Chapter 31: A Vicious Plot, An Unforeseen Boon

Qin Haoxuan stayed in Xu Yu’s room until nightfall. By the time she finished explaining the Art of the Eight Trigrams, he still only half-understood, despite her detailed explanations and personal insights.

Seeing that it was late, he knew that lingering in a young woman’s room, no matter how innocent their intentions, would inevitably lead to gossip. He bid her farewell, once again solidified his “glutton” nickname at the dining hall, and then, with a full stomach, headed not back to the dormitory but to the same thicket from the previous night to cultivate.

However, before he even reached the spot, he found Master Guyun already waiting for him.

The master of the Ancient Cloud Hall, a high-ranking figure of great power in the Taichu Sect, what was he doing in such a remote corner of the Spirit Field Valley? And from the way he was standing, it was obvious he was waiting for him.

“Disciple Qin Haoxuan pays his respects to Hall Master Guyun.” Though surprised, Qin Haoxuan still bowed respectfully.

“Please, rise.” Master Guyun, with a kind and amiable smile, extended his right hand in a gesture of support. Qin Haoxuan felt a powerful force lift his bowing body.

“Qin Haoxuan, I came here specifically to find you today. I have been observing you for many days and find you to be a person of great perseverance and a firm Dao Heart. You are a teachable talent. Although you are just a weak seed and do not meet the requirements to enter the Ancient Cloud Hall, I can teach you in private. Once your cultivation has improved, I can then justifiably bring you into the hall as an official disciple.”

Master Guyun’s direct words caught Qin Haoxuan by surprise.

During the test, Master Guyun had paid him no attention, not even a second glance after he was revealed to have a weak seed. For him to seek him out now and offer to teach him personally felt incredibly strange.

For a master of one of the four great halls to condescend to personally guide a new disciple with a weak seed would be seen by anyone else as a heaven-sent opportunity. They would have gone mad with joy. But Qin Haoxuan, while not refusing, only offered a polite word of thanks, his tone lukewarm, his expression showing no sign of ecstasy, but rather a hint of suspicion.

This reaction satisfied Master Guyun, who had been testing him. This Qin Haoxuan was just as the rumors described: his Dao Heart was firm, and his disposition was incredibly stable. It seemed the rampant rumors about him fighting a Fifth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm expert to a draw were true after all.

At this thought, a satisfied smile appeared on Master Guyun’s face. “Haoxuan, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I can answer them all for you.”

As it happened, Qin Haoxuan did have some questions. Since the Hall Master was offering, it would be a waste not to take him up on it. He immediately began to ask, and Master Guyun answered each question with great enthusiasm and detail, his eager-for-talent demeanor perfectly executed. However, instead of dispelling Qin Haoxuan’s suspicions, this only made them stronger.

There are so many disciples with better aptitude than me. For a high-ranking figure like him, wouldn’t they come running if he just beckoned? Why would he go to such lengths for me?

But despite his doubts, Qin Haoxuan was smart enough not to show them. A Hall Master was not someone he could afford to offend.

As Master Guyun answered his questions, he felt a renewed sense of hesitation. This young man, though a weak seed, had a natural intuition for cultivation. His questions were much more profound than Zhang Yang’s. To refine him into a Corpse Soldier…

He felt a growing sense of reluctance. Although he had used his status for personal gain over the years, he had never truly harmed a fellow disciple. To refine someone into a Corpse Soldier was a truly heinous act. But… without this disciple as a Corpse Soldier to disrupt the minds of the three Purple Seeds, it would be difficult for Zhang Yang to become Sect Master in the future, and his lineage had never produced a Sect Master before.

After a long pause, Master Guyun gritted his teeth. So be it! Even if Zhang Yang becomes the Sect Master, he can only suppress the Purple Seeds for a time. It won’t harm the sect’s future, but it will bring glory to my lineage. Sacrificing a weak seed is worth it! In the future, when my time comes, I will just have to apologize to the founding patriarchs.

After answering a few more questions, Master Guyun feigned deep thought before saying with some difficulty, “Your constitution is special. To practice these basic techniques is a waste of your talent. I have an extremely rare spiritual technique, one I obtained in my youth while traveling the world. It is very suitable for you.”

He took out a bottle of pills he had prepared and gave one to Qin Haoxuan. “This is called a Soul Fortifying Pill. After taking it and coordinating with the technique I will teach you, you can greatly enhance the strength of your body.”

Qin Haoxuan held the soybean-sized pill, not wanting to eat it. But Master Guyun’s eager gaze only intensified his suspicion, and he didn’t know how to refuse.

“Do you think I would harm you?” Master Guyun asked. Qin Haoxuan opened his mouth to reply, but before he could even get the first word out, another pill was flicked from the elder’s fingertips, flying straight into his mouth. The pill dissolved instantly, giving him no chance to spit it out.

As soon as the pill entered his body, he felt a burning sensation, which surprisingly counteracted some of the heat from the One-Leaf Golden Lotus. The relief was so great that Qin Haoxuan almost let out a groan.

In that moment, he no longer cared what Master Guyun’s intentions were. If the pill could alleviate the burning from the lotus, it was a good thing.

“Quickly, follow my guidance and circulate your qi,” Master Guyun said, placing a hand on Qin Haoxuan. A stream of qi entered his body, forcibly guiding his own spiritual energy. In just a short time, Qin Haoxuan could feel the muscles all over his body becoming noticeably stronger and harder.

All of this was done with Master Guyun’s “help.” Qin Haoxuan had no way to refuse. Although he felt something was strange, he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Seeing that Qin Haoxuan had obediently swallowed the pill and practiced the corpse refining art, Master Guyun was satisfied. Before leaving, he warned him, “This technique is something I obtained while traveling. The rules of the Taichu Sect are strict and forbid the practice of outside techniques. You must not speak of this to anyone, or it will bring you nothing but harm.”

His words, half-warning and half-threat, made Qin Haoxuan even more suspicious. If he knew it was forbidden, why would a Hall Master knowingly break the law? There was definitely something fishy going on.

But to report him? Qin Haoxuan knew his status was far too low. Even with the rules on his side, he would likely be silenced before he could even make a report.

After Master Guyun left, Qin Haoxuan immediately returned to his dormitory. By the dim candlelight, he wrote down the technique from memory. He then sat in meditation for a few hours. When everyone else was asleep, he possessed the little snake, picked up the paper with the technique written on it, and sped towards the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley.

The valley was as grim and oppressive as ever. As he entered, he felt an immense pressure crashing down on him, as if trying to grind him to dust.

He brought the paper to the Undying Witch Fiend. Seeing the little snake with a piece of paper, the fiend was curious. He forced his eyes open, glanced at it, and then sneered. “This technique is called the Grand Art of Corpse Refining,” he said in a weak voice. “It’s from a sinister sect called the Heavenly Corpse Sect. It should be used with a supplementary pill, right? The real name of that pill is the Corrosion Pill. Long-term use will make your body impervious to blades and as stiff as a zombie, greatly increasing your attack and defense. But it will also erode your consciousness. Before long, you will become a mindless walking corpse, completely under someone else’s control.”

Qin Haoxuan was horrified. He had known Master Guyun was up to no good, but he had never imagined that a high-ranking elder of the “righteous” Taichu Sect would be so vicious as to use such a sinister technique on him.

His mind raced. What is his motive? Even if he turns me into a Corpse Soldier, with my low cultivation, it would be a low-level one. Why would someone of his status want that? Unless… it’s for someone else.

He suddenly remembered Zhang Yang’s seven-day Rooting Stage, a feat comparable to a Purple Seed. He couldn’t have done it on his own. Someone must have helped him. And since Zhang Yang was already designated as Master Guyun’s disciple, it was obvious who had helped him. This whole plot must have been instigated by Zhang Yang!

As he connected the dots, a chill ran down his spine. The cultivation world was a dark place indeed. A respected Hall Master was capable of such despicable acts.

“It’s good to have powerful people on your side,” he lamented. He had been plotted against ever since he arrived at the sect. He could deal with Zhang Kuang and Li Jing by becoming stronger himself, but this was beyond his ability to handle.

It was just as the old saying went: when someone shows you uncalled-for kindness, they are either a traitor or a thief.

He made a mental note to be more wary of others in the future.

Thinking of this, his gaze unintentionally fell upon the bloated, ugly body of the Undying Witch Fiend. His heart skipped a beat. This old fiend also showed me kindness for no reason. Could it be that he also has ulterior motives?

As if on cue, the Undying Witch Fiend opened his mouth and said weakly, “Although the Grand Art of Corpse Refining is vicious, you can continue to practice it. The Dao Heart Seed Demon Art I gave you is special. It can neutralize the poison in the Corrosion Pill and turn it into a true body-tempering elixir.”