Sacred Tree's Spiritual Essence
1738 Words
Yu Yang Zhenren spoke in an intimate tone, but Mu Qiuhan felt a chill creep up her spine.
If she hadn't long known how ruthless this person was—caring nothing for the lives of her own disciples—she might have actually been deceived by the seemingly affectionate master-disciple scene before her.
Mu Qiuhan glanced at the person sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion and instinctively did not want to get too close.
She bowed slightly toward Yu Yang Zhenren. "Thank you, Master. Your disciple will stand while speaking."
Yu Yang Zhenren was momentarily stunned but seemed quite pleased with Mu Qiuhan's respectful attitude.
She snorted softly through her nose but did not insist that Mu Qiuhan sit beside her.
"Han'er, you are truly remarkable. I, as your teacher, have not misjudged you."
"Tomorrow is the selection tournament. Before you leave, there are some matters I must instruct you on. Once you enter the inner sect, your visits back to our Dongtian Peak will be few and far between."
Mu Qiuhan responded obediently, "Yes, Master."
"Han'er, your spiritual power is of the Wood element. According to tradition, you will most likely become a medical cultivator and be assigned to Yulong Ridge."
"Remember, once you enter the ridge, you must first make contact with your senior sister, Qin Ziyan."
"Fifteen years ago, your senior sister became a disciple at Yulong Ridge. She is very familiar with the situation there and will help you get to know the other disciples of our Dongtian Peak."
"When your senior sister left, you were not yet my disciple. Here is a portrait of her—study it carefully, so you don't mistake her for someone else later."
Mu Qiuhan stood respectfully and looked at the portrait quietly without a word.
Seeing her attentive posture as she absorbed her elder's instructions, Yu Yang Zhenren continued.
"Han'er, you forcibly raised your spiritual power by several levels using the Marrow Cleansing Pill. After this, you must stabilize your cultivation realm—do not rush."
"Although your aptitude is decent, your spiritual root is only mid-grade. It will be difficult to stand out among the inner sect disciples in the future."
Mu Qiuhan had long sensed the cultivation talent of this body. If she truly had exceptional innate ability, she wouldn't need to rely on such pills to boost her cultivation forcibly.
Seeing Mu Qiuhan's thoughtful expression, Yu Yang Zhenren thought she might be disheartened, so she comforted her, "Do not be too discouraged. There are high-grade cultivation techniques for spiritual roots within the inner sect. If you are fortunate enough to learn them, breaking through the limits of a mid-grade root is not impossible..."
Mu Qiuhan found this somewhat amusing.
Though pills can aid cultivation to some extent, spiritual roots are innate and determine the highest level of spiritual power a cultivator can reach. If it were that easy to change, then anyone could reach the Great Ascension or even transcendence.
Though she had seen the techniques Yu Yang Zhenren mentioned, such high-grade methods are so rare that not even the entire Demon Realm could produce a second copy. Even if the Taiqing Immortal Sect had them, they certainly wouldn't lightly teach a mere ordinary disciple.
These words might fool naive children, so Mu Qiuhan cooperated smoothly, "Master, please rest assured. Your disciple will not give up. Once I enter Yulong Ridge, I will diligently cultivate and strive to break through my spiritual root's limit to bring honor to you."
Yu Yang Zhenren nodded.
"Ambition is good. But Han'er, I have one more important task for you."
Seeing Mu Qiuhan's nervous expression, Yu Yang Zhenren smiled, "Do not worry too much, the task is simple."
"Once you enter Yulong Ridge, you must treat your senior sister Qin as me and obey her instructions in everything."
"Your senior sister will arrange matters for you and coordinate with other Dongtian Peak disciples to complete our plan."
"This concerns the survival of our Dongtian Peak lineage—remember this well."
Mu Qiuhan was bewildered.
A plan? What plan? And one concerning survival?
She didn't recall Rou'er ever mentioning this.
She hesitated but dared not ask outright, fearing the old woman's suspicion.
Just as she prepared to respond vaguely, her heart skipped a beat.
Damn, she almost ruined everything!
This woman had come specially today and set up a formation to convey this matter face-to-face. Surely, the original owner of this body did not know about this before?
Perhaps only disciples who enter the Five Ridges have the right to know this plan? That's why Rou'er never mentioned it?
After some pondering, Mu Qiuhan gritted her teeth and decided to take a risk.
She bowed again toward Yu Yang Zhenren.
"Your disciple is slow-witted; please, Master, enlighten me."
Yu Yang Zhenren glanced sideways at her, seeming somewhat displeased.
"Haven't I already said? Just obey your senior sister in everything."
It seemed to be confidential.
Mu Qiuhan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had guessed correctly.
"Master, your disciple worries about acting confused. If one day I accidentally disrupt the senior sister's arrangement, it would ruin your great plan."
Yu Yang Zhenren was taken aback.
She thought for a moment, then waved her hand, "Very well, there's no harm in telling you."
"Our Dongtian Peak cultivation methods have flaws. Disciples practicing our peak's techniques suffer varying degrees of damage to their heart meridians."
"At first, this damage isn't obvious, but as spiritual power increases, the feeling worsens."
"No disciple has reached the Transformation Spirit stage in our peak over the years because of this."
"But Senior Sister Hualan did succeed in breaking through to the Transformation Spirit stage, didn't she?" Mu Qiuhan asked in confusion.
She remembered Rou'er mentioning this and spoke casually.
Shu Hualan was the peak's most accomplished disciple in over fifty years. She not only broke through to Transformation Spirit but became a favored apprentice of an elder in the Zi Yang Hall.
However, she mysteriously died when only one step away from becoming an elder herself.
Mu Qiuhan recalled Rou'er's words describing Shu Hualan as formidable, young, and talented, praised by the main peak elder who almost promoted her. The respect in her tone was unmistakable.
Rou'er also said Shu Hualan was Yu Yang Zhenren's first disciple. Upon hearing of her death, Yu Yang Zhenren was heartbroken for a long time.
Thinking this, Mu Qiuhan's heart skipped a beat.
Damn, she might have said too much!
She quickly looked at Yu Yang Zhenren.
Her expression was calm and unreadable, but Mu Qiuhan instinctively sensed displeasure.
She hurriedly corrected herself, "Master, your disciple was wrong. I should not have mentioned Senior Sister Hualan and caused you sadness."
"Enough," Yu Yang Zhenren waved her hand. "It's been over twenty years since your senior sister left..."
She sighed and stared at the void for a moment.
"The world says your senior sister died because she made enemies while vying for the elder seat and was forcefully interrupted during a crucial practice, severing her heart meridian."
"I carefully examined her body. She did die from a severed heart meridian. But only I know, it wasn't revenge for the seat—it was an old ailment of our Dongtian Peak."
"You don't believe me?"
Seeing Mu Qiuhan's doubtful look, Yu Yang Zhenren pointed to her arm.
"Try injecting your spiritual power into the Quze acupoint and see what reaction you get."
Mu Qiuhan tensed.
She had just learned to circulate spiritual power and was still inexperienced. Would Yu Yang Zhenren detect anything odd if she tried in front of her?
But with that woman watching, she had no choice.
Mu Qiuhan took a deep breath and recalled the formula she had just memorized.
She concentrated spiritual power at her right fingertip and pressed on the lateral edge of her left elbow crease, at the Quze acupoint near the biceps.
A sharp pain instantly spread from the Quze upward to her chest.
Her expression turned grim.
She withdrew her hand and asked Yu Yang Zhenren, "Master, is there really no cure for this ailment?"
Yu Yang Zhenren brushed the dust off her robes, "This is exactly what I want to tell you."
"In the main peak's Zi Yang Hall, there is a nominal elder outside the nine great elders—named Shang Ningye."
"Because she usually does not meddle in peak affairs and is often absent, many young disciples do not even know she exists."
Shang Ningye?
Mu Qiuhan had ruled in the Demon Realm for a while but had never heard of such a figure in the Immortal Sect.
A nominal elder? Probably not very powerful.
Yu Yang Zhenren seemed to notice her doubt, "Though her cultivation is not high, her constitution is very special. Her blood has healing and heart-nourishing properties. If we can use her blood to refine pills, it will help our Dongtian Peak disciples pass this tribulation."
Mu Qiuhan pondered Yu Yang Zhenren's words.
"So, Master wants us to gain Shang Ningye's trust and obtain some of her spiritual blood?"
She was confused.
Blood was not rare for the demon clan, nor had she heard that losing blood would reduce cultivation.
Seeing her confusion, Yu Yang Zhenren explained,
"Yes and no."
"Shang Ningye's blood is precious, but only her heart blood can cure heart ailments."
So that's it.
Taking blood might be easy, but heart blood is another matter. Few would willingly have their heart blood taken for strangers.
So Yu Yang Zhenren planned to forcibly take it?
Mu Qiuhan carefully asked, "Then, what exactly is the Master's plan?"
Yu Yang Zhenren's eyes flashed sharply.
"If our Dongtian Peak disciples can get close to Shang Ningye and win her trust, then when she is unprepared, slip a special d**g powder into her tea to control her."
"Then, the heart blood can be taken freely—how much we want, how much we get."
Mu Qiuhan was stunned.
Yu Yang Zhenren's plan was to have disciples approach Shang Ningye, poison and imprison her, then extract her heart blood to refine pills?
These Immortal Sect people fancy themselves righteous, but their methods are far more vicious than the demon clan!
Demons respect strength and would forcibly take what they want, never scheming so deviously.
Mu Qiuhan's gaze toward Yu Yang Zhenren grew colder.
If such a person were in her Demon Realm, she'd have been dead long ago.
- Writer
