Chapter 6: Feng Liang's Changed Behaviour (1)

Qing Chen, alone in the fields, was holding a broom and cleaning the leaves that had fallen because autumn had arrived. It had been almost five months since he had started working in the valley.

Bai Zian and Feng Liang were both busy increasing their strength. Qing Chen only saw his senior brother and the Valley Master a few times.

Feng Liang had also visited him again, asking him to reject the Valley Master's invitation to become his disciple.

Bai Zian warned him against Feng Liang, as his behaviour had changed suddenly.

Qing Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry.

[+1 Point for reducing waste.]

A smile bloomed on his face when he saw the notification from the system. He had recently made this discovery: even the act of cleaning provided points, but only when every piece of trash and waste was discarded completely.

This also meant that if in the future he killed someone, he might not obtain points.

"Here, eat this and do not dig up the hole I just closed." Qing Chen handed some crumbs of bread he had saved from his breakfast to the Moonlight Hare.

This creature, although it acted docile in front of him, went around digging up holes he had closed when he wasn’t around. He usually buried the waste underground, a technique he had learned from the 21st century.

...

"Brother Qing, here, your salary has arrived." Zhao Lin waved his hand toward him. Qing Chen was happier now. Even if he had an invincible system, he still needed money to eat and enjoy his ordinary life.

"Senior Brother, I love it when you bring me my salary."

"Yeah, I know that feeling. I was also like you, waiting for my salary, and I also loved it when my senior brother brought me my salary."

"What? Senior Brother, was there also someone above you? I thought you and the Valley Master had been together from the start."

"No, no... I was also brought here as a servant. When my senior brother reached the Foundation Building Realm, the Valley Master took him to register as an outer sect disciple. Since then, I have not seen him."

"You never went to inquire about your senior brother's whereabouts?"

"Of course, I went. I was curious because whenever I asked Master, he changed the topic, saying that Senior Brother was on some mission outside the sect. Later, I stopped asking, thinking that maybe Senior Brother no longer wanted to have any contact with me or Master, which was also why Master changed the topic every time I asked him about Senior Brother. He must have felt disappointed in choosing the wrong person."

Senior Brother, I am afraid your Senior Brother has been killed a long time ago by the same person you call Master, and you survived because the disappearance of too many servants would attract the attention of the sect and the sect elders.

Zhao Lin shook his head and handed him the spiritual stone that he had in his hand. "Here, Qing Chen... I am getting old now, talking about old incidents like an old man."

"No, Senior Brother, I like hearing you talk about old incidents related to the valley and the Valley Master."

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"Okay, I won't disturb you any longer. I have to go and give these spiritual stones to your brothers."

Zhao Lin turned around and walked back in the direction of Bai Zian's and Feng Liang's huts.

Qing Chen held his broom and shivered as a horrible thought appeared in his mind. What if I had accepted the position of disciple of the Valley Master?

But then he calmed down when he looked at his status.

Cultivation: Foundation Building Ninth Layer (10/10)

He already had strength above the Valley Master, but he could not break through to the next realm. According to the records he had gathered, the breakthrough to the next realm was a qualitative leap, and cultivators also had to go through heavenly tribulation to advance to the next realm.

Any mishap during the breakthrough could cause him to become a cripple.

He harvested some herbs that had matured and continued accumulating Harmony Points. His new plan was to become invincible in the outer sect. Then, he would target the inner sect.

"Staying as a servant is a thousand times better than becoming a disciple of the sect."

Qing Chen was sitting with his back against a tree in the herbs valley after he had gathered the matured herbs, thinking about his future self. Would I become arrogant and conceited after my strength increased, or would I still remain humble and continue living like this? Or would I become both—what they call a hypocrite?

...

Feng Liang sat cross-legged on a jagged stone amidst the desolate Ravenwood Grove, his breath slow but deliberate. The faint mist that hung in the air trembled as he drew in a long, measured inhale. In his palm, a swirling mass of dark energy formed—a roiling sphere of Qi imbued with the essence of the Devouring Law. The once-lush trees around him now stood as lifeless husks, their vitality siphoned by his cultivation method.

Feng Liang believed it was this Devouring Law that brought him back in time, as he only had this with him while nothing else travelled with him.

His eyes glimmered with resolve as he studied the sphere. The weight of its power was intoxicating, yet he could feel the faint prickle of chaos gnawing at his meridians. He knew the risks—this law demanded more than Qi. It demanded balance, and the cost of imbalance was madness.

Feng Liang raised his hand, guiding the sphere toward his dantian. As it neared, he closed his eyes, focusing his mind entirely on his cultivation. The Devouring Law wasn’t merely a technique; it was a primal force, a vortex that absorbed ambient energy and refined it into raw power. It was faster, more aggressive, but also dangerous.

“Strength is the only path forward,” he muttered to himself. “No one will care how I gained it, only that I have it.”

Drawing upon the surrounding Qi, he activated the first phase of the technique. The mist in the grove thickened, and faint whispers seemed to emanate from the shadows. Slowly but surely, the energy from the grove began to spiral toward him, coalescing into the vortex in his dantian.

Yet, for every ounce of strength he gained, a crack formed in his foundation. The spiritual energy he absorbed was tainted, burdened by the chaotic remnants of the grove’s life force. His body shuddered, sweat pouring down his face as he struggled to keep the energy in check.

The Devouring Law was merciless. The more it fed, the more it demanded. Feng Liang felt his spirit tremble under the strain, his vision blurring momentarily as a sharp pain stabbed at his chest.

“Control it,” he hissed, forcing the spiraling Qi to stabilize.

He bit down on his lip, blood trickling down his chin as he focused all his willpower on refining the chaotic energy. It was like taming a wild beast—dangerous, but not impossible. Slowly, the chaotic energy began to settle, becoming a condensed core of refined Qi within his dantian.

As the last tendrils of energy were absorbed, Feng Liang opened his eyes. His aura flared, sending a ripple through the air around him. He clenched his fist, feeling the immense power coursing through his body.

[Cultivation Increased: Energy Refinement – Mid Stage → Late Stage.]

He staggered to his feet, his legs shaky but firm. A grin spread across his face. The price had been high, but the result was undeniable.

“Just a little more,” he said, his voice hoarse but filled with determination. “A little more, and I’ll surpass them all.”

As he left the grove, the once-vibrant land lay in ruin—a stark reminder of the cost of his cultivation. The whispers in his mind grew louder, faint but persistent. He could ignore them for now, but he knew they wouldn’t disappear entirely.

Feng Liang understood that his path was dangerous, that the Devouring Law would exact a toll on his body and soul. But in this world, power was survival, and he had no intention of remaining weak.

“Side effects can be dealt with later,” he muttered, gripping his sword tightly as he made his way back to the sect. “For now, I’ll take everything this law can give me.”

In the distance, the skies darkened, as if mirroring the shadows that now lingered in Feng Liang’s heart.

****

Energy Refinement – Mid Stage → Late Stage

*mid stage = 4 to 6th Layer

*late stage = 7 to 9th Layer