Chapter 86, Good and Evil and Grasping the Secret Art

Translator: Raznick

 

The world of rogue cultivators was less bound by rules.

 

In the wilds, when a strong rogue cultivator encountered a weaker one, they had absolute disposal rights.

 

Those clan cultivators and sect cultivators, when they killed or picked on the weak, might still have to worry about the impact on their clan’s or sect’s reputation once exposed.

 

However, lone rogue cultivators needed not worry about such things at all.

 

So, although Zhou Chun promised to give rewards afterward, the old man he sought out dared not think about it.

 

His only hope was that he would be spared after obtaining the treasures in the Golden Armored Mountain Burrower nest.

 

As for this misunderstanding, Zhou Chun had no intention of explaining further.

 

He was now an average cultivator named Han Sanse. There was no need to explain such matters.

 

It was sufficient to act according to his own will afterward. Acting on impulse was the most carefree aspect of being a rogue cultivator.

 

Upon reaching the entrance of the shaft that he had previously sealed, Zhou Chun cleared the blockage and instructed the Whitey to lead the way, guiding the old man to the correct Golden Armored Mountain Burrower nest.

 

These rogue cultivators like the old man naturally couldn’t recognize such a rare average demon beast.

 

They merely sensed that Zhou Chun was indeed formidable, capable of taming such a powerful serpent as his spirit pet.

 

“What is the relationship between the three of you? I see that Fellow Daoist seems to be very protective of you.”

 

During the time waiting for the old man to return, Zhou Chun grew bored and decided to inquire about the origins of the two young men.

 

Despite having been warned by the old man, the two young men had no choice but to answer Zhou Chun’s questions. After all, it wasn’t a secret worth keeping hidden.

 

Soon enough, they began exchanging questions and answers with Zhou Chun, revealing the backstory of their trio.

 

It turned out that the relationship between the three was similar to what Zhou Chun had suspected: a mentor-apprentice bond without formal titles but with the same responsibilities.

 

The old man’s name was Jiang Buping, a seasoned cultivator, now well over seventy years old.

 

As for the tall young man, his name was Luo Dong. He used to be a mundane swordsman before crossing paths with Jiang Buping. After being discovered to possess spirit roots, he began cultivating under Jiang Buping’s guidance.

 

The stocky young man Wu Youfu was originally the son of Jiang Buping’s old friend. Since his father had perished in a distant land, Jiang had taken him under his wing.

 

All three of them had relatively low cultivation. Jiang Buping, though over seventy years old, was only at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining himself. Luo Dong was at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, while Wu Youfu was even weaker, just at the Third Layer of Qi Refining.

 

It was precisely because Luo Dong and Wu Youfu had such low cultivation levels that Jiang Buping had brought them here to this abandoned ore vein to eke out a living. After all, although this place wasn’t completely peaceful, Jiang’s Eighth Layer of Qi Refining cultivation still held some weight here. With the three of them together, safety generally shouldn’t be an issue.

 

Alas, today they encountered Zhou Chun, this ruthless individual. After assessing the difference between them, Jiang Buping and his companions had no choice but to surrender.

 

Zhou Chun wasn’t sure whether Luo Dong and Wu Youfu’s stories were true or not. If they were telling the truth, Jiang Buping, despite being an old man, seemed like a rare good person with a kind heart.

 

After chatting aimlessly with them for about an hour, Jiang Buping, covered in dust, finally crawled out of the cave mouth.

 

His face and head still covered in dust, but he wasted no time. With a forced smile, he immediately undid the storage bag attached to his waist and handed it to Zhou Chun, saying, “Fellow Daoist Han, I have fulfilled my mission. I have retrieved all the treasures from the demon’s nest. Please take a look.”

 

He then offered his storage bag and took off his coat, leaving on only a tight-fitting undershirt for Zhou Chun to inspect.

 

His manner suggested that this was not his first time doing such a thing.

 

This was truly the mindset of an old rogue cultivator!

 

Those clan cultivators and sect cultivators likely had no idea how dire the lives of rogue cultivators could be.

 

Their understanding of rogue cultivators was limited to hearsay—such as having no fixed residence, skipping meals, and lacking safety. They might not have reached the extreme of “why not eat meat when you’re starving,” but they were truly ignorant of the countless hardships and humiliating experiences that a rogue cultivator might endure over a lifetime.

 

Fortunately, Zhou Chun was no ordinary clan cultivator.

 

He, though he had never personally experienced the life of a rogue cultivator, had spent enough time in the market to gain some understanding. Moreover, in his previous life, he had seen the poverty of people in remote rural areas firsthand. By drawing from that experience and projecting it onto the cultivation world’s rogue cultivators, he could form a clear conception.

 

Therefore, at this moment, although he felt moved by Jiang Buping’s righteousness, he showed no sign of it on his face. He merely nodded lightly and said, “Thank you for everything, Fellow Daoist. Please take a seat and have some water first.”

 

He raised his hand to empty the contents of his storage bag onto the ground. Instantly, a pile of items clattered noisily on the floor.

 

Most of these were gold essence ore of a pale golden color.

 

The Golden Armored Mountain Burrower did consume some gold essence ore, but its primary diet consisted of various insects and rodents living underground.

 

Therefore, it would bring these gold essence ore back to its nest. The primary purpose was not for consumption but to slowly absorb the metal Qi contained within them to enhance itself.

 

Zhou Chun examined the ores and then turned to ask Jiang Buping, “Fellow Daoist, since you often make a living in this abandoned ore vein, you should know the value of gold essence ore. What do you think these gold essence ore would be worth in terms of spirit coin?”

 

Jiang Buping, upon hearing this, shook his head repeatedly and said, “Fellow Daoist, please understand. This is something I cannot easily assess, because even ores from the same vein may have varying amounts of pure gold content.

 

“To truly determine their value in spirit coin, they would need to be appraised by a professional at a shop after refining out the gold essence,” he added.

 

Zhou Chun realized that Jiang Buping was hesitant. “No worries, just give me a rough estimate,” he said with a wave.

 

Jiang Buping hesitated for a moment, eyeing Zhou Chun’s expression before speaking softly, “Based on my past experience, the quality of gold essence ore from this vein is generally good. If all these ores are of the same quality, they should be worth about two hundred and thirty spirit coins!”

 

Zhou Chun listened carefully to his estimation.

 

“Two or three hundred spirit coins? That’s more than enough!” Zhou Chun nodded slightly, promptly storing all the ore into his storage bag. He then took out ten spirit coins and tossed them to Jiang Buping, the old man. “I always keep my word, these spirit coins are meant as a token of appreciation for you, Fellow Daoist. Please don’t refuse them.”

 

Ten spirit coins weren’t particularly significant in number. However, Jiang Buping hadn’t expected Zhou Chun to actually offer him payment. In his mind, merely securing his own and the two youngsters’ lives was already a substantial gain. Thus, as he looked at the spirit coins on the ground before him, he momentarily froze in place. It wasn’t until Zhou Chun, accompanied by the Silver Thunder Python, turned to leave that Jiang Buping realized he hadn’t been hallucinating after all.

 

He hurriedly bowed to Zhou Chun’s departing figure, cupping his hands in greeting and said, “Brother Han, please take your time. Old man here thanks you.”

 

As Zhou Chun waved dismissively in response, the group continued on their way.

 

Once Zhou Chun had distanced himself sufficiently, Jiang Buping bent down to collect the spirit coins scattered on the ground. Turning to his two younger companions, he remarked with a sigh, “You see? I told you all along, the cultivation world is still home to honorable individuals.”

 

The taller young man, Luo Dong, scoffed, “Hey, old man, do you even believe what you just said?”

 

The shorter, stout youth Wu Youfu also shook his head in agreement, adding, “That’s right. Earlier, you were worried that he might kill us for information!”

 

Jiang Buping, however, merely chuckled in response to their teasing, quickly adopting a placating expression. He said with a hearty laugh, “Ha ha ha! Hearing your skepticism, old man feels reassured.”

 

His tone turned serious as he issued a stern warning: “Remember this well—in the cultivation world, kind-hearted souls rarely live long. Even if we don’t aim to be villains ourselves, we must never play the role of the virtuous!”

 

In response, Luo Dong solemnly assured him, “Rest assured, old man. Over the years under your guidance, we’ve gained experience in all sorts of deceit and betrayal. Besides you, we trust no one else.”

 

“Right, besides you, old man, who’s a real gem, none of us would trust him either!”

 

The stout young man Wu Youfu nodded firmly in agreement, showing he understood.

 

Jiang Buping was visibly pleased, nodding repeatedly with a beaming smile.

 

Of course, Zhou Chun had no idea that after he left, the old man Jiang Buping had even used this matter to test and teach his two younger companions. Perhaps if Zhou Chun had known, he would have simply given a faint smile, showing little concern.

 

He gave Jiang Buping spirit coins as payment; it was neither an act of kindness nor wickedness—he merely wished to avoid doing anything wrong. As for how Jiang Buping viewed him, that was beyond his control.

 

The next two weeks, Zhou Chun rushed to various mine shafts to collect metal Qi, and finally managed to refill the gourd. Then he immediately set out to his clan.

 

Upon arriving back at Nine Peaks, the Clan Leader showed concern and inquired about Zhou Chun’s extended absence upon learning that he had been gone for so long.

 

Zhou Daoyi was amazed to learn that he had managed to slay a Golden Armored Mountain Burrower within the underground tunnels. He then proceeded to ask Zhou Chun directly, “May I please see the Thousand Hills Seal artifact and the corpse of the Golden Armored Mountain Burrower?”

 

Upon examining the artifact and the body, Zhou Daoyi suddenly looked at Zhou Chun and asked, “Do you know why this artifact is called the Thousand Hills Seal?”

 

“I am unaware, Senior,” Zhou Chun replied with a shake of his head.

 

Zhou Daoyi saw this and explained to him: “There’s a type of instrument called Thousand Mountains Seal, which, when struck, can weigh as heavily as a thousand mountains, capable of killing even a Golden Core Stage cultivator!” After finishing his explanation, he shook his head again and said: “However, your artifact, though not lacking in power, isn’t even strong enough to move a mountain. It’s likely that some refiner heard of the fame of Thousand Mountains Seal and attempted to create a similar artifact in its name. Such items aren’t uncommon in the cultivation world.”

 

Zhou Chun’s expression flickered slightly as he finally understood why the Thousand Hills Seal was so powerful. Instruments were treasures that only Golden Core Stage cultivators could possess, each with the devastating power to boil mountains and seas. Even this replica of Thousand Hills Seal, crafted by a refiner in admiration of its fame, exceeded the capabilities of ordinary superior first-grade artifacts by a considerable margin.

 

However, such replicas had obvious weaknesses. Not only did they drain one’s spiritual power extensively but they also came with flaws that couldn’t be rectified. Just like her own Thousand Hills Seal, it required a period of time to charge before attacking and moved at an unimpressive pace.

 

At that time, if it hadn’t been for the Golden Armored Mountain Burrower having most of its body buried underground, avoiding the falling giant seal would have been no difficult task. Therefore, this item was only suitable for targeting immobile or slow-moving foes, much like the Rock Turtle!

 

As Zhou Chun pondered these thoughts, Zhou Daoyi merely paused slightly before nodding toward him and saying, “Since your defensive artifact has been lost, I shall take this Golden Armored Mountain Burrower corpse and the gold essence ore you obtained. I will see if I can have someone craft a new defensive artifact for you.”

 

Zhou Chun was filled with delight and bowed in gratitude, saying, “I deeply appreciates your generous assistance, Clan Leader.”

 

“Enough,” Zhou Daoyi replied with a dismissive wave. “Since you’ve returned, focus on handling clan affairs as before. Matters pertaining to your secret art cultivation can be addressed in due time.”

 

With that, Zhou Daoyi turned and left, taking the items with him.

 

Half a month later, the gourd containing cleansed Savage Qi was back in Zhou Chun’s possession, allowing him once again to cultivate the Hard Gold Sword Energy.

 

Ssss—

 

In the quiet room echoed Zhou Chun’s sharp intake of breath.

 

Using high-quality metal Qi from a vein of gold essence ore to cultivate Hard Gold Sword Energy was proving far more painful than he had anticipated.

 

Though he had grown accustomed to the pain of metal Qi entering his body, now it felt as though he were experiencing the initial stages of cultivating this secret art for the first time. The agony was intense, causing him to break out in a cold sweat and struggle to maintain his cultivation.

 

Yet Zhou Chun’s resolve wavered not at all in this moment. If he gave up now, all the hardship he had endured so far would be in vain. Therefore, no matter how excruciating the pain, he clenched his teeth and pressed on.

 

Fortunately, his prior experience allowed him to approach this challenge with greater composure. He no longer rushed or dwelled on fanciful thoughts. If cultivating did not yield results in a single day, he would proceed methodically—gradually acclimating himself to the agony and pressure brought forth by the high-quality metal Qi, until he could ultimately succeed in absorbing it into his body for storage.

 

After carefully adapting to cultivation for nearly half a year, Zhou Chun finally succeeded in grasping the Hard Gold Sword Energy. This allowed him to store and transform sufficient Supreme White Gold Energy within his right hand’s central meridian. The White Mars Force, refined from high-quality metal Qi, held immense power that even Zhou Chun couldn’t fully comprehend.

 

According to the Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, it should be sufficient to pose a significant threat to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. In other words, if Zhou Chun were to launch an unexpected close-range assault, there was a chance he could overpower even a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This thought greatly boosted his sense of security.

 

However, just as Zhou Chun was contemplating whether to press forward and cultivate the second level of Hard Gold Sword Energy, storing another Supreme White Gold Energy within his left hand’s meridian, an accomplishment by the Third Elder Zhou Daoquan in his beast breeding research caused a stir throughout the entire Zhou Clan. It drew numerous Zhou Clan cultivators to gather at the beast enclosure to witness the spectacle.