Demon’s Diary - chapter 6
Chapter 6
“Hehe, Guan Da is indeed a mid-level Qi refining practitioner! Otherwise, how could I have recognized at a glance that young brother has spiritual veins?” Guan Da naturally wouldn’t mention that he originally intended to casually kill the youth, and said with a smile on his face.
“I also didn’t expect that I would be a Qi refining practitioner,” Liu Ming muttered, his expression vaguely enlightened.
“Young brother, do you know that Qi refining practitioners are just the lowest existence among those with spiritual veins? If you can open your Spirit Sea at your age, you might even be able to enter Spirit Gate and become a Spirit Disciple,” said Guan Da, revealing a hint of something sinister as he saw the situation.
“Spirit Disciple? Joining the sect?” Liu Ming frowned, these two terms he had naturally never heard before.
Guan Da just smiled faintly, about to explain further when footsteps rang out from the distant bushes, and a lean person carrying a large bundle walked over.
“Three Gu, come quickly and meet this Brother Yang. He actually cultivated Yuan Energy all by himself without any real Qi refining practitioner’s guidance,” Guan Da exclaimed upon seeing Three Gu’s figure, waving him over with a meaningful look.
“Is that so? That is truly wonderful,” Three Gu hastened over, and could not hide the joy on his face upon hearing these words.
“Junior has seen Elder Three Gu!” Liu Ming did not dare neglect and bowed slightly in greeting.
“Hehe, young brother, there’s no need for formalities. Guan Da brother, I’ve bought everything I was supposed to. This is also thanks to the light body technique I know. If it were anyone else, such a round trip would probably be delayed by half a day,” said Three Gu, waving his hand repeatedly and then shaking the bundle in front of Guan Da, a bit self-satisfied.
“I knew this, which is why I asked you to personally go and buy them. Right, this is not a good place to talk. We should find a secluded spot to have a proper chat, what do you say?” Guan Da nodded and suggested.
Liu Ming and Three Gu naturally had no objections, and so the three of them tidied up a bit and then began to walk away from the riverbank.
When they passed a mound of fresh earth nearby, Liu Ming glanced at it almost imperceptibly.
To the average person, nothing seemed amiss, yet the youth smelled a faint scent of blood, which, although very weak, could not escape him who had experienced countless bloodshed and killings.
Liu Ming’s heart chilled, knowing that whatever was buried inside must be related to the two men, Guan Da and his companion. They were most likely not kind-hearted, and their pleasant demeanor towards him probably had some ulterior motive.
An hour later, as the sky began to darken, the three appeared in an abandoned earthen temple and started a campfire to dispel the chill.
Three Gu even skinned and gutted a wild rabbit he had caught along the way, roasting it directly over the fire.
The three then sat around the fire, and not long after, the aroma of the roasted meat spread far and wide, whetting one’s appetite…
“The so-called Spirit Disciples are those who have successfully opened their Spirit Sea through a spirit awakening ceremony. Once individuals with spiritual veins pass the age of fifteen, their spiritual veins will harden and the chance to open the Spirit Sea will be lost forever. That’s why there is a strict age limit for the spirit awakening ceremony. Only those who have opened the Spirit Sea have the potential to convert Yuan Energy into mana and wield spells or control spiritual artifacts, becoming truly legendary beings like those seen in the tales of immortals. The sects that offer training for Spirit Disciples are places of training; ordinary people typically have no knowledge of them and they hold an extraordinary status in various countries. Some incredibly powerful sects even possess the mighty authority to decide the replacement of a country’s royal court at a word,” Guan Da said, paying no mind to the roasting meat and instead eagerly opened the door to a mysterious world for Liu Ming.
“They can decide on the replacement of royal courts? But royal courts have control over a country’s military forces, how can they agree to such a thing?” Liu Ming inhaled sharply, unable to help but retort.
“Hehe, naturally, it is all determined by strength. Those in the sects are not like us Qi refining practitioners. Even if a Qi refining practitioner gets very powerful, when faced with an army, at most, they can kill more people but still face a dead end. In contrast, those Spirit Disciples and Spirit Masters have unimaginable powers like summoning thunder and flames or calling upon ghosts and Puppet, and not to mention flying through the skies and burrowing underground. No matter how vast an army, they can’t contain them. On the other hand, royals and high-ranking officials, if targeted by someone from the sect, can only face a dead end,” said Three Gu with a hehe.
“But to become a Spirit Disciple, one must go through the spirit awakening ceremony of the sect, and every ceremony consumes precious spiritual medicines accumulated by the sect over many years. Thus, aside from the disciples with spiritual veins who are raised by the sect itself and can attend for free, those children from Qi refining families who want to join must pay an astonishing amount of resources to the sect to obtain a spot. Not long from now, it will be the time for a sect in the Great Xuan Country to conduct a spirit awakening ceremony.”
“I see!” Liu Ming’s eyes flashed with a contemplative look, but he said nothing more.
Seeing this, Three Gu became somewhat impatient, his eyes flickering before suddenly speaking in a conspiratorial tone:
“Young brother, would you not also like to become a person of the sect? Once you become a Spirit Disciple, not only can you have the power to soar through the skies and burrow into the earth, but your lifespan will also immediately increase, allowing you to live without trouble until you are over two hundred years old.”
“I was originally just an ordinary person and only just discovered that I am a Spiritual Veins Qi refining practitioner, how could I dare to covet such a thing? Besides, I have never believed in pie falling from the sky!” To Three Gu’s surprise, the youth shook his head in response.
This left Three Gu speechless for a moment.
Seeing his companion’s eager behavior, Guan Da gave him a fierce glare, and after a moment’s thought, he then addressed the youth:
“Young brother, you must have realized something by now. To be honest, we did indeed save you with an ulterior motive, but this is truly a great opportunity for you. If you miss it, I’m afraid you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it. Would you like to hear more?”
“Since both seniors have said so, I will gladly listen.” Liu Ming’s face remained expressionless, but his words were slowly spoken in agreement.
“Here’s the situation: we are both servants of the Bai Family, a family of Qi practitioners, and we were ordered to escort Young Master Bai Congtian to attend the Spirit Opening Ceremony held by the Barbarian Ghost Sect this year…” Guan Da, a clever man, knew that Liu Ming had suspicions about them; thus, he didn’t hide anything further and explained the whole situation and the deadly peril they faced, laying it all out clearly.
“We had no choice but to think of letting a younger brother replace the Young Master to participate in the Spirit Opening Ceremony. As long as you go, not only can we avoid a deadly disaster, but you can also seize a tremendous opportunity. Such an opportunity is something countless heirs of noble families struggle in vain to obtain. The difficulty you encountered was probably not as simple as running into bandits, but once you become an officially recognized Spirit disciple, what matters of the secular world could possibly remain unsolvable?” Guan Da spoke solemnly.
Upon hearing this, Liu Ming’s expression subtly shifted.
“The Spirit Opening Ceremony must be quite dangerous, isn’t it? What will happen if one fails to pass it?”
“To gain a great opportunity, naturally one must take certain risks. I believe you’ll be able to pass it, but even if you really can’t, it’s not a big deal—that would just mean staying at the sect for some years, serving a term of labor,” Guan Da answered without changing his expression, his response deliberately vague.
The young man frowned slightly.
He knew that the other party definitely wasn’t telling the whole truth, but he also knew that pressing for more information would be futile.
More importantly, he was indeed tempted by the opportunity to participate in the Spirit Opening Ceremony.
After so many years on the Savage Island, he had long understood one thing: with sufficient strength, he could do anything he wanted.
The several matters buried deep in his heart also required substantial power to possibly come to fruition.
Besides, even if he didn’t want to agree, these two mid-stage Qi practitioners in front of him would probably never consent.
After all, the fact that they had confided such a secret matter to him meant that, should he refuse to cooperate, his fate would likely be sealed with a single word—’death’—to preserve their secret.
After pondering back and forth several times, Liu Ming finally made up his mind:
“Fine, I can agree to this matter. But let me make things clear. This undertaking is bound to be extremely dangerous, and by helping out this time, I will have repaid the great kindness of saving my life to both seniors. Furthermore, if I am to go to the Barbarian Ghost Sect, I need the two seniors to agree to two more conditions.”
“As long as the young brother is willing to replace the Young Master and attend the Spirit Opening Ceremony, we’ll agree to even more conditions,” Three Gu said immediately, overjoyed at the words.
Guan Da hesitated for a moment but then nodded his head.
“The two seniors know that although I have Yuan Energy within me, I know nothing of other methods practiced by Qi practitioners. Therefore, I hope the two seniors can teach me a few life-saving tricks on the way there. The second condition is that I wish to obtain the Young Master’s magical artifact. Given that he is a Young Master, the artifact he uses shouldn’t be inferior. With it, should I encounter any troubles in Barbarian Ghost Sect, I would be able to cope,” Liu Ming proposed straightforwardly.
“The first condition is easy to fulfill. Even if the young brother didn’t mention it, we would have taught you all we know. As for the second one, that magical artifact is extremely powerful and might not be something a beginner like you can easily control,” Three Gu showed reluctance.
“I am willing to try,” Liu Ming insisted, showing no signs of backing down.
“This…”
“Alright, the magical artifact is yours.” Guan Da, after gritting his teeth, abruptly spoke up in agreement.
Upon hearing this, Three Gu still appeared reluctant but eventually said nothing more.
“Good, then it’s settled. I’ll fully cooperate with the two seniors. May I ask the name of the esteemed Young Master? I will need to use this name for a while.” Liu Ming nodded and asked.
“The Young Master’s name is Bai Congtian. Here are his personal belongings from when he was alive; young brother, please take them first.” Three Gu moved his arm, opened the huge bundle he had brought, and retrieved a smaller white bundle.
After accepting the bundle, Liu Ming immediately opened it and glanced inside.
Inside were several clean sets of clothes, a few small trinkets, and an eye-catching yellow copper ring.
This copper ring was simple in design, its surface engraved with faint silver patterns, giving it an unusually heavy feel.
