Xue Rui really didn't want to lose. He was ready to even get in debts just to spit in Cao Yun's face. Deep in his heart, there was a fiery ball that was amplifying all his emotions. If he had been alone with Cao Yun, he would have pounced on him to kill him with his bare hands. As it turned out, Cao Yun would maybe have liked that as he could have destroyed him right here and there. But he had to hold on for some time. Besides, with his latest idea, Xue Rui would not be a problem. In fact, with a bit of luck, Gu Song might even become easier to deal with.

As Xue Rui was ready to bid even more, he heard a voice.

"Stop this foolishness!"

Xue Rui's blood froze as this was Patriarch Xue's voice.

"80 Yuanbao, going once. 80 Yuanbao, going twice. Sold!"

"Thank you for letting me win, 'Brother' Xue. I hope you will have the same strength and conviction when it comes to our alchemy competition in a few months."

As much as Cao Yun didn't like useless conflicts when he could form friendship, that boat had sailed and burned a long time ago when it came to Xue Rui. From what he could see of Jiahe Ruo though, his warning had been heard loud and clear. But Cao Yun was also afraid of any retaliation against whoever Xue Rui was using in his obscene cultivation. Most likely, Xue Rui would use them to vent his anger. Hopefully, Cao Yun would find a way to help them before Xue Rui could destroy them body and soul. Right now, he couldn't do anything though, and this frustration was eating at him.

Unfortunately, he lacked the strength to act directly against Gu Song. And he had no proof of what was going on behind closed doors. In fact, Cao Yun preferred to keep quiet about that. If General Yun Po or even Yun ping knew about this, this would weigh on them. General Yun was used to battlefields so he would understand that some sacrifices are necessary to win a war. However, it would still have an impact on his decisions.

Of course, Cao Yun had been able to sense the spiritual senses of Patriarch Xue Liu. Usually, a Mortal Warrior wasn't so sensitive to those. Of course, an alchemist was more sensitive than someone else, as was an array formation master. But, above all else, Cao Yun had also begun to work on his very soul, and his training with seals and with the 'Ashen Feather Seal', had made him even more sensitive to spiritual senses. If he wanted to, he could hide himself from them but he didn't want to appear suspicious.

For a moment, they stayed too long on him. But the Spirit Warriors from the Major Hall acted and he retracted his senses. In the distance, Cao Yun was certain that General Yun was also there. Patriarch Xue was mortified by what had just happened, but he was happy that he had stopped this stupid descendant from wasting his family's wealth. Patriarch Xue was shrewd enough that he could distinguish things about Guai Mo and the Major Hall. He wouldn't lose that auction, no matter what. Thus, he made sure that his junior stopped this stupidity. In addition to losing the family's money, he was also losing their face.

Although he had won the auction, Cao Yun wasn't satisfied at all. Maybe because he was working on his Flying Poison, he could physically feel his anger in every cell of his body. Thanks to his mind cultivation, he was repressing it but it wasn't a good solution. In fact, it might even be able to help him deal with this part of 'Subdue the Seven Demons'. Instead of working with memories, he could work directly with his raw emotions.

This anger was directed both toward Xue Rui and also toward himself. Even though he had no relation with Xue Rui's victim, the idea that it was happening right in front of him infuriated him to no limit. At first, he hadn't been sure whether Xue Rui was willingly acting for Gu Song. Even if he had been tricked, it didn't matter in the end. After all, even Lu Meihan had been tricked, but she had to assume the responsibility or her acts. However, now it was clear that he had fully embraced the demonic arts. So Cao Yun would have absolutely no mercy when dealing with this bastard.

Right now, Cao Yun exchanged very few words with anyone else. Cao Yun didn't even collect his item. After all, Hall Master Qinghe Ming would do so for him. And Cao Yun wasn't going very far. Indeed, he immediately went into his secluded room. All the way down the Major Hall, Cao Yun could feel the spiritual senses of two Spirit Warrior on him. Usually, a Mortal Warrior wasn't so sensitive to those. Of course, an alchemist was more sensitive than someone else, as was an array formation master. But Cao Yun had also begun to work on his very soul, and his training with seals and with the 'Ashen Feather Seal', had made him even more sensitive to them. If he wanted to, he could hide himself from them but he didn't want to appear suspicious. Thus, he quickly went into the secluded room.

There, he dealt with the Autumn and Springs Reviving pill that Xue Rui had bought. It didn't take him too long. In the meantime, Qinghe Ming simply stalled for time thanks to a lot of paperwork. When he was done, Cao Yun let them give the pill to Xue Rui. No one would notice anything until it was too late. With Dian Mo's expertise to confirm, Cao Yun was sure that even Gu Song wouldn't see through his little trick. First of all, he would have to be suspicious enough to look for it. But even then, he wouldn't find anything at all.

-

Before his grand finale, Cao Yun decided to work on his soul once more. He had to get it ready for what was to come. This time, his Po of Jing seemed to resonate with the Flying Poison a bit more than usual. Indeed, his anger was now more vivid. Thus, Cao Yun realized that what he had suspected was true. In order to develop his Po of Jing faster, it would be easier to cultivate anger. As a matter of fact, this was what demons would do. Instead of cultivating their Po directly, they turned it into the Seven Turbid Demons that were easier to feel and perceive. This was the concept of the Accomplished Demon realm, the equivalent of the Spirit Warrior realm for humans. But it was a double-edged weapon.

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Indeed, if Cao Yun let anger fester in his mind, it could overtake him. As much as he was confident in his mind cultivation, he didn't want to risk anger alter his plans. In order to succeed, he had to be level-headed. By focusing on the process right now, Cao Yun hoped to find ways to ensure that he could cultivate his soul faster without risking his sanity one iota. And it was working. He had to keep the last phase for later, but he was getting there. It would be risky, but if he did what he had in mind and succeeded, his soul cultivation would soar. Even he didn't know what extent he would reach...

-

At the same time, Xue Rui was back in his personal chambers. And as it had become his habit, he was beating Zhong Ling. Each time, he seemed to grow stronger and stronger. In the poor girl's eyes, there was no life at all. She even looked like a puppet. Xue Rui could tell that most of her soul had been burned away by his dual cultivation. Even using the Autumn and Springs Reviving pill on her would be useless. Instead, he intended to use it on him to control the black flame in his heart.

In his frustration, Xue Rui beat Zhong Ling with more violence and abandon than ever before. Some of the strikes even reached her face. If she had not been a Mortal Warrior, she would have died several times. And if her cultivation had been weaker, her face would have been disfigured completely. But when he looked at her face, he saw Qiang Zilan's. Suddenly, he recoiled and almost fell from the bed.

Would he really have to sacrifice that woman to satisfy his ambitions? If he could become a Spirit Warrior, he would live thousands of years. Then, he would have all the time to find a worthier woman! After all, that wench had become his just for his money and his status. As much as she claimed to, she didn't give a damn about him! She only wanted him to maintain his status so she could leech off of him. Yes! He had no reason to worry about her. It would even be an honor for her to serve him.

Xue Rui was now unable to make any difference between the voice in his head and the voice in his heart. A deep hunger had been awakened. This time, for sure, an inner demon had been created within the young man.

As Xue Rui was ingesting the pill, Qiang Zilan was in her room. Now she knew what was happening in her husband's chambers each time he isolated himself with Zhong Ling. The poor girl had slowly become a mere echo of herself. It was as though he had stolen her very soul. And he had.

"Mistress, I'm worried for you..."

"..."

Her small servant barely spoke so directly. Usually, she kept her talking to a minimum and always talked about her duties. Hearing her timid servant asking about her well-being, Qiang Zilan realized how pathetic she had to look.

"Yu'er, everything's fine..."

No one would have been convinced by her tone. But as much as she wanted to put up a front, she wasn't able to find the strength to do so.

"Mistress, may I speak my mind?"

Despite Cheng Yu's meek voice and all the hesitation in her tone, Qiang Zilan was able to hear something important and even urgent in her question.

"Go ahead, we're alone. I don't mind."

"I wonder if getting Zhong Ling away from Young Master Xue might not be a good idea. I mean... He started to really change when she entered the residence. I don't want to intrude, but... But I think that having her by his side might keep some dark feelings alive inside of him."

Qiang Zilan was surprised by Cheng Yu's analysis. She didn't except such a young girl to have any idea about the matter. In her mind, Cheng Yu was a timid and scary kitten. She was following her around all the time but was barely speaking outside of what was necessary for her duties. Apparently, she was at least a good observer.

"You are indeed right. But I fear it would be very difficult for me to do so. In fact, I've been meaning to do so for quite some time now. But... I... I fear my husband's response. To be honest, I never thought he was going to treat her like that. At first, I only thought he wanted her as a servant to humiliate her because she had rejected him. At some point, I was even jealous as I thought he was trying to convince her to marry him. But I can see it clearly now. She loathes him completely and there was no changing that since the get-go. Now, she's just a tool for him to vent his anger. As much as I hate that, I..."

Zhong Ling had come from a small family of apothecaries. She wasn't that different from Qiang Zilan in that aspect. When it was discovered that Zhong Ling had a good talent for alchemy, this was the most joyful moment for the entire household and they did everything they could to help her join a prestigious institute. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to do so. However, she was still talented enough to join the Wubei Sect, the best martial art sect in the Hongchen Kingdom. Of course, between a subpar institute of alchemy and the Wubei Sect, there had been no discussion.

Although she met Cao Yun and had a good relationship with Elder Meng Jia there, she also crossed paths with Xue Rui. He became obsessed by her and kept harassing her. At some point, she was forced to use Meng Jia's position to deter him away.

She had graduated as Cao Yun had entered the Palace of Supreme Wisdom. And soon after, Xue Rui who was now a fifth-year had decided to get back at her for rejecting his many attempts to court her. He used the influence of the Xue family to torment her family, almost destroying their business. Because of the chaos and most likely because Chief Elder Luoming was in charge of the disciplinary pavilion, she couldn't get help. Besides, both Elder Meng and Cao Yun were unavailable. Thus, she was forced to resign although she had meant to become an inner disciple. In exchange for leaving her family's business in peace, she had to become Xue Rui's servant. And since then, he had stopped using the Xue family to disrupt their business. Her parents probably didn't even know the reason why she had joined him.

"You're afraid that without her, he might turn to you?"

"You..."

Tears began to well up in Qiang Zilan's eyes and her words were choked as a tremor shook her throat. Cheng Yu had just found the crux of the matter. Qiang Zilan was terrified by her own husband. Although they had not known each other for very long before she became his concubine, she had never been afraid of him one instant. And even if he had not hurt her yet, she could see that he was losing his temper more and more. Now that she knew that Gu Song would never help her because he was the origin of what was ailing Xue Rui. She feared that going to Patriarch Xue directly wouldn't do any good. She couldn't tell him that Xue Rui was probably a demonic cultivator.

In fact, if it was revealed that she had been wedded to a demonic cultivator, it might endanger her family's business. They were already on the verge of bankruptcy. For weeks now, she had been tormented by many thoughts. Should she denounce her husband? Should she help in his evil ways? Should she try and bring him back to the orthodox path?

As she couldn't control herself any longer, Qiang Zilan was about to burst into tears. The small Cheng Yu got closer and hugged her like a child would hug her older sister. Then, Qiang Zilan let all her emotions out and cried in her warm embrace.