Chapter 17: The Lava Cellar, A Cultivator’s Paradise

As long as one didn’t commit a grave sin like betraying the sect or murdering someone, minor offenses were usually punished with 10 to 15 days of confinement. It sounded easy enough, but the mere mention of the word “confinement” made the disciples of the Taichu Sect turn pale. Those who had actually been there would rather die than return to that dreadful place.

Two groups of Discipline Squad disciples escorted Yuan Shanhu’s group and Qin Haoxuan separately towards the confinement area. Feeling the pitiful gazes of the passersby, Yuan Shanhu and his two friends, their faces already long, trembled with fear. Qin Haoxuan, on the other hand, felt a mix of apprehension and anticipation. Just how terrifying were this Lava Cellar and Frostcliff that their names alone could inspire such fear?

The confinement area was not far from the Spirit Field Valley. After a narrow, winding path, they came to a beautiful, spiritually rich mountain. This was the famous confinement mountain of the Taichu Sect, also known as Reflection Peak.

With tens of thousands of disciples in the sect, there were always some being punished. To prevent them from forming gangs and causing chaos, the far-sighted ancestors of the Taichu Sect had used their great powers to carve out numerous confinement spots within the belly of Reflection Peak. Places like the Lava Cellar, the Frostcliff, the Grotto of Blades, and countless others were established. Each location could hold more than a dozen people, ensuring that repeat offenders could enjoy a different “treatment” each time, which also greatly reduced the risk of mismanagement.

As they approached Reflection Peak, Yuan Shanhu, who had been confined before, looked at the dark, two-meter-high entrance halfway up the mountainside. The memory of his past confinement resurfaced, and he began to tremble uncontrollably, all of his previous arrogance gone. Zhang San and Li Si were drenched in a cold sweat.

A disciple from the Discipline Squad reminded them coldly, “The Lava Cellar and the Frostcliff are both inside Reflection Peak. The mountain is a world of its own, and the environment is different from the outside. You will encounter various dangers, especially in the passages. You must circulate your energy to resist. If you can’t handle it, call for help, and we will assist you.”

Following the stone steps up the mountainside, Qin Haoxuan looked at the entrance, which appeared no different from an ordinary cave. Yet, he felt an immense sense of pressure. The entrance was like the gaping maw of an ancient beast, ready to devour everything.

Under the stern gaze of the enforcers, Yuan Shanhu’s group, despite the sharp pain from their broken bones, forced themselves to enter the terrifying mountain. Qin Haoxuan followed close behind. As they stepped inside, the dark passage suddenly opened up. Before them was not a narrow path but a grand avenue, four to five meters wide and impossibly deep. Torches were placed every meter along the walls, their flickering, dim light casting dancing shadows and making the place even more sinister.

Between every two torches was a small door. Behind each of these unassuming doors lay one of the dreaded confinement spots, with its name inscribed above: The Grotto of Blades, The Vale of Razorwinds, Lightning Gorge.

With each door they passed, they could feel a terrifying aura seeping out. As they passed the Grotto of Blades, several sharp waves of blade qi shot through the door. If not for the earlier warning, Yuan Shanhu’s group might have been injured. They quickly shielded their bodies with their energy. Qin Haoxuan, however, was protected by one of the enforcers who nullified the attack. His current strength was not enough to block it, but as someone backed by two Purple Seeds, the elders had given strict orders that no harm was to come to him.

Seeing the intimidating names and feeling the ominous atmosphere, Yuan Shanhu’s group, already pale with fear, were on the verge of tears. Already injured, spending 15 days in such a place was a death sentence.

After passing a dozen or so doors, Yuan Shanhu’s group was pushed into the one marked “The Frostcliff.” Qin Haoxuan’s destination, the Lava Cellar, was directly opposite.

As he stepped through the door to the Lava Cellar, a wave of heat washed over him. The temperature was uncomfortable and made it hard to breathe, but it wasn’t life-threatening. The enforcers who had protected him all this way saw no need to continue. Instead, they watched him with mocking expressions, curious to see what was so special about the person two Purple Seeds were protecting.

Behind the door was a narrow, dark tunnel leading down. The further they went, the heavier the heat became. After about 500 meters, even the enforcers who hadn’t activated their spiritual protection began to sweat. Yet, Qin Haoxuan seemed completely unaffected, as if he was enjoying the heat.

The reason was simple: the heat, instead of feeling oppressive, was like a refreshing breeze to him, soothing the unbearable burning inside his body.

The enforcers sneered at him. Let’s see how long you can last.

As they descended deeper, the temperature continued to rise, and the heatwaves did more to counteract the fire inside him. An ordinary person would have their lungs scalded with a single breath. The waves of heat that could singe hair felt like a cool summer breeze on Qin Haoxuan’s skin. It was so wonderful that he felt a surge of gratitude towards the elders who had sent him here. This place, a hell in others’ eyes, was a paradise for him.

At the end of the long corridor was a large iron door with a lock made of refined steel. Without a key, no one but the most powerful experts could open it.

The enforcer unlocked the door, shoved Qin Haoxuan inside, and then slammed it shut with a loud clang. They then peeked through a slit in the door to watch.

Every newcomer received a “welcoming party.” No exceptions.

Before Qin Haoxuan could even get his bearings, a large blanket was thrown over his head. A group of people swarmed him, raining down punches and kicks.

He hadn’t even had a chance to see his surroundings or how many people were in the cell before he was inexplicably beaten.

Ever since he had arrived at Great Islet Mountain, he had been bullied by Li Jing’s group, looked down upon by Zhang Kuang, and assaulted by Yuan Shanhu’s gang. If not for his incredible luck, he would have been half-dead by now.

He had hoped for a few quiet days in the Lava Cellar to focus on his cultivation, but he was ambushed the moment he walked in. The cumulative frustration would have angered a saint, let alone a hot-blooded young man like Qin Haoxuan.

This beating, in particular, ignited his fury.

“Huh, it doesn’t hurt?” Enraged, Qin Haoxuan was about to throw off the blanket and fight back when he realized that their blows felt like a massage. Not only did it not hurt, but the unbearable heat in his body seemed to lessen with each strike.

It was comfortable. The beating, though not as effective as Yuan Shanhu’s spiritual attacks, still felt incredibly good.

Qin Haoxuan immediately abandoned all thoughts of resistance. He shifted into a more comfortable position and lay on the ground like a limp doll, enjoying the “massage.” The combination of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus’s power and the miraculous Body Tempering Cultivation of the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art made this “welcoming party” an incredibly enjoyable experience. He almost wished they would hit him harder.

In the Lava Cellar, even the slightest movement caused one to sweat profusely. After such a strenuous beating, the attackers were all drenched.

“This kid looks like a low-level cultivator. We’ve been hitting him for so long, and he hasn’t made a sound. Did we kill him?”

Finally, a lean man wiped the sweat from his brow and voiced his concern, which was shared by the others.

In a place like this, even breathing freely was difficult. Being covered by a blanket and beaten so severely would be too much even for a Spirit Sprout Realm disciple.

The group stopped and pulled off the tattered blanket. They saw Qin Haoxuan, his face serene, his breathing steady and long, without a single bruise on his body. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying himself. This was completely different from the dead or suffocated boy they had expected to see.

What… what was going on?

If he were a high-level expert, it might make sense. But no matter how they looked at him, he was just a fledgling in the early stages of the Immortal Seed Realm.

Although they hadn’t used spiritual energy, their blows should have been enough to half-kill him.

As they stared in confusion, the heat in Qin Haoxuan’s body began to rise again. He opened his eyes and finally took in his surroundings. There were only stone walls and a dozen or so other prisoners. Most were shirtless, their bodies glistening with sweat.

These men were mostly at the Second or Third-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm. After the beating, they were all panting and exhausted, yet their victim was calmly looking around. This infuriated them.

“We worked so hard, and this kid didn’t even scream. Fine, have a taste of my Inferno Burst!” a burly man roared. He quickly formed a series of hand seals. The temperature around him shot up, and spiritual energy surged. A small fireball appeared in his hand and shot towards Qin Haoxuan, exploding on impact like a brilliant firework.

The Inferno Burst was a low-level spiritual technique and wasn’t powerful enough to kill, but it was more than enough to seriously injure a late-stage Immortal Seed Realm disciple. It should have been enough to half-kill someone at Qin Haoxuan’s level.

“Old Ye, don’t be too rough. The new kid has only been in the sect for a few days. It wouldn’t be good if you killed him,” a gruff voice said, followed by a burst of laughter.

“Mmmph…”

A comfortable groan escaped Qin Haoxuan’s lips. The Inferno Burst had left him completely unharmed; in fact, he enjoyed it even more.

The man called Old Ye felt he had lost all face. He unleashed one spiritual technique after another at Qin Haoxuan. The others, seeing this, eagerly joined in. The small Lava Cellar was soon filled with a storm of spiritual techniques—flames, wind blades, and hail—all crashing down on Qin Haoxuan.

They could never have imagined that their attacks, instead of hurting him, were actually tempering his body for free, driving the medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus into his organs and bone marrow. The heat was completely dispelled, and he felt an indescribable comfort.

The bombardment lasted for a full quarter of an hour. The attackers, their spiritual energy depleted, collapsed to the ground, exhausted. They stared at Qin Haoxuan with the eyes of someone looking at a monster. Even a Third-Leaf Spirit Sprout expert would be dead or crippled after such an assault, yet this kid looked completely refreshed.

“Have you all had enough?” Qin Haoxuan stood up, rolling his neck and cracking his knuckles. His face was cold. Although the beating had felt good, he knew that if he were an ordinary person, he would have been dead or crippled by this unprovoked attack.

“If you have, then… it’s my turn.”