Chapter 7: A Taste of Hell
After escaping from Jiang Tiang, Su Dao realized his weakness and decided to grow stronger. Turning to Mei Ling, he said, "I'll be meditating for a few days."
He went to the elders to receive a Rank 2 pill to aid his cultivation. Secluding himself, Su Dao cultivated for three days straight. The pill, combined with his focus, helped him break through to the 5th layer of Qi Gathering. However, his strength was comparable to someone at the 11th layer of Qi Gathering.
Feeling confident, Su Dao started gathering information about the top 10 disciples of the inner sect. He discovered that all of them were at the peak of Qi Gathering or had entered the Soul Understanding Realm. Jiang Tiang, who had previously overpowered him, was at the 1st layer of the Soul Understanding Realm and ranked 7th among the top 10.
Meanwhile, Su Dai and the others also made progress, advancing to the 3rd layer of Qi Gathering. Their plan was to focus solely on cultivation for the time being.
To prepare for a long seclusion, Su Dao ventured into the jungle to collect medicinal herbs and hunt beasts. He successfully gathered 7 Rank 2 beast cores and 15 Rank 1 beast cores. While exploring, he stumbled upon the small house of the old man he had met before.
As he stood outside, he hesitated but overheard the old man saying, "Junior Meng, you can come inside." Su Dao entered cautiously and said, "Sorry, senior. I didn't mean to disturb you."
The old man smiled. "No, no. It's fine. Why are you here today?"
"Senior, I'm looking for some herbs to help with my cultivation," Su Dao replied respectfully.
The old man nodded. "You'll need to refine those herbs into pills. Do you know how to refine?"
Su Dao humbly answered, "Not much, senior, but I can make basic pills."
The old man laughed. "You're talented. Even knowing how to refine pills at your age is remarkable."
Su Dao shook his head. "No, senior, it's nothing special."
The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I can give you a mid-grade Rank 5 pill, but you'll have to do a task for me."
Su Dao was shocked. He froze for a moment but quickly calmed himself. Thinking it over, he realized the task was extremely dangerous and had a high chance of death. Bowing respectfully, he said, "Thank you for the offer, senior, but this junior isn't worthy of such a pill."
The old man laughed heartily. "Alright, alright. How about this? Recite a poem for me, and I'll give you two bottles of high-grade Rank 2 pills."
Su Dao considered it carefully, realizing these pills were far superior to the low-grade Rank 2 pill he had received from the sect. Smiling, he agreed.
*"Fate is a river, winding and vast,
Shaped by the present, yet tied to the past.
A fleeting shadow, a whisper, a thread,
Guiding the living, and haunting the dead.
Paths may diverge, but none truly stray,
For fate's silent hand leads all in its way.
Resist or embrace, it matters not,
In the end, it binds all to a single plot."*
The old man nodded in appreciation. "Good, very good. As promised, here are two bottles of high-grade Rank 2 pills. You have a sharp mind, young one. Use it well."
Su Dao bowed deeply. "Thank you, senior."
---
Returning to the sect, Su Dao headed to his room and began a long seclusion for cultivation, planning to focus entirely on advancing his strength.
After four months of intense cultivation, Su Dao only managed to break through two layers, reaching the 7th layer of Qi Gathering. However, his strength was equivalent to someone at the 12th layer of Qi Gathering. Shocked at the slow progress compared to his rapid breakthrough before, Su Dao realized that the Rank 3 pill he had received from Mei Ling earlier was responsible for his swift advancements. Now that its effects were gone, his progress had slowed significantly.
Meanwhile, Su Dai and the others also made steady progress, reaching the 6th layer of Qi Gathering during this time.
Su Dao clenched his fists. Strength alone isn't enough. I'll need to plan every step carefully if I'm to reach the top.
After four months of seclusion, Su Dao emerged stronger but frustrated by the slowing pace of his cultivation. When the elders announced the annual sect function ceremony, his mind quickly started formulating plans.
The ceremony was a grand event where disciples could compete in challenges of combat, alchemy, and strategy to earn resources and recognition. Among the prizes were rare Rank 3 pills, talismans, and cultivation manuals.
"This is my chance to gain resources," Su Dao thought. "But if I want something truly valuable, I'll need to go beyond what's being offered."
Su Dao approached Mei Ling a few days before the ceremony, his face pale and his movements slow. His voice was weak as he called out to her under a moonlit sky. "Mei Ling…"
Alarmed, she rushed to his side. "Su Dao, what's wrong?"
He clutched his chest, pretending to struggle. "I… I was ambushed in the jungle while collecting herbs. A Rank 4 beast attacked me. I barely escaped…"
Her eyes filled with concern. "You should have told me sooner! What can I do to help?"
Su Dao hesitated, as if conflicted, before speaking. "The injury is internal, Mei Ling. Regular pills won't work. Only a high-grade Rank 5 pill can save me. But such pills… they're so rare. Even the sect's treasury might only have one."
Mei Ling frowned. "A Rank 5 pill? Su Dao, that's nearly impossible to obtain…"
He lowered his head, his voice trembling. "I know. But you're the only one I trust. Your alchemy skills and knowledge… If anyone could find a way, it's you."
Her heart softened as she looked at him. "Let me think about it."
The day of the ceremony arrived. Disciples gathered to compete in three challenges: combat, alchemy, and strategy.
Su Dao participated in the strategy round, his sharp mind earning him the top spot. Mei Ling, meanwhile, dazzled the elders with her alchemy skills, crafting a flawless pill that won her first place.
At the end of the ceremony, the elders distributed the rewards. Mei Ling received a bottle of high-grade Rank 3 pills, and Su Dao earned a talisman that enhanced mental clarity.
Despite their victories, Su Dao's mind remained on his plan.
A few nights later, Mei Ling returned with a small jade bottle in her hand. "Here," she said, handing it to Su Dao.
He opened the bottle and saw the shimmering pill inside. His heart leaped with excitement, but he kept his expression calm. "Thank you, Mei Ling. You've saved my life."
But as he reached for it, Mei Ling pulled the bottle back. "Wait. Before you take this, tell me one thing, Su Dao."
"What is it?" he asked, his tone steady.
"Why didn't the elders sense your injury?" she asked softly. Her eyes locked onto his, sharp and unyielding. "I spoke to one of them before I did this. They said you seemed perfectly healthy."
Su Dao's body stiffened. "I—"
Before Su Dao could respond, a powerful force surged from the shadows. Four elders materialized, their expressions grim.
"Su Dao!" one of them bellowed. "Do you think you can manipulate and deceive the sect without consequence?"
Realizing it was a trap, Su Dao tried to flee, but a golden light bound him in place. The elders surrounded him, their auras suffocating.
"Please, wait! This is a misunderstanding!" Su Dao shouted, his mind racing for a way out.
One elder struck Su Dao's chest with a burst of energy, making him cough blood. "Misunderstanding? We've been watching you for months, boy. Your lies and schemes end here!"
Another elder spoke coldly. "Your actions have tainted the trust within the sect. Deception like yours must be punished."
Su Dao blacked out, only to awaken in a pitch-black room. The cold stone floor beneath him reeked of blood and rot. Two shadowy figures stood before him, their expressions cruel.
"You dared to scam the sect, break its rules, and manipulate your fellow disciples," one of them hissed. "Your punishment will be worse than death."
Before Su Dao could protest, they grabbed his hair, pulling it out by the roots with their bare hands. The pain was excruciating, and he screamed as though his skull would burst.
Then they moved to his fingers, breaking each one methodically. His cries filled the dark chamber, but their faces remained emotionless. They severed his fingers, boiled them in front of him, and force-fed them to him.
Su Dao gagged, tears streaming down his face, but the torment continued. They shattered his bones and cut them into small pieces, only to reattach them with spiritual techniques, repeating the process endlessly.
"Kill me! Just kill me!" Su Dao screamed, his voice hoarse.
The figures only laughed, their voices echoing like demons. "You won't die. Not until we decide."
They gouged out his eyes, broke his legs, and severed his limbs into small chunks. Cooking his flesh, they seasoned it before forcing it down his throat.
Even his tongue wasn't spared—they cut it out and fed it to a spiritual beast while he writhed helplessly.
"I should have died… I should have died from the pain…" Su Dao thought desperately. But the cruel figures used artifacts to keep his heart beating and his soul trapped within his broken body.
Days passed—or perhaps only hours. Time had lost meaning. When the torment finally ended, they discarded his mutilated body in the forest, leaving him to die slowly.
But fate had other plans. An old man appeared from the shadows, his aura calm and powerful. It was the same elder who had once saved Su Dao during his initial struggles in the sect.
"Foolish boy," the old man muttered, his voice tinged with pity. "You've been given a taste of hell, yet you still breathe. That fire in your soul… it hasn't gone out."
The elder lifted Su Dao's broken form, his hands glowing with healing energy. Though Su Dao remained unconscious, a single thought lingered in his mind: Survive. No matter what, survive.