No one dared claim they had fully grasped the Pill Refining Art, nor did anyone dare say they understood the mysteries of formations. Yet even so, that was already remarkable enough!
In cultivation, the stupidest thing was to know only how to sit in meditation, refine one's breath, and absorb spiritual energy!
Elder Chu was not that grim-faced Immortal Master with the thick beard. He knew nothing of Qin Haoxuan's behavior and remarks from yesterday or today. After glancing at Qin Haoxuan a few times, he stopped paying attention to him. To Elder Chu, teaching the four disciples who had already Rooted was enough; the future of the Taichu Sect rested on their shoulders.
Meditating during class, with the Enlightenment Immortal Master keeping watch and everyone's eyes upon him, Qin Haoxuan felt more relaxed than ever before. He no longer had to worry, as he once had, that Zhang Kuang or Li Jing might send someone to ambush him.
As he circulated the Great Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique, an enormous amount of spiritual energy surged into Qin Haoxuan's body. Under his practiced control, it rapidly neutralized the scorching medicinal power within him before pouring once more into his immortal seed. Little by little, he watched the roots of the immortal seedling lengthen within it. Zhang Kuang's persecution of him was becoming increasingly blatant. He had to hurry and Root, exhaust the medicinal power stored within the One-Leaf Golden Lotus, then make another trip to the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley. It would be wonderful if he could find some miraculous pills, but it would be even better if he could find defensive treasures.
While Elder Chu lectured without pause, he occasionally glanced at the meditating Qin Haoxuan. A weak seed was a weak seed. When absorbing spiritual energy, Qin Haoxuan did not even give off the slightest fluctuation. At that rate, even if he meditated and cultivated around the clock, he would not catch up to a Gray Seed disciple, let alone a violet-seed disciple!
It seemed that after being confined for several days, he had not grown any wiser. Instead, he had gone deeper and deeper down a dead-end alley.
Recalling the surprise Qin Haoxuan had given him by achieving Seed Breaking on his very first day, Elder Chu inwardly sighed. Such a fine Dao heart, yet he has strayed down the wrong path. What a pity, what a pity!
As Elder Chu's explanation of Eight Trigrams Numerology grew more profound, more and more disciples felt as though they had fallen into a fog. They simply could not understand what he was saying. One weak-seed disciple thought that since he could not understand anyway, he might as well meditate and cultivate like Qin Haoxuan. At least he could improve his strength a little!
The moment he crossed his legs and was about to enter meditation, a wind blade suddenly sent him flying. Elder Chu stood at the lectern, glaring sideways with furious eyes as he roared, "Get out!"
The poor disciple, left dazed and disoriented by the wind blade, had just pointed at Qin Haoxuan and tried to defend himself when Elder Chu struck him with another wind blade and blasted him straight out of the classroom!
Having personally watched that weak-seed disciple get sent flying, the others looked at Qin Haoxuan, who could freely meditate and cultivate, with immense envy. Thus, all sorts of gossip began to spread.
"No wonder he has a violet-seed disciple backing him. He meditates during class, and Elder Chu does not even dare discipline him."
"Exactly. Too bad there is only one violet-seed female disciple. Otherwise, I'd find one too, sleep hugging her for a night, and then run wild through the Taichu Sect without restraint."
The latter voice belonged to Murong Chao. They were far from Qin Haoxuan and assumed he could not hear them, but they never imagined that after cultivating the Great Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique, Qin Haoxuan was not only exceptionally strong but also possessed extraordinarily sharp senses. Every word of their whispers fell clearly into his ears, and he could effortlessly identify who had said each one.
Qin Haoxuan sneered inwardly. Back then, you wanted to establish your authority by playing villains and stealing the bedding of fellow disciples. If he had not stood firm, Xu Yu and he would have frozen through the night. Now that she had made a name for herself in one stunning feat, becoming a violet-seed disciple valued by the sect and sharing an excellent relationship with him, you had begun to grow jealous again. You tried every possible way to win her over, and when that failed, you spread this gossip instead—one face before others, another behind their backs! How could such a mindset possibly cultivate immortality? You could not even remain unmoved by honor or disgrace. If you were ever lucky enough to cultivate to the tribulation-crossing stage, your inner demons would surely cripple you. At best, you would become useless; at worst, corpses!
Of course, not everyone could cultivate to the tribulation-crossing stage. With their temperaments, Qin Haoxuan would wager everything that they had absolutely no chance!
Elder Chu lectured until noon before dismissing class. When he announced the end of class, Qin Haoxuan, who had been cultivating, also felt his stomach rumbling with hunger and opened his eyes at just that moment.
Seeing Qin Haoxuan finish his cultivation only after class ended, Elder Chu shot him a look of utter disdain and sighed. "Rotten wood cannot be carved!"
To him, Qin Haoxuan cultivating during class was an act of disrespect. Even if Qin Haoxuan had a violet-seed disciple as his backing, and Elder Chu could not easily drive him from the classroom out of consideration for her, there was no need for him to show Qin Haoxuan a pleasant face.
Qin Haoxuan knew Elder Chu's remark about rotten wood was aimed at him. He gave Elder Chu an apologetic look. He was helpless beyond measure. It was not that he did not want to listen to class. On the contrary, everything Elder Chu taught was foundational knowledge for cultivation and extremely useful. But the price of attending class was having his body burst apart from the remaining medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus.
Though he had his reasons, he could not explain them. Qin Haoxuan felt stifled and aggrieved as he left the classroom with Xu Yu beneath the contemptuous gazes of the other disciples.
Because the Eight Trigrams Numerology taught that morning had been too profound for disciples who had only just stepped onto the path of cultivation, and because chewing more than one could swallow would only cause indigestion, Elder Chu allowed them to study or cultivate on their own that afternoon.
After lunch, Qin Haoxuan still went to Xu Yu's room. As he read through his notes, Xu Yu explained Eight Trigrams Numerology to him. It had to be said that Xu Yu's comprehension was exceptional. The Eight Trigrams Numerology that others found as incomprehensible as a heavenly book posed no problem for her whatsoever. Not only did she fully recount what Elder Chu had taught, she also added many of her own insights and views. Though Qin Haoxuan understood only fragments, it was still far better than trying to read those heavenly-book-like notes by himself.
The afternoon passed amid Xu Yu's explanations and Qin Haoxuan's meditation. Xu Yu had also grown accustomed to Qin Haoxuan suddenly becoming restless during her explanations, sitting down to enter meditation, then returning to normal after cultivating for a while and continuing to listen to her lecture.
Among these new disciples, Qin Haoxuan was not the only one receiving special tutoring. Zhang Yang enjoyed the same treatment.
Just after lunch, he quietly left Spirit Field Valley and arrived at their agreed meeting place, where he found his master, Gu Yunzi, already waiting for him.
Gu Yunzi's plump body stood atop a massive boulder, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the depths of Dayu Mountain. Clouds and mist drifted there in an ethereal haze—the direction of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley.
Zhang Yang arrived, respectfully bowed, and told Gu Yunzi of his questions regarding Eight Trigrams Numerology that day. Gu Yunzi gave a cold laugh. "Eight Trigrams Numerology is Xia Yunzi's specialty. Good disciple, let me tell you: there are countless paths along the road of cultivation. There is absolutely no need to take those so-called shortcuts. The creed of our Gu Yun Hall is this: one's own strength crushes everything!"
After a pause, he continued with a trace of pride, "Look at Xiayun Hall. They are proficient in formations and trigrams, pill refinement and medicine-making. Xia Yunzi spends all day calculating Eight Trigrams Numerology and studying pill scriptures and medicinal principles until all his hair has fallen out. Yet is he not still evenly matched with your master, sitting on equal footing with me? You need only cultivate diligently now. You should understand such basic knowledge, but there is no need to dwell on it too much, lest it delay your own progress."
Though Zhang Yang did not entirely agree with his master's words, he recalled how Gu Yunzi's support had allowed him to Root successfully in seven days, stand on equal footing with violet-seed disciples, and bask in incomparable glory. He immediately stopped doubting and nodded in agreement.
Under Gu Yunzi's guidance, Zhang Yang practiced for a while longer. Yet a faint trace of worry lingered on his face. Gu Yunzi was old and shrewd; how could he fail to notice? He immediately turned serious and asked Zhang Yang, "Disciple, do you have something troubling your heart? If matters linger in your heart for too long and turn into an ailment of the heart, they will greatly harm your future."
"Master, this disciple indeed has something on his mind." Zhang Yang gave a deep bow. "This disciple has a fellow townsman who is now also under the Taichu Sect. His name is Qin Haoxuan. Though he is merely a weak-seed disciple, his strength is terrifyingly formidable. He even fought an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf expert to mutual defeat. He is like a great mountain, constantly weighing upon this disciple's heart."
"Oh? Your fellow townsman? Then he should also be Zhang Kuang's fellow townsman. I recall that you and Zhang Kuang are quite close, are you not?"
"Zhang Kuang acts arrogant and domineering before others, but before Qin Haoxuan, he is like a mouse seeing a cat. Yesterday, Qin Haoxuan even rode on his head and humiliated him."
Gu Yunzi gave a scornful laugh as a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. "That violet-seed Zhang Kuang may be gifted, but his Dao heart is far too lacking. Rest assured. Leave this matter to your master."
With Gu Yunzi's assurance, Zhang Yang happily continued practicing. Gu Yunzi, however, sank into thought. He had also heard rumors from hall disciples about this newly admitted weak-seed disciple, but he had assumed they were exaggerated rumors passed from mouth to mouth. A mere mortal who had entered the sect only days ago was struck by the spirit arts of an Immortal Seedling Realm Third Leaf expert and emerged as though nothing had happened? Then he had fought an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf expert in the Lava Cellar to a mutual defeat? In a place like the Lava Cellar, whether an ordinary mortal could walk out alive was already questionable. How could he fight an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf expert? Besides, though the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf was a paltry realm, it should not have been so pathetic, should it?
Why did all this sound like such a wild fantasy? Perhaps Qin Haoxuan possessed some small fortuitous encounter that even he himself did not know about?
Gu Yunzi had not paid Qin Haoxuan much attention before. Even if a mere mortal had encountered some fortune, it would only be a minor encounter. Great fortuitous encounters were usually accompanied by great danger.
Other Taichu disciples had also encountered good fortune before, but the rule of the cultivation world was generally that great opportunities came with great risks. Under normal circumstances, Taichu's elders would not seize minor opportunities from others.
It was like a child finding three copper coins on the road—a tremendous windfall to the child, but merely three copper coins to an adult.
But now... because of Zhang Yang's words, Gu Yunzi had instead conceived a scheme that Qin Haoxuan could help him accomplish! This scheme could also perfectly evade any investigation by Sect Master Huanglong afterward.
In cultivation, improving one's cultivation was certainly important, but the most important thing was cultivating one's heart. If a cultivator harbored an ailment of the heart, then no matter how gifted he was, his future achievements would inevitably be limited. From his disciple's account, Qin Haoxuan was undoubtedly the shared ailment of the heart for both Zhang Kuang and Zhang Yang. Gu Yunzi intended to fulfill Zhang Yang's desire to crush Qin Haoxuan, thoroughly removing his ailment of the heart. At the same time, he would add another trump card for Zhang Kuang's future victory over violet-seed disciples.
In his early years, Gu Yunzi had encountered a fortuitous opportunity and obtained part of the spirit arts of the Heavenly Corpse Sect.
The spirit arts cultivated by the Heavenly Corpse Sect were exceptionally vicious and poisonous. They refined cultivators into one's own corpse soldiers. Such corpse soldiers could not only inherit all the cultivation of those refined into them, but they also had no self-awareness and obeyed their refiners completely. More importantly, the corpse soldiers' cultivation would rise alongside their masters', and the better the refining material, the greater the corpse soldier's room for future growth.
If Zhang Yang's words were true, then Qin Haoxuan was absolutely superb material for refining a corpse soldier. With such a robust body, he could fight an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf disciple to mutual defeat without even producing a seedling. Even Gu Yunzi felt tempted. Yet in order to further Zhang Yang and enjoy the prestige of being the master of a future supreme sect master, he still decided to give such excellent refining material to Zhang Yang.
Still, Gu Yunzi truly could not bear to harm a disciple of his own sect in this way. Only after weighing the matter again and again did he persuade himself: Qin Haoxuan was merely a weak-seed disciple whose future progress would surely be limited. Better for him to become a corpse soldier and lend Zhang Yang a helping hand; that too would count as making a contribution to Taichu. When the time came for Zhang Yang to descend the mountain, he could give Qin Haoxuan's parents more silver so they could enjoy a good old age. In that way, Qin Haoxuan becoming a corpse soldier could also be considered filial piety.
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