Chapter 33: Settling the Score for Real (Please add to favorites! Please keep reading!)

After the pleasure subsided, Shao Heng felt a sudden surge of exhaustion. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

She swallowed another Rejuvenation Pill, and once her strength had somewhat recovered, she wiped the sweat and blood from her face.

Having performed several missions outside the sect before, she skillfully drew a bone-cleaver forged from Black Iron, stood up, and efficiently skinned the snake demon, removing its bones and gallbladder.

As for the unrecognizable remains of Zhu Wushuang inside its belly, Shao Heng endured her nausea and used a spell to search. Finally, she retrieved a small pouch woven from silver threads.

This object had not been corroded within the snake's belly, indicating excellent quality; it was likely Zhu Wushuang's daily storage artifact.

Once she had finished the processing, she summoned her strength, cast a Dust-Cleansing Spell on herself, and moved away from the site.

Shao Heng continued to rush toward the territory of the Zhenyi Yuan Sect. After fleeing for over twenty miles, she felt her strength flagging and finally stopped to rest for a while.

Her clothes were once again clean and spotless. Leaning against a large tree, her snow-white outer garment made her appear as if she had merged into the vast, rolling snow.

Shao Heng circulated the cycles of the "Qi-Nurturing Foundation Cultivation Technique." As the medicinal power of the spiritual pills was refined within her body, pure spiritual power flowed into her withered Yellow Bud, making it plump once more.

She closed her eyes to rest her mind, then suddenly let out a sigh of emotion.

Inside the sect and outside the sect were simply two different worlds.

Up to this point, including this time, Shao Heng had completed a total of five missions outside the sect, and in four of them, she had encountered situations beyond the scope of the mission.

Robbery, backstabbing, ambushes, and enticements.

It wasn't that Shao Heng's luck was exceptionally poor; she had inquired about the mission experiences of many senior brothers and sisters, and they had faced similar circumstances.

Within the sect, there were sect rules to serve as a standard for conduct and the Law Enforcement Pavilion acting as a sword hanging overhead. The disciples trained by such a sect were not necessarily harmonious or humble, but they did not behave excessively out of line. This was the reason why Shao Heng had not yet truly retaliated against Lu Shaojia and the others.

Her future was far more important than those few individuals, and she would not take even the slightest risk for their sake.

However, once one left the sanctuary of the sect, the cultivation world was governed by the law of natural selection—survival of the fittest. Even though they were all disciples of immortal sects, they maintained only a superficial peace with one another.

Shao Heng took out the silver pouch, which had been cleansed by her spells, and the corners of her lips curled upward.

Discarding her initial confusion and apprehension, she had long since understood her true thoughts.

She liked these rules.

She liked them very much!

As her spiritual power invaded the pouch, she found that its owner had passed away, leaving behind a brand that was fragile and easily broken. Shao Heng quickly cracked it, finally allowing her to perceive the internal space.

This was no low-grade storage bag; it contained twenty-three layers of Dao-trace restrictions. It was a First-Grade Dharma Tool capable of holding sixty cubic meters of items.

Shao Heng inventoried her gains.

"Over eighteen hundred spirit stones, two First-Grade talismans, three First-Grade precious herbs, and some cultivation consumables. Not bad at all."

There were no immortal arts or cultivation techniques from the Wenxing Sect among them. After all, such heritages had long since ceased to rely on paper and text, and every sect had its own unique methods of theft prevention. Shao Heng had not expected to obtain any immortal arts from it, so she felt no disappointment.

"However, the Protective Starlight and Seven Star Palm that Zhu Wushuang just used should be related to a method of absorbing starlight..."

She was truly covetous.

Shao Heng continued to pick through the contents, transferring everything useful into an empty storage ring of her own.

Finally, only Zhu Wushuang's various personal belongings remained in the silver pouch, which Shao Heng casually tossed aside.

Cultivators possessed many methods of investigation, most of which were bizarre and strange.

This silver pouch was indeed a Dharma Tool that could be resold for dozens of spirit stones, but Shao Heng had no desire to chase such petty profits. If it carried some unrecognizable aura or mark that could lead someone back to her, she would not gamble on that possibility.

By the time her spiritual power had recovered to sixty or seventy percent, it was already midnight. Dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the bright moon.

Under such celestial conditions, although Shao Heng could still absorb the essence of moonlight, it was quite limited. She decided to simply keep moving, aiming to quickly collect the precious herbs required for her gathering missions and then rush back to the sect. She intended to hand over Tang Dong's body before the deadline for the demon cultivator hunting mission.

She stood up from beneath the tree, took out a sheepskin map to confirm her direction, and set off.

...

Zhenyi Yuan Sect, outside the Law Enforcement Pavilion.

Shao Heng had changed back into her yellow disciple robes and was walking toward the main gate.

Suddenly, two women blocked her path. She looked at them, raising an eyebrow.

"Having taught the little one a lesson, now the big one comes?"

The two women before her were one large and one small, their similar features indicating a familial relationship. The smaller one was none other than Gu Yisui.

She had just joined the sect this year and was over twelve years old. When she looked at Shao Heng, her small face still held a hint of timidity.

The older female cultivator spoke up: "Junior Sister Shao Heng, you misunderstand. I am Yisui's elder sister, Gu Xuan. I have come this time to apologize."

Her face bore an apologetic expression, her eyes lowered submissively, as she continued, "My sister is still young and was misled by others. A few days ago, she went to cause you trouble outside the lecture hall along with others. I am truly grateful that you let her go..."

Shao Heng interrupted, "Stop. Whether she was misled by others or was simply stupid and greedy, it has nothing to do with me."

"Don't block my way."

Hearing this, Gu Xuan pursed her lips, a look of embarrassment flashing across her face before she quickly suppressed it. She took a jade box from her storage ring and held it out to Shao Heng.

"This is an apology from us sisters. Please accept it, Junior Sister Shao Heng."

Since her breakthrough to the middle stage of the first realm, Shao Heng's spiritual sense had improved, making her perception increasingly keen. The faint medicinal fragrance and spiritual energy emanating from the jade box suggested it was a First-Grade precious herb.

She gave the pair of "stupid sister and wise sister" a slightly surprised look, then unceremoniously reached out, took the jade box, and put it into her ring.

"Fine, I'll take it."

Shao Heng did not offer any polite refusals. She nodded to Gu Xuan, then bypassed them and headed straight for the Law Enforcement Pavilion.

"Sister, that's Jade Ginseng! A single plant costs forty-three spirit stones. How could you just give it to her like that?" Gu Yisui tugged at her sister's sleeve, her voice full of reluctance.

"If I had refined that Jade Ginseng, I could have cultivated over a dozen more batches of spiritual power. Wouldn't that have given me an advantage in the upcoming Disciple Competition...?"

"Shut up!"

Gu Xuan rarely lost her composure, but she pulled Gu Yisui to a secluded spot to avoid further embarrassment and cast a Sound-Silence Curse.

She was also feeling stifled. An outer disciple only earned one hundred and twenty spirit stones a year; giving away a precious herb like that—was she not pained?

"Have you forgotten what I told you? The Disciple Competition is a massive brawl!"

"It won't be round after round of matches! The Inner Sect Elders will use immortal arts to send you all into a single combat arena. The last ten disciples standing will be promoted to the Inner Sect. Although the Elders will intervene during life-and-death crises in that arena to ensure no one dies, can you guarantee that Shao Heng won't hold a grudge and strike you with lethal force to destroy your foundation at that time?"

"Fighting is supposed to be done with everything you have. No matter how ruthless the strikes are, no one can blame her. Besides, if Shao Heng is promoted to the Inner Sect, do you think those Elders would favor you over her?"

Gu Yisui froze, stammering, "No... that can't be. I... I only followed them... she already taught me a lesson!"

Gu Xuan said sternly, "How many times have I taught you? Why won't you change? You're still like this!"

"I told you before to make amends with her, but instead, you went and offended her directly!"

"And what did you mean by what you just said? What are you doing?! You are gambling other people's kindness against your own safety!"

Gu Yisui trembled, her eyes turning red and brimming with tears.

Meanwhile, inside the Law Enforcement Pavilion, Shao Heng walked briskly, though she was actually somewhat surprised in her heart.

"Gu Xuan? How clever. Did she guess my intentions?"

Shao Heng had long been prepared to settle all old scores during the Disciple Competition!