Chapter 24 of 100
Chapter 24
15 min read3,843 words
Wei Shizhe and Qin Zhen returned to the foot of the mountain. The stone room was empty, and the trial disciples were gathered around the crescent pond, whispering to each other, their conversation revolving around the two lucky ones.
Wei Shizhe stood a short distance away and listened for a moment. It turned out the lucky ones referred to Xu Li and his attendant Xin Laoyao, who had been summoned by Deng Yuantong and were now cultivating on Immortal Cloud Peak. With personal guidance from inner disciples and the abundant primordial energy of the blessed land, along with the elixirs and miraculous medicines refined by the inner disciples, the formation of the Dao embryo was just around the corner.
The crowd was abuzz with discussion, some admiring, others disdainful. Was it considered cheating for inner disciples to intervene in the trial? Although no one dared to say it outright, the underlying implication was clear.
Wei Shizhe found such discussions meaningless. Life was like the petals that fall from a branch; some land on a beauty's head, others in a privy. Xu Li had an uncle like Deng Yuantong, just as Qin Zhen had the innate seven orifices. Each person had their own destiny.
Feeling thirsty, he went to the woodshed alone, scooped a gourd of water from the water jar, and gulped it down. The drops from the bottom of the gourd fell into the jar, dripping like the passing years.
"Is that water from the crescent pond?" a voice asked from behind him.
"Yes," Wei Shizhe turned slightly, took a half-step back, looked up, and then lowered his eyes. The speaker was Xun Ye, the chief disciple of the Immortal Capital Sect's patriarch, and he wondered why he had come here alone.
Xun Ye took a gourd from the stove, scooped a small amount of water from the jar, and drank it. He had also undergone the trial at Heavenly Capital Peak years ago, and the cool, sweet taste of the pond water hadn't changed in all those years.
"You are Wei Shizhe, a disciple of Junior Brother Qi, right?"
"Yes."
"You seem to have the aura of a demonic creature."
Wei Shizhe's heart skipped a beat. "Master ordered me to take my junior sister to the Bitter Spring for cultivation. On Heavenly Capital Peak, we encountered a spirit-possessed brocade rat. It took some effort to kill it."
"Brocade rat... I remember, to the north of the Bitter Spring, beyond a few hills, there is a nest of brocade rats under three cloud fir trees. The largest one must have cultivated a demonic core."
Wei Shizhe took out the demonic core from his pocket and solemnly handed it to his senior. Xun Ye pinched it with three fingers, squinted, and examined it for a moment. "Not bad, the earth qi is very dense, but it's a bit small and not very useful."
He returned the demonic core to Wei Shizhe, looked him up and down, and asked, "Junior Brother Qi taught you the 'Great Unity Foundation Building Scripture.' Are you cultivating it?"
Wei Shizhe's mind raced. "Yes, but the progress is slow, and I haven't yet sensed the primordial energy of heaven and earth."
"You have only one innate orifice, so slow progress is inevitable. Are you still cultivating the technique on the animal skin?"
"Yes, and I've made some progress."
"How far have you progressed?"
"The Shen Dao acupoint is starting to loosen. With more time, I should be able to open a secondary orifice."
Xun Ye raised his eyebrows, extended his index finger to Wei Shizhe's neck, and a warm current slowly circulated within him, causing a tingling sensation wherever it passed.
"Hmm, not bad." Xun Ye withdrew his finger. These trial disciples had been cultivating the 'Great Unity Foundation Building Scripture' for less than ten days. Even the most talented among them had just begun to draw in the primordial energy of heaven and earth, far from having their acupoints loosen.
"The technique on the animal skin is the Moon Howling Technique of the Cloud Tooth Sect. Although incomplete, it suits you well. For now, stop practicing the 'Great Unity Foundation Building Scripture' and focus on absorbing the moon's essence to cultivate the Moon Howling Technique."
"Yes."
"How is Qin Zhen's progress?"
"My junior sister's talent far surpasses mine. She has already begun to draw in the fire qi of the sun and is working on opening her acupoints."
Xun Ye said meaningfully, "You should know that among this year's three groups of trial disciples, Qin Zhen is not the most talented. There is another, with nine innate orifices and a strong affinity for metal. Even Junior Brother Deng couldn't resist the urge to personally guide him in forming the Dao embryo."
"Could it be Xu Li from Senior Uncle Lu's sect?"
"Not Xu Li, but his attendant, Xin Laoyao."
It was Xin Laoyao, and Wei Shizhe was quite surprised. His heart sank as he thought about how Xu Li was arrogant and had ill intentions toward his junior sister. Once Xin Laoyao became powerful, he would surely come looking for trouble.
Xun Ye seemed to see through his thoughts and said slowly, "Although Xin Laoyao has good talent, it doesn't mean he will surpass you. What you lack is half opportunity and half destiny."
"Isn't opportunity and destiny the same thing?"
"No," Xun Ye said, emphasizing each word, "Opportunity can be sought, but destiny cannot."
Suddenly, Wei Shizhe felt enlightened and knelt before Xun Ye. "Please, Senior, guide me in seeking opportunity."
Xun Ye's face showed a hint of a smile. "You are teachable! Come closer—"
He then imparted the 'Qi Harmonization Profound Scripture' to him, guiding him on how to refine the demonic core and absorb primordial energy for his own use.
"This 'Qi Harmonization Profound Scripture' is for your ears only. Do not let a third person know. Remember, you have a strong affinity for earth, so you can only refine three types of demonic cores: earth qi, great solar yang fire, and moon essence. The great solar yang fire is too fierce for the human body to bear, so even if you have the opportunity, do not attempt it." Xun Ye gave him a few important instructions and handed him a pea-sized demonic core. "Keep it carefully. This demonic core contains moon essence, which can help you open more acupoints."
Thinking of the old bear in Black Pine Valley, Wei Shizhe suddenly remembered the moon essence in the demonic core.
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