Milk-white radiance poured down, soaking Meng Qi’s body like sweet dew falling upon drought-stricken land, reviving all things.
The agony swiftly dissipated, the dantian grew warm once more, and Meng Qi’s vitality was restored. Without delay, he addressed the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, “Deduct the karma points spent on my recovery. In exchange, I offer the first four layers of the Golden Bell Shield and the ‘Sacrificial Soul Scripture’.”
At this moment, Meng Qi could no longer afford to hesitate. After all, the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation already possessed both the “Golden Bell Shield” and the “Sacrificial Soul Scripture.” Moreover, the elixirs in Jiang Zhiwei’s possession might very well be the key to turning the tables in the imminent reincarnation mission—every ounce of strength recovered in advance would serve as a vital bargaining chip!
Sigh, apparently minor principles easily yield to reality, as long as it doesn’t touch my bottom line… Meng Qi inwardly sighed, feeling a little guilty toward his master.
“Little monk, no need to be so formal. I’ve prepared several ‘Hundred Herbs Pills,'” Jiang Zhiwei urged, explaining that the Hundred Herbs Pill was a miraculous healing medicine of the Xijian Pavilion, surpassing the “Herbal Renewal Pill” of the Zhenwu Sect and the Shaolin “Minor Rejuvenating Pill.” Her power had steadily increased, and as she was about to leave the mountain for her journey, she had gained the qualification to receive a bottle from the medicine pavilion.
Drifting within the milk-white radiance, Meng Qi waved his hand at Jiang Zhiwei and the others: “When I can resolve things myself, I’d rather handle them on my own. To be honest, I don’t really feel a sense of belonging to Shaolin. Hehe, it’s not worth depleting your favors like this.”
Still, it felt quite unfair to his master’s care, sigh.
“How can it be considered depleting favors? We are comrades bound by life and death; mutual assistance is only natural. Didn’t you, Brother Zhen Ding, also share the ‘Shapeshifting Great Method’ with us and even guide me through its acquisition?” Zhang Yuanshan said steadily.
Meng Qi hurriedly replied, “No, no. Precisely because we are comrades bound by life and death, I don’t want to bother you with problems I can solve myself. When I really need your help, I won’t hesitate. My face is always thick enough—I won’t hesitate to ask for your help even in extreme danger.”
“For example, during the reincarnation task, if I get injured again, Zhiwei, you can’t hold back on the Hundred Herbs Pills.”
As he explained his mindset, he subtly pointed out the “Hundred Herbs Pills” had even more critical uses.
“Alright then, little monk. With these words from you, I won’t insist anymore,” Jiang Zhiwei smiled slightly and put away the bottle of “Hundred Herbs Pills.”
She, along with Zhang Yuanshan and Qi Zhengyan, knew that Meng Qi had grown up in the servant quarters and had only truly begun his martial cultivation journey within the reincarnation world. It was natural for him to feel no attachment to Shaolin, so they no longer tried to stop Meng Qi from exchanging the two martial arts techniques with the Master of the Six Samsaras.
After finalizing their discussion, the Master of the Six Samsaras predictably announced: “Healing consumed 160 virtuous points.”
“The first four levels of the Golden Bell Shield were exchanged for 110 virtue points, while the Sacrificial Soul Manual was exchanged for 200 virtue points.”
“Remaining virtuous points: 150.”
The milk-white radiance gradually dissipated. Meng Qi felt his right hand return to normal, strength restored, and almost burst into grateful tears.
“Once again, I’m a mighty warrior!”
“An Guoxie, this time I’ll retrieve the Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles and the Red Sun Subduing Evil Blade. Just wait for me to settle the score with you!”
Seeing Meng Qi’s ecstatic expression, Jiang Zhiwei couldn’t help but laugh: “Little monk, you seem to have had quite a rough time. Who exactly turned you into that pitiful state?”
Meng Qi snapped back to reality, suppressing the nightmare memories of his destroyed dantian and broken arm, and sighed, “The ‘White-Headed Vulture,’ An Guoxie.”
“How did you end up in the Western Regions?” Jiang Zhiwei, a fellow young expert on the Human List, was quite familiar with An Guoxie and momentarily looked surprised.
Zhang Yuanshan also frowned: “An Guoxie shouldn’t have ventured alone into the Jin Kingdom.”
Although Shaolin had sent monks to inform other sects about the matter, Jiang Zhiwei and others weren’t part of the sect’s decision-making hierarchy and wouldn’t know unless they specifically inquired.
Meng Qi briefly described the events, and as Jiang Zhiwei and Qi Zhengyan listened, their expressions turned grave.
“I think Zhen Chang’s suicide was suspicious. If he had the courage to commit suicide, he would have fought to the death with little monk here at that time. At the very least, he might have chosen to jump off a cliff, possibly retaining a glimmer of hope for survival,” Jiang Zhiwei assessed Zhen Chang’s suicide from the perspective of courage.
Qi Zhengyan nodded: “If it were me, I’d rather be captured, have my martial arts stripped, and be expelled from Shaolin. As long as I wasn’t dead, there would still be a chance.”
The Master of the Six Samsaras—specialist in treating difficult and complex cases!
“In other words, Zhen Chang is unlikely to be a reincarnator,” Meng Qi immediately grasped the implication in Qi Zhengyan’s words. “Then why was he tempted to steal the secret manual? If it wasn’t suicide, then who was behind the act?”
Zhang Yuanshan was contemplating another matter: “The Crying Old Man had just recovered from injuries yet accurately intercepted Master Xuan Bei immediately—very strange. It’s also strange that after nine years of silence, he reappeared precisely when Master Xuan Bei arrived in the Western Regions.”
The Crying Old Man was far away in the Western Regions. Although Master Xuan Bei’s journey wasn’t particularly fast, it wasn’t slow either. Unless someone had been monitoring his movements all along or had been specifically informed, how could they have known of his arrival? The most critical point was that the news of the Crying Old Man’s return only surfaced after Master Xuan Bei reached the Sand Settlement. Before that, there hadn’t been a single whisper. If they had known beforehand, Shaolin definitely wouldn’t have sent Master Xuan Bei.
“It feels like there’s a big black hand manipulating things behind the scenes,” Fu Zhenzhen remarked, deliberately lightening the heavy atmosphere.
Jiang Zhiwei nodded thoughtfully, then smiled brightly at Meng Qi, her beauty mingling with a bold, free-spirited charm: “Now isn’t the time to discuss these things. The most important matter is, little monk, how will you deal with An Guoxie after returning?”
“He has damaged his core essence, his injuries haven’t fully healed, and his current strength is less than seventy percent of his peak. Moreover, he never expected that someone whose martial arts were ruined and whose arm was broken could suddenly recover completely, even gaining a blade-level戒刀 and a terrifying hidden weapon. Therefore, with the element of surprise on my side, even without using the Sacrificial Soul Manual, I can launch a sudden attack, unleash ‘Severing Purity,’ and fire the Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles—giving me a good chance of killing him on the spot.”
As Meng Qi spoke, he suddenly felt amused and couldn’t help but mentally scoff—An Guoxie would probably cry out in his dying moments: Resist all “cheat codes”!
Zhang Yuanshan, steady and mature, said, “Don’t underestimate a master who has opened all nine orifices. The gap in strength is too significant. You might wound him again, but you may not be able to kill or defeat him.”
“Yes, the ‘Crazy Sand Skill’ has strong resistance to ordinary poisons. The Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles might not be fatal,” Jiang Zhiwei also thought Meng Qi’s chances were only about fifty-fifty. After all, the ‘Crazy Sand Skill’ wasn’t some obscure technique—it was worth 8000 points on the exchange list! And An Guoxie having all nine orifices open proved his mastery, so he shouldn’t be underestimated.
She paused, then continued, “The time for reincarnation tasks is usually short. You won’t be able to open your ear orifice again unless you undergo direct infusion after the task ends. But that requires a lot of virtuous points, which might not be enough, and there are also significant hidden dangers.”
“During the reincarnation task, can you guarantee you won’t need to use the Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles to save your own life?” Qi Zhengyan also raised his concern.
Meng Qi took a deep breath. Indeed, the reincarnation task was both an opportunity and a danger. It was possible that virtuous points wouldn’t be abundant, and the Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles might be consumed, while he had subconsciously underestimated An Guoxie, a master who had opened all nine orifices. After two encounters, he had achieved his initial goal both times.
However, upon reflection, the first instance occurred because An Guoxie was unaware of the Shapeshifting Great Method and did not anticipate that he had mastered the A-nan Breaking Precepts Blade Technique, allowing him to escape immediately after delivering a fatal strike. The second time, he leveraged the environment and the Shapeshifting Great Method to conceal his presence, creating an assassination-like scenario. By utilizing the Sacrificial Soul Manual to amplify the power of “Severing Purity,” he caught An Guoxie off guard and inflicted severe injuries.
However, all his hidden schemes had now been laid bare. An Guoxie would not be caught off guard again. The Red Sun Subduing Evil Blade was a significant bargaining chip, but not a decisive one. Furthermore, the Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles might not remain intact until his return, or might not inflict fatal damage on An Guoxie. Relying merely on the element of surprise was far too flimsy a strategy.
Sigh, too many variables, Meng Qi inwardly sighed, looking at Jiang Zhiwei and the others: “Do you have any good ideas?”
Fu Zhenzhen, who wasn’t very familiar with Meng Qi, timidly said, “I’ve cultivated the Seven Stars Begonia. When you return, if you still have the Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles, I can turn them into poison and coat the needle tips. If the Storm of Pear Blossoms Needles are gone, I have a few small candles made from it. You just need to hold your breath, take the antidote, and secretly ignite them. They’re colorless and odorless, with strong toxicity. An Guoxie probably won’t be able to resist completely. At that moment, you can strike with your blade.”
She had grown up in a nunnery and wasn’t yet accustomed to violent talk.
What a great idea! Meng Qi’s eyes lit up, secretly admiring how talented Fu Zhenzhen was in poisons and drugs.
Qi Zhengyan seemed inspired too: “‘Sorrowful Fragrant Wind’—a bottle with its antidote only costs 200 virtuous points. Considering the reward for the current main task, it should be easy to exchange. It’s a unique poison. Even if An Guoxie doesn’t lose all his inner strength, it will still greatly affect him.”
Wow, my companions are so ruthless! Meng Qi listened in astonishment but was also greatly inspired.
Zhang Yuanshan couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile: “That’s one aspect of preparation. The other is, Brother Zhen Ding, you need to reacquire a life-or-death martial move. After all, ‘Severing Purity’ won’t catch An Guoxie off guard anymore. It’s best to save it as a last resort. Of course, if you feel it’s not safe enough, you can ask the Master of the Six Samsaras to help you open your ear orifice. That would cost about 600 virtuous points. If you choose to spend time on cultivation, it would cost about 200 virtuous points per month.”
Normally, exchanging the “Heavenly Vision and Earthly Hearing Pill” costs 260 virtuous points. Directly having the Master assist in opening the orifice costs more than double that, provided the relevant acupoints for the ear orifice have already been refined. Of course, the Master of the Six Samsaras could handle everything.
“If there are enough virtuous points, choosing all options is best. If not, then you can choose some based on the number of virtuous points available,” Meng Qi nodded slightly, feeling much more relaxed. Half-muttering and half-laughing, he thought, Poor An Guoxie.
“If you’re talking about life-or-death moves for the opening orifice stage, I do have one,” Jiang Zhiwei suddenly spoke up, smiling.
Currently, external techniques are scarce and difficult to obtain. Meng Qi would undoubtedly trade for a blade technique at the Opening Orifice level when necessary—those fragmented into individual moves typically can only unleash the power of the Qi Gathering and Opening Orifice stages unless they include the general guide and most of the moves.
Hearing this, Meng Qi looked at her in confusion: “Zhiwei, aren’t you only proficient in sword techniques?”
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