The three of them tore through the inheritance realm, looting every scrap they came across. At last, they stepped out into the sunset. Hui pushed his hair back from his forehead and stared up the sky, heaving a sigh. I almost died, but I gained great benefits. Is this—is this what it means to be a cultivator?

A second later, his eyes widened. No, absolutely no! Being a cultivator is about not dying! Everything else is secondary. My goal is to become immortal, not to become the most powerful or any of that! Don’t lose sight of yourself, Hui.

He shook his head at himself. I’m really getting too bloodthirsty. To think, I thought it was fine to gain benefits from risking my life! My poor, singular life! This small cultivator needs to focus on the real important things, like faking my death and staying alive, not waste my time killing.

I’ve got to watch myself! I can’t be influenced by these demonic cultivators.

The blood mist dissipated, growing thinner by the moment. It melted away at the touch of the sun. Where the blood mist had been, puddles of blood congealed on craggy, dead ground. Rifts opened up here and there in the dark earth. Hui tiptoed to the edge of one and peered down. Skeletons laid in the bottom, some still draped in the scraps of dark robes. Vicious steel spikes pierced through their bodies.

A chill crawled over his skin. Dangerous, too dangerous! Thank goodness Huang Muwen guided us well.

“What… what happened? The blood mist…” Huang Muwen stared around them.

Bai Xue raised his eyebrows. “Is it not usually like this after a chance to enter the inheritance zone?”

Huang Muwen shook his head firmly. “Not at all! It must be… because of whatever the two of you did to suppress that ancestor spirit in the realm.”

Hui touched his storage ring subconsciously. The red gem flashed through his mind. That ancestor spirit… I have to be even more careful with that gem now. We weakened him, but he won’t be weak forever. At this point, I’m counting on the red gem to contain him.

…I wonder if the reaper will take the gem now…? Elder Sister, this small cultivator has some hot merchandise—er, valuable gems—at discount, would Elder Sister be interested?

Bai Xue chuckled. “We should get out of here before anyone starts to suspect we have something to do with that.”

“Right. Anyone studying a curse or blood mist path would murder us,” Huang Muwen chuckled back.

Hui forced a smile, suddenly petrified. Elder brothers, you only mention this now? Tossing his fan into the air, Bai Xue watched it hover, then lifted his hand to summon it back. “The prohibition on flying cast over the blood mist has lifted. Let’s go.”

Flicking his sleeve, Bai Xue collected Hui and Huang Muwen to his sides, then stepped onto his fan and soared away.

The huge snake skeleton appeared out of the valley. Bai Xue soared toward the top, where his vertebra sat. Hui shifted, tapping his shoulder. “Er, Hong Xue, my vertebra’s down there.”

“I’m down in the lower vertebra, as well,” Huang Muwen added helpfully.

“Right, right, I forgot,” Bai Xue said, knocking his knuckles on the side of his head.

Hui narrowed his eyes at Bai Xue. Bai Xue raised his eyebrows back. He swooped down and deposited Hui on his vertebra.

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Hui hopped off and bowed to Bai Xue.

“Are you going to take part in the selection trials?” Bai Xue asked.

“Selection trials?” Hui asked, tipping his head.

Bai Xue nodded. He pointed upward. “There’s an ancestral trials chamber of the Black Asp Sect in the head of the serpent. Anyone below fourth realm can attempt to enter. Those chosen to enter the ancestral trials can gain great advantages. Those who conquer the ancestral trials… it’s not unheard-of for those cultivators to advance a whole realm! It opens soon, if you’re interested, but you’ll have to gain a sponsorship to have a chance at a slot.”

“I plan to enter,” Huang Muwen piped up.

“Ah? With whose sponsorship?” Bai Xue asked, frowning.

Huang Muwen crossed his arms. “I’ll be able to find myself a master by then. We have weeks yet.”

Ah, so a sponsor means an Elder in the sect. Someone who’s qualified to be a master. Hui nodded, understanding. “Thank you, Elder Brother. I’ll consider it.”

“Oh, and here.” Bai Xue reached behind him and drew the black dagger out of his belt. “This dagger chooses its master, and it’s chosen you.”

Hui received the dagger wide-eyed, staring over the shiny black blade. “I… I couldn’t be so forward as to—”

“Oh, shut it. Consider it a down payment,” Bai Xue said, winking.

“A… for what? For what, Hong Xue?” Hui asked, scared. I absolutely don’t want to be in debt to Bai Xue!

Bai Xue grinned.

“Wait, wait.” Hui reached into his ring and drew out a bottle of pills. “Here, these—their aura is too powerful for me. Allow me to exchange them for the dagger.”

Bai Xue glanced at the pills, then laughed. He snatched up the bottle. “Trade accepted.”

Carrying Huang Muwen, he ascended into the sky on his fan. Hui cupped his hands at him until he was out of sight, then retreated into his vertebra to study his loot.

He sat on the floor and set out everything he’d gained. Three pill bottles, the black dagger, the palm-size ghost flag, and the tiger’s eye gem. A small pile of spirit stones appeared briefly, but Hui only glanced at those before sweeping them back into his storage ring. Best not to give Sect Leader a chance to sense them at all! I owe him enough already, I won’t pay any spirit stone tax on top of that!

He left two items inside the storage ring: the red gem and the black-blooded girl’s body. The red gem is too dangerous, and as for the girl, I don’t want her to decay. I’ll take her to Fa Chuyou and see if Elder Sister is willing to help me turn her into a ghoul or jiangshi.

He opened the pill bottles and sniffed their scent one at a time. The first bottle had small, silvery pills which emanated a strong aura of qi. Though unable to identify their scent, he easily identified them as qi replenishing pills.

The second had fingernail-sized red-and-white pills, streaked almost like peppermint candies. He opened the bottle, and a wave of meaty scent smacked him in the nose. Coughing, Hui leaned away and sealed the bottle up again, waving a hand in front of his face. I have no idea what those are, but they aren’t peppermints!

Peering at the last bottle, he frowned. This one contained a single large, chalky pill, about the size of an infant’s fist. Craggy black decay coated its outer surface. Did this one go bad? Hmm… I wish I could go ask Xixing. Well, all in due time. When I return to the sect, I’ll make sure to visit and have her figure it out for me!

Tucking the pill bottles into his storage ring, he turned his attention to the rest of the goods. He picked up the tiger’s eye gem and rolled it between his fingers. A mysterious energy emanated from the amber stone, something he’d sensed before, but couldn’t put his finger on. He frowned, biting his lip thoughtfully.

A hiss sounded from his sleeve. Zhubi coiled out from his robes, twisting around his wrist. He flickered his tongue against the gem, eyes wide, enamored with the stone.

“You want it?” Hui asked, petting Zhubi gently on the head with his free hand. “Will this make you stronger, like the lotus pill did? If so, you can have it!”

Hui opened his hand, balancing the stone in his palm. Zhubi darted out and struck, gulping the stone down in one fell swoop. His eyes widened, and a faint strand of amber light appeared in his pupils. Letting out a satisfied sigh, he curled back up Hui’s arm and settled in to sleep.

Hui pulled the ghost flag closer and settled it in his lap, folding his legs and beginning to meditate. I don’t need a ghost flag, but I do need death qi. Sorry, ghosts, but this small cultivator is going to draw your death qi out!

Settling in, Hui slowly drew the death qi out, circulating it into his death dantian. The ghosts fought back, holding tight to their death qi. Only a thin stream passed into Hui.

Is that how we’re going to play it? Fine, then! Hui killed his qi and went limp, then let it out all at once. The death qi rushed into him, forsaking the ghosts. They screamed piteously, but caught in the rush, Hui ignored them. He guided the death qi into his dantian and circulated it, quickly assimilating it into his own.

A smile passed over his face. Now that’s more like it!