Chapter 68: Still Not Enough Death

After concluding the closed-door meeting, Yue Mingxi hurried back—not out of concern for Qin Yue, but out of an eager anticipation to see whether his chance at ascension had taken a turn for the better.

He exchanged a brief greeting with Chai Shanze, who was waiting outside, then rushed into the medicinal garden.

There he saw Qin Yue sitting cross-legged beneath the Enlightenment Tree, seemingly in deep meditation. Sensing Yue Mingxi’s approach, Qin Yue opened his eyes and let out a faint sigh.

Yue Mingxi’s heart leapt to his throat, his voice trembling with an emotion he himself barely recognized. "How is it?"

"Vice Sect Master, I have one good news and one bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" Qin Yue asked.

Yue Mingxi, too anxious to even glance at the tree, fixed his gaze on Qin Yue. "The good news! Tell me the good news first!"

"The good news is, for the next half month, I’ll come by for about an hour each day. Its condition should return to its former peak."

The life force contained within this tree was so immense, the innate spiritual energy that could be converted so abundant, that even if he diverted the vast majority of it to the bronze rat in his spiritual world, he still couldn't exhaust it all in a short time!

Yue Mingxi took a deep breath—this was indeed wonderful news! Enormous, incomparable news!

Only now did he have a chance to inspect the Enlightenment Tree, and he noticed that where leaves had fallen before, delicate new buds were beginning to form—a clear sign of revival.

Master Qin, truly a divine being!

Even the grandmasters of the Green Bamboo Garden centuries ago might not have possessed such power.

A body born as the Sacred Wood of Immortal Spirit... Indeed, there was no doubt! Even in the Immortal Realm, such a person would be vied for by countless sects. To encounter him was the greatest of fortunes!

"And the bad news?" he asked cautiously.

"The bad news is, for it to advance further—it's incredibly difficult," Qin Yue stated candidly, meeting Yue Mingxi’s eyes. "This should be an immortal seed that has fallen into the mortal world."

Yue Mingxi was shaken to his core, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes. I didn't mean to keep this from you before. I found this tree years ago while traveling overseas, met a remarkable Daoist, and over wine and poetry we became friends. As we parted, he gifted this tree to me, saying that, should fate allow, it may grant a glimpse of the highest immortal path..."

Qin Yue, already aware of this backstory from the talkative tree, showed not the slightest surprise. To Yue Mingxi, this confirmed even more that Elder Qin was a true master.

Qin Yue went on, "Though you’ve provided it with the finest soil and fertilizer, that cannot fundamentally change its transformation from the immortal to the mundane. To alter this, immortal soil is required."

Yue Mingxi sighed, "That remarkable man once said something similar. But where, in this mortal realm, could I find immortal soil? And even if it were before me, I wouldn’t recognize it."

No matter how powerful, even great figures have their blind spots. Although Yue Mingxi was a genius in cultivation, when it came to this, he was utterly at a loss.

Not only him—even renowned experts in the field of botany and medicinal herbs would struggle to identify immortal soil.

Qin Yue smiled, "No matter. I know how to find it. However, true immortal soil exists only on overseas immortal mountains or within forbidden zones. With my abilities, I fear I cannot set foot in such places. That’s why I say it’s bad news."

Yue Mingxi, however, lit up with excitement. "Elder Qin, you’re too cautious! How is this bad news? It’s clearly good news!"

"Foolish as ever..." muttered the Enlightenment Tree, having lost much of its vitality, unable to resist a snide remark.

Qin Yue ignored it and looked to Yue Mingxi. "With my current cultivation, even with your protection, there are still many places I cannot enter."

Yue Mingxi replied, "Don’t worry. With me around, how could your cultivation progress slowly? I’ll have Shanze—no, I’ll personally deliver some elixirs to you. And any spiritual or precious herbs in this garden—take whichever you desire. I’ll make sure everyone knows that whenever Elder Qin visits, it’s as if I myself am present!"

What is a terrestrial immortal of the Rifted Realm compared to the Human Immortal Domain of the Light-Trace? That is the true pursuit for cultivators!

In comparison, none of the medicinal plants in this garden, nor even the position of Sect Master of the Radiant Sun Sect, truly matter.

Those like Xue Feng and Pang Jia cling to the old ancestral teachings—just because the founding ancestor entered the Immortal Realm!

"If I attain immortality, Elder Qin, I will take you with me!" Yue Mingxi declared, more earnest than he had ever been.

...

In the days that followed, Qin Yue fell into a steady routine.

Each morning, he would "study" with Chu Wanqing, Tang Qingxuan, and occasionally Ling Chen—learning the Beiming Breathing Technique, the Falling Leaves Sword Sutra, and other sect methods.

In the afternoons, he would visit the old Yu to read and drink tea. Reading, in this case, meant reconstructing vast volumes on botany and alchemy within the world of the bronze rat, analyzing their fundamental principles, and engraving them in his spiritual world.

At dusk, he would head to Yue Mingxi’s medicinal garden to "treat" the talkative tree, absorbing vast vitality, and then cultivate at night.

His insistence on gathering all available Ice Abyss people to his side aroused some suspicion. This young guest elder was surprisingly forceful—all for a group of Ice Abyss outcasts.

Those at odds with him, such as Xue Feng, Pang Jia, and the Sect Master’s son Ling Han, grumbled with dissatisfaction among their followers.

No one suspected Qin Yue to be an Ice Abyss native; rather, they criticized him for not following sect traditions, for sympathizing with the Ice Abyss people—a bleeding heart who could not distinguish right from wrong.

Yet such talk was swiftly rebutted by Dongfang Qingyu, Yang Yidong, Tang Qingxuan, and others. And then Vice Sect Master Yue Mingxi settled the matter with a single pronouncement—

"As the last inheritor of the Green Bamboo Garden, Elder Qin lost his entire sect and has lived alone... But let’s set aside the fact that the Ice Abyss people might be of great use to him. Elder Qin has suffered through storms and now shelters others from the rain. This is true kindness! Is that wrong? The Radiant Sun Sect claims to be the foremost in the world—can we not show even this much magnanimity? If disciples cannot muster even this empathy, what right have we to call ourselves a righteous sect?"

Strictly speaking, Yue Mingxi’s words somewhat contradicted sect tradition, but were hard to refute—especially coming from someone of his status. Unless Sect Master Ling Jinsong intervened in person, no one dared protest further, and the matter was set aside.

To most, the Ice Abyss outcasts were utterly inconsequential—not worth anyone’s concern. Instead, it was the young guest elder’s abilities that intrigued the sect’s elite.

If he did not possess extraordinary skills, even as Yue Mingxi’s illegitimate son, he would hardly receive such treatment.

Qin Yue, for his part, paid all this no mind.

He even began instructing Dong Zhuang in cultivation.

Perhaps there was something remarkable about this bloodline, for Dong Zhuang, who could barely read, managed to activate his spiritual sense after a single day of studying the reconstructed Beiming Breathing Scripture under Qin Yue’s guidance.

Even Qin Yue was surprised—he had benefited from the bronze wheel’s assistance, but Dong Zhuang, simply following instructions, had surpassed Ling Chen’s three-day record!

Even though his version of the Beiming Breathing Technique was more advanced, Dong Zhuang’s innate talent could not be denied.

Qin Yue also tried teaching him martial arts skills, and Dong Zhuang quickly picked them up after just a few demonstrations.

Qin Yue grew curious—could Lin Heng and Zhou Xiang, whom Xue Feng had taken away, be even more gifted?

Those two could wait—since they were likely being groomed for future explorations or as cannon fodder, he could always retrieve them later.

Meanwhile, Qin Xin, Qin Zi, and Ye Yu—three girls from the Ice Abyss—grew healthier by the day under the influence of rare herbs and elixirs. Their complexions returned to normal, and they spent their days reading and learning with the female disciples, eating well and sleeping soundly, even beginning to gain some weight.

Because of Qin Yue’s attitude towards the Ice Abyss people, everyone in his abode, whether inner or outer disciples, treated Dong Zhuang, Qin Xin, and the others with the utmost courtesy.

The six surviving Ice Abyss clanspeople from previous years could scarcely believe this was real. Each day, they treaded carefully, afraid that Elder Qin was fattening them up, only to one day turn on them without warning.

Ten days after officially becoming a guest elder, Qin Yue began secretly teaching Qin Xin, Qin Zi, and Ye Yu to cultivate.

Xia Nianyun, Yan Shuang, and Lu Lingxue, as well as Lin Xiangwan, Sheng Kai, and Ding Hao—who had arrived with Dong Zhuang—were still assigned to reading and literacy lessons for the time being.

True to his word, Yue Mingxi personally delivered a great quantity of high-grade elixirs crafted by the sect to Qin Yue.

To cultivators, these were akin to cheat codes.

The abundant life force and spiritual energy of rare herbs were fused through alchemy, triggering miraculous reactions, and all the essence condensed into tiny pills.

But to Qin Yue, these elixirs, no matter how potent, were somewhat superfluous.

The reason was simple: these pills contained only life force and vast spiritual energy. The innate spiritual essence originally contained in the raw herbs had been lost during the alchemical process!

That’s not to say they were worthless—ordinary cultivators would kill for them, as they could rapidly advance through the stages of spiritual activation and energy absorption, even to the threshold of true insight... of course, entering the insight realm required not only energy, but a breakthrough in understanding.

But for Qin Yue, the Enlightenment Tree alone provided him with more than enough life force and innate spiritual essence.

So he distributed the basic elixirs among his close friends, kept the advanced ones for future use.

With the support of a top-tier sect and its unmatched resources, Dong Zhuang and the others progressed at a miraculous pace.

Qin Yue was now almost certain that the Ice Abyss bloodline was indeed extraordinary.

Given the right soil and opportunities, theirs was a truly remarkable race.

...

Half a month flew by.

Still having received no news from the outer sect, Qin Yue decided to find time to venture down the mountain.

But suddenly, he received a summons—everyone of elder rank or above, including guest elders, was to assemble in the main hall for a meeting.

Qin Yue approached Elder Yu to ask if he knew what was happening, but Elder Yu just shook his head. The stubborn old man, much like Qin Yue, had little interest in sect affairs.

Upon arrival, Qin Yue exchanged a brief nod with Yue Mingxi and found his seat in the central area.

He remained calm amid the many curious glances cast his way.

Then Ling Jinsong took the dais, his face grave as he began, "Recently, our sect has suffered the loss of an inner elder. The investigation has revealed that it was the work of a demonic elder from the Heaven Net Sect! The demonic path is rampant and cruel, murdering our disciples, gathering intelligence, infiltrating in secret, and committing atrocities. Our Radiant Sun Sect..."

Ling Jinsong spoke righteously, vowing to destroy the Heaven Net Sect.

Qin Yue looked up at that sanctimonious face, his expression still calm, but inside he felt only a biting chill.

The demonic sect again, is it?

Not enough of you have died yet.

But what Ling Jinsong said next left Qin Yue utterly shocked.