Progress

After living here for several months, Gao Xian had adapted to this world of cultivators and its way of life.

Having just killed a cultivator, he felt his reasons were sufficient and his conscience remained untroubled.

It was just that the scene itself was somewhat gruesome, making it difficult for him to look directly at it.

Zhu Qiniang, however, was completely indifferent; she rummaged through all the corpses scattered across the ground.

Actually, the one killed by Gao Xian was fine, but the other four were scattered in pieces—that was truly a miserable sight.

Zhu Qiniang searched through them, eventually pulling out over thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones, a stack of low-tier talismans, various messy pills, and a few low-tier magical artifacts.

These items were almost all stained with blood, but Zhu Qiniang didn't mind, casually tossing them into her storage bag.

She said, "These items combined are worth sixty or seventy spirit stones. Add these stones and the Iron-Back Gray Wolf, and it's over a hundred spirit stones. Once I process them, I'll split half with you."

Gao Xian wanted to refuse, but thinking about getting over fifty spirit stones, he really couldn't bring himself to do it.

Zhu Qiniang saw that Gao Xian was a bit conflicted and said calmly, "This is our shared spoils of war; there is no need for modesty or courtesy."

After finishing this job, the sky was visibly darkening.

Zhu Qiniang also felt the day's harvest was plentiful and immediately headed back with Gao Xian.

"The sword technique you used to kill that dark, thin cultivator was truly excellent. One strike to break the shield, sever the hand, and snap the arrow, followed by a strike to decapitate. It was done in one breath—crisp and refreshing."

"The opponent was a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, with far more mana than you, yet he still couldn't withstand your fast sword. You are only at the third level of Qi Refinement, yet you can fight above your rank; you definitely possess extraordinary combat talent."

Zhu Qiniang praised Gao Xian very earnestly. Killing the Iron-Back Gray Wolf could be called luck, but killing that cultivator was pure skill.

The dark, thin cultivator was in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, having at least opened his heart and lung apertures, possessing vigorous blood energy and deep mana. In every aspect, he was far superior to Gao Xian.

Normally, a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator could easily crush one in the early stage. It was just that Gao Xian's fast sword was too formidable; killing the dark, thin cultivator had taken almost no effort! Such talent was truly rare.

She then added, "Combat is like this: you never know the depth of your opponent's foundation, nor can you fully control the battle."

"Your problem is that you were too hesitant at the beginning, using the Wood Shield to circle the opponent. It looked composed, but in reality, you were completely passive. How did you know if the opponent didn't have a lethal trump card?"

"One accident, and you could be the one who dies. Combat is about using all your strength to kill the enemy; there are no rules, and certainly no benevolence, morality, or shame. Any negligence, slackness, or soft-heartedness is being irresponsible to yourself..."

Zhu Qiniang knew Gao Xian was very capable, whether in alchemy or combat. But he had a very serious problem: a lack of awareness regarding the cruelty of this world.

Cultivators have all kinds of talismans and magical artifacts; these methods are countless.

This makes battles between cultivators exceptionally dangerous; one mistake and you could be killed on the spot.

In such life-and-death struggles, there is no room for tenderness or hesitation.

Gao Xian knew Zhu Qiniang was right, and he also knew he hadn't fully adjusted yet; he couldn't be as cold-blooded as Zhu Qiniang.

He could only nod and accept the lesson, his attitude very obedient.

"The Red Snake Gang is said to be led by a few late-stage Qi Refinement rogue cultivators. They treat Soaring Snake Mountain as their own backyard; whenever they encounter intruders, they always kill them all, using exceptionally vicious methods."

Even when they reached Gao Xian's home, Zhu Qiniang was still warning him, "In the future, if you encounter people from the Red Snake Gang, or those claiming to be from the Red Snake Gang, you must be especially careful."

Gao Xian nodded vigorously, "I know, I'll just stay at home and not go out."

Zhu Qiniang agreed with this, "You should go out less. The outside is too dangerous for you."

Before leaving, Zhu Qiniang said again, "Get some good rest. Tomorrow we will set out from the south side of Flying Horse Market..."

Gao Xian was stunned, "We're still going?"

"I have some free time these few days, so I'll keep you company."

Although Gao Xian didn't really want to go, he couldn't resist Qiniang's enthusiasm, so he could only nod.

After Zhu Qiniang left, Gao Xian felt something was a bit off.

Why was Qiniang so anxious to take him to Soaring Snake Mountain for trials? What was she preparing for?

Had something gone wrong at the Zhu family?

Gao Xian felt a bit uneasy, but he knew nothing about the situation at the Lianyun Sect. His master was at the Lianyun Sect, but the original owner's relationship with the master wasn't very good.

He thought for a moment and decided it would be more reliable to find time to ask Huang Ying for information.

Gao Xian had walked all day, killing wolves and men, and was tired.

But he still insisted on completing his routine practice.

While practicing the Five Elements Technique, he clearly felt his blood energy had become more vigorous, and he could manipulate and circulate it with more ease and composure.

Qiniang was right; a real battle had stimulated his potential and taught him how to burst forth with blood energy.

Finally, Gao Xian went to find Sister Lan in his dreams for dual cultivation.

The next day, Zhu Qiniang arrived early, and the two entered the mountains from the south side of Flying Horse Market.

Flying Horse Market was located in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by peaks on all sides. There were clearly more cultivators to the south; Gao Xian and Zhu Qiniang encountered several groups of cultivators along the way.

Generally, cultivators traveled in groups of three or five; it was rare to see just two people together.

After a busy day, Zhu Qiniang and Gao Xian only gathered some herbs and did not encounter any demonic beasts.

On the way back, however, the two were ambushed by several cultivators.

Caught in a hasty battle, Gao Xian was also startled. He couldn't afford to hold back, so he activated the Wood Shield and rushed forward, his fast sword coordinating with the True Yang Spear to kill three people in succession, while Zhu Qiniang killed five.

The group of ambushing cultivators was wiped out entirely.

Zhu Qiniang searched the bodies and found over forty spirit stones. On average, each cultivator carried only five. They didn't even possess magical artifacts, equipped only with a few paper talismans.

Gao Xian felt that this group was simply too poor, which was why they resorted to such unscrupulous methods.

For the next month or so, Zhu Qiniang led Gao Xian into the mountains every day. They encountered trouble almost every time.

Two cultivators traveling together were simply too easy a target, stirring the greed of other roving bands.

The brief thirty-plus days of cultivation in the mountains truly made Gao Xian realize the cruelty of the cultivation world.

For the sake of a pittance of resources, rogue cultivators would draw their swords and kill. There was no right or wrong; they could only see profit.

Gao Xian also learned a lesson: in Soaring Snake Mountain, you don't have to be a villain, but you certainly cannot afford to be a good person.

Because the price of being a good person was too high, and he lacked the ability to pay it.

Zhu Qiniang was very satisfied with the results of his training. Gao Xian had shed his naivety, or rather, he had discarded that worthless air of always trying to please others.

There was significantly more confidence in Gao Xian's eyes, and his way of handling people and affairs had become efficient; he no longer looked like a naive little novice who was easy to bully.

Gao Xian was also satisfied with his progress. A battle almost every day allowed him to familiarize himself with the combat patterns of low-level cultivators and master various low-level spells and artifacts.

He accumulated a wealth of practical combat experience, learning how to better protect himself and how to better strike down his enemies.

These experiences were just like alchemy; one could only learn them by doing it personally.

Zhu Qiniang was not a very good teacher. She rarely explained anything, preferring to let him learn, experience, and understand through actual combat.

However, Zhu Qiniang was truly formidable. Her Azure Wood Lightning Spear was nearly indestructible. Her Lion's Roar could instantly kill an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator at close range.

Not to mention her Primordial Golden Body was tyrannical and her swordsmanship was peerless. Once she closed the distance, she was a nightmare for any Qi Refining cultivator.

Gao Xian had compared their strengths many times in his mind; even with his grandmaster-level Lightning Dragon Hand, his grandmaster-level True Yang Spear, and the addition of Sister Lan, his odds of winning in a head-on confrontation against Zhu Qiniang remained less than ten percent.

Zhu Qiniang's ninth-level Qi Refining cultivation was simply too strong; aside from speed, she completely crushed him in every other aspect.

Even in terms of speed, he was only a hair faster, gaining no real advantage.

Fortunately, Qiniang was a teammate, and a very reliable one at that.

Additionally, dozens of days of practical training allowed his Five Elements Technique to advance by leaps and bounds, with significant improvements every single day.

He now understood the fundamentals of qi and blood, and had learned how to manipulate and circulate them.

Having grasped the key, the rest was just a matter of routine cultivation to condense the third qi aperture!

Goose-feather snowflakes danced in the wind, and the snow in the courtyard was already a foot deep.

Gao Xian sat at the doorway, watching the snow fall quietly. Honestly, he hadn't expected such heavy snow by mid-November.

The temperature had plummeted last night. His earthen house had no heating, and even as a cultivator, he was frozen until his feet went numb.

To withstand the low temperature, he had to fire up his furnace for alchemy. The massive furnace made the alchemy room as warm as spring, giving him the mood to enjoy the snow in comfort.

The Little Black Cat lay on the brick platform of the furnace, the warmth making it unable to keep its eyes open.

Gao Xian, however, felt a bit troubled. Using the furnace for heat was nice, but it was too extravagant. He couldn't possibly practice alchemy every day.

The best solution was to change houses.

Gao Xian thought of the beautiful, tidy, green-brick, tile-roofed house belonging to Zhou Ye, and his heart warmed. He had saved up some spirit stones now; it was time to move.

A blue shadow flashed, and Zhu Qiniang arrived.

Gao Xian looked at Zhu Qiniang in astonishment: "Qiniang, you're still going into the mountains in this heavy snow?"