Chapter 17: Promoted To The Outer Sect—A Place of Hidden Dragons And Crouching Tigers 

Chu Sheng spent another 2 months as the little tyrant of the Menial Disciple Courtyard, living comfortably—but the pickings grew thinner and thinner. The menial disciples were genuinely broke; there was nothing left to squeeze out of them.

During that time, a steward came to question him. Chu Sheng simply dropped Qing Ling'er's name.

The steward left with a scolding and his tail between his legs.

From that day on, no one dared meddle in Chu Sheng's affairs.

2 months later, Chu Sheng made a natural, effortless breakthrough to the 4th level of Qi Refinement.

"Mid-stage Qi Refinement!"

He felt the surging spiritual energy within him and could barely contain his excitement.

Most importantly, the 4th level of Qi Refinement had unlocked his spirit sense—he could now project it outward several meters in all directions!

He eagerly took out the gray Storage Pouch and the black bracelet and probed them with his spirit sense—

Not a stir.

"As expected…"

Chu Sheng smiled bitterly.

The original owners of these 2 treasures were at least Foundation Establishment, if not Golden Core cultivators. The Restriction Seals they had placed were far beyond what he could currently break.

He went to find Steward Liu and spun a story:

"Steward Liu, when I was young, I once witnessed a great battle between immortals…"

He described the fight between the purple-robed Daoist and the demonic cultivator—though of course, he changed the location to "somewhere near my hometown".

Steward Liu listened intently, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Those 2 must have been at least Golden Core seniors! You really had quite the eye-opening experience, kid!"

Chu Sheng sighed inwardly. It seems I won't be opening these anytime soon.

In that case…it was time to advance to the Outer Sect!

Outer Disciple benefits were far better. He'd have access to more Cauldrons and could even claim a free Storage Pouch.

No point in waiting—he got moving.

At the Outer Sect registration office.

The steward on duty was a middle-aged cultivator. When he took Chu Sheng's Identity Token, his eyes went wide.

"Chu Sheng…Menial Disciple Courtyard? You haven't even been here a year, have you?"

"8 months."

Chu Sheng said pleasantly.

"8 months—from a mortal to the 4th level of Qi Refinement?!"

The steward was stunned.

"That speed nearly rivals a Heavenly Spiritual Root! And yet you're clearly a… Five Elements Waste Root?"

Chu Sheng replied modestly.

"This disciple isn't sure why either. Cultivation has just been going rather smoothly. Perhaps…there's some hidden Special Spiritual Root?"

The steward frowned and personally ran a check on him.

The result was still a Five Elements Waste Root—of pitifully poor quality.

"Strange…"

The steward rubbed his chin.

"There are indeed certain Special Spiritual Roots that are difficult to detect—Light Spiritual Roots, Dark Spiritual Roots, for instance…"

Not daring to be careless, he escalated the matter up the chain.

It eventually reached Ma De, the Foundation Establishment elder overseeing the Outer Sect.

Ma De listened to the report and pondered for a moment.

"The first 3 levels of Qi Refinement can be rushed with pills—that's nothing remarkable. If he continues at this pace after breaking through to the 4th level…we'll revisit the matter then."

"Yes, sir."

The steward returned, his attitude toward Chu Sheng noticeably warmer.

"Fellow Disciple Chu, congratulations on your promotion to the Outer Sect. Here is your token and your Storage Pouch."

Chu Sheng took the palm-sized gray cloth pouch and couldn't stop turning it over in his hands.

He finally had a storage treasure!

It was only the lowest-grade, 1-cubic-meter Storage Pouch—but at least it was free.

The treatment for Outer Disciples was indeed far better than for menial ones.

His living quarters were upgraded from a 10-person dormitory to a 4-person room.

He still had to share with others, but at least it was more spacious.

I've heard Inner Disciples get their own private rooms, Chu Sheng mused. Still a long road ahead.

With his current finances, he could easily afford to rent a place outside the sect.

But he didn't.

Because he was cultivating the [Dao Heart Demonic Seed Art].

How could he pass up on having 3 "good brothers" right there in the same room?

When he entered, 3 people were already inside.

An honest-looking young man stepped forward to greet him.

"New here? I'm Xu Fan, 5th level of Qi Refinement."

The other 2—one leaned against the window with a sword in his arms, eyes full of arrogance; the other sat cross-legged in meditation, arcs of lightning flickering faintly around his body.

Xu Fan made the introductions.

"The one with the sword is Chen Feng—from the Chen Family, a Golden Core clan. He's at the 6th level of Qi Refinement. The other is Ye Chen, a Heavenly Spiritual Root of the lightning element, at the peak of the 6th level. He was originally a disciple of Sword-Concealing Peak but got into some trouble and is lying low on our peak for now."

Chu Sheng's heart gave a little lurch.

A place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, indeed!

Chen Feng came from a Golden Core family—solid backing.

Ye Chen was even more formidable—a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and a lightning one at that. His combat power must be off the charts.

Neither of these 2 were people he could afford to provoke right now.

"Your junior fellow disciple Chu Sheng, 4th level of Qi Refinement—please take care of me, senior brothers."

Chu Sheng kept his posture humble and low.

Chen Feng glanced at him once and said nothing.

Ye Chen didn't even open his eyes.

Only Xu Fan enthusiastically helped Chu Sheng get his bunk in order.

"Don't mind them, Fellow Disciple Chu—those two are just like that."

Chu Sheng said gratefully,

"Thank you, Senior Brother Xu!"

Over the next few days, Chu Sheng devoted himself fully to winning over Xu Fan.

He fetched water, shared cultivation insights, and occasionally offered small snacks…

Xu Fan was a straightforward, honest man. Before long, he considered Chu Sheng a true brother.

As for Chen Feng and Ye Chen?

The 2 of them had nothing but contempt for the "deep brotherhood" between Chu Sheng and Xu Fan.

"Tigers walk alone; only lambs flock together."

Chen Feng said coldly, as he often did.

Ye Chen was even more blunt.

"Only good-for-nothings need to huddle in groups."

Chu Sheng took no offense and answered with a cheerful smile.

Go on then, tigers—off you go. He'd be his lamb.

Being a lamb was perfectly fine. There was grass to eat, brothers to keep company, and they could even… serve as Cauldrons.

That night, Chu Sheng decided to make his move.

Xu Fan at the 5th level of Qi Refinement had a far stronger spirit than any menial disciple, which also meant the Demonic Seed required was much more potent.

By Chu Sheng's estimate, controlling him would cost about as much energy as controlling 2 early-stage Qi Refinement targets.

But his own spirit sense had grown considerably now that he was at the 4th level.

"Go for it!"

Chu Sheng steeled himself and poured his entire spirit sense into condensing a new, stronger Demonic Seed.

While Xu Fan slept soundly, he reached out and pressed a finger to the space between the man's brows.

The Demonic Seed slipped in without a sound.

Xu Fan furrowed his brow, rolled over, and went on sleeping.

It worked!

The next morning, as Xu Fan woke up, the Demonic Seed's influence was already at work—his warmth toward Chu Sheng had deepened noticeably.

"Fellow Disciple Chu, how did you sleep last night?"

"Quite well. And you, Senior Brother Xu?"

"Wonderful!"

Xu Fan said brightly.

"I even had a beautiful dream—I dreamed I stumbled upon a great stroke of fortune!"

Chu Sheng smiled and nodded.

Of course you did. He was, after all, destined to become the Supreme Lord of Ten Thousand Demons—and Xu Fan, having received the Demonic Seed, had become his sworn brother. Wasn't that a tremendous stroke of fortune in itself?

"Good mood makes for better cultivation, Senior Brother Xu—why not give it a try?"

Chu Sheng suggested.

Xu Fan thought that made perfect sense and immediately sat down on his bunk to cultivate.

Chu Sheng felt a force several times stronger than before flow into him through the Demonic Seed link.

"Oh yes!"

He nearly cried out loud.

A Cauldron at the 5th level of Qi Refinement was on a different level entirely!

In the days that followed, Chu Sheng basked in the cultivation gains Xu Fan provided while keeping a close eye on Chen Feng and Ye Chen.

Chen Feng left early and returned late each day, apparently occupied with some family task.

Ye Chen hardly left the room at all, meditating in cultivation day after day—the lightning around him growing ever more intense.

"Those 2…I can't touch them yet."

Chu Sheng was clear-eyed about his limits.

His main priority right now was building his strength.

With Xu Fan as a high-quality Cauldron, on top of the 15 from the Menial Disciple Courtyard, his cultivation speed climbed yet another notch.

A month later, Chu Sheng broke through to the mid-stage of the 4th level of Qi Refinement.

At that pace, he was already above average among Outer Disciples.

The steward came looking for him again.

"Fellow Disciple Chu, Elder Ma of the Outer Sect wishes to see you."

Chu Sheng's heart tightened.

What had to come had come.

He straightened his robes and followed the steward to the Elder's Hall.

Inside, a gray-robed elder sat cross-legged, his presence vast and fathomless as the deep sea.

It was Ma De—the Outer Sect elder of Qingyang Peak.

"Disciple Chu Sheng pays respects to Elder Ma."

Chu Sheng bowed respectfully.

Ma De opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp as lightning, sweeping over Chu Sheng from head to toe.

Chu Sheng felt as if he were being seen straight through. He quickly circulated the [Taiyi Qi Refinement Art], suppressing every trace of demonic energy down as hard as he could.

"Mid-stage, 4th level of Qi Refinement…"

Ma De said slowly.

"To reach this realm in 8 months, starting from a mortal—that is indeed no small feat."

"This disciple was merely fortunate."

Chu Sheng said, lowering his head.

"Fortunate?"

Ma De smiled.

"In the path of cultivation, there is no such thing as fortune. You…would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Chu Sheng froze.

An elder personally offering to take him as a disciple?

Was this…a pie falling from the sky?

But he quickly steadied himself.

Becoming an elder's personal disciple came with many benefits—but also far greater scrutiny.

If they ever discovered he was cultivating demonic arts…

"This disciple's aptitude is dull, and I fear I would only bring disgrace to your esteemed name."

Chu Sheng declined politely.

A flicker of surprise crossed Ma De's eyes.

An ordinary disciple would have dropped to their knees in gratitude the moment they heard those words.

"Very well."

He said, waving a hand.

"Go back and cultivate diligently. If you can break through to the 5th level of Qi Refinement within a year, I will take you as my disciple then."

"Thank you, Elder!"

Chu Sheng let out a quiet breath of relief.

He stepped out of the hall and wiped the sweat from his brow.

That was close.

He would have to keep an even lower profile going forward.

But deep down, there was a small, quiet flicker of pride.

Even an elder has taken notice of me!

And what did that say?

It said that he, Chu Sheng—Waste Root and all—could still rise to the top!

Back at his quarters, Chu Sheng looked at Xu Fan diligently cultivating, then at the arrogant Chen Feng and the cold, aloof Ye Chen, and the corner of his mouth curved into a smile.

"Keep at it, brothers."

"My future rests with all of you!"

Xu Fan seemed to sense something—he opened his eyes and gave Chu Sheng an honest, warm smile.

Chen Feng let out a cold snort and turned to walk out the door.

Ye Chen remained still, eyes shut, lightning flickering around him.

Chu Sheng lay down and savored the quiet pleasure of his cultivation rising on its own.

The Outer Sect's waters were deep, as expected.

But no matter how deep the water—it couldn't drown a man who knew how to swim.

And he, Chu Sheng, didn't just know how to swim.

He knew how to…fish while he was in there.

How wonderful.