Stealing Immortal
Chapter 10 - 9: Fateful Opportunity

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Fateful Opportunity

"Senior Brother Chen, Senior Brother Chen!"

Early in the morning, Xu Yong was shouting outside his door again, sounding rather anxious.

Chen Qingyang then recalled Lü Yunshen mentioning that Xu Yong hadn’t spent the night in their courtyard for two days. ’Could he have had some sort of fortuitous encounter?’

After a moment’s thought, he opened the door.

Xu Yong looked somewhat haggard, his eyes bloodshot, betraying a deep anxiety.

"What is it?"

He responded, his tone as cold and detached as ever.

’I should have just spent some elixirs to get these two off the mountain and save myself the headache.’ he thought. ’But for one, neither of them were bound to the Hongling Token, so it would take a great deal of effort. For another, any replacements would probably be just as annoying. At least with these two, I won’t hesitate to deal with them if it comes to that.’

This time, however, Xu Yong was especially sincere. "Senior Brother Chen, whatever issues we’ve had in the past, this is extremely important to me. You’ve been to the Inner Sect and have been a servant disciple the longest. You’ve seen and heard the most..."

Chen Qingyang cut him off. "Just get to the point. What do you want to ask?"

Xu Yong glanced behind him toward Lü Yunshen’s hut. The other man was not yet awake.

"The Profound Light Association... have you heard of it?" Xu Yong leaned in, his voice a low whisper. "I only learned about it in the last couple of days. They’ve supposedly been operating among the servant disciples for years. They say they have a method that lets people break through to Qi Refining!"

Chen Qingyang’s face remained impassive. Though his body’s functions had once degenerated, his mind had always remained sharp. In all his hundred years, he had never heard of such a thing.

"No."

Xu Yong instantly deflated like a popped balloon and lost all interest in him. "Then forget it."

Chen Qingyang had no desire to ask any further, so the conversation ended there. Xu Yong rushed off once more.

’Since ancient times, there has only ever been one way to break through to Qi Refining: through one’s own cultivation.’

’Could the Profound Light Association really have another method?’

’It’s probably just a group for servant disciples to band together for support. Sometimes they come up with gimmicks to lure people in.’

’They swindle some gold and silver, take it to the mortal world, and let the organizers live a life of luxury.’

’If immortal cultivation is a dead end, then you can’t just let your life go to waste. You have to succeed at one or the other.’

The Tai Xu Sect was always lenient with its servant disciples. It didn’t pry too closely into whether they stayed or left, lived or died. If some organization really did form, the Sect would just let it be. A servant disciple was just a servant disciple. Even if a hundred of them gathered together, a single Five-Thunder Talisman could incinerate them all.

By the time Chen Qingyang had finished tidying up his room, Lü Yunshen was also awake.

The two of them normally had little to say to each other, so they kept to themselves.

Later that day, on the Hongling Token.

Chen Qingyang hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he decided against asking Wu Boyou about the Profound Light Association. ’It has nothing to do with me, so why get involved?’

「At noon.」

He ascended the Golden Summit and entered Liu Tao’s Alchemy Room.

"Have you studied the Great Soul Scripture?"

Liu Tao seemed very excited and circled around Chen Qingyang.

"No. I only glanced at it for a moment before feeling drowsy. I suppose I don’t have your talent for it, Senior Sister."

Liu Tao let out a raspy chuckle, revealing several broken teeth. "Your aptitude is truly unremarkable. You most likely won’t be able to grasp it. Your willpower is firm enough, though. You could probably endure the torment to your Divine Soul after mastering it... but if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise!"

’Liu Tao said her personality had changed drastically because of the *Great Soul Scripture*. She must have suffered immense torment.’ Chen Qingyang thought. ’But I hadn’t felt a thing. I’d mastered the basics without even realizing it.’

"Senior Sister, now that you’ve cultivated this Dharma Gate, what benefits has it brought you?"

A bitter smile touched Liu Tao’s lips. "Not a single one. In fact, my Divine Soul is in agony day and night."

’I’m finally starting to understand. The greatest benefit of Stealing Immortal isn’t accelerated progress, but the absence of future bottlenecks. No matter what I try, I can succeed.’

"I ran into Xu Baoling again last night. She used her Heart Attack Skill on me. You never told me she had a technique like that, Senior Sister."

"Aiyah..." Liu Tao scratched her scalp so hard her hair audibly rustled. When she stopped, there were traces of blood beneath her fingernails.

"Damn it, damn it all! How could I have forgotten about that? That bitch’s methods are vicious!" She whipped her head toward Chen Qingyang. "You didn’t fall for her tricks, did you? Did you tell her everything...?"

Chen Qingyang was used to her theatrical outbursts and simply watched her in silence. "If I hadn’t resisted, do you think I’d still be standing here alive?"

Hearing this, Liu Tao calmed down. "Right. It seems you resisted."

"Senior Sister, what is the name of the Dharma Gate that Xu Baoling cultivates?"

Liu Tao sat down, pouring a cup of tea for herself and another for Chen Qingyang.

"That bitch and I weren’t originally from the same lineage. Later, by a twist of fate, we both ended up as disciples under the same Foundation Establishment Master. My previous master passed down the Fire Control Three Acupoints to me. This technique uses Seal Formations to control the Three Fires of Heaven, Earth, and Man. It’s quite formidable once mastered, but it does have... a few side effects..."

Liu Tao gave a somewhat bashful smile. "It burns your lifespan and makes you age quickly. That bitch, on the other hand, cultivates the Righteous Great Divine Dao. The technique was originally the Divine Dao True Method, a path to gather the faith of the masses and forge a True God Golden Body. Something so grand... and she twisted it into a wicked path."

"It’s become quite effective at bewitching people, just like you saw yesterday. When she uses it, you feel she’s incomparably holy, willing to sacrifice anything for her... Heh heh. Only when you get close do you discover she’s a venomous scorpion."

’Righteous Great Divine Dao. For a name that sounds so bright and grand, the things she does with it are truly sordid.’

"If she uses it again, what should I do?"

"Bewitching people isn’t the true foundation of her technique, after all. It’s relatively easy to resist. But if I were to hide something on you to help, there’s no guarantee she wouldn’t discover it. You’d be dead for sure. Just resist it the same way you did yesterday. Remember, as long as you’re not lusting after her beauty, there’s nothing she can do to you."

’To Chen Qingyang, her words were as good as saying nothing at all. It seemed there was no other way but to cultivate the *Great Soul Scripture*.’

"Sigh. I’d better start my alchemy. If I delay too long, *she’ll* start asking questions."

"Right."

The Pill Formation was quick today. Not long after nightfall, he had completed a batch of three pills, with the quality and efficacy matching the previous day’s. His ability to produce Three Pills in one batch had finally stabilized.

As Chen Qingyang descended the mountain, he met Xu Baoling again, right on schedule.

Today, her Divine Dao Technique seemed less effective. He only needed to focus his mind slightly to stop feeling any sense of reverence or guilt.

’The *Great Soul Scripture* was indeed effective against this kind of Dharma Gate. Even with only two points of progress, it meant he had begun to truly cultivate it.’

"I’ll give you three Qi Gathering Pills again. As long as you’re willing to continue this trade, I won’t short you. You’re only at the First Realm of Qi Refining; taking more will help you advance. It will be beneficial for your Alchemy Dao." Xu Baoling’s posture was graceful, and her caring words were spoken softly.

’But Liu Tao had warned him to take at most one Qi Gathering Pill every seven days. It was obvious who was being truthful and who was not.’

Chen Qingyang bowed his head. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister Xu. I will keep it in mind."

"Good. You can go down the mountain now."

Hiding the elixirs in his sleeve, he continued down the path.

A gentle breeze swept past from behind him; Xu Baoling had taken to the wind and flown away.

The next six days passed in the same manner.

Every night, he exchanged pills for Xu Baoling’s Qi Gathering Pills. She didn’t seem to be in any hurry, so Chen Qingyang had no choice but to play along.

「Until one day.」

Amidst the gentle breeze, Xu Baoling’s face held a divine quality. Her long eyebrows were relaxed, her expression both chaste and alluring. "Tomorrow, you need not come here. You may find me at my Alchemy Room."

Chen Qingyang feigned a puzzled expression. "But I don’t know where your Alchemy Room is, Senior Sister Xu?"

A lovely smile graced Xu Baoling’s face. "Exit the Pill Institute and follow the eastern path for about a mile. It isn’t far. Come, I have something important to discuss with you."

’The opportunity I’ve been waiting for is finally here.’

He showed little reaction. "Yes, Senior Sister Xu."

「The moon was bright.」

Its pale light spilled into the small courtyard, covering everything in a thin, gauzy layer.

The large locust tree on the cliff’s edge was silhouetted against the deep blue of the night, its form towering and timeless.

When Chen Qingyang entered the courtyard, he found Xu Yong sitting there, looking as though he had been waiting for quite some time.

"Senior Brother Chen, I’ve been thinking, and there are a few things I need to talk to you about."

After a slight pause, Chen Qingyang nodded.

Inside the hut, an oil lamp was lit, casting light over a small area.

Xu Yong sat behind a long table, still looking distracted and agitated.

"Speak. What’s on your mind?"

"Senior Brother Chen, even though Senior Sister Li Qianxue is seriously injured, she’s still a True Disciple of the Sword Master. If she had really asked someone to look out for you, you would have broken through to Qi Refining in a year or two..."

He continued to ramble. "I see you leaving early and returning late every day, and your complexion has been getting better. I figure you must be close to a breakthrough. I don’t have your good fortune, so I have to walk a different path. I just don’t know if I’m making the right choice..."

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" Chen Qingyang made a move to stand.

Xu Yong grew anxious, and his movement made the candle flame flicker erratically. "Wait, Senior Brother Chen! I was just hoping you could help me ask around... Is there really a magical artifact that can form a Dantian for someone, allowing them to directly break through to Qi Refining?"

’The Profound Light Association again.’

’The term "Profound Light" referred to the first wisp of Spiritual Qi that manifested around a mortal’s body during their initial Qi Refining, symbolizing the separation between mortal and immortal.’

’Don’t tell me they actually have a way to let people step directly into Qi Refining.’

"Are you talking about the Profound Light Association?"

Xu Yong said, "Senior Brother Chen, I’m just worried about straying onto a deviant path right under the Sect’s nose. I know you’re worldly and wise, so I wanted to get your opinion. I don’t want to end up like Senior Brother Liu decades from now, leaving the mountain in disgrace... I’d be a laughingstock..."

"I saw it with my own eyes. A senior brother in the Profound Light Association broke through on the spot after they formed a Dantian for him. He’ll probably enter the Outer Sect any day now! I’m very familiar with that Profound Light Qi; there’s no way I could be mistaken..."

"A senior brother brought me in... I can’t say anything else, I don’t dare to. But if I go through with it too, will I really break through to Qi Refining just like that? I’m not far off... I just need that final push..."

Gazing at the distraught Xu Yong, Chen Qingyang remained silent for a long while before speaking. "I don’t know anything about these matters. All I know is that if you want to advance your cultivation, you must follow the methods passed down by the Sect."

Seeing the disappointment on Xu Yong’s face, he added with a faint smile, "But a lot of the time, the Sect isn’t always right."

"Right, right..."

Xu Yong was visibly excited as he left. Chen Qingyang closed the door and resumed his cultivation.

He went three straight days without taking a Qi Gathering Pill, and the feeling of blockage in his Qi Mechanism seemed to disappear. Still, he didn’t take one, swallowing a Qi-Introducing Pill instead.

His cultivation progress wasn’t slow; he gained another point of progress.