A Huge Pit

"Secret." As he answered Nie Li's question, Xian Wu slowly got to his feet.

For now, he didn't want to reveal everything about the Demon Left Hand.

You could paint a tiger's hide, but not its bones; you could know someone's face, but not their heart.

You had to keep something in reserve in everything you did. There was no such thing as a regret-canceling pill in this world.

Lu Piao wasn't satisfied with Xian Wu's answer. "We're all brothers. Why be so distant? If you tell us, I promise we won't reveal your secret to anyone. We'll take it to our graves. Right, Du Ze?"

"Yeah, yeah." When Lu Piao looked his way, Du Ze nodded repeatedly. He was also curious about how Xian Wu had disposed of the corpse so quickly.

Xian Wu rolled his eyes. "Once you tell it, it's not a secret anymore. We all have secrets, Lu Piao. Which girl have you sneaked a peek at while she was bathing? If you're willing to tell us, I'll tell you."

"Defamation! That's blatant defamation. Don't listen to his nonsense. I've never sneaked a peek at a woman bathing!" Lu Piao hurriedly explained. "Forget it, forget it. If you don't want to tell us, I won't force you."

Nie Li rubbed his chin and quietly watched Xian Wu. He was becoming more and more interested in this younger brother of his.

"But I can show you something impressive." As he spoke, Xian Wu half-crouched and slowly placed his hand on the ground.

"Secret Technique: Complete Decomposition!"

Before they could react, the ground beneath their feet vanished into thin air.

The four of them dropped into the huge pit like dumplings falling into a boiling pot.

"What the hell? What the hell just happened?" It was pitch-black all around them, and Lu Piao flailed helplessly.

Still... the ground beneath his butt felt pretty soft.

"Get up! Get up, already! Are you trying to crush me to death?" Du Ze's voice came from beneath Lu Piao's backside.

Whoosh!

Xian Wu lit the fire starter he carried with him. He held his right wrist with his left hand, afraid he might accidentally hurt his brothers.

He was closest to the bottom of the pit. The others had all rolled down the slope and ended up at his feet.

Nie Li was more or less fine. After rolling twice, he regained his balance, stood up, and stopped beside the pit wall.

Lu Piao and Du Ze weren't so lucky. They rolled straight to the bottom and looked like a pair of mud monkeys.

By the light of Xian Wu's fire and the moon overhead, Nie Li could barely make out the bottom of the pit.

He was deeply shaken.

To create such a huge pit in an instant was nothing short of a miracle.

Xian Wu had made it look so easy. He was practically more incredible than Nie Li, a reincarnated man.

Could Xian Wu have been sent by the heavens to help him destroy the Sacred Emperor? He was unbelievably powerful!

"T-this huge pit... you dug it? How did you do that?" Lu Piao stood up, amazed and tongue-tied.

Lu Piao moved his backside, giving Du Ze a chance to breathe. He'd almost crushed him to death just now.

Grabbing Lu Piao's clothes, Du Ze managed to struggle to his feet.

"Follow me!" Before Lu Piao could get a clear look at their surroundings, Xian Wu struck an impressive pose and told them to follow him.

Not a single person there understood English. They all stared at him in confusion.

With the help of the Demon Left Hand, Xian Wu carved an ascending earthen slope from the bottom of the pit to the surface.

The three of them followed the slope back to the ground.

Leaning over the edge of the pit, Lu Piao peered into its dark depths.

He turned and gave Xian Wu a thumbs-up. "I've got nothing to say. In one word: awesome."

"Easy peasy." Xian Wu waved a hand.

He turned to Nie Li and asked, "Are we still hunting horned sheep?"

"Of course we are. Why else did we come to the Trial Grounds?" Nie Li gave him a definite answer. "Xian Wu, your ability is pretty useful. It's perfect for setting traps."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!" Xian Wu waved to Lu Piao and Du Ze, who were still peering into the huge pit.

With Xian Wu, their "cheat" ability, helping them, the four of them began a frenzied hunt for horned sheep in the Trial Grounds.

In a single night, they hunted nearly three hundred horned sheep.

Each sheep's horns were worth 5 Demon Spirit Coins, its pelt was worth 3, and its Demonic Crystal was worth 5.

Each horned sheep was worth a total of 13 Demon Spirit Coins. More than three hundred of them had earned the group nearly 4,000 Demon Spirit Coins.

Each of them could get about 1,000 Demon Spirit Coins—equivalent to a third of one semester's tuition at Sacred Orchid Academy.

Dawn was breaking, the sky only faintly bright.

The four of them carried three large sacks and happily headed for the exit of the Trial Grounds.

The other three wouldn't let Xian Wu carry a sack. Without his traps, they couldn't have hunted so efficiently.

Standing at the edge of the pit and shooting crossbow bolts at the densely packed horned sheep below had been incredibly satisfying.

"Are we coming back tomorrow night?" Du Ze asked Nie Li, licking his lips. He'd clearly gotten a taste for it.

"We are!" Nie Li answered without hesitation. He raised an arm and shouted at the beautiful sunrise, "Our goal is ten thousand!"

"Thanks for all your hard work last night, Xian Wu!" Nie Li patted Xian Wu on the shoulder.

Xian Wu waved a hand and tightened the black face covering over his face. "It wasn't hard. Just teach me that Guidance Technique."

It would be quicker and easier to have Nie Li treat his bruises, but some private areas weren't suitable for asking someone else to examine.

Even if Xian Wu didn't find it disgusting, Nie Li would.

"No problem," Nie Li readily agreed.

"By the way, what exactly is this Extreme Cold Syndrome? How come I've never heard of it before?" Xian Wu asked curiously.

If he figured out what caused the illness, he could take precautions in the future.

Nie Li explained carefully to the others. "Extreme Cold Syndrome is common among Spirit Masters below the Bronze One Star rank. In other words, people at our stage."

"At this stage, a Spirit Master's Soul Force isn't strong enough to fully refine Moonlight Essence. As a result, it builds up in the body, blocks the meridians, and causes bruising."

"Moonlight Essence?" Xian Wu repeated. "So it was caused by cultivating my Soul Force at night."

Then why was Xiao Ning'er fine? She cultivated her Soul Force at night too.

Nie Li nodded and continued explaining. "Your case is only at the early stage of Extreme Cold Syndrome. It's not serious. Although you have a lot of bruises, their color is very faint. As long as you stop cultivating your Soul Force at night, they'll fade on their own in a month or two."

"Some patients in the middle or late stages of Extreme Cold Syndrome have feet that burn as if they were on fire. Every night at midnight, when the cold poison flares up, their whole body feels as if it's fallen into an ice cellar. It doesn't help to wear thick cotton clothes or sit by a fire. It's a terrible ordeal."

"That's right. At the time, I felt like I was about to freeze into an icicle. Even a bonfire a whole zhang high couldn't warm me up," Xian Wu agreed.

Nie Li continued, "Fortunately, you haven't reached Bronze One Star yet. If you reach Bronze One Star while suffering from Extreme Cold Syndrome, the consequences could be anything from a serious illness and a major drop in cultivation to your body exploding."

Hearing Nie Li's words, Xian Wu furrowed his brow. At the time, he really had felt as if his body were about to explode.

He suddenly started worrying about Xiao Ning'er, who was in the rocky woods. Could she have Extreme Cold Syndrome too? Surely not?

Her Soul Force had already reached 78. If she really had the illness, then reaching Bronze One Star could be the day she met her end.

No, he had to find time to ask her.