Chapter 25: The Pitiful Elder Qin

Outside the Xuan Yue Feng Medicine Hall, many Xuan Yue Feng disciples have already come one after another to collect this month's Qi Blood Pills.

Normally, by this time the medicine hall should have already opened!

But today, strangely, there's still no movement inside at all.

As this group of disciples outside was still discussing whether to disperse first and come back tomorrow to check.

Suddenly.

A furious, ragged roar came from inside the medicine hall!

"You surnamed Song!"

"The barrier‑breaking pill I bought from you at great expense last time—did you poison it!"

"Since I took that barrier‑breaking pill from you, I not only failed to break through to the Second Grade Foundation Establishment Realm, but I also suffered a deviation that destabilized my foundation!"

Inside the medicine hall.

An old man in a gray Daoist robe is now drenched in sweat, hunched over.

He clutches his stomach with one hand and slams the wooden table before him with the other, glaring at the alchemist across from him and demanding angrily through gritted teeth.

If Li Mu were here, he would certainly recognize this gray‑robed old man at a glance.

Isn't this the Outer Peak Elder of Xuan Yue Feng, Qin Siwu?

After not seeing him for a few days, how did he become so emaciated?

Seeing Qin Siwu, his beard and hair bristling with rage, spit almost flying onto his own face, Song Shoutao's expression instantly became extraordinarily vivid.

Afterwards, he directly used his divine sense to probe Qin Siwu's physical condition.

All of this.

It truly is just as Qin Siwu said—his deviation last time did indeed injure his martial foundation.

"This is impossible!"

"The barrier‑breaking pill is my proudest work of the past ten years; it absolutely has no problems."

"Moreover!"

"We have no grudges from afar nor any recent enmity."

"Besides, we both belong to Xuan Yue Feng."

"Would I, well‑fed and idle, spend ten whole years refining a poison pill just to harm you?"

Hearing this, Qin Siwu furrowed his brows even tighter.

"Then tell me!"

"Why, after taking the barrier‑breaking pill, I didn't even get any of its benefits—"

"Damn it!"

"I've suffered every bit of the barrier‑breaking pill's backlash!"

"You surnamed Song!"

"Don't tell me that my deviation is entirely my own fault!"

"I've taken my own pills before with no issue, yet it's only after taking yours that I suffered a deviation!"

However, just as his words fell,

"Oh dear..."

"Here it comes again!"

"Pfft!"

"My meridians seem to have ruptured again!"

"No……"

"No, my viscera are also trembling violently!"

Qin Siwu let out a miserable howl, and a mouthful of blood spurted out directly.

Seeing Qin Siwu before him both wailing and vomiting blood truly left Song Shoutao completely at a loss.

But when his divine sense swept over Qin Siwu's interior, he saw that, in the moment they had been speaking, Qin Siwu's meridians had silently cracked open in several places.

A considerable amount of qi and blood spilled from the meridians, surging wildly inside his body.

Moreover, Qin Siwu's five viscera and six bowels were violently trembling!

Each tremor!

Qin Siwu would be startled to the point of his hairs standing on end, cold sweat the size of soybeans pouring down, as if even his soul shuddered three times.

At this moment, Qin Siwu's face was full of anguish, deathly pale—his visage looked even more lifeless than a corpse's.

Over the past week, Qin Siwu has truly suffered terribly.

It was as if he were trapped in hell, enduring relentless torment!

Not only did his meridians suffer, but his viscera also exhibited various degrees of problems!

These past few days, Qin Siwu has maintained eight hours of sleep each day—his lifestyle is incredibly disciplined!

Yet even so, Qin Siwu still feels exhausted!

Extremely tired!

Sleeping every day feels like sleeping alone in loneliness.

Moreover,

He can't even think about breaking through to the Second Grade Foundation Establishment Realm; merely contemplating anything related to cultivation makes him want to vomit.

It feels as if he's been cultivating for so long that he's developed a weariness toward study.

In his current state, not only is cultivation out of the question, but even self‑care for his injuries has become a problem.

"Your condition is truly too bizarre!"

"You came looking for me, but I can't solve it either."

"But I said, Old Qin!"

"If I were you, shouldn't the one you ought to worry about most right now be that kid Li Mu?"

Song Shuta wiped the bloodstain splattered on him by Qin Siwu's spitting blood, then turned the conversation.

"Although Longtan Peak has sealed off information very tightly, I still heard some rumors on my side."

"Earlier, the Qi Blood Pills you had me prepare with extra ingredients, to secretly sabotage the new Personal Disciples entering Longtan Peak like last year, I carried out exactly."

"But this time, not only did we fail to cut off that kid Li Mu's talent, we also let him blend in with the crowd."

"On the contrary, his reputation has been soaring in Longtan Peak lately!"

"The next day, we severely injured Qian Wenyi, who held the 89th seat on the Heavenly Pride List and was at Six Grade Lian Qi Realm."

"Even Yao Mengzhen, who later went looking for trouble with him, disappeared after confronting him."

"I reckon even Yao Mengzhen got a taste of Li Mu's frustration!"

Speaking of that, a hint of worry inevitably showed on Song Shuta's face.

"Li Mu's talent and comprehension are the only ones I've ever seen in my life!"

"He joined Longtan Peak only a few days ago, yet accomplished feats that take others years, even a decade, to achieve."

"If we continue to let him grow unchecked, you and I are likely doomed."

"Hmph!"

"Song Shuta, you don't need to bring this up to provoke me!"

Before Song Shuta could continue, Qin Siwu waved his hand and cut him off.

"You think I'd just pull out the Mysterious Tier Heart Method for no reason."

"And even send people to Longtan Peak to join the Martial Debate Conference—was that really just for the debate?"

When Qin Siwu said that, Song Shuta was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered: "Could it be that the reason you asked me for the Violent Blood Pill two days ago was to use it as a weapon in the Martial Debate Conference?"

"Hmph… "

Qin Siwu let out two cold laughs: "To be frank, the one leading the team this time is my three‑year Outer Peak disciple from Xuan Yue Feng, Zhao Jianfei!"

"My disciple's cultivation is comparable to Yao Mengzhen's; both are at Ninth‑Grade Refining Qi Realm."

"Besides, I have long ago taught him a Yang scheme."

"Targeting that kid Li Mu's hot temper."

"Under my arrangement and provocation, Zhao Jianfei will inevitably be unable to restrain his blatant provocation and will choose to step onto the stage for the debate!"

Saying that, Qin Siwu's eyes flashed a murderous intent as he looked at the Violent Blood Pill in his hand.

"As long as Li Mu dares to step onto the stage, even if this kid truly possesses strength comparable to Yao Mengzhen's—"

"In front of Zhao Jianfei who has taken the Violent Blood Pill, he will inevitably die!"

He finished speaking.

A vicious smile also appeared on Qin Siwu's gloomy face.

Li Mu's rapid growth has far exceeded Qin Siwu's expectations.

Even if Song Shuta hadn't said that, Qin Siwu would still devise countless ways to kill him.

Otherwise, one can see from how ruthlessly Li Mu dealt with Qian Wenyi.

When his wings are fully grown, he'll surely be the first to dry himself out.

The only regret of this plan is that it requires sacrificing my own Personal Disciple, Zhao Jianfei.

However…

Qin Siwu has many disciples; losing one Zhao Jianfei is regrettable, but compared to his own old life, it's nothing.

Thinking of his flawless plan against Li Mu, Qin Siwu let out a triumphant laugh.

But shortly after laughing, Qin Siwu's face turned pale, and with a "Gah!" his laughter abruptly stopped.

Immediately after.

Qin Siwu's whole body seemed to lose its soul, and he fell straight onto the ground before his own eyes.

Beside him, Song Shuta had originally intended to join in a second round of laughter.

But after seeing Qin Siwu's miserable state, the laugh that was about to burst from his throat was forcibly suppressed, causing him to break out in white, damp sweat.

Song Shuta, trembling with fear, glanced twice at the ceiling above.

"Could it be that…"

"In this world, is it truly that a deity exists within three feet above one's head?"

"This Qin Siwu has done too many bad deeds; he's being punished, right!"

"…"

Meanwhile.

【Ding!】

【System】 Host's cultivation of Eight Nine Profound Art detected, successfully triggering Hundredfold Heavenly Dao Blessing!

【System】 Congratulations, host, you have obtained Hundredfold Gain!

【Ding!】

【System】 Congratulations, host, successfully upgraded Eight Nine Profound Art to lv: 5

Hearing those crisp system prompts one after another, Li Mu let out a long sigh and slowly awoke from his deep cultivation state.

Li Mu swiped his finger again, directly opening the system page, and his mouth involuntarily curved upward.

"With Yao Mengzhen's unlimited supply of Qi Blood Pills, plus tenfold and Hundredfold Heavenly Dao Blessing,"

"Not only has my cultivation realm risen to Seventh Grade Lian Qi Realm, but even the Eight Nine Profound Art has surged up three levels!"

"What a bountiful harvest!"

Li Mu found it somewhat hard to imagine.

"With my current strength, even a Ten Grade Refining Qi Realm cultivator would be a match I could fight!"

"As for directly defeating the top three of the Wind‑and‑Cloud Ranking—those demonic talents who seem to have already broken through the Concentration Realm—the gap isn't far either!"

But just as Li Mu was silently comparing himself with the top three demonic talents of the Heavenly Pride Ranking, a sudden disturbance rippled through his Sea of Awareness.

Li Mu's mind shifted.

He saw that the Heavenly Dao Scroll within his Sea of Awareness slowly unfurled again, and beneath Qin Siwu's name, a new "lucky one" name gradually emerged.

"Zhao Jianfei?"

Li Mu: "???"

Who is Zhao Jianfei?

I don't even know this guy at all!

Also, what exactly are the activation rules of this Heavenly Dao Scroll?

Wait…

Li Mu recalled the previous time.

After he swallowed the Poison Pill that Qin Siwu had given him and became poisoned, Lao Bi Deng's name was recorded in the Heavenly Dao Scroll.

If that's the case, as long as someone does something that threatens my life—

—their name would be captured by the Heavenly Dao Scroll as well?

Li Mu was a bit uncertain…

After all.

The Heavenly Dao Scroll in his hand is a divine artifact, and with his current cultivation he is far from being able to wield it.

He can only take one step at a time, observe, and gradually figure it out.

But it doesn't matter.

Finally there's a new scapegoat to bear the negativity for me.

Why wouldn't I enjoy it!

Li Mu casually glanced at the Heavenly Dao Scroll a couple of times, then immediately exited his cultivation state and headed out of the courtyard.

The moment he stepped outside, Li Mu noticed.

Although the distant sky was only a faint hint of fish‑belly white, Longtan Peak was bustling beyond measure, with waves of sound crashing upward and a roar of voices.

Only then did Li Mu suddenly recall that today was the official start of the martial debate tournament with Xuan Yue Feng!