Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 12: Xuanwu Cliff

After asking after his well-being, Cheng Yao stayed in the room for a short while before leaving. She could tell that Senior Brother Bi Hua didn’t feel entirely at ease here, so she didn’t linger. Su Mu saw them off to the door. Watching the three of them walk away, he returned to the room, shut the door tightly, and walked over to say, “Da Fu, are you going to tell me the truth or not? I don’t believe you hurt yourself in a fall!” “Mu Ge, I really did miss a step and fell from halfway up the mountain…” “Do you even consider me a friend? Stop putting on a brave face in front of me. If my friend is being bullied but won’t tell me anything, that means he looks down on me.” Qian Dafu hurriedly sat up. “Mu Ge, that’s not what I meant.” “Was it Lu He who did this?” “How do you know it was…” Qian Dafu refused to say anything, knowing this would cause Su Mu no small amount of trouble. He’d seen it just now—Lu He was an inner-door disciple, someone they were no match for to begin with, and on top of that, he was close to Bi Hua. That made him even more of a force to be reckoned with. “It was him, after all!” Su Mu clenched his fists. “That guy has always looked down on outer-door disciples, and he looks down on you even more. Why would he see you injured and kindly give you three Bone-Cleansing Pills? That’s not his style at all. So he wanted to use those three measly Bone-Cleansing Pills to shut you up. He was afraid I’d find out the truth and go complain to Senior Sister Cheng.” Su Mu picked up the medicine bottle lying by the pillow, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it hard. With a crunch, the bottle—along with the three Bone-Cleansing Pills inside—was crushed to dust. “Mu Ge, what are you doing…?” Qian Dafu looked pained. Those were three Marrow-Cleansing Pills, after all—as Outer Sect disciples, they were only allowed to receive one per month. “Lu He really underestimates me. Even if I knew the truth, I’d never tell Senior Sister Cheng. Da Fu, I, Su Mu, swear here and now that within half a year, I’ll personally make sure you get what’s owed to you!” Qian Dafu nodded vigorously; he trusted him unconditionally. To take down Lu He, one would at the very least have to become an Inner Sect disciple first. By saying this, Su Mu was effectively promising that within half a year, he would pass the Outer Sect examination and return to the Inner Sect. Unlike most outer-sect disciples, he had been taken under the wing of a highly respected elder as soon as he arrived; his return to the inner sect truly deserved to be called a “return.” “Da Fu, the Bone-Marrow Purification Pill will be a huge help to your cultivation, but since it was given to you by the enemy, we won’t take it!” “Yeah! Mu Ge, you really gave him a good beating. If I had the strength right now, I’d kick him a few times myself!” “I know you’re worried. I don’t need the Bone-Marrow Purification Pills anymore. From now on, I’ll give you everything I receive. I’ll use my own skills to secure more cultivation resources. Da Fu, don’t worry—I’m completely cured.” “Really? Mu Ge, has the poison in your body been completely purged?” “It’s all gone. I’ve lived for over a decade, and I’ve never felt this good before. You just focus on getting well—no one will dare bully you again.” “Haha, with Mu Ge looking out for me from now on, I, Qian Dafu, will finally have my day!” Before long, someone brought over some medicine. Qian Dafu took the Bone-Strengthening Pill; at first, he felt a sharp sting throughout his body, but soon a warm sensation spread through him, and before long, he fell asleep. Su Mu was completely focused on his cultivation. The Innate Realm emphasizes physical refinement, but now that he had entered the Post-Heaven Realm, there was no need to solely focus on building strength. What he lacked now were suitable Source Techniques. Those who haven’t entered the Post-Heaven Realm rarely have access to decent Source Techniques; even in the Outer Sect, they’re only taught the most basic martial arts. Lingxiao Sect did not place much importance on the Outer Sect; to put it bluntly, these disciples were merely there to perform menial labor. While it was possible to work one’s way up from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect, the success rate was extremely low and depended entirely on one’s own abilities; the elders never counted on this. The Inner Sect has a dedicated Baoyuan Tower where Inner Sect disciples can exchange resources to acquire the Source Techniques they wish to learn. The Outer Sect, however, lacks such conveniences; manuals and secret texts for those below the Yuan Tu rank are extremely scarce. Once one’s cultivation reaches the Posthuman Realm and one wishes to learn more powerful martial arts, one must either rely on connections—some Inner Sect disciples possess discarded manuals and manuals they used for transitional training—which are treasured like priceless treasures by Outer Sect disciples. Alternatively, one could go to the Xuanwu Cliff—which is essentially just a wall—a place where, in the past, disciples who committed serious offenses were sent to face the wall in penance. There is a cave at the edge of the cliff. The walls inside the cave are carved with numerous inscriptions, some of which are martial arts manuals. A hundred years ago, someone learned a set of boxing techniques in the cave, which led to a significant leap in their cultivation and ultimately earned them admission as an inner-sect disciple. Deeply grateful to the unknown person who had left the inscriptions on the stone wall, this individual wrote the essential points of cultivating this fist technique right beside them. Later, those who advanced from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect followed in their predecessors’ footsteps, leaving one or two martial arts techniques inscribed on the wall. As these accumulated over time, the stone wall became completely covered in writing, and the cave came to be regarded as a sacred site by Outer Sect disciples. Later, with the arrival of the Demon-Sipping Barrier, the inscriptions on the walls were corroded, causing many to flake off. The cultivation instructions turned into gibberish with disjointed sentences, and very few outer-door disciples ventured to Xuanwu Cliff anymore. With each occurrence of the Demon-Sipping Barrier, more inscriptions were eroded and vanished, and the sacred site gradually fell into neglect. Su Mu didn’t see a single soul on his way up the mountain. It was said that in the past, long lines used to form outside the cave entrance. The cave was controlled by the Elder in Charge, and each person was given a time limit for viewing. Now, however, the weeds outside the entrance grew knee-high, and no one set foot there anymore. Since joining the Outer Sect and hearing about this place, he had visited several times. Although the inscriptions were incomplete, the cultivation teachings on the stone wall were indeed very useful. The problem lay in their incompleteness, which made it impossible to master them fully—or allowed him to learn only a little. Previously, his cultivation level was too low to even understand much of the content, but now the situation was entirely different. He made a special trip here, first and foremost because he was eager to learn more skills—even if it was just a little bit—and secondly, to try his luck. What if he actually found a relatively complete martial art that he could practice? That would be a real stroke of luck. He didn’t have any ready-made manuals to study, so he figured this was his only option. He walked through the cave entrance—it wasn’t too dark inside even in broad daylight—and soon arrived in front of Xuanwu Cliff. Sure enough, with each passing time the Demon-Sipping Barrier struck, the erosion grew more severe. He clearly remembered there had once been a passage of text above his head, but now, all that remained was a spot no bigger than the palm of his hand. The black mist of the Demon-Sipping Barrier eroded the rock, leaving a layer of pitch-black surface that had completely obscured the characters. Some had tried to remove this black layer, but it couldn’t be eliminated—it had completely penetrated the rock. Any attempt to destroy it would also destroy the inscriptions on it. He walked around, looking here and there; the characters still visible were growing fewer and fewer. Among those that remained relatively intact were the essentials of a fist technique. He tried practicing it, but without the crucial method for redirecting force, the power of his punch was even weaker than that of a normal straight punch. Su Mu couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He decided to keep searching patiently.