Rather Let Ten Thousand Ages Become Long Night

Chapter 11: Rather Let Ten Thousand Ages Become Long Night

The nine great Immortal Sects all had a probationary period for new disciples, to prevent spies from other sects from slipping into their ranks. The tests covered many things, including progress in cultivation and loyalty.

Ning Ye had already prepared for this.

He had prepared an identity: an ordinary villager from some small settlement, whose family had been destroyed after they were persecuted, and who himself had been badly burned in a fire but miraculously survived.

Things like that happened every day in the Evergreen Realm; they were nothing unusual. And there was no way to hide the scars on his body, so although the lie was simple, it was quite useful. To that end, Ning Ye had personally visited a village and investigated everything there before setting out. So even if the Black and White Divine Palace looked into him, they would find nothing amiss.

As Ning Ye watched, Zhang Liekuang's towering frame suddenly stooped. He coughed several times, and his blade-like aura diminished sharply.

Ning Ye stared in astonishment. The old man beside him had already stepped forward and was gently patting Zhang Liekuang's back.

After a few pats, Zhang Liekuang spat out a mouthful of phlegm. It shot into the mountainside with a splat, punching a dent into the rock. Looking around, Ning Ye saw dents like it everywhere.

"Alas." Zhang Liekuang sighed. A trace of helplessness showed in his unfathomable, intimidating gaze.

The bandaged woman beside him explained to Ning Ye, "Master trained too fiercely with the blade in his early years and damaged his lungs and viscera."

Ning Ye was taken aback. "With your cultivation, Master, you still can't heal yourself?"

Zhang Liekuang shook his head. "If it were an ordinary injury, it would have healed long ago. But the Seven Killings Blade Intent has attacked my heart and lungs. As long as I keep training with the blade, I'm fated never to recover. Never mind. I've gotten used to it over the years. You should all take care, too. The Seven Kill Blade is too keen, its killing intent raging in every direction. It's one of the finest killing blades in the world, but a blade that's too sharp breaks easily—and can wound its wielder. So don't train too fiercely."

The old man and the bandaged woman answered together, "This disciple understands."

Zhang Liekuang flicked a finger. Two points of golden light entered Ning Ye's sea of consciousness. "One is the basic cultivation art of the Black and White Divine Palace. It has nine levels. Master the first, and you'll officially enter the sect; master all nine, and you'll reach the peak of the Cang Xiang Realm. This is the foundation of cultivation. It has no combat techniques, but it is the root of your cultivation, so you must practice it diligently. The other is my Killing Intent Heart Sutra, the general principle for cultivating the Seven Kill Blade. You've already obtained the Killing Heart Blade Art. The Killing Heart Blade is the first of the Seven Kills; it kills the body and destroys the heart. That's why the Seven Kill Blade begins with the Killing Heart. But without the Killing Intent Heart Sutra to complement it, overuse will only harm you, so you must practice it diligently as well. In short, start with the basics. From now on, come collect spirit stones and pills each month. If you need anything, go to Chenguang."

The old man was named Yu Chenguang, Zhang Liekuang's senior disciple.

"Oh, right. Here's a bag of spirit stones, your reward for winning first place in this trial competition." Zhang Liekuang raised a hand, and a bag of spirit stones flew into Ning Ye's grasp.

So I really did come in first?

Ning Ye wasn't surprised by the answer.

With three years of cultivation under his belt and the information he'd gleaned from divination and foresight, taking first place was hardly strange. Not taking first place would have been strange.

The real good news was the bag of spirit stones.

Thanks to what Xin Ranzi had given him, Ning Ye wasn't short on spirit stones or magical treasures. To be safe, he had hidden most of them in a secret place, but he had still left enough spirit stones for the three senior and junior disciples. The only problem was that no one knew where those things had come from, so he couldn't use them openly.

By comparison, the spirit stones from Zhang Liekuang were different. He could use those without drawing suspicion.

After giving his instructions, Zhang Liekuang sent Ning Ye on his way.

Yu Chenguang had already found Ning Ye a place to live. It wasn't the stone cave he'd stayed in before, but a secluded little courtyard some distance away.

Ning Ye knew it was deliberate. If he were a spy from another sect, he would naturally like such a place—and might use the opportunity to pull a few tricks.

The Black and White Divine Palace wasn't afraid of spies acting. It was afraid they'd wait too long to act. After all, the more capable the spy, the greater the harm they could cause.

Once he had settled in, Ning Ye entered the Thousand Mechanism Hall with his mind and checked whether there was surveillance nearby. He soon found several concealed monitoring devices, though most were quite ordinary.

Since he had no cultivation at the moment, it was difficult to detect more advanced surveillance with only the Kunlun Mirror. But he was merely an ordinary disciple, so it was unlikely that some important figure would personally go to the trouble.

Once he knew where the monitoring points were, Ning Ye felt much more at ease and began cultivating. Thanks to his past experience, restarting his cultivation went exceptionally smoothly.

In just forty days or so, Ning Ye had completed the first level of the heart method and entered the path of cultivation once more.

He remembered how, the first time he'd entered the realm, he'd been so thrilled he could barely contain himself. Now, though, his heart had grown much quieter.

Ning Ye still remembered how, when he had first broken through, he'd been so ignorant that he'd rushed into Xin Ranzi's room and shouted the news. As a result, the batch of pills Xin Ranzi had been refining was ruined.

But Xin Ranzi hadn't blamed him. Instead, he'd praised him warmly.

Even now, Ning Ye could still picture Xin Ranzi ruffling his hair and giving him an approving smile.

Alas, those who had treated him well were gone. Everywhere he looked now, there were enemies.

Did that make Zhang Liekuang an enemy, too?

The thought surfaced, and Ning Ye shivered.

Time really changed everything. In just two months, though he'd barely seen Zhang Liekuang, the thought had already entered his mind.

No. An enemy was an enemy. He mustn't go soft.

Ning Ye had originally planned to get close to Zhang Liekuang and earn his favor, making the man someone he could rely on.

But now he suddenly realized that perhaps he should keep his distance from Zhang Liekuang and avoid getting too close.

It might hinder his cultivation in the future, but it would help preserve his resolve.

I am Ning Ye!

I'd rather let ten thousand ages become long night than spare the soul of a single enemy!

Taiyin Sect.

Xin Xiaoye sat by the pond, gazing at her reflection in the water.

The face staring back was hideously disfigured. A knife scar ran from her brow down across her whole face, all the way to her chin. It wasn't a burn she'd inflicted on herself; she'd been exhausted after a hard fight during the entrance trial, and her opponent had carved it into her face with a single slash.

Fortunately, her looks had already been ruined, so she didn't need to mind one more scar.

"Junior Sister, why are you sitting here lost in thought again? I've told you, there's no need to keep looking at yourself." Behind Xin Xiaoye, a yellow-faced woman gently tried to console her. Her voice was soft. "Let the past stay in the past. If you keep dwelling on it, how can you look to the future?"

Xin Xiaoye forced an ugly smile. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister."

There weren't many people in the Taiyin Sect who treated her well. The senior sister before her was one of them, and her master could be counted as another.

But unlike Ning Ye, who had wavered for an instant, Xin Xiaoye's desire for revenge was utterly unshakable.

Forget the past?

If she truly forgot the past, how could she avenge her father?

Taiyin Sect, every last one of you will die!

I swear I won't rest until your sect is wiped from the earth!

Xin Xiaoye swore vengeance in her heart.

Heavenless Peak.

A group of ragged people were laboriously hauling ore under the supervision of a group of cultivators.

Crack! Crack! The sound of whips rang out as they lashed the backs of the laborers.

"Move faster! Quit slacking off, damn it!" one cultivator roared furiously.

Crack!

A whip struck Qing Lin's back.

He gritted his teeth and said nothing, pressing stubbornly onward.

He had failed the Haotian Sect's trial!

It wasn't because he hadn't worked hard. A few people with connections had taken the spots that should have been his.

The injustice filled Qing Lin with grief and rage.

But Qing Lin didn't give up.

Even if he had to sell himself into slavery, he would enter the Haotian Sect and rise again within its ranks!

Junior Brother, Junior Sister, wait for me. Your senior brother won't let you down! Qing Lin cried out in his heart.