Chapter 93 The Dagger Revealed
Tongtian Peak, Trial Hall.
The space fluctuated, and Li Yu came out of the trial space again. This time, his clearance speed increased slightly, but when he looked at the trial list, his name was still ranked third.
Although his strength has not increased significantly during this period, Elder Zhao has given him nearly ten Tongmai Pills. So far, he has opened up 305 acupoints. Combined with his internal Qi, his mana has surpassed the peak of Qi Refining of the Five Spiritual Veins. Yet, he is still ranked third...
The Kunlun disciples who were watching from the bottom of the trial list couldn't help but sigh.
"So fast, but he still hasn't surpassed the Master?"
"How powerful must the headmaster and Senior Sister Qin be when they were in the Qi Refining Stage."
"Too scary! The world of geniuses is truly beyond the imagination of useless people like us..."
…
Wu Tong walked out of the crowd, patted Li Yu on the shoulder, and said, "Don't be discouraged. The headmaster and Senior Sister Qin not only have heavenly spiritual veins, but also double heavenly spiritual veins. Their casting speed is naturally fast. It is difficult for ordinary disciples like us to catch up..."
Li Yu was not discouraged. His Heavenly Spiritual Vein did not have a pre-casting swing, but neither did he have martial arts true qi. It could also be regarded as a Heavenly Spiritual Vein. He just had one less Heavenly Spiritual Vein than them. And his current strength had not yet reached its peak, so there was still room for improvement.
When they walked out of the Trial Hall together, Wu Tong smiled and said, "I heard that you are doing well in Qingxuan Peak and are highly appreciated by Elder Zhao."
Li Yu said: "No news can be hidden from you."
Wu Tong said proudly: "That's right. The tens of thousands of spirit coins I spend every month are not wasted. I know everything that happens in Kunlun Mountains."
Li Yu asked, "Did you know that I was an undercover agent of the Demon Sect?"
Wu Tong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I checked this for you, but I couldn't find it. That guy was very careful and used a mechanical beast to communicate. It's impossible to find him..."
He smiled and comforted Li Yu, "The more famous you are, the more gossip you will have. The more people like you, the more people will dislike you. There are many people in the sect who don't like Senior Sister Qin and Senior Sister Xu. This is called "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight." However, many of those who like you are young sisters and junior sisters. Their cohesion is much stronger than those male disciples who like Senior Sister Qin and Senior Sister Xu. Whoever dares to make rumors about you in the future will probably be torn to pieces by them..."
When the two of them parted, Wu Tong suddenly said, "By the way, although Elder Zhao of Qingxuan Peak is very kind to you, you should still be careful..."
Li Yu looked at him and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Wu Tong looked around and said in a voice transmission: "Elder Zhao is the first third-grade alchemist in the sect. I have collected a lot of information about him. He used to be a casual cultivator. It is much more difficult to cultivate as a casual cultivator than a sect disciple. If you are not ruthless, you will not be able to make it. He must not have been a good person in the past. Of course, it may be different now. I just want to remind you that you should be careful in everything..."
Li Yu nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder. I will be careful."
In fact, even if Wu Tong didn't remind him, Li Yu was still on guard against Elder Zhao.
After experiencing the incident with Elder Sun, he had completely learned his lesson.
He remembered the last lesson that Elder Sun taught him before his death.
He would never take the pills given to him by others before making sure that there was no problem with them. He had no relationship with Elder Zhao and was only so kind to him because he had entered the realm of heaven and man once when he was young. Although this was possible, Li Yu still felt that his enthusiasm was a little too much.
If it were any other alchemist, he might just think that this was Elder Zhao's appreciation for him.
But Li Yu knew very well that there is no love without reason in the world. Even relatives can betray each other, let alone strangers. The first iron rule of cultivating immortals is that you cannot trust anyone without reservation. The only person you can trust unconditionally is yourself.
This is a valuable lesson that Elder Sun learned at the cost of his life.
Of course, it is also possible that he is judging others by his own standards. Elder Zhao may really just admire and respect him, but as Wu Tong said, it never hurts to be more careful about everything.
After returning to Ziyun Peak and practicing with Zhou Zixuan, several days passed.
That day, when Li Yu came to Qingxuan Peak to hand in the elixir, Elder Zhao looked at the elixir in the jade bottle and nodded, saying, "Not bad, your intermittent elixir has improved. Even I envy your speed of improvement. You are worthy of being the son of the alchemy..."
Li Yu said modestly: "Elder Zhao, you are too kind. The so-called son of the alchemy path is just nonsense."
Zhao Guangxuan smiled and said, "To be able to enter the realm of heaven and man multiple times within a year, if not a son of the alchemy path, then what is he? A genius is a genius, and you don't need to be humble."
After accepting the pill, he said, "By the way, your cultivation should be almost complete in the five spiritual veins, right?"
Li Yu nodded and said, "We are still less than 60 Tongmai Pills away."
Zhao Guangxuan thought for a moment and said, “Sixty Tongmai Pills are not too many. How about this, starting from next month, I will keep all the surplus Tongmai Pills from Qingxuan Peak for you. You should cultivate to the peak of Qi Refining as soon as possible, and then I will help you refine five foundation-building pills. After you have established your foundation, you can try to refine second-level pills. At that time, all the second-level pills from Qingxuan Peak will be given to you to refine, and I can save time for cultivation. However, this will delay your cultivation. What do you think…”
Li Yu showed a grateful look on his face and said, "My talent in cultivating immortals is not high to begin with. It is my honor to be able to share Elder Zhao's worries."
Upon hearing this, the other first-grade alchemists at Qingxuan Peak's eyes turned red with envy.
Elder Zhao wasn't recruiting people to make pills. He was clearly training Li Yu as if he were his own son.
Even his two direct disciples felt jealous, because the treatment they received at that time was far worse than Li Yu's. Some elders in the sect might not be so kind to their own children.
If one of them had the surname Zhao and the other Li, and if Elder Zhao was not of plain appearance while Li Yu was of stunning handsomeness, they would have really thought that Li Yu was Elder Zhao's son.
Seeing Li Yu's excited expression, Zhao Guangxuan patted him on the shoulder and suddenly asked, "By the way, do you have a spirit boat?"
Li Yu nodded and said, "I just bought it not long ago."
Zhao Guangxuan said, "That's perfect. I have to go out for something important, and I may not be back for half a month. But I have a few bottles of elixirs that I need to send to Yue Kingdom urgently for an old friend. This time I am going in the opposite direction of Yue Kingdom, so I don't have time to deliver the elixirs myself. Yue Kingdom is too far away from here. Other disciples fly there, and it will take more than half a month to go back and forth. If you use the spirit boat, you can go back and forth in three days. I would like to ask you to make the trip for me."
Li Yu did not hesitate and smiled: "Of course."
Others were so nice to him, teaching him alchemy, giving him Tongmai Pills, and helping him to refine Foundation Building Pills. It was just a small request of helping out with errands, and if he didn't agree, he would be too ignorant of the ways of the world.
Zhao Guangxuan handed a few bottles of pills to Li Yu and said, "I'll leave this matter to you."
When walking out of the hall, several alchemists looked at Li Yu with envy in their eyes.
"Friend Li, congratulations."
"Elder Zhao is really good to you."
"Are you related to Elder Zhao?"
"With Elder Zhao's help, there is no doubt that Fellow Daoist Li will achieve Dan in this lifetime. I would like to congratulate him in advance."
…
Elder Zhao seemed to have some urgent business and left the sect that day. Li Yu did not leave immediately. He did not leave Kunlun Cave Heaven until three days later, when he had finished his work.
In the Kunlun Mountains, a magnificent spirit boat rose into the sky and soon disappeared into the sky.
…
Yue State.
There are hundreds of small countries under the rule of the Eastern Taoism. Although Yue Kingdom is one of them, because it is located close to the north, the sphere of influence of the Demonic Soul Refining Sect is to the north of Yue Kingdom. The influence of the righteous path is difficult to radiate here.
In name, the Kingdom of Yue was under the rule of the Beast Taming Sect, but for hundreds of years, the Beast Taming Sect had not cared about this place at all. A large number of independent cultivators gathered here, causing the Kingdom of Yue to be extremely chaotic. The people's lives were miserable, and everyone in the world of immortal cultivators was in danger. Murders and robberies happened every day.
Even the evil way of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak is not as chaotic as the Kingdom of Yue.
Yue Kingdom, Spirit Beast Mountain Range.
Under the thick fallen leaves, several wandering cultivators were ambushing the passing immortal cultivators.
In the Spirit Beast Mountain Range, spiritual energy is relatively abundant and there are many demon beasts. Some immortal cultivators will go into the mountains to hunt the demon beasts and take their fur and blood. They can exchange them for spiritual coins in any righteous sect, big or small, and buy elixirs, talismans or magical instruments.
If you are lucky, you can catch some that can be used as spirit pets and sell them to the Beast Taming Sect, which is an extremely lucrative profit.
However, catching monsters depends on luck. Often, one may not be able to catch one in a month, and there is also the risk of being killed by the monsters. In comparison, it is better to ambush passing cultivators. There is no need to go to large sects to exchange spirit coins, and there are no intermediate steps. Elixirs, talismans, and magic weapons can be found from the target's corpse.
"I heard that three months ago, Chen Cheng killed a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect in the depths of the Spirit Beast Mountain Range. Although he was almost killed in return, he still succeeded. This kid not only got a bottle of Qi Rejuvenation Pill, but also a magical instrument that can be used to refine Qi at the ninth level, as well as some talismans..."
"The big sects are better. I heard that as long as you are selected, the sect will give you these things for free on the first day of joining the sect."
"Damn it, this is really unfair. These things cost a lot of spirit coins. If we want to earn them, we have to work hard for at least ten years. Why do they have them right after they enter? I will kill any of the sect disciples I see..."
"Those guys, although they are not very strong, they are all very wealthy, just like fat sheep..."
"Shh, don't talk, someone is coming."
…
Li Yu came to Yue State this time to run errands for Elder Zhao. When Elder Zhao was still a casual cultivator, he had an old friend. Although that old friend has long passed away, Elder Zhao has always taken good care of his descendants and would send them some elixirs every year.
He had never been to Yue State and was not familiar with the place, so he planned to find someone to ask where Jiangcheng of Yue State was.
Using the Qi-gazing technique, Li Yu saw three immortal cultivators in the mountain below. Their cultivation was not very high, and they seemed to be only at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining.
Li Yu flew down and was about to ask for directions.
But after he landed, he found that the bodies of the three cultivators were hidden in the thick fallen leaves.
"Get started!"
Before Li Yu could speak, he suddenly heard a sharp shout in his ears, the fallen leaves on the ground exploded, and three waves of magic power came from three directions.
Two thick vines emerged from the ground and bound to Li Yu's feet. A huge fireball attacked Li Yu's head. In front of him was a big knife, flashing with golden light, chopping him in the waist.
The cooperation between these three people was quite tacit, and it was obvious that this was not the first time they had done this.
Li Yu stood there without using any magic power. The fairy clothes on his body flashed and automatically formed a shield outside his body. The fireball hit the shield and scattered. The vines were also blocked by a barrier. Finally, the big knife that was aimed at him hit the shield and shattered it directly.
In front of Li Yu, the three people who jumped out from the pile of fallen leaves were dumbfounded.
The three of them joined forces and ambushed many practitioners by surprise. Even a strong man at the sixth level of Qi Refining was killed instantly, but this was the first time they had encountered such a situation.
They didn't even know what it was.
The man's clothes flashed, and a solid magical shield appeared. They had never heard of such a thing, and the atmosphere was awkward for a moment.
Li Yu looked at the three people and asked, "Excuse me, how do I get to Jiangcheng?"
Among the three, a man with a scar on his face was the first to react. He pointed in a direction and said tremblingly, "Fly west for eighty miles and you will find Jiangcheng..."
"Thank you very much."
Li Yu bowed to them, turned around and flew away.
The three of them looked at each other and saw the joy of surviving the disaster in each other's eyes.
But the next moment, a ball of blinding flames fell from the sky and instantly submerged the bodies of the three people. A moment later, only a huge charred pit remained on the spot.
Li Yu flew slowly westward. The place he came to this time was more chaotic than any small country he had ever visited.
During this short period of time, he witnessed three attacks on cultivators, one of which was directed at him. What Wu Tong said was absolutely right. The resources of the big world had already been divided up by the big sects. There was not enough for the disciples of the big sects, and the independent cultivators couldn't even get a share. The cruel conditions of cultivation created this dire situation.
Only large sects have the ability to refine elixirs, talismans, and magical instruments; independent practitioners can only rely on robbing them.
There was a murderous aura surrounding those three people, and quite a few people had died at their hands. Li Yu had never seen such a murderous aura on anyone in the evil world.
This is actually a bit of a stereotype about the evil sect. Although the magic arts practiced by the evil sect are a bit underworld, it is also a legitimate sect. The biggest conflict between it and the righteous sect is the dispute over the orthodox ideas of Taoism. Not all evil sect disciples are extremely evil, otherwise, there would not be only two or three evil demons on Kunlun's wanted list.
The distance of eighty miles was reached in a short while, and a medium-sized city gradually appeared in front of Li Yu.
Although he attracted some attention when he landed in the city, it did not cause much sensation. Ordinary people in Jiangcheng seemed to be accustomed to immortal cultivators.
Li Yu also discovered that there were obviously many more immortal cultivators here than in other cities he had visited, but most of them were at the first or second level of Qi Refining, and those above the fourth level were rare.
These independent cultivators, who have no blessed land with abundant spiritual energy to practice in, can only mingle with ordinary people.
Li Yu randomly found a passerby and found out the person he was looking for.
With the help of Elder Zhao, the descendants of his old friend can live a good life in the secular world even if they have no talent for cultivation. I heard from the passers-by that Mr. Han has a very respected status not only in Jiangcheng, but also in the entire Yue Kingdom. He has several immortal masters supported by his family, and even the royal family of Yue Kingdom treats him with courtesy.
The Han Mansion is easy to find. It is the mansion with the largest area in the most prosperous area of Jiangcheng.
When Li Yu arrived at the Han Mansion and explained his purpose, the attitude of the Han family immediately became very humble. The Han family could only be what it is today thanks to the care of the elder from Kunlun, so they were naturally extra polite to Li Yu.
Li Yu also saw the so-called immortal masters supported by the Han family. The four of them together could not even reach the third level of Qi Refining. They could create a few fireballs out of thin air to scare ordinary people, but any immortal cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining could be wiped out.
However, Li Yu was not arrogant in front of these casual cultivators.
If he had not been living off Jiang Li and had not been accepted into the sect as an exception by Senior Sister Xu, his current strength would not be much stronger than these four people.
Without staying in the Han family for long, Li Yu handed the pills to them and left.
He first strolled around the street for a while, bought some local specialties, and brought them back for Zhou Zixuan and Jiang Li to taste. Kunlun had everything except the worldly atmosphere.
Afterwards, he left Jiangcheng and did not take the spirit boat back to the sect. Instead, he flew all the way to a mountain range and stopped in a valley.
There was a clear stream in the valley. Li Yu shot a rabbit and two pheasants. After cleaning them, he smeared the secret sauce he had just bought on the street, wrapped them in lotus leaves, smeared mud on the outside, and slowly roasted them in the fire.
While waiting, Li Yu sat on a stone by the stream, staring at the handsome face in the water in a daze.
In the valley, a breeze suddenly blew up at some point.
A ripple appeared on the calm water surface, and suddenly a figure appeared next to Li Yu's handsome .
An elegant middle-aged man stood behind Li Yu and said with a smile: "You still have such leisure and elegance."
Li Yu was startled by the sudden voice. He turned around and saw the figure that suddenly appeared. He was stunned at first, and then asked in confusion: "Elder Zhao, didn't you go out for something important? Why are you here?"
Zhao Guangxuan smiled slightly and said, "Going out is just an excuse, otherwise, why would I ask you to come here to deliver the pills?"
Li Yu still looked confused and asked, "Elder Zhao, why don't I understand what you are saying?"
Zhao Guangxuan put his hands behind his back and said with a smile: "Li Yu, Li Yu, you are so smart in making pills, but how can you be so confused as a person? However, it is good to be confused. It is better to be a confused ghost than a clear-headed ghost..."
Li Yu seemed to realize something, and sat up from the stone, distanced himself from Elder Zhao, and asked with a pale face: "Elder Zhao, what do you mean..."
Zhao Guangxuan did not directly answer Li Yu's words, but he breathed a sigh of relief and said: "In fact, when you won the Alchemy Apprentice Competition and entered the Heavenly Man Realm, I wanted to search your soul, but at that time, I was afraid of the Xuanzhen Patriarch and thought it might be a coincidence. But in the First-Class Alchemist Competition, you entered the Heavenly Man Realm again. At that time, I really started to be interested in you..."
"Soul search..."
Li Yu kept retreating, his face getting paler, and he said in a trembling voice: "I have already told you the secret of entering the realm of heaven and man. You can't find anything even if you search my soul."
Zhao Guangxuan shook his head and said, "I don't believe what you said. I only believe what I saw."
Li Yu was so angry that he shouted, "If the sect knew about this, they would definitely not let you go!"
Hearing Li Yu talking about the sect, Zhao Guangxuan laughed even more and said, "Do you think those Yuanying ancestors in the sect are all good things? They just claim to be righteous. What some of them do behind the scenes is even more evil than the devil. Besides, I just asked you to deliver the elixir. Yue Country is in such a chaos. You were accidentally killed by a casual cultivator in the foundation-building stage. I am very sorry. To express my apology, I will compensate your dual cultivation partner with fifty Tongmai Pills and ten Tuomai Pills. They even praised me for my kindness..."
Li Yu retreated and asked, "Aren't you afraid of the sect's suspicion?"
Zhao Guangxuan allowed Li Yu to retreat. He was only in the Qi Refining stage, so even if he retreated a hundred miles, he could still catch up with him.
He looked at Li Yu with a half-smile and said, "Why would the sect doubt me? I've been so good to you, even better than my own disciples. I've taught you the way of alchemy and given you all the good things. What reason do they have to doubt me?"
Li Yu stopped retreating and stood there, looking at Zhao Guangxuan calmly, saying, "Fuck you, you are so insidious. It turns out you had planned all this long ago!"
Zhao Guangxuan looked at Li Yu and said calmly: "You are still too young. No one has taught you that you should never trust anyone in your cultivation. If you have another life, I hope you can remember..."
The fear on Li Yu's face disappeared, and he suddenly said, "You are wrong."
Unexpectedly, Li Yu could still be so calm at this time. Zhao Guangxuan was slightly stunned and asked, "What did I do wrong?"
Li Yu stood still and said to Zhao Guangxuan: "I'm sorry, someone has already taught me what you just said ..."
As soon as he finished speaking, five extremely powerful auras suddenly rose into the sky from all around the valley. The whole valley was suddenly filled with black fog. The five auras, comparable to those of the Jindan stage, echoed each other and formed a formation, imprisoning the space and trapping Zhao Guangxuan inside.
Li Yu stood outside the formation. A figure appeared beside him at some point.
It was a woman, dressed in black, with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She had a pretty face, yet a bit of evil.
Inside the formation, Zhao Guangxuan's eyes widened as he looked at the five powerful auras, and blurted out, "Five Ghost Soul Capture Formation!"
Thinking of some rumors about Kunlun some time ago, he suddenly looked at Li Yu and said in an extremely shocked voice: "You, you are really an undercover agent of the Demonic Path!"
