Chapter Seven: Survive First
Jiang Heng remained silent.
Shen Yanchu gently stroked her hair and offered a few comforting words before finally leaving.
Not long after, a fellow disciple delivered a potted Spirit Gathering Tree, a few auxiliary magical instruments, and a large number of spirit stones.
The man looked at Jiang Heng with some disdain, snorting a few times and muttering something about how kind the senior disciple brother was.
Jiang Heng ignored him, putting the spirit stones into her storage pouch and casually tossing the rest into a corner, her expression cold and indifferent.
She was unwilling to stay in this place any longer, but her strength was no match for these few people for the time being.
Shen Yanchu and Huo Shiqing were respectively in the early Nascent Soul and late Golden Core stages, while she was only in the late Foundation Establishment stage. They could crush her as easily as they would an ant.
She decided to endure for now.
When the time was right and her strength had caught up, she would take her revenge and then leave this troublesome place.
It would be best if they did not interfere; but if they insisted on entangling her, she would not hesitate to draw her blade.
Having made up her mind, Jiang Heng adjusted her breathing and began circulating the Heavenly Cycle within her body according to the E Luo Technique, condensing her spiritual core.
The black spiritual flow gently coursed through her body, circle after circle, growing increasingly powerful and turbulent, eventually merging into a thick spiritual pillar that shot upward from her entire body into the night sky, fiercely absorbing spiritual energy from all directions!
The scene was breathtaking, yet it did not disturb anyone else; only Jiang Heng could sense it.
It was as if that blackness was the highest-level concealed treasure, perfectly masking the terrifying events within the cave and blending seamlessly into the night.
Only when dawn broke did this round of meditation come to a preliminary end.
When Jiang Heng opened her eyes to the light outside the cave, she was slightly startled.
She had thought she had only meditated for a short while, but it had been an entire night.
She closed her eyes again, feeling the black spiritual flow inside her.
She realized that after a night of cultivation, it had grown considerably stronger.
It lazily roamed throughout her body, including her dantian and spirit sea, continuously providing her with a steady source of warm power, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
Recalling the secret techniques of the E Luo Technique, she suddenly had an idea.
She refocused, adjusted her breath, and used her finger to press her pulse, guiding the black spiritual flow to gradually cover all the meridians throughout her body.
After this adjustment and disguise, her body’s meridians truly looked as if most were damaged, even her dantian appeared weakened—flawless in its deception.
If the mysterious voice hadn’t been boasting, even late Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t detect the E Luo power within her. Even if her master personally examined her, she would not be exposed.
The commotion at the Qingling Hall had not dampened the enthusiasm of the Snow Crane Peak disciples in preparing a birthday banquet for Xu Ning’an.
On the day of the banquet, the summit of Snow Crane Peak was bustling with excitement, with many from other peaks of the sect coming to show their support.
Among them, the most eye-catching was the third senior brother of Snow Crane Peak, Jiang Huaixu.
Dressed in snow-white robes, he was breathtakingly beautiful, possessing extraordinary talent.
It was said that within the entire Ten Thousand Spirit Sect, only his master, the Cloud Hidden Immortal Lord, surpassed him in innate gifts; no one else could match even one percent of his cultivation speed and efficiency.
Among the few direct disciples of the Cloud Hidden Immortal Lord, aside from Xu Ning’an, the other five were all strikingly handsome or beautiful, each a genuine top-tier beauty.
But Jiang Huaixu was undoubtedly the number one among them; even the famously beautiful Huo Shiqing was somewhat overshadowed in his presence.
Seeing the third senior brother truly return, Xu Ning’an’s face flushed with excitement as she tightly clung to his arm, unwilling to let go.
“Third senior brother, I missed you so much. Why do you always run off everywhere?” Xu Ning’an pouted, frowning softly in complaint.
Jiang Huaixu chuckled lightly, patting her head, but did not answer the question.
Huo Shiqing beside them was jealous. “Luckily, the third junior brother enjoys wandering and seeking breakthroughs through experience; otherwise, would the little junior sister even look at us?”
Xia Zhiyu took the opportunity to tease, “Don’t use us as an excuse. You’re the one with the strongest possessiveness. If the third senior brother didn’t go out, you two would have fought by now.”
Xu Ning’an hurriedly waved her hands, “No fighting allowed! I like every senior brother. You’re all the best in my heart!”
Shen Yanchu smiled, “Silly An’an, your fourth senior brother is just joking. How could we do anything to make you unhappy?”
Xu Ning’an sighed in relief, sticking out her tongue, “That’s good. Fourth senior brother is so bad, always joking to tease people!”
Xia Zhiyu laughed softly, scratching her head.
Besides the sect members, the guests who came to the feast sincerely presented carefully prepared birthday gifts.
There were so many gifts that Xu Ning’an’s storage pouch couldn’t hold them all, so she had to ask several senior brothers to keep some for her temporarily.
Everyone toasted and joked, offered blessings and performances; the atmosphere was lively yet warm.
Almost everyone looked at Xu Ning’an with tender, doting eyes. Bathed in abundant love, she radiated with brilliance.
Yet something was missing.
She rolled her eyes and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Ah! I was wondering why someone was missing—where is senior sister?”
At her words, the atmosphere instantly stiffened.
Many instinctively looked toward Jiang Huaixu, but he simply lowered his eyes and sipped his wine calmly, seemingly indifferent.
Xu Ning’an tugged Huo Shiqing’s sleeve, whining, “Second senior brother, can you go invite senior sister over? You should have apologized to her last time, too.”
Huo Shiqing’s face darkened further. “Let’s talk about it later. Everyone’s in a good mood now; why ruin it?”
Xu Ning’an was insistent, “The six disciples of the sect must be complete and whole. Missing even one is impossible. I’ll be unhappy otherwise.”
Hearing this, Xia Zhiyu felt moved in her heart: Only the little junior sister was so pure and kind, never minding past disagreements.
If only Jiang Heng were half as kind and lovely.
Shen Yanchu shared this sentiment, his gaze toward Xu Ning’an growing ever more gentle.
Such a little junior sister made him willing to risk everything to protect her, no matter the cost.
Unable to shake off Xu Ning’an’s persistence, Huo Shiqing scowled and flew off to Jiang Heng’s cave.
The cave entrance forbade outsiders, but he paid no mind, relying on his superior cultivation to break the barrier and enter directly.
Seeing the desolate and cold scene inside the cave, Huo Shiqing felt as if doused with cold water, his frustration and irritation dissipating greatly.
Just moments ago, he had been at the lavish banquet filled with rumors and splendor; suddenly facing Jiang Heng’s cave, so barren and lonely, he thought he had stumbled into some abandoned mountain grotto.
It was clear that this place had once been carefully decorated, warm and beautiful.
Jiang Heng sat on the bed, seemingly eating something.
Seeing him arrive, she lifted her eyelids and coldly asked, “Second senior brother, what are you doing here?”
After seeing what she was eating, Huo Shiqing’s remaining emotions were extinguished as if by cold water.
He was silent for a long while before asking Jiang Heng, “Senior brother gave you a large number of spirit stones just a few days ago—more than enough to buy restorative pills. Why are you eating these raw, unrefined medicinal herbs?”