Chapter 223

223. Chapter 220: Disciple

"Speak. I'll consider it."

Ding Huan had no strong desire to save Ji Xinting; even though Ji Xinting's physical body was destroyed, who knew what other tricks this guy might have up his sleeve?

Ji Xinting's tone grew even more sincere:

"If I regain my physical body, I wish to become your disciple."

Ding Huan was stunned by these words; after a long moment, he replied helplessly:

"Old Ji, are you running a fever? I'm just a lowly True Pill realm cultivator—barely even crossed into it."

"You're the strongest in all Three Heavens Star Continent, and you say you want to join my sect? I'd dare not say yes, let alone accept you."

Still, as he spoke, Ding Huan was calculating what this man truly intended.

Ji Xinting tried to phrase his words so they'd be easier for Ding Huan to accept:

"Ding Daofriend, my current body is saturated with poison. I've long fantasized about finding a supreme spiritual herb to purge this poison from my flesh."

"Such a herb does exist—but without someone to seek it for me, it's useless. I know even if someone did seek it, success isn't guaranteed."

"Previously, I hesitated between rebuilding my body or taking over another's. But after sensing your cultivation path, I've made my decision."

"That is: to re-cultivate."

Ding Huan fell silent—not because he disbelieved Ji Xinting.

If Ji Xinting truly perceived the aura of his Great Cosmos Art, wanting to cultivate it was understandable.

Not just Ji Xinting—even if he himself had sensed a technique capable of merging with the vast starry heavens, he'd be tempted.

But he doubted whether he could save Ji Xinting.

Should he save him?

Ding Huan hesitated. He'd met few who repaid kindness; he'd met many who betrayed it.

"Is there anyone who can remove all the poison from your body?" Ding Huan asked.

Ji Xinting fell silent for a moment, then replied:

"One person could—but he would never come to save me. And even if I were completely rid of the poison, I'd still be worse off than if I took over another body."

"What do you mean?" Ding Huan frowned.

"Because my cultivation level will vanish entirely—that doesn't matter, since I intend to re-cultivate. The real issue is: my meridians and acupoints will vanish too, leaving me weaker than an ordinary mortal."

Ji Xinting's voice brimmed with resentment.

Ding Huan suddenly understood—he didn't think Ji Xinting was lying.

Even without the Great Cosmos Art, if he'd been trapped in this poison mist for so long, his own meridians and acupoints would have vanished too, leaving him weaker than an ordinary mortal.

But to him now, that didn't matter at all.

The Great Cosmos Art creates everything—he himself had turned his body into a universe, forging his own cosmic Dao: that was the Great Cosmos Art.

If Ji Xinting had no meridians or acupoints, Ding Huan could simply modify the Great Cosmos Art, crafting a branch variant tailored for Ji Xinting to establish his own meridians and acupoints.

Thinking this through, Ding Huan no longer hesitated:

"Old Ji, I have an idea. Listen—I can save you right now, if you're willing."

"..." Ji Xinting was stunned by Ding Huan's words.

After a long pause, he urgently sent a mental message:

"Ding Daofriend, please tell me."

Ding Huan said:

"I have a forbidden technique that can purge your poison and free you from this predicament. As you said, you'll become a man without meridians or acupoints—even your dantian and soul sea will cease to exist..."

Ji Xinting sighed mentally:

"Then surviving is no different from being nailed here. You might as well take my Primordial Spirit and find a suitable vessel for possession."

Ding Huan spoke calmly:

"Forget whether you can even find a suitable vessel—suppose you did, can you be sure the host can withstand the poison infused in your Primordial Spirit?"

"How many years have you been nailed here? Your entire body is poison—do you think your Primordial Spirit is any different?"

Ji Xinting froze. Of course—his Primordial Spirit was saturated with this poison too. Who could he possess?

In that instant, he remembered: he was in Primordial Spirit form—he couldn't remove the poison from any potential host.

So... was he doomed?

Ding Huan continued:

"The technique I cultivate isn't suitable for you—but I can create a new one, modeled after mine, rooted in the cosmos."

"I'll tell you this: it won't be much weaker than mine. Will you learn it?"

"You can create techniques?" Ji Xinting was shocked.

"Didn't you already see that?" Ding Huan replied naturally.

Ji Xinting's heart surged with shock—he had always believed himself the most brilliant.

Now he realized: compared to Ding Huan, he was nothing.

Though powerful, he cultivated only the sect's inherited technique. To create his own? He'd never even dared dream of it.

Ding Huan cultivated a self-created technique—one far stronger than the one Ji Xinting's sect had passed down. Otherwise, Ji Xinting wouldn't have yearned so desperately to re-cultivate Ding Huan's path.

Seeing Ji Xinting fall silent, Ding Huan spoke again:

"The reason I can't give you my technique is that it only suits me. Just as the technique I create for you will suit only you."

There truly existed such a prodigy.

Ji Xinting couldn't speak—if he could move or speak, he would have already prostrated himself completely.

"Master, I agree. Please save me."

Ji Ji Xinting had no other thoughts at all; he agreed with Ding Huan's words extremely decisively.

Ding Huan said:

"Before saving you, take out that treasure of yours that holds the poisonous mist—I need to refine it first. The toxins I draw out from your body, I want to store them in this spatial treasure."

"Plop!" A round bead landed at Ji Ji Xinting's feet, the bead entirely dark red, impossible to tell what material it was made from.

"Master, this is the Great Universe Bead. I obtained it by chance. Up to now, I've only refined three layers of restrictions on it."

"Good, many thanks."

With a sweep of his divine sense, the Great Universe Bead fell into Ding Huan's hand. Even with his divine sense, he simply couldn't penetrate it.

"Wait for me a few days. I need to refine this Great Universe Bead." Ding Huan's divine sense settled on the Great Universe Bead.

The first three layers of restrictions on the Great Universe Bead had actually already been refined by Ji Ji Xinting, and Ji Ji Xinting now had no ability to remove the restrictions on the Great Universe Bead.

For Ding Huan to refine the Great Universe Bead, he would have to start from the very beginning.

The first day passed, and Ding Huan had only barely managed to catch the location of the Great Universe Bead's restrictions.

He sighed inwardly. If he hadn't advanced to the Star-Gathering level, he probably wouldn't have been able to refine this Great Universe Bead in a short time.

Ten days passed, and Ding Huan had barely refined the first layer of restrictions on the Great Universe Bead.

A vast, hazy space like a sea of mist appeared beneath Ding Huan's divine sense.

Ding Huan was greatly shaken inside—and this was only after refining the first layer of restrictions.

Once he refined the Great Universe Bead completely, how enormous would the space inside be?

"I've already refined the first layer of restrictions. Once I remove the Flying Smoke Sword, I'll detoxify you."

As Ding Huan spoke, his divine sense settled on the Flying Smoke Sword.

Regarding Ding Huan being able to refine one layer of restrictions on the Great Universe Bead in ten days, Ji Ji Xinting was actually not surprised.

Ding Huan could lay out a Tier-5 array, and with such a powerful Dao-talent to boot, what was refining the first layer of restrictions on the Great Universe Bead in ten days?

"Master, if you can take this Flying Smoke Sword away and store it, then just store it directly. If you can't store it, then don't bother with it."

Ji Ji Xinting was worried Ding Huan would follow in his footsteps, which was why he offered this reminder.

Even without Ji Ji Xinting's reminder, Ding Huan understood what it meant.

This kind of immortal sword must certainly have a proud spirit. If the immortal sword takes a dislike to you, and you forcibly make it acknowledge you as master, then you'll end up just like Ji Ji Xinting.

Only when the immortal sword takes a liking to a master will the immortal sword voluntarily acknowledge him.

To speak honestly, Ding Huan really didn't care.

He wasn't a cultivator who used sword-type treasures, so why would he care about an immortal sword?

The Yellow Flower Kill swept, transforming into killing vortexes invisible to the naked eye.

The next moment, the Flying Smoke Sword let out a series of buzzing cries, then was swept away by the killing vortexes raised by the Yellow Flower Kill, and landed in Ding Huan's hand.

Ding Huan was stunned. That simple?

Looking at the Flying Smoke Sword in his hand still giving off a faint clear hum, how could Ding Huan not know that this Flying Smoke Sword actually approved of him quite a bit?

"Master, this immortal sword seems to approve of you greatly. It should have originally belonged to Master."

Because the Flying Smoke Sword had been taken from him by Ding Huan, Ji Ji Xinting's entire body collapsed limply to the ground.

"Not bad, this is a fine sword." Ding Huan stroked the Flying Smoke Sword in his hand, his heart filled with immense joy.

Although he wouldn't have minded if the Flying Smoke Sword had left, now that it hadn't, he was naturally delighted.

The gains from this trip to Hidden Sword Mountain were truly not small.

Putting away the Flying Smoke Sword, Ding Huan didn't hesitate this time. He landed beside Ji Ji Xinting and reached out to tap Ji Ji Xinting's forehead.

The endless toxins within Ji Ji Xinting's body, under Ding Huan's Great Universe Art's Poison-Dissolving Zhou Tian, found a vent as it were, and were swept by Ding Huan, all flooding into the forehead.

Then with a sweep of Ding Huan's hand, these toxins were all carried by Ding Huan into the Great Universe Bead.

Feeling the toxins in his body turn into a poisonous stream being swept away by Ding Huan, Ji Ji Xinting's heart was no longer merely shocked.

He was certain that Ding Huan's method was even stronger than the number one poison demon of the Third Heaven, Gah Baili—and not just a little stronger.

Previously, when he took Ding Huan as his master, it was entirely because he had set his eyes on the cultivation method Ding Huan practiced.

Now he felt that even without that cultivation method, Ding Huan was not unqualified to be his master in other respects.

Dissipating the poison from Ji Ji Xinting's body was truly no difficult matter for Ding Huan.

While dissipating the poison, he even felt he was too idle.

Simply with a sweep of his divine sense, the poisonous mist within a hundred li was swept by his divine sense and all poured into the Great Universe Bead.

Half a day later, Ding Huan stopped sweeping the poisonous mist, and Ji Ji Xinting's jet-black body had also returned to a normal appearance.

But Ding Huan was very clear that Ji Ji Xinting now had not a trace of cultivation. There wasn't a single meridian left in his body, not a single acupoint.

(Today's update ends here, friends, good night! I've been doing extra updates for a whole month straight—Old Five here humbly requests your monthly ticket support!)