Chapter 14: Third Level of Qi Refinement

Fatty Duan cast a sidelong glance, sensing the scattered spirit sand in the cloth bag. Still unable to grasp the crux of the matter, he said impatiently

"Liu, I have an audience with True Disciple Su. I don't have time to play games with you."

With that, he glared viciously at Wang Yu and flicked his sleeves as he walked away.

Stunned and flustered, Steward Liu did not stop him. Instead, he felt that Duan was being incredibly smug; most of what had just happened was likely a ruse to trick him.

He was probably off to claim credit now.

"Duan Ping!!!"

Steward Liu’s bloodshot eyes turned toward Wang Yu. The spirit slave wore an expression of complete innocence; this matter truly had nothing to do with him.

He thought for a moment.

The only course of action now was to strike those three names from his roster. This surplus spirit sand must not be linked back to the True Disciple he served.

With his current standing, he could only suppress the matter for now. If he couldn't keep a lid on it, he would have to take the fall himself.

If the other nine True Disciples pressured the Law Enforcement Hall to uncover the truth, his reputation wouldn't be enough to save him. At that point, all the blame would be dumped on his head.

His master might lose the chance to inherit the Nascent Soul legacy, but would still remain a core member of the Blood Spirit Sect. He, however, would lose his life!

Of course, if he trusted his master, there might be a chance for redemption once the master achieved the Nascent Soul stage.

But as a Qi Refining cultivator, he didn't have the time to wait for that.

After weighing his options, Steward Liu looked at the surrounding law enforcement disciples and ordered

"Guard the stone house area. No one is allowed in or out."

"Yes!"

He then left with a grave expression. Wang Yu, lost in thought, understood Steward Liu’s intentions.

It was nothing more than: "How much is this job worth to risk my life?"

They were demonic cultivators, after all—self-serving and profit-driven. Now that a sudden crisis had emerged, running away was the first choice.

This gamble had paid off. Now it all depended on whether True Disciple Su, who was behind Fatty Duan, had the insight to see it. As long as the True Disciple in seclusion was saddled with the reputation of betraying his master, there was a high probability he would lose his chance at the Nascent Soul legacy.

However, Wang Yu had overlooked one person.

That was the third manager of the stone house area—Steward Liu.

Being able to occupy a seat in this "money bag" was no simple feat.

Out of the ten True Disciples, only three had arranged for stewards to be placed here. In a sense, these three were the most formidable competitors for the Nascent Soul legacy.

One of them was already in the lead, having entered seclusion to attempt the Golden Core stage.

True Disciple Su was the second.

Who, then, was this third person?

…………

…………

Cold Blood Peak, True Disciple’s Cave Abode.

Steward Duan knelt respectfully, repeatedly embellishing the story to frame Wang Yu as the primary culprit. He emphasized his own hard work and contributions, hoping True Disciple Su would spare his life.

Unexpectedly, True Disciple Su burst into laughter.

"Good, a very good Wang Yu!

"My faction is in need of such talent.

"Duan Ping, pass on my order: in three months, promote Wang Yu to an outer disciple of Cold Blood Peak. He no longer needs to hand over spirit sand."

Steward Duan shuddered upon hearing this. He dared not speak ill of Wang Yu again. Following his master's lead, he simply admitted to being the one who killed the three spirit slaves.

He took the opportunity to claim the credit.

Seeing through his intentions, True Disciple Su smiled faintly.

"Duan Ping, you are a relative from my mother's side and have been with me for some time. Your loyalty is commendable, though your brain is a bit lacking.

"Go collect three thousand contribution points, and give this technique to Wang Yu as a reward."

"Yes—"

Steward Duan arrived feeling anxious and left feeling satisfied.

Even though he knew True Disciple Su trusted him, there was still a lingering prejudice against Wang Yu. He hadn't been informed of this incident beforehand, which led him to mistakenly believe Wang Yu had betrayed him and that he had been played by a lowly spirit slave. How could he endure that?!!

"Hmph, you won the gamble this time. I’ll take the fall for you."

…………

…………

Stone House Area, Second Floor Pavilion.

"Little Brother Wang, sit.

"This is some spirit tea I’ve been collecting. Have a taste."

Wang Yu remained calm and composed. Seeing the fat man’s ridiculous shift from arrogance to obsequiousness, he did not mock him.

He kept in mind the truth that in the demonic path, power was everything. This was a lesson learned through suffering, one that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

"Steward Duan, no need for formalities. I apologize for the offense caused by this incident.

"Wang Yu only wished to relieve True Disciple Su of his worries. I trust Steward Duan won't blame me for my recklessness."

"It’s nothing—"

Steward Duan’s eyes crinkled into a smile as he said kindly

"Just next time, Little Brother Wang should let me know beforehand so I have a heads-up and can coordinate with you."

"That makes sense. I will next time."

Cupping his hands in apology, Wang Yu performed the gesture and then fell silent, adhering to the principle that silence is golden.

Seeing this, Steward Duan couldn't force him to stay. He took out a jade slip containing a technique and handed it to Wang Yu.

"True Disciple Su is very satisfied with this matter. This is a special reward for you.

"As for the outer disciple quota, don't worry, Little Brother Wang. You will receive what was promised in three months at the latest."

Wang Yu was slightly surprised.

"I don't need to collect spirit sand anymore?"

"No need. This matter is still sensitive. Once the storm passes and you are promoted to an outer disciple, you won't need to toil over this anymore."

"Then many thanks for your kind words, Steward Duan."

"Easy, easy—"

Pressing the jade slip to his forehead, Wang Yu absorbed the information within. His heart tightened; this was both a reward and a warning.

Contained within was a high-grade technique: the [Night Concealment Curse].

As the name suggested, it was a technique for concealing one's aura and moving silently. It could also be used to mask one's cultivation level. It was perfectly suited for the actions Wang Yu had taken to kill the three men that night.

High-grade techniques corresponded to the late stage of Qi Refining. If mastered, this technique could even deceive the aura perception of Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was a top-tier choice among first-grade spells.

For Wang Yu, it wasn't an urgent necessity.

He had needed it before because his cultivation as a spirit slave couldn't be too high, but since he would officially become an outer disciple in three months, the importance of this concealment technique was diminished.

For now, it was a "chicken rib"—tasteless to eat but a pity to discard. He would find time to practice it later. Currently, his priority remained his cultivation level; there was no need to adjust his focus.

After exchanging a few more hollow pleasantries, Wang Yu rose to take his leave.

Returning to the small Stone House No. 83, all matters were settled. The case of the hidden spirit sand would take time to blow over, and the subsequent developments were not things a lowly spirit slave like him was qualified to know.

A month later, a new steward arrived in the stone house area.

Two more months passed in peace.

On the one hundred and thirty-seventh day of Wang Yu’s life as a spirit slave, nearly half a year later, a surge of spiritual energy rippled around Wang Yu as he sat cross-legged in meditation.

His aura surged abruptly, and he broke through to the third level of Qi Refining as naturally as water flowing into a channel!

He had successfully accumulated one hundred wisps of spiritual energy in his body.

What he needed to do next was to continuously refine these one hundred wisps, condensing them from one hundred into ten, changing the unit from "wisps" to "strands."

Transforming the loose, wisp-like spiritual energy into ten strands of higher quality would complete one cycle of spiritual refinement, allowing him to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

There were two bottlenecks in the entire Qi Refining stage.

(End of chapter)