The Opportunity of a Trash Root

Zhou Xuan's urgent tone and the gleam in his eyes caught Zhao Zhen by surprise.

He looked at Zhou Xuan, brows furrowing slightly as he asked, "Junior Brother Zhou, why would you want a Devil-Infected Demon Pill like this?"

"This thing is filled with chaotic spiritual power and carries devilish energy that erodes the mind; it cannot be used for normal cultivation. You must not harbor any crooked thoughts."

Zhao Zhen's words carried a hint of vigilance and concern.

In the Cultivation World, there is no shortage of desperate people who, in pursuit of power, practice demonic arts and eventually fall into the Demonic Path, only to end up with their bodies and souls destroyed.

For Zhou Xuan, a Chore Disciple with inferior spirit roots, to suddenly show such great interest in such a corrupted item, it was impossible for him not to be suspicious.

Seeing Zhao Zhen shake his head, Zhou Xuan felt a surge of anxiety and immediately added, "Senior Brother has misunderstood. This junior brother has absolutely no intention of practicing demonic arts. It is just that a certain cultivation technique I practice is somewhat unique and requires items containing chaotic energy as a catalyst, which is why I wanted to collect a few more."

Watching Zhou Xuan's anxious expression, which did not seem feigned, the doubt on Zhao Zhen's face did not dissipate; instead, it deepened.

He did not answer Zhou Xuan's question, but instead stepped forward abruptly and reached out to grab Zhou Xuan's wrist.

"Senior Brother Zhao?" Zhou Xuan was startled, but he calmed down immediately.

He felt a gentle and pure stream of spiritual power emerge from Zhao Zhen's palm, following his wrist and cautiously probing into his meridians.

The other party was using spiritual energy to inspect his body.

Zhou Xuan's mind raced, but he did not make any move to resist.

He knew that any resistance or show of guilt at this moment would only deepen the other party's suspicions.

He stood calmly in place, allowing that stream of spiritual power to wander and probe within his body.

A moment later, Zhao Zhen released his hand, but his face wore an expression even more bizarre and shocked than before.

He took a step back, looking Zhou Xuan up and down as if seeing him for the first time, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Body Tempering Level Seven?"

Zhao Zhen exclaimed in shock.

"You are actually already at Body Tempering Level Seven?"

His voice sounded somewhat sharp due to his overwhelming shock.

Before coming here, it wasn't as if he hadn't inquired about Zhou Xuan's situation. A disciple who had spent years in the Chore Servant Courtyard, whose cultivation had always been stuck at Body Tempering Level One, and who was deemed to have the most trash-tier Five Elements Impure Spirit Root.

With such aptitude, one might not even touch the threshold of the late Body Tempering Realm in a lifetime, let alone attempt to break through to the Qi Refining Realm.

Yet now, the other party's cultivation was clearly at Body Tempering Level Seven!

It was only three levels away from the perfection of the Body Tempering Realm and the breakthrough to Qi Refining!

Only a few days had passed? How could this be possible!

Facing Zhao Zhen's ghost-seeing expression, Zhou Xuan's face appropriately showed a hint of embarrassment, as if he were shy about his cultivation being exposed.

He scratched his head, and the excuse he had long prepared flowed out naturally.

"To tell you the truth, Senior Brother, the reason for my progress is a stroke of luck."

"Some time ago, while I was processing a batch of relics from a previous Elder at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, I was fortunate enough to obtain a fragment of a cultivation manual."

"That fragment seemed to have a spirit of its own; I accidentally activated it and obtained a precious technique capable of tempering one's roots and bones."

"A precious technique?"

Zhao Zhen's brows locked together, clearly skeptical of this claim.

A precious technique capable of improving one's roots and bones was a treasure that could shake the entire Sect.

Seeing his doubt, Zhou Xuan hurriedly continued to explain, "Senior Brother, don't be hasty. This technique is not as heaven-defying as you think. It has a major limitation: it is only useful for those of us with waste spirit roots."

"Furthermore, the cultivation process is extremely risky; one careless move and there is a danger of shattering one's meridians."

"Most importantly, to trigger this technique, one needs a large amount of demon pills, and the more chaotic and violent the energy within the demon pill, the better the effect. That is why I am so interested in your Devil-Infected Demon Pill."

Zhou Xuan's words were half-truth and half-lie; they explained the reason for his skyrocketing cultivation while justifying his need for the Devil-Infected Demon Pill. It sounded reasonable and logical, with almost no flaws to be found.

After hearing this explanation, the shock and suspicion on Zhao Zhen's face finally faded, replaced by a look of pity.

"So that's how it is."

He nodded and let out a long sigh.

"I thought you were being impatient and had taken some crooked path. As long as it doesn't involve those of the Devil Race, then it's fine."

Immediately, he couldn't help but add a word of caution: "However, Junior Brother Zhou, such a technique that relies on external forces is not the righteous path after all, and the risks are so great. You must be very careful in your future cultivation and must not be too hasty."

As for the precious technique that could only improve waste spirit roots, he didn't take it to heart at all.

In the eyes of an Inner Sect Disciple like Zhao Zhen, such an opportunity might be rare, but it was actually of little use.

After all, there was no essential difference between a Five Elements Impure Spirit Root and a Four Elements waste spirit root; both were trash!

The cultivation speed was as slow as a turtle crawling, the future of the immortal path was bleak, and it was difficult to reach Foundation Establishment in a lifetime.

Even if a Five Elements Impure Spirit Root were improved to a four-attribute waste spirit root, so what?

They would still be at the very bottom of the Sect.

Such an opportunity, tasteless to eat but a pity to discard, was simply not worth his coveting.

Having figured this out, Zhao Zhen completely let go of his wariness toward Zhou Xuan.

Recalling Zhou Xuan's previous question, he said, "The Devil-Infected Demon Pill I have on hand was just something I happened to obtain while out on a mission last time."

"However, the area where I slew that Demon Tiger does indeed show signs of being infected by leaking demonic energy. The Sect leadership attaches great importance to this matter, and as far as I know, an Elder will likely lead a large-scale targeted hunt in the near future to purge the Devil-Infected Demon Beasts in that region."

Speaking of this, Zhao Zhen looked at Zhou Xuan with a bright, hearty smile on his face.

"When that time comes, those Devil-Infected Demon Pills cleared out will be essentially useless to the Sect, and they'll be a hassle to dispose of."

"I can put in a word with the leading Elder and have all those demon pills collected and given to you."

"After all, aside from a few cultivators who practice special techniques or some shady Demonic Path cultivators who might buy them at a high price, those things are worthless trash to us Righteous Path cultivators!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan felt a surge of joy in his heart.

A large-scale hunt? And having all those demon pills given to him?

This was simply a windfall from the heavens!

He didn't show it on his face, but he bowed deeply to Zhao Zhen and said with a sincere tone, "In that case, many thanks, Senior Brother Zhao! This favor, Junior Brother will keep firmly in mind!"

"Between you and me, there is no need for such formalities."

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and helped Zhou Xuan up.

"You helped me retrieve my Marriage Contract, which is a massive favor; this is merely a small effort on my part."

Zhou Xuan thanked him again, and seeing that the matter was settled, he prepared to take his leave.

But just as he turned around, he was grabbed by Zhao Zhen once more.

"Junior Brother Zhou, don't be in such a rush to leave."

Zhou Xuan turned back in confusion, only to see a somewhat solemn expression on Zhao Zhen's face as he asked, "Right, Junior Brother Zhou. Didn't the Sect recently issue a new regulation allowing us Inner Sect Disciples with outstanding performance to select exclusive chore servants? I should be on that list, would you be willing to follow me when the time comes?"

Zhao Zhen had extended the invitation with complete sincerity.

Although Zhou Xuan had a Waste Spirit Root, he was sharp, steady, and reliable in his work; more importantly, he had done him a great favor.

Taking him under his wing would allow him to repay that kindness while gaining a trusted helper—killing two birds with one stone.

Furthermore, in his view, this was an opportunity for Zhou Xuan to ascend to the heavens in a single step.

Escaping the misery of the Chore Servant Courtyard to enter a Cave Abode on the Main Peak was something every chore disciple dreamed of.

He believed that Zhou Xuan had no reason to refuse.

However, upon hearing this invitation, Zhou Xuan fell into a moment of hesitation.

A moment later, he raised his head, met Zhao Zhen's expectant gaze, and slowly shook his head.

"Many thanks for your kindness, Senior Brother."

His voice was calm and firm.

"But this Junior Brother wishes to walk his own path based on his own abilities."

Going to serve as Zhao Zhen's attendant would certainly provide protection and temporarily resolve the crisis of being dismissed.

But it would also mean he would completely lose the chance to scavenge for treasures at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, losing his most stable source of Gold Touch Value.

That was not the path to immortality he wanted.

His path did not lie under someone else's roof, but in that Trash Mountain that everyone else avoided like the plague.

Zhao Zhen clearly hadn't expected Zhou Xuan to refuse. He froze for a moment, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, but it quickly turned into relief and admiration.

He didn't try to persuade him further, simply patting Zhou Xuan heavily on the shoulder.

"Good! You have ambition!"

Zhao Zhen praised.

"Since you have already decided, I won't say any more. Rest assured, even if you don't follow me, if you encounter any trouble in the Sect in the future, you can come to Red Sword Peak to find me at any time. As long as I can help, I will never refuse!"

"Many thanks, Senior Brother." Zhou Xuan felt a warmth in his heart.

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer."

Zhao Zhen withdrew his hand, his face once again brimming with anticipation and joy.

"I must hurry to the Sect Affairs Hall to apply for a Mountain Descent Token. It is time to find my fiancée, who may still be waiting for me in the mortal world down the mountain; I don't want to wait even a second longer!"