Making Enemies

"Including you, Junior Brother Lei, five newly initiated disciples have already cultivated the Qi Refining Stage first layer. Among them, Junior Sister Ding, Ding Wanyan, was the fastest—good news came in barely a month." Tang Qian sighed with feeling, his face full of envy. "Clearly, Junior Sister Ding not only has exceptional aptitude, but exceptional comprehension as well. I heard the Ancestor was greatly pleased and directly rewarded Junior Sister Ding with an Upper Grade Magic Item." At the mention of an Upper Grade Magic Item, Tang Qian's eyes grew even more covetous.

Lei Dong naturally knew of Ding Wanyan. She should have been the girl with the best aptitude among the twenty-odd newly initiated disciples of his batch. In terms of overall aptitude, she ought to have ranked eleventh. Yet now, it seemed her performance went far beyond that. Otherwise, the Myriad Ghost Ancestor would never have praised her so highly.

Sure enough, just as Tang Qian finished speaking, a steady voice came from behind Lei Dong. "I heard Senior Sister Ding's progress is no less impressive than that little girl ranked first. She is among the first few of our large group to advance."

Lei Dong recognized Chen Ge's voice. When he turned around, he saw Chen Ge smiling as he congratulated him. "I knew I hadn't misjudged you, Junior Brother Lei. You cultivated the Qi Refining Stage first layer so quickly—only a few days later than this foolish elder brother. This is truly cause for celebration. Congratulations, congratulations."

"Congratulations to you as well, Senior Brother Chen." Lei Dong returned the salute with a smile. After a pause, he asked, "Has Brother Wei Hua already...?"

"Not yet, but he should be close." Chen Ge remained poised and calm. "When I saw him some days ago, he was already nearing the final sprint. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be within the next two or three days."

"That is good." Lei Dong showed a pleased expression. He truly hoped Wei Hua would reach the Qi Refining Stage first layer soon. After all, the three of them had already formed an unspoken understanding and alliance. The more evenly matched their strength was, the greater help they could offer one another. After a pause, he asked again, "Then the other two who reached the Qi Refining Stage first layer should be Zuo Chao and Zhou Minghua, right?" The two names Lei Dong mentioned naturally belonged to those ranked among the top three in aptitude among the Myriad Ghost Cave's new disciples. Zuo Chao was that six- or seven-year-old little boy, while Zhou Minghua was around twelve or thirteen.

"Senior Brother Zuo is a heaven-sent genius. He attained the Qi Refining Stage first layer in merely two months." Chen Ge's expression turned solemn, then a trace of mockery curled over his lips. "As for Junior Brother Zhou... tsk, tsk. He is probably still struggling to pierce that layer of membrane even now."

Lei Dong was taken aback. No wonder Chen Ge mocked him. The top three had all received the Myriad Ghost Ancestor's personal guidance. Not only did they not need to grope their way forward like the others, their treatment in terms of pills was clearly first-rate as well. Yet Zhou Minghua still had not broken through by now. It really was laughable.

Just as Lei Dong was about to speak, an irritated, cold snort sounded from outside the gatehouse. The two turned to look, only to find Zhou Minghua standing there, his expression blazing with anger. Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.

Though Chen Ge was mature for his age, he was still only a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy. Having been caught mocking someone behind his back, his expression inevitably became somewhat unnatural and awkward. Especially when he saw that Zhou Minghua was full of vigor, his gaze sharp—it was obvious that he too had already broken through to the Qi Refining Stage first layer.

"Talking about others behind their backs, Chen Ge—you are truly too petty. I am ashamed to keep company with you." Zhou Minghua was only twelve or thirteen, not someone with deep reserves. Unable to restrain himself, he flew into a rage from humiliation, cursed Chen Ge, then flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

Chen Ge opened his mouth, yet no words came out. Lei Dong, however, called after him with a repeated cold sneer. "Junior Brother Zhou, wait."

The words "Junior Brother Zhou" seemed to stab painfully into his nerves. Zhou Minghua turned around and glared furiously at Lei Dong, his eyes wide as though he were an enraged bull.

"Where was Senior Brother Chen wrong in what he said about you? You, on the other hand, show no respect for your senior brother. Not only did you call him by name, you even berated him to his face. Though our Yin Sha Sect is an Evil Sect, we must still respect our masters and elders. The sect rules state it clearly: those who disrespect their masters and elders shall have their cultivation sealed and receive thirty strokes in the Punishment Hall."

Lei Dong spoke with righteous severity, every word ringing firm. "Hurry up and apologize to Senior Brother Chen for your offense."

Zhou Minghua looked as though he wanted to pounce forward and teach Lei Dong a brutal lesson. Yet the sect rules and thirty strokes forced him to stop in his tracks. After hesitating again and again, he finally suppressed his rage and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth. "Sorry, Senior Brother Chen." With that, he shot Lei Dong and Chen Ge a vicious glare before fleeing away in haste.

Only after he left did Chen Ge let out a long breath. "Junior Brother Lei, Zhou Minghua did not offend you. Why did you have to tear all civility apart with him? Not only does this person have excellent aptitude, he is also the Ancestor's Personal Disciple. His future prospects are boundless."

"What are you saying, Senior Brother Chen?" Lei Dong answered with a solemn expression. "Zhou Minghua looked down on his senior brother so openly. If we did not teach him a lesson, he would think we are easy to bully. Besides, we have already offended him anyway. Judging from his manner, he is not someone broad-minded. Why should we give him face?" Yet inwardly, he mused that he had come from another world, from an age when information exploded and one could understand a little of everything. His mental age was far greater than theirs.

In dealing with people, one should strive to be smooth and accommodating in all directions. But if one truly wished to achieve something, one had to make one's stance clear and choose one's camp. If he tried to please both sides, he might avoid offending Zhou Minghua, but Chen Ge would harbor misgivings toward him. Taking ten thousand steps back, Zhou Minghua would surely make things difficult for Chen Ge whenever he had the chance. When that time came, would Lei Dong help or not? If he did not help, Zhou Minghua would not think favorably of him anyway. If he helped, would he not still offend Zhou Minghua? He might as well choose his position from the very beginning. That would also greatly increase Chen Ge's favorable impression of him, allowing them to share the same hatred for a common enemy.

Lei Dong's use of the word "we" startled Chen Ge for a moment, before his face revealed gratitude and relief. "Junior Brother Lei is absolutely right. This foolish elder brother had not thought it through." Inwardly, he was exceedingly satisfied with Lei Dong. Their alliance seemed to have grown far more solid, and his manner toward Lei Dong became even warmer. He pulled Lei Dong along to consult Tang Qian about learning spells.

"Junior Brother Lei, our Yin Sha Sect has no fewer than hundreds or thousands of spells suitable for Qi Refining Stage cultivation. But one who craves too much cannot chew it all, so one generally needs to choose spells suited to oneself, then study them deeply." Chen Ge spoke at length. "Furthermore, our Yin Sha Sect has a rule: newly initiated disciples may learn only one spell for free. If they wish to learn others, they must exchange sect contribution for them. And sect contribution can only be earned by completing sect missions." After pausing to let Lei Dong digest his words, he continued, "Therefore, choosing the first spell is especially important."

"What spell did Senior Brother choose as his first?" Lei Dong asked with a blink. As for sect contribution, he had already learned about it from the Jade Slip. It was an extremely important measure. Spells, pills, Magic Items, and the like could all be exchanged for the appropriate amount of contribution. But sect contribution did not come for free. Simply put, one had to make beneficial contributions to the sect in order to earn it.

"Netherflame Bullet." Chen Ge answered without the slightest hesitation, somewhat proudly. "It is an extremely powerful offensive spell. This foolish elder brother spent several days on it and can now barely use it. Come to my Cultivation Chamber later, and I'll let you see it."