Chapter 36: A Fortuitous Transformation of the Immortal Seed

Qin Haoxuan immediately understood the sect’s well-intentioned, painstaking efforts. This task of carrying water was a test, designed to temper their Dao Heart. Otherwise, with the number of experts in the Taichu Sect, couldn’t they have simply dug a channel to bring the Spirit Spring water here and save everyone time and effort?

After finishing the work, even Qin Haoxuan, with his Body Tempering Cultivation, felt exhausted. He said goodbye to Xu Yu and Murong Chao, quickly ate at the dining hall, and then went to the thicket to cultivate and reflect.

He meditated until evening, when Master Guyun arrived as expected. Seeing Qin Haoxuan cultivating, a satisfied smile touched his lips.

“Here is your pill for today. Eat it quickly.” Master Guyun handed over a Corrosion Pill he had prepared. He wore the gentle smile of a benevolent senior. If not for the Undying Witch Fiend’s warning, Qin Haoxuan might have really believed he was a great benefactor who had come to nurture his talent.

He took the pill. Remembering that the fiend had said it couldn’t harm him, he hesitated for a moment before swallowing it. After all, the old fiend had no reason to lie; his death would be of no benefit to him.

The pill melted in his mouth, turning into a sweet liquid that flowed into his stomach. A searing heat once again spread through his muscles, and waves of it surged from his dantian, making him feel as if he were in a brazier, all the impurities in his body being burned away.

He could clearly feel that this pill was at least ten times stronger than the one from the previous night.

However, the heat from this pill was different from the burning of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus.

The lotus’s heat erupted from within and could be neutralized by absorbing spiritual energy, eventually refining the explosive power into pure energy to nourish his body and Immortal Seed.

But the heat from the Corrosion Pill came from the outside in. It felt like it was trying to devour his body’s essence. Not only could it not be neutralized with spiritual energy, but the more he circulated his energy, the stronger the pill’s poison became.

On the surface, it seemed to be strengthening his physique, but over time, it would cause all his bodily functions to stiffen and harden.

This heat not only corroded his body but also sent a stream flowing toward his mind.

The pill’s power is eroding my consciousness!

“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… and it will also erode your consciousness. Before long, you will become a mindless walking corpse, completely under someone else’s control.”

Remembering the Undying Witch Fiend’s words, a cold sneer formed in Qin Haoxuan’s heart. A high and mighty Hall Master, doing this to a junior disciple with whom he has no grudge, just because he’s a suitable candidate for a Corpse Soldier. Fortunately, I have the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art to counteract it. Otherwise, I would truly be at your mercy. But now? Your poison pill will become the elixir that strengthens my body!

Master Guyun, who was watching him closely, saw the pained and struggling expression on his face and nodded to himself. “Under the effects of the Corrosion Pill, anyone else would have already given up and dispersed their cultivation. But he has held on for so long. His Dao Heart is indeed excellent. It’s a pity he is just a weak seed. If his aptitude were a little better, he would be a great talent. I should encourage him a bit. Let’s see if he can endure until the pill’s power is fully digested. If he can, I can save a few precious pills.”

To lure him in, the pill he had given him yesterday had only a tenth of the true potency. But tonight’s was the real deal.

“Focus your mind and calm your qi. Do not use your spiritual energy to resist it. This is the pill taking effect, strengthening your physique!”

Master Guyun’s gentle, concerned voice sounded utterly false and disgusting to Qin Haoxuan.

“Endure it! The longer you endure, the better the effect!” he encouraged again as the pain on Qin Haoxuan’s face intensified.

Waves of heat rampaged through his body, and the stream flowing towards his mind began its vicious work. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, the golden light in his mind suddenly flashed. The corrosive power that was about to attack his Spiritual Sense was completely absorbed. At the same time, his Immortal Seed, which had been quiet in his dantian, suddenly exerted a powerful suction, swallowing all the rampaging heat in his body.

Master Guyun could never have imagined that the pill’s poison would be absorbed by Qin Haoxuan’s Spiritual Sense and Immortal Seed, leaving only the pure medicinal power to temper his body.

After about a quarter of an hour, Qin Haoxuan let out a long breath, ceased his cultivation, and opened his eyes.

He was met with the sight of Master Guyun’s fat, beaming face. “How do you feel?”

Qin Haoxuan gave a half-truthful reply. “It felt like my whole body was on fire, but after a while, I got used to it. My body really does feel much stronger now.”

Since the poison could be neutralized, leaving only pure strengthening power, he was happy to continue playing along. It was all benefit and no harm to him.

Master Guyun nodded with a smile, praising him a few times, but his heart was full of doubt.

Even he would have to expend great effort to expel the poison of a Corrosion Pill from his body. An ordinary person could at most endure for the time it takes for a cup of tea to cool. But this boy had held on until the pill’s power was completely digested. Was he even human?

But he didn’t think too much about it. The more outstanding Qin Haoxuan’s performance, the more powerful the Corpse Soldier he would become.

“Rest early. Don’t overdo it and exhaust yourself,” Master Guyun said kindly, then departed on his sword.

Watching his sanctimonious back, Qin Haoxuan couldn’t help but shiver.

Cultivators are truly terrifying. This old monster who has lived for hundreds of years treats human life as if it were grass, poisoning others for his own selfish ends, not even sparing his own sect members.

If Master Guyun is like this, then the Undying Witch Fiend, who has spent his life on the demonic path, must be even more terrifying. Although I haven’t figured out his angle yet, he definitely has a plan for me.

But for now, he couldn’t figure it out, so he didn’t dwell on it. After digesting the pill’s power, he felt his Immortal Seed stirring, as if it was about to complete the Rooting Stage.

He immediately closed his eyes and felt the changes.

The seed was indeed changing, but it wasn’t growing roots. It was growing larger. It continuously absorbed the spiritual energy in his dantian, slowly expanding.

This wasn’t the expansion of a withered seed becoming full; it was simply growing in size.

Alarmed, he immediately wracked his brain, trying to recall the cultivation books he had read.

The books had clearly stated that a withered seed could never become a full one. And there was no record of a seed simply growing larger like his was.

An hour later, his Immortal Seed had doubled in size before stopping. As it grew, the hard shell encasing it became thinner and thinner, another sign that this was not a normal change.

What’s going on? Is this the Undying Witch Fiend’s doing? The thought was quickly dismissed. If the old fiend could control his Immortal Seed from so far away, he would have escaped the valley long ago.

Could it be the poison from the Corrosion Pill? The more he thought, the more likely it seemed. This strange change had only occurred after his seed had absorbed the poison.

But he didn’t dare to ask anyone what the consequences of this might be. If others found out, he might be captured and dissected by some crazed cultivator.

After inspecting it, he found that the enlarged seed was showing signs of wanting to put down roots, but with its current strange appearance, he couldn’t feel happy, not knowing if it was a blessing or a curse.

Meanwhile, the true culprit, the Undying Witch Fiend, opened his eyes, a cunning smile on his face. When Qin Haoxuan’s seed had absorbed the poison, the altered Dao Heart Seed Demon Art he had taught him had planted a wisp of demonic qi in his seed. Now, after devouring the poison, that demonic qi had finally merged with his Immortal Seed, creating an Immortal-Demon Seed.

What the fiend hadn’t expected was that the little snake was not his true form; his main body was human.

The thought that his future body would possess a legendary Immortal-Demon Seed, something countless demonic experts yearned for, made his eyes flash with an ambition he hadn’t felt in thousands of years.

He had thought he was doomed to wither away in this damned place, but his misfortune had turned into a blessing. Even if he had to suffer for a few thousand more years, it would be worth it to obtain a body with an Immortal-Demon Seed.

A Demon Seed’s foundation was different from an Immortal Seed’s. An Immortal Seed first grows a taproot system, while a Demon Seed initially grows a fibrous root system, a mass of tiny hairs that could rapidly absorb large amounts of spiritual energy. In the early stages, a Demon Cultivator’s cultivation speed was much faster than an immortal cultivator’s.

As they grew, an Immortal Seed would grow more fibrous roots, while a Demon Seed would grow a main taproot, the foundation for the true path to longevity.

Because of this difference, before the Spirit Tree Realm, a demon cultivator would usually defeat an immortal cultivator of the same level.