Volume 5 Chapter 17

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Volume 5 Chapter 17: Bai Yu

After parting from Zhang Hualing at the Jiuhua Secret Library, Xu Qingfan swiftly flew toward the cave dwelling on the rear mountain. Along the way, his expression kept changing unpredictably.

"By then, I think I can still fight the evil in my heart for a while. During that time, you should kill me."

When Zhang Hualing said this, his expression was calm and determined, his gaze seemingly transcending time constraints, seeing a possible future.

Perhaps, when Zhang Hualing truly loses control of the evil thoughts within and forces Xu Qingfan to kill him, his expression would also be like that—calm yet determined, expectant yet relieved.

Just one sentence, yet it left Xu Qingfan with no reason to stop anything. He had countless reasons in mind to persuade Zhang Hualing, but he couldn’t voice them.

Zhang Hualing stole Liu Huaxiang’s secret techniques to give Jiuhua his last bit of strength, and Xu Qingfan had no grounds or ability to stop him.

On the way back to the cave dwelling, Xu Qingfan was thinking more about something else Zhang Hualing had said.

"To be honest, both Martial Brother Liu and I have considered appointing you as Jiuhua’s next sect leader. Sadly, there’s too little time left for you. Right now, both in experience and character, you are far from being ready to lead a sect. Because of this, I have to hold on until you truly mature."

When Zhang Hualing spoke these words, Xu Qingfan wasn’t surprised; instead, he felt a sudden sense of exhaustion.

Although Zhang Hualing had long been preparing him to become Jiuhua’s next sect leader, hearing it directly from Zhang Hualing brought a completely different feeling to Xu Qingfan’s heart.

Perhaps it was weakness, perhaps exhaustion, or perhaps even a slight resistance.

Xu Qingfan suddenly remembered that there was a time when his dream was simply to travel the world and admire its wonders after reaching moderate cultivation. But as his cultivation grew and time passed, how long had it been since that thought occurred to him? A year? Ten years? Thirty years?

And now, what was Xu Qingfan thinking about every day? How to quickly improve his cultivation and strength to face the upheavals of the cultivation world, how to better teach Ting’er and the other two disciples, how to help Jiuhua through this catastrophe, and the true purpose behind the mysterious "Ming" organization.

The dream from the past, like a bat hidden in the darkness, quietly lurked in the deep shadows, merging with the dark. Though it indeed existed, even if it was right in front of you, it was impossible to find unless disturbed into action. Only then it would flap its wings, flash before your eyes, and swiftly vanish.

Perhaps Xu Qingfan’s current thoughts suit the identity of a cultivator best. Maybe only like this can Xu Qingfan better survive in the increasingly chaotic cultivation world. Perhaps these thoughts align with Liu Huaxiang and Zhang Hualing’s expectations for him, yet this transformation filled Xu Qingfan with dread.

Zhang Hualing’s words made Xu Qingfan realize that his past dreams and who he used to be had unknowingly drifted away.

In a moment of reflection, Xu Qingfan’s dwelling on the back mountain appeared before him.

※※※※

Opening the array barrier outside his dwelling, Xu Qingfan casually stepped inside, only to be slightly taken aback by what he saw.

He saw Bai Yu and Little Green, one man and one beast, standing facing each other in the courtyard with wide eyes, engaged in a standoff. Though they noticed Xu Qingfan’s return, they were too preoccupied to greet him.

For some reason, Bai Yu’s hair stood on end, and he appeared disheveled and angry. Yet, he hadn’t fully mastered the powers of his bloodline and was far less strong than Little Green. So even while glaring fiercely at Little Green, his eyes wandered as if plotting an escape route.

Little Green was truly enraged, but knowing that Bai Yu was Ting’er’s junior, didn’t dare to truly harm him. It stared with large eyes, occasionally growling softly, slowly moving towards Bai Yu. As Little Green moved forward, Bai Yu retreated, his expression vivid and varied.

Ting’er and Zhang Ningmei stood to the side. Ting’er looked indifferent but had a smile in her eyes, while Zhang Ningmei’s lips curled into a smile.

When they saw Xu Qingfan return, Ting’er and Zhang Ningmei went to greet him. Seeing Xu Qingfan’s puzzled look at Bai Yu and Little Green’s strange interaction, Zhang Ningmei cheerfully explained to Xu Qingfan what had happened after he left.

Little Green, despite its large size and fierce appearance, was like a pet to Ting’er. Setting aside Little Green’s unbecoming behavior as a powerful human-level advanced demon beast that willingly acted as a pet, and disregarding Ting’er’s peculiar taste, it was indeed a fact.

Ever since Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu were taken in by Xu Qingfan, Little Green has shown great affection toward Zhang Ningmei, perhaps due to her close relationship with Ting’er or the "Qiongqi" aura around Bai Yu. However, Little Green was quite displeased with Bai Yu.

In contrast, Bai Yu was very fond of Little Green and often fantasized about looking majestic on its back. So, on the night Xu Qingfan left, Bai Yu stealthily climbed onto Little Green while it was asleep. Whether Little Green was teasing Bai Yu or genuinely in a deep sleep, it went unnoticed.

Just as Bai Yu managed to get on Little Green’s back, Little Green suddenly stood up and dashed around Xu Qingfan’s cave as if in a frenzy. As a Blue-eyed Cloud-hoofed Beast, it could cover thousands of miles in a day, its speed formidable. Barely seated, Bai Yu felt like he was caught in a whirlwind, spinning around the cave and clinging tightly to Little Green, scared and shouting.

Under the rushing wind, Bai Yu’s hair stood on end.

After about fifteen minutes of Bai Yu’s shouting, Little Green seemed to have had enough fun and abruptly stopped. Due to the strong inertia, Bai Yu was thrown into the air and, after flying more than ten yards, landed heavily on the ground.

Fortunately, although Bai Yu’s skills weren’t highly developed, he had started to awaken the "Qiongqi" blood within him. Otherwise, such a fall would have caused him serious injury.

Bai Yu always prided himself on being a man, but when teased by Little Green, he screamed and shouted in fear in front of Ting’er and Zhang Ningmei, losing face completely. Naturally, he was angry and frustrated, so he picked up a stone and threw it at Little Green. This truly angered Little Green, and the scene that followed was like what Xu Qingfan was seeing now, with man and beast facing off against each other.

According to Zhang Ningmei, these two had been at a standoff for more than half an hour already.

"This Bai Yu is really just a child."

Hearing Zhang Ningmei’s explanation, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel amused and exasperated, shaking his head as he thought to himself.

But thanks to Bai Yu and Little Green’s interruption, Xu Qingfan’s earlier feelings of melancholy were greatly eased.

Then, Xu Qingfan said to Zhang Ningmei, "Stay here and make sure those two don’t really start fighting."

With that, Xu Qingfan turned to Ting’er and said, "Ting’er, come with me."

After speaking, Xu Qingfan ignored the conflict between Bai Yu and Little Green and walked towards the room with Ting’er.

Seeing Xu Qingfan walk by indifferently, Little Green let out an angry roar, while Bai Yu shot a pleading glance at Xu Qingfan, who continued to ignore them both.

For Bai Yu, only letting him learn from setbacks could make him more mindful and driven.

After entering the room, Xu Qingfan sat cross-legged on the bed and silently observed Ting’er, who stood before him, for a long time before finally asking, "Have you reached the peak of the Lingji Stage now?"

Ting’er nodded gently and softly said, "Yes."

Xu Qingfan asked again, "Are you confident about Core Formation?"

Ting’er slightly furrowed her brow, as if considering the question for the first time, and after a while, she answered, "Yes."

Xu Qingfan nodded slightly and slowly said, "Prepare yourself over the next few days, calm your mind, and then go into closed-door training to give it a try. At your current level, it’s time to be concerned. Don’t worry about it—back then, I needed three attempts to successfully achieve Core Formation."

Speaking, Xu Qingfan took some spiritual pills from his sleeve and handed them to Ting’er, saying, "These are some spiritual medicines I’ve collected over the years, which can aid you in Core Formation."

Xu Qingfan had long since achieved Core Formation, so he naturally didn’t need to seek out so many spiritual medicines for this purpose. Looking at the several jade bottles in Xu Qingfan’s hand, Ting’er’s eyes revealed a trace of warmth, but she didn’t say much, silently accepting them.

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something else, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly turned his head to look outside the room, sensing an extremely violent aura from outside. At the same time, Little Green’s roar also echoed loudly.

Xu Qingfan seemed to have realized something, his face changed suddenly, and in a flash, he was outside the house, with Ting’er following closely behind.

Outside, Xu Qingfan was surprised to discover that the previous situation had reversed. Bai Yu was advancing step by step, while Little Green, despite growling softly in threat, looked terrified and kept retreating.

What shocked Xu Qingfan the most was Bai Yu’s appearance at that moment.

Bai Yu had somehow grown several times larger, scales appeared on his skin, two long tusks jutted from his mouth, and his eyes glowed with a chilling green light as he approached Little Green.

Xu Qingfan had not anticipated that the threat from Little Green would completely awaken the "Qiongqi" bloodline within Bai Yu, allowing him to begin mastering this power. Bai Yu’s current appearance bore many features of the "Qiongqi."

Although Bai Yu had awakened the power of the "Qiongqi" bloodline within him, his own cultivation level was very low. Xu Qingfan had only taught him some basic cultivation methods, so he was still at the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage. Even with the unleashed bloodline power, he was no match for Little Green. However, the wild aura of an ancient beast emanating from Bai Yu instinctively scared Little Green.

As Xu Qingfan saw Bai Yu continuing to advance toward Little Green with a savage look in his eyes, as if intending to tear Little Green apart, he realized the fierce nature within Bai Yu had overshadowed his rational mind. Xu Qingfan frowned slightly, realizing a lapse in his previous teachings to Bai Yu.

Xu Qingfan took both Bai Yu and Zhang Ningmei as disciples but did not teach them the ways of immortal cultivation directly. Instead, he instructed them to first sense the "Qiongqi" power in their bloodline and refine their Divine Sense before beginning their cultivation journey.

However, Xu Qingfan overlooked the fact that without a foundation in cultivation, Bai Yu, even if he sensed the power within his bloodline, couldn’t control it. This led to the current situation where, although the bloodline power was activated, he couldn’t command it and was instead controlled by its savage nature. If things continued this way, it was bound to lead to disaster.

"Fortunately, it’s not too late, but it seems the time has come to teach Bai Yu the ways of cultivation. However, the cultivation method I know may not suit him. I’ll pass it on to him, for him to slowly comprehend and adapt it to his own style. Among my three disciples, Bai Yu’s path of cultivation appears to be the most challenging."

With these thoughts in mind, Xu Qingfan, without any hesitation, swiftly approached Bai Yu, aiming to grab him before he could launch an attack.

Xu Qingfan didn’t exert full strength, but the power within his bloodline was activated. Bai Yu’s response was quick, and as soon as Xu Qingfan appeared by his side, Bai Yu sensed the overwhelming pressure radiating from him. He abandoned Little Green and lunged at Xu Qingfan, but just as he moved, Xu Qingfan easily restrained him. Xu Qingfan then extended a finger and gently touched Bai Yu’s forehead, causing him to lose consciousness completely.

When Bai Yu awoke again, it was already the following evening. He felt utterly weak, having used up all his strength despite the surge in power from activating his bloodline.

Struggling to open his eyes, Bai Yu found Xu Qingfan sitting by the bed, deep in thought. It seemed he had been quietly watching over him since he lost consciousness, and Bai Yu felt a warmth in his heart.

Then, Bai Yu recalled the scene before he fainted, where he was overwhelmed with power but controlled by a violent energy, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit fearful.

Seeing Bai Yu awake, Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and said, "Remember those sensations before you passed out, but don’t use them carelessly."

After Bai Yu nodded, Xu Qingfan continued, "Additionally, starting tomorrow, you don’t need to focus on the power in your bloodline anymore. Begin your cultivation training with me instead."

After saying this, Xu Qingfan patted Bai Yu on the shoulder and stood up, heading toward the door.

After a moment, the cheerful voice of Bai Yu came from behind. It seems that after becoming Xu Qingfan’s apprentice, the daily experience of feeling the power within his bloodline was driving him nearly mad with boredom.