Sister Du, you have to get word back to the sect! I'll give you a bit of extra power!" With that, he flung the black medicinal pill down into the space between Du Lingfei and Bai Xiaochun.

As the medicinal pill exploded, a powerful force blasted out, pushing Du Lingfei toward the hole even faster than before. Then, a plopping sound like splashing water could be heard as she burst out.

In contrast, Bai Xiaochun was blocked by the explosion, and was suddenly set upon by the stone lion. Instantly, his eyes turned bright red.

"Feng Yan!!" he bellowed. A wind blasted out as the stone lion pounced. Just as Bai Xiaochun was about to dodge, three Treants closed in. There were now four puppets all attacking him simultaneously, making it impossible to evade.

A popping sound could be heard as his shields glittered brightly and then began to shatter. Even the green shield from the jade pendant faded and shattered. Although the majority of the force of the blow was dissipated, the stone lion was extraordinary, and it's attack landed fully on Bai Xiaochun's chest.

The massive force sent Bai Xiaochun flying, his entire body shaking.

"Junior Brother Bai!" Feng Yan cried said. Although a cold smile twisted his lips, his words sounded bitter and lamenting. And yet, he didn't slow down at all; in the blink of an eye, he passed into the rippling hole in the wall. Just when he was about to burst through to the other side, the young Luochen Clan cultivator let out a piercing shriek, then suddenly exploded into a mass of countless chunks of flesh, all devoid of blood, which then shot toward Feng Yan.

Before Feng Yan could pass through the gap in the wall, the chunks of flesh wrapped around him and began to drag him backward.

Feng Yan let out a roar of rage as he was pulled out. By this point, the hole in the wall was on the verge of closing up completely.

After gritting his teeth for a moment, he then bit down on his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood, which landed onto his flying sword. The flying sword instantly turned crimson. Instead of shooting out in attack, it then exploded, transforming into a cloud of shrapnel that shot back toward him.

Although it was injurious to himself, the hail of shrapnel also managed to slash away the chunks of flesh which had grabbed ahold of him!

He was now freed, but was also covered in a mass of cuts and wounds. The pain from his mangled flesh threatened to render him unconscious, but he was still able to clench his jaw and shoot back toward the hole in the wall.

Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun had been slammed by the lion's paw, sending him tumbling backward, screaming. And yet, even as his scream was still echoing out into the air, Bai Xiaochun looked down in surprise at his chest to discover that, although his clothing was shredded, his skin hadn't been harmed at all. In fact… he didn't even feel any pain.

After performing a quick inspection, he confirmed that… although the situation had seemed extremely dangerous… he hadn't been hurt in the least.

The stone lion's blow had sent him flying, but other than that, it had done virtually nothing.

Even as his elation grew, the Treants closed in, and one of them punched him in the back. Although he was thrown forward, he felt no pain at all, whereupon he threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

"I can't believe I'm actually so strong! Fudge! What do I have to be afraid of?!" Enlivened, and now fully confident, he shot into the air toward the gap in the wall, moving with even greater speed than before. In the blink of an eye, he was at the gap.

Feng Yan was now about halfway through the gap, and didn't even notice Bai Xiaochun and his sudden burst of speed. In his mind, Bai Xiaochun had probably already been killed by the numerous puppets.

Just as Feng Yan was about to free himself, a furious gleam appeared in Bai Xiaochun eyes, and he reached out toward Feng Yan's shoulder, which was already outside of the hole.

"Free at last!" Feng Yan laughed. But then, he suddenly felt a huge force dragging him back through the hole.

"No!!" he howled. Before he could even see what was dragging him, he felt his bag of holding slip away, and then he was flung deep into the courtyard, away from the gap.

It was only at this point that he saw Bai Xiaochun.

"Bai Xiaochun!!" he howled, eyes bloodshot. However, he was now cut off by the two stone lions. Booms rang out, followed by a miserable scream.

"Elder Brother Feng!!" Bai Xiaochun screamed, simultaneously leaping through the hole in the wall.

Just as he emerged on the other side, the hole finished closing up.

He was now outside, no longer in the courtyard of the Luochen Clan. As for Du Lingfei, she had continued to run as soon as she had emerged, and was now waiting some distance off at the edge of the forest. When she saw Bai Xiaochun appear, she was just about to call out to him when he suddenly began to wail miserably.

"Elder Brother Feng!! Not only did you give me your bag of holding to help me escape, you also held off the puppets. Oh, Elder Brother Feng!"

After hearing Bai Xiaochun's words, Du Lingfei felt horrible. However, the gap was closed, and Bai Xiaochun was just standing there in grief and indignation, so she quickly said, "Bai Xiaochun, come on, let's go!"

Not needing any further coercion, Bai Xiaochun began to run, tears streaming down his face. Helping Du Lingfei support Hou Yunfei, they vanished into the forest.

Looking over his shoulder, Bai Xiaochun frowned sadly and said, "Elder Brother Feng, such a good guy…."

Du Lingfei was very upset. She had never imagined that the mission would be this dangerous. Then she remembered Bai Xiaochun's suggestion to not come to the Luochen Clan, and realized that if they had listened to him, Feng Yan might not have died.

And when she saw that Bai Xiaochun was in so much grief that he was on the verge of beating his own chest, she felt even worse. Finally, she sighed.

"Junior Brother Bai," she said, looking at him bitterly, "let's hurry up. If the Luochen Clan has turned traitor, they won't want the sect getting wind of it. I just tried to send word back, but there's interference in the area…. Transmission jade slips won't work."

Bai Xiaochun shivered, feeling more in danger than ever before.

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Chapter 52: Luochen Betrayal

Meanwhile, beneath the Luochen Clan mansion was a sprawling, underground necropolis. In one part of the necropolis was a lake of simmering blood, filled with countless floating skeletons.

The glitter of a spell formation could be seen surrounding the entire thing, and countless members of the Luochen Clan were prostrating themselves around the lake. There were men and women, youngsters and old-timers, all of whom knelt at key nexuses within the spell formation.

It was with utter solemnity that one by one, they would slice open their right hands and squeeze blood down onto the nexuses, which carried the blood into the central lake.

In the very middle of that lake of blood, an old man sat cross-legged. His hair was long and white, and he seemed threatening without being angry. With every breath he took, the lake of blood bubbled.

Suddenly, the man's eyes opened, and they gleamed with a blood-colored glow.

"What's going on!?" he demanded, his cold voice echoing throughout the necropolis.

One of the clan members closest to him was a young man, who looked exactly like the young man from up in the courtyard who had tried to kill Bai Xiaochun and the others. He leaned over and whispered, "Patriarch, three disciples from the Spirit Stream Sect showed up. It happened so quickly that I was caught unprepared. I was worried that it would influence the larger task at hand, so my puppet body on the outside, along with the spell formation and the other puppets, tried to kill them. Unfortunately… I'm so useless, Senior. I only managed to kill one. The other two escaped, and… they took the other disciple we caught last time with them."

The young man was feeling quite discouraged. Normally speaking, if a disciple of the Spirit Stream Sect went missing, it would take at least half a year before the sect officially declared them as missing. Only then would other disciples be sent to investigate. Considering that, by the time such disciples arrived in the Fallenstar Mountains, at least nine months should have passed.

However, only four months had gone by, and yet disciples from the Spirit Stream Sect had already arrived. It wasn't just this young man who was taken aback. No one in the entire Luochen Clan could have guessed that the disappearance of a mere Outer Sect disciple was anything to worry about. Logically speaking, no one should have been sent to investigate so quickly.

Furthermore, if Hou Yunfei hadn't managed to uncover the secrets of the Luochen Clan, they would never have take him captive. According to their original plan, they needed half a year to be completely prepared, then rise up and free themselves from the control of the Spirit Stream Sect!

However, that meant they still need a month of time….

"Two Outer Sect disciples…? Hmph! The defensive spell formation has already been activated. Seal the area and send people to track them down and kill them. We only need one more month… and then nothing will be able to stop us!" The old man didn't seem to be worried at all about what had happened, and closed his eyes to continue meditating.

The young man sighed, bowing his head in compliance.

It didn't take long before seven figures emerged from within the Luochen Clan. The one in the lead position was the same young man, whose cultivation base was in the eighth level of Qi Condensation.

Of the other six, the weakest were in the sixth level of Qi Condensation, with two being in the seventh.

"They won't be able to get far. Let's go!" The seven cultivators shot into the jungle, eyes shining with killing intent.

Out in the jungle, Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei were moving along as fast as possible while simultaneously propping up Hou Yunfei. They tried to use their Windskiff, but apparently the same interference from the spell formation that made transmission jade slips inoperable had the same effect on the ship.

The expressions on the faces of Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei grew even darker.

Bai Xiaochun's face was pale, and the sensation of imminent crisis within him couldn't be greater. Every inch of flesh and blood within him was screaming out at him to flee as fast as he could!

If he went any slower, he would surely die!

The sensation of danger was far greater than what he had felt from Feng Yan. After all, even though Feng Yan had tried to kill him, he had been nervous about it and tried to do it secretly.

Bai Xiaochun had known all along that as long as he was careful, he would most likely be able to avoid whatever move Feng Yan made against him, and could probably even strike back at him.

But now… the instant he thought about the information in their possession, he trembled, and sweat began to pour down his face. Considering that they knew about the Luochen Clan's betrayal, it was obvious that they wouldn't hesitate to kill all of them.

They would no doubt go to any and all lengths to ensure their silence.

Furthermore, they wouldn't strike out in secret, they would attack like a lightning bolt!

Nor would they allow much time for them to get very far away. In fact, there were almost certainly members of the Luochen Clan chasing after them already.

"Damn you, Hall of Justice. This mission… is not the type that Outer Sect disciples can handle!!" Then Bai Xiaochun remembered that the Luochen Clan had a Foundation Establishment Patriarch, and he began to shake even harder.

"Foundation Establishment…. The difference between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment is like the difference between being mortal and being in Qi Condensation…." Bai Xiaochun was so nervous that his eyes were bloodshot.

"I practice cultivation… to live forever…." Bai Xiaochun wanted to cry, but no tears would come. He looked over at Hou Yunfei, and knew that he would never be able to abandon him just to gain some speed. That was something he could never bring himself to do.

Du Lingfei's face was pale; her cultivation base was the weakest of them all, and her internal spiritual energy was recovering very slowly. The more time passed, the worse she felt about the situation.

She knew that they were facing almost certain death. Perhaps someone in the seventh level of Qi Condensation might be able to fight back against a Foundation Establishment Patriarch. But now, Feng Yan was dead, and she was only in the fifth level of Qi Condensation, with no hope of being able to break through to the next level any time soon. As for Bai Xiaochun… considering how scared he was of dying, Du Lingfei would never place any hope in him.

"I never imagined I would die on my first mission outside of the sect," she thought, laughing bitterly. However, things weren't over yet, and it wasn't the time to give up, so she gritted her teeth and produced a medicinal pill from within her bag of holding and popped it into her mouth. Then she looked over at Bai Xiaochun, who was pale-faced and shivering, and she sighed. At the moment, she no longer felt any scorn for him. Producing a medicinal pill bottle, she tossed it over to him.

"Junior Brother Bai, make sure to keep your internal spiritual energy up."

Bai Xiaochun stared in shock at the medicinal pill bottle, then opened it and consumed one of the pills. It was at this point that he suddenly remembered something, and produced two medicinal pill bottles from Feng Yan's bag of holding.

"Elder Brother Feng had some medicinal pills," he said, handing one of the bottles to Du Lingfei.

She accepted it silently, and the two of them proceeded along as fast as possible. Before long, they were back in the location where they had discovered Hou Yunfei's jade slip. When Du Lingfei saw that tree, she sighed inwardly.

By now, it was useless to have regrets, so without another word, they continued to speed along. Gradually, Du Lingfei began to slow down, which made Bai Xiaochun even more nervous. Finally, he then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along, carrying Hou Yunfei at the same time.

Du Lingfei had long since noticed that Bai Xiaochun was much faster than her. When he grabbed her arm, she almost pulled away, but when she saw the look of terror on his face, she sighed and allowed him to pull her along.

It was at this point that Hou Yunfei shivered, and his eyes slowly opened. He looked exhausted.

After assessing his current position, he laughed bitterly and said, "Junior Brother Bai, I never thought that, after all these years, we would meet again like this."

Seeing that Hou Yunfei was awake, Du Lingfei quickly offered him a medicinal pill.

Bai Xiaochun looked at Hou Yunfei and sighed. "Elder Brother Hou…."

"There's still hope for us," Hou Yunfei said. "For their own personal benefit, the Luochen Clan slaughtered people from the mortal world, extracting their blood and bones for use in a spell formation. Their Foundation Establishment Patriarch is currently presiding over the Inverse Blood Grand Magic, so he can't personally come after us. Furthermore, the entire Luochen Clan is maintaining the spell formation. Therefore… they won't be able to send very many people after us!"

Hou Yunfei smiled, took the medicinal pill from Du Lingfei, and swallowed it. Then, his eyes began to shine as he said, "Although we can't get a message to the sect from this location, if we get far enough away, we'll definitely be able to!

"Something big like this, an entire cultivator clan rebelling, will definitely provoke a huge reaction from the sect!"

Thanks to the medicinal pill, he no longer needed help from Bai Xiaochun, and began to speed along on his own power.

Because of that, they managed to pick up speed. Soon, the borders of the Fallenstar Mountains became visible, and eventually, they shot out into the open, whereupon Du Lingfei pulled out a jade slip and tried to make contact with the sect. Moments later, her face drained of blood, and she shook her head.

"Still not working…?" muttered Bai Xiaochun, his heart pounding. Hou Yunfei merely stood there silently.

None of them spoke any further as they continued on dejectedly. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, a whistling sound could be heard from behind them. Their faces fell as seven figures burst out of the trees not too far away.

In the lead was the young man in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, who looked at Bai Xiaochun and the others, eyes flickering with killing intent.

"Like I said, you… can't get away! Never forget that the person who killed you is named Chen Yue! Kill them!"

The Luochen Clan members immediately pulled out magical devices, and cold light appeared in their eyes as they closed in.

The faces of Bai Xiaochun, Du Lingfei, and Hou Yunfei flickered, and they gritted their teeth as they tried to pick up speed.

Chen Yue was laughing coldly as he flicked his sleeve, causing a violet skull to appear. As it sped through the air, it cackled madly, and within the blink of an eye, it was almost directly upon Bai Xiaochun and the others. At that point, Chen Yue waved his finger, and the skull exploded.

The resulting shockwave sent the three Spirit Stream Sect disciples spinning apart. Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei suddenly lost their momentum, and were almost instantly surrounded by the Luochen Clan members.

Bai Xiaochun, however, kept speeding along. Before, he had been somewhat held back by the other two, but now that he was on his own, he burst out with incredible speed, breaking free of the Luochen Clan members. It only took a moment for him to put dozens of meters between them, and from the look of it, he was only starting to pick up speed.

Even Chen Yue, the only member of the Luochen Clan in the Eighth level of Qi Condensation, could do nothing but stare in shock.

"He's fast," Chen Yue said coolly. "First kill these two, then we'll go after him!" Waving his sleeve, he turned to Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei, killing intent boiling.

Du Lingfei coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her body was already spattered in blood; she was surrounded and certain that she was going to die. As she looked at Bai Xiaochun fleeing off into the distance, she began to laugh bitterly.

She was well aware that Bai Xiaochun feared death, so although she wasn't very surprised, she couldn't help but feel bitter and hopeless.

"Junior Brother Bai, I hope you manage to get away…." she thought. At the same time, she performed an incantation gesture, sending a flying sword out with the power of Lightness-in-Heaviness. Coughing up more blood, she continued to try to defend herself.

Hou Yunfei was also laughing bitterly, but his eyes shone with a cold light. He let out a roar, and although his spiritual energy was mostly depleted, he wasn't ready to just give in. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to take some of the enemy with him as he died, if only to buy some more time for Bai Xiaochun.

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Chapter 53: Bravery!

Bai Xiaochun's face was pale and his heart was pounding. The sensation of danger left him so alarmed that he felt like he might die at any moment, leaving him shaking uncontrollably.

He had never been this frightened before in his entire life. Not when he had left his village to light the incense and brave the lightning, not when Li Qinghou had taken him to 10,000 Snakes Valley, not even when he had seen all those fantastic and powerful creatures while traveling.

In all those situations, he had been nervous, but he had also been confident that… he wouldn't die!

But today, he had the distinct sensation… that he was really going to die!!

As he flew along, he suddenly realized that he was alone. Then he looked back in shock to see that the seven members of the Luochen Clan had surrounded Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei, several hundred meters back.

He also saw that Du Lingfei was coughing up blood. Anyone in this situation would be able to tell that she and Hou Yunfei wouldn't be able to hold on for very long before they were cut down.

A tremor ran through Bai Xiaochun as he stood there watching. He began to shake even harder, and his eyes were completely shot with blood. He could feel his very soul screaming at him to run away as quickly as possible.

In fact, Bai Xiaochun was quite sure that, considering the speed he could maintain, and given that Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei were preventing the enemy from giving chase, there was actually a good chance… that he could get away.

If he did, he could keep on living, he could continue to practice cultivation, and he could pursue what he really wanted: eternal life with no death. Not only would the sect not punish him if he survived, they would even reward him.

However… if he simply ran away, leaving Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei to their deaths, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life. He felt as if his entire body had been split in half, with one half telling him to flee at top speed, otherwise he would die. The other half was telling him that if he left his fellow sect members to die, that he would never be able to rest at ease for the rest of his life!

Panting, he let out a frustrated cry of anger. Blue veins popped out on his forehead, and he was shaking as hard as a tumbling die. At the moment, he wasn't thinking much about the specifics of the situation, or the potential consequences. His hands clenched into fists as a single thought ran through his head….

"I, Bai Xiaochun, might be afraid of dying, but… I'm not gonna just run away!" He suddenly began to beat at his chest with his fists. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and he let out a thunderous roar as he suddenly… shot back toward Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei!

He moved so quickly that whistling sounds echoed out in all directions. Hou Yunfei trembled at the sight of Bai Xiaochun's sudden reversal in course, and his expression was hard to read. He looked astonished, thankful, and all of a sudden, he started laughing. Then, determination glimmered in his eyes, and without even thinking about defense, he charged toward the Luochen Clan members with everything he had.

Simultaneously, Du Lingfei, whose body was splattered with blood from where a flying sword had slashed across her, looked up to see Bai Xiaochun, eyes bloodshot, roaring as he charged in their direction.

She felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her jaw dropped. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as numerous emotions flooded through her. She was touched, excited, and shaken.

She knew how much Bai Xiaochun was afraid of dying, so when she saw him flying toward them, physically trembling, eyes crimson, she could only imagine how much bravery he had summoned… to stop running away, turn around, and then come back for them.

"Get out of here, you idiot! Run! Don't get yourself killed!!" Tears streamed down her face. As Bai Xiaochun ran toward them bellowing at the top of his lungs, she didn't notice that one of the Luochen Clan disciples in the sixth level of Qi Condensation was unleashing a palm strike toward her back.

A boom rang out, and blood sprayed out of her mouth. Her vision swam as she tumbled to the ground. Then, one of the Luochen Clan cultivators' flying swords began to speed through the air toward her head.

When Bai Xiaochun saw what was happening, he let out an even more violent roar, and pushed forward with another burst of speed, reaching his very limit. He streaked through the air, turning into a beam of light that shot toward Du Lingfei. Even as the flying sword bore down on her, Bai Xiaochun landed at her side, scooped her up with one arm, then clenched his right hand into a fist and punched out toward the flying sword.

A boom echoed out as the flying sword was sent spinning away by the force of Bai Xiaochun's blow.

The Luochen Clan members were all greatly shocked. Chen Yue's eyes flickered with surprise, but then quickly began to radiate icy killing intent.

"Nice. An expert in disguise. I should have noticed you back when you were in the Shadowhell Formation! Listen up everyone, ignore the other two and kill this guy!" As soon as the words left his mouth, murderous looks appeared in the eyes of the other Luochen Clan members, and they began to close in on Bai Xiaochun.

Du Lingfei was in a bit of a daze as Bai Xiaochun held her in his arms. Before she could do anything, he put her down off to the side and then shot toward the incoming Luochen Clan cultivators.

His eyes were bright red, and it almost seemed that as of this moment, he wasn't thinking about dying at all. In fact, he wasn't thinking about anything except: Save Hou Yunfei. Save Du Lingfei. And kill all the enemies!

The nearest of those opponents was in the sixth level of Qi Condensation, and as he closed in, his hands flickered in an incantation gesture. In response, a glowing awl suddenly appeared, which shot viciously toward Bai Xiaochun.

"Screw off!" Bai Xiaochun roared, unleashing a ferocious palm strike. The little awl began to wobble, and when Bai Xiaochun's palm slammed into it, the glowing light shattered, and the awl was sent spinning away.

The cultivator who had summoned the awl gasped, and an expression of shock flickered across his face. Just when he was about to fall back in retreat, Bai Xiaochun performed an incantation gesture and pointed out. His wooden sword appeared and shot out like lightning. It didn't matter that his opponent was in the sixth level of Qi Condensation; he was incapable of evading, and in fact, didn't even have time to react before the sword stabbed into his forehead.

A miserable shriek echoed out as the wooden sword stabbed all the way through him, coming out the other side in a spray of blood. Then, it circled through the air and headed toward the next enemy.

At the same time, one of the Luochen Clan members in the seventh level of Qi Condensation performed an incantation gesture, causing mist to roil up around him, making him look like an enormous mist giant. Even as he closed in, Bai Xiaochun's hand suddenly shot out, and his thumb and index fingers connected. Black light flickered, and the defenses provided by the mist could do nothing to stop the black light.

Throat Crushing Grasp!

Cracking sounds rang out as the mist dissipated. The cultivator's eyes went wide at the sight of the arm grabbing his neck. Then, his throat was completely crushed.

Everything happened with incredible speed. Only a few breaths of time had passed since Bai Xiaochun had begun his charge, and already, two members of the Luochen Clan had been killed!

Hou Yunfei, who had already fallen back to stand at Du Lingfei's side, gasped, and his eyes went wide with shock.

Du Lingfei was completely and utterly taken aback. The Bai Xiaochun she was seeing right now was completely different from the one she remembered, causing her to pant in disbelief. Was this really the same Bai Xiaochun who was so afraid of dying?

At this point, the remaining shocked members of the Luochen Clan finally unleashed their killing moves. These were their most powerful trump cards, one being a flying sword, another a pearl, and the last, a little cauldron, all of which shot toward Bai Xiaochun.

Astonishingly, the three of them were joining forces to attack simultaneously!

Of that group of three, two were in the sixth level of Qi Condensation, and one was in the seventh. Their combined attack was completely vicious as they went all out with everything they had to try to strike down Bai Xiaochun when he couldn't dodge.

Bai Xiaochun's eyes were glowing red as the three closed in on him. Even as their magical devices bore down on him, he curled his arms and legs up until he looked like a ball. Previously, Du Lingfei had mocked the big black wok he wore on his back, but now, it covered him up completely.

The little cauldron which had been unleashed by the cultivator in the seventh level of Qi Condensation slammed into the black wok, causing a boom to echo out that could shake Heaven and Earth. Cracks spread out across the wok, but it held strong against the cauldron.

Next was the pearl. Rumbling sounds echoed out as it slammed into the wok. The wok couldn't hold up any longer, and exploded, transforming into countless black fragments that showered out in all directions. Bai Xiaochun shot out from the wreckage, flying toward the Qi Condensation seventh level cultivator.

When the man saw Bai Xiaochun flying toward him, his face fell. He immediately fell back, but couldn't move fast enough.

None of the magical protective items the man had could do anything to stop Bai Xiaochun, who slammed into him, causing the cracking sounds of breaking bones to ring out. Instantly, Bai Xiaochun went in for another attack, butting him with his head.

BOOOMMMM!

"No!!" screamed the man. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and a look of despair filled his eyes, but he couldn't break free from Bai Xiaochun.

Off to the side, his fellow clan members in the sixth level of Qi Condensation were nearly scared out of their minds. Trembling, one of them sent a flying sword toward Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun completely ignored it as he once again lunged toward the middle-aged man.

The flying sword slammed into Bai Xiaochun, and in a completely shocking twist, it didn't stab into him, but rather, bounced off and was sent spinning away.

Bai Xiaochun let out a roar, striking the middle-aged man once more. A bloodcurdling scream echoed out as the man died.

To the other two clan members in the sixth level of Qi Condensation, Bai Xiaochun, with his bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair, looked like a wild beast. Their scalps began to tingle as he slowly turned to look at them. Without the slightest hesitation, they turned and fled.

Off in the distance, Chen Yue was completely shaken by what had just occurred, and he could scarcely even believe what he had just witnessed.

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Chapter 54: Principles!

Seeing that the two cultivators in the sixth level of Qi Condensation were fleeing, Bai Xiaochun performed an incantation gesture, then waved his finger. His little wooden sword instantly flew through the air, slashing across the neck of one of the cultivators.

His companion's eyes instantly shone with an unprecedented level of astonishment and terror.

They were the ones who were supposed to be doing the chasing and killing, but now… the tables had turned, and they were being cut down!

In a few short moments, Bai Xiaochun had already killed four people!

The remaining cultivator in the sixth level of Qi condensation had an ashen face as he went all out to try to escape. His heart was pounding, and he was trembling all over. How could he ever have imagined that the slender, pure and fair Spirit Stream Sect disciple could… be so utterly terrifying?

Bai Xiaochun's eyes shone with a savage gleam, and he was just about to give chase when, all of a sudden, a sensation of danger welled up in his heart.

At the same time, Du Lingfei cried out urgently, "Watch out!"

Bai Xiaochun immediately leaped backward. In almost the exact same instant, a three-meter tall violet skull shot into the area where he had just been standing, then exploded.

A boom rang out as the power of explodion blasted out, slamming into Bai Xiaochun. For the first time, his Undying Iron Skin felt pain, and blood even oozed out of his mouth as he flew backward.

The person to attack him had been none other than Chen Yue, who was in the eighth level of Qi condensation.

His expression was unsightly, and a very serious look could be seen in his eyes. After saving his fellow clan member from danger, he flashed through the air toward Bai Xiaochun. Behind him were two other cultivators, who were in the sixth level of Qi Condensation. They gritted their teeth and followed along.

Three people were now charging toward Bai Xiaochun.

Hou Yunfei wanted to help, but was simply too weak. The attack he had made earlier drained him of the last scrap of spiritual energy he had, and blood was currently seeping out of the corners of his mouth. Unfortunately, he was in no state to fight.

Du Lingfei had been seriously injured, and as she anxiously watched Bai Xiaochun fighting, she realized that all of the previous hostility and prejudice she had felt toward him were long gone.

Bai Xiaochun's face was ashen as more blood oozed out of his mouth. He appeared to be on the verge of collapsing, and had seemingly lost much of the speed he had been capable of earlier. Seeing that, Chen Yue and his companions closed in for the kill.

However, as they closed in, a brutal gleam appeared in Bai Xiaochun's eyes. While it was true that his Undying Iron Skin couldn't completely block Chen Yue's attack moments ago, the truth was that it had absorbed the majority of the force of the attack. His current weak state, and even the blood oozing out of his mouth, were all an act.

In the blink of an eye, he redoubled his speed. Furthermore, instead of retreating, he switched directions, passing Chen Yue toward his true target… the two Luochen clan members in the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

Chen Yue's face flickered, and even as he made to block Bai Xiaochun's path, Bai Xiaochun's wooden sword shot toward him. Chen Yue performed an incantation gesture and pointed out, summoning the same skull from earlier. Rumbling sounds echoed out, but Chen Yue was incapable of stopping Bai Xiaochun.

A fierce gleam appeared in Chen Yue's eyes, and he waved his sleeve, causing a lantern to materialize, which expanded out in a fireball that sped toward Bai Xiaochun.

At the same time, the two weaker cultivators were crying out in shock and falling back in retreat. However, Bai Xiaochun moved as fast as lightning, and was almost instantly upon one of them, whereupon he reached out with his thumb and index finger, causing a flickering black glow to appear as he pinched his fingers together.

Throat Crushing Grasp!

The nearest Luochen Clan cultivator screamed, and then a cracking sound echoed out as his neck was crushed. At the same time, the blisteringly hot fireball was closing in on Bai Xiaochun from behind, and there was clearly no time for him to jump out of the way. Instantly, it slammed into him.

A sea of flames exploded out, surrounding Bai Xiaochun, and causing both Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei to shout out in alarm: "Bai Xiaochun!!"

Further off, the surviving cultivator among the duo seemed delighted at the sight of Bai Xiaochun being consumed by the fire, and even started laughing.

But then something barreled out from within the sea of flames to appear directly in front of that laughing cultivator. His eyes went wide, and before he could even retreat, Bai Xiaochun kicked down viciously, crushing the man's head into his torso. He didn't even have a chance to scream before he was completely dead.

By this point, Bai Xiaochun was panting, and his eyes were even more shot with blood than before. Wounds riddled his body, and blood was oozing out of his mouth as he slowly looked up to glare at the last member of the Luochen Clan… Chen Yue!

Being stared at in such a way caused Chen Yue's heart to prickle. His cultivation base was in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, and he could be considered one of the Chosen in his clan. Although he didn't quite have the status of Crown Prince, he had the approval of the Patriarch and had experienced numerous deadly battles with beasts in the Fallenstar Mountains. Such deadly tempering had given him extraordinary battle prowess.

As such, he completely looked down upon disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect. Although they far exceed him in terms of status, to him, cultivators from the big sects were like flowers in a flowerpot. Although they had extraordinary divine abilities, when it came to battles of life and death, they couldn't possibly match up to him.

And yet now, Bai Xiaochun caused terror to well up inside of him. In fact, the moment that Bai Xiaochun's eyes locked onto him, he felt more frightened than any time he had encountered a wild beast in the Fallenstar Mountains.

That gaze contained a ferocity that seemed to wish to consume him alive, and caused coldness to spread out in Chen Yue's heart.

When he thought about the fact that this person had slaughtered six of his fellow clan members in quick succession, he was completely and utterly shaken. In fact, what was most unbelievable of all was that this person's cultivation base… was merely in the great circle of the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

"He's way too powerful and fast! He obviously cultivates some sort of body refinement magic, and has cultivated it to the level that he can kill people in one blow!

"Furthermore, his defenses are terrifying!

"He doesn't have any magical techniques, but his control over his flying sword is incredible. The sword not only moves with unimaginable speed, it's backed with astonishing power. And that wooden sword is definitely no ordinary item. It's obviously something so incredible it can kill someone in the sixth level of Qi Condensation!

"This guy must be a famous Chosen from the Spirit Stream Sect. How come I've never heard his name before? Bai Xiaochun!" In his shock, Chen Yue felt a desire to fight burning within him. He waved his hand, causing three fist-sized jade skulls to fly out.

His expression was very serious as he looked over at Bai Xiaochun.

"I underestimated you, but that's not going to happen again. Let's see which is more powerful, the magical techniques of your Spirit Stream Sect, or the killer ghouls of my Luochen Clan!"

Even as his words continued to echo out, Chen Yue performed an incantation gesture, causing the three skulls to suddenly begin to scream in very lifelike fashion. They also rapidly grew larger, until each one was fully three meters tall. Then, they all shot toward Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun's breath came in ragged pants. His mind was a blank, devoid of any thinking. He had forgotten about the possibility of dying, and the only thing he had was the impulse to cut down his opponent.

As the skulls closed in on him, he quickly performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, then waved his finger, sending his little wooden sword screaming out, to be joined by two other ordinary flying swords. Instantly, massive amounts of sword light filled the area as Bai Xiaochun began his charge.

There was also a little shield which appeared and began to fly around him, radiating magical light.

A moment later, Bai Xiaochun and his flying swords slammed into the skulls, causing massive rumbling sounds to echo out. Instantly, fierce fighting broke out between Bai Xiaochun and Chen Yue.

Chen Yue was in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, with a cultivation base much more profound that Bai Xiaochun's. However, in terms of power and defense, as the two fought, it became obvious that they were about even.

Waves of shock battered Du Lingfei's heart. She was so nervous that her hands were clenched into fists, and her fingernails dug painfully into her palms.

The annoying Bai Xiaochun she remembered from the competition was nowhere to be seen. He had been replaced by someone with veins of steel, someone who was able to fight with Chen Yue of the Luochen Clan!

"I misjudged him…. This is the real Bai Xiaochun….

"He really is afraid of dying, but to come back and fight to the death like he has done takes far more courage than that possessed by most ordinary people…." As she looked at Bai Xiaochun, Du Lingfei's eyes glowed with increased vigor.

"Even though he fears death, his heart is strong, and he has principles. Even if he is afraid of getting killed, he won't give up on his companions…."

Ear-splitting booms rang out constantly. Before long, Bai Xiaochun's two ordinary flying swords were destroyed. Only his wooden sword remained. However, the three skulls were much dimmer than before, and were clearly significantly damaged as they flew back to Chen Yue.

Bai Xiaochun took advantage of the opportunity that provided to launch another attack. Blood sprayed out of Chen Yue's mouth as Bai Xiaochun's Throat Crushing Grasp latched onto his arm. Cracking sounds rang out as the bones were shattered. However, Chen Yue still managed to spit a tiny sword out of his mouth, which shot toward Bai Xiaochun and stabbed a full inch into his shoulder!

Not even the Undying Iron Skin could stop it, and blood immediately began to flow. Chen Yue instantly shot backward, but before he could get very far, Bai Xiaochun, eyes bloodshot and completely disregarding his own injuries, gave chase at top speed.

Chen Yue's face looked extremely unsightly as he clenched his jaw in the face of the deadly situation that was developing. He quickly performed an incantation gesture and then tapped his forehead, causing his entire body to tremble. Even as all of the qi and blood in his body began to surge violently, he slapped his hand down onto the crown of his head.

"Bai Xiaochun, someone is going to die today, and it will be either me or you!" On any other occasion, Chen Yue would have already ceased fighting. But this was a critical moment for his clan, and he knew that he had to kill Bai Xiaochun. He quickly spit out some of his life blood, which was voraciously consumed by the three skulls.

"Ghoul Bloodbath!" he howled as he unleashed his secret magic. The three skulls' eyes began to glow with mysterious light as they shot toward Chen Yue and began to madly chew away at his flesh and blood as they tried to burrow into his body.

The bizarre sight caused Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei to gasp. Simultaneously, Chen Yue let out a miserable howl. His entire body was shaking, and his expression was completely vicious as a black fog roiled out from inside of him, transforming him into a three-meter-tall ghoul!

"Die!" he roared, shoving his hand out as he shot toward Bai Xiaochun.

"You'll be the one to die!" Bai Xiaochun howled. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, and then he pointed up into the air. Spiritual energy roiled madly out of him, shooting up into the air to form the shocking image of a cauldron!

This was none other than…

Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning!

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Chapter 55: Crown Prince Chen Heng!

"Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning!?" Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei were both shocked, and expressions of intense astonishment appeared on their faces.

That was especially true of Du Lingfei. Having having mastered the art of Lightness-in-Heaviness, she knew how difficult Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning was, and that on all of the south bank, only a few people could do it.

Rumbling echoed out as the huge cauldron slammed into the ghoul. The ground quaked as it screamed and collapsed into numerous strands of black fog that roiled out in all directions, revealing Chen Yue.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he slammed down onto the ground. Looking up bitterly at the huge cauldron, he murmured, "Violet Qi… Cauldron Summoning…."

With that, he struggled to turn his head to look one more time at Bai Xiaochun before passing away into death. The secret magic he had unleashed inflicted serious damage on his internal organs. That, coupled with a blow from the Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning that destroyed even the ghoul, ensured that he had no hope of surviving.

Even as he died, his eyes were still staring at Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun looked at the dead Chen Yue, and then suddenly sagged in place. His internal spiritual energy had been vastly depleted, leaving him dizzy and as weak as a deflated balloon. He stood there, shivering, swaying back and forth, his face pale. He almost didn't dare to believe that he had actually killed all these people.

As he thought back to the events which had just played out, he suddenly noticed a sweet taste, which was the blood oozing out of his mouth.

"I'm bleeding…" he thought. "I… I almost got killed!!"Everywhere hurt, especially his shoulder. There were also numerous burns all over his body, which pulsed with pain. As Bai Xiaochun thought back to the fight, fear welled up within him, and he trembled.

"Why… why did I come back? That… was so dangerous. I might have lost my little life…. I, Bai Xiaochun, am always careful in everything I do. How could I have been so impulsive…?" Just as post-traumatic stress was about to hurl him into regret, something extremely soft and yet simultaneously firm leapt into his arms. He could feel curves, and could smell a delicate fragrance. It was none other than Du Lingfei.

At first, he was surprised, but his expression quickly turned serious. Holding Du Lingfei tight, he calmly said, "Elder Sister Du, fear not. With Bai Xiaochun here, no one will be able to harm a hair on your head!"

Even as he spoke, his hand suddenly found itself resting on a soft, curved surface….

"Thank you, thank you…." she gushed emotionally, tears streaming down her face. It took her a moment to realize that somehow she was in Bai Xiaochun's arms. And then she realized what his hands were doing behind her, and her face reddened. She quickly backed up and looked at him angrily.

Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat, savoring the sensation he had just experienced, and mused that Du Lingfei definitely deserved to be known as one of the top beauties on the south bank.

A strange expression could be seen on Hou Yunfei's face. Clearing his throat, he smiled at Bai Xiaochun. "Junior Brother Bai, we'll have time later to think about everything that has happened here. The Luochen Clan is definitely going to send more people to kill us, and this time it will most likely be the most powerful experts they have under the level of Foundation Establishment. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Bai Xiaochun shivered. He had just used every trick he had at his disposal to beat these people. The mere thought of anyone showing up who was more powerful than Chen Yue caused Bai Xiaochun's face to grow pale. Looking at the chaos around him, he instantly nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, let's get out of here, as quickly as possible!" With that, he instantly began to run away. He cut a very different image than the vicious fighter with veins of steel. However, this time, Du Lingfei didn't find it annoying, but actually rather charming. As she followed along, she thought back to the vicious fight he had gone through to rescue her, and the glow in her eyes grew stronger.

Hou Yunfei shook his head. Quickly gathering up the Luochen Clan members' bags of holding, he caught up with Bai Xiaochun and handed them over.

"Junior Brother Bai, these are your spoils of war."

Bai Xiaochun threw them into his robe without even looking at them. As of this point, he couldn't stop shaking, and could only think of one thing: fleeing.

A short time ago….

Back in the Fallenstar Mountains, in the Luochen Clan's necropolis, the lake of blood was surrounded by the various nodes that formed the spell formation. When the first Luochen Clan member fell to Bai Xiaochun's hand, one of those nodes collapsed, and the blood inside dried up.

This scene caused the Luochen Clan members to stare in shock. However, before any of them could react, the same thing happened to a second node, then a third, a fourth and a fifth….

Rumbling sounds echoed out continuously.

The Luochen Clan was completely in shock, and one face after another fell. Then, the Patriarch in the middle of the lake of blood slowly opened his eyes.

In that exact moment, a boom rang out from the node which Chen Yue had recently occupied.

"I can't believe that Chen Yue… was just killed!"

"They're all dead. All seven people who were sent out have been killed!"

"How is this even possible? Weren't they going after two lowly Outer Sect disciples? Could it be that the Spirit Stream Sect knows about us, and sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!" The Luochen Clan members couldn't suppress their shock, and a huge commotion instantly broke out, along with looks of fear and terror.

"Pipe down!" said an icy voice, which cut through all of the clamor. It was none other than the Foundation Establishment Patriarch. His voice echoed out like a thunderclap, causing the rest of the clan members to tremble and look nervously over at him.

"The Heaven-defying chance to change our destiny, to expel the seal from within our blood, is a chance we will only come across once in a thousand years," he said slowly. "Since the decision has been made, there is no need to let our imaginations run wild. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator had set foot into the security spell formation I have set up, I would have detected it. As of this moment… no Foundation Establishment cultivator has come, nor have any words been sent back. What are you people getting flustered for?" An unsightly expression could be seen on his face; were it not for the fact that he had to maintain the spell formation, he would have personally gone out to wipe out Bai Xiaochun and the others.

However, if he left, the Inverse Blood spell formation, which was the only way their clan could break free from the Spirit Stream Sect, would unleash a powerful backlash. Although he might be able to survive, the rest of the clan would find their blood flowing in reverse, and would die.

"It wouldn't necessarily take a Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill Chen Yue and his group. Those two Outer Sect disciples were either concealing the level of their cultivation bases, or have some sort of rare magical items!

"Even if they were concealing their cultivation bases, at the most, they might be at the eighth level of Qi Condensation. As for magical items… the more powerful they are, the harder they will be for Qi Condensation cultivators to use.

"Heng'er!" The old man's eyes glittered brightly as he slapped his hand down onto the surface of the lake of blood. Immediately, the blood began to ripple as a young man rose up from within, clad in a blood-red robe.

He was exceedingly handsome, with chiseled features, and as soon as he opened his eyes, they glowed with the color of blood. Even as his energy surged up, nine blood-colored ghouls appeared around him, which emitted soundless howls.

When the surrounding members of the Luochen Clan saw the young man, excited expressions could be seen on their faces, and they clasped hands and bowed their heads.

When the Patriarch looked at the young man, his eyes gleamed with kindness and praise. His voice was soft as he said, "Heng'er, you are the Crown Prince of the Luochen Clan, and with a cultivation base of the ninth level of Qi Condensation, you are our most powerful expert next to me…. You are well-qualified to handle this task. Take nine people with you… and kill all of the Outer Sect disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect!"

The young man nodded, then coldly responded, "I won't return until they're dead."

He leapt up, and the nine blood-colored ghouls transformed into a blood mist that lifted him up into the air. One by one, he nodded at nine other clan members, after which the ten of them left.

Soon, ten figures were speeding out of the Luochen Clan mansion. The young man named Chen Heng then waved his hand, causing blood mists to appear beneath all of their feet, after which they flew off at top speed.

They moved with incredible speed as they used a clan blood tracking technique to head toward the area where Chen Yue and the others had been killed.

Chen Heng was in the ninth level of Qi Condensation. As for the rest of the group, five were in the same level as Chen Yue had been, the eighth level of Qi Condensation. The rest were in the seventh level.

A squad like this was the most powerful force that the Luochen Clan could afford to send out at the moment.

After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, Chen Heng and his group burst out of the jungle of the Fallenstar Mountains to appear in the location where Chen Yue and his group of seven had died.

The shocking sight of all the corpses caused the faces of the other nine clan members to flicker.

However, Chen Heng looked coldly at the corpses, and especially at those whose necks had been crushed, and his eyes began to shine with a mysterious light.

"A body refinement cultivator!"

He suddenly flickered through the air to appear next to Chen Yue's corpse. After studying it thoughtfully for a few breaths of time, he reached down, pushed his hand onto the ground and closed his eyes. After a moment, his eyes opened.

"Interesting. I can sense the lingering fluctuations of Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning….

"That means he simultaneously cultivates both magic and his body. With such shocking fleshly body power, and an impressive magical technique, it's no wonder he cut down Chen Yue and the others.

"He must be one of the Chosen of the Spirit Stream Sect. Shangguan Tianyou perhaps? Or is he Lu Tianlei?" A brutal gleam rose up in Chen Heng's eyes, within which flickered a deep desire to do battle.

"All of you pick a different direction to search in," he said, his voice as cold as ice. "Once you track them down, send me a message immediately!" With that, the others nodded in affirmation and then scattered in different directions.

With a cold snort, Chen Heng picked a direction to begin searching, and flew off. "The security spell formation is vast. You won't be able to leave it for the next half month. You people… are dead!"

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Chapter 56: Sticking Together for Survival

At dusk on the following day, Bai Xiaochun and the others were still speeding along. Occasionally, they would make attempts to use their transmission jade slips, but never succeeded in making contact with the sect.

Thankfully, they had plenty of medicinal pills. The seven Luochen Clan cultivators Bai Xiaochun had killed had all had bags of holding. Although the resources inside weren't at quite the same level as what was available in the Spirit Stream Sect, at a time like this, it was more than sufficient.

With medicinal pills to bolster them, Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei were in high spirits. With their injuries under control, they managed to continue on through the entire night.

Bai Xiaochun trembled in fear the entire time. The slightest breeze or rustling leaf would cause sweat to break out on his forehead. His heart felt tight, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. He was also still sore from the fighting, which often left him gritting his teeth from the pain.

It wasn't that the pain was unendurable. Actually, it didn't measure up at all to the pain he had felt while cultivating the Undying Live Forever Technique. What bothered him was the actual sight of the blood and wounds, and the fear that they might worsen and eventually become life-threatening. He couldn't help but grimace in anxiety at the thought of it.

Back before all of this had started, Du Lingfei would definitely have mocked him for that, and thought less of him than before. But now, everything was different, and a warm look could be seen in her eyes as she continuously comforted him.

"It's okay. Don't be scared, Junior Brother Bai. This wound looks bad, but it's not life-threatening.

"Don't move, I'll put some more medicinal ointment on it…."

Seeing Bai Xiaochun wince in pain despite the critical danger they were in caused Du Lingfei to secretly smile. Within that smile were numerous undefinable emotions.

She knew how much Bai Xiaochun feared death, and it was that knowledge that left her so moved and shaken that he had returned. In fact, she even felt as if there were a superlative bravery lurking somewhere inside of him.

That bravery could give birth to a figure with veins of steel, which was something she would never be able to forget.

With Du Lingfei constantly comforting him, Bai Xiaochun started to feel more and more pleased with himself, and was starting to get the feeling that taking such a deadly risk had definitely been the right thing to do. After all, it had resulted in the beautiful Du Lingfei treating him so warmly all of a sudden.

When Hou Yunfei saw what was happening, he looked on with smiling eyes. Considering that they were all fleeing for their lives together, it was only natural that warm feelings would develop between all of them, and that they would become closer.

"Junior Brother Bai, Junior Sister Du," he said, his tone serious, "if we can make it back to the sect alive, then I'll remember this kindness you've shown me, for the rest of my life!"

"If we can make it back…?" A look of longing appeared in Du Lingfei's eyes, but she quickly sighed and looked over at Bai Xiaochun. Pain rose up in her heart as she realized that the chances of the three of them getting back alive… were miniscule.

Bai Xiaochun sank further into silence.

Time passed. Two days went by, during which the three of them continued along with almost no rest. Repeated attempts to use their jade slips all ended in failure.

Hou Yunfei's injuries were becoming more serious, as were Du Lingfei's, whose face was becoming more and more ashen. Gradually, even their mental faculties were degrading.

Hou Yunfei sighed, turned to Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei and said, "It's too bad we can't just hide somewhere and weather the storm, but we really need to get word back to the sect. Of course, if my calculations are correct, the Luochen Clan's ceremony will be ending soon, and once that happens…. their Foundation Establishment expert will be coming after us. No matter how we try to hide from him, we would be killed beyond the shadow of a doubt."

It was at this point that Bai Xiaochun's face suddenly flickered. Grabbing Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei, he leaped into a nearby ditch and squatted down.

Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei both had very serious expressions on their faces, and they immediately ceased any chatter.

Before much time had passed, a beam of light appeared in the air up above, which was actually a blood mist. Within the mist was a Luochen Clan member in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, who was looking around carefully in all directions. However, because Bai Xiaochun had led the group into hiding, they weren't noticed, and the Luochen Clan member proceeded along into the distance.

Bai Xiaochun's heart was pounding as he watched the cultivator disappearing. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and he almost wanted to jump out and attack the man. However, he couldn't do that unless he was certain that he could kill him. Otherwise, other members of the Luochen Clan might show up.

"They've caught up…." said Du Lingfei, sighing. She looked over at Bai Xiaochun and hesitated, as if there were something she wanted to say to him. However, before she could, he grabbed her hand and started running again.

The three of them said nothing as they proceeded along. They felt as if everything were weighing down on them, crushing down onto their hearts. The shadow of death loomed over them larger than ever, threatening to consume them completely.

"There's still hope!" Hou Yunfei suddenly said. "Although the Patriarch of the Luochen Clan is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, far beyond us in terms of cultivation, his spell formation has to have limits. The Patriarch of my Hou Clan is also a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and I was once lucky enough to see a security spell formation that he set up. It could cover a distance of 5,000 kilometers, and required sealing certain spell nodes ahead of time."

Du Lingfei's eyes gleamed as she responded, "Elder Brother Hou, do you mean that even though the spell formation was set up ahead of time by the Luochen Clan Patriarch, even if it exceeds 5,000 kilometers, it won't be by much?!"

"Exactly!" Hou Yunfei declared. "Therefore, the further away we get from the Luochen Clan, the greater the chances that our jade slips will work. If we can just get word back to the sect, they'll definitely send someone to save us!"

"5,000 kilometers," Bai Xiaochun muttered, gritting his teeth. "At our current speed, that will take eight or nine more days to reach the border…."

As they proceeded along, they were forced to hide on numerous occasions when Luochen Clan members neared. However, each time, Bai Xiaochun's uncanny ability to sense danger kept them safe.

Considering how on guard he was, and the fact that he was pulling Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei along with him as they fled, Bai Xiaochun was getting more and more exhausted, his face more and more ashen.

Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei's injures continued to worsen, and as a result, their speed suffered. It eventually reached the point where Bai Xiaochun was virtually carrying both of them.

Bai Xiaochun was more cautious than ever as he led them along for three days straight.

Three days of running and hiding left Bai Xiaochun more and more drained. His face was gaunt as he led the group into a valley. However, after taking only a few steps inside, his face flickered, and he pulled Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei off to the side, where they hid behind a boulder. Unfortunately, they were a bit too slow, and moments later they could hear the sound of someone whistling through the air toward them.

A beam of white light descended from midair, slamming down into the rock they were hiding behind, completely shattering it. Hou Yunfei coughed up a mouthful of blood, and Du Lingfei couldn't prevent blood from oozing out of the corners of her mouth. A cold snort rang out through the air.

"So, here's where you've been hiding!"

A Luochen Clan cultivator appeared, standing on a blood mist. He was in the seventh level of Qi Condensation, and held a mirror in his left hand. As soon as he saw them, he slapped his bag of holding and produced a jade slip. Just when he was about to transmit some information, Hou Yunfei cried out, "Don't let him make contact!"

The ashen-faced Du Lingfei was just about to unleash a flying sword when Bai Xiaochun, who had been slowly backing up, gritted his teeth and stopped in place. Eyes bloodshot, knees quivering, he focused his qi and blood, and then the ground beneath his feet shattered as he launched himself into the air, turning into a beam of light.

Even as the Luochen Clan cultivator was about to transmit the information, Bai Xiaochun burst toward him with incredible speed. The cultivator's face fell, and he fell back, unable to successfully make contact. Performing an incantation gesture, he swung the mirror with his left hand, causing a beam of light to shoot toward Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun's eyes glittered with a ferocious light; instead of dodging, he allowed the white light to slam into him. His charge carried him forward toward the shocked Luochen Clan cultivator, whereupon he reached out with his right hand, touching his thumb and index finger together. A black light shot out and latched onto the cultivator's throat.

Throat Crushing Grasp!

A cracking sound rang out, and the cultivator's eyes went wide. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and he toppled over dead, the message to his fellow clan members unsent.

Blood was also oozing out of Bai Xiaochun's mouth as he collected up the enemy's bag of holding, then walked back over to Du Lingfei. There, he trembled and almost fell to the ground, but gritted his teeth and managed to stay on his feet.

"Let's go!" he said, pulling Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei along.

"Let go of me!" Hou Yunfei said. "You two go. Without me, you'll be a bit faster."

His gaze was one of determination as he looked at Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei.

Du Lingfei looked deeply at Bai Xiaochun, and suddenly said something she had been contemplating saying for the past few days. "Junior Brother Bai, why don't you go alone…?"

"Shut up!"Bai Xiaochun yelled. "I'm scared of dying, but I'm risking my life. There's no way you two are going to make that sacrifice mean nothing! Come, let's go! Together!" Not giving them any chance to speak further, he pulled the two of them along. Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei didn't say anything further, but they were more moved than ever.

Bai Xiaochun was extremely cautious as he led them forward, constantly changing directions, and being careful to avoid the Luochen Clan cultivators when they got close. Three more days passed. It was evening, and the occasional bolt of lightning danced across the sky. Black clouds were forming, and rain began to fall, great bead-sized drops that caused splashing sounds to fill the air.

It started to get very cold, causing Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei to shiver; their faces were only getting more ashen. Nervousness clutched at Bai Xiaochun's heart. Knowing that the other two wouldn't be able to survive in such bitter cold, he found a cave in a mountain, where he started a fire.

After sealing the entrance of the cave to make sure the light of the fire didn't seep out, he sat down cross-legged across from Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei.

The fire hissed and popped, and let off enough heat to gradually dispel the cold. A bit of color gradually returned to the faces of Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei, although they still looked very pale.

The three of them sat silently in the cave, watching the fire, and stewing in anxiety.

Finally, Bai Xiaochun chuckled and broke the silence, "In three more days, we should be able to pass that 5,000 kilometer mark. Hahaha! Just wait until we get back to the sect. This is definitely going to count as a big meritorious service. I wonder what reward we'll get?"

Du Lingfei looked at him, her gaze soft.

Hou Yunfei was about to laugh, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he coughed up some blood, and his face paled as he swayed on the verge of collapse.

After all the days of running, they had long since run out of medicinal pills.

Bai Xiaochun rose to his feet and was just about to go over and examine Hou Yunfei, when suddenly his face flickered. He waved his sleeve out to protect his two friends as the stone he had rolled into place to block the firelight suddenly exploded!

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Chapter 57: You Have To Stay Alive!

A huge boom echoed out as the rock shattered. As Bai Xiaochun waved the shrapnel aside, cold air came rushing in. The fire danced, its flickering light revealing a tall, sturdily built man standing outside.

He was muscular, with icy eyes, and a long spear in hand. He was in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, and seemed to be even stronger than Chen Yue had been.

"The Crown Prince was dead on," he said. "With rain like this and injuries like yours, you couldn't handle the cold, and were forced to find a place like this to hide. I had to search over a hundred mountains before I found you, but here you are."

Even as the words were still leaving the man's mouth, Bai Xiaochun's eyes blazed with ferocity as he leaped into action. Although the burly man seemed like the impulsive type, he was actually quite cautiou. Instead of charging into the cave to fight, he actually fell back.

In the blink of an eye, Bai Xiaochun was out of the cave and in the pouring rain.

Clearly, the burly man didn't intend to actually fight, and was focused completely on defense. That caused Bai Xiaochun's heart to begin to thump. He was getting a very bad feeling, and yet he gritted his teeth and ignored any possibility of injury as he charged forward in a mad attack.

A gust of frigid wind blew into the cave, extinguishing the fire. Hou Yunfei tried to struggle to his feet, but then coughed up another mouthful of blood. Du Lingfei gritted her teeth and hobbled to the mouth of the cave, where she performed an incantation gesture and pointed out, sending a flying sword shooting toward the burly man.

A moment later, a bloodcurdling scream echoed out into the stormy night. The burly man had been stabbed through the chest by a wooden sword, and yet, in the moment before dying, he hurled his spear out, which partially stabbed into Bai Xiaochun's right thigh.

The burly man glared at Bai Xiaochun. Groaning, he said, "You won't get away! The Crown Prince will be here soon!"

Then he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his head slumped over in death.

Bai Xiaochun's face was pale, and he was trembling. In order to kill the man as quickly as possible, he had drawn upon so much energy that his injuries had worsened. Pain radiated up his right leg, and when he looked down, he saw the spear still imbedded into his flesh. He was also soaked with rainwater, which intermixed with the blood to flow down onto the ground. He felt half frozen to death.

Du Lingfei staggered over, and when she saw his leg, she began to weep. She reached out, grabbed hold of the spear, and gingerly pulled it out of his leg.

To Bai Xiaochun, it felt as if his flesh and bones were being ripped apart. He trembled, but held back from shouting out. The dying words of his opponent, plus the fact that the man had obviously been trying to buy time, caused his heart to sink even lower than before.

He could even sense fluctuations in the wind that told him it wouldn't be very long before more pursuing members of the Luochen Clan showed up.

Du Lingfei threw his arm over her shoulder, and the two of them managed to get back into the cave. Bai Xiaochun kept the spear. Back in the cave, Bai Xiaochun began to pant. His right leg hurt, but thankfully the spear hadn't stabbed into the bone. After binding the wound, he could still feel it, but considering the mortal danger they were in, it wasn't a major issue.

"We need to go. The Luochen Clan could show up at any moment!" Taking a deep breath, Bai Xiaochun slowly rose to his feet.

He looked down at Hou Yunfei, and saw him laying there, struggling for breath. Their days of flight had been like a torment, and he was losing his ability to keep his injuries under control. Du Lingfei was sallow and wan. Her qi passageways had been severely injured, and some had even been severed. It had been an incredible struggle for her to emerge and help Bai Xiaochun in the fight earlier, and now all she could do was look up at him.

In the darkness of the stormy night, her eyes seemed especially beautiful.

"Junior Brother Bai…." she said softly. "Forget about us. You're much faster on your own…. GO!" Off to the side, Hou Yunfei struggled into a sitting position. Looking exhaustedly at Bai Xiaochun, he nodded in agreement.

Bai Xiaochun's eyes were bloodshot as he said,"We can get out of the 5,000 kilometer area in only three days, guys, shut your m–"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hou Yunfei cut him off. "Junior Brother Bai, you escaping and getting word to the sect is the best chance Junior Sister Du and I have…."

Bai Xiaochun laughed bitterly. He was no three-year-old child to believe a lie like that. He knew that even if he did escape and get word to the sect, by the time anyone arrived to help… Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei would already be dead.

Seeing that Bai Xiaochun seemed determined to stay, Hou Yunfei started laughing. "Fine. If I die, then you'll leave, right?"

A tremor ran through Bai Xiaochun as he realized that Hou Yunfei was stirring his last bit of spiritual energy as if to destroy his own qi passageways.

Hou Yunfei looked at him calmly and continued, "Junior Brother Bai, are you going to go, or not?!"

Bai Xiaochun was miserable and heartbroken. He took a few steps backward, mixed emotions on his face as he stared at Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei.

A gust of wind blew a strand of Du Lingfei's hair across her face. She tucked it behind her ear and looked at Bai Xiaochun. Although her face was ashen, somehow, she looked even more beautiful than ever. Her voice soft, she murmured, "I hope… if there's another life after this one… that I'll have the chance to meet you again…. Junior Brother Bai… you have to stay alive!"

The instant Bai Xiaochun heard the words "stay alive," a violent tremor ran through him, and he felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a hammer. Taking another long look at Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei, he finally turned and walked out of the cave, unsure of what exactly he was feeling inside. A moment later, he was speeding through the stormy night.

Seeing that Bai Xiaochun had finally chosen to leave, Hou Yunfei let out a soft sigh. Du Lingfei watched him leave, wishing him the best in her heart. She truly wished… that she could make time flow in reverse, that she could return back to the time… when she had first met Bai Xiaochun.

Everything was quiet for a moment, but then Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei suddenly looked out in Bai Xiaochun's direction, and their faces flickered.

His cultivation base was erupting with power, his internal spiritual energy surging outward, even causing the rainwater to distort.

He was like a brightly burning torch on a dark night that not even the coldness brought by the rain could dispel. Even someone very far away would be able to sense it.

Lightning snaked across the sky as Luochen Clan cultivators from several different directions suddenly sensed Bai Xiaochun.

Chen Heng's eyes glittered as he looked in the direction of the upsurge of power.

Bai Xiaochun flickered into motion, flying up the mountainside past the cave. As he flew by, Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei could hear him whispering something to them.

"I'll get their attention. You two find a way to escape… Come on, go!"

Tears began to stream down Du Lingfei's face as her heart was battered by incredible waves of emotion. Hou Yunfei was likewise shaken.

At the same time, Bai Xiaochun burst out with incredible speed as he picked a different direction to flee in.

Bai Xiaochun sped along, cackling madly and crying out at the top of his lungs, "Dead! They're dead! Luochen Clan, I can't wipe all of you out, but the Spirit Stream Sect will definitely come and kill you all!"

He appeared to be heading in a direction which would quickly lead out of the 5,000 kilometer area. Furthermore, from the way he was yelling, it seemed obvious that his two compatriots were dead, and that he was hysterical. Even if he might die in the attempt, he would break out and pass word to the sect, to make sure that revenge was had.

Chen Heng instantly realized what was happening, and his face flickered. Although he couldn't be sure whether or not Bai Xiaochun was putting on an act, he could tell that, based on his current speed, he could succeed. Chen Heng definitely didn't dare to gamble with the fate of his sect by ignoring the threat.

He immediately transmitted a message to the other Luochen Clan cultivators. "Everyone kill him! Even if his friends aren't dead, they're definitely seriously injured. We can track them down after we kill this one!"

All of the Luochen Clan cultivators shot through the rain at top speed toward Bai Xiaochun.

Lightning crashed and rain fell. Back in the darkness of the cave in the mountain, Du Lingfei gritted her teeth and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. Then, her eyes began to glow with determination.

She knew that the only way to save Bai Xiaochun was to escape the 5,000 kilometer area and get word back to the sect.

She looked over at Hou Yunfei, whose eyes flickered with the same determination as hers.

"Don't worry about me," he said. "Let's split up. Whichever of us gets out first can bring help from the sect to save Junior Brother Bai!" Hou Yunfei was determined to use his last bit of energy to try to break out and get help for Bai Xiaochun, even if he died in the process.

The two of them took deep breaths and then ran out into the rain, splitting up and heading in two different directions, calling upon all the strength they could manage. They were already on the verge of collapsing, but by sheer force of willpower, they managed to exceed the limits of their bodies.

Thunder boomed and lightning fell. Bai Xiaochun was speeding along as fast as he could. He had already lost sensation in his right leg, and his eyes were crimson. A sensation of deadly crisis thrummed in every inch of his body.

He was scared, terrified of dying, certain that death was right on his heels, on the very brink of swallowing him up.

He wasn't sure if his actions just now had been impulsive or not, or whether or not he might regret his decision. After all, the purpose of Immortal cultivation was to live forever.

In fact, there was still a voice in his head telling him… to run away on his own….

However, he couldn't forget the feeling of what it was like to be struggling with his two friends to survive. That feeling of facing the danger as a team was something he couldn't get rid of. He couldn't forget how Hou Yunfei had threatened to kill himself to get Bai Xiaochun to leave, nor the beautiful smile on Du Lingfei's ashen face.

If he could only pick fear of death, or loyalty to friends, he would pick the latter!

"Elder Sister Du, Elder Brother Hou, you have to stay alive!" Gritting his teeth, he flew onward with reckless abandon. "You want to wipe us out, Luochen Clan? Alright, bring it on!"

Bai Xiaochun's eyes glowed with savage fury, like a caged animal ready to fight for its life.

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Chapter 58: The Cornered Beast Fights!

Rain fell in sheets, thunder crashed, and lightning danced across the sky. The world was a mix of darkness and light, filled with rumbling booms and the sound of raindrops smacking onto the ground.

From a distance, everything seemed to be a haze of rain, completely somber and desolate.

Bai Xiaochun trembled as he sped forward with all the speed he could muster. He flew along, feet pounding the ground, occasionally leaping into the air over some obstacle. He was like an arrow loosed from the bowstring, whistling through the air.

"Have to stay alive," he muttered. "You guys… have to stay alive!" That was what he kept repeating to himself as the images of Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei continued to flash in his mind.

The shadow of death loomed, fusing with the rain, making everything around him seem even colder than usual.

By this point, roughly nine figures were speeding toward him from various directions. The furthest person away from him was Chen Heng, but he was also the fastest. He was like a beam of light stabbing through the sheets of rain, moving faster and faster, causing rumbling sounds to echo out.

"You can't escape! Nobody can escape from our Patriarch's spell formation!" Killing intent flickered in Chen Heng's eyes.

He had never imagined that three Outer Sect disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect would manage to evade him for so many days, and in fact, even get close to the border of the spell formation set up by his Patriarch. As for the disciple they were currently closing in on, he had a profound cultivation base, sufficient to not only strike down Chen Yue, but numerous other members of the Luochen Clan.

He was now more convinced than ever that this person was one of the famous Chosen from the south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect, either Shangguan Tianyou or Lu Tianlei. After all, when it came to the affairs of the south bank, the north bank usually wouldn't interfere.

"Spirit Stream Sect Chosen…." Chen Heng thought, eyes glittering with killing intent, and even a spark of amusement.

Rumbling thunder filled the air as Bai Xiaochun sped along with gritted teeth. He was panting, and his internal spiritual energy was fading quickly. Because of the rain, it was hard to see anything, and he almost felt as if some primordial ancient beast had swallowed up Heaven and Earth.

Suddenly, Bai Xiaochun looked up with bloodshot eyes, looking fiercely at certain fluctuations in the rainwater a few dozen meters up ahead. Popping sounds rang out as countless raindrops then exploded and shot toward Bai Xiaochun.

Behind that sheet of rain was the first Luochen Clan member who had arrived to intercept Bai Xiaochun!

He was a middle-aged man, and the ugly scar which ran down his face made him look extremely ferocious. On top of that, he had a cultivation base in the great circle of the seventh level of Qi Condensation. He shot toward Bai Xiaochun, hefting a gigantic battle-axe in his right hand. As he closed in, he gripped the haft of the axe with both hands, lifted it high into the air, and swung it down viciously toward Bai Xiaochun!

"You're not going one step further!" the man barked, his voice booming like thunder.

Bai Xiaochun didn't hesitate for even a moment. As the axe descended, he shot forward, shooting his left hand out toward the axe itself!

The middle-aged man laughed coldly, pouring more cultivation base power into his hands, causing the axe to scream madly through the air toward Bai Xiaochun.

In the instant that Bai Xiaochun extended his left hand, a black flicker of light could be seen as his Undying Iron Skin was unleashed. Even as his left hand made contact with the axe head, it turned completely pitch black.

A boom rang out as Bai Xiaochun's left hand clamped onto the axe with such incredible force that the surrounding rainwater began to vibrate, and then exploded into a haze.

Pain exploded out within him, and blood flowed, and yet the power of his Undying Iron Skin kept his hand safe, albeit injured.

The middle-aged man frowned, then tried to jerk his axe away. However, Bai Xiaochun's grip was like an iron vice that kept the giant axe completely locked down; no matter how the middle-aged man struggled, he couldn't move it even a teeny bit.

The man's face flickered, and then he looked up and realized that Bai Xiaochun's eyes were blazing with flames of madness!

It was a madness that this man had only ever seen within the eyes of various wild beasts in the Fallenstar Mountains.

The man's heart instantly began to pound, and in the blink of an eye, the glow of defensive shields sprang up around him. Without any hesitation, he let go of the axe and fell back.

He was fast, but… Bai Xiaochun was faster!

Even as his left hand maintained its grip on the axe, his right hand flared with black light, and simultaneously shot out toward the middle-aged man.

His hand pierced through the man's defensive shields, causing cracking sounds to ring out as one layer after another was destroyed. Bai Xiaochun cut through them like a razor-sharp blade through bamboo. At the same time, because of the current state Bai Xiaochun was in, his Throat Crushing Grasp suddenly did something it had never done before.

Unexpectedly… a gravitational force appeared, causing the middle-aged man to lurch to a stop. Before he could even react, his entire world was completely superseded by Bai Xiaochun's pitch-black hand!

A boom rang out as Bai Xiaochun's hand clamped onto the man's throat and then clenched down hard!

CRACK!

A flicker of disbelief passed through the man's eyes, and then blood oozed out of his mouth. There was no time for him to scream as the bones in his neck were crushed. Then, his head sagged to the side. He was dead!

Disbelief could still be seen in his eyes. Although he had been aware that the person they were chasing was powerful, and had even been prepared going into the fight, the blow he had unleashed moments ago had not been a lethal one. He had only been trying to stop Bai Xiaochun and buy some time. How could he ever have imagined that this skinny Outer Sect disciple of the Spirit Stream Sect would be so utterly powerful?

In the moment that the man died, two more figures appeared off in the distance. Shockingly, one of them had a cultivation base in the eighth level of Qi Condensation!

Seeing their dead comrade in Bai Xiaochun's hand, they let out roars of rage. "Chen Zhong!!"

"You people are forcing me to do this!" Bai Xiaochun growled. He tossed the corpse aside, then quickly changed directions and shot off at top speed. He was shaking, panting, and yet, his eyes gleamed with an even more intensely brutal light than before.

He knew that he couldn't afford to stop for even a moment. After all, the whole crux of his plan was to get the Luochen Clan members to follow him. As he changed directions, he could see a sprawling mountain range off in the distance.

Because that particular mountain range wasn't a specific border region, it didn't have a name. It was a separate mountain range than the Fallenstar Mountains, but was comparable in size, and in fact, perhaps even a bit larger. The rain there fell at a steep angle, and the entire area was crashing with lightning.

In fact, when Bai Xiaochun looked over, the lightning seemed to mass into a sphere which then exploded out into the rain.

Bai Xiaochun sped in the direction of the mountain range, the two Luochen Clan members hot on his trail. At the same time, more cultivators were closing in.

There was even a bright beam of light which was none other than Chen Heng, who was getting closer by the moment.

As the Luochen Clan cultivators closed the distance to Bai Xiaochun, he got closer and closer to the tree-covered mountains. He was now several dozen meters away, completely soaked as he ran along. As of this moment, he was on the verge of making it into the jungle itself.

"Stop him!" Chen Heng said grimly.

The cultivator closest to Bai Xiaochun was in the eighth level of Qi Condensation. He let out a roar, then reached out and grabbed the Qi Condensation seventh level clan member next to him. They exchanged a glance, and were instantly thinking the same thing. The Qi Condensation seventh level clan member curled up into a ball, and then the other clan member hurled him forward as hard as possible.

Rumbling sounds filled the air as he called upon all the power of his cultivation base to propel his companion through the air. The second cultivator shot through the rain with explosive speed, and in the blink of an eye, was right upon Bai Xiaochun.

As he closed in, he unleashed his cultivation base, causing thunderous rumbling sounds to echo out. Bai Xiaochun lurched to a stop, spun, and performed an incantation gesture. The wave of a finger sent his wooden sword flying out, and yet the Luochen Clan cultivator actually allowed it to stab into him. Even as he passed away into death, a bizarre smile appeared on his face.

Suddenly, he exploded into a cloud of blood and gore that then transformed into a rope of blood that began to entangle Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun's face fell, and he turned to flee. However, in that moment of distracted retreat, a screaming sound rose up from behind him, which was an arrow!

That arrow had been shot from none other than the cultivator in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, who currently held a quivering bow in his hand.

The sacrifice of the other cultivator led to a critical moment in which Bai Xiaochun was incapable of dodging!

Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered. Stopping in place, he suddenly shot directly toward the speeding arrow.

A boom rang out as the arrow stabbed into Bai Xiaochun, causing an explosion of pain that left him pale-faced.

The arrow pierced the bone in his shoulder, shattering it. The arrow itself was made from extraordinary materials, and backed by the power of the eighth level of Qi Condensation, making it incredibly strong. After snapping the bone, it actually sent the skinny Bai Xiaochun flying through the air past the blood rope!

THUMP!

The arrow slammed into a nearby tree, simultaneously impaling Bai Xiaochun!

Delight flickered in the eyes of the cultivator in the eighth level of Qi Condensation. He then flickered into motion, shooting forward and preparing to unleash a second arrow to cut down Bai Xiaochun!

The other Luochen Clan cultivators had brutal grins on their faces as they closed in. However, it was in this moment that Chen Heng's expression suddenly flickered.

"Watch out!!"

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Chapter 59: You Die, I Live!

In almost the same moment that Chen Heng's voice echoed out, Bai Xiaochun, who was still pinned to the tree, looked up. A valiant gleam appeared in his eyes as he reached up, grabbed the arrow which was protruding from his shoulder, then viciously pulled it out, ignoring the stabbing pain that resulted.

Blood spurted out, and the arrow itself dragged out chunks of flesh. The pain itself was so intense that Bai Xiaochun trembled. And yet, without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art. Using Heaviness-in-Lightness, he flung the arrow back at the Luochen Clan cultivator.

A piercing scream echoed through the air as the arrow accelerated rapidly.

Because of the use of Heaviness-in-Lightness, the force of the arrow was like a towering mountain.

At the same time, Bai Xiaochun's hands flashed in an incantation gesture, sending his wooden sword flying out in a second deadly attack. A somber, bleak aura raged; his successive deadly encounters with the members of the Luochen Clan had provided Bai Xiaochun with incredible hands-on experience in battle. Furthermore, it showed that he seemed to have incredible talent as a fighter hidden deep in his bones, something he rarely revealed to the world. It was only on display now because of the numerous life-and-death situations he had faced.

The Luochen Clan cultivator who had been just about to fire a second arrow was taken aback. He had never imagined that Bai Xiaochun could be so vicious. In fact, now he realized that Bai Xiaochun might very well have intentionally let himself be struck with the arrow, all with the purpose of being able to make this almost instant counter-attack.

The man fell back instantly. He was in the great circle of the eighth level of Qi Condensation, and as someone who frequently fought various dangerous beasts in the Fallenstar Mountains, was very experienced. He knew that he had lost the initiative in the fighting, but even as he retreated, he chose not to activate any defenses. Instead, he took advantage of the brief moment he had… to finish drawing the bow!

"Are you gonna block this one?!" he roared, a vicious gleam in his eyes as he launched a second arrow.

In his estimation, Bai Xiaochun would definitely use his wooden sword to block the arrow, which would eliminate one of the two deadly threats which were heading his way, and would give him back the initiative.

However, it was in this very moment that Bai Xiaochun's eyes turned bright red; he knew that he couldn't give his opponent even the slightest opportunity to make a move. If he did, then he would most likely be killed.

Gritting his teeth, he decided not to use the wooden sword in defense, and instead allowed the arrow to close in and stab into his abdomen. At the same time, the arrow he had thrown rocketed forward and pierced into the man's chest. Blood sprayed everywhere as the man screamed, his eyes shining with surprise as the force of the blow shoved him backward even faster.

That was when Bai Xiaochun's wooden sword bore down on the man as though it demanded to end his life. With a swift slashing motion, it completely severed the man's head, which toppled down to the ground.

Having accomplished these things, Bai Xiaochun coughed up a mouthful of blood, and yet didn't hesitate for a moment to race into the cover of the trees, whereupon he vanished.

After a few dozen breaths of time passed, numerous other Luochen Clan cultivators arrived on the scene. As they looked around, expressions of shock appeared on their faces as they realized that Bai Xiaochun was so vicious that he would even injure himself to slay his opponent.

A moment later, a flash of light could be seen as Crown Prince Chen Heng appeared.

He looked at the severed head of his fellow clan member, and then at the other traces of blood in the area. His expression turned grim, and fierce killing intent radiated out from him.

Also in the area were five other clan members, three of whom were in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, and two being in the seventh.

"Chen Feng, Chen Gu, the two of you go search for the others. We can't let ourselves be drawn out of our territory. The rest of you… you're coming with me. We're bringing back this guy's head!" With that, Chen Heng flicked his sleeve and headed into the trees.

The two who were in the seventh level of Qi Condensation complied with Chen Heng's orders and resumed their searching. The other three followed Chen Heng into the trees, eyes flickering with the desire to kill.

Within the jungle that covered the nameless mountain range, Bai Xiaochun proceeded along, dizzy and vision blurred. His shoulder, his abdomen, and his right leg were all seriously injured. Because of the cold brought by the rain, he was shivering even more violently than he would have normally been.

"Am I gonna die…?" he thought, chuckling bitterly. The sight of all his injuries, and the bone-stabbing pain that came along with them, caused tears to well up in his eyes.

He suddenly recalled an image of his parents, lying sick on their deathbeds. Then he remembered how he had watched their bodies slowly growing colder in death.

Perhaps that was when he had started to especially fear the idea of dying.

"I want to live!" he thought. He wiped the tears off of his face with his left arm, then gritted his achingly cold teeth as he sped along through the jungle. He had no idea where exactly he was, nor did he have a plan about what to do. There was only one thought in his head. "I have to stay alive!"

It was actually his fear of death which seemed to give him unending power, and kept him going as he sped along through the stormy night.

Gradually, he came to realize that after all the fighting, his cultivation base was stirring, and he was actually not very far away from breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

Eventually, the sun became visible off in the distance, and as the rays of light pierced through the leaves, they reflected off of the falling raindrops, creating a beautiful scene.

Chen Heng and the other three Luochen Clan cultivators were following him at top speed. Chen Heng's face was growing increasingly unsightly as he realized that their quarry, despite being so seriously wounded, was moving so quickly through the jungle that they weren't making any headway in catching up. After following him for an entire night, they still had no idea exactly where he was.

Furthermore, the rain ensured that the evidence of his passage was quickly washed away. Despite the fact that they were from a cultivator clan in the Fallenstar Mountains, who frequently hunted beasts in the jungle, they were still unable to track him.

"Alright, let's split up," Chen Heng said through gritted teeth. "He's wounded, so he won't be able to run for long. The three of you, stay about three hundred meters apart. When you find him, don't engage! Send me a message immediately!" With that, the other three clan members nodded and headed off in different directions.

Time passed. The next day, Bai Xiaochun was completely worn out, and was reaching his limit. If it weren't for the fact that he was running for his life, he would have long since collapsed.

His lips were parched and cracked, his face haggard, his pace slowing. After proceeding for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, his face suddenly flickered as he saw a blur of motion to the right. However, no one attacked him. Instead, the figure fell back immediately.

It was a long-faced young man, one of the three Luochen Clan members who had fanned out to search for him. Even as the young man fell back, he pulled out a jade slip which he pressed down onto to send a message.

Bai Xiaochun's face sank, and he pushed onward into the jungle even faster than before.

The long-faced young man watched him go. Bai Xiaochun frightened him, and even as he debated whether or not to give chase immediately, he saw two figures speeding toward him from off in the distance, and his expression brightened.

Those were the two other clan members, and further off in the distance, he could even see Chen Heng.

Based on how fast they were moving, the two other clan members would arrive in about ten breaths of time. Chen Heng was a bit further away, and would need roughly twenty breaths to arrive.

The long-faced young man began to laugh heartily. Without any further hesitation, he powered up his cultivation base, simultaneously summoning numerous shield layers. He also slapped his bag of holding to produce a long sword.

It was a greatsword, over two meters long, with an ancient and crude appearance. The young man hefted it, and then swung it through the air, causing whistling sounds to ring out from the sharpness of the blade. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, and he smiled viciously as he shot after Bai Xiaochun at top speed.

"Killing a Chosen from the Spirit Stream Sect is definitely going to be fun! Much funner than killing random rogue cultivators!" Laughing, he slashed the sword through the air, causing a beam of sword light to fly out, accompanied by a sound like rushing wind. He then performed an incantation gesture with his left hand and pointed his finger out, causing a fist-sized fireball to shoot in Bai Xiaochun's direction.

Despite the falling rain, the fireball exploded with scorching heat as it shot through the air. A tremor ran through Bai Xiaochun, and when he turned to look back, killing intent flickered in his eyes. He was well aware that if he didn't take out this opponent immediately, it would be impossible for him to escape.

However, in the moment that Bai Xiaochun turned, the long-faced young man suddenly fell back, eyes flickering with derision. There was absolutely no way he was going to give Bai Xiaochun the chance to get close to him. His only goal at the moment was simply to buy time.

Bai Xiaochun's hands clenched into fists, and he began to run again. However, the long-faced young man quickly interfered, delaying him again. A few breaths of time passed, and the other two clan members were closing in. When they saw Bai Xiaochun, their cultivation bases flared with power.

At the same time, the long-faced young man began to laugh. Instead of dancing around like he had been, he unleashed all the speed he could muster. Along with his two fellow clan members, he shot murderously toward Bai Xiaochun.

Three cultivation bases at the eighth level of Qi Condensation. When Chen Heng saw the killing attack being unleashed, he felt a bit more at ease. He was quite confident that, no matter what tricks Bai Xiaochun pulled, he would definitely be killed.

"What a pity," he said coolly. "He won't even have a chance to grow up." However, before he could even blink his eyes, his expression flickered.

Even as the three figures closed in on Bai Xiaochun, unleashing various deadly divine abilities and magical techniques, Bai Xiaochun's right hand flashed with an incantation gesture. His wooden sword flew out toward the middle opponent, and he threw out a punch toward another.

A boom rang out as the wooden sword was blocked. However, the fist strike landed, sending its target tumbling back, blood spraying out of his mouth. Bai Xiaochun also coughed up blood as his injuries worsened. However, before he could retreat, the long-faced youth closed in and slashed out with his long sword, sending a blast of sword light toward Bai Xiaochun.

In the moment of critical danger, Bai Xiaochun barely managed to twist his body to avoid a blow to the heart. The blade stabbed into him, instantly causing sweat to break out all over his body. He shivered, and at the same time, the long-faced young man began to laugh. Then, just when he was about to pull the sword back, Bai Xiaochun reached out and grabbed the blade, then yanked himself forward down to the hilt.

It was a heavy price to pay, but it put him directly in front of the long-faced young man, whose scalp was tingling so hard it felt like it might explode. A sudden feeling of intense, deadly crisis washed over him. Just when he was about to drop the blade and jump backward, black light appeared on Bai Xiaochun's right hand as he grabbed the young man's neck.

"You–" the young man said, eyes widening. Before he could say another word…

A cracking sound rang out!

His neck was crushed!

Note from Deathblade: As I gear up to do the final burst of chapters for I Shall Seal the Heavens, every minute I have here and there is precious. For the time being I'm going to cease offering sneak peek chapters and memes for AWE. After I finish ISSTH and focus completely on AWE, I will most likely resume them.

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Chapter 60: Fierce Life-or-Death Battle

The sudden development occurred too quickly. In the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint, the number of cultivators who were in the eighth level of Qi Condensation was reduced from three to two. The remaining two gasped, but had little time to ponder the matter, and continued to charge toward Bai Xiaochun.

Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth as he flew back, slamming into a tree and simultaneously pulling the greatsword out of his chest. He quickly slashed the sword out at one of the two remaining opponents. However, his target nimbly dodged to the side, allowing his companion to close in, whereupon his right hand flashed with an incantation gesture, and incredible power exploded out.

A boom echoed out as Bai Xiaochun was sent flying through the air, blood spraying everywhere. His clothes were now completely soaked with blood as the two Luochen Clan cultivators bore down on him. It seemed like a no-win situation, but Bai Xiaochun hadn't given in to despair yet; he desperately wanted to live. Roaring, he performed an incantation gesture, summoning a long spear, a huge axe, and two flying swords.

Using the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art, he sent the weapons slashing viciously toward his enemies.

The faces of the two Luochen Clan cultivators fell. They quickly unleashed magical techniques, causing a boundless black fog to spring up. Booms rang out, and the magical devices Bai Xiaochun had just launched clattered to the ground. At the same time, Bai Xiaochun himself staggered backward, blood spilling out of his mouth.

"Time to end things!" For the third time, the two cultivators attacked. As the power of their cultivation bases erupted out, it seemed like they would strike Bai Xiaochun down at any moment.

"Stay alive!" he said in a hoarse voice, a gleam of madness in his eyes. "I've got to stay alive!"

His internal spiritual energy was flickering on the verge of sputtering out completely, but he let out a roar, and all of the power he had built up in his years of cultivation, power which had seeped into his qi passageways and bones, exploded out like hundreds of flowing streams.

RUUUUUUUUMBLE!

Up to this point in the fighting, Bai Xiaochun had not called upon these scraps of spiritual energy, but now, in this moment of critical danger, he did. They poured into the main qi passageways, and in the blink of an eye, had transformed into a huge river. As it flowed through his body, a sound like pounding drums burst out within him.

At the same time, the cultivation base fluctuations of the seventh level of Qi Condensation suddenly erupted out.

When his two opponents, who were in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, suddenly sensed those cultivation base fluctuations coming off of him, their faces flickered with shock and disbelief.

"Making a breakthrough in the middle of fighting!?!?"

"How… how is that even possible?!?!" As they reeled in shock, Bai Xiaochun looked up, and his eyes were glowing brightly. The surge of spiritual power couldn't heal his wounds, but it could revive him from his state of listlessness, and give him one more chance to make it out of the situation alive.

He sprang forward toward the two Luochen Clan cultivators, who cried out in alarm as black light covered his right hand, and the Throat Crushing Grasp was unleashed.

A cracking sound was heard as one of his opponents, unable to dodge, was pulled toward Bai Xiaochun's right hand. It was almost as if some invisible force were dragging him to Bai Xiaochun, who summarily crushed his neck.

His companion looked on, scalp tingling in shock. When Bai Xiaochun turned to look at him, the man screamed, eyes shining with terror as he fell into retreat.

"Crown Prince, save me!!" This was the sole surviving clan member in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, screaming for help.

At the moment, Chen Heng was still ninety meters away. Seeing what was happening, he let out an enraged roar.

"Are you looking to die!?!?"

Bai Xiaochun didn't even look at him; he instantly flashed an incantation gesture with his right hand and pointed out. Immediately, the fallen magical devices in the area began to tremble, and then emitted droning sounds as they apparently sensed Bai Xiaochun calling to them.

Then they suddenly flew up into the air, moving far faster than they had before, speeding toward the approaching Chen Heng to block his path.

Banging sounds rang out as Chen Heng was forced to deal with the weapons. He was in the ninth level of Qi Condensation, but even he couldn't instantly bypass them.

As Chen Heng was being delayed, Bai Xiaochun closed in on the remaining cultivator. Eyes flickering with killing intent, he unleashed a fist strike.

A boom echoed out, and blood sprayed from the man's mouth. He was just about to continue to fall back, but didn't notice that Bai Xiaochun had just performed an incantation gesture with his left hand. A wooden sword appeared behind the man, closing in noiselessly and then stabbing through his head in a shower of blood.

The man's eyes went wide as he toppled down to the ground, where he twitched a few times, blood flowing out of his mouth. This his eyes faded, and he was dead.

Having accomplished these things, Bai Xiaochun staggered to the side. Although he had just experienced a cultivation base breakthrough, the series of deadly moves he had just unleashed had almost completely drained him. Blood oozed constantly out of his mouth as he once again lurched off into the jungle.

He knew that his final opponent was the strongest of them all, and was already able to sense that he was in the ninth level of Qi Condensation.

"Ninth level of Qi Condensation…." he thought bitterly. His burning desire to live caused his blood to surge through his heart. He knew that this time, either he would die, or his opponent would.

There was no third option.

As he made his retreat, Chen Heng let out an enraged howl. He was surrounded by a blood mist, which caused the magical devices to tremble, and then begin to crack. Moments later, they exploded, and Chen Heng shot out from within the blood mist. When he looked around at his three dead compatriots, he roared in fury, then shot after Bai Xiaochun.

The two of them sped through the jungle of the nameless mountain range, heading deeper and deeper in. Thunder boomed, even though it was daytime. No lightning was visible, but the rain poured down harder and harder.

"Are you Shangguan Tianyou, or Lu Tianlei!?" Chen Heng yelled. He quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing nine streams of blood mist to shoot toward Bai Xiaochun, like nine blood-colored anacondas.

"I'm your grandpa!" Bai Xiaochun retorted, despite how ashen his face was. After evading the attacks, he glanced back at the Crown Prince, who was getting closer by the moment. Trembling, he crouched down, then shot forward with even greater speed. Even as Chen Heng prepared to do the same, Bai Xiaochun's foot slammed into a tree, stopping him mid-flight.

Then, he twisted, borrowing the momentum of the tree as it snapped back to shoot toward Chen Heng.

"I don't care who you are," Chen Heng said, "today, you're gonna die!" Killing intent flickered in his eyes, and his right hand flashed with an incantation gesture. Nine blood anacondas once again shot toward Bai Xiaochun with gaping maws.

Bai Xiaochun's eyes were bright red as he let out a howl. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture as he drew upon what remained of his spiritual energy to form a violet cauldron. The cauldron instantly spread out to surround him, completely blocking the path of the nine blood anacondas as he smashed toward Chen Heng.

"Child's play!" Chen Heng said with a cold laugh. Another incantation gesture transformed the nine blood anacondas into a fog, which then re-formed around him in the shape of a blood-colored skull. Then the skull shot toward the violet cauldron.

Massive booms rang out as the violet cauldron cracked and then exploded. The blood fog skull was significantly damaged, but remained intact.

After the collision, the collapsed cauldron revealed Bai Xiaochun, who shot out of the fragmented remains toward the fog beneath him.

At the same time, Chen Heng's eyes flickered. Then he leaped upward out of the fog, right hand flashing an incantation gesture to produce a vicious ghost face.

At the same time, he threw his head back and glared at Bai Xiaochun.

Their eyes met, and then they slammed into each other, one using a fist, the other a palm. Black light flashed as the Undying Iron Skin went into action to meet the bizarre magical technique that was the ghost face.

A deafening boom rang out. Blood sprayed out of Bai Xiaochun's mouth, and cracking sounds rang out from within him as he was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut, to slam into a nearby tree.

Chen Heng was shaken, and his face was ashen. His qi and blood were churning, and shock filled him regarding how powerful Bai Xiaochun was. However, he instantly shot back toward his opponent, raising his right hand, which caused all of the fog in the area to form together into a huge, blood-colored face which crushed down toward Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered with the ferocity that comes from being pushed into a corner. He twisted in mid air, pointing toward Chen Heng to unleash the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art.

He wasn't using it to control random objects, but instead, Chen Heng's body! It was a technique Chen Heng had never even heard of before. Suddenly, a powerful force wrapped around him, as though a gigantic hand had grabbed him.

He laughed coldly as his cultivation base erupted out, and the blood-colored face howled, causing Bai Xiaochun's spiritual energy to shatter. At the same time, Chen Heng quivered.

It was in that moment that a wooden sword shot toward him, and Bai Xiaochun also charged forth, holding nothing back as called upon the full power of his Undying Iron Skin.

"What a joke!" Chen Heng said, flicking his sleeve. The blood-colored face passed through him, crushing toward the wooden sword. When the two met, the wooden sword trembled, but didn't break. Instead, it stabbed through the face, opening up a gap.

Bai Xiaochun dove in through that very gap, relying on his Undying Iron Skin to deal with the injuries. As he shot out, Chen Heng's eyes flickered, and he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand.

The wave of a finger caused an arc of blood-colored light to appear, a curving blade that sliced toward Bai Xiaochun.

In the blink of an eye, the curving blood-colored light hit Bai Xiaochun, who coughed up a mouthful of blood. And yet, his fist, backed by the full power of his cultivation base, rocketed out.

A boom rang out as Chen Heng was shoved backward by several paces, his face draining of blood. However, Bai Xiaochun wasn't done yet. As of this moment, it seemed he was completely overdrawing on his strength and even his life force… to unleash an explosive attack.

RUUUUUUUUMBLE!

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Chapter 61: Fatal Attack!

Bai Xiaochun moved so incredibly fast that Chen Heng didn't have time to react. Punches and kicks instantly turned into a maddening storm of attacks.

Chen Heng's expression was extremely unsightly as he performed incantation gestures to summon protective shields. Rain pelted down in the jungle, and booms echoed out as he fought with Bai Xiaochun.

The battle so far left Chen Heng dumbfounded. Earlier, he had already acknowledged that this particular Outer Sect disciple of the Spirit Stream Sect was formidable, but it wasn't until actually fighting that it became clear how much he had underestimated him.

To be able to slaughter over ten of his fellow clan members, including cultivators in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, with seeming ease, indicated he had a high level of skill. That was not something that an ordinary qi Condensation disciple could do. The Spirit Stream Sect was one of the great sects, so it was expected that their disciples would surpass the local cultivator clans in terms of latent talent, but he had never imagined that the disparity would be like this.

"His fleshly body is too resilient. What body refinement technique does he use? Don't tell me that his power and speed are both a result of body refinement?!" Chen Heng flicked his sleeve, sending a fog rolling out to defend against Bai Xiaochun. Bai Xiaochun ignored any potential injuries as he attacked again. At the same time, Chen Heng's face grew more and more pale.

"Most terrifying are his powers of recovery! If his cultivation base were at the eighth level of Qi Condensation… I wouldn't be a match for him at all!" Chen Heng couldn't imagine how someone could receive so many injuries, and yet still be able to unleash such explosive power. Virtually anyone else who was on the receiving end of such punishment would have long since passed out.

Unfortunately, Bai Xiaochun was like an oil lamp running out of oil, just barely holding on.

"I need to get this battle done with and kill him," Chen Heng thought, eyes glittering coldly. "That way no other complications will arise!" However, it was at this point that Bai Xiaochun's eyes also glittered, and he suddenly fell back, performing a double-handed incantation gesture; Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning sent a huge cauldron rumbling toward Chen Heng.

Chen Heng's eyes narrowed as the fog which surrounded him transformed into a huge hand that shot toward the cauldron. The two collided, and the cauldron instantly collapsed, as if it hadn't been backed by even the smallest bit of power.

Chen Heng instantly realized that he had been fooled, but he didn't seem fazed at all, and in fact his eyes glinted sharply.

"Red Devil Grand Magic!" he said coolly. Immediately, massive amounts of red light shone out, and his skin turned crimson.

Even as that happened, Bai Xiaochun leaped into the air and swung his left leg toward Chen Heng in a powerful arcing kick which kicked up a huge wind.

Chen Heng chuckled coldly, thrusting his right forearm out to block the kick.

BOOM!

A sound like thunder rang out, accompanied by cracking sounds. Tears streamed down Bai Xiaochun's face as he staggered back, heart thumping.

"How did this guy get so strong so fast?" he thought. "Red Devil Grand Magic? His skin is red, and now he's way more powerful!" Bai Xiaochun was in so much pain that his heart was shaking. His left leg was twisted at an odd angle, and although his skin remained intact, the flesh underneath was mangled, and bones were broken. His breathing was ragged, and he was exhausted. Each time his injuries worsened. Bai Xiaochun felt as if he couldn't go on any further. By this point he had come to the realization that his body was constantly fixing itself. The strange regenerative power ensured that even the most serious of injuries were slowly healed. He wasn't sure, but guessed that it might be an outworking of the Undying Live Forever Technique.

Chen Heng's right arm seemed to be fine, but closer examination would reveal that it was shaking. His skin was even redder than before, and the bones inside were broken.

"You have your body refinement technique, and so does my Luochen Clan!" Chen Heng began to advance with speed that seemed even greater than Bai Xiaochun's; it was almost like he was a different person, a person with boundless power at his disposal.

In the blink of an eye, fierce fighting was once again underway within the jungle.

Booms rang out constantly. Bai Xiaochun's right leg was seriously hurt, and the bones of his left leg were broken. He could barely stand straight, and was suffering setback after setback. The sensation of imminent death grew stronger. This Chen Heng was by far the most powerful opponent Bai Xiaochun had ever fought.

Bai Xiaochun eyes were bloodshot as his right hand shot out. Black light shone as the Throat Crushing Grasp was unleashed, like a bolt of black lightning that shot toward Chen Heng's throat.

Chen Heng's eyes shone with an intense light when he realized that this was a move he had seen before, and was prepared to face. Red light flashed around him as Bai Xiaochun's right hand closed in. Chen Heng reached out casually, grabbed Bai Xiaochun's right hand, then crushed it hard. Cracking sounds rang out as Bai Xiaochun's hand was completely shattered.

Chen Heng frowned; he hadn't expected things to be this simple. But then his heart seized as he thought about the vicious tactics Bai Xiaochun had already used in the fighting, and how he would even allow himself to be injured in order to unleash a devastating attack. Chen Heng instantly pushed back, and especially tried to move his neck out of the way.

At the same time, Bai Xiaochun's left hand shone with black light, shooting past Chen Heng's neck and latching onto his shoulder.

The power of the Throat Crushing Grasp erupted, and a cracking sound rang out!

Chen Heng's face was ashen, and sweat was pouring down his face. The bones of his left shoulder instantly shattered, and the intense pain caused him to let out a bellow of rage.

Red light shimmered around him as he unleashed massive power, grabbing Bai Xiaochun's left hand. Although Bai Xiaochun was inclined to pull his hand back, Chen Heng was too fast, and in an instant, his hand locked onto Bai Xiaochun's.

"Die!" he howled, eyes bloodshot as he performed an incantation gesture with his left hand and then reached out to tap Bai Xiaochun's forehead.

Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered with a vicious gleam as he suddenly leaned to the side, allowing the bones in his left hand to snap as his right leg shot through the air and slammed into Chen Heng's body.

Blood sprayed out of Chen Heng's mouth, and he was sent tumbling backward, with no choice other than to release his grip on Bai Xiaochun. That in turn allowed Bai Xiaochun to fall back at high speed.

Within an instant, roughly thirty meters of space opened up between the two of them. Bai Xiaochun's hands were both crippled. His right arm was mangled, and although the left one was intact, his twisted fingers were incapable of unleashing the Throat Crushing Grasp.

Both of his legs were shaking. The left one was distorted into an odd shape, and blood soaked his right leg. The kick he had just unleashed had come with a terrible price.

He could barely stand up, and was in fact forced to lean back against one of the towering trees. He bit down on his tongue to force himself from lapsing into unconsciousness. He was now at his very limit. The only limb he could actually move was his left arm. Everything was numb. And yet, he still looked like he wanted to fight.

As for Chen Heng, his eyes were bright red. His left shoulder felt like it was on fire, and he couldn't even lift his right hand. Several of his ribs were broken, and blood oozed constantly out of his mouth.

"I underestimated you!" he said hoarsely, glaring at Bai Xiaochun. He could never have imagined that with a cultivation base like his own, it would be so difficult to kill the injured Bai Xiaochun. From the look of it, Bai Xiaochun's body refinement practices had led to some sort of undying secret magic that kept him alive despite such serious injuries.

In fact, to deal with him, Chen Heng had used almost every magical technique at his disposal, even the Red Devil Grand Magic.

"Alright, it's time to end this fight!" Chen Heng took a deep breath. Suddenly, all of the redness in his skin seemed to evaporate, transforming into a mist that rose up into the air. Normal color rapidly returned to Chen Heng's skin, and he seemed to weaken dramatically. The fight had been a difficult one even for Chen Heng; his opponent's tenacious desire to stay alive, his shocking restorative powers, and his willingness to sustain damage to inflict fatalities was completely shocking.

"Red Devil Secret Magic, Blood Saber… Attack!" Chen Heng bit down on his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood. The blood merged into the blood mist from moments ago, which then roiled and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a long, blood-colored saber!

The illusory saber was over three meters long and, shockingly, was covered with innumerable faces, all of which were emitting torturous screams. Chen Heng waved his finger, and the blood-colored saber began to move toward Bai Xiaochun!

Utilizing this secret magic caused Chen Heng to sag again in weakness, and he was forced to reach out and support himself on a nearby tree. His face was ashen, and some of his hair had even turned white.

"Die!" he growled, giving Bai Xiaochun an enraged stare.

An unprecedented sensation of crisis exploded up within Bai Xiaochun as he realized that no matter what he tried to do, he would not be able to dodge or evade this blow. He was stuck.

A crevice snaked toward him on the ground, and the tree behind him withered as the long, blood-colored saber rose up high… and then slashed down toward him!

Bai Xiaochun trembled, and his pupils constricted. He didn't want to die, and in fact was terrified of it. Unfortunately, the regenerative properties of his Undying Live Forever Technique weren't so Heaven-defying that they could keep up with his current injuries. However, even as the blade descended, a sudden bit of inspiration flashed in his mind. Without the slightest hesitation, he waved his left hand, and a black beam of light shot out. In the blink of an eye, it grew larger, right there in front of him, forming into the shape of… a wok!

It was none other than the turtle-wok!

As soon as the wok appeared, the blood-colored blade slashed down onto it, and a deafening boom rang out. The blood-colored blade began to vibrate violently… and then shattered into countless pieces!

As for the turtle-wok, not even the slightest crack appeared on its surface, although the force of the attack transformed it into a black beam of light that shot back inside of Bai Xiaochun.

"Impossible!!" A tremor ran through Chen Heng, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, an incredulous look on his face. He had already been in a weakened state when unleashing the magic, and now that it was broken, the backlash power slammed into him, instantly evaporating his spiritual power and turning his vision dim. "What… what is that thing!?!?"

"That's Lord Turtle!" Bai Xiaochun growled as he stood there, clinging onto life. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and he rocked back and forth as he stood there. He stepped back, sliding down the trunk of the tree into a sitting position, and began to laugh bitterly.

"Too bad I don't have any weapons…." He could sense his life force fading away, and his vision was swimming. He thought of summoning his wooden sword, but simply didn't have the energy. Calling forth the turtle-wok had taken the last scrap of spiritual power he had. He couldn't even open his bag of holding.

"I don't care what secrets you hold, once you're dead, everything you have will belong to me." Chen Heng said, breathing raggedly. He was also like an oil lamp on the verge of sputtering out, although he was in a slightly better position that Bai Xiaochun. After a few breaths of time passed, he struggled to his feet and produced a long sword from his bag of holding, hefted it, and began to walk toward Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun looked at him silently, eyes somewhat blank. He thought back to life in his village, and then he thought about Big Fatty Zhang. He recalled Li Qinghou, the Spirit Stream Sect, and the other amazing people he knew. Du Lingfei. Hou Yunfei. Hou Xiaomei….

Chen Heng slowly approached, then looked down at Bai Xiaochun, who was already emanating a powerful aura of death. He could see that Bai Xiaochun was riddled with wounds, and that he didn't even have enough spiritual energy to open his bag of holding.

"Remember my name. I'm the person who killed you… Chen Heng of the Luochen Clan." He raised the sword, which he normally could send flying out with the flick of a sleeve, but now seemed extraordinarily heavy. "It's a wonderful feeling being able to kill a Chosen."

Chen Heng was so tired that he was on the verge of passing out, but his eyes glinted with cruelty as he stabbed the sword down toward Bai Xiaochun's chest.

However, even as he did that, Bai Xiaochun suddenly swung his left arm, slamming it into the ground. The bones snapped, and one of them even pierced out through his skin by about three inches.

Then he lurched to his feet, propelling his left arm with the last bit of energy he had. Even as the sword stabbed into his chest, his arm slammed into Chen Heng's neck, and the bone… pierced directly into his throat.

Then Bai Xiaochun fell to the ground and, energy completely spent, lapsed into total unconsciousness.

A tremor ran through Chen Heng. Everything had happened too quickly, giving him no time to prepare or react, and he had been too exhausted to dodge. Once the bone stabbed into his neck, blood began to pour out onto the ground. He tried to cover the wound, but it did no good. He stared down at his own blood on the jagged bones which protruded from Bai Xiaochun's arm, and couldn't help but marvel at how ridiculous the situation was. It didn't even seem possible. Eyes flickering with an unyielding gleam, he thought about all of his goals and pursuits in life, and then laughed a bitter laugh.

"That was your dying blow, huh…." He staggered back and toppled to the ground, dead, his eyes staring up into the sky.

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Chapter 62: Killing a Chicken With a Battle-Axe!

Deep within the jungle of the nameless mountain range, the rainfall eventually began to lighten. Around evening, it stopped, and the setting sun just managed to create a little bit of a rainbow.

However, as the sun set, the rainbow gradually faded away.

The jungle was quiet. Even the stench of blood had vanished. However, the corpse-lined path stretching backward bore testament to the deadly fighting which had played out.

As Chen Heng slipped away into death, his eyes continued to shine with an unyielding, incredulous expression.

Next to his corpse, Bai Xiaochun lay still and unmoving. The flame of his life force was roughly ninety percent extinguished, with only a little spark left behind, struggling to stay alive.

Eventually, footsteps could be heard from off in the distance. Someone was walking through the muddy rainwater and fallen leaves, to eventually come to a stop next to Chen Heng.

It was an old man wearing a long black robe. He had flowing white hair, and his face was covered with wrinkles, making him seem profoundly ancient. Apparently, he had lived for so long than an aura of death was already seeping out from him.

"Intense focus has bolstered his soul… he's dead, and yet his soul hasn't dispersed. But that won't last for long." The man's voice was raspy, but also vague and bizarre as it echoed out into the jungle. Suddenly, the forehead of Chen Heng's corpse split open, and a green wisp of qi floated out. It swirled together in midair, forming into the blurry image of a soul, about the size of the palm of a hand.

This was Chen Heng, although his eyes were blank and he was trembling, as if his mind and consciousness were gone.

The old man extended a finger, and Chen Heng's soul flew toward him and disappeared inside.

After taking away Chen Heng's soul, the mysterious old man looked over at Bai Xiaochun, mixed emotions playing out on his face. He even seemed to be reminiscing about the past.

"I never imagined that I would once again lay eyes on… the Undying Live Forever Technique…." He closed his eyes for a moment, and then sighed. That sound seemed to transform his surroundings. Time seemed to suddenly flow differently, as if the entire area were being separated from the rest of the world.

The innumerable plants in the area suddenly went still, as if in death, and then transformed into ash.

Chen Heng's corpse instantly withered up, and within the space of a few breaths of time, was nothing more than a skeleton. Even that turned into dust, which crumbled down into the muddy ground.

Only Bai Xiaochun wasn't affected. In fact, vast amounts of life force poured into him, rapidly healing his various injuries.

The old man stood there with his eyes closed, as motionless as a statue. It almost looked… as if he possessed no aura whatsoever, nor any life force. It was like he didn't exist at all within the world, a discarnate soul who refused to be reborn.

Meanwhile, in the same moment that Chen Heng died, Patriarch Luochen was back in the Luochen Clan in the Fallenstar Mountains. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and an uneasy feeling filled his heart. He looked around at the clan members around him, and could see that quite a few of the eleven cultivators sent out of the clan had been killed. However, when he saw that Chen Heng's soul still existed, he felt slightly better.

"They're only three Outer Sect disciples, how could they have lasted so long…?" he muttered. "So many clan members have been killed. Well, considering the level of Heng'er's cultivation base, there's no way they could kill him. Most likely, he's already wiped them out and is on his way back." The uneasy feeling still lurked there inside of him, though. Eyes flickering, he sent a few more clan members out to investigate, all of whom were in the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

Having done that, he took a deep breath.

"It doesn't matter now. The Inverse Blood Grand Magic only needs one more day of work!" Gritting his teeth, he suppressed the uneasiness he felt. He knew that there was no backing out of the plan now, and really no other option than to hold on for another day… then everything would be worth it!

In that same moment, Hou Yunfei was in a valley a bit more than five kilometers away from the border of Patriarch Luochen's security spell formation. His face was ashen, and he had reached the point where he couldn't take another step further. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he collapsed to the ground, chuckling bitterly.

"Junior Brother Bai… I'm sorry, I can't save you…." He clenched his hands in anguish and helplessness before passing into unconsciousness.

In another direction was Du Lingfei, her hair disheveled, her skin sallow. Her qi passageways were almost completely destroyed, and she cut a completely different picture than she had in the past, in her peak of beauty.

Her eyes were lustreless, and she looked almost like the walking dead. However, a shocking level of willpower kept her staggering forward, clutching a jade slip in her hand. There was only one thought in her head, a thought that wouldn't leave.

She had to break free and send word to the sect. She had to… save Bai Xiaochun.

She proceeded along, one step after another. When she fell to the ground, she would crawl back to her feet. Her clothing was torn, her veins were bleeding dry, and she could barely see clearly. And yet… she kept moving forward.

Time passed. Du Lingfei had long since forgotten about the injured state of her body. She wasn't thinking about her own life, nor could she even remember how long she had been walking. She proceeded along until suddenly she experienced a sensation like passing through a sheet of water. In that moment, her eyes began to shine brightly.

"Am I out…?" she murmured through parched, cracked lips. Trembling, she looked at the jade slip clutched in her hands, the jade slip which hadn't so much as vibrated once during the past half month. But now, it vibrated, as though an invisible connection had suddenly been established… linking her to the sect.

"The Luochen Clan has turned traitor. Elder Brother Feng died in battle. I'm not sure if Elder Brother Hou is still alive, and Junior Brother Bai… drew the enemy away so that we could escape. I am disciple Du Lingfei, and I beg of the sect… to send backup immediately." As soon as she finished sending the message, Du Lingfei sagged down into a sitting position. Then she turned to look behind her, tears streaming down her face.

She would never forget how Bai Xiaochun had returned to fight, as if he had veins of steel. She would never forget the tragic and moving image of him running out to draw the attention of the Luochen Clan. She would never forget everything that had happened on their journey together.

"Junior Brother Bai, Elder Brother Hou… you have to stay alive…." Du Lingfei wept, her tears falling to the ground in front of her. Eventually, she couldn't hold on any longer, and collapsed into unconsciousness.

As Du Lingfei was transmitting her message, the Missions Office back on the Fragrant Cloud Peak in the Spirit Stream Sect was as busy as ever. Outer Sect disciples were running back and forth handling various tasks, and deep within the Missions Office itself, there was a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe who was in the middle of maintaining the records about various missions. Arrayed in front of him was a collection of thousands of jade slips, which contained the information of all sect disciples with open missions.

Suddenly, one of the jade slips flickered with light. Expression the same as ever, the middle-aged man waved his hand, causing the jade slip to fly over into his hand. After scanning it with divine sense, his eyes went wide, and he shot to his feet.

"The Luochen Clan has turned traitor!!" he cried, panting. The enormity of such a matter could not be understated. Whether or not it was true or false, he absolutely had to report the matter to his superiors. Holding back such information was a crime punishable by execution, so he didn't dare to dally. He immediately produced a violet jade slip from his robe and transmitted the new intelligence.

The report was instantly sent to the Hall of Justice. Of course, Qian Dajin worked in the Hall of Justice, but he had a very lowly position, and an intelligence report like this was something he didn't even qualify to look at. Almost as soon as the report arrived at the Hall of Justice, the entire organization sprang into immediate action. After all, the Hall of Justice was tasked with defending the entire Spirit Stream Sect, and the efficiency with which they went about it was shocking.

It only took the time it takes an incense stick to burn to verify the authenticity of the report.

Then, war drums began to sound through the entire south bank. All of the disciples looked around in shock. The Outer Sect disciples didn't know the significance of the war drums, but the Inner Sect disciples on the three mountain peaks all knew, and it caused their expressions to flicker as they looked up from whatever they were doing.

"What happened?"

"When the war drums beat, we can't return to the Spirit Stream Sect until blood is shed and the enemy clan is exterminated!! Heavens…."

Even as everyone was reeling in shock, the voice of an old man suddenly filled the entire south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect.

"I am Ouyang Jie of the Hall of Justice. All Inner Sect disciples of the south bank's three mountain peaks are to immediately cancel all previous missions, activities, and secluded meditation sessions. You have twenty breaths of time to gather at the main gate! Lateness will not be tolerated!"

Even as the words left his mouth, the Inner Sect disciples on Green Crest Peak, Fragrant Cloud Peak, and Violet Cauldron Peak immediately dropped whatever tasks they had at hand. Trembling, but without the slightest hesitation, they sprang into motion.

Even people involved in important tasks didn't dare to tarry for even a moment. Everyone knew that Ouyang Jie was an Elder of the Hall of Justice, and that he was… cold-hearted and merciless!

He had a Daoist name in addition to his given name; he was known as Daoist Jackal. For him to take the lead in a sect affair meant that something completely infuriating had occurred. It meant… that people needed to die. It meant… that a clan needed to be exterminated!

Rumbling sounds filled the air as countless figures appeared, speeding toward the main gate. Soon it became clear that among the three mountains of the south bank, there were at least two thousand Inner Sect disciples. Normally, it was a difficult thing to catch sight of one or two, so the sight of so many left the Outer Sect disciples completely shaken.

There were also several hundred disciples from the Hall of Justice, clad in black robes and led by an old man with bright red hair. That old man radiated intense killing intent, and he was none other than Ouyang Jie.

Soon, over two thousand people were gathered around the main gate, all of whom wore grim and somber expressions.

"The Luochen Clan has turned traitor. The Sect Leader has ordered that their clan… be exterminated all the way down to the chickens and dogs. Activate the Daoseed Teleportation Portal!" Ouyang Jie waved his sleeve, instantly causing a huge pillar of light to rise up from Mount Daoseed, in the middle of the Spirit Stream Sect.

The light climbed up into the air, transforming into a huge teleportation portal, which instantly enveloped the two thousand disciples. Rumbling could be heard as the teleportation process began.

The Outer Sect disciples of the south bank gasped, and suddenly, they were filled with sensations of deep pride regarding their sect.

Compared to the Spirit Stream Sect, the Luochen Clan was small, with only one Foundation Establishment cultivator. And yet, for the sake of a few Outer Sect disciples, the Spirit Stream Sect had mobilized two thousand individuals. Then there was the violent and powerful Ouyang Jie. All of that… was a mighty threat!

It was a threat to all of the cultivator clans in the territory controlled by the Spirit Stream Sect. The old saying asks, "Why use a battle-axe to kill a chicken?" In this situation, the Spirit Stream Sect provided the answer: "How else do you kill chickens than with battle-axes?!"

This was a sect that wouldn't hold back any resources, not even when it came to Outer Sect disciples. That in turn caused the Outer Sect disciples' loyalty toward their sect to reach new heights.

The Spirit Stream Sect had stood strong for ten thousand years, growing from a tiny little organization to its current height. Naturally, there were aspects to it that others would find astonishing!

It was in this moment that, all of a sudden, there on the temple at the very top of Fragrant Cloud Peak, Li Qinghou flew out, face grim, aura murderous. That aura swept out explosively, creating a wild tempest as he shot toward the teleportation portal.

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Chapter 63: Crushing the Luochen Clan!

It only took Li Qinghou a moment to reach the teleportation portal, where he hovered like an unsheathed blade, radiating an intense murderous aura.

Ouyang Jie looked over at him, and his pupils constricted slightly. Among the three Peak Lords on the south bank, Ouyang Jie viewed Li Qinghou as the most important. In fact, he was actually one of the most important people in the entire Spirit Stream Sect.

Not only was he a master apothecary, his profound natural talents were extremely rare. For example, he had only practiced cultivation for about a hundred years, but had already reached late Foundation Establishment. In fact, it was even said that, within the entire sect, he was the most likely candidate to break through from Foundation Establishment and acquire a Gold Core.

"I heard that one of those four Outer Sect disciples is connected to Li Qinghou somehow…." Ouyang Jie thought. At the same time, rumbling could be heard from the spell formation, and countless dazzling beams of light rose up. Instantly, the group of two thousand cultivators, including Li Qinghou, became blurry, and then disappeared altogether.

The journey which had taken Bai Xiaochun and the others several months to complete, occurred in only a few seconds, thanks to the activation of the Spirit Stream Sect's teleportation portal.

Rumbling like thunder filled the air over Du Lingfei's unconscious form. The sky dimmed as something like an invisible hand ripped open a huge rift, revealing the image of an enormous spell formation.

It descended rapidly to the ground, causing everything to quake in a fifty kilometer area. Blazing, fiery lines appeared in the ground as the shape and design of the spell formation appeared on the surface of the land.

Within that 50 kilometer area, all grass, rocks, mountains, everything turned into ash, vanishing in an instant. This spell formation was incredibly domineering, and destroyed everything that got in its way.

Du Lingfei was in that area, and immediately fell under the protection of the spell formation, ensuring she wasn't harmed at all. Even as the land shook, numerous figures came into view.

It took only a moment for the more than two thousand Inner Sect disciples from the south bank to appear. There was still enough teleportation power swirling around them for another teleportation to be carried out, but first, Ouyang Jie and Li Qinghou strode forward to the unconscious Du Lingfei. Several female disciples reached her ahead of them, covering her with a set of spare garments and also administering some medicinal pills. With the influx of spiritual energy, Du Lingfei gradually opened her eyes. Her expression was blank, but when she saw all of the forces from the sect surrounding her, she began to weep, and a feeling of excitement flooded through her.

Furthermore, considering she was an Outer Sect disciple of Fragrant Cloud Peak, when she noticed Peak Lord Li Qinghou standing there, even more tears welled up in her eyes. At the same time, disciples on either side of her helped her to rise to a sitting position.

"Peak Lord, please rescue Junior Brother Bai…." she implored, face ashen.

"What happened to him?!" Li Qinghou said, stepping forward to stand directly in front of Du Lingfei. His eyes burned with fury and deep anxiety.

"Junior Brother Bai… went out on his own to distract the Luochen Clan cultivators so that Elder Brother Hou and I could escape. They started chasing after him…." Weeping, she went on to explain the entire situation.

Virtually none of the surrounding two thousand disciples knew Bai Xiaochun, but as they listened to Du Lingfei's tale, they were visibly moved. The intense and tragic events even caused them to gasp.

They learned about how Feng Yan fell in battle to protect his fellow disciples, and how Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei risked almost certain death to try to escape. They heard about how the Luochen Clan sent out two waves of cultivators in pursuit, including several in the eighth level of Qi Condensation, and one in the ninth….

Even these members of the Inner Sect would be hard pressed to make it out alive under such circumstances.

When Du Lingfei talked about Bai Xiaochun, they could sense how devoted and loyal he was. In fact, he was already the type of person who could be considered Chosen.

He had the option of fleeing on his own, but instead returned to save his fellow disciples. He fought enemies far more powerful than himself, then helped carry his two wounded companions for more than half a month, on a journey of nearly 5,000 kilometers.

In the end, he chose to sacrifice himself rather than his principles, all to give his fellow disciples a chance to make it out alive. The result was that Du Lingfei was able to send her message. Were it not for that, the sect might not have learned about the traitorous actions of the Luochen Clan until it was too late.

It didn't take long before Bai Xiaochun had taken root deep within the hearts of the Inner Sect disciples. To them, he was profoundly devoted and loyal, an elegant and even heroic man, someone with veins of steel.

The people from the Hall of Justice were completely shaken. Among their number was Qian Dajin, whose jaw dropped as he heard Du Lingfei's story. He almost couldn't believe that the Bai Xiaochun she was talking about was the same person in his mind. His impulsive plotting earlier had left him nervous about possible investigations on the part of the sect. Although he hadn't been absolutely sure that Bai Xiaochun was the little turtle, in his pettiness, he would rather kill the wrong person accidentally than risk the right person getting away. As of this moment, he breathed a sigh of relief. With Feng Yan being dead, there was no way word would get out.

Even the iron-hearted Ouyang Jie, Daoist Jackal, couldn't help but sigh in response to the tale, and a gleam of admiration appeared in his eyes. Considering the level of his cultivation base, he could tell at a glance that Du Lingfei wasn't making the story up; everything she had said, although perhaps not completely accurate, was the truth.

"The Spirit Stream Sect cannot permit a disciple such as that to perish in this place!" Ouyang Jie flicked his sleeve and immediately sent several hundred disciples out to search for Hou Yunfei and Bai Xiaochun.

Li Qinghou slowly looked off into the distance, eyes completely bloodshot, heart aching bitterly. Considering what Bai Xiaochun had done here, Li Qinghou suddenly felt as if he had judged him incorrectly. At the same time, he knew that, considering the circumstances, Bai Xiaochun chances of getting out alive… were small, to say the least.

"And I was the one who brought you to this sect…." he thought. His murderous aura exploded out with even more intensity. Taking a step forward, he drew upon some of the remaining teleportation power to suddenly vanish in the direction of the Luochen Clan.

Ouyang Jie sighed. After hearing Du Lingfei's tale, he knew that the situation did not bode well for Bai Xiaochun. Flickering into motion, he gathered the remaining forces and began another teleportation.

Rumbling echoed out in all directions as Li Qinghou and Ouyang Jie led nearly two thousand disciples to appear in midair above the Luochen Clan mansion in the Fallenstar Mountains.

The cloud layers were ripped apart as the teleportation portal became a powerful attack bearing down with intense energy of Heaven and Earth. Cries of alarm rang out within the mansion as the spell formation descended upon it.

RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!

The spell formation landed, instantly shattering the limestone flooring, transforming it into ash. The mansion itself collapsed into rubble.

Roars of rage echoed out as numerous figures flew out, expressions of fury and hopelessness on their faces.

The guardian stone lions and the fruit trees from the courtyard transformed into puppets that instantly went on the offensive. Li Qinghou was the first person to make a move. He waved his sleeve, causing the lions to explode loudly. As for the fruit trees, they trembled, and the fruit began to fall off their branches. However, even as the fruits fled, they were destroyed.

Rumbling echoed out as the Spirit Stream Sect disciples unleashed mass destruction.

Li Qinghou shot toward the center of the destroyed Luochen Clan mansion. His right hand flashed with an incantation gesture, and he waved his finger, summoning a green fireball. His hair flew wildly about him as he then sent the fireball blasting down into the ground.

Flames erupted, smashing into the rubble of the mansion and sweeping it away. The handful of enemy cultivators who had been attacking let out miserable shrieks as they were instantly incinerated.

Next, Li Qinghou lifted his right foot into the air and stamped it down hard. The land shattered, and a huge crevice was ripped open, revealing the necropolis down below.

At almost exactly the same time, the lake of blood spiraled out, followed by the Luochen Clan's Patriarch.

When the man saw Li Qinghou, his face filled with an expression of despair. The Spirit Stream Sect had arrived too suddenly. The spell formation he was working on was on the cusp of being completed, and had anyone else arrived, he might have been able to delay them for long enough. But unexpectedly, the people who came were none other than Li Qinghou and Ouyang Jie!

The Patriarch fell back, crying out miserably, "Flee! Anyone who can escape, get out of here!"

Trembling, the Luochen Clan cultivators in the necropolis began to flee in all directions. However, Ouyang Jie's face was expressionless as he waved his hand, sending the Inner Sect disciples after them in pursuit.

Li Qinghou's eyes locked onto Patriarch Luochen, and the lake of blood that surrounded him. Ouyang Jie did the same, and then, flames of rage appeared in both mens' eyes.

"You slaughtered innocent mortals?" Li Qinghou growled. "The Heavens cannot tolerate the existence of a clan like yours!" With that, he waved his sleeve, sending a destructive sea of flames out.

At the same time, bloodcurdling screams began to rise up as the Spirit Stream Sect disciples began to slaughter and crush the Luochen Clan cultivators.

Two thousand people versus a few hundred.

Patriarch Luochen could only watch as everyone in his clan was killed, both descendants from his own bloodline, and members of other bloodlines. Screaming miserably, he fled at top speed in an attempt to escape.

However, in that instant, he was overwhelmed by Li Qinghou's sea of flames. Face extremely grim, Li Qinghou clenched his hand into a fist.

RUMBLE!

Patriarch Luochen's screams intensified as he erupted into flames. His flesh and blood were incinerated, and in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to nothing more than ash. Li Qinghou… killed him with one attack!

When the surrounding Inner Sect disciples saw that, they gasped in shock. Even Ouyang Jie's eyes went wide in astonishment.

As Li Qinghou hovered there in midair, he waved his hand again, sending the sea of flames exploding out again. The entire Luochen Clan was engulfed, and everything began to burn. Li Qinghou looked off into the distance, his expression somewhat disconsolate.

Sighing, he said, "Bai Xiaochun, I, Li Qinghou… have let down your Bai Clan." In his bitterness, he flew off into the distance. He wasn't willing to entrust the search for Bai Xiaochun to others. If there was even the slightest hope that he was alive, he himself would search for him.

Li Qinghou left, flames rising high into the sky behind him. As for the Inner Sect disciples, expressions of excitement began to appear on their faces. Now more than ever, they realized how powerful and glorious their sect was.

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