I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World-Chapter 114 - 96: The Grand Gift

[You successfully inscribed the Surging Gold Array Plate, Array Dao Skill Level +1]

[You successfully inscribed the Thick Earth Array Plate, Array Dao Skill Level +0]

[You successfully inscribed the War Array Plate, girl, you’ve inscribed eighty-eight of them, you’re well-versed, aren’t you?]

Jiang Yuebai twisted her neck and put down the engraving knife. In order to familiarize herself with the Five Elements Replenishing Array and prepare for the competition, she had been inscribing basic array plates for three consecutive days.

Now she could inscribe one even with her eyes closed while yawning.

There were indeed similarities and connections between the Spirit Gathering Array and the Five Elements Replenishing Array. After exploring for days, she felt like there was just a thin layer of paper between her and understanding it fully, just a tiny bit away from breaking through.

But that tiny bit remained elusive the more she rushed, and at such times, she particularly missed Lii Jiuchuan. She wondered how his Lifebound Magic Treasure was coming along? When would he return?

Getting up to stretch, Jiang Yuebai decided to do some alchemy later. Last time she almost refined a Ninth-Grade Mid-Level Dust Suppressing Elixir, and she needed to quickly consolidate that profound feeling from before.

"Senior Sister Jiang! Senior Sister Jiang! Great news!"

Qii Yue shouted excitedly from outside, and Jiang Yuebai went to open the door.

Qii Yue ran all the way there, taking a couple of breaths before saying, "Xiao Ankuo was taken away by the Law Enforcement Hall."

Jiang Yuebai’s brow twitched, "What happened?"

"It’s about the evil cultivator thing I told you about last time, Xiao Ankuo was actually the mastermind, three years ago they only caught a scapegoat under him."

"Come in and have some water, tell me in detail."

Qii Yue stepped into the Quiet Room, "I’ve been cautious about Xiao Ankuo lately, so I asked some sisters I knew from Purple Cloud Valley to keep an eye on him. I heard the Law Enforcement Hall went directly, without saying a word, and first sealed Xiao Ankuo’s Dantian."

"The Chief Executioner Zhu Wu himself inspected, and there indeed was a residue of blood energy in Xiao Ankuo’s Dantian, proving he used an Evil Dao Method. Later, when they carefully searched his place, they found solid evidence and crippled his cultivation right there, taking him to Heavenly Sin Peak."

"I heard they’re going to search his soul to trace the source. Evil Dao Disciples causing trouble within the Heavenly Interence Sect is a big matter, now there are many more disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall outside, conducting a strict investigation throughout the sect."

Jiang Yuebai suddenly understood, was this the great gift from Qii Ming?

"What exactly is this so-called solid evidence?" Jiang Yuebai asked.

"They said they found a black crystal stone token with three bloody words on it, Ghost Spirit Sect."

"A black crystal stone token?"

Jiang Yuebai remembered the token found on Song Pei’er, which was also black crystal stone, only it had ’Three Elements Sect’ written on it.

Three?

Could it be there are three branches, with the Ghost Spirit Sect being one of them?

Jiang Yuebai thought it very likely, she even speculated that Xiao Ankuo’s Evil Dao Method was obtained from Song Pei’er.

But unfortunately, she could only guess, without substantial evidence. However, with Qii Ming causing such a ruckus, the Law Enforcement Hall’s strict investigation would surely make Jia Xiuchun more restrained.

And Shen Huaxi, to avoid trouble, she couldn’t report him, but if the Law Enforcement Hall could catch his trail and deal with him directly, it would be the best outcome for her.

After all, she could rest easy and focus on her cultivation until the competition began.

"All right, Xiao Ankuo brought it upon himself, now we can breathe easy. Just right, I have something to give you."

Jiang Yuebai handed over the storage bag given by Qii Ming to Qii Yue.

After seeing it, Qii Yue was shocked, "Senior Sister Jiang, what is this?"

"Your brother entrusted me to give it to you."

"Ah?"

Qii Yue jumped up like she’d been stung by a bee, dropping the storage bag, "Senior Sister Jiang, what did he tell you? Please don’t listen to him, he... he... whatever he says can’t be trusted!"

Jiang Yuebai sighed, "He sincerely asked me for your sake, I couldn’t refuse, I won’t meddle in the grudges between you siblings, but haven’t you incurred a lot of debts for studying Divine Mechanism Stone manufacturing?"

"Just consider him an outsider and borrow the Spirit Stones from him temporarily. Just pay it back when you have them in the future, isn’t it not worth hindering your cultivation for that? Your progress in studying the Divine Mechanism Stone is much faster than mine back then, you have talent in this area, weigh what’s more important yourself."

Qii Yue bit her lip in struggle, eventually nodding. "Fine, I’ll repay him double in the future."

"Mm, you can leave now, I’m preparing to do alchemy."

Upon hearing this, Qii Yue’s mouth twitched. She had seen hardworking people, but had never seen someone as diligent and self-disciplined as Jiang Yuebai.

Twelve hours a day, no matter when she came by, Jiang Yuebai was either studying or cultivating.

So excellent and yet so hardworking, how’s anyone supposed to survive?

Qii Yue felt immense pressure, she went out and pinched her face hard, reminding herself to learn from Jiang Yuebai, to work harder!

*

In the depths of the Elixir Hall.

Lin Xiangtian listened to Qii Ming’s report, and angrily pounded the table.

"That bastard!"

Behind the curtain, Jia Xiuchun lay on the bed, weak and powerless. She looked haggard, with branches growing from her right shoulder, adorned with fruits the size of longans, crimson like blood.

She gasped and asked, "I clearly... handled everything, why was it... exposed?"

Qii Ming bowed his head and said in a low voice, "He lost the Spiritual Cultivation Master Token, and many who were oppressed by him in Purple Cloud Valley reportedly joined forces to reveal it to the Law Enforcement Hall. In fact, the Law Enforcement Hall found no evidence at the time, but the evidence was found on Xiao Ankuo. The blood energy in his Dantian had not been completely eradicated."

Jia Xiuchun’s chest heaved violently, her anger consuming her, yet she lacked the strength to curse.

Lin Xiangtian waved off Qii Ming, opened the curtain, and looked at the red fruit on Jia Xiuchun’s shoulder, worriedly saying, "The alchemy process must not be interrupted. Now that most of the Spiritual Cultivation Masters are under house arrest, the only way is to let Jiang Yuebai come." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Absolutely not!"

Jia Xiuchun grabbed Lin Xiangtian’s wrist, her emaciated and withered face only had a pair of large eyes left, bloodshot and staring intently at Lin Xiangtian, full of pleading.

In her current miserable state, the last thing she wanted was to be seen by those she despised.

"But without the Red Flame Technique above the Fourth Layer, we can only use my Elixir Fire, how can you endure that?"

Jia Xiuchun’s expression was hideously frenzied, "No matter, for you, I can bear it!"

Lin Xiangtian raised his hand to tuck Jia Xiuchun’s disheveled hair behind her ear, full of tenderness, but the next moment, the Elixir Fire he channeled into her was ruthless.

A heart-wrenching scream echoed from the hall but was silenced by the Sound Insulation Great Array.

Qii Ming stood outside the hall, slowly straightening his spine, looking up to see the silent falling leaves and the birds soaring in the sky.

*

At the back of Heavenly Sword Peak, Sword Tomb.

A pitch-black cave where not an inch of grass grew, the biting cold wind howled.

Wherever one looked, there was no intact spot, crisscrossed with cracks, all filled with chilling Sword Intent.

Like a swarm of bees ready to pounce at the slightest disturbance, making one’s hair stand on end.

A young girl in white, holding an Ice Sword, expressionless, emerged from the darkness. Her clothes were tattered, bloodstains covered her body, and newly healed wounds were visible everywhere.

"Lu Nanzhi, can’t you just take a break? You’re insane!"

A young man in white, also covered in wounds, nervously surveyed the surroundings, a crimson long sword held horizontally across his chest, fully alert.

"This ghostly place is terrifying!"

Xie Jingshan’s voice trembled, even the cold wind made his hair stand on end, like walking on the edge of a sword, any carelessness would let the Sword Qi pierce him, tearing him apart.

Xie Jingshan moved cautiously, taking small steps, while Lu Nanzhi fearlessly strode forward with large strides.

Buzz!

Like oil meeting water, the air inside Sword Tomb exploded in an instant, countless Sword Auras shot out from the crisscrossing cracks, covering the sky, filled with murderous intent.

"I...!!" Xie Jingshan forcibly swallowed a curse, the crimson long sword in his hand blazing with edge like fire, resisting with all his might.

Lu Nanzhi’s eyes shone with a sharp gleam, a sword gripped firmly in her hand, her figure moved like the wind, slashing horizontally and vertically.

Clang, clang, clang!

One after another, the Sword Auras were chopped out of the sky, new wounds added to the old injuries on both of them.

Besieged by the tidal wave of Sword Auras, both of them forgot all about their powerful techniques and swordsmanship, holding only a sword in hand, and the will to struggle desperately.

A moment later, the last Sword Aura was cut down, the clash of metal sounds gradually fading away, the cave slowly returning to calm.

Lu Nanzhi collapsed, half of her body bathed in blood, while Xie Jingshan was equally miserable, lying on the ground, unable to move.

"We survived another round, I must be crazy to come in here and endure this with you," Xie Jingshan said.

Lu Nanzhi gazed at the mountain wall above her, muttering, "Little Bai probably went through the same over those five years."

Xie Jingshan frowned, silent.

Lu Nanzhi continued, "In five years of observing thunder, Little Bai has mastered the Martial Momentum Thunderbolt, and with only a few months left until the competition, I must understand my own Sword Intent."

Xie Jingshan gritted his teeth, propped himself up halfway, took out a healing elixir, swallowed one, and handed one to Lu Nanzhi.

"One day, I’ll make her call me Senior Brother with respect," he said.

"Xie Jingshan," Lu Nanzhi looked seriously at Xie Jingshan, "don’t always think about being first in everything; no one can always be number one. Be careful of obsessions giving birth to Heart Demons."

Xie Jingshan lowered his gaze, his eyes gradually deepening.

Lu Nanzhi took the healing elixir, swallowed it, and forced herself to sit down and meditate to recover.

After this competition, the first place on the Heavenly Interence Sect’s Qi Cultivation Stage combat power ranking might change hands.