Translator: Cinder Translations
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Wu Xiu looked at Song Wen arrogantly, a hint of disdain on his face, as if he had already figured Song Wen out.
He was currently at the third layer of Qi Refining, and with his family background, his techniques and methods were far superior to a wandering cultivator like Song Wen.
However, these weren't his greatest assets.
His greatest asset was the iron corpse behind him. This iron corpse was an heirloom from his father, capable of unleashing mid-level Qi Refining strength. Its body was as tough as iron, infused with a potent and toxic corpse aura. Even ordinary mid-level Qi Refining cultivators were not its match.
Upon hearing this, Song Wen felt a mix of frustration and annoyance.
He hadn't expected that upon joining Corpse Demon Sect, he would immediately encounter bullying from fellow disciples.
Are all cultivators in the world this brainless? Making enemies so easily!
But upon careful consideration, it made sense. Wu Xiu was only seventeen years old, the age of youthful arrogance. Among his peers, his strength was indeed the strongest. It was somewhat understandable for him to be bold and reckless.
Feeling the unmasked strong corpse aura emanating from the iron corpse, Song Wen couldn't help but shudder.
He knew he was no match for this iron corpse right now!
Song Wen made a quick decision. Holding the plaque in his hands, he bowed and said,
"Senior Brother Wu, it's my honor if you've taken a liking to my cave dwelling. If you wish to reside here, please take it."
Wu Xiu nodded smugly, took the plaque from Song Wen's hand, and handed his own cave dwelling plaque to Song Wen.
"Junior Brother Ji Yin, you're quite sensible. Follow me from now on. I have some connections within Corpse Demon Sect."
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
"Hmm." Wu Xiu replied nonchalantly, then turned and headed towards cave number twelve, displaying a grand demeanor.
Song Wen watched Wu Xiu's departing figure and quietly recorded this person in his mental notebook.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Once he had enough strength, he would reclaim his dignity from today's humiliation.
If he wasn't strong enough... well, among fellow disciples, they should help each other.
Song Wen looked at the plaque in his hand, number ninety-seven.
He glanced around and finally found his cave dwelling on the edge of a slope.
At this moment, he suddenly understood why Wu Xiu wanted to occupy his cave dwelling.
This cave dwelling was located on the outermost edge of the outer disciple's area, where the spiritual energy was much thinner compared to cave number twelve. Naturally, cultivation speed here would be slower.
Song Wen's resentment towards Wu Xiu deepened.
With the plaque in hand, he easily entered the cave dwelling.
The cave dwelling was quite spacious, covering several dozen square meters. Inside were various daily necessities.
In the center of the cave dwelling was a deep well that seemed bottomless, emitting a strong corpse aura that made people feel uncomfortable all over.
This was the "Corpse Refining Corpse Aura Formation" arranged by senior disciples of Corpse Demon Sect in the depths of the mountain to assist disciples in cultivation. It condensed countless corpses of mortals, cultivators, and spirit beasts to emit corpse aura through the vertical well into the disciples' cave dwellings.
Song Wen began to check the items in his storage bag: outer disciple's attire, five low-grade spirit stones, and two bottles of pills.
One bottle contained Grain-Separation Pills, totaling three pills, each capable of sustaining someone without food for ten days.
TL Note: Grain-Separation Pill might be the same as Famine-Relief Pill mentioned in Ch28
The other bottle contained Corpse Blood Pills, also three pills, which assisted cultivators in condensing and refining corpse aura.
Song Wen noticed something peculiar. While others had books on "Corpse Fiend Technique" in their storage bags, he had no such martial arts books. Instead, he found an extra jade slip.
Although Song Wen was still a novice in cultivation, he knew that this jade slip was an advanced form of recording compared to books. By affixing it to his forehead, one could directly perceive its contents with spiritual energy.
"Why is my martial arts different from others'?"
Song Wen felt uneasy. He recalled the private conversation between Shi Shou and Du Qiu before they left.
The problem probably arose then.
In other words, this jade slip containing a transmission method was given to himself by Shi Shou.
Why would he specifically give himself this martial art? Could it be that there's something special about my aptitude that made Shi Shou treat me differently?
Affixing the jade slip to his forehead, Song Wen began to examine the contents of the martial art.
Instantly, Song Wen's mind was flooded with a large amount of information.
"Corpse King Blood Refining Technique"!
That was the name of the martial art recorded in the jade slip.
This was a rare body refining technique in the cultivation world.
The jade slip recorded the "Corpse King Blood Refining Technique" from the first layer of Qi Refining all the way to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
Based on the information he received, Song Wen learned that to practice the "Corpse King Blood Refining Technique," one needed to have all five attributes of spiritual roots, which was a prerequisite.
"So, this is why Shi Shou taught me this martial art?"
According to the outline, the "Corpse King Blood Refining Technique" was an exceptional body refining technique. By cultivating it to the highest level, one could achieve the physique of a king among zombies, transcending beyond the three realms.
Becoming immortal, indestructible, and eternal.
However, this was just the summary of the martial art. As someone who only knew the contents of Qi Refining stage martial arts, Song Wen couldn't discern its authenticity.
Although Song Wen suspected whether Shi Shou had some hidden agenda, he had no choice but to cultivate this martial art. His original "Longevity Technique" was definitely no longer viable—at least, it couldn't be cultivated for now.
Now that he was in the Corpse Demon Sect, the entire sect was filled with dense corpse qi and eerie ghost qi.
If Song Wen stubbornly practiced his upright "Longevity Technique" among a group of demonic cultivators, it would be no different from seeking death.
Demonic cultivators loved to use the souls of righteous cultivators to refine treasures, the flesh to create corpse puppets, and even the blood to refine secret techniques. In the eyes of demonic cultivators, everything on a righteous cultivator's body could be used to enhance their own strength.
Currently, Song Wen's cultivation level was low, which was fortunate. If his cultivation level rose, wandering among a group of demonic cultivators with his strong upright qi would be akin to a monk walking into a nest of demons.
After roughly understanding the "Corpse King Blood Refining Technique," Song Wen put it aside. There was no rush to cultivate it.
He took out the sect rules of the Corpse Demon Sect, intending to thoroughly study them. To survive well in the Corpse Demon Sect, familiarity with the sect rules was essential.
Half an hour later, Song Wen closed the sect rules book in his hand.
This book not only explained the rules of the Corpse Demon Sect but also provided a general overview of the sect, giving Song Wen a better understanding of the Corpse Demon Sect.
What slightly reassured Song Wen was that although the Corpse Demon Sect was a demonic sect, it still prohibited private fights among disciples. With this rule in place, at least the safety within the sect had some guarantee.
Why did I say "some guarantee"?
Because while the Corpse Demon Sect prohibited private fights among fellow disciples, it didn't entirely forbid them.
For physically attacking fellow disciples, the penalty was a fine of 200 low-grade spirit stones.
For killing a miscellaneous disciple, the penalty was a fine of 500 low-grade spirit stones.
For killing an outer disciple, the penalty was a fine of 3,000 low-grade spirit stones.
For killing an inner disciple, the penalty was a fine of 10,000 low-grade spirit stones.
For killing a direct disciple, the penalty was a fine of 100,000 low-grade spirit stones.
As long as you could afford the fine, violating the sect rules wouldn't incur any punishment. In fact, if you killed enough, the sect might even commend you, considering it a contribution to the sect's finances.
If you couldn't afford the fine, however, I'm sorry to say that you would face extremely inhumane punishment.
You would be drained of your essence and blood, your soul refined and seized, transformed into a vengeful ghost, and then sealed inside your original corpse to create a zombie. You would be forever enslaved, never transcending life and death.
It had to be admitted, the sect rules of the Corpse Demon Sect were quite demonic.
(End of the Chapter)