Chapter 4
It was already evening when Jiang Hao walked out of the Spirit Herb Garden. He spent little time on cursory checks to make sure everything was alright before he left.
Usually, he tended to the herbs so that there would be more bubbles the next day. If not, the bubbles would be very rare, and he would have to rely on luck. That was why he had taken a few years to accumulate lifeblood and cultivation to reach a hundred.
It was only after he became an inner sect disciple that he occasionally came into contact with supernatural powers. He learnt that the more he tended to the herbs, the more bubbles they gave off.
After returning to his house, Jiang Hao carefully observed his surroundings. When he was sure that no one had been there, he went into the training room and began to cultivate.
The appearance of Senior Sister Yun Ruo and her words had worried him. It was always good to be careful.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Jiang Hao opened his lifeblood and cultivation. When he entered the school, he was tested. His talent was above average. If he trained at the same pace, he could reach the Foundation Establishment Stage by the age of thirty or forty.
He was only twenty and much earlier than expected to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage. There might be a certain bottleneck after it. But it should be easier to break through.
After a while, Jiang Hao grimaced with pain. The lifeblood in his body churned and his spiritual energy surged up. The Heavenly Sound Hundred Revolutions operated wildly, absorbing lifeblood and spiritual energy.
Crack!
The sound of transformation rang out from Jiang Hao’s body. His flesh, blood, and bones went through a lot of tempering. If he could endure it, he would be successful in building his foundation.
Crack!
The transformation lasted for a long time. In the early morning, the sound disappeared, and his lifeblood began to calm down. His spiritual energy also flowed along his meridians and returned to normal.
Everything went smoothly. Jiang Hao opened his eyes. He could feel power surging through his body.
‘I’ve reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. Everything seems to have gone smoothly. It’s much safer this way.”
He let out a long sigh and looked at the system interface. There were some changes:
[Name: Jiang Hao]
[Age: 19]
[Cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment Stage]
[Cultivation method: Heavenly Sound Hundred Revolutions]
[Supernatural Ability: Nine Revolutions Death Substitution (unique) Daily Appraisal (can be learned)]
[Lifeblood: 36/100 (can be cultivated)]
[Cultivation: 41/100 (can be cultivated)]
[Divine Ability: 1/3 (cannot be obtained)]
‘I can now cultivate this divine ability but there is no reward?’ thought Jiang Hao.
He had thought that after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, he might be given a new cultivation method. Although, Heavenly Sound Hundred Revolution was powerful, it did not help him reach great heights. He needed a more powerful cultivation method.
‘Forget it. I’ll learn the daily report before I go to the Spirit Herb Garden. I’ll think of a way to deal with the cultivation technique later,’ said Jiang Hao to himself.
Within an hour, Jiang Hao was finished with the daily report. He wasn’t sure what it was used for exactly. Out of curiosity, he walked out of his residence and appraised the wooden house. Soon, he received the result:
[ Jiang Hao’s Wooden House: built three years ago. It’s made of green forest wood, sturdy and durable. It was personally built by Jiang Hao. It looks sturdy, but there are many hidden dangers in its internal structure. It could collapse at any time.]
Jiang Hao walked to the small spirit herb garden and picked up the air bubbles. He tended to the herbs. ‘I will make some time to study architecture and modify the wooden house.’
Spirit Herb Garden:
[ strength + 1]
[ spirit + 1]
[ cultivation + 1]
[ ordinary Spirit Sword + 1]
Jiang Hao walked all the way into the attic and absorbed the air bubbles around it. It was the time of the day he enjoyed most. He relaxed for a while and walked to the Spirit Herb Garden to help with its management.
Most of the people who took care of the herb garden were ordinary people. They were very scared of the inner sect disciples in the past because carelessness meant death. Ever since Jiang Hao had been assigned to care for the garden, others weren’t so afraid anymore. They felt Jiang Hao was kinder.
His kindness wasn’t really reputable in the Devil Sect, but he refused to kill ordinary people for entertainment. Fortunately, no one confronted him about it.
Jiang Hao decided to keep his advancement to the Foundation Establishment Stage a secret for now.
…
Three days later, he met Senior Sister Yun Ruo again. She knew that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. It wouldn’t be a secret anymore.
Fortunately, no one confronted him.
After a few more days, Senior Sister Yun Ruo came looking for him just to talk and chat about their lives. She occasionally mentioned that being in the Devil Sect was not something she could control. She mentioned that when she was young, she wanted to be a good person.
As she found Jiang Hao more frequently, his worries grew stronger. He extracted all his lifeblood and cultivation and fused them, just in case.
A month later, Jiang Hao walked out of his house to a sunny day but there wasn’t any warmth anywhere.
‘Senior Sister Yun Ruo hasn’t looked for me for the past few days. I wonder if she is alright. Or… has something happened?’
He walked to the library. This month, he discovered something very serious. Senior Sister Yun Ruo was a member of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion. She was naturally charming and was a beauty of the sect. However, it seemed he couldn’t react at all. He had tried to awaken his feelings but there was no difference.
All this gave him a bad feeling. Although his heart was set on the Dao and he did not want to be influenced by anything, it felt strange.
This had happened after he met that woman. He knew that the pill she had fed him had done something to him.
Jiang Hao researched in the library for two days and still couldn’t find an answer. However, he came across a rare purple bubble.
[ ability Fragment + 1]
It was a pleasant surprise. With an ability fragment, he would be able to obtain a brand-new ability.
“Recently, the sect seems to be compiling the list of disciples. Did Something Happen?”
Jiang Hao heard people talking in the library. ‘Compiling a list of disciples? Are they looking for someone in particular?’
“Looking for a traitor maybe?” said another person.
Jiang Hao thought of Senior Sister Yun Ruo. He knew something was going to happen, but he had never expected that it would involve him.
‘Senior sister Yun Ruo has been in the Foundation Establishment Stage for many years. I don’t have a high chance of winning against her.’ Jiang Hao began to think of the worst-case scenarios. He hoped he was just worrying too much and nothing of the sort would happen.