Being Staked Out?

Shen Yue put away the cauldron and materials, then walked out of the room.

A breeze swept in from the lake, carrying a faint fishy smell.

Chen Tong furrowed his brow.

He remembered this kid. Chen Qiaoqian had valued him highly when she was around. When Chen Tong had first taken over, he'd considered using him to kill the chicken and scare the monkeys, but his cultivation was too weak to make an example of, so Chen Tong hadn't given him a second thought.

And yet, in just one year, he'd reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Even so, the fifth level was still an ant.

"Broad daylight, under the clear blue sky—why aren't you out on the lake collecting scrap? What are you doing here?" Chen Tong demanded sharply, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Reporting to the steward, I have the day off today." Shen Yue gave a slight bow.

Chen Tong acted as though he hadn't heard him and continued, "I've heard that you knew my Chen Clan's prodigy, Chen Yunxi, back in the mortal kingdom?"

Shen Yue's heart stirred.

Had Chen Yunxi come to wipe away her shame?

Earlier, Changqin Wuming had sent him a voice transmission, saying that Chen Yunxi had failed to establish her foundation and was dissatisfied with her state of mind. It was likely because of what had happened in the mortal kingdom.

But before he could answer, Chen Tong changed the subject. "Who do you think is the Chen Clan's number-one prodigy?"

Shen Yue fell silent for a moment.

He thought of the snippets of Chen Tong muttering to himself that his sixth-level Qi Refining divine sense had occasionally picked up in recent days.

"Prodigies have their ranks, too. Steward Chen is the brightest sun in the heavens. You're certain to establish your foundation in the future, and forming a core will be no challenge either. The title of 'prodigy' hardly does you justice."

Chen Tong's eyes lit up at once, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

That was right. He was the brightest sun in the Chen Clan, its pillar, a future Foundation Establishment expert and Core Formation ancestor.

Chen Yunxi was nothing but a failure who'd been unable to establish her foundation, and she still dared ask him for someone?

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down over the vast Refining Lake before him. The lake breeze billowed through his sleeves, and his eyes brimmed with disdain.

This kid wasn't bad. A pity he wouldn't live much longer.

Though Chen Yunxi was inferior to him in every way, she was still his older female cousin. Blood ran thicker than water, and his aunt had even nursed him when he was little. Of course he had to help her out.

Chen Tong barked, "So you really are a smooth-tongued flatterer! You've defied your superiors and shown utter contempt for the rules. You even dared make my Chen Clan's prodigy wash your feet! Today, I'll send you to the Law Enforcement Hall!"

As he spoke, he abruptly unleashed his spiritual pressure. The aura of an eighth-level Qi Refiner crushed down like a mountain as he prepared to seize Shen Yue and deliver him to Chen Yunxi.

"Steward Chen may punish me however you see fit. I have no complaints, but I feel you're the one being wronged." Shen Yue pretended to look flustered.

Chen Tong froze. "How am I being wronged? If you can't explain yourself, you'll be severely punished!"

"Steward Chen clearly has extraordinary talent, yet because of seniority, you're ranked behind others. You have to watch them establish their foundations, one after another."

Shen Yue spoke with righteous indignation.

"If it were me, my Dao heart would surely be unsteady, my state of mind dissatisfied. Only someone as magnanimous as Steward Chen could let it go—and not only that, you're even helping others perfect their state of mind."

Huh?

Chen Tong's brow arched.

Those words had struck home.

Exactly. Why?

He was the Chen Clan's true prodigy. Why had Chen Yunxi taken the resources, only for him to help her patch up the flaws in her state of mind?

If Chen Yunxi perfected her state of mind and established her foundation, wouldn't she outshine him?

Helping Chen Yunxi perfect her state of mind was no different from helping someone climb over him on their way to the top.

Chen Tong stared at Shen Yue, a sinister smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Not only could he not hand this kid over to Chen Yunxi, he had to protect him and cultivate him properly.

That way, Chen Yunxi would never perfect her state of mind.

Ha! He really was a genius.

It was just that he felt a little guilty toward his aunt. After all, she had nursed him when he was young...

Never mind. It wasn't important.

Once he established his foundation, his aunt would probably only regret not nursing him more.

With that thought, Chen Tong's mood suddenly brightened, and even Shen Yue looked much more agreeable to him.

He took two bottles of Spirit Gathering Pills from his storage bag. "That was just a test. You did well. Keep cultivating."

"Thank you, Steward Chen."

Chen Tong strode off with his chin held high. Then, as he stepped onto his flying sword, he suddenly remembered something and looked back. "I heard you've been learning artifact refining?"

Shen Yue nodded.

"From now on, you may keep a tenth of the scrap you collect for your own use." Chen Tong waved a hand grandly, then rode his sword into the sky. The flying sword tore through the air with a piercing shriek.

Once he was high above, a trace of scorn crossed his face.

A mere island guardian, and he dreamed of becoming an artifact refiner?

Never mind that artifact refining required talent, a lineage of knowledge, and materials—and cost a fortune.

Even if he somehow managed to become an artifact refiner, it was still a mere side path. In front of him, a future Core Formation ancestor, artifact refiners were nothing.

As he flew over the Refining Lake, its surface stretched out in endless emerald waves. Suddenly, a streak of sword light shot toward him from afar, its aura fierce and far beyond Chen Tong's.

Chen Tong hurriedly lowered his sword and landed, bowing low. "Greetings, Master Xu! I wonder if my spirit artifact—"

"It's not ready." Xu Guanhai replied coldly, then rode his sword away without sparing him another glance.

"Safe travels, Master Xu! Safe travels!" Chen Tong bobbed and bowed, watching the streak of sword light vanish where lake met sky.

By the small lakeside courtyard.

"This isn't a long-term solution." Shen Yue watched the streak of light disappear into the distance, his brow furrowing.

Chen Tong was still manageable, but Chen Yunxi was at the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining, just half a step from Foundation Establishment. She wouldn't be easy to deal with.

Shen Yue returned to his room and activated a soundproofing talisman.

He set the Green Fire Cauldron in the middle of the room and sat cross-legged. With a flick of his finger, the Xin-Si Fire Seed dropped into the bottom of the cauldron.

Pale green flames abruptly surged upward, and the temperature climbed.

He took out the Five-Colored Shell Pearl, Azure Tide Stone, Mystic Iron Essence, and several other materials, then placed them into the cauldron one by one in order.

Refining, tempering, inscribing.

After forty-nine days of work,

five-colored golden light burst from the cauldron. A pearl the size of a pigeon's egg flew out.

"Upper-grade first-tier!"

The pearl hovered in midair, shimmering with iridescent light. Beneath the black tidal patterns on its surface, five-colored radiance slowly flowed.

"I'll call it the Five-Colored Pearl."

This artifact was based on the Five-Colored Shell Pearl, combined with the water essence of the Azure Tide Stone and the toughness of the Mystic Iron Essence. It was inscribed with the Yin-Yang Prisoner Killing Array, giving it the power to both trap and kill enemies.

Shen Yue took out the Tide Rising Pearl and placed the two pearls together in his palm.

"They're both pearls, and both can control spiritual water... If I treat spirit artifacts as array instruments, could I use them to set up an array? The Golden Wave Water Dragon Array would be perfect..."

"Once I've finished refining both pearls, I'll head to Ancient Wei to learn the art."

Half a month later.

Ancient Wei Territory was lush with verdant growth.

Shen Yue stepped on a flying leaf and darted through the forest like a swallow, heading straight for Linjiang Immortal City.

But before he reached the city gates, he abruptly stopped.

His divine sense swept over the area. The immortal city's gates were tightly shut, and a pale blue protective barrier hung over it like an inverted bowl.

The city was closed?

Shen Yue furrowed his brow and didn't dare approach.

Linjiang Immortal City was a city of rogue cultivators that welcomed everyone. Why would it suddenly close?

"You're here."

As Shen Yue pondered, two figures emerged from the shadows, holding hands.

He turned to look, and two ugly faces filled his view.

One had a red face like a monkey's backside. The other had a face full of freckles and enormous buckteeth.

Chehou Yan hadn't died—and had even married into the Black Soil Fortress?

Shen Yue's heart sank.

And from the way they were standing, they'd clearly been waiting here for him.

Ancient Wei's cultivation system was strange. Even those in the Breath-Absorbing Realm had divination techniques, and those in the Dao Foundation Realm could even extrapolate the workings of karma.

Could they have calculated that he'd appear here today?

"Congratulations, congratulations." Shen Yue plastered on a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

Looking at Shen Yue, Chehou Yan thought of the painful year he'd endured.

Captured by the Black Soil Fortress, he'd had no choice but to marry into the family to save his life.

Black Longyu wasn't just ugly—she also drained his cultivation every single day.

If this kept up, he was afraid he'd become the first unfilial son of the Chehou Family to die beneath an ugly woman.

A blood feud like this could never be shared under the same sky!

For this, he'd spent twenty years of his lifespan to calculate that this very place, this very day, would be the moment he changed his fate!

Holding Black Longyu's hand, Chehou Yan sent her a coy voice transmission. "My dear, this man is the doomed soul I foresaw. He can help you settle your troubles."

Black Longyu merely gave a faint "Mm" and sized Shen Yue up.

This man... seemed to have more vitality than Chehou Yan.

But just then, Chehou Yan secretly activated his protective treasure. A sinister smile crept across his lips.

Heavenly Tripod Jade Slip, explode for me!