Chapter Thirty: Seeking Trouble

Dao Sansheng borrowed some spiritual herbs from Chao Xiong and swallowed them instantly. In his dantian, the two yin-yang fish devoured the herbs, which immediately transformed into spiritual energy and vanished. It seemed that this skill could consume spiritual medicine directly—quite convenient. Now that everything was arranged, it was time to prepare to investigate the bottom of the pool.

Without hesitation, Dao Sansheng leaped into the icy pond, a water-repelling pearl tucked in his mouth, and dived beneath the surface. The water was freezing cold, with ice forming all around. He wrapped himself in spiritual energy and kept descending. The deeper he went, the greater the pressure, and the more spiritual energy he consumed. The water grew colder and colder, and the spiritual energy in his dantian was nearly depleted. It was clear the pool was extremely deep; he would have to wait until his cultivation improved before trying again. Dao Sansheng returned to the surface.

Chao Xiong had been anxiously waiting on the shore, and only sat down when he saw Dao Sansheng emerge. It was evident that he himself could do nothing more here; staying would serve no purpose. It was time to notify his senior sister, let her know the task was done, and the two of them could return.

After a brief discussion, Dao Sansheng activated the spiritual mark their senior sister had left behind. Soon, the cave’s entrance opened, revealing a pure and beautiful young woman. Dao Sansheng handed her his storage pouch.

She swept the pouch with her divine sense and said, “You two truly surprised me. I’ll contact an outer sect elder, and you can both leave now.” She cast a transmission talisman, and not long after, a reply arrived. A strange, inscrutable smile appeared on her lips. “All right, you may go.”

Dao Sansheng and Chao Xiong headed out, delighted to see the sun again. Their trip had not been in vain; at least they’d confirmed the pool held something valuable at its bottom. Next time, he’d be sure to claim it.

Meanwhile, several elders of the outer sect were in heated discussion. Ten elders sat inside, all of whom had either failed to form their own foundation within the inner sect or were too advanced in age, and had thus applied for positions in the outer sect—supposedly to contribute to the sect, but in reality, everyone knew they were there to line their pockets before returning to the mortal world once they’d amassed enough wealth.

At the head of the room sat two elders whose bearing was ethereal, yet their eyes were dull and their vitality waning. On either side, two neat rows of four elders sat, tea already half-finished before them, but everyone wore an expression of helplessness.

“The inner sect handed this task to us, but it’s unreasonable. The zombie is immune to magic tools and cannot be controlled with spiritual energy. Sending our outer sect disciples at the Qi Refinement stage is sending them to their deaths. Some people just want to make trouble for us. Grand Elder, why don’t we return the task?”

The elder on the right at the head of the table suddenly opened his half-closed eyes, slammed the table, and said, “This was proposed by the sect master. He claims our outer sect raises so many people but contributes little to the sect. We can’t forge weapons, so even if we lose a few batches, we must take down this zombie. My hands are tied.”

Elder Tong, seated to the right below, lost his temper. “Is there any menial task in the sect not handled by the outer sect? Aside from refining tools and cultivating, the inner sect does nothing. What more could the sect want from us? This is just picking on us!”

All the other elders echoed his sentiment. “Yes! Let’s go to the sect master together and ask him to revoke the order!”

The hall erupted in argument, opinions sharply divided. The Grand Elder insisted on completing the task, while the others demanded to petition the sect master for justice. Amid the uproar, someone suddenly spoke words that stunned the room.

“I have a recommendation. You may not know him, but I believe he is up to the task. Elder Tong knows him as well—I heard about him from my own disappointing son.”

Elder Liu’s sudden interjection silenced the room; all eyes turned to Elder Tong, hoping for an explanation—who was this remarkable individual Elder Liu would recommend personally?

Elder Tong was puzzled. Of all the people he knew, none seemed as formidable as Elder Liu implied. But with everyone looking to him, he had no choice but to ask for clarification. Elder Liu gestured with his right hand and said simply, “Please, Elder Liu, enlighten me. My memory is not what it once was; perhaps you can offer some hints.” He looked at Elder Liu expectantly.

“Do you recall, Elder Tong, a few months ago, you handled a brawl among the disciples? I’m ashamed to say my son was involved in that fiasco. He was bedridden for half a year after being beaten, and only just recovered two months ago. The young man named Dao Sansheng is remarkable—he single-handedly routed my son and more than ten disciples. If that isn’t impressive, I truly don’t know who in the outer sect is.”

Elder Tong then remembered the troublemaking youth, whom he had sent to do hard labor. Now Elder Liu was bringing him up again—clearly, he had no intention of letting the boy off. It seemed Dao Sansheng’s fate was sealed.

He reported, “Grand Elder, that youth was assigned to Fire and Ice Peak to refine materials for artifact crafting. He likely hasn’t finished yet. Perhaps you should consider someone else.”

The Grand Elder fell silent at this, staring into his teacup in deep thought.

Just then, Elder Yang from the Hall of Discipline spoke up, “I’ve just received word from Fire and Ice Peak. Dao Sansheng has completed his task and just left; he’s probably on his way back to the outer sect now. His efficiency in refining is unmatched, even among the inner disciples—a real talent.”

The Grand Elder’s eyes lit up as he abruptly knocked his teacup to the floor and sat up straight, forgetting the broken cup entirely as he stared at Elder Yang.

“He’s returned at just the right time! Bring him here at once—I want to meet this remarkable youth myself!”

Dao Sansheng was on his way back to the outer sect for the second time. The first had been with a senior from the Hall of Discipline, on his way to be punished; this time, he was being released. He wondered if he and Chao Xiong could reclaim the pills owed to them—if not, it would be a great pity.

As they approached the disciples’ quarters, Dao Sansheng saw several disciples standing near his house from afar. He was puzzled—had he and Chao Xiong been gone so long that their place had been taken? He would have to go over and see if his luck was really that bad.

Chao Xiong, seeing the group at their door, grew nervous and nudged Dao Sansheng to walk ahead while he hid behind. The memory of past trouble was still fresh, and he dreaded what might happen now.

The group by the door turned to watch as the two approached, their gazes fixed, as if fearing their escape. The atmosphere grew tense.

As they drew nearer, Dao Sansheng paused, preferring to assess the situation before acting to avoid misunderstanding. Chao Xiong crouched behind him, as if afraid to be recognized and targeted for trouble.

Both groups eyed each other. Then, from among the seven or eight disciples across from them, a youth dressed in pale blue stepped forward. Noticing Chao Xiong hiding behind Dao Sansheng, he looked at him with open disdain.