White bones

With the breakthrough in the Body-Strengthening Scripture.

Wang Ba's strength, reaction speed, and other physical capabilities had all noticeably improved.

Although the cramped room gave him little room to move, the sensation of his body rapidly growing stronger could not lie.

But Wang Ba did not grow complacent. Taking advantage of the early dawn, he killed a Spirit Chicken right inside his room.

A trace of foul blood stench joined the already rank smell inside.

But he paid it no mind.

He then plucked the Spirit Chicken and chopped it into pieces. Only once it was completely unrecognizable as a Spirit Chicken did he carry it outside.

He put it in an earthenware pot to stew.

He first went to the spring at the foot of the Mountain Manor to bathe.

For a moment, this nearly made Yu Changchun, who had been watching him all along, take action.

Fortunately, Wang Ba returned to the Mountain Manor after his bath.

He immediately began his busy day.

Feeding, shoveling droppings, cleaning the Mountain Manor...

"Oh, what smells so good? Stewing chicken?"

Old Hou had come early today, carrying two buckets of Chicken Feed up to the Mountain Manor, but Wang Ba stopped him at the gate.

"I've got sick chickens here. We'd better be careful."

Wang Ba wore a grave expression and deliberately spoke loudly.

This was to lay the groundwork for his continuous chicken consumption later. After all, no one could fault a Servant Disciple for eating the sick chickens in his own manor.

Hearing this, Old Hou hurriedly backed away a little. Chicken Plague generally did not spread to humans, but what if he was an exception?

Whatever the case, he had to be careful.

The two quickly finished handing over the Chicken Feed, then chatted for a while as usual.

Wang Ba still looked both wary and eager, giving Old Hou the impression that he desperately wanted to join the Immortal Ascension Society but remained somewhat indecisive.

But clearly, that indecision would soon disappear completely with the passage of time.

Judging by his experience.

By tomorrow at the latest, this Brother Wang would surely ask to join of his own accord.

Confident of success, Old Hou did not linger. After all, he still had to go fan the flames among the other Servant Disciples and was busy every day. He smiled and waved goodbye to Wang Ba.

Wang Ba seemed about to speak, then stopped, as though deeply conflicted inside.

Yu Changchun, who had watched everything, nodded slightly. He too felt that, at this rate, they should be able to secure this chicken-raising Servant Disciple tomorrow.

He then closed his eyes and began meditating and regulating his breathing, leaving only a sliver of his attention on the situation.

Wang Ba, meanwhile, continued with his plan.

After finishing all his work that morning, he carried the stewed Spirit Chicken into his room.

Just as expected.

Following his breakthrough in the Body-Strengthening Scripture, his body's ability to digest Spirit Chicken had also improved greatly.

Over the better part of the day, he actually managed to eat an entire Spirit Chicken!

Although he was so stuffed he nearly vomited, this was still unprecedented progress.

And afterward, when visualizing the Yin God, he was even more delighted to discover that his body's ability to retain Spiritual Qi had nearly doubled!

Correspondingly, the speed at which he condensed Yin Spirit Power had also increased considerably.

Previously, condensing a single drop of Yin Spirit Power required eating six chickens over ten days. Now, in just one afternoon, Wang Ba had successfully condensed a third of a drop!

By that reckoning, he needed only three days to successfully condense a drop!

My idea was right!

Wang Ba was overjoyed.

Improving the Body-Strengthening Scripture could indeed indirectly increase the speed at which he condensed Yin Spirit Power.

But he also knew that his current speed was still insufficient.

His need for Yin Spirit Power was now greater than ever. The more he had, the better, but he did not have that much time.

He did not know when Yu Changchun of the Immortal Ascension Society would lose patience with him, but he knew that once the man no longer held any expectations for him, he would surely strike to kill!

So, on one hand, he had to work hard to condense more Yin Spirit Power. On the other, he had to think of every possible way to keep playing along with the man.

That evening, after some hesitation, he finally decided to take four Spirit Chickens and his remaining eight Spirit Stones and quietly leave the Mountain Manor again under the cover of Yin Spirit Power.

But his luck was poor this time. He visited several manors in succession.

In some, all the Precious Chickens had already died of illness; in others, people from the Mountain-Cleansing Office had hauled them away for centralized disposal.

Only with considerable effort did he find a few lower-ranked manors and acquire nearly six hundred chickens.

He gained roughly twelve hundred years of lifespan.

Yet he had not spent the eight Spirit Stones he had intended to use.

I'm still short about five hundred and fifty chickens. With another five hundred and fifty, I can master the ninth layer!

Wang Ba felt some regret.

The ninth layer required roughly twenty-three hundred years of lifespan.

Still, he gathered himself and returned to the Mountain Manor.

Early the next morning.

Old Hou brought Chicken Feed up to the Mountain Manor again, but he did not dare enter and stopped at the gate.

After the handover, Wang Ba seemingly could not wait to start talking to Old Hou about the Immortal Ascension Society.

This time, however, Old Hou refused to say anything more. No matter what Wang Ba asked, he only said that once he joined, he would naturally learn everything.

At this, Wang Ba kept smiling, but his heart immediately sank to the bottom.

So soon! The dagger is already showing at the end of the unrolled map? That's right. An ordinary Servant Disciple who still wanted to condense a Spiritual Root could probably only hold out for two or three days.

After all, according to Old Hou, the Immortal Ascension Society's backer was the Office Head of the Mountain-Cleansing Office, one of the six elders who held power in the Sect apart from the sect master. Perching on the lofty branch of such an unreachable figure would mean soaring into the sky in an instant.

Besides, the "Bone-Burying Secret Art" was dangling before them.

Ordinary Servant Disciples probably could not resist such temptation. Some decisive ones would likely have attached themselves to it at the first opportunity.

Conversely, anyone who could resist such temptation had most likely noticed something wrong with the Immortal Ascension Society.

What should I do?! How do I deal with this situation?!

It's not that I can't join the Immortal Ascension Society, but I'm afraid they'll cast some Law Technique on me the moment I enter. Then I'll have no choice but to follow that road into the dark!

Wang Ba thought rapidly.

Meanwhile, in a mountain hollow outside the Mountain Manor, invisible threads quietly rose from Yu Changchun's palm.

He stared intently at Wang Ba in the Water Mirror, waiting for his final decision.

If Wang Ba still did not choose to join the Immortal Ascension Society today.

Then what awaited him was a merciless strike.

That was right.

Although he was deeply wary of Li Zhi, his unfathomable junior brother, compared with the punishment he might face if exposed, Yu Changchun still chose the safest approach.

After all, Liu Changfeng's death was still right before his eyes!

So, either Wang Ba joined, or he would kill him immediately and leave no future trouble!

Even if a Servant Disciple's sudden death or disappearance drew attention, he would not hesitate.

Within the Water Mirror.

Wang Ba seemed entirely unaware, still beside Old Hou, racking his brains as he pressed him with questions.

As he asked more and more questions.

The threads in Yu Changchun's palm began to glint coldly...

Thinking of how he had previously sworn to Li Zhi and boasted that he would certainly recruit Wang Ba within three days.

He had a faint feeling that this Servant Disciple really might slap him in the face.

But it did not matter.

He would not hold a grudge against a dead man.

His fingers moved slightly.

Far away, at the gate of Dingbaqi Manor, Old Hou's body gave an almost imperceptible shudder. The light in his eyes quietly faded, replaced by a trace of coldness.

At the same time, beneath his filthy Servant Disciple Daoist robe, washed pale, a narrow slit slowly opened at Old Hou's waist. Sharp white bones silently slid along his body, eventually reaching his arms.

Then Old Hou raised his hand, as though waving goodbye to Wang Ba.

Beneath his sleeve, the stark white bones bore a faint, pallid chill.

Aimed at the utterly unsuspecting Wang Ba.

They slowly extended.