Treasure Gathering Immortal Furnace

After Lu Fan pleaded for mercy, Steward Ma probably felt indebted to Lu Fan, even though taking the storage bag was indeed a serious crime.

But after all, this matter was also his fault. If he really executed Lu Fan, although a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator wouldn't be a big deal, he still couldn't get over it in his heart.

Deacon Ma then cupped his hands towards Yan Ruyu and said, "Junior Sister, let it go. It's just a Qi-stabilizing pill. There's no need to punish her to death. After all, the Supreme Elder once said that the law should not be too harsh."

"Then you decide what to do," Yan Ruyu said, looking displeased.

"Lu Fan, you may be spared the death penalty, but you will not escape punishment. In addition, you have slandered your uncle, so I will punish you with ten lashes. This matter will be dropped," said Steward Ma calmly.

"Disciple thanks you for your mercy," Lu Fan clenched his fist, feeling as if his chest was burning with fire, but on the surface he still dared not show any dissatisfaction.

At this moment, Lu Fan was extremely annoyed. He had been cautious and meticulous all these years, and he thought he had done everything perfectly. But this moment of carelessness almost cost him his life.

This taught him a harsh lesson: if you don't understand the other party's situation, speaking inappropriately can really kill you!

"Kneel down," Steward Ma said coldly, cracking his whip.

Lu Fan then knelt on the ground, while Yan Ruyu stood to the side with a mocking expression, seemingly not treating Lu Fan as a human being at all.

Snapped!

As Deacon Ma lashed out with his whip, Lu Fan's back was instantly torn open, and blood immediately gushed out, soaking his clothes.

But Lu Fan gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

"Good lad, you've got guts!" Steward Ma was also slightly shocked, and then swung his whip again.

popping.

Two more lashes followed, and visible welts appeared on Lu Fan's back, the intense pain causing him to break out in a cold sweat and his whole body to tremble uncontrollably.

This also gave Lu Fan a deep sense of crisis. It seemed that Yan Ruyu would not give up until she had destroyed him.

Seeing Lu Fan like this, Steward Ma felt a little sorry for him, but with Yan Ruyu watching from the side, he could only continue to wield the whip.

popping.

Two more lashes followed. Although Steward Ma did not use any spiritual energy, the whip was a magic weapon after all. If it struck a Qi Refining stage cultivator, he would be half-dead, if not killed.

Lu Fan was also being whipped and was wincing in pain. If this continued, ten lashes would either kill him or cripple him. So he simply let his vision go black and lay down on the ground pretending to be unconscious.

"You're already unconscious? You're so weak," Yan Ruyu said, clearly dissatisfied.

"Junior sister, why don't we memorize the remaining five lashes and wait until he recovers before striking him again?" Steward Ma suggested.

Yan Ruyu seemed to think it wasn't worth getting angry with a cripple. After all, if she wanted to kill such a useless person, she could easily find a reason to get rid of him later.

"Then I'll do as my senior brother says," Yan Ruyu said, raising her hand to summon her magical sword before leaving the Hall of Affairs.

Deacon Ma shook his head helplessly, then took out a sound transmission talisman and tossed it out.

About half an incense stick later, Li Niu came running into the main hall, panting, and bowed, saying, "Steward Ma."

Seeing Li Niu running over, Steward Ma immediately looked disgusted: "Did you fall into a latrine?"

Li Niu scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and then briefly explained to Steward Ma how he met Lu Fan and the situation inside the cave.

Upon hearing this, Steward Ma realized that what Lu Fan said was true; he had indeed been trapped in the cave for three and a half years, and the storage bag of the deceased disciple had most likely been taken by Yan Ruyu.

However, due to the strict hierarchy within the sect, even knowing that Yan Ruyu was behind it, Steward Ma could not stand up for Lu Fan; at most, he could save Lu Fan's life.

"Alright, take Lu Fan back and take good care of him. Give him this bottle of hemostatic powder. Don't go to collect the body for the time being," Deacon Ma said, tossing out a bottle of hemostatic powder.

"Yes, yes!" Li Niu accepted the hemostatic powder, then carried Lu Fan away from the deacon's hall.

...

Li Niu carried Lu Fan for several miles before finally arriving at the thatched hut where the outer disciples lived. In reality, the outer disciples all had their own houses, but Li Niu and Lu Fan were both useless disciples who had been almost abandoned by the sect.

So being able to live in a thatched hut to shelter from the wind and rain is already considered a kindness.

Li Niu carefully placed Lu Fan on the bed, then took out the hemostatic powder and poured it evenly on Lu Fan's back.

"hiss!"

The intense burning sensation on his back immediately brought Lu Fan, who was pretending to be unconscious, back to reality.

"Senior brother, you're awake?" Li Niu saw Lu Fan wake up and quickly reached out to help him.

"Don't move! It hurts!" Lu Fan quickly stopped him.

"Senior brother, Steward Ma is too ruthless. How could he use such a heavy hand? If it were me, I'm afraid I would have died from a single whipping," Li Niu said, also watching with shock.

"It's not Steward Ma who's ruthless!" Lu Fan clenched his fists, his face full of anger.

Although Steward Ma lashed him five times, it was just normal law enforcement, since the matter arose because of Yan Ruyu.

This experience made Lu Fan realize that if he wanted to survive in the Dao Sect, he absolutely had to improve his strength.

If Yan Ruyu gets upset one day and kills him on a whim, then so be it.

Moreover, he had a premonition that Yan Ruyu would definitely not let this go, and it was only a matter of time before she killed him.

Before she destroys me, killing her is the most urgent task right now.

"Sigh, senior brother, we Qi Refining disciples are nothing but ants in the eyes of high-level cultivators," Li Niu sighed.

Ultimately, however, everything depends on strength.

Despite Lu Fan's Qi Refining Stage 10, he and Yan Ruyu are only one Foundation Establishment opportunity away from reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

In the world of cultivation, the gap between levels can perhaps be bridged by external factors such as experience, talent, and treasures.

However, the gap in their levels of understanding is extremely difficult to bridge.

Even if Lu Fan were to continue improving his level and reach the twentieth level of Qi Refining, he would at most be able to withstand a few more moves from Yan Ruyu.

Because the Qi Refining stage is only about building a foundation, it is impossible to cultivate advanced secret techniques, nor can it control magical artifacts at will like the Foundation Establishment stage.

Of course, if Lu Fan really cultivates to the twentieth level of Qi Refining Foundation Establishment, then his Foundation Establishment will be extraordinary.

After all, once you have a solid foundation in the Qi Refining stage, your strength will not just increase by leaps and bounds once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

As for why Lu Fan doesn't consider Foundation Establishment, it's because he doesn't have any Foundation Establishment Pills at the moment.

The process of refining Foundation Establishment Pills is extremely complicated, and the Dao Sect only has one alchemist, but there are many inner and outer sect cultivators waiting to establish their foundations.

Even if Lu Fan reveals his strength now, just waiting in line to receive the Foundation Establishment Pill would take him long. If he's lucky, he could wait for ten or eight years; if he's unlucky, it could take thirty or forty years.

As for why Yan Ruyu achieved Foundation Establishment so easily, it was because she possessed rare dual spiritual roots and the attributes of wood and water, which allow for rapid cultivation. Naturally, she caught the eye of the inner sect's Golden Core elder, who personally bestowed upon her a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Therefore, before he could obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, Lu Fan could only desperately consume the Qi Consolidation Pill to raise his Qi Refining level as much as possible.

After all, once he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, his strength will inevitably be stronger than other Foundation Establishment cultivators of the same level. Only with a solid foundation can he go further.

It seems that once my injuries have healed, I must get back to cultivation as soon as possible.