Zhou Xuan's urgent tone and shining eyes took Zhao Zhen by surprise.
He looked at Zhou Xuan, furrowed his brow slightly, and asked, "Junior Brother Zhou, what do you want with a Demon Core infected by Demonic Qi?"
"This thing contains impure spiritual energy and Demonic Qi that corrodes the mind. It can't be used for normal cultivation. Don't even think about trying anything crooked."
There was a trace of wariness and concern in Zhao Zhen's words.
In the Cultivation World, there was no shortage of people with nowhere else to turn who cultivated demonic arts in pursuit of power, only to fall into the Demonic Path and meet a fate that left neither body nor soul behind.
Zhou Xuan was a Chore Disciple with an inferior Spirit Root, yet he had suddenly shown such great interest in something infected by demonic energy. Zhao Zhen couldn't help but wonder.
Seeing Zhao Zhen shake his head, Zhou Xuan grew anxious and quickly added, "You misunderstand, Senior Brother. I have absolutely no intention of cultivating demonic arts. It's just that one of the cultivation methods I practice is a little unusual. It requires things containing impure energy as a catalyst, so I wanted to collect more of them."
Seeing how genuinely anxious Zhou Xuan looked, Zhao Zhen's suspicions didn't fade. They only deepened.
He didn't answer Zhou Xuan's question. Instead, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Xuan by the wrist.
"Senior Brother Zhao?" Zhou Xuan was startled, but he quickly composed himself.
He felt a gentle, pure stream of spiritual energy emerge from Zhao Zhen's palm. It flowed along his wrist and carefully probed into his Meridians.
Zhao Zhen was using spiritual energy to examine his body.
Zhou Xuan's thoughts raced, but he made no move to resist.
He knew that any resistance or guilty look now would only deepen Zhao Zhen's suspicions.
He stood calmly in place and let the spiritual energy roam through his body.
A moment later, Zhao Zhen finally let go. But his face showed an even stranger, more astonished expression than before.
He took a step back and looked Zhou Xuan up and down as though seeing him for the first time, his eyes full of disbelief.
"Body Forging, seventh layer?"
Zhao Zhen cried out in shock.
"You've already reached the seventh layer of Body Forging?"
His voice had grown sharp with astonishment.
Before coming, he hadn't failed to ask around about Zhou Xuan. He'd heard that Zhou Xuan had spent several years in the Chore Servant Courtyard, his cultivation stuck at the first layer of Body Forging, and that he'd been judged to possess the most useless Five Elements Impure Spirit Root.
With talent like that, he might not reach the later stages of Body Forging in his entire life, let alone break through to the Qi Refining Realm.
But now, Zhou Xuan was clearly at the seventh layer of Body Forging!
He was only three layers away from reaching the peak of Body Forging and advancing to Qi Refining!
How many days had it been? How was this possible?
Facing Zhao Zhen's expression, as though he'd seen a ghost, Zhou Xuan let an awkward smile appear on his face, as if he felt embarrassed to have his cultivation exposed.
He scratched his head and smoothly delivered the explanation he'd prepared in advance.
"To be honest, Senior Brother, my cultivation only improved because of a stroke of luck."
"Some time ago, while handling the former elders' belongings at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, I happened to find a fragment of a cultivation manual."
"That fragment seemed to possess a spirit. I activated it by accident and obtained a secret art that can temper one's Root Bone."
"A secret art?"
Zhao Zhen's brows drew together. He was clearly skeptical.
A secret art that could improve one's Root Bone was a treasure capable of shaking the entire sect.
Zhou Xuan saw his doubt and hurriedly continued, "Please don't be alarmed, Senior Brother. This secret art isn't as heaven-defying as you think. It has one major limitation: it only works for people with Waste Spirit Roots like us."
"Moreover, the cultivation process is extremely risky. One wrong step could leave your Meridians shattered."
"Most importantly, using this secret art requires a large number of Demon Cores. The more impure and violent their energy, the better the effect. That's why I'm so interested in your Devil-Infected Demon Core."
Zhou Xuan's explanation was half true and half false. It accounted for his sudden increase in cultivation and explained why he wanted the Devil-Infected Demon Core. It sounded perfectly reasonable and was nearly impossible to pick apart.
After hearing him out, the shock and suspicion on Zhao Zhen's face finally faded, replaced by an expression of regret.
"So that's how it is."
He nodded and let out a long breath.
"I thought you were in such a hurry to succeed that you'd taken some crooked path. As long as it has nothing to do with the Devil Race, that's fine."
Then he couldn't help adding a warning. "Still, Junior Brother Zhou, a secret art that relies on external forces isn't the righteous path, and one with such great risks is even more dangerous. Be very careful when you cultivate it in the future. Don't rush."
As for the secret art that could only improve a Waste Spirit Root, he hadn't taken it seriously at all.
To an Inner Sect Disciple like Zhao Zhen, such a fortuitous opportunity was certainly rare, but in practice, it wasn't much use.
After all, there was no real difference between a Five Elements Impure Spirit Root and a four-element Waste Spirit Root. Both were useless!
Cultivation crawled along at a snail's pace, the path to immortality was bleak, and reaching Foundation Establishment was nearly impossible in a lifetime.
Even if Zhou Xuan improved his Five Elements Impure Spirit Root into a four-element Waste Spirit Root, what would it change?
He would still be at the very bottom of the sect.
This kind of opportunity, neither worth taking nor easy to discard, simply wasn't worth coveting.
Once he'd thought it through, Zhao Zhen let go of his wariness toward Zhou Xuan entirely.
Recalling Zhou Xuan's earlier question, he said, "I happened to obtain this Devil-Infected Demon Core while carrying out a mission outside the sect."
"However, the area where I killed that Demon Tiger did seem to show signs of contamination from leaked Demonic Qi. The sect's higher-ups are quite concerned about it. As far as I know, an elder will soon lead a large-scale targeted hunt to clear the Devil-Infected Demon Beasts from that area."
As he spoke, Zhao Zhen looked at Zhou Xuan and broke into a hearty smile.
"Most of the Devil-Infected Demon Cores they clear out will be useless to the sect and a hassle to deal with."
"I can speak to the elder leading the hunt and have all those Demon Cores collected and given to you."
"After all, aside from a few Cultivators who practice unusual methods and those shady Demonic Path Cultivators who'd pay a high price for them, those things are worthless trash to Righteous Path Cultivators like us!"
Zhou Xuan was delighted to hear this.
A large-scale hunt? All those Demon Cores given to him?
This was a fortune falling straight from the heavens!
He showed nothing on his face, bowed deeply to Zhao Zhen, and said sincerely, "In that case, thank you, Senior Brother Zhao! I'll remember this kindness!"
"There's no need to be so polite between us."
Zhao Zhen waved his hand and helped Zhou Xuan up.
"Helping me recover my Marriage Contract was a huge favor. This is nothing more than a small service."
Zhou Xuan thanked him again. Seeing that they'd settled everything, he prepared to take his leave.
But as soon as he turned around, Zhao Zhen grabbed him again.
"Junior Brother Zhou, don't leave just yet."
Zhou Xuan turned back in confusion. Zhao Zhen looked serious as he asked, "By the way, Junior Brother Zhou, hasn't the sect recently issued a new rule allowing outstanding Inner Sect Disciples like us to choose our own Chore Disciples? I should be on the list. Would you be willing to serve under me?"
Zhao Zhen made the invitation in earnest.
Though Zhou Xuan had a Waste Spirit Root, he was quick-witted, level-headed, and reliable. More importantly, he owed him a great debt.
Taking him in would let Zhao Zhen repay that kindness and gain a trusted helper. It would serve both purposes at once.
And in Zhao Zhen's eyes, this was undoubtedly a chance for Zhou Xuan to rise straight to the top.
Leaving the misery of the Chore Servant Courtyard and entering a Cave Abode on the Main Peak, where spiritual energy was abundant, was what every Chore Disciple dreamed of.
He was sure Zhou Xuan had no reason to refuse.
However, when Zhou Xuan heard the invitation, he hesitated briefly.
A moment later, he raised his head to meet Zhao Zhen's expectant gaze and slowly shook it.
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother."
His voice was calm and firm.
"But I want to make my own way."
Serving as Zhao Zhen's attendant would certainly give him protection and temporarily free him from the threat of being expelled.
But it would also mean losing his chance to hunt for treasures at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department and giving up his most reliable source of Gold Touch Value.
That wasn't the immortal path he wanted.
His path wasn't beneath someone else's roof. It lay within that Trash Mountain that everyone else avoided.
Zhao Zhen clearly hadn't expected Zhou Xuan to refuse. He paused, surprise flashing in his eyes, but it quickly gave way to understanding and admiration.
He didn't try to persuade Zhou Xuan any further. He simply patted him heavily on the shoulder.
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Zhao Zhen praised him.
"Since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything more. Don't worry—even if you don't serve under me, if you run into trouble in the sect, you can always come find me at Red Sword Peak. If there's anything I can do to help, I won't turn you away!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Zhou Xuan felt a warmth in his heart.
"All right, I won't keep you any longer."
Zhao Zhen drew back his hand, his face once again brimming with anticipation and joy.
"I have to hurry to the Sect Affairs Hall and apply for a Mountain Descent Token. Then I can look for my fiancée, who may still be waiting for me in the mortal world at the foot of the mountain. I don't want to wait another moment!"
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