"Awoooo!"
Accompanied by a muffled, furious roar echoing through the Daoist hermitage, bearing its dying struggle, a strongman unleashed everything it had.
The noise lasted for a moment.
Only when the storm had passed and the strongman's outburst subsided did the main doors of the hermitage gently open, and a neatly dressed Daoist Nun You strolled out.
In her grasp was a strongman riddled with countless wounds. As a tool, it was clearly totaled, its supposedly invulnerable body utterly ruined, without even the lingering capacity to cast spells to regenerate. Yet even so, the expression on the strongman's face remained serene.
There was even a hint of joy.
For reaching this stage, Daoist Nun You had favored it immensely; as a strongman, its value as human livestock had received the ultimate validation.
Not far away, Wang Ping watched with his scalp tingling in dread.
He had witnessed the intense battle from start to finish, and the ruined fellow was without question the finest of the ten strongmen.
Especially its consummate Qi Restriction.
'Invulnerable to blades and spears...'
Wang Ping was one hundred percent certain that even that old bastard Shouchong's throwing daggers—which could shatter an artificial hill—would not have left a single scratch on it.
What was this?
'A tool-like strongman who can only serve as coolie labor for disciples in an immortal sect could easily be invincible under heaven if placed in Dashun?'
This was no longer a mere gap.
It was an outright chasm.
Like heaven and earth, destined never to intersect. Just comprehending it was enough to drive someone to despair, and it made Wang Ping feel increasingly anxious and uneasy.
'If this continues, I'll only follow in its footsteps.'
Six days had passed since he became a strongman. During this time, Daoist Nun You picked a random strongman each day to spar with her.
Wang Ping had naturally been chosen once, but his quality as a strongman was middling. While not the worst, he was far inferior to the one now completely scrapped. Even exerting his utmost effort, he could not satisfy Daoist Nun You's needs, so he had only sparred with her once.
Yet just that single time.
The resulting tool wear and tear had forced him into a system shutdown for three days. He had only barely recovered yesterday, and his physical state remained in a slump.
'Looking on the bright side.'
'At least by lying bedridden for three days, frantically circulating Qi Restriction to repair the wear and tear, my mastery of this spell improved tremendously. A blessing in disguise, you could say.'
Wang Ping found joy amidst his misery, pondering in his mind:
'The art of Qi Restriction converts essence, qi, and spirit into true qi. Its effects, from lowest to highest, are stopping bleeding and regrowing flesh, mending bones and reconnecting sinews, and invulnerability to blades and spears.'
'In this body as a strongman, the knowledge of Qi Restriction was directly etched into my instincts at the beginning of the forging process. Ordinary people learning this spell have to start from stopping bleeding and regrowing flesh and advance step by step, whereas I didn't need to study it deliberately at all—my baseline reached the highest level of invulnerability.'
This was a blessing, but also a curse.
The advantage was naturally that learning the spell cost nothing. The drawback was that everything relied entirely on the strongman's body; stripped of it, he would be left with nothing.
'Fortunately, things are different now.'
'I have completely grasped the essentials of casting Qi Restriction. Even without the empowerment of a strongman's body, I'm confident I can cast it again.'
Of course, its effectiveness would be drastically reduced.
It would certainly be impossible to reach the realm of true qi body-protection and invulnerability to weapons, but stopping bleeding and regrowing flesh should be no problem. At any rate, it was a practical skill.
'That's fine too. Once I return to Dashun, with this skill of stopping bleeding and regrowing flesh, I can at least pass myself off as a miracle doctor and never have to worry about food or drink again...'
Right then.
"Thud!"
Inside the storeroom, Daoist Nun You tossed the battered strongman aside with a casual flick. It landed on the floor, the light in its eyes fading away amidst lingering joy.
Meanwhile, Daoist Nun You paid it no heed. Her unsatisfied gaze swept across the other strongmen, and she finally picked out another one.
Seeing this, Wang Ping hesitated no longer.
'...Time waits for no one.'
The reason he had survived the past six days was that the highest-quality strongman had shouldered the brunt of it, absorbing most of Daoist Nun You's exploitation and the risk of death.
And now, it was scrapped.
'The remaining strongmen are far inferior to it. I doubt they can last even a single day. If this goes on, my life and death will hinge entirely on sheer luck.'
He might be chosen by Daoist Nun You tomorrow and squeezed until he died suddenly, or perhaps the day after tomorrow, or the day after that. Whichever day it was, death was ultimately inevitable, and the countdown until then was merely cruel torture. At that thought, Wang Ping strained with all his might to overcome his dread.
Time ticked away.
The sun sank in the west, and as darkness fell, the cries echoing through the hermitage subsided once more. Evidently, the strongman she had just taken away had also been broken by Daoist Nun You.
'Now is the time!'
Wang Ping felt a rush of excitement. According to his observations over the past six days, Daoist Nun You entered a relatively long period of stillness after every sparring session.
Even more importantly—
'Midnight has passed. The seventh day is finally over!'
Submerging his consciousness into the Great Peace space and seeing the Fiend from Beyond on the towering tome finally restore its luster, Wang Ping nearly lost his composure and burst into tears.
'I lack nothing now!'
Without a doubt, this was the optimal moment to flee.
If he succeeded, he could explore the world of the immortal sects from another perspective; if he failed, he could take the Qi Restriction spell and return to the Dashun Dynasty to stomp novices.
'Risk it all—tonight I leave!'
With that thought, Wang Ping immediately focused his attention on his body, sensing his hands and feet. The entire process felt like dispelling numbness from his limbs.
"Move for me...!"
His consciousness drove his limbs and bones, bypassing the strongman talisman imprint within him... At last, Wang Ping forced open his eyes and stiffly stretched his limbs.
'It worked!'
Though a crushing weight bore down across his entire body, he had succeeded in gaining the ability to move without triggering the strongman talisman imprint.
What he needed to do next was simple.
'Run!'
First leave this damned hermitage, then find a nearby spot to dig a hole and bury himself, shut down into dormancy, and lie low for half a year to a year before coming out.
This was Wang Ping's entire plan: crude, direct, and heavily reliant on gambling on luck. Yet it was the only method he could think of. Staying in the hermitage meant certain death anyway, so he might as well take his chances fleeing... Wang Ping took a step toward the outside of the storeroom, filled with anticipation.
Yet right at that moment—
"Interesting."
That familiar tone—soft and enchanting—sounded as if she had been standing behind him the entire time, whispering like a lover in his ear:
"The goods from Heaven and Earth Pavilion really fail quality inspection after all."
"Just how much did that vermin pocket?"
"A mere strongman refinement, and they didn't even purge the raw material's memories completely... Excellent. Afterward, I'll demand a hefty compensation from them."
"..."
Wang Ping's body abruptly stiffened. He turned his head slowly, only to see Daoist Nun You under the hazy moonlight, radiating an aloof aura, staring straight at him.
'Damn it all!'
Wang Ping did not utter that wail aloud, yet Daoist Nun You seemed to catch his thoughts and even patted his shoulder gently:
"Actually, one can't blame you. You didn't have many options after all, and escaping was the only viable path. But whatever you could think of, I naturally thought of as well. That is why I set a trap targeting this very thing from the outset. Under these circumstances, if I still couldn't catch you, I would be utterly useless."
At these words, Wang Ping understood completely.
'So that's how it is. The period of stillness after sparring was a smoke screen. In reality, after every session, this venomous woman secretly staked out the storeroom...'
Waiting by the stump for the rabbit to come!
Wang Ping flared with exasperation. A grand disciple of an immortal sect actually plotted against him, scheming over a mere tool-like strongman. Where was the justice in that?
Who pits their wits against a tool?
At this thought, all hope died in Wang Ping's heart, and he was no longer afraid. He simply shut his eyes. Instead, Daoist Nun You had a trace of curiosity in her gaze.
"Do you... have anything else to say?"
Wang Ping shook his head, looking resolute. "Nothing more. Do what you must, and be quick about it."
"Very well."
With those words, Daoist Nun You formed an incantation gesture, activating the strongman talisman imprint within Wang Ping's body and instantly severing his control over his limbs.
However, she was in no hurry to destroy this defective strongman. After all, she still had to seek compensation from Heaven and Earth Pavilion, and knowing that vermin, they would never pay up without concrete evidence right before their eyes. Thus, Wang Ping still had some value to her.
'What should I do next?'
Having settled a worry, Daoist Nun You was in good spirits and began contemplating how to maximize her gains. After all, it wasn't easy to get leverage over Heaven and Earth Pavilion.
'I must blow this up!'
'A mere defect in refining a strongman—even if Heaven and Earth Pavilion admits it, it's just a minor issue. They could brush it off by tossing a few dharma coins as compensation.'
How could that do?
Soon, Daoist Nun You formulated a mental draft:
'Shocking! Supreme Bliss Immortal Peak disciple You Xuexin recently uncovered a premeditated undercover conspiracy launched by the Fan Realm against the immortal sects!'
'Under the guidance of her venerable master Mingyou, You Xuexin fully demonstrated the exemplary role of a true disciple. With steadfast faith, absolute loyalty, and keen intuition, she discovered a Fan cultivator who borrowed a mortal body, disguised himself as a strongman, and infiltrated the immortal sect with the intention of stealing critical secrets.'
'Investigation has confirmed that this Fan cultivator employed exceedingly cruel methods.'
'The primary method of infiltration was possessing a mortal body, while Heaven and Earth Pavilion, which refined him into a strongman, was negligent in its quality inspection and failed to detect his presence...'
A moment later, Daoist Nun You nodded with satisfaction.
'This is much better.'
Subpar quality in a strongman would at most warrant a slap on the wrist, but allowing a Fan cultivator to slip into the immortal sect was a grave matter—at the very least, severe dereliction of duty.
When the time comes, it would be best to stir up public opinion and make the issue as scandalous as possible. In any case, there really was an issue with the strongman. With just a little steering, public sentiment would naturally lean in her favor, exerting pressure on Heaven and Earth Pavilion to force them to submit.
Next was fabricating the evidence.
Thinking of this, You Xuexin glanced once more at Wang Ping, who was in a frozen state. 'Hmm, merely saying he is a Fan cultivator with words alone isn't convincing enough.'
Need to add some substance.
After all, the immortal sect would definitely send people to investigate such a matter. Some evidence linked to Fan cultivators had to be left behind; otherwise, framing him wouldn't be very convenient.
After pondering for a moment, You Xuexin reached into her sleeve.
Next, she withdrew a gleaming golden scripture from her robes. On the cover were characters penned in flamboyant calligraphy, faintly shifting with kaleidoscopic hues:
Heavenly Scripture of Other-Transformation Governing the Desire Realm!
This scripture was obtained after You Xuexin slew a Fan cultivator during a previous Sword Contest between Immortals and Fan. It was only an incomplete fragment, but it was specifically targeted at her Supreme Bliss Immortal Physique.
"What 'indulging in pleasure is emptiness'—crooked, evil heresy!"
As a loyal true disciple of the immortal sect, You Xuexin naturally loathed the immortal sects' longtime rival, the Fan Realm, and completely rejected its philosophy.
The reason she had kept this cultivation method was primarily that it touched upon aspects of dual cultivation and supreme bliss, offering her complementary insights for her own cultivation. Furthermore, the material of the scripture recording the technique was quite fine, and she intended to recast it when refining dharma treasures in the future.
'I'll use this.'
You Xuexin formed an incantation seal and chanted, gradually drawing out the profound mysteries from the scripture. For a moment, serene, distant Buddhist chants and Sanskrit intonations seemed to echo all around.
"Go!"
Immediately, the verses of this cultivation technique from the Fan Realm were forcefully poured into Wang Ping's mind by You Xuexin, compelling him to memorize their contents.
This way, the charge of him being a Fan cultivator spy was nailed down solid.
Just as You Xuexin was reveling in satisfaction and already scheming how to extort Heaven and Earth Pavilion, Wang Ping suddenly began to twitch in her grasp.
"Hmm?" You Xuexin lowered her eyes.
What was happening?
Before her eyes, Wang Ping's body repeatedly burst with brilliant rays of light, dense cracks abruptly surfacing across his face as his expression grew increasingly agonized.
"Is this... rejection? Impossible. Even if the raw material used to refine the strongman retained residual memories, it would at most be personality fragments. For rejection to occur, the persona must be exceptionally complete and highly independent... What kind of joke is this? Did Heaven and Earth Pavilion not even bother processing the material...?"
In a flash, the light grew increasingly violent.
"...Not good!"
Only then did You Xuexin realize what was happening. Her expression shifted, and she quickly altered her incantation gesture, attempting to extract the newly infused scripture.
Yet it was too late.
In the next second—
"Boom!"
Accompanied by a deafening blast, Wang Ping's body exploded amidst the dazzling light, flesh and blood disintegrating before dissolving without a trace, as if he had never existed at all.
Only You Xuexin was left standing where she was.
The unexpected turn of events left her lovely face utterly stunned. Only after a moment did she register it, her features twisting at a visible rate.
"Suicide?"
"Not only was his persona intact, but he was bent on dying?"
Her leverage was dead, her extortion plan ruined, and her dream of striking it rich shattered in an instant. The staggering contrast made You Xuexin completely lose her composure.
Moreover, she discovered that with Wang Ping's sudden death, the verses of the Heavenly Scripture of Other-Transformation Governing the Desire Realm that she had just infused into his mind did not return. Instead, they had perished along with him, and even the physical scripture that bore the text lost its mystical essence, crumbling into pieces bit by bit.
In other words.
After all that tossing and turning, not only had she gained nothing, but she had also lost a strongman and a priceless cultivation scripture?
*Clang!*
Inside the Daoist hermitage, accompanied by a clear, resonant sword chime, a brilliant sword light surged straight into the heavens, cleaving yin and yang and sundering dusk from dawn, lingering between heaven and earth without dissipating for a long time.
Chapter 7