Fatty Duan glanced sideways, sensing the scattered spirit sand in the pouch. Still unable to grasp the key to the situation, he said impatiently:
"Liu, I have to meet with True Disciple Su. I donât have time to mess around with you."
As he spoke, he cast a fierce glare at Wang Yu, then flung his sleeve and left.
The panicked and dazed Steward Liu didnât try to stop him. Instead, he seemed rather pleased, suspecting that everything that just happened was probably a staged play meant to deceive him.
Most likely, Duan was now off to claim credit.
"Duan Ping!!!"
Steward Liuâs bloodshot eyes involuntarily turned to Wang Yu. The spirit slave wore an innocent expression. Indeed, he truly had nothing to do with this matter.
After thinking it over,
The only viable course now was to remove the three individuals from his command. This extra spirit sand must not be traced back to the True Disciple behind him.
With his capabilities, he could only suppress the issue for now. If he failed, heâd have no choice but to take the blame himself.
If the other nine True Disciples pressured the Law Enforcement Hall and demanded swift results, his personal connections would become worthless. At that point, heâd be blamed for everything.
The master behind him would, at worst, lose the opportunity to receive the Nascent Soul inheritance. He would still remain a direct heir of the Blood Reversal Sect.
But Liu? He would lose his life.
Of course, if he placed his trust in his master and the latter eventually formed a Nascent Soul, there was still a chance to turn the tide.
However, the time required for that was something a mere Qi Refining cultivator like him couldnât afford to wait.
After weighing all this,
Steward Liu looked at the surrounding Law Enforcement disciples and ordered:
"Guard the stone house district. No one is allowed to enter or leave."
"Yes!"
Then, with a grave expression, he turned and left. Wang Yu seemed to understand Steward Liuâs plan.
It was simple: how much money is worth a life?
They were demonic cultivators, after all, self-centered and profit-driven. Now, when disaster struck, fleeing was the first choice.
This gamble had paid off. Now, it all depended on whether True Disciple Su behind Fatty Duan had the insight to see the truth. As long as the True Disciple in closed-door cultivation ended up bearing the shame of deceiving his master, he would likely lose the chance at the Nascent Soul inheritance.
However, Wang Yu had overlooked someone.
That was the third administrator of the stone house districtâSteward Liu (another one).
Anyone who could hold a position in this money-grubbing area was not simple.
Among the ten True Disciples, only three had arranged for managers to be stationed here. In a way, these three managers represented the most serious contenders for the Nascent Soul inheritance.
One of them was already in seclusion, beginning Core Formation.
True Disciple Su was the second.
But who was the third?
...
...
Cold Blood Peak, True Discipleâs Cave Residence
Steward Duan was kneeling respectfully on the ground, exaggerating and twisting the facts to push all the blame onto Wang Yu. He repeatedly emphasized his own hard work and achievements, hoping that True Disciple Su would spare his life.
But unexpectedly, True Disciple Su suddenly burst out laughing.
"Good, Good, Wang Yu.
"Exactly the kind of person my faction needs.
"Duan Ping, pass along my order. Three months from now, promote Wang Yu to outer sect disciple of Cold Blood Peak. He no longer needs to submit spirit sand."
Hearing this, Steward Duan shivered and didnât dare utter another word against Wang Yu. Going along with his masterâs intent, he bluntly confessed that he was the one who had killed the three spirit slaves.
Seizing the chance to claim credit.
Seeing through his thoughts, True Disciple Su smiled faintly.
"Duan Ping, you are a relative from my maternal clan. Youâve followed me for some time and shown loyalty, but your wits still fall short.
"Go collect three thousand contribution points. This cultivation method is a reward for Wang Yu."
"Yesâ"
Steward Duan had arrived full of unease but left completely satisfied.
Even though he knew True Disciple Su trusted him, he still held a grudge against Wang Yu. The incident hadnât been reported to him in advance, causing him to wrongly assume that Wang Yu had betrayed them. To be played by a mere spirit slaveâhow could he tolerate that?
"Hmph, this time you got lucky. Iâll shoulder the blame for you."
...
...
Stone House District, Second Floor Pavilion.
âBrother Wang, have a seat.â
âThis is some spirit tea Iâve collected. Give it a try.â
Wang Yu remained calm and composed. Seeing this fat manâs ridiculous shift from arrogance to flattery, he didnât bother to mock him.
He firmly remembered the truth that in the demonic path, power is everything. It was a lesson learned through hardship, one that would guide him for the rest of his life.
âSteward Duan, no need to be so polite. Iâve offended you this time.â
âI merely wanted to ease Senior Disciple Suâs worries. I trust Steward Duan wonât blame me for being reckless.â
âNo worries.â
Steward Duan squinted with a smile and said kindly:
âItâs just that next time, Brother Wang, you should at least inform this old man in advance. That way Iâll be prepared and can cooperate accordingly.â
âYouâre right. Iâll definitely do so next time.â
Offering a cupped-fist apology, just for formality, Wang Yu then fell silent again, adhering to the principle that silence is golden.
Seeing this, Steward Duan did not insist on keeping him. Instead, he brought out a transmission jade slip and handed it to Wang Yu.
âThis time, True Disciple Su is very satisfied. This is a special reward for you.â
âAs for the Outer Sect Disciple slot, you donât need to worry. Within three months, youâll be granted what was promised.â
Wang Yu was slightly surprised.
âI donât need to be registered as a Spirit Slave?â
âNo need. The matter is still sensitive. Once the incident dies down, youâll be promoted to the Outer Sect. No need to deal with this anymore.â
âThen I thank Steward Duan for putting in a good word.â
âNot at all, not at all.â
Wang Yu placed the jade slip against his forehead. After absorbing the contents, his expression turned solemn. This was both a reward and a warning.
Contained within was a high-grade spell, âNight Concealment Mantraâ.
As the name implied, it was a technique to conceal oneâs aura, enabling silent, stealthy movement. It could also be used to mask oneâs cultivation level. It directly corresponded to Wang Yuâs recent night raid, where he killed three men.
High-grade spells correspond to late-stage Qi Refining. If fully mastered, this technique could even evade the spiritual perception of Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was among the finest of rank-one Spells.
To Wang Yu, however, it wasnât immediately necessary.
Previously, it was needed because Spirit Slaves couldnât have overly high cultivation. But in three months, he would become an Outer Sect Disciple, making stealth techniques less essential.
For now, it was a chicken ribânot worth discarding, but not vital either. He would shelve it and return focus to improving his cultivation realm. No need to adjust the idle slot for now.
After exchanging a few more superficial pleasantries, Wang Yu took his leave.
He returned to his modest stone house No. 83. With everything settled, the Spirit Slave Case would still take time to die down. The developments that followed were no longer within a mere Spirit Slaveâs reach.
A month later, a new steward arrived at the stone house district.
Another two months of peace followed.
On the 137th day of Wang Yuâs Spirit Slave life, nearly half a yearâwhile meditating cross-legged, a surge of spiritual qi suddenly pulsed around him.
His aura spiked, and he broke through to the third layer of Qi Refining, smooth as flowing water.
Inside his body, one hundred strands of spiritual energy were successfully gathered.
Next, his task would be to refine and temper these one hundred strands, condensing them from strands into ten units, with the measurement changing from "strand" to "thread".
This transformation from loose strand-form spiritual power into ten high-quality spiritual threads would mark a full round of energy tempering, enabling him to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining.
Within the entire Qi Refining realm, there were two major bottlenecks.