31 Farewell to Zhang Huai

Pockmarked Face and the Scholar both suddenly had a newfound fervor in their eyes, and when they looked back at Qin Chuan, their expressions had entirely changed.

"Junior Brother Qin, do you have any more of those Qi Refining Pills left? I’d like to have one just to satisfy a craving."

"Indeed. I’ve got some things here—perhaps we can trade for one of your sweets."

The two, having watched Steward Xing accept the Barrier-Breaking Pill, could no longer contain themselves after a moment’s silence and began to offer various terms.

Qin Chuan listened, half out of curiosity, but soon felt disappointed—their offerings might be considered valuable in the mortal world, but they were hardly worth a single Barrier-Breaking Pill.

He only had that one pill on him. If Steward Xing hadn’t offered the Wind-listening Talisman in exchange, he would never have parted with it.

He wondered how Master Su had learned of their arrangement, but didn’t dwell on it.

The two realized Qin Chuan disdained their terms and let out long sighs.

Steward Xing, seeing this, could only offer some gentle comfort, as if to make their relationship with Qin Chuan clear.

"You two needn’t worry. As we agreed, so long as you help me break through and I manage to take part in the trial competition one year from now, once I achieve success, I’ll do all I can to aid you both as well!"

Qin Chuan was a little surprised—he hadn’t expected the three of them to harbor such ambitions.

The trial competition was held once every ten years; it had been nine years since the last one, and now there was only a year to go. Unlike the usual sect tournaments, the trial competition was intended for disciples at the sixth to eighth layer of Qi Refining who sought to break through to the Innate Realm.

The cost of participation was immense, and so were the requirements. Each contestant had to submit a hundred spirit stones—something no ordinary disciple could afford. And only those at least at the sixth layer of Qi Refining qualified to register, eliminating most disciples outright.

Considering their positions as stewards, they lacked the qualifications to participate. Stewards were usually older disciples stuck at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, those who had missed the prime years of cultivation and whose prospects were limited.

Some would leave the mountain to live as carefree immortals among mortals, others remained in the sect, waiting for some illusory chance.

Thinking of this, Qin Chuan couldn’t help but respect the three. They hadn’t given up; they still yearned for the Foundation Establishment realm—unlike the steward on Linpu Mountain, whose spirit had been worn away by the years.

Qin Chuan now understood how things stood.

The three had made an agreement years ago: whoever managed to break through or came close to the Innate Realm, the others would spare no effort to help, and after that person succeeded, they would repay the favor.

Xing Hua, Pockmarked Face, and the Scholar had started on equal footing, but the appearance of the Barrier-Breaking Pill upset the balance. The two saw that Xing Hua now had the best chance to break through, so they naturally threw their lot in with him—for helping him was as good as helping themselves.

"Rest assured, Brother Xing. Now that you have the Barrier-Breaking Pill, we’ll do everything in our power to help you succeed. For this next year, nothing else matters." With that, Pockmarked Face made his stance clear, and the Scholar could only grit his teeth and nod in agreement.

"What a pity—Brother Wen Yuan isn’t here today. If he could lend you a hand, Brother Xing, you’d have even more confidence in success."

Qin Chuan was surprised to hear the Scholar mention Wen Yuan, but he kept his expression neutral.

"Wen Yuan had matters to attend to and couldn’t make it today. I’ll visit Jiawen Mountain another time," Xing Hua replied, sounding casual but with a flicker of unease in his eye.

Neither Pockmarked Face nor the Scholar noticed, but Qin Chuan did. Xing Hua concealed it well; ordinarily, Qin Chuan would have been none the wiser, but he’d run into Wen Yuan earlier that day, so the name caught his attention.

At first, Qin Chuan had wondered why Wen Yuan, who was always inseparable from Xing Hua, wasn’t part of their agreement. Now, it seemed something must have happened between them. Still, Qin Chuan had no intention of spending energy to find out what.

After a few more words of polite conversation, the group dispersed.

Soon, only Qin Chuan and Xing Hua remained in the tower; the other two had left as dusk fell.

Qin Chuan drained the last cup of tea. The brew was weak, but its fragrance lingered richly on his palate. Just as he was about to leave, Xing Hua called out to him.

"Junior Brother Qin! Wait a moment!"

"What is it, Steward?" Qin Chuan had already expected Xing Hua would stop him. There was another condition for the competition—he needed Qin Chuan’s help. But since Xing Hua wouldn’t bring it up, Qin Chuan could only pretend to leave.

Xing Hua bowed. "There is one more strict requirement for the Qi Refining trial: you must be an inner sect disciple, or have the sponsorship of one. And each inner sect disciple may sponsor only one person, aside from themselves."

Qin Chuan nodded, understanding. Seeing Xing Hua bow, he returned the gesture. "Rest assured, Steward. If you attain the Innate Realm in a year, I’ll sponsor you."

...

When Qin Chuan left the tower, the sun was already setting, casting long shadows. Looking out over the fields, he was filled with emotion.

As expected, many disciples were still bent over their farm work. A quick glance confirmed Zhang Huai was not among them.

The method for balancing the two energies only worked at midday, when the sun was at its fiercest—Zhang Huai knew this, and would not be tilling land at dusk.

Besides, it was now break time; that blockhead was surely off loafing by the Spirit Spring as usual.

With that in mind, Qin Chuan didn’t head for the spring but made a detour, avoiding other disciples’ gaze. He climbed over the fence, opened the window at the back of the side room, and slipped inside.

He moved like a night cat, light and silent, and knew the place so well that he drew no attention.

Inside the familiar room, Qin Chuan felt a pang of nostalgia. His coarse blanket was still neatly folded on his bed, untouched. This was a room for three: himself, Zhu Ran, and Zhang Huai.

His and Zhu Ran’s beds were always tidy; only Zhang Huai’s covers were forever a mess, heaped carelessly to one side.

Qin Chuan hadn’t come to take anything. There was nothing here he truly cared for—if not for Zhang Huai and Zhu Ran, he would never have returned.

Seeing that his two roommates were still out, he chose not to look for them. For one, he didn’t want to attract attention; for another, after talking with Xing Hua and the others, he felt a sudden, inexplicable drive in his heart.

A year from now, I too will enter the Qi Refining trial!

He settled cross-legged on his bed, palms up, and cleared his mind, circulating his energy.

Ever since the dust energy in his lower dantian had been almost completely purified, his cultivation speed had noticeably increased, but progress still required grinding effort.

After one full cycle, his spiritual energy had only grown by the faintest, almost imperceptible amount. At this rate, without considering bottlenecks, it would take at least three years to reach the Innate Realm.

He felt a touch of bitterness. Destiny—oh, destiny!

Since joining the sect, he’d heard that word every day. He had reached the first stage of Qi Refining ahead of others, but not due to some extraordinary fate—he’d always known that.

Some people couldn’t even manage the basic breath absorption needed to reach the first layer from mortal status. Qi Refining cultivation relied on visualization techniques, as was the case for all—except for Qin Chuan.

He possessed the Mysterious Breath Dust Technique; entering meditation and absorbing energy came naturally, and the mysteries of visualization were as clear as daylight to him. That alone had given him a head start over others.

On top of that, Zhu Ran had hinted he should use the dual-energy balancing method, which further sped up his cultivation. Ultimately, he’d only managed to break through by a stroke of luck.

He had walked many shortcuts others lacked, but still, he was only marginally ahead.

Now those advantages had dwindled. Would he be forced to cultivate slowly and arduously like everyone else? Fortunately, he was now part of the Fu Luan Hall. If he wanted to advance quickly, he would just have to make pills!

Just as he made this decision, there was noise outside the door.

Bang—

Wham—

Both wooden doors were flung open with such force that dust shook loose from the blue tiles above.

"Hey!" Zhang Huai gave a shout. "Caught you! Who are you, sitting on Dog-Egg’s bed?"

He was about to drag the intruder off, but when he saw his face, who else could it be but Qin Chuan?

His broad, fleshy face lit up with surprise, then he burst out laughing. "Dog-Egg, you’re back! Did you bring me any wine?"

Qin Chuan couldn’t help but laugh and call him a sharp-nosed hound. He took a wine pouch from his belt, opened it, and soon the little room was filled with a rich aroma.

"Zhu Ran, quick, help me close the door! Don’t let the others outside smell it, or they’ll all come begging for a taste," Zhang Huai said, hurrying to shut the wide-open window.

Seeing Zhu Ran hesitate, Qin Chuan knew what he was thinking. "This wine is spirit wine from Xiangxi Valley. It’s nothing like ordinary stuff!"

Mundane wines were full of dust energy and were poison to Qi Refining disciples who hadn’t yet established their foundation. Zhu Ran’s caution was understandable.

If it had been ordinary wine, only Zhang Huai the thick-skinned would drink it—just a sip would waste days of effort. Who would risk their cultivation for a moment’s pleasure?

On Qingyang Mountain, everyone ate spirit rice; even the wild game hunted from the hills had to be carefully selected. Only birds and beasts that had unwittingly grazed on spiritual herbs were free from dust energy.

By the time the three were halfway through the wine, their faces were flushed and the atmosphere lively. Zhang Huai bragged at length about how he’d won the favor of the southern disciples and how the female disciples blushed and fled at the sight of him.

Zhu Ran simply smiled and nodded along, looking a little helpless.

Qin Chuan, seeing Zhang Huai in such high spirits, was pleased. But then he changed the subject. "So how come I heard you got thrashed by Lei Ya?"