Working with Ge Hong

In the secret chamber, dense spiritual power roiled like billowing black mist, surging freely as though it had come alive.

Jing Wen sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, a faint black halo flickering around him.

As he breathed in and out, the tremendous power of the Fiendish Demon Art raced ceaselessly through his meridians, leaving thunderous echoes like dragons roaring and tigers howling in its wake.

After days of arduous cultivation in seclusion, Jing Wen had finally cultivated the Fiendish Demon Art to the sixth layer.

His eyes snapped open. Today was the day of the Black Fiend Cult's blood sacrifice.

Before entering seclusion, he had already asked Steward Li for leave, excusing himself from this blood sacrifice on the grounds that he was about to make a breakthrough.

Steward Li had thought little of it-in his eyes, missing the blood sacrifice merely meant receiving one less Blood Pill.

After all, the day of the blood sacrifice was not only when Blood Pills were distributed to those present, but also an important occasion for redeeming contribution rewards.

However, Jing Wen had reaped considerable rewards from his last mission and already had plenty of contribution points, so he hardly cared about gaining or losing a single Blood Pill.

Once the blood sacrifice ceremony ended, Ge Hong hurried toward Jing Wen's residence.

"Brother Jing Wen!" Before he even reached the door, Ge Hong's hearty voice rang out from afar. "Steward Li sent me to deliver your pills and token!"

Hearing him, Jing Wen opened the door with a warm smile and welcomed Ge Hong inside. "Brother Ge Hong, thank you for making a special trip."

"Don't mention it."

As Ge Hong entered, he took several simple, antique jade bottles and an exquisitely carved token from his Storage Bag and placed them on the table. His face was all smiles. "Brother Jing Wen, these Blood Pills are among the finest from this blood sacrifice. Steward Li specifically told me to bring them to you."

Jing Wen opened one of the jade bottles and found ten Blood Pills neatly arranged inside.

The Blood Pills were a vivid blood-red, their surfaces seeming to ripple with slowly flowing blood essence. Dense spiritual power washed over him, carrying a trace of bloody menace that made his heart tremble.

These Blood Pills had been refined from cultivators' blood essence. Without baleful qi in one's body, they could not be absorbed at all.

Then Jing Wen picked up the token and examined it carefully, a flicker of puzzlement crossing his eyes.

Noticing this, Ge Hong hurried to explain. "Brother Jing Wen, this token doesn't just record your contribution points. It's also proof of your identity.

"Without it, you can't enter many important places, such as the Imperial City Altar."

Jing Wen nodded slightly in understanding. The Imperial City Altar was the central site where the Black Fiend Cult held its blood sacrifices.

"Thank you for bringing these over, Brother Ge Hong. If you ever need anything, just ask," Jing Wen said sincerely, his eyes brimming with warmth.

Ge Hong waved a hand casually, then seemed to remember something. His expression turned serious. "Right, there's something else. Our Reconnaissance Squad has discovered several more cultivators.

"Steward Li intends to join forces with other strongholds for a capture operation.

"He specifically asked me to see whether you wanted to take part in this hunt."

A thoughtful glint passed through Jing Wen's eyes before he smiled. "I'll still need some time to absorb these pills. I'd rather wait until my cultivation advances further before joining a hunt.

"With my current strength, I'd only hold everyone back."

Ge Hong nodded in agreement. "A wise choice, Brother Jing Wen.

"Cultivation is the foundation of everything. If you aren't strong enough, forcing yourself to join a hunt will only delay your cultivation.

"There'll be plenty of opportunities to earn contribution points later."

He paused, then lowered his voice. "Honestly, I wasn't going to bother asking, but Steward Li specifically instructed me to, so I had to go through the motions."

Jing Wen considered this inwardly. Steward Li's attitude toward him had clearly changed. It seemed his efforts and performance lately had not been wasted; his standing in Steward Li's eyes had indeed risen considerably.

If their own stronghold had organized the hunt alone, Jing Wen might have joined without hesitation.

But this hunt was different. Numerous strongholds would participate, bringing a large crowd and a tangled, complicated situation.

With his current cultivation, he would find himself in an extremely awkward position-if everyone else died and he alone returned alive as a minor cultivator at the Qi Refining fourth layer, he would attract far too much attention.

Yet if he simply followed the routine and blended into the group, he would struggle to earn enough contribution points.

For these reasons, after weighing the gains and losses, Jing Wen decisively chose to forgo this hunt.

Just then, a cold wind howled through the courtyard and battered the window frame.

Jing Wen instinctively looked outside. A withered leaf spun in the wind and slowly drifted down, like a helpless lone boat struggling in the torrent of fate.

The scene mirrored the Black Fiend Cult's brutal rules of survival, where the weak could be ruthlessly eliminated at any moment.

Ever since his last conversation with Ge Hong, Jing Wen had been harboring a plan.

His eyes flickered as he lowered his voice. "Brother Ge, I have an idea..."

Seeing his unusual expression, Ge Hong leaned closer. "Oh? What idea?"

"Brother Ge, tell me, could I act alone during the upcoming hunts?"

Ge Hong froze briefly, then answered, "You could, but under our Black Fiend Cult's rules, you'd have to report it to Steward Li first and obtain his approval."

"What if I didn't tell Steward Li beforehand?"

"Not tell Steward Li?" Ge Hong knitted his brows, his eyes full of confusion. "If you don't tell Steward Li, what would you be capturing people for?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, something seemed to occur to him. His expression changed sharply, and he asked warily, "Don't tell me you're planning to hand the cultivators you capture over to another stronghold?

"Absolutely not! If we're discovered, we'll both die!"

Jing Wen hurriedly waved his hands and explained, "Brother Ge Hong, you've misunderstood!

"I mean we'd capture them first, then bring them before Steward Li.

"That way, we could get more contribution points!"

Ge Hong's expression eased somewhat, though he still hesitated. "That could work in theory, but..."

He trailed off, doubt about Jing Wen's strength showing in his eyes.

Sharp-eyed, Jing Wen immediately caught his hesitation. He knew that if he wanted his plan to proceed smoothly, he would first have to dispel Ge Hong's concerns.

After all, in a place like the Black Fiend Cult, where strength reigned supreme, his cultivation at the Qi Refining fourth layer truly inspired little confidence.

After a moment's thought, Jing Wen decided to reveal his "trump card" and paint an enticing picture for Ge Hong.

"Brother Ge Hong, I've struggled with cultivation since childhood, but I have considerable talent for alchemy." Jing Wen lowered his voice, a hint of mystery on his face.

"I've only reached my current cultivation thanks to pills I refined myself."

Surprise flashed through Ge Hong's eyes, along with a measure of confusion.

He did not understand why Jing Wen had suddenly mentioned his ability to refine pills, so he remained silent and waited for him to continue.

"To be frank, I know how to refine a certain Poison Pill. It's astonishingly potent-even cultivators at late Qi Refining would find it hard to withstand."

Ge Hong frowned deeply, his eyes full of doubt.

Having scraped and struggled his way through the Black Fiend Cult for years, he knew all too well how formidable late Qi Refining cultivators were. Jing Wen's claim sounded utterly unbelievable.

As though he had anticipated Ge Hong's reaction, Jing Wen continued calmly. "My mother, Red Rose, personally tested this Poison Pill's potency. Even she could barely endure it.

"Later, I found a cultivator at the Qi Refining ninth layer to test it, and he fell victim to it as well."

Ge Hong was inwardly shaken. Red Rose had something of a reputation in the Black Fiend Cult. If even she had verified it personally, then Jing Wen's claim appeared to be true.

He nodded slightly, having roughly guessed Jing Wen's plan.

Seeing Ge Hong begin to soften, Jing Wen struck while the iron was hot and started dangling a tempting promise before him. "Brother Ge Hong, tell me, when you provide Steward Li with information and the target is successfully captured, how many contribution points do you receive?"

"Ten percent if the capture succeeds. If it fails, nothing," Ge Hong answered honestly.

"If we work together and successfully capture the target, I'll give you twenty percent of the contribution points!" Jing Wen's eyes blazed, his tone firm.

"If I fail, I won't let you lose out, either. I'll compensate you with pills worth ten percent of the contribution points!"

With that, Jing Wen flicked his wrist and took a Yellow Dragon Pill from his Storage Bag.

The Yellow Dragon Pill's mellow sheen shimmered in the dim yellow light. A rich medicinal fragrance instantly spread through the room, drifting into Ge Hong's nostrils.

Ge Hong's gaze sharpened. He accepted the Yellow Dragon Pill and probed it with his divine sense.

The potency of this Yellow Dragon Pill was in no way inferior to that of a Blood Pill.

Although Blood Pills could rapidly improve cultivation, they carried the risk of cultivation deviation and had to be taken with the utmost caution.

The Yellow Dragon Pill, however, was gentle. It could steadily improve cultivation without any side effects.

Ge Hong swiftly weighed the gains and losses, his mind racing.

If he worked with Jing Wen and the operation succeeded, he would receive twenty percent of the contribution points.

Even if it failed, Jing Wen would compensate him with pills worth ten percent of the contribution points. That was still better than his previous earnings.

But Jing Wen was only at the Qi Refining fourth layer. What exactly gave him such confidence in hunting alone?

Before Ge Hong could think further, Jing Wen hurriedly said, "Then it's settled! Brother Ge Hong, you have plenty of connections and you're well informed. If you hear anything about a target, make sure you tell me right away."

Ge Hong looked up at Jing Wen. After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and nodded firmly. "All right!"

After Ge Hong left, the warmth gradually faded from Jing Wen's face, replaced by deep calculation.

He sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, tapping his knee lightly with his fingertips as he silently worked out his cultivation plans.

My most urgent task is to cultivate the Fiendish Demon Art to full perfection at the thirteenth layer as soon as possible...

Jing Wen stared at the black baleful qi swirling in his palm, his gaze growing ever sharper.

Only after successfully reaching Foundation Establishment can I cultivate the second layer of the Breath-Concealing Art...

At the thought of the Breath-Concealing Art's mysteries, a cold smile appeared on Jing Wen's lips.

This secret art could not only conceal his cultivation perfectly, but also mask the fluctuations of his baleful qi.

Then, even as he moved about within the cult, no one would detect his true strength.

Strength... is the greatest safeguard. Jing Wen slowly closed his eyes, and the baleful qi around him began to surge in a steady rhythm.