Chapter 4

Zhou Shuping lay on a jade bed, his face as pale as gold paper, his breath faint.

This time, his injuries were severe; his entire body's meridians and even his flesh had burst open.

However, he had always eaten spirit food and spirit grains, which made his physical body abnormally resilient, allowing him to barely hold on. If it were any other disciple, they would have died on the spot. Even so, he could not move at all, unable to speak or open his eyes, and it would take at least a month to recover.

Three people stood beside him, their faces grave.

The incident was sudden, and the masters of the three peaks had all arrived. However, the master of the Wuxin Hall had to maintain the spirit fire for refining artifacts and could not leave temporarily.

The elderly man was Mo Lao, the master of Ruoxu Peak, and the woman in palace attire was Yun Gu, the master of Ningjian Peak.

Mo Lao withdrew his hand from Zhou Shuping's forehead and sighed deeply, "All his meridians are ruptured; he will never be able to cultivate again."

Liu Yuzhe's face was ashen, as if he had aged several decades in an instant, "It's my fault; I shouldn't have let him cultivate the Tingtao Jing."

Yun Gu's brows furrowed slightly, "Yuzhe, don't be so disheartened. It's very strange; although the Tingtao Jing is a Heart Method for the Foundation Establishment realm, over-practicing it shouldn't cause such severe damage. I think there's something else going on."

Mo Lao nodded solemnly, "Yun Gu is right. Even if one cultivates a Heart Method beyond their level, at most it would damage a few meridians, but it wouldn't cause all of them to be damaged. Yuzhe, where did you get this Tingtao Jing?"

Liu Yuzhe sighed deeply, "I searched for it for several months. Last month, when I went to the Guixian Market, I saw someone selling it and immediately bought it. Although I had never seen the Tingtao Jing before, I carefully examined it several times and confirmed that it was indeed a Heart Method that harmonizes with the tidal flow of spirit energy, suitable for Zhou Shuping to practice. I never thought it would harm him..."

Mo Lao pondered, "Bring the Heart Method, let us examine it."

Liu Yuzhe took out the Tingtao Jing, and the three of them infused it with spirit energy, carefully studying it.

After half an hour, Mo Lao sighed, "Yuzhe, you've been deceived."

"Ah?" Liu Yuzhe looked surprised.

Mo Lao pointed to the jade slip, "Try to circulate this Heart Method called the Tingtao Jing."

The two of them looked puzzled but followed his instructions.

Soon, Yun Gu exclaimed, "Hmm, I can also circulate this Heart Method. How is that possible? We are in the Condensation Meridian realm, and our spirit energy has already turned into liquid. A Heart Method for the Foundation Establishment realm shouldn't be suitable for me at all..."

"It's not the real Tingtao Jing!"

Mo Lao said solemnly, "It uses the shell of the Tingtao Jing, but inside it is a Heart Method for the Condensation Meridian realm. You examined it but didn't practice it, so you didn't notice the subtle differences. Even a Golden Core cultivator might not have noticed. This is not your fault."

Liu Yuzhe's body trembled, and he suddenly understood.

Someone had deliberately forged it to frame him.

Zhou Shuping, who was at the first level of the Qi Condensation realm, had practiced a Heart Method for the Condensation Meridian realm, where spirit energy had already turned into liquid. How could his meridians withstand it? The inevitable outcome was that all his meridians would burst open and be damaged.

"Guixian Market... Luo Ming..."

He was so angry that his body shook, and a green flying sword suddenly appeared under his feet, ready to fly down the peak.

Before he could fly a few steps, Mo Lao stopped him, "What are you doing?"

Liu Yuzhe's face was ashen, "Someone set up to harm me and my disciple; I must take revenge!"

"Revenge must be taken, but not now."

Mo Lao shook his head, "The Guixian Market is 50,000 miles away from Wuwang Sect, and it would take at least ten days to make a round trip. We need to assist the Hall Master in refining the fifth-grade artifact, the Nine Clouds Hood, and we can't leave for even a few hours."

Yun Gu added, "Yuzhe, refining the artifact is a major task. Soon, the Zhenglei Sect will attack our sect. Without the Nine Clouds Hood, we will find it very difficult to resist."

Liu Yuzhe thought for a moment and sighed, "Zhou Shuping is in this state now; how can I swallow this anger without taking revenge?"

Mo Lao said gently, "Revenge will definitely be taken. After we refine the artifact and repel the Zhenglei Sect, we will go together to seek justice. The Hall Master will also take action; he is a Golden Core cultivator, so rest assured, Luo Ming won't escape."

"Go and refine the artifact quickly; don't miss the timing." Yun Gu urged.

They had already been away for an hour, and if they delayed any longer, the quality of the refined artifact might decline.

Liu Yuzhe reluctantly nodded, "Only this way, but what about my disciple..."

The three of them said no more and flew toward the Wuxin Hall.

Lying on the bed, Zhou Shuping felt a bitter smile rise in his heart, feeling extremely helpless.

He had already woken up and heard the conversation of the peak masters clearly.

He had shown talent since entering the sect and had always been cautious, like walking on thin ice, but despite all his precautions, he never expected the mistake to come from his best teacher.

The facts seemed clear: someone had learned that Wuwang Sect had received a genius and wanted to cripple him. They forged a Heart Method to trick Liu Yuzhe, and Zhou Shuping suffered as a result.

But when he calmed down and carefully analyzed the clues, the matter was not so simple.

Liu Yuzhe had searched for the Tingtao Jing for his personal disciple and then obtained the forged Tingtao Jing. Soon after, news came that the Zhenglei Sect would attack Wuwang Sect. Then Wuwang Sect began to gather cultivators and refine the Nine Clouds Hood to prepare for the attack from the Zhenglei Sect.

Subsequently, Zhou Shuping practiced the fake Tingtao Jing, and his meridians were completely destroyed.

If Liu Yuzhe were eager for revenge, the refinement of Wuwang Sect's artifact would be interrupted. If he were not eager for revenge, given Liu Yuzhe's personality, he would find it hard to focus fully on refining the artifact, and the quality of the final artifact would likely be reduced.

The defense of Wuwang Sect depended on the Nine Clouds Hood, and because of this, they might not be able to resist the Zhenglei Sect, leading to the destruction of the sect.

One thing led to another, clearly indicating that someone had meticulously planned this.

The main target was not Zhou Shuping but Wuwang Sect, and Zhou Shuping had inadvertently become a pawn, a sacrifice in the sect's struggle.

Human effort has its limits; one can guard against small things but not against big ones. No matter how cautious Zhou Shuping was, the large environment was beyond his control.

"The path of immortality is arduous."

Zhou Shuping sighed inwardly, but he was not discouraged. He refused to believe that his path to immortality would be cut off just as it began.

"Even with all meridians damaged, it's not necessarily impossible to cultivate."

His body was in ruins, but his mind and consciousness were undamaged, allowing him to still calculate and deduce.

Simple calculations did not require much consciousness. After half an hour, Zhou Shuping reached a conclusion that was neither good nor bad.

Using the remaining meridians and the qi sea, he could still cultivate.

The cultivation process was extremely complex. Spirit energy could only flow and be stored in the undamaged parts, and it could not linger in the damaged areas. This was very difficult, and ordinary people could hardly imagine it. Only he, with his ability to deduce, could do it precisely.

However, even if he cultivated, his spirit energy could only reach one-tenth of its previous level.

Compared to before, the gap was significant. In terms of cultivation talent, he was even inferior to the lowest-ranking miscellaneous disciples.

Future advancement would be extremely difficult, and the Foundation Establishment realm would likely be his limit.

Falling from the high clouds to the deep earth.

Various complex emotions surged, making it hard for him to control himself. If he could speak or move, who knows what he might do.

Like the calm surface of the sea, but with turbulent undercurrents.

But after a while, Zhou Shuping calmed down.

Having died twice, his will was far stronger than that of ordinary people. Once he set a goal, he would definitely pursue it, no matter how many hardships he faced, treating them as tests and never giving up.

He no longer blamed heaven or others, but felt a bit fortunate.

"Being able to cultivate is good; at least the path to immortality is not cut off, so there is still a chance. Although my meridians are severely damaged, all 360 meridians have been opened, which is a great fortune amidst the misfortune."

At the first level of the Qi Condensation realm, all 360 meridians were open, and spirit energy flowed through them seamlessly.

Such a thing had perhaps never been achieved in the cultivation world.

With all meridians open and a brain like a computer, Zhou Shuping's foundation might be unprecedented, unmatched by anyone before or after.

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