Chapter Thirteen: Trouble Arrives

  "My master has been in seclusion every day, precisely to cultivate bitterly for the Yuanying stage. It's just right to use this matter to probe his true intentions. Moreover, it can also demonstrate the disciple's loyalty to him." Bai Jin smiled fawningly: "Master is indeed ingenious and clever!"

  Yin Lao Mo smiled slightly, "You're quite clever, figuring it out right away." His expression then turned cold and he sneered, "But I'm afraid you're too clever for your own good, treating everyone else like fools. In the end, it'll be your own life that's ruined! Hmph! Don't underestimate that master of yours, back then it was because of him..."

  Bai Jin waited respectfully for him to recount past events, but Yin Lao Mo cut off the conversation and said: "In short, don't look at him closing his doors to cultivate in solitude, seemingly not asking about affairs. I'm afraid that whatever happens around him, nothing escapes his eyes. Take this matter and ask him, see how he reacts before saying anything." Speaking to this point, his tone turned severe: "Remember! Your mission on Yunwu Peak is to monitor, you absolutely cannot act arbitrarily!"

  "Yes, yes." Bai Jin nodded repeatedly.

  "And also, this batch of new disciples is entering the sect, you'd better pay attention to those with outstanding qualifications and try to win them over. The main focus is on the Yin Luo Sect's trial seven years later, if we miss this opportunity, I'll make you regret it!"

  Yin Lao Mo let out a stern shout, the golden skulls on his robes opened their mouths in unison and let out a shrill howl, scaring Bai Jin so badly that he went limp all over.

  "If nothing's wrong, try to come here less often, so as not to let people gossip." Old Demon Yin saw that he had been beaten enough, and with a flick of his hand, he tossed him a porcelain bottle. "Alright, take this Qi Condensing Pill to heal your wounds!"

  Bai Jin's face showed joy, he took the porcelain bottle and thanked Yin Lao Mo repeatedly before leaving.

  After seeing Bai Jin leave, Yin Lao Mo said in a low voice to the curtain behind the high platform: "That thing Bai Jin mentioned, go and investigate secretly, see where Zhou De Nu is hiding?"

  "Yes." A voice replied.

  "If possible, capture them alive, otherwise, wipe out everyone involved! Can't let Situ Jin get his hands on it."

  "Yes."

  "Besides, Bai Jin is too arrogant and will get into trouble sooner or later! If necessary, you can also take care of him. The ghost symbol I gave him was just to scare him a bit, don't make a big deal out of it, so as not to arouse suspicion from Situ Jin."

  "Understood, sir."

  Shi Dong felt two cold sweats, and he still had a faint needle-stabbing sensation in his dantian. His seven major meridians also had a burning sensation. Earlier, Zhou De's map had diverted his attention, so he didn't feel too uncomfortable for the time being.

  At this time, attention came back again and felt unbearable again.

  He thought he'd go ask Bai Jin about it, after all, as the one in charge of new disciples' cultivation, if there were any doubts, asking him was only right.

  He raised his left hand and took a look, the map had disappeared, it seemed that when the evil true energy surged in his body, it would automatically appear; and after the evil true energy subsided, it would automatically disappear, really strange.

  Shi shook his head and walked out of the cave to look for Bai Jin, but was blocked by a servant who said that Bai Jin was not there.

  "How can this be good?" Shi Dong furrowed his brow, the true energy in his dantian was unstable, like a lump stuck in his throat, how could he rest assured and wait until the next day to come.

  After some thought, he decided to go ask Hao Ren instead. Although the guy was smooth-talking, this kind of cultivation conundrum was probably a small matter for him, and he might just happen to tell himself the solution.

  He soon arrived at the Gambler's Alley and saw Hao Ren's plump figure busy in the tea house. He hastily walked up to him and gave a deep bow: "Seventh Master, hello."

  "Huh?" Hao Ren looked at Shi Dong, his puffy eyes narrowing into a line as he quickly recognized him and smiled: "So it's Shi Dong. You're not in the cave practicing, what brings you to find me?"

  Shi Dong furrowed his brow and said with a bitter face: "Younger brother has encountered a problem in his cultivation, I came to seek the guidance of elder brother..."

  Hao Ren stretched out his hand to interrupt, smiling: "The matter of cultivation is the responsibility of Bai Shixiong, it's not very suitable for you to ask me, right?"

  "Yes, brother's words are extremely true. However, I went to find second brother first, but he wasn't in the cave mansion." Shi Dong covered his lower abdomen with his hand and trembled as he said: "At this moment...the true energy in my dantian is like a needle stab, my whole body's meridians are burning in pain. Really...I really can't hold on until second brother returns. Please...please help me out, seventh brother, give me some guidance! Thank you!"

  The stone moved back and forth, bowing its head. The pain at this moment is not exaggerated. Along the way, perhaps due to accelerated blood circulation, the body's discomfort has worsened, making it really hard to bear.

  Jian Shi's face turned deathly pale, and he was drenched in sweat. Hao Ren's eyes flashed, and he nodded: "Since you're suffering so much, I'll take a look for now, but later on, you still need to report back to Bai Shifu."

  "Thank you... thank you Second Master!" Shi Dong was overjoyed.

  Hao Renfu helped him sit down, stretched out two fingers to feel his pulse, and glanced at his crown wheel, eyebrow center wheel, and throat wheel. He sighed: "Alas, brother's trouble is indeed not small!"

  "What?" Shi Dong was startled.

  "I'm also unsure, or... let's ask White Shixiong to take another look later." At the critical moment, Hao Ren unexpectedly started speaking in an official tone.

  Shi Dong didn't know his intention, so he quickly took out a Ling Stone from his pocket and handed it to him, smiling: "Brother, please go ahead and speak, I'm deeply grateful."

  Hao Ren accepted the Ling Stone, smiled slightly and looked at Shi Dong with appreciation: "You little brother actually understands reason. Heh heh, then I'll tell you!"

  He paused for a moment, then said seriously: "The cause of my junior brother's illness is twofold. Firstly, when the pulse wheel was opened, due to the violent and forceful collision, the pulse wheel was damaged, so as long as he cultivates his skills, he will burn the pulse wheel;

  "Secondly, the younger brother's body has four spiritual roots, which is a mixed spiritual root. Every time he practices and absorbs the surrounding yin energy, he will inevitably absorb some mixed spiritual energy. The pulse wheel is injured, and the talent is not high, so these spiritual energies cannot be filtered out, and they enter the dantian. The killing energy and spiritual energy conflict with each other, naturally making the dantian feel painful, and the true energy surges."

  Shi Dong thought back to when he first opened the meridian wheel, and his own blood had seeped into the boiling water. Bai Jin even intentionally wanted to give up on him, saying that the meridian wheel was damaged and that in the future, his cultivation would definitely be affected by it. Sure enough, trouble had found its way to him.

  But I don't know what these four spiritual roots are and how they work.

  Thinking of this, Shi Dong hurriedly asked: "Seventh Brother, is there a way to cure it?"

  "The injury to the pulse wheel is easy to cure." Hao Ren stretched out his hand and shook it, and a medicine bottle appeared in his palm. He smiled and said: "This medicine is called Nourishing Blood Pill, which has the effect of strengthening the foundation, cultivating the origin, and strengthening the physique. Just take five bottles continuously, and your pulse wheel injury will be cured. Moreover, it can also enhance the pulse wheel and have an indirect effect on improving your breathing."

  "Great, I wonder if this Nourishing Blood Pill is expensive?"

  "It's not expensive at all, two pieces of spiritual stone for one bottle, and taking five bottles would only cost ten pieces of spiritual stone."

  Shi Dong was startled, thinking to himself: "Fat Turtle, are you kidding me? I'm just a new disciple with only two spirit stones in my hand, how can I afford this?"

  Jian Shi's face changed color, and Hao Ren patted his head: "Ah, I forgot that you just joined the sect and don't have many spirit stones. How about this? You take one bottle first and eat it, if you save some, it can last a month. When you receive your monthly allowance of spirit stones, you can buy another bottle. In a year, you'll be able to eat five bottles."

  "What kind of nonsense is this, can you even eat medicine while playing around? This dead fatty is obviously fooling me!" Moreover, what he was most worried about was that if the injury to his meridian wheel wasn't treated early, it would affect his cultivation. When the time came and a year had passed without him breaking through to the first layer of Qi Refining, he would be expelled from the sect.

  "Seventh Brother, tell me again how to treat my Four Spirits Root?" Shi Dong wanted to hear about the second treatment method before making a decision.

  "Alas, this can't be helped." Hao Ren shook his head. "This is a matter of innate talent not being good enough, and the only way to make up for it is to work harder than others when practicing breathing exercises. While others may be able to refine their true energy with just one session of breathing exercises, you might need to do it twice or thrice until you've purged the mixed spiritual energy from your body."

  He looked at Shi Dong with a sympathetic gaze, sighed and said: "Alas... to say something unpleasant, you were originally a third-rate talent, but unfortunately, you have four spiritual roots, your cultivation speed is slow. I think it's better for you to go talk to Bai Shixiong, see if you can break through the Qi Refining stage within this year!"

  Shi Dong listened to him say something unpleasant, and his heart was not pleased. He immediately smiled and asked: "Hehe Seventh Brother, I don't quite understand, how can the Four Spiritual Roots affect cultivation? I used to hear that cultivating immortality requires having spiritual roots, right?"