In a secluded, deserted corner of Spirit Field Valley, a group loyal to Li Jing had gathered. Many were cultivators in the Immortal Seedling Realm, and there were even several experts at the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf.
"I invited everyone here today because I have a matter I'd like to ask for your help with." Li Jing cleared his throat and swept his gaze across the crowd. Though he said he was asking for help, there was none of the humility of a petitioner in his manner. Backed by the bearing of his royal upbringing, he gave off a feeling that could not be refused. "I want to select someone to go to the Lava Cellar and protect Qin Haoxuan."
The moment Li Jing finished speaking, Murong Chao nearly jumped up in objection. But when Li Jing cast him a faint glance, Murong Chao realized he had lost his composure. Though dissatisfied, he did not dare voice it.
It was not only Murong Chao who failed to understand. The others could not figure out what Li Jing was playing at either. At a time like this, not kicking a man when he was down already counted as doing one's utmost. Why should they help him?
Seeing the confusion on everyone's faces, Li Jing smiled faintly and explained, "Because of Xu Yu."
With Li Jing's reminder, they suddenly understood. Xu Yu was very close to Qin Haoxuan and had repeatedly stood up for him. If they wanted to win Xu Yu over, they had to start with Qin Haoxuan. Once Xu Yu was brought into Li Jing's camp, the benefits to Li Jing would be obvious.
Murong Chao was no fool. Remembering his earlier lapse, he immediately dropped to his knees and begged Li Jing for forgiveness. Given this prince's temperament, he might not say anything to his face, but after offending him, Murong Chao certainly would not have easy days ahead.
"Your Highness sees far ahead and considers everything thoroughly. Murong Chao lost his composure. Please punish me, Your Highness!"
"Get up quickly. Junior Brother Murong, you were only thinking of my interests. What crime have you committed?" Li Jing helped Murong Chao up as he said, "Haven't I said many times that you and I are both disciples of Taichu Sect, and as close as brothers? Calling me 'Your Highness' is far too distant. Wouldn't calling me Senior Brother seem more intimate?"
After Li Jing put on this performance of winning people's hearts, he immediately earned much goodwill. They all praised him in turn. "Junior Brother respects the worthy and humbles himself before the talented, his wisdom is unparalleled, and he possesses the peerless aptitude of a Supreme Purple Seed. His future achievements will be limitless!"
A tall, burly man at the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf stepped forward. "Junior Brother, let me, Chang Qingshan, handle this matter."
Chang Qingshan's voluntary offer immediately won Li Jing's approving gaze. The others, unwilling to fall behind, also volunteered one after another.
Only after everyone had stated their willingness did Li Jing make a gesture for silence. "Thank you, Senior Brothers, for your full support. Since Senior Brother Chang was the first to volunteer, I'll have to trouble Senior Brother Chang to make this trip."
Having received Li Jing's approval, Chang Qingshan, who was about to suffer in the Lava Cellar for several days, instead looked as if he had picked up a tremendous bargain. The other cultivators at the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf looked at him with envy, cursing themselves inwardly for not volunteering first. Such a fine chance to stand out had been snatched away by him.
Meanwhile, after Qin Haoxuan and Yuan Shanxiang had both been badly injured in the Lava Cellar, Qin Haoxuan lay on the ground feeling as though his wounds were burning. Yet at the same time, the sensation of pain had greatly lessened. Half an hour later, Qin Haoxuan, who had previously felt heart-rending pain at even the slightest movement, discovered that although the pain remained unbearable, he could move again.
Perhaps because he had been injured, the medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus that had gradually settled within Qin Haoxuan began making his body burn hot once more. Driven by this maddening heat, Qin Haoxuan could only grit through the pain and crawl up to cultivate. What if the medicinal power became too fiery and made him burst apart?
Before everyone's stunned eyes, Qin Haoxuan, who had taken a blow from an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivator, struggled to prop himself up from the ground. He assumed a five-hearts-facing-heaven posture and entered meditation on his own.
Even if he possessed Martial Dao Innate strength, he was still ultimately a mortal. A mortal injuring a cultivator was already terrifying enough. More terrifying still was that half an hour after taking an enraged strike from an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf expert, he climbed back up and sat down to cultivate as if nothing had happened.
If it had been anyone else, an enraged strike from an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivator would have taken half their life even if it did not kill them. Even if Qin Haoxuan was a freak, shouldn't he at least have broken several ribs? In such intense pain, he could still calm his mind and enter meditation?
Unexpectedly, Qin Haoxuan entered meditation very quickly, and his slightly disordered breathing gradually steadied.
Under the others' incredulous gazes, he frantically absorbed spiritual energy. Only after great effort did he calm the violent medicinal power within his body. If not for the Great Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique absorbing spiritual energy silently and without a trace, his speed of absorption—which rivaled that of a Gray Seed disciple—would have been enough to scare everyone in the Lava Cellar senseless.
Was this kid a monster? Yuan Shanxiang, lying in a corner and finding even movement difficult, knew full well how powerful his enraged strike had been. It could have slapped even an Immortal Seedling Realm Second and Third Leaf cultivator to death, yet Qin Haoxuan was merely a mortal who had just begun cultivating. Not only had he not died, he could even climb up and meditate.
Moreover, the spiritual energy in the Lava Cellar contained fiery toxins. Even Yuan Shanxiang had to absorb it with extreme caution, then expel the fiery toxins from the spiritual energy. Yet Qin Haoxuan, an ordinary person, could somehow use a method that only Immortal Seedling Realm cultivators could manage?
Even if Yuan Shanxiang racked his brains until they cracked, he could never have imagined that Qin Haoxuan did not need to dispel the fiery toxins in the spiritual energy at all. To someone like Qin Haoxuan, whose body held an excess of One-Leaf Golden Lotus medicinal power, those fiery toxins were not poison. They were instead like jade nectar and ambrosia.
Only when the fragrance of food drifted over did the ravenous Qin Haoxuan stop. Supporting himself against the wall, he rose and staggered toward the iron door. When he glared at the restless old hands, the group that had intended to collect the food shuddered all over, looking at one another without daring to move. Qin Haoxuan, meanwhile, sat down without ceremony and devoured the meal. He usually ate only half the total portion, but after being injured, his appetite seemed especially good. He ate more than ten portions of food without leaving a single grain behind.
Though Qin Haoxuan was now injured, the old hands still dared not speak in anger. Qin Haoxuan had dealt them too great a psychological blow. Having tasted his fists before, they did not believe they had somehow become stronger over the past two or three days than the heavily injured Yuan Shanxiang lying nearby.
Yuan Shanxiang lay there and watched helplessly as Qin Haoxuan ate all the food. Even someone who prided himself on being a bottomless pit could not eat that much in one go! Only after a long while, as hunger gnawed at his stomach, did he remember that this bastard had eaten his food too!
But like the dozen or so old hands in the Lava Cellar, though he cursed heaven and earth in his heart, he still chose silence. He did not believe he had the capital to challenge Qin Haoxuan now.
Before long, the person Li Jing had arranged also arrived in the Lava Cellar. He too was a disciple at the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf. The law enforcement disciple escorting him kept studying Qin Haoxuan with astonished eyes. Qin Haoxuan's appearance was nothing remarkable, yet he had fought an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivator to a draw. Even Chang Qingshan, the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf disciple who had come to protect Qin Haoxuan, could not understand why such an ordinary new disciple could make three Purple Seed disciples so deeply concerned, secretly competing with one another over him.
Before coming, Chang Qingshan had imagined Qin Haoxuan's miserable state. For an ordinary person to injure an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf disciple was already unbelievable. He had assumed those exaggerated rumors could not be trusted; at the very least, Yuan Shanxiang could not have lost as miserably as the stories claimed. Qin Haoxuan might even have been gravely wounded and on the brink of death. But after arriving, he discovered that those damn rumors were actually true! Yuan Shanxiang was seriously injured and unable to move on the ground, with both legs and one arm broken, while Qin Haoxuan could still eat, snatch food, sit in meditation, and cultivate.
"Junior Brother Qin, you have impressive skills." Chang Qingshan recovered his composure and cupped his hands toward Qin Haoxuan. "Junior Brother Li Jing and Junior Sister Xu Yu asked me to look after you. Now it seems that may have been unnecessary."
Li Jing sent him? Qin Haoxuan raised his brows, then smiled. Li Jing probably isn't doing this to look after me. He wants to win Xu Yu over, doesn't he?
Li Jing and Xu Yu sent him? The eyes of several old hands widened as if their eyeballs were about to pop out. One Purple Seed disciple had sent an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf expert to deal with Qin Haoxuan, yet two other Purple Seed disciples immediately sent someone to protect him!
Supreme Purple Seeds! These old hands, who had been in the sect for many years, understood all too well the potential of a Supreme Purple Seed! If they could latch onto one, their future prospects would be boundlessly bright. But offending one was no different from courting death.
Just what background did Qin Haoxuan have? One Supreme Purple Seed wanted nothing more than to put him to death, while two other Supreme Purple Seeds had sent people to protect him at close range!
These tangled relationships also frightened the heavily injured Yuan Shanxiang. Fortunately, he had failed to kill Qin Haoxuan. Otherwise, the other two Purple Seed disciples would surely have invoked sect rules and doctrine to have him killed. Even Zhang Kuang would not have been able to protect him. His original thought of seeking revenge against Qin Haoxuan after recovering was completely extinguished.
Li Jing? Qin Haoxuan slowly rose and walked forward at an unhurried pace. If Xu Yu alone had sent someone, then that person would naturally be trustworthy. But with Li Jing added in? He came from the imperial clan and had countless schemes at his disposal. It was better to stay on guard.
As Yuan Shanxiang watched Qin Haoxuan draw closer, confusion filled his heart. What was this kid trying to do? Suddenly, Yuan Shanxiang sensed the killing intent radiating from Qin Haoxuan. He hurriedly tried to rise, but he was half a beat too slow. Qin Haoxuan's foot stomped viciously onto the fracture in his left foot! The violent movement tugged at Qin Haoxuan's rib injuries, making him grit his teeth in pain, while Yuan Shanxiang let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
What was going on? Chang Qingshan froze, then hurried forward without time for further thought, guarding against Yuan Shanxiang's counterattack.
"What are you doing?" Yuan Shanxiang lay on the ground, glaring at Qin Haoxuan in confusion.
"This way... it's safer."
Hearing Qin Haoxuan's carefully considered answer, Yuan Shanxiang suddenly felt the urge to cry. Safer? Safe my ass! If I'd known from the start that you had two Purple Seeds backing you, I never would have come looking for trouble! Now you even have a Fifth Leaf cultivator by your side! How much safer do you need to be? Did I really want to die? In this situation, I want nothing more than to kneel and beg you to forgive my ignorance... safer...
Chang Qingshan watched from the side with tightly furrowed brows, a chill rising in his heart. He had seen ruthless people, but never anyone this ruthless. With such temperament and methods, even if this kid's aptitude was poor, as long as he encountered the right opportunities, his future achievements certainly would not be low.
Cultivation required this kind of ruthlessness!
Over the next few days, Qin Haoxuan worked hard to absorb spiritual energy. In others' eyes, the spiritual energy in the Lava Cellar was a ticking time bomb. If its fiery toxins were not cleared away, drawing it into the body could easily cause one to suffer cultivation deviation. But to Qin Haoxuan, who still had a great deal of One-Leaf Golden Lotus medicinal power in his body and was also a Witch Cultivator, it was simply an enormous tonic!
In only three days, his injuries had recovered by sixty to seventy percent. Such a recovery speed was unbelievable even for cultivators who did not take spiritual medicines to nourish themselves, much less Qin Haoxuan, who possessed the body of a mortal.
Although Chang Qingshan protected him closely, Qin Haoxuan still persistently stomped Yuan Shanxiang every day and starved him for three more days. As a result, Yuan Shanxiang's injuries not only failed to improve, but he was also starved until he was barely clinging to life. On the fourth day...
When Yuan Shanxiang saw Qin Haoxuan walking toward him again, he immediately knelt and kowtowed without hesitation. He swore solemn oaths that for the rest of his life, he would never harbor the slightest malicious thought toward Qin Haoxuan again. Only by begging forgiveness for his past mistakes did he escape the fate of being beaten further.
After pouring a great amount of spiritual energy into his immortal seed, Qin Haoxuan vaguely sensed that the immortal seed, which had cracked open by a tiny slit, had grown some minute roots from the immortal seedling within. Though they had not yet rooted into his dantian, as long as he continued pouring spiritual energy into it for some time, it would be able to take root!
Seven days passed in a flash. Escorted by two law enforcement disciples, Qin Haoxuan was about to leave the Lava Cellar, yet he felt somewhat reluctant. By then, eighty percent of his injuries had healed, and the roots of his immortal seedling had become increasingly clear. It was somewhat dangerous here, but the danger had now passed, and he no longer needed to worry about being secretly attacked. Once he went out, he would have to guard against Zhang Kuang or Li Jing tripping him up in the dark. It was actually more peaceful here.
As Qin Haoxuan was sent away, the old hands imprisoned in the Lava Cellar smiled from the depths of their hearts. From now on, they would finally be able to eat a little more. Yuan Shanxiang, still too severely injured to rise, even wept tears of joy. Over these five days, Qin Haoxuan had stopped tormenting him only after he knelt and begged for mercy. Every time his injuries had just begun to improve, they would become even worse. If Qin Haoxuan had stayed in the Lava Cellar another ten days or half a month, Yuan Shanxiang feared he would have been crippled for life. After being disabled for only a few days, he already felt his strength had plummeted.
Yet before he could let out a sigh of relief, Huang Li entered the confinement chamber with a frosty face, accompanied by two members of the law enforcement team. She unfolded a decree in her hand and declared, "Criminal disciple Yuan Shanxiang has repeatedly violated sect rules. By decree: his cultivation is to be abolished, and he is to be turned into an imbecile and thrown into the Imbecile Courtyard as labor!"
"What?" Yuan Shanxiang felt as though five bolts of lightning had struck him at once. He collapsed limply to the ground and shouted in panic, "You... how dare you do this! I belong to Junior Brother Zhang Kuang! Does Junior Brother Zhang Kuang know you're treating me like this?"
Frost coated Huang Li's face. "Zhang Kuang? A Purple Seed can protect himself, but he cannot protect you! Do you truly think Taichu Sect's rules are mere decorations? Men! Drag him away!"
"Junior Brother Zhang, save me! Junior Brother Zhang, save me..." Yuan Shanxiang struggled to resist, but how could he resist the law enforcement team that charged like wolves and tigers? He was dragged out of the confinement chamber, and his screams and pleas for help echoed throughout the entire corridor.
"Junior Brother Qin, Junior Brother Qin, I was wrong! I was wrong! Please plead for me and spare me..." As Yuan Shanxiang was dragged past Qin Haoxuan, he begged again and again. All he received was Qin Haoxuan's cold gaze.
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