Should We Set Them Up?

So he said, "I got lucky. I met Martial Aunt Qing Feng, and she gave me a few Qi Refining Pills."

At Ye Han's words, Zhang Qingshan's expression shifted, and he asked in surprise, "Martial Aunt Qing Feng? Do you mean the Azure Phoenix Fairy?"

As he spoke, he stared at Ye Han in astonishment.

Ye Han replied, "Yes! That was several months ago. I only cultivated so quickly because I took her pills."

His talent was ordinary. If word spread that his cultivation was advancing too quickly, people would surely start coveting what he had. Even Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan might be no exception...

One must never harbor the intent to harm others, but one must never drop one's guard against them either.

So he simply said that his cultivation had advanced so quickly because he had taken the Qi Refining Pills the Azure Phoenix Fairy had given him.

That gave a perfectly reasonable explanation for many things.

Sure enough, realization dawned on Zhang Qingshan. "So that's it. You took Qi Refining Pills, Junior Brother. I've told you before-you must be careful."

Ye Han nodded and replied, "Of course I'll listen to you, Senior Brother."

Zhang Qingshan scratched the back of his head and said somewhat sheepishly, "Junior Brother Ye, I came to ask if I could borrow your Cave Abode to continue cultivating. I want to take part in this round of competition in the Darkness Forbidden Ground, and I can't do that without healing my injuries."

Hearing this, Ye Han immediately replied, "No problem. Stay as long as you like, Senior Brother. I still have plenty of questions about cultivation that I'd like to ask you."

At this point, Ye Han asked curiously, "What is the selection for the Darkness Forbidden Ground?"

Zhang Qingshan replied, "The selection for the Darkness Forbidden Ground is also called the Immortal Ascension Assembly. Basically, our Azure Profound Sect and several other sects discovered an ancient secret realm. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy there is exceptionally abundant, and many heavenly treasures grow there, along with plenty of treasures left behind from ancient times."

"Our Azure Profound Sect and several other sects discovered this ancient secret realm, and we fought several sect wars over it. Later, we felt the casualties were too great, so we held peace talks and placed restrictions on the Darkness Forbidden Ground. It opens once every five years."

"Whenever the Darkness Forbidden Ground opens, each sect sends disciples below the Foundation Establishment Realm inside to hunt for treasures. It's a place where the main ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills grow. Once you find enough of those ingredients, or enough heavenly treasures, you can exchange them with the sect for a Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"And the next selection for the Darkness Forbidden Ground is in three months. During those three months, I'll do everything I can to restore my cultivation quickly so I can take part in this Immortal Ascension Assembly."

After hearing Zhang Qingshan's explanation, Ye Han understood. While wandering around Seven Mysteries Peak earlier, he had heard people constantly talking about the Immortal Ascension Assembly and mentioning a selection for Foundation Establishment Pills...

So the Immortal Ascension Assembly and the Darkness Forbidden Ground referred to the same place.

But after hearing all this, he frowned and said to Zhang Qingshan, "Senior Brother Zhang, the Darkness Forbidden Ground must be very dangerous, right? Your injuries are so serious, and you've lost an arm. Wouldn't going there put you in great danger? Shouldn't you consider sitting this one out?"

He paused, then smiled and said, "Didn't you tell me yourself, Senior Brother Zhang? For cultivators, the ones who stay alive are the winners."

Hearing Ye Han's words, Zhang Qingshan grinned and said, "There are many things you can't simply refuse to do because they're dangerous. You need to understand that if I miss this chance, I'll have to wait another five years. Five years from now, I might not have the cultivation I have today. Besides, the longer you remain stuck at a cultivation bottleneck, the harder it becomes to break through, and the less effective Foundation Establishment Pills become."

Then he said helplessly, "And if I haven't broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm in five years, I won't be allowed to stay on the mountain to cultivate. I'll have to go somewhere else and serve as a resident steward or something like that."

After a pause, he continued, "Although staying alive means victory, that doesn't mean clinging to a miserable existence! You need to understand that even when we cultivators sit meditating in our Cave Abodes, we can suffer cultivation deviation and die as our bodies burst apart."

"Because cultivating toward immortality is an act of defiance against heaven in the first place. It goes against the way of heaven and earth, and brings heavenly punishment upon us."

As Ye Han listened to Zhang Qingshan, he understood that there were many meanings to being alive, just as there were many meanings to becoming a cultivator. He couldn't look at the issue from only one angle.

Then Ye Han suddenly remembered something. "Right! Senior Brother Zhang, there's something else I need to tell you! I ran into Zhang Sanlei and the other two again."

Hearing this, Zhang Qingshan's face darkened. "You mean Zhang Sanlei, Li Zongqing, and Wang Fulai? Did they cause trouble for you? What happened? Don't worry. With me around, they won't dare bully you!"

Ye Han immediately explained, "Here's what happened. Earlier, I ran into the three of them on the mountain, and they wanted to take me along to kill Demon Beasts...!"

Before Ye Han could finish, Zhang Qingshan said at once, "Don't go! With your level of cultivation, wouldn't hunting Demon Beasts be throwing your life away? I think those three are planning to do something to you."

Hearing this, Ye Han immediately recounted everything the three had told him about hunting demonic beasts and using him as bait.

Zhang Qingshan frowned. "Use you as bait? Isn't that pushing you straight into a pit of fire? Those bastards are getting more and more outrageous."

As though recalling something, anger flickered in his eyes. "Was going after me not enough? Now they want to go after you too?"

Ye Han sensed something odd in Zhang Qingshan's tone, but he still said, "Don't worry, Senior Brother! I agreed to go with them, but they have no idea where I actually live. As long as I hide in my Cave Abode and cultivate, they won't be able to find me."

Zhang Qingshan nodded. "Good! They don't recognize you... actually, there's something else I suspect them of!"

He fell silent for a moment, his expression turning grave. "The mission I went on this time was supposed to be highly confidential. Someone leaked my whereabouts, and that's how those cultivators with sinister intentions found me. They surrounded and attacked me as I was completing the mission... Zhang Sanlei and the others have always held a grudge against me... I suspect they may have been behind it."

Hearing Zhang Qingshan's words, Ye Han immediately said, "Senior Brother Zhang! You mean you ended up like this because they secretly sold information about you and got you hurt?"

Damn it, they're all disciples of the same sect, yet they still scheme to harm one another. Can't they just get along?

But when he remembered that damned Jin Feng, he found Zhang Qingshan's words believable. Not every disciple treated their fellow disciples as kindly as Zhang Qingshan did.

Zhang Qingshan said grimly, "Who else could it have been?"

Ye Han's eyes flickered, and he said conspiratorially, "Senior Brother Zhang! What do you think-should we set them up?"