50

On this day, Qingchen emerged from the training room fifty feet below the protective array's cave dwelling.

He had been cultivating the *Demon Seed Golden Lotus* for two hours and was now sitting on a futon, quietly resting his soul and recovering his spirit.

For the past month, whether practicing secret techniques or activating his cultivation methods, Qingchen had chosen this training room.

He raised a hand to rub his temples, his gaze sweeping over the dark tunnel in the corner.

Ten feet beyond the end of the tunnel was the sea. The exit was hidden beneath a large reef, covered with vines, almost invisible without careful observation.

If anything went wrong, he could simply slip inside and escape into the sea, where no one would find him.

"Luckily, I gritted my teeth and bought that array plate."

Qingchen pulled out the black array plate from his pocket, its surface inscribed with dense runes.

This 'Mirage Alert Array' cost him seventy-eight low-grade spirit stones, equivalent to two years' worth of his sect salary.

He hesitated for a long time in the market, clutching his storage bag, but finally gritted his teeth; this life-saving item couldn't be skimped on.

The array was set up inside the island's protective array cave.

Any cultivator who dared to enter would be immediately enveloped in white mist, their vision filled with recurring illusions of stone paths.

Even without Qing Chen overseeing the array, an ordinary early-stage Qi Refining cultivator wouldn't be able to escape for at least an hour;

Even a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, if their skills were average, would be held back for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn;

As for late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, breaking the array would take some time, at least giving Qing Chen a chance to escape.

He pressed his finger on the array plate, touching the pale yellow warning talisman beside it.

This talisman was connected to the array plate; whenever someone entered the array, the talisman would glow: the intensity of the glow varied depending on the cultivator's level.

Then he would immediately know whether to fight or flee.

Therefore, even within his secret cave, Qingchen could accurately sense the strength of any intruder.

If the intruder was too powerful to defeat, Qingchen would flee swiftly through the tunnel without hesitation.

However, if the intruder's strength was within his capabilities, he would seek the optimal opportunity to ambush them.

Qingchen didn't want to be so cautious and meticulous.

But caution was always wise, and careful action was essential to ensure his safety.

"This is too slow."

Qingchen sighed, clenching his fist. He could feel his mana in his dantian rising like stagnant water, extremely slowly.

For the past month, besides practicing the *Demon Seed Golden Lotus*, he had been meditating on the *Brahma Demon Refining Technique*.

But the spiritual energy on Huangzhu Island was too thin, far inferior to that of the outer peak of the sect. A day of practice there was less effective than half a day of practice on the outer peak.

He recalled the days when his 'Brahma Aperture' absorbed the essence of demonic beasts, the power in his Qi Sea surging like a floodgate had been opened.

That feeling of fullness still thrilled him, his cultivation speed comparable to an ordinary high-grade spiritual root.

"The Brahma Aperture is a furnace for accelerating cultivation. If I could have one more, coupled with a sufficient amount of essence blood..." Qingchen's eyes brightened.

He knew that once he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage of the *Brahma Demon Refining Technique* and reached the fourth level of the technique, he would gain another Brahma Aperture.

Even with a mid-grade five-elemental spiritual root.

His cultivation speed might then rival that of a top-tier high-grade spiritual root!

Generally, a disciple possessing a top-grade spiritual root, as long as they don't perish, is a guaranteed inner disciple, and even has a high chance of receiving a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward from the sect.

Thus, they successfully establish their foundation, receive the title of "Superior Person," and live a carefree life for over two hundred years.

They might even gain the favor of a Golden Core cultivator.

But what about him? He only entered the Ningxuan Sect at twenty, possessing only a mid-grade spiritual root. If it weren't for obtaining the evil technique *Brahma Refining Demon Art*, he would most likely have remained an outer disciple for life, reaching at most the late Qi Refining stage.

"I need to hurry up and make these mortals fight amongst themselves. This tortoise-like cultivation speed is just too slow. In comparison, absorbing flesh and blood essence is much faster."

Just then, a subtle fluctuation came from outside the cave—his 'Spirit Touch Spell' had been activated.

It must be the woman he was supposed to meet for food arriving, triggering the little spell he had set up.

This minor spell is a basic spell that can be practiced even in the early stages of Qi Refining. It's very conspicuous to cultivators; it can be detected with a single glance using the Heavenly Eye Technique.

Qing Chen didn't immediately go out. Instead, he formed a 'Earth Escape Technique' with his fingertips.

Earth elemental energy swirled around him, and his body slowly sank, silently disappearing into the stone floor of the training room, moving towards the cave dwelling.

He needed to assess the situation first. He couldn't be careless; who knew if this woman had been sent by someone?

The light inside the cave dwelling was brighter than in the training room. The 'fluorite' embedded in the walls illuminated the stone path clearly.

Qing Chen hid behind the stone wall and used his Heavenly Eye Technique to look outside. He saw a woman in a blue cloth dress standing at the entrance of the cave dwelling.

Her dress was faded from washing, and she carried a bamboo woven vegetable basket. The porcelain bowls inside clinked softly against each other.

Her hair, held up with a wooden hairpin, was somewhat disheveled. Her face was pale, and her fingers gripped the hem of her skirt; she was clearly very nervous.

“Come in. Follow the signs,” Qingchen said calmly. No matter what happened, he wouldn't leave the cave on his own initiative.

This way, he would have enough time to react to any unexpected situation.

The signs in the cave were drawn by him—the pale blue runes on the ground;

—following them would lead to the inner chamber. Wandering around would immediately trigger the maze-like array's restrictions.

The woman was clearly startled, her voice trembling: “Immortal…Immortal Master, are…are those glowing runes over there?”

As she spoke, the vegetable basket shook again.

Qingchen, using his Heavenly Eye Technique, could see clearly that inside were two white steamed buns, several bowls of side dishes, and a bowl of steaming rice porridge.

It looked freshly made; a few drops of oil floated on the surface of the rice porridge.

“Yes, come in,” Qingchen replied, his gaze never leaving the woman.

She appeared to be around twenty years old, with fair skin and a shapely figure, possessing a delicate and pitiful beauty.

The woman's steps were light and graceful. Qingchen, who had cultivated a life of purity and abstinence for many years at the mountain sect,

couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, a surge of desire rising within him.