Blackwater Mystic Serpent

Inside the Yellow Stone House, Yang Xiao lay on his bed after seeing Shen Laodao and the others off, pondering his future cultivation.

He had nearly exhausted his resources. He needed to find more, or he would never fill his million-li Qi Sea.

The first floor of the Scripture Pavilion contained the Crystal-Seeking Art. He had not studied it closely before, having focused on improving his strength. It seemed he would have to start giving it serious attention tomorrow.

Drowsiness crept over him, and Yang Xiao gradually closed his eyes. Just as he was about to fall asleep, his expression suddenly changed. A surge of madness rose from the depths of his heart. His illness had flared up.

While he still retained a sliver of clarity, Yang Xiao climbed out of bed and lifted its base, revealing a hidden chamber.

He had made it with Gather Earth to Build a House. A stone house was only the technique's most basic application. At higher levels, its form could be shaped at will, and earth veins could even be used to set formations, repel enemies, block sound, and more.

Yang Xiao staggered into the hidden chamber. To keep anyone from hearing his cries, he had dug it deep underground, ten meters below the surface.

The ten-square-meter chamber held a large stone in its center, with four iron chains embedded in it. Yang Xiao chained his limbs down, then tossed his Storage Ring aside.

This was his first episode since embarking on the path of cultivation. He had no idea what would happen.

Roar!

Yang Xiao let out a low roar. Scarlet light shone from his eyes, and black mist spread out of his body.

Roars rang endlessly through the chamber, mingled with the pounding of fists against the walls, as though some ferocious demon had been imprisoned inside.

The noise continued for two hours before Yang Xiao finally emerged, drenched in sweat.

He looked back into the chamber. The chains were warped, the ten-square-meter space had doubled in size, and fist marks covered every inch of the walls.

The chamber he had poured so much effort into building had been ruined just like that. It seemed he would have to make an even sturdier one.

He returned to his room. Since the chamber was so deep underground, no one had noticed the commotion.

Yang Xiao left the house, intending to bathe in the deep pool behind the mountain. But the instant he turned away, he turned back again.

An icy fairy stood outside Chen Wuyou's door. It was Dongfang Mingyue, whom they had talked down that evening. From the look of things, however, she had not taken their words to heart.

She stood outside Chen Wuyou's room, her icy eyes fixed on the door, as though she could see through it to Chen Wuyou inside.

When Yang Xiao noticed her, she noticed him too. But after a glance at him, she resumed her vigil.

Yang Xiao thought for a moment, then decided to fetch Wang Huhu. She was the only person on the mountain who could drag this iceberg of an Immortal away.

But when he caught the stench of sweat in the air, he withdrew the foot he had just stepped forward with and headed toward the back of the mountain instead. He was afraid of stinking out the child and leaving her with a lasting shadow in her heart.

He stripped off his clothes and jumped into the deep pool. The icy water made him shiver.

He plunged headfirst beneath the surface. The water looked clear from above, but once he dove in, it was pitch-black, like the ink scholars wrote with.

Yang Xiao swam downward, wanting to see how deep the pool was. Several minutes later, he shuddered. He must have swum hundreds of meters down by now, yet he still had not reached the bottom.

Half his magical power was already gone. He could not afford to linger any longer, so he turned and swam upward.

Water burst from the deep pool as a figure leaped out and landed on its edge.

Yang Xiao stared at the pool, a chill crawling up the back of his neck like a little snake. He had no idea why he had been so intent on reaching the bottom. Thinking back now, it was terrifying. Had he not turned around in time, he might have died here tonight, his body never to be found.

The Carefree Sect was far too strange. He had better stick to cultivating dutifully.

He dressed and returned to the mountaintop. Sure enough, that stubborn Immortal was still there.

He walked up to Wang Huhu's room and knocked. No one answered. Only after several more knocks did Wang Huhu's cries come from inside.

Aaaah...

The door banged open. Wearing cute tiger pajamas, Wang Huhu huffed, "Don't you know there are very serious consequences for disturbing a girl's sleep?"

She clenched both fists as she spoke. It looked as though he would not escape a beating tonight unless he gave her a reasonable explanation.

Yang Xiao patted her head and smiled. "Go bring your Sister Mingyue back."

Wang Huhu paused before catching on. She pushed him aside and looked toward Chen Wuyou's room, then hurried over anxiously and pulled Dongfang Mingyue back with her. The latter struggled briefly before letting herself be led away.

Sure enough, the little adorable tiger was the only one on the mountain who could keep the iceberg fairy in check.

As they passed him, Dongfang Mingyue glared at him. Then the door slammed shut.

Yang Xiao rubbed his nose. It seemed she had a grudge against him now.

He turned toward his own house. As he passed Chen Wuyou's room, the door creaked open, and Chen Wuyou emerged with his horsetail whisk resting over his arm. Smiling, he said, "Yang Xiao, my disciple, you truly please your master."

Hiss!

Yang Xiao felt a surge of killing intent behind him. Looking back, he saw Dongfang Mingyue standing outside the door, holding Wang Huhu's hand. The murderous look in her eyes made him instinctively step back.

He turned toward Chen Wuyou. At some point, the old Daoist had... gone back inside.

"Hi." Yang Xiao forced a smile. "We meet again."

He turned and slowly walked back to his room. Even as he closed the door, that killing intent never left him.

Once the door was shut, he heaved a long sigh of relief. He was the weakest person on the mountain. He could not afford to offend anyone.

The next day, Yang Xiao entered the Scripture Pavilion and spent the entire day inside. He found the Crystal-Seeking Art and began practicing it.

Half a month later, Yang Xiao stood in a clearing behind the mountain with his eyes tightly closed. He could see inside Worry-Free Mountain: earth, stone, and water.

He opened his eyes and sighed softly. There were no earth vein crystals inside Worry-Free Mountain. Then again, the Carefree Sect had no shortage of Earth Masters. If there had been any earth vein crystals, someone would have taken them long ago. How could any have been left for him?

With a quiet chuckle, he stepped forward and appeared twenty meters away. After several dozen steps, he arrived outside Chen Wuyou's room.

"Master," Yang Xiao said with a bow.

"Yang Xiao, my disciple." Chen Wuyou opened the door, a kindly smile on his lips. "What brings you to your master?"

Yang Xiao's lips twitched. Half a month ago, Chen Wuyou had addressed him in exactly that way, and Dongfang Mingyue still held it against him.

"Master, I would like to leave the mountain to cultivate. Please grant me your permission," Yang Xiao said with a bow.

He saw the whisk in Chen Wuyou's hand tremble. Then Chen Wuyou closed his eyes, seemingly sensing something. After a while, he opened them and smiled. "Very well. You have my permission."

Clack, clack!

Two doors opened in succession, drawing his gaze. Shen Laodao and Wang Huhu left their rooms, approached Chen Wuyou, and said:

"Master, I want to go out to cultivate too."

"Master, I want to go out to cultivate too."

Yang Xiao's lips twitched. He was going out to search for Earth Vein Crystals. Why were these two tagging along?

Chen Wuyou's smile remained unchanged. "All right, all right. You both have my permission."

At the foot of the mountain, Yang Xiao made his first departure since joining the sect. He should have been happy, but the two shadows trailing behind him weighed on his spirits.

"Why are you following me?" Yang Xiao asked, looking back.

"To cultivate." Shen Laodao calmly took out a short, dark Short Staff. Yang Xiao vaguely remembered it. Shen Laodao had been holding it when they first met, but he had never seen him take it out since coming to the mountain.

He looked at Wang Huhu, who chuckled. "To cultivate."

Yang Xiao used Shrinking Earth to Inches and headed into the forest.

Behind him, Wang Huhu laughed and followed, step by step. Had Yang Xiao looked back, he would have been startled. This was Shrinking Earth to Inches, and each of her steps covered forty meters, making her faster than him. He simply had not noticed because she took one step for every two of his.

Shen Laodao glanced back at Worry-Free Mountain and breathed a sigh of relief. He twirled the Short Staff in his hand and followed.

Yang Xiao had already asked around before setting out.

The Linked Peaks Mountain Range lay north of Worry-Free Mountain. He intended to try his luck there.

Demonic beasts occasionally appeared in the forest, but even the strongest were only at the Sea Condensation Realm. With Shen Laodao present, they could easily detect them.

"Wait for me."

This was already the tenth time he had heard Shen Laodao say that. Shen Laodao flew into a dense patch of forest, then emerged a little later carrying a tiger the size of two people. He calmly put it into his Storage Ring. "Let's continue."

Whenever this happened, Wang Huhu's eyes would sparkle, and she would drool nonstop.

It took the three of them three days to reach the Linked Peaks Mountain Range. They could have traveled faster if Yang Xiao had not needed to stop and recover his magical power every so often.

The Linked Peaks Mountain Range stretched majestically beyond the horizon. From the sky, one could see peak after peak towering above the earth.

"Come on. Let's hunt for treasure," Yang Xiao said, taking the first step into the Linked Peaks Mountain Range.

Shen Laodao and Wang Huhu wiped the grease from their mouths and followed close behind.

The first mountain was enormous. Even by sensing its qi, Yang Xiao could only see one percent of its area at a time.

Yang Xiao closed his eyes and sensed the mountain's qi. Before long, he opened them and shook his head at the other two. Each time he did, Shen Laodao and Wang Huhu looked disappointed.

Just as Yang Xiao was sensing the final area and preparing to leave this mountain for the next peak, he gave a surprised murmur.

"You found it?"

Shen Laodao and Wang Huhu spoke simultaneously, their faces brimming with excitement.

Yang Xiao nodded slightly and headed up the mountain.

Following his sense of the Earth Vein Qi, Yang Xiao led them to a cave.

"The Earth Vein Crystals are in there?" Wang Huhu asked quietly, looking into the pitch-black cave.

Yang Xiao sensed the Earth Vein Qi and confirmed that they had the right place. "They're inside. Let's go in."

Yang Xiao entered the cave and drew on the Earth Vein Qi to illuminate it.

"What's this? It's amazing." Wang Huhu looked at the faint yellow light around them.

"This is an Earth Master art—Light of the Earth. My cultivation is too weak right now, so I can only illuminate a ten-meter radius. With enough cultivation, I could light up the entire mountain range." Yang Xiao shook his head as he explained.

Wang Huhu had joined the Carefree Sect purely for fun. If she had not seen him learn Shrinking Earth to Inches, she probably would never even have entered the Scripture Pavilion.

The three explored deeper into the cave. It was so deep that they walked for over two hours before a faint light appeared ahead.

They followed the light.

Deep inside the cave lay a pool of black water, with a cluster of Earth Vein Crystals growing in its center.

Wang Huhu's eyes lit up at the sight of the Earth Vein Crystals. She leaped up, preparing to fly over, but had barely risen a meter when a powerful force beneath her feet pulled her down.

Yang Xiao said, "Don't go over yet. This place is too quiet. Something's wrong.

Besides, I was already suspicious when we came in. Earth Vein Crystals grow deep underground. Why would there be a cave entrance leading here?"

Wang Huhu paused, then turned to Shen Laodao. The latter said, "There's a demonic beast underwater, but its cultivation isn't high. Which of us is taking it?"

"I'll do it." Yang Xiao interrupted their exchange of looks. He had yet to fight a proper battle since beginning his cultivation.

Since Shen Laodao said the beast's cultivation was not high, this was a perfect chance to try.

"Can you handle it?" Shen Laodao looked doubtful. He could see through Yang Xiao's cultivation at a glance—Qi Gathering Realm.

"We won't know until I try." Yang Xiao smiled faintly.

He took two steps forward and stamped his right foot. The black water slowly turned yellow.

He was drawing on the Earth Vein Qi to muddy the water and force the demonic beast at the bottom to show itself.

Bubbles gurgled up through the black-and-yellow water. Wang Huhu and Shen Laodao stood behind him, ready to step in and rescue Yang Xiao at any moment.

Bang!

The water burst apart as an enormous black serpent surged out. Its fiery red eyes swept over them, then settled on Yang Xiao, and it charged at him.

Even demonic beasts picked the softest persimmon to squeeze.

"A Sea Condensation Realm Blackwater Mystic Serpent!" Wang Huhu exclaimed.

Yang Xiao stood motionless. Just as the Blackwater Mystic Serpent was about to reach him, he growled, "Shrinking Earth to Inches."

His figure vanished, making the Blackwater Mystic Serpent strike empty air. Yang Xiao appeared beside its head, clenched his right fist, and sneered. "Azure Wolf Fist."

Six Direwolf phantoms flew from his fist and sent the Blackwater Mystic Serpent flying.

The Blackwater Mystic Serpent shook its head. Six claw marks had appeared on it, and blood streamed down its body.

The Blackwater Mystic Serpent roared furiously and lunged at him. Yang Xiao flickered through the air, dodging its attacks.

He still had far too little magical power. A single Azure Wolf Fist had consumed nearly ninety percent of it, but that was enough. The more fiercely the Blackwater Mystic Serpent attacked, the faster it bled. Yang Xiao intended to wear it down until it died.

Roar!

Several minutes later, the Blackwater Mystic Serpent gave a low roar and collapsed reluctantly to the ground. By now, its blood covered the cave floor.

Pale-faced, Yang Xiao flashed over to the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's side. Fortunately, he had only needed to move short distances while circling it. Otherwise, he really would not have lasted.

"W-what did I just see? Someone at the Qi Gathering Realm killed a Sea Condensation Realm Blackwater Mystic Serpent," Wang Huhu stammered. "Only prodigies can accomplish something like that in their youth."

Shen Laodao pressed his palms together. "Quite reminiscent of this humble monk in his younger days."