Translator: CinderTL
She was indeed a member of the Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect, specifically the Crimson Heart Faction, which she despised most. This explained her deep familiarity with the sect, including her knowledge that the Supreme Truth and Absolute Stillness Sutra originated from the Blood Refinement Branch.
But her knowledge extended far beyond that. She knew that this cultivation method offered three distinct paths to Foundation Establishment: the lowest-grade Blood Demon Dao Foundation, the mid-grade Muddy Water Dao Foundation, and the highest-grade, achieved by using a Heavenly Earth Treasure.
She had witnessed both the Blood Demon Dao Foundation and the Muddy Water Dao Foundation firsthand, and neither resembled what Xu Sanyan had revealed.
That left only one possibility...
Xu Sanyan had forged his Dao Foundation using a Heavenly Earth Treasure!
Such Dao Foundations could manifest in countless unique and bizarre forms. To her knowledge, only two individuals within the sect had achieved this: the Hall Master of the Blood Refinement Branch and his son. Both possessed extraordinary strength and were not to be underestimated. Thus, even though Qin Manyang's cultivation level surpassed Xu Sanyan's, she dared not act rashly.
Qin Manyang could only bide her time, waiting for an opportunity to uncover Xu Sanyan's secrets before making her next move.
"A Heavenly Earth Treasure..." Her eyes gleamed with avarice.
The emergence of such treasures always caused a tremendous uproar, drawing countless people into a fierce scramble. But she wondered if a Heavenly Earth Treasure, once used, could ever be retrieved.
She wasn't even sure if Xu Sanyan was still alive, but for the sake of the treasure, she had been willing to gamble her time. Now, after a year, her patience had finally worn thin.
"Alas, my karmic fortune is too shallow..."
The Heavenly Earth Treasure lay right before her eyes, yet remained unattainable. Qin Manyang sighed deeply, rose to her feet, and turned to leave.
If it hadn't emerged by now, it likely never would. She had heard of Great Solitary Mountain's infamous reputation—no one who entered ever returned. Her year of futile waiting here had been driven solely by stubborn unwillingness to admit defeat.
If she had known it would come to this, she should have risked everything from the start. But alas...
Inside Great Solitary Mountain, the examination was drawing to a close, and Xu Sanyan remained the only one to have passed.
With the Old Teacher's strike of the copper gong, the assessment concluded, plunging the other candidates' eyes back into a state of confusion.
This accursed place never intended for anyone to pass, they thought. Everything they've done here is just a form of twisted control.
The Old Teacher's eyes flickered as he turned to Xu Sanyan. "You have passed the examination. You are now a registered disciple of the Sage, free to enter and exit Great Solitary Mountain at will."
As he spoke, Xu Sanyan felt a sudden sense of relief, as if some oppressive force on his divine soul had lifted. He sensed that even if he deactivated his panel now, he wouldn't lapse into a stupor.
But he dared not risk it. His gaze darted to the discipline ruler in the Old Teacher's hand. The Old Teacher turned and strode toward the school, the discipline ruler slipping from his grasp and plunging into the earth like a sharpened blade.
Xu Sanyan's eyes flashed with calculation. He snatched the discipline ruler and bolted away.
Unseen by him, a deep, suppressed excitement flickered in the Old Teacher's usually lifeless eyes.
As Xu Sanyan stepped over the wooden railing of the school, the world spun around him. His mind went blank, and he felt as if he were floating in the sky, drifting aimlessly...
He had no idea where he was headed, nor when he would land. Just then, the discipline ruler in his hand emitted a soft white glow, guiding his descent.
When Xu Sanyan awoke, the school had vanished.
"Did I make it back...?"
He slowly opened his eyes, glancing down at his filthy robes. A wave of hysterical laughter threatened to erupt.
Thank the heavens for my cheat, he thought, his sanity barely intact. That's how I escaped.
Xu Sanyan raised his hand, examining the discipline ruler in his palm. It looked like an ordinary wooden ruler, utterly unremarkable. Yet he knew its true power.
During his divine soul's wanderings, he had sensed it guiding him out of the drifting abyss. Now, however, it appeared mundane.
Deciding to ignore it for the moment, Xu Sanyan looked around. He found himself in a vast, deep pit, surrounded by countless figures—old and young, male and female—and scattered skeletons. The mountain range must have stood for millennia.
Nearby, he spotted the three members of the Yue Clan. Despite the passage of time, their clothing remained immaculate. Xu Sanyan paid them no mind and immediately began searching them.
Starting with the Yue Clan woman, he reached into her robes. Surprisingly, he could still feel a faint warmth, and her heart was still beating weakly, though her breathing was shallow.
When Xu Sanyan had left, the Yue Clan trio hadn't yet dissipated, but they couldn't have held on for much longer.
He retrieved a storage pouch from her robes, giving it a quick squeeze. The texture was decent, but the pouch was rather small.
Xu Sanyan continued his search, leaving no one untouched. He collected over a dozen storage pouches, many of which were tattered from the passage of time, their contents devoid of spiritual energy.
Despite the large number of people trapped in the pit, the vast majority were ordinary folk who had mistakenly wandered into Great Solitary Mountain and couldn't find their way out. Only a small fraction were cultivators, and even those of modest means couldn't afford storage pouches.
Still, over a dozen pouches was a decent haul, Xu Sanyan thought, especially considering he had the storage pouch of the Lu Clan's Soul Refining Realm cultivator.
Xu Sanyan didn't immediately inspect his loot. After securing the pouches, he leaped out of the deep pit and surveyed his surroundings.
The mountain range wasn't extensive; he could see its boundaries at a glance. Within moments, he had emerged from Great Solitary Mountain.
"Finally out!" Xu Sanyan's face relaxed completely. Although the Old Teacher had said he could freely enter and exit the mountain, he had no desire to return—at least not anytime soon.
Suddenly, one of the storage pouches opened on its own, and a discipline ruler flew out, hovering in mid-air and emitting a soft glow.
Xu Sanyan's expression sharpened, his senses on high alert. He had no idea what this object was.
At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind: "Thank you, young friend, for bringing me out."
Xu Sanyan froze. The voice... it was speaking directly into his mind!
"Young friend, do not be alarmed. I am merely a remnant soul, trapped here for countless millennia, unable to reincarnate. Thanks to your good fortune, I finally have a chance to escape this prison."
"You're... the Old Teacher?" Xu Sanyan asked in astonishment.
"Indeed, it is I."
Xu Sanyan couldn't hide his surprise, but he remained wary. This old fox has lived for countless years. Who knows what schemes he might be plotting?
The Old Teacher seemed to sense his caution. He chuckled softly. "No need to fear, young friend. I only wish to escape the Soul Realm."
Xu Sanyan pondered inwardly. So that place is called the Soul Realm.
"Before I depart, I have two gifts for you. First, this discipline ruler, crafted from Soul-Startling Wood, can wound souls with extraordinary power."
"Second... I have destroyed the fragments of your divine soul that remained in the Soul Realm. You need not worry about them anymore. Once I reincarnate, your secrets will remain yours alone."
A chill ran down Xu Sanyan's spine. Did those fragments of my divine soul truly contain secrets I wished to conceal? And this old monster saw them?
Xu Sanyan pressed his lips together. He didn't know which secrets had been exposed, but all three were matters of life and death.
Whether it was his transmigration, his panel cheat, or the Heavenly Earth Treasures he possessed—none of it could ever be revealed!
Xu Sanyan's gaze gradually turned dangerous.
(End of the Chapter)
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