“Here it comes!”
Jiang Che’s spirits lifted, but his expression remained unchanged.
He had experienced similar things twice before.
When he first transmigrated, he was unexpectedly caught in a village massacre. It was by following the path indicated by the upper-middle divination lot that he avoided dying upon arrival.
He was even brought back to the Sect by a Kuxin Sect Disciple, allowing him to access the secrets of cultivation.
Although the fly in the ointment was that the Kuxin Sect was a Demonic Sect.
Compared to struggling in the mundane world his entire life, the current outcome was more in line with Jiang Che’s original intentions.
Given this, how to choose the divination lot this time was self-evident.
“Jiang Junior Brother?”
Qu Gu saw Jiang Che in a daze and pressed him.
Though still mere Za Yi, Qu Gu and the others had already begun addressing each other as Senior Brother and Junior Brother.
Jiang Che shook his head, manipulating his facial muscles to feign a simple and bewildered look.
“I won’t go.”
“It’s rare to have free time today. I plan to go to Shu Wu Hall again to take on a task, so I can accumulate more merit.”
Upon hearing this, a round-faced Za Yi frowned and asked, “When I came out of Shu Wu Hall, I noticed that the only task left today was Blood Pool dredging?”
“Blood Pool dredging?”
Qu Gu showed a hint of surprise and turned to look at Jiang Che: “Do you know that the blood poison in that pool is very harmful, even to Gathering Qi Cultivators in the Early Stage?”
“You haven’t even developed Qi sensation yet. If blood poison enters your body, it will shorten your lifespan!”
“To be honest.” Jiang Che gave a bitter smile, “After two months of cultivation, I haven’t made any progress. I know my Aptitude is lacking. If I don’t accumulate more merit points to exchange for external elixirs and medicines…”
“I’m afraid…”
At this point, the other Za Yi understood.
After comparing it to their own cultivation progress, they couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude.
Qu Gu no longer tried to persuade him after hearing this. He waved his hand, not even bothering to say much, and motioned for the other Za Yi to head down the mountain together.
However, as they descended the mountain, their footsteps gradually drifted apart.
It wasn't until they reached the fork in the road leading to Shu Wu Hall that the round-faced Za Yi turned back and nodded, and the few of them parted ways.
Jiang Che, meanwhile, continued without stopping, heading straight into Shu Wu Hall.
He skillfully exchanged the wooden token for preparing medicinal materials for merit points, then received the token for Blood Pool dredging, and left to walk towards Crimson Cauldron Pavilion.
Crimson Cauldron Pavilion is located on the outer perimeter of Blood Sin Peak.
The pavilion is divided into three grades: A, B, and C, with a total of thirty-six quiet rooms.
Each quiet room contains a section of a Blood River tributary, provided exclusively for Disciples who rent the room to nurture corpse puppets or practice secret techniques.
It is said that the source of the Blood River is even beyond Blood Sin Peak, in the heartland of the Kuxin Sect.
The person responsible for guarding the Crimson Cauldron Pavilion today was a gloomy, gray-haired middle-aged Disciple.
After taking the token Jiang Che handed over, he sized him up for a while: “The pool that needs dredging is in Grade C, Room Eleven. The protective gear does not require spiritual power to activate; just put it on yourself.”
Jiang Che bowed in agreement and left along the side of the long corridor indicated by the middle-aged Disciple.
Behind him, he could faintly hear a sneering chuckle: “These days, you can even see people rushing to their deaths.”
Quiet Room Eleven, Grade C, was not actually cramped.
However, two-thirds of the two-zhang square room was a Blood Pool, leaving the space for Disciples to settle down and Cultivate too narrow.
The blood water had already been drained.
But inhaling the turbid air remaining in the quiet room still caused a dry, burning pain in Jiang Che’s nasal cavity and mouth.
After only a brief stay, he could already clearly feel the blood poison seeping into his bone marrow along his body surface like a bone-sticking ulcer.
Daring not to delay, he put on the protective gear stored in the quiet room.
Jiang Che took a deep breath and jumped cleanly into the dry Blood Pool.
His feet landed firmly, his eyes half-closed, holding his breath, trying his best not to ponder the origin of the sticky pulp and solid matter at the bottom of the pool.
He simply kept scooping and scrubbing.
After a while, Jiang Che’s hand, deep in the pool, suddenly paused.
An inexplicable blue brick protruded from the otherwise smooth pool wall, looking particularly out of place.
Suppressing his nausea, he pushed aside the filth. Jiang Che’s five fingers gripped the edge of the brick and lifted it, and the entire brick slid out smoothly.
And at the bottom of the brick, in a small crevice isolated from the blood water’s corrosion.
A thin book lay quietly.
“Could this be the Sixth-Grade Opportunity mentioned in the divination lot?”
He took out the thin book and examined it carefully.
At the top of the pages was a line of elegant and flowing regular script:
“Since childhood, I have been plagued by blood poison. After joining the Kuxin Sect, I saw the Blood Pool. I observed the ebb and flow of the blood tide in this quiet room for eighteen days and nights, and perhaps gained some enlightenment, obtaining a section of Toxin Transformation Notes.
Although it is still unhelpful for the severe poison within my body, it is sufficient to dissolve the residual toxins in this Blood Pool and can even use the toxins to temper and accelerate cultivation.”
“I leave this secret technique here, awaiting someone fated to find it.”
After two blank lines, the handwriting became a bit messy.
“Whoever finds this, feel free to practice it. This is for this old lady to accumulate good karma. Do me a favor and bless me to find a secret technique to eradicate the blood poison in my body soon.”
Jiang Che let out a long breath and carefully hid the Toxin Transformation Notes close to his body.
The divination lot clearly stated there would be no future worries, so he naturally wasn't concerned about any hidden traps within it.
He just wondered which Senior in the Sect had left this note.
Jiang Che carefully pushed the blue brick back into the empty space at the bottom of the pool.
From the corrosion marks on the blue brick, it could be roughly inferred that this note had been stored here for countless days and nights.
The slight protrusion where the blue brick was originally raised by the book in the crevice.
It gradually loosened under the washing of the blood water, becoming more and more obvious, and happened to be completely exposed today, benefiting Jiang Che, who came to dredge the pool.
The Sixth-Grade Opportunity had finally fallen into his hands safely.
Although Jiang Che felt lighthearted, he still meticulously continued to complete this task.
Until the golden crow set in the west and the jade rabbit rose in the east.
Only then did he pack up his tools and go to find the gloomy middle-aged Disciple to report completion.
“Not bad.”
After inspection, the middle-aged Disciple promptly handed the token to Jiang Che.
After a slight pause, he said with a sarcastic tone: “If you don’t want to die early, remember to exchange merit points for a Pure Essence Pill. Don’t take this kind of task before Gathering Qi; it’s not worth it.”
Jiang Che looked at the middle-aged Disciple with some surprise.
Then he bowed and left Crimson Cauldron Pavilion.
He walked west along the mountain path, heading towards Za Yi Hall at the foot of Blood Sin Peak.
Dusk was vast.
The towering Blood Sin Peak pressed heavily on the other end of the hazy night, and even stretching one’s neck hard, it was difficult to see the upper part of the mountain.
“I wonder how long it will be until I can truly climb up, sit idly on the peak, and watch the rise and fall of the mundane world.”
Jiang Che opened his mouth, wanting to recite a poem or two he had heard in his previous life.
But the cold mountain wind filled his throat.
Causing his blood-poisoned lungs to ache in spasms.
He could only smile helplessly and continue to hurry on his way.
As he approached the Za Yi Hall area, Jiang Che gradually sensed something was amiss.
It was past the second watch, and logically, the Za Yi should either be resting or cultivating in their quarters. However, the main hall of Za Yi Hall was still brightly lit.
After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Che pushed open the hall door.
A somewhat familiar-faced Za Yi walked out, and Jiang Che grabbed him: “What happened?”
The other person recognized Jiang Che, and immediately pointed behind him with a look of schadenfreude,
“During the day, they came back sneakily and secretly gathered a group of people, saying that Elder Tian on the peak was holding some lecture, which was an Opportunity, and they went secretly.”
“But who knew, during the lecture, Elder Tian suddenly wanted to refine some Ascension Pill.”
“The pill poison overflowed and poisoned them all to the core.”
“Pill poison?” Jiang Che pressed, “Did that Elder bestow any antidote pills?”
“Antidote pills!” The other person grinned, “Dream on. He just told us to carry them back.”
“Now they’re all thrown in the hall, groaning.”