As the system once explained, scourge points weren't mere punishments, but also Harun's key to unlocking new doors. The First Door aside, each of Harun's Seven Doors required a specific amount of scourge points: 500, 1,500, 3,000, 6,000, 13,000, 30,000. Yes, to unlock the seventh, Harun needed 30,000 scourge points, or a 300,000% Tribulation Bonus. Said otherwise, if he dared fulfill the requirements of the last door, Harun's tribulations would be at least 3,001 times stronger than what he should face. This wouldn't be the average level-skipping, but realm skipping at its worst.
In a way, the setting made sense. The 10,000 Sect War was but an appetizer. The System tasked Harun with founding history's number one sect. Stronger than Golden Cicada's faction, stronger than the Myriad Devil Palace. On the road to lead his sect beyond those two forces' limits, how could Harun not become extraordinary. At the very least, he couldn't lose to Golden Cicada or the Devil Ancestor.
Realizing that Harun wasn't just messing with her, Jiyan regained her composure. However, her eyes squinted at the alcoholic pond. Without her cultivation base, her senses couldn't compare to what they used to be. Still, Jiyan could feel the damaging essence in that pond.
Should they dive in, most people would die in drunken bliss—intoxicated by the liquor while their blood pressure increased till their skulls burst like a balloon. Devil Essence could allow Jiyan to resist, but outright negating the effects wouldn't bring the desired results, so she sought Harun's eyes and guidance.
"After I give you a few of my blood drops, your plague affinity will skyrocket, enabling you to make a maximum use of this pond. Afterward, your willpower becomes the only restricting factor," Harun started, clearing up Jiyan's doubts.
"This pond represents the first stage. To reach the peak of the First Step, you'll have to cross three others. I am ready to take you through the second and fourth. But for the third, I still need to make some preparations, so you can take your time." The first four stages of the Myriad Poisons Bridge required Pond, Fumes, Pills and Withering Essence. Harun could produce the second with his poisonous arts and the fourth with his Decaying Flower. However, he still had to work on the third.
One day only carried 24 hours. With so much to accomplish but so little time, Harun had to take things one step at a time, and complete his tasks in order of importance. Still, by relying on the Second Door and the resources at hand, Harun could quickly produce enough pills to cultivate Jiyan.
However, hesitation shone in her eyes. Willpower and common sense didn't work against one another. Through Harun's words, Jiyan realized that he'd come up with another path, one tailored to his sect's needs. But as her eyes darted between the pond and his fiendish grin, she wondered what she'd have to give up to cross the first step.
"Am I supposed to drink from it, or bathe in it?" She asked in a slow, cautious tone. Harun's smile grew more demonic—if that was possible. Leaning over, he stared into Jiyan's eyes with a gaze that put the Heavens' most dreadful criminals to shame and said:
"If you just had to get drunk, why would I bother making it a pond? Of course you have to dip in," Harun said, making his innocent child face contrast with the immoral glint in his eyes. Again, Jiyan attempted to step back, but as before, Harun held on tight. Devil Essence alone couldn't make up for the abysmal gap in their current strength, so no matter how she struggled, Jiyan couldn't escape Harun's grip.
"Oh and, you can't go in clothed, of course. That'd ruin the medicinal efficiency. You have to sink to the lowest level you can and stay there for as long as possible. The more you can endure, the faster you complete the quenching, and the better your results. I will stand beside the pond and oversee the entire process to...well, make sure you don't suffer any accident. This is dangerous stuff, we can't be too careful," Harun sighed in helplessness while Jiyan recoiled like a startled fawn. How could he tell her that he'd already set up a mechanism to automatically kick out those that reached their limits? But then again, a man couldn't be too careful. If he didn't hum...personally supervise the process...how could he feel relieved? This was all for the greater good.
Jiyan didn't buy it, "Harun, a man cannot be too shameless. You must have some limits."
"Undress," Harun leisurely replied.
"If the medicinal potency is as high as you described, what does it matter that…"
"Undress."
"Don't go too far."
"Undress."
"I've misjudged you!"
"Undress."
…
Sitting crossed-legged before Harun, Jiyan received the blood drop injections and capped at nine pairs. Unable to resist the nameless sect master's command, she took off her blue dress and underwear, standing bare before the toxic wine pond like Aphrodite out of the seashell. In the end, Harun made some concessions, keeping his eyes closed, but carefully "supervising" the sect elder with his Divine Sense. Used to Harun's despicable means, the system didn't even bother commenting. But if it had a head, it'd be shaking it left and right, or maybe it'd give him a thumbs up instead. Who knows? Weird System.
Wrapping her arms around her grapefruit-sized breasts, Jiyan dipped in, using the wine pond to hide her spotless and masterfully carved body from the little wolf's avid gaze. But as soon as her foot sank in, seriousness returned to Jiyan's eyes. Harun was correct. The nine Blood Drop Pairs he granted her may have enhanced her physique and plague affinity, but she couldn't afford carelessness.
Pulling in a deep breath, Jiyan closed her eyes and dove into the toxic pond—dropping till she reached the bottom. The overbearing poisonous essence assaulted her from all sides, seeping into her flesh and muscles, refining them both at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, with a wine jug in hand, Harun observed her progress.
"Though this pond is merely 180 square meters wide, its depth reaches about 30 meters. Every three meters represents a bottleneck, but she reached the bottom in one go. Granted she has access to lots of my blood, this is still impressive. Ten of Physique, ten of Willpower, nine of luck...is making her the standard for my direct disciples too much to ask," Harun wondered between two sips of booze.
Golden Cicada could take anyone with the determination to seek the Cosmic Law as his disciples, but Harun didn't have that luxury. Talents made many things easier. On average, one injection of his blood drops increased the Physique stat by one. But those with five or less could only receive one injection. Two at six, three at seven, five at eight, seven at nine, and nine at ten.
However, once they reached their limits, even if their physiques improved from the injection, they could no longer receive more drops. For outer disciples who, for a long while, were destined to peak between the First and Second Step, this wasn't important. But for the inner sect, Harun reckoned he needed youths with at least seven in Physique so he could directly boost them to ten. But for critical stats such as Senses and Dao Attunement, he couldn't play tricks, and so needed them to at least have eight.
"For the inner disciples, charisma doesn't matter much. But at the same time, it can't be too low, or they won't be able to influence the rest positively. Six should be the minimum. I can increase luck by two, and have my Star of Fortunes setup, so as long as they have at least five, we're good," Harun whispered as Jiyan's quenching went on. One session could go on for days, and knowing that he still had pills to refine, Harun stood up and teleported into his second chamber's Artisan District—right in the Pill Refinement Sector.
Welcomed by the scent of divine herbs, and the sight of ordered shelves arranged against green stone walls, Harun glanced at the two meters tall pill furnace standing before him, summoned his Golden Silkworm Jar, and walked toward one shelf to pick his ingredients.
"With my two Stars of Fortune and two 9 Luck disciples, this place will probably soon crawl with treasures and chances. Perhaps Heaven itself will grow jealous. Maybe I should increase Jiyan's luck to 10. More Fortune, more resources, more free wealth!" Harun burst into laughter. But at that time, a cacophony of alarmed voices rumbled in Harun's mind, stopping him in his tracks.
"Spiritual Lord, Spiritual Lord! The sky…" Dozens of voices simultaneously tried to send a message. Suppressing them, Harun exited the system's world, returning to his temple. At the gate, the Birusk clansmen gathered.
Instantly, Harun could feel that the atmosphere's scent and structure had experienced rapid changes. With furrowed brows, he stepped out, raising his eyes toward the sky. Disbelief struck immediately.
Dark-purple clouds of malevolent energies spread as far as the eyes could see, covering the previous blue sky and blotting out the sun. The figure of a colossal, jet-black bull with eyes of dark burning flames took shape, streaking under the sky like a shooting star.
The bull's gaze lowered toward the village, sweeping across citizens and growing herbs alike. Its flaming eyes narrowed and, halting its hooves, the bull hovered there—its thoughts unknown.