"Brother Wang, what's this?"
Wen Jiu was a little puzzled.
What could possibly be so important that even the person who shared his pillow couldn't hear it?
Wang Nian lowered his voice. "Some things simply aren't meant to be heard. I only learned about this from my Second Uncle. I shouldn't be telling a disciple, but given our relationship, there's no need for me to keep it from you."
Could news from an alchemist's mouth be anything trivial?
Wen Jiu hurriedly cupped his fists. "Thank you, Brother Wang. I'll repay this kindness tenfold, a hundredfold, someday."
Wang Nian continued, "But before I tell you about that, I need to talk to you about Flying Immortal Peak and the land beneath our feet. You've become an Apprentice Disciple of the Night Patrol Division, so there are things you need to know. Otherwise, you'll never broaden your horizons... I probably won't make it out of here, but you might get the chance to fly away and see the world."
"I'm all ears!"
"First, the land beneath our feet is called the Southern Domain. According to what's been passed down from a certain great cultivator, it stretches a hundred thousand li from east to west and a hundred and thirty thousand li from south to north. It's vast beyond measure. Compared to it, little Flying Immortal Peak is but a drop in the ocean."
Wang Nian sounded deeply moved as he said this.
It was clear that he, too, yearned to go out and see the world.
To take in the splendor of those hundred thousand li of territory.
"Such an enormous place!"
Though he had lived two lives, Wen Jiu couldn't help feeling astonished.
A hundred thousand li.
Even Corpse Peak was merely the only Immortal Mountain within a five-hundred-li radius. Compared to a hundred thousand li, it was truly minuscule.
Wang Nian smiled. "Surprised, aren't you? I had the exact same look on my face. Just how many cultivators and demons must there be across those hundred thousand li of mountains and rivers... But there's no need to say more about the Southern Domain. It's too vast, and I only know the rough outlines. What I want to tell you about next is our Flying Immortal Peak, as well as the main peak of Corpse Peak."
"You should know that Flying Immortal Peak is just a side peak of Corpse Peak. But you probably have no idea what the main peak is like. Let me put it this way: the main peak is a mighty power with a Foundation Establishment Immortal Master in residence."
"Foundation Establishment Immortal Master?"
It was the first time Wen Jiu had heard of such a thing.
"You don't need to know too much about it. Just know that once you reach the tenth level of Qi Refining, you can attempt Foundation Establishment. Once you achieve it, your lifespan will reach three hundred years. You can witness seas turn into mulberry fields, and the world change with each passing day. That's what it means to be a true cultivator!"
The yearning in Wang Nian's eyes was no less than when he'd spoken of the Southern Domain. If anything, it was even stronger.
That made sense.
The Southern Domain was simply too vast.
So vast that it was beyond reach—and therefore too daunting to even imagine.
But Foundation Establishment was a peak just within sight. It was something he could dare to dream of, even if the odds of achieving it were slim.
It was still far more realistic than seeing every corner of the Southern Domain.
"So Foundation Establishment comes after Qi Refining." Wen Jiu sighed as well.
Wang Nian continued, "Only by entering the main peak can you hope to pursue the path to Foundation Establishment. That's one reason Li Ye went to such lengths to send people in and arrange for his own men to become Apprentice Disciples.
"There's another reason. The main peak has issued an order: only Apprentice Disciples who have been initiated for less than three years, and formal disciples who have been initiated for less than a year, may take part in the assessment. Spiritual Root doesn't matter. Once you pass, you can go to the main peak to cultivate and receive teachings from the elders."
"Why is that?"
The rule sounded rather unusual.
No old-timers?
Only newcomers?
Spiritual Root didn't matter, even though the side peaks cared a great deal about it when recruiting disciples. Yet the main peak didn't seem to care at all.
"Strange, isn't it? Everyone finds it strange. That's why my Second Uncle brought it up with me. Spiritual Root is the most important thing in cultivation, after all. With a Low-grade Spirit Root, you'd have to struggle just to enter a side peak, let alone the main peak. But no one can figure out what the main peak is thinking. Whatever the reason, most disciples on the side peaks would give anything for the chance to enter the main peak."
"It really is strange."
Wen Jiu tried to think it through.
But it was like an ant trying to imagine what was on top of a giant's head.
You had to climb up there to find out.
No amount of looking or daydreaming could ever tell you.
"Little brother, do your best. The assessment is in two years, and this is your chance! The main peak may not care whether your Spiritual Root is good or bad, but there's no way you could pass with an Inferior Spiritual Root... But you have an Unorthodox Path talent no one's ever heard of!"
"Understood."
Wen Jiu nodded.
He raised his cup in gratitude.
Two years from now.
He still had time to prepare.
In two years, he should be able to improve his strength quite a bit.
After several rounds of drinks,
and several courses of food,
Wen Jiu left.
Over the next seven days, Wen Jiu cultivated as usual. Now that he no longer moved corpses during the day, he stored Yin Arts inside the Corpse Eye instead. He spent three hours each day imbuing it with arts, then used the remaining three hours to search for Yin Souls and absorb Blood Qi.
At night, he patrolled with the Night Patrol Division disciples.
Three hours a day.
Fortunately, now that his cultivation had improved, he could get by on less sleep.
In this way, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
But there was too little Blood Qi around the outskirts of the Dead Corpse Land. In less than seven days, Wen Jiu had drained the entire outer region dry.
If he wanted to obtain more Blood Qi, he'd have to go farther in.
But Wen Jiu felt that even the center of the Dead Corpse Land couldn't withstand the Corpse Eye's frenzied absorption for long.
Before long, there wouldn't be any Blood Qi left to absorb in the Dead Corpse Land.
If the Blood Essence didn't recover, Wen Jiu would have to find another way.
Fortunately, Wen Jiu was lucky. After he'd drained the outer region of its Blood Qi, a streak of crimson gathered inside the Corpse Eye—it was the beginnings of Blood Essence.
"Looks like the Blood Essence is recovering faster than I expected." Wen Jiu then recalled that at least several thousand cultivators had died on the outskirts of the Dead Corpse Land. If the blood of several thousand cultivators couldn't restore it,
that would be ridiculous.
"Hopefully, once I've drained all the Blood Qi from the Dead Corpse Land, I'll have gathered a complete Blood Essence."
Wen Jiu made a wish.
He prayed silently.
Otherwise, he truly didn't know where he'd find more Blood Qi.
The blood of demons and monsters?
Unranked ones might be affordable, but ranked ones were far too expensive.
An Apprentice Disciple of the Night Patrol Division like him couldn't afford them.
As for going out to hunt demons and the like...
Forget it.
He'd rather level up a little more slowly.
What if he ran into a powerful demon and got eaten?
Night fell.
Wen Jiu changed into his clothes and prepared to meet up with the other Night Patrol Division disciples.
But when he passed by the place where Fang Zheng and the other two lived, he unexpectedly saw Li Ye.
Of course,
Li Ye saw him too.
They exchanged a glance. Wen Jiu cupped his fists and greeted him as Manager Li, while Li Ye replied with a cold "Mm."
That didn't matter, though. Wen Jiu didn't care how Li Ye treated him. But he noticed another Night Patrol Division manager nearby.
The man was leading a long-nosed spirit beast as it slowly circled the area around Fang Zheng and the others' home.
It seemed to be sniffing for something.
"He's still investigating."
"Looks like he suspects I did it."
Wen Jiu's heart turned cold.
Li Ye was actually still clinging to him.
Even though he'd already joined Steward Mu's faction.
Sigh.
Dealing with someone so inflexible and stubborn was a real headache.
Soon,
Wen Jiu left.
After Wen Jiu had gone, Li Ye muttered, "I spent a fortune today to borrow my master's Jade Spirit Beast. Its nose can detect any lingering scent within ten li for about a month... If I find even the slightest clue, I'll make sure you're finished!"
Because of Wen Jiu, Li Ye had tried to send another member of the Li family to Wang Nian, but Wang Nian had firmly refused.
That only made him angrier.
Less than half an hour later,
the Jade Spirit Beast finished sniffing around the place where Fang Zheng and the other two lived, but it hadn't picked up anything unusual.
There was only ghostly aura.
And it was confined to this house.
There was no similar ghostly aura anywhere within a ten-li radius.
"That's impossible. Even if a ghost cultivator released a Yin Soul here, there should still be a trace of ghostly aura along the path he took to get here... And if it was a Yin Soul Ghost Cultivator, the signs would be obvious. There'd definitely be ghostly aura all along the way."
The Night Patrol Division manager, who had led the Jade Spirit Beast on a thorough search, looked shaken. He couldn't believe the result.
It was too clean.
Clean to the point of being unnatural.
Li Ye said gravely, "Brother Chen, that only proves this matter was far more complicated than a spy killing someone... My instincts can't be wrong!"
"Indeed. I don't believe such a coincidence is possible, either. But without evidence, we can't interrogate Wen Jiu. He's Steward Mu's man now." Manager Chen let out a deep breath, feeling that the situation was quite troublesome.
Even the Jade Spirit Beast was useless.
What else could they do?
After a moment of thought, Li Ye spoke up. "Looks like the only option is to keep interrogating the spies we caught that night, as well as those corpse buriers... Brother Chen, take your steward's token and bring in every corpse burier stationed near Wen Jiu and around Fang Zheng's residence. Take them all back to the Night Patrol Division!"
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