Refining the Wood Demon Pearl

Chen Ganliu didn't pay much attention to the Green Leaf Sect's entrance exams, but over time, he'd heard about a few of the most outstanding geniuses.

One was Yue Xuanshu, who was eleven years old and already at Qi Refining Layer One. He had been handpicked by a Golden Core True Person from the Sect Master's lineage. This Golden Core True Person was a disciple's disciple of the Sect Master, had many disciples, and had internally decided to take Yue Xuanshu as his sixteenth disciple. As a fifth-generation disciple of the Green Leaf Sect, his seniority was quite high.

Another was Cui Yuan, twelve years old, also at Qi Refining Layer One, and exceptionally talented in Talisman Arts. She was chosen by a fourth-generation disciple from Heavenly Moon Fairy Qi Qingyao's lineage.

There were also three to five others who hadn't yet achieved Qi Refining but showed remarkable proficiency in Talisman Arts. They were all claimed by fourth or fifth-generation Green Leaf Sect disciples.

Despite the brilliance of these geniuses, the person truly drawing everyone's attention was Chen Ganliu, who hadn't participated in the exam.

He had been handpicked by Yun Susu of Dragon Cloud Cave, becoming a third-generation disciple without even needing to take the main exam. He had even transformed into an examiner, much to the unspoken resentment of many.

Chen Ganliu knew himself that he wasn't a true genius. His breakthrough to Qi Refining Layer Two was a blessing from his past life, thanks to the Immortal Encounter Sect's direct lineage cultivation method, decades of Qi Refining experience, and the patient guidance of his Senior Sister.

The reason Yue Xuanshu and Cui Yuan were currently inferior to him was that these individuals only had guidance from elders, not direct instruction from a master. Their elders had failed in their cultivation, were forced down the mountain to establish branches, or hadn't even passed the disciple selection exam. Their guidance was naturally riddled with errors, slowing down the two youths' progress.

Once these two received guidance from true masters, and with the Green Leaf Sect's abundant spiritual energy, they would undoubtedly advance rapidly.

Chen Ganliu deeply worried that if his master finished recuperating and emerged to inspect his new disciple, only to find a useless piece of trash with only half a Spring Bloom Spiritual Vein, would he be kicked off the mountain? Although he wouldn't lose anything if he were expelled, and the Green Leaf Sect wouldn't revoke the introductory cultivation methods they had taught him, it was still not as good as being at the Green Leaf Sect, with its scenic beauty and convenient cultivation environment.

Because of this, Chen Ganliu's sense of urgency felt even more intense than when he had first been reborn. He doubled his efforts daily, not only refining the Wood Demon Pearl but also practicing Green Leaf Spirit Talismans. Not long after mastering the Scent Sniffing Talisman, he also cultivated the Calming Talisman, Wood Aspect Talisman, and Essence Generating Talisman.

It was a minor regret that, apart from his nasal cavity, none of his other acupoints were open, preventing him from nurturing talismans within them to generate True Qi.

As Chen Ganliu was meditating and refining Qi, he heard the bell, signaling it was time for a meal. The Green Leaf Sect delivered meals and water once a day, so he stopped his cultivation.

A short while later, a meal box was delivered. It contained a pot of rice, two meat and two vegetable dishes, and a bottle of water. As cultivators had large appetites, the portions of each dish were quite generous. As an examiner, his meal was even more substantial than that of the disciples taking the entrance exam.

Chen Ganliu had been hungry for a while and began eating as soon as he picked up his chopsticks. After he had eaten his fill, it was time for his patrol, which was a good opportunity to aid digestion.

He walked around the Myriad Talisman Tower a few times, greeting other examiners in passing before continuing on his way.

Patrolling to the room of a young disciple named Li Sizhong, he heard many people talking inside. The Green Leaf Sect's main exam did not prohibit friends from visiting. Since they were all young, they had become acquainted while waiting for the exam and often visited each other's rooms to chat.

Chen Ganliu didn't want to interfere and was about to quietly pass by when he heard someone in the room mention his name.

"That Nan Sixing just got in through connections. What skill does he have to be a third-generation ancestor?"

Someone replied, "Li Sizhong, you're just jealous. He's already at Qi Refining Layer Two, Boiling Liquid into Qi!"

The person who had spoken earlier scoffed and said, "He was recommended by Young Ancestor Yang, so he must be from the Jinyun Mountain lineage. He might even be Yang Shiyilang's illegitimate child, who knows how much raw human essence and blood he consumed since childhood to achieve such cultivation through external means."

"Once everyone is accepted as disciples, he won't be allowed to run wild in the Green Leaf Sect, harming lives. Our cultivation will surely catch up to his."

Chen Ganliu thought to himself, How did I become someone who consumes raw human essence and blood and relies on external forces for cultivation?

These people are talking nonsense and ruining my reputation.

He didn't argue with them. After finishing his patrol, he returned to his room to check the disciples' information and was slightly surprised. Yue Xuanshu and Cui Yuan were both disciples who came from outside the mountain to be tested. Li Sizhong, however, had grown up on the mountain since childhood. His parents were both cultivators at Qi Refining Layer Five or above. At that level of cultivation, they wouldn't be sent down the mountain, and their children could be kept on the mountain until they came of age.

Chen Ganliu secretly mused, No wonder this fellow speaks so arrogantly. He has such a background.

He grew up on Green Leaf Mountain. The cultivation environment here is a hundred times better than outside, and his parents are highly cultivated and can offer guidance. Yet, he hasn't even reached Qi Refining Layer One. He's probably just a pure-blooded waste.

Although Chen Ganliu didn't intend to do anything, as Li Sizhong was merely spouting nonsense, his inner urgency deepened. He secretly activated the Heavenly Demon Vein Shifting Method and continued to refine the Wood Demon Pearl.

This time, it was different from before. Chen Ganliu had only been meditating for a short while when he heard a faint, crisp cracking sound. A mass of spiritual energy surged into his body, splitting into twelve or thirteen wisps of demonic energy that each found a corner to settle in. Each wisp of demonic energy enveloped a spiritual vein of the original owner.

Chen Ganliu was initially startled: How can this Wood Demon Pearl contain such abundant spiritual energy? And it's not that heavy or impure? He then rejoiced, thinking, As expected, the Green Leaf Mountain is filled with spiritual energy, making cultivation twice as effective. I didn't expect to refine this Wood Demon Pearl so much earlier than anticipated. Then he became dejected again: Even a monster has over ten spiritual veins, yet I only have half a Severed Vein by birth.

Bai Yunniang had originally sold this Wood Demon Pearl for five Low-grade Spirit Stones. She had actually lowered the price out of respect for Yang Xuesheng and hadn't charged extra. She had even considered refusing to sell it if the brat had been foolish enough to haggle. At the time, Chen Ganliu had been intimidated by her and hadn't dared to speak, paying the spirit stones directly to purchase it, inadvertently getting a great bargain.

Now that Chen Ganliu had refined the Wood Demon Pearl, he realized its extraordinary quality. The original owner likely had at least seven to eight hundred years of cultivation and was naturally of exceptional quality, possibly even a seedling of some ancient divine wood.

Although Chen Ganliu was pleased, he knew it wasn't time for the real harvest. Incorporating the Demon Core into his body was only the first step. The second step was to refine the wisps of demonic energy, removing the impure and turbid qi to transform them into wisps of spiritual energy. However, the final step, refining the wisps of spiritual energy into spiritual veins, was the most crucial. Although this Wood Demon Pearl contained very little impure and turbid qi, it still needed to be purified first, leaving only the purest spiritual energy.

He quickly switched to the Azure Emperor Jia Yi Art, chose a wisp of "demonic energy" coiled in his chest, and circulated the cultivation method to remove the turbid qi that human cultivators didn't need.

The Wood Demon Pearl shattered, and the demonic energy was no longer contained, erupting outwards. Almost everyone sensed it. After all, whether it was the young disciples acting as examiners or the disciples undergoing the exam, they all had some level of cultivation and were sensitive to the perception of demonic energy. Those young people who had heard Li Sizhong's words immediately believed the "rumor."