I Shall Seal The Heavens

by Srtyi

What I want, the Heavens shall not lack! What I don’t want, had better not exist in the Heavens!” This is a story which originates between the Eighth and Ninth Mountains, the world in which the strong prey upon the weak. “My Name is Meng Hao! The Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, I shall seal the Heavens! “

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Chapter 1: Scholar Meng Hao

The State of Zhao was a very small nation 1. Like other small nations in the Nanshan Continent, its people admired the Great Tang 2 in the Eastern Lands, and they admired Chang'an 3. Not only did the king carry this admiration, all scholars in the State of Zhao did. They could see it, almost as if they stood atop the Tower of Tang in the capital city, oh so far away.

This April was neither extremely cold, nor scorching hot. Light winds caressed the land, passing the Qiang Di flutes of the Northern Desert, blowing over the lands of the Great Tang. Under the twilight sky, it lifted the fog-like dust, then swirling, twisting, reached Mount Daqing in the State of Zhao. Then it fell onto a young man who sat there on the mountaintop.

He was a lean young man, holding a bottle gourd and wearing a clean blue scholar's robe. He appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen. He was not tall, and his skin was somewhat dark, but his bright eyes sparkled with intelligence. And yet, all his intelligence seemed to be hidden by the frown on his face. He seemed lost.

"Failed again…" He sighed. His name was Meng Hao, an average student from Yunjie County, which lay at the foot of the mountain 4. Years ago, his parents went missing, and did not leave much behind in the way of assets. Education was expensive, so he was almost completely broke.

"I've taken the Imperial exams three years in a row. In all that time, I read books written by the sages until I wanted to throw up. Maybe that isn't the path for me after all." Filled with self-deprecation, he looked down at the gourd bottle, his eyes bleak.

"My dream of becoming an official and getting rich just keeps getting farther and farther away. I might as well forget about trying to reach the Great Tang… How useless to be a student." He laughed bitterly. Sitting there on the silent mountaintop, gazing at the bottle gourd in his hand, he looked increasingly lost. He began to feel fear. What would he do in the future? Where would he go?

Perhaps a high-ranking official would take an interest in him, or a beautiful young maiden. Or would he continue to take the exams, year after year?

There were no answers to the questions. He was but a teenager, and this feeling of being lost had devoured him like a giant invisible mouth. He truly felt afraid.

"Even the teachers in town can only make a few pieces of silver. That's worse than Uncle Wang's carpenter shop. If I'd realized that earlier, I could have learned some carpentry skills from him. At least then I wouldn't be starving like I am now." He grew silent for a while.

"I don't have much food or money left at home. I owe Steward Zhou three pieces of silver. What am I going to do?" He raised his head and looked up at the sky, blue and grand. It was so large you could not see its ends. Much similar to how he could not see his future.

After a while, Meng Hao shook his head and took out a slip of paper from his robe. He read it carefully, placed it in the gourd bottle, then stood up and threw the gourd down the mountain.

At the bottom of the mountain was a wide river which never froze during the winter, and was said to flow all the way to the Great Tang.

Meng Hao stood on top of the mountain, watching the gourd bottle drift further and further along down the river. He stared unblinking. For a moment, he seemed to have glimpsed his mother, and the happiness of his childhood. The gourd carried his dreams, his wishes, and his hopes for the future. Perhaps one day someone would pick it up, open it, and read the note.

"Regardless of what I do, be it study or work, I will keep living." This was his personality: intelligent and determined. If he wasn't this way, he would not have been able to survive after his parents left.

He raised his head toward the sky, the stubborn look in his eyes growing deeper. He was about to head down the mountain.

At that exact moment, he heard a weak voice coming from a nearby cliff. The sound seemed to be borne along by the wind. As it passed Meng Hao's ears, it was almost too faint to notice.

"Help… help…"

Meng Hao stopped for a moment, shocked, then listened carefully. As he concentrated, the sound of the voice calling for help grew stronger.

"Help…"

He walked a few steps forward until he had nearly reached the edge of the peak. When he peered over the edge, he saw a person, his body sticking out of a crevice halfway down the cliff. Pale face full of fear and desperation, he cried for help.

"You… you're Meng Hao, right? Help, Scholar Meng! Help me!" It was a teenager. As soon as he saw Meng Hao, he expressed surprise and happiness, having suddenly found hope in a desperate situation.

"Wang Youcai 5?" Meng Hao's eyes grew wide as he looked at the young man. He was the son of Uncle Wang, who owned the carpentry shop in town. "How did you end up here?"

Meng Hao looked at the crevice. The cliff itself was quite steep, and it seemed impossible to climb down. The slightest carelessness would send the climber falling into the river.

Considering how fast the river flowed, if you fell in, the chances of dying were about ninety percent.

"It's not just me, there are other people from nearby towns," Wang Youcai gushed. "We're all stuck here. Brother Meng, let's not chat, please, just help us get out." Perhaps he had been hanging out of the crack for too long. His hands grasped at the air, and if not for his compatriots, who grabbed him by the shirt, he would have slipped and fell down the cliff. His face turned pale with fear.

Meng Hao realized the danger. But he had climbed the mountain alone today, and had no rope. How could he save anyone? At that moment, he turned and realized that the mountainside was covered with rattan vines.

As frail as he was, it took him two hours to find a rattan vine that was long enough. Breathing heavily, he dragged the rattan to the cliff. Calling out Wang's name, he bent over and lowered the rattan down the cliff.

"You still haven't told me how you got down there," Meng Hao said as he lowered the vine.

"By flying!" It was not Wang Youcai who spoke the words, but another young man who stuck his body out of the crevice next to him. This boy looked feisty and intelligent, and spoke with a loud voice.

"Bullshit! You can fly?" mocked Meng Hao, pulling the rattan vine back up a bit. "If you can fly down here, then why don't you fly back up?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense," said Wang Youcai, clearly worried that Meng Hao wouldn't lower the rattan vine back down. "We were captured by a flying woman. She said she's going to take us to some Sect to be servants."

"More bullshit?" said Meng Hao dismissively. "Only Immortals from legends can do that. Who believes in that?" In books he had read, there were stories of people who became rich after meeting Immortals, but it was all just lies.

Just as the rattan reached the crevice, Wang caught it. But then, Meng Hao suddenly felt a cold wind behind his back. From the temperature around him, it seemed winter had returned. He shivered. He slowly turned to look back, then screamed and stepped forward into emptiness, beginning to fall off the cliff.

He had seen a woman in a long silver robe and pale face, standing there staring at him. It was impossible to tell her age. She was extremely beautiful, but radiated a coldness that made one feel as if she had just crawled out of a grave.

"Sometimes when you find certain things with certain qualities, it's just fate."

When the voice hit his ears, it felt like bones rubbing together. This woman seemed to possess some sort of strange power, and when Meng Hao looked into her eyes, his whole body felt ice cold, as if she could see through him. As if he could hide nothing from her.

Her words still floating through the air, she shook her wide sleeve, and suddenly, a gust of greenish wind picked up Meng Hao. He flew down the cliff with her. His mind went blank.

When they reached the crevice, the woman waved her hand and threw him inside. As for her, she stopped moving, as did the greenish wind. Wang and his three friends scurried backward in fright.

The woman stood there, not saying a word. She raised her head and glanced at the rattan vine.

Meng Hao was so nervous he had started shaking. He stood up, glancing around quickly. The crevice was not spacious, and was in fact quite narrow. Even with only a few people inside, there was not much room.

His eyes fell on Wang and the two other young men. One was the clever fellow; the other one was clean and pudgy. The two of them shivered, looking as if they might cry from fear at any moment.

"I was short one person," said the pale-faced woman. Now she looked at Meng Hao instead of the rattan. "I'll put you in with them."

"Who are you?" asked Meng Hao, concealing his fear. He was an educated person and had a strong personality. Despite being afraid, he controlled himself and did not panic.

The woman said nothing. She raised her right hand and waved, and the green wind appeared again. It lifted up all the young men, and they flew out of the cave together with the woman, shooting up into the sky. They disappeared. Left behind was only Mount Daqing. It stood there, straight and tall, merging in the darkness of twilight.

The blood drained from Meng Hao's face. He saw himself within the green wind, crossing the sky. As he flew above the ground, wind blew into his mouth, making it impossible to breathe. A word appeared in his head.

"Immortals?" He held his breath for the amount of time it would normally take to breathe ten times, until he couldn't hold on any more. Then he passed out.

When he opened his eyes, he found that they had landed on a platform paved with green stone, halfway up a mountain. More rolling mountains surrounded them. Clouds and fog drifted about; this was definitely not the mortal world. The beautiful peaks of the surrounding mountains looked very strange.

Wang and the other young men woke up, scared and shivering. They stared at the back of the woman.

Standing in front of her were two Cultivators wearing long green robes. They appeared to be in their twenties. They had sunken eyes with fear-inspiring green pupils.

"Excellent work, Elder Sister Xu," said one of the men, his voice flattering. "You found four talented young babies."

"Take them to the Servants' Quarter," said the woman, her face cold, not even looking at Meng Hao and the others. Suddenly, her entire body transformed. She became a rainbow and then disappeared into the mountains.

By this time, Meng Hao had recovered his composure. He stared, numb, at the place where the woman had disappeared. An expression appeared on his face which had not appeared there for sixteen years. His blood boiled.

"Servants?" he thought. "If the work is for Immortals, the pay must be good." Now that he knew the people didn't want to kill them, he took a step forward.

"Sister Xu has reached the seventh level of Qi Condensation," lamented the second of the Cultivators. "The Sect Priest bestowed a Wind Pennant upon her, which means even though she isn't at the Foundation Establishment stage, she can still fly." He looked arrogantly down at Meng Hao and the others.

"You and you," he said pointing at Wang and the clever young man. "Follow me to the Southern Servants' Quarters."

"What is this place?" Wang asked, his voice and body both shaking as the Immortal pointed at him.

"The Reliance Sect."

1.The State of Zhao is named after the historical State of Zhao

2.The Great Tang is named after the historical Tang Dynasty

3.Chang'an is named after the historical Chinese city Chang'an

4.Meng Hao's name in Chinese is 孟浩 (mèng hào) – Meng is a family name. Hao means "great" or "many"

5.Wang Youcai's name in Chinese is 王有才 (wáng yǒu cái) – Wang is a common family name. Youcai means "to have talent or ability"

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Chapter 2: The Reliance Sect

The Reliance Sect, located within the borders of the State of Zhao, on the southern edge of the Nanshan continent, was once first among the Four Great Sects. Even though it was still famous in the Southern Domain, it had experienced a decline in recent years and did not maintain the glorious position it once had. Nowadays, compared to the other Sects within the State of Zhao, it could only be considered inferior.

Actually, it hadn't always been called the Reliance Sect. But a thousand years ago, a Cultivator appeared who caused a great sensation in the Southern Domain. He'd called himself Patriarch Reliance, and had forced the Sect to change its name as such. He'd trod roughshod over all the other Sects in the State of Zhao, plundering their treasures, remaining unrivaled for some time.

But things were different now. Patriarch Reliance had been missing for nearly 400 years. If it were not for the fact that no one knew if he was alive or dead, the Sect would already have been swallowed up by some other Sect. It was past its glory days. Considering the lack of resources in the State of Zhao, and pressure from the other three Sects, if they wanted to get new recruits, they were forced to kidnap people to act as servants. There was no way they could open their doors to recruit openly.

Meng Hao followed the green-robed man along the small paths that wound among the mountain peaks. The surroundings were garden-like, with strange rocks and odd-looking trees everywhere. Amidst the beautiful scenery, extravagantly decorated buildings with jade roof tiles rose up out of the clouds and mist. Meng Hao sighed continuously. Sadly, the fat teenager next to him wailed the entire time, somewhat ruining the mood.

"I'm finished, really finished…. I want to go home," muttered the fat teenager, tears rolling down his face. "There's mantou waiting at home, and fish. Dammit, dammit. I want to inherit the family land, become a rich old man, and have a few concubines. I don't want to be a servant here."

He muttered under his breath for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, until the green-robed man turned. "If you spout one more bit of nonsense," he said coldly, "I'll cut your tongue out."

The fat teenager suddenly trembled violently, his eyes shining with fear, but he shut his mouth.

When he saw this, Meng Hao began to reconsider how wonderful the situation might or might not be. But he had a persistent personality, so he took a deep breath and maintained his silence.

After a while, when they reached a point about half way up the mountain, Meng Hao saw a row of flat buildings emerging from the roiling fog.

Seven or eight young people wearing hemp robes sat outside the buildings. They looked exhausted. As Meng Hao and the others approached, the young people noticed them, but did not call out any greetings.

Some distance away, a young man wearing a light blue robe sat on a crag. His face was long, almost like a horse, and his robe was obviously more expensive and fancy than those worn by the other youths. Though his face was cold, when the green-robed man approached leading Meng Hao, the young man stood and greeted him with cupped fists.

"Greetings, Elder Brother."

"These are two newly arrived servants," said the green-robed man impatiently. "Please arrange for their accommodations." With that, he turned and left, not even glancing at Meng Hao and the other young man.

After he left, the horse-faced young man sat down again, crossing his legs and coldly glancing over Meng Hao and the fat teenager.

"This is the Northern Servants' Quarter," he said in a cold, emotionless voice. "The Reliance Sect does not support slackers. Now that you're here, you will work for thirty years, upon which you can leave. If you try to escape, well, there are many wild beasts in these lonely mountains, and you will certainly die. Go retrieve your work uniform. From now on, you are isolated from the mortal world, and will work peacefully as a servant."

The fat teenager trembled even harder, his face filling with despair. Meng Hao remained calm. In fact, deep within his eyes was an indescribable sparkle. The horse-faced man noticed. He had held this position for many years and had seen many young people captured to be servants, but had never seen anyone as calm as Meng Hao.

"If you have a good temperament," he said lightly, "you may not need to labor for the full thirty years. You can practice cultivation in your time off. If you manage to reach the first level of Qi Condensation, then you will be promoted to the Outer Sect." He flicked his wide sleeve, whereupon two hemp robes appeared in front of Meng Hao and the fat teenager. On the front of each robe was a wooden badge the size of a thumb, engraved with the character "Servant."

In addition to the robe, there was also a small booklet, upon the cover of which was written three characters: "Qi Condensation Manual."

As soon as Meng Hao laid eyes on the characters, he began to breathe hard. He stared at the booklet and recalled how when discussing the cold-faced woman, the green-robed man had mentioned the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

"We can become Outer Sect disciples when we reach the first level, but that woman has already reached the seventh level… what is Qi Condensation? Perhaps that is the way to become an Immortal, like they talk about in stories."

If that was the pay he would receive from his work, well, it might not be money, but it would be worth hundreds of pieces of gold in the outside world. Meng Hao's excitement rose. He grabbed the robe and used it to wrap up the badge and booklet.

"The East Seventh house is where you will live. Starting tomorrow, your job is to cut wood. Ten logs each, every day. You are not permitted to eat until your chopping is finished." He closed his eyes.

Breathing deeply, Meng Hao imitated the young man and saluted with clasped fists, then walked toward the house, followed by the fat teenager. The building appeared to be a siheyuan courtyard dwelling that had been expanded multiple times. Following the signs, they located the seventh one, then opened the door and entered.

The room wasn't large. It contained a table and two small beds, and though simple, was quite neat and tidy. The fat teenager sat down on one of the beds, then, unable to hold it in anymore, began to cry.

He was about 12 or 13 years old, and he cried loudly. It surely echoed outside.

"My father is a Lord, and I'm supposed to be a Lord too. I'm not supposed to be a servant." He seemed extremely distraught, and his fat little body trembled.

"Stop crying," said Meng Hao, trying to comfort him. "Think about it. It's not that bad here. We're working for Immortals. How many people would envy us if they knew?" He quickly closed the door.

"I don't want to work for other people," he replied. "My marriage has already been arranged and engagement gifts sent. My poor, beautiful lady hasn't even married me, yet is already a widow." The more he cried, the more heartbroken he grew.

A strange expression appeared on Meng Hao's face. This fat teenager was still young, he thought to himself. I can't believe he's been promised a wife, yet has never even felt the touch of a woman's hand. He sighed emotionally, thinking about how amazing it would be to be rich. This fat teenager's family is so rich that he never has to worry about food or clothing. And yet I have nothing. Even after selling my ancestral home last year, I still owe Steward Zhou a lot of money.

Thinking of the money he owed made him laugh. Now that he was here, Zhou could come to chase after him for the money if he was strong enough. If not, he would be dead by the time Meng Hao left.

The more he thought about this place, the better he felt about it. He didn't need to worry about money, or lodging or food. He even got payment worth hundreds of pieces of gold, and that was before he even started working. Considering that this was a dwelling-place of Immortals, it could truly be said that he had unexpectedly been rescued from a desperate situation.

The fat teenager's crying had begun to annoy him. Ignoring him, he pulled the manual out from the hemp robe and started reading. After reading the first line of the first page, he felt shocked.

"A person should have something to rely on. If you are a mortal who desires riches and titles, if you are a Cultivator who wants to live a life free from worry, join my Reliance Sect. You can rely on me." That was introduction to the manual, and it was signed by Patriarch Reliance.

Even though it was only a handful of words, they were filled with an indescribable power. It was both an invitation and a description of the Reliance Sect. Meng Hao felt numb, and then, everything suddenly made sense.

"The Reliance Sect. Is this the meaning of the Sect? People must find something to rely on; when they find the Reliance Sect, then they will be rich, powerful and free from worry." It made more and more sense. He realized that if he'd had an official to rely on, he would never have failed the examinations three times in a row. He sighed, his respect growing for Patriarch Reliance, whom he had never actually met. With that one sentence, it seemed as if a door in his life had suddenly opened.

"In other words, I have to find someone to rely on while I'm here. If I do, I won't have to worry about anything." His eyes grew brighter as he continued to scan the manual. Soon, he lost track of time, and didn't even notice the fat teenager crying next to him.

The fat teenager finally cried himself to sleep around midnight, whereupon his snores began to reverberate around the room like thunder. Meng Hao reluctantly closed the manual. Even though he felt very tired, his eyes were filled with vim and vigor.

"This book isn't worth 100 gold, it's worth 1,000!" he said to himself. For someone who had always dreamed of becoming a rich official, something worth 1,000 gold was worth more than anything except his life.

In his excitement, he noticed that the fat teenager's snoring had ceased. He looked over, and saw that the young man had sat up in bed and was waving his arms around and muttering.

"I'm gonna beat you to death! How dare you steal my mantou! I'm gonna bite you to death! How dare you steal away my wife!" As he talked, he got off the bed, his eyes still closed, waving his fists angrily. Then, amazingly, he grabbed the table and bit the corner hard with his mouth, leaving a deep mark. Then he went back to sleep and began to snore.

Meng Hao watched him for a bit, just to confirm that he had been sleepwalking just now. Then he looked back to the bite mark, realizing that he should never provoke the fat teenager when he was asleep. He inched away from him, then looked down at the manual again, feeling excited.

"The ninth level of Qi Condensation is the path to being an Immortal. Working for them, I have a chance to become an Immortal myself. That is the biggest payment possible. If I become an Immortal, I must have a chance to become rich." Meng Hao gripped the manual, his eyes shining brightly. He had finally found another path besides studying for the exams.

At that moment, the door was kicked open with a bang, and a loud "harumph" sounded out.

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Chapter 3: Promotion to the Outer Sect

"You went to sleep early. Now it's time to wake up for Grandpa Tiger!" The door shook as it opened, and a tall, strong man entered wearing servants' robes. He glared fiercely at Meng Hao and the fat teenager.

"Starting today," he said angrily, "you two little bastards will chop ten trees per day for me, each. Otherwise, Grandpa Tiger will flay you alive."

"Greetings, Grandpa Tiger," said Meng Hao, scrambling off the bed and standing there nervously. "Maybe you could quiet down a…" Before he could finish speaking, the large man fixed his eyes on him.

"Quiet farts! You think I'm speaking too loud?"

Looking at his fierce bearing and large stature, Meng Hao hesitated, then said, "But… the Elder Brother in charge of servants already assigned us to chop down ten trees per day."

"Then chop an extra ten for me," he said with a cold harrumph.

Though Meng Hao said nothing, his brain spun. He had just arrived in the Immortal's Sect, and was already being bullied. He didn't want to give in, but the man was so big and strong, and he himself was clearly too weak, unable to fight back. Then he glanced at the table, and noticed the bite marks. Thinking back to how strong the fat teenager had been in the clutches of his dream walking, he had a flash of inspiration. He suddenly yelled at the sleeping fat teenager.

"Fatty! Someone's stealing your mantou and your girl!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the fat teenager sat up, eyes closed, shouting, his face twisted with furious savagery.

"Who's stealing my mantou? Who's stealing my wife?" he cried, leaping out of the bed. "I'll beat you to death! I'll bite you to death!" He began striking randomly around the room. The big man stared in shock, then took a step forward and made to slap the boy.

"You dare to shout in front of Grandpa Tiger!" His slap landed on the boy's face, but then the big man cried out. The fat teenager, eyes closed, had bitten down onto the man's arm. No matter how the man shook his arm, the boy refused to let go.

"Stop biting me, dammit. Stop biting." This man was a servant, not a Cultivator. He had been a servant for a long time, and his body was strong, but the pain had caused him to break out in a cold sweat. He punched and kicked, but couldn't make the fat teenager loosen his jaw even the slightest bit. The harder he hit, the deeper the boy bit. The man's flesh was mangled, and it seemed as if a chunk were about to be ripped off.

His screams drifted outside, such that others began to notice. A cold voice shouted out.

"What's the ruckus?"

It was the voice of the horse-faced young man. As soon as the big man heard it, he began to tremble in fear. Despite the horrible pain which twisted his face, he ceased his screaming.

"It's not a good idea to upset the Elder Brother in charge of servants," said the big man hurriedly. "There's no benefit to continuing this. Quick, stop biting me! I don't need the ten logs."

Meng Hao never imagined the fat teenager's dream state would be so intense, and also wanted to stop the situation. He walked forward and lightly slapped the fat teenager, then whispered into his ear.

"The mantou is back, and so is your girl."

The young man suddenly relaxed and released his jaw. Continuing to punch the air, he returned to his bed, his face covered in blood, then fell back to sleep.

Giving another nervous glance toward the fat teenager, the big man left without saying another word.

Meng Hao stood there for a while gaping, admiring the fat teenager, then returned to bed with the greatest of care and went back to sleep.

The following morning at dawn.

As the morning sun filled the sky, the sound of bells filled the air. It seemed to carry with it a strange power; as people heard it, they woke and began their work. The fat teenager woke up. He looked down dumbly at the marks on his body. He touched his face.

"What happened last night? How come my whole body hurts? Did someone beat me up?"

Meng Hao dressed silently for a while before speaking.

"Nothing happened. Everything seemed normal."

"How come my face feels swollen?"

"Maybe it's mosquitos."

"Then how come my mouth has blood on it?"

"You fell out of bed last night. Several times, in fact." Meng Hao opened the door and stepped out, then stopped and looked back. "Look, fatty," he said in a serious tone, "you need to grind your teeth more often, sharpen them up."

"Oh? My dad used to say the same thing," he said in surprise, gingerly putting on his robes.

Meng Hao and the fat teenager walked out into the sunlight and began their life as servants in the Reliance Sect, chopping down trees.

Each of them was responsible for ten trees. Around the Northern Servants' Quarter, the wild slopes were covered with trees. Although the trees were not big, they were very dense and spread like an ocean as far as the eye could see.

Carrying his servant's axe, Meng Hao rubbed at his shoulder. His arm felt both numb and painful. The axe was heavy. Off to the side, the fat teenager panted as they climbed. Eventually, they found a suitable area, and the sound of chopping axes gradually rang out as they began to work.

"My dad is super rich," said the fat teenager with a long face. He raised his axe. "I'm gonna be super rich too. I don't want to be a servant… These Immortals are strange, and they have magic. What do they need fire for? And why do they need us to chop down trees for them?"

Unlike the garrulous fat teenager, Meng Hao was too tired to speak. Sweat showered off of him like rain. Because of his poverty in Yunjie County, he hadn't been able to eat much meat and as such his body was weak. He didn't have much energy. After the space of time it takes half an incense stick to burn, he leaned up against a tree, breathing heavily.

He looked at the fat teenager, who, though he was so tired he trembled, he continued to curse under his breath and chop at the tree. He was younger than Meng Hao, but a lot stronger.

Meng Hao shook his head bitterly and continued to rest. He pulled out the Qi Condensation Manual and examined it again. Following the description in the manual, he attempted to sense the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.

Time passed, and soon it was dusk. In his day of work, Meng Hao had managed to cut down two trees. The fat teenager had managed to cut down eight. By pooling them together, it was enough for one of them to eat. They consulted for a bit, and then the fat teenager went to get some food which the two of them shared in their room. Then they fell to sleep, exhausted.

Eventually, the fat teenager's snores filled the room, and Meng Hao struggled to sit up, his eyes filled with determination. Ignoring his hunger and exhaustion, he picked up the Qi Condensation Manual and started reading it again.

"When I used to study for the examinations, I would usually stay up reading until dawn. I'm used to being hungry. As for my life now, it may be tiring, but at least I have a goal. I can't believe that after failing in the Imperial examinations, I will fail in Cultivation." Stubborn persistence shone in his eyes. He lowered his head and began to study.

He continued on until late in the night, until he finally fell asleep, although when exactly that was, he didn't know. As he slept, his dreams were filled with thoughts of sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The bells woke him up in the morning. He opened his bloodshot eyes, yawned, and got out of bed. Then, along with the energetic fat teenager, went back to chopping wood.

A day, two day, three days… time continued on until two months had passed. Meng Hao's wood-felling ability slowly grew until he could chop down four trees in a day. But, most of his time was spent trying to grasp the meaning of spiritual energy. His eyes grew more and more bloodshot. Then one evening around dusk, as he sat panting in mediation, his body suddenly vibrated, and he felt a prickling numbness in his limbs. Then, it seemed as if tiny wisp of invisible Qi condensed within his flesh and blood, then seeped out of his body.

After that, he felt a strand of spiritual energy appear inside him. It disappeared almost instantly, but Meng Hao opened his eyes excitedly. His exhaustion disappeared, and his bloodshot eyes grew whiter. His body trembling, he clutched at the Qi Condensation Manual. He hadn't eaten or slept much in the past months. Other than chopping down trees, he spent almost all his time on spiritual energy, and now, at long last, he had some results. He felt as if he were filled with power.

Time passed in a flash, two months, and now it was the eighth month of the year, summer. Broiling sunlight fell from the sky.

"Condense the Qi into the body, fuse and disperse it, open the blood vessels and Qi passages, resonate with heaven and earth." It was noontime in the deep mountains near the Reliance Sect. Meng Hao used one hand to stoke the bonfire in front of him, and the other to hold the Qi Condensation Manual, which he studied intently.

He closed his eyes for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, sensing the delicate strand of Qi within his body. This was the Qi which had appeared two months ago, and Meng Hao regarded it as a treasure. The strand was clearly much thicker now. Using the mnemonics and circulation technique described in the manual, he sat in meditation, allowing the Qi strand to move about his body.

After a short time, Meng Hao opened his eyes and caught sight of the fat teenager approaching quickly, carrying his axe.

"Well, how is it?" panted the fat teenager as he ran up. Though fat, his body was strong.

"I still can't disseminate it throughout my entire body," said Meng Hao with a laugh. "But I'm quite confident that within a month, I'll be able to reach the first stage of Qi Condensation." Belief filled his demeanor.

"What I meant was, how is the chicken?" He licked his lips as he looked at the bonfire.

"Oh, pretty much done," said Meng Hao, also licking his lips and pulling back the branch he'd been using to stoke the fire. The fat teenager used his axe to dig through the soil and pull the chicken out. It was fully cooked now.

A fragrant aroma filled the air. They split the chicken in half and began to wolf it down.

"Ever since you were able to get some spiritual energy," said the fat teenager, his lips covered in grease, "you've been able to catch wild chickens. Compared to now, the first two months here were like a nightmare…" This was his new practice, to flatter Meng Hao.

"A lot of people get food out in the wild, you just don't know about it, that's all." As Meng Hao spoke, he took a bite out of a chicken leg, making his speech a bit garbled.

"Ai, if you really reach the first level of Qi Condensation next week and become an Outer Sect disciple," said the fat teenager, his face bitter, "then what will I do? I don't understand any of those mnemonics." He looked at Meng Hao expectantly.

"Look fatty, the only way you can get home is if you become an Outer Sect disciple," said Meng Hao, dropping the chicken leg and looking him in the eye.

The fat teenager sat quietly for a while before giving a determined nod.

Six days flew by. It was night. The fat teenager was already asleep, and Meng Hao sat cross-legged in his room, meditating. He thought about how other than wood-chopping, he had spent all his time these past three months in sensing spiritual energy. He thought back to two months ago, when the strand of Qi had first stirred within him. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes and causing the strand of spiritual energy to circulate throughout his body. Then, a loud sound reverberated in his head. Up to now, he had been unable to disperse the Qi throughout his entire body. But just now, he had succeeded, diffusing the Qi to every corner of his body. He felt as if his body were floating.

At the same moment in which Meng Hao achieved the first level of Qi Condensation, the horse-faced young man sitting on the big stone outside slowly opened his eyes. He looked in the direction of Meng Hao's house, then closed his eyes again.

At dawn, under the envious eyes of everyone in the Northern Servants' quarter, Meng Hao walked out of the room that had been his home for the past four months. He stood in front of the horse-faced youth.

The fat teenager didn't come with him. He remained in the doorway watching Meng Hao, determination filling his eyes.

"You reached the first level of Qi Condensation in four months. You're not quite outstanding, but not stupid, either." The horse-faced young man looked at him, his expression no longer cold. Calmly, he said, "Now that you are going to the Outer Sect, I must explain to you the rules there. Every month, Spirit Stones and medicinal pills will be distributed there, but it is not prohibited to take things by force from others, or to gang up. There is a Public Area there that some people call the Killing Zone. You … you will need to look out for yourself." As he finished speaking, he lifted his right hand, whereupon a jade slip shot out and hovered in front of Meng Hao. He grabbed it.

"Imbue spiritual energy into that jade slip and it will lead you to the Treasure Pavilion in the Outer Sect. That is where you will register your promotion." The horse-faced young man closed his eyes.

Meng Hao said nothing. Clasping his fist in salute, he turned and glanced at the fat teenager. They looked at each other for a moment, and Meng Hao felt emotion welling up in his heart. He chose not to dwell on it. He pinched the jade slip, which then began to glow with a green light, and gradually floated forward.

Meng Hao followed it, slowly leaving the Servants' Quarter.

He trod a narrow road which led away from the main gate, walking further and further away, toward the foot of the mountain. Eventually he reached an area he had never stepped foot into during the past four months.

The Reliance Sect was comprised of four main mountains, with east, west, north and south peaks, respectively. Surrounding them were vast mountain chains which seemed to never end. At the halfway point up each mountain was a Servants' Quarter. Meng Hao had been assigned to the Northern Servant's quarter on the Northern Mountain. The way further up was protected by defensive spells. Beyond them lived the Inner Sect disciples and elders.

Each of the four mountains was like this. As for the flat area in-between them all, it was filled with countless houses inhabited by the Reliance Sect's Outer Sect.

In this respect, the Reliance Sect was slightly different that other Sects. The Outer Sect was located at the foot of the mountain, whereas the servants lived halfway up. This was a sect rule created for unknown reasons by Patriarch Reliance.

From a distance, the entire area seemed to be filled with roiling fog. However, upon stepping foot into the fog, it disappeared. In front of him stretched a scene of carved balustrades and marble steps, of lofty buildings and roads paved with green stone. Outer Sect disciples bustled about wearing green robes. A few of them noticed Meng Hao as he walked past.

Some of them shot him contemptuous glances which lacked even the slightest bit of good intent. He felt as if he were being stared at by wild beasts, which caused him to recall what Elder Brother Horse-face had said about the Outer Sect.

Not long after that, he reached a black building in the southern section of the Outer Sect. It was three stories tall, and despite being black, appeared to have been carved from jade, and almost seemed to be transparent.

As Meng Hao approached, the building's main door opened noiselessly and out walked a wizened, middle-aged man. He wore a long robe of deep green, and a shrewd expression covered his face. He lifted his right hand in a grabbing motion, and the jade slip flew into his hand. He looked at it then began to speak languidly:

"Meng Hao has been promoted to the Outer Sect. He shall be bestowed with a house, a green robe, a spirit tablet, and a bag of holding. The spirit tablet can be used to enter the Treasure Pavilion to retrieve a magic item." He waved his right hand, and a gray bag appeared in Meng Hao's hands.

He looked at the gray bag for a moment, then thought back to one of the Outer Sect disciples he'd passed on the road. That man had a bag just like this hanging at his waist.

The shrewd-looking man looked at Meng Hao, and could instantly tell that he was not familiar at all with the ways of the Outer Sect. Otherwise, how could he be unfamiliar with a bag of holding? Feeling a bit bad for him, he coolly said, "By imbuing the bag with spiritual energy, you can pack many things into it."

Having heard this, Meng Hao imbued the bag with a sizable amount of spiritual energy. It grew blurry, and then he caught a glimpse of a space inside about half the size of a person. There, he could see a green robe, a jade slip, and some other objects.

At this point, his interest was quite piqued. This bag of holding must be worth at least a hundred gold. It clearly was the product of Immortal hands.

He concentrated, and the jade slip suddenly appeared in his hand. He focused his attention even more and found that inside the bag was a map of the Outer Sect Quarter. In a remote corner was his house.

"Go look at it later," said the shrewd-looking man coldly. "The Treasure Pavilion is open and you haven't entered it yet."

Meng Hao lifted his head and stuffed the bag of holding into his robe. Looking at the opened door of the Treasure Pavilion, he sucked in a deep breath and stepped in, filled with anticipation.

As soon as he entered, his expression changed, and he sucked in a breath.

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Chapter 4: A Copper Mirror

The Treasure Pavilion was indeed filled with treasure. Upon entering it, one's eye would be dazzled with brilliant lights. Neatly arranged jade shelves were filled with a dazzling display of bottles, swords, ornaments and jewelry. Meng Hao began breathing heavily, and his heart started pumping. It felt as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his brain. He stood there, dumbfounded.

In Meng Hao's short life, he had never seen so much wealth. He felt as if it had submerged him. His brain spun, and he inadvertently thought about grabbing all of it and running away.

"The value of these treasures…" murmured Meng Hao, "… they're priceless. The compensation for working for Immortals, it's incredible." He walked past one of the jade shelves, his expression filled with excitement, unconsciously stretching his head forward. He wondered if the third floor of the Treasure Pavilion was the same as the first, or if it perhaps had even more valuable treasures.

"Immortals… they're so rich!" Meng Hao heaved a deep sigh. Suddenly, his eyes fell upon something strange. On one of the jade shelves he noticed a copper mirror.

There were traces of corrosion on it. It didn't seem very special, nor did it glitter. It didn't seem like it could compare in any way to the treasures around it.

Surprised, Meng Hao picked it up and looked at it closely. It seemed quite ordinary, like something from the mortal world. Nothing about it seemed the least bit unique. And yet, here it was in the Treasure Pavilion, so he assumed it must have some value.

"Junior Brother truly has insight," said a voice from behind him. He didn't know when the shrewd-looking man had entered, but he stood there looking at the copper mirror. His voice filled with praise, he continued, "The fact that you picked up that copper mirror shows that you were destined to do so. There are many legends regarding it. The strangest thing is, only those with good fortune and accumulated good deeds in past lives can acquire it. It seems Junior Brother is just such a person. With this mirror, you can lord it over heaven and earth. You definitely have this opportunity." As the man spoke, he sighed over and over. His voice seemed to contain some strange power which forced Meng Hao to listen to him.

"This mirror…" Meng Hao looked down at it again, a strange expression on his face. It was not covered with complicated carvings, but instead, corrosion, making it very unclear.

"Junior Brother, don't look at the mirror's blurriness. You should know that true treasures of a spiritual nature often conceal themselves in ordinary things. The more humble they appear, the more precious they are." Meng Hao was about to put the copper mirror back onto the shelf when the shrewd-looking man took several hasty steps forward to prevent him. He looked seriously at Meng Hao.

"Junior Brother, the fact that you picked up this object shows that you were destined to do so. Will you really put it back just because it looks ordinary? I have been responsible for the Treasure Pavilion for many years, and I know the origin of all the items here. Many years ago, this copper mirror caused a huge commotion in the State of Zhao. It was created from a ray of light which fell from the Heavens. After acquiring it, Patriarch Reliance studied it in secret, believing it to be a treasure of the Heavens. In the end, he couldn't unlock its mysteries, and came to the conclusion that it was predestined to fall into the hands of someone who would use it to trample upon heaven and earth."

It startled Meng Hao to hear the name of Patriarch Reliance. He had just entered the Outer Sect, and there were many things he wasn't familiar with. He began to hesitate.

"Patriarch Reliance studied it, but couldn't understand it. I…"

"Your words are incorrect, Junior Brother. Allow Elder Brother to explain: Patriarch Reliance's lack of success in his studies proves that there is something unique and unusual about this treasure. Before you, ten or more people took it to study it, and though none of them succeeded in understanding it, none of them regretted their decision.

"What if… what if you are the person destined to possess the mirror? In any case, if you take it, you can rest at ease. Of your fellow disciples who took the mirror in the past, most came back within three months, and I let them exchange it for something else. After dealing with me for some time, you will find that I am very easy-going. I don't want to give fellow disciples a hard time.

"If you take it, but are unable to unlock its mysteries, then you can return it at any time and exchange it for something else. But if you abandon it, and it turns out you were destined to take it, then you will regret it for your entire life." The shrewd-looking man stared intently at Meng Hao. When he saw Meng Hao hesitating, he laughed to himself. The new disciples were always the easiest to toy with. All he had to do was tell them the story of the mirror's legend, and the grand words would seduce them. Their hearts would begin to boil.

"But…" Meng had studied and read from childhood, so he was quite intelligent. From the shrewd-looking man's seemingly earnest expression, he could conjecture that the mirror was not exactly as had been described. But, the man stood there in front of him, clearly determined to prevent him from putting back the mirror. Even dropping it to the ground would be of little use. He began to regret picking it up in the first place.

"Junior Brother," he said, his face stern, his voice low, "don't violate the rules on your first day. When you pick something up in the Treasure Pavilion, you are not permitted to put it down." The shrewd-looking man felt that enough was enough. This was his usual method to get people to take the mirror. He waved his wide sleeve, and a whistling wind picked up Meng Hao, flew him out of the Treasure Pavilion, and deposited him outside.

There was a crashing sound as the main door of the Treasure Pavilion slammed shut.

The voice of the shrew-looking man echoed from inside: "I'm soft-hearted when it comes to fellow disciples. If you truly are not destined to have the mirror, then you can return it in a few days."

Frowning angrily, Meng Hao looked up at the closed door. Then he sighed and looked back down at the copper mirror in his hands. He thought back to the words in the first chapter of the Qi Condensation Manual and hesitated. If this truly was something that Patriarch Reliance had studied, then it must have some value. Shaking his head, he put the mirror into his robe. Then, with a final hateful glare at the Treasure Pavilion, he turned and left.

He walked along the green paths of the Outer Sect, using the information from the jade slip as a guide. Around noontime, he found his house. It was along the north border, in a very remote section of the Outer Sect. Several other houses crowded around it.

He pushed the door open, and it slammed against the wall. Inside were a bed and a desk. Meng Hao stood there, feeling quite content. This place was much better than his room in the Servants' Quarter.

He sat down cross-legged on the bed, took a deep breath and pulled the copper mirror out of his robe. He studied it carefully, until the sun began to set over the western mountains. He lit an oil lamp and continued to study it, all to no avail. He had no idea what the purpose of the mirror could be.

No matter how he looked at it, the copper mirror seemed completely ordinary in nature.

When the night grew deep, Meng Hao put the mirror to the side and looked out the window at the moon. He thought about the fat teenager and his snoring. He missed it a little bit.

The bright moon shone outside, its rays touching the eaves of his window. Everything was silent, save for the sound of the wind among the leaves of the trees. Meng Hao took a deep breath, thinking about the moon. He felt emotional, as if he had entered a new age.

He murmured to himself: "I will never again be a scholar in Yunjie County. I've become a Reliance Outer Sect disciple…"

Meng Hao gathered his thoughts, closed his eyes, and sat in meditation, circulating the thread of spiritual energy in his body. He had been living in this fashion for months now, and was used to it.

One difference between the Outer Sect and the Servants' Quarter was that here, no one prepared food for you. You had to take care of your own food needs. If you didn't, you would starve to death and no one would care a whit. Although, in all the years, no one in the Reliance Outer Sect had ever starved to death.

Upon reaching the first stage of Qi Condensation, one could absorb and emit the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Though that could not alleviate hunger, it could sustain your life.

Several days passed. One afternoon, Meng Hao sat cross-legged in meditation, when he suddenly heard a miserable scream from outside. He immediately opened his eyes, moved to the window and looked outside. He saw an Outer Sect disciple on the ground, being stamped upon over and over again by another. Blood oozed from a wound in his chest, but he wasn't dead, just wounded. The person who had been kicking him grabbed his bag of holding, then walked off with a cold harrumph.

The trampled disciple struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with violent ruthlessness. He staggered away. Surrounding onlookers stared at him coldly, their faces filled with ridicule.

Meng Hao observed silently. He had watched similar scenes played out countless times in the past few days, and as such had a deeper understanding of the ways of the Outer Sect.

Time blurred as seven days passed. During that time, Meng Hao saw even more instances of disciples being robbed. The fighting and plundering which occurred between Outer Sect disciples caused Meng Hao to grow more and more taciturn. Especially disturbing was when he had seen a disciple of the second or third level of Qi Condensation killed by another in the Public Area. This caused Meng Hao to be especially careful and cautious when he went outside.

Thankfully, his Cultivation base was low, and he didn't have anything of value, so others mostly ignored him.

Actually, Meng Hao had reached a standstill in his Cultivation. The second level of Qi Condensation was different than the first. He still needed spiritual energy, but according to the Qi Condensation Manual, his mortal body had already begun to change. As such, reaching the second level of Qi Condensation would require many more times the amount of spiritual energy than the first level did.

Similarly, Meng Hao now understood what latent talent was. The body's ability to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth was just that, latent talent. The more latent talent someone has, the more energy they could absorb. The less latent talent one has, the less energy they could absorb. For someone with considerable latent talent, the more time they spent on breathing exercises, the more spiritual energy they could absorb.

According to his calculations, to reach the second level of Qi Condensation would probably take at least one or two years. The amount of time required to reach the third level would be many more times than that.

Of course, if he acquired some medicinal pills or Spirit Stones, he could use them to amplify spiritual energy, then, he could decrease that time. That was why so much horrific robbery occurred in the Outer Sect; every month, pills would be openly distributed.

"The strong become stronger, the weak become weaker," said Meng Hao quietly. "This is how the Reliance Sect grooms disciples for the Inner Sect."

One early morning, when the sky had just begun to grow dim with light, Meng Hao sat in meditation as usual. He had no special resources, except for his determination. Therefore, he did not give up on his nightly meditations and breathing exercises. Bells reverberated throughout the Sect, and Meng Hao slowly opened his eyes.

"These bells…" Meng Hao's eyes focused, as if he had come to a realization. An excited expression appeared on his face, and he dashed out of the room to see fellow disciples everywhere, rushing off into the distance.

"When these bells sound, the time has come for distribution of Spirit Stones and medicinal pills. It must be today." More and more people began running in the direction of the bells. It seemed everyone within the Outer Sect was there.

"Pill Distribution Day," said Meng Hao, breathing heavily. He ran along with the crowds until he reached the square in the center of the Outer Sect. The square was monumental in size, and along its borders were nine stone pillars covered in carvings of dragons. Placed on the foremost pillar was a platform over ninety meters in diameter, over which swirled a multi-colored cloud. Inside the cloud could be seen shapeless forms.

Over a hundred Outer Sect disciples stood there in their green robes, murmuring amongst themselves and glancing frequently at the multi-colored cloud.

Then, the cloud slowly dissipated, revealing a pock-faced old man wearing a golden robe. His face was placid and emitted a calm, natural power and dignity. His eyes shone like lightning. Two people stood next to him, a man and a woman, both wearing silver robes. The man was exceedingly handsome, with an upright appearance, although indifference covered his face. As for the woman, as soon as Meng Hao laid eyes on her, his pupils constricted.

This woman was the woman who had taken him from Daqing Mountain three months ago.

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Chapter 5: This Kid isn't Bad

"It turns out Master Uncle Shangguan is distributing the pills himself, along with Inner Sect disciples Elder Sister Xu and Elder Brother Chen. They all came. You don't see this very often. Don't tell me there's an Individual Pill Distribution this time?"

"It must be. Look, Elder Brother Han Zong 1 is here. He's the second-ranked disciple in the Outer Sect. His Cultivation base has reached the fifth level of Qi Condensation. If he can reach the seventh level, then he will automatically become an Inner Sect disciple. Too bad Elder Brother Wang Tengfei 2 isn't here."

"Considering Elder Brother Wang Tengfei's abilities, he wouldn't care a whit about medicinal pills. The year he joined the Sect, he caused a big sensation amongst the Sect Elders. He probably doesn't want to violate Sect etiquette, so he'll rely only on himself to enter the Inner Sect. Then there will finally be a third Inner Sect disciple."

"Heh heh, this is gonna be fun. With Individual Pill Distribution, there's a twenty-four hour period of sealing in which the pill can't be used. Every two hours, the pill glows brightly. Anyone who wants to fight for it will be able to determine its location. Even if you grab the pill and run, you won't be able to keep it hidden for twenty-four hours."

Meng Hao listened to the discussions around him. Even though it was his first time taking part in this sort of thing, he knew whenever pills were distributed, there was a lot of fighting. In his half a month here, he had seen plenty of fights and even some deaths.

If today was really an Individual Pill Distribution day, then the fighting would be even more intense.

Meng Hao remained silent. Considering he was at the first level of Qi Condensation, there was no way he would end up with the pill. Just looking at the greedy faces around him gave him a deeper understanding of the expression "the law of the jungle."

"Quiet!" said the old man in the gold robe. His voice was cold as he stood on the platform, and though he didn't speak loudly, his voice reverberated like a booming thunderclap. The Cultivators standing below him were shocked to the core. Their ears hummed. Meng Hao was the most shocked of all, and it took him some time to recover.

"I am Shangguan Xiu 3. Today, everyone in attendance will receive one Spirit Condensation pill, and half a Spirit Stone." Shangguan Xiu flicked his right arm, and immediately, hundreds of medicinal pills and Spirit Stones flew about in all directions. They landed perfectly in front of everyone present. Meng Hao gazed at the medicinal pill and Spirit Stone floating in front of him. A fragrant, intoxicating aroma washed over him. This was his first time ever seeing a medicinal pill or a Spirit Stone.

The Spirit Stone was about the size of his fingernail, sparkling and almost translucent. Just looking at it could mystify a person.

His heart began to beat rapidly. These two items must be worth thousands of pieces of gold. Without any hesitation, Meng Hao reached out and grabbed the pill. He was about to pop it into his mouth and swallow it down when he noticed that no one around him was doing any such thing. His heart lurched. He looked down at the pill in his hand and noticed that it had a faint glow to it, and was sealed with a strange mark.

As Meng Hao stared at the pill in his hand, Shangguan Xiu's voice once again rang out from the platform: "There is also … a Dry Spirit Pill." A purple-colored medicinal pill could be seen in his hand.

As soon as it appeared, a wonderful fragrance filled the entire square. Even just breathing it, Meng Hao felt as if his spiritual energy had increased a bit. This was clearly no ordinary pill.

"That's… a Dry Spirit Pill!"

"That's … that's something incredibly precious to anyone under the fifth level of Qi Condensation. There can't be many within the Sect, and yet, there it is!"

"When that pill is distributed, the fighting here in the Outer Sect will be fierce. Who knows how many people will die?" The crowd buzzed as they stared up at the glowing pill held by Shangguan Xiu, their faces filled with greed and desire. This was especially true of disciples who were on the brink of breaking through to a new level of cultivation. They fairly panted.

"Originally, the Dry Spirit Pill was not to be distributed today. However, I heard there was a disciple promoted to the Outer Sect this month, which makes me very happy. If we can do this every month, then brilliant glory lies just around the corner for the Reliance Sect. I bestow this pill upon that person as an encouragement." Shangguan Xiu smiled, and his glittering eyes swept across the crowd to fall upon Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's heart began to race. The first half of the short speech had left him feeling unsettled, but he had no time to react; Shangguan Xiu's right hand flicked, and the purple pill appeared in front of him. Before he could even make an attempt to refuse, the pill lowered into his hand.

As of that moment, Meng Hao's entrance into the Reliance Sect could be called unprecedented. The eyes of the entire crowd focused on him.

Greed and cruelty filled their expressions, as if they planned to rip him to pieces alive. Even the man and woman standing next to Shangguan Xiu were staring. The woman had a look of shock on her face, which she quickly covered up with an icy expression.

"Haha, so a first level Qi Condensation disciple receives the pill. There will be a lot of fighting this time. This guy is going to be public enemy number one."

"He's finished. Last time there was an Individual Pill Day, the guy who received the pill was at the second level of Qi Condensation. He hesitated for just a moment too long, so Elder Brother Zhao Wugang 4 dragged him in a fury to the Public Area and lopped off his head."

The sound of discussion reverberated across the square, and many disciples of the second or third Qi Condensation level, despite knowing the danger, grew greedy. Because the Cultivation base of the person who received the pill was so weak, they felt as if they were qualified to snatch it.

Meng Hao's entire body broke out in a cold sweat. He wanted to throw the pill away, but he found that it actually stuck to his hand, making it impossible to get rid of. Around him, covetous eyes stared at him menacingly, and suddenly, it was as if he could feel the shadow of death hanging over him. Some people began to slowly walk toward him, murderous expressions filling their faces.

"Junior Brother, why don't you toss that pill to me? If you don't, I'll give you a thrashing."

"If you don't give it to me, next year today will be the anniversary of your death."

The murmurs blasted at him like a cold wind from all directions.

At that moment, two old men sat cross-legged on one of the nearby mountain peaks, smiling as they discussed the scene unfolding in the Outer Sect Square.

"Master Shangguan really doesn't pay attention to things. To give the medicinal pill to a pup like that who just entered the Sect… He's finished. It seems our Reliance Sect will be short another disciple."

"The fighting this time isn't going to be interesting at all. I bet that as soon as the restrictive fog dissipates from the square, the pup will toss the pill."

As soon as the second old man finished speaking, the nine colorful, dragon-carved statues surrounding the square began to fade in color. From the look of it, after the space of about ten breaths, they would be completely colorless. At that point, the restrictive fog would also disappear.

Meng Hao's heart began to pound. He didn't need anyone to explain to him what would happen when the glowing pillars grew dark. The square would become a scene of madness. Even if he threw the pill away, that in and of itself would make some of the people angry at him.

"How… how could this be given to me?" said Meng Hao, sweating. His mind began to spin. If he didn't get rid of the pill, he would die; if he did throw it away, he would become an object of hatred. Trying to make use of all the knowledge he had acquired in his three years of studying, he looked at the fading, colorful glow, and then at Shangguan Xiu, who stood amidst the colorful fog on the platform, preparing to leave. At this critical moment, Meng Hao suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

He took a step forward and called out, "Disciple has something to say."

"Being able to come to the Reliance Sect and experience the wonders of living amidst Immortals has been a wonderful stroke of good fortune. Disciple would very much like to offer thanks to the one person who made this possible.

"Disciple has been waiting day and night for another opportunity to lay eyes on her, to offer thanks in person. Today, I finally have that opportunity." He talked faster and faster, and as he did so, Shangguan Xiu stared in shock, no longer making his leave.

"That person is Elder Sister Xu. Elder Sister Xu, Junior Brother is extremely appreciative of what you did, and is truly unable to pay you back. I would like to offer this pill to you as a measure of my thanks to you for giving me a new lease on life." Meng Hao lifted up his right hand, raising the medicinal pill up high.

Shangguan Xiu gaped, clearly never having imagined that Meng Hao would say such a thing. A strange expression appeared on his face, and he slowly smiled. Standing next to him in her silver robe, Ms. Xu also stared in shock. Even though she was still cold and detached, there was something different about her expression now. Her Cultivation base was the seventh level of Qi Condensation, thus the Dry Spirit Pills would not be of much help to her. However, Dry Spirit Pills were still relatively rare and not easy to acquire, even for her, a member of the Inner Sect. If she took this pill and melded it together with a few other pills, she could create a new pill worth five normal pills. For a moment, she couldn't help but palpitate with eagerness.

At this moment, even the man in the silver robe with the cool expression looked down at Meng Hao.

Everyone was quiet. The Cultivators who had been advancing on Meng Hao suddenly stopped in their tracks, strange expressions on their faces. They stared at him with confusion.

After the brief silence, there was a sudden uproar.

"You can do this…?"

"To give away a medicinal pill in front of all these people, to an Inner Sect disciple… who dares to fight for the pill now? That would basically be picking a fight with the Inner Sect."

"What a simple method! How come I never thought about that? Dammit, dammit!"

"That freaking… I can't believe I didn't think of doing this that one time. I was injured so badly I was bed-ridden for three months."

The people staring at Meng Hao seemed to all have different feelings on the matter. It was hard to say what had happened in ages past, but as for the Cultivators here, they had never seen anyone deal with a medicinal pill in this fashion. As of now, Meng Hao had been indefinitely impressed onto everyone's memories.

As of now, the dragon-carved pillars were completely colorless. The pill still lay in Meng Hao's outstretched palm, and yet no one moved to take it. This was truly something rare to see in the Reliance Sect.

Ms. Xu's expression had returned to normal. Without hesitation, her right hand flashed downwards, and the medicinal pill flew from Meng Hao's hand into hers. Seeing the pill taken away, Meng Hao secretly sighed. However, he knew that in his current state, it could only bring him calamity. Around him, everyone else sighed, feeling angry at Meng Hao. But, as soon as they thought of Elder Sister Xu, any such anger dissipated.

Ms. Xu hesitated for a moment. Considering her status as an Inner Sect disciple, it would be a bit improper to take something so valuable from an Outer Sect disciple and not offer anything in return.

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Years ago, when I was a member of the Outer Sect, an Immortal's Cave was bestowed to me. I shall lend it to you to live in." She reached into her bag of holding and pulled out a white jade slip. She tossed it down toward Meng Hao and he grabbed it from the air.

"Elder Sister Xu's Immortal's Cave… this fellow really got lucky. They say there's a lot of spiritual energy in there, more than anywhere else in the Sect."

"Elder Sister Xu says she's going to lend it, but she's obviously just giving it to him. She just used the word lend so that everyone wouldn't think too much. This kid really did the right thing in giving her the pill."

"Dammit, I wish I had thought of this back then."

Just then, back atop the mountain peaks outside the Outer Sect were the two gray-robed old men who had been betting on the proceedings. Tall and grand, their eyes glittered brightly with praise. They laughed heartily.

"This kid is pretty interesting. He just entered the Sect, but already knows that he should find someone to rely on. Don't tell me he has innate instincts… Very good, splendid. He comprehends the true meaning of the Reliance Sect. This kid isn't bad. He really isn't bad!"

1. Han Zong's name in Chinese is 韩宗 (hán zōng) – Han is a common family name. Zong means "Sect" or "religion"

2. Wang Tengfei's name in Chinese is 王腾飞 (wáng téng fēi) – Wang is a common family name. Tengfei means "to soar"

3. Shangguan Xiu's name in Chinese is 上官修 (shàng guān xiū) – Shangguan is a relatively obscure family name. Xiu is the same character which appears in terms like "Cultivation" and "Cultivator"

4. Zhao Wugang's name in Chinese is 赵武刚 (zhào wǔ gāng) – Zhao is a common family name. Wu means "martial" or "military." Gang means many things, including "strong" and "unyielding"

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Chapter 6: The Delights of the Copper Mirror

Elder Sister Xu was quite well known in the Reliance Sect. In fact, you could say that everyone knew her, because as of now, the Reliance Inner Sect only had two disciples.

Other than Elder Sister Xu, the only other disciple was the man currently standing next to Shangguan Xiu.

After Elder Sister Xu lent him her Immortal's Cave, it had a fear-inspiring effect on everyone, allowing Meng Hao to leave the square with the Spirit Stone and Spirit Condensation pills. Everyone watched him as he left.

As he walked off into the distance, his back soaked with sweat, he felt the glares behind him like invisible blades. They slowly dissipated as he walked quickly away.

In the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, Meng Hao walked without stopping. He didn't return to his room in the Outer Sect, but rather followed the white jade slip Elder Sister Xu had given him toward the Southern Mountain. At the foot of the mountain, he located the Immortal's Cave.

Outside of the cave, two large stone slabs towered up next to the mountain face. Everything was covered with green branches and vines; it appeared to be an entirely unordinary place, very different from Meng Hao's previous two dwellings.

The surroundings here were peaceful and lush. Not far away, a mountain spring flowed down, and the wind carried away the heat, replacing it with cool, fresh air.

Meng Hao stood in front of the mouth of the Immortal's Cave, looking completely content. Now he truly understood how precious such a cave could be, clearly much more than any other dwelling place. No wonder all the other Outer Sect disciples had looked so jealous and envious when Elder Sister Xu lent it to him.

"This is a place for Immortals," said Meng Hao. He waved his right hand, and the slip of white jade flew forward to the cave's green stone door. It slapped onto the surface, and a buzzing sound filled the air as the door slowly opened.

The Immortal's Cave was not very big, and only had two rooms. One room was for practicing cultivation, the other was sealed shut with a stone door. Meng Hao entered, and the green stone door slowly closed behind him. When it sealed, the white jade slip flew out and into Meng Hao's hand. Thereupon, a soft glow began to emanate from the craggy stone ceiling.

The more he looked around, the more satisfied he felt. Finally, his gaze fell upon the sealed stone door. Muttering to himself, he placed the jade slip onto it, and the door slowly opened. At that moment, an odor of thick spiritual energy suddenly wafted out. Meng Hao looked into the stone room, his eyes wide with shock.

"Sister Xu's Immortal's Cave, this… this gift is just too valuable." It took a while for him to recover his composure. He stared blankly into the stone room, at something that appeared to be the mouth of a spring. Out of it gurgled pure spiritual energy, multicolored and glowing as it curled up into the air. Who knew how long it had been accumulating in the stone room. As soon as the door had opened, it began to pour out, its aroma sweet in the nose and mouth. Even just a whiff would fill you with energy.

"So it's a Spirit Spring," Meng Hao murmured. It was something else he had never seen before, but had read about in the Qi Condensation Manual. Some springs in the world were Spirit Springs, which had no water. Instead, they flowed forth with spiritual energy. Not many existed, and most were occupied by Cultivators, considering how treasured was the spiritual energy they emitted.

The Spirit Spring was relatively small. When all its spiritual energy came out, it was only slightly thicker than outside. To anyone above the third level of Qi Condensation, it would not be very helpful. After the third level, the spiritual energy required was just too much; thus, it was only moderately useful.

Despite that, as far as Meng Hao was concerned, this gift was incomparably valuable, even much more so than a Dry Spirit pill. With this discovery, Meng Hao went nearly wild with joy.

With no time to think, he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began his breathing exercises. After a few hours, the greater part of the spiritual energy that had accumulated here was gone. Meng Hao opened his eyes, and they flashed brilliantly.

"These few hours of meditation here were worth about a month of Cultivation outside. This accumulation of spiritual energy took quite some time to build up, and probably won't be like this again. Even still, practicing Cultivation in here, I will be able to achieve speed that's impossible in the outside world." He sighed. Looking around, he noticed that the walls were covered with strange markings that he didn't understand.

"The Spirit Spring can accumulate so much spiritual energy because of these markings. Elder Sister Xu must have used this method to build up energy then dispose of it all in one shot." Meng Hao thought for another moment, then had an inspiration. He again sat down and began to do breathing exercises.

The night passed quickly, and as the sun rose the next morning, Meng Hao opened his eyes. The spiritual energy in the stone room was very thin. But the Spirit Spring was still there. After some period of time passed, the spiritual energy would surely build up again.

Meng Hao took a moment to sense his cultivation level. It seemed that he had made an advancement worth nearly two months.

"If I can practice Cultivation in this fashion a few more times, I should be able to break through the first level of Qi Condensation and enter the second!" He sucked in a breath, excited. He very much wanted to break through the first level, because only by reaching the second level of Qi Condensation could one unlock the first Immortal Skill in the Qi Condensation Manual.

Thinking of Immortal Skills, Meng Hao left the stone room, closing the stone door as if it were some type of jewel or treasure. He decided to use Elder Sister Xu's method. He wouldn't stand guard next to the Spirit Spring itself. He would just wait for some time to pass, then come back to collect the spiritual energy.

Sitting there in the Immortal's Cave, Meng Hao rubbed his stomach. Thinking over the recent days, and looking down at his skinny belly, he realized that he hadn't eaten any wild animals recently. Not even wild fruits.

After becoming an Outer Sect disciple, he thought to himself, he hadn't been eating as much as when he was a servant. As long as you had enough Spirit Stones, you could take them to the Sect's Pill Cultivation Workshop to exchange them for Fasting Pills or Appetite Control Pills. It was said that one drop of such a pill would prevent hunger for days. Without them, people would have to spend time worrying about finding food.

After thinking about it for a while, Meng Hao decided to go out for a bit. The fresh wind blew past him into the surrounding jungle. As he walked, he pulled the copper mirror out of his bag of holding, as had become his custom.

By now, he was thoroughly convinced that the Treasure Pavilion Brother had tricked him. There was nothing unusual at all about this mirror. In more than half a month of study, he hadn't uncovered anything even slightly peculiar about it.

"Sadly, I only have a half of a Spirit Stone in my bag of holding. I bet I'll need to use it to bribe him to let me exchange it." He stretched his hand into the bag to pull out the Spirit Stone, feeling a bit dejected.

He suddenly froze in place, lifting his head up when he noticed a flash of color off in the distance in the jungle. It wasn't moving very fast. Meng Hao's eyes glittered. Based on his experience in the past months catching wild chickens, he knew exactly what it was. Wild chicken.

Without time to think about shoving the copper mirror and Spirit Stone back into the bag of holding, he shoved them into a pocket and leaped forward. Ever since spiritual energy had appeared in his body, Meng Hao realized that he was much more nimble than before. Despite still being somewhat frail, he now could burst forth with explosive force.

Especially nowadays, after reaching the first level of Qi Condensation, a leap like the one he just made propelled him forward very quickly. In the space of about ten breaths, he was able to snatch the alarmed wild chicken. He clasped it by the two wings so that it couldn't move about.

"I wonder how good old Fatty is doing recently," he said, thinking about the fat teenager as he lifted up the chicken. Maybe he would go find him and share a meal of wild game. Just as he turned, he suddenly felt something inside his robe growing hot.

Moments later, the previously quiet chicken in his hand started to struggle wildly and emit miserable squawking sounds. It moved around with such energy than Meng Hao almost couldn't keep hold of it.

The wild chicken struggled even fiercerly, squawking with incomparable shrillness. Then, a popping sound could be heard coming from its butt, which then suddenly exploded, sending blood and gore flying in all directions.

Everything happened so suddenly. Meng Hao stood there gaping. Ever since arriving on the mountain, he had caught quite a few wild chickens. But this was the first time he had seen anything like this. He looked down with shock at the dead chicken and its exploded rear. Then he looked around. Everything was still and quiet. Not even a shadow moved.

"What just happened?" Meng Hao shivered. The wild chicken's death had been quite miserable. It must have experienced incredible pain for its butt exploded.

Meng Hao took in a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety he felt. The wild chicken's death had been too odd and horrific. He felt as if a cold wind was blowing down his back.

"Something's not right," said Meng Hao. He tossed away the dead chicken, and then pulled out the mirror and the Spirit Stone. He remembered that just before the strange thing had happened with the chicken, something in his robe had started to grow hot.

"Could it be the Spirit Stone…" Then his eyes fell onto the copper mirror. His heart began to beat faster and a powerful radiance shone forth in his eyes.

"Don't tell me…" The hand holding the mirror began to tremble. He had no time to go eat with the fat teenager. Gripping the mirror, he ran as fast as possible into the jungle, trying to find another wild animal. He needed to know if the wild chicken's killer really was the mirror.

He didn't have to run for very long before a wild deer appeared right in front of him. It stood there looking at him stupidly, then angrily. Meng Hao immediately shined the mirror onto it.

The deer's expression changed immediately. It leaped to flee, calling out miserably, in a heart-rending fashion difficult to describe. Anyone who heard it could only imagine how miserable the creature must be. Meng Hao could clearly see the animal's flank as it leaped into the air. Before it could land, its butt exploded with a bang, its body twitching as it fell.

Looking at the dead deer, then back at the mirror, an unprecedented look of excitement appeared on Meng Hao's face.

"What a treasure! A real treasure!!

"It's so strange. A treasure that explodes the butts of wild animals…" Even though he didn't understand it completely, he was still very excited. Regardless of why the treasure did this, he had an itching desire to go test it out on some more animals.

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Chapter 7: I Need Spirit Stones!

As he walked, he grew more and more excited. The road he walked was filled with blood and gore…

The blood and gore of scores of wild animals, whose butts had exploded violently.

"Bang!" Another furry animal in front of him screamed shrilly as an invisible attack struck its rear end, three times, until it exploded, sending a mist of blood spraying into the air.

"Boom!" A foraging giant condor, not even landed on the ground yet, shrieked miserably, as if it were experiencing a nightmare. Then its butt exploded.

"Bang, boom." That was a fierce, human-sized tiger that had been about to pounce on Meng Hao. In mid-air, it emitted a terrifying roar that changed into a horrific squeal, whereupon its butt blew open, showering gore and blood everywhere. Perhaps because it had so much fur, it actually exploded five times in succession.

"What a treasure. What a mighty treasure." Before he knew it, dusk had fallen, and Meng Hao's expression could not be more excited. He looked down at the copper mirror. Throughout the day, he had exploded the rear ends of over one hundred animals.

Fortunately, he was out in the multitudinous wild mountains, otherwise the stench of the blood and gore would be overwhelming.

"The mirror isn't completely effective, though. When I tried it out on that python, and the fish, it didn't do anything at all. It seems it doesn't work on animals with scales. But it's still awesome." He had tested it out in many ways and had discovered that it didn't work when inside the bag of holding. It only worked when he held it. He also got a strange, excited feeling when it was at work exploding wild animals' rear ends. It also looked like the corrosion was beginning to fade, as if it had been hidden away for years and finally was able to stretch its legs.

As dusk fell, Meng Hao found himself some distance out in the wild mountains. The night wind blew, and he took in a deep, excited breath. He was just getting ready to head back to the Immortal's Cave. After all, these mountains were filled with wild animals. Meng Hao had even heard that demonic beasts that practiced cultivation lived out here. Despite his excitement, he also knew that it could be dangerous.

He had come to this place while searching for wild animals, so the going had been slow. But on the way back, he could go much more quickly. Meng Hao sped along through the wooded mountains, and before long, a bright moon hung high in the sky. Soon, he could see that only three mountains lay between him and the Immortal's Cave. Suddenly, he felt a hot wind on his face, accompanied by an acrid odor. He stopped, his heart thumping, then retreated a few steps.

Roar!

As soon as he stepped back, the air about him shook with a mighty roar, and once again the hot wind and acrid odor swept over him. There in front of him was a monkey-like creature about the size of a human. Its red eyes radiated cruelty, and its entire body was covered with thick, luxuriant fur.

The fierce beast gave Meng Hao a bloodthirsty stare. Meng Hao's expression changed as he looked back at the creature. His mind reeled, as if he were about to be blown away by the creature's gaze. He could sense the creature's Cultivation base fluctuating.

"Second level of Qi Condensation!" Meng Hao took another step back, his expression horrified. This was no wild beast; it was a demonic beast. It must have been attracted by the reek of blood from all the slain animals.

There was no time for him to think. The long-furred monkey-like demonic beast leaped into the air, and then suddenly, its entire body was covered in fire, a fire that did not singe its fur in the least. It shot toward Meng Hao.

At this critical juncture, Meng Hao's expression changed. He wasn't sure if the copper mirror would be effective against the demonic beast, but there was no time for consideration. Even as it leaped into the air, he ducked to the side, pulled out the mirror, and shined it toward the demonic beast.

Then a miserable scream filled the air. In mid-air, a geyser of blood shot out of the demonic beast's butt. Its face twisted in horror, its eyes no longer filled with cruelty, but rather confusion. It was as if in the beast's entire life, it had never experienced anything so painful…. But, it didn't retreat. Moments later, more blood exploded out.

Now the confusion in its expression turned into complete astonishment. It stared in horror at the mirror held in the hands of the young man standing in front of it. It turned, covering its rear end with its claws. The fire went out, and it made to flee, but before it could go more than a handful of meters, its butt exploded again, this time, five explosions in succession. Its screams rang out as it ran about thirty more meters. Meng Hao felt the copper mirror trembling as if with excitement. A powerful boom rang out, shooting straight toward the demonic beast's rear end.

An incomprehensible scream rang out over the wild mountains as half of the demonic beast's body exploded. A cloud of blood and gore shot up, then slowly descended to the ground. Confusion filled its face as it gasped a few last breaths, then died.

Everything had happened so fast. The entire time, Meng Hao just stood there gaping. Finally, he took a breath, then looked down at the mirror, panting.

"Even demonic beasts can't avoid having their rear ends exploded. This mirror…" In his excitement, Meng Hao felt even more awe. He put it away, then looked over at the corpse of the demonic beast, his heart thumping.

"The Qi Condensation Manual has an introduction to demonic beasts. It says that they have a Demonic Core inside their bodies which contains spiritual energy. I should be able to just eat it." He quickly walked over to the corpse. Sure enough, in the abdomen of the creature he found a pristine Demonic Core, about the size of a fingernail. It emitted a delicate, fragrant aroma which left him feeling extremely comfortable.

Having retrieved the Demonic Core, Meng Hao hurried along his way. Unfortunately, demonic creatures were not common in these parts. He didn't see any more on his way back to the Immortal's cave. He felt a little disappointed.

By the time he got back, it was deep into the night. He sat down cross-legged and looked at the Demonic Core and the copper mirror, his eyes shining.

"I can just eat the Demonic Core, but I still have the Spirit Condensation Pill that the Sect distributed. I'll take that first, then take the Demonic Core." His mind set, Meng Hao put the Demonic Core and the copper mirror down next to him, as well as the Spirit Stone. With the Spirit Stone at his side, it would allow him to absorb a little more spiritual energy.

Next, he took out the Spirit Condensation Pill and swallowed it down. As soon as it entered his body, strands of spiritual energy began to spread out slowly. Meng Hao rotated his Cultivation base, quickly absorbing the power of the medicinal pill.

When he opened his eyes an hour later, they glittered brightly. Taking this pill was definitely much faster than actually practicing cultivation, he thought to himself. Unfortunately, the Spirit Condensation Pill just did not have enough energy. There wasn't anything he could do about that, though. His gaze shifted to the side and he picked up the Demonic Core and popped it into his mouth.

As soon as it entered his body, spiritual energy far outmatching that of the Spirit Cultivation Pill poured into him. It was almost too much to take in. He quickly rotated his Cultivation base and poured the energy into it. His body began to tremble, and strands of filth were pushed out of his pores. Eight or ten hours later, his head buzzed, and he felt as if his body would begin to float. Now, there was not a strand of spiritual energy inside him. The strand had fused to form a stream.

"Spiritual energy like a stream, the body excretes the mortal filth. This… Don't tell me this is the second level of Qi Condensation?" Meng Hao opened his eyes. They shined with an indescribable expression. He looked down at his body, then cast his senses inside and took a long moment to examine himself carefully. Sure enough, he had broken through the first level of Qi Condensation into the second.

"Demonic Cores really are incredibly effective." Meng Hao's eyes sparkled. He stood and strolled around the Immortal's Cave, enjoying the feel of the stream-like spiritual energy circulating through his body. He was incredibly happy.

"I am now a second level Qi Condensation Immortal!

"Too bad Demonic Cores are so rare. Otherwise, I would be able to practice Cultivation much more quickly. And it's all thanks to my treasured mirror." Meng Hao looked at the mirror. When he did, his body suddenly trembled, and he unconsciously rubbed his eyes. He looked even more closer, an incredulous expression filling his face.

The copper mirror lay there just like before. But there was no Spirit Stone on top of it. Instead, there was a Demonic Core!

"This… this…" Meng Hao's brain spun, filled with confusion. He felt as if he had lost his mind. He stared mutely at the Demonic Core sitting on top of the copper mirror and began to hesitate. He had placed a Demonic Core and a Spirit Stone onto the mirror. He remembered clearly. But, he had eaten the Demonic Core already. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure. Had he eaten the Demonic Core? Or had he eaten the Spirit Stone?

"I couldn't have eaten the Spirit Stone…" Meng Hao gaped for some time then slowly picked up the Demonic Core. He hesitated, then put it in front of his mouth and sniffed. The smell made him certain; what he had eaten moments ago was definitely a Demonic Core.

"What… what's going on? There's another one? Don't tell me I was mistaken, and the demonic beast actually had two Demonic Cores in it?" Meng Hao's felt even more confused. He shook his head, forcing himself to clear his thoughts. He looked at the Demonic Core, then the copper mirror. His body began to tremble and his eyes shone with an incredible brilliance, as if he had just glimpsed ten thousand pieces of gold. It seemed as if he would drop the Demonic Core at any moment.

"Could it be… the mirror absorbed the Spirit Stone and produced a second Demonic Core!" His voice quavered. He originally felt that the mirror's ability to explode wild beasts was powerful enough. He had never imagined that it would have an even more profound ability.

After a while, he recovered a bit, although his heart was still filled with a multitude of thoughts. Right now, he didn't have a Spirit Stone to test out, so his heart was filled with anxiety. He was filled with an aching desire to get one to experiment with.

"Spirit Stones. I need Spirit Stones!" His eyes shone like a ferocious wild beast. At this moment, Spirit Stones were more valuable than gold in his eyes. His desire for them was even stronger than his previous desire to become an official.

Spirit Stones are indispensable to Cultivators, especially Meng Hao. When worrying about personal gains and losses, one's heart will be filled with nervousness and anxiety. As of now, Meng Hao's desire to acquire Spirit Stones was stronger than anything he had ever experienced.

Unfortunately, the Reliance Sect was a small Sect. Other than the monthly Pill Distribution Day, there were almost no chances to get them, other than by taking them from others.

"There's one month until the next Pill Distribution Day." Meng Hao looked at the copper mirror, and his expression grew ferocious. Moments later, the ferocity disappeared, hidden away. Right now, his Cultivation base was only at the second level of Qi Condensation. Even if he wanted to take something by force, he wouldn't be a match for anyone.

"Back in Yunjie County, I had no money," said Meng Hao helplessly. "Now I'm an Immortal, and I still have no money." In his mind, he pondered how he could get his hands on more Spirit Stones.

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Chapter 8: Zhao Wugang

"It's only one more month, but during that month, I must fight to increase my Cultivation base one step further." He carefully put the copper mirror back into the bag of holding. He knew that he could not let anyone know of its abilities. If he did, it would be difficult for him to keep ahold of it, and he would surely lose his life in the process.

He looked down at himself, and the filth that covered him. In his excitement, he had almost forgotten about his dirty state. But now, he had calmed down quite a bit. He walked out of the Immortal's cave to the nearby stream and washed off the grime and impurities.

By the time he returned, the sky was growing light. He took out the Qi Condensation Manual and began to study it.

"Upon reaching the second level of Qi Condensation, one can use Immortal Skills. Upon reaching the fifth level, one can study Wind Walking technique, which is an Immortal Skill similar to flying." Meng Hao closed his eyes, feeling thorough anticipation regarding the Wind Walking technique of the fifth level of Qi Condensation.

In that instant, he suddenly felt the temperature increase rapidly within the Immortal's cave. Then, tongues of fire appeared on his right hand. Considering that he still thought like a mortal, seeing this caused his heart and mind to feel great excitement, which in turn extinguished the flames.

Meng Hao promptly calmed himself and rotated his Cultivation base. Unfortunately, by the time afternoon arrived, after dozens of attempts, he still could do nothing more than produce a few sparks, whereupon the spiritual energy in his body would disperse.

"It's difficult to use this Flame Serpent art," said Meng Hao with a frown. But he had a persistent personality and would not be discouraged easily, so he practiced breathing exercises for a while before trying again.

Night fell, and then dawn came again. For two days Meng Hao tried again and again, failing each time, until he became completely exhausted. When the spiritual energy dispersed he would do breathing exercises, and the resolve in his eyes would grow stronger and stronger.

"I can't believe I can't use the Flame Serpent art!" said Meng Hao, grinding his teeth and slapping his palm against the bag of holding. Moments later, the Demonic Core appeared in his hand.

He knew that if he consumed the Core, and the mirror really had some other fantastic properties, then later when he had enough Spirit Stones, he would lack an original with which to make copies.

"Oh well, no need to worry about such details. Worst case scenario, I go back out into the mountains to look for demonic beasts." He hesitated for a moment, then popped the Demonic Core into his mouth, closed his eyes, and began his breathing exercises. Spiritual energy exploded inside of him, pouring into every corner of his body.

Time passed, and soon it was afternoon. Meng Hao opened his eyes, and they flashed. His Cultivation base was still at the second level but was definitely much stronger.

"I think with three or maybe five more, I can reach the third level of Qi Condensation." He felt somewhat disappointed, realizing that the higher his Cultivation base, the more difficult it would be to make progress. But anticipation filled his heart when he thought of the copper mirror. He raised his hand into the air and made a fist.

As he raised his fist, flames appeared, congealing on his right arm and creating a small flaming serpent as long as a finger, which radiated an oppressing heat. Meng Hao felt the spiritual energy in his body instantly reduced by thirty percent.

His face grew pale, but understanding flashed in his eyes and he smiled. He leaped out of the Immortal's Cave and waved his right hand. The Flame Serpent flew, slamming into a nearby tree.

A banging sound rang out, and the entire tree was engulfed in flame, and within moments had collapsed into ashes.

"I have to find a chance to do this in front of Fatty. He'll definitely praise me then." He smiled broadly, feeling quite heroic.

Half a month's time passed, during which Meng Hao searched the mountains for demonic beasts and trained his Flame Serpent art. He worked harder than he had in his secular studies, and soon was quite proficient with it, and was also able to reduce the amount of spiritual energy it used. But it still required considerable effort over the space of about ten breaths to be able to form it.

He also went into the Outer Sect and secretly tried the mirror out on some of the disciples. However, there was no reaction whatsoever. After a few tries, Meng Hao concluded that the copper mirror only worked on excessively furred creatures. A bit of a pity, but the mirror was still more powerful than he could have ever wished for.

Unfortunately, during the half month that passed, he never came across any demonic creatures, and his Cultivation base became mostly stagnant. Thankfully, every time after he practiced the Flame Serpent art, his Cultivation base would grow a little bit during the recovery period. However, he did not dare to engage in such practice in the wild mountains. Only in the Immortal's Cave.

"There are ten more days until Pill Distribution Day. I'm going to go further out into the mountains." Having made his decision, Meng Hao departed early in the morning, heading quickly out into the deep mountains.

He didn't rest during the day, and by the time night fell, he'd forgotten how many mountain chains he'd passed through. Finally, at the foot of a black mountain, he ran into a bear-shaped demonic beast.

During the battle, he used the Flame Serpent art and the powerful copper mirror. A series of five explosions were followed by a miserable, reverberating scream, whereupon the creature died in a pool of blood.

He took its Core, and was about to head further along the black mountain when suddenly, the hairs on his body stood on end. Some distance ahead of him had appeared five demonic beasts with the heads of elephants and bodies of tigers. They stared at him, eyes cold.

With the mirror, he could easily handle one demonic beast. But five would be very difficult. He slowly retreated backwards, his right hand clutching the mirror tightly.

Suddenly, a massive roar sounded out from the trees covering the black mountain. It grew in intensity until it was like a huge explosion seething in the air. Meng Hao's expression changed, and he ran away as fast as possible, without the slightest intention of slowing down even a bit.

Fortunately, the five demonic beasts didn't pursue him, and he soon disappeared into the mountains.

"That cry sounded similar to when Uncle Shangguan called out. It seems there are a lot of demonic beasts in that black mountain, even Greater demonic beasts." As he sped along, he looked back at the black mountain, more and more convinced of what a dangerous place it was.

Ten days passed by quickly. With the black mountain as his boundary, Meng Hao ventured into the mountains but didn't come across any more demonic beasts. The Bear Demonic Core in his bag of holding seemed more and more precious, so he didn't eat it.

Pill Distribution Day arrived, and the sound of bells filled the air. Meng Hao left the Immortal's Cave and entered the Outer Sect. When he had departed a month ago, his Cultivation base was the first level of Qi Condensation, and now it was the second. Even though he was some distance from the third level, he speculated that if the copper mirror was as effective as he imagined, in the future he would progress by leaps and bounds.

As fearful as ever about suffering a loss, Meng Hao entered the Pill Distribution Square. Many of the disciples looked at him as he entered, obviously recognizing him.

His actions the previous month had caused quite a shock to the Outer Sect. Even though his cultivation level was low, and a month had passed, the matter had been discussed quite a bit.

This time, it was not Shangguan Xiu who presided, but another middle-aged man. Like last time, he distributed a Spirit Cultivation Pill and half a Spirit Stone. But there was no Individual Pill distribution this time.

As soon as the pill and the Spirit Stone were in his bag of holding, and the pillars grew dark, Meng Hao left as quickly as possible, not hesitating a moment. As he left, his eyes swept across the square, and he saw quite a few Cultivators blocking fellow disciples to take medicinal pills and Spirit Stones.

Elder Sister Xu's blessing still seemed to have an effect. Coupled with his quick departure, the only thing he received was a few cold stares. No one attempted to take anything from him.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He was well aware that Elder Sister Xu's name could only protect him for so long. This month was fine, but in a few more months, someone would surely make a move against him.

"As long as the copper mirror works, in a few months… we'll see who will be snatching from whom!" Eyes glittering, he lowered his head and walked a bit faster.

He left the Outer Sect, eager to try out the copper mirror, walking as fast as possible back towards the Immortal's Cave. When the cave was not far off, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his pupil's narrowing. A person had just walked out of the jungle.

He wore a green robe and looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years of age. He had an arrogant look on his fierce face as he stood there staring coldly at Meng Hao. His Cultivation base was not that of an ordinary person. It was the third level of Qi Condensation. The man stood there, blocking Meng Hao's way.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Zhao," said Meng Hao, his expression changing as he took a few steps back. He moved his left hand behind his back, and began moving about in the air. He had seen this person before. Just about everyone in the Outer Sect knew Elder Brother Zhao Wugang. He was cruel and ruthless, and quite a few low-level disciples had died by his hand in the Public Zone. He was the kind of person to ingratiate himself to disciples above the third level, but lord it over the first and second levels.

"So, you've heard of me," said Zhao Wugang coldly. "I don't need to make any more introductions. Hand over your medicinal pill and Spirit Stone." Others didn't dare to even touch Meng Hao, but Zhao Wugang had entered the Sect years ago and knew how things worked. Elder Sister Xu often secluded herself, ignoring the lives of the people beneath her.

"Elder Brother Zhao, can't you make an exception?" said Meng Hao, taking a few steps back. "I… I'm just a simple scholar, and I just got the Spirit Stone and medicinal pill. Can't you give me a bit of time with them?" This person's cultivation level was greater than his by more than an entire level. Furthermore, he had never fought anyone before. His face grew pale from fear.

"You call yourself a scholar?" He sneered, then laughed loudly. "Don't tell me you were a scholar before you came here? Come, come, recite some poetry for your Elder Brother. Maybe you'll lighten my mood and I won't beat you and break your legs."

"Elder Brother Zhao…" Meng Hao was extremely nervous, and quite angry as well, but he had no choice but to hold on and try to talk some sense into the man. "The sages said, if…"

"Shut up. I'll take not only your medicinal pill and Spirit Stone, but the Immortal's Cave as well. From now on, we are fellow disciples in the outside world, but in the cave, you will be my servant. If you say even one more word, I'll help you to understand the meaning of the expression 'death is better than life!'" Glaring murderously, he began walking toward Meng Hao.

His Cultivation base had already broken through to the third level, and needed large amounts of spiritual energy. So of course he had taken a fancy to Meng Hao's Immortal's Cave. However, he still feared Elder Sister Xu, so he had come up with the idea to keep him as a servant. After some time passed, Elder Sister Xu would surely forget the nobodies beneath her, and he could just kill Meng Hao. Or if he didn't kill him, he could cripple him and force him to stick around reciting poetry to show how elegant Zhao Wugang was.

"The Immortal's Cave belongs to Elder Sister Xu. How could I act as her agent? Elder Brother Zhao, please don't make things so hard for me." Behind his back, strands of spiritual energy had collected in Meng Hao's right hand. He knew that he wasn't a match for Zhao Wugang, but the Immortal's Cave was just too important, and the Spirit Stone even more so. There was no way he would hand it over. Therefore, his heart filled with uncertainty and anger, he used the name of Elder Sister Xu.

"I give you some face and you ignore it," said Zhao Wugang with a snort. "You're just looking for trouble. I'll definitely teach you what it means to prefer death over life!" An impatient expression on his face, he raced toward Meng Hao, his outstretched hands twisting like claws. Meng Hao looked completely shocked and frightened, which Zhao Wugang liked. He enjoyed seeing such looks on the face of people weaker than him.

He could just imagine Meng Hao dropping to the ground in front of him, trembling. Just when he was feeling most proud of himself, right before he reached Meng Hao, Meng Hao's horrified expression disappeared, to be replaced with sternness. He flung his right hand out from behind his back, and a burning, finger-long Flame Serpent shot toward Zhao Wugang.

Meng Hao's heart thumped furiously. He knew that the Flame Serpent art was not strong enough to kill his opponent, but he still hoped that it would at least slow him down. He could not bear to be captured, much less hand over all his possessions and become a servant. He would flee into the mountains in an instant if he could.

"Flame Serpent art!" Zhao Wugang's expression changed, and he retreated backwards. His hand slapped his bag of holding and produced a small white sword, which he threw toward the Flame Serpent.

There was a bang, and the Flame Serpent disappeared. The white sword had been twisted and bent, so he kicked it aside into the jungle. Looking quite embarrassed, Zhao Wugang continued to move backwards, watching as Meng Hao fled into the mountains. He was both furious and astonished.

"He reached the second level of Qi Condensation so quickly," said Zhao Wugang furiously. "Elder Sister Xu's Immortal's Cave really is effective. It seems I must kill this guy." He raced off in pursuit.

After pursuing him for a bit, he found that Meng Hao was much more familiar with this part of the mountain than him. Furthermore, he ran very quickly. Zhao Wugang was having trouble catching him.

"You little bastard," called Zhao Wugang in a sinister voice. "There's no one out here in these mountains. Do you want to die? I'm gonna finish you!" Considering how quickly Meng Hao was running, he decided that it was time to use one of his more powerful techniques. He roared, and his body expanded, the hair on his body growing thick and golden-colored. Some of the hair even stuck out through his clothing. It looked as if he had transformed into something like a demonic beast.

This was a technique he had picked up before joining the Sect: the Were-demon skill.

It was a skill which could be cultivated after reaching the second level of Qi Condensation, but the demonic transformation was not very obvious. The body grew bigger and stronger, and more frightening. Such a skill would allow him to rampage among lower-level disciples. He could only use this skill for a limited time, but it was quite effective. His killing trump card.

Now that his Cultivation base had reached the third level of Qi Condensation, the skill was even more fully developed. Being able to grow such thick, golden fur was a pleasant surprise. Being able to shapeshift into a demonic form like this would enable him to easily shock his opponents. He brimmed with confidence, his thick, golden fur shining brightly, mighty and domineering. Fur even grew from his face. He looked exactly like a human-shaped demonic beast.

"You will be the first person to die under my Were-demon skill! How just and fair!"

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Chapter 9: Impatience and Frustration

Using this technique at the third level allowed Zhao Wugang to increase his strength by several degrees, as well as his speed. Grinning hideously, face full of greed, he charged toward Meng Hao, sharp claws glittering in the sunlight.

He brimmed with confidence, certain that Meng Hao's fear would break him. Flee he might, but escape he could not.

"Run," laughed Zhao Wugang with a ferocious smile, his powerful voice reverberating through the air. "You can't escape the skills of Zhao Wugang."

When Zhao Wugang shapeshifted into demonic form, Meng Hao was fleeing up ahead. He saw what happened out of the corner of his eye, and a look of surprise filled his face. But then, it seemed he'd thought of something, and a different, stranger expression replaced the surprise. This demonic form looked exactly like the forms of the various beasts that had been exploded by the copper mirror. In fact, he had even more radiant fur covering his body than those other beasts had.

Meng Hao looked carefully at Zhao Wugang, the strange expression still covering his face. The thick, golden fur made him look like some sort of king of beasts.

When Zhao Wugang saw the look on Meng Hao's face, he felt astonished. When he had broken through to the third level of Qi Condensation, he had tried out the Were-demon form, but this was the first time he had revealed it to another person. Meng Hao's strange expression irritated him. He let out a cold harrumph, and a murderous look appeared in his eyes.

"I think… you'll probably like this copper mirror," said Meng Hao. Seeing Zhao Wugang's speed increase so much in his Were-demon form, he realized that he would close the distance between them rapidly. He took a few steps back and slapped the bag of holding with his right hand. Instantly, the copper mirror appeared. With the strange expression still covering his face, he shined the mirror onto Zhao Wugang in all his arrogant splendor.

As soon as the mirror began to shine, Meng Hao felt it begin to emit a burning heat that he had never felt before. This was a much stronger reaction than when it had encountered other demonic beasts, as if some sort of powerful thirst had been unleashed within it. At that moment, a sort of invisible aura burst forth from the mirror and shot forward.

Zhao Wugang leaped toward Meng Hao, his aura radiating murder and ferocity. Suddenly, he felt strange, as if some sort of gas had entered his body. It roiled violently within him, and from the outside it looked as if the aura was trying to claw its way out. Zhao Wugang's expression changed. He felt severe pain in his organs, which quickly rose to a critical level. Without thinking, he pushed the aura down to his dantian region, in order to force it out.

The aura was powerful, and it seemed to be seeking a weak spot in his body to emerge from. When he pushed the aura down toward his dantian, it rushed directly toward his buttocks, and in an instant, exploded out with violent, gut-wrenching pain. Zhao Wugang let out an uncontrollable, blood-curdling scream.

He had never made such a sound before in his life, because never before had he experienced something like this. His body began to tremble, and he glared wrathfully at Meng Hao. The murder in his bloodshot eyes grew fiercer.

"Elder Brother Zhao," said Meng Hao, his heart thumping. This was the first time he had ever fought someone. "Why don't we end things here? If you don't make things hard for me, I won't make things hard for you. A happy ending." He clamped his hand over the mirror. The sound of his opponents scream had unsettled him. He couldn't take it. After all, this was a person, not a demonic beast.

"You little bastard!" shouted Zhao Wugang. "Today, I'm not just going to kill you; I'm going to go down the mountain, find your family and kill them too! I'll humiliate your entire clan!" The pain had caused him to nearly go mad. His eyes burned, and with a roar, he pounced toward Meng Hao, sharp claws preparing to rip him to shreds.

Meng Hao was just a scholar, and had never been in a fight. But he possessed courage, and hearing Zhao Wugang say such things caused murderous intent to shine in his eyes. There was no point in trying to talk reason to a person who clearly wanted to provoke him. He couldn't bear to hear the miserable screams, but hearing such threats would cause anyone to lose their temper. He took a few steps back and unflinchingly held up the mirror.

As Zhao Wugang approached, he felt something roaring toward him. Once again, the terrifying aura entered his body. Considering what he had just experienced, he protected himself, sealing off the aura so it couldn't escape. But just when he was feeling confident in his success, it shot through his body, rumbling, then exploded out of his left ear.

The pain was many times more severe than before, and he let out a horrible, shrill shriek that was impossible to describe. Then, his right ear exploded, showering out blood.

His head felt as if it were about to split down the middle, and his face had grown pale white. Dumb with astonishment, he stared at Meng Hao. Then his face filled with monstrous savagery.

"I will kill your entire family, and then eliminate your whole clan! I'll make them all feel pain like this, then let them die screaming!" Enduring the pain, and also deaf, he leaped toward Meng Hao, filled with insane determination to kill his opponent.

"I give you face and you ignore it!" said Meng Hao, gaping. He had never seen the mirror explode an ear before. Looking stern, he retreated further, again shining the mirror onto Zhao Wugang.

"Meng Hao!!" screamed Zhao Wugang, his right ear exploding into shreds. Both ears swelled. His expression was no longer one of ferocious rage but rather astonishment and dread. He turned, faster than he had ever turned in his life, and made to flee, having lost any desire to mess with Meng Hao. But the fear in his heart caused him to tremble so violently that he couldn't even flee. Instead, he focused, and once again, summoned his desire to kill. He would inflict pain on Meng Hao's family, and also take away that damned copper mirror.

However, even as he turned, the mirror, for the first time ever, flew out of Meng Hao's hands. It seemed its interest had been aroused. It flew after Zhao Wugang, attacking him multiple times. Zhao Wugang's eyes filled with desperation; it appeared as if some incredible power had entered his body. He screamed uncontrollably, unable to flee. Something tossed him into the air and his left ear, right ear, chest and legs all exploded violently.

As the aura exploded out, it sent mists of blood into the air, and in the space of time it takes to breathe ten times, Zhao Wugang's eyes grew dark, and his body slowly shifted from Were-demon form back to normal. The fur disappeared, and seemingly because of this, the copper mirror lost interest and flew back to Meng Hao. Zhao Wugang's body dropped to the ground.

Blood covered everything. Zhao Wugang's dead eyes still shone with horror and despair. Anyone who laid eyes upon him would surely tremble.

Looking at Zhao Wugang's corpse, Meng Hao sucked in a deep breath. The copper mirror flew back into his hand, whereupon his body shook. Awe and veneration filled his eyes. Seeing some wild animals explode was not a big deal, but this time it had been a living person. Seeing the blood and gore everywhere, he trembled. The stench of death on the mirror caused him to want to get rid of the mirror. He loosened his hand and tossed it to the ground.

He was just a scholar, after all. The mirror had seemed interesting at first, but now it seemed incredibly gruesome, and conflicted with the Confucian ideals which Meng Hao believed in.

He stood in silence for some time, feeling flustered at heart. The frustration could be seen in his eyes. In his heart, he was still a scholar from Yunjie County. He spoke the truth to people, and had never been in a fight, let alone killed anyone. That behavior was deeply rooted in his heart, and could not easily be changed. As he contemplated the situation, his heart struggled.

"The etiquette, happiness, kindness and justice of Confucianism, and its search for truth, demands a refraining from killing. But the Sect says 'the strong shall prey on the weak.' Now I understand the truth of that saying, but to actually put it into practice is different…" Trembling, Meng Hao felt frightened even just thinking about what had happened. After a long time, he let out a long sigh and started to walk off.

But having taken only a few steps, he ground his teeth, turned, and walked back to Zhao Wugang's corpse. He picked up his bag of holding, then summoned a Flame Serpent and placed it onto the body.

The fire didn't completely eat up the corpse, so Meng Hao consumed a Spirit Condensation Pill, then shot three more Flame Serpents down. Soon the corpse had withered up to the point where it was unrecognizable.

He did some breathing exercises, gritted his teeth, then shot down two more Flame Serpents. Now, the corpse was completely ash.

Glancing at the mirror on the ground, he clenched his jaw, walked over, and picked it up, gripping it firmly.

Still feeling conflicted and afraid, Meng Hao left, walking back to the Immortal's Cave as quickly as possible. He sat in a daze. For a long time he just sat there, before finally moving again to open Zhao Wugang's bag of holding. When he saw what was inside, his eyes glittered. The dark mood caused by his first kill suddenly changed.

"This guy was so rich," he exclaimed, sucking in a breath. The bag of holding contained eight Spirit Stones, seven Spirit Condensing Pills and a bone fragment covered with strange symbols.

He looked at the bone fragment, then immediately tossed it aside. It described the Were-demon technique. He didn't dare to even touch it. He didn't want to turn into a Were-demon and then be destroyed by his own copper mirror.

As he tossed the bone chip aside, he suddenly remembered the flying sword. He immediately walked out of the cave and tracked it down in the jungle. He lifted up the short white sword and returned to the cave to examine it, eyes glittering.

Meng Hao couldn't think of how to reconcile the differences between the ways of Immortals and the path of Confucius. He decided to stop thinking about the matter. Maybe he would understand it one day, but for now, the most important thing was to figure out a way to stay alive in the Sect.

Eyes filled with resolve, he took the Spirit Stones out and felt them. Then he pulled out the copper mirror and put it down next to him, looking at it for some time.

"Elder Brother Zhao provoked me," he murmured. "I had to strike back. I tried to smooth things out, but he refused. I killed someone, but I tried to be reasonable. I tried to be kind, but he rushed into death.

"The mirror reeks of blood. In the hands of an evildoer, it would be a tool of evil, but in my hands, it will be different. I have Confucian kindness in my heart, and this treasure is mine. It will be different." He looked down at the mirror and took a deep breath.

"It doesn't just explode things, and doesn't just seek blood. In the future, I will use it carefully." He muttered to himself like this for some time, then lifted his head, thinking about the other mystery of the mirror, and his hope. He ground his teeth.

"Success or failure. Now we'll see. If it's a success, then Meng Hao's cultivation practice will be anything but ordinary." With no more hesitation, Meng Hao pulled out the Demonic Core and a half-Spirit Stone, then placed them down onto the mirror. He waited with nervous anticipation.

Enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, but absolutely nothing happened. The Demonic Core didn't change, the Spirit Stone didn't disappear. There was still only one Demonic Core.

Meng Hao frowned. He paced around the cave for a bit before looking back at the mirror.

"It can't be. Last month it definitely made two…" He stared at the Spirit Stone on the mirror, lost in thought. After a while, he slapped the bag of holding and pulled out another half of a Spirit Stone, which he carefully placed down onto the mirror.

Almost as soon as he put the Spirit Stone down, a black aura flashed across the surface of the mirror, and it seemed to turn into a lake. The two Spirit Stones sank down, and the blackness rippled, condensing onto the Demonic Core. And then, next to the first Demonic Core appeared a second!

Meng Hao was stupefied. Even though he had prepared himself in heart, he was still shocked. After some time passed, he picked up the two Demonic Cores and examined them excitedly.

"So it's true! How profound!" He began to breathe hard, and took some time before he could pull himself back together. Suddenly everything seemed possible. He took a few deep breaths, then tried out the process again.

One Stone, two Stones… nine Stones, he only had one left over. In front of him were four full Demonic Cores. If you counted the original, that would be five.

The stones emitted a sweet aroma which grew thick in the air, leaving him feel intoxicated. A silly grin on his face, he realized that this was the most wealth he had ever possessed in his entire life. It was a sight none of the disciples of the Outer Sect had even seen.

His excitement lasted until deep into the night. Clutching the Demonic Cores, he placed one onto his tongue and swallowed it down. Two hours later, he opened his eyes and took another pill.

He had never done something so extravagant before. By the time the seemingly boundless energy of the two Demonic Cores was fully dispersed in his body, dawn had arrived.

His body thrummed, and gobs of filth had been excreted through his pores. When he opened his eyes they shone brilliantly.

"The third level of Qi Condensation!" Meng Hao was still not content. He looked down at the remaining three pills. He took another one. By the dawn the next day, he had consumed all the Demonic Cores. His Cultivation base was just a hairs breadth away from being at the peak of the third level of Qi Condensation.

As for the eight Spirit Condensation pills, they would not be of much use to Meng Hao considering his current Cultivation base. Even taking all of them at once wouldn't do much good. He suspected that it had something to do with the Demonic Cores. Considering that the Spirit Cultivation Pills were regularly distributed by the sect, they shouldn't be so ineffective.

"A small amount won't do. Even if I took dozens, it wouldn't have much of an effect." Meng Hao closed his eyes, concentrating on the spiritual energy in his body. It was no longer a stream; it had turned into a river. It was not a massive river, but definitely larger than a stream. As it circulated through his body, it gave him a feeling of power. He could sense an astonishing amount of energy filling him.

Considering the shocking level of power, Meng Hao knew that compared to yesterday, he had undergone a thorough rebirth. Before, he was a weak Cultivator who anyone could push around. Now, amongst the third level disciples who could occupy the Public Zone, his Cultivation base was so high that it placed him as one of the most powerful.

He waved his right hand excitedly and a Flame Serpent as long as his arm roared to life. Its heat immediately filled the Immortal's Cave. The fierce Flame Serpent, filled with awe-inspiring savagery, spit out a blast of fire.

If he had encountered Zhao Wugang with this level of power, his Flame Serpent would have flown forth. It would at the very least have seriously injured him, if not left him dead.

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Chapter 10: Wang Tengfei

Toward the end of September, it grew as hot as usual. The heat refused to dissipate, instead growing more and more intense. In the Southern Domain of the Nanshan Continent, in the State of Zhao, things usually began to cool down around November. By January, the freezing grip of winter could be felt.

One morning at dawn, Meng Hao left the Immortal's Cave, eyes shining, full of hope regarding the future.

"My Cultivation base is just a hairs breadth away from the peak of the third level of Qi Condensation," he said, taking a deep breath. "Perhaps I can't be considered powerful in the Outer Sect, but at least no one will pick on me." He looked off into the distance. The mountain breeze lifted his hair up as it blew past, and he suddenly appeared quite elegant.

Originally a down-and-out scholar, he had entered the world of Immortals. When he thought back to the events which had occurred in the preceding days, they seemed almost unreal.

"It's too bad I don't have enough Spirit Stones. And the Spirit Condensation Pills aren't strong enough to be of any use…" His excitement faded into disappointment when he thought about Spirit Stones.

"Fatty, Wang Youcai, and that other headstrong young man," Meng Hao muttered to himself. "The four of us came to the Reliance Sect together. I wonder how they are now." His body moved forward in a flash. Circulating the spiritual energy in his body, he immediately headed toward the North Mountain.

The East, South, West and North Mountains of the Reliance Sect towered mightily into the sky, covered with pavilions carved from jade. If you looked at the mountains closely, you could see rays of dawn light seeping over their peaks, just beginning to illuminate the surroundings.

White clouds wound around the peaks, concealing parts of the mountains. It really did seem like a place of Immortals.

If you wanted to go from the South Mountain to the North Mountain, but wanted to circumvent the Outer Sect, then you would have to pass along the East or West Mountain. Meng Hao walked along the path passing the East Mountain, two wild chickens in hand.

"I haven't seen Fatty in about two months, I wonder if he's lost any weight." Thinking about Fatty, Meng Hao smiled. Then, his eyes flickered and he stopped walking.

He felt a gentle breeze from up ahead, which carried along with it a thin fog. Amidst the fog walked a young man wearing a luxurious white robe.

He was clearly different than other Outer Sect disciples. His garment was as white as snow and his long hair flowed over his shoulders. Incredibly handsome, almost pretty, he gave off the sense of being perfect in every way, both physically and in temperament. It was as if he had been blessed by Heaven, Chosen by nature.

His expression was cool and indifferent, as if nothing were worthy to cause him to change it. Even if the mountains crumbled in front of him, he would remain calm. The fog beneath him roiled and churned.

Behind him walked two youths, who were also handsome, but when compared to the white-robed young man seemed like trash.

"Elder Brother Wang, we've heard that in a few years, the Sect will have special training to promote disciples to the Inner Sect. We Junior Brothers would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you in advance."

"Yes. When Elder Brother Wang entered the Sect, he was already famous. He even aroused the interest of the other three great Sects. But in the end, you decided to stick with the Reliance Sect. What extraordinary magnanimity! Refusal to violate the etiquette of the Sect, ignoring the invitations of the outsiders, reaching the sixth level of Qi Condensation in these two years. I even heard one of the Patriarchs say that the promotion training was being held just for Elder Brother Wang."

"That's right. Once Elder Brother Wang enters the Inner Sect, it won't be long before he surpasses Elder Sister Xu and Elder Brother Chen. He'll be the famous number one disciple of the Reliance Sect."

"Don't speak foolishly," said the man in the white robe, his voice gentle. "Elder Sister Xu is a Chosen, and Elder Brother Chen is wholeheartedly focused on the Dao. They are both fellow disciples whom I admire and respect." His voice was light and warm, but also manly and pleasant to the ear. This was the number one disciple of the Outer Sect, Wang Tengfei.

"Elder Brother has achieved outstanding mastery of Cultivation. With such latent talent and good nature, we Junior Brothers are happy to receive your instruction."

"Yes, Elder Brother Wang treats everyone kindly, even disciples of the first level of Qi Condensation. Everyone in the Sect knows this. I truly admire you."

The three of them talked, walking slowly toward Meng Hao. Elder Brother Wang, in his white robe, caught sight of the Meng Hao and nodded. He passed them, and the other two people didn't even give him a single look. As they walked off, Meng Hao glanced back. It was then that he noticed the white-robed man's feet were not on the ground. Instead, he floated along about seven inches off the ground. Meng Hao gaped in shock.

He realized that he himself couldn't even compare in any way. He was frail and swarthy, not attractive in any way. Furthermore, he carried two squirming chickens in his hands.

"So that's Elder Brother Wang Tengfei. He has the ability to float in the air, a skill which comes with the fifth level of Qi Condensation." He had heard rumors about Elder Brother Wang, and knew a lot about him. When Wang Tengfei had entered the Sect, it had caused a big commotion in the Cultivation world in the State of Zhao. No one knew the true price paid by the Reliance Sect to calm the waves of commotion, or why he had decided to stay.

"If I looked like him, I could have placed first in the Imperial examinations. I could have married the Emperor's daughter."

Filled with admiration, Meng Hao turned and continued on toward the North Mountain.

He didn't stop the entire way, and by midday, had arrived in the wild mountains bordering the North Mountain. This was where he and Fatty had usually come to chop wood. As soon as he arrived, he heard the sounds of chopping. With a smile, he walked briskly forward, and soon caught sight of Fatty, chopping away at a tree.

He was about to call out a greeting, then stopped and took a step back.

"You stole my wife, and my mantou. I'm gonna chop you to death! I'm gonna bite you to death!" Fatty hadn't lost any weight. In fact, he was a bit fatter. He looked like a round ball.

His eyes were closed, and he stood there howling, surrounded by chopped up pieces of wood. He hacked at the trees, his body twisting. Then, he dropped the ax and fell to sleep.

Deep bite marks could be seen on the long handle of the ax.

Meng Hao was shocked. He had never imagined that in his two months away, Fatty's sleepwalking behavior would become even more severe. Now it wasn't just happening at night, but during the day as well.

He was hesitating as to whether or not to awaken him, when suddenly Fatty's nose twitched and he rubbed his eyes. He gazed about, eyes shining, looking as if he were about to drool.

"I smell wild chicken! Yeah, two of them!" He jumped up and looked around, although he didn't see Meng Hao standing there in the jungle. Then he saw the felled trees around him, a look of gratefulness filled his eyes.

"Ah, Meng Hao, you're so kind," he said emotionally. "You've been gone so long, but you keep coming back secretly to help me chop wood. It's been like this for almost two months. Meng Hao, I, Li Fugui 1, have never had a better friend in my whole life."

Meng Hao, still standing off in the distance, heard all of this and was amazed. He looked strangely at Fatty, then coughed lightly and stepped forward.

When he appeared, it seemed Fatty could sense him. He turned his head and caught sight of him, his face full of excitement.

"Meng Hao, you finally show your face," he said eagerly. "Every time I wake up, I call out for you, but you never appear… ah?" His gaze fell onto the two wild chickens, and his eyes grew wide.

A bit later, fire surrounded the chickens, and a fragrant aroma filled the air. Meng Hao and Fatty sat together, just the same as when they had both been servants. They gobbled down the chicken.

"I haven't had wild chicken for two months," said Fatty, his mouth full of chicken. "How come you haven't shown your face all this time? Since you always come to help me chop wood, why don't you bring chickens too?" The joy on his face was clearly apparent as he looked at Meng Hao. It seemed that in his time in the Reliance Sect, he had come to view Meng Hao as a relative.

Meng Hao gave an enigmatic laugh and offered no explanation. Taking a bite of chicken, he looked at Fatty. It was then he noticed that Fatty's teeth seemed to be longer than before.

"How has your Cultivation training been going?" he asked. "Have you been able to sense spiritual energy?"

"Don't bring it up," he said with a deep sigh. "I train every night, but the strange thing is, I haven't been able to sense even a tiny bit of spiritual energy. The only thing that happens is that my teeth grow. I'm worried I might bite my tongue off." He looked quite depressed.

"Open your mouth," Meng Hao said suddenly. "Let me see your teeth." What Meng Hao saw shocked him.

After swallowing a mouthful of chicken, Fatty opened his mouth to reveal a set of long teeth that glittered in the sunlight. As he examined them, Meng Hao's expression grew even stranger. He almost couldn't believe it. He could clearly sense spiritual energy fluctuating within Fatty's teeth.

"How is Fatty doing his training?" Meng Hao thought. "How could the spiritual energy be moving into his teeth? They've become Spirit Teeth? If he keeps training this way, they'll transform into true treasures…" He shook his head in amazement.

Time passed, and soon the sun was about to set. Meng Hao and Fatty chatted just as they used to in the old days. He told Fatty all about the things that had happened in the Outer Sect, with the exception of the copper mirror, of course.

Fatty listened raptly, filled with the desire to reach the first level of Qi Condensation and get promoted.

When it came time to leave, Meng Hao gave a Spirit Condensation Pill to Fatty. He swallowed it, and then they parted. Fatty watched Meng Hao disappear into the jungle, looking a bit melancholy, assuring himself that he would apply himself diligently to cultivation training.

He had come by route of the East Mountain, so Meng Hao decided to return by the West Mountain. This was his first time traversing the entirety of the Reliance Sect. By the time dusk fell, he was walking next to a plateau which jutted out from the West Mountain. On the plateau was a massive stone tablet.

The stone tablet was the color of blood, as if it had been painted with gore. Several characters were carved onto the cold stone.

Low Level Public Zone.

There were more characters off to the side, smaller. It explained that the Qi Condensation fourth level disciples were prohibited from entering. Only first through third levels could enter the Public Zone.

Looking up, Meng Hao could see the multiple figures interlocked in combat. Many techniques were being used as they fought desperately. Blood sprayed in all directions, and miserable cries rang out. An arm was lopped off, a bag of holding snatched.

As he watched, someone rushed down the mountain, screaming, followed by a huge man with a hideous grin.

"Help me!"

"Who can save you from Cao?!"

1. "Fatty" Li Fugui's name in Chinese is 李富贵 (lǐ fù guì) – Li is a common family name. Fugui means "rich and influential"

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Chapter 11: Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet

Not too far ahead of him, Meng Hao saw someone screaming for help. Before the person could get off of the plateau, the huge man's flying sword hit him, piercing his neck. He fell twitching to the ground in a shower of blood, rattled out a last breath, then died. The huge man grabbed his victim's bag of holding, then turned and headed back into the Public Zone.

Meng Hao watched the grisly scene unfold, then further observed what was happening on the plateau. The sounds of slaughter drifted along with the wind, which carried the scent of blood and gore into Meng Hao's nostrils.

"You can get rich overnight in this place, but it's also extremely dangerous. For cultivation, for Spirit Stones, people put their lives on the line. It's not really worth it." Meng Hao frowned. He was almost at the peak of the third level of Qi Condensation, but what was happening up there was just too chaotic. It would be too easy to be injured, and if he were robbed, it would have a long-lasting effect.

Meng Hao thought about the lack of Spirit Stones in his bag. If he depended on receiving Spirit Stones distributed by the Sect, who knew how many years he would have to wait. Muttering to himself, he looked up at the Cultivators on the plateau. They fought fiercely, each and every one having suffered injuries. Suddenly, Meng Hao had a flash of inspiration, an idea.

His idea grew more and more clear, and his eyes began to shine. He turned and hurried off, not to the Immortal's Cave in the Southern Mountain, but rather down to the Outer Sect. He skirted the main square, and eventually arrived at a building.

The building appeared to be ancient, and was surrounding by the fragrant aroma of medicine. Inscribed above the doorway were characters which read: Pill Cultivation Workshop.

It wasn't his first time coming here. Actually, in his first month after being promoted to the Outer Sect, he had come here once to check out the various medicinal pills which were for sale. That was when he had learned about the Fasting Pills you could buy which would prevent hunger for several days.

The only currency used here was Spirit Stones and Spirit Condensation Pills. Unfortunately, the exchange rate was very unfair. For example, one Spirit Condensation Pill could be traded for ten Fasting Pills. Because of this, few people came here, and it tended to be cold and deserted.

When he arrived, Meng Hao didn't hesitate. It wasn't large inside, and sitting cross-legged right in the middle of the room was a sickly looking middle-aged man. Surrounding him on the interlocking wooden shelves were an assortment of gourd bottles, inscribed upon which were the names of various medicines.

There were Blood Coagulation Pills which could treat external injuries, Skeletal Relaxation Pills to relieve fatigue, Spirit Refreshment Pills to temporarily increase energy and of course Fasting Pills and Appetite Control Pills. There were even Marrow Growth Pills which could treat broken and crushed bones.

There were many types of medicines, but all of them were considerably costly. For most, the cost of three to ten pills was one Spirit Condensation Pill. To most disciples of the Inner Sect, a Spirit Condensation Pill was worth fighting over, so few were willing to come here and trade them away.

Meng Hao strolled around the Pill Cultivation Workshop muttering to himself, his eyes glittering. Then, he pulled out five Spirit Condensation Pills and exchanged them for a handful of different types of medicines.

It seemed the sickly man didn't see customers like Meng Hao very often. He brightened up immediately, handing over the bottle gourds of medicine.

Placing all the bottles gourds into his bag of holding, Meng Hao left, carefully taking a circuitous route through the mountainous forest back to the Immortal's cave. By the time he arrived, night had fallen.

He sat down cross-legged, looking at the four bottle gourds.

"The sages said, if you do not expend, you will not profit. I've paid a lot this time, and I'm going get a lot in return." Quietly comforting himself in this way, he stood and left the cave, returning shortly with a long tree branch about the thickness of his arm, along with a large pile of leaves.

He pulled a green robe out from Zhao Wugang's bag of holding and tore the seams apart, then laid it out in front of him. It seemed the right size, so he pulled another robe out, tore the seams, and placed it with the first. He looked down, contented.

Next, he crushed up the leaves to produce a thick sap. Then, he dipped his fingers into the makeshift ink and wrote several large characters onto the cloth in sweeping calligraphy.

He looked at it, feeling quite satisfied, then closed his eyes and began doing breathing exercises.

The night passed, and early the next morning, he picked up the tree branch and left the cave hurriedly.

It didn't take long to reach the plateau, and despite the early hour, there were already a few disciples there locked in battle. The fierceness of the fighting was readily apparent. Ignoring the other Cultivators, Meng Hao passed the large stone tablets and walked onto the plateau. His eyes scanned the surroundings, until falling to rest on a boulder which stuck up out of the ground along the border.

He walked over and sat down cross-legged on the boulder, looking every bit the peaceful and harmless scholar. Occasionally some of the others would look at him darkly, whereupon he would reveal some of his cultivation level. Frightened, they left him alone. He decided to wait until more people arrived.

Time passed, and gradually, more and more fellow disciples arrived in the Public Zone. Soon, there were about twenty people. Some of them looked at the kind, scholarly Meng Hao, and started to walk toward him. All he had to do was reveal a bit of his cultivation level and they would retreat in shock.

After a while, he figured there were enough people. He slapped his bag of holding, retrieving the cloth strip. He attached it to the tree branch, which he then stabbed into the clay soil next to the boulder. The mountain breeze lifted the cloth up, turning it into a streaming banner. It caught the attention of quite a few of the people nearby, particularly the characters written on it.

"Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet."

The dark green characters seemed to flash, causing the facial expressions of the nearby Reliance Sect disciples to change. Some seemed astonished, others confused. Some sneered and others frowned.

"Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet? What does that mean?"

"Don't tell me that guy is an apprentice alchemist sent by the Sect's Pill Cultivation Workshop?"

"He looks familiar…"

Discussions broke out on the plateau after Meng Hao revealed the flag. But after a bit of time passed, the fighting and robbing resumed. Blood showered and screams rang out.

Meng Hao's eyes shone as he looked about at the people in the Public Zone. Not far off from him were two Cultivators of the second level of Qi Condensation, locked in combat, their eyes red. One of them had a shoulder sliced open by his opponent's flying sword. Blood showered out, and he seemed to be in quite a difficult position.

"Brother, come here," called out Meng Hao. "Brother, the sages said, it is unwise to risk one's life when injured. You seem to be bleeding quite profusely from your shoulder. It won't benefit you to let yourself be killed. I happen to have a Blood Coagulation pill here from the Pill Cultivation Workshop. It can heal all of the sword wounds on your body in less time than it takes to take three breaths." As Meng Hao made his sales pitch, the two fighting men ignored him and continued to fight. The injured Cultivator's eyes grew redder, and the wound on his shoulder grew worse. Then, blood poured from his chest as his opponent's flying sword hit him again.

"Look, you got wounded again," admonished Meng Hao of his first potential customer. "Quick, come buy a Blood Coagulation Pill! Otherwise, you might be defeated. All you have to do is give me one Spirit Stone, and I'll give you the Blood Coagulation Pill. It's definitely worth it."

"Shut up," roared the injured Cultivator, retreating a pace. "The Pill Cultivation Workshop is a rip-off, but they charge one Spirit Stone for five Blood Coagulation Pills. You're even worse!"

"Ai, it's not expensive. Your life is much more precious than a Spirit Stone. If you die, then all your Spirit Stones will belong to someone else. All you have to do is buy some of my medicine, and then you'll have the chance to win and snatch your opponent's bag of holding. All for the price of a single Spirit Stone. Is that expensive? You're not buying medicine, you're buying your own life." Meng Hao stood. Perhaps his words had affected the wounded Cultivator. He struggled backwards a few paces, hesitation showing on his face.

"Dammit," roared the man's opponent, pointing his flying sword. "If you mess things up for me, then after I kill this guy I'll come after you!"

"I'll buy it!" said the injured man, slapping his bag of holding and producing a Spirit Stone which he shot toward Meng Hao. Meng Hao snatched it out of the air and tossed back a Blood Coagulation Pill. The Cultivator grabbed it and placed it onto his shoulder wound. It stopped bleeding almost immediately.

Refreshed, his spirit enlivened, he leaped back into the fight. Suddenly, his opponent retreated, blood flowing out from his wounded chest.

"Brother, Brother," said Meng Hao, switching customers. "Your opponent bought one of my Blood Coagulation Pills and is now brimming with energy. I think if you don't buy one as well, you will be facing much peril. I don't just have Blood Coagulation Pills. I also have Skeletal Relaxation Pills to counter fatigue. I'll give you one each for two Spirit Stones. That will guarantee you healing and plenty of energy. You'll definitely be able to achieve victory."

"You… you…" said the first man indignantly. He didn't know what to say. Was this Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet Pill boy here to help him or hurt him? He had just gone from a miserable situation to one of hope. Then, this happened. He attacked more incisively in his indignation. The scene playing out in front of him was exactly the same as when he had bought his medicine.

"If you win, then you're actually spending someone else's Spirit Stones on the medicine," said Meng Hao enticingly, holding the medicinal pills in his hands. "It's really worth it."

"I'll take it," said the man who had already bought a pill.

"Dammit, give it to me," said the Cultivator who had originally held the upper hand. Despite his hatred for Meng Hao, hearing the other man demand the medicine caused him to grit his teeth and open his mouth.

"I'll give three Spirit Stones!"

"Brother, he's offering three. If you can't top that, I'll have to give the medicine to him. Take care!"

"I'll give four!"

"Brother, he's offering four. Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Dammit. I give up. Die!" The Cultivator who had originally held the upper hand turned on Meng Hao, furious. At first, the battle had been quite simple. But once Meng Hao got involved, everything got complicated. He flew toward Meng Hao, murderous intent filling his face, clearly aiming to exterminate him.

As he neared, Meng Hao's visage, meek, scholarly and business-like, suddenly changed, growing somber and stern. Just before the Cultivator reached him, he took a step forward, his right palm slapping forward. Spiritual energy poured out with a bang.

The Cultivator flew back with a shriek, overwhelmed by the spiritual energy of Meng Hao's third level of Qi Condensation. The attack had struck him unconscious.

Meng Hao snatched his bag of holding, and then his somber, stern expression changed, and he was once again the weak scholar. All the onlookers were shocked.

"Brother, I believe you just offered me six Spirit Stones," he said shyly, looking a bit embarrassed.

The other Cultivator's face paled, and his body trembled. He stared at Meng Hao with astonishment and terror. How could he ever have imagined that things would turn out this way? How could this apparently weak and feeble person have changed so much? It was almost as if what he had just witnessed was a dream.

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Chapter 12: Hello, Elder Sister Xu

The scene, which had attracted the attention of the other nearby Cultivators, caused their expressions to change. Many seemed to be at a loss, unsure of exactly what had happened. But now, they all knew that Meng Hao was not someone to provoke.

Even though they didn't know exactly what had happened, Meng Hao's trembling first customer did. His heart pounding madly, he slapped his bag of holding and produced six Spirit Stones, which he respectfully handed over. He regretted having hesitated in front of the Pill Cultivation Workshop in the past. By fretting over his Spirit Stones at that time, he'd ended up with no medicine. And now, he didn't have any Spirit Stones to go buy anything for himself.

Meng Hao accepted the Spirit Stones, produced a Blood Coagulation pill and Skeletal Relaxation Pill, and gave them to the man.

"Many thanks for your patronage," he said with a wide smile. "Come back again soon." Once again, he looked weak and feeble. But to the Cultivator standing in front of him, he was a vicious beast in sheep's clothing. Trembling, the man made his exit.

As he left, Meng Hao decided not to return to his spot on the rock. He grabbed the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet banner and began to stroll about the Public Zone. He stopped next to two battling disciples, sticking the banner into the ground.

"Brother, it seems you're injured," he said, stepping forward. "You also seem somewhat listless. You don't seem to be in the right state to be fighting."

The two disciples stared at him in amazement. Having just seen him knock someone out, they hesitated, and at the same time, both backed up a bit.

"I happen to have some Spirit Refreshment Pills from the Pill Cultivation Workshop. Take one, and you will be completely reinvigorated, your victory guaranteed. Since today is our opening day of business, it only costs one Spirit Stone. How convenient!" Meng Hao continued to walk forward, his face filled with sincerity.

"I already have some medicinal pills," said the man he had been giving his sales pitch to. He slapped his grab of holding, and a Spirit Refreshment Pill appeared, which he popped into his mouth.

Upon seeing this, Meng Hao sighed. He had watched his first customer for some time before determining that he had no medicinal pills. With a light cough, he looked at the second man standing in front of him. The man gave a cold harrumph, then produced his own medicinal pill and swallowed it, sighing inwardly.

But Meng Hao wasn't disheartened. He circled back to the boulder, continuing to watch the two of them. As time passed, they seemed to be looking worse and worse off. Soon, it was clear they were out of medicinal pills, and the critical juncture in the fight had arrived. Victory and defeat would be decided.

His spirits risen again, Meng Hao hefted the banner and approached them again.

"Brothers, the moment of life or death has arrived. You don't have any medicinal pills left, but don't worry, I have some right here.

"At this critical juncture, buy one of my Soul Congealing Pills. It will restore your energy in a flash, and even recover your spiritual energy. Brothers, you're not buying a medicinal pill, you're buying spiritual energy. Aiyo, you're injured!" Meng Hao's words distracted the Cultivators. A flying sword hit one of them in the arm, sending out a fountain of blood. He retreated backward with a scream.

Meng Hao was even faster than him, following and continuing his speech, looked as weak and scholarly as ever.

"Brother, now is the time. You're bleeding profusely. Quick, buy a Blood Coagulation Pill. If you don't, the danger is just too great."

"Get out of here!" the man's opponent roared at Meng Hao. He charged his injured opponent.

"Give me a pill," said the injured Cultivator, his face pale. Retreating several paces, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a Spirit Stone. A Blood Coagulation Pill shot from Meng Hao's hand onto the wound on the man's arm. The blood flow began to slow. He focused his attention, then leaped back into the fight.

"Aiya, Brother, it seems you're out of medicinal pills. Look, I have plenty. Now that your opponent bought one, he's bursting with energy. But you're injured. Why don't you buy a Blood Coagulation pill?

"Oh no, you got slashed again. You must be really tired. Take it slow, and don't be discouraged. Brother, I still have a Skeletal Relaxation Pill.

"One Spirit Stone for one pill. You should buy pills quickly. The sages said, Spirit Stones have a price, but a life is priceless." Meng Hao slowly circled them. Sure enough, they were out of medicinal pills, and soon, they began buying. Feeling pressure from each other, they bought quite a few. The battle grew more serious. Their fighting today was more intense than four or five normal battles.

Originally, it had been a fairly simple fight, but with the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet here, things were complicated. With dangerous fighting, comes injury. The two cannot be separated.

Flop. Flop. The two men had finally exhausted every scrap of energy. They dropped to the ground, unconscious, Spirit Stones spent and medicinal pills eaten up. Even their magical items were destroyed in the battle, seemingly together along with their wits. How tragic.

As far as Meng Hao was concerned, he had saved their lives. Or at least one life. Hefting his banner, he once again strolled around the plateau, and once again found two Cultivators locked in devastating combat. From the look of it, even if they had healing medicine, it was gone by now. Eyes glistening, he stood the banner up next to the two of them.

"Brothers, your complexions seem bad, and you've received some serious injuries. But fear not, I have medicinal pills. One Spirit Stone buys one pill; your recovery is guaranteed.

"How come you aren't saying anything? Don't tell me you don't trust me? Just now another disciple bought some of my pills. The result for his opponent was death."

Shortly, each of the men bought a pill, then again, and again, until they had no more Spirit Stones left. After much bitter battling, they ended their fight in a tie, with nothing to show for it except empty bags of holding.

Meng Hao shook his head, picked up the banner and found a new place to do business.

By the time the sun set, Meng Hao had been everywhere in the Public Zone, selling medicinal pills. In the end, wherever he went, the battling would instantly cease, and the participants would leave. Eventually, Meng Hao stared out over an empty Public Zone. Contentedly patting his bag of holding, he left.

It was late at night when he arrived at the Immortal's Cave. He sat down cross-legged and excitedly began to take inventory of his spoils.

"One, two…" He grew more and more excited as he counted. "Altogether I have fifty-three. I'm rich. This method is much faster than robbing people. It's also much safer. No need for killing."

"I don't have many medicinal pills left, so tomorrow I'll go to the Pill Cultivation Workshop and buy some more. If I want the business to do well, I should buy out all of this month's healing medicines. If I don't have enough Spirit Stones, I'll just buy as much as I can. The scarcer the pills, the easier they'll be to sell."

Meng Hao opened the bag of holding he had taken from the unconscious Cultivator. Inside were a few Spirit Stones, two Spirit Condensation Pills, and a pink-colored medicinal pill.

He held the pill up and examined it. He recognized it as one of the Pill Cultivation Workshop's Cosmetic Cultivation Pills, an expensive pill. It was worth about ten Spirit Condensation Pills, and could be considered one of the most expensive products available.

"This pill is designed to maintain one's physical appearance. It would be a waste for me to use it on myself." He figured the previous owner must have been trying to ingratiate himself to a female disciple. Not thinking any more on the subject, he put the pill into his bag of holding.

As he was looking down contentedly at all the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills, the main door of the Immortal's Cave suddenly creaked and began to open. It happened so quickly, Meng Hao had no time to gather up all his spoils.

A woman entered, surrounded by a halo of moonlight. She was beautiful, but cold and expressionless. She wore a long silver robe that made it seem as if she had donned the moon itself.

It was none other than the Reliance Inner Sect's Elder Sister Xu.

As she entered the Immortal's Cave, moonlight fell onto the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills which lay in front of Meng Hao. A sliver of astonishment suddenly cut through her cold demeanor.

"Greetings, Elder Sister Xu," said Meng Hao, scrambling to his feet. His right hand swept up the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills. He stood there, looking embarrassed.

Elder Sister Xu didn't say anything. She just looked at Meng Hao, nodded, then turned to leave.

Look surprised, Meng Hao followed after her.

"Elder Sister Xu, you took the trouble to come here, why not stay a bit?"

"There's no need," she replied coldly. "I'll be going into secluded meditation starting tomorrow, and I just wanted to check in on you." She looked him over, then walked out of the cave.

Meng Hao felt embarrassed, regretting having not collected up the Spirit Stones more quickly. In that case, he would have looked a bit worse off, and perhaps Elder Sister Xu would have been willing to help him out some more.

At the same time, he felt a bit of warmth in his heart. Elder Sister Xu appeared cold and indifferent, but she had come here to see him, which meant she remembered him. His heart thumping, he slapped his bag of holding and produced the pink-colored medicinal pill.

"I've been wanting to thank you, Elder Sister Xu. I saved up quite a bit of Spirit Condensation Pills so that I could trade them for this Cosmetic Cultivation Pill. Please accept it. In my eyes, only you are worthy of such a pill. From the moment I entered the sect, I've had a dream, that you would stay young forever, and be eternally beautiful." Without so much as a wink, he solemnly and respectfully held out the pill.

Elder Sister Xu stopped walking and looked back at him. She glanced silently at the pill in his hand, then accepted it.

"Even though Spirit Condensation Pills are common in the sect, they are only effective up to the fifth level of Qi Condensation. We Cultivators place much importance on our Cultivation base. We live in the world of Cultivation, a place where life and death hang in the balance. You can't be like this in the future. You may be intelligent, but you need to work more on your cultivation." This was the first time Meng Hao had heard Elder Sister Xu speak so much. As she spoke, he nodded respectfully.

"As long as Elder Sister Xu likes it, I'm willing to trade for it," he said, lowering his head and blinking. He looked a bit shy.

"This pill… I'll accept it this time, but next time don't trade your pills like this." She put the pill away, hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a pink-colored jade pendant which she handed to Meng Hao.

"This is a magical item," she said. "You need to protect yourself." She began to walk down the mountain.

"Many thanks, Elder Sister Xu," said Meng Hao. "Would you allow me to accompany you while you walk? I haven't seen you for so long, and I have some questions regarding Cultivation that I hope you can clear up for me." He knew that this was an important opportunity. This was the only person he had to rely on, so he needed to get close to her. If he could walk with her through the Outer Sect and be seen by others, perhaps fewer people would be willing to mess with him in the future.

Elder Sister Xu hesitated. She was an indifferent person, and usually didn't say much. She had never spent time with male sect members, and it felt a bit strange to have Meng Hao standing there next to her. She was about to refuse, but after he finished speaking, she thought bashfully of the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill he had given her, and she nodded quietly.

The moon shone down gently on the two of them as they walked.

Just then, at the peak of the North Mountain, a tall old man stood up, clad in a gray robe. As he looked down on the scene, a look of admiration appeared on his face.

"Excellent. This pup Meng Hao isn't bad at all. He truly grasps the correct interpretation of the Reliance Sect. He knows how to find someone to rely on. And he also knows that if he protects his relationship with that person, then he will always have someone to rely on." This was the same old man who had expressed admiration for Meng Hao on Pill Distribution day. The more he learned about Meng Hao, the more he liked him.

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Chapter 13: Manly Cao Yang

Elder Sister Xu was like a tiger pelt, which, when worn while strolling about the Outer Sect, would immediately attract attention. When the Outer Sect disciples saw Elder Sister Xu walking with Meng Hao, strange expressions filled their faces. This was especially true for those who had bought medicines from Meng Hao earlier that day. Hatred blossomed, and then was held back.

As for those with higher level Cultivation bases, they didn't know what had happened on the plateau, but they still recognized Meng Hao, and conjectured that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Actually, Meng Hao didn't know it, but he had become a rather famous person in the Outer Sect in the past two months.

As far as he was concerned, the most important thing was getting through each day. Right now it was night, and not many disciples were about. Not even half of them saw the scene play out.

Realizing that his opportunity was not easy to come by, and shouldn't be lost, Meng Hao prattled on with some of his best humble scholar's words. He led taciturn Elder Sister Xu to the Pill Cultivation Workshop, where the middle-aged man, both nervous and anxious, sold him all of the various healing pills at a very low price. It would take months to restock the amount of pills he took.

They even went to the Treasure Pavilion. When Elder Sister Xu stared ferociously at the shrewd-looking man, his face grew pale. He surreptitiously slipped a Spirit Stone to Meng Hao and indicated that he could exchange the copper mirror at any time. Meng Hao gave a cold harrumph, looking detested, and told the man that he'd lost the mirror ages ago.

The Treasure Pavilion Brother laughed bitterly and apologized. He told him not to worry, that the mirror had been lost in the past and was always found again within two or three years. At the foot of the East Mountain, Meng Hao watched Elder Sister Xu walk off into the distance, surrounded by moonlight. That was the first time he realized that she was actually incredibly beautiful, like some sort of Immortal goddess.

"Too bad she's so cold, otherwise I would think about marrying her." He fantasized idly for a bit, then gave a few dry coughs and headed back to the Immortal's Cave.

The night passed by uneventfully, and early the next day, as the first rays of dawn appeared, Meng Hao energetically made his way to the plateau.

"I'm just a sliver away from the peak of the third level of Qi Condensation. It's too bad I don't have the right medicinal pills. Demonic Cores aren't easy to get, and I would have to go to that black mountain, which is just too dangerous." As he walked, an idea began to form.

"My goal now is to collect Spirit Stones. Then, the next time I can get a Demonic Core, I will be able to make a massive leap of progress. If I can get to the fifth level of Qi Condensation…" His heart began to thump, and his eyes shined with anticipation.

"Being of the fifth level in the Outer Sect makes you a kind of lord. And most importantly, you can use the Wind Walking technique." Meng Hao thought back to Elder Brother Wang Tengfei and how he was able to hover seven inches above the ground, and his heart beat even faster.

Soon, the plateau appeared in front of him, and he hurried forward. Looking every bit the humble scholar, he sat down cross-legged on the boulder.

Soon, more and more Cultivators appeared, including some who hadn't been present the day before. The sounds of battle filled the air, along with blood-curdling screams. Meng Hao scanned the scene, trying to pick out his first potential customer of the day. He didn't notice that in another part of the Public Zone, a man was carefully making his way through the crowd.

The Cultivator walked slowly, looking all around. Suddenly, his gaze fell onto Meng Hao, and his body trembled. He stopped walking.

This was Meng Hao's first customer from the day before. He had personally witnessed Meng Hao knock down his opponent, then act bashful afterwards. He hadn't expected him to return today, yet there he was.

"How come he's still here? That swindler! His wares are simply too expensive!" The Cultivator felt both hatred and fear. Heaving a sigh, he was about to leave, when suddenly his eyes caught sight of a manly disciple entering the Public Zone.

"It's Cao Yang… He's at the peak of the second level, just a step away from the third. His cousin Lu Hong is the number one disciple in the Low-Level Public Zone. Thanks to him, Cao Yang can bully people and use despicable tactics to hurt people when fighting. People get angry, but won't say anything. If it were anyone else, people would have ganged up on him long ago. He didn't show up yesterday, so things went relatively smoothly. Today's going to be good." The Cultivator moved a bit closer, convinced that Cao Yang would end up provoking the guy from the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet. Considering he hated both of them, he looked forward eagerly to their misery.

Some of the nearby combatants caught sight of Cao Yang, and their expressions changed. They stepped aside quickly, afraid of incurring the wrath of the manly disciple.

Cao Yang snorted coldly. He was tall, tough and stocky. His cold, hard stare was intimidating, as if the Low Level Public Zone was his own back yard. Other than two or three people who he didn't want to mess with, he looked down on everyone. Frowning, he wondered why he hadn't seen his good friend Zhao Wugang lately. This made his mood sour, so he stalked about looking for a newbie to steal medicinal pills from.

Then, his gaze fell upon Meng Hao, and the big banner sticking up next to him.

At first, he had barely noticed him. But then he saw the gloating Cultivator watching on in the distance, and his interest was piqued.

"Go, go, quickly," said the Cultivator under his breath. He suddenly realized that watching the fighting was a lot more interesting than participating in it.

Perhaps his mumblings had some effect, because Cao Yang rolled his eyes and then strode over to Meng Hao. People hurried to get out of his way.

Meng Hao sat on the boulder, looking as resolute as ever, preparing to hawk his medicines. But as he saw Cao Yang approaching, he realized he could not accomplish his goal. He raised his head, feeling a bit of pity.

This man was no stranger to him. He was the violent man he had seen a few days ago. Meng Hao sat there, a weak scholar. Looking bashful and a bit ardent, he said:

"Brother, it's our second day in business. All pills are in stock, and each one is essential for battle. Would you like to buy some?"

Cao Yang looked him over but was unable to estimate his Cultivation base. If a person's Qi Condensation level is below the seventh, then unless they intentionally emit spiritual energy, their Cultivation base will be motionless, and it is impossible to see how powerful they are. Only at the seventh level of Qi Condensation does it become visible to others.

Therefore, he had no way to know Meng Hao's level.

"When I buy things, I don't need to spend money. Hand over all your medicinal pills and Spirit Stones. If you dally, I'll snap your neck." His eyes flashed, and his tone was utterly forceful and domineering. After all, this was the Low-Level Public Zone, and everyone here revered him. His cousin was Lu Hong. As far as he was concerned, Meng Hao was nobody.

Off in the distance, Meng Hao's first customer watched the proceedings eagerly.

"Beat him to death, beat him to death!" he said quietly. Even he didn't know which party he was referring to.

"Brother, the sages said, it is not good to steal," said Meng Hao delicately. "Look, let's discuss things a bit. I'm running a business here, but I haven't even opened shop yet. How could I have Spirit Stones already?"

"Sages? On this plateau, I am the sage," Cao Yang said, feeling even more confident after hearing Meng Hao speak. "If I want to beat you, who will stop me? If I want to cut you to pieces, who would even utter a peep?" Assuming Meng Hao was scared, he laughed heartily and took a step forward. He was very close now, and his eyes radiated insolence.

"Brother, I didn't do anything to provoke you. Furthermore, I'm not in the Public Zone. Look, I'm outside the borders." Pulling a long face, Meng Hao stood up on the boulder, trying to speak reasonably.

"You really can talk crap," said manly Cao Yang impatiently. "If I say you're inside, then you're inside." He stepped past the banner, then swiped his hand at Meng Hao.

"What a bully!" When he saw manly Cao Yang's hand moving, Meng Hao's countenance flickered, and he seemed to change into a different person. As Cao Yang moved forward, so did he, and his right palm shot out.

A bang sounded out, then a horrific scream came out of manly Cao Yang's mouth, followed by a fountain of blood. His body flew back some distance, his face filled with astonishment.

His Cultivation level was higher than that of the Cultivator Meng Hao had struck yesterday, so he didn't lose consciousness. But pain wracked his body. Even as he attempted to struggle to his feet, Meng Hao appeared next to him and kicked him viciously into the ground.

"The sages said, if you take things without paying, you're courting death.

"I told you, I'm running a business, and I haven't opened shop yet. I don't have any Spirit Stones." As he spoke, he continued to ruthlessly trample Cao Yang. The manly man's shrill, miserable shrieks sounded out over the plateau, punctuating Meng Hao's each and every word. He protected his head with his hands, rolling about. Soon, footprints covered his green robe.

"I told you I was outside the Public Area, not inside," said Meng Hao furiously. The manly man's horrible cries began to grow weak, and it seemed that soon he wouldn't even have the energy to cry out at all. The onlooking Cultivators all seemed to suck in their breath, looking at Meng Hao raging in all his fury. A few of them had been present the day before, and they started to think that they had struck it lucky.

The one who understood things the most was yesterday's first customer. Looking at manly Cao Yang screaming, and watching Meng Hao's fierce expression as he jumped up and down, he suddenly began to sweat and quiver. The longer he watched, the more he felt that Meng Hao was truly frightening and dangerous.

It appeared that Cao Yang was about to lose consciousness. The shadow of death seemed to float over him. His vision began to grow dim. Then, he rose up his left hand, trembling. In it was a Spirit Stone.

"I… I'll buy some medicine!" he cried. He mustered all his strength to cry out as loud as possible, apparently afraid that Meng Hao wouldn't hear him.

Meng Hao stopped, his foot in mid-air. His fierce expression flickered away, replaced with the innocent scholar's. With a genial smile, he took the Spirit Stone.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" He helped Cao Yang to his feet, brushing the dusty footprints off his robe.

His manly body trembled, and he stared fearfully at Meng Hao. Looking at him, Cao Yang wanted to leave immediately, to get as far away as possible from the demon in human clothing.

As of now, he was just like the Cultivator from yesterday.

"Brother, looking at your current state, I think one medicinal pill will only help you temporarily." He gripped Cao Yang by the shoulders. He seemed to stop in consideration for a moment. "You have a lot of enemies. Why don't you buy some more?"

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Chapter 14: Threats

Upon hearing this, Cao Yang's body went stiff. It wasn't just him. Everyone backed up, looking at Meng Hao in dread.

"Buy… buy some more?" said Cao Yang, shaking, his voice weak. Were it not for Meng Hao holding him up, he would have toppled over.

"One pill, one Spirit Stone," said Meng Hao affably. He retrieved several Anti-hemostasis Pills from his bag of holding. "I'm honest with all customers, Brother, please rest at ease. I won't take advantage of your misfortunate to raise prices. Just ask any of the Brothers nearby. The Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet's reputation is quite good."

Seeing all the pills, Cao Yang's face paled. And then he looked at the amiable expression on Meng Hao's face and his back grew cold. Heart trembling, he gritted his teeth.

"Brother, you can really tell the good from the bad. These are genuine Pill Cultivation Workshop products." As he spoke, he produced some Blood Coagulation Pills and held them out.

Cao Yang looked at the medicinal pills with a start, then glanced bitterly at Meng Hao's bag of holding. He looked back at Meng Hao's face and saw it filled with care and concern.

Cao Yang wasn't stupid, and he understood Meng Hao's intentions. The blood drained from his heart. But right now his life was the most important thing, and he had no other options. He took out more Spirit Stones from his bag of holding and reluctantly handed them over.

Meng Hao took them with a smile, then placed the medicinal pills into Cao Yang's hand one by one. In a short period of time, the Spirit Stones in Cao Yang's bag of holding had been replaced by a pile of medicinal pills.

Cao Yang's heart bled even more. Looking pained, he trembled.

Then he saw that Meng Hao still held five pills in his hand and a look of shock and desperation filled his face.

"Those other pills should be enough to help you recover. These five are for after that, to help you maintain your health." He spoke considerately as he gazed at Cao Yang.

"I don't have any left, I really don't," Cao Yang said, looking at Meng Hao, about to cry.

Meng Hao said nothing, looking as amiable as ever. Cao Yang's scalp tingled. Gritting his teeth and ignoring his own distress, he pulled out some magic items, including flying swords, magic wands, Spirit Condensation pills and the like.

"I have no spirit stones, only these things," he said desperately.

"Magic items are also acceptable," said Meng Hao, taking them and putting them into his bag of holding.

Moments later, Cao Yang, carrying his bundle of medicinal pills, hobbled off, supported by the arms of some fellow disciples.

Meng Hao patted his bag of holding contentedly. It was only morning, and he had already sold out. He decided that it was best to quit while he was ahead, so he collected his flag and told the remaining Cultivators he would see them tomorrow. Conversations broke out as he strode down from the plateau.

Half a month flashed by, during which time, Meng Hao grew to be quite famous among the low-level disciples. They all knew about the Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet on the plateau.

Even more talked about was the owner of the shop, who looked like a delicate scholar, but who had an explosive temper. Rumors spread.

One afternoon, Cao Yang walked out of his house, his face pale. Despite his poor complexion, his wounds had healed. The pills he had bought from Meng Hao at an exorbitant price were actually quite effective in helping him to recover.

He had hidden away for the past half month, and today was the first day he had been able to walk around. He looked hesitant at first, but finally walked through the Outer Sect, eventually reaching an area with few buildings. He stopped in front of one of them.

"Cao Yang requests an audience with Elder Brother Lu," he said, standing outside and clasping his hands in front of him respectfully.

Sitting inside cross-legged was a man of about thirty years of age wearing a green robe. He was not a handsome man, but had an appearance of excessive arrogance. His eyes flickered open, and he looked out at Cao Yang appraisingly.

"What transpired?" he said coolly.

"Well, Elder Brother Lu, I … I was robbed a few days ago." Cao Yang blurted it out, feeling nervous. People outside said that Elder Brother Lu was his cousin, but in reality, they were not related. Elder Brother Lu usually meditated in seclusion, and did not really care about Cao Yang at all.

He knew that whenever Cao Yang had some hardship, he would come calling.

Hearing his words, Elder Brother Lu seemed a bit annoyed.

"Who was it that robbed you?" he asked coolly.

"It was an Outer Sect disciple named Meng Hao," replied Cao Yang.

"Meng Hao?" Elder Brother Lu thought for a moment.

"He's completely ignorant and incompetent," said Cao Yang hatefully. "But he opened up a shop on the plateau, hawking medicinal pills to disciples who get injured in battle."

"Hawking medicinal pills?" said Elder Brother Lu with a frown. His eyes flickered.

"Yeah. Now he's one of the most famous disciples in the low level. He opened up that shop and then forces people to buy from him. Now, everyone is complaining and ashamed to be associated with him at all. They all despise him. He's aroused the wrath of heaven and earth! I beg Elder Brother Lu to administer justice." Anger covered Cao Yang's face as he thought about his own wretched experience that day.

Actually, Elder Brother Lu didn't care at all about the things Cao Yang had just said. And yet, his eyes shone.

"My Cultivation base has reached this level because of all the low-level disciples I robbed. How come in all my years in the Reliance Sect, I never thought to open a store and hawk medicinal pills…" He sighed and slapped his thigh.

Upon hearing the noise from inside, Cao Yang stared in confusion at the building, not sure what it meant. He didn't dare to ask. Moments later, Elder Brother Lu sent him away, with no assurance whatsoever that he would aid him in seeking vengeance.

The following morning at dawn, Meng Hao headed toward the plateau carrying his banner. He was in a good mood. He had grown accustomed walking the path to the plateau. When he reached it, he sat down on the boulder.

As soon as he appeared, the faces of the other Cultivators on the plateau grew pale. In the past half month, they had been tormented by Meng Hao until they were completely dispirited. But, if they didn't come, how could they rob from other disciples? Killing outside of this area was not permitted, so they had no choice but to come. What they usually did was stop fighting as soon as Meng Hao showed up.

But people's killing spirit would inevitably arise, animosities would be stoked. Even though Meng Hao's business had slowed, he still made profit.

It is worth mentioning that ever since Meng Hao opened his shop, there were much fewer deaths. He was quick to point this out, and it had become a key feature of his sales pitch.

As usual, Meng Hao looked about for potential customers. He thought to himself that this really wasn't the best method. The shopkeepers in Yunjie County always had assistants. Even as a new idea was coalescing in his mind, he caught sight of a man in the distance, about thirty years old. He looked extremely arrogant, and in his hand he held a banner which looked just like Meng Hao's. Written on the banner were several large characters.

Pill Cultivation Workshop Outlet Number 2.

This was Lu Hong, the number one disciple in the lower level. His Cultivation base was similar to Meng Hao's, just a hair away from the peak of the third level. Meng Hao glanced at him, then paid him no attention. Of course there would always be imitators in business, although Meng Hao wasn't too pleased with the name on the banner.

The other Cultivators on the plateau looked at each other for a moment, then went back to their fighting. About an hour later, Meng Hao caught sight of two combatants. He hurried over and planted his banner next to them. At the same time, Lu Hong hurried over and planted his banner.

As the two banners were planted, the combatants dripped with cold sweat. As far as they were concerned, the people standing there were very powerful. Normally, one would be enough to make them uncomfortable, but here were two, standing there staring.

"Brother, buying a medicinal pill will ensure your safety," said Meng Hao hurriedly. "One Spirit Stone per pill. I treat all customers fairly."

"Buy Lu's pills, they're just as effective," said Lu Hong from the other side. He looked at the two, murderous intent flashing briefly in his eyes.

The two combatants trembled down to their guts, having lost any desire to fight. They produced Spirit Stones and handed them over to Lu Hong, then raced off. Meng Hao frowned. This was clearly robbery, and if things went on like this, the Public Zone would soon be empty. That wasn't his desire.

By afternoon, Meng Hao's business had dropped significantly. Other than an order in the morning, he sold nothing at all. Lu Hong, who didn't care a bit about right and wrong, forced people to buy. If they didn't buy, then he attacked them. Soon, the plateau was completely empty.

Lu Hong looked down at the dozen or so Spirit Stones he had acquired. He looked cool and indifferent on the outside, but inside he burned with excitement.

"This really is a good business. If I had thought of this before, I wouldn't have been made fun of for robbing so many lower level disciples. If only that Meng Hao weren't here, I'm sick of him." He had not come because of Cao Yang, of course, but rather to imitate Meng Hao's business model. Now that he had a taste of it, he wanted to have the monopoly. He looked murderously at Meng Hao.

"I'll practice a few more days," he thought, "then kill him."

The next day, thanks to Lu Hong's powerful reputation as the number one disciple in the low level, few people showed up in the Public Zone. Those who did show up were ones who hadn't been present the day before. They had no choice but to buy medicinal pills. Meng Hao wasn't willing to do business like Lu Hong, so he didn't get a single order.

The more Lu Hong looked at Meng Hao, the more his murderous intentions grew. By evening of the third day, when Meng Hao was making his silent exit, he heard Lu Hong's arrogant voice from behind him. The few people present all heard.

"If I see your banner tomorrow, I'll cripple your Cultivation base."

Meng Hao stopped for a moment. He said nothing, but his eyes filled with cold power. He stalked off, returning to the Immortal's cave.

"You're the one who copied me," said Meng Hao, his eyes fierce. "Then you stole my business, like a turtledove stealing the nest of a magpie. Then you say you'll cripple my Cultivation base!" Thinking of the murder in Lu Hong's eyes, Meng Hao pushed open the stone door of the second room in the Immortal's cave. Instantly, thick spiritual energy began to pour out. Meng Hao sat down cross-legged.

He absorbed the several months' worth of accumulated spiritual energy. As dawn approached, he opened his flashing eyes. He had experienced a breakthrough. No longer was he a hair away from the peak, he was at the peak of the third level. Now he was just a step from the fourth.

But that step was not an easy one. The higher one's Cultivation base, the more difficult it was to progress, especially to the fifth and seventh levels. Those levels were often bottlenecks, extremely difficult. Meng Hao frowned, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to open the bag of holding and take out all of the Spirit Condensation Pills he had earned recently. Then he used copper mirror's mystical ability along with all his valuable Spirit Stones to duplicate even more Spirit Condensation Pills.

Spirit Condensation Pills were of limited use, but with a large amount, there would be some effect. Each time he used this method, though, its efficacy would be reduced.

"If I don't cripple him first, he will destroy me tomorrow." Without hesitation, he popped the pills into his mouth.

The spiritual energy in his body lacked a bit, so as the huge amount of Spirit Condensation Pills dissolved, his body began to shake. He felt his Cultivation base erupt like a flood. His mind hummed, and his consciousness faded a bit. When things grew clear, his eyes glittered. And yet, he still had not reached the fourth level of Qi Condensation. He ground his teeth. With no other choice, he duplicated more Spirit Condensation Pills and swallowed them.

Once, twice, three times. His mind vibrated violently, as if it were being smashed by turbulent waves. Then there was a bang, and his eyes grew blurry.

Massive amounts of filth oozed out from his pores, and as it did, Meng Hao's vision slowly grew clearer, his body cleaner. After about an hour, his eyes glittered dazzlingly, and he was completely clear-headed.

"The fourth level of Qi Condensation!" He felt his Cultivation base roiling like a massive river. As he rotated it, it sounded like a roaring tempest, astonishing and frightening.

His expression calm, he retrieved five flying swords from his bag of holding, spoils from the past half month. They were all products of the Treasure Pavilion, standard issue, and all looked exactly the same.

There were some other magical items which he had procured. He heaved a deep sigh, then closed his eyes and began to meditate, awaiting daybreak.

"After entering the sect and beginning my Cultivation practice, I had no choice… but to rob some people to improve my Cultivation base. But I don't want to hurt too many people. Thus, I came up with the idea of running a business. But now my business has been stolen away, and I've been threatened with crippling… That is pushing things too far!"

When dawn broke, Meng Hao opened his eyes and left the Immortal's cave. He washed, then headed straight for the plateau.

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Chapter 15: Decisive Attack

Dawn. The plateau. Considering the months of Meng Hao's hawking, and days of Lu Gong's domineering, there were few Cultivators present, especially this early in the morning. There were only two or three, sitting there cross-legged.

When Meng Hao arrived, they opened their eyes, and each of them sighed inwardly, wondering when things would return to the way they had been before.

Moments later, they gaped in astonishment. Meng Hao didn't enter the plateau, but instead sat outside, cross-legged, eyes closed. He remained there, unmoving.

This strange sight left them astonished. They looked at each other, then seemed to remember something, whereupon they began to gloat.

Time passed, and soon it was late into the morning. More and more people arrived on the plateau, and every single one noticed Meng Hao and his unusual behavior. People began to make guesses about what was going on. Everyone was so intrigued that none of them fought.

"Could it be that Elder Brother Lu's words really worked? Meng Hao is too scared, so he doesn't dare to hawk goods?"

"It must be. Elder Brother Lu is the number one disciple in the low level. If he tells you to beat it, then you have no choice but to beat it."

"Who would have thought that this guy was so scared for his own skin? All he can do is bully people lower than him. Look at how arrogant he is. He thinks that just because he didn't bring his crappy banner, Elder Brother Lu will let him off the hook." Many of them were like this. They wouldn't complain when being robbed by someone powerful. But if someone who looked weak and kind took their items through business, they would complain endlessly.

Lu Hong had been in power for quite a while. From his first vicious attack long ago, all the way to today, when he forced people to do business with him, everyone was helpless. And yet, they had no choice but to deal with the situation. In fact, many of them believed he had become a bit gentler recently.

Meng Hao hadn't been in the sect for very long, and was neither very powerful nor arrogant. So even though his business was conducted gently, everyone complained relentlessly.

Meng Hao heard all of their talking, but his expression remained as neutral as always. Of course, his reason for sitting in meditation outside the Public Zone was not because he didn't want to enter, but rather because his Cultivation base was now at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, and he couldn't enter even if he wanted to.

In the midst of all the discussion, someone appeared at the bottom of the mountain. He wore a green robe, looked to be about thirty years old, and wore an incredibly arrogant expression. It was Lu Hong, slowly approaching, his hands clasped behind his back.

As soon as he appeared, Meng Hao's eyes opened, and they shone brilliantly. Everyone watched as he stood up and slapped his bag of holding. A small white sword appeared. The sword aura glistened, pressing down with a cold pressure. Meng Hao charged forward, and the sword aura made a beeline for Lu Hong.

As soon as this happened, a buzz of conversation rose. Everyone was amazed at Meng Hao's lack of fear… Was he really going to cause trouble for the number one low-level disciple Lu Hong?

"He… he's going to battle Lu Hong!"

"They were going to fight sooner or later. Meng Hao injured Cao Yang and Lu Hong wrecked his business. This battle was unavoidable. I just never imagined Meng Hao would dare to attack like this. I think he doesn't know his own limitations."

"Elder Brother Lu has been at the third level for years. Meng Hao will definitely lose."

Even as Meng Hao dashed forward, Lu Hong's eyes glittered. He'd already planned to take Meng Hao's head if he saw him today. And now, his opponent had dared to take the initiative. It was actually helpful. He snorted, and his body seemed to turn into a rainbow as he sped toward Meng Hao. His right hand slapped his bag of holding and a purple-colored flying sword appeared.

When the flying sword appeared, it was accompanied by a piercing whistle, and it radiated a golden purple color with a diameter of approximately 30 meters.

"It's Elder Brother Lu's Purple Yang sword!"

"It is! I heard he was awarded the Purple Yang sword by the Sect for some special service he did. It's mystically sharp."

Two people, one mountain. At the foot of the mountain, they charged each other.

Amidst a reverberating roar, Lu Hong's expression changed and blood spurted from his mouth. He flew back several paces, staring at Meng Hao in shock.

"Fourth level of Qi Condensation!"

Meng Hao looked a bit embarrassed. He had just entered the fourth level of Qi Condensation, and his grasp of it was not firm. He could not release its full power.

He had made a simple attack, filled with ferocity. But cracks were already visible on his flying sword. His opponent's weapon was magically sharp, and had damaged his own weapon.

Even though Meng Hao didn't have much experience in fighting, in his half year or so hunting for wild beasts in the mountains, his reaction speed had grown. Furthermore, during his days on the plateau, he had observed many battles. Even as Lu Hong retreated backward, he moved forward, slapping his bag of holding. Another flying sword appeared next to the cracked sword. The two sword auras merged together and shot toward Lu Hong.

As he sped forward, Meng Hao's fingers flickered and tongues of flame congealed all around him. Three paces away, a Flame Serpent appeared, as thick as his arm, about half a meter long. It twisted in the air, then emitted a roar and shot toward Lu Hong.

Looking shocked, Lu Hong spit blood from his mouth and moved backwards anxiously. His eyes flashed with anger. He knew that because he had some magical items, and Meng Hao had just entered the fourth level, the outcome of this battle was not certain. But if he could exterminate Meng Hao, it would build his prestige.

Murderous intent flickered in his eyes. His fingers danced, whereupon a globe of glistening, radiant water appeared in his hands. He threw it out, whereupon it exploded, transforming into countless Water Arrows, which then shot toward the Flame Serpent.

His fingers moved again, and the Purple Yang sword slammed into Meng Hao's two flying swords. A booming sound rang out like iron being crushed. Meng Hao's two flying swords crumbled into pieces, whereupon the Purple Yang sword followed the Water Arrows toward the Flame Serpent.

With an echoing roar, the Flame Serpent disappeared into a cloud of dust. The Water Arrows became a mist and the Purple Yang sword returned to Lu Hong. Its golden-purple aura did not shine quite as brightly, and a crack had appeared on its blade, but it was still as sharp as ever.

"With a fourth level Qi Condensation like that, and no good weapon, killing you isn't going to be hard. How many times can you use your Flame Serpent art like that, considering you aren't at the fifth level?" In his heart, Lu Hong was worried about his flying sword, but outside, he put on a broad smile. He didn't take a single step back.

"Your sword might be incredibly sharp, but let's see how many times you can use it. Speaking of flying swords… I have some more, too. And as for the fifth level of Qi Condensation, with all the medicinal pills Elder Sister Xu gives me, it won't be long before I break through." He showed no expression on his face, but inside Meng Hao was very nervous. This was his first real battle, after all. He slapped his bag of holding, and three more flying swords appeared. They shot toward Lu Hong.

Lu Hong looked worried for a moment, but he didn't hesitate for long. He roared, and then Meng Hao's three flying swords met his Purple Yang sword.

Bang bang bang! The three swords shattered. And yet, the Purple Yang sword's aura had diminished by at least half. More cracks had appeared on its surface, and Lu Hong looked incredibly worried.

Before he could do anything, though, Meng Hao nonchalantly slapped his bag of holding one more time, and three more whizzing flying swords appeared. He waved his arm, and another Flame Serpent congealed into being. The onlookers were all shocked.

"Meng Hao… He… He's put Elder Brother Lu in a really tight spot. He's actually at the fourth level of Qi Condensation!"

"He didn't enter the Sect very long ago, and he's already at the fourth level of Qi Condensation. He's definitely at the fourth level, look at how he's dealing with Elder Brother Lu. But, how did his Cultivation training go so quickly? What did Elder Sister Xu give him to help him so much? Dammit, if I had someone like that to rely on, then maybe I would be able to progress so quickly in my Cultivation." The crowd buzzed, their faces filling with powerful jealousy.

Lu Hong's face changed again, and he retreated, grinding his teeth. His fingers flickered again, and another Water Globe appeared. He'd never imagined that his opponent would have so many magical items.

A boom resounded as Meng Hao's three flying swords broke to pieces, along with the Flame Serpent. The Purple Yang sword's aura had now grown dark. But what shocked Lu Hong the most was Meng Hao's expressionless face as he suddenly produced three more flying swords. Another explosion rang out as the three swords broke apart. But then, the Purple Yang sword let out a plaintive cry, then crumbled to pieces.

Lu Hong's eyes went wide, and he staggered backward, spitting out gobs of blood. He glared at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao showed no emotion whatsoever, but inside he was extremely nervous. Every single flying sword was equal to a Spirit Stone. He waved his right hand, and yet another Flame Serpent appeared, roaring and twisting through the air around him. It flew toward Lu Hong.

Meng Hao shot toward the retreating Lu Hong like a rainbow, accompanied by the Flame Serpent. Yet another flying sword appeared, and in an instant, it was a meter away from Lu Hong, its sword aura glittering with death.

"You forced me to do it!" shouted Lu Hong, his hair in disarray, his clothes spattered with blood. From the day he had entered the sect until now, he had never been in such a bad situation. His eyes burned. With a growl, he tore open his robe, revealing a jadeite bottle gourd hanging from his neck. He poured into it all of the spiritual energy he could muster.

The jadeite bottle gourd began to glow brightly, and a droning sound filled the air. In the air in front of Lu Hong, the image of a massive bottle gourd appeared, many times larger than the one hanging from his neck. It was about half the size of a person.

Actually, Lu Hong's Cultivation base was not strong enough to fully activate the bottle ground. The flickering image seemed as if it could dissipate at any moment. Before it could finish coalescing, Lu Hong spit out a mouthful of blood and retreated backwards again, his face deathly pale. And yet he still glared at Meng Hao with frenzied, murderous anger.

Even though the bottle gourd was not complete, the pressurized spiritual energy inside caused Meng Hao's expression to suddenly change. Then, the illusory bottle gourd emitted a thunderous roar and a thick, green beam shot from its mouth, slamming through the Flame Serpent and inundating Meng Hao.

"This is a magical item given to me by Elder Brother Wang Tengfei. It can be used when one reaches the fourth level of Qi Condensation. But you're just looking to die, Meng Hao, so you've forced me to use it early, and I've had to pay the price. You're definitely dead this time." Lu Hong started to let out a wild laugh, and yet the laugh could not leave his mouth; he felt as shocked as if he had been struck by lightning. He stared in astonishment.

The green beam slammed into Meng Hao, pushing him back about ten meters. However, it was blocked by a pink shield which surrounded Meng Hao's body. When the green beam dissipated, so did the pink shield. It shrank into a pink jade pendant which Meng Hao held in his hand. Cracks covered its surface.

He gripped the jade pendant, cold sweat dripping down his back, fear lingering in his heart. If he hadn't taken out the jade pendant Elder Sister Xu had given him, he would have been destroyed by the fearsome power of the bottle gourd.

"What magical item is that!?" Meng Hao looked at the jadeite gourd bottle hanging from Lu Hong's neck, who was clearly severely injured. He leaped forward and snatched the gourd bottle, immediately putting it into his bag of holding.

"That was given to me by Elder Brother Wang Tengfei! If you dare to steal it, you will have to deal with his wrath!" Lu Hong's countenance sank, and he began to tremble. He was filled with astonishment, never having imagined that the bottle gourd would be ineffective against this opponent.

"The Sect rules state that if you take something into your hand, it is yours," said Meng Hao. He hesitated for a moment, but then decided that the bottle gourd was too powerful. He wouldn't give it back. Enmity had been created which would be difficult to abate. Hatred in his heart, he stared coldly at Lu Hong.

"This isn't the Public Zone," said Lu Hong, his eyes filled with despair and fear. Raising his voice so everyone could hear, he said, "If you dare to kill me, it will be a violation of sect rules!"

"I, Meng Hao, will not violate Sect rules. However, you said yesterday that you would cripple my Cultivation base. So today, I will do the same to you." Looking completely calm, he raised his hand and sent a flying sword piercing into the Qi passages of Lu Hong's dantian, smashing his Cultivation base. Then he stood there amidst Lu Hong's miserable screams, casting fear and awe across the entire plateau.

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Chapter 16: Come here!

The faces of the surrounding Cultivators grew pale. Meng Hao's attack was both decisive and also filled with a ferocious hatred that he himself didn't even notice. This sort of thing was actually becoming a trend.

In the eyes of the onlookers, Meng Hao was now the number one person of the plateau. Perhaps in the entire Outer Sect, he was now one of the highest figures.

Many of the Cultivators thought back to the past half month. With a Cultivation base so high, Meng Hao could have robbed and taken at will. True, the customers of his shop weren't happy, but he did treat them mildly. People now began to look at him with awe.

There was no fighting on the plateau that day. After Meng Hao left, the news of Lu Hong's Cultivation base being broken spread like the wind. The fact that he had mentioned Wang Tengfei's name was especially talked about, and caused the news to spread even faster. By nightfall, everyone in the Outer Sect had heard about what happened, and by this point everyone knew who Meng Hao was.

The East Mountain, covered with wisps of colorful clouds, was the Reliance Sect's tallest mountain and also the Inner Sect's base of activity. It had more spiritual energy than the other mountains, and was where Sect Leader He Luohua went for meditative seclusion.

Back in the heyday of the Reliance Sect, the four peaks had been fully occupied by the Inner Sect. Disciples of the seventh level of Qi Condensation had abounded. Now, only the East Mountain was occupied, by disciples Xu and Chen, whereas the other peaks were abandoned.

On the East Mountain there was an Immortal's Cave which was much larger than Meng Hao's. It was actually the finest Immortal's Cave in the entire Outer Reliance Sect, rivaling even the dwelling-places of the Inner Sect disciples.

Inside was a Spirit Spring that was anything but dried up. It gurgled out dense, fragrant spiritual energy.

Of course, among all the disciples of the Reliance Outer Sect, the only one qualified to occupy such a place was the blessed Wang Tengfei.

He sat cross-legged in his white robe, his face placid, looking at Lu Hong kneeling in front of him. Lu Hong's face was pale-white, and his body trembled. His Cultivation base had already been destroyed by Meng Hao.

"…I beg Elder Brother Wang to administer justice," he said with bated breath. "He's beyond cunning, more than you could imagine. He's going to flee the Sect." Every time Lu Hong saw Elder Brother Wang, he could not help but feel that the other man was perfect, beyond ordinary. That feeling had grown stronger and stronger over the past two years in which Wang Tengfei's Cultivation base grew more and more powerful.

"If he flees," said Elder Brother Wang after a while, resplendent in his perfection, "it will be a violation of Sect rules, and I will send some people to kill him." He wore an amiable smile which would cause anyone to like him, and spoke with a lightness that caused him to seem even nobler.

Lu Hong had nothing more to say. He kowtowed, his face filled with entreaty, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Very well," said Wang Tengfei. "His methods are too vicious. An example should be made. I shall prevail upon Elder Brother Shangguan and make a trip over there, although I will be careful not to offend Elder Sister Xu. Meng Hao shall cripple his own Cultivation base, distribute his treasures and sever an arm and a leg. That shall be his apology. Good enough?" He spoke as if he held sway over every single matter within the Reliance Sect, as if with a single word, he could take command over Meng Hao's Cultivation base as well as his arms and legs. His smile was as amiable as ever, perfect and without flaw.

"My profound thanks. This fellow… he's just filled with viciousness…" Lu Hong ground his teeth, his heart filled with enmity.

"Then I shall expel him from the Sect," said Wang Tengfei coolly, as if he were talking about an incredibly insignificant matter. "He can go off into the wilds, and things will take their natural course."

At that same moment, Meng Hao sat cross-legged in the Immortal's Cave in the South Mountain, looking at the jadeite bottle gourd in his hands with a dark expression. Having broken through the fourth level of Qi Condensation, then fighting that battle, he had consumed almost all of his spiritual energy. There was nearly none left. At least he had obtained the magical gourd.

It seemed as though everything had gone smoothly since his entrance into the Reliance Sect, but actually, it was mostly because of his quick wit and foresight. If it had been anyone other than him, he would most likely have put his life in danger on his first Pill Distribution Day.

Later, he acquired the protection of the copper mirror and its mysterious power. Shortly after that, Elder Brother Zhao began to lust after his Immortal's Cave. If he hadn't died, Meng Hao's situation would have been bleak, and he would have lost control of all of his belongings. That was the first time he had killed someone.

If he hadn't started doing business with his shop, he wouldn't have been able to arrive where he was now. But the wind that seemed to propel him from behind also held concealed within it hardships that he was unaware of.

Everything that had happened was like the thunder of an approaching storm. Meng Hao looked down quietly at the jadeite bottle gourd, thinking about the number one disciple in the Outer Sect, blessed Wang Tengfei. Thinking of him in all his perfection, Meng Hao felt as if the pressure of an entire mountain had come to rest on him. He almost couldn't breathe.

He wanted to flee, but he knew that he was no servant, but a sect disciple. Fleeing was a violation of Sect rules. That would arouse the notice of the sect elders, and he would surely lose his life.

"If I'd known earlier that Lu Hong had Wang Tengfei backing him…" muttered Meng Hao. Moments later, unswerving determination filled his eyes.

"I would do the same thing. If I didn't attack him, he would have killed me. I didn't force him, he forced me. The grudge would have built either way. Unless I had run into Cao Yang earlier and been willing to let him rob me, things would have ended up this way. Even if it came down to killing, I couldn't prevent people from coveting my business." His eyes flashed as he looked gloomily around the Immortal's Cave.

"It's too bad Elder Sister Xu is meditating in seclusion…" The first thing he had done after crippling Lu Hong's Cultivation base was to go looking for her. But he had been informed at the Inner Sect that parties in seclusion were not to be disturbed.

"This jadeite bottle gourd…" It was incredibly powerful, so much so that when he tested it out with his Cultivation base, it exploded out with a might that sent his heart thumping. He could only imagine how it could help him. Maybe now he would finally be able to break through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation. The strange thing was that the gourd bottle could not be placed in his bag of holding, but rather had to be hung on his body. Sadly, he had no more Spirit Stones. He had used all of them to break through the third level of Qi Condensation. Otherwise he would try to make a copy of the gourd bottle.

"This sect is not of the mortal world. It's easy to lose one's life here. If I can prevent disaster by handing over the gourd bottle, maybe I should just do it…" He did not wish to do so, but it seemed he had no other choice. Even as he wrestled with these thoughts, a sinister voice drifted in from the dark night, past the sealed door of the Immortal's Cave.

"I am Shangguan Song 1, here to assist Elder Brother Wang in meting out justice. Meng Hao, please come out of the Immortal's cave and kowtow to me."

The dark voice seemed to fill the cave with icy cold shadow. Meng Hao's eyes glittered, and he lifted his head. He didn't look the least bit surprised; he had anticipated that someone would come looking for him.

Meng Hao was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It's late at night, not a convenient time. Elder Brother, if you have something to say, just say it."

"How haughty," said the voice, clearly displeased. A cold snort rang out.

Meng Hao said nothing, maintaining his silence.

"If you won't open the door, very well. I shall convey Elder Brother Wang's instructions. Meng Hao, disciple of the Inner Sect, has not focused whole-heartedly on cultivation. He has caused disturbances in the Low-Level Public Zone, arousing mass complaints from fellow disciples, and has used vicious methods on others. However, he is young, so these offenses cannot be considered worthy of the death penalty. Hand over your treasures, cripple your Cultivation base and leave the Sect. Henceforth, you are not a disciple of the Reliance Sect." As Meng Hao listened to the sinister voice, his face grew somber. Then, when he heard the final words, it filled with indignation.

"Elder Brother Wang's decrees are not according to Sect rules," said Meng Hao defiantly.

"Elder Brother Wang's word are the Sect rules," said the person outside, indifferent to Meng Hao's interruption. "The following day is Pill Distribution Day. You will kowtow to Lu Hong and apologize, then await your punishment." With that, the man flicked his sleeve, turned and left.

Meng Hao sat in silent contemplation. Time passed, and dawn approached. His eyes were bloodshot. He could not figure out what to do. His opponent obviously wanted the jadeite bottle gourd, and to see him dead. Out of supposed to mercy, he would cripple his Cultivation base, sever an arm and a leg, and then expel him from the sect into the wild mountains. If that happened, he would truly be hopeless.

"What should I do…" he said, fists clenched, eyes red. He suddenly felt completely weak and helpless. This was the first time he truly wished he were more powerful. If he were more powerful, he wouldn't be bullied like this. He thought some more.

"Don't tell me my only option is to flee…" His eyes filling with determination, he lifted up his head and walked out of the Immortal's cave. But even as he walked out, he stopped in his tracks, hesitating.

"No, this isn't right…" He lowered his head for a moment in thought, then turned back into the Immortal's Cave, where he sat down cross-legged.

The following morning, Meng Hao opened his bloodshot eyes. He had not practiced any breathing exercises, but had spent the whole night in contemplation. But his Cultivation base was simply too low. He couldn't think of any method other than fleeing the Reliance Sect. But surely his opponent had considered that he would do that. Fleeing was the same as death, and then he would be remembered as a traitor.

Bells rang out in the distance. Pill Distribution Day had arrived. Meng Hao knew that even if he tried to hide away in the Immortal's Cave, catastrophe would still befall him.

"The law of the jungle. All of my problems are because my Cultivation base is too low. A true man doesn't just take the suffering, he does something about it." He gave a small sigh. He had been pushed to the brink, and had no room to maneuver. He calmed himself, then straightened out his clothing. He looked around the Immortal's cave, then opened the main door and stared out at the blue sky and the emerald sea of trees.

Some time passed, and then he stepped forward. He had only taken a few steps when he noticed a person walk out from the jungle behind him, staring at him coldly.

"You didn't flee. So you aren't stupid after all." Meng Hao recognized the person's voice: it was Shangguan Song. It turned out he had stayed behind.

Meng Hao had seen him before. He was one of the disciples walking with Wang Tengfei that day by the East Mountain. His grandfather was one of the sect elders. He clearly had stayed behind to see if Meng Hao would flee. If he had, he would have been branded a traitor, and would have forfeited his life.

Meng Hao turned and headed toward the Outer Sect.

Shangguan Song laughed coldly, his eyes filled with ridicule. Actually, he had left the previous night, to go call on his grandfather Shangguan Xiu. Even had Meng Hao chosen to flee in the night, he would have been entrapped, and suffered a horrible death.

Shangguan Song followed Meng Hao the entire way. When they arrived at the Outer Sect, other disciples caught sight, one by one, and many different expressions filled their faces. Regardless, it appeared as if all had expected this, and none seemed to take pity on Meng Hao. Most actually jeered at him.

Soon, he arrived at the Outer Sect's square. The dragon-carved pillars glowed brightly, and disciples were everywhere. Off in the distance, he saw white-robed Wang Tengfei, surrounded by a crowd of disciples.

The sun shone down on his white robe, making it shine like snow, and his long hair trailed past his shoulders. He looked perfect, flawless, like an Immortal being from a painting. His bearing made people want to get to know him. He really looked like a Chosen.

He chatted amiably with the disciples around him, friendly with everyone, regardless of their Cultivation base. He would nod, giving tips about Cultivation, causing everyone to treat him with utmost respect.

The female disciples all seemed to be infatuated with him. They looked as if they needed to be at his side, as if his each and every action could drive them crazy.

Even the sect elders on the tall platform gazed down on him fondly and with admiration.

Wherever Wang Tengfei went, he became the center of attention. His good looks, his gentleness, his perfection, melded together into a dazzling glow which burned Meng Hao's eyes. He clenched his fists tightly.

As all the disciples arrived, and as the Pill Distribution concluded, gentle and cordial Wang Tengfei didn't even look once at Meng Hao. He knew Meng Hao was watching him, but it meant no more to him than if a cricket were looking at him. He wouldn't stoop so low as to return his gaze.

When everything concluded, and the dragon-carved pillars grew dark, Wang Tengfei's gentle voice filled the air.

"Come here!"

It was a simple sentence, but the instant it rang out, everyone looked at Wang Tengfei, watching as his gaze fell onto Meng Hao.

1. Shangguan Song's name in Chinese is 上官宋 (shàng guān sòng) – Shangguan is a relatively obscure family name. Song is basically just a name, with no special meaning

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Chapter 17: I shall rely on myself!

Meng Hao stood there stiffly, staring at Wang Tengfei. He could suddenly feel the gaze of all the disciples who stood in the square. The Cultivators standing next to him moved away, creating an open area around Meng Hao.

A feeling of aloneness filled his heart, as if the world itself were about to forsake him. It was as if Wang Tengfei's single utterance had pushed him over the edge of existence.

No one spoke a word. The Outer Sect disciples just looked at Meng Hao. Wang Tengfei was too famous. His words reverberated in everyone's hearts.

No one was surprised at what was happening; news of yesterday's events had spread, and many people had already guessed what would happen this day.

The sect elders remained unmoving upon the high platform, gazing down at Meng Hao.

"Sect rules state that what you take belongs to you," said Meng Hao, forcing the words out one word at a time. He knew that compared to Wang Tengfei, his voice was laughably weak and small, and that he might be attacked. But, he still spoke up.

He knew that if he took out the jadeite gourd bottle, handed it over to Wang Tengfei, and made some tearful entreaties, then Wang Tengfei couldn't reject his apology. Not in front of all these people. He might exact some punishments, but would leave Meng Hao with his Cultivation base.

Maybe if he begged and kowtowed, admitted that he was in the wrong, accepted the humiliation and even insult himself, then he would be completely out of danger.

But Meng Hao would never do such a thing! Call him stupid and crazy, but he would never do it!

Even though he knew he was facing a dire calamity, he would never beg. He would never humiliate himself, would never crawl on the ground and plead. Never!

This was his spirit, his integrity. Some things in the world are more important than life or death, and that noble, unbendable, unbreakable spirit is dignity!

That was why he had spoken first, one word at a time. Even though his opponent was the mountain-like Wang Tengfei. Even though he faced dire calamity. Even though the whole world was against him. Even though he was alone, with no one to rely on. Despite all this… he still had his dignity. He lifted his head up and spoke.

This, was Meng Hao!

His words seemed to galvanize all the energy in his body. Death? What is death? So what if I haven't even lived to see 17! You can humiliate me, you can cripple my Cultivation. But you can never make me yield! You can never break my spirit!

His voice had rung out in the silence, clear and distinct, yet filled with a certain loneliness. As he spoke, his bitterness was plain, but perhaps only Meng Hao himself could understand it. His hands clenched into fists. No one else could sense it, but along with Wang Tengfei's words had come an invisible attack that attempted to force Meng Hao to collapse.

His body seemed as if it were about to disintegrate, his bones about to shatter. He felt a massive pressure trying to force him to kneel. His body shook, but he gritted his teeth and stood there, ignoring the pain in his bones.

"That treasure is mine," said Wang Tengfei with a friendly smile. "It belongs to whomever I give it to. I didn't give it to you, so you have no right to take it." His words seemed friendly, but were filled with menace, clear for everyone to hear. Smiling, he walked forward, raising his hand and waving a finger in Meng Hao's direction.

Winds surged in the square, screaming around in circles, causing the robes of the disciples to flap. Meng Hao stood still, as if the air in the square had become death itself and held him bound. He couldn't move a muscle. Suddenly, a pink jade pendant flew out from within his clothes and hovered in front of him. A pink shield appeared, covering Meng Hao protectively.

Wang Tengfei looked as affable as ever. His movements seemed completely casual, and as he took a second step, his finger waved a second time.

A bang resounded as the second finger movement stopped. The shield warped and twisted, flickering three times, then shattered in a deafening explosion. The jade pendant in front of him, the gift given to him by Elder Sister Xu, broke into pieces. Blood poured out of Meng Hao's mouth, and the pressure on him increased. He gritted his teeth, unwavering. He stood there, trembling, unwilling to yield.

An exceedingly dark look filled his eyes, and he clenched his fists harder. His fingernails dug deep into the flesh of his palms.

With his usual kind smile, Wang Tengfei took a third step forward, landing directly in front of Meng Hao. He waved his finger a third time, and a force like a giant invisible hand ripped open Meng Hao's clothing, revealing the jadeite gourd bottle hanging around his neck. The invisible hand snatched the gourd bottle, wrenching it away from Meng Hao and depositing it in Wang Tengfei's palm.

Meng Hao's face grew pale, and he coughed out a mouthful of blood. His body trembled, yet he couldn't move. Veins of blood appeared in his eyes, and his hands were clenched incredibly tight. He felt the pain of his fingernails digging deep into his flesh. Blood began to drip out from between his fingers and drop to the ground.

"Cripple your Cultivation base. Sever an arm and a leg. Leave the sect." Wang Tengfei continued to smile, his warm voice reverberating across the square. He extended a finger for the fourth time, pointing toward Meng Hao's chest.

Meng Hao glared back at Wang Tengfei. This entire time, he had only spoken once, never opening his mouth to say a second sentence. He did not scream or roar, but remained silent. More veins of blood appeared in his eyes and he clenched his fists even tighter. Because of the power he exerted, his fingernails snapped, lodged in his flesh. Blood dripped like rain.

Everything grew silent as people watched, their faces filled with derision. Their ridicule seemed to cut him away from the world, pushing him away until he was placed outside of everything.

And yet he still would not submit! What was a bit of physical pain?

Just as Wang Tengfei's finger was about to fall again, a sound rang out from a distant mountain peak and a gentle power appeared next to Meng Hao, blocking the crippling finger.

A bang rang out. Wang Tengfei flicked his wide sleeve and glanced to the side. An old man stood there, wearing a long gray robe. He had some mottled brown marks on his face, and though quite tall and big, didn't appear to be very mighty. This was the same person who had admired Meng Hao on the two previous occasions.

"You've taken the treasure back," said the old man. "Let the matter drop." With a frown, he looked at Meng Hao standing there silently, blood dripping from his fists. He sighed, then looked back at Wang Tengfei.

"Since it is Grand Elder Ouyang interceding, junior will give in." Wang Tengfei smiled, looking indifferent. During the entire time, he had only spoken to Meng Hao twice. Sunlight shone down on him, illuminating his elegant figure, his long hair, his perfect demeanor. As far as he was concerned, Meng Hao didn't even match up to an insect. As of this moment, he'd already placed Meng Hao out of his mind.

Meng Hao, covered in blood, was like a bug standing up against an elephant, who could crush him with a single step.

To Wang Tengfei, the things that had just happened were nothing. It was not that he felt contempt toward Meng Hao. He just didn't care about him in the least bit. With a smile, he walked back into the crowd, chatting indifferently, as if nothing had happened. He began to give pointers to lower level disciples, emanating cordiality.

All the female disciples seemed obsessed with him. The other Cultivators viewed him with utmost respect. Everyone ignored Meng Hao, as if they had already forgotten about his existence.

Meng Hao was like the antithesis of Wang Tengfei. Covered in blood, his clothing in shreds, he cut a truly sorry figure.

Meng Hao could sense what Wang Tengfei thought of him. It wasn't scorn, it was disregard. As Wang Tengfei left, Meng Hao felt a bit more relaxed, although his body hurt so bad it seemed he might collapse. Gritting his teeth, he saluted Grand Elder Ouyang with cupped hands.

Without another word, Meng Hao coughed up another mouthful of blood, clenched his jaw, and slowly walked off. His feet felt as if they would disintegrate at any moment. He was soaked with sweat, and every step caused heart-rending pain. Looking like a whipped dog, he slowly disappeared into the distance.

As he walked off, Grand Elder Ouyang seemed to be about to say something, but decided not to, and simply watched him depart.

Meng Hao returned to the Immortal's Cave, and the instant the main door closed, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Wang Tengfei was already at the peak of the sixth level. There was no way for Meng Hao to compare to him. By refusing to give in and kneel, he had of course received internal injuries.

He was comatose for two full days, after which he finally opened his eyes, his body wracked with pain. It was difficult to move, but he lurched up into a sitting position. When he touched the ground with his hands, they burned painfully, as if the skin had been stripped off of them. Gasping huskily, he sat there quietly in the middle of the Immortal's Cave.

After some time passed, he looked down at his hands. Ten broken fingernails protruded from the skin of his palms. After two days of coma, scabs had formed over the fingernails, but in his struggle to sit up, they had broken, and now blood oozed out.

Meng Hao looked at his hands, expressionless. After a while, he began to dig the broken fingernails out of his skin, one by one. Blood flowed out of his mangled palms, dripping to the ground and filling the cave with the scent of gore.

Through the entire process, Meng Hao's facial expression did not change. It was as if the hands didn't belong to him. There was a certain ruthlessness within him that was now clearly visible.

He looked down at the ten bloody fingernails. After a while, he collected them together and placed them next to the stone bed in the room. He planned to look at them every day as a reminder of the humiliation he had endured.

The day would come when that humiliation would be repaid in double!

He hadn't spoken for a long time, but now he opened his mouth: "As for me, I shall rely on myself!" The hoarse voice almost didn't sound like his own.

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Chapter 18: Fatty of the Outer Sect

Time flashed by. Meng Hao didn't even take half a step outside of the Immortal's Cave. He didn't want to go out and didn't want to see anyone. He could never forget how Wang Tengfei had turned the whole world against him. He sat cross-legged, staring at the fingernails, encrusted with dried blood. His previous numbed expression changed into wrath, then somberness. Finally one day, the main door of the Immortal's cave creaked open, and moonlight poured in.

Elder Sister Xu stood there in the doorway, wreathed in moonlight which obscured her features.

Meng Hao didn't say anything, and neither did she. Time passed. Finally, she said, "I ended my secluded meditation just yesterday."

Meng Hao stood, saluting her with clasped hands.

"Wang Tengfei has an important background," she continued mildly. "He's not from the State of Zhao, and his Cultivation base is at the sixth level of Qi Condensation. The Sect Elders have already selected him to be promoted to the Inner Sect. You… you must not provoke him."

"Junior Brother understands," said Meng Hao with a smile. His expression appeared to have returned to its usual state, as if he had abandoned any brooding about what had happened. Although, deep in his eyes existed something which had never before appeared in his sixteen years of life.

It was a cold light he kept buried so deeply that only he could sense it. Others were clueless.

"However," said Elder Sister Xu, "if he causes any more trouble for you, all you have to do is smash this slip, and I will sense it, even if I'm meditating in seclusion." A moment passed, and then she waved her hand. A purple-colored jade slip appeared next to him.

"Of the four people I brought to the mountain that day, you are the first to be promoted to the Outer Sect. Your companion who you worked with in the North Servant's Quarter is being promoted today. Tomorrow at dawn, he will arrive in the Outer Sect to register." With that, she turned to leave.

"Many thanks, Elder Sister. I have a question I wish to ask," he said. "I was hoping Elder Sister could explain. My Cultivation vase is at the fourth level of Qi Condensation. Considering my latent talent, how long do you think it will take to reach the seventh level?"

"To reach the fourth level of Qi Condensation in less than a year seems to indicate that you have had quite a bit of good fortune in your Cultivation. You don't need to explain the details, and I won't ask. Without such fortune, it might take ten years at the fastest. At a slower rate, it could take half of a sixty-year cycle. The fourth, sixth and eight levels are all bottlenecks, especially the sixth. Without a bit of good fortune, it's difficult to break through to the seventh level."

"It's like that for everyone?"

"For everyone." Then she was gone. Meng Hao sat down cross-legged, a sharp look shining in his eye.

An hour later, he stood up and left the Immortal's Cave for the first time in days. The seasons were changing again, and it seemed autumn would arrive within a few days. The leaves were beginning to change color and wind drifted across the mountains and valleys.

Beneath the bright moon, Meng Hao made his way along a small path into the wild mountains. Everything was quiet, and the only thing that could be heard was the gentle rustle of falling leaves as Meng Hao made his way toward the North Mountain.

He wanted to go see Fatty. In the entire Sect, he was his only friend.

The Northern Servant's Quarter was quiet this late at night. As he approached, he heard the sounds of snoring filling the air, a special kind of snore that he had grown accustomed to in his four months as a servant.

The horse-faced young man who presided over the Northern Servants' Quarter sat cross-legged on the large boulder. He suddenly opened his eyes and look at Meng Hao, surprised for a moment. Then he rose to his feet and saluted Meng Hao with clasped hands.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Meng." Rumors about Meng Hao had abounded recently, and of course the horse-faced young man had heard them.

"No need for the formality, Elder Brother," said Meng Hao. "I'm here to see an old friend." Taking a look at the young man's Cultivation base, Meng Hao could see that it was the third level of Qi Condensation. It appeared as if it had been stuck there for several years.

Elder Brother Horse-Face nodded. After Meng Hao stepped foot into the Servants' Quarter, he sat back down cross-legged, a strange expression on his face. With a silent sigh, he closed his eyes again.

Meng Hao walked into the courtyard and found the East Seventh House. As he approached, the sounds of Fatty's snores filled the air. As soon as he entered, a strange expression filled his face, and the antsy feeling that had filled his heart recently began to dissipate.

Fatty lay there on his back, snoring away. The other bed in the room had been pushed away from the wall, forming a small gap.

There in the gap, sound asleep, was the big man who called himself Grandpa Tiger. Even though he was asleep, his face seemed contorted in fear, as if he had encountered something terrifying in his dreams.

His wooden bed was covered with a multitude of bite marks. In some places, it was chewed all the way through, so much so that it seemed it might fall apart. The wooden table was long gone, and Meng Hao imagined that it must have been completely eaten up. Even the walls had bite marks on them. In sharp contrast, Fatty's bed remained bite-less.

The big man in the corner shivered, then let out a miserable cry. He was obviously in the throes of a nightmare. Given his emaciated appearance, and the dark circles under his eyes, it seemed he hadn't been sleeping well lately. Meng Hao could only imagine the wretched circumstances that had tormented him into this state.

It seemed his cry had awakened Fatty, who sat up looking annoyed, then saw Meng Hao. He suddenly grew excited.

"Wild chicken! Did you bring any wild chicken?"

Meng Hao looked at him, unable to hold back his smile.

He was as round as ever, apparently having not lost even a bit of weight. In fact, he looked a bit fatter. His teeth had also grown longer, by about half. When he talked, they glittered brightly.

"I heard you reached the first level of Qi Condensation," he said with a smile, "so I came to see you. I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to grab a chicken." He sat down on the bed next to Fatty, examining his teeth.

Fatty, proud of his Cultivation base, began to talk. Meng Hao didn't say much, instead listening to Fatty's garrulous chatter. Soon, the moon began to fall and the sun began to rise. The wounds in Meng Hao's heart also began to dissipate, leaving behind only scars. The fingernails in the Immortal's Cave and the cold look in his eyes fused together within Meng Hao to create a more mature look.

At dawn, Meng Hao left with Fatty. Grandpa Tiger watched them go, tears streaming down his face. His tears moved Fatty, and before they could leave the courtyard, he ran back, gave him a hug, and then said something. Whatever he said caused the big man's face to grow pale and his body to tremble.

"What did you say to him?" asked Meng Hao, when they were just about to reach the Outer Sect.

"He's a good person. After you left the Servants' Quarter, he became my friend. He was so upset at me leaving, I just couldn't take it." A pained expression appeared on his face. "I told him that I would definitely come back often to visit. He looks tough," continued Fatty emotionally. "But he's actually a bit of a coward. He always has nightmares when he sleeps. Poor guy."

Meng Hao didn't say anything, nor did he ask anything else about the man. As the two of them walked through the Outer Sect, people looked at Meng Hao, their expressions strange, as if measuring him up.

"Eh? Seems you really roiled things up in the Outer Sect, Meng Hao," said Fatty excitedly. "Everyone's looking at you." In his mind, he figured that few people would be willing to bully him since he had Meng Hao at his back.

Meng Hao smiled but didn't explain. When they were almost to the Treasure Pavilion, Meng Hao stopped walking. He watched Fatty approach the building.

In the amount of time it took for half an incense stick to burn, Fatty returned excitedly. In his hand he carried a short sword, covered with a layer of fish-like scales. It wasn't the least bit sharp, but instead rough.

"See the treasure I got, Meng Hao? It's truly a great treasure." He waved the sword in the air, and Meng Hao was just about to ask what it could possibly be used for when Fatty opened his mouth and started filing at his teeth with it. A scraping sound could be heard, and Meng Hao wasn't sure whether he should laugh or cry.

"It's great!" said Fatty, sounding more and more excited. "My teeth keep getting longer, and I'm constantly looking for things to file them down. But whatever I find always breaks within a few days. I can use this treasure to file them down forever!"

Meng Hao showed Fatty around the Outer Sect. He even offered to let him stay with him in the Immortal's Cave, but Fatty refused. He had been living with a roommate for too long, and had been looking forward to having his own place in the Outer Sect. No matter what Meng Hao said, he refused. When they arrived at his house, he looked completely content.

Meng Hao didn't push him. When the night was deep, he returned to the Immortal's Cave and sat down cross-legged.

Time flew, and soon three months had passed. Two months before, Meng Hao had re-opened his stall by the Low-Level Public Zone. Perhaps because of what had happened with Wang Tengfei, no one caused any problems for him, and soon, his business picked up again.

Soon, he added magic items to his offerings, and business grew even more. But now, there was more than one person in the company. At his side was a fat teenager who constantly filed his teeth with a flying sword. He had a good sense for business, and constantly hawked wares in the Public Zone. Soon, he was the main force in the business. With the cooperation of Meng Hao, who could not enter himself, they made quite a tidy profit.

One day, when winter had fallen and snowflakes filled the air, Meng Hao sat cross-legged at the edge of the plateau, meditating. Suddenly, Fatty let out a yelp and grabbed a person, dragging him toward Meng Hao.

"Meng Hao, Meng Hao, look who it is!"

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Chapter 19: The Wind Stirs Again

Meng Hao opened his eyes and saw Fatty excitedly dragging over a young man. Short, sallow and emaciated, he made quite the contrast to pale, plump Fatty.

Meng Hao recognized him. He was one of the members of the group who had been brought to the Reliance Sect that day and taken along with Wang Youcai to a Servants' Quarters on a different Mountain.

At that time, he had looked strong and good-natured, but now he seemed gloomy and in poor circumstances. However, there was a certain hardness in his eyes that spoke of some unforgettable experiences in the Outer Reliance Sect.

Furthermore, he dared to enter the Public zone at only the first level of Qi Condensation.

"Greetings, Elder Brother Meng," said the young man, looking a bit excited. But then it disappeared and he made an extremely respectful salute to Meng Hao with hands clasped.

"Did you just enter the Sect?" Meng Hao asked him, thinking back with a sigh to his own first days.

"It's been about a month," he said, lowering his head.

"What about Wang Youcai?"

"He died," said the young man, a numb expression on his face. After the words left his mouth, a look of grief appeared in his eyes.

"Wang Youcai died?" said Fatty in shock. Meng Hao maintained his silence.

"In the Servants' Quarter, we were responsible for drawing water," he explained. "Big Bro Youcai thought I was too young, so he helped me a lot. Once on a mountain road, a powerful gust of wind hit us and knocked him off a cliff. I looked for his body for two months, but could only find some broken bones… he must have been eaten by wild animals."

A look of sorrow appeared on Fatty's face and Meng Hao let out a sigh. The four of them arrived at the same time, but in less than a year, one was already dead. Meng Hao felt bad, and even worse when he remembered that Uncle Wang the carpenter only had one son.

"Little Tiger, you stick with us. With Meng Hao around, no one will dare bully you." Fatty clapped the young man emotionally on the shoulder.

"No, that's okay, I'm… I'm fine." The young man seemed to hesitate, and Meng Hao could tell that he was thinking about something. In the end, he shook his head and refused Fatty's offer. He saluted them with clasped hands, then made his way away from the plateau.

"What's the deal with him?" asked Fatty, still in shock.

"Everyone has secrets," said Meng Hao slowly. "Perhaps he made some lucky break that he doesn't want to talk about. Otherwise, why would he come here at only the first level of Qi Condensation?" Meng Hao seemed to be lost in thought as he watched the young man disappear into the distance.

"Even if Little Tiger has some secret, we could still find it out on our own if we wanted to. He's looking down on us." Fatty brooded. He had an open and straightforward personality, and didn't think in scheming ways. To offer someone something in good faith and be turned down this way obviously raised his indignation.

In the lower regions of the Nanshan continent, winter was short and passed almost in an instant. The warmth of Spring arrived, and the flowers bloomed. It was once again April. A year had passed since Meng Hao had arrived at the Reliance Sect.

With Fatty's help, he had accumulated quite a bit of Spirit Stones from the Low-Level Public Zone, and even more medicinal pills and magical items. He would often go into the wild mountains to hunt for demonic beasts. He even roamed close to the black mountain in his search, but always came up empty-handed. The roars which emanated from the black mountain region grew more and more intense, so Meng Hao didn't dare to enter.

He had one third-level Demonic Core which he duplicated multiple times with the copper mirror. Eventually, his Cultivation base reached the middle of the fourth level. But then, his progress virtually ceased. No matter how many medicinal pills he consumed, the only thing it did was make his spiritual energy a bit more pure.

He had reached a bottle neck and could not break through to the fifth level and his much desired Wind Walking technique.

With Meng Hao's help, Fatty reached the second level of Qi Condensation, which left him feeling quite awe-inspiring.

That April, all Outer Sect disciples higher than the fifth level, as well as Elder Sister Xu and Elder Brother Chen, were dispatched out of the sect. They each returned with two or three youths who possessed latent talent, who then became servants.

Once per year. That was the Sect rule. This was the only way to ensure the continuation of the Sect's existence.

The spring wind blew across the land, taking the cold along with it. Heat returned. Soon, autumn arrived, and then it was October. During this period of time, two important things happened in the Reliance Sect. The first was related to one of the Sect's Grand Elders. Other than the Sect leader, who everyone said had already reached the Core Formation stage, there were two other Grand Elders who had reached Foundation Establishment. One of them, who had reached the end of his longevity, passed away while meditating, at around one-hundred and fifty years of age. When Meng Hao caught wind of this, he asked around and confirmed that it had not been Grand Elder Ouyang.

When Cultivators reach Foundation Establishment, it expands their longevity to one hundred and fifty years. That seems like a long time, but it is actually a very intense period. If the Cultivator cannot reach Core Formation, then in later years, they can only sit in meditation, shrivelling up, their Qi and blood slowly dissipating.

However, after reaching Core Formation, longevity is then doubled to three hundred years.

Because of the Grand Elder's death in meditation, the Reliance Sect was put in a bad position. It was already in a weak standing in the State of Zhao, and was now in even more danger. Suddenly, Cultivators from other Sects began to appear near the Reliance Sect's borders.

They seemed to be searching for something, so the Reliance Sect set up defensive spells around the mountain. Everything within several thousand meters fell under their protection. Figurative storm clouds appeared, dark and thick, pressing down on the entire Sect.

Most disciples in the Outer Sect had their guesses. Some of them were more informed than others, and received bits and pieces of information. News spread, and soon, a rumor developed that the Cultivation world of the State of Zhao was stirring because of Patriarch Reliance, who had been missing for four hundred years.

As for the details, none of the Outer Sect disciples were sure.

During this time, Meng Hao's Cultivation base continued to be stuck in the middle of the fourth level. Nothing he did seemed to have any effect, and finally he grew to accept that he was stuck in a bottleneck.

He sat cross-legged in the Immortal's cave, frowning. "Elder Sister Xu told me that breaking through from the peak of the fourth level into the fifth level would involve a bottleneck. But why did my bottleneck come early… Is it really because I consumed too many Demonic Cores?

"If that's the case, I need some medicinal pills especially designed for breaking through bottlenecks. Or perhaps I need some high level Demonic Cores." He had quite a collection of Spirit Stones, but lacked the appropriate medicinal pills. He was confident that if he just had the right medicinal pills, he could break through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation.

The anxiety in the Reliance Sect was palpable. Many disciples walked to and fro with troubled hearts, trying their best to hide their feelings. Meng Hao felt the nervousness too, and of course he was dealing with his own critical matter.

The only person who seemed happy was Fatty. He was even more enthusiastic about their stall on the plateau than Meng Hao. Even when Meng Hao didn't feel like going, he would take the banner there himself to do business.

Three days later, bells sounded out. Pill Distribution Day had come. When Meng Hao and Fatty arrived at the square, Meng Hao caught sight of a golden-robed old man on the platform, behind whom stood Elder Sister Xu and Elder Brother Chen.

Seeing this, Meng Hao's heart began to thump, and a fire burned in his eyes.

"In the past year and a half, Master Uncle Shangguan has only appeared three times, and each time was an Individual Pill Distribution. My Cultivation base has been stuck in a bottleneck in the fourth level for almost a year. If there is a high level medicinal pill…" Other Outer Sect disciples had similar thoughts, and soon, conversations buzzed in the air. Of course, some disciples were thinking, "Please, don't give it to me."

This was especially so because after what Meng Hao did with his pill that time, the Sect had made a new rule that prohibited gifting Individual Distribution medicinal pills to members of the Inner Sect.

"It's… it's a Dry Spirit Pill!"

"It is! A Dry Spirit Pill. There was one distributed last year, and now one more. Only one per year! That just shows how valuable it is!"

"If I can get my hands on it, I will definitely have a breakthrough in my Cultivation base."

A louder buzz of excited talked arose as the gold-robed old man lifted the glowing, purple pill into the air.

When the pill appeared, Meng Hao's eyes shone with a brilliant intensity. He had never before wanted a medicinal pill so much. In his eyes, it was not a medicinal pill, but his only hope of breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation.

He had been a member of the Sect for a while now, so he was now familiar with the various disciples. The Inner Sect had Elder Sister Xu and Elder Brother Chen, both of whom were at the seventh level of Qi Condensation. Rumor had it they would break through to the next level very soon.

Under them was Wang Tengfei, who was stuck at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Condensation. To him, a Dry Spirit pill would be of little use. Besides him, there was one more disciple of the sixth level, the number two disciple Han Zong.

Meng Hao had seen him twice, and had pegged him to be wildly arrogant, someone who considered everyone to be beneath his notice. If he were here, he wouldn't even cast a glance at the Dry Spirit Pill, just to show that he had a collection of even better medicinal pills.

As for disciples of the fifth level of Qi Condensation, there were four in the Outer Sect and they could be considered to be virtual lords. They were rarely seen, as they often secluded themselves in meditation or traveled about the wild mountains in training.

There weren't many disciples of the fourth level. Including Meng Hao, there were seven in total. As for those under the fourth level, they might as well be bugs.

"Very well, quiet down everyone." Wizened Shangguan Xiu's voice reverberated out, as astonishingly powerful and suppressive as ever. However, compared to last year, Meng Hao was not as powerfully affected. Instead, his eyes shone with determination.

"In the past two years in which I have presided over Pill Distribution, I usually prefer to select a new disciple. The reason is that if we can continue to get new disciples, our sect will flourish." He smiled, and his eyes swept over the crowd. Just when it seemed he had made his decision, his eyes fell upon Fatty, who stood next to Meng Hao filing away at his teeth with a sword. His face looked indifferent.

He looked as round as a ball, and anyone who for the first time caught sight of him filing his teeth would find it hard pressed to decide whether to laugh or cry. Shangguan Xiu stared in amazement, then laughed.

"Never mind," he said. "I'm going to give the pill to you." He waved his right hand, and a purple light flickered as the Dry Spirit Pill shot toward Fatty. With a look of shock, he instinctively caught it, looking as if he didn't even know what had just happened. Then, his expression changed and he let out a yelp. His body began to tremble as the blood drained from his face. He looked like he was about to cry.

"This… Me… Crap, why did it have to be me?"

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Chapter 20: Entering the Black Mountain

In a split second, everyone in the entire square suddenly began to stare at Fatty, making him feel as if a cold wind were creeping down his back. His body quivered, and he looked pitifully at Meng Hao, a weak smile on his face.

"Meng Hao, save me…" He wanted to throw the pill away, but for some reason it wouldn't leave his hand. He was so frightened that as people began to surround them, his teeth chattered.

As the lights faded, he trembled violently. Then the lights were gone, and the restrictive spell released. Before Fatty could say anything, Meng Hao sent out a booming flash of his fourth level Cultivation base, then grabbed Fatty by his robe and charged away.

"Give me the pill," Meng Hao said in a low voice. "You go back to the Immortal's Cave and hide!" Without hesitation, Meng Hao tossed him the cave's jade slip. Fatty threw him the Dry Spirit Pill as if it were a hot potato.

Meng Hao's body flashed as he sped forward with Fatty in tow. Behind him, howling and roaring sounds arose as ten or more people raced in hot pursuit.

"Dammit, it's Meng Hao. You can't escape!"

"Hand over the Dry Spirit Pill. As a fellow disciple, I'll show some mercy and not kill you. Otherwise, you'll have a tough time escaping death!"

Meng Hao didn't stop for even a second. After emerging from the edge of the Outer Sect, he tossed Fatty away from him. Fatty was a matter-of-fact kind of person, but he wasn't stupid. As soon as he landed on his feet, he let out a miserable shriek.

"Pill thief!" he screamed, clutching the jade slip close to him as he ran off, trying not to look suspicious. He dashed toward the Immortal's Cave at top speed.

Hearing this, the pursuers ignored him and continued after Meng Hao.

"Flee to the ends of the earth if you want, you won't survive the next 24 hours!"

"You're of the fourth level, and you still don't give me the pill!?" Among the ten or more pursuers, most were of the fourth level of Qi Condensation, and only two were of the fifth level. The rest were of the third level, obviously hoping to be able to take advantage of the situation.

Cold sword auras whistled behind Meng Hao as over ten flying swords descended toward him like rain. But he was determined to keep the Dry Spirit Pill, and refused to toss it away.

"I just have to endure for twenty-four hours, then the pill will be mine," he said, determination shining in his eyes. "Then, I will finally be able to break through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation." He increased his speed. After spending so much time hunting for demonic beasts in the wild mountains, his top speed was not inferior. And he was much more familiar with the mountainous regions than most other fellow disciples. Thus, upon leaving the Outer Sect, he raced towards mountains.

Glancing behind at the approaching sword auras, Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding to produce a medicinal pill which he immediately swallowed. Then he sent his own flying swords shooting backwards.

Bang, bang, bang. Several trees were hit by the powerful flying swords and exploded into pieces, which flew about everywhere. Some smacked painfully into Meng Hao. Absorbing momentum from the explosion, he shot away several meters.

Before he could land on the ground, four Flame Serpents and three Water Globes shot toward him. Two of the Flame Serpents were almost eighteen meters long and as thick as a person, and emitted an intense heat which caused some of the nearby trees to catch fire. Those would be the work of the fifth level disciples, who were also the fastest of the bunch. Their feet didn't even touch the ground as they flew toward him like the wind. Savage looks filled their faces. Actually, they didn't hold the slightest bit of compassion even for each other. As far as they were concerned, the only competition involved were the two of them. Meng Hao didn't count for anything.

Without hesitation, Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding again. Two flying swords appeared and rotated around him, then came to rest beneath his feet. Then they shot forward, carrying him nearly thirty meters before he lost his balance and fell off. The short movement enabled him to evade the Flame Serpents and gain some distance. Furious howls reverberated in the air behind him.

This was a technique Meng Hao had come up with himself. It wouldn't work for long, only a few seconds, but at least it helped him to gain a bit of advantage on the two fifth-level Cultivators.

"If I were of the fifth level of Qi Condensation," Meng Hao thought to himself, "I would have the Wind Walking technique. Then I could stay on the flying sword for a lot longer, and I could get away more easily. Sadly, this isn't really flying…" Even more than ever, he desired to reach the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Not looking back, he sped along. Actually, the path he chose was not random. The instant the Dry Spirit Pill had landed in Fatty's hands, his mind had been racing at top speed.

He had picked the wild mountains because his destination was none other than the black mountain inhabited by Demonic beasts. After thinking about it for some time, he had decided that his best advantage was the copper mirror. With the mirror, he would still have a good chance of surviving the area even though it was dangerous, and contained that ominous roaring beast. This was especially true if people followed him in.

"If these guys chase me into the black mountain, then I'll be forced to kill them." A harsh expression appeared on his face. He had been a part of the Reliance Sect for over a year now and was no longer the weak scholar he had once been. He didn't appear to have changed much on the outside. He was a bit taller, and his skin was as swarthy as ever. But his heart was filled with decisiveness.

This was especially so after the matter with Wang Tengfei. He knew that he could only rely on himself. The only true path was to become stronger. In the world of Cultivation, the law of the jungle prevails. One must conduct oneself with caution and decisiveness.

They pursued him relentlessly. Sword auras glittered. Before long, the two fifth-level Cultivators had almost caught up with him, their eyes filled with murder. Just now, Meng Hao had evaded their attack using a single special move. Other than Wang Tengfei and Han Zong, they were were like high lords in the Outer Sect, so they found this particularly humiliating.

They had attacked at the same time, and yet Meng Hao had still managed to evade, which they both found hard to accept. Now, they wanted even more than ever to slay him. As far as his sword-riding technique, they didn't give it a second thought. Any Cultivator of the fourth level could do that. But considering their Cultivation base, doing so would be would be a waste of spiritual energy, even if it gave some extra speed. Seeing Meng Hao use the technique, they sneered. Using such tactics would sap his spiritual energy sooner rather than later.

"Let's see you escape this time!" they shouted, glancing at each other. One of them suddenly shot forward like a huge bird. In mid-air, he waved his hand, and two massive, roaring Flame Serpents shot down toward Meng Hao.

The other man continued to pursue Meng Hao. The two of them created a pincer attack, one in the air and one on the ground, ready to seal Meng Hao's fate in death.

"You still won't accept death!" grinned one of them hideously, his murderous intent filling the air.

Meng Hao's expression didn't change. He gave a cold snort. He'd dared to snatch the Dry Spirit Pill, so of course he had some special techniques prepared. He slapped his bag of hold, and flicked his sleeve. Six flying swords appeared. Their sword auras interlocked and then whizzed outward, away from Meng Hao.

"BOOM!"

Meng Hao let out a small shout of pain which reverberated into the mountains. When the two pursuing Cultivators heard the explosion, they gasped with astonishment, unsure of what had happened to produce such a sound.

Amidst the thunderous roar, Meng Hao spat out a mouthful of blood. And yet, his body shot away into the distance. Behind him, the effects of the attack dissipated, and the Flame Serpents collapsed with blood-curdling shrieks. The fifth-level Cultivators had no choice but to retreat a few paces, covered in dirt, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Dammit. What ruthlessness! He detonated six flying swords at once!"

"No wonder he opened up a shop! How many flying swords does he actually have?"

The two of them each sucked in a breath, but didn't hesitate. Using the full speed of their Wind Walking technique, they raced in pursuit again, unwilling to let Meng Hao intimidate them. According to their estimations, Meng Hao could not have that many flying swords left. Even if he had opened a shop in the Low Level Public Zone, he couldn't possibly have so many magical items.

"This time, you will die for sure!" The two pursuers increased their speed, entering the wild mountains. At this point, the pursuing fourth-level disciples caught up. One of them was Wang Tengfei's friend Shangguan Song. His Cultivation base was at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Condensation. His face was grim. He secretly feared Meng Hao's speed. And yet, he continued to pursue.

Time gradually passed by, and soon an hour had passed. Meng Hao continued forward, maintaining the distance from his pursuers. A few times he came into danger, but each time he produced a flying sword, detonated it, and escaped.

This left the pursuing fifth-level Cultivator's dumbstruck. They moaned to themselves, never having imagined that Meng Hao would have so many flying swords. At this point, he had detonated nearly twelve of them.

Combined with his sword-riding technique, his speed of evasion was quite high.

"Dammit! Even if he has more flying swords, I can't believe that he'll produce many more. In any case, at the speed he's been maintaining, plus detonating all those flying sword, he has used a huge amount of spiritual energy!"

"Correct! His Cultivation base is at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, not nearly as deep as mine. Using spiritual energy to ride flying swords wastes so much, it can kill you!" The two pursuing fifth-level Cultivators were now getting pumped up. And yet just as they finished talking, they caught sight of Meng Hao up ahead, and they saw something that left them feeling anything but reassured.

Even as he ran, Meng Hao pulled out a second bag of holding, from which he produced a handful of medicinal pills which he swallowed. This he did with casual ease, leaving the onlookers with the feeling that he had countless medicinal pills at his disposal.

Actually, that was true. In the following four hours, the two pursuers discovered that he had an enormous amount of flying swords and medicinal pills. They were already deeply shaken.

"Opening a store is this profitable?" they thought. They were Cultivators of the fifth level of Qi Condensation, and could not possibly be without medicinal pills. Furthermore, after having spent so much effort in their pursuit, they couldn't bear to give up. Reluctantly, they produced some pills and consumed them, then continued their pursuit, their hearts filled with the desire to slay Meng Hao.

By the time the sixth hour had arrived, the dark, black mountain had appeared in front of Meng Hao. Lying concealed among the other wild mountains, it gave off a ghastly, cold air. It seemed as if it were filled with sinister gloom.

When he caught sight of the mountain, his eyes gleamed. He had expended a lot of energy along the way, and felt a bit of painful regret. To him, every flying sword and every medicinal pill cost Spirit Stones. But he couldn't worry too much about that right now. Without hesitation, he shot into the black mountain.

The two pursuing Cultivators followed him in.

Some more time passed and more pursuers appeared, one by one. Upon seeing the black mountain, they gaped in astonishment, then entered.

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Chapter 21: Meng Hao, You're Shameless!

The black mountain was not bare, but rather covered with a lush forest of trees that stretched up toward the heavens. The reason this place was called a black mountain was because all the trees were completely black, and it seemed to be filled with swirling Demonic energy.

It was completely different from any of the other mountains as far as the eye could see.

Upon entering the mountain, Meng Hao heard a deep roar, and two Demonic beasts of the third level of Qi Condensation charged toward him. They had the bodies of wolves with long snake-like tails and were covered with thin fur. They glared at him hatefully.

As soon as they approached, Meng Hao stopped, then lifted up the copper mirror and shined it upon them. Instantly, one of the Demonic beast's right eye shot out a geyser of blood. It let out a miserable shriek, frightening its companion. Meng Hao's eyes flashed. This time, the mirror had exploded the Demonic beast's eye, not its buttocks. A similar thing had occurred when he fought Zhao Wugang. He didn't have any more time to think about it. Even as they moved to evade him, he hurtled past them.

As for the two fifth-level Cultivators, they raced in pursuit, infuriated. Their flying swords shot out, instantly slaying the two Demonic beasts. They didn't even stop to collect the Demonic Cores. Their bodies seemed to become rainbows as they raced in pursuit of Meng Hao.

"This is a Demonic mountain. I've heard that a Demon King lives on the peak. Meng Hao, fleeing to this place is just a way of seeking your own death."

"There's no need to flee. Come back and we can discuss things, maybe make a trade." The two Cultivators called after him as they pursued, their voices seemingly sincere, but their hearts filled with murderous intentions.

Meng Hao neither looked back nor responded to their calls, instead speeding along in the direction of the peak of the mountain. Before long, he ran into a group of seven or eight Demonic beasts. Most of them seemed to be at the third level of Qi Condensation. After cowing them with the copper mirror, he made his escape. Of course, the two fifth-level Cultivators had no such ability, so they had to massacre their way through. Then, covered with blood—demonic blood, of course, not their own—they continued in pursuit. They were starting to grow exhausted. During the battle, they had used up even more medicinal pills. But as the saying goes, if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off. Gritting their teeth, they continued their pursuit.

"They're still after me…" Meng Hao, his face grim, had already reached the farthest point he had ever travelled on the black mountain. If he went any further, it would be difficult to avoid Demonic beasts of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. A hard look appeared on his face, and with clenched jaw, he proceeded onward toward the mountaintop.

After time passed enough for half an incense stick to burn, a low roar suddenly sounded out, seeming to cover half of the mountain. Like a dark wind, a multi-colored giant wolf came toward him, howling. The wolf had legs six meters long, and bright red eyes which shone with killing intent. Suppressive fifth-level Qi Condensation spirit roiled away from it.

If it had been alone, it would not have counted for much. But behind it followed a group of five smaller multi-colored wolves with Cultivation bases at the peak of the fourth level, as well as another fifth level wolf. Their fierce howling filled the air.

Meng Hao's eyes glittered, and without hesitation, he lifted the copper mirror and shone it toward the wolves. A miserable shriek poured out from the mouth of one of the wolves and blood poured out from its chest as if it had been stabbed. The other wolves looked on in shock, retreating unconsciously.

Moments later, unsure of what exactly was happening, and full of guesses, he gritted his teeth and proceeded forward. Two flying swords appeared beneath his feet, carrying him forward over thirty meters in an instant. Further behind appeared the two fifth-level Cultivators. When they saw the pack of Demonic wolves, their expressions dropped. Even though they pursued Meng Hao together, they still had to guard against each other. This area was still in the jurisdiction of the Reliance Sect, but once outside the gates of the sect, it would not be a rules violation for one of them to kill the other.

Amidst pursuit, it would have been no big deal, but now they were facing a crisis. The two fifth-level Demonic wolves looked at them threateningly. That, not to mention the rest of the smaller Demonic wolves, caused the two to quickly come up with a plan. Immediately, they split, one running off to the left and the other to the right.

They moved quickly, but the Demonic wolves moved even faster. They were sentient Demonic beasts, and already felt an astonishing fear of the copper mirror, as well as, Meng Hao. Amidst their furious roars, however, he had made his escape, whereupon two Qi Condensation fifth-level Cultivators invaded their territory.

The Cultivators had no time to consider their fury. They ran, pursued by the howling Demonic wolves. In moments they had fled far away.

Meng Hao let out a sigh. Look up toward the mountaintop, and then back toward the fleeing Cultivators, his eyes flashed.

"Those Demonic beasts will cause them a bit of trouble, and will keep them off my tail for a while. But the fourth two-hour period is almost here. The pill beacon will shine again, and then they'll be able to find me." Meng Hao looked again toward the mountain top. He clenched his jaw and ran forward.

Shortly after that, a beacon of light burst out of his bag of holding, shooting up into the sky. Even someone a great distance away would be able to see it clearly.

Every two hours, the beacon would appear, as it had already a few times today. This was the fourth time.

Meng Hao proceeded carefully, trying to avoid as many Demonic beasts as possible. Most of the ones he saw were of the fifth level of Qi cultivation, so of course he feared them. It seemed they preferred to move about in groups, not alone, so even though the copper mirror provided some protection, he did his best to move around them. As such, his speed was reduced, and he could not run.

Time slowly passed, nearly an hour. Suddenly, a massive, furious roar sounded out throughout the whole mountain. At the same time, Meng Hao burst out from the thick forest, a worried expression on his face. Chasing him were seven or eight psychic Demonic apes. They were furious, and extremely fast, pursuing Meng Hao with unbridled fury.

Three of them were of the fifth level of Qi Condensation, and this made Meng Hao groan inwardly. He had been very careful so far, and hadn't imagined that even as he carefully made his way around the troupe of Demonic apes, the mirror would of its own volition suddenly attack them, exploding one of the apes whose fur was so long it dragged on the ground. This of course raised the fury of the rest of the Demonic apes.

"Even if it is a Demonic ape with super long fur, it doesn't mean you have to act like this," said Meng Hao bitterly, looking at the copper mirror in his hands. He realized that he still didn't fully understand all the mysteries of the mirror. Now, though, he didn't have time to think about it. He ran down the mountain away from the Demonic apes. Looking back, he saw that the apes were closing in on him, so he waved the copper mirror, and another miserable shriek rang out. At that exact moment, Meng Hao saw that ahead of him, which was about the half-way point down or up the mountain, glittered the aura of flying swords.

His eyes shone and he raced forward. In an instant he was almost upon a group of four Cultivators of the fourth level of Qi Condensation. One of them was Shangguan Song. They were in close combat with several Demonic bears. Blood filled the air, and it appeared that they had the upper hand, as the corpses of two Demonic bears lay at their feet.

"Meng Hao!" They caught sight of him almost as soon as he caught sight of them, and their eyes filled with murderous intent, especially Shangguan Song's.

They appeared to be exhausted. Their journey in the black mountain had been wrought with battle. Originally, they had been ten strong, but most of them had already given up. The four remaining had exercised control over their Cultivation bases with gritted teeth and followed after the pill beacon until they found themselves in this brave fight against the Demonic bears.

When they caught sight of Meng Hao, their eyes grew red, and they subconsciously wanted to switch the target of their flying swords' attacks.

"Dear Brothers, I received your orders to attract the attention of this troupe of Demonic apes. Quick, make your move!" As Meng Hao approached, he ignored the flying swords and shouted his words loudly so that the pursuing psychic apes would be sure to hear.

Even as the words were out of his mouth, shockingly furious roars reverberated from behind him as the seven or eight psychic apes burst out from the trees, their red eyes glowing.

"Meng Hao, you're shameless!!!"

"Dammit, you're too despicable!"

The four men's faces fell, and they tried to fall back, cursing Meng Hao. But the fight with the Demonic bears wouldn't permit it. Meng Hao, who was still worried about the whole situation, had already passed them, and the red-eyed Demonic apes charged forward furiously.

Meng Hao looked back at the four of them, killing intent appearing in his eyes. He slapped his bag of holding, and some flying swords shot out with a low hum.

"BOOM!"

The explosion thundered out, as the flying swords exploded. Meng Hao instantly sent two Flame Serpents to follow them, and several nearby trees exploded into bits. Borrowing some of the momentum from the explosion, Meng Hao swallowed a mouthful of blood and shot away. Behind him, the four Cultivators were impeded by the explosions. As for the Demonic apes, they had lost sight of Meng Hao. But the Cultivators were right there in front of them, so they attacked instantly.

Miserable screams rang out, and Meng Hao continued onward without a backward glance.

"This place isn't too bad… it's just a bit dangerous." Meng Hao ran along, until he was sure the Demonic apes weren't following him, then stopped, panting. He looked around.

"It's not easy to keep hold of a Dry Spirit Pill," he murmured. He looked down at his bag of holding and let out a sigh, feeling somewhat distressed.

"I've already wasted thirty-one flying swords, and each one of those is basically a Spirit Stone. I've also consumed several medicinal pills, each of which is also equivalent to a Spirit Stone. And it isn't even the fifth two-hour period yet…" Meng Hao laughed bitterly, feeling twisted at heart.

"In the end, if I can consume the Dry Spirit Pill and make a breakthrough in my Cultivation base, then it will all be worth it!" Veins of blood had appeared in his eyes. He was like a gambler who intended to win at any cost, and had gone all in.

"If those four fourth-level disciples don't get killed, they'll definitely be exhausted, and I doubt they'll be willing to continue their pursuit. Now, all I have left to worry about are the two fifth-level Cultivators." His expression grew somber. His opponents had higher Cultivation bases than him, and there were two of them. It would be difficult to stand up to them, and as far as he was concerned, it wasn't worth it to kill them. The cost in Spirit Stones would be too great.

He rested for a bit, looking up at the mountaintop. Then he gritted his teeth and began to run. The fifth two-hour period arrived quickly, and almost as soon as the pill beacon shot up into the sky from his bag of holding, he heard the sinister voices of his two opponents coming from either side of him.

"Meng Hao, you can't escape!"

"Hand over the Dry Spirit Pill to me. I can let you die with your corpse intact. Otherwise I'll leave you here for the beasts, and nothing will remain of you."

Even as their voices echoed off into the distance, the two Cultivators' bodies flashed like rainbows as they charged towards Meng Hao. Determination filled Meng Hao's eyes and he fled onward. It appeared that up ahead was the resting place of some Demonic beasts.

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Chapter 22: A Sword Resting in Demonic Python Skin

Not much time had passed. It seemed as if the entire black mountain were seething. The roars of Demonic beasts shook the air, rising and falling one after another. Even more frequent were the miserable shrieks which sounded out. The ten or more Cultivators who had dared not further their pursuit into the mountain looked pale. Fear filled their hearts, and now they were even less willing to enter the mountain than before.

"What happened? How come it seems like all the Demonic beasts in the whole mountain are in a rage?"

"What's going on? Elder Brothers Yin Tianlong 1 and Zhou Kai 2 are both of the fifth level of Qi Condensation, but even they would have a hard time raising the wrath of the entire mountain. Could they have use some unique and special technique?"

The small crowd at the foot of the mountain made their guesses, listening to the deafening roars.

As far as Yin Tianlong and Zhou Kai, they had already been tormented to near madness by Meng Hao's tricks. They watched helplessly as Meng Hao moved about up ahead in the distance, along with vast amounts of Demonic beasts. Based on the hatred in their eyes, if looks could kill, Meng Hao would have been dead several times over.

Yet, within the hatred was helpless exhaustion that only Yin and Zhou could truly understand. Every time they had begun to chase Meng Hao again, he had constantly used some sort of Demonic magic to provoke all types of Demonic beasts. With the mere flick of a sleeve, he would cause some part of a Demonic creature's body to explode. The stench of blood filled the air, slowly driving the creatures crazy.

Seeing so many Demonic creatures made their scalps go numb, as the creatures didn't just pursue Meng Hao. Once the creatures caught sight of the two of them, they would begin chasing after them. Then, some distance away, Meng Hao would slip away like a loach.

"Dammit! I curse you to die in the belly of the beasts!!!" roared Zhou Kai. Next to him, Yin Tianlong sighed, looking even more exhausted.

Time slowly passed, and the beginning of another of the two-hour periods approached. In the darkness of night, the pill beacon was dazzling. As it revealed Meng Hao's position, Zhou and Yin gnashed their teeth and pursued. As usual, Meng Hao used his Demonic magic to provoke more Demonic beasts, then led them to Zhou and Yin, whereupon he would watch them disappear amidst the pack of furious creatures.

"How can he have not been devoured by a Demonic creature already!?" Zhou and Yin were exhausted to the bones, whereas Meng Hao skipped and jumped about, filled with energy. Seeing this, hatred filled them to the marrow, and their gums itched with hatred. But there was nothing they could do.

In truth, Meng Hao was also exhausted. Every time the pill shone, he was forced to immediately arouse the attention of some Demonic beasts. Of course, the copper mirror allowed him to stop the fastest creatures screaming in their tracks, thus giving him time to escape. Were it not for that, he would have long since dropped to the ground in fatigue.

Suddenly, he realized that he had reached the top of the mountain. The ground was covered with fissures and crevices, some of them so large that a person could easily fit inside. Panting, Meng Hao sat down behind a boulder to rest, looking down at the copper mirror in his hands. It was burning hot, as if everything that had happened today had made it incredibly excited. With a bitter smile, Meng Hao looked around and noticed a massive fissure up ahead, out of which seeped a thick black mist.

Just then, a roar suddenly erupted from the giant fissure, the same roar that earlier had quelled all the fierce beasts on the mountain. The roar seemed capable of shaking the whole world. It resounded like a thunderclap. In an instant, the entire area was clear of all Demonic beasts, as if the entire mountain now contained only this roar.

The roar seemed to vibrate even Meng Hao's mind, dispersing all the spiritual energy within his body. His facial expression changed. This roar was familiar. In his previous visits to the regions near the black mountain, he had heard it. It was a sound which curdled both blood and Qi, leaving one's mind filled with unease.

As the roar sounded out, Meng Hao forced his eyes to remain open and watch as the black mist poured out of the fissure. As the mist dispersed, Meng Hao was able to see a huge black python, over six meters thick, with a heinous and fierce countenance. About half its length had suddenly moved out of the fissure.

It looked to be in pain, and its fierce roar shook heaven and earth. Meng Hao spat out a mouthful of blood. He leaped out from the behind the boulder and flew down the mountain, not daring to remain behind. But then he stopped, his curiosity having gotten the better of him. When he went back to take a second look, he noticed something interesting.

The python's body, half of which was visible sticking out of the fissure, seemed to peeling. It looked as if it had two sets of skin. It coiled up on itself, rubbing the outer skin to shed it away.

"It's shedding?" Upon recognizing what was happening, Meng Hao sucked in a breath. He knew that pythons were weakest during the time in which they shed their skin. It took a while for it to happen, especially if the python were demonic in nature. With a body as large as this one, it would probably take even longer, perhaps several years.

"No wonder you can hear it roaring all the time. It must have been in the process of shedding for years." His gaze shifted, and he noticed something else in addition to the python.

Upon closer inspection, he gaped in amazement. It was a flying sword. It appeared to be exceedingly primitive, with no special characteristics at all. But, it had been stabbed deeply into the python's body. It appeared to have been there for quite a long time, many years perhaps.

The area around where the sword had stabbed into the body was dry and withered, which attested to the power of the sword.

"This demonic python has a Cultivation base of at least the seventh level of Qi Condensation, perhaps the eighth. Maybe even the ninth…" His mouth grew dry. He could only imagine how tough the python's skin was, which only further attested to how amazing the primitive-looking flying sword was.

"A flying sword which can stab a demonic creature like this must be a true treasure." Meng Hao palpitated with eagerness, then let out a dejected sigh. With a Cultivation base at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, acquiring the sword was little more than a dream for him. Even if he were at the fifth level, it would be equally impossible.

Shaking his head, he headed down the mountain, eyes glittering. There was still something important to accomplish. The copper mirror in his sleeve continued to boil, and soon, he had a handful of Demonic beasts following him, howling.

A few hours passed and dawn broke. The last of the twelve two-hour periods would soon end. Zhou and Yin had already given up all hope. They stared up at Meng Hao, who sat cross-legged further up the mountain.

If the two of them made the slightest move, he would rile up a group of beasts, and not only would they not succeed in their goal, they would most likely be injured. Couple that with their exhaustion, and the only thing they could do was gasp for breath and stare venomously at Meng Hao.

"Dammit. Meng Hao, how could you escape me!?" Zhou Kai panted for breath then let out a helpless howl. Meng Hao really was a loach that could come and go like a shadow within the jungle.

"Don't you have your own skills?" said Yin Tianlong, who wasn't very far away. Able to neither kill nor pursue, he was half mad, and his words seemed to contain no logic. "Can you just, not flee? There's no need to use such wicked demonic magic to send beasts after us. Why don't we have a fair fight?"

"My Cultivation base isn't as high as yours, how could I fight you?" said Meng Hao, also panting. "If you want to keep chasing me, I don't really have any other choice." He swallowed another medicinal pill.

Never before in their lives had Zhou and Yin ever met anyone as seemingly unreasonable as Meng Hao. They both felt regret at heart. If they had known it would turn out like this, they would never have chased after him to steal the pill.

Time slipped by, and the hour approached for the sealing spell on the pill to dissipate. Yin Tianlong let out a long sigh. With a bitter laugh, he shook his head. There was nothing left he could do. He couldn't pursue or attack, lest he be forced to face Demonic beasts. His medicinal pills were exhausted, and he had lost two flying swords. How could he even attempt to steal the pill…? Of course, that was not to mention his opponent's tactics. His dazzling, wicked ideas seemed to have no end. Even the slightest bit of inattentiveness would lead to injury.

With a humiliated sigh, he gave one last look at Meng Hao, then turned and headed down the mountain, finally tormented into surrender.

As he left, Zhou Kai felt wracked with indecision. Dawn approached, as did the ending of the twelfth two-hour period, and with it, the unsealing of the medicinal pill in Meng Hao's bag of holding. Zhou Kai stamped his foot hatefully, then, without a word, turned and left. He was convinced that Meng Hao was just too hard to deal with. In fact, there was fear in his heart; if he didn't leave this place now, perhaps he never would.

Meng Hao watched the two of them leave and head down the mountain. He let out a very long sigh, and felt exhaustion fill his body like floodwaters. He bit his tongue and woke up a bit, then hurried off into the distance. He didn't leave the black mountain, but rather made his way to the mountaintop. There was the Demonic python there, but generally speaking it was relatively safe. After all, the python needed time to complete its transformation, and its roars kept away other Demonic beasts.

Meng Hao found a fissure in the rocks and sat down cross-legged. He glanced down at his bag of holding, suddenly feeling apprehensive.

"I wasted so many medicinal pills, each one worth Spirit Stones. Let me calculate… including thirty-seven flying swords and more than forty Demonic Cores, that comes to… one hundred ninety-eight Spirit Stones. One hundred ninety-eight." His body trembled, and he felt quite upset.

"Thankfully, the twenty-four hours is now up," he said, trying to comfort himself, "and the Dry Spirit Pill is mine." Pushing aside his disappointment, he forced his mind to be clear, then, looking around to make sure it was safe, he pulled out the copper mirror and began to make copies of the Dry Spirit Pill.

Mid-day arrived, and Meng Hao looked down at the pills in his hands. Ten Dry Spirit Pills. He forced out a smile, but disappointment was still visible in his face. It took a lot of Spirit Stones to copy a Dry Spirit Pill, many more than were required for a Demonic Core. Now he understood the exchange rates required by the copper mirror.

He clenched his jaw, then popped one of the pills into his mouth.

"Fifth level of Qi Condensation! I have to reach the fifth level!" His eyes grew bloodshot, filled with resilient determination. He sat in meditation and began to rotate his Cultivation base. Booming sounds resounded through his body as boundless spiritual energy erupted out of the Dry Spirit Pill, causing the spiritual forces in Meng Hao's body to turn into a spinning vortex which suddenly spread outward in all directions.

Time went by slowly, and days passed. When Meng Hao, his eyes closed, broke through the fifth level of Qi Condensation, the black mountain was filled with the roars of the python. Its transformation, like Meng Hao's, seemed also to have reached a critical juncture.

1. Yin Tianlong's name in Chinese is 尹天隆 (yǐn tiān lóng) – Yin is a common family name. Tian means "Heaven" or "sky." Long means "prosperous," "swelling," or "the sound of drums"

2. Zhou Kai's name in Chinese is 周凯 (zhōu kǎi) – Zhou is a common family name. Kai means "victorious" or "triumphant"

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Chapter 23: An Ancient Beast!

As Meng Hao sat in secluded meditation in the small mountain fissure, rumors about what had happened regarding the Dry Spirit Pill began to ripple out. This was especially true when Zhou and Yin returned. Many people saw them, but of course none dared to ask about who had ended up with the Dry Spirit Pill.

Because Meng Hao didn't appear, rumors began to spread that he had died.

At that exact same moment, Wang Tengfei stood with hands clasped in his Immortal's Cave on the East Mountain. The mountain breeze caused his hair to waft about and his long robe to rustle. He seemed exceedingly perfect in every way, especially his face, which was so beautiful and flawless that it could send women mad.

As a matter of fact, a mere nod of his head could drive crazy not just the young female Cultivators of the Reliance Sect, but of the Cultivation World of the entire State of Zhao.

His gentle eyes, amiable disposition, beautiful features, superb latent talent, refined Cultivation base, astonishing family background… all of it seemed to prove that Wang Tengfei deserved to be Chosen, which in turn caused people to respect him even more. He was blessed by heaven.

He stood there, an enchanting smile on his face, his eyes seemingly filled with stars as he stared off into the distance. His gaze seemed to almost bore directly through the mountain ranges to fall directly onto the black mountain filled with Demonic beasts.

He stared for a long time, his eyes flickering with an indiscernible excitement.

"The time has come," he said, his smile light but his heart afire. "I spent three years digging through the ancient records, then another year searching high and low throughout the State of Zhao. After that, I waited for two more years here in the Reliance Sect. Finally, today has arrived. Before the Winged Rain-Dragon died, it flew to this place.

"I never imagined that the two most important things to me would relate to the Reliance Sect. Is my destiny really to be realized here? After the current matter is ended, I will enter the Inner Sect and being my plans regarding my Foundation Establishment." His smile grew even more enchanting.

"Elder Brother Wang, we are prepared," said a man who stood behind Wang Tengfei. His Cultivation base was at the fifth level of Qi Condensation. He spoke with utmost respect. "Even the members of the other Sects are assembled according to your requirements. We shall certainly succeed. Unfortunately, Shangguan Song hasn't returned, and we don't know where he is. It's not certain whether or not he was able to invite Master Uncle Shangguan."

"Very well," said Wang Tengfei with a smile. "We've been preparing for this matter for a long time. According to my deductions, the Demonic python is almost at the end of its two-year shedding period. The moment it completes the process, it is at its weakest." His eyes grew brighter. Not only had he spent years in preparation, he had been required to pay the price of four valuable treasures, as well as tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, to prepare the spell. Even for him, it was a price which could only be paid once. As of now, he had nothing left.

"Don't worry, Elder Brother Wang. We will definitely succeed. Allow Junior Brother to congratulate you in advance on acquiring the Core."

"Of course we will succeed. I, Wang Tengfei, have never failed." He laughed, and his expression grew even more resplendent. If the ancient records were correct, he would return with a valuable treasure that would accompany him for the rest of his life, and also an ancient legacy which would allow him to control heaven and earth. As for the Demonic Core, it could have been considered a treasure when it was in its prime. But after all these years, it would have faded, and would not be as effective. However, it could still help him break through from the sixth level of Qi Condensation to the seventh.

"Tomorrow at dawn, we shall go to the black mountain," said Wang Tengfei mildly. With a smile, he rubbed his right arm. Hidden underneath the sleeve was a red mark. He rubbed it, and his eyes once again flashed with excitement.

It was a mark left by a Blood Drop which had fallen onto him from the Heavens when he was six years old. After that day, he was surrounded by a dream in which he flew through the air and became a sovereign of the sky.

With the Blood Drop had come knowledge of a legacy, as well as a special sense, which, when coupled with the information from the records of two-hundred years ago, had enabled him to find a thread of a clue which had led him here.

"No one in the entire world except for me could do this. And that is because I am connected to the legacy, and have the Blood Drop, which is unique in the world." He gazed off toward the black mountain, his smile even more entrancing, filled with anticipation.

"If this was still the era of Patriarch Reliance, then he would definitely take control of the dragon. But he's been missing for four hundred years. That is good fortune for me. According to the ancient records, as well as my own investigations, I know that when the dragon came here two hundred years ago, its aura had been suppressed by the treasure. Few people realized that. Even though this is Reliance Sect territory, the area has powerful restrictive spells. Not only was there no aura emanating out, even if there were, no one would have been able to sense it. And even if someone entered the area, their vision would have been blocked by the magic, and they would have been unable to see it.

"As for the Demonic python, it has spent most of its time in slumber. It was only because of the shedding process that it began to roar and howl. Only when the Demonic python sheds its skin fully will the restrictions dissipate, and it will be safe to enter. Thanks to my Blood Drop legacy, I was able to deduce these matters. No one else understands even the half of it.

"A valuable treasure, a complete legacy, all there, waiting for Wang Tengfei!" His smile growing wider, he flicked his sleeve and walked back into the Immortal's Cave. Moonlight circled around him, unwilling to part from him. The mystical scene caused the other Cultivator's expression to be filled with even more veneration.

The next day at dawn, atop the black mountain, in that virtually invisible fissure, Meng Hao's entire body had grown crimson red. Sweat poured off him, and massive amounts of black filth oozed continuously out of his pores.

He had been in mediation for several days, but now his eyes opened. Outside, the roars of the Demonic python grew more intense. It seemed it had reached a critical juncture of its own.

Meng Hao was not distracted, though. He focused and rotated his Cultivation base. He pushed over and over again, but the fourth-level bottle neck was still there. His eyes red, he swallowed ten Dry Spirit Pills, whereupon his head began to buzz, and his body trembled violently. A loud ripping sound could be heard, and it seemed as if his body were floating like a piece of paper in the wind.

Inside his body, his Qi and blood vessels sparkled like crystal, nearly transparent, like an otherworldly omen. The spiritual energy in his body whirled, forming a magnificent lake. It wasn't a big lake, but it was a lake nonetheless.

The lake, the Core lake, existed in Meng Hao's dantian region, quite heavy.

Meng Hao knew that he could control the power and enable it to erupt with the power of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. To a Cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment, it was weak and insubstantial, but as far as Qi Condensation went, the fifth level was a watershed, the second watershed being the seventh level, followed by the ninth.

His head buzzed for quite some time. Eventually, Meng Hao slowly opened his eyes, and they glittered like they had before. A burst of popping sounds rang out. He seemed to have grown a bit taller, and though his skin was still dark, a new air emanated from him.

"The fifth level of Qi Condensation." Meng Hao took a deep breath, then smiled. He had reached the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Now he could practice the Wind Walking technique. That, combined with flying swords, would give him much greater speed both in movement and attack. It was completely beyond the fourth level.

"Dry Spirit Pills really are beyond ordinary," said Meng Hao, looking down at the two Dry Spirit Pills in front of him. "But, they still have their limitations. Perhaps after consuming a lot of them, they will become less effective, just like the pills in the past. I wonder if I will be able to use them to get to the sixth level of Qi Condensation." As he contemplated this, his expression suddenly changed. The roars of the Demonic python now carried a tone of misery. Booming sounds rang out. Meng Hao leaned forward, and he looked outside of the fissure.

As he looked, his pupils constricted and his hands clenched into fists.

Not far away on the mountaintop, was a white-robed youth, extraordinarily beautiful, as if his perfect body was a blessing from heaven. A golden flying sword rotated around him, and the wind blew furiously around as he battled with the Demonic python.

It was none other than… Wang Tengfei.

He smiled calmly, and his kind, amiable eyes made him seem like the sun. He seemed to glow, as if he could eliminate all the shadows around him.

When he attacked, he seemed perfect, as if the Heavens approved his each and every movement.

Around him were at least nine others, one of whom was Shangguan Xiu. He flicked his sleeves as he took the lead in battling the Demonic python. As for the others, all of them had Qi Condensation levels of the seventh level or higher. All were strangers whom Meng Hao had never seen before. They surrounded the Demonic python, preparing to kill it. Booming sounds rang out, and the python let out astonishing roars.

Meng Hao stared at Wang Tengfei, not moving a muscle. But deep in his eyes was a dark look that slowly grew, replacing any mildness until it filled his eyes.

After a short bit of time, the Demonic python's roars grew more and more miserable, and wounds covered its body. Blood splattered everywhere. This truly was its weakest state. The surrounding Cultivators attacked even fiercerly. Wang Tengfei smiled, as perfect as ever, his eyes filled with an indiscernible excitement.

He had waited for this day for a long time.

Suddenly, from to peaks of nine surrounding mountains, shining silvery light coiled up and linked together to form a spell. The spell ever so slowly filled the air, then broke into countless silver threads which then turned into a silver fog that shot down toward the ground. It seemed that they were preparing to seal the Demonic python.

But, just then, the python looked up toward the Heavens and let out a roar which resounded out over the black mountain, shaking everything. Suddenly, on top of the python's head appeared the ghostly image of a beast.

The creature was bright red, with enormous wings and a hideous-looking head. Its sharp claws glittered, and it had a long tail. The instant the phantom appeared, the swirling winds in the sky seemed to change colors, and astonished expressions appeared on the faces of everyone present. Only Wang Tengfei's eyes appeared more excited. Fortunately, the ghostly image appeared for only a moment, then disappeared.

When the ghostly image disappeared, the Demonic python shot out of the deep fissure, its body sleek and smooth. It let out a frightening roar and spit reddish mist out of its mouth, an attack which then shot out in all directions. The Cultivators couldn't avoid it, not even Wang Tengfei, and they could only watch helplessly as it enveloped them, then shot out into the distance. Because of the attack, when the silver fog fell from the sky, it didn't just fall down upon the Demonic python, but Wang Tengfei and the others as well.

As the silver fog descended upon them, Meng Hao's heart began to thump wildly. Before, he had seen a sword sticking out from the Demonic python's body. But as of now, the sword was nowhere to be seen. Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped up and, moving faster than he ever had in his life, jumped onto a flying sword and shot toward the top of the mountain and the large fissure.

"Go! Go! Go!" Meng Hao said under his breath. Without any regard for safety, he charged into the fissure-like cave, ignoring the strange odor which filled the air. As he moved deeper into the cave, he saw a massive snakeskin, stuck into which was the small, primitive-looking sword.

Without even a pause, he grabbed the sword, his heart thumping, face flushed with excitement. Just as he was about to leave, his eyes widened. Despite his extreme level of excitement, he was still able to gasp in shock. The thing really was a python skin, but it was also something else, something shockingly frightening that Meng Hao had never before seen in his life.

It was … the corpse of a creature. A massive, shriveled corpse, several hundreds of meters long. The black mountain seemed to be hollow inside, and the creature's corpse filled more than half of it.

Also visible were two gigantic, mostly disintegrated wings. Despite being dead, the creature's massive, hideous head was incredibly frightening. This creature looked the same as the ghostly image which had just appeared, and now it was clear that the so-called Demonic python was actually the creature's tail.

"A tail that becomes a demon!" said Meng Hao, stupefied. "What Demonic beast is this?! If it's a Demonic beast… it must have a Demonic Core!" He clenched his jaw. Based on his experience collecting Demonic Cores, it wouldn't be located in the creature's belly. Most Demonic Cores were located in the head. He dashed toward the horrific-looking head, and with a swipe of the primitive-looking sword, split it open. Sure enough, inside was a shriveled Demonic Core. He grabbed it, and was about to leave, when suddenly his heart began thumping even harder. From his current position, he could see that beneath the head of the creature's corpse was a skeleton.

Who knew how many years the skeleton had lay crushed under the head. Next to the skeleton was a golden-colored bag of holding.

Blood boiling, Meng Hao suddenly had the feeling that his destiny was thick in this place. He had acquired the sword, the Demonic Core and now a golden bag of holding. He snatched it up, then shot out of the cave like the wind, and then down the mountain, filled with incredible excitement.

"I've struck it rich! This time, I've really freaking struck it rich!"

Meng Hao had only been inside the cave for the space of about ten breaths, and in ten more, he was gone from the mountain. The moment his shadow disappeared, a shape began to descend from the silver fog that hung in the sky. It was a person wearing a white robe; Wang Tengfei. With a flick of his sleeve, he floated down slowly. He looked around for a moment, then sped toward the cave.

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Chapter 24: Who was it?!

Wang Tengfei looked so excited that if anyone could have seen him, they would have been shocked. No one had ever seen such an expression appear on his face.

To other people, Wang Tengfei was a Chosen, with a mild expression, amiable smile, and beautiful appearance, perfect in every way.

But at the moment, he could not help but show his excitement. He had prepared for this moment for years, had spent so many resources, all to get to this point, a point he had looked forward to for years. He would finally have a treasure he could carry with him for his entire life. His heart nearly burst with frenzied excitement.

One of the main reasons he had joined the Reliance Sect to begin with was to acquire this treasure.

Moving as fast as he could, he entered the cave. When he caught sight of the massive, frightening corpse, he let out a loud laugh and his eyes glowed. He dashed toward the creature's tail, the part that had turned into the Demonic python. He searched about for a while, whereupon a look of confusion appeared on his face. His eyes widened. After looking across the entire corpse, he stood there looking dumbstruck.

"What's going on…? It can't be. The treasure can only be acquired after the python sheds its skin. The only safe time to enter is right now. How could it not be here? It's impossible!" A heinous look filled his eyes, and his head spun. He searched the corpse again, seeking out the place where he remembered the sword should have been sticking out. When he found it, it was clear that the sword had already been taken. Wang Tengfei's body began to shake, and an unbelievable fury appeared in his eyes. He let out a howl that shook the entire black mountain.

That was when he noticed that the corpse's head had been split open and the Demonic Core removed. When he saw the skeleton, his mood sank even deeper, and he barely even looked at it.

His whole person appeared savage with fury. He dashed outside and pulled up his sleeve, hoping to get some reaction from the Blood Drop on his arm. But there was no reaction whatsoever. In fact, it was as if the Blood Drop had been wiped away!

He searched the black mountain high and low but found nothing.

In the end, he returned dumbly to the cave and looked at the creature's corpse. He let out another shrill shriek.

"I spent three years searching the ancient texts. Three years, with no time for Cultivation! I spent hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones before I found the clue from two hundred years ago that led me to the Flying Rain-Dragon!" His body trembled, and his face contorted. Any beauty at all in him was gone, replaced by madness.

"I spent a year searching throughout the State of Zhao, in the mountains and the wilds. I went everywhere, all the districts. The reactions of the Blood Drop finally led me here!" His eyes red, he clenched his fists angrily. Anyone who saw him like this would surely be shocked in the extreme.

"For the treasure, I deigned to begin my spiritual studies in this damned Reliance Sect. Dammit, Dammit! I've had to endure for nearly three years already!!!" His heart ached, as if it had been stabbed with an invisible sword that smashed his arrogance to pieces. Up until now, he really had never believed that he could possibly fail.

"To prepare the spell to suppress the dragon, I spent all my remaining Spirit Stones!! I used some precious influence from my Clan to suppress information about the ancient Flying Rain-Dragon from getting out. I even refused the aid of my Clan-members because I wanted the treasure and the Legacy to be the true starting point of my training!

"Who was it? Who took my treasure!?" His body trembled violently, his head buzzed, and his blood roiled. He had spent so much, and someone else had benefited. He spit out a mouthful of blood onto his white robe, staining it red.

It was like a man in the mortal world who paid the bride-price, bought a luxuriously decorated mansion, found the most beautiful bride, then arranged an amazing wedding feast to which he invited countless friends and family. Then, in front of everyone's eyes, filled with anticipation, he entered the nuptial chamber and saw his beautiful, blushing bride in her red wedding gauzes, then threw himself upon her…

Only to suddenly find he had become a different person. Everything that belonged to him was suddenly being enjoyed by some other bloke. Even his face had been taken away!

"Who took my ancient Cultivation sword!?" Wang Tengfei again shouted mournfully, then spit out another mouthful of blood. He staggered backward a few paces, his face pale, his eyes burning with madness. He couldn't accept it, not at all. Never before had he failed, ever. This, coupled with his arrogance, caused his heart to be filled with a powerful, humiliated fury.

"Who stole the treasure I planned to use to rebuke the Cultivation world!?" As he thought about the price he had paid to reach this point, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. His robe was now almost completely red as he staggered backward.

"You didn't just take the treasure, you took the Demonic Core. Without that, I can't break through to the seventh level! Who are you?! Who are you who took away my fortune! That was my treasure, that was my Demonic Core!!" His face twisted with madness as he continued his search, but to no avail.

His miserable roars reached Meng Hao's ears as he fled for his life. His eyes glittered excitedly, and he ran even faster.

"I'm rich. Really, really rich." His heart raced and his mouth felt dry, and his speed increased until it far exceeded his previous speed limitation. Only a short time passed before he reached the Immortal's Cave on the South Mountain.

He had guessed that the treasures he'd taken were very important to Wang Tengfei. Since he had virtually stolen them, he could not very well announce their existence publicly. He wanted to hide himself away as well, but if he did so, it would only attract more attention to himself. Instead, he should place himself in the open and attach himself to a position of reason, be bold and assured, with justice on his side.

He licked his lips, and his eyes fairly shone. Even though Fatty still had the jade slip that opened the Immortal's Cave, Meng Hao still had another jade slip given to him by Elder Sister Xu, which he knew could open the door. If there were only one key, how could she have opened the door when he sat counting his Spirit Stones that one time?

When he entered the Immortal's Cave, he didn't see Fatty. At first, he was worried. But then he realized that even though Fatty looked naive, he was actually quite clever, and wouldn't let himself be taken advantage of. Not thinking about it any further, he sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath and pulled out the golden bag of holding. He grew even happier at the sight of it, and when he opened it, he started to murmur softly to himself.

"It's so big. It seems it can hold… what?" Before he even finished his sentence, his body grew stiff, and he sucked in another breath. When he looked in the bag of holding, his mind went blank, then began to buzz.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! I really am rich!!" His hands trembled as they gripped the bag of holding. It took a few moments for him to get his thoughts in order again. He pulled out a Spirit Stone with a shaky hand.

The Spirit Stones in the bag were not quite the same as his other Spirit Stones. About as big as a finger, the Spiritual energy which swirled about in them was not dense, and they also contained a strange swirling mist inside. And the sheer amount… inside the bag of holding were over two thousand Spirit Stones!

He had never seen such a vast amount of wealth in his entire life. He could not even breathe for a moment. His body trembled, and he stared blankly. Other than the Spirit Stones, the only things in the bag were some articles of clothing and a few other miscellaneous items.

Sweat began to drip down Meng Hao's forehead. It wasn't hot inside the Immortal's Cave, but his body felt as if it were burning. After a bit of time went by, he began to laugh, a hearty laughter filled with joy.

"These Spirit Stones are strange. They're big, but their spiritual energy is just average. But the quantity, hahaha…" After some time passed, he got himself under control. Licking his lips, he pulled out another of the objects he had acquired, the withered Demonic Core. He looked at it, his eyes gleaming intensely. He took a deep breath.

"That gigantic Demonic beast must have been dead for many years. Eventually, its tail transformed into a Demonic python. It must have been incredibly powerful when it was alive. And its Demonic Core…" Meng Hao's breathing grew ragged as he looked at the hard, dried out Core. He brought out the copper mirror, intending to make some duplicates.

Almost as soon as he pulled it out, and before he could even place the Demonic Core on its surface, the mirror suddenly began to burn so hotly that it almost injured Meng Hao's hand. An invisible force burst out from the mirror, charging toward the Demonic Core.

A bang sounded out as the Core in Meng Hao's hand was struck by the invisible attack. In an instant, another invisible force shot out from the copper mirror and struck out at the Demonic Core. It was as if the Demonic Core had suddenly turned into a long-furred Demonic creature, and the copper mirror had gone mad with the desire to destroy it.

Meng Hao was dumbstruck. He instantly grabbed the mirror, and, enduring the pain, shoved it back into his bag of holding. The Demonic Core dropped to the ground with a thump, a multitude of small cracks now visible on its withered surface.

"Dammit. This is a Demonic Core, not a furred Demonic beast." Meng Hao painfully hurried to pick up the Core.

It was a good thing the withered Demonic Core had a tough outer crust. The copper mirror's violent attack had damaged its surface, and now, a small gleaming pellet was visible, from which wafted the aroma of dense spiritual energy. It instantly filled the Immortal's Cave and caused his eyes to glitter. Considering the violent reaction of the copper mirror, he didn't dare to attempt to duplicate it. He hesitated for a moment, then stored it away.

After taking another deep breath, he pulled out the third of his acquisitions, the small, primitive-looking sword. Holding in front of him, he smiled.

"This sword is incredibly sharp. It could stab into the Demonic python, and was even able to split that giant demon's head open. It's definitely something special." He looked at the small sword in his hand. It was made not of gold or iron, but wood. On its surface were some faint lines of gold that seemed to have some sort of magical properties. Even though it seemed primitive, even just thinking about the wooden flying sword and its incredible sharpness made Meng Hao incredibly excited.

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Chapter 25: Sovereign of the Sky

"This treasure must have a special history." Meng Hao swung the wooden sword, then stabbed it into the ground. It went in easily. Smiling, Meng Hao pulled it out, even happier than before.

Suddenly, he lifted his head, looking surprised. He sensed that the spiritual energy in the Immortal's Cave was suddenly thinner than before. Actually, it seemed to have completely disappeared.

Even though there wasn't originally a huge amount of spiritual energy, for all of it to disappear should not be possible. Spiritual energy was the Qi of heaven and earth, which pulsed through various mountains like great arteries. The Reliance Sect was just such a place. It should be impossible for the spiritual energy to suddenly dry up for no reason.

Curious, Meng Hao stabilized his aura and concentrated, casting his senses about. Suddenly, he looked back at the wooden sword, disbelief covering his face. He had just discovered that all the spiritual energy in the room had been absorbed by the wooden sword.

"The sword… it can absorb spiritual energy?" Meng Hao was shocked. After a moment, he slapped his bag of holding and produced a Spirit Stone. After placing it next to the sword, he watched as the Spirit Stone slowly grew dark over the space of about ten breaths .

He picked the Spirit Stone back up, feeling a bit sad at the loss of a Spirit Stone, but excited at the same time.

"This sword… it truly is a great treasure." He gazed at the sword with a look of determination, then slowly drew it across one of his fingers. With ease, it sliced open a cut. Meng Hao focused on his Cultivation base. Sure enough, he felt the spiritual energy in his body being sucked out continuously through the cut.

He covered his finger, excitement clear in his eyes. Within moments, the wound had healed, and Meng Hao gazed at the sword, laughing foolishly.

"If I used this sword when battling a magic-user, all I would need to do is cut them, and their spiritual energy would be drained away and I could trample over them. Too bad I only have one. If I had two, or ten, or a hundred, then I could drain my opponent's spiritual energy even faster. How astonishing would that be…?" An image appeared in his mind of himself wielding a hundred wooden swords, all stabbing into Wang Tengfei's body.

His journey into the black mountain, and spending all those Spirit Stones, had definitely been worth it.

With that thought, he suddenly took a deep breath and pulled out the copper mirror.

"I wonder how many Spirit Stones…" He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't stop thinking about how amazing the sword was. He placed it down onto the mirror. As soon as it touched the surface, the mirror flashed, and the sword was sucked inside. Meng Hao had never seen this happen before, and it caused him quite a shock. He tried to grab the mirror to stop it, but was too slow. The wooden sword was gone.

"What's going on? Dammit, mirror, I went through a lot of painful hardships to get that sword, you, you, you… okay, calm down, calm down." Panting a bit, he forced himself to grow calm. After considering for some time, he took out a Spirit Stone and placed it onto the mirror. It disappeared.

"Hmm. Has it already started the duplication process?" Meng Hao's heart thumped, and with an anxious expression, he put in another Spirit Stone. One, two, three… A disheartened expression appeared on his face. The mirror was like a bottomless hole. Before much time had passed, Meng Hao had already put two hundred Spirit Stones into it.

"Dammit, dammit…" He wanted to stop, but refused to get to this point and have nothing to show for it. Also, he knew that if he gave up now, it would essentially mean giving up the mirror's duplication ability.

He could only endure his frustration and put more Spirit Stones in. Three hundred, four hundred, all the way to one thousand. His face grew pale. His hand shook as he held out another Spirit Stone.

"When will this end, mirror? Are you stealing all the Spirit Stones I just got?" He gritted his teeth. He'd already dropped in one thousand Spirit Stones. He couldn't give up now. With eyes as bloodshot as a gambling addict, he threw in more Spirit Stones. Finally, when he threw in the two thousandth stone, the mirror began to shine with bright, multicolored light, indicating that the duplication had begun. By this point, Meng Hao was a bit numb. He stared mutely at the multicolored light, which slowly dissipated over a few seconds.

When the light was gone, there were two identical wooden swords on the mirror.

When he saw them, some of the color returned to his face. He picked them up, feeling a mix of emotions from sadness to anger to pain. All he could do was comfort himself.

"It's okay, no problem," he muttered to himself through clenched teeth. "What are a couple thousand Spirit Stones worth anyway? Just a trifle. You can't get something new without giving up something old. It's worth it to have two of these wooden swords." He spoke the word "trifle" with a bit of bitterness. He quickly put the copper mirror away and looked again at the two wooden swords. He sat there for a while thinking about their power. Slowly, he began to calm down.

Determination once again filled his eyes. After a while, he put the two treasured wooden swords away. As for the second sword, it was worth two thousand Spirit Stones as far as Meng Hao was concerned.

With a bitter laugh, he sat there cross-legged in meditation, waiting for the spiritual energy in the Immortal's Cave to return. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he retrieved the Demonic Core from his bag of holding.

"Even though I just broke through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation, who knows how much progress my Cultivation base will make if I take this pill…"

With a determined look, he swallowed the Demonic Core and closed his eyes. His body began to vibrate. The Demonic Core dissolved into an incredibly dense flood of spiritual energy which instantly inundated Meng Hao.

The density of this spiritual energy was beyond any medicinal pill Meng Hao had ever consumed. In fact, there was no way to even compare it to anything. The Core exploded with a white brightness, sweeping over Meng Hao's body. Blood sprayed out of his mouth and his body shook. But he held on, and the Core lake grew larger and larger. Moments later, Meng Hao experienced a feeling of boundlessness.

With each pulsing expansion, he felt a severe pain and his body shook even harder. His face grew pale, and he gritted his teeth as hard as he could.

Then, the Core lake began to churn and roil, and an astonishing level of spiritual power began to form. Despite the pain, Meng Hao could sense his Cultivation base expanding from the initial stage of the fifth level to the middle stage. Time passed, although he wasn't sure how much. Accompanied by the thundering of the Core lake, his Cultivation base climbed even higher to the peak of the fifth level.

Then, his head buzzed, and his Cultivation base suddenly broke through the fifth level and entered… the sixth level of Qi Condensation!

And not just the initial stage of the sixth level, it continued to climb to the middle stage of the sixth level. Then it slowly began to stop. The clothes on Meng Hao's body had been reduced to ash. Only the bags of holding remained at his side. Black filth completely covered him, but if you looked closely, you would see that his skin sparkled translucently, as if rays of morning sun emanated from it.

His hair was longer, reaching down to his shoulders, and he was a bit taller. His body no longer seemed frail and weak, but rather tall and slender.

His features were still somewhat swarthy, but his countenance shone with a strength too difficult to describe. It was otherworldly.

His Core lake seethed and churned, filling his entire body. Deep in its recesses, the Demonic Core settled down. For some reason, it didn't dissolve, but rather sat there, unmoving.

If it only just sat there, it would not be anything to think about. But when his Cultivation base reached the sixth level, his head buzzed, and within the buzzing, he felt the indistinct pull of some sort of Legacy. It seemed to be emanating from the Demonic Core, settling onto his mind like a branding iron.

It must be some sort of Blood Legacy from the Flying Rain-Dragon, left for its weak, young offspring. As it had approached death, it fused the Legacy into its Demonic Core. The Demonic python must have intended to consume it after shedding its skin. And of course, Wang Tengfei, possessing a Blood connection to the Legacy, had lusted for the same thing. Sadly… Meng Hao got it first.

Meng Hao suddenly found himself dreaming. He was flying in the middle of the sky, rebuking the highest heavens, rocking the earth, surrounded by churning winds and clouds. He was the Lord of the heavens, and when the other flying beasts looked at him, they trembled as if they had lost the qualification to fly, and would let him slaughter them.

He was the a sovereign of the sky, Chosen, worshiped by all creatures. It seemed as if it were an ancient age, very long ago.

That feeling of flying in the heavens left Meng Hao feeling almost crazy, almost in love with the feeling. He flew for a long time, and the entire time, a multitude of fierce beasts retreated from him in fear, and countless people on the ground prostrated themselves in worship.

With the wind and earth beneath him, only the heavens could match up to him, but he was their equal.

Then, he reached a lake, and he lowered his head to look at himself. He was a dragon, several tens of thousands of meters long, with two, massive wings, each one also several tens of thousands of meters long. He possessed an indescribable power which could shape the world.

His head was fierce and savage, and he had an incredibly long tail. All of it merged together to form a boundless nobility which created an electric buzz in Meng Hao's mind. His mind seemed to rip open, and a voice rang out.

"I am the Flying Rain-Dragon of ancient times!" It filled his mind, filled the world, and left everything trembling. All the living creatures roared. The ancient Flying Rain-Dragon's Qi and blood vessels had long since vanished from the earth, but some of its descendants still existed. Although they might be weak, the Legacy still existed.

At that exact moment, on the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect, in his Immortal's Cave, Wang Tengfei's face grew dark. The fury in his heart nearly made him go mad. He had tasted failure, and was having a hard time accepting it. No matter how many times he tried to use the Blood Drop to sense the Legacy or his opponent, nothing happened. He didn't know what was happening.

"Did you find it?" said Wang Tengfei, suppressing the fury in his heart as he lifted his head to look at the young man standing in front of him. It was the other young man who had accompanied him that day in addition to Shangguan Song.

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Chapter 26: Bewilderment

"Elder Brother Wang, I secretly checked around and asked quite a few disciples throughout the Sect. I don't think I left anything out." This young man was also famous in the Reliance Sect, but in front of Wang Tengfei, he was completely respectful. He had never seen Wang Tengfei like this, and was a bit hesitant. He had begun speaking with a respectful bow. "I even looked around in the Servants' Quarters and followed up on Zhou Kai, Han Zong and some others. At that time, there were thirty-seven people who weren't present in the Sect. Of those thirty-seven people, I eliminated twenty-nine as suspects. Among the rest, there are six of whom there is no evidence to suggest they were at the black mountain. Only two were definitely there. Meng Hao and Han Zong."

Wang Tengfei looked more and more angry. He raises his hard eyes, which caused the young man's heart to grow cold. He nervously lowered his head.

"Han Zong was also at the black mountain… Meng Hao?" Wang Tengfei frowned. Meng Hao's name sounded familiar to him.

"Meng Hao is… the person who injured Elder Brother Lu," the young man said hastily.

Wang Tengfei's face grew darker, and his heart burned. He had planned for so many years and expended so many resources. For so long, he had taken the whole matter to be concluded before it began. It was his great victory, something he could take back to his clan to refine them. But then, it was snatched away from him. When he thought of the sword, his face twisted in pain. That was his tool to rebuke heaven and earth. And when he thought of the Legacy of the Flying Rain-Dragon, his heart wept.

Before today, he had been fully self-confident, completely assured of his success. Everything belonged to him, that was just his good fortune. Only he was qualified to have such good fortune. Yet he then met an unexpected defeat, a blow he had never imagined he would receive. He found it extremely difficult to accept, as if the heart-rending turn of events had not actually happened.

Breathing deeply, Wang Tengfei opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly began to tremble as a burning pain arose on his right arm. He lifted up the sleeve and stared at his arm, watching as the Blood Drop slowly disappeared. There was nothing he could do but watch it go away, and after it had left, his beautiful features twisted with fury and defeat. The Legacy was gone. He coughed up some blood.

He knew that at this moment, the person who had snatched away his treasure was now fully connected to the Legacy. He would never again be able to use the Blood Drop to sense anything, because the Legacy had already chosen the other person.

When the young man in front of him saw this happen, he grew frightened. He was about to take a step forward when Wang Tengfei suddenly lifted his head up and shouted, "Beat it!"

His booming voice reverberated, and the young man's face went white. He had never seen such a succession of different expressions on Wang Tengfei's face. His body cold, he left.

Within the Immortal's Cave, Wang Tengfei's eyes grew red and his mind seethed as he thought of Han Zong and Meng Hao. He could not help but think about the day he had looked down on the Outer Sect ants in the square.

He frowned, his face growing more somber. He thought about how the Blood Drop wasn't able to sense the legacy, and how it had been wiped out by his opponent. Regardless of if it were Han Zong or Meng Hao, neither of them should have been able to do it.

"Just who are you?!" His eyes shot with blood, he slapped his bag of holding and a flash of silver light appeared and coalesced into a silver, octagonal spell device, which floated in front of him.

He stared at it for some time, then determination filled his eyes. This was one of the spell devices he had prepared for one of the mountains surrounding the black mountain. After being used, it needed to regenerate for several hours, whereupon it could be reused.

He had already decided that he would activate the spell device, and even if it injured him, he would cast his senses inside to see who was present that day in the black mountain region.

Looking at the silver spell device in front of him, Wang Tengfei bit his tongue and spit out a bit of blood. As the blood splashed onto the spell device, his fingers flickered in an incantation pattern, and suddenly his head hummed and his awareness flickered. Amidst the indistinct feeling, he was suddenly able to sense several auras emanating out in waves.

"One, two… nine people that I invited to help me, these are their auras…" Wang Tengfei's face grew pale; the spell device in front of him began to quiver, and cracks appeared on its surface. But he didn't give up, and instead continued to cast his senses into it.

A vague outline began to appear in his mind, filled with several dots of light. Ten of the lights were familiar to him, and another one of them belonged to Meng Hao.

In addition to those, there was another light. Wang Tengfei concentrated for a moment, then was certain it was Han Zong. Unfortunately, the spell device could only keep a record of who was in the region of the seven or eight mountains surrounding the black mountain, not their specific location.

Wang Tengfei frowned, and then suddenly noticed that the outline in his head contained… another light!

It was faint, and if he had not looked closely he would have missed it. Without pushing the spell device to the breaking point, to the limits of its power, he wouldn't have been able to sense it.

"This is…" His heart trembled, and he concentrated, but even as he did so, his body shook and he coughed up blood. The spell device shattered. Pieces of it shot out, hitting both him and the walls of the Immortal's cave.

His face white, he coughed up more blood, looking incredibly afraid. When sensing that last light, his mind had begun to tremble, as if whoever it belonged to could crush him to death with a single thought.

The spell device could only give him an approximate feeling regarding aura level, not the target's Cultivation base. But for the aura level to cause such a reaction left him frightened beyond belief.

"Who was that?!" said Wang Tengfei, shaking. His fear left him certain that this fearsome person was definitely the one who could so easily rip away his Blood Spot sense.

His heart cold, he lifted his head and breathed deeply. After some time passed, he had recovered his senses. But the memory of that faint light pressed down on him with the weight of a mountain.

"How did this person know about the black mountain affair…? Could it be that they have been following me in my search…? Who was it…?"

Time passed, and eventually the dream ended. Meng Hao opened his eyes, unsure how many days had passed, nor of how his Cultivation base had changed. He felt as if he had been dreaming for a very long time.

When the dream concluded, Meng Hao felt as if he had more memories than before, memories that were vague and ancient, and couldn't be recalled. But that thirst to fly in the sky still flickered powerfully in his mind.

He felt certain that if one day he could really fly through the sky, then the memories in his head would become clear.

After some time passed, Meng Hao took a breath, his vision slowly returning to normal. As his senses returned, he felt his Cultivation base, then stopped, dumbfounded.

"The sixth level of Qi Condensation?" His eyes glittered fiercely, and after thoroughly examining his Cultivation base, he nearly went mad with joy. He sensed the majestic Core lake, and the Demonic Core floating within, and an amazing feeling began to overcome him.

"I actually reached… the sixth level of Qi Condensation!" He shook as he stood up, then laughed heartily. His laughter echoed throughout the Immortal's cave.

Excitedly, he sat back down cross-legged, closing his eyes and casting his senses about. It seemed as if he could feel everything around him in complete detail. In fact, he suddenly heard Fatty's voice outside.

"Meng Hao, you were cursed with ill luck. You took the pill, but I didn't want that to hurt you. Please don't come haunt me…

"Poor old Master Fatty, I'm actually more cursed than you. Did you know that our business is gone? It was stolen away." Fatty squatted outside the Immortal's cave in front of a small fire, his face pained as he burned yellow paper money.

"Meng Hao, when you become a spirit, you have to come back and help me. Look at how much paper I'm burning for you." Tears streamed down his face as he continued to burn the paper money, weeping and wailing.

"You come from a poor family, but don't worry; I, Master Fatty, am here to take care of you. I'll come burn paper for you every day so that in the next life you'll be able to buy a house and get a wife. You'll finally achieve your goal of being rich.

"Oh, Meng Hao, how could you leave like this…" Fatty's wails grew even louder, as if he were completely heartbroken.

Upon hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Meng Hao's face. He opened his eyes. This was the first time anyone had ever burned yellow paper for him, and he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. He stood and pushed the main door open with a long creak, then walked out.

As soon as he stepped out, Fatty's loud wails suddenly ceased, and he looked up in astonishment. He straightened, his eyes filled with fear. Then he recognized Meng Hao, and he leaped up, gaping.

Meng Hao looked at Fatty with a strange expression, then gave a light cough and walked over to the nearby stream and began to clean himself off. He had never been so dirty in his entire life. After cleaning off, he put on a fresh green robe, then used a flying sword to trim his hair. Now he felt, and looked, like his old self. He turned and smiled at Fatty.

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Chapter 27: The Wind Stirs Again

Fatty stared at Meng Hao, tears streaming down his face. He rushed forward, bawling.

"You're not dead. Meng Hao, you're not dead!" cried Fatty as he hugged Meng Hao. "I was so scared these past few days. Everyone said that you had died, and I was so sad. You're my only friend. What would I do if you died?

"I thought of fleeing the Sect. I even lost interest in filing my teeth. But if I left, how could I get revenge for you? So I didn't leave. I swear that I will find a way to help you get vengeance…"

Fatty looked with warm sincerity at Meng Hao, and after speaking for a bit, his tears began to dry up. The two of them sat next to the stream and Meng Hao told him about all the things that had happened in the black mountain, leaving out, of course, the matters regarding the Flying Rain-Dragon and Wang Tengfei. Fatty listened anxiously, and when he heard that Meng Hao had reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation, he gasped, stupefied.

"The sixth level of Qi Condensation…" Fatty looked extremely excited. "Holy crap, you've, you've… you've reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation! The year Elder Sister Xu brought us here, she was at the seventh level. Meng Hao, you really are an Immortal! Can you fly?"

"Fly…" Meng Hao closed his eyes, visualizing the descriptions of the Wind Walking technique from the Qi Condensation manual. It would naturally be easier to perform the technique at the sixth level than at the fifth, but after trying several times, the best he could do was float in the air for a moment before dropping down. Muttering, he continued to try for a while, then took a medicinal pill. Finally, he was able to suspend himself about five inches in the air. Fatty looked on with wide eyes.

Meng Hao suddenly opened his eyes, and they shone brightly. He stood up, then made several laps around the area, moving like the wind. Fatty watched on, breathing heavily.

After moving around like this a few times, Meng Hao began to grow more accustomed to the technique. He slapped his bag of holding and with a flash, a flying sword appeared. It moved down to his feet, and then he shot into the air. Fatty looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You're flying…" he murmured.

Meng Hao felt incredibly excited. The wind blew against his face as he used the Wind Walking technique to fly with the sword. After about thirty breaths, he began to feel unstable, then started to lose his balance. As his happened, Meng Hao's mind suddenly shook, and a mnemonic appeared in his head.

The mnemonic didn't consist of words, and was fantastically mysterious. It appeared in his mind like an instinct, and as it did, the spiritual energy in his body suddenly began to circulate. He waved his right hand unconsciously, almost like the flapping of a wing. Suddenly, a Wind Blade appeared in front of him!

When the Wind Blade appeared, the flying sword underneath his feet quivered. The Wind Blade shot forward into the jungle, and three lines of trees were instantly sliced in half. A rumbling sound reverberated throughout the vegetation, and Meng Hao tumbled onto the ground.

Fatty was thoroughly astonished, and it took him a while to recover his senses. His face flushed, he looked at Meng Hao with reverence in his eyes.

"You really did it! If I stick with you, who would dare to bully me? And who would dare to mess with our business!" Thinking about this, Fatty suddenly laughed out loud.

Meng Hao closed his eyes and thought excitedly about the Wind Blade. He was intelligent, and realised that it most likely had something to do with the strange dream and the Demonic Core. The mnemonic which had appeared in his head was also connected to the Demonic Core. Suddenly, the shadow of the Winged Rain-Dragon appeared in the Core lake. Meng Hao wanted to give voice to the feelings he felt regarding the Dragon and being a sovereign of the sky, but try as he might, he could not.

"Oh right," said Fatty, suddenly recalling something. "Special promotion training is beginning in a few days. I heard that there's a month-long period in which you can sign up. You should join! You'll definitely be accepted. Then you could be the Reliance Sect's third Inner Sect disciple! You'll be super famous!"

"Special promotion training?" Meng Hao looked surprised. He had heard about it before, but back then, his Cultivation base had been too low, so he hadn't even considered it. But things were different now. In the entire Reliance Sect, there were only three people at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, including himself. The others were Wang Tengfei and Han Zong. Han Zong had been stuck at the fifth level of Qi Condensation for a long time, but had recently broken through to the sixth.

"I heard that they're only going to accept one disciple, and everyone is saying that the training was set up specifically for Wang Tengfei. But now you're at the sixth level, you might be able to succeed." Fatty really wanted Meng Hao to agree. If he became an Inner Sect disciple, he would easily be able to become a big shot in the Reliance Sect.

Meng Hao hesitated, unsure of what he really wanted to do. He was excited about the prospect, knowing that being an Inner Sect disciple would different than being in the Outer Sect. After becoming a member of the Inner Sect, no one would be quick to offend him, not even Sect elders. Furthermore, there would be more opportunities for Spirit Stones and medicinal pills. But this was an important matter, and Meng Hao's Cultivation base had developed quite rapidly. He needed to consider what others might think, or conjecture. If he attracted too much attention, his losses might outweigh his gains.

He had been a member of the Reliance Sect for almost two years now, and had developed a deep understanding of the phrase "the law of the jungle." He also knew not to advertise his wealth. And yet, he hadn't decided not to participate either. Maybe he would go. Although, after everything that had happened in the black mountain, his treasures and medicinal pills were almost completely used up. He would need to restock.

He could not help but think wistfully about the two thousand Spirit Stones.

Twenty days flashed by, and the registration period for the special promotion training was almost over. Not many had signed up. According to Sect Rules, upon registering, one could not leave the main square, but was required to sit in meditation beneath the dragon-carved pillars. No one was allowed to disturb the registrants, either.

Actually, the so-called training was in fact a contest of battle magic. It was said that years ago, the participants went out into the wilds to search for treasures, but with the Reliance Sect in decline, the only way to select who to promote to the Inner Sect was to see who would be victorious with their battle magic.

During that twenty day period, Meng Hao took a trip to the High-Level Public zone, but it was completely empty. Considering the Reliance Sect's decline, Meng Hao could understand why. Once again, he opened up shop outside the Low-Level Public zone.

His return caused quite a big stir, and no one dared to interfere with the business. In fact, during the twenty days, business boomed and he earned quite a few Spirit Stones. Almost every day he was able to duplicated magical items and medicinal pills, which he slowly built up into a new stockpile.

Even though all the magical items and flying swords in his bag of holding were ordinary in nature, he already had nearly a hundred. Thinking back to his fight with Lu Hong, and the events in the black mountain, he now clearly understood the best methods to engage in magical combat. After pondering about this for a while, his eyes glittered. He had just come up with an idea to increase the effectiveness of all his flying swords.

Other than managing the business, most of the remainder of Meng Hao's time was spent researching this method of increasing the power of his flying swords. He performed various tests and eventually came up with a few new techniques, ways to control more swords at the same time. One of the things he did was change the appearance of various swords to disguise them. Some he purposely scratched and marked up, some he broke the tips off of, and some he painted various colors.

The rest of his time was spent attempting to connect his thoughts to those of a sovereign of the sky, the Flying Rain-Dragon. Even though he never succeeded, he found that his Wind Walking technique improved significantly, bringing him gradually closer to the sky.

Time whizzed by and now only two days remained of the registration period for the special promotion training. Meng Hao currently sat at his stall by the Low-Level Public Zone, watching Fatty inside, hawking wares with deep fervor. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked off into the distance. Far down the mountain, he caught sight of someone walked toward him. Every step carried him forward several meters, so he arrived at the plateau very quickly. He appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and looked proud and lofty. In front of him, a long strip of yellow paper floated in the air, upon which was written various magical figures. Wisps of black smoke emanated from its surface, curling up and around the young man.

"A talisman…" Meng Hao's eyes flickered as he examined it. He had read about this type of yellow paper in the Qi Condensation manual. It was a powerful magical item which could be used a limited number of times.

The approaching young man was none other than the second most powerful person in the Outer Sect, Han Zong, who was at the sixth level of Qi Condensation. As soon as he appeared, it caused quite a commotion on the plateau as everyone greeting him with cupped fists.

"Meng Hao," he said coldly, ignoring everyone else and staring at Meng Hao. "Master Uncle Shangguan has a matter he wishes to discuss with you. Please come with me to see him."

Meng Hao frowned. Master Uncle Shangguan was no stranger. Whether it was his presence during Individual Pill Distribution or his participation with Wang Tengfei in fighting the Demonic Python, it was clear that he was no ordinary individual.

"What could he want with me?" thought Meng Hao, slowly standing up. "Did he sense something about me?" He knew that the man was one of the Sect's elder generation. Since he was of the Outer Sect, he could not refuse to comply. If he did, then it would look suspicious.

Muttering, Meng Hao looked at cold-faced Han Zong. He had assumed that if the truth about events that day were revealed, Wang Tengfei would be the first one to come looking for him. Could this summons have something to do with that affair?

Meng Hao's face was calm, but his head spun and he laughed coldly to himself. With a seemingly casual glance at Fatty, he walked forward.

Moving along with Han Zong, they soon reached the West Mountain. At its peak, the spiritual energy was especially thick. Meng Hao caught sight of an exquisite residence, inside of which a group of young boys were planting Spirit Grass.

Soon they came to a stop in front of a three-story building. Han Zong looked at Meng Hao, and then the voice of Shanguan Xiu boomed out from inside.

"Come in, Meng Hao. Han Zong, you head to the South Mountain." A jade slip suddenly flew out into Han Zong's hand. He looked at Meng Hao with a cold laugh, then turned and left.

Meng Hao's heart began to thump. This didn't seem right. Shangguan Xiu gave Han Zong a jade slip and sent him to the South Mountain…

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Chapter 28: Shangguan Xiu

Time did not permit Meng Hao to spend time thinking. The door to the building swung open silently. Inside was pitch black and emanated a sinister air.

"You still haven't entered," said Shangguan Xiu, his voice cold. Meng Hao hesitated, then, eyes flickering dimly, realised that he couldn't retreat. After thinking about it for a moment, his nervousness grew. He stepped forward into the building.

Inside, rays of light gradually appeared which, though dim, revealed the surroundings. Shangguan Xiu sat there in his golden robe, expressionless, eyes cold as he watched Meng Hao enter.

Almost as soon as he stepped a foot inside, Shangguan Xiu's eyes suddenly flickered, and he raised his right hand. A needle shot out, stabbed Meng Hao's finger, then flew back in an instant. All his bags of holding flew away from him too, completely beyond his control, to land in front of Shangguan Xiu.

Some blood remained on the flying needle, which Shangguan Xiu licked.

"There's no trace of heavenly material or earthly treasures…" Shangguan Xiu frowned. His gaze swept over Meng Hao as if he could see all the secrets he kept. The Demonic Core within Meng Hao stirred, and he did his best to conceal this from Shangguan Xiu.

Meng Hao's face fell, revealing a terrified expression. He opened his mouth but didn't seem to know what to say.

With another frown, Shangguan Xiu opened one of Meng Hao's bags of holding. He rummaged around a bit, not even glancing at the large quantity of flying swords. It seemed as if he didn't even notice the copper mirror. After finding nothing unusual, his frown deepened.

"Master Uncle Shangguan, what… what are you looking for?" His face was covered with terror, but inside he laughed coldly. He had long since made preparations for such an event. The wooden sword, along with most of his Spirit Stones and medicinal pills, were in Fatty's safe keeping, hidden away.

"Let me ask you," said Shangguan Xiu, his gaze falling like lightning upon Meng Hao, "How did your Cultivation base progress so rapidly?"

"Elder Sister Xu and Grand Elder Ouyang have been watching out for me," he replied, beginning to tremble. "They gave me some medicinal pills…" He pretended to force himself to try to be calm, but inside he wasn't worried. It didn't seem he had been asked here because of what had happened with Wang Tengfei, but rather because of his rapid progress in Cultivation.

Shangguan Xiu frowned again. He obviously knew that Grand Elder Ouyang had taken a liking to Meng Hao, otherwise he would not have been so mild in his inquiries.

Just then, Han Zong's voice drifted in from outside.

"Reporting back to Master Uncle Shangguan. Meng Hao's Immortal's Cave is empty."

"You may leave," replied Shangguan Xiu. He sat in contemplation for a moment as Han Zong departed. He stared wordlessly at Meng Hao.

Time gradually passed, and soon it was evening. Meng Hao's countenance grew more and more nervous and filled with fear. Finally, he spoke, trembling: "Master Uncle…"

"Very well, you may go," said Shangguan Xiu with a wave of his hand. He looked irritated.

Meng Hao stood, saluted with cupped fists, and left, feeling relieved. After reaching the bottom of the mountain, his speed increased as he raced toward the South Mountain.

As Meng Hao left, Shangguan Xiu's expression changed. He lifted up the silver needle and examined it carefully, licking more blood off of it. His eyes glittered.

"Something's not right. This blood has large amounts low-level Demonic Core aura. I didn't notice it before because I was concentrating on Grand Elder Ouyang's potential influence. But now that the blood has dried, it's clear. He must have consumed hundreds of Demonic Cores. Where could he possibly get his hands on so many? This Meng Hao must be keeping some secret." Killing intent filled Shangguan Xiu's eyes, and his body leaped into the air in pursuit of Meng Hao.

Meng Hao sped along at high speed, feeling relieved, but also jumpy. He arrived outside the South Mountain Immortal's Cave, and as he approached, he saw Fatty stick his head out of the trees in the distance. Catching sight of Meng Hao, he ran over.

"I was scared to death," said Fatty, letting out a relieved sigh. "Meng Hao, you were gone the whole afternoon…" He took out the bag of holding Meng Hao had given him. "Thankfully no one noticed that I kept this hidden away."

With a dignified expression, Meng Hao nodded and accepted the bag of holding. And yet, as soon as he laid hands on it, a whistling scream could be heard some distance away. A beam of prismatic light seemed to be approaching, within which could be seen an old man wearing a golden robe. It was none other than Shangguan Xiu.

He was flying! Only Cultivators who had reached Foundation Establishment could fly. With the assistance of magical items, one could glide for a bit, like Elder Sister Xu, but this was not true flight.

Seeing this, Meng Hao's heart shook. He watched his opponent flying down from the top of the mountain. He moved with a speed similar to Meng Hao's when he borrowed momentum from flying swords.

Shangguan Xiu immediately caught sight of Fatty handing the bag of holding over to Meng Hao, and his eyes flashed. Without a word, he shot toward Meng Hao, certain that he would be able to grab him. Today, he would learn Meng Hao's secret. Perhaps this secret would be of great assistance to himself.

Meng Hao's expression changed, and his emotions spun. But the situation was urgent, and he didn't have time to think. He put away the bag of holding and grabbed Fatty. Then he leaped up, and a flying sword circulated around him to land underneath his feet. He shot off into the distance.

It happened so fast that Shangguan Xiu's pupils constricted. He let out a cold snort and flew off in pursuit.

Fatty was so scared that his face was white. But he didn't move, afraid that he might distract Meng Hao. He trusted that Meng Hao would not abandon him.

Actually, this was very true. Meng Hao was not that type of person. He knew that if he dropped Fatty, he might be able to move a bit faster. But he also knew that Shangguan Xiu would then vent his wrath on Fatty.

"Dammit. To this guy, Outer Sect disciples are like ants, only Inner Sect disciples are true Cultivators of the Reliance Sect."

Gnashing his teeth, he looked back at Shangguan Xiu, who was getting closer and closer. At the same time, Meng Hao was dropping closer and closer to the ground. He wouldn't be able to keep going much longer. He pushed forward as fast as possible, sweat breaking out on his forehead, his mind racing. He saw the Outer Sect up ahead, and suddenly he had a flash of inspiration. He knew what to do.

His eyes shining, he leaped down to the ground, dashing into the Outer Sect. Then, regardless of the effect on his Cultivation base, he gritted his teeth and once again leaped onto a flying sword. A whistling scream reverberated out, causing nearby Outer Sect disciples to crane their necks, dumbstruck.

Shangguan Xiu's face grew dark. With a flick of a sleeve, he darted straight toward Meng Hao. The distance between the two grew closer and closer. When it reached roughly thirty meters, Shangguan Xiu's face suddenly changed as he realized where Meng Hao was heading. By then, it was too late to stop him.

Meng Hao approached the Outer Sect square, with its dragon-carved columns. On the tall platform, Grand Elder Ouyang sat in meditation. Beneath him in the square, Wang Tengfei also sat cross-legged, meditating.

This was the registration location for the special promotion training!

"I want to sign up!" cried Meng Hao as soon as he entered the square.

"Me too!" shouted Fatty, the blood draining from his face.

Shangguan Xiu stopped in his tracks, just outside the square. Murder filled his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, replaced with a genial smile. Grand Elder Ouyang had opened his eyes. He looked at Meng Hao, surprised by his Cultivation base. He gave Meng Hao a look of praise.

Wang Tengfei also opened his eyes, seemingly completely uninterested in Meng Hao.

"Now that you have signed up," said Grand Elder Ouyang coolly, "you must remain confined to this area. Training begins in two days." His gaze swept over Shangguan Xiu, whose heart subsequently sank. Making his smile look even more amiable, he looked at Meng Hao, false praise in his eyes.

Meng Hao looked back at him, and when their gazes met Shangguan Xiu's fury boiled. He could do nothing about it, though, so after a long moment he laughed and walked off.

Not much time passed before Han Zong strode up. He entered the square, glaring at Meng Hao. With a sneering laugh, he declared that he was registering.

As he walked past Meng Hao, he whispered, "You offended Shangguan Xiu. I dare you to stay here! The Inner Sect training is where you will reap death."

Meng Hao's eyes flashed as he stared coldly at Han Zong's retreating back.

After that, the deadline for registration approached. Before Meng Hao had arrived, only Wang Tengfei had signed up. Then Han Zong arrived. Now, four more people entered the square.

They were no strangers to Meng Hao. Yin Tianlong and Zhou Kai were present. The other two each appeared to over thirty years of age. One of them was tall and stalwart, the other skinny and frail, with hideous scars on his face. Both emanated desolate auras of death. These were the other two members of the Sect who were of the fifth level of Qi condensation.

The four of them entered the square, casting dark looks toward Meng Hao and Fatty. The aggressive killing intent in their eyes was impossible to conceal.

Fatty started to get nervous, and Meng Hao narrowed his eyes. Now he knew the power of Shangguan Xiu's influence.

Time passed slowly, and soon two days had passed. Now, only one hour remained until the registration period was over. The square was already surrounded by numerous Outer Sect disciples. They hadn't come to sign up, but to watch the Inner Sect special promotion training, to maybe learn something, and to watch Wang Tengfei in all his glory.

Of course, there were eight people in the square, including Fatty, with his low Cultivation base.

Even as the sound of discussions buzzed, the time limit was reached. The sound of bells filled the entire Reliance Sect. They rang in succession, nine times, after which Grand Elder Ouyang opened his eyes and looked out at the eight people before him. He flicked his wide sleeve, and the large platform glowed with many colors then expanded outward until it encompassed a diameter of roughly three hundred meters.

He waved his right hand again, and eight jade slips flew out, toward each of the eight people. When the slips descended in front of each of them, they could see that numbers were inscribed onto their surfaces, from one to eight.

"Forfeiting before a battle is prohibited," said Grand Elder Ouyang coolly. "In the competition for promotion to the Inner Sect, life and death are predestined. If, after stepping onto the platform, you feel you cannot win, you may admit defeat. First match, numbers one and eight." Wang Tengfei opened his eyes, and raised up his jade slip, upon which was written 'one.' He stood and floated up to stand on the platform. The wind gently lifted his long hair. Clad in his snow-white robe, he looked perfect, beautiful, gentle and refined. He smiled. This caused all the surrounding Cultivators to let out a cheer. What none of them could see, however, was that beneath Wang Tengfei's smile was concealed the bitter pain of loss and defeat.

At that moment, Shangguan Xiu appeared in the crowd, glaring menacingly at Meng Hao.

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Chapter 29: Inner Sect Training

Yin Tianlong's face fell as he looked at the character 'eight' on the jade slip in front of him. Hands behind his back, he used his Wind Walking technique to float up onto the platform.

The moment his feet touched down, Wang Tengfei lifted his right foot, and suddenly the entire platform began to vibrate with a loud hum, as if some sort of blast was accumulating from all corners. Wang Tengfei didn't move, but the massive invisible force shot toward Yin Tianlong.

When he saw this, Yin Tianlong's face changed. Wang Tengfei had not even moved, yet the massive pressure bearing down on Yin Tianlong was already making it difficult for him to circulate his spiritual energy.

"I admit defeat…" he said immediately and without hesitation. Apparently, he didn't want to hear any comments about his decision. Saluting deeply with cupped hands, he leaped off the platform and left the square.

Grand Elder Ouyang remained expressionless. Slowly, he spoke again: "Wang Tengfei is victorious. Second match: numbers two and seven."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Fatty looked at the character 'two' written on his jade slip and began to tremble. At the same time, the scar-faced Cultivator of the fifth level of Qi Condensation glared coldly at him, then stepped onto the platform.

"Just walk up and then admit defeat," Meng Hao said to him in a low voice, pushing him forward. Fatty's ball-like body flew up onto the platform.

As soon as he landed, he immediately said: "Admit defeat…" He dared not speak three words, only two, and yet the scar-faced Cultivator's eyes flickered with murderous intent. Before Fatty could finish speaking, he lifted up his hand. A flying sword shot screaming toward Fatty at incredible speed. By the time Fatty said 'admit,' it was two meters from his throat.

By the time it was obvious what was happening, it was too late. Meng Hao's face changed and he shot to his feet. At the same time, Grand Elder Ouyang flicked an object out with his fingers. Right before the flying sword penetrated Fatty's throat, a ringing sound could be heard and the sword flew away. Fatty was left with a small nick on his neck.

Fatty took a step back, his face pale. Then he jumped down and returned to Meng Hao, so scared that his legs were like rubber. He had never before experienced the closeness of death in such a way.

Meng Hao looked at the line of blood on Fatty's neck, and a murderous look appeared in his eyes. His opponent had attacked with extreme ruthlessness and an obvious desire to kill. Were Meng Hao his opponent that would have been fine, but Fatty's Cultivation base was too low. To attack him in such a way was going too far.

Looking around, Meng Hao caught sight of Shangguan Xiu standing in the distance, his grim face filled with murder. Flames of fury burst out in Meng Hao's heart. He had never done anything to offend Master Uncle Shangguan; Master Uncle Shangguan was the aggressor, the one who attacked with deadly force.

In all his years in the Reliance Sect, Meng Hao had never revealed an intense desire to kill. But now, his eyes shone with clear killing intent.

What had just happened was so obviously fishy that even the surrounding Cultivators could tell. One after another, they began to look at Meng Hao. Discussions broke out.

"Next match, numbers three and six," said Grand Elder Ouyang with a frown.

Han Zong stood, the number three jade slip in his hand. As he walked past Meng Hao, he whispered, "You offended Master Uncle Shangguan. You won't be the only one to die today. Your friend will die too." You could say that other than a Grand Elder, Shangguan Xiu was the most powerful and influential member of the Sect.

Because of the decline of the Reliance Sect, its numbers were few. The chaos of the Sect rules, and mutual slaughter among the Outer Sect disciples, all of this, was because the Reliance Sect was at the end of an era, and just wasn't like it used to be.

There were fewer medicinal pills, so how could they be distributed fairly… There were not many Spirit Condensation Pills, so of course they became objects of deadly struggle between the disciples who wished to consume them.

So, let there be chaos. Every man for himself. Whether it be members of the first level of Qi Condensation or the fifth, let chaos rule, and death. There was no fairness here; life and death were determined by destiny. There were no sermons, no one giving instruction on how to practice cultivation. There was only the Qi Condensation manual. Whether you were a worm or a dragon, you could only rely on your luck. If you succeeded, you lived. If you failed, you died. If you were tough, you survived. If you were weak, you didn't.

Whoever could kill their way to the end of the path would become an Inner Sect disciple, and then be a true member of the Reliance Sect and Elder Ouyang's true student.

In the past, Sect Leader He Luohua had been focused on making the Sect more powerful. But weighed down by the pressures of reality, he had completely exhausted himself, and had long since hidden away in seclusion. Grand Elder Ouyang had a soft personality, and as far as his Cultivation went, he was in his later years of longevity, with not much time left. Therefore, he didn't have much energy to spend time on the Sect.

Among the Inner Sect disciples, Elder Sister Xu was usually in secluded meditation. With her cold personality, she didn't pay much attention to Sect affairs. Elder Brother Chen was primarily focused on the Dao, and didn't participate in Sect matters. Circumstances as such, only Shangguan Xiu remained.

His Cultivation base was at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, and he was over ninety years of age. He had served the Sect well, and could not help but become the Master Uncle to the disciples of the Sect. But the Sect was in decline. Were this some other Sect, considering he was still in the Qi Condensation stage, he would never be called Master Uncle.

Meng Hao watched Han Zong as he flashed up onto the platform. His opponent was Zhou Kai, and it seemed this would be no life and death battle. Zhou Kai immediately admitted defeat, and the match was over.

The last match of the first round had arrived. Meng Hao stood and flew up onto the platform. His opponent was the tall, strong man who had a Qi Condensation of the fifth level. His aura radiated murder, and from the look of him, he had experienced many bloody battles.

He looked at Meng Hao and growled, running straight toward him, his body expanding. He raised his hand, and instantly, a shining battle-ax appeared. This was clearly no ordinary object.

His face dark, Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding. A swift, sharp flying sword appeared and shot forward. But by the time it was about two meters away from the big man, a soft shield appeared, blocking the flying sword.

"You're gonna die today!" said the big man with a hideous grin. Before coming to the training, Shangguan Xiu had given him a magical item. Even if Meng Hao's Cultivation base was a bit higher than his, he didn't have anything to worry about.

"Boom," said Meng Hao coolly, his facial expression the same as ever. The flying sword exploded with a bang, sending the big man flying backwards. The shield in front of him flickered, preventing him from being injured.

Laughing, he charged again. But Meng Hao was faster. He dashed forward, slapping his bag of holding. Two flying swords appeared, shot forward and then exploded. The blast reverberated, and the shield bent. The big man's face changed, and before he could even react, four more flying sword shot forth. A massive explosion rang out, and the shield was ripped to pieces. The attack stabbed through, directly into the big man's chest. He let out a miserable cry and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before his body could hit the ground, another flying sword shot forth from Meng Hao, glittering as it stabbed into the man's throat. He fell twitching to the ground in a pool of blood, dead.

Since entering the Sect, Meng Hao had not killed very many people. But this time he had slain the man with vicious ruthlessness. He floated down from the platform, giving Han Zong a cold glance.

"Next, you die," he said, sitting down cross-legged and closing his eyes.

Han Zong's pupils constricted and his killing intent grew stronger.

A buzz of discussion rose from the surrounding Cultivators as they recovered from watching the scene. They had been shaken by its bloodiness.

"Meng Hao is victorious. The first match of round two is Wang Tengfei and Xu Ge." Grand Elder Ouyang's voice was cool, as if he hadn't even noticed the reek of blood in the air.

Xu Ge was the Cultivator who had tried to kill Fatty moments ago. As soon as he stepped foot on the platform, he admitted defeat. Giving Wang Tengfei a respectful salute, he turned and left the square as quickly as possible.

At this point, everyone could see that be it Han Zong or the four Cultivators of the fifth level, their goal was not to be promoted, but rather to kill Meng Hao.

"Match two, Meng Hao and Han Zong." Grand Elder Ouyang looked intently at Meng Hao, and as soon as he finished speaking, silence prevailed. Everyone stared at Meng Hao and Han Zong.

Meng Hao looked as somber as ever as he stepped onto the platform. Han Zong arrived at almost exactly the same time. No introductory remarks were necessary. They both attacked at the same time.

A thunderous sound rang out as three flying swords appeared, circling around Meng Hao. A shield appeared, revolving around Han Zong, and in front of him appeared a glowing, five-colored banner. It instantly swept toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao said nothing. As the five-colored banner approached, he didn't retreat. He lifted his left hand, and instantly, a fifteen-meter long Flame Serpent appeared. It roared and flew forward. The Flame Serpent didn't appear to be just a snake, but more like a python. Blistering heat radiated out from it as it flew.

At the same time, Meng Hao's right hand slapped his bag of holding; six flying swords appeared and shot forward.

Han Zong laughed coldly, his eyes shining with murderous intent. He took a step forward, then slapped his left hand onto the ground. When he stood, a deep rumble could be heard, and the entire platform began to shake. In front of him suddenly appeared a Stone Golem, approximately three meters tall. With a roar, the Stone Golem charged forward at incredible speed. When it slammed into the Flame Serpent, a massive explosion thundered across the platform.

Amidst the roar, the five-colored banner shot forward, approaching Meng Hao's flying swords. Han Zong's eyes glittered brightly.

"Five Radiances Art!"

As soon as the words were out of Han Zong's mouth, the five-colored banner suddenly shook, and then began to shine brightly in all directions. A two-colored stream of mist shot out from it, transforming into two Spirit creatures, who charged toward Meng Hao with shrill screams. The second of the two Mist Spirits was only partly visible; obviously because of his Cultivation base level, Han Zong was limited in his ability to use this art.

As soon as the two-colored Mist Spirits appeared, the surrounding Cultivators cried out in astonishment.

"That's Master Uncle Shangguan's consummate Five Radiances Art! They say it's one of the most powerful arts for Sect members who haven't Perfected their Foundations. Brother Han Zong can only summon two of the colors!"

"So Han Zong can use this art! Yeah, it must be because of that banner. Could it be a magic item provided by Master Uncle Shangguan?"

Emitting shrill, ear-piercing cries, the two-colored Mist Spirits shot toward Meng Hao with irresistible force. The moment his six flying swords touched them, the swords shattered into pieces.

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Chapter 30: Kill Han Zong, Battle Wang Tengfei!

Standing in the square beneath the platform, Shangguan Xiu's lips twisted with a grim smile. He didn't care at all whether Meng Hao lived or died. He only wanted the treasures within in Meng Hao's bag of holding.

After Meng Hao had registered for the Inner Sect promotion training, he had gone to find Zhou and Yin to inquire after the events which had occurred in the black mountain. He knew that Meng Hao had provoked masses of Demonic beasts with some supposed Demonic magic.

Shangguan Xiu was convinced that it was no Demonic magic, but rather a magical treasure.

Meng Hao's eyes narrowed. He watched the two-colored Mist Spirits approaching. He raised his left hand and waved it in front of him. An invisible Wind Blade appeared and shot toward the Mist Spirits at high speed.

At the same time, Meng Hao quickly swallowed a handful of Demonic Cores, then slapped his bag of holding and flicked his sleeve. A stream of sword auras flew from the bag. In the blink of an eye, twenty had appeared, filling the air. It was quite shocking. The swords also shot toward the two-colored Mist Spirits.

Many of the flying swords appeared to be in bad condition or of different colors.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding Cultivators gasped with astonishment, but before they could even begin to discuss the matter amongst themselves, the Wind Blade reached the Mist Spirits, and a bang rang out. The Mist Spirits vibrated. Then, the flying swords hit, and two miserable shrieks could be heard. The two-colored Mist Spirits were extraordinary, but there were just too many swords.

The Mist Spirits were torn to pieces, and the swords continued on to slash into the five-colored banner. A massive explosion occurred and the banner disintegrated, along with about half of the swords. Han Zong watched on, stupefied. Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding, swallowing another Demonic Core and produced ten more flying swords, which shot forward.

Han Zong had never imagined Meng Hao would have so many flying swords. He retreated backwards, waving his right hand. A shining, two-layered shield appeared around him. But he was still concerned. The hairs on his body stood on end, and his skin felt numb. He knew that life and death hung in the balance here. His right hand moved again, and a jade pendant appeared in front of him, adding another layer of shielding around him. With three shields in place, he felt a bit better.

Then, the sword rain descended. Sword auras flashed ceaselessly. They slammed over and over into the first shield layer, and it shattered almost immediately. Shortly after that, the second shield layer broke into pieces, unable withstand the sword rain.

"How can he have so many flying swords!?" Han Zong's pupils constricted, and he looked terrified. He retreated further.

In the blink of an eye, the third shield fell apart, and the jade pendant split into pieces, unable to hold up against the multitude of swords. And then the sword rain descended upon Han Zong, and he screamed. Sword after sword stabbed into him. They lifted his corpse up into the air, then slammed it back down onto the platform. He twitched a few times, then rattled out his final breath. He had so many swords sticking into him that he looked like a hedgehog. Everyone watching gasped, their faces filled with astonishment.

"How… how.. how can there be so many flying swords!?"

"So many flying swords, no wonder he owns a shop. A few days ago I saw him sell at least ten! He hasn't just been selling medicinal pills, recently. He's also been selling magical items."

"Meng Hao must have had some sort of windfall. His Cultivation base has grown incredibly fast. Maybe he obtained a bunch of treasures in some sort of adventure." The buzz of discussion filled the air, and as it did, Shangguan Xiu frowned, his face dark.

Meng Hao stood on the platform, face pale. He still had some spiritual energy left. His attacks, especially the last one involved twenty flying swords, had quickly drained him. He was only at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, after all. Fortunately, he had been consuming Demonic Cores throughout the battle to replenish himself. This made his attacks even more effective. Meng Hao had invented this fighting method himself, and was quite familiar with it, having practiced it often.

He waved his right hand, and the swords lifted up from Han Zong's body and returned to him, dripping blood along the way. They circled around his body before returning to his bag of holding.

He descended from the platform and sat down cross-legged next to Fatty. He popped a Demonic Core into his mouth and felt it dissolve. He didn't care if people saw him consuming so many. As far as they were concerned, after the affair at the black mountain, he should have been able to acquire quite a few Demonic Cores.

Furthermore, he had another battle to be concerned about. The humiliation he had endured under Wang Tengfei's four finger attacks would be repaid today in full measure. He had been waiting for this day a long time!

Grand Elder Ouyang looked at Meng Hao, his eyes filled with obvious approval. His admiration of Meng Hao had continued to grow from the day he entered the Sect. In his eyes, Meng Hao was growing up. His face radiated contentment.

Grand Elder Ouyang didn't care what stroke of good fortune Meng Hao had. As a Cultivator, good fortune was a blessing dictated by fate. He especially liked people who were blessed with good fortune. His smile filled with kindness, but inside, he felt regret and nervousness.

"Regardless of who lives or dies in the battles of the Inner Sect training, Wang Tengfei's latent talent is something rarely seen in the span of a hundred years. His Cultivation base is extraordinary at this young age. If he manages to perfect his foundation, he will be a talent rarely seen even during the Sect's glory days. Meng Hao just isn't a match for him…." He sighed.

Standing there in the crowd, Shangguan Xiu's face grew even grimmer. He narrowed his eyes.

He had never imagined that Meng Hao would be able to defeat Han Zong, especially since he'd bestowed a powerful treasure to him. The power of the Mist Spirits summoned by the five-colored banner should have been able to destroy Meng Hao with no problem.

And yet Meng Hao's dozens of flying swords had ripped it to shreds. Even Shangguan Xiu had been shocked to see so many flying swords. Even though they were low-level swords, they were still sharp. Even scrap iron in such large numbers could shock and amaze.

At this moment, far away on the East Mountain, stood a middle-aged man of approximately forty years of age. He wore a black robe and had the look of a scholar. As he watched the battle unfold in the Outer Sect square, his eyes filled with strange light and came to focus on Meng Hao.

"This kid… He wasn't worth noticing before. His latent talent is nothing extraordinary, but he seems to possess incredible good fortune." This man was none other than the amazingly powerful Sect Leader He Luohua, who had already reached Core Formation.

"If he wasn't up against Wang Tengfei, this kid might be able to join the Inner Sect. But it's Wang Tengfei… it will be difficult." He Luohua watched Meng Hao with kind eyes. As a Core Formation Cultivator, and the Sect Leader of the Reliance Sect, he didn't pay much attention to the twists of fate and fortune that occurred amongst disciples who still practiced Qi Condensation. Things would play out naturally.

If a disciple was lucky, then he would be happy. But with Wang Tengfei present, He Luohua didn't give much stock to Meng Hao's chances to gain victory.

"It's too bad there are only three pieces of Vorpal Jade… Wang Tengfei's spot was decided upon long ago, otherwise…" He Luohua shook his head, trying to decide whether or not to intervene if it seemed Meng Hao would die. He sighed.

Time slipped by. Grand Elder Ouyang watched on in approval as Meng Hao's spiritual energy slowly restored. He was clearly showing partiality to Meng Hao, but none of the onlookers dared say anything.

As for Wang Tengfei, he didn't pay attention to anyone. Even though Meng Hao's rapid advancement in Cultivation base was astounding, Wang Tengfei didn't think about it too much because of Grand Elder Ouyang's intervention that time. Deep in Wang Tengfei's heart, he didn't think or even consider it possible that Meng Hao could be the person who took his treasures. He was convinced that it was the other dim light he had seen.

Thinking of this, Wang Tengfei's heart throbbed with pain, and he nearly wept tears of blood. As of now, the Legacy had nothing to do with him. He could not sense even a sliver of it. He was an outsider as far as it was concerned. Even if the person who now possessed it stood in front of him, he would have no idea.

"The Legacy is no longer mine, but the treasure…" Wang Tengfei's hands clenched into fists. He had only been able to catch a glimpse of the sword from a distance. Other than that, he had only been able to read about it in the ancient records. He didn't even know what it could do. He only knew that the ancient records stated clearly that the sword was one of a kind, and that its spiritual power could overwhelm everything in heaven and earth.

He had planned to thoroughly study it after acquiring it, but now… all of that was just wishful thinking.

Wang Tengfei closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sitting there cross-legged, he appeared as mild and gentle as ever, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"I am Wang Tengfei. Even though the Legacy and the treasure were stolen away, the Reliance Inner Sect belongs to me. It is the second of my main goals. Even without the treasure or Legacy, I will join the detestable Inner Sect of the Reliance Sect. That will be my fortune!

"One defeat is nothing! I am Wang Tengfei!" On the outside he was peaceful and calm, so he forced himself to be equally calm on the inside, to emerge from the depths of defeat.

He was arrogant because he was Wang Tengfei, a perfect, blessed god, Chosen.

He was indifferent because he knew that the Inner Sect training had been opened especially for him, and was merely a show, carried out simply to comply with Sect Rules. From the moment he had entered the Reliance Sect, he was different. To the members of the Outer Sect, he had long since already become a member of the Inner Sect.

He was calm because he didn't care a bit about the Reliance Sect. A small Sect like this meant nothing to him. Even a single member of his Clan could lay waste to the entire Sect. Were it not for his insistence to come to this backwater State of Zhao, he would never be here. Not considering his status. He should be shaking heaven and earth back home in his powerful Clan.

So he was arrogant, indifferent and calm. He let the time pass, allowing this person whose name he could not even remember to recover his Cultivation base.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, and then Meng Hao suddenly opened his eyes. They glittered with the desire for battle. He had killed a man of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. He had killed Han Zong. Never before had he killed so many people in one day. But his heart filled with anticipation. He would place Wang Tengfei underfoot and repay in full the humiliation he had endured that day.

Without a word, Meng Hao slowly stood up.

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