Chapter Fourteen: The Aura of Dark Malice

A faint sizzling sound echoed as the middle-aged man collapsed before Xu Zhe, dissolving into a swirl of black mist, leaving behind only a severed arm. Xu Zhe sighed, helpless and a little exasperated.

With the best of intentions, he had reached out to help the man to his feet, even expending a trace of his newly recovered, precious spiritual energy to ensure he had enough strength. Who could have guessed that the man would recoil in agony and attempt to flee with such desperation? The tug tore his arm clean off, and the man instantly dissolved into a plume of black smoke, vanishing on the spot.

Ah, these fiendish spirits are only at the Qi Refining stage; perhaps their intelligence is still lacking, unable to comprehend my goodwill. Next time, I must remember to announce myself in advance: I am a good person and mean no harm.

Xu Zhe sat cross-legged where he stood, reflecting inwardly as he absorbed spiritual energy to recover. Around him, the black mist seemed suddenly agitated, surging and roiling before rushing toward him.

"The Yin-fiend energy—quite suitable for tempering the flesh," he mused, unsurprised, keeping his eyes closed as the dark energy streamed into his nose and mouth, then seeped back out from every pore.

According to the cultivation method of the "True Vitality Demon-Sealing Canon," all the energies of heaven and earth—be it spiritual, yin, yang, or fiendish—could be absorbed, each an essential component in cultivation. In truth, it was an extraordinarily complex art; though powerful, it was by no means easy to master. It encompassed the tempering of the body, the cultivation of the spirit, and numerous combat techniques, as though fusing myriad arts into a single, seamless whole.

However, what Xu Zhe had obtained was merely the general outline, containing only the methods for advancing one's level and refining the physical body. Other offensive techniques and means of cultivating the spirit were only named, without detailed instructions. For Xu Zhe, however, this was already more than sufficient. Techniques for attack and spirit cultivation could be learned elsewhere, but the methods for advancing cultivation and tempering the body were truly invaluable and irreplaceable.

Exhaling deeply, Xu Zhe soon opened his eyes and rose to his feet. His spiritual energy was completely restored. The Yin-fiend energy left behind by those spirits had also been absorbed, tempering his body. Though there was no obvious change, he sensed a subtle improvement.

After all, this was a young body with a bone age of ten thousand years, further nourished by dragon blood—naturally strong. It was like a piece of untouched metal: no matter how many times you beat it with a wooden stick, it would never show a scratch. And if that metal were to strike the wooden stick, it would take some effort and repeated blows to break it. But once the metal was forged and tempered into a weapon, it could easily cleave the stick into pieces.

Such was Xu Zhe’s current state: though his body was far stronger than an ordinary person’s, it had yet to undergo true tempering. The "True Vitality Demon-Sealing Canon" was the perfect solution, allowing for simultaneous advancement in cultivation and physical refinement.

"According to the cultivation methods of the Celestial Domain, the path from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment involves opening minor acupoints—a total of 108. The next stage, the major acupoints, numbers 365. To follow the orthodox path of cultivation, one need only open the acupoints corresponding to the chosen technique. On the path of body refinement, however, one must not only temper the flesh but also open all the body’s meridians and acupoints."

"My physical state is unique. All 720 acupoints have long since been opened. On top of that, I have absorbed dragon blood and undergone comprehensive tempering. This is a constitution forged after birth, and with a bone age of ten thousand years, both its strength and potential are extraordinary."

Xu Zhe stroked his chin, turning the matter over in his mind. The path of body refinement was arduous. In the early stages, one trained the skin and bones, then strength, then the flesh and blood. Only afterward did one open the acupoints: 720 in total, divided into nine stages, with every three stages forming a realm—thus, three great realms.

The first realm, with 240 acupoints opened, was called Iron Bones, equivalent in strength to the Qi Refining stage. The second, with 480 opened, was Silver Body, akin to Foundation Establishment. The third, with all 720 opened, was Golden Body, corresponding to the Core Formation stage. Of course, this was only a rough equivalence for ordinary cultivators; in reality, when facing true prodigies, it was impossible to predict who would prevail.

Xu Zhe found himself in a unique situation: he had not trained his skin or bones or strength, but his flesh and blood had been nourished by dragon blood. Yet his 720 acupoints were already fully open.

"In other words, if I focus on tempering my body, I can leap straight to the Golden Body realm? And if I then refine all 720 acupoints once more, I’ll achieve the First Transformation Tyrant Body, equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage?"

Through his deduction, Xu Zhe made a startling discovery: he was shockingly close to Nascent Soul-level strength!

Good heavens, truly remarkable. For others to reach the Nascent Soul stage in a hundred years would make them a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy. But if I focus solely on the path of body refinement, I could surpass that in less than three years?

"It's tempting, though the body refinement path is unstable in the later stages. Still, that doesn’t stop me from practicing it alongside orthodox cultivation."

A smile crept onto Xu Zhe's face. An upright man should cultivate the "True Vitality Demon-Sealing Canon," pursuing both spiritual cultivation and physical refinement.

Now, it was time to seek out more of those fiendish spirits—an opportunity not to be missed, to borrow a little more Yin-fiend energy from them.

With this thought, Xu Zhe strode forward, heading for the main street.

Soon, as he passed a narrow alley, he heard the faint sound of crying—a girl’s voice, ethereal and tinged with grief and despair.

Xu Zhe extended his spiritual sense. Sensing it was not a human, he was delighted and hurried over. But as soon as he entered the alley, the crying abruptly ceased.

In the dark, eerie corner crouched a young woman in disheveled clothes, glancing back at him. In the next instant, her expression changed, and she turned to flee.

Xu Zhe gaped in surprise. Was this fiendish spirit afraid of him, too? Could she have been near the Qian estate just now?

"Miss, please don’t be afraid. I am Xu Zhe, a decent and honest man. I won’t harm you," he called, quickly giving chase, moving with ghostly swiftness.

"Stay away—don’t come any closer!" the woman shot back coldly, not pausing for even a moment, her voice tinged with anger.

It had been a hundred years since she last emerged—her rare chance at freedom. Though she hadn’t seen a human cultivator for centuries, this time was different. A human youth at the Qi Refining stage, yet a monstrous prodigy, had appeared. The fiends at the Qian estate were all comparable to Foundation Establishment, and together could defeat even a mid-Foundation cultivator. Yet this youth, all on his own, had crushed them with ease—they hadn't survived even a few rounds.

"Miss, we must have some sort of misunderstanding," Xu Zhe called from behind, still in hot pursuit, his tone earnest.

The woman didn’t look back, darting through streets and alleys. Misunderstanding? Little did he know that many of their companions had witnessed everything outside the Qian estate. She had arrived later, only to see him fighting Laifu. Laifu had died a wretched death—his neck broken in several places. Though he deserved it for his foul mouth, it was still a grim sight.

She kept fleeing, her strength not inferior to the Qian estate fiends, all with power akin to Foundation Establishment.

A fiendish spirit intent on escape was not easily caught—Xu Zhe, try as he might, could not close the gap.

"In the end, there really is no trust between humans and fiends," Xu Zhe finally gave up the chase.

His own strength was simply too weak—he hadn’t even completed Qi Refining, and these fiends were masters of evasion. If he kept chasing, he’d run out of energy before ever catching up. Of course, if he abandoned righteousness and unleashed his berserk side… No, no need for that. He was new here; harmony was best.

"Ah, old madam, do you want to cross the street? Stay right there, I’ll come help you," Xu Zhe called as he exited the alley, spotting an elderly woman with snow-white hair hesitating across the street with her cane.

But as soon as she saw him, her face changed dramatically. With a clatter, she threw down her cane and sprinted away with the speed of a seasoned athlete.

Xu Zhe froze, then immediately gave chase, shouting, "Old madam, let me be frank: just lend me a little of your Yin-fiend energy. I won’t harm you. If I become an Immortal Emperor one day, I’ll repay you a hundredfold!"

"Wait for you to become Immortal Emperor? Like hell I believe you!" the old woman shouted, her temper fiery, and vanished at the end of the street.

Xu Zhe paused, then beamed with joy. She couldn’t have vanished into thin air—could there be an entrance up ahead? Could these fiends have emerged from there?

With this in mind, Xu Zhe hurried to where the old woman had disappeared, expanding his spiritual sense and scanning the area with his eyes. Yet he found nothing at all—his senses still weren’t strong enough.

"Never mind. I nearly forgot, fiends' true forms are formless, and their entrances might not correspond to physical objects. Even if I found it, I might not be able to enter."

Xu Zhe shook his head. Tonight, aside from absorbing some Yin-fiend energy, he had gained nothing else.

No matter. He would return to the Heaven’s Chosen Pavilion to cultivate and come back again tomorrow night.

Turning to leave, he passed the spot where he had met the old woman and noticed the cane she had dropped. Xu Zhe halted in his tracks.

In the faint moonlight, the handle of the cane glimmered. Approaching, he saw it was not a glow, but a dense haze of Yin-fiend energy radiating from it.

Xu Zhe gasped. Embedded in the cane was a small piece of black metal, ancient in appearance, exuding a powerful Yin-fiend aura.

He recognized it at once: Taiyi Geng Metal. Though barely the size of a fingernail, it was an exceptionally rare and precious treasure even in the Celestial Domain.

Remarkable, truly remarkable. The books were right—some fiends really do possess priceless treasures.

Xu Zhe pried the black metal from the cane and examined it closely. It appeared to be a fragment of some artifact, showing signs of having been forged. One side bore faint engravings, while the other was inscribed with a slender, delicate character—"Fire."