10: Chapter 10 Elder, arrogance has become obsolete.

Elder Zhao's eyebrows furrowed.

That strand of Spiritual Qi lingered at the blockage for a moment before retreating. Elder Zhao let go of his hand and looked at Xie Feng, his gaze turning somewhat complicated.

"Someone has poisoned your body."

Just as expected, Xie Feng thought to himself.

"What poison?" he asked next.

"meridian-blocking powder. This medicine is quite rare, originating from the Western Wasteland," Elder Zhao said in a low voice. "It's a medicine specifically used to cripple a person's Meridians. Put into food and drink, it's colorless and odorless. The victim won't feel anything at all, except that their Meridians will gradually become blocked, their speed to Cultivate will become slower and slower, and eventually, they will be completely crippled. Judging by the extent of your Meridian blockages, this medicine has been given to you for at least three years."

Three years.

The original owner was thrown into the remote courtyard—it happened to be three years.

"Can it be cured?" Xie Feng asked.

Elder Zhao did not answer immediately.

He looked at Xie Feng, his gaze carrying a hint of pity, but more so, annoyance.

"Curing it is not difficult," Elder Zhao finally said. "Although the medicinal properties of the meridian-blocking powder are toxic, they are not without a solution. It's just that having been blocked for a long time, the Meridians have already atrophied somewhat. After dredging them, they will need to be gently nourished for a period of time to recover."

He paused for a moment.

"Your original Aptitude was not a single Meridian."

Xie Feng raised his head.

"The meridian-blocking powder blocks the Meridians, but it did not cripple your talent. You actually have six Meridians opened in your body, it's just that five of them were blocked to death by the medicine, preventing Spiritual Qi from circulating." Elder Zhao's voice was calm and ordinary, giving off the déjà vu feeling of an elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctor. "Six Meridians cannot be counted as a Genius, but it's not bad either. Upper-middle tier."

"Lie down," Elder Zhao said.

Xie Feng came back to his senses: "What?"

"Lie down! On the stone bed over there." Elder Zhao pointed to a stone bed against the wall. "The process of dredging the Meridians will be a bit painful. Endure it."

Xie Feng walked over to the stone bed and lay down. The stone was very cold; even through his clothes, he could feel that chill drilling into the cracks of his bones. Elder Zhao walked over, stood beside him, and looked down at him.

"This old man will ask you one thing."

"Please ask, Elder."

"That palm strike of yours, how on earth did you hit a perfect score?"

Xie Feng fell silent; he could not tell the truth.

This Elder was a good person; he hadn't even told Tu Ziguan, so it was even less possible to tell such an Elder.

"I don't know," he said.

Elder Zhao looked at him for a moment, but did not press further.

After all, everyone had their own secrets.

He withdrew his gaze and pressed his palm onto Xie Feng's Dantian.

"Endure it."

A warm surge of Spiritual Qi poured out from Elder Zhao's palm, resembling molten iron poured into Xie Feng's Meridians.

That strand of Spiritual Qi pushed forward along his single Meridian, pushed straight to the blocked area, and directly slammed into it.

"This Elder is petty!" Xie Feng's body suddenly arched.

That molten iron directly blew open Xie Feng's internal drainage system, dredging everything inside with boundless, matchless mighty power.

Then came the second Meridian.

The third.

The fourth.

The fifth.

Xie Feng did not know how much time had passed.

Consciousness shattered and reassembled in the pain, reassembled and shattered. He heard someone shouting, and after a while, he realized it was his own shouting; he was already dazed by the pain.

The pain suddenly stopped.

Xie Feng collapsed limply on the stone bed, his entire body soaked through.

He gasped heavily, as if his chest cavity had been stuffed with an inflated balloon, and his entire chest looked as though something had propped it open.

Clear!

As smooth as not going to the bathroom for three days and then violently drinking prune juice!

Five new Meridians opened simultaneously within his body. Spiritual Qi surged out from the Dantian, split into six streams, flowed into the six Meridians at the same time, then circulated along their respective paths, and finally reconverged in the Dantian.

The circulation speed of Spiritual Qi was more than ten times faster than before. One Meridian had become six, and the operational speed of Spiritual Qi was calculated by multiplication!

Every Meridian was a passage. With six passages operating simultaneously, both the flow rate and total volume of Spiritual Qi multiplied several times. Xie Feng lay on the stone bed, feeling the unfamiliar yet familiar flow of Spiritual Qi within his body, and suddenly felt his nose stinging slightly.

Grievance.

"I originally didn't have to suffer this month of torment. Coming late—damned Elder Liu!"

Someone had tampered with his body.

Three years.

Elder Zhao withdrew his palm, his complexion a bit paler than before.

Dredging the Meridians obviously consumed a lot of his Spiritual Qi. He looked down at Xie Feng and let out a rough breath.

"The Meridians are now cleared. For the next month, do not force Cultivation; let the Meridians recover on their own. A month later, your speed to Cultivate will return to normal. With the Aptitude of six Meridians, you can just Cultivate normally."

Xie Feng propped himself up on the stone bed and sat up. It hurt like death, but he still stood up and gave a bow to Elder Zhao.

This time it was sincere.

"Many thanks, Elder Zhao. Such kindness cannot be repaid; this Disciple in the future..."

Elder Zhao waved his hand to interrupt Xie Feng, his tone indifferent: "No need to thank this old man. You are a Disciple of the Qingyun Sect, and your Meridians were poisoned. As an Elder of the Sect, stepping in is a matter within my duty. Besides, this is originally your talent. This old man looks down upon petty, sneaky scoundrels the most in his life."

He thought for a moment.

"However, this old man still has one thing to say."

Xie Feng raised his head.

Elder Zhao looked at him, his gaze no longer holding skepticism and displeasure, leaving only the unique kindness of an elderly person looking toward a Junior.

"Pu Huai giving you a perfect score, this old man still hasn't figured it out until now," he paused for a moment. "But Pu Huai has managed the outer court examinations for twenty years without a single mistake. The issues between us have nothing to do with you, and Pu Huai would not use innocent Disciples for factional struggles. Remember this: if he says you are worthy of heavy responsibilities, then you are worthy of heavy responsibilities."

He turned around, walked back behind the long desk, and reopened the yellowed booklet.

"Go back. A month later, come to Lingshu Pavilion for a follow-up visit."

"Elder, tsundere is already out of style."

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

"It's nothing. I just feel that Elder Zhao is brilliant, mighty, and miraculous in bringing the dying back to life—simply the model of the Sect and the backbone..."

"Fine, fine, fine, hurry up and get lost, you glib-tongued brat."

When Xie Feng walked out of Lingshu Pavilion, the sky had already turned dark.

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, shining on the bluestone ground and casting a faint silver hue. He stood at the entrance of Lingshu Pavilion, lowering his head to look at his hand. A cluster of spiritual light lit up in his palm, no longer the faint, trembling light from before that was almost invisible.

The six Meridians operated simultaneously, the spiritual light stable and bright, illuminating his palm transparently.

An angry scold rang out from behind.

"You are not allowed to circulate it!"

Xie Feng immediately withdrew the spiritual light, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and walked back.

Walking halfway, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the moon in the sky.

Yog-Sothoth's gaze was still there, but Xie Feng suddenly felt that that gaze didn't seem so unbearable anymore.

He had gotten used to it.

Moreover, he suddenly had another choice; he didn't have to rely solely on Yog-Sothoth. He could Cultivate on his own, grow stronger, and survive in this damn world.