Qi Refining Perfected Stage [Seeking Follow-ups!]

Of course.

If he went to find Wang Nian, Wang Nian might not be willing to let him move freely during the day.

But if he didn't go, then it definitely wouldn't work.

Many times, opportunities are something you fight for yourself; many times, chances are obtained by breaking the rules.

This is also one of the reasons why the old saying goes that obedient children rarely amount to much.

The next day.

Wen Jiu followed the crowd to the corpse burial grounds again. Before Wang Nian arrived, he saw something that left him truly speechless.

Among the corpse buriers, quite a few were actively gathering around those three, their words dripping with flattery.

From their boastful chatter, Wen Jiu also learned about the three's spirit roots—better than the rest, but not by much: Low-grade Spirit Roots. Still, though it was only a slight edge, in the path of immortal cultivation, it was a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

Just in qi absorption speed alone, the gap was fifty percent!

Cultivating immortality was inherently a long process. A fifty percent difference in absorption speed meant half a year's gap over one year.

Over ten years, that was a five-year gap.

"And they still needed to pull strings to become Apprentice Disciples?" Wen Jiu couldn't help but gaze toward Corpse Peak.

From this, it was clear.

Just how strict Corpse Peak was about accepting disciples.

Watching more and more people crowd around the three, Wen Jiu stood quietly to the side, as if he hadn't noticed a thing.

Soon.

Wang Nian arrived.

The crowd scattered.

Wang Nian swept his gaze over the surrounding Yin Qi, nodded thoughtfully, and said in a deep voice, "The Yin Qi is much thinner than yesterday, won't hurt you... What are you standing around for? Get moving!"

The corpse buriers quickly grabbed their carts and hurried into the Death Ground, but Wen Jiu didn't move, which drew Wang Nian's displeasure.

"Are your ears deaf, kid?"

Wen Jiu spoke up, "Senior, I'd like to discuss something with you and make another deal."

Wang Nian looked somewhat annoyed, "Do you think that just because you made one deal with me, you're now my man?"

Wen Jiu spoke without hesitation, having already thought up his excuse, "Last night, when I came to the Death Ground to nurture corpses, I encountered a Yin Soul. According to the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art, Yin Souls delight in living energy and will pounce on any living person they meet... During the day, the Yin Souls hide, but if we really ran into one, even if you arrived in time to help, we'd still end up sick for at least half a month."

"Ridiculous. If you'd run into a Yin Soul, you'd still be alive?" Wang Nian didn't believe it, not a single word.

An ordinary person meeting a Yin Soul, even a newly formed one, would be fatal.

Wen Jiu spoke, though his heart was pounding. But there was no turning back now; he could only pray for heaven's blessing. "Senior, to be honest, it was the White Zombie I raised that saved me."

"White Zombie?"

Wang Nian's face showed doubt.

He found it even harder to believe.

This was more far-fetched than surviving an encounter with a Yin Soul.

How long had Wen Jiu been here?

Not even a month.

And he could already raise a White Zombie capable of devouring Yin Souls?

"Senior, please follow me." Wen Jiu hurried toward the hidden Corpse Nurturing Ground.

Wang Nian followed, half-believing, half-doubting. "If you're messing with me... don't blame me for not even sparing your sister's face."

Wen Jiu said nothing.

Arriving at the Corpse Nurturing Ground shrouded in Yin Qi, he stomped his foot.

The White Zombie immediately let out two roars, revealing surging corpse qi.

Wang Nian froze.

His expression solidified on the spot.

Then he moved closer and carefully probed with his Spiritual Sense.

After that probe, his expression grew even more vivid.

"The corpse qi is this heavy... It's almost become a Black Zombie, isn't it?" Though he hadn't cultivated the Unorthodox Path, Corpse Peak wasn't without Wicked Path Cultivators, and Wang Nian had enough knowledge for this. "You, kid..."

For a moment, Wang Nian didn't know what to say.

He just felt the more he looked at Wen Jiu, the more satisfied he became.

"I didn't expect you to have such talent for the Unorthodox Path... Alright, tell me, what deal do you want to make with me?"

Hearing those words.

Wen Jiu was overjoyed.

Then he bowed and said, "Senior, Yin Souls are also a great supplement for White Zombies. Could I take some time during the day to search for Yin Souls in the Death Ground? During the day, Yin Souls are at their weakest—it's an excellent opportunity."

"Fine."

Wang Nian nodded decisively.

This left Wen Jiu both surprised and delighted inside.

Wang Nian added, "Yin Souls are indeed a nuisance. I don't want to waste Mana and talismans either. If you can handle it, I'll leave it to you... but you can't spend the whole day freely hunting Yin Souls. You still need to spend three hours moving corpses."

"Thank you, Senior!"

Three hours of free time.

Enough!

He wasn't greedy.

With that, Wen Jiu bowed again.

Sincere.

Not an act.

Having lived two lives, he knew how rare it was to meet a benefactor who could truly help him.

After Wang Nian gave a few more instructions.

Wen Jiu began searching the Corpse Nurturing Ground for Corpse Remnants heavy with Yin Qi. He did this for three straight hours.

Watching Wen Jiu haul out one corpse after another, each radiating dense Yin Qi, Wang Nian's expression was quite satisfied.

"With this kid helping, I can save quite a few talismans." Wang Nian smiled approvingly.

But the other Corpse Buriers saw this.

And all showed looks of surprise.

When they felt the thick Yin Qi on those Corpse Remnants, they couldn't help but shiver, retreating several zhang.

If eroded by such dense Yin Qi, wouldn't they fall gravely ill in days? Over time, their foundations would surely be destroyed.

"What did Wen Jiu do to offend Manager Wang?" one person muttered in shock.

Others joined in hushed discussion.

"What else? It's because he cultivates the Unorthodox Path."

"No wonder."

"Instead of cultivating a proper Qi Refining Method, he takes shortcuts with the Unorthodox Path. He deserves to be targeted."

"Thinks he's clever, hoping to use the Unorthodox Path to rank in the top three in cultivation a year from now. Now look... he has to move the corpses with the heaviest Yin Qi. In ten days or half a month, his foundation will be ruined."

In an instant.

Many Corpse Buriers showed contempt and mockery.

Wen Jiu heard them.

He simply pretended not to.

Three hours later.

After burying the last cart of Corpse Remnants, Wen Jiu immediately summoned the White Zombie and began venturing deep into the Death Ground to hunt Yin Souls.

The further in he went, the colder it became.

Though it was daytime, a thin layer of frost had formed on the ground, crunching underfoot with every step. The surrounding Corpse Remnants were also coated in white frost, giving the scene an eerie look.

But the White Zombie was extremely excited.

Hopping forward without pause.

"Find the Yin Souls yourself," Wen Jiu instructed, simply following behind.

Newly formed Yin Souls were weak during the day.

Slow-moving.

As long as the White Zombie found one and locked on, it wouldn't escape.

Still, Wen Jiu didn't dare let the White Zombie search too deep, because the further in they went, the heavier the Yin Qi became.

He feared there might be true Yin Souls.

The White Zombie couldn't handle true Yin Souls yet.

If they encountered one.

The White Zombie might not be torn apart, but it would almost certainly be injured.

After advancing about a hundred zhang, Wen Jiu was warily scanning his surroundings when he noticed the White Zombie suddenly stop. It became unusually excited, hopping frantically around a pile of Corpse Remnants.

"What's wrong?"

Wen Jiu quickly moved closer.

His first reaction was that there was a Yin Soul.

But if there were a Yin Soul, the White Zombie would have already pounced on it.

With suspicion, Wen Jiu's gaze fell on the Corpse Remnants scattered on the ground, finding only broken arms and severed legs. He picked them up one by one, but the White Zombie shook its body, indicating that what excited it so much was not these.

After confirming all the Corpse Remnants with the White Zombie, Wen Jiu realized that what excited the zombie might be underground.

Wen Jiu immediately started digging.

He dug for about two hours.

Going about half a zhang into the earth.

Still, he found nothing.

But the White Zombie hopped even more excitedly.

Wen Jiu hurriedly continued digging faster, and finally, after a quarter of an hour, his hoe struck something extremely hard.

Pushing aside the compacted soil around it, he saw a hand—a hand that was utterly clean despite being buried in the earth. Moreover, a faint fluorescence emanated from its surroundings. After fully excavating it, he discovered that the fluorescence covered its entire body.

That fluorescence prevented even a shred of its aura from leaking out; the only thing that did leak was a vast amount of Yin Qi.

Through the fluorescence, Wen Jiu noticed that what it wore and carried differed greatly from the Corpse Remnants on the ground.

Just as he was examining it, a message popped up before his eyes.

code
[Nameless Male Corpse]
[Bone age fifty-six, former Qi Cultivation Great Perfection, Body Refining Seventh Level.]
[Animate?]
[Cannot animate!]
[No animation slots!]

"A complete corpse at Qi Cultivation Great Perfection!" Wen Jiu rejoiced, unable to help turning his head to look at the White Zombie still wildly hopping at the edge of the deep pit.

Good brother!

You've found me a treasure.

With strength like this, it's probably a top-tier existence even on the main peak of Corpse Peak.

A complete corpse of a Qi Cultivation Great Perfection cultivator—if he were to animate it into a zombie later, how high would its starting point be?

How high would its ceiling be?

How strong would it be?

Just as Wen Jiu was marveling, the White Zombie suddenly leaped down, nearly crashing into him.

The White Zombie, now down in the pit, wasn't hopping wildly anymore, but it kept pointing repeatedly at the chest of the Qi Cultivation Great Perfection corpse.