Chapter 43

No one likes being watched from behind, especially not for Amu. Assassins often kill by surprise, and there were no shortage of people who had died under Amu's sneak attacks. So it was always Amu who watched others' backs; when had he ever let others watch his?

Originally, there had been nothing unusual these past few days, and Amu had thought that the feeling he had on that day was just his imagination.

But today, that feeling returned, and Amu was certain that his senses were not wrong. Something was definitely watching him, and this Luo Yun Cliff's Heavenly Numbered Cave was far from ordinary.

True to its reputation as the foremost of the three great demonic caves of Beihan Luo Yun Cliff, it seemed that after two months of peaceful seclusion, the unusual events were finally about to unfold.

"Be careful of the things on the walls of the Heavenly Numbered Cave!" The words of the old man in black echoed in Amu's mind.

This time, Amu did not turn around hastily but remained still, pretending not to notice anything.

"What could it be?" The Heart-Stabilizing Jade on Amu's chest showed no reaction, which logically meant it shouldn't be any demonic creature.

Amu continued to breathe deeply, remaining on guard, but after a full half-hour, there was still no sound or movement behind him.

Everything was calm, but the feeling of being watched was like a thorn in his back.

It was eerily quiet, as if a wandering soul was floating behind him.

Another half-hour passed, and Amu, unwilling to wait any longer, suddenly turned around. Amu was fast, but the thing behind him seemed even faster.

The feeling vanished instantly, and there was only an empty cave wall behind him, nothing at all.

"Hmm?" Amu frowned. He had turned around very quickly, but still found nothing.

He examined the wall carefully but found nothing, so he turned back to meditate. But as soon as he sat down, the feeling of someone behind him returned.

Amu turned around again, but still found nothing. This happened three times, and Amu began to feel restless.

In frustration, Amu turned around and sat in meditation, but as soon as he did, the same feeling appeared behind him.

In the cave, no matter which direction Amu faced, that feeling followed him like a shadow, impossible to shake off.

Finally, Amu spread his hands and smiled bitterly at the empty wall. "What divine being is this, can you show yourself?" At the same time, Amu hid the black vine under his arm, but no matter what he said, he was still alone in the cave.

After such a折腾 (torture) for over an hour, Amu lost his heart for cultivation and returned to the back mountain early.

Since that day in the Heavenly Numbered Cave when Amu felt something watching him again, that feeling appeared every day and never disappeared.

At first, Amu was really uncomfortable, but gradually he got used to it.

Moreover, Amu made a new discovery. In the following days, as his turning speed increased, he actually saw a blurry human-shaped black shadow on the wall.

However, the shadow would disappear instantly, and he couldn't see its face clearly.

Demonic shadow? For some reason, Amu thought of this name. But the Heart-Stabilizing Jade on his chest still showed no reaction. If this wasn't a magical treasure personally given to him by Han Qianli, Amu would have doubted whether this so-called初级魂宝 (初级魂宝) that could suppress demons was effective at all.

Seven days passed, and Amu's immortal root had fully solidified, entering the most critical stage of determining its quality.

Determining the quality, in fact, means improving the quality of the immortal root through cultivation.

White, green, blue, red, purple, yellow, blue, and black—each of the five-element immortal roots can be divided into different grades. What grade it is depends on one's destiny.

According to Amu's knowledge, the highest grade of immortal root in Beihan now is that of Han Qianli's other disciple, Han Bingyi, and the son of Wangnan Peak's head, Mei Wangnan, named Mei Lingfeng. They have the Heavenly White Metal Root and the Azure Water Root, both of which are eighth-grade immortal roots. As for ninth-grade immortal roots, he had never heard of them.

If the quality determination is successful, the immortal root will be fully developed, and it will emit the first wave of cultivation power, spreading throughout the body for the first cultivation power refinement of the physical body.

When the immortal root is fully developed, one enters the first stage of initial cultivation.

These days, Amu has been constantly cultivating, and now the immortal root in his Dan Sea is as black as ink, like a black ginseng.

If it were a Black Water Root, it should be at least a sixth-grade, and Amu felt satisfied with that.

However, looking at the black and translucent immortal root, Amu always had a vague, indescribable feeling.

Especially the constantly flowing red light, which made Amu feel a slight, inexplicable unease. Red and black, this combination of colors always had a mysterious flavor.

Red and black, seemingly representing demons and blood.

With less than forty days until the year-end minor examination, Amu was determined to fully develop his immortal root.

The minor examination is mainly to select cultivation children who have developed their immortal roots and then assign them to various peaks and lineages for cultivation.

However, this only applies to ordinary disciples. If Amu develops his immortal root, he will naturally be taken in by Han Qianli. Now, Amu is famous in the eight lineages of Beihan Sect, entering the Heavenly Numbered Demon Cave and slaying a ninth-stage initial cultivator, which is something ordinary disciples cannot do.

So, once Amu develops his immortal root in three months, he can officially become a disciple of Han Qianli and a true direct disciple of Beihan Sect, because such speed has never been seen since the founding of Beihan Sect.

Just this point alone can surpass all the disciples of Beihan, and who would dare to object?

After some time, almost everyone in Beihan knew that Amu's immortal root was about to be fully developed.

Tieyun came twice in three days, eagerly awaiting Amu's success. Lishui was also quite excited these days.

This day was the ninetieth day of Amu's cultivation in the Heavenly Numbered Cave. As usual, Amu entered the cave early to cultivate.

In recent days, Amu's cultivation speed had increased dramatically. The immortal root in his Dan Sea floated quietly, emitting a faint black light, not as gloomy as before. Everything seemed to point to a Black Jade Water Root, an eighth-grade immortal root, which was unexpected for Amu.

If the quality determination is successful, an eighth-grade Black Jade Water Root would ensure a smooth path for Amu's cultivation. Thinking of this, Amu couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

Moreover, Amu felt that he might fully develop his immortal root at any moment.

Guiding the qi into the sea, the immortal root swayed, and Amu gradually entered a meditative state. Now, the feeling of being watched no longer affected him.

Since there was nothing special, Amu gradually ignored it.

At this moment, Amu felt the spiritual qi in his Dan Sea surging, the black immortal root like black jade, emitting a black glow, and the red light continuously flowing. This was the only strange thing about the immortal root.

Amu's mind was completely immersed in the black immortal root, and the surging spiritual qi seemed to be giving it the final nourishment and polishing.

Amu's eyes were slightly closed, but for some reason, he suddenly felt a black shadow appear before him.

But Amu's eyes were clearly closed, and this feeling was like being awake and knowing one is dreaming.

What was that black shadow? Amu tried hard to identify it. It was a figure sitting cross-legged, seemingly in cultivation.

However, the face of the black shadow was very blurry. The aura it emitted made Amu feel somewhat oppressed.

At this moment, Amu seemed to lose control of everything, and he could only stare blankly at the black shadow.

Gradually, the black shadow became clearer, with distinct contours. It was a young man sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Ah—

A cry of surprise echoed in Amu's mind, because Amu saw another version of himself.