Chapter 231: The Immortal Path is Long, One Leaf, One Step on a Ladder

“I still have to go back,” Qin Haoxuan said, rubbing his nose. “But this time should be correct. I really should find a place to cultivate in seclusion for a while and then return. I have to go back to the sect eventually; I can’t just wander around outside forever.”

With their decision made, the three of them left the stone mountain. After all, this had been the Mountain Hermit Yunhe’s former territory, and there was no telling when he might return. To avoid running into him, Qin Haoxuan decided to take a wide detour and find a hidden place to cultivate for a period of time.

They walked for about a day, covering a distance of about five hundred li. Even though they were cultivators, they were still exhausted.

Qin Haoxuan finally found a hidden cave on a mountain peak in a desolate mountain range. The cave wasn’t large, but after he and Xing worked on it a bit and laid down some straw, it could barely be considered a grotto-abode.

The environment here was so poor that Lan Yan wrinkled her nose with displeasure. But seeing Qin Haoxuan’s contented expression, she didn’t say much more. She could see that although Qin Haoxuan’s strength was the weakest, even Xing obediently listened to him.

Qin Haoxuan found a corner and sat down cross-legged to meditate. The hatred of Master Chi Lian and the law of the jungle in the cultivation world gave him an indescribable sense of urgency. He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible, or he would just be meat on someone else’s chopping block.

Seeing him begin to cultivate, Xing also started to meditate. Although Lan Yan was full of reluctance, she had no choice but to find a clean spot and begin her own cultivation.

After growing his sixth leaf, Qin Haoxuan’s Sea-Gathering Art had already reached the third level, the highest realm that could be achieved with the first half of the manual. At the same time, he felt that the circulation of his spiritual energy had slowed down when he used the art. Before, when he had circulated it, his dantian had felt like an ocean, and his meridians like great rivers flowing into it, the process constantly increasing his strength.

In cultivation, there is no sun or moon. Twenty-five days passed.

During these twenty-five days, besides spending a small amount of time sleeping and eating, Qin Haoxuan spent all his time circulating the Sea-Gathering Art. By now, he had finished his Qi-Circulating Pills, but thankfully he still had a lot of powder. Although the speed of his spiritual energy circulation and absorption was a bit slower, he could still clearly feel that he was about to sprout another leaf.

On the twenty-eighth day after arriving at the cave, ripples of spiritual energy emanated from his body. Another green leaf, also with seven veins, had grown on his immortal seedling.

He had reached the Seventh-Leaf of the Spirit Sprout Realm.

To reach this realm in just a year was something other weak seed disciples wouldn’t even dare to dream of, yet he had done it.

Sprouting a new leaf should have been a joyous occasion, but for some reason, he couldn’t feel happy at all.

“Why is it that after I’ve sprouted a new leaf, the cultivation speed of the Sea-Gathering Art my Master taught me has become so slow?” Qin Haoxuan seemed to be muttering to himself, and also seemed to be asking Xing, who was beside him.

Before asking, he had already tried several times. He discovered that when he circulated the orthodox Daoist art, his strength no longer increased. Before the Seventh-Leaf, every time he had circulated it, he could feel it slowly improving his realm. But after breaking through, he had circulated it for half a day, yet he didn’t feel the slightest bit of improvement. According to his Master’s speculation, he should have been able to cultivate this art to at least the Twentieth-Leaf. Why was it that he could no longer advance after reaching the Seventh-Leaf?

Xing thought for a moment and said, “Could it be because you’re cultivating the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art? The advancement of that art requires a supplementary orthodox Daoist art. After you broke through to the Seventh-Leaf, your Sea-Gathering Art can no longer keep up with its rhythm.”

The moment his words fell, Lan Yan, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, leaped to her feet. Her beautiful, watery eyes were shining with a brilliant light as she stared fixedly at Qin Haoxuan and shouted, “You know the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art? You’re cultivating the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art?”

Qin Haoxuan looked at the extremely agitated Lan Yan with a wary expression and cautiously nodded. “Don’t be so excited. Let’s talk things over calmly.”

“You… can you teach me the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art?” Lan Yan’s eyes were shining, completely oblivious to how excessive her request was.

The Dao Heart Seed Demon Art! How could she possibly remain calm? In the words of the elder she revered most, this art was a peerless technique that combined the essence of both the righteous and demonic paths. It was a pity it had been lost after the immortal-demon war. Now, to learn that this unremarkable and weak cultivator was actually practicing it, the shock in her heart simply could not be described with words.

“If you teach me the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, I can trade you many spirit stones, magical artifacts, and cultivation arts. I’ll give you whatever you want!” she said, her face flushed with excitement, her sincere expression looking as if she would dig out her own heart for him.

Qin Haoxuan had never expected that she would also know of this art, and from her fervent gaze, he could see that her passion for it was no less than Xing’s. The art was his own unique secret; of course he was not willing to part with it. He shook his head without a second thought. “The things you’re willing to trade are surely not of good quality. I wouldn’t trade the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art with you for them.”

Seeing him refuse so decisively, Lan Yan grew anxious. “Come with me to my home. I’ll take you to my family’s treasure vault. You can take whatever you like. How about that? If you don’t find anything you like, I won’t force you. I guarantee there will be something you like in there.”

Qin Haoxuan gave her a very materialistic look. “I go home with you, to your territory. What if you don’t trade with me and just rob me instead?” It wasn’t that he was judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person; the law of the cultivation world was the law of the jungle. Even the elders of his own sect were not exempt from it. On what basis should he trust a girl he had just met by chance? Just because she was beautiful? No matter how generous another person’s conditions were, one had to be alive to enjoy them.

He no longer paid any attention to her. He stood up and said to Xing, “Let’s pack up and prepare to find the other disciples of the Taichu Sect. My current cultivation art can no longer advance. There’s no point in staying here any longer.”

What could Xing say? Of course, he would follow his opinion. And Lan Yan, after learning that he was actually cultivating the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, became a hundred times more compliant, without a single complaint. So, when he said he wanted to leave the cave where they had been cultivating for a month, it was passed with a unanimous vote.

They left the desolate mountain range and returned to the main road.

“It’s been a month, and the war is still not over,” Qin Haoxuan sighed softly, looking at the refugees fleeing north on the road. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion. “I wonder how many more innocent people have died in the flames of war.” If he hadn’t joined the Taichu Sect, and the war had spread to Datian Town, he would surely be just like these refugees, forced to leave his home and migrate to a place untouched by war.

But fortunately, his hometown was not within the scope of this war. His parents should still be living a peaceful life in Datian Town. Although he missed his family and could not forget his promise to Senior Brother Pu to visit his hometown, now was not the time. He had to find the main group of the Taichu Sect’s “Entering the Mortal World” trial as soon as possible and find a way to obtain a new orthodox Daoist art. If he could not quickly increase his strength, he, at the bottom of the cultivation world, would be just like these mortals, unable to decide his own fate. Wherever there are people, there is the law of the jungle.

His lament did not affect Xing or Lan Yan. In the eyes of Xing, who was from the Netherworld, these mortals were not even considered food, just ants. Their life or death did not concern him. And Lan Yan, who had been born into a cultivation sect and had only ever interacted with cultivators, had also naturally developed a high and mighty attitude. She could not naturally empathize with his feelings.

From the mouths of the refugees, they learned that at a place called Seven Zhang Abyss, a hundred li to the south, an army of the Soaring Dragon Nation and a rebel army were in a standoff, and both sides had many High Immortals in their camps. Following their directions, the three of them went straight there.

One didn’t even have to think to know that the High Immortals in the Soaring Dragon Nation’s army had to be disciples of the Taichu Sect. Although he was uneasy in his heart, afraid of running into Master Chi Lian, he had to find the main group. He couldn’t just not return to the sect because he was afraid of him.

After walking for half a day, the three of them arrived at Seven Zhang Abyss. This place was a gentle slope, with a seven-zhang-high ravine on the other side, from which it got its name. In the hilly south, it was the most suitable place for a decisive battle within a radius of several hundred li. By now, the battle between the two armies had reached a fever pitch. The rebel army had gathered many cultivators, and the cultivators of the Taichu Sect had also come here, among them the team led by Deputy Hall Master Ximen Sheng. Qin Haoxuan had originally been a member of that team.

When he arrived, he saw the banners of the two armies obscuring the sky, their camps stretching for a hundred li. The two forces were in a standoff on the vast plain, with occasional small-scale conflicts. Because both sides were relatively restrained, although the atmosphere was tense, it had not yet reached the point of a decisive battle. And the cultivators in the two camps would also occasionally come out for a fight. Like the mortal armies, everyone maintained a considerable degree of rationality and restraint, and the fighting was not too intense.

Seeing the Soaring Dragon Nation’s army camp from a distance, he thought of Master Chi Lian’s terror and couldn’t help but take out the Thousand-Mile Talisman and hold it in his hand, ready to activate it at any moment. Xing also had a tense expression. The moment Master Chi Lian appeared, he would immediately transform into some small thing, attach himself to Qin Haoxuan, and run for his life.

Arriving near the camp, the three of them were stopped by a patrol of soldiers.

“Please inform your commander or the High Immortal in charge that a disciple of the Taichu Sect who was separated from the group has arrived.” Qin Haoxuan showed the jade pendant that represented the Taichu Sect, and a soldier hurried to report. After the soldier had left, the hand with which he was clutching the talisman was sweating. If the one who came out was Master Chi Lian, he would flee without hesitation.

Soon, a familiar figure, led by a soldier, came riding over on a horse. From a distance, he leaped from his horse and put on a friendly and amiable smile. He said to Qin Haoxuan, “Junior Brother Qin! Junior Brother Qin! We’ve been waiting for you!”