Page 39

Xie Shiyuan glanced at the indignant young girl, then calmly withdrew his gaze. His thin lips parted slightly, spitting out two cold words: "Heal me."

Qin Shu grew even more irate. "Is this how you ask for help?!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop sharply, successfully cutting off the rest of what she wanted to say.

She froze with her mouth agape, every nerve in her body on edge.

She watched helplessly as his thick snake tail propelled him forward until he loomed over her. She was so frightened that she didn't dare breathe.

Looking down at Qin Shu from above, Xie Shiyuan leaned forward slightly. With the motion, his ink-black hair fell across her face.

Qin Shu wanted to back away, but he reached out and clamped her jaw in his grip. His snake-like tongue flicked out, the forked tip drawing dangerously close. Qin Shu's pupils shrank as a shiver ran down her spine.

"Beg? Heh..."

His tone was slow and deliberate, yet every word struck a chord of fear in Qin Shu's heart. She had the distinct feeling that he could end her life in an instant. Panic surged in her again. How had she gotten so bold in just a few days out of the sect? This snake had managed to remain under her master's radar for so long—he must have some artifact to conceal himself. Even her master might not be his match.

"Please, don't hold a grudge, great one. Let bygones be bygones..." she stammered incoherently, pleading for mercy.

She swallowed her pride and yielded to reality. There was no shame in bowing to the strong. Their power gap was simply insurmountable.

Xie Shiyuan looked at her pale, terrified face and quickly lost interest. He released her chin.

"I've never begged for anything in my life. The only reason you're alive is that healing me is your sole value," he said, his tone cold and his hands hidden within his voluminous black robes.

Sitting on the ground, Qin Shu looked up at him, warning herself once again.

This is a snake. A venomous snake that could kill me at any moment!

Xie Shiyuan found her stunned expression dull and returned to the stone bed.

Three months of recuperation had not been entirely fruitless. At least his cultivation had returned to the Golden Core stage. However, purging the poison from his tail would still require considerable effort.

"Come and heal me," Xie Shiyuan commanded lazily, reclining on the bed.

Qin Shu cursed him a hundred times in her heart but dared not refuse.

She approached him and placed her small hands on his body, channeling her meager spiritual energy into his snake tail.

However, as soon as her energy entered his tail, Xie Shiyuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked at her.

"You've broken through?" he asked, his long lashes fluttering briefly.

Qin Shu averted her gaze and silently repeated in her heart: This is a snake. A venomous snake. A ruthless, poisonous snake!

Once she calmed herself, she nodded slightly and replied with reserved certainty, "Yes."

Satisfied with her response, Xie Shiyuan said no more.

When Qin Shu withdrew her hands, he closed his eyes to sense the changes in his injuries. Then, unexpectedly, he stretched out his hand.

Qin Shu watched as a jade pendant appeared in his palm out of thin air.

"Take it. A reward," he said casually.

Back when he was battling heavenly tribulations, many of his prized treasures had been used up. Only these smaller items remained.

Qin Shu took the pendant and inspected it. To her astonishment, it turned out to be a small-scale Spirit Gathering Array!

Upon further examination, her surprise turned to delight. The pendant's effect was even better than the one in her training cave! With this, she could cultivate anywhere!

Xie Shiyuan sensed her emotional shift and sneered inwardly. Bored, he turned over and went back to sleep.

The moment Qin Shu returned to the sect, Ling Xu immediately noticed her presence.

He sent her a voice transmission, summoning her to the main peak.

Not daring to delay, Qin Shu stopped cultivating, climbed onto a small green leaf, and flew over.

When she arrived at the main peak, she found that all the senior disciples were present, except for the third senior brother.

After three months without seeing Qin Shu, all eyes turned to her.

Ling Xu was the first to notice her change in cultivation. "You've already reached the third stage of Qi Refinement?!"

Less than five months after entering the sect, she had already reached the third stage?!

Hearing this, Chi Yu's red feathers stood up in shock. She spun around to face Qin Shu, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"How... how did you do it?" she couldn't help but ask.

For three months, Chi Yu had been refining the Marrow Cleansing Elixir given by their master, raising her spiritual root value to one hundred. Even breathing passively absorbed an abundance of spiritual energy.

Yet even so, she was still one step away from the third stage of Qi Refinement, while Qin Shu had already surpassed her!

Qin Shu didn't know how to explain. She vaguely replied, "I just kept cultivating... and somehow broke through..."

Chi Yu refused to believe her, but Ling Xu chimed in, "If you ask me, you all should learn from Shu'er! The other day, during the rain, I saw Shu'er practicing her swordsmanship all night on the neighboring peak! She barely eats or sleeps—she's always cultivating. If you all had her diligence, you wouldn't still be at this level!"

The more he spoke, the more satisfied he became with Qin Shu.

Who said she had poor aptitude? Clearly not!

He believed hard work outweighed natural talent. In his many years in the cultivation world, he had never seen a triple spiritual root cultivator advance this quickly.

Cheng Yan and Wen Chi remained indifferent, their expressions unreadable. But Chi Yu felt thoroughly ashamed and silently vowed to train harder.

Ling Xu turned to Qin Shu. "Shu'er, I heard from your second senior brother that you visited the Transmission Hall to choose a cultivation method. After three months, did you find a suitable one?"

Qin Shu shook her head. "No."

Her response left everyone astonished.

Of all the disciples, only the first and third senior brothers had chosen their techniques from the Transmission Hall. Wen Chi and Chi Yu both relied on family inheritance.

The Transmission Hall had an extensive collection of techniques. How could she not find a single suitable one after three months?

Sensing something amiss, Ling Xu asked, "What happened, Shu'er?"

Qin Shu explained her situation: none of the techniques she tried worked for her.

"Not even the Five Elements techniques?" Ling Xu asked again.

Qin Shu nodded. "None."

Ling Xu frowned. "Strange."

He paused, then asked, "Which family are you from?"

If Five Elements techniques were ineffective, it could indicate a unique bloodline requiring specialized cultivation methods.

Hearing him inquire about her family, Qin Shu's alarm bells went off.

She had taken the place of Qin Mian and felt a lack of confidence.

"Just a small mortal family," she answered vaguely.

Ling Xu pressed further. "Are there any cultivators in your family?"

Qin Shu shook her head. "No."

In truth, her half-brother Qin Wuyue was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But if she revealed his name, her true identity might be exposed. Though her progress was remarkable, it was still nowhere near her predecessor's accomplishments eight years later. Being expelled from the sect would be a death sentence.

Ling Xu frowned deeper. "That's odd."

Just then, Wen Chi produced a dark golden book and handed it to Qin Shu. "Try this," he said.

Ling Xu snapped out of his thoughts. "Wen Chi, your family's—"

Wen Chi flashed a grin and clasped his hands. "Master, whether it works or not is a matter of fate. It's the cultivation method choosing her, not the other way around. It's no problem."