Chapter 88 - 80: The Unusual Movement at Qingxu Temple

「The bamboo forest.」

With a slight exertion of force, he actually yanked Su Ling’er, along with the green bamboo stalk she was clinging to, right out of the ground!

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded in the bamboo forest under the night sky.

The eldest brother held his junior sister with one hand, while the junior sister desperately clung to an uprooted bamboo stalk.

"Eldest Brother! Is there really no room for discussion?!"

Su Ling’er cried out in despair.

"I know you’re eager to practice, you just need someone to help you make up your mind."

Lin Qingfeng’s voice was impossibly "gentle."

"Don’t be afraid. For your sake, I don’t mind being the bad guy."

"Sigh... If you must hate someone, then hate me!"

’Of course I hate you!’

’How could I not hate you?!’

’Which of your eyes told you I was eager to practice?!’

’I don’t want to practice at all, okay?!’

’How on earth did you interpret my words like that?!’

’You’re obviously the one who wants me to practice, but you insist it’s what I want!’

’Oh heavens, oh earth, O Celestial Dao above, there’s no justice in this world!’

’This demonic den is terrifying!’

’It’s over. My, Su Ling’er’s, future is probably going to be ruined here!’

’My dream of becoming a Sword Immortal!’

’My path to immortality!!’

’I want to become a Sword Immortal, not be forged into an Immortal Sword, AHHHHH!’

As Su Ling’er struggled, she grabbed another bamboo stalk next to her.

This time, Lin Qingfeng simply uprooted that stalk as well, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and let Su Ling’er cling to the top of it.

"If you’re happy holding on, then so be it."

"It’s fine. I don’t find it heavy. It’s just a bamboo stalk. Let’s go."

"Oh, right. The bamboo is sect property. Since it was damaged because of you, I’ll have to deduct some of your Spirit Stones accordingly."

The next moment, Lin Qingfeng, shouldering the bamboo stalk with Su Ling’er dangling from it, transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the Artifact Refining Pavilion.

Only Su Ling’er’s desperate screams remained on the night wind:

"Eldest Brother! That’s not what I meant at all!"

"Just listen to what I’m saying, AHHHH!"

’You’re so desperate to drag me off to be hammered that you even uprooted the bamboo stalks!’

’And you’re going to use that as an excuse to deduct my Spirit Stones!’

’Are you even human—!!!!’

And on this night, the Artifact Refining Pavilion was brightly lit.

The pavilion, usually filled with the "DING DING DANG DANG" of forging, sounded... exceptionally shrill tonight.

...

"Junior Sister, circulate the True Understanding of Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to the Origin with all your might!"

"Whether you can reach a higher realm in the future depends entirely on your will and your Dao heart!!"

Of course, there was also the final deduction on this Cultivation Technique from the other disciples of the Artifact Refining Pavilion.

"AH-OH-OH-AHHH—!"

"Show us your Dao heart! Show us your will!"

"AHHHH—!"

"This is the moment you truly step onto the path of immortality! Endure it!"

’I’m going to die, I’m going to die!’

Inside the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Su Ling’er’s screams were heart-rending.

She desperately circulated the True Understanding of Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to the Origin, trying to lessen the pain.

But the feeling of being smashed by giant hammers, even when reduced by several tenths by the Cultivation Technique, was still unbearable.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Heart-Clearing Soul-Stabilizing Skill kept her strangely conscious, forcing her to clearly experience the bone-deep agony that remained even after being weakened.

Because Su Ling’er was "not being very obedient" and kept struggling, the disciples hadn’t prepared a comfortable jade platform for her.

She was firmly fixed to a Xuan Iron anvil engraved with runes, her limbs bound by Rune Chains, unable to move an inch.

The runes were also inscribed with the circulation pathways of the Sword Refining Skill, forcing Su Ling’er to passively circulate the technique.

This time, Lin Qingfeng himself took part, joining Shi Gandang’s "Artifact Refining Pavilion team" as they each brandished a giant magical hammer.

Several senior brothers and sisters manipulated various Magical Artifacts, subjecting her to a "tempering of a thousand strikes."

Because Su Ling’er had demonstrated an extremely high level of will and Dao heart on the Asking Dao Ladder, the members of the Artifact Refining Pavilion held almost nothing back in their forging.

Every strike was accompanied by excruciating pain and an explosive infusion of Spiritual Qi.

The runes engraved on the anvil lit up instantly and began to circulate wildly on their own, channeling all the vast energy into her body along the pathways of the Sword Refining Skill.

Not only that, but whenever a round of hammering ended, the alchemy fanatic Lu Wu would immediately rush over, force-feed her a Foundation Establishment Elixir, and then the next round of hammering would begin.

Not far away, a giant medicinal cauldron bubbled with strange green foam, "GLUG GLUG GLUG."

"Ji" had also come here.

The professional "medicinal catalyst" player was standing by the cauldron.

He looked at the screaming Su Ling’er on the anvil and shook his head.

’Junior Sister, let me show you what a real scream sounds like!’

Without hesitation, he leaped into the boiling medicinal soup.

"AH—AHHH—AH—!!!"

The next moment, he entered a mode of heart-rending screams.

His whole body convulsed, his flesh and bones dissolving in the medicinal soup at a visible rate.

His hand, now nothing but bone, reached out toward Su Ling’er.

The stark white bones sizzled, "TSSSSSS," as they corroded in the soup, continuously dissolving.

The skin on his face dissolved, revealing the flesh beneath, which then gave way to the hollow bones within.

In the last moment before his consciousness faded, he used all his strength to shout:

"Junior Sister... you... will definitely succeed in your Foundation Establishment...

Don’t let... everyone’s hard work... go to waste...

Don’t let... my sacrifice... be in vain—!"

Su Ling’er: "!!!"

’Don’t you dare put all the responsibility on me!’

’Don’t you know how to fight back?!’

’Think about it! If we joined forces to escape, you wouldn’t have to die!’

She watched helplessly as that senior brother reached out to her, saying something about "not letting his sacrifice be in vain" and wishing her "certain success in Foundation Establishment"...

’I don’t want this kind of Foundation Establishment!’

’I don’t want a Foundation Establishment that’s bought with the sacrifice of others!’

’I could have reached Foundation Establishment back at my sect by relying on the Sect Leader to perform Washing Marrow on me!’

’It doesn’t have to be this way!’

’What is wrong with this demonic sect?!’

’Why... why did he have to do that?!’

’Is the brainwashing in this demonic sect really that hard to break?’

Su Ling’er watched helplessly as that senior brother completely dissolved in the medicinal soup, without even a speck of bone left.

His face also seemed to begin blurring in her mind.

But at this moment, she had no time to worry about such things.

Because the medicinal soup, created through the sacrifice of her fellow disciple, was now being poured over her body.

The sound of sizzling and burning rang out, "TZZZZZZLA."

"AHHHHHHHHH—!"

The screams continued for the entire night.

When the first light of dawn streaked across the horizon and the final hammer fell, all sounds came to an abrupt halt.

Su Ling’er’s Sword Refining Skill had reached the entry level.

She had reached Foundation Establishment.

...

At the same time, in a secret chamber in the back mountains of Qingxu Temple, three hundred li away.

Sect Leader Daoist Xuanyuan, dressed in a simple daoist robe, stood before rows of life tablets.

These life tablets all belonged to the undercover disciples he had secretly sent to various emerging sects (including those that might hold special value) to gather intelligence.

At this moment, on the shelves inside the secret chamber, the vast majority of life tablets were already shattered.

Only one remained intact.

This meant that most of the undercover disciples he had sent out were already dead, their souls extinguished.

The day that the upper sect, the "Celestial Furnace Sect," was due to collect the "Tithing" was gradually approaching.

Yet the spies he had sent out had not even sent back a single piece of information.

His gaze fell upon the sole exception among the countless shattered life tablets.

It was also a life tablet belonging to an outer-sect disciple.

And the name carved upon it was—Su Ling’er.