Thought Connects, Qi Cultivation Succeeds

Every ten days after that, Fang Huai would crouch near the cultivation chambers, watching the tags of passing disciples.

Whenever he spotted a Qi Refining disciple with the [Qi Induction] tag, he would borrow it and gift them a bottle of Sha Qi as compensation.

One day, while slurping Poison Heart Grass and squatting until his feet went numb, he spotted a familiar face.

That Qi Refining second-layer disciple who had threatened to report him to the sect had come to cultivate again.

The man grabbed a passing caretaker servant by the collar, nostrils aimed at the sky:

"Deduct sixty contribution points and find me the cultivation chamber with the densest spiritual energy and the best feng shui. If you dare slack off, I won't let you off!"

His voice was so loud he seemed afraid no one would hear.

The others shot him sidelong glances, but Fang Huai was filled with admiration:

This is the model for our kind, the mindset a cultivator should have! Who cares if others sneer or mock? As long as your face is thick as a shoe sole, you just need to be comfortable yourself!

After praising him, he borrowed the man's tag for six hours again.

Over the next three months, Fang Huai repeated this cycle. Finally, when he circulated the Hundred Sha Technique once more, his cultivation progress reached one hundred:

[Hundred Sha Technique (Fragment) Beginner: 100/100]

But though the progress was full, there seemed to be an invisible barrier between Beginner and Qi Refining. No matter how hard he tried, he always felt something was missing.

What exactly was the problem?

Fang Huai racked his brains, his face full of worry. Just as he grew irritable, he heard a disciple shouting from the hall:

"Bring the food! I'm in a good mood today—drink till we drop!"

Some servant disciple seemed to have come into money, ordering a table full of delicacies. The most eye-catching were the clear wine brewed from Red Mountain Fruit and the spicy rabbit heads.

In a daze, Fang Huai understood: since his cultivation method wasn't the problem, it had to be his Dao heart.

Though he had stepped into the immortal cultivation world, he was still one step away from being a true cultivator.

Since he was still a mortal, he would solve the Dao heart problem with mortal methods!

A few days later, Fang Huai carried a pouch containing a jug of clear wine and a few pounds of rabbit meat, standing at the entrance of Miasma Valley.

He happened to run into Liu Xiange returning to the valley. Fang Huai quickly waved to get her attention.

When Liu Xiange saw the pouch in his hand, a smile flickered in her eyes: "Senior Brother, you weren't waiting for me on purpose, were you?"

Fang Huai didn't bother hiding it: "My Dao heart is unsettled. I wanted to invite Junior Sister for a few drinks. Would you do me the honor?"

Liu Xiange smiled lightly: "Why not!"

A sleepless night passed, and his Dao heart was clear.

After his Dao heart cleared, Fang Huai immediately bathed and changed clothes, then hurried to the cultivation chamber.

Now, with his eyes slightly closed and an expression of calm, he didn't deliberately breathe in the world's spiritual energy. He simply followed his heart, gradually entering a state of emptiness.

Spiritual energy flowed along his meridians, gathered at his dantian, condensed and compressed, then burst forth, washing through his entire meridian system.

Finally, when the last blockage cleared, Fang Huai opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi.

[Fang Huai]

[Qi Refining First Layer]

[Thoughts Unobstructed (White)][Death Imminent]

[Remaining Points: 7]

[Hundred Sha Technique (Fragment) First Layer: 0/100]

[Body Forging Technique Beginner: 67/100]

"It's done!"

Though the [Death Imminent] tag still hung over him, he couldn't hide the joy in his heart.

Breaking through to Qi Refining First Layer meant he had truly set foot on the path of cultivation. He was no longer a servant at others' mercy. From now on, he could rely on his own strength to contend with the fickle Heavenly Dao for a share of fortune!

He stretched his limbs, feeling the spiritual energy gathered in his dantian suddenly surge and wash into every corner of his body.

The next moment, a sticky, black-brown filth oozed from his skin, and a pungent stench spread through the air.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Just then, the door was pounded heavily. The caretaker servant's voice came through: "Time's up! Get out!"

When the door opened, the caretaker servant covered his nose in disgust: "What's that stench? You didn't crap in there, did you?"

As he spoke, he looked up at Fang Huai.

He saw a glimmer of spiritual light flash in Fang Huai's eyes, his mind clear and bright. The servant disciple was instantly shocked and fell to his knees:

"Junior brother, you... congratulations, senior brother, on your great achievement in Qi training!"

Fang Huai crouched down, lifted his chin, and smeared the filth across his face.

"The weather is freezing cold, and this humble one's nose has lost its sense of smell. I can't detect my own scent. Were you just saying that I stink?"

"Fragrant, senior brother is truly fragrant. It's my nose that's at fault. Senior brother, spare me!"

The servant caretaker's heart pounded wildly. To prove that Fang Huai was indeed fragrant, he actually shoved the filth into his own mouth.

Forcing down the churning in his stomach, his face was full of fawning flattery.

Breaking through to the first layer of Qi training meant he would soon become an outer disciple.

And the Corpse Sha Sect had strict hierarchies, stipulating that if a servant disrespected an outer disciple, the outer disciple could kill them on the spot.

As for why the steward dared to lock horns with an outer disciple, it was purely because the steward was also in the Qi training stage, and at the third layer.

The servant kneeling on the ground was filled with despair. He really wanted to slap himself hard in the mouth—how could he have failed to even smell the stench of the filth expelled during cultivation?

Fang Huai had no intention of making things difficult for him. He tossed him a few Miasma-Clearing Pills and said, "Prepare a suitable set of clothes and boil a bucket of hot water. Deduct the contribution points directly."

Authority had been established, and now favor must be shown as well.

Although he would rarely come here in the future, Liu Xiange and the others were still servants and would need this man's care.

The servant caretaker stared at the pills in his hands in disbelief, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

Fang Huai tossed the Snake Bone Grass into the bath barrel and leaned against its edge, pondering his current situation.

In Servant Valley, he could act on his whims freely, entirely because the people here had no backing and he feared no future retaliation. But once he stepped into the outer sect, things would be different.

The disciples there either had real skill or relied on families or elders behind them. Offending any one of them casually could invite endless trouble.

From now on, he could no longer act as carelessly as before. He must tread carefully at every step and keep his wits sharp.

As he mused, the filth washed away, and the old scars on his body peeled off along with it.

He looked at the reflection in the water—bright eyes and lively features, quite handsome in appearance.

But suddenly, a sharp pain and a scratching sensation struck his heart again.

Fang Huai was puzzled. Logically, after entering the Qi training stage, the ailments and defects in the body should be cleansed and healed by spiritual energy. Why was this stabbing pain reappearing?

"After Qi training, one can internally inspect the meridians and five viscera. I'll see exactly what's wrong with my body!"

He closed his eyes, sank his mind inward, and let his vision pass through muscles and blood vessels, scanning his entire body's organs.

After a dozen breaths, Fang Huai opened his eyes, his expression shifting between uncertainty and gloom.

On his heart lay a black beetle.

[Corpse Meteor Insect]

[???]

[Poison-Devouring Sha-Suppressing (Black)] [Undying and Indestructible]

[Poison-Devouring Sha-Suppressing: Loves to consume poisons, has a suppressive effect on toxic sha.]

[Undying and Indestructible: Ordinary forces in this realm find it difficult to completely eradicate it.]

No wonder he always felt something strange in his heart and inexplicably craved poisonous herbs.

He had thought it was a psychological issue, but now it seemed to be the influence of the Corpse Meteor Insect.

Even the system couldn't identify its rank, proving this insect was far from ordinary.

Fortunately, the Corpse Meteor Insect appeared lifeless and was usually dormant, only scratching to remind Fang Huai to feed it poison.

"If it's a blessing, it's not a curse; if it's a curse, it can't be avoided." Fang Huai frowned, trying to recall when he had gotten entangled with this thing.

After thinking it over, only one point in time matched—

This insect loved poison and craved toxic substances. It was possible that when he was on the verge of death from spider venom, the Corpse Meteor Insect had found an opportunity to burrow into his body.

Thinking back, his escape from the Black Death Spider's venom and Liu Wu's arrow poison was likely thanks to this insect.

Although the Corpse Meteor Insect in his heart was a hidden danger, it had indeed saved him twice. With that thought, Fang Huai felt relieved. All he had to do was eat more poisonous herbs to sustain it.

An eccentric diet in exchange for a life-saving measure—this deal was more than worth it!

But the secret of harboring this strange insect must rot in his heart. If someone with ill intentions found out, they would surely kill him to seize the bug.