Cold Spirit Blade
Tang Tianshu had seen Shen Wenjing's treasured dagger before; it was called the "Cold Spirit Blade," and it was said to be a weapon used by cultivators.
The Cold Spirit Pill is indeed incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through iron like mud; even a martial artist's fine iron weapons are utterly vulnerable to its power.
But that's all; there's nothing else particularly special about it.
"The Seven Stars Sword my father, Tang Yuan, gave me—that's a true treasure for cultivators," Tang Tianshu sneered inwardly, then said resentfully, "Senior Brother Shen Wenjing's Cold Spirit Blade is just sharp and sturdy; it's not really a treasure."
Oh, right.
Senior Brother Shen Wenjing has mentioned it to my father several times; you must do some sect tasks.
Although I've already blocked several times for you, Shen Wenjing is now Mid-Stage Great Martial Master.
Their words carry some weight within the sect.
You're now at the Mid-Stage Martial Master level, so you can start doing some sect quests.
"The next day, you will need to participate in a caravan escort mission..."
"Escort?
"Is there any danger?" Tang Tianshu frowned.
There shouldn't be any danger...
Besides, Senior Brother Shen Wenjing is also going, so the round trip will only take about a month...
You need to do more tasks for the sect so that the sect disciples will truly respect you...
"Can I get a refund this time?"
"I know you're a coward, but this time you really have to go..."
"Alright..." Tang Tianshu sighed helplessly...
A few days later, Tang Tianshu reluctantly followed Shen Wenjing on a sect mission – escorting goods.
The goods being escorted this time were military funds for a group of frontier soldiers of the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty.
Operating under the banner of the Diancang Sect, they carried out their escort missions smoothly, except for some minor clashes with the Iron Sword Sect.
More than twenty days passed peacefully, and Tang Tianshu and his group quickly returned to the Diancang Sect with their reward.
That night, the group rested in a dense forest.
After a quick meal, Tang Tianshu wanted to go to bed early.
However, he hadn't been lying down for long when Shen Wenjing woke him up to patrol the surrounding area.
Shen Wenjing was the commander of this team, so Tang Tianshu had no choice but to get up and go on patrol.
After patrolling for most of the hour, just as Tang Tianshu was about to return to camp, Shen Wenjing came over.
"Junior Brother Tang, have you thoroughly patrolled the area within a three-mile radius of this camp?" Shen Wenjing asked dangerously.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother Liu. I've already thoroughly checked the area. It's deserted and perfectly safe," Tang Tianshu replied, yawning as he held up a torch.
"Very good..." Shen Wenjing smiled, "Junior Brother Tang, I have three questions for you, and I wonder if you can answer them truthfully."
Tang Tianshu frowned, then smiled and said, "Senior brother, please ask away. I will answer everything I know to the best of my ability."
"I'm asking you, is the so-called Youran Pill you mentioned the same as the Hundred-Year True Gathering Pill?"
"No?"
"Very good.
Then let me ask you, why didn't you manage to refine a single Youran Pill during the three months I was in the Samsara Valley?
"But you gave Junior Sister Sun eight Youran Pill? Don't tell me this is a coincidence..." Shen Wenjing said calmly.
"Senior Brother Shen, actually I didn't want to give you the Youran Pill."
Because this elixir is only suitable for those with few Martial Meridians.
"Heh, should I thank Junior Brother Tang for his kindness then..." Shen Wenjing sneered.
"That won't be necessary... Senior Brother Shen, what is your third question?"
"Are you asking if I can give you the Youran Pill too?" Tang Tianshu asked with a smile.
"Right.
"Will Junior Brother Tang agree?" Shen Wenjing took a step forward.
"Since Senior Brother Shen is so determined to give it a try, how can I, as his junior brother, refuse? I happen to have a Youran Pill on me..." As he spoke, Tang Tianshu reached for his money pouch.
Shen Wenjing was overjoyed and hurriedly approached Tang Tianshu.
As Shen Wenjing approached, Tang Tianshu swung his torch at him with his left hand.
Shen Wenjing snorted coldly, and a gleaming dagger flew out from his left sleeve, lying in his hand, and he blocked it diagonally.
The torch was instantly cut in two.
"You're asking for it, don't blame me."
He channeled his True Qi, and with his right hand as a palm, struck towards Tang Tianshu's chest.
Tang Tianshu gave a cold laugh and received it with his right hand.
"Boom!"
The two palms clashed together, producing a loud sound.
Shen Wenjing was blasted more than ten feet away.
Thump.
Before Shen Wenjing could even land, Tang Tianshu had already rushed up to him at lightning speed.
With his right hand shattered and blood gushing from his mouth, Shen Wenjing stared wide-eyed in astonishment. "Your cultivation level is more than just Mid-Stage Martial Master!?"
"Hmph, just a little taller than you." Tang Tianshu punched Shen Wenjing in the chest with his right fist.
Shen Wenjing didn't utter a sound of pain; he had already breathed his last.
After retrieving Shen Wenjing's Cold Spirit Blade, Tang Tianshu hesitated for a moment.
Shen Wenjing was the son of an elder and an elite member of the sect; his death was bound to bring trouble.
Are you leaving the Diancang Sect now?
However, I haven't "borrowed" the treasure yet.
The martial world is treacherous. Although I am currently at the Initial-Stage Martial Venerable cultivation, venturing into the martial world still seems somewhat dangerous...
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Tang Tianshu decided to stay with the Diancang Sect for the time being.
Thinking of this, Tang Tianshu hid the Cold Spirit Blade in his boot and roared miserably, "Enemy attack!"
Enemy attack!...
Roaring, it charged toward the camp...
Two days later, Tang Tianshu and his group returned to the Diancang Sect with Shen Wenjing's mangled corpse.
Shen Wenjing's father, Elder Shen Yidao, was filled with grief and wished he could kill the entire group that had gone on this mission.
After the sect leader and several elders examined the fatal wound on Shen Wenjing's chest, they unanimously confirmed that it was definitely the work of a martial artist with the cultivation level of Martial Venerable.
On the surface, Tang Tianshu, who only reached the Mid-Stage Martial Master master cultivation, was naturally ruled out as a suspect.
Undeterred, Shen Yidao interrogated Tang Tianshu again and again.
If it weren't for the sect leader and Sun Ruoya intervening, Shen Yidao would have even considered using torture on Tang Tianshu.
Tang Tianshu wept bitterly time and time again, saying that it was too dark that day, Shen Wenjing saw the enemy and asked Tang Tianshu to go and report the news first.
As for who attacked Shen Wenjing, Tang Tianshu kept saying he didn't know.
The Diancang Sect didn't have many enemies in the martial arts world, and after much deliberation, the only possible culprit was someone from the Iron Sword Sect.
Because this escort mission went smoothly and discreetly, the only minor conflict that occurred was with the Iron Sword Sect.
When facing the Iron Sword Sect, Shen Wenjing deliberately took out the Cold Spirit Blade to show off.
The Iron Sword Sect ambushed and killed Shen Wenjing because they coveted the Cold Spirit Blade.
This is the only possible answer.
The madman Shen Yidao ordered the sect leader Sun Haotian to attack the Iron Sword Sect.
But how could Sun Haotian rashly attack the Iron Sword Sect because of a matter that has no verifiable evidence?
Seeing that the sect leader disagreed, Shen Yidao kept sending his disciples to carefully search for the whereabouts of the Cold Spirit Blade.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Tang Tianshu stayed in the Samsara Valley, cultivating and refining pills, and rarely showed himself on the front mountain...
... As the seasons changed, it was already March of the 4052nd year of the New Immortal Calendar. Tang Tianshu had been at the Diancang Sect for nearly four years.
Over the past year, Tang Tianshu has been carefully cultivating century-old spiritual herbs, refining elixirs, and consuming them in the Samsara Valley.
But in the last two months, I've found that no matter how much I practice...
No matter how many Hundred-Year True Gathering Pill he consumes, his internal True Qi no longer increases, and his cultivation level remains stuck at the Late-Stage Qi Warrior Realm.
The leader of the Diancang Sect was only Middle-Stage Martial Venerable, and in the entire martial arts world of the Great Chu, the highest cultivation level was only Peak Martial Venerable.
The martial artist at the Qi Warrior Realm is just a legend; there are practically none at all.
"But I've already taken the [Aperture-Opening Pill] given to me by Mystic Spoon Immortal Venerable, and I'm already an [Aperture Opener]. I can even cultivate to become an immortal, so why can't I become Qi Warrior?" Tang Tianshu frowned, trying hard to recall the scenes of his older brothers and sisters cultivating immortality...