“You… Hmph! You think Senior Sister Xiao Yue will believe you? So many people are fine, but you’re the only one with a problem?” The menial disciple narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing increasingly hostile.
“Do you really think that when Senior Sister Xiao Yue asks, the others will still say nothing?” Su Twelve grinned, sweeping his gaze across the other disciples before turning and walking straight toward the door.
In the courtyard, the eyes of the other disciples lit up. They were tempted.
Losing several pills for no reason—none of them were happy about it.
They just lacked Su Twelve’s courage. If he took the lead, however, they certainly wouldn’t mind speaking up.
The menial disciple noticed their reactions, and his heart skipped a beat.
Xiao Yue was upright and kind. As the Peak Master’s granddaughter, she held transcendent status on Luofu Peak. If she found out about this, his days would be numbered.
“Fine, if you have something to say, say it nicely! Take this bottle of pills!” He glared fiercely at Su Twelve, ultimately deciding it was best to smooth things over. It wouldn’t do him any good if this matter blew out of proportion. Making up his mind, he pulled out a bottle of pills and tossed it over.
Su Twelve frowned. He unstoppered the bottle and peeked inside, only to see ten pills. He let out a cold snort. “Only ten?”
“Kid, these are ten High Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills. Never mind thirty, they’re worth fifty Low Grade pills,” the menial disciple said irritably, acting as though he had suffered a massive loss. Deep in his eyes, however, a sinister glint flickered.
Hmph, I’ll let this brat hold onto them for now. Once he leaves the Pill Pavilion, I’ll teach him a lesson.
“If I remember correctly, the Sect rules clearly state that every novice disciple gets three bottles a year. That’s thirty Essence-Nourishing Pills!” Su Twelve remained unmoved, staring the man down.
He didn’t know what the other was scheming, but instinct warned him that the man had folded too easily. That was never a good sign.
After silently weighing the situation, he felt the other’s strength wasn’t very formidable, which put him somewhat at ease.
With his mysterious pill furnace in hand, the quality of the pills didn’t matter. Quantity was the key.
“Kid, don’t push it!” The menial disciple glared at Su Twelve, suddenly overturning the table in front of him in a fit of rage.
He only wanted to send Su Twelve away and settle the score later. Unfortunately, he had long since quietly sold off the extra pills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used waste pills to make up the numbers.
“Pushing it? I only want what I deserve! Since you won’t hand them over, Senior Sister Xiao Yue can come talk to you!”
Su Twelve said bluntly, unimpressed. After speaking, he pocketed the waste pills and the bottle of High Grade pills, heading straight for the door.
Seeing this, how could the menial disciple let him leave? He glared at Su Twelve, his furious gaze looking like it wanted to devour him alive.
“Kid, since you’re courting death, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“Today, I’ll show you the true strength of a cultivator.” This story is hosted at g.com.
The menial disciple spat hatefully, word by word. At the same time, the meager True Essence within his body surged, and his hands rapidly formed seals.
In the blink of an eye, a fist-sized fireball appeared before him.
“Strike!”
The menial disciple let out a muffled grunt. Driven by True Essence, the fireball trailed a long tail of flames as it shot straight at Su Twelve’s back.
An attack of this caliber wouldn’t be fatal, but it was more than enough to inflict serious injury.
The menial disciple narrowed his eyes, a cold sneer forming on his lips.
He was, after all, a Qi Condensation Cultivator at the first level of Qi Condensation. Dealing with a novice who had joined less than half a year ago would be as easy as flipping his hand.
“Is this the Fire Control Art recorded in the manuals? Unbelievable! That little beggar is dead for sure!”
“Serves him right. Senior Brother already gave him ten High Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills, and he still wasn’t satisfied!”
“Thank goodness I didn’t provoke this Senior Brother earlier, otherwise I’d be finished!”
…
Watching the fireball streak through the air, the bystanders’ expressions paled in shock. They had only just learned basic literacy and hadn’t formally begun cultivation.
In their eyes, this menial disciple’s display was a true immortal method.
A moment later, their gazes fell upon Su Twelve. Sympathy flickered in their eyes, though inwardly they secretly rejoiced that it wasn’t them.
Although Su Twelve had his back to the man, he had been secretly on guard all along.
The moment he heard the commotion, the True Essence within his body surged.
He spun around. Seeing the fireball hurtling toward him, his hands decisively formed a seal.
“Summon Wind! Go!”
Su Twelve’s movements were unhurried. With a low shout, a fierce gale abruptly manifested.
The wild wind howled past, surging straight toward the menial disciple and meeting the fireball in midair.
“Bang!”
With a muffled explosion, the fireball was blown apart on the spot. The wild wind shattered it into a shower of sparks, sweeping them violently back toward the menial disciple.
This scene caused everyone in the courtyard to gasp in utter shock.
Zhu Hanwei and the other two who had accompanied Su Twelve were especially dumbfounded.
Half a year ago, they had all started at the exact same point. How had Su Twelve become this powerful?
“Impossible! You… You’re actually a Qi Condensation Cultivator?!”
The menial disciple’s eyes bulged, his face draining of color.
Although he had reached the first level of Qi Condensation, he usually slacked on his training. His control over spells was nothing more than half-baked.
Before he could react, the scattered sparks pelted his face, burning him with blisters. Caught in the wild wind, his entire body was blasted backward, slamming hard into a thick pillar.
“Hmph, didn’t you want to show me a cultivator’s strength? Is this it?”
Su Twelve snorted coldly. His hands continued forming seals, conjuring a fist-sized fireball in the air.
The fireball bobbed lightly, emanating searing heat. Compared to the one the menial disciple had invoked, this flame was visibly more concentrated and solid.
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother Twelve, spare me! I know I was wrong. I’ll definitely make up for the Essence-Nourishing Pills I owe you!” Seeing the flames, the menial disciple turned pale with fright. Before Su Twelve could even move, he dropped to his knees with a thud, begging endlessly for mercy.
In the cultivation world, the accomplished were teachers, and the strong were revered.
Forms of address and seniority among cultivators were not determined solely by age or time of entry.
Those with superior cultivation, even if young in age, often commanded high seniority.
Take Su Twelve, for instance. He was originally just a newcomer; by rights, the menial disciple had entered the Sect earlier. But now that Su Twelve was stronger and the man’s fate lay in his hands, the menial disciple naturally hurried to call him Senior Brother.
This unwritten law had been briefly mentioned in the Sect rules, so Su Twelve wasn’t surprised.
“Where are the pills?” Su Twelve hadn’t actually intended to kill him. Dispersing the spell, he asked coldly.
“I really don’t have the pills right now!” the menial disciple cried with a miserable face. Seeing Su Twelve about to invoke another spell, he frantically shouted, “Wait! Senior Brother, don’t act rashly! I just don’t have them on me. Give me ten days. In ten days, I’ll personally deliver them to the Waste Pill Room. I guarantee they’ll all be High Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills, and I’ll even add an extra ten as an apology.”
“You’re really that generous?” Su Twelve narrowed his eyes, sizing the man up with suspicion.
The man had changed his tune far too quickly. Su Twelve faintly felt that something was amiss.