Six days passed in the blink of an eye.
Chu Mo opened his eyes. The Spell Coin in his hand had grown dull and lusterless, stripped of its former mystique.
"The Spell Coin's Numinous Vitality is almost exhausted. My cultivation is going to slow down."
Chu Mo frowned slightly. Over the past few days, aside from going out to eat, he had devoted all his remaining energy to cultivation. With the Spell Coin's help, he had gained a total of 60 experience points.
He had tried cultivating without the Spell Coin, but it was difficult to stir the natural spiritual qi around him. His cultivation speed plummeted, and it took ages to gain even a single experience point.
"I should be able to condense my first wisp of qi within seven or eight days. That's still well short of the thirty-day deadline. Looks like my talent isn't too bad."
Chu Mo breathed a sigh of relief. At last, he would not have to end up in the banner.
He certainly did not dare treat the black-robed man's words that day as a joke. This hellhole was crawling with yin spirits-even the cooks in the kitchen were yin spirits. Who knew how many people had become spirits in the banner?
"They toss disciples a book to study on their own, then stuff anyone who fails into the Myriad Souls Banner. If this is a respectable sect, I'll eat it!"
Without his panel, simply studying the cultivation method would have wasted an enormous amount of time. There would definitely have been a place reserved for him in the banner.
Knock, knock.
A knock interrupted Chu Mo's thoughts. He hurried to his feet, but when he opened the door, he paused. Four people stood outside.
"What brings you all here?"
"Brother Chu." Wang Quan smiled when he saw Chu Mo. Gone was the meek, timid manner he had shown before Jiang Yunya. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Wang Quan's family seemed to have some influence in the mortal world. In just a few days, he had become acquainted with all the other neighbors and was showing signs of becoming their leader.
But Chu Mo had never had much to do with him and had no idea why he had suddenly come calling. "Brother Wang, please speak."
"We've only just entered the immortal sect, and our aptitude is poor. Cultivating this Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Method is tremendously difficult." Wang Quan sighed and continued:
"Brother Xu and I have discussed it. Our only hope is to pool our Spell Coins and support one person in breaking through first. Once he succeeds, he can help the rest of us in turn. That's better than all of us ending up in that black banner."
"Oh?" Chu Mo straightened and asked curiously, "And who would this 'one person' be?"
"Me, naturally." Wang Quan drew himself upright. "My family has some resources, and my understanding of immortal texts far surpasses yours. I can already gather qi. With Spell Coins to cultivate, I'll definitely break through.
"I won't take them for nothing. How about I set aside two hours every day to explain the cultivation method to you?" As he spoke, he looked at the others.
"Of course, if you don't trust me, we can choose someone by a show of hands. The minority follows the majority."
"I trust Brother Wang," a youth in blue said first.
Chu Mo knew he was the Brother Xu Wang Quan had mentioned. His name was Xu Du. He had spent the past few days hovering around Wang Quan, looking determined to become his lackey.
Chu Mo gave him a long look, then said evenly, "I'd like to test my own abilities, so I won't be joining your plan." Without waiting for their reactions, he went straight back into his room.
Bang-
Wang Quan stared at the tightly shut door. His face darkened, then instantly returned to normal before anyone else noticed.
He turned toward the dark-faced man in coarse clothes behind him and forced a smile. "Li Erhei, what do you think of my proposal? The Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Method is hard to understand, isn't it?"
"Sorry, Master Wang." Li Erhei lowered his head and said sheepishly, "I... I want to try on my own too."
"You!"
Wang Quan caught Xu Du before he could lash out, his smile never faltering. "It's fine. No need to apologize. Since you don't agree, let's forget it."
Li Erhei cautiously raised his head. Only after confirming that Wang Quan was not angry did he look as though he had been granted a pardon, and he hurried back to his room.
Wang Quan had explained the cultivation method to him. Had the Spell Coin not been essential to cultivation, and had Chu Mo not set an example, he really would have been too embarrassed to refuse.
Seeing this, the woman in purple said, "Young Master Wang, I also..."
Before she could finish, Wang Quan waved her off. "I understand. Miss Shao, go back and cultivate too. Important matters come first."
Shao Ling dipped in a slight bow. Without looking at the conflicted Xu Du beside her, she returned to her room as well.
Inside his room, Chu Mo raised an eyebrow. After he had refused Wang Quan, the yellow name above the man's head had gradually shifted toward red. "Hopefully he won't stir up trouble. Otherwise..."
After several days of breathing in Numinous Vitality, he had yet to condense true qi, but his strength had increased considerably. Taking on two or three of his former self would be no problem.
Eventually, Wang Quan and Xu Du returned to their own rooms as well, as though nothing had happened. Silence settled over the courtyard again.
Only when the golden crow sank in the west and night stained the world did a slender shadow sneak out of a room, creep up to Wang Quan's door, and knock softly a few times.
With the faint sound of the door opening, the figure slipped through the gap.
"Quan."
Wang Quan looked at his visitor with a gentle smile. "Ling'er, you're here. Nobody saw you, did they?"
Shao Ling shook her head and slowly sat on the edge of the bed. Troubled, she asked, "Quan, Li Erhei and Chu Mo both refused your plan today. Even Xu Du isn't as firm as he was before. What should we do?"
A shadow passed through Wang Quan's eyes. "Since they won't listen to kind words, they can't blame me for being ruthless. If we can't refine our first wisp of qi within thirty days, we'll both become vengeful souls in that banner."
Shao Ling bit her lip and said softly, "But... if the sect discovers we killed someone to steal their treasures..."
"What rules are there in this place? The weak are meat for the strong-that's the law of heaven and earth. It's even more true here in the Duo'e Sect."
Wang Quan sneered. "Back at the Wang Household, I heard a few scraps about the Deliverance Sect from an influential person. I just never imagined the sect would be this sinister.
"If we want to survive, we have to strike first. Otherwise, once they wise up, we'll be the ones who suffer!"
"But..." Shao Ling fell silent. Looking at the childhood sweetheart who had grown up beside her, she felt he had become a little unfamiliar.
"This is where our cultivation journey begins." Wang Quan took the somewhat dulled Spell Coin from his robes and rubbed it carefully.
"Xu Du trusts me, and Li Erhei is stupid. They'll both be easy to deal with. Chu Mo, though, is more alert."
"Ling'er." He looked at the girl. In the darkness, her eyes shone, her skin was snowy white, and her black hair fell like a waterfall. She truly was a beauty. "Help me."
"Quan..."
The following evening, while Chu Mo was cultivating outside his room, he suddenly heard a soft knock.
He opened the door and found Shao Ling standing outside. Her eyes were lowered, her hands clasped uneasily in front of her, and her voice held a trace of timidity.
"Brother Chu, there's something about Wang Quan I'd like to discuss with you... Could you let me come in and explain?"
Chu Mo's gaze sharpened slightly. Without speaking, he stepped aside to let her in.
"Brother Chu, Wang Quan is no good man. He approached me privately today, hiding threats in his words and demanding that I hand over my Spell Coin."
She trembled faintly, like a slender willow in a breeze, and continued in a low voice, "I'm just a woman with no one to rely on. If he uses force, I have no way to resist... That's why I'd like to join forces with you."
"If you're willing to keep me safe, Brother Chu..." The girl lightly bit her pearly teeth together. Her bright eyes flickered, and a blush stained her cheeks. She moved gently toward Chu Mo, her voice so faint it almost scattered into the wind.
"Ling'er... will agree to any conditions."
Closer! Closer!
The girl in purple felt the chill of the dagger in her sleeve, and her heart began pounding despite herself. All she had to do was lean into Chu Mo's arms, and she could drive it straight into his heart.
Everything was going more smoothly than she had expected. She had never imagined Chu Mo would be completely unguarded.
Shao Ling had never killed anyone before, but for Quan, she was willing!
Shhk!
It was the sound of a blade sinking into a chest. But her dagger was still in her sleeve-whose dagger was that?
Shao Ling looked down in shock. A gleaming dagger had sunk into her chest, and the blood pouring out stained her purple clothes a glaring red.
"Why...?" She stared at Chu Mo in bewilderment.
Why did you attack so suddenly? How did I give myself away?
Questions rose in her mind one after another. She tried to cry out, but a large hand clamped firmly over her mouth.
As her life drained away, Shao Ling's body gradually grew cold. Through her fading awareness, she saw a pitch-black banner, crowded with figures whose malicious eyes stared at her.
Thud.
Her slender body collapsed onto the floor, and the light gradually faded from her bright eyes. At the same time, an orange-glowing orb appeared beneath her.
[You killed a level 0 · Duo'e Sect reserve grunt (red name)]
Having just killed someone, Chu Mo felt no discomfort. He had already grown accustomed to it before coming to the Duo'e Sect.
Obviously, because your red name was far too conspicuous, Chu Mo silently quipped. In his vision, a red title floated above Shao Ling's head. One glance told him she was up to no good.
He crouched and picked up the shining orb beside her. A line of information immediately appeared in his vision.
[Dagger: Sentiment] [Description: A dagger forged from ordinary iron, but the identity of its giver imbued it with a different significance.]
Chu Mo paid little attention to the description. His [Inventory] was full of mundane items like this; they simply were not convenient to take out right now. He casually tucked the dagger into his belt and began searching the corpse again.
According to his past research, enemy drops were random and did not include all their possessions. He had to retrieve the remaining items himself.
After a while, he stood empty-handed, a little disappointed. Frowning slightly, he said, "She didn't bring her Spell Coin?"
"Her name was still neutral yellow yesterday. Was this her own idea, or did someone put her up to it?" Chu Mo was puzzled by Shao Ling's actions.
Remembering Wang Quan, whom he had turned down, his gaze hardened.
One test would tell him whether it was Wang Quan. Even if it was not, he could eliminate a potential threat in advance. Killing one was killing; killing two was still killing.
Deep into the quiet night, Wang Quan paced back and forth in his dark room. Suddenly, he heard a knock and hurried to open the door.
"Ling'er, how did it go? Did you-mmph!"
A large hand clamped over his mouth and shoved him straight into the room.
In his panic, before he could resist, a piercing pain shot through his chest, and his consciousness slipped away.
[You killed a level 0 · Duo'e Sect reserve grunt (red name)]
"So it really was you." Chu Mo kicked the corpse on the floor, picked up the orb beside it, and sneered. "With skills that pathetic, you still dared to try your hand at murder and robbery."
[Duo'e Spell Coin ×3] [Description: Created by a cultivator with mighty divine abilities, these serve as currency within the Duo'e Sect and the territories under its jurisdiction. They can aid cultivation, pill refinement, artifact refinement, and more.]
"I wasn't even the first target? Which unlucky bastard did the extra coin belong to?" Chu Mo wondered aloud.
He shook his head and pushed the question aside. After briefly cleaning up the scene, Chu Mo stared at Wang Quan's friendly donation and thought silently:
With these three Spell Coins, I should be able to break through to the Qi Refining First Layer soon.
He had to seize every moment to cultivate. Until he broke through, a sharp sword would remain suspended over his head, and the pressure weighed on him like a mountain.