Chapter 20: The Proper and the Improper

Hu Jiuyan found herself increasingly impressed by her “junior brother.” The cave Qin Yue had dug out of the cliff was not only cool and sheltered from the wind, but also offered an excellent view. Sitting on the stone bed to cultivate, glancing at the ocean whenever she grew tired, her mood soared with comfort. Qin Yue called it the “seaside cave,” and she thought the name fit perfectly.

Their living quarters were comfortable, and the food delighted her palate. Though the northern frontier towns also had seafood, nothing compared to the freshness of catching and eating it right on the spot—the taste was worlds apart! Never in her life had she enjoyed such leisurely days; it was something she’d never even imagined.

She was deeply curious about Qin Yue’s background. Her tall and handsome junior brother seemed to know little of the outside world, yet his mind was sharp, his understanding keen, and he adapted quickly. For instance, when she mentioned that the main city could cast images into the air, he hadn’t shown the slightest surprise. Initially, she’d thought Qin Yue’s talents lay in stealth and assassination—her master uncle must have noticed these skills and wanted to recruit him into the sect. But to her surprise, he was also adept at everyday life. Without him, Hu Jiuyan felt she’d surely have gone hungry, never able to enjoy such a relaxed existence.

It was a pity her “junior brother” was only pretending. She genuinely wished Qin Yue would join Luotian Sect and become her real junior brother.

The past days had been spent mainly in cultivation, with occasional hunting for mountain delicacies and seafood, living in harmony with the world. The blissful seaside cave life of senior and junior sister was shattered on the afternoon of the tenth day.

Hu Jiuyan went out to gather firewood, while Qin Yue cultivated in the cave. The clear blue sky suddenly grew overcast; dark clouds swiftly swept across the area, and torrential rain poured down. Hu Jiuyan ran back, drenched and flustered. Qin Yue, sensing something amiss, stepped to the cave entrance and looked up.

Through the billowing clouds, a massive flood dragon, far larger than Xiao Bai, loomed overhead, its enormous body radiating a terrifying pressure. Qin Yue could even see the creature’s giant scales. Amid the dark sky, faint streams of light flowed.

Is this thing insane? He strongly suspected that the encounter with Feng Qianning, as well as the rainy weather in the northern border town, were all caused by this flood dragon.

If this were Earth’s mythological system, such behavior would have gotten it slain long ago. But, facing such a fearsome monster, Qin Yue could only grumble inwardly. Just the sight of its massive body made his scalp tingle.

He thought the creature would simply throw a tantrum and leave after a while. Unexpectedly, after circling in the sky, it thrust its enormous dragon-head down, glaring menacingly through the clouds, fixing its cold gaze on the cliff where Qin Yue stood.

The next moment, it flew closer.

Hu Jiuyan used her lightness skill to return to her seaside cave, channeling her energy to dry her wet clothes and hair, staring in shock as the creature approached. Its body was hidden in the clouds, with only its head and part of its torso visible, hovering just a few dozen yards from the cliff.

An invisible pressure swept over them, nearly triggering their fear of giant creatures.

Bracing himself, Qin Yue cupped his hands toward the flood dragon and said, “Great demon friend, may we ask what brings you here?”

The flood dragon did not respond; its cold eyes studied them intently. Neither dared to move, allowing it to scrutinize them.

Qin Yue had no idea what his “senior sister” was thinking, but he was always prepared for two outcomes: either flee, or, if escape was impossible, seize the opportunity and use his Nether Escape technique with a Rending Claw to gouge its eye!

After a long while, the flood dragon turned away, riding the clouds at incredible speed and vanishing from sight.

Once it left, the clouds dissipated within the time it took to burn a stick of incense, restoring the weather to normal.

Hu Jiuyan walked along the “corridor” to Qin Yue’s cave. The two exchanged silent glances.

After a while, Qin Yue said, “It must be wonderful to fly.”

Hu Jiuyan sighed, “It must be wonderful to be powerful. I was just thinking, if I had our saintess master uncle’s abilities, I’d have gone up and punched it twice. What are you staring at? Never seen a beauty before?”

Qin Yue chuckled, “Senior sister, do you think we’re lacking ambition?”

Hu Jiuyan shook her head, “You cultivate from dawn to dusk. If that’s not ambition, what is?”

Qin Yue asked, “Is there any way to quickly improve one’s strength?”

Hu Jiuyan pondered, “Are you asking about proper improvement, or improper means?”

“What’s the difference?”

“There’s a big difference. Proper improvement means breaking through quickly with potent medicines filled with spiritual energy, or top-tier sects’ rare elixirs, or even spirit stones—all much faster than slow cultivation by internal methods. But neither rare medicines nor supreme elixirs can be bought with mundane wealth; even if you could, the price would be astronomical, far beyond ordinary people’s means. Regular elixirs and spirit stones can be bought, but their cost-effectiveness isn’t great. A thousand taels of gold can buy about one hundred spirit stones. A cultivator at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi absorption, depending on the technique, needs to use five to ten stones a day, exhausting them in less than a month. That’s why, when the Beast Valley opens, countless rogue cultivators rush in like sharks smelling blood, hoping to find spiritual medicine to use or sell for rapid advancement.”

Qin Yue realized his thousand taels of gold would only sustain a fifth or sixth layer cultivator for less than a month. This way of cultivating truly burned through wealth!

Hu Jiuyan looked at him. “Of course, that’s how it is for rogue cultivators. Disciples of major sects can earn elixirs and spirit stones through various tasks. If their talent is good, the sect will provide resources for faster progress.”

Qin Yue replied, “Someone like me, from a small clan with no talent, can hardly hope for that.”

Hu Jiuyan’s delicate face twitched slightly; she thought her junior brother was too modest.

“You’re not without talent—master uncle values you highly. But Luotian Sect… might not suit you.”

She already considered Qin Yue a friend. Though she wished he were her real junior brother, she understood that many avoided Luotian Sect, which was seen as a demon sect.

“Tell me about the improper ways to advance quickly,” Qin Yue said, not particularly interested in joining Luotian Sect. He could be friends with Hu Jiuyan and even admire the demoness Feng Qianning as a fearless hero, but actually joining a sect reviled by the world was a step too far. It wasn’t about worldly opinion, but the risk—joining such a sect meant courting disaster. If discovered, his fate would be no better than those who escaped from Bingyuan.

Only someone as innocent as his “senior sister” would dare reveal her Tianluo Sect origins so casually.

Hu Jiuyan explained, “There are plenty of improper methods; Luotian Sect has many evil cultivation techniques. For example, forcibly absorbing others’ spiritual power, sacrificing living beings to draw their essence, or dual cultivation techniques that drain another’s cultivation in a single go… But all these methods have serious side effects and hidden dangers. Though the sect has such legacies, few really dare to use them now.”

“You must never touch them. Once you do, you’ll find cultivation becomes so easy… The rapid improvement I spoke of earlier assumes sufficient comprehension, but with these evil techniques, you don’t even need much talent to reach high levels!”

At that moment, Hu Jiuyan truly embodied a senior sister, earnestly explaining and warning her junior brother.

Qin Yue learned a great deal. Though his master had taught him much about cultivation, as a scapegoat from Bingyuan, even after escaping, his opportunities to broaden his horizons were limited.

Disciples like Hu Jiuyan, regardless of their sect’s reputation, naturally had broader knowledge and experience.

After hearing all this, Qin Yue thought, joining a sect was secondary; even if he wanted to join Luotian Sect, that would be a matter for three months from now. Given their current situation, the best approach was to search the Beast Valley for rare medicinal herbs—just as he had in Bingyuan, absorbing their essence for rapid progress.

He even came up with a good idea…

“Starting tomorrow, let’s delve deeper into Beast Valley, avoiding others and staying out of trouble.”

“Alright!”

Having agreed, Hu Jiuyan suddenly felt reluctant. In just ten days, she had grown fond of this place and their lifestyle. Gathering firewood every day, cultivating, and watching her junior brother cook seafood—such days might never come again.

While they ate grilled seafood by the seaside, watching the sun turn the waves crimson, several figures approached from a distance.

They had been hurrying along, but were drawn in by the pair’s vacation-like atmosphere and the tempting aroma of Qin Yue’s roasted lobsters and shellfish. Unable to resist, they stopped.

Qin Yue sized them up: two men and two women, the oldest barely twenty-six or twenty-seven. Their attire was markedly different from the hunters—clearly expensive, with the girls’ accessories emitting faint energy waves. Yet they looked a bit disheveled, clothes dirty and torn, the eldest youth even stained with blood.

The youngest girl watched the seafood on the stone slab and couldn’t help swallowing.

Though he hadn’t intended to speak to strangers, seeing their hungry appearance and good bearing, Qin Yue smiled and said, “Fate has brought us together. If you don’t mind, join us for a meal?”

“This… Would we be intruding?” the young man hesitated, glancing at Hu Jiuyan.

Hu Jiuyan nodded graciously. Though she minded the interruption a little, she wouldn’t embarrass her junior brother. She pointed to a small stone-lined pool beside her, filled with dozens of lobsters over a foot long, and a larger pool filled with various fish.

The four stared in disbelief. Were these two really here to relax?

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty to eat. We’re all wanderers—don’t be shy.”

“Then we’ll gratefully accept your hospitality!” The young man no longer hesitated, inviting the others to sit. He took out a jar of wine from his pack and said, “If you don’t mind, let’s share a drink together.”

Qin Yue nodded with a smile, then watched as the youngest girl, barehanded, produced several crystal-clear… wine glasses and exquisitely crafted plates.

Damn! A storage ring?