Chapter 143: The Long Immortal Path of Entering the Mortal World

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“I did a quick count before we came out. We obtained a total of two hundred drops of Spirit Liquid. Elder Chi Lian of the Ancient Cloud Hall also knows about this, and he will certainly not let the matter rest. Furthermore, if the sect finds out we’ve privately hidden this much, we will surely be put to death.” Ye Yiming frowned, but his expression quickly relaxed. “But with this Spirit Liquid, we no longer have to worry about our Master’s lifespan. It’s a pity we don’t know how to refine Lifespan Pills, and how to use the liquid is also a problem.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded. Handling these items improperly would be very troublesome. Whether it was the Thousand-Mile Mirror, the Spirit Liquid, or the Aqueous Manor Token, if word got out, they would certainly be confiscated by the sect, and both he and Ye Yiming would be executed. And on top of that, there was still Master Chi Lian, who knew the inside story and was watching them like a tiger.

After a moment’s thought, Ye Yiming suggested, “Why don’t we put them with our Master?”

Qin Haoxuan shook his head, rejecting the proposal. “These things, especially the Spirit Liquid, are considered forbidden items by the Sect Master and the Elder’s Council. And that Master Chi Lian was willing to kill his own disciples to get his hands on it; he is determined to obtain it. If we put it with our Master and he is discovered, he will be implicated, and eventually, the entire Nature Hall will suffer.”

Ye Yiming realized he had a point. After a moment, his expression turned solemn. He said to Qin Haoxuan, “Junior Brother Qin, then let me keep these things. If I am discovered, it will not involve you. Whenever you need to use them, you can just come and get them from me. If something should happen to me, I ask you to take good care of our Master and our fellow disciples in my place.”

If anyone else had said such words, they would surely be coveting the treasures. But Qin Haoxuan knew Ye Yiming. He was definitely not a greedy person; he was genuinely offering to take all the risk. If the matter were exposed, he would take all the blame and would absolutely not implicate him.

Qin Haoxuan was deeply moved. First, there was Pu Hanzhong, and now Ye Yiming. Both were willing to risk their lives to protect him.

Every person in the Nature Hall gave him the warmth of a family member.

Qin Haoxuan still shook his head. With a sincere and slightly moved expression, he said, “Senior Brother, it’s better if I keep these things. It’s not that I don’t trust you. My other skills may not be great, but you’ve seen my ability to hide things. You’re definitely not as good as me.”

Ye Yiming looked at his earnest expression, knowing his concern for his safety was genuine. He then thought about Qin Haoxuan’s many secrets, which he had managed to hide until now. His methods of concealment were certainly better than his own. It was indeed safer for him to keep the items.

“Alright. Then you must be extra careful. As for the method of refining Lifespan Pills, I will go and ask around these next few days. Then we can refine some for our Master to extend his life.”

His words were once again rejected by Qin Haoxuan. “Senior Brother, I don’t think that’s feasible. We just came out of the Aqueous Manor. If you go around asking about Lifespan Pills now, anyone with ill intentions who hears of it will suspect we’ve hidden some Spirit Liquid. It would be troublesome if that were to attract an investigation from the sect.”

Ye Yiming immediately became anxious. Although he felt that Qin Haoxuan was right, their Master did not have much time left. What would they do if they couldn’t extend his life?

Sensing his anxiety, Qin Haoxuan thought for a moment and said, “For now, let’s incorporate some of the Spirit Liquid into the Qi-Circulating Powder and give it to our Master for emergency use. Although it will waste a lot of the medicinal efficacy, it’s still better than having him consume it directly.”

Without the recipe for Lifespan Pills, this seemed to be the only option. Moreover, this junior brother of his was truly skilled at refining medicinal powders. If he could integrate the Spirit Liquid into his special powder, it would not only help their Master absorb spiritual energy faster but would also have the effect of extending his life.

“Alright, then I will have to trouble you, Junior Brother Qin,” Ye Yiming said with a deep, solemn bow. Qin Haoxuan quickly helped him up, saying he was unworthy of such a gesture. He was deeply moved by the filial piety Ye Yiming showed towards their master.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Brother Haoxuan, it’s me.” It was Xu Yu’s voice.

Qin Haoxuan opened the door, and her smiling face appeared before him.

Upon entering, she cautiously took out the small snake, the Formless Sword, and the Thousand-Mile Mirror that he had entrusted to her and solemnly handed them back. She gently touched the mirror and said, “Brother Haoxuan, this is the magical artifact you found in the manor, right?”

Qin Haoxuan nodded.

A happy smile appeared on her face. “Although you didn’t find any Spirit Liquid, to be able to obtain a magical artifact is still very good.”

Qin Haoxuan did not explain about the Spirit Liquid he had found. After all, secretly hiding it was a major taboo in the sect. Knowing about it would bring her no benefit.

He couldn’t just leave the Spirit Liquid in the snake’s mouth forever, but where was the safest place to put it? Especially with Master Chi Lian possibly coming for them at any moment, he had to find a good hiding place. His mind began to race.

When his gaze accidentally fell upon the small snake, an idea suddenly came to him—the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley!

What place could be safer than the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley? Currently, he was the only one who could enter it. It was, for all intents and purposes, his own private domain.

Having found a place to hide the Spirit Liquid, a smile appeared on his face. Seeing him spacing out and smiling strangely, Xu Yu grew a little anxious. She broke his train of thought and said with a worried tone, “Brother Haoxuan, Zhang Kuang is already at the Fifteenth-Leaf of the Spirit Sprout Realm, and he has that terrifying Talisman Dragon. An ordinary Twentieth-Leaf cultivator is no longer his match. If he is released, he will definitely come to make trouble for you.”

At the mention of Zhang Kuang, Qin Haoxuan and Ye Yiming exchanged a look, immediately recalling his terrifying performance in the Aqueous Manor. They still had lingering fears. Thankfully, he was now being investigated by the Demon Monitoring Division.

“Perhaps he’ll be found guilty of something,” Qin Haoxuan said with an optimistic smile. “And the investigation won’t be over in just a day or two.”

Xu Yu shot him a worried glance, but she quickly changed her expression to a smile. “Brother Haoxuan, many people had a great harvest this year. Once the sect announces the exchange rate for Contribution Points, many more people will be coming to us to buy Qi-Circulating Powder. You’ll have to refine some in advance and build up our stock, hehe.”

As she spoke, she handed him a bag she was carrying. “Brother Haoxuan, here are one thousand low-grade spirit stones. It’s the money we earned from selling the powder. I thought you might need it, so I brought some over to you first.”

Qin Haoxuan accepted it. He needed spirit stones to nourish the Thousand-Mile Mirror, and just then, Xu Yu had brought them. It was as if they had a telepathic connection.

“Oh, right, Brother Haoxuan, there’s more good news. The moment I came out of the manor, a messenger from Senior Brother Chang Jizi came to tell me that the Meridian Protecting Powder is almost ready. He asked when I would be free for him to have it sent over.”

Qin Haoxuan’s face lit up. “And what about the Qi-Circulating Pills from your senior sister?”

After ordering the powder, Qin Haoxuan had given Xu Yu a large batch of medicinal essence he had extracted from high-level waste pills to have her refine them into Qi-Circulating Pills. To increase the success rate, Xu Yu had specially asked Luo Jinhua to help, but Qin Haoxuan had specifically told her not to let Luo Jinhua know about the essence to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Xu Yu counted on her fingers. “In another day or two, that batch of pills should be ready.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded. “Then have him send the Meridian Protecting Powder over. With that and the pills, our cultivation speed can increase a great deal.”

Thinking of Qin Haoxuan being targeted by the now Fifteenth-Leaf Zhang Kuang, Xu Yu was extremely anxious. She said impatiently, “I’ll go back and arrange it right now. Brother Haoxuan, remember to refine more powder. People should be coming to buy from us soon.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded. His powder was famous among the low- and mid-level disciples of the sect, but its high price had deterred many who couldn’t afford it. Once the sect announced the exchange rates, those disciples with a large number of Contribution Points would surely come to buy it in their pursuit of rapid advancement.

After Xu Yu left, Ye Yiming couldn’t help but remind him, “Junior Brother Qin, while you’re refining powder to sell, you must also put more effort into your own cultivation. Right after the Trial of the Immortal Path is the stage of ‘Entering the Mortal World’.”

“Entering the Mortal World?” Qin Haoxuan frowned. “We just finished the Trial of the Immortal Path, and now we have to enter the mortal world right away? The immortal path is so long…”

“The Trial of the Immortal Path is to let you experience how to be a cultivator. ‘Entering the Mortal World’ is to let you experience what it is to be a mortal,” Ye Yiming said seriously. “Although we were all mortals before, you are not the same person you once were. To a mortal, you are now like an immortal. After experiencing what it is to be an immortal, you need to experience what it is to be a mortal. Only by comprehending the mundane can you more thoroughly comprehend the immortal! You comprehend the immortal on the path of immortality, and you comprehend the mortal in the world of mortals.”

He then emphasized, “Cultivation is a vast and complex affair. Closed-door cultivation is absolutely not the way. You must not only go out and walk around, seeking your own fated encounters, but also learn many other skills like setting up arrays, alchemy, talisman crafting, and artifact refining. These are all extremely important. For many cultivators with ordinary aptitude, closed-door cultivation is a dead end.”

“The outside world is not like our Great Islet Mountain, where we have the protection of the sect elders. Out there, besides demon cultivators, there are also monsters and demons, and the Nether-Creatures that can appear at any time. Therefore, simply sitting and meditating is not enough. You must also learn many offensive spiritual arts and how to refine talismans and artifacts. These may not seem to directly improve your realm, but they will allow you to survive better in the treacherous world of cultivation. Only by staying alive can you continue to cultivate.”

Qin Haoxuan hadn’t expected his casual complaint to elicit such a righteous lecture from his senior brother. Seeing the earnest expression on his face, he felt his expectations and felt his hope. He said solemnly, “Senior Brother, I will remember. What exactly does ‘Entering the Mortal World’ entail?”