Chapter 96: When a Lifespan Finally Reaches Its End

Qin Haoxuan knew his senior brother was looking out for him. Remembering he had sold all his powder and had none left for himself, he gave a sheepish grin. “Senior Brother Pu, could I borrow a few stalks of Qi-Circulating Grass?”

Pu Hanzhong knew exactly what he was planning. He unhesitatingly pulled out several stalks and pressed them into his hand. “We’re brothers,” he said. “Don’t use words like ‘borrow’ with me. Take these, and if you need more, just ask.” After giving him the grass, he hesitated, but then spoke. “Junior Brother Qin, while you’re refining powders, you must not neglect your own cultivation. Remember, these things are just aids. Only by advancing your realm can you extend your lifespan.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded solemnly. “I know my priorities, Senior Brother. Don’t worry.”

As always, he walked Pu Hanzhong to the door. This simple, unconscious gesture of respect always warmed his senior brother’s heart. He could feel that it was genuine, not the fawning of someone who wanted something from him.

Just as he was about to head back inside, he ran into Xu Yu, who had been looking for him. Her expression was a strange mixture of worry and joy.

“Brother Haoxuan, I was just coming to find you!” she called out, running toward him like she was greeting a long-lost relative.

“It’s cold out here, let’s talk inside,” he said, noticing the slight furrow of her brow. Once they were in his room with the door closed, he asked, “What’s wrong, Little Sister Yu? You seem a little down today.”

“The Sect Master, Perfected Man Huanglong, summoned me today,” she said, resting her chin on her delicate hand. “He asked me how I refined that Qi-Circulating Powder.”

“And what did you tell him?” Qin Haoxuan asked, tensing up.

“I just said I refined it normally, and that I didn’t know why the effect was so good,” she said, sticking out her tongue playfully to reassure him. “He didn’t quite believe me, but he didn’t press the issue. He just told me to refine more when I have the time, but to focus on my cultivation. And… he wants me to write down the formula next time.”

Qin Haoxuan breathed a sigh of relief. As an Unsurpassed Purple Seed, Xu Yu was allowed to have her secrets. If it had been him, the Sect Master would have surely used any means necessary to force the recipe out of him on the spot. “If anyone asks again, just stick to that story,” he advised. “There’s no real secret to it, you just used a higher-quality medicinal essence as a supplement.” For a Purple Seed to possess such an item would be considered normal.

Xu Yu smiled and nodded, a look of adoration in her eyes. She loved how her Brother Haoxuan could remain so calm, as if the heavens themselves could fall and he wouldn’t bat an eye. “Oh, right,” she added, “the Sect Master also gave me a few stalks of Qi-Circulating Grass.”

Qin Haoxuan took them with a smile. “He wants you to refine more. I’ll make some for you tonight. That way, if he asks again, you’ll have something to show him.”

She nodded, a playful look on her face. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Haoxuan. I feel a little bad, taking all the credit for your hard work.” But from the look on her face, he could tell she didn’t feel bad at all. He just gave her a fond tap on the head.

After she left, he began to extract the essence from the high-grade ruined pill once more. The process was familiar now. But this time, the essence that flowed out was not pure gold, but golden with a hint of reddish-yellow.

Its potency, however, was even purer than the last batch. He realized it was the essence of a different spirit herb from the pill’s original formula. He filled another twenty bottles and then studied the pill’s impossibly complex internal structure, the desire to learn alchemy burning in him more fiercely than ever.

If I could refine a pill like this, he thought, how smooth would my cultivation path be? He shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic thought. His priority now was to grow his first leaf.

He spent some time refining another ten packets of powder. They, too, had a reddish-gold hue, but were just as potent.

He took one and began to cultivate. Every evening, Pu Hanzhong would remind him to practice diligently, that a cultivator’s lifespan was their foundation.

This constant encouragement, combined with his own diligent nature, made him train like a tireless cultivation monster. The basin-sized vortex above his head spun frantically, funneling spiritual energy into his Immortal Sprout.

After the three-hour effect wore off, seeing that it was still the middle of the night, he decided to visit the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley.

He was increasingly aware of the importance of his Spiritual Sense. It could be used in the Art of Essence Extraction, and it could be used as a weapon, a lifesaver in a critical moment.

He found that whenever he pushed his Spiritual Sense to the brink of exhaustion, after a day of rest, it would always be a little stronger, a faint but perceptible growth.

He headed straight for the giant ape’s skeleton. Under the dual pressure of the valley and the skeleton’s aura, he began to search for treasure again.

Though he had found nothing for a long time, he was convinced there were still treasures to be found, that his current inability to find them was just a sign that his cultivation was too low to venture deeper.

After exhausting his Spiritual Sense, he returned to his room, content with his training even if he had found no treasure.

As the sun rose on a new day, he opened his door and saw his senior brother, Pu Hanzhong, who had just returned from outside. His complexion looked even worse than the day before.

“Senior Brother, are you alright?” he asked with concern.

Pu Hanzhong coughed, then let out a long sigh. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice heavy. “But Master is not.”

“What’s wrong with Master?” Qin Haoxuan’s heart tightened.

“His lifespan… is almost at an end,” Pu said, his words catching in another fit of violent coughing. “Eldest Senior Brother said that if we can’t find a life-extending spirit herb, he will pass on in two or three years at most.”

His face was filled with a bleak sorrow. “Master has been so good to us. We can’t just stand by and watch him die. All the senior brothers of the Nature Hall are trying to find a way.”

The news struck Qin Haoxuan like a bolt of lightning, a chill spreading through his limbs. He had only met Xuanji twice, but the man’s kindness had left a deep impression.

He knew that the only reason the Nature Hall had survived, squeezed between the four great halls, was because of its master. He was their backbone, the one who sheltered them from the worst of the bullying and oppression. Without him, the hall might not even exist.

Thinking of his master’s impending death, Pu Hanzhong, a man of fifty, could no longer hold back his grief. Tears welled in his eyes.

A true man does not cry easily, but watching his senior brother’s tears trace paths through the deep wrinkles on his face, Qin Haoxuan didn’t know what to say. He simply put a hand on his shoulder. “Senior Brother, I am also part of the Nature Hall. If there is anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

Pu managed a weak smile, touched by the gesture, but what could a new disciple possibly do? He stood up and sighed. He noticed the used-up furnace on Qin Haoxuan’s table, its bottom caked with dross. He silently took out a new one and replaced it.

“Junior Brother,” he said, his voice laced with bitterness, “during this trial, your expenses are supposed to be covered by me. But because of Master’s condition, the other senior brothers and I are pooling all our spirit stones to try and buy a life-extending medicine. From now on, I won’t be able to support you financially.”

(End of Chapter)