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The morning mist in Shenshou Valley had not yet dissipated when Han Li was already sitting cross-legged on a blue stone by the cliff, his hands forming hand seals, and fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Following the cultivation tips revealed by Su Ning, he guided the faint spiritual energy in his body along specific meridians, but he always failed at the last moment.

"Damn it! I failed again..." Han Li opened his bloodshot eyes and looked at the figure not far away, enveloped in pale blue spiritual energy.

Su Ning sat upright beneath the waterfall, the rushing water automatically parting three feet above his head, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

His aura was like smoke and mist, shimmering with a magnificent glow under the morning sun...

This is a phenomenon that only appears in the third level of the "Eternal Spring Skill".

"Senior Brother Su is really..." Han Li gripped the cloth on his knees tightly, his fingernails almost piercing through the coarse cloth.

Six months ago, the three of them obtained the cultivation technique at the same time. Now, he has not even stabilized the first level, but the other party has already taken a long lead.

"Junior Brother Han." Before he knew it, Su Ning was already standing in front of him, holding two herbs that glowed with blue light. "This is Cold Grass Grass, which can help break through bottlenecks."

Han Li looked up and saw Su Ning's sincere gaze.

This genius senior brother is always like this; despite his cultivation level far surpassing that of others, he has never shown the slightest arrogance.

But the more this happened, the more Han Li felt like he had a stone stuck in his chest.

Every time I face Suning, I feel a sense of powerlessness against a formidable opponent.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Han Li took the herbs, his voice dry and hoarse. "I...I'll go brew some medicine for Master."

Watching Han Li's hurried departure, Su Ning sighed softly.

He knew Han Li's thoughts, of course, but there were some things he couldn't say out loud yet.

As he turned around, he keenly noticed that the soil at the edge of the herb garden had been recently turned over...

The "Blood Puppet Pill" that Doctor Mo just refined is buried there.

On the training ground, Zhang Tie's bare upper body gleamed with a bronze luster, and his ten fingers dug deep into the granite, tearing a millstone-sized rock in half.

"Excellent!" Doctor Mo clapped his hands and laughed. "The second level of the Elephant Armor Technique is already so powerful. No wonder you are a promising talent that I have taken a liking to!"

"Hehe..." Zhang Tie scratched his head innocently, unaware of the strange glint in his master's eyes.

Suning, however, saw it clearly...

The bone-measuring needle hidden in Doctor Mo's sleeve was tinged with an ominous blood color.

"Master, I feel my skin is getting harder and harder lately, even when I take a bath..." Zhang Tie hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly coughed violently, and the phlegm he spat out contained metallic particles.

Doctor Mo quickly took out a porcelain bottle: "These are specially prepared pills for you. Take three pills every day."

He turned to Su Ning and said, "Su Ning, take him back to rest. He doesn't need to come to the pharmacy tonight."

"Yes! Master."

On the way back to the house, Su Ning secretly placed her fingertips on Zhang Tie's pulse point, and her heart sank...

The fluid flowing through Zhang Tie's meridians was no longer entirely blood, but rather a strange liquid mixed with some kind of peculiar demon beast.

This is clearly a precursor to the creation of an "Iron Corpse"!

"Senior Brother Su, am I amazing?" Zhang Tie was completely oblivious, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Master said that mastering the 'Elephant Armor Technique' would make me invulnerable to swords and spears..."

Su Ning suppressed the bitterness in her heart and smiled, "Of course it's powerful. However, cultivation must be done step by step. Keep this bottle of medicine safe. After each dose, place one pill under your tongue."

He slipped Zhang Tie a small jade bottle containing an antidote made from secretly hidden medicinal herbs.

In the dead of night at the pharmacy, Doctor Mo murmured to himself, staring at the blood-red jade pendant: "Mr. Yu, that iron will be forged into an iron corpse in three more months, but Su Ning..."

A chilling voice emanated from the jade pendant: "This child's talent far exceeds expectations; he is an excellent vessel for possession. However, we must first deal with that strange resistance within him..."

"You mean that time when I took your pulse..." Doctor Mo frowned.

"Excellent!" Yu Zitong's voice suddenly became sharp. "That resistance is definitely not something an ordinary breathing technique can produce! Continue to mix 'Heart-Corroding Powder' into his spiritual rice to first cripple his protective spiritual power!"

"Alright! This is the only thing I can do now."

Outside the window, a dark figure silently retreated.

Su Ning stood pressed against the wall, cold sweat beading on his forehead...

If it weren't for the early warning from spatial perception, it would have been discovered by Yu Zitong's divine sense.

Back in his room, he gazed at the sleeping Han Li and suddenly noticed a corner of a book peeking out from under the other's pillow.

He gently pulled it out, and it turned out to be a handwritten notebook of the "Eternal Spring Technique," densely filled with cultivation insights. The last page read: "What Senior Brother Su can do, I, Han Li, can definitely do too!"

“This stubborn boy…” Su Ning shook his head and smiled wryly, stuffing the notebook back into its place.

He sat cross-legged, focusing his inner energy on his dantian...

The seed of spiritual energy has grown a bit; it's time to begin the next step of the plan.

……

The next morning, Shenshou Valley was awakened by a long howl.

Han Li was enveloped in a pale green spiritual light, and three illusory blue lotuses appeared above his head...

This is the sign of mastering the first level of the "Eternal Spring Technique"!

"I...I succeeded!" Han Li's voice trembled with excitement, but Doctor Mo only nodded indifferently, and Su Ning did not even stop her morning exercise.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Han." Su Ning, wiping sweat as he finished practicing, walked over. "However, the path of cultivation is long, and the first level is only..."

"It's just the beginning, I know!" Han Li suddenly interrupted, a sharp glint in his eyes that Su Ning had never seen before. "However, I will definitely catch up!"

Seeing Han Li's almost self-torturing dedication to cultivation, Su Ning felt both gratified and worried.

It's gratifying that Han Li's Dao heart is more steadfast than in the original drama, but it's worrying that this obsession might cause unforeseen changes.

In the pharmacy, Doctor Mo handed a packet of purple powder to Su Ning: "This is 'Purple Spirit Powder.' From today onwards, add it to your medicinal baths."

He paused, then added, "Since your cultivation level is the highest, double the dosage."

"Disciple understands." Su Ning respectfully accepted it, a slight smile playing on his lips as he turned away.

The old fox finally couldn't resist making his move.

This is no elixir to aid cultivation; it's clearly a "soul-locking powder" that weakens one's divine sense!
That evening, during the medicinal bath, Su Ning pretended to pour the medicinal powder into the tub, but actually used a spatial seed to transfer it.

The water in the bucket suddenly rippled, reflecting his sneer: "Yu Zitong, do you think the power of an Immortal Emperor can be affected by such a low-level drug?"

As the seasons change, the maple leaves in Shenshou Valley turn blood red.

On the day Han Li broke through to the second level of Qi Refining, Zhang Tie's body had already shown obvious changes...

The skin reflects a metallic sheen in the sunlight, and one's mood becomes increasingly dull.

"Senior Brother Su..." Han Li unusually took the initiative to find Su Ning, who was practicing swordsmanship in the back mountain, "Zhang Tie has been acting strangely lately. Yesterday I saw him... eat a pheasant raw."

Su Ning sheathed his sword and did not answer immediately.

The autumn wind swirled fallen leaves between the two of them.

"Han Li." He addressed him by his full name for the first time. "If one day you discover that your master... isn't what he seems, what will you do?"

Han Li's pupils contracted sharply, and his right hand instinctively reached for the small knife at his waist: "Senior Brother, what makes you say that?"

"It's nothing." Su Ning turned to look at the main peak of the Seven Mysteries Sect across the cliff. "I just feel that cultivators should be most wary of those closest to them."

These words took root in Han Li's heart like a seed.

That night, for the first time, he didn't go to sleep on time, but instead hid under the covers and sharpened the knife until it shone brightly.

In the darkness, he heard Zhang Tie's heavy breathing become inhuman, more like... the roar of some kind of wild beast.

Meanwhile, in the deepest secret chamber of Divine Hand Valley, Doctor Mo was busy in front of a humanoid iron frame.

Bandages soaked in medicine were wrapped around the iron frame, and Zhang Tie's face could be vaguely seen through them.

“In three more days…” Doctor Mo stroked the beating metal heart on the iron frame’s chest and said to the blood-red jade pendant, “Mr. Yu, when that time comes, we can use the iron corpse to restrain Su Ning, and then we can safely carry out the possession!”

The jade pendant emitted a faint red glow, illuminating the blueprints hanging on the wall...

That was Suning's daily training route map, with every detail clearly marked.

On the edge of the drawing, there was a small figure drawn with a conspicuous cross marked with vermilion ink.

That's Han Li.

……

The night was as dark as ink, and the Seven Mysteries Gate was shrouded in silence.

Su Ning stood on the edge of the cliff, his gaze cold and stern as he looked toward the Wild Wolf Gang's stronghold in the distance.

With a flick of his finger, a faint stream of spiritual energy shot out silently, landing at the feet of the patrolling disciples of the Wild Wolf Gang.

"Hmm?" The disciple looked down and found a defensive map of the Seven Mysteries Sect on the ground, with several weak points marked on it.

"This is... Heaven's help!" A greedy glint flashed in the disciple's eyes, and he immediately turned and ran towards the gang leader's camp.

Su Ning smiled slightly, turned around, and disappeared into the darkness.

Deep within the Divine Hand Valley, Doctor Mo sat cross-legged in a secret chamber, with a bronze cauldron floating in front of him. Inside the cauldron, dark red liquid churned, emitting a pungent, bloody odor.

Zhang Tie was chained to the stone bed, his eyes were empty, and his skin had turned a metallic bluish-gray.

"It'll be soon... In just one more day, the Iron Corpse will be fully formed!" Doctor Mo smiled coldly, his fingers forming a hand seal, urging the medicinal liquid in the cauldron to continuously seep into Zhang Tie's meridians.

From within the blood-red jade pendant, Yu Zitong's voice echoed faintly: "Mo Juren, that kid Su Ning has been acting suspiciously lately, you need to be careful."

Doctor Mo snorted coldly: "A mere junior at the third level of Qi Refining can't cause any trouble. Once the Iron Corpse is refined, he'll be the first one I test my skills on!"

However, he didn't know...

Su Ning had already added "Spirit-Eroding Powder" to his tea, a potent poison that could slowly erode a cultivator's spiritual power.

"Enemy attack! The Wild Wolf Gang has stormed the mountain gate."

An alarm bell suddenly rang within the Seven Mysteries Sect, countless torches were lit, and shouts of battle shook the heavens.

The Wild Wolf Gang disciples surged up the mountain path like a tide, engaging in fierce battle with the Seven Mysteries Sect disciples.

Doctor Mo suddenly opened his eyes, his face grim: "This is bad! Why tonight of all times?"

Yu Zitong's urgent voice came through: "Something's definitely wrong! This attack came at too perfect a time!"

Just as Doctor Mo was about to get up, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and spat out a mouthful of black blood.

"puff……"

He was horrified to discover that his spiritual energy was sluggish and his meridians felt as if they were being gnawed by thousands of ants!

"Poisoned?!" He looked up abruptly, only to see the stone door to the secret chamber explode and a figure flash in like a ghost—it was Su Ning!
"You wicked disciple! How dare you—" Doctor Mo roared, raising his hand to unleash his magical weapon, but Su Ning was even faster!

"Old dog, your time of death has come!"

Su Ning's eyes flashed with cold light, and a dazzling spiritual light condensed in his palm, which he slammed hard against Doctor Mo's crown!

"boom!"

Doctor Mo hastily tried to defend himself, but the toxins in his body acted up, slowing his movements by half a beat. He was knocked back several steps by Su Ning's palm and crashed into the stone wall.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he snarled, "You little beast, you think you can kill me like this?"

He suddenly bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. The blood-red jade pendant instantly shone brightly red, and Yu Zitong's remnant soul transformed into a blood-red ghostly figure, rushing towards Su Ning!
"Seize the body!"

Su Ning sneered: "That's exactly what I've been waiting for!"

He formed a hand seal, and the spatial seed deep in his dantian suddenly erupted, instantly creating an invisible barrier that enveloped the entire secret chamber, imprisoning Yu Zitong's remnant soul!

"What?! This is... spatial power?!" Yu Zitong screamed in terror, "Who are you?!"

"The one who will kill you!" Su Ning didn't waste any words. He clenched his fist, and the power of space crushed down like a millstone. Yu Zitong's remnant soul let out a miserable scream and shattered inch by inch!

"No—! I can help you cultivate! I know countless secret techniques! Spare me—"

"Shut up." Su Ning coldly squeezed, and Yu Zitong's remnant soul was completely annihilated!

Doctor Mo's face turned ashen as he watched helplessly as his greatest asset was destroyed. He finally realized that he had lost completely!
“Su Ning… no, senior! I am willing to serve you as my master and offer all the knowledge I have acquired in my life!” He knelt on the ground and kowtowed frantically.

Su Ning looked at him indifferently and slowly raised her hand: "You tortured Zhang Tie, schemed against Han Li, and harmed the innocent. You deserve to die."

"Do not--!"

"boom!"

A beam of light pierced through Doctor Mo's brow, his body stiffened for a moment, and then he collapsed to the ground, his life force extinguished!
Su Ning quickly unlocked the chains on Zhang Tie's body, placed her palm on his chest, and used her spiritual power to force out the metallic toxins from his body.

"Cough... Senior Brother Su?" Zhang Tie slowly opened his eyes, looking around blankly.

"It's alright now." Su Ning patted his shoulder. "Doctor Mo is dead. You're free."

Zhang Tie stared blankly at Doctor Mo's corpse, then looked down at his own skin gradually regaining its color. Suddenly, he knelt down and kowtowed heavily: "I will never forget Senior Brother Su's life-saving grace!"

Su Ning helped him up: "We are fellow disciples, there's no need for this."

"The bond between master and disciple may be fake, but that doesn't mean the bond between fellow disciples is fake."

"..." The honest Zhang Tie had grown a lot after this ordeal, and he roughly understood the meaning behind Su Ning's words.

Meanwhile, Han Li was hiding in his small house, carefully holding an ancient-looking bottle—the Palm Heaven Bottle!

The bottle emitted a faint glow, and a drop of emerald green liquid slowly condensed inside.

"As expected... this spiritual liquid can accelerate the ripening of spiritual herbs!" Han Li's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He had secretly cultivated several medicinal herbs using the Palm Heaven Bottle over the past few days, and they matured overnight!
"If I can refine the pills, my cultivation speed will definitely catch up with Senior Brother Su!"

However, just as he was basking in his joy, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

Han Li's heart tightened, and he quickly hid the Heavenly Bottle in his bosom.

The door was pushed open, and Su Ning stood outside, looking at him with deep eyes: "Junior Brother Han, there are some things we should talk about."

Han Li tensed up, his hand already on the dagger at his waist.

Su Ning simply smiled faintly, took out a booklet from her sleeve, and tossed it to him: "Take a look, this is our master Mo Juren's diary."

Han Li hesitated before opening it, his pupils suddenly contracting...

The diary details how Doctor Mo and Yu Zitong planned to possess the three of them, how they prepared to turn Zhang Tie into an iron corpse, and even...

How could he possibly devour Han Li's soul when Han Li broke through to the third level of Qi Refining?
"This..." Han Li's hands trembled, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Now you understand?" Su Ning said calmly, "Doctor Mo never had good intentions when he took us as his apprentices."

Han Li remained silent for a long time before finally looking up, his eyes no longer hesitant: "Senior Brother Su, what should we do next?"

Su Ning smiled slightly: "Become stronger, and then—take control of your own destiny!"

...(End of chapter)