Chapter 101: Chapter 100: Calming Incense
Days passed, one by one.
Zhu Ju lived a secluded life, interacting less and less with Ning Ruxue and the others, like an Ascetic.
During this time, he went to the Magic World a few times.
But he never stayed for long. He would only make brief contact before retreating. After all, the current environment wasn’t suitable for lingering on the other side.
In a flash, the end of the month had arrived.
The group arrived at the foot of the mountain together.
"Look."
Ding Hu sneered.
"Besides the clothes on our backs, what’s the difference between us and these miners?"
Not far from them, the miners from the mountain stood in a line, collecting their supplies in order, based on the amount of ore they had mined.
"These miners are common folk recruited by the Bright Void Sect from the Ancient Northern Pass. They have to mine for ten years before they can leave," Ding Peng whispered.
"Ten years of mining... it’s a death sentence!"
"You can’t say that," Mu Tian said, shaking his head.
"These miners were all people who couldn’t survive on their own. The Sect feeds and clothes them, and even teaches them Martial Arts. If one shows exceptional talent, they might even qualify to join the Immortal Sect. It’s much better than the lives they had before."
From their conversation, one could discern their feelings of belonging toward the Sect.
The Ding Brothers referred to the Sect directly as "Bright Void Sect," clearly still seeing themselves as outsiders.
Mu Tian, on the other hand, was quick to defend the Sect’s recruitment of miners.
Besides them and the miners, there were also some people from the Martial World who had not yet joined an Immortal Sect.
Most of them had decent Cultivation. There was no shortage of "masters" from the Martial World capable of Inner Qi Release. They were working on this mountain hoping for a chance to join the Immortal Sect.
"Junior Brothers."
Yan Bohu, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time, appeared nearby and waved at them.
"Over here!"
"Brother Yan." Mu Tian’s eyes lit up, and he hurried forward. "I heard you got a post under Martial Uncle Ge and don’t have to toil away in the mines anymore. You’ll have to look out for us from now on."
"Of course, of course," Yan Bohu said with a faint smile and a nod, then sighed softly.
"The path to the Immortal Sect is difficult, more difficult than scaling the heavens."
"Only after I joined an Immortal Sect did I realize how true that is. To achieve anything on the path of Cultivation is incredibly difficult."
During this time, he had met many Outer Sect Disciples, many of whom, like him, had gone through great hardships to join the Immortal Sect.
Joining the Immortal Sect was just the beginning.
For those who were older, Acupoint Breaking was extremely difficult.
Among the Outer Sect Disciples of the Bright Void Sect, there were plenty of people who hadn’t broken a single acupoint after twenty years of reaching the Innate realm, and many who spent their entire lives only managing to break One or Two Acupoints.
"Junior Brothers."
Yan Bohu looked at them with envy in his eyes.
"I’m afraid I’ll be the one relying on you for help in the future."
"Brother Yan," Zhu Ju asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Let’s go," Yan Bohu said, turning.
"We’ll talk as we walk."
From him, the group learned that not all Outer Sect Disciples of the Bright Void Sect were the same.
The first tier.
These were naturally the descendants of original Sect Disciples who had also reached the Innate realm before the age of thirty. Their future prospects on the path of the Dao were bright.
You could call them the seeds for the Sect’s future generations.
Inner Sect Disciples and Core Disciples qualified to practice the Celestial Spirit Technique all came from this group.
The second tier.
Although they didn’t practice a Sect-inherited technique, reaching the Innate realm before thirty was enough to prove their remarkable talent.
With some hard work, they could break Four Acupoints to become Middle-Stage Innate Qi Refiners. They were considered the pillars of the Bright Void Sect and also had a chance to become Inner Sect Disciples.
The third tier.
These were Loose Cultivators who reached the Innate realm after the age of thirty.
Like Yan Bohu. Even though he was an Innate Qi Refiner, he wouldn’t be given much importance and would most likely struggle to achieve anything significant.
They would either become a Foreign Affairs Steward in the Sect or, after toiling for years with no results, return to the Mortal World to oversee a gang in the Martial World.
Originally, there were only these three tiers.
After all, Immortal Sects didn’t accept anyone below the Innate realm. But now, they had to add a lowest tier.
Namely, Zhu Ju, Ning Ruxue, and the others, who had joined the Sect due to the gates being opened wide, despite not having reached the Innate realm.
"You are all so young, yet you already have the Cultivation for Qi Circulation. If you can reach the Innate realm before you’re thirty, breaking the first Three Acupoints shouldn’t be difficult."
Yan Bohu said:
"Once you become a Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, you’ll be a pillar of the Sect, and you might even get a glimpse of the Great Dao."
"So..."
"I’m afraid I’ll have to rely on all of you Junior Brothers in the future!"
"Come, come!"
He gestured forward and introduced them.
"This is your Senior Sister Weii Fei. She’s in charge of distributing the monthly stipend for new Sect Disciples."
"Senior Sister Weii!"
"Senior Sister!"
"..."
The group greeted her one after another.
Weii Fei didn’t look very old either. While her face wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, her figure was incredibly voluptuous.
Moreover, her attire was quite bold, forcing Mu Tian to use all his willpower to look away.
"Hee hee..." Weii Fei’s beautiful eyes twinkled.
"Speaking of which, your Senior Sister here also took advantage of the situation. I joined the Sect without having reached the Innate realm either."
"Oh, right!"
She lightly covered her thin lips and said:
"My husband is Cao Xiong."
Huh?
The group’s expressions changed slightly. Mu Tian, in particular, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on his head, and all impure thoughts vanished from his mind.
On some wooden stakes not far away hung several desiccated corpses—miners who hadn’t followed the rules.
This was all Cao Xiong’s handiwork.
"Senior Sister."
Ning Ruxue smiled sweetly.
"I’m here to turn in my task."
As she spoke, she flipped her hand over, and five pieces of Iron Evil Stone appeared in her palm. She had actually found a way to complete the task.
"Junior Sister Ning, you’re so young and beautiful, it makes one envious." Weii Fei pursed her lips, waved her hand to collect the Iron Evil Stone, and handed over a few items.
"I only hope you reach the Innate realm soon, Junior Sister, and show those arrogant men that women are their equals."
"I’ll take those auspicious words, Senior Sister." Ning Ruxue accepted the items and slowly stepped back.
The others came forward one by one. Besides her and Mu Tian, the Ding brothers each paid a Spirit Crystal as a penalty.
As for Zhu Ju...
"You don’t want Spirit Crystals or Elixirs, only Calming Incense?" Weii Fei looked at him, surprised.
"Yes."
Zhu Ju affirmed.
"I only wish to be an ascetic on the path of the Great Dao and have no other distracting thoughts."
"Alright then." Weii Fei raised an eyebrow.
"Suit yourself."
*
*
*
「Night.」
In the stone house.
Zhu Ju was not resting.
Instead, he lit the Calming Incense. When the smoke began to rise, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and he silently activated the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill.
Cultivating the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill required dealing with all kinds of Evil Qi. The slightest mistake could result in physical injury in a mild case, or the destruction of one’s foundation in a severe one.
The Calming Incense had the effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit. It could help one identify and correct flaws while practicing the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill, making it an essential item for every Outer Sect Disciple.
A few moments later, Zhu Ju slowly opened his eyes.
"No problems!"
’Then...’
The Profound Light at the center of his brow pulsed.
Divine Summoning Skill!
Double Summoning!
Double Summoning could excavate the greatest potential of the Physical Body.
While in this state, his progress in cultivating the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill was three times faster than normal, and he made almost no mistakes.
The only drawback was that its duration was too short.
’Activating the Divine Summoning Skill consumes a great deal of Divine Soul Power. The Calming Incense can indeed extend this duration.’
’It’s worthy of being called Calming Incense.’
’However... compared to using it for the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill, the Calming Incense actually has a more miraculous effect on cultivating Magic!’
Zhu Ju stopped his movements, the Profound Light between his brows pulsing frequently.
His progress in Magic had been slow ever since he advanced to the stage of Profound Light Like a Candle. If he could just take another step forward...
’Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the work of chopping wood.’
If his Divine Soul Power could increase significantly, he would be more precise in Attracting Evil, Condensing Evil, and Refining Evil.
This would also aid his cultivation of the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill.
’I can use the Divine Summoning Skill anytime, but I only have one stick of Calming Incense. Of course, I should prioritize cultivating Magic.’
He changed the Spell, and the Entry Level Heart Method of the Celestial Capital Sect began to circulate.
The Profound Light between his brows, which should have been swaying like a candle flame, instead flared up as if doused in oil.
Wherever the Profound Light shone, everything became transparent.
His Divine Soul Power increased slightly.
’It’s working!’
Zhu Ju was overjoyed. Not daring to waste a moment, he silently circulated the Heart Method and continued his Cultivation.
After a long time, exhaustion crept into his mind.
Zhu Ju slowly withdrew the Heart Method. When he opened his eyes and looked at the Calming Incense, one-third of it had already burned away.
’That’s good.’
Due to its unique materials, the Calming Incense burned slowly. A single cultivation session had only used up a third of it.
However,
it was far from enough!
Shaking his head, Zhu Ju didn’t get greedy. Besides Magic, he also needed to expend energy on the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill.
In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed.
He was now more or less completely familiar with the situation in the mines.
「That night.」
"Junior Brother Zhu!"
Ning Ruxue suddenly came to visit.
"Senior Sister." Zhu Ju looked surprised.
"What happened to you?"
Today’s Ning Ruxue looked haggard, her eyes bloodshot. It was a stark contrast to her usual appearance.
"Mu Tian tricked me." Ning Ruxue gritted her teeth. "He said he would give me Spirit Crystals to turn in the task, but he suddenly backed out. I... I don’t have enough Iron Evil Stone."
"Junior Brother, could you lend me a few pieces?"
