Dragon Spring Pool

"Looking to die? Hundred Snakes Devour the Heart!"

A Law Enforcement Hall cultivator's eyes flashed with a chill.

His figure blurred, and he vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already in front of the cultivator.

He swept his arms, and countless venomous snakes immediately slithered from his sleeves, lunging straight at the cultivator.

The cultivator's face grew grave as he raised his saber to meet them.

But the snakes seemed to have minds of their own. They actually wound around the saber and rushed straight for the cultivator's neck.

The cultivator was horrified and tried to dodge, but he was only at the Spirit Awakening Early-stage. How could he possibly outrun venomous snakes that flew with such incredible speed?

Thud.

The cultivator collapsed, his body riddled with holes.

The hundreds of venomous snakes vanished along with him.

The Law Enforcement Hall cultivator raised a hand, and a Gecko landed in his palm.

A look of dismay clearly crossed the Law Enforcement Hall cultivator's face.

Being able to use White Snake Devours the Heart meant this Law Enforcement Hall cultivator was a Snake Companion.

In the Five Elements, wood generates fire, and fire generates earth.

Venomous snakes had to eat centipedes to greatly increase their own toxicity.

Still, this Gecko was a poisonous creature, at least. The Law Enforcement Hall cultivator tied it up in a small cloth bag and hung it from his waist.

Then the Law Enforcement Hall cultivator began looting the corpse as though no one else were there, not even sparing a single Jade Coin.

The people around him swallowed hard in alarm.

The Five Poisons Sect was an orthodox Demonic Sect, and encouraged its members to kill one another within the rules.

If someone rashly attacked a Law Enforcement Hall cultivator, the cultivator was certainly entitled to kill them on the spot. Afterward, looting everything was only natural.

The Law Enforcement Hall cultivator opened the dead cultivator's black leather gourd and sniffed the Evergreen Pills inside.

They were far too fiery, with a scorched stench that stabbed the nose. They had clearly been ruined in the refining.

They really were failed pills!

He casually tossed the medicine gourd aside. It hit the ground and rolled all the way to Li Shuidao's feet.

Li Shuidao glanced around and saw that everyone's attention was fixed on the Law Enforcement Hall cultivator.

The Law Enforcement Hall cultivator dragged the corpse away, and the crowd hurriedly made way.

Seizing the opportunity,

Li Shuidao bent down, picked up the medicine gourd, then slipped into the crowd and quickly left.

Not bad!

Though these Evergreen Pills had been ruined, the medicinal properties of the Evergreen Grass remained.

If he took the gourd of Evergreen Pills home, ground them up, and left them in a deep well for three days to dispel the fiery energy, he should be able to use them in place of Evergreen Grass.

By his calculations, he had spent only eighty-five Jade Coins and collected enough ingredients for at least twelve portions of Purple Poison Powder. That came to just seven Jade Coins a portion, far cheaper than the thirty Jade Coins per portion charged by Hundred Herbs Hall.

Li Shuidao still had thirty-five Jade Coins left, so he might as well spend those, too.

He had already mastered the Wind Catching Eye. His Bamboo Sword was sharp, but it couldn't clash with metal weapons. Sooner or later, he would have to replace it.

Besides, if he wanted to truly practice swordsmanship, he needed a sword with some heft. If he trained with a light sword every day, how could he control the battlefield in a fight?

Amid the bustling market, Wang Tiankun, who was also a disciple of the Golden-Faced Gentleman, finally found one of his clansmen.

"Uncle, look, that's him." Wang Tiankun tugged at a thin man with a goatee and pointed to a man bargaining over a sword. "That's Li Shuidao. He only joined the sect four months ago."

"Are you certain he's a Gecko Spirit Companion?" the thin man asked.

"I'm certain! Senior Sister Jiang let it slip that day, and besides, he has at least a hundred Jade Coins on him."

"He has that much after only just joining?" asked another square-faced man. He, too, was a member of the Wang Family, and his name was Wang Xuanfeng. He had joined the sect two years earlier than Wang Tiankun.

"Ever since he became Master's disciple, he's been in charge of Master's medicinal garden. Master gives him thirty Moon Coins every month."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... We might as well take his Spirit Companion along with him."

"Good! I'll go draw Jiang Xue away in a moment. Tiankun, find a way to lure them to Dragon Spring Pool. Xuanfeng, go hide there first. When the time comes, kill him with your Flying Knife technique and take his Spirit Companion. Then sink the body in Dragon Spring Pool." The thin man narrowed his eyes as he gave his orders.

"Rest assured, Uncle. I guarantee I'll kill him with one strike," Wang Xuanfeng said coldly.

"Uncle, what if that guy doesn't take the bait?" Wang Tiankun asked with a frown.

"Doesn't take the bait?" The thin man frowned.

"I only know Li Shuidao casually. I often try to get close to him, but he never wants to say more than a few words to me. Judging by what he says and does, he's very cautious. I'm afraid I might not manage to trick him into going to Dragon Spring Pool."

"Just tell him Jiang Xue asked him to go to Dragon Spring Pool!" the thin man said sharply.

"But what if he waits over by the big stone platform instead? Or if he doesn't see Jiang Xue, what if he just goes straight home?" Wang Tiankun asked anxiously.

"This..." Wang Changjian furrowed his brows deeply.

"Uncle Changjian, my golden scorpion only needs to devour one more Gecko to advance. Then I'll be able to reach the middle stage of the Spirit Channeling Realm, too." Wang Xuanfeng looked anxious, afraid his uncle would call off the hunt.

Wang Changjian's eyes shifted. "Then we'll just have to adapt as things unfold. I'll draw Jiang Xue away. The rest is up to you two—use your judgment. If there's no opportunity, then forget it. Don't force the issue!"

Wang Tiankun and Wang Xuanfeng nodded together.

Li Shuidao spent thirty-five Jade Coins on a fine green-steel sword. Though it was an ordinary sword, its craftsmanship, materials, and feel in the hand were almost the best an ordinary sword could offer.

After four months of hard training with his Bamboo Sword, he had at least gotten a feel for wielding a sword. He gripped the hilt and gave it a couple of swings.

The vendor accepted the Jade Coins and smiled. "Fellow Daoist, you certainly have a keen eye. This green-steel sword is worth every coin. Still, you'll have to learn how to use it, or it'll go to waste."

"To be honest, sir, I bought this sword to practice swordsmanship. I just don't have a manual yet, so I don't know where to start. I'd be grateful if you could offer me some advice," Li Shuidao said humbly.

"Haha... I wouldn't dare. I've only just started down the path of the sword myself."

"To practice swordsmanship, you must first learn how to hold the sword. Your grip is already wrong."

"Hold the sword as you would your life. Feel the connection between the sword and yourself. Relax your mind. Let the sword become nature, and nature become the sword."

Li Shuidao followed the vendor's advice. He gripped the hilt with both hands, doing his best to feel every inch of the sword and slowly relax his mind, as though the sword had become part of him.

"Focus your mind and guide the sword with your heart. Strike your enemy without form," the vendor continued.

"I'm only at the early stage of the Spirit Channeling Realm. I don't have any mana."

"If you had mana, you'd be using a magic weapon, not an ordinary sword like this one," the vendor said with a smile.

"I can't make sense of the incantation you gave me."

"Well... I can't make sense of them either."

"Hahahaha..." They both burst into hearty laughter.

"Big brother vendor, thank you for your advice. I'll make sure to practice hard and do my best to become a Sword Cultivator."

After saying goodbye, Li Shuidao slung the medicinal herbs over his back, carried the green-steel sword in one hand, and headed for the stone platform by the river bend.

Quite a few senior brothers and sisters stood on the platform waiting for people, but he couldn't find Senior Sister Jiang Xue anywhere.

Just then,

Wang Tiankun hurried over, looking anxious. "Why are you only getting here now? Senior Sister went to Dragon Spring Pool. She told me to wait here for you, and then we'd go together."

"Wasn't Senior Sister supposed to wait for us at the platform? Where is Dragon Spring Pool?" Li Shuidao asked with a deep frown.

"Dragon Spring Pool isn't far. I'll take you there," Wang Tiankun said, gesturing.

"Why did Senior Sister suddenly change the meeting place to Dragon Spring Pool?" Li Shuidao asked again.

"How should I know? How would I dare question Senior Sister about that? You took so long to get back—look, the market's almost over!" Wang Tiankun said, stamping his foot.