Chapter 31: Testing and Thinking
After Ren Xiaqi led Luo Xuanyi to the reception building, he hurried back to find Sikong Qian. The tea-serving puppet brought the teacup and quietly retreated to a corner. The puppets in the Guiqi Pavilion were clearly more sophisticated and flexible than those in the Danxin Pavilion, but Luo Xuanyi still couldn't understand the principle that allowed a soulless puppet to become so spiritual.
Luo Xuanyi's purpose in coming here was to learn if there was any way to obtain the Guiqi Pavilion's texts on puppetry and other related subjects. She needed to master these materials to find a true way to survive. Perhaps, just like the generosity of the Danxin Pavilion on Ruoyu Peak towards the medicine boy, disciples of the Guiqi Pavilion could also gain something unattainable to outsiders?
But Shen Ranming clearly couldn't meet her expectations. After she finished half a cup of tea, Shen Ranming trudged upstairs. His black hair was stained with dark blue and brown-red mineral powder, and his sleeves were scorched from being near the fire. More importantly, Shen Ranming's cultivation level remained virtually unchanged, which made Luo Xuanyi frown.
In search of a way to overcome the shortcomings of the initiation, Luo Xuanyi naturally scoured every available source. According to her knowledge, Shen Ranming, after receiving the initiation, would undoubtedly have made rapid progress after practicing the Zang Yao Sect's unique Qi-inducing technique, the "Styx Guiding Technique." Yet, who would have thought he was still stuck at the ninth level of Qi training, not much different from a few months ago. If Luo Xuanyi could cultivate, relying solely on the various mental techniques within the Zhaojian Palace and the countless supporting elixirs refined by the Danxin Pavilion, she could achieve a rapid breakthrough.
Realizing that he might have taken things outside Danxin Pavilion for granted, Luo Xuanyi had to suppress his original thoughts and become more cautious.
Shen Ranming opened his mouth to cough, but he swallowed it back, unwilling to show weakness in front of Luo Xuanyi. He had certainly noticed a change in Luo Xuanyi, especially in her control of spiritual energy. During their battle a few months ago, he had vaguely sensed the exquisite flow of her spiritual energy, which had made him wary of her, but the sight today terrified him. Luo Xuanyi's spiritual energy flow was completely restrained, as if she hadn't even arrived at the Zang Yao Sect yet. How had she managed to do this in just a few months?
"What's the matter?" Shen Ranming asked first, his tone stiff. He simply hoped to use Luo Xuanyi to overcome his inner demons. After all, she was just a pitiful person with only a few years to live. Even if Shen Ranming felt resentful about his slow cultivation progress, he could use her as a comfort to know that he still had a lifespan and a shared path. It would be best if they never crossed paths again.
He didn't notice that his original forbearance had been worn away by the days of refining equipment in the darkness. His anxiety and eagerness to escape from the current situation were clearly displayed in front of Luo Xuanyi.
Luo Xuanyi could naturally see his rejection, but she didn't care. Her calmness and the contempt of others were both good things. She had to know whether Shen Ranming could become the important person in her plan. His desire was a loophole.
Luo Xuanyi deliberately and slowly scanned Shen Ranming's body with her eyes, disappointment and disdain revealed in her eyes.
"I came here to confirm something, but it seems you're so engrossed in refining weapons in the lower chamber, with no desire to improve yourself, that there's no need for me to talk to you." Luo Xuanyi uttered a harsh remark, standing up to leave. It wouldn't matter if she just walked out like that; after all, if even her courage had been completely eroded, then there would be no point for Luo Xuanyi to engage in a conversation.
Shen Ranming felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over his head. He shuddered and suddenly realized something.
"Wait, what opportunity are you talking about?" Thinking of Luo Xuanyi's transformation, he quickly spoke to steady her. Regardless, Luo Xuanyi's transformation was immediately noticeable. Unlike his own lack of progress, she must have had some opportunity. Furthermore, in his mind, Luo Xuanyi wasn't impulsive and unplanned, but more like a cheetah masterfully planning its prey. Her attitude seemed more like she had expectations for his cultivation and progress. What did she want from him?
Shen Ranming, who was currently unable to access any opportunities, desperately wanted to find a way out, a chance to leave the bottom pavilion and become a true disciple of the True Lord Bei Lian. Now, this opportunity seemed to be right in front of him, within his grasp.
Luo Xuanyi calmly took control of the initiative, firmly grasping his gambler's mentality. She stopped and turned back: "Before we talk about this, I need to know why your cultivation has not made any progress?"
This topic hit Shen Ranming's sore spot, and it was equally important to Luo Xuanyi. Even if the hope was slim, the only thing to do now was to confess to her.
"I don't have access to any secret manuals other than the basic guiding techniques and mental methods. I can only learn the cultivation of these two volumes by myself." Shen Ranming almost gave up on himself when he spoke. He originally thought that he might be able to find an opportunity to turn things around soon, but the reality was that in order to meet the weapon refining indicators, he sometimes couldn't even complete a full cycle of breathing.
Following his narration, Luo Xuanyi finally pieced the facts together. Taoist Hua Shen's completely open and responsive attitude toward his disciples was clearly unique to the Zang Yao Sect, though the price of this was also a high mortality rate. The other elders essentially recruited a large number of people first, hoping that a talented individual would emerge even if left alone. They could gain a mentally resilient and accomplished disciple without any effort, and then providing them with resources for training would be more efficient.
For example, the Guiqi Pavilion stored most of its tomes in its library. Only disciples of the Guiqi Pavilion and those who had made a certain contribution could apply to read them, and copying required an additional contribution point. The two taps Ren Xiaqi made on the wooden sign outside the compartment when he went to inquire about Shen Ranming's whereabouts were contribution point deductions. Even if he could, he wouldn't dare ask the Ruoyu Peak disciples to pay, because Ruoyu Peak disciples and inner sect disciples didn't need to use contribution points.
In addition, elixirs, weapon refining blueprints, and so on all require redemption. Disciples of the Guiqie Pavilion can only receive a set of mental skills and the materials for a matching weapon for free once: after practicing the Daoyin technique, when their senior brothers come to teach them and guide them on the path of cultivation. Shen Ranming's needle was broken by Luo Xuanyi, and now he has no weapon.
As a disciple at the lowest level, still in the Qi training stage, Shen Ranming's daily labor took up the majority of his training time, yet he didn't even have time to earn Contribution Points. He barely had time to practice, so how could he possibly earn Contribution Points? Without Contribution Points to acquire elixirs and various texts to improve himself, he could only stay in the lower pavilion, refining equipment, and so on and so forth. This was essentially the rule for all of Zang Yao Sect except Ruoyu Peak, with only slight variations in details.
This matter was extremely difficult to handle. Luo Xuanyi had originally thought that Shen Ranming could freely browse the books of the Weird Instrument Pavilion, and even directly obtain the experimental files of the Sad Refining Master like she did. She had not expected that he would now find it difficult to escape from the Di Pavilion, let alone the Sad Refining Master.
"Then how can one become the disciple of True Lord Bei Lian?"
Shen Ranming subconsciously lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming slightly, "Spiritual roots and strength. I have dual spiritual roots of fire and earth, so my potential is fine, but my cultivation progress is lagging behind. As long as I can quickly break through the Qi training stage and reach the foundation building stage, I will be accepted as a disciple of the True Lord Bei Lian."
This was within Luo Xuanyi's capabilities. With her knowledge and the elixir library that was effectively open to her, as long as she ignored the elixir poison, she was fully confident that she could quickly push him to the Foundation Establishment stage. The elixir poison wouldn't affect her in any way. But was it worth the investment?
As she thought about it, she realized that Ren Xiaqi's image was actually closer to the person she had envisioned. It was just that their time together was too short, and Luo Xuanyi couldn't trust him. As for Shen Ranming, there was no trust between them based on their character, but they were both people who were willing to sacrifice everything for their own interests. If they used it with caution, perhaps they could discover unexpected results?
Luo Xuanyi thought about it and made a decision.
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