Turmoil Within the Sect: Chapter 39 - Elder Bai's Wine Gourd

The commotion on the martial arts arena finally subsided with the departure of the elders.

However, the shock that had gripped the hearts of thousands of outer disciples lingered long after they had gone.

The noisy chatter had ceased entirely. All eyes were fixed on one place, filled with a complex blend of awe, jealousy, and a trace of fear, all tracking that gaunt figure.

Chu Xing seemed deaf to it all. Under the gaze of the multitude, he walked step by step off the high platform and returned to his dilapidated little courtyard.

*Thud.*

He pulled the wooden door shut with a heavy hand, cutting off all prying eyes from the outside world.

The sheer force of will that had sustained him finally faltered, and exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave. Unable to hold on any longer, Chu Xing felt his legs give way. He slid down against the door panel and sat on the floor, gasping for air.

He closed his eyes, resting his head against the cold wood, while his mind raced in chaotic turmoil.

Everything that happened today flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern: Wang Meng’s final bout of madness, Elder Feng’s murderous intent, Zhou Yuan’s venomous gaze, Elder Bai’s intervention... and the inexplicable coldness emanating from Fu Lingchuan.

Chu Xing knitted his brows.

He could not fathom it.

The coldness in the eyes of the Pill Hall Master was not directed at the situation, but at him personally, as if he had offended the man in some way.

Yet, today was the first time they had ever met.

Could it be...

An image involuntarily surfaced in Chu Xing’s mind: Mu Wanqing.

That cold and aloof senior sister.

Fu Lingchuan was her master. Chu Xing did not believe for a second that today’s events were unrelated to her.

But that was the biggest problem of all.

Why would Mu Wanqing help him?

Was it because of the secret cavern in the back mountain? Was she afraid he would leak her secret, so she intervened to save him, only to silence him permanently later?

Chu Xing shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought.

Given Mu Wanqing’s strength and her master’s status, if she truly wanted him to stay quiet, there were countless silent ways to do so. There was no need to go to such lengths in the martial arts arena.

Then why?

Chu Xing recalled that night, holding her feverish body in his arms as the stone bead absorbed the pill toxins from within her.

Was it because of that? Was she returning a favor?

But looking at her master, Fu Lingchuan, he acted as if Chu Xing had dug up his ancestors' graves; there was not a hint of the attitude one would show toward a benefactor.

For a moment, Chu Xing felt as if his head were about to burst.

The people in this sect were more intricate than the mists of the back mountain, tangled in interests and relationships he could not begin to understand.

Unable to make sense of it, he simply stopped trying.

Chu Xing took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts. He knew clearly that regardless of others' intentions—whether kind or malicious—he could only rely on one thing.

Strength!

Without strength, even the greatest kindness could turn into a lethal poison. Without strength, a single glance from another could be enough to ruin him completely.

Today, if he hadn't broken through to the eighth stage of Body Tempering, if his Phantom Flowing Wind Steps hadn't been so refined, and if his body hadn't been tempered by the medicinal mist, he would already be a cold corpse, with no leisure to ponder these matters.

His enemies were Zhou Yuan at the Qi Sea stage and Elder Feng at the Profound stage!

His current strength was nothing compared to them!

He had to become stronger! He had to do it quickly!

A sense of urgency pressed down on Chu Xing’s heart like a massive mountain.

Forcing himself to sit upright, he pulled out the wine gourd given to him by Elder Bai.

He pulled the stopper, and a rich, fruity aroma instantly filled the tiny room. The scent felt alive, scrambling to push its way into his nose.

"Good stuff!"

Chu Xing’s eyes brightened, and he tilted his head back, taking a large gulp.

*Boom!*

The liquid had barely touched his throat when it transformed into a massive torrent of energy. The Hundred-Fruit Brew was incredibly potent; an ordinary disciple would have to carefully refine a single drop over several days.

Had anyone else consumed such a large gulp, the violent medicinal power would have ruptured their meridians and killed them on the spot!

Yet, in the presence of the stone bead, this violent energy met its match.

Inside his dantian, the black stone bead spun rapidly, and a gentle yet overpowering suction force instantly enveloped his meridians.

Before the torrential energy could wreak havoc, it was all pulled into the stone bead.

Inside the bead, it was as if there were a world of its own.

The energy, mixed with over a hundred different medicinal properties, was crushed, purified, and separated repeatedly within.

Threads of gray mist, identified as impurities, were stripped away, while the purest essential energy was refined into a warm, gentle current.

Immediately, this current overflowed from the stone bead, feeding back into Chu Xing’s entire body.

"Mmm..."

Chu Xing almost groaned in pleasure.

It felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring in the dead of winter; every pore on his body opened up.

The warm current traveled through him, rapidly repairing the hidden injuries sustained from the battle. His parched meridians became full and resilient once more, and even his exhausted spirit began to recover under the nourishment of this energy.

Having tasted the benefits, Chu Xing did not hesitate; he drained the rest of the Hundred-Fruit Brew in the gourd.

This brew, which would have required even an ordinary Qi Gathering stage practitioner to carefully refine in portions, was finished by him in one go.

If Elder Bai had witnessed this, he likely would have jumped over from the Contribution Hall in a rage, grabbing Chu Xing to scold him for being a spendthrift.

Massive amounts of essential energy surged and flowed through his body, constantly scouring his tendons, bones, and flesh.

His cultivation, which had just broken through to the eighth stage of Body Tempering and remained unstable, was rapidly solidified and anchored by this pure energy, then began to climb steadily!

Soon, he reached the peak of the eighth stage!

The energy remained robust, and the bottleneck of the eighth stage began to shake violently.

However, at that very moment, he discovered a fatal problem.

He had no follow-up cultivation technique!

The basic breathing method provided by the sect was like a narrow sheep path in the face of this rushing river; it could not possibly carry such a torrent.

There was too much energy, and it was too pure, but he lacked a high-level method to circulate it and effectively convert it into his own cultivation.

Most of the energy was being wasted, flowing aimlessly through his meridians because it could not be utilized, eventually dissipating.

"A technique!"

Chu Xing opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze filled with frustration and resentment.

In the end, he still lacked a cultivation technique that could match the stone bead!

Feeling the energy that remained full in his body but was constantly slipping away, his heart burned with intensity.

He could not let it go to waste!

If it could not be used to break through, then he would use it all for body tempering!

With a thought, he stopped paying attention to the gentle essential energy and focused entirely on the mass of gray mist that the stone bead had separated!

This was the key to tempering the body!

"Come on!"

Chu Xing gritted his teeth and took the initiative to draw a wisp of gray mist from the stone bead, merging it into his meridians.

*Hiss!*

A sharp pain, as if ten thousand ants were gnawing at his bones, exploded instantly from his meridians and shot through his entire body!