The Man in Black Reappears

The next day, he butchered the fierce tiger and made it into roasted meat. From then on, he lived in the Waste Pill Room.

But every few days, different wild beasts would come prowling near the Waste Pill Room.

To deal with them, he set up countless traps around his dwelling and tirelessly hunted those ferocious beasts.

Though he had yet to begin cultivating, battling all kinds of wild beasts every day had greatly improved his fighting ability. Moreover, with his meals improved, it was also of immense benefit to his physical growth.

That evening, Su Shi'er draped a tiger pelt over himself, carried a bamboo knife, and hid in a mountain hollow near his dwelling.

He lay prone in the hollow like a sleeping fierce tiger. Beneath the tiger pelt, his ears stood alert as he listened closely to every sound around him.

This time, the beast he faced was a Green Wolf as sturdy as an ox. The Green Wolf was incomparably vicious, and it could even spit fierce gusts of wind from its mouth, looking very much like the demon beasts of legend.

He had been locked in a battle of wits and courage with this demon beast for several days. Today, he had specially prepared several more traps, intending to deal with the creature in one stroke.

Just then, a rustling sound came from nearby.

Su Shi'er's heart tightened, and he instinctively gripped the bamboo knife in his hand.

But the voice that came from not far away the next moment struck him like a thunderbolt.

"Where is it?!"

"Your subordinate has failed in his duty. I beg the Venerable Lord to punish me!"

Hearing those voices, Su Shi'er froze where he was.

Then, a surging tide of hatred instantly rose in his heart.

The latter voice was so familiar! It was a voice etched into his very bones, one he could never forget for the rest of his life!

In that instant, the figure of the Man in Black—the murderer who had killed his grandfather and all the villagers—appeared in his mind!

That man... he was actually in the Yun Ge Sect?!

As the thought flashed through his mind, Su Shi'er clenched his fists.

But he knew full well that his current self was no match for that man at all.

Once he was discovered, he would be dead for certain!

That Man in Black was even more brutal and terrifying than a fierce tiger!

Holding his breath, Su Shi'er did not even dare let out a puff of air.

By his ears, the conversation between the two continued.

"You truly deserve punishment, but could it be that you found that Precious Furnace and wish to keep it all for yourself?"

"Venerable Lord, you wrong me! That old thing from Little Stone Village had a mouth harder than stone. Your subordinate used threats and temptations, exhausting every method, yet that old thing refused to loosen his lips even in death."

"Hmph! You cannot even handle a few mortals. What use is there in keeping you?!"

Listening to their conversation, Su Shi'er's heart skipped a beat.

"Venerable Lord? That person sounded as though he was even more powerful than the Man in Black?"

"Could it be... that there was someone even more formidable behind the Man in Black?"

This realization gave him an even greater shock.

Lying on the ground, he did not move in the slightest, terrified that those two might discover his presence.

Through a gap, he could vaguely see two blurred black figures conversing beneath a giant tree in the forest not far away.

Moonlight stretched their shadows long, casting them across his body.

"Thank you, Venerable Lord, for sparing my life. Your subordinate has another clue regarding this matter!"

"Oh? What clue?"

"Afterward, your subordinate went to Little Stone Village again, only to discover that a Hundred-Person Grave had appeared in the village. The person who erected the monument was named Su Shi'er, and he was precisely that old thing's grandson. If your subordinate has not guessed wrong, the Precious Furnace must be in the hands of that brat named Su Shi'er!"

"Hm? Such a thing happened? Fine. This old man will give you another month. If you still cannot find that Precious Furnace, you know the consequences yourself!"

After saying that, the two huddled together and plotted in secret for a while longer. Then they shot into the sky and flew off in two different directions.

In the mountain hollow, Su Shi'er lay on the ground, his mind a tangled mess.

Right now, his thoughts were filled with the Man in Black's final words.

"He... he knew my name, and he even knew the Pill Furnace was with me?!"

"No, I have to leave this place at once!"

At that moment, Su Shi'er's heart raced, and his mind was filled with thoughts of fleeing.

But on second thought, if he left the Yun Ge Sect, he had no idea where else he could come into contact with cultivation methods.

Moreover, he had finally obtained the slightest clue about the Man in Black. If he left without getting to the bottom of it, he could not resign himself to it.

With that in mind, Su Shi'er forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart and waited until the latter half of the night. Only after confirming that the two had not returned and that the Green Wolf had not appeared did he move.

Only then did he return to his dwelling with an uneasy heart.

The next morning.

Su Shi'er had just woken up when he heard a rapid knock on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

The sound was neither hurried nor slow, yet every knock seemed to strike against Su Shi'er's heart, making it beat faster.

"Oh no, could it be... that man found me this quickly?" Su Shi'er sprang up from the bed, his heart leaping into his throat.

His eyes darted about as he looked around, considering whether there was any way to escape.

"Junior Brother Twelve, are you there?"

At that moment, an ethereal and lovely voice came from outside.

Senior Sister Xiao Yue?

Su Shi'er was startled upon hearing it, but the heart lodged in his throat did not settle. Instead, he suddenly realized another troublesome matter: when he joined Luofu Peak, he had used his real name.

And now, that Man in Black not only knew of his existence, but also knew his name!

What should he do? Cold sweat immediately covered Su Shi'er's forehead.

Just as he did not know what to do, Xiao Yue's slightly worried voice came again from outside.

"Junior Brother Twelve?!"

Hearing her call again, Su Shi'er could only temporarily suppress the worry in his heart. He hurriedly took a deep breath and quickly went out to open the door.

"Senior Sister Xiao Yue?"

As soon as the door opened, he saw Xiao Yue standing outside in a long dress, a longsword strapped to her back.

When she truly saw Su Shi'er, Xiao Yue's face was filled with surprise.

Perhaps in her heart, she had also believed that Su Shi'er could not possibly hold out for so long. Either he would have died in the mouths of ferocious beasts, or he would have been scared away long ago.

Surprised though she was, Xiao Yue quickly put on a smile and behaved as naturally as ever.

"Looking at your complexion, your time here has been... not bad?!" As she spoke, Xiao Yue swept her gaze around and glanced into the courtyard.

When she saw the pelts of all kinds of ferocious beasts piled on the ground, her pupils contracted, and she was utterly shocked!

"Hm? Those are beast pelts? You... you actually killed so many ferocious beasts??"

As she spoke, Xiao Yue's gaze rapidly swept up and down Su Shi'er's body, unable to believe the sight before her.

A child only twelve years old had actually killed so many ferocious beasts? What kind of joke was that!

"I didn't kill them! I only dug

a few traps around the area. Those wild beasts were too stupid—every few days, one would fall in."

Su Shi'er scratched his head and smiled. He hurriedly invited Xiao Yue inside and pointed at the traps in the courtyard.

He did not want Xiao Yue to think he was formidable, and he especially could not let anyone know about him taking the Foundation Cultivation Pill.

"So it was traps. That's what I thought! Still, it's impressive that you could come up with such a method! If it were anyone else, they would probably be scared to death just encountering ferocious beasts like these!"

Only after seeing the traps did Xiao Yue calm down somewhat. Otherwise, she would have thought he was some monstrous genius.

But the look she gave Su Shi'er was still filled with surprise and admiration.

When she had been twelve, she had not possessed such skill or courage.

This little fellow was clever and bold. It was only a pity that his Spiritual Root was too poor. Otherwise, he would definitely have been a promising talent.

"Hehe, thank you for the praise, Senior Sister!" Su Shi'er chuckled, then asked why she had come. "Senior Sister, did you come for something this time?"

Xiao Yue smiled. "I came for two reasons. First, I was worried about your safety and came to check on you. Looking at things now, it seems I worried for nothing. Second, I came to explain the matter of the Newcomer Trial!"

"The Newcomer Trial?" Su Shi'er's brows rose slightly. When he had first entered the sect, he had heard the Peak Master of Tianhua Peak mention it.

Xiao Yue nodded. "That's right. The Yun Ge Sect has a rule: after every batch of newcomers enters the sect, they must participate in a Newcomer Trial five years later. Only by passing the Newcomer Trial can they remain in the Yun Ge Sect. Otherwise, they can only spend their entire lives as menial disciples, or be sent back."

"Menial disciples? Sent back?" Su Shi'er's heart trembled, and he hurriedly asked carefully, "Then what does the trial involve?"

Xiao Yue answered, "The contents of the trial are different every time, and they will only be announced once the trial begins! But judging from past experience, to pass the trial, one must at least possess the strength of Qi Refining Stage Four or above."

"Qi Refining Stage Four?" Su Shi'er's little face immediately turned deathly pale.

According to what Lu Mingshi had said, at most he would only be able to cultivate to Qi Refining Stage Seven or Eight in his lifetime.

By that reasoning, forget the fact that he currently had no cultivation technique. Even if he did, raising his cultivation to Qi Refining Stage Four within five years would be a path beset with difficulties.

But as for giving up just like that, Su Shi'er did not even consider it.

After hesitating for a moment, he quietly asked Xiao Yue, "Senior Sister, if I want to cultivate, what should I do?"