Chapter Thirty-Six: May There Be No Lord Tianxuan in Your Soul Sea in the Next Life

After putting an end to the bloodshed, Zhou Qi finally paused, contemplating what kind of trial to set next for these candidates. It had to be reasonable—no one could suspect he was the one orchestrating all within the Apothecary Immortal’s Sacred Mansion.

Long Feiyu was still observing the situation, deeply shaken by Han Qiaoman’s earlier display. He dared not attempt to refine the herbs, choosing instead to sit quietly and steady his mind.

Gao Shiyu had already finished refining her pills, successfully producing five Spirit-Returning Pills. Zhou Qi, using an array, transported her out. He decided to designate this stage as a test of temperament.

Before Gao Shiyu, an illusory scene unfolded slowly—the Apothecary Immortal poisoning the sect with a lethal pill, turning entire cities’ populations into rivers of blood. Gao Shiyu’s heart ached; sympathy flickered across her face. At this, the vision ceased, and an ancient voice intoned, “Easily swayed by outside influences, your temperament is unfit for pill refining. You are hereby stripped of your eligibility for the Apothecary Immortal’s inheritance and expelled from the Sacred Mansion.”

A flash of teleportation light, and Gao Shiyu found herself at the entrance of the Sacred Mansion. Was she truly eliminated? She was stunned. After so many trials and tribulations, to be disqualified over a single expression—what was the point of the earlier tests? Gao Shiyu was indignant, but there was nothing she could do; the mansion was now inaccessible. She could only leave, begrudgingly.

Soon, another candidate succeeded, refining three Spirit-Returning Pills—a score that would normally mean instant expulsion. Zhou Qi, however, chose to grant him the full experience, sending him into the same illusion Gao Shiyu saw. This cultivator, however, was steeled by temperament; even as he witnessed countless lives dissolve into blood, his expression remained unmoved. The ancient voice echoed, “Heartless and cruel, showing no compassion in the face of tragedy. This runs contrary to the Apothecary Immortal’s path of saving lives through alchemy. You are unfit to receive the inheritance, and are hereby expelled!”

This cultivator was full of regret—if only he’d shown some sympathy! Had he known what Gao Shiyu did, he might have fared better. But she was long gone, and he had no one to compare notes with.

At last, a candidate failed outright in refining pills. Zhou Qi simply transported him away—such a direct loss of qualification required no further testing; better to return to cultivation as soon as possible.

Long Feiyu looked around and realized only he and Han Qiaoman remained. Han Qiaoman occasionally examined the herbs in her hand, then cast furtive glances at him. Long Feiyu was on edge, fearing she might attack him regardless of the Sacred Mansion’s rules. She was truly terrifying.

Under pressure, Long Feiyu began to refine pills. There was no denying his talent; even in such circumstances, he succeeded in producing six pills—just one less than Zhou Qi.

A glow of teleportation rose beneath his feet. Long Feiyu was overjoyed—at last, he would no longer be trapped with Han Qiaoman. But when he opened his eyes, a blazing sea of fire surged toward him, startling him. Why was he back at the second trial?

“This trial tests the path of survival,” came the ancient voice.

The path of survival? What did that have to do with pill refining? Long Feiyu had no time to ponder; the flames surged toward him. He stepped into the Divine Step technique, dodging the fire again and again.

He, too, knew the Divine Step. How many times could he use it? A Foundation Establishment cultivator should manage at least a dozen uses.

After a few uses, Long Feiyu stopped dodging and activated a defensive artifact. The flames could no longer reach him—such a fine treasure! Luckily, he hadn’t challenged him head-on; nothing could break through that defense.

Seeing the sea of fire was futile, the scene shifted again—this time to an illusion. The Apothecary Immortal’s illusions were powerful, nearly real. In the illusion, Long Feiyu fought relentlessly, slaying countless hosts of True Lord Tianxuan’s soul fragments. He felt invincible, unleashing forbidden techniques one after another, making Zhou Qi exclaim in awe, “A Foundation Establishment cultivator is this terrifying!”

Unfortunately, at the critical moment, the fragment of True Lord Tianxuan’s soul in Long Feiyu’s sea of consciousness woke him.

Both men realized something was wrong. This was no trial—it was a deliberate targeting. And there was only one reason for that: Zhou Qi had become the Apothecary Immortal’s heir.

“Zhou Qi, I know it’s you behind this! If you’re a man, come out and fight me!” Long Feiyu shouted.

Zhou Qi ignored him. If not fighting you makes me less of a man? Not fighting you changes nothing about what I am.

When illusions failed, Zhou Qi searched with his spiritual sense and finally located a killing array, sending Long Feiyu into it. The array was fraught with peril; one misstep would trigger attacks at the level of a True Immortal. But with True Lord Tianxuan’s soul in his mind, Long Feiyu navigated flawlessly, evading even the array’s active assaults.

No matter what Zhou Qi tried, he couldn’t finish him off. Even True Lord Tianxuan was exasperated; it wasn’t that Long Feiyu was exceptional, but that the soul fragment was simply too strong. Never before had True Lord Tianxuan so disliked himself—how could he know so much? If all his fragments were this capable, when would he ever be whole again?

Zhou Qi grumbled inwardly—ten fragments and he’s still alive, the ultimate cockroach. Did he not realize his own strength?

In the end, neither could find a solution. They settled on the simplest approach: wear him down. His pills wouldn’t last forever, his defensive artifact would eventually break, and the soul fragment couldn’t maintain clarity indefinitely. Once his soul-amplifying pills ran out, Long Feiyu would lose his greatest support; killing him then would be much easier. So Zhou Qi continually teleported him from place to place: one moment to the soul-forging chamber, maxing out the thunder to fry his mind—only for the soul fragment to rouse him at the crucial moment; then to the sea of fire, forcing him to maintain his artifact and depleting his spiritual power; then to the killing array, sapping the soul fragment’s energy further.

Long Feiyu cursed incessantly, cursing Zhou Qi’s ancestors to the eighteenth generation. This ordeal lasted over two months.

At last, Han Qiaoman attempted pill refinement. Sadly, she had no talent for it, though her flames were extraordinary—personally selected by Zhou Qi. She failed with all ten herbs. She waited for teleportation, but it never arrived. Silently, she remained, unsure what was happening. Others, successful or not, were instantly transported away, yet she alone remained.

Zhou Qi was so engrossed in his protracted battle with Long Feiyu that he forgot her presence, and the fourth teleportation required his conscious will.

After more than two months, Long Feiyu finally broke. The fragment of True Lord Tianxuan in his soul was gravely weakened, unable to remain lucid any longer. Long Feiyu’s pills were spent, his spiritual power exhausted, and he didn’t even have the strength to curse.

At last, Zhou Qi appeared before him. Long Feiyu managed only, “Kill me,” before closing his eyes, resigned to death.

Zhou Qi gazed at Long Feiyu. Though he had prepared himself mentally, killing someone utterly powerless to resist still felt uncomfortable.

The fragment of True Lord Tianxuan’s soul was silent, offering no urging. Zhou Qi stood in silent contemplation for a long while before finally steeling his resolve. He bowed to Long Feiyu. “Fellow Daoist, may you find peace on your journey. May your next life be free of True Lord Tianxuan’s soul within your sea of consciousness.” With that, he drove his sword into Long Feiyu’s throat.

True Lord Tianxuan: “…”