"Tell me, have you truly cultivated the Burning Blood Technique?"
The Fifth Elder suddenly halted, and his aura surged, immediately suppressing Qin Shu, and leaving him breathless.
"Yes, I indeed cultivated the Burning Blood Technique."
"But there's a reason."
Qin Shu quickly explained what he had told the Northern Mysterious Old Ancestor. However, he intentionally omitted to mention meeting the Northern Mysterious Old Ancestor since the Old Ancestor only instructed him to meet the Seventh Elder, with no mention of other elders.
Nevertheless, Qin Shu's explanation eased the Fifth Elder's furrowed brows somewhat, and he let out a sigh.
"Do you know why I brought you here?"
The Fifth Elder patted Qin Shu's shoulder and directed his gaze to the stone statue kneeling in front of them.
"I don't know."
"This stone statue was once a brilliant disciple of our Blackheaven Sect. He diligently cultivated and pursued his path. He was even secretly favored by the Blackheaven Sect's Sect Master, the Northern Mysterious Old Ancestor."
"But good fortune does not last forever. He suffered injuries in a battle against another sect, and his cultivation regressed, extinguishing his path."
"This is a catastrophic blow for any cultivator. He went into seclusion until he stumbled upon a forbidden technique from somewhere. In a single day, he broke through three major realms and reached the Soul Formation realm."
"However, the price was his descent into madness. He began indiscriminately slaughtering Blackheaven Sect disciples until the Sect Master intervened and had to kill him. Unbeknownst to him, the Northern Mysterious Old Ancestor had already selected him as his direct disciple."
"Therefore, when I sensed you cultivating the Blood Igniting Technique, I grew concerned for your safety and the sect's well-being."
The Fifth Elder sighed as he recounted the past.
"I will remember this, Elder." Qin Shu replied.
"Never mind, I cannot dictate your path, but you must cease practicing this forbidden technique."
Upon seeing Qin Shu nod earnestly, the Fifth Elder breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now that you have earned a special slot, you may choose between receiving my guidance or making a request."
The Fifth Elder turned to Qin Shu and asked. Though most disciples opted for the former, the formal process still had to be followed.
"Fifth Elder, I choose the latter."
"Hmm? Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am certain."
"Very well, but keep your request within reason."
The Fifth Elder was somewhat surprised but accepted Qin Shu's decision. After receiving a confirmation from Qin Shu, he pondered for a moment before saying,
"I request some Health elixirs and other elixirs."
Qin Shu made his request, considering that he needed to increase his lifespan and gain insights from fellow disciples, which would be more beneficial than improving his current cultivation techniques.
There would always be inner sect disciples who possessed powerful cultivation techniques, making it a more advantageous choice.
"Approved. Take this token and visit the elixir room. Let them know you can select any elixir today."
"However, do not take them all. Just what's sufficient for your cultivation."
The Fifth Elder tossed a token to Qin Shu and issued a reminder.
"Thank you, Fifth Elder."
After expressing his gratitude with a bow, Qin Shu departed. The Fifth Elder watched as Qin Shu walked away, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.
Over the years, most disciples who passed the assessment and gained the special slot typically chose the first option, which was seeking the guidance of the elders. They often spent considerable resources on this privilege.
After all, in the cultivation world, items like elixirs could be obtained with effort and resources. However, the guidance of the elders was invaluable. Sometimes, a single session of guidance could save months of hard work or even more.
"D*mn, why isn't the test over yet?"
Outside Qin Shu's stone house, a group of outer sect disciples had gathered, clutching various weapons, clearly harboring hostile intentions.
"Who are they?"
"I heard that Wang He found them and ordered them to cripple Qin Shu as soon as he returned home."
"That's ruthless! Doesn't the Law Enforcement Hall care?"
"Deacon Xiong of the Law Enforcement Hall lost a lot of reputation because of Qin Shu. I bet Qin Shu will have to deal with Deacon Xiong when he's done with Wang He."
"In that case, Qin Shu's in big trouble."
The disciples chatted animatedly among themselves. Many had gathered near Qin Shu's stone house, eager to witness the strength of this individual who had embarrassed Deacon Xiong, an achievement not easily accomplished in the outer court.
After all, few could make Deacon Xiong lose his reputation among the outer sect disciples.
After Qin Shu received the token and collected the inner sect disciple's attire from Pang Yuan, he planned to return to his mud hut to pack his belongings.
"Qin Shu is here!"
At that moment, a sharp-eyed disciple spotted Qin Shu and promptly alerted the others. The previously listless disciples, who had been sitting on the ground, suddenly became alert. The Madam who had approached him had promised a reward of 1,000 spirit stones to anyone who killed or seriously injured Qin Shu.
A thousand spirit stones represented a substantial sum. For an outer sect disciple, saving up this amount without additional labor would take as long as a hundred months, or twenty months even if they worked diligently every month.
Moreover, Deacon Xiong from the Law Enforcement Hall hadn't intervened, indicating that he still held a grudge over the previous incident.
"Why's it so lively here?"
Unaware of the situation, Qin Shu continued with his usual routine, heading toward his stone house.
"Hey kid, why are you in such a hurry? Don't you know you bumped into me?"
One of the disciples spoke insolently, and the others quickly formed a circle around Qin Shu with hostile expressions.
"What's this? Are you looking for a fight?"
Qin Shu immediately understood the situation. These were thugs hired by either Wang He or those associated with him. However, most of these thugs were only at Level 4 or Level 5 Qi Refinement, with the highest being at Level 6. They underestimated him.
"Yes…"
The disciple who had spoken rudely barely finished his sentence before Qin Shu's fist had already landed squarely on his face. He felt a tremendous force shatter his face, causing him to fall to the ground, spitting out a few teeth.
"Attack!"
The other disciples rushed forward one by one.
Qin Shu sneered, instantly releasing his aura. He swiftly kicked a Level 5 Qi Refinement disciple, sending him crashing into the others like a bowling pin. In just a few moments, more than half of them were incapacitated.
Qin Shu continued his offensive, punching a disciple's jaw before delivering a powerful blow to the chest. Blood spewed from the disciple's mouth as he was sent flying and lay on the ground, incapacitated.
Within five minutes, all the disciples who had confronted him were defeated.
Many hadn't even approached Qin Shu before being knocked down by their comrades, unable to recover for quite some time.
The disciple who had initially spoken insolently was terrified. He tried to crawl away, but Qin Shu yanked him back.
Then, two slaps landed on his face, causing him to spit out two more teeth.
"I'm going to ask you some questions. Answer truthfully, or I'll personally pull out the rest of your teeth. Understand?"
Qin Shu threatened, his expression fierce.
"Yes, yes! Please, just ask. I'll tell you everything I know." The trembling disciple agreed hastily.
"Good. What's your name, and who sent you?"
"I'm Wu Jian. Sister Luo Xue sent us. We didn't know how strong you were. Please spare us."
"Luo Xue?"
"Yes, yes! She's the best friend of Wang He's brother. I heard they're even lovers. That appearance, and that figure, tsk tsk."
Slap.
Another slap.
Wu Jian looked at Qin Shu with a wronged expression as tears welled in his eyes.
"Did I ask you to say anything else?"
Qin Shu pushed Wu Jian away. Wu Jian, who no longer had any intentions of provoking Qin Shu, quickly stood up and prepared to flee with the other disciples.
"Wait."
"Brother Qin, do you have any further instructions?"
Qin Shu halted them abruptly. Wu Jian turned around with a forced smile and asked.
"Shouldn't you compensate me for wasting my time?" Qin Shu also smiled, but his smile appeared far more menacing.
"Yes, yes, how thoughtless of us. Why don't you all hurry up and apologize to Brother Qin?" Wu Jian kicked the disciple next to him and scolded him.
Although the others felt wrong, they were outnumbered and overpowered by Qin Shu and Wu Jian. Thus, they reluctantly handed over the spirit stones they had saved for some time with dejected expressions.
"Isn't that much better? Now it's your turn." Qin Shu nodded and looked at Wu Jian.