26: Chapter 26 Becoming an Apprentice

The Thunder Emperor sneered, and the temperature throughout the entire realm of thunder seemed to drop several degrees.

"Do not covet such shortcuts. The path of cultivation requires sweat and dedication every single day; you must rely on yourself.

The Dao of Fierce Thunder that I pass on to you presents a trial of life and death with every step forward. If you plan to use the black lotus to slack off, you had better abandon that thought right now."

Wang Shouren bowed his head and did not argue further.

But after a moment of silence, the Thunder Emperor snorted again. Though his tone remained cold, he still finished his thought.

"However, the wonder of this black lotus goes beyond what you imagine. Once you reach Minor Achievement in the Ten Directions Fierce Thunder Transformation and gain initial control over it, if your clan members are severely injured or their cultivation is stuck at a Bottleneck, you can use the feedback power of the black lotus to lend them a helping hand.

Your boast about granting immortality to your entire clan might actually be somewhat achievable, but remember that can only happen after you have mastered it completely."

The black lotus could even have such a miraculous use?

He had originally thought it would only benefit himself slightly. If this was true, the future development of his Family really could not do without this black lotus.

The Thunder Emperor had truly done him a huge favor by removing this hidden danger and preserving only the core, valuable part.

Wang Shouren slowly stood up straight, took three steps toward the figure, and solemnly fell to his knees.

There were no impassioned speeches during his prostration, nor effusive words of gratitude.

He simply pressed his forehead against the Void Realm where the sea of thunder churned.

"Disciple Wang Shouren bows in gratitude to Revered Master."

...

Wang Clan Fish Shop, back courtyard wing room.

Qian Zhong stood guard by the bed, his brow deeply furrowed.

Wang Shouren lay on the couch, having been unconscious for two full days and a night.

What surprised him was that the thin wisp of black Qi on the young Revered Master had dissipated on its own for some unknown reason. That terrifying aura had vanished without a trace as well, returning him to his usual modest, gentlemanly demeanor.

"Strange... Why did that Devilish Qi dissipate on its own?"

Qian Zhong muttered softly to himself and reached out to touch Wang Shouren's forehead. It felt warm to the touch, his breathing was steady, and though his spiritual aura was somewhat weak, it was no longer chaotic.

"Could it be that the young Revered Master suppressed his own demonization?"

He stood up and paced back and forth twice in front of the bed.

There were not many workers in the fish shop to begin with. Over the past few days, to prevent anyone from snooping in the back courtyard, he had temporarily dismissed all the workers.

Right now was peak season for spirit fish. Every year around this time, the shop would sell at least three to four thousand Spirit Stones' worth of goods.

Now with the shop doors tightly closed, he could not shirk responsibility if the Family held him accountable for this loss.

But compared to the young Revered Master's safety, none of this mattered.

"The Clan Head saved my life. For the sake of that kindness, even if I lose my job as shopkeeper, I will accept it. But..."

What truly weighed heavily on his mind was another matter.

A hundred years ago, there were not three major Sects within Yue State, but four.

The Spirit Sword Sect, Lingdan Sect, Baihua Sect, and a Tiexue Sect.

Later, the Tiexue Sect somehow obtained a profound Demonic Technique. The entire Sect Cultivated it, and their strength surged rapidly, at one point threatening to crush the other three Sects.

After the matter was exposed, the three Sects joined forces to eradicate them. The entire Tiexue Sect, along with three Cultivation Families allied with them by marriage, were rooted out overnight—not even the dogs and chickens were spared.

From then on, the three Sects' suppression of evil and demonic Cultivators became extreme. Once discovered, they would directly destroy all related forces, never allowing a single demonic Cultivator to appear within Yue State again.

If the black Qi emitting from the young Revered Master had been seen by someone with ill intentions and spread around, the Wang Family would be finished.

Not just severely damaged, but finished in the same way as the Tiexue Sect.

Just then, a very faint groan came from the bed.

Wang Shouren's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Unfamiliar roof beams met his sight. As he pushed himself up to sit, the soreness across his entire body made him gasp.

"Young Revered Master, you're awake!" Qian Zhong quickly went forward to support him.

"Shopkeeper Qian?"

Wang Shouren was stunned for a moment. Looking around, his gaze fell upon Qian Zhong's face, which clearly showed he had stayed up for several nights.

"Why are you here? Didn't I... lock myself in the secret room?"

Qian Zhong looked at him with a complex expression: "Young Revered Master, don't you remember?"

Wang Shouren shook his head. His memory stopped at entering the secret room and receiving the Thunder Emperor's teaching.

As for what happened after entering the secret room, he could not remember at all.

Qian Zhong was silent for a moment, then explained everything that had happened from start to finish.

The more Wang Shouren listened, the paler his face became. By the end, a layer of cold sweat had soaked the back of his robe.

The aura of the black lotus had leaked, and while he was completely unconscious.

Qian Zhong was one of their own, but those two workers... He dared not think further.

If outsiders had been present at the time, if that black Qi had been captured by high-level Cultivators in the city using detection methods, or if someone with bad intentions leaked the news...

The fate of the Wang Family could easily be imagined.

"Uncle Qian," he took a deep breath, his voice raspy, "thank you."

Qian Zhong shook his head: "Young Revered Master, why speak like that?"

Wang Shouren looked him in the eye and asked earnestly,

"Uncle Qian, when you charged in and saw that black Qi, weren't you curious? Weren't you afraid?"

Qian Zhong was silent for a moment, then admitted frankly, "Young Revered Master, to say I wasn't afraid would be a lie. That black Qi... was very similar to the aura of a demonic Cultivator I saw when I was young.

But regardless of whether you are Cultivating a Demonic Path Cultivation Technique, I, Qian Zhong, accept it. Back when the Clan Head picked me up from the mass grave, I was a ruined man with only half a breath left—five Spiritual Roots, no background, no resources. To even reach the threshold of Qi Refining in this lifetime would already be a blessing from my ancestors.

The Clan Head not only saved my life, but also gave me this job, supplying me with more monthly Cultivation resources than some collateral members of the Family. For this debt of gratitude, even if you truly fell to the Demonic Path, I, Qian Zhong, would still stand by you."

At this point, he paused, his tone growing somewhat heavy.

"There is just one thing I must ask forgiveness for. Those two workers... I took it upon myself to kill them. Handling the aftermath might prove troublesome.

They were both locals of Wanshan County with Family and relatives. If they remain missing for too long, people might come investigating, and it will inevitably stir up gossip."

Wang Shouren fell silent for a moment, then said slowly,

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. You did the right thing, Uncle Qian. If there is trouble, I will personally explain it to my father and Sixth Grandpa."

He now had a newfound appreciation for Qian Zhong in his heart.

This shopkeeper who usually dozed behind the counter seemed unremarkable, but at a critical moment, he was far more reliable than many elders of the Yao generation.

He reached out his hand, circulated his Cultivation Technique, and slowly released his internal spiritual energy outward.

A pale blue spiritual light illuminated his palm, clear and pure, carrying the sharp charm unique to thunder-attribute Cultivation Techniques without a single trace of Devilish Qi mixed in.

"Uncle Qian, look."

He allowed the ball of spiritual light to remain in his palm for a few breaths before retracting it back into his body.

"I am not Cultivating a Demonic Technique. Rather, when I was ambushed on Qinhu Mountain, I inadvertently obtained a Magical Artifact that I didn't have time to inspect closely then.

Today I intended to refine it, not expecting that the item actually belonged to a demonic Cultivator and nearly affected my mind. Now, I have already destroyed it."

This excuse was made up on the spot, but it sounded completely plausible.

Loose Cultivators possessed all kinds of strange items; finding a relic left behind by a demonic Cultivator was entirely normal.