Time flew, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.
In the secret chamber, Jing Wen slowly opened his eyes, the black baleful qi swirling in his pupils gradually fading.
Feeling the surging spiritual power within him, he murmured, "The twelfth layer of the Fiendish Demon Art..."
Then he shook his head and sighed softly. "Cultivating with pills is still too slow, after all."
Had other cultivators heard him, they would probably have been so furious they spat blood-ordinary cultivators treasured even a single bottle of pills, unlike him, who could squander them at will.
Ever since experiencing the rapid progress that came from converting the Burning Blood Art into the Fiendish Demon Art, Jing Wen had indeed found his current cultivation speed somewhat wanting.
Still, he knew that thinking this way was rather like pocketing a bargain and then complaining about it.
Through his cooperation with Ge Hong during the last blood sacrifice, he had obtained quite a few more Blood Pills.
With these resources, his publicly displayed cultivation had "smoothly" advanced to the qi refining seventh layer.
Jing Wen was about to check the Sound Transmission Talisman when it suddenly glimmered, before his fingertips even touched it.
The corners of his mouth rose involuntarily. Though he had worked closely with Ge Hong over the past few months, cultivators in the mortal world were few and far between, and most were merely rogue cultivators in the early or middle stages of qi refining.
As for late-stage qi refining cultivators... they were hardly cabbages sold by the roadside. Even with the Embroidery Guard's intelligence network, he had yet to find a suitable target.
"At last..." Jing Wen's black robe flared, and his figure vanished from the secret chamber.
In the outer city of the Capital, a restaurant called Taibai Tower stood quietly on a street corner.
Candlelight flickered in a private room, and sandalwood incense curled through the air, a thread of tension running beneath the stillness.
Zhao Yu and the other three had been waiting there for quite some time. Some sat while others stood, their expressions betraying anxiety and anticipation.
With a soft creak, the door slowly swung open.
Dressed in a long black robe whose hems stirred without a breeze, Jing Wen stepped calmly into the room.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone."
The corners of Jing Wen's lips lifted slightly, his voice warm and smooth as jade. His gaze swept over their faces one by one before settling on Zhao Yu. "Fellow Daoist Zhao, I trust you have been well."
All four of their pupils abruptly contracted.
The aura of Jing Wen's cultivation was extremely unstable. At times, he showed no spiritual power fluctuations whatsoever, like a mortal; at others, he seemed as unfathomably deep as an endless abyss.
None of the four dared show the slightest discourtesy. They hurriedly rose and cupped their fists in greeting.
More impatient by nature, Zhao Yu was the first to speak. "Fellow Daoist Jing Wen, why exactly did you ask me to seek you out in the Capital?"
Zhao Yu and the others had come to test the waters. As cultivators, they traveled extremely quickly, so a trip to the Capital did not cost them much time.
If Jing Wen could offer no opportunity, none of them wanted to waste their time. Thus, they had decided to cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Jing Wen's expression grew solemn. "Since the four of you have come here, I take it you failed at the Ascension to Immortality Conference."
Their faces immediately darkened at his words. Someone sighed softly, but none of them contradicted him.
After all, their failure at the Ascension to Immortality Conference was a pain in their hearts that words could scarcely express.
Seeing their reaction, Jing Wen continued, "Still, since you survived the spell duels at the Ascension to Immortality Conference, your strength must be quite impressive."
Zhao Yu did not interrupt. He merely nodded silently, signaling for Jing Wen to continue.
Jing Wen inclined his head slightly. "I can more or less guess why you have come. Presumably, you seek foundation establishment."
At these words, all four began breathing faster, excitement and anticipation gleaming in their eyes.
Foundation establishment was the realm every cultivator dreamed of reaching. Since Jing Wen had brought it up himself, could there really be a chance?
Zhao Yu hurriedly pressed him. "Fellow Daoist, please speak plainly. Foundation Establishment Pills are incomparably precious. I do not believe pies simply fall from the sky."
Jing Wen nodded. "Indeed, Foundation Establishment Pills are incomparably precious, and I do not have any myself."
The other four's faces instantly fell, the flames of hope that had just kindled within them seemingly doused by a bucket of cold water.
The female cultivator's willow-leaf brows shot upward, her lovely eyes widening with anger. She sprang to her feet, then narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing within them as she demanded sharply, "Are you making fools of us, fellow Daoist?"
As soon as she finished speaking, spiritual power stirred faintly around her like a turbulent undercurrent. Threads of pressure seemed to permeate the air, as though she were ready to attack at the slightest disagreement.
Jing Wen remained as calm as still water, showing not a trace of panic.
He merely raised a hand and crooked a finger, beckoning through the air.
In an instant, a brick-shaped object radiating dazzling golden light appeared in his hand.
Its golden brilliance was blinding, and the flowing runes faintly exuded a mysterious, powerful aura.
"A Talisman Treasure?" Sharp-eyed Zhao Yu recognized the golden brick in Jing Wen's hand at once. His pupils contracted violently, and shock filled his face as the exclamation slipped from his lips.
Hearing the words "Talisman Treasure," the other four went as white as paper.
They instinctively stumbled backward in panic, stopping only when their backs pressed firmly against the cold wall.
Almost simultaneously, their respective magical artifacts appeared in their hands, glimmering with circulating spiritual power.
Meanwhile, the light of their protective barriers began flickering violently, alternately brightening and dimming. Clearly, they were on full alert, deeply wary of the Talisman Treasure's unfathomable power.
Seeing that Jing Wen made no further threatening move, Zhao Yu asked, his dark expression still guarded, "What is the meaning of this, fellow Daoist?"
His gaze remained fixed on Jing Wen, fearful that he might suddenly strike.
"You have a keen eye, fellow Daoist, to recognize a Talisman Treasure."
Jing Wen leisurely sat down and poured himself a cup of spiritual tea. "There is no need to be nervous. If I meant you harm, why would I wait until now?"
As he spoke, he turned his wrist, and the Talisman Treasure's dazzling golden light vanished.
Jing Wen had intended to cow them with his cultivation and establish his authority, but unfortunately, he was only at the twelfth layer of qi refining. No matter how pure his spiritual power was, it would hardly produce the desired intimidation against these people, whose cultivation was also far from weak.
After weighing his options, only the Talisman Treasure could achieve that effect.
Seeing Jing Wen put away the Talisman Treasure, the four relaxed a little. They likewise put away their magical artifacts and dispelled the flickering golden light protecting their bodies, but each remained poised to strike at any moment, not daring to lower their guard.
Once the four had sat down again, Jing Wen cleared his throat and continued, "Although I have no Foundation Establishment Pills, I do possess a cultivation art that offers a fifty-percent chance of foundation establishment once you reach qi refining great perfection."
At these words, their breathing quickened again, their eyes brimming with disbelief and intense anticipation.
Having struggled along the path of cultivation for many years, they knew full well how difficult foundation establishment was. Now they were hearing of a cultivation art that could raise the success rate by fifty percent. How could they not be tempted?
Jing Wen kept them in suspense no longer and tossed a Jade Slip directly toward Zheng Yu.
Zhao Yu caught the Jade Slip securely. He first examined it carefully, and only after confirming that nothing was amiss did he cautiously probe it with his divine sense.
The other three eagerly awaited the contents of this mysterious cultivation art, yet watched Jing Wen even more carefully, afraid some sinister scheme might be lurking beneath it all.
After a while, Zhao Yu passed the Jade Slip to the female cultivator beside him, and it made its way through all four of their hands.
Once all four had finished reading, Jing Wen explained, "This cultivation art is called the Fiendish Demon Art.
It can condense spiritual qi. Foundation establishment is nothing more than compressing gaseous spiritual qi into liquid form-in other words, a process of condensing spiritual qi."
During their cultivation, the four had previously heard various rumors about foundation establishment. Jing Wen's explanation matched what they knew exactly, and their trust in this cultivation art deepened a little.
The female cultivator could not help asking, "Can this cultivation art truly condense spiritual qi?"
Jing Wen nodded firmly. "The Jade Slip contains the first layer of the Fiendish Demon Art. If you carefully work through it, you will know whether my words are true."
At this, they all began carefully working through the cultivation art in their minds.
A short while later, Zheng Yu opened his eyes. "This cultivation art does indeed improve the quality of spiritual qi, but it does not seem to be an orthodox cultivation art."
Jing Wen nodded again. "Correct. This cultivation art does not belong to the five elements. Our cult leader adapted it from the demon race's cultivation arts."
Zhao Yu frowned and continued, "If this cultivation art truly raises the success rate of foundation establishment by fifty percent, as you say, then surely it comes with considerable drawbacks."
Jing Wen answered frankly, "Once you practice this cultivation art, your spiritual root will mutate, making it exceedingly difficult to practice other five-element cultivation arts.
Put simply, once you practice the Fiendish Demon Art, you will only be able to practice our cult's cultivation arts from then on."
"May I ask which cult you belong to, fellow Daoist?" Zhao Yu asked solemnly, his gaze fixed on Jing Wen.
Jing Wen lifted his chin slightly and answered without haste, "The Black Fiend Cult."
"The Black Fiend Cult?"
"I have never heard of it."
All four frowned in unison, thoughtful expressions crossing their faces. They exchanged glances filled with confusion.
Seeing this, Jing Wen leaned forward slightly and explained, "Everyone, the Black Fiend Cult belongs to the demonic sects. It is perfectly normal that you have never heard of us.
But the Black Fiend Cult possesses a heaven-reaching cultivation art that allows one to cultivate all the way to the nascent soul realm.
As for that, you will naturally learn more once you join us."
Hearing the words "demonic sects," the four could not help feeling a measure of fear. After all, demonic sects had always had poor reputations in the Cultivation World, and their conduct was largely despised by the orthodox path.
Yet when they heard of a cultivation art that could take them to the nascent soul realm, a fiery gleam instantly flashed through their eyes, filling them with yearning.
The nascent soul realm was a height countless cultivators could never reach, even after striving their entire lives.
Zhao Yu steadied himself and asked, "Then you mean that if we join the Black Fiend Cult, we can obtain the Fiendish Demon Art?"
At this, Jing Wen burst into hearty, unrestrained laughter. "You misunderstand, fellow Daoist.
Since you have come to seek me out, I cannot let you leave empty-handed, even if you do not join the Black Fiend Cult."
With that, he casually tossed another Jade Slip toward Zhao Yu.
"This contains the first six layers of the Fiendish Demon Art. Consider it a gift to mark our first meeting."
Having said his piece, Jing Wen lingered no longer. He turned and strode out of the restaurant.
He did not wish to become overly entangled in this matter. He knew the four needed time to digest the information and study the cultivation art carefully.
But he was even more certain that once they studied the Fiendish Demon Art in depth, they would understand its wonders.
Faced with the immense temptation of foundation establishment, they had no reason to refuse.
After leaving the restaurant, Jing Wen walked alone through the streets of the Capital, inwardly lamenting:
Ah, my cultivation is still too weak. If I were at foundation establishment now, there would be no need for all this trouble.
Before you continue