Chapter Ten: Senior Sister?! Are We Cultivators of the Evil Path?!
Li Yingling's cold, expressionless face matched her ruthless words.
Li Xing Tian quietly turned to look at Li Yingling. If the plate in front of her hadn't contained half of a rabbit head, he might have felt too ashamed to meet her gaze.
But...
Li Xing Tian still opened his mouth to explain, "It's not that I don't know what's good for me; it's just that I have many things to do and can't stay in the sect for long."
"If it weren't for that, I would have agreed to the senior long ago. I understand that the senior isn't really interested in me, but is just trying to save my life by taking me as a disciple."
Hearing Li Xing Tian's sincere explanation, Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement.
"Ordinary sects do like to bind their disciples."
Halfway through, Chu Xingchen changed his tone and said leisurely, "But our Celestial Alliance is different; as long as your heart is with the sect, you can go anywhere in the world."
Upon hearing this, Li Xing Tian glanced at the delicious-looking rabbit in front of him and picked up his chopsticks without hesitation.
He understood the senior's implication—being a disciple was fine by him.
Li Xing Tian's principle was to repay kindness, and perhaps becoming a disciple was his true opportunity after rebirth.
If it turned out to be a trash sect, he could always find a chance to run away again.
Taking a bite, he thought, wow.
As soon as he took a bite, Li Xing Tian truly believed this rabbit was the best he had ever eaten.
Indeed, the more expensive the rabbit, the better it tasted. Li Xing Tian always felt like he was selling himself just by eating a rabbit.
Li Xing Tian smiled and praised, "Master, I won't say anything else, but your cooking skills are really impressive."
[Apprenticeship Successful]
[Second Disciple: Li Xing Tian]
[Granted Cultivation Method: Mixed-Origin Demon Bone Body Refinement Technique]
[Please use with the Celestial Demon Body]
[Task One Completed: Reward—Gathering Spirit Formation]
[All rewards have been placed in the system backpack]
Seeing the system's summary page, Chu Xingchen nodded in satisfaction.
"Enjoy the food, then. Eat more if you like it."
Li Xing Tian humbly replied, "Yes, Master."
Li Yingling looked at Li Xing Tian, who had started to show humility, and coughed lightly, sitting up straight. She encouraged him, "As the second disciple of your master, you need to work hard."
Seeing Li Yingling's demeanor, Li Xing Tian understood her intention and quickly clasped his hands together.
"Sure, I won't let you down, Senior Sister."
Li Yingling showed a satisfied expression.
This new junior brother seemed quite perceptive; she would look out for him in the future.
After all, just going out for a day had nearly cost him his life, suggesting he wasn't the smartest disciple.
She wondered what her master saw in him, but maybe the sect was just too short on people.
It was Li Yingling's first time being a senior sister, and she was quite excited about it.
Her gaze drifted to her master, who should be smiling and relaxed right now, right?
But the reality was quite the opposite; her master wore a slight frown...
What was going on?
Not only Li Yingling noticed this scene; Li Xing Tian did too.
Li Yingling cautiously called out, "Master?"
Hearing the call, Chu Xingchen closed the system panel in front of him and looked at Li Yingling.
"What's wrong?"
"Master, are you okay?"
"What could possibly be wrong with me?"
"If there's nothing wrong, you looked a bit unhappy just now…"
Upon hearing this, Chu Xingchen realized his earlier expression had been noticed and quickly said, "Oh... I was just researching your junior brother's cultivation method."
Li Xing Tian hurriedly added, "Master, there's no need for that; I have my own cultivation method."
Chu Xingchen didn't say much, just extracted the Mixed-Origin Demon Bone Body Refinement Technique from the system.
A blood-red book appeared in Chu Xingchen's hand, which he directly handed to Li Xing Tian, reassuring him, "No worries; take a look at this technique first. If you don't like it, you can still practice your own."
Hearing that it wasn't a mandatory requirement, Li Xing Tian let out a sigh of relief and reached out to take the book, which faintly emitted the scent of blood.
After handing the book to Li Xing Tian, Chu Xingchen silently got up and lay back down on his wooden plank.
The two disciples exchanged curious glances at their master and then silently looked at each other.
Li Xing Tian raised an eyebrow, signaling a question with his eyes.
[What's wrong with Master?]
Li Yingling understood his look but only smiled slightly before continuing to gnaw on the rabbit head.
If I knew what was wrong with Master, I wouldn't be asking why he looked off.
This junior brother… not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Li Xing Tian felt a bit puzzled but didn't say anything, instead focusing on the dark red-covered book in his hands.
The words on the cover were written with great momentum, carrying a hint of a killing aura.
Curious, he touched the cover and found it to be made of very ordinary paper.
Is it a rubbing? But how can a rubbing smell like this?
Not thinking too much about it, Li Xing Tian opened the first page.
Suddenly, he felt a jolt, quickly scanning the words in a rush before flipping to the second page.
The more he read, the more shocked he became.
Seeing his astonished expression, Li Yingling took on a seasoned tone and reassured him, "Junior Brother, it's normal for cultivation methods to be revised many times; it's also normal for the handwriting to be a bit unclear. Just practice boldly."
Li Xing Tian silently raised his eyes to look at Li Yingling and then glanced back at Chu Xingchen, who was lying on the wooden plank.
He lowered his voice in disbelief, "Senior Sister… are we cultivators of the evil path?!"
Frowning, Li Yingling retorted, "Evil path? What nonsense are you talking about? We practice righteous methods; how could we be evil cultivators?"
Li Xing Tian merely handed the Mixed-Origin Demon Bone Body Refinement Technique to Li Yingling.
Receiving the cultivation method, Li Yingling curiously opened the first page.
The handwriting was clear and powerful, showing the skills of a master calligrapher, and it was very neatly written.
What's up with this book? Just this alone looks way better than mine!
With such doubts, Li Yingling continued reading and soon became shocked herself.
After flipping through several pages, she shoved the book back to Li Xing Tian.
What the hell! Which cultivation method is this bloody?!
"Senior Sister?!"
"Cough, cough, Senior Sister is tired; I'm going to sleep now. You find a place to lie down and rest."
Li Yingling didn't even finish the half-eaten rabbit head and hurried to her bed, pushed aside the wooden board blocking her view, walked in, and closed the board behind her.
Chu Xingchen, being a Golden Core Master, naturally overheard their conversation: "That book isn't an evil cultivation method."
Li Xing Tian looked down again at the contents of the book—during the foundation-building stage, first kill a thousand blood sacrifices, dismember their bodies to refine the bones.
"Master… is your definition of evil cultivators a bit too lenient?"
"Blood sacrifices don't necessarily have to be humans; we can just find a few mindless beasts in the woods of Shili Slope to make up the numbers."
Hearing this, Li Xing Tian looked at the book in his hands again. If what Master said was correct, this could indeed work as a substitute.
The power and effectiveness of this method were far superior to the one he had cultivated in his previous life.
Moreover, it was very compatible with his Celestial Demon Body after merging with the Millennium Bone Jade.
Li Xing Tian wasn't one to get tangled up in dilemmas; after all, he would need to use blood sacrifices during the Qi Refinement stage.
Once he refined the Millennium Bone Jade, he would give this technique a try. If it didn't feel right… well, he wouldn't have to practice it.
Li Xing Tian's worries faded away.
However, Chu Xingchen's worries did not, and the earlier frown had its reasons.
Because the spirit-gathering formation rewarded by the system was just a blueprint…
It wasn't something you could just place wherever you wanted after extracting it, without needing materials or any effort.
It wasn't like it could be built up instantly, either.
This spirit-gathering formation was genuinely just a simple blueprint!
Not only did he have to prepare the materials and spirit stones himself, but he also had to do the construction himself.
The blueprint only tells you how to build it with great detail.
Isn't this a scam?!
Where am I supposed to get the money and spirit stones to build this thing?!
The Martial Hall can't be just a blueprint too; I'll have to build that myself, right?