Chapter 438: Pass the Three Trials

Qiu Luoye looked at Li Banfeng's back; the two wounds were still bleeding.

He called over Laohu and told him to bring medicine for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng shook his head: "No need for medicine, it'll be fine soon."

"Still, you should wrap it up."

"No need. This blood is fresh—can't waste it." Li Banfeng placed the pendulum on his back.

Seeing Li Banfeng's bleeding had stopped, Qiu Luoye smiled: "Let's have a drink?"

"Fine!"

Qiu Luoye glanced at He Yuxiu: "You're Old Seven's sweetheart?"

He Yuxiu blushed slightly: "You say so, then it's true."

Qiu Luoye praised: "Good. Just by looking at her build, she's got a fertile frame."

He Yuxiu looked proudly at Li Banfeng: "See? Even Brother Qiu says so."

Qiu Luoye looked again at Chu Er: "I never liked you before, but today you're not bad—you've got guts."

"I don't," Chu Er said shyly, shaking his head.

Qiu Luoye shouted to the three-headed men: "All of you who are wounded, come to me for treatment—I've got top-grade medicine!"

"Those unharmed, join me for a drink—I've got plenty of fine liquor!"

"I was too suspicious of you all before—that was my fault, Old Qiu. We're all from the same sect. Let's drink our fill today!"

Same sect?

The three-headed men were essentially failed Wu Xiu initiates, but Juanzi had never heard any other Wu Xiu call them "same sect."

Everyone froze for a moment, turning to look at Li Qi.

Li Qi smiled: "Not enough wine? I'll send someone down the mountain for more!"

Qiu Luoye brought out all the fine liquor he'd saved over the years, and the three-headed men returned to their homes and carried up plenty of food and drink.

Learning Li Qi was unharmed, Ma Wu was overjoyed and ordered wine sent up from the mountain base.

Everyone set up tables in the forest, clinking cups and drinking heartily.

Since arriving on the tenth level, Qiu Luoye had never properly celebrated a New Year.

This New Year was a good one—but perhaps it would be his last.

Mengzi toasted Qiu Luoye, who drained the cup in one gulp.

Juanzi toasted him again, and he drained it again.

Xiao Shan toasted him once more, but Qiu Luoye couldn't finish it: "Kids drink like this? Drinking with you lot isn't fair—you three against one me!"

Watching Qiu Luoye stagger as he walked, Li Banfeng frowned slightly.

He Yuxiu whispered: "Chu Shaohqiang was driven off, but the contract is still clutched in Neizhou's hands. This hurdle… Old Qiu won't make it.

Neizhou holds the contract—it holds his life. My sister…"

"Sister."

He Yuxiu coughed, glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then continued: "I'm not in a hurry to advance precisely because I don't want to become a slave in Neizhou."

Li Banfeng set down his wine bowl and sighed: "Is there no other way?"

He Yuxiu shook her head: "I can't think of one. Why don't you ask your sweetheart?"

"Which sweetheart?"

She meant Xiao Ye Ci.

Li Banfeng went to ask.

Xiao Ye Ci had indeed read many books lately, but the records on contracts were extremely scarce.

He couldn't rely on Xiao Ye Ci—he had to ask his wife.

Li Banfeng found an opportunity, returned to his personal quarters, and told the phonograph the full story.

"My dear wife, I truly don't understand: Qiu Luoye has two contracts. Even if Neizhou destroyed one, he shouldn't have lost his rank, let alone been this badly wounded."

The phonograph said: "My dear husband, was Qiu Luoye's first contract given to him by Neizhou, or did he seize it from someone else?"

"Given by Neizhou. Qiu Luoye is a land god appointed by Neizhou."

"Then it's bad."

Li Banfeng asked: "What's the difference between a contract given by Neizhou and one seized by force?"

"As far as I know, Neizhou's contracts contain a portion of the cultivator's flesh and bone, infused with a spell. I don't know the exact nature of the spell,

but I've heard rumors: if a land god appointed by Neizhou disobeys their orders, Neizhou will destroy his contract—and the spell will kill him."

Li Banfeng fell silent for a moment, then said: "From the ninth level to the tenth, you become a dog for Neizhou,

then to the Cloud Above level, you're exiled to new land,

once you've gathered enough favor there, you're moved to the True Land, and Neizhou comes to reap the harvest,

even if you seize another contract, the spell still follows you,

my dear wife, once a person walks Neizhou's path, there's truly no chance of redemption?"

His wife sighed: "My husband, land gods who escaped Neizhou dare not even speak its name—they're truly terrified. Neizhou can simply alter the contract and kill them.

Qiu Luoye is still alive because his contract hasn't been fully destroyed, but it's been damaged—hence his severe wounds."

Li Banfeng had an idea: "I'll dig up Qiu Luoye's contract now—we'll repair it, and his wounds will heal."

"My dear husband, don't dare dig it up lightly—it will cost you cultivation. He's already severely wounded; if he loses cultivation and can't recover, he'll die."

Li Banfeng didn't understand: "He already obtained Wu Qin's contract—why would he lose cultivation?"

"Contracts have hierarchy and order. The contract seized from Puluozhou only required blood; the one from Neizhou isn't just blood—it carries flesh and bone, and is far more deeply bound to the land god.

If you now dig up Qiu Luoye's Neizhou contract, his cultivation will plummet at once. He might recover it using the seized contract,

but if he can't recover it, and he's still severely wounded, he'll likely lose his soul entirely."

Two possibilities: one, he recovers; the other, he dies.

"What are the odds of recovery?"

His wife said: "Less than one percent by normal standards—and even if you do it, it's useless.

My husband, even if you dig up Qiu Luoye's contract, repair it, it won't help.

The two contracts are linked; if you fix this one, Neizhou will see it and immediately damage it again.

We labor endlessly to repair it, and they destroy it with a flick of the wrist.

It's like healing Qiu Luoye's wound only to let them torture him again—over and over—making him suffer pointlessly."

The entire approach was wrong from the start.

"My dear wife, is there another way?"

The phonograph recalled for a long while: "I once heard a rumor: a land god who refused to be controlled by Neizhou gradually lowered his cultivation, stabilized his soul, and eventually became a Wound Demon."

"Becoming a Wound Demon breaks the spell?"

"In theory, yes. From ninth to tenth level, one must shed the physical body and become a wraith.

From tenth to Cloud Above, Neizhou rebuilds the cultivator's flesh and blood, turning the wraith back into a human—the spell resides in that rebuilt flesh.

Becoming a Wound Demon means returning to a malevolent spirit, shedding the flesh entirely, and thus escaping the spell.

But this won't work for Qiu Luoye. To lower cultivation while stabilizing the soul requires extremely refined techniques—he's unlikely to learn them.

And it would take a year or more. Qiu Luoye doesn't have time. Neizhou could strike at any moment. If he forcibly lowers his cultivation, he won't survive it."

Li Banfeng sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the ceiling, silent for a long while.

His wife urged: "Don't be upset, my husband—we'll find another way."

Li Banfeng spoke: "We must act quickly. We truly can't wait. Let's repair the contract first."

His wife soothed: "Don't rush, my husband…"

Li Banfeng said again: "What's the point of repairing the contract? You're right—it just makes Old Qiu suffer for nothing. Think again—is there another path?"

"My husband, what's gotten into you…"

Li Banfeng said again: "What other path is there? As long as the contract remains in Neizhou's hands, every path is blocked."

"My husband, don't talk like this…"

Li Banfeng said again: "Isn't becoming a Wound Demon still a path? At least it breaks Neizhou's spell."

Li Banfeng said again: "What kind of path is that? After struggling so hard to reach the True Land, now he becomes a malevolent spirit? And even if he tried, Old Qiu couldn't survive the forced descent."

Li Banfeng said again: "But isn't recovery possible?"

Li Banfeng said again: "You yourself said the chance is less than one percent—what have you been listening to?"

Li Banfeng said again: "Maintain order in the hall! Speak in turn!"

The phonograph released a burst of steam, enveloping Li Banfeng: "My dear husband, don't scare me like this!"

Li Banfeng hugged the phonograph: "Wife, if I dig up Qiu Luoye's contract, forcibly lower his cultivation, turn him into a Wound Demon, shed his flesh to escape the spell, then use Wu Qin's contract to restore his cultivation—would that work?"

The phonograph thought for a moment: "The logic holds—but he cannot become a Wound Demon.

To recover cultivation, he must pass the Three Trials. One misstep in any trial means death.

First Trial: The Soul Separation Trial. Cultivation drops from Cloud Above to ground level. The soul must separate from the body once. Digging up the contract—some land gods separate immediately, others wait days.

Soul-body separation means dying once. This is excruciatingly painful—the soul loses at least twenty percent. Fear or panic will worsen the damage.

If damage exceeds twenty percent, he becomes a Wound Demon and can never recover cultivation. Qiu Luoye is already severely wounded—he'll die from this alone.

To pass this trial, soul damage must stay under twenty percent. Only the supremely wise and unbreakably determined can endure it. Such people are rarer than one in ten thousand."

Li Banfeng asked: "Why can the supremely wise and unbreakably determined endure it?"

"The supremely wise clearly distinguish body from soul—they know only the body dies, not the soul. They must believe they have not died.

Even at the moment of life and death, he felt not a trace of fear or panic—ask Autumn Leaf, could he do that?

As for willpower, Li Banfeng had no doubt whatsoever.

As for extreme intelligence, there was a noticeable gap.

One must distinguish between body and soul.

Autumn Leaf certainly couldn't tell these two words apart—could he even understand the concepts behind them?

Autumn Leaf might learn to embroider, but such a complex concept? He'd never grasp it.

"Wife, give Autumn Leaf some medicine to knock him out—then he won't feel fear or panic. What do you think of this trick?"

His wife shook her head. "Husband, if he sleeps at the moment of soul separation, he'll never wake again. His soul and body will perish together."

Medicine won't work either.

At the brink of life and death, believing firmly that one hasn't died—this trick feels familiar.

Indeed, I've seen it before.

This trial is too difficult. We must study it carefully—set it aside for now.

Li Banfeng asked again: "What about the second trial?"

"The second trial is resurrection—and it's even harder than the first. The difficulty lies in regrowing all lost flesh and blood at once,

so the damaged soul can be nourished, and through the covenant, the lost cultivation can be recovered."

Grow flesh.

Autumn Leaf's wounds heal quickly—but if he had to start from zero, would he know how to regrow this entire body of flesh and blood?

Who could teach him?

Who knows how to grow flesh?

After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng rubbed his cheeks, adjusted the angle of his brows and eyes, and smiled with tender affection.

He entered the second wife's chamber and saw Hong Ying applying her makeup.

He took the eyebrow pencil from her hand and whispered, "Yingying, let me draw your brows."

Hong Ying smiled shyly, picked up her lip rouge, and wrote the character " Jian " on Li Banfeng's face. Softly, she said, "Qi Lang, spit it out already!"

PS: Yingying is angry—Li Banfeng must show more sincerity.

(End of Chapter)