Qin Hui was expelled from the sect and broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage.
Peak Master gently raised her hand, signaling the two to stand.
Immediately, she looked at Lin Xue, “How are your brother's injuries?”
“Reporting to Peak Master, my brother... he is still unconscious right now.”
As she spoke, Lin Xue started wiping away tears.
Seeing this, Chen Yuan felt a pang in his heart.
At this moment, Peak Master walked to the bedside and began examining Lin Heng's injuries. Upon closer inspection, her expression suddenly changed.
“Star Absorbing Palm? A Direct Disciple palm technique of Yuanqing Peak.”
“That's right, Revered Master. The Elder from the Enforcement Hall came last night and already determined it was done by a Yuanqing Peak Disciple, but we don't know exactly which one. However, I cut off a strand of that person's hair at the time, so they should have caught the culprit by now.”
Peak Master said no more, took out a Medicinal Pill, and placed it into Lin Heng's mouth.
Meanwhile, at the Enforcement Hall.
The Elder of the Enforcement Hall was a white-bearded old man whose cultivation Realm was Middle Stage of Returning to Void, named Jiang Wuya.
Standing behind him were more than a dozen enforcement Disciples.
“Speak, why did you buy the medicinal ingredients for the Rejuvenation Pill?” Jiang Wuya demanded sternly.
Sect Master sat behind him, his gaze sharp as a knife. The overwhelming pressure made Qin Ling tremble.
This incident was too egregious—a Direct Disciple actually attempted to assassinate a fellow Sect member! Therefore, Sect Master personally oversaw the Enforcement Hall to find the true culprit.
“You won't talk?” Jiang Wuya narrowed his eyes. “Only three people in the entire Sect have Cultivated the Star Absorbing Palm technique, and your brother happens to be one of them.”
Qin Ling's voice trembled, “Eld... Elder, I don't know... I don't know what you are talking about.”
“I am giving you a chance to tell the truth. If you remain stubborn, do you know the consequences you will face when the truth comes out?”
Spiritual Qi surged around Jiang Wuya, and the Returning to Void pressure pressed down on Qin Ling like a tide.
“Elder, I... I really don't know.”
“Hmph, incorrigible.” Jiang Wuya snorted coldly, waved his right hand, and a ball of light rose into the air.
Inside the ball of light were the strands of dark hair.
“Someone attempted to assassinate Lin Heng last night, and the only witness was Lin Xue. If you were the killer, would you have killed Lin Xue?”
Seeing Qin Ling remain silent, Jiang Wuya continued speaking to himself, “Why didn't he kill her? Precisely because Lin Xue is someone he cares about.”
“Do you see these strands of dark hair?” Jiang Wuya pointed to the strands floating in mid-air. “We have already captured the person based on their aura, and he has confessed everything. What are you still holding out for?”
Hearing this, Qin Ling suddenly looked up. Had his brother confessed already?
“Speak! If you are only an accomplice, you won't be expelled from the Sect. At most, you'll be sent to Cold Gloom Valley for ten years.”
Qin Ling's body trembled upon hearing the words Cold Gloom Valley, but it was far better than having his cultivation crippled and being expelled from the Sect.
“I'll talk. It was my brother who did it.” Immediately afterward, Qin Ling took out the letter and displayed it before everyone.
Why didn't he burn it? He was afraid that the incident would come to light and implicate him.
“I was just an accomplice, guilty only of failing to report it! He's my brother, what could I do!” Qin Ling wailed.
“Where is Zhou Qiao?”
“Dea... dead.”
Jiang Wuya nodded. “It doesn't matter that the Utility Disciple is dead! After all, she was also an accomplice.”
The next day.
Chen Yuan woke up from Cultivation, and a graceful figure walked into his small courtyard pavilion.
“Senior Sister!” Chen Yuan respectfully bowed.
“Dispense with the formalities!” Qin Shuhan raised her hand, then sat down on a stone stool nearby.
“Senior Sister, what brings you here?” Chen Yuan asked.
Qin Shuhan did not speak, but simply stared at him.
“Do I have flowers on my face?” Chen Yuan joked, touching his own face.
“Junior Martial Brother, I feel like you are quite lucky!” Qin Shuhan's cool voice rang out.
“What do you mean by that?” Chen Yuan asked.
“Qin Meeting had his cultivation crippled and was expelled from the Sect.” Qin Shuhan replied.
“What happened?” Chen Yuan feigned surprise.
Afterward, Qin Shuhan recounted the entire process of Qin Meeting ambushing Lin Heng and planning to win Lin Xue's heart when she was grieving.
Chen Yuan opened his mouth wide in astonishment:
“My goodness! How dare he do that?
Just a week ago I went to apologize to him, and he even invited me to join his team! I saw that he wasn't planning on letting me off, and I was worried sick about what to do, but it turns out he brought ruin upon himself.”
By the end of his speech, Chen Yuan showed a look of pleasant surprise.
“Junior Martial Brother, what have you been doing these past few days?” Qin Shuhan asked casually.
Hearing this, Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Could Senior Sister have guessed something?
“Alchemy. I've been staying in the Pill Refining Room doing Alchemy these days,” Chen Yuan replied.
“Is that so?”
“Of course.” Chen Yuan said, taking out a spirit transformation pill and handing it to Senior Sister. “A Fifth-tier Medicinal Pill, the spirit transformation pill. It's for you.”
“Where did you get this Medicinal Pill?”
“I'm also a Fifth-tier Alchemist!” Chen Yuan boasted, taking out the Fifth-tier Alchemist token.
Qin Shuhan looked shocked. A Fifth-tier Alchemist? How was this possible? How old was Chen Yuan? And he was a Fifth-tier Alchemist?
“It's nothing! I just learned it through Epiphany after Epiphany.” Chen Yuan spoke in a relaxed tone, making the Fifth-tier Alchemist title sound less valuable than a stray dog on the street.
“You haven't been subjected to Possession, have you?” Qin Shuhan couldn't think of any other explanation besides Possession.
Chen Yuan looked speechless. “Senior Sister, your imagination is very rich. If I had been Possessed by a Great Power, I wouldn't even be able to enter the Sect.”
Qin Shuhan nodded, carefully put away the spirit transformation pill, and thanked him, “Then I thank Junior Martial Brother.”
“You're welcome.”
Qin Shuhan, back at her residence, frowned.
She was naturally suspicious and always felt that Junior Martial Brother was involved in this matter. She had intended to probe him, but Junior Martial Brother's answers were impeccable.
Her sixth sense was very accurate; it had almost never been wrong.
Revered Master's sleeping quarters.
“Wow! Revered Master, you smell so fragrant!” Chen Yuan leaned on Leng Youmeng's chest and took a big sniff—an epic inhale.
Leng Youmeng's small face flushed red. She stretched out her slender, jade-like hand and pushed Chen Yuan away.
“Always joking around. What have you been busy with these past few days? You haven't come to see me.”
As she said this, Chen Yuan distinctly sensed a strong hint of jealousy.
“Let's not talk about that for now. Revered Master, have you washed your feet?” Chen Yuan seemed a little anxious.
“Does this Revered Master, at this Realm, still need to wash her feet?”
“That's great then.” Chen Yuan grabbed hold immediately.
All in! All in! All in!
“Mm-hmm, ying...”
The next day, Chen Yuan returned to his residence. With twenty days left until the Heavenly Treasure Secret Realm opened, Chen Yuan decided to go into seclusion and begin striving for a Realm Breakthrough.
Seven days later,
Chen Yuan absorbed seven spirit transformation pills and thousands of High-grade Spirit Stone, raising his Realm to Middle Stage Nascent Soul.
Another ten days passed. This time, Chen Yuan absorbed a full fourteen spirit transformation pills, and his cultivation reached the Late Nascent Soul stage.
Under normal circumstances, even with sufficient resources, people would measure this progress in years. However, with the blessing of the Hongmeng Immortal Body, Chen Yuan was hundreds of times faster, naturally only requiring a few dozen days.
With three days left until the Heavenly Treasure Secret Realm, Chen Yuan rose from his Cultivation.
Although having a powerful Physique meant there was no need to stabilize his Realm, Chen Yuan still needed to adapt to it.