Qi Refining Third Layer

Fatty Duan flicked his eyes aside. Sensing the scattered Spirit Sand in the cloth bag, he still could not grasp the crux of the matter and said impatiently.

"Liu, Duan is going to see True Inheritor Su. I have no time to fool around with you."

With that, he shot Wang Yu a vicious glare, flicked his sleeve, and left.

Steward Liu, panic-stricken and dazed, did not stop him. Instead, he found Fatty Duan exceedingly smug. What had just happened was most likely all a play staged to deceive him.

He was probably going to claim credit now.

"Duan Ping!!!"

Steward Liu's bloodshot eyes could not help but turn to Wang Yu. This Spirit Slave wore an innocent expression; the matter truly had nothing to do with him.

After thinking it over.

The only thing to do now was erase those three from his roster. This extra Spirit Sand absolutely could not be linked to the True Inheritor behind him.

With his capabilities, he could only suppress the matter for the time being. If he could not keep it suppressed, he would have no choice but to confess his guilt himself.

If the other nine True Inheritors pressured the Law Enforcement Hall and ordered them to uncover the truth as soon as possible, his face would no longer count for much. When that time came, every shit pot would be dumped on his head.

At most, the master behind him would lose the chance to receive the Nascent Soul Inheritance. He would still remain a direct descendant of the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect—but Steward Liu would lose his life!

Of course, if he trusted his master and waited until that master achieved Nascent Soul, he would still have a chance to rise again.

It was simply that he, a Qi Refining Cultivator, would not live long enough to wait through the time needed in between.

After turning it over and over in his mind.

Steward Liu looked at the Law Enforcement Disciples around him and commanded, "Guard the Stone House Area. No one is permitted to enter or leave."

"Yes!"

Then he departed with a grave expression. Wang Yu fell into thought, understanding Steward Liu's plan.

In short: what was a little money compared to a life?

They were Demonic Dao Cultivators to begin with, valuing themselves and profit above all else. Now that sudden upheaval had struck, fleeing was naturally the first choice.

This move had been the right gamble. Now it depended on whether True Inheritor Su behind Fatty Duan had the discernment for it. So long as that secluding True Inheritor bore the infamy of deceiving his master, there was a high probability he would lose any chance at the Nascent Soul Inheritance.

However, Wang Yu had overlooked one person.

The third manager of the Stone House Area—Steward Liu.

Anyone able to secure a place in this money bag was hardly simple.

Of the ten True Inheritors, only three had arranged for stewards to enter. To some extent, these three were the strongest contenders for the Nascent Soul Inheritance.

One of them was already in the lead, having entered seclusion to begin Core Formation.

True Inheritor Su was the second.

Who, then, was the third?

Cold Blood Peak, True Inheritor Cave.

Steward Duan knelt prostrate on the ground with utmost respect, constantly embellishing the story as he placed Wang Yu squarely in the position of chief culprit. He repeatedly emphasized his own hard work and merits, hoping True Inheritor Su would spare his life.

Yet he had not expected True Inheritor Su to burst into laughter.

"Good. What a Wang Yu!

"This True Inheritor's ranks are precisely in need of such talent.

"Duan Ping, convey my order. In three months, promote Wang Yu to an Outer Disciple of Cold Blood Peak. He need no longer hand over Spirit Sand."

At this, Steward Duan shuddered and no longer dared speak ill of Wang Yu. Following his master's intentions, he simply and decisively admitted that he himself was the murderer who had killed the three Spirit Slaves.

Seizing the chance to claim credit.

Seeing through his thoughts, True Inheritor Su smiled faintly.

"Duan Ping, you are a relative from my mother's clan and have followed me for some time. Your loyalty is commendable, but your wits are still somewhat lacking.

"Go collect three thousand Contribution Points. Reward this spell technique to Wang Yu."

"Yes—"

Steward Duan had come in unease and left fully satisfied.

Even knowing that True Inheritor Su trusted him, he still harbored prejudice against Wang Yu. This incident had not been reported to him in advance, causing him to mistakenly believe Wang Yu had betrayed him. How could he endure being toyed with by a mere Spirit Slave?!!

"Hmph, this time, you guessed right. This lord will help you shoulder the blame."

Stone House Area, second-floor Elegant Pavilion.

"Little Brother Wang, sit."

"This is spirit tea from Duan's collection. Have a taste."

Wang Yu remained perfectly composed. Seeing the fat man's ridiculous shift from arrogance to servility, he did not mock him aloud.

He had engraved deeply in his mind the truth that, on the Demonic Path, strength was the foundation of all things. It was wisdom gained through suffering losses, wisdom that would run through the rest of his life.

"Steward Duan, there is no need to be so courteous. I have caused much offense in this matter.

"Wang Yu merely wished to ease True Inheritor Su's worries. I trust Steward Duan will not blame this junior for his recklessness."

"It's nothing—"

Steward Duan's eyes narrowed into smiling slits as he said kindly, "It's just that if there is a next time, little brother Wang should let this old brother know beforehand. That way, I'll know what's going on and can cooperate properly."

"That is only right. There will definitely be a next time."

Wang Yu cupped his hands in apology, putting on a perfunctory show, then fell silent again, adhering to the principle that silence was golden.

With that, Steward Duan could not very well force him to stay. He took out another Technique Transmission Jade Slip and handed it to Wang Yu.

"True Inheritor Su is very pleased with this matter. This is a special reward for you.

"As for the outer disciple quota, little brother Wang need not worry. At most, in three months, you will receive what was promised."

Wang Yu was slightly surprised.

"There is no need to register me as a Spirit Slave?"

"No need. This matter is still sensitive. Once the storm has passed and you have advanced to become an outer disciple, there will be no need for you to concern yourself with it any longer."

"Then many thanks to Steward Duan for speaking well of me."

"Think nothing of it, think nothing of it—"

Pressing the Technique Transmission Jade Slip to his brow, Wang Yu received the information within. His heart instantly turned solemn. This was both a reward and recognition, as well as a warning.

Contained within was the high-grade spell, Night Concealment Spell.

As its name implied, it was an art for concealing one's aura and moving soundlessly, and it could also be used to hide one's cultivation realm. It directly corresponded to Wang Yu's nighttime killing of the three men.

High-grade spells corresponded to the Qi Refining Late Stage. If this technique could be mastered to perfection, it could even deceive a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's aura perception. It counted as a Boutique among first-tier techniques.

To Wang Yu, it was not something he urgently needed.

He had needed it before because a Spirit Slave's cultivation could not be too high. But in three months, he would officially become an Outer Disciple, and the importance of this Concealment Technique would no longer be so great.

For Now, it was something as tasteless as chicken ribs. He could find an opportunity to cultivate it In the future. At present, his realm remained the priority, and there was no need to adjust the Placement Slot.

After another round of empty pleasantries, Wang Yu rose to take his leave.

He returned to the tiny Stone House No. 83. Everything concerning him had been settled, while the Spirit Slave hidden-sand case would still need time to calm down. How subsequent events developed was no longer something a minor Spirit Slave like him was qualified to know.

A month later, a new steward arrived in the Stone House Area.

Another two peaceful months passed.

On the one hundred and thirty-seventh day of Wang Yu's life as a Spirit Slave, nearly half a year had gone by. As Wang Yu sat cross-legged in meditation, a wave of Spirit Qi suddenly rippled around him.

His aura surged sharply as he achieved Natural Progression and broke through to the Qi Refining Third Layer!

The spiritual power within his body had successfully accumulated to one hundred strands.

What he needed to do next was continuously scour and condense these hundred strands of spiritual power, turning a hundred into ten. Their unit would likewise change from strands to streams.

By transforming the loose, strand-like spiritual power into ten streams of higher-quality spiritual power, he would complete one round of spiritual power refinement and could break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

There were two bottlenecks throughout the entire Qi Refining realm's cultivation.