Chapter 59: Deception

“The handwriting is exactly the same?” The delicate-featured youth was shocked.

He had thought the words on the third page were left by some senior predecessor, but to his surprise, they were written by Senior Brother.

Owing to his blind admiration for Chu Huaixu, he became even more convinced that this was a supreme cultivation art!

—Could Senior Brother possibly lie to me?

Xu Ziqing had his own brand of speculative reasoning:

“Senior Brother is clearly not an ordinary Enrolled Disciple.”

“Even the Sixth Elder comes to the bamboo house to have secret discussions with him.”

“And the cultivation method he practices—how could it not be supervised by a formidable figure?”

The delicate-featured youth understood then that effort was the key to reward.

The more difficult it was, the more it proved its greatness.

“How could a divine skill be so easy and quick to master?” Xu Ziqing didn’t believe such good fortune existed in the world.

—To master this skill, one must first endure pain!

“This is the price I must pay! But in the face of a blood feud, it’s not worth mentioning.” The delicate-featured youth clenched his fists tightly.

Keep practicing! Keep practicing! Keep practicing!

If you're untalented, just train more!

Xu Ziqing seemed possessed, channeling energy again and again. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged toward him, constantly pounding and tempering his flesh.

In the end, he didn’t even fall asleep. Pain and fatigue piled up until everything went black before his eyes.

The east grew bright, the sun rose.

Chu Huaixu got up early.

Back on Earth, due to his profession, he often worked deep into the night.

He lived a near-reversed schedule, frequently sleep-deprived to match his bosses' hours.

Fortunately, he was always optimistic, often comforting himself: “The lifespan I lose from staying up late, I make up for by staying up late. Staying up increases my youth time and shortens old age—it’s a f*cking bargain!”

After crossing over, he began going to bed and waking up early.

As a result, Han Shuangjiang had already finished making a delicious breakfast, but Xu Ziqing was still not up.

With an annoyed look, Chu Huaixu went to knock on the door. “Get up!”

The delicate-featured youth suddenly jolted awake, realizing he’d overslept.

Opening the door, he heard Chu Huaixu say, “First day of not being a chores disciple, and you’re already sleeping in?”

“Senior Brother, I was wrong.” Xu Ziqing lowered his head in shame, sincere and without excuse.

Chu Huaixu gave him a once-over, then glanced at his neatly folded bedding, forming a few guesses.

He said nothing more and just told him to wash up and come out to eat.

At the table, Chu Huaixu said to Han Shuangjiang, “I opened another aperture yesterday.”

—Big Ice Block, aren’t you so obsessed with overachieving? I’ll outdo you to death.

Han Shuangjiang took a sip of hot porridge, lifted her eyes and calmly said, “I also opened one.”

—That was close. Good thing I managed one, or I’d fall behind that Dead Fox again.

Xu Ziqing listened to the conversation between his senior brother and senior sister, and from their tone, it sounded like opening apertures was just casual breakfast chatter.

He buried his head in his bowl, lowering it more and more, sensing the vast difference between people.

Chu Huaixu turned to him and said with irritation, “Why are you bowing so low? Planning to wash your face in the porridge?”

The delicate-featured youth straightened up at once.

“You trained very late last night, didn’t you?” Chu Huaixu asked.

“Mm.” Xu Ziqing dared not lie to him.

“You held it in the whole time without making a sound?” He was somewhat surprised.

“Didn’t want to disturb Senior Brother’s rest.” The youth answered honestly—not out of flattery, just sincerity.

“You passed out from the pain in the end?” Chu Huaixu guessed. He damn well understood the 《Sword Refining Art》.

Xu Ziqing felt a bit embarrassed hearing that, nodding slightly. He felt utterly humiliated.

“It’s fine. That’s perfectly normal.” said Chu Huaixu.

Han Shuangjiang, sitting nearby, the ever-cold girl, even gave a small “Mm” at this moment—an uncharacteristic gesture of encouragement.

She remembered vividly: the first night after entering the Dao Gate, the screams of agony from the bamboo house next door—didn’t that Dead Fox also pass out from pain?

But the cold-faced girl didn’t expose him, nor did she speak up.

She only cursed silently in her heart: “Why would he teach such a wicked cultivation method to Junior Brother Xu?”

She always felt that this Dead Fox had a rather black heart.

However, during the third trial in the secret realm, after that steamy water encounter, she had witnessed the power of the 《Sword Refining Art》 firsthand.

So it made sense.

After the three of them finished breakfast, it was still the former chores disciple who cleaned up the tableware.

Once all the menial work was done, he returned to his room to continue cultivating and endure the pain.

It was hard to say whether it was due to the monstrous hatred in his heart, or if he was truly someone with immense willpower, but the delicate-featured youth was undeniably ruthless toward himself.

He forced his energy to circulate once, then curled up in pain on the meditation cushion. After his body adjusted, he resumed training, over and over again.

Today, Xu Ziqing once again realized how ordinary he was.

“Senior Brother and Senior Sister Han can open an aperture in one day.”

“At this rate, I might need ten days to half a month.”

“Maybe even longer……”

For someone with a False Spirit Embryo, who had to stimulate the Qi-Opening Pill’s effects through body training, long-term cultivation was truly a torment.

The morning passed quickly. After lunch and cleaning the dishes, Xu Ziqing returned to his room to continue training.

Eventually, he couldn’t endure it anymore—his vision went black, ears rang, and the world spun. He fainted again.

The delicate-featured youth collapsed unconscious to the ground, face pale, body still twitching slightly.

By the time he slowly woke up, more than an hour had passed.

Xu Ziqing braced himself, rose from the floor, and sat cross-legged again on the meditation cushion.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, uncontrollably.

He was, after all, just a young man. Though he’d trained hard since childhood, he had never suffered such torment.

This wasn’t training—it was outright abuse.

And to make things worse, with his delicate looks, his crying carried a striking sense of fragility.

After crying for quite some time, the youth wiped his tears, sniffled, steadied his emotions, and began channeling energy again.

But his apertures remained stubbornly blocked, showing no signs of progress.

That feeling was what truly made one despair.

Xu Ziqing was thoroughly disheartened, his eyes still a bit red.

Suddenly, he remembered the silk pouch Senior Brother had given him, and the words he’d said.

—“When you feel stuck with no progress, open the second one.”

The delicate-featured youth’s left hand trembled as he pulled out the second silk pouch from his robes, hoping Senior Brother’s message might help.

The first pouch had said: “If you're untalented, just train more.”

As the obedient junior, he’d followed it to the letter, training day and night.

But after opening the second silk pouch, Xu Ziqing stared at the words—and his hands began to tremble even more violently.

It read:

“Lied to you. Training more still means you’re untalented!”

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Xu Ziqing began shaking all over, even feeling cold.

A chill ran down his spine!

Still just a youth, no matter how much he admired Chu Huaixu, after all the pain and effort he’d gone through, this message stirred genuine fury in his heart.

He was human—he had emotions!

Deep down, he was proud.

Most people in their youth believed they were extraordinary.

—In youth, one dreams of greatness and promises to become the best!

What’s more, back home, Xu Ziqing had been a martial arts genius. How could he not be proud?

His father once said: He was the most gifted sword genius in Xu family history!

That defiant spirit in him was thoroughly ignited.

Suddenly, he found boundless determination again!

“I may not be a cultivation prodigy, but... I cannot be a failure! I won’t shame my Xu family!” The delicate-featured youth clenched his fists tightly, nails digging into flesh.

Xu Ziqing resumed his cultivation.

After circulating energy through two meridian cycles, he was still forcing himself to persist.

Just as he was about to continue training, a series of knocks came from outside.

Chu Huaixu, cold and devoid of empathy, stood outside the room, waiting for the door to open.

When the door opened, Xu Ziqing still respectfully greeted, “Senior Brother.”

He gave me a chance to cultivate—even if he teases and mocks me, I’ll still respect him for that.

The tall Chu Huaixu stepped past the shorter youth, eyes landing on the desk, seeing that he’d already opened the second silk pouch.

Xu Ziqing noticed his gaze. Though it was Senior Brother’s prank, he somehow felt a little embarrassed at this moment.

“I thought you wouldn’t open the second pouch until at least tomorrow,” Chu Huaixu said nonchalantly.

Yet his tone carried a trace of mockery.

It was as if to say: You gave up so soon?

The delicate-featured youth lowered his head, gritting his teeth, his face flushing with humiliation.

But what the other said was true.

“Oh? Red face, red eyes too.” Chu Huaixu even chuckled.

“Don’t give me that look.” Chu Huaixu said coldly, but then casually tossed something over.

“Catch.”

Xu Ziqing nearly failed to catch it. Looking down at his palm—

It was a jade token fragment, a fragment of the Pill King Token.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you somewhere,” said Chu Huaixu.

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