Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 364 The Fruit of Scum
Early the next morning, Huangfu Yi found a bamboo basket, put Pei Yuhan in it, and set off. He ventured into the mountains, following the hoofprints of his horse, heading northwest to rejoin the Pei family's group.

As a result, Pei Yuhan started making a scene after only half a day.

Hey! I'm hungry!

"I just asked you to have some porridge, but you wouldn't drink it."

"That bowl is filthy! There's sand in it, and it's not mixed with honey!"

"Are you still asleep? Where am I supposed to find honey in this desolate wilderness?"

"Then I want to eat snow pears."

"no!"

Huangfu Yi really wanted to throw the basket on his back away. But he held back after thinking about it for a moment.

"Bear with it for a moment, we'll get there once we get over this mountain..."

"Who says there isn't? There is there."

"..."

Indeed, there was one. Huangfu Yi looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a pear tree between the cliffs, its branches laden with large, golden pears.

Huh? How is that possible?
Huangfu Yi rubbed his eyes, but it really wasn't a hallucination.

Wait a minute, I haven't seen this pear tree on the way here.

Besides, they've only been walking for half a day, and this place isn't far from the refugees' camp, is it?

Are there really hundreds of thousands of people who are blind and no one saw so many pears?
No, there must be something fishy going on here...

Pei Yuhan made a scene.

"I want to eat snow pears! Eat pears! Eat pears!!"

"..."

Huangfu Yi swallowed hard. It was no wonder the girl was making a fuss; after all, the pear tree on the cliff was truly exquisite. Not only was the tree shrouded in mist and clouds, clearly containing spiritual energy, but even the fruit was crystal clear, shimmering with light. A gentle breeze carried its fragrance, making it incredibly tempting. Indeed…
A tree of jade-like branches hangs low against the clouds, its gnarled branches coiled like dragons amidst the rosy clouds, its drooping tips adorned with jade that sways in the wind, and its frosty, star-like fruit reflects its icy surface.

System evaluation,

"Pear, the lowest of the nine ranks, a worthless fruit, capable of elevating garbage to the level of garbage."

Huangfu Yileng,

"What? This thing can be evaluated?"

system,

"Absolutely, that's what you call professional."

Pei Yuhan made a scene.

"Pear pear pear!!"

Huangfu Yi was also extremely annoyed by this.

"Okay, okay! Stop fooling around, I'll go pick them!"

After all, the system has already verified that there are no problems. And it might actually be a good product.

Well, Huangfu Yi is gradually coming to his senses now. Actually, trash isn't necessarily trash, and dregs aren't necessarily dregs. Just like that immortal pear, even a fool would know it's a rare and precious spiritual fruit, definitely a good thing. How can it be dregs?

So probably, it's just that the system's standards are too high, the criteria are too strict, and the scoring is too harsh.

Looking back, this system was probably created by that supreme being who could capture people's souls from the Taiji Heaven and send their spirits to the outer heavens.

Those people are at least beings who have broken through the void and traveled beyond the heavens. When they turn their heads to look at these mere spiritual fruits and cultivation techniques in the mortal world, they see this thing as trash and that thing as garbage.

So perhaps his family's traditional swordsmanship isn't actually that...

system,

"Stop trying to comfort yourself. That really is rubbish."

"cut……"

"pear!!"

"Okay, okay! I'm climbing now!"

Huangfu Yi couldn't find a way up, so he had to carry a bamboo basket and climb the rocks. Fortunately, his internal strength was honed through his martial arts training, and he had true qi protecting him, so carrying a little girl wasn't difficult. He climbed up the tree with the agility of a monkey, and soon reached the top.
Wow! A pear!

Pei Yuhan reached out and picked one.

"Be careful, don't fall!"

Huangfu Yi, steadying himself on the branch, turned his head and found Pei Yuhan offering him a pear to his lips. He was momentarily surprised.

"Eat it yourself. I'm not hungry yet."

Pei Yuhan doesn't pretend at all.
"You eat it first, just in case it's poisonous."

"..."

Sigh, these powerful and wealthy families use palace intrigue education to train their young ladies to vie for the position of the most powerful woman in the palace—they're really quite annoying...

Huangfu Yi was too lazy to argue with a half-grown girl, so he took the pear and took a bite.

It's really good, sweet and thirst-quenching. One bite, and the spiritual energy overflows, moistening the lungs and generating saliva, regulating the breath and replenishing qi. A cool line of qi almost flows back up from the throat and down the throat. This refreshing true qi rushes in, stirring up the sea of ​​qi and causing the qi flow in the lungs and body to surge again...

Then the system came back again.
"Pears can turn garbage into dregs. This special effect only works once."

It is recommended to choose one of the three authentic Xuanmen internal skills to cultivate, which is sufficient to get through the early stages. The following is an analysis of the upgrade assessment.

The Free and Unfettered Wind-Riding Divine Skill (incomplete) can instantly absorb a century's worth of internal energy, instantly transforming one into a master among the trash. Upgrading it triggers a massive amount of emotional tribulations.

Even if Yao Zhen's Xuan Yuan is broken (incomplete), he can still refine and use decades of internal energy. He is also proficient in a low-level finger technique. After upgrading, he will incur the karma of destroying mountains and temples.

The Xuanhuang Yiqi Divine Skill (incomplete) consumes all internal energy to refine a strand of Xuanhuang Yiqi, with a chance to advance to the Vulgar Realm. After upgrading, the first death tribulation of the Nine Calamities and Eight Gates will be triggered.

Please carefully consider and decide on your next upgrade and skill point allocation strategy.

Huangfu Yi couldn't understand what the system was babbling about at all, but he understood that he could upgrade, and he also had his own ideas about it.

"No need to think about it, I've made up my mind: upgrade the Flamewind Blazing Sword!"

The system was shocked.
"Huh? Why would you practice that kind of garbage! It's garbage, don't you understand? Learning more garbage is useless!"

Huangfu Yi was furious.
"Nonsense! The Duan family's Blood Flame Overlord Blade technique can be upgraded from trash to something decent! Why can't my Huangfu family do the same! You claim to be tailor-made for everyone! I also want to have something decent!"

The system is silent.

"Hey, that Overlord Blade was personally deduced by the God Lord, what are you arguing about? And even if you deduced that move to a certain level, what's the use? A little bit is just a little bit, but not much!"
Why don't we spend our time and energy on valuable skills? Why are you worrying about these useless skills that you won't need later? Early game is all about speedrunning, so just learn a couple of moves to get by. I've given you the best solution for the current version, and you can't even copy it properly?

However, Huangfu Yi refused to listen.

"So what if you're a god! We're all out here to cultivate, so who's stronger than whom is irrelevant!"

Besides, what's the point of copying others! We sword cultivators are meant to cut through tribulations and overcome obstacles, forging ahead fearlessly, paving our own paths!
I don't want to learn from others; I want to learn my own sword technique!

"Man proposes, God disposes! I will ascend! Having inherited the sword immortal's legacy, I vow to push my family's sword techniques to their pinnacle!"

The system was furious.
"You idiot! Stubborn as a mule! Ah, promotion, promotion! Here you go, promotion!"

So the cool Qi that the pear infused into him turned from the Sea of ​​Qi and began to circulate in his meridians, just like an ice needle stirring up the true Qi that was dormant in the meridians and acupoints! Huangfu Yi also subconsciously followed the cool Qi flow and used the Xuanhuang Inner Qi he had just learned to mobilize the various Xuanmen internal forces in his body, as if being pulled by invisible threads to travel throughout his body!
Tian Shu, Tai Yi, Liang Men!

A broken basin, a gas chamber, and a welcoming presence!

Futu, Juxu, Chongyang!

Chengqi, Dicang, Xiaguan!

Welcome the incense, the heavenly cauldron, the giant bone!

Shoulder acupoint, arm acupoint, and crease of the iliac crest!

With each inhalation, true qi rises from the bridge of the nose, draws in the Taiyang meridian, descends along the outside of the nose, enters the upper teeth, emerges again around the mouth, circles the lips, descends to the Chengjiang point, then follows the lower back of the chin, emerges at Daying, descends along the inner side of the Quepen point, and enters the Qihai point along the navel.

With each exhale, a pulse emerges from the supraclavicular fossa, ascends along the throat, enters the sacrum, follows the hand along the chest and breast, separates at the shoulder joint, follows the arm into the two tendons, and emerges between the bones of the Hegu point!
With each breath, the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian and Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian were opened up! All 110 acupoints of the Yangming Meridians were connected in a single line! The seal that the demoness had infused with a century's worth of power was instantly shattered!

Finally, it transformed into a sharp sword of energy, shooting straight out from the Shangyang acupoint!

"Ah!"

Huangfu Yi let out a long roar and leaped into the air! With a flick of his finger, his Qi sword burst forth! Enhanced by a century of internal energy, he cleaved a pear branch in two with a single strike, piercing through the sea of ​​clouds! A brilliant golden line of light blazed across the sky!

With a leap, he landed on the mountaintop. Gazing at the sword energy blazing before him, forming clouds three zhang high, Huangfu Yi was momentarily stunned. Looking at the sword finger in his right hand, he felt an unprecedented sense of comfort in his lungs.

There was no longer any feeling of blockage or obstruction in the meridians and acupoints. With each breath, a warm current, like sunlight or a flame, flowed into the lungs, circulated through the Yangming meridian, and was drawn into the Dantian. It was as if one was holding a warm sun in one's chest, burning all the true Qi accumulated in the body into firewood and refining it for one's own use.

"Hmph, at least you're not too stupid... Keep practicing your sword, you scum."

The system's tone shifted, returning to its cold indifference.

"Flaming Wind Blazing Fire Sword, upgrade complete. Yangming Flaming Wind Blazing Fire Sword, lowest rank nine, trash."

So this is scum, is this the power of scum...?

"Hey, hey... are you alright? Are you really poisoned?"

This fellow ate a pear, and suddenly started yelling, shooting swords, and chopping trees, acting like a madman. Pei Yuhan was so frightened that she huddled in the bamboo basket and asked him timidly.

Huangfu Yi was still in shock. He tried to sense his physical condition, but was unsure and said...
"I...it seems I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Pei Yuhan was shocked!
"Huh?! You can reach Foundation Establishment just by eating a pear! I want one too!"

"Crack!"

Then, with a soft sound, the two turned their heads together and saw that the pear tree at the bottom of the cliff, which had just been cut down by a sword, was now engulfed in golden flames from the sword energy and burning. It crackled and popped, broke off and fell off the cliff, the pears were burned to charcoal and smashed to pieces, leaving not even a root.

"Waaaaah... You're bullying me, waaaaah!"

Pei Yuhan burst into tears. It was unclear whether she was lamenting missing out on a great opportunity to become an immortal, or if she was simply too hungry to bear it.

Huangfu Yi was also helpless.
"Well, who told you not to eat... Okay, okay, next time we meet, you can eat first, alright..."

"Waaah... I want that apple."

"What apple?"

Huangfu Yi turned his head and saw another apple tree on the opposite mountain. Its aura was ethereal, and many green fruits were faintly visible amidst the swirling clouds.

Hey, this is weird... what's going on here...?

"Apple, apple, apple!"

The girl started acting up, so Huangfu Yi had no choice but to trek over mountains and rivers, carrying her across to the other side of the mountain to pick apples. Of course, he still had to ask the system to do another appraisal…

"Apples are garbage, but they're edible."

Well, as expected, divine opportunities are rare. There are probably only a handful of fruits in this world that qualify to be called "trash fruits."

So Pei Yuhan and I shared a few green apples...

"Pah! It's so sour! It's both sour and astringent!"

It was really bad, but at least it filled my stomach. Seeing that it was getting late, I decided to continue my journey…

"Hey! Why haven't I reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet?"

"Sigh, why do you have so many things to do..."

Huangfu Yi glanced at the girl helplessly, listened to her breathing, and shook his head.

"You haven't even practiced Qi cultivation, you're not a Qi cultivator at all, you know nothing about cultivation methods, you haven't trained your muscles and bones, and your Qi Sea foundation is insufficient. How could you possibly establish your foundation so easily?"

"When you grow up, go back to your dad and just buy him the Foundation Establishment Pill to sculpt your face."

Pei Yuhan refused.
"No, I learned the Ziwei Secret Technique and cultivated the Honghu Immortal Breath. Even without actively cultivating, I can absorb the creation of heaven and earth and seize the mysteries of the sun and moon with my breath and while sitting or lying down. Once I have enough rare and precious materials, I will automatically break through."

"I know! It must be that this fruit isn't as good as the previous one! Pah! It's not ripe yet!"

Well, that's not wrong, it's definitely not ripe...

Huangfu Yi shrugged.

"But you saw it when we came down the mountain, the pears were burned, there weren't any left..."

"Then I want to eat grapes!"

"Hey, that's enough! So where in this desolate wilderness can you find...wait!!?"

The grapes had indeed appeared; on the opposite mountain, following the direction Pei Yuhan was pointing, one could see grapevines. Clusters of grapes, as large as glass crystals, resembled pearl necklaces, shimmering with spiritual energy, translucent and mouthwatering.

No way, are you kidding me? Does Qianzhou even produce grapes? Are you seeing things...?

Even Huangfu Yi wouldn't be so carefree. It's normal for him to occasionally have a stroke of luck and encounter one or two spiritual fruits. But what's going on with him encountering rare and precious materials one after another?
Besides, where would so many spiritual fruits come from in this desolate wilderness? Could they have been grown by someone else...?

"Shh!"

Just as he feared, before Huangfu Yi could even run, a colorful cloud suddenly descended from the sky, and a Taoist boy riding a dog leaped out from the clouds, holding a peach wood ruler, pointing it at Huangfu Yi's nose and cursing loudly.
"Well, you little thieves! Your master kindly took you in to stay at the foot of the mountain out of respect for the Old Immortal Nanhua! And you dare to be so ungrateful! Coming to my garden to steal my fruit!"

And letting you eat one wasn't enough! You wanted to devour everything, uprooting the three-thousand-year-old Starry Crimson Snow completely! This time, I won't let you off the hook!

"Ow!"

After the Taoist boy finished cursing, the dog roared angrily and spat out a ball of flames! It hurtled straight at Huangfu Yi!
"Wait, Immortal Child!"

Seeing this, Huangfu Yi quickly picked up the little girl in the basket and dodged the flames.

Then, with a loud "BOOM!", the flames crashed to the ground, creating a huge crater. It turned out to be a magical artifact shaped like an embroidered ball, which was still spinning on its own, spewing out fiery lightning beads as it spun, setting the apple tree ablaze.

"You're going to die! What are you yelling about?!" "Awooo!"

The young Taoist was also furious. He hit the dog on the head with a foot, quickly flicked his sleeve to put away the fireball, and extinguished the Taoist fire with a hand seal.

Huangfu Yi realized that this young Taoist was no ordinary wandering immortal, and quickly apologized.

"Fairy, please forgive me. It was all a misunderstanding. I did eat some of your fruit. I'll take responsibility for my actions. I'll just find someone to compensate you later."

Pei Yuhan squatted in the basket and glanced at him sideways.

"What a sin! My poor master planted the Vermilion Fruit for five hundred years, and it never even ripened before this calamity struck. It seems that those who steal from others are truly destined to be apart..."

The young Taoist ignored what he said, simply bowed to the fruit tree, then kicked the dog away, turned to glare at the two men, his brows furrowed, teeth clenched, and he shouted in a delicate voice,
"Give me your life!"

(End of this chapter)