The Road to Survival

The difficulty of escaping was, in truth, not low.

Su Hao desperately wanted to find the easiest way out.

"You're overthinking it. Resign yourself to fate.

"Since you cultivated the Hundred Profound Medicine Veins and consumed so many of his pills, there's no way you'll survive.

"You Medicine Slaves, at worst, can still be used as fertilizer to grow medicinal herbs.

"I heard Lin Zhi Shan also has methods to use human lives, flesh, and blood to ripen and strengthen herbs."

Zhao Bai Jiang shook his head, a trace of pity in his eyes.

"Then what if I escape?" Su Hao pressed.

"Escape? Hahahaha..."

Zhao Bai Jiang burst into laughter as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "Even if you can walk out of Heavenly Medicine Mountain, how will you ride a flying artifact? With the Hundred Profound Medicine Veins you cultivate, your spiritual power is feeble, while your flesh contains rich medicinal potency.

"The moment you leave Heavenly Medicine Mountain, you'll be like a walking spiritual herb.

"Seventy percent of us Golden Light Sect cultivators practice evil-path techniques. They're best at refining flesh and blood and extracting blood qi.

"Some of the more savage ones will even swallow you alive and flay you raw, not sparing even your soul.

"The Soul Refining Banner is the most popular magical artifact in our sect! The more souls it refines, the greater its power becomes."

At the end, he gazed gloomily at Su Hao. "And if all else fails, capturing you and taking you to Death Peak would still earn five contribution points—equivalent to one low-grade spirit stone!"

Su Hao was stunned. This demonic sect was far too terrifying!

"What if I get hold of a sect identity token?" Su Hao still refused to give up.

"An identity token?" Zhao Bai Jiang suddenly understood. Since Su Hao could steal Five Flower Medicinal Wine from Lin Zhi Shan, stealing a token while he was at it was only natural. "And what good would a token do? The sect outwardly forbids disciples from killing one another, but every day, some disciples vanish without a trace."

"Besides, the sect lies within the Cloud Sea Forbidden Peril. The surrounding towering mountains, deep chasms, and ravines conceal countless venomous insects and vicious beasts.

"Even Foundation Establishment cultivators don't dare wander about carelessly, much less Qi Refining stage cultivators.

"If you want to leave safely, you can only take a Flying Ship—and that costs ten low-grade spirit stones. Do you have spirit stones? Lin Zhi Shan probably wouldn't leave them lying around his cave dwelling, would he?"

Zhao Bai Jiang asked mockingly.

Su Hao's face darkened completely. Even running away was hopeless.

As for spirit stones, he did not dare go anywhere near the cave dwelling. What if he alerted Lin Zhi Shan? Wouldn't that be walking straight into the net?

"Will you help me?" Though Su Hao knew the answer, he could not help pleading.

"Are you joking? Telling you these things is one matter, but helping you leave? Would I still have any chance of living? I can still live for a few more years—I don't want to die a miserable death."

Zhao Bai Jiang spat out the wine in his mouth. "You really dare to ask, kid. If I don't tie you up and deliver you to Lin Zhi Shan myself, that's already generous enough."

"Ugh..."

Su Hao scratched his head in frustration.

If Lin Zhi Shan were to stay in seclusion for a year and a half, he would not be in such a hurry.

But right now, it was said that he would be in seclusion for a month. Yet once Lin Zhi Shan finished what he was doing, he would emerge; perhaps it would not even take a month.

Zhao Bai Jiang had seen life and death too often. Before long, he was once more carefree and heartless, drinking by himself.

A familiar fragrance drifted over.

It immediately jolted both men alert.

"Fairy Feimeng?" Zhao Bai Jiang looked toward the entrance. Above the distant bamboo grove floated a cluster of pink mist, within which red ribbons fluttered and a graceful figure flickered in and out of view.

Su Hao's expression shifted slightly, and he instinctively wanted to find somewhere to hide.

"Elder Zhao, I've come to return the books."

Her voice was cool and clear, no longer as coquettish as before.

"Oh? Junior Brother Su is here too?"

The mist descended and dispersed. The Crimson Silk Ribbon in Liu Mei's hand spun as it wound around her waist and arms, like a nimble crimson serpent.

This unusual silk-ribbon artifact added several more shades of sensual charm to Liu Mei.

From the moment she appeared, Liu Mei's gaze had remained fixed on Su Hao.

"Junior Brother Su truly is remarkable. In three days, you've leapt two levels and already reached Qi Refining Level 4! I'm very curious—what miraculous pills did Lin Zhi Shan feed you to produce such powerful effects?"

Unlike the dim-eyed Zhao Bai Jiang.

Liu Mei possessed a special means of sensing, and at once saw through Su Hao's true cultivation.

"Fairy Liu, you don't understand.

"Su Hao cultivates the special chapter of the Hundred Profound Medicine Veins.

"This technique is unusual. The spiritual power required for each realm is vanishingly small. Even all ten levels may not contain as much spiritual power as a single level of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator. Let alone reaching Qi Refining Level 4 in a few days—even reaching Qi Refining Level 4 in one day would be nothing remarkable."

Zhao Bai Jiang was slow to react and instinctively explained it to Liu Mei.

After explaining, he suddenly realized something. He repeatedly scrutinized Su Hao in startled disbelief. "No way?"

Su Hao sighed. "Senior Sister Liu, those eyes of yours don't just bewitch people—they're sharp as hell too. Nothing can be hidden from you. Even if you told me the color of my underwear, I wouldn't be surprised."

Either way, he was dead. Rather than being refined as medicinal material, he might as well die beneath Liu Mei's skirts.

Just as Zhao Bai Jiang was about to ask more, Liu Mei had already handed over the book. "Elder Zhao, this Junior Brother Su clearly has some special talent that caught Alchemist Lin's eye. In the future, he'll inherit an alchemist's mantle."

"Ah?" Zhao Bai Jiang's mind could not process it. If that was the case, why was Su Hao running?

Su Hao shrugged.

"Ah, what a pity. You're Alchemist Lin's disciple..." Liu Mei wore an amorous expression, reluctant to part with him as she leaned closer and sniffed Su Hao's scent. "So fragrant. Your Vigorous Yang is plentiful too. For someone like Alchemist Lin to be willing to pay such a steep price for another person... how rare."

The peerless beauty drew near, delicate and seductive. Any other man might already have flushed red.

Yet Su Hao was in no mood to enjoy such ambiguity. For one brief moment, he considered seeking refuge with Liu Mei and discussing a deal.

He quickly dismissed the thought.

Zhao Bai Jiang was still someone he could trust to some extent, someone before whom he could reveal a little of the truth.

But this peerless beauty before him was, in truth, a venomous snake and scorpion of a woman. She too viewed people as materials and pills. At heart, she was no different from Lin Zhi Shan.

Unless driven to the absolute brink, Su Hao had no desire to go to his death like this.

"Handsome, come visit Joy Peak when you have time. We can discuss dual cultivation." Liu Mei spoke with hidden meaning, batting her seductive eyes. Then the Crimson Silk Ribbon around her rose into the air, carrying Liu Mei skyward at no slow speed.

She was at Qi Refining Level 5.

Their strength seemed to differ by only one minor realm.

Yet with just this one magical artifact, she could widen the gap between herself and Su Hao even further.

"Su Hao, you brat..." Zhao Bai Jiang wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Ah, it's a long story. Please don't ask, Senior. No matter my cultivation, Lin Zhi Shan won't let me go."

Su Hao waved his hand and turned to leave.

Thinking it over, Zhao Bai Jiang felt that was true. "Go on, go on."

After leaving the Scripture Repository, Su Hao spent another two days in Bamboo Heart Courtyard training diligently in the sword path, mastering the remaining two moves of the Crimson Flame Sword Art.

The spiritual energy of Qi Refining Level 4 was enough for him to unleash the sword art's three killing moves.

The gap between his cultivation realm and Lin Zhi Shan's was far too great. Without magical artifacts or talismans to protect himself, continuing to shut himself away and build a cart behind closed doors would only lead to a dead end.

That day, Su Hao took his identity token and headed straight down the mountain. The guards let him through as soon as they saw the token.

"The outer sect's Life and Death Arena often sees disciples fighting to the death. Formal disciples have at least one white or gray talent.

"Talents are also part of my strength. The stronger the talent, the better my aptitude. Many talents also provide tremendous boosts in battle.

"The key is that this method can strengthen my power instantly!"

Su Hao had learned many things about the outer sect from Zhao Bai Jiang, including the Life and Death Arena.

Following the mountain path, he arrived at a plaza in the outer sect.

Talent Power discovered: Vigorous Yang. Will disappear in 1531 seconds.

Talent Power discovered: Sword Heart. Will disappear in 908 seconds.

...