Chapter 32: Seeking the Dao, Tilling the Fields

Qin Haoxuan heard the Undying Witch Fiend’s “kind” reminder and studied his face for a few moments, but he could glean nothing from the bloated, ugly visage. This old fiend had lived for who knows how many years; he was as cunning as they come. He couldn’t even see through Master Guyun, let alone this creature. He decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he planned to wander the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley a bit more to try his luck. If he could find some celestial treasures, or better yet, a magic treasure he could use for self-defense, that would be ideal.

He had only been able to walk about a hundred steps into the valley last time. This time, he chose a different direction. After just ten steps, he keenly sensed a faint pulse of spiritual energy in the distance.

In a place like this, where poisonous qi ran rampant and suppressed all other energy, for a spiritual pulse, however weak, to travel over a hundred steps was a remarkable feat. He didn’t know if it was a technique, a magic treasure, a pill, or another rare herb like the One-Leaf Golden Lotus.

His heart pounded. He walked a hundred more steps in that direction, but he found that under the immense pressure, he could not advance another inch.

It seems that by not possessing the snake’s body these past few days, my resistance to the valley’s pressure hasn’t improved at all. In the future, even if it means sleeping through class every day, I must set aside time to enter the snake’s body. Otherwise, how can I explore the depths of this vast valley where all the real treasures are hidden?

After wandering for a while longer and finding nothing else, he concluded that the good stuff was deeper in. He left the valley and returned to the Spirit Field Valley to continue his cultivation.

Watching his departing figure, a sinister, venomous smile crossed the Undying Witch Fiend’s lips. He muttered to himself, “It seems quite a few people have their eyes on this one. A pity the so-called Grand Art of Corpse Refining from a third-rate sect like the Heavenly Corpse Sect is nothing compared to my own Heaven-Stealing Grand Art, which I’ve merged with the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art. This little snake is surely suspicious of me, but it doesn’t matter. He is cultivating the authentic Dao Heart Seed Demon Art. It’s just that after I merged it with my art, the higher his cultivation becomes, the easier it will be for me to seize his body! If he eats that Corrosion Pill every day, not only will he not be poisoned, but it will become nourishment for my Demon Seed, causing him to grow even faster. Then I can obtain his body that much sooner!”

At this thought, the Undying Witch Fiend looked out at the dark, desolate valley, and a new hope bloomed in his heart. The faster Qin Haoxuan grew, the sooner he could leave this hellish place that had imprisoned him for thousands of years.

“When I emerge from this mountain, the cultivation world is in for a good show!” The fiend let out a series of strange, cackling laughs, which pulled at his injuries, making him grimace in pain. His eyes glinted. “Little snake, oh little snake, grow quickly! Grow quickly!”

After returning, Qin Haoxuan went back to the thicket from the previous night, but he couldn’t calm his mind.

Master Guyun, a high-ranking elder of a supposedly righteous sect, had used such a sinister method against him for his own selfish ends. This old fiend, who looked anything but righteous, couldn’t be telling him the whole truth either.

Could he really be content to just wait for death in that godforsaken valley? He looks like he doesn’t have much time left. Hasn’t he thought of a way to escape? Or perhaps… a way to use me to escape?

He thought and thought but could come to no conclusion. The only thing he could do now was to increase his own strength. Only with enough power to protect himself could he survive in this cultivation world, where danger and traps lay at every turn.

Leaving the sect was impossible. According to the rules, anyone who left without permission would be hunted down by a pursuit team and turned into an imbecile. And his current cultivation was nowhere near strong enough to evade the sect’s Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation.

His only path was to live carefully, step by step, and cultivate with all his might.

The remaining medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus began to burn within him again, forcing him to stop his chaotic thoughts and enter a meditative state.

After absorbing spiritual energy all night, he opened his eyes at dawn. He was surprised to find that the golden light in his mind—what he suspected was his Spiritual Sense—seemed to have grown a little thicker than the day before.

What’s going on?

He was happy but also puzzled. He had no idea how to cultivate his Spiritual Sense. His meditation was only for absorbing spiritual energy to nourish his Immortal Seed.

Could it be the result of possessing the snake last night?

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Only cultivators at the Dao Fruit Realm should be able to train their Spiritual Sense. But he, a mere mortal, must have stumbled upon a way to do it. It had to be that by entering the snake’s body, he was training his Spiritual Sense. This was a unique advantage no one else had, which was why his was so powerful.

As he figured this out, waves of sleepiness washed over him. So, every time I possess the snake, I consume my Spiritual Sense, which is why I’m so exhausted the next day. He straightened his clothes and, forgoing breakfast, headed straight for the lecture hall.

Today, Elder Chu was teaching Feng Shui.

It was another important auxiliary subject. It taught about the geography of mountains and rivers. As a cultivator, one had to learn how to read the landscape to find true spirit fields.

Many spirit fields were hidden from plain sight. Some places that looked barren were actually prime spiritual land. To find them, one needed to understand Feng Shui.

These spirit fields contained rich spiritual energy underground. On such land, spiritual herbs would grow much better than on ordinary soil. Some cultivators even built their residences on top-grade spirit fields to aid their own cultivation.

Of course, what Elder Chu was teaching was just the basics, not enough to find a cultivation-grade spirit field, but more than enough to find a decent plot for growing herbs in the Spirit Field Valley.

This choice was directly related to their future harvests and sect contributions. Once the sect cut off their food supply, a good plot of land meant survival, while a bad one meant starvation and the risk of being expelled.

So, everyone, including Qin Haoxuan, listened with rapt attention. But under the constant assault of sleepiness, he eventually succumbed. After asking Xu Yu to take notes for him, he slumped over his desk and fell fast asleep.

By now, Xu Yu was used to taking notes for him, and Elder Chu was used to having such a bizarre student who either slept or meditated in his class.

Accompanied by Qin Haoxuan’s snores, the morning passed quickly. Elder Chu didn’t bother to wake him, instead looking at him with a gloating expression. Sleep, go ahead and sleep. You’ll find out this afternoon.

The afternoon class was not held in the lecture hall. Elder Chu led the new disciples to a large expanse of farmland, divided into neat, one-acre squares. The fields were all fallow, some even overgrown with weeds.

He pointed at the fields and said, “Now it is time for you to apply what you have learned. These fields have been reserved for you. After the sect stops providing you with food, your livelihood and your contributions will come from this land. Of course, the quality of these fields varies greatly. There are even a few decent spirit fields among them. Now, you will choose for yourselves.”

After speaking, he gave Qin Haoxuan a schadenfreude-filled look. Among these 500 plots, there are only a handful of spirit fields and about 50 mid-grade ones. If you didn’t listen in class, you won’t even be able to find a mid-grade plot, let alone a good one. With your appetite, if you plant on a low-grade plot, you’ll starve to death after paying your contributions.

“Begin!”

At Elder Chu’s command, the 200 new disciples, including Zhang Kuang and Li Jing, rushed into the fields, eager to use their newfound knowledge.

Qin Haoxuan, who had slept all morning, hadn’t had a chance to look at the notes. He was stunned. He stood before the vast expanse of fields, completely at a loss. This was about his survival for the next year.

Seeing his predicament, not only Elder Chu but also Zhang Kuang and his followers began to laugh out loud, waiting for his miserable downfall. Even Li Jing’s faction couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

Sensing his distress, the kind-hearted Xu Yu walked over to him. “Brother Haoxuan, don’t worry. I’ll help you find one.”

The moment she spoke, a wave of disdainful glares was directed at Qin Haoxuan.

“A freeloader is still a freeloader. He has a girl do everything for him. He has no shame.”

A weak-seeded disciple muttered this under his breath, thinking he was far enough away not to be heard. But he had just finished speaking when he felt an angry figure striding towards him, and the people between them scattered as if fleeing a plague.