After rinsing his fists with clean water, Lin Le knocked on the well nine times. A few breaths later, a snake head as thick as a water barrel emerged.
The moment she came out and saw the corpses in the courtyard, she gave Lin Le a surprised look. "You're pretty ruthless. You made an agreement last night, and this morning you've already slaughtered an entire household."
"They were just a pack of scum. Their deaths were no loss." Lin Le clapped his hands. "Do me a favor. Search their house for valuables, and I'll give you a bigger share afterward."
"You really know how to put people to work, kid." The White Great Serpent rolled her eyes, but did not refuse. "Wait a few breaths."
The White Great Serpent exhaled, and the breath seemed to possess a will of its own, sweeping through the place like a gale scattering fallen leaves and gathering every valuable item into a pile.
Lin Le's pupils contracted slightly as he watched, his scalp tingling. Such ability was not something an ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivator could achieve. Even that Miss Song from before was likely weaker than this White Great Serpent.
Fortunately, her temperament seemed to lean toward the spirit beasts of legend, so for the time being, he did not have to worry about being swallowed in one bite.
Lin Le could not help glancing at the White Great Serpent. If she had possessed a more vicious nature, she would not have put in so much effort.
"Done," the White Great Serpent said.
Lin Le began sorting through the valuables. He did not want things like jade or gemstones, taking only silver and money. He tossed all the medicinal herbs to the White Great Serpent. With the Great Devourer Art, he no longer had much need for medicinal herbs; their cost-effectiveness was too low.
As for pills, Lin Le found a bottle of Spirit Blood Pills with nine pills remaining inside. He threw all the other pills to the White Great Serpent as well.
The White Great Serpent accepted everything without hesitation and swallowed it all.
"I'll find you somewhere else later," Lin Le said.
"Alright." The White Great Serpent immediately sank back into the well.
Lin Le changed into a new set of clothes, altered his appearance again, and left.
Along the way, he swallowed the entire bottle of Spirit Blood Pills.
He circulated the Qi Gathering Art and digested the medicinal power.
News of Jia Manor's extermination soon spread, for the stench of blood was simply too overpowering.
At the Concentric Society headquarters, three men sat together.
The man seated in the place of honor wore a cold, expressionless face. "Can anyone tell me whether our Concentric Society has offended some great figure recently?"
The other two men remained silent.
The man in the main seat continued, "Two of our outposts have been uprooted one after another, and this morning, one of our hall masters had his entire household exterminated. Hall Master Zhao, Hall Master Lin, do you have any ideas?"
The two hall masters shook their heads and said they had none.
"Now that really is strange. We neither steal nor rob, yet someone dares make trouble for our Concentric Society?" The man sneered. "Gather everyone from the outposts in one place. We'll stay together as well. I want to see who dares provoke our Concentric Society!"
"Yes." The two hall masters had no objections. At this point, they were becoming afraid as well.
"Hall Master, something terrible has happened!" A Red Stick suddenly ran in, shouting, "Your household has been ransacked!"
"What?" Hall Master Lin shot to his feet in shock, because the man who had rushed in was one of his own.
He grabbed the Red Stick by the collar. "Whose household did you say was ransacked?"
Seeing Hall Master Lin's savage expression, the Red Stick swallowed. "Yours."
Upon receiving confirmation, Hall Master Lin immediately let out an earthshaking roar. "Ah—"
Hall Master Zhao, standing nearby, had been about to show some glee at another's misfortune. He and Hall Master Lin had never gotten along. But after thinking it over, he immediately cursed, "Fuck, this is bad!"
With that, he sprinted out at once.
Both hall masters' households had been ransacked. Obviously, the remaining one would not be spared either.
If he did not make it in time, his own household would be ransacked too!
Hall Master Lin and the president of the Concentric Society realized this as well and immediately chased after him.
However, they were one step too late. Hall Master Zhao's home was also a complete mess, every last person dead.
The three men stood amid the corpses, their faces dark and terrifying.
It was certain now. Their enemy truly intended to wipe out the entire Concentric Society, sparing not even wives, children, or descendants.
While the three were brimming with killing intent and fury, Lin Le sat in his former home, silently circulating the Qi Gathering Art.
Surging Yang qi mixed with blood qi and battered against the final two meridians: the Ren Meridian and the Du Meridian.
Under the ceaseless onslaught, those two meridians were swiftly forced open.
The circulation of the heavenly cycle was complete!
Yang qi surged like a river and flowed of its own accord into his lower Dantian—the Qi Sea Acupoint.
With what seemed like a soft pop, Lin Le felt his Qi Sea open up, and all the Yang qi in his body poured into his Dantian.
Once it overflowed to the brim, he could open the Huangting Secret Realm and become a cultivator.
But that was merely the most ordinary method. Unlike a third-limit Martial Master, who had a fifty-percent chance of becoming a cultivator, the Third Step of Qi Induction guaranteed that one could become a cultivator—but doing so would leave one's foundation half-ruined.
Only by achieving Qi Condensation into Liquid could one be said to have forged a solid foundation, just as a Martial Master had to cultivate a Blood Qi Furnace.
Lin Le opened his eyes and found the White Great Serpent watching him with gleaming eyes. "You really do have a Yang Spiritual Root."
"What, are you going to eat me?" Lin Le asked.
"No, no, no. That would be far too wasteful." The White Great Serpent shook her head. "Do you understand the meaning of a thin stream flowing long? Let's make a deal. You give me some Yang qi every day, and I'll give you some Yin qi."
"What use do I have for Yin qi?" Lin Le replied.
"Recently, haven't you been unable to control yourself whenever you see a woman, with your blood qi boiling wildly?" the White Great Serpent asked.
Lin Le shot her a sidelong glance. "Do I look like it? You should know how many women I killed today."
The White Great Serpent froze. On second thought, that was indeed true. "But that's not right. Don't males with Yang Spiritual Roots have especially strong desires in that regard? Why haven't you felt anything? Were you castrated?"
"You're the one who was castrated! My morning erection is perfectly normal every day, alright?" Lin Le snapped irritably.
The White Great Serpent thought for a moment, then made a sound of realization. "I get it. You must never have experienced the pleasures of men and women. You haven't even masturbated!"
Lin Le's face darkened. There was no good way to answer that question, nor was there a good way to avoid it.
He was not shameless enough to tell someone that he had masturbated before.
"Enough. What exactly is Yin qi good for?" Lin Le changed the subject.
"Mm, you should have just opened your Qi Sea, right?" the White Great Serpent said. "When Yin and Yang are harmonized, it can make your Qi liquefaction several times easier."
"Fine." Lin Le nodded. "How do I transfer it? Do I send it directly into your body?"
"That will do." The White Great Serpent nodded.
Placing his hand on the White Great Serpent, Lin Le sent Yang qi into her body.
"Mm~"
As Yang qi entered her body, the White Great Serpent immediately felt the Yin qi that had accumulated within her recently melt away, making her let out an involuntary moan. It felt like soaking in a warm bath.
In the past, simply basking in the sun had been enough to deal with that Yin qi. Unfortunately, in order to evade that stinking flood dragon, she had no choice but to dwell in underground waterways to avoid its pursuit.
As a result, she had to endure that bone-chilling cold day and night.
After Lin Le finished transferring the Yang qi, he said, "Your turn."
"Here." The White Great Serpent spat out a gray Qi Pill, which flew to Lin Le's lips.
Lin Le opened his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.
Yet before the Yin qi could erupt, it vanished without a trace.
"Alright, tell me about martial arts." Lin Le clapped his hands. "Tell me as much as you can. No need to mention the common ones."
"Why do you need so many martial arts?" the White Great Serpent asked curiously. "Are you planning to use a furnace to nourish a hundred scriptures and strike at the limits of body tempering?"
The limits of body tempering? Lin Le's thoughts stirred, but he gave a slight nod. "Yes."
"Then you've got a difficult road ahead of you." The White Great Serpent said, "This tests one's comprehension immensely. If your comprehension is lacking, you'll waste time, effort, and even your future."
"Just tell me. I know my own comprehension well enough," Lin Le said.
"Got it." The White Great Serpent nodded. "Then I'll begin."
"Begin." Lin Le listened intently.
Before you continue