System crash? I prove it with my control panel!

Is a strong spirit the mark of a superior being?

Chen Wen smiled.

He even regretted not choosing a wood-element earthly evil energy.

Unexpectedly, this brought him great luck.

Chen Polang, that old bastard, still loves me after all. In that case, once I get out, I'll focus all my efforts on breaking through to the ninth level of Qi Refining and finally get rid of him!

Chen Wen put away the jade slip, which contained some information about malevolent energy; he only needed to understand it for now.

When the time is up.

Chen Wen's identity jade token began to flash, like a coordinate.

Before him, a distorted portal began to appear.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

It was that familiar feeling of powerlessness, the world spinning around me.

A moment later, Chen Wen suddenly felt his feet become solid and opened his eyes.

What came into view was still that dimly lit hall.

It was crowded and noisy when hundreds of people suddenly squeezed in.

Some were disheveled and indignant; others were agitated; and still others, like Chen Wen, remained calm.

A voice rang in everyone's ears;

"The Valley of Fiends has ended. Those who have obtained the Earthly Fiend Qi must not enter the Earthly Fiend Qi Secret Realm again. Disperse!"

Chen Wen finally relaxed. He was really afraid that his possession of the Earthly Fiend Qi would cause trouble.

Thankfully, it's over!

People left one after another.

Chen Wen also noticed He Yuzhu carrying Fang Jie away. As if sensing the gaze, He Yuzhu turned around and looked back.

Chen Wen smiled at him and nodded in acknowledgment.

"snort--"

He Yuzhu snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Chen Wen didn't argue with him; after all, it was normal for someone to be unhappy if they had taken something from him.

If he can still laugh, then it means I should be worried.

Chen Wen then walked forward, and the crowd in front of him quickly made way for him, with shouts of "Senior Brother" ringing out.

He had now returned to his former attire, wearing a traditional Buddhist robe, his hair tied up with a ribbon, and adorned with a beautiful jade ornament at his waist.

He looked every bit the enlightened spiritual cultivator.

His face still retained a hint of youthfulness, but his eyes were calm and deep, making it impossible to fathom his age.

He nodded slightly in greeting and walked out of the hall with a faint smile.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the hall, he felt a formation suddenly being triggered, blocking him inside.

He frowned slightly.

At this moment, Yang Qingsong's figure materialized, glanced at him, and said calmly:

"Possessing two streams of earthly evil energy?"

Chen Wen was startled upon hearing this; there was actually a testing facility here.

So, my previous guess was correct!

He remained calm, nodded, and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Uncle Yang. I had other opportunities outside, and only managed to obtain one of the evil spirits in the Valley of Evil."

"What evil spirit?"

Yang Qingsong said.

Chen Wen frowned and said, "Uncle Yang, I have gained some knowledge in the Fiend Valley and am eager to return to the peak. If you would like to know what the Fiend is, you can go to Luoyun Mountain on Zixia Peak and I will definitely tell you."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding disciples all showed surprise. The Foundation Establishment senior uncle's question was directly rebuffed by this true disciple.

Should we go to Luoyun Mountain to ask him? Or should we ask the deputy peak master of Zixia Peak?

Yang Qingsong's expression darkened, and his aura suddenly erupted, unleashing a powerful pressure that swept towards Chen Wen.

Chen Wen suddenly felt like a lone boat adrift in a storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

His already severely injured soul was struck again, his face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yang Qingsong's expression changed immediately, and he quickly withdrew his oppressive aura.

But it was too late; the disciples around him were already looking at him with extreme contempt.

They bullied the younger disciple by force, demanding to know his secrets.

This is an extremely shameful act, no matter where you are.

At least try to avoid people!

Chen Wen thought to himself, no wonder he vomits blood every time he gets injured. Vomiting blood is good, he should vomit it when he needs to.

He deliberately spat out that mouthful of blood.

He knew that Yang Qingsong originally intended to intimidate and threaten Chen Wen; if it were someone with an ordinary mindset, they would have been trembling with fear long ago.

But Chen Wen did not do that; instead, he chose to make a big fuss about it.

Intimidation is different from injury. Intimidation can be interpreted as disrespecting one's foundation and giving them a lesson.

But the injury was interpreted as Yang Qingsong bullying the weak and spying on the secrets of the Qi Refining disciples.

Furthermore, the issue could be escalated to the point where it's portrayed as Yang Qingsong's faction bullying the disciples of Zixia Peak.

"snort--"

Yang Qingsong's face turned ugly. He snorted coldly and left.

He scanned the boy with his divine sense and knew that the earthly evil energy on the boy's body had been integrated with his spirit for at least several years.

However, during his observation, he discovered that the boy's soul was different from that of ordinary people, as black as lacquer, which aroused his curiosity and desire to investigate.

I just didn't expect this kid to be so tactless.

After Yang Qingsong left, Chen Wen wiped his mouth, collected all the bloodstains on the ground, burned them all, and then left immediately.

The outside world remained the same, except Chen Wen noticed that a new plaque had been hung in front of an empty hall on the mountain—Listening to the Rain.

He was startled; it seemed the Azure Nether Sect had conquered another world.

Without looking closely, I immediately went down the mountain.

Once outside Qingming Peak, he finally revealed his usual faint smile.

He didn't know which sect Yang Qingsong belonged to, but with so many disciples witnessing his actions, the news would surely spread throughout the sect quickly, and his expression at that time would certainly be quite interesting.

However, upon further reflection, Chen Wen's heart sank again.

His own earthly evil energy was also exposed.

Or perhaps... it was never a secret to begin with.

It's just that what people above the Foundation Establishment stage know has become common knowledge.

After thinking about it, Chen Wen realized it wasn't that hard to accept.

He had long suspected that his earthly evil energy could not be hidden from those people's eyes.

After all, who do you expect a seal placed by a Qi Refining stage cultivator to hide from?

It's only a short time to go far.

Chen Wen suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Not far away, a purple glow descended upon them.

Purple robe, flowing hair, mountain-like silhouette, and alluring charm—who else could it be but Qin Shuiru?

Chen Wen immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Sister!"

"What's wrong? You won't even call me 'sister' anymore?"

Qin Shuiru walked over quickly, reached out and took Chen Wen's arm, her tone coquettish and gentle, but her eyes showed a hint of surprise and urgency.

They couldn't keep up the act any longer!

Chen Wen sneered inwardly. This woman must have received a message from Jiang Qingyan and couldn't sit still, so she rushed over immediately.

He smiled warmly and said:

"Didn't my sister say we should weigh ourselves in public..."

"You idiot!"

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Shuiru playfully tapped Chen Wen with her fingertip and said:

"Those are just jokes. You're my brother, the whole sect knows that, there's no need for such formalities."

As she spoke, she lifted Zixia up again, her face full of tenderness and pity, and said, "Come back to the mountain with me quickly, and tell me about your experiences in the secret realm. It must have been very tough."

Chen Wen let her do as she pleased, shaking his head and smiling: "For the sake of my sister's path, no hardship is too much to bear, cough cough~"

He feigned weakness and coughed lightly a few times.

Qin Shuiru immediately said anxiously, "Are you injured? Let me see!"

"No need, it's just a minor injury."

Chen Wen tried to pull away, but Qin Shuiru held his arm tightly, her slightly reddened eyes glaring at him, "Don't move!"

Chen Wen immediately froze, because his arm was already trapped in the encirclement.

"That's more like it!"

Qin Shuiru nodded in satisfaction, then took his pulse and used her spiritual sense to investigate.

Looking at her serious expression, Chen Wen felt a strange unease.

If I hadn't known beforehand that this woman was using me as cannon fodder, I would have really thought she was concerned about me.

Chen Wen deliberately suppressed his soul again to lure Qin Shuiru into discovering him, and then pretended to be severely injured.

Qin Shuiru fell for the trap as expected. Her eyes flickered for a moment, then she said with regret:

"Jingwen, your soul is severely damaged. You must not fight with anyone these days. I have a high-grade first-level Soul Nourishing Pill. I'll get it for you when we get back."

"Soul-Nourishing Pill? Such pills are in extremely high demand and short supply, how could I..."

"Shut up! You suffered such serious injuries while trying to steal my evil energy; how can I stand idly by!"

Qin Shuiru gazed at him with deep affection, her eyes reddening.

Chen Wen knew that she was pointing out the existence of the Xuan Shui Sha.

He immediately feigned realization and said,

"Oh, right, sister, I almost forgot. I received information by chance that the Xuan Shui Sha was hiding in the Jiao Long Tan, and I managed to get my hands on it after a desperate struggle!"

Qin Shuiru's face stiffened upon hearing this.

She naturally knew that the Mysterious Water Demon was in the Dragon Pool, but she didn't tell him, nor did she expect him to retrieve it for her.

He was merely a figurehead, using his feud with the He family to lure He Yuzhu out to kill him, thus allowing Jiang Qingyan to secretly cross the pool and kill the dragon.

However, things didn't go as planned.

This kid stumbled upon the Flood Dragon Pool by accident, and even risked his life to kill the flood dragon, thus obtaining the Mysterious Water Evil.

She carefully examined Chen Wen; his face was calm, his body relaxed, and his heartbeat and breathing were even, showing no intention of mocking her.

His eyes softened immediately. "This matter is not urgent. Let's go back to the mountain first. By the way, Master asked you to pay your respects at the main hall on the main peak tomorrow. Don't be impolite."

"I understand, sister."

Chen Wen smiled.

The two rode together on a flying magical artifact, the Cloud Cloud, crafted by Cai Zixia.

It's not fast, but it's beautiful and comfortable, making it very popular with female cultivators.

It took more than an hour for the two of them to finally arrive at Qin Shuiru's cave.

Chen Wen sat in the pavilion, drinking the tea brewed by Qin Shuiru, and picked up a piece of spirit bamboo to fish for spirit fish in the pond.

Several jade bottles were also placed on the table, all containing elixirs and spiritual medicines for nourishing the soul.

She had Soul Nourishing Pills, as well as Soul Replenishing Liquid, which she had just exchanged for with contribution points on the way.

Anything related to the soul is ridiculously expensive, even for a wealthy woman like Qin Shuiru, it's a bit pricey.

But when she took the magic bottle containing the earthly evil energy from Chen Wen, she felt it was all worth it!

This not only dashed the He family's hopes of producing another Purple Mansion cultivator, but also made his own path to the Great Dao promising.

Most importantly, the frustration of being schemed against by He Yuzhu time and time again finally vanished at this moment, and it was truly exhilarating!

The look in her eyes softened considerably as she looked at Chen Wen, feeling a pang of regret. It was a pity that his soul was severely injured, and if he did not recover, he would likely be unable to make any further progress. Even with his immense fortune, he would only be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

She then regained her composure, thinking to herself, "It's good that I've stopped at the Foundation Establishment stage. That way, I won't have to worry about losing control in the future."

She put the magic bottle into her storage bag, turned her head and smiled sweetly, saying:

"Little brother, you have helped me achieve enlightenment, but I now owe you a debt of karma. What do you want? I will grant it to you."

Chen Wen lifted the fishing rod, plucked a plump spirit fish, put it into the spirit beast pouch for the little guy to eat, then set it aside, turned around, and solemnly said:

"Sister, Jingwen is not a greedy person. You once helped me enter the sect and protected me in your own name. This is also a favor to Jingwen in terms of achieving enlightenment. This evil energy is just a matter of repaying a debt."

"No, cause and effect are unpredictable, and it's not calculated that way."

Qin Shuiru shook her head and sighed softly, "I helped you join the sect because I lent you my carriage for travel and also tested you. We are even now."

"Your use of my name to protect you was the consequence of your past actions, and your entry into Zixia Peak was the cause of your later actions. Cause and effect are cyclical and predetermined. This time, I owe you..."

Chen Wen listened to her rambling for a long time. In short, she believed that cause and effect were subjective and that she felt she owed him something.

He felt that she had schemed against him, but it also allowed him to enter the sect and grow, repaying her with the Earthly Fiend Qi. If he was no longer indebted, then he was no longer indebted.

Both of them are right.

She felt she owed something, yet she had to repay it.

If you feel you owe nothing, then accepting something creates a karmic connection.

This is the reason for the endless cycle of cause and effect, and the reason why it is so entangled.

But she wanted to repay the karmic debt and focused wholeheartedly on foundation building.

Chen Wen rubbed his temples and sighed, "Well, since that's the case, then sister can just give me three or five magical artifacts as a token gesture."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shuiru feigned anger and said, "Return the magical artifact? You wish!"

She rolled her eyes at Chen Wen and said, "Many Foundation Establishment cultivators spend their entire lives trying to forge their own natal spiritual weapon, and can only use a first-grade top-quality magic weapon to make up for it."

"Although my Qingming Sect is better off, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators only have one or two natal magic weapons besides their own. In Qingming City, these are the final items at auctions, and they cost a fortune, often tens of thousands of contribution points. Even if I sold myself, I still couldn't afford them!"

"I could afford to buy her back by selling my sister, but... I can't bear to part with her."

Chen Wen said sarcastically.

Qin Shuiru glared at him playfully and said, "You brat, you really want to sell your sister off, huh?"

Chen Wen shook his head repeatedly, "This is just a joke..."

...

The two chatted for a while longer, then Qin Shuiru suddenly took out a jade slip and hesitated before speaking:

"This technique is a secret of my family. You have a wood elemental root, so you are perfectly suited to cultivate it. It will also help settle your karmic debts. Take it!"

"Thank you, sister!"

Seeing his hesitant expression, Chen Wen did not refuse and took it.

There's no refusing this; what if they actually take it back?

Seeing that he accepted it so readily, Qin Shuiru felt a pang of regret, but she still breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and forced a smile, saying:

"Go, go, go back and heal your wounds. Don't forget to go to the main peak of Zixia Peak to pay respects to your master after the rosy dawn ends tomorrow."

Seeing that she was trying to drive him away, Chen Wen immediately realized that the magic in the jade slip was probably no ordinary object, and quickly said:

"Yes, Jingwen understands!"

He then took out his magical artifact and flew away on his sword.

After he came out, he couldn't wait to take out the jade slip to check it.

A first-tier, top-grade spell: Thread Spell.

Drawing inspiration from the concept of "lotus root still connected by threads," it cultivates invisible, delicate threads, concealing itself from sight. This allows it to control people and objects invisibly, and also to guard against parasites. It is primarily used in conjunction with other spells.

After seeing the spell, Chen Wen instantly understood why Qin Shuiru had hesitated so much.

This spell seems useless, even redundant, since there are various other spells that control objects, such as sword control, object control, and so on.

But that's not actually the case; this spell is extremely sophisticated and vicious.

Its most distinctive feature is that it is invisible and traceless, and disappears without a trace.

In the midst of battle, one can subtly entangle their opponent with delicate threads.

Moreover, this technique is mainly used in conjunction with other techniques.

In an instant, Chen Wen thought of dozens of uses, combining them with the Lesser Withering and Flourishing Hand, with venom, with various formations...

That's simply divine skill!

..........