After an unknown span of time, Lu Sheng slowly forced his eyes open. The cool ground of the sanctuary lay before him—pitted with holes, scarred with the remnants of his past martial arts training. Deep grooves cut across the black metal floorboards, reminders of countless days spent cultivating strength.
“Water…” The word rasped out instinctively. His entire body felt drained, his throat burning as though someone had stoked a fire within it.
The sanctuary was utterly silent. Not a single echo answered him. He was alone—no guards, no attendants, no one who might hear his weakened call.
Lu Sheng planted a trembling hand against the floor and tried to push himself up.
Bam!
His arms gave way instantly, dumping him back onto the cold ground.
“Water…” he whimpered again, a dry, broken plea.
No reply came. The soundproofing here was his own creation—layers of metal and stone packed tightly with cotton-like material. Costly, but nearly perfect at swallowing every sound. And by his strict orders, no one was to disturb this place unless the matter was of utmost importance. Even if he screamed himself hoarse, the guards outside would remain still as statues.
He struggled again, but his limbs refused to obey. Unable to rise, he could only collapse back, panting shallow breaths as he waited for even a sliver of strength to return.
Pain lanced through his thigh, back, and arms—sharp enough to make his vision tremble. When he twisted his head to look, he saw a fine layer of white hair sprouting from the torn flesh of his thigh.
‘Damn it… what sort of demon is that Lord Officiator? His poison is actually this potent?!’ His heart tightened. He activated the Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill, urging the energy to circulate faster, stimulating his waning immune system.
Time crawled. Eventually, enough strength trickled back into his muscles for him to push himself upright. Inch by inch, he dragged his weakened body across the sanctuary toward the food shelf. His fingers fumbled for the water bag, and when he finally gripped it, he lifted it with both hands and drank in desperate gulps—cold, life-giving water pouring down his burning throat.
The concealed shelf was nothing more than a hollow carved into the wall, yet it held everything he needed—food, basic medicinal creams, powders, bandages, and other small necessities.
Lu Sheng retrieved a white paper sachet of medicinal powder. He tore it open carefully and swallowed it with a mouthful of water.
‘Hope this works… Senior apprentice brother’s antidote powder should help,’ he thought. He knew these powders could only counter common toxins; against poisons of a level beyond Bind, they were almost useless. Even so, Lu Sheng shoved sachet after sachet into his mouth, washing each bitter dose down with more water.
He chewed through some dried meat and snacks without tasting them, letting the faint nourishment steady his breath. Once a trace of strength returned, he forced himself to address his injuries.
He started with the worst—his thigh.
A fist-sized chunk of flesh was missing, torn out so deeply that even the connective tissue had been ripped away. The wound was severe enough to nearly crush the bone beneath.
More unnervingly, a layer of white fur had begun to sprout from the raw, bloodied flesh.
Gritting his teeth, Lu Sheng pulled a small knife from the shelf. With a swift, brutal motion, he cut directly into the tainted meat.
“AHH!!”
A ragged scream tore from his throat as blood gushed freely. He carved off the white fur along with a thin slice of muscle beneath it, the pain so intense it made his entire body tremble.
Immediately, he slapped a palm against the wound, forcing the blood flow to halt. With his other hand, he reached for cloth and cotton bandages. He smeared a layer of medicinal powder over the torn flesh and pressed the bandages firmly into place. Then, using his hard body skill, he constricted the surrounding muscles, restricting blood flow long enough for the treatment to hold.
Once the thigh was stabilized, he quickly bandaged the remaining wounds—each one less severe, each one handled with curt, practiced efficiency.
Only when everything was treated did he settle down cross-legged, closing his eyes as he began examining the internal state of his body.
He closed his eyes for just a heartbeat before reopening them, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
‘Shit… this is bad. These injuries are worse than when I pushed Black Fury Skill, and my self-healing is nowhere near enough. Still… at least the Officiator is gone. With him dead, I’m safe for the moment. I’ve proven I can protect myself. And without solid evidence, the Shangyang Family won’t throw me to the wolves.’
Inside, his body was in complete disarray. Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill was almost entirely drained—only a few thin strands of it still circulated weakly within him. What had once surged like a river now trickled like water through a narrow pipe.
Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill had fared no better. Every thread of inner Qi generated was immediately consumed, diverted into healing—suppressing toxins, mending flesh, knitting torn meridians. Each task demanded immense amounts of nourishment.
The only relief he found was in his hardened physique. Thanks to his toughened body, the external wounds were manageable. The true danger lay within.
The twin detonations of his liquefied Qi had ravaged his meridians, severely restricting the flow of energy. As a result, both Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill and Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill recovered at less than a tenth of their usual speed.
Lu Sheng remained seated in the sanctuary, cultivating in silence. He swallowed several pills to replenish what inner Qi he could, and after half a day of seclusion, he finally rose to leave.
He had slain the Lord Officiator, but the price had nearly cost him his life. Remaining hidden away would only worsen his condition. What he needed now were specialized skills and medicine—something capable of treating such deep, internal damage.
Outside the sanctuary, Jade Lotus and another Elder waited with solemn patience. When they saw Lu Sheng emerge, they immediately stepped forward.
“Reporting to Sect Master, Xiao Manor has sent someone to invite you to tonight’s banquet.”
“I’m not going. Tell them I’m in seclusion, training martial arts. If there’s anything important, have them send a letter.” Naturally, Lu Sheng had no intention of walking into Xiao Manor at a time like this.
He had just killed four Emissaries of Ashoka Manor and an Officiator. Showing up now would be no different from handing himself over to be executed.
Jade Lotus nodded and recorded his answer.
“There’s another matter. Sect Master Chen Ying has returned from Wind Twin City. He brought back a young boy—apparently the sole survivor of a family tragedy. It seems he intends to adopt him into the sect.”
“Just arrange for someone to register him. Look into the child’s background; if nothing seems wrong, leave it be.” Lu Sheng had no energy to spare for trivial matters. “Oh, right. What about the External Affairs Emissaries we sent out? Have they returned?”
“Only one has returned… there’s still no news from the others,” Jade Lotus replied softly.
It had been many days with no word. Lu Sheng felt a dull ache building behind his eyes. The fatality rate for External Affairs Emissaries was notoriously high, so the sect’s upper ranks took turns holding the position. This time, it happened to be Internal Affairs Emissary Wang and Elder Ouyang. Who knew what danger they were facing?
Unfortunately, Lu Sheng was now gravely wounded. In his current state, he couldn’t even be sure of defeating an ordinary Single-Vein. If an enemy struck now…
A chill ran down his spine.
Outwardly, he remained calm. With a composed nod, he dismissed Jade Lotus and the other Elder before heading straight toward the Sect’s Martial Proclamation Court.
On the first floor, the old librarian had dozed off at the counter. Aside from a few scattered figures on the lower levels, the Court was nearly deserted.
Without pause, Lu Sheng made his way up to the fourth floor, where the sect stored its recuperation and healing inner-force skills.
Before long, he returned carrying several Strength Proficiency mantras. The Intent Proficiency manual he had ordered an elder to retrieve was also stored on the fourth floor among the sect’s higher-level skills. He gathered them all into his arms and descended.
“Senior Librarian, do you know which inner force skill is best for recuperating from injuries?” Lu Sheng’s breath wavered sharply, and his face—drained of all color—made his condition painfully clear. He didn’t bother concealing it. Instead, he seized the chance to seek the old man’s guidance.
The old librarian blinked himself awake, lifting his head from the counter. With just one glance at Lu Sheng, his expression shifted dramatically.
“You exchanged blows with a Zombie!?”
Lu Sheng froze.
“A Zombie?!”
“And not an ordinary one. At least a Red-Scaled Zombie General.” The old man’s face grew somber. “Sect Master, your irises are tinged with black. Your eyelids have turned faintly purplish-red. There are pale gray spots on your neck. Be honest—has white fur grown on your wound?”
Lu Sheng hadn’t expected the elder to be so perceptive. One glance had been enough to read his condition. With nothing left to hide, he nodded.
“Indeed. Senior Librarian, do you know any method to dispel this poison and treat the wound?”
The old man fell silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
“There is only one possible approach: bathe in large quantities of Nine Villages Lotus Cores. At the same time, take Heat Dispelling Powder four times a day to control the inflammation. Continue this treatment for at least a year. As for how effective it will be—that depends entirely on your recovery rate. But be mentally prepared. The poison of a Red-Scaled Zombie is notoriously difficult to purge.”
Lu Sheng left the Martial Proclamation Court with a heavy heart. He had not expected the Officiator’s poison to be so potent—or so unmistakably severe.
Without delay, he ordered someone to bring him a supply of Nine Villages Lotus Cores and immediately began soaking in the bath. Warmth seeped through his weary limbs, and for the first time since the battle, a wave of comfort washed across his body. It felt as though layers of polluted toxins were being gently drawn out from within him.
His meridians were still far from healed, but the burning pain at his wound had eased noticeably.
After returning to the sanctuary, he retrieved the piece of metal he had taken from the Officiator and examined it once more.
Under the dim, flickering candlelight, the metal’s surface shimmered with a faint dark-yellow sheen. The embossed patterns writhed like tiny serpents dancing beneath the surface. Dense, heavy Yin Qi pulsed from within it.
‘Looks like I’ve got no choice but to rely on Yin Qi if I want to recover from these injuries,’ Lu Sheng thought, narrowing his eyes as he studied the dull yellow piece of metal.
He wiped a bit of blood from his wound and smeared it gently across the surface.
Szzz…
White smoke billowed instantly from the metal as a tidal surge of Yin Qi poured into his body.
The icy coldness drove a low groan from his throat, but he clenched his jaw and endured.
‘Right now, the only thing that will work is rapidly upgrading recuperation skills like Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill to mend my wounds. Fortunately, I got my hands on this much Yin Qi. Without it, I’d be in a far worse state,’ he sighed inwardly, remaining still as the Yin Qi barreled through his meridians.
Time ticked by, breath after breath. Before he knew it, twenty breaths had passed—yet the Yin Qi still surged into him, unstoppable and seemingly endless. By his estimation, at least twenty units of Yin Qi had already been absorbed… and still, the flow from the metal showed no sign of weakening.
It was an experience unlike anything he had encountered before.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Lu Sheng’s mind—the Divine Weapon shard Zhang Peng had mentioned.
‘Could this really be that so-called Divine Weapon shard?’ The possibility jolted him.
The Yin Qi continued pouring into him for a full fifty breaths before the flow slowly thinned, weakening bit by bit until it finally faded away.
‘At least fifty units…!’ Lu Sheng had been tracking it meticulously. The realization sent a burst of excitement through him. This was an unexpected, astonishing harvest.
“Deep Blue!”
He needed to extrapolate and upgrade Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill immediately. His wounds had to be treated as soon as possible. If word spread about how weakened he truly was, someone would surely seize the chance to strike—especially the umbrella girl.
The Scarlet District had always held the Noble Families in contempt; they owed Shangyang Family no loyalty. In truth, Shangyang Family’s presence in the Northern Lands was only nominal. They would never send more than a handful of experts this far north. Even the appearance of a prodigy like Shangyang Jiuli was little more than coincidence.
With a soft swish, the pale blue frame of the Modifier materialized before his eyes.
His attention locked onto Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill.
To his surprise, it was only at Level Four. After all this time, his Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill had already been liquefied and advanced to the Ninth Level, yet this amalgamated life-force technique—the very skill that had carried him through the beginning—remained at only Level Four.
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