Chapter 36: The Sect’s Past, the Seventh Elder

After seeing off Lin Shimeng, Qin Xiao took the Sect Competition reward given by the sect and came to Yun Man’s door.

“Disciple, it’s me. I’ve brought you some cultivation resources.”

Qin Xiao held the Storage Bag in his hand, but since he could not examine its contents himself, he simply handed it over to Yun Man.

“Master, I was waiting for you to call me. If Lin Shimeng had dared to cause trouble, I would have stepped in.”

Yun Man had not actually begun cultivating. She too had sensed Lin Shimeng’s arrival and had been watching from inside her room.

“Ah, it’s fine. Your master keeps such a low profile—why would Senior Sister Lin make trouble for me? These are the rewards from the last Sect Competition. Take them all. Oh, there’s something called a Nascent Formation Pill inside too. It should be very useful to you.”

With that, Qin Xiao handed the Storage Bag to Yun Man.

“Master, all of this is for me?”

Yun Man was somewhat overwhelmed by the gesture. These items were of considerable value, and combined with the items from the previous auction, she hardly knew how she could ever repay Qin Xiao.

“Take it all. You are my only disciple and the Senior Sister of Seven Stars Peak. If I don’t give it to you, who else would I give it to? Your master has no use for such things. I can only truly rest at ease once your cultivation realm rises.”

Seeing Yun Man hesitate to accept, Qin Xiao spoke reassuringly.

“I will never disgrace our sect or disappoint you, Master.”

At that moment, Yun Man could only drop to her knees and kowtow to pledge her loyalty, as she had nothing else with which to repay him.

“Hurry and get up. We are master and disciple, there is no need for such formalities. Naturally, your master trusts you.”

Qin Xiao pulled Yun Man up from her half-kneeling position, speaking casually.

“Moreover, given your current cultivation speed, the usual allocation of Spirit Liquid is likely no longer sufficient. This time, your master is increasing your share tenfold. Here are five hundred drops of Spirit Liquid and one thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones. Take them for your use, and come to Master if you need more.”

Qin Xiao took out a large bottle and one thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones, laying them on the ground.

“Master, with all this, if I fail to reach Nascent Soul, I’ll bring you my head.” New chapters come out on novelping dot com first.

Yun Man no longer knew what to say. It was not that she had nothing to say, but that she could not get the words out. She could only pledge her life.

“Enough, enough, enough. Stop saying that. Your master doesn’t want your head. Just focus on cultivating and don’t rush. It’s good if you can break through, but don’t worry if you can’t. Take it one steady step at a time. There’s nothing else, so go and cultivate.”

Hearing Yun Man say that again, Qin Xiao hurried to stop her and told her to cultivate.

“Yes, Master.”

Yun Man knew more words would be useless. She would have to repay her master by advancing her cultivation.

Returning to his own room, Qin Xiao found his personal stock of Spirit Stones nearly depleted, leaving him with less than three hundred thousand, as one million had been converted into Middle Grade Spirit Stones for Yun Man.

It was during their return journey that Yun Man had explained the distinctions between different grades of Spirit Stones and their varying efficacy in cultivation, prompting him to exchange the lower-grade stones for his disciple.

Fortunately, Qin Xiao still retained some Spirit Liquid. Although much had been consumed previously, he still maintained a reserve of over forty thousand drops.

The Spirit Liquid supply increased by one thousand four hundred and forty drops a day. His own daily consumption was now close to one thousand, but he had already saved quite a lot. Even cultivating at full speed, he could still put a little aside; he had not reached the point of spending more than he received.

“Forget it. I should keep cultivating. Body Refinement is powerful enough for a mortal to fight cultivators. I can’t afford to neglect it.”

Without further thought, Qin Xiao immersed himself once more in Body Refinement.

Meanwhile, upon returning to her own quarters, Lin Shimeng still found it hard to believe she held five precious drops of Spirit Liquid in her possession. Just where had Qin Xiao acquired such a treasure?

“Shimeng, what has you lost in thought?”

Learning that his daughter had once again visited Seven Stars Peak, Lin Tiancheng had hurried over to ensure no new conflict had erupted.

“Ah, Father, you are here. It is nothing.”

Snapping out of her thoughts at the sound of her father’s voice, Lin Shimeng quickly composed her expression and replied.

“Shimeng, Seven Stars Peak is the sole legacy left behind by the Seventh Elder, and Qin Xiao is his only disciple. The sect owes a heavy debt to the Seventh Elder; you must not go looking for trouble there. The Seventh Elder doted on you greatly when you were a child.”

Though Lin Tiancheng did not know the exact cause of their friction and chose not to press, he hoped to discourage his daughter from stirring up trouble.

“Father, I understand. I did not go to pick a fight, but to offer an apology. How did Grandpa Qin actually die in battle?”

Lin Shimeng had been in secluded cultivation three years ago and did not know exactly what had happened. Only after she emerged did she learn that the Seventh Elder had died in battle, but the sect had been vague about the details.

“You needn’t ask about that. Just don’t go making trouble. Focus on stabilizing your cultivation. The Nascent Soul stage calls for a different depth of cultivation than Golden Core.” Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.

With those final words, Lin Tiancheng turned and left.

Seeing that her father was unwilling to speak, Lin Shimeng refrained from pressing further. After sending him off, she too resumed her cultivation.

It was not that Lin Tiancheng did not want to speak about what had happened three years ago. It was hard to explain. A late Body Integration Demon Beast had appeared from who knew where and attacked the sect’s grand formation for no apparent reason.

The Supreme Elder, Yao Zhan, had stepped forward to intervene but found himself unable to suppress the beast. Possessing identical late Body Integration cultivation, the Demon Beast’s combat prowess slightly surpassed that of a human cultivator. To prevent devastation to the sect grounds, the Seventh Elder, Qin Changqing, who had only recently broken through to the Body Integration realm, proposed drawing the beast away.

Together, the Supreme Elder and the Seventh Elder lured the beast into the Demon Beast Forest, where they began to fight. All the elders set up formations around them to stop the beast from escaping.

Only the Supreme Elder and the Seventh Elder could fight it directly. Only Body Integration attacks could harm a Body Integration Demon Beast. Then the Supreme Elder suddenly made a mistake. At that critical moment, the Seventh Elder stepped in to hold the beast back. The difference in their cultivation meant he could not hold it off for long, but the Supreme Elder was injured too. While the Seventh Elder kept it occupied, the Supreme Elder unleashed his strongest attack.

The Supreme Elder held nothing back with that strike. Even the Seventh Elder was within its range.

As it turned out, the Seventh Elder was struck from behind first. Caught off guard, he was swallowed whole by the Demon Beast.

Fortunately, the Supreme Elder’s heavy blow also hit the Demon Beast. Wounded and furious, it broke through the elders’ formations and escaped.

Although the crisis was averted, the Seventh Elder had been devoured. Upon returning to the sect, the leadership offered no detailed explanation, simply declaring that the Seventh Elder had died for the sect.

It was precisely because of this hidden guilt that the sect quietly permitted Qin Xiao, a mortal lacking cultivation, to reside on Seven Stars Peak for three years, and why Lin Tiancheng consistently offered him firm support.

But the cultivation world was hardly a place for sentiment. After three years, the elders’ guilt had largely faded, and they had begun coveting Seven Stars Peak again. Fortunately, Qin Xiao had managed to hold on to it.

Only the elders knew what had happened, but the Supreme Elder had ordered them never to mention it again. No one had spoken of it since.

Qin Xiao had known about the Demon Beast’s attack. At the time, it was only the third day since Qin Changqing had taken him as a disciple. Perhaps knowing how powerful the beast was, Qin Changqing had given him many instructions before leaving. He never returned. Later, the sect told Qin Xiao that his master had died in battle.

Qin Xiao had asked about it but learned nothing useful. In the end, as a mortal, he could only let the matter drop. He stayed on Seven Stars Peak for three years, while its other disciples transferred to other peaks one after another.

After all, none of them were willing to submit to a mortal Peak Master placed above them. While the Seventh Elder lived, they dared not voice their discontent, but with his fall, Seven Stars Peak held no further value for them.

Qin Xiao could do nothing about it. With neither cultivation nor resources, he had no way to keep them, so he let them leave. After that, he was the only person left on Seven Stars Peak.