Front Line of the Beast Tide, Part 32

Su Qing listened for a long time, not doubting for a moment.

She believed Wang Quan could absolutely do such a thing!

He, the esteemed Sect Leader of the Sword School, must surely know that demonic bloodlines are irreversible.

Despite this, he deliberately tricked Ye Mingshi into Yinlan City to seek opportunities.

It was highly probable that he knew the inside story of Yinlan City, aware of the importance of the innate demonic bone to the local situation, and thus set up this scheme.

Thinking this way, Su Qing suddenly understood. He must have known about her immortal bone.

It made sense.

The Dragon Boat Secret Realm originally belonged to the Sword School, and Limitless True Person Qiu Tiange was a lifelong close friend of Carefree Immortal.

Wang Quan, as Carefree Immortal’s direct disciple and successor, must know the hidden secrets within.

He surely knew that the final reward of the Dragon Boat Secret Realm was an immortal bone, after all, it was his teacher’s remains.

And she, who ultimately cleared the Dragon Boat Secret Realm, was the most likely to receive this reward.

Therefore, Wang Quan specifically sent her here, also to use the immortal bone to resolve the situation.

Su Qing’s mind raced. She quickly realized that perhaps the cancellation of the second secret realm mission for the first year and the deployment of all students to resolve the Yinlan City beast tide was itself a cover-up for the immortal bone.

No wonder he could even give out a ten-year sword intent; it turns out he was providing her with insurance from the start. This was a bit too stingy, though. Couldn’t he have given a few more sword intent talismans? Su Qing herself couldn’t count how many dangerous situations she had encountered since coming here.

The most crucial thing was that Wang Quan never communicated beforehand.

Su Qing, completely bewildered, went to the front lines and met Ye Mingshi, who was equally bewildered.

The two, both confused, inexplicably resolved the matter.

After resolving it, they even wondered: ‘How could it be such a coincidence?’

Ye Mingshi, due to her innate demonic bone, was targeted by the demonic energy-infested forest and parasitized.

This, in turn, led Ye Mingshi to finally touch the core of the forest spirit, regain consciousness, and achieve a counter-kill.

Meanwhile, Su Qing used the immortal bone to purify the demonic energy and awaken Ye Mingshi, also bringing out much pure immortal spiritual energy, allowing Xiaocao to summon the Earth Mother’s manifestation.

In this way, Xiaocao might also have been part of Wang Quan’s plan.

After all, everyone knew Xiaocao was in the Sword School and had the best relationship with her.

The more Su Qing thought about it, the more things connected, and everything had a reasonable explanation.

How could there be so many coincidences and accidental successes in the world? She, Ye Mingshi, and Xiaocao were like individual pearls, and Wang Quan was the one who strung these pearls into a line.

Based on his understanding of their personalities and destinies, he designed a solution.

She could imagine it: normally, when she was living and studying in the Sword School, Wang Quan would always swagger by, fanning himself, feigning weakness and coughing a few times for no reason, or just casually asking a few questions for no particular purpose.

When this person didn’t speak, he seemed quite decent.

But once he opened his mouth, he made people furious, making them curse him inwardly.

And while they were murmuring about him, he was calmly observing them, thinking about how he could unexpectedly play these cards to achieve an outcome of effortless victory with minimal bloodshed.

This explained why Wang Quan didn’t communicate with them beforehand.

After all, not everyone, after knowing their destined path, would still be willing to walk it.

Take Su Qing herself, for example. If Wang Quan had told her, “Alright, Little Su, you know about the Myriad Beast Forest’s century-old beast tide, right? Go solve it.”

She would probably just stare wide-eyed and ask, “Me?”

If Wang Quan told Ye Mingshi, “Little Ye, you go act as bait to attract the Myriad Beast Forest. This is a very crucial part, vital to the entire situation, but you might die.”

Ye Mingshi would definitely curse his ancestors and snap, “Are you sick? If you are, go get treated.”

Su Qing suddenly realized she was making excuses for Wang Quan. She couldn’t describe the feeling; if she had to, the first emotion that came to mind was relief:

‘Great, the Sect Leader isn’t a freeloading scoundrel. Our Sword School won’t be doomed.’

However, this person’s actions were perhaps too reckless.

Did he truly believe that with only Su Qing and Ye Mingshi, two small Foundation Establishment cultivators, they could achieve ultimate victory? Was he convinced that the Heavenly Dao would surely be on his side, that destiny would fall upon the Sword School, or did he have some other trump card?

Su Qing couldn’t figure it out, nor did she plan to keep thinking about it. She and Ye Mingshi, filled with righteous indignation, cursed in unison, “Dog bastard!”

After finishing their back-and-forth bad-mouthing, both felt their hearts closer and their relationship better.

“What are your plans for the future?” Su Qing asked. “If you don’t know where to go for now, you can stay with the Sword School. When the Sword School returns to Tianque City, we’ll take you back with us, it’ll be safer.”

Ye Mingshi shook her head, her gaze unusually wistful for a moment, but she quickly hid it, feigning indifference, “We’ll see. It’s rare to be out. I don’t want to go back yet.”

She had understood that the demonic body was irreversible.

All previous dangers were due to her weakness carrying a great treasure, just like a child carrying gold through the market, attracting covetous eyes.

If she were to continue suppressing her demonic energy and cultivating through human methods as before, her cultivation would not advance, and she would certainly repeat her past mistakes.

Would the Crimson Leaf Sect still be her home?

Although Ye Mingshi often said things like “I might as well just lie down and sleep,” she ultimately admitted that after this ordeal, her heart had cleared up a lot. “Becoming human or demon is in the heart, not the body. Perhaps in the future, I will go to the demon realm for training.”

Su Qing understood her meaning. Her eyes flickered. “Then you will surely experience many choices like today’s.”

Ye Mingshi smiled with relief, an innocent and natural expression on her face. “Who’s to say otherwise?”

The choice between being human and being a demon is never made in an instant.

Humans define who they are through countless choices, and in other words, temper a clear Dao Heart through countless choices.

Will Ye Mingshi’s future choices be consistent, or will her heart change with circumstances?

Who can guarantee that their choices will always be correct? This is an answer that can only be spoken at the end of life.

But this doesn’t stop Su Qing from believing in her, believing that she can steadfastly walk the path she has chosen.

Su Qing said nothing more, but her soft, warm gaze was itself the best communication.

‘No wonder some people can transform into the sun,’ perhaps there truly were people in the world whose essence matched their names. Ye Mingshi countered, “What are your plans?”

“Me?” Su Qing exhaled, “After my injuries heal, we’ll take Bayin and go eat small wontons at Madam Qian’s shop. I have a feeling I can eat ten bowls.”

No one had demonized, no one had rebelled, and their mental states were still healthy.

The urgent matters were all resolved. The remaining thoughts could all be devoted to themselves.

Su Qing retrieved her physical body, or rather, she saw herself.

After initial healing in the spring water, her physical condition improved greatly, and a shallow layer of spiritual energy had accumulated in her dantian.

She could now attempt for her spirit to return to its rightful place.

Her body lay quietly in the clear spring water, dark hair floating around her, revealing a calm face, tinged with a little fatigue.

After a long absence, Su Qing even felt a little unfamiliar with her own face. Meeting it again now, it was as if she was looking at a friend.

Observing herself from a bystander’s perspective, she unsurprisingly found that she had nothing particularly remarkable about her.

She was neither exquisite nor ugly, her facial features were ordinary, and her eyes seemed to lack that captivating brilliance that made one unforgettable.

But it didn’t matter. Because it was herself, she accepted it entirely, loved it completely.

When Su Qing personally witnessed Ye Mingshi finding herself, how could she not have been moved?

Where was Su Qing’s self, or rather, her Dao Heart?

Cultivation ultimately meant cultivating the heart. Had she done well this time, worthy of her Dao Heart?

Her powerful spirit forcibly retracted from the puppet, and with a gentle yet undeniable posture, slowly entered her physical body through the celestial aperture. Soon, her physical body slowly shattered under the terrifying spiritual strength. Meridians cracked, blood surged, bones groaned, and the surrounding clear spring water was dyed a faint pink.

At that moment, Su Qing almost felt her physical body being shattered into countless fragments by the powerful spirit.

The airflow in her sea of consciousness surged like a whirlwind, tearing at its boundaries, trying to accommodate more of her spirit.

Her physical body had reached the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, the vitality in the spring water gathered around her, tirelessly repairing her body.

It was as if after frost and snow, a spring breeze swept through, and her originally fragile body struggled to grow stronger bones and flesh.

Su Qing silently chanted the Heart-Calming Art.

She truly couldn’t remember how many rounds of destruction and repair she had undergone.

After staying in the Eternal Night world, her mental pain threshold had greatly increased. She seemed to have become more patient.

The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to receive a summons, converging around her.

A small dark cloud even condensed over the lake, spiritual energy surging within it like a deep whirlpool, almost like a premonition of a small heavenly tribulation.

But Su Qing’s cultivation was only at early Foundation Establishment. Who would have thought that this breakthrough would attract a premonition of heavenly tribulation?

Spiritual energy flowed downwards, surging along her meridians like a tide, enveloping her body, reshaping her meridians and bones.

In the familiar intense pain, Su Qing felt the existence of her body. She felt the warm sunlight outside the lake and the cool spring water flowing between her fingers.

Vaguely, she heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar, heard someone anxiously and worriedly calling her name, heard Xiaocao protecting her by her side, “She’s breaking through, don’t disturb her!”

It seemed Lin Hebai pulled her out of the water, “The spiritual energy here isn’t enough.”

Her tone was somewhat surprised, “Such serious injuries, and a rare opportunity for spirit body refinement! I’ll take her back first!”

When Su Qing opened her eyes again, she had successfully returned to her physical body as desired.

At this time, she was sitting naked in a white jade tub, which was filled with dark medicinal liquid.

The liquid was cold, but it felt incredibly hot upon entering her body, almost like magma burning her meridians, causing large beads of sweat to form on her forehead.

She didn’t know how long she had been soaking in it. The medicinal power was almost gone now, and the effect was almost like soaking in chili water, burning her until she was almost red-hot.

Su Qing understood at a glance: this was body refining medicinal liquid.

Every body cultivator had their own unique body refining formula, which was typically not shared, unless one sincerely invited them to many meals. “Protein Queen” Old Lady Liu had also passed on many body refining formulas and the Illusory Step to Su Qing. Su Qing had studied them carefully. Old Lady Liu’s formulas were relatively cheap but very effective, definitely the king of cost-effectiveness, the light of rogue cultivators.

The medicinal liquid she was soaking in now should be Lin Hebai’s exclusive formula.

‘A Body Refining formula for a Transform Spirit stage cultivator, what a gain!’

It was just that before she entered the Eternal Night world, the Nine Heavens Spirit Grass, the main ingredient for Foundation Pills, had already had little effect on her.

Now, the medicinal soup’s power was almost gone, yet it still had such strong stimulating properties.

Su Qing didn’t even dare to imagine what heavenly treasures and earthly wonders were used.

At least, it had to be spiritual herbs and spiritual ores of third-tier and above. S

he vaguely smelled the scent of Dragon Blood Vine and Earth Fire Rock Crystal, which were good things costing fifty spirit stones per ounce.

Su Qing was sweating even more, whether from the heat or from fright, she didn’t know.

The most terrifying thing in the world had happened. Would she become a pauper overnight?

As she thought wildly, Lin Hebai walked in and smiled knowingly, “Awake?”

Su Qing blinked, “Awake.”

“Still awake and not burying your head?” Lin Hebai immediately changed her expression, sternly saying, “How did I teach you? Body refinement without head refinement is like cultivating the body without cultivating the heart.”

Indeed, even if the entire body was refined, if the neck and head were forgotten, it would still be the fate of being decapitated by a single strike.

Moreover, body refinement, besides refining the physical body, also required internal refinement, refining the internal organs, to prevent situations like the wild boar on Pure Water Island.

Now, there was an additional step to body refinement: refining the spirit.

However, this was typically content reserved for higher academic years, which Su Qing had inadvertently learned first.

Su Qing snapped back to reality. She was about to bury her head when, with her now excellent ability to hold her breath, she heard Lin Hebai burst into laughter, “Alright, no rush with this. I’ll copy the formula for you later, and you can practice slowly.”

Su Qing, “This formula… it must be very expensive, right?”

Lin Hebai said, “It’s alright. The main ingredients are Sky Wild Purple Lightning Grass, Blood Jade Flower, Profound Ice Dew, Dragon Blood Vine, Earth Fire Rock Crystal, White Moon Silver Steel, and Qishan Earth.”

With each name she listed, Su Qing’s heart grew a degree more disheartened. She had done herb business and knew the price of these treasures. This one bath would probably wipe out three years of Honey Spirit Tea’s revenue.

Lin Hebai saw Su Qing’s expression of grief greater than a dead heart and finally stopped teasing her. “Don’t worry, since these are injuries sustained in Yinlan City, all expenses are charged to Yan Chi’s account. She has money, so be bolder and spend freely.”

Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief, but she quickly asked in confusion, “Teacher Hebai, my cultivation doesn’t seem to have increased much.”

According to the commotion during her breakthrough that day, even if she couldn’t directly reach Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, she should at least be at late Foundation Establishment.

Now, her cultivation had barely reached mid Foundation Establishment.

“This is because the gains were all added to your physical body and spirit, so your cultivation will naturally lag behind,” Lin Hebai explained. “Don’t worry, when you return to the Sword School, to a place with abundant spiritual energy, your cultivation will definitely catch up. Your foundation is already quite solid, definitely not inferior to Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. The rest is just a matter of time; take it slow.”

Lin Hebai gave a few more instructions, then said, “After you finish soaking, go out for a walk and relax. Your friends are waiting for you outside.”

After she left, Su Qing couldn’t help but feel a little restless.

She looked at the clothes and storage bag draped over the screen, thinking: ‘There’s still Earth Fire Rock Crystal and White Moon Silver Steel in this medicinal liquid. These are rare spiritual ores of third-tier top-grade. If only Man Qing Sword could also enjoy some benefits…’

Man Qing Sword had been separated from her for four years. She wondered how it had been doing.

Su Qing felt more and more heartache, and her heart surged.

She summoned Man Qing Sword. Her spiritual strength had increased greatly, even moving objects from afar was no longer a problem, but she simply couldn’t summon Man Qing Sword. It didn’t even respond, not a flicker of silver light.

Because one cannot wake a sword that pretends to be asleep.

It was throwing a tantrum.

Su Qing’s heart melted.