Inside Red Sleeves Beckon, the storyteller waved his hand impatiently.
"Return to the Dao Gate? What's the rush to go back?" he said.
The burly man looked helpless; clearly, Little Martial Uncle hadnât had enough fun yet.
But it had already been a year since they descended the mountain.
You may not be done enjoying yourself, but I'm the one serving you all this time, and Iâm exhausted!
As the Second Elder of the Dao Gate, he felt bitter inside and habitually wanted to gnaw on his fingernails again.
Still, the burly man decided to try persuading him once more.
"Little Martial Uncle, lookâHan Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing have surely ascended the mountain by now. Donât you want to return and check on them?" he asked.
The Second Elder of the Dao Gate had been following Little Martial Uncle closely. When he had approached Han and Xu in the guise of the storyteller, the burly man had also been presentâjust standing far away.
As Little Martial Uncle had put it: "You look like some farmer. At times like these, stay far away. If you stand by my side, I wonât look so celestial and refined."
The storyteller waved his hand again at the mention of those two. "Whatâs there to go back for? I already prepared everything that needed preparing."
"Huh? Is there something I donât know about?" the burly man asked, curious.
"Not much. I just prepared cultivation methods for each of them," the storyteller replied indifferently.
The burly man mulled this over and said, "Han Shuangjiang has the Body of Profound Yin. During the QiâOpening Stage, the Ice Purity Art suits her best."
"But Xu ZiqingâŠ" The burly man trailed off, unable to come up with anything.
False Spirit Embryoâtoo lacking. He didnât know the answer to that one.
The Second Elder of the Dao Gate really couldnât understand why Little Martial Uncle, who descended the mountain following the Dao Ancestorâs admonitions to seek out the savior, would believe that Xu Ziqing was the one.
"Canât think of anything, can you?" the storyteller chuckled. "I knew you wouldnât be able to."
Wearing white robes, he continued to admire himself in the mirror, not even glancing at the burly man. His tone was tinged with pride as he said, "I sent Li Chunsong down the mountain to receive him precisely because he, like you, isnât very sharp."
"Heâll probably also only offer the Ice Purity Art and then find himself in a bind."
"In that case, with his temperament, heâll definitely let that False Spirit Embryo pick the method himself."
"From his perspective, it makes no real difference what a False Spirit Embryo chooses," the storyteller said with prophetic certainty.
The burly man nodded repeatedly, unbothered even when Little Martial Uncle called both him and Sixth Junior Brother dimwitted. In fact, he agreed wholeheartedly.
The Second Elder of the Dao Gate knew well that he was just a fool.
As for Sixth Junior Brotherâalways gambling and always losingâif that wasnât foolish, what was?
The burly man even understood that the reason Little Martial Uncle liked bringing him, the Second Elder, down the mountain was precisely because his dullness highlighted Little Martial Uncleâs brilliance.
So, he asked sincerely, "Little Martial Uncle, then what cultivation method did you leave behind on purpose?"
"Nothing muchâjust an evil technique called the Sword Refining Art. I acquired it by chance in my early years. It's quite interesting and suits a False Spirit Embryo well."
The storyteller continued, "Xu Ziqing hails from a martial family skilled in swordsmanship. Among all the QiâOpening Stage methods, this one has the character for âswordâ in it. Heâll surely pick it."
Upon hearing this, the burly man nodded earnestly. "That must be it. Even though you're not at the sect, itâs like youâre still thereâeverything is under your control."
Little Martial Uncle of the Dao Gate continued fiddling with his dragon-beard-length hair, proudly saying, "Naturally."
But the burly man still had concerns.
"But Little Martial Uncle, you said the Sword Refining Art is an evil technique. Is it really alright to let the savior cultivate it?"
The storyteller set down the mirror and replied, "Though the method is unorthodox, itâs actually quite fascinating. It follows an artifact-refining mindset and blends internal and external cultivation, which helps a False Spirit Embryo better absorb the Qi-Opening Pill. Itâll speed up his progress a little compared to other methods."
"The cost is just a negligible price."
"Besides, that boy was born for that Evil Sword!" His gaze sharpened, as if recalling the sword atop Hidden Spirit Mountain. A glint of solemnity and cold light flickered in his eyes.
"If someoneâs going to wield the Evil Sword, whatâs the big deal if he cultivates some evil techniques?" The storyteller resumed his casual demeanor.
The burly man reacted immediately upon hearing the words âEvil Sword.â "Little Martial Uncle, be careful what you say. Thatâs the sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor."
"So what? Donât you think itâs an Evil Sword?" the storyteller sneered. "An Evil Sword is an Evil Sword!"
"If the Dao Ancestor hadnât suppressed it back then, who knows what chaos that sword would have unleashed?"
This time, the burly man dared not respond. No matter what, it was still the Dao Ancestorâs sword.
He wasnât as rebellious as Little Martial Uncle and couldnât bring himself to speak such blasphemous words.
Still, the fact that he didnât refute it said something in itself.
After thinking for a moment, the farmer-like middle-aged man finally asked, "Little Martial Uncle, do you really think Xu Ziqing can take that sword from the mountain?"
"I chose him based on the Dao Ancestorâs admonition. Surely, he can," the storyteller replied.
The burly man remained puzzled. "That sword is so proud. Neither you nor the Sword Sovereign could tame it. When that child goes up Hidden Spirit Mountain, heâll only be at the First Level. How could he possibly tame it?"
The Little Martial Uncle, once again admiring himself in the mirror, set it down and replied nonchalantly, "Donât go glorifying me or that guy from the Sword Sect. If we couldnât beat it, we couldnât beat it. Donât make excuses about not being able to tame it."
The Second Elder of the Dao Gate lowered his head slightly and dared not respond.
The storyteller continued, "And why do you assume that just because the kid takes the sword, he must have tamed it?"
"UhâŠ" The burly man was momentarily speechless.
"I said itâs an Evil Sword," the storyteller stated calmly but firmly.
Upon hearing this, the burly man said at once, "Then Little Martial Uncle, all the more reason we should return to the Dao Gate. After all, we still need your guidance on this matter."
"Hmm? You again!" The storyteller frowned. "Xu Ziqing isnât Han Shuangjiang. Heâs just a False Spirit Embryoâhis cultivation speed is painfully slow. If I wait for him to reach the First Level and ascend Hidden Spirit Mountain, Iâd die of boredom!"
"This matter is settled. Weâre not going back anytime soon."
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"But canât we give him the Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill?" The burly man was still confused.
"His current state fits the Dao Ancestorâs admonition perfectly. Giving him anything before he climbs Hidden Spirit Mountain would just be superfluous." The storyteller gave his personal assessment.
After all, he hadnât had enough fun slaying demons yet on this trip down the mountain!
...
...
Dao Gate, Medicine Mountain, within the secret realm.
Chu Huaixu once again climbed out of the water pool.
"This time I only got less than 400 Experience Points."
"And during the last few minutes, the Experience Points stopped increasing entirely." He sounded disappointed.
By his estimation, the four holes likely held enough Body Tempering Medicine Liquid for at least ten people, if not more.
Back when he and Han Shuangjiang were Mandarin Ducks Playing in the Water, theyâd used up the share for two people and gained over two thousand Experience Points.
Earlier tonight, he had gone into the water alone, absorbing one share of the medicine and enduring one share of the Water Blade, but only earned 850 Experience Points. The third time, it dropped to 350...
"This dungeon is now useless to me. I didnât even gain Experience Points in the last five minutes." Chu Huaixu sighed. The Water Blade and Body Tempering Medicine Liquid no longer benefited his cultivation.
"What a waste," he muttered as he kept staring at the four holes.
The next moment, a thought occurred to Chu Huaixuâhis little junior brother at home.
"I almost forgot about Xiao Xu. This stuff would surely work for him too!" Chu Huaixu slapped his bare thigh.
"Heâs a False Spirit Embryo. If he continues cultivating at that snailâs pace, who knows how long itâll take?"
"I just donât know how effective the third trial would be for him," Chu Huaixu pondered.
After all, everyone had different physiques, medicine had varied effects, and the efficiency of body training would differ too.
"But he hasnât increased his pain threshold, so this is going to hurt him a lot," he thought, feeling a bit sorry for the kid.
Chu Huaixu put on his robes and left the secret realm.
When he returned to the bamboo hut, he stopped briefly outside Xu Ziqingâs room.
He could faintly hear heavy, labored breathing insideâ"huff, huff."
"Must be in serious pain," Chu Huaixu thought.
"Wonder which cycle of circulation heâs at now?" he mused.
After standing a while longer, he returned to his own room.
Having just finished a session of cultivation, Xu Ziqing was once again curled up in pain on his meditation cushion, nearly rolling all over the floor.
To his disappointment, his apertures remained tightly blocked, showing no sign of loosening anytime soon.
"Trash just needs to train more, trash just needs to train moreâŠ" He clenched the slip of paper in his hand, treating his senior brotherâs words like golden truth.
Once his body gradually adapted and returned to normal, he sat cross-legged on the cushion and looked at the slip again.
Suddenly, he snatched the small booklet from the table and flipped to page three.
Then, he placed the slip of paper on top of the booklet.
The youth lowered his head and began comparing the handwriting between the two.
...