C4 Qi Condensation Scroll

After a conversation with Wang Yu, Zhao Lin learned that the service area disciples weren't required to chop trees at all. Zhao Lin offered a nonchalant smile, but internally he was seething with frustration. Yet, he lacked the power to rebel at this point. Moreover, Wang Yu had shared with Zhao Lin that for disciples of the Firetalons, the path to the Outer Sect was fraught with difficulty.

The bare minimum to become an Outer Sect disciple was to reach the Breathing stage, but even Wang Yu was unclear about what that stage entailed. He only knew that to achieve it, one must practice the sect's cultivation techniques. Though they were called service area disciples, they were essentially slaves. Some managed to make it to the Outer Sect, but only by paying a steep price to acquire cultivation techniques from the Outer Sect disciples.

Zhao Lin's expression grew grim. He had neither wealth nor connections. Even his slight acquaintance with Xie Ling wouldn't bring her to the service area, a place for slaves. Everything was up to him. With a resolute look, he knew he had to make it into the Outer Sect and then the Inner Sect, or he wouldn't even qualify to carry Xie Ling's shoes. Moreover, having made so many enemies, only strength could ensure his safety.

As Zhao Lin wandered into the mountain's hinterland, his fists were clenched so tightly they creaked. "I need strength, to soar through the clouds like the Fairy Sister, to earn the right to stand behind her!" he vowed silently. He yearned for nothing more than the right to stand proudly behind Xie Ling. How pure and naive was this young soul?

He retrieved the axe Wang Yu had given him, which was a significant improvement over yesterday's. It was meant only for cutting grass, but when he swung it at the iron tree, it made a sharp crack. Zhao Lin had been concerned it might break, as losing or damaging the axe would mean punishment, unlike Wang Yu, who had been punished on his behalf.

But the axe held firm, slicing deep into the tree trunk. "Hmm!" Zhao Lin exclaimed in surprise. After a hundred swings, the iron tree, as thick as his waist, finally toppled. Remarkably, Zhao Lin wasn't sweating, and his arms weren't sore. One by one, he felled trees until the tenth one fell, and that's when he sensed something was amiss.

Every tree required a hundred chops to fell, and ten trees would mean a thousand chops. Yet there he was, not a bead of sweat on him, his spirits high. "I never had such stamina before. What's happening to me?" He inspected the axe; its blade was still curled, indicating that it wasn't the tool's fault. Involuntarily, Zhao Lin's thoughts drifted to the dream he had the previous night. "Could it be the snake blood that has increased my strength?" After pondering for a while, he could only come up with this one explanation.

"If I drink snake blood every day, then wouldn't I..." Zhao Lin's eyes gleamed as he envisioned a promising future. Seizing the axe, he dashed into the woods, completely forgetting Chen Quan's warning that he wouldn't be allowed to eat unless he chopped down a hundred trees. In the forest, Zhao Lin leveraged his hunting skills in search of pythons.

Engrossed in his hopes of finding a python, Zhao Lin failed to notice that he had ventured deep into the back mountains, where he found no signs of human presence. "Shhh!" Suddenly, a sound caught his attention. Elated, Zhao Lin knew that only a python could make such a distinct noise. He spun around and, as expected, came face to face with a massive python, as thick as his own neck.

The fiery red python stood erect, its front half raised, flicking its forked tongue in and out. That was a clear sign of aggression. Zhao Lin cautiously backed away, his legs bent slightly, ready to strike. In an instant, the python lunged. Its speed was incredible, and in the blink of an eye, it was upon him. Zhao Lin didn't flinch; he pounced, gripping the python's "seven inches" – a vital spot just behind its head.

With snakes, once you have a hold of their "seven inches," they can only use their body as a weapon. But Zhao Lin was there for the snake blood. Clutching the python at this crucial point, he bit down hard. The skin tore, unleashing a flood of blood with a pungent, metallic smell. The python screeched and quickly coiled around Zhao Lin. The more it constricted, the faster the blood flowed. Zhao Lin's throat made a gulping sound as he swallowed the snake blood, not wasting a single drop.

"Burp!" After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the python bled to death. Zhao Lin let out a burp and sat on the ground. Unlike before, he didn't feel weak, and his ribs were unharmed. This reinforced his belief that the snake's blood was responsible for his condition. After taking a short rest, Zhao Lin was about to stand up and leave when he noticed the python's shrunken belly was oddly bulging, as if something was lodged inside.

Seizing his axe, Zhao Lin quickly sliced open the snake's abdomen. A foul stench hit him, but he persevered, reaching inside to retrieve an object. It was a square box, with undigested bones still clinging to it. Zhao Lin's face paled slightly as he realized the bones were human leg bones. It made sense now why the python had seemed weak; it wasn't hungry, having recently fed. It had attacked him simply because he had trespassed into its territory.

Zhao Lin took the square box to a nearby stream and carefully washed off the filth before opening the wooden box. Inside was a scroll. The box had been tightly sealed, keeping the python's mess and the washing water out. He unfurled the scroll to reveal an image of a figure sitting cross-legged, covered in red dots—over a thousand of them, with seven particularly large ones.

Zhao Lin recognized these red dots as the acupoints of the human body, with the seven largest representing the body's major acupoints. "Qi Condensation Scroll!" was inscribed in one corner. "What's a Qi Condensation Scroll? Could it be...!" Zhao Lin's breath quickened, his eyes fixated on the red dots. The figure's posture mirrored the one he had seen in his dream the previous night.

"It must be!" Zhao Lin thought, his excitement overwhelming him. "This is a priceless treasure; I must keep it secret. If others find out, it's not just the risk of injury but the danger of losing my life!" He realized the importance of discretion. The servants in the sect were enslaved because they lacked cultivation techniques, but this scroll could be their salvation. It would be no surprise if they tried to seize it for themselves.

"I need to devise a foolproof plan that will safeguard the treasure and ensure no one suspects a thing!" Zhao Lin muttered to himself as he paced back and forth, ideas racing through his mind. Suddenly, his expression hardened with resolve. "That's it, that's what I'll do!" With determination, he used his axe to dig a hole, carefully placing the two scrolls back into the square box before burying it in the pit. Still feeling uneasy, he dragged the python's carcass over the site to conceal it, marking the spot before departing.

Dusk had settled by the time Zhao Lin returned to the thatched hut, and it was clear he had no meal waiting for him. Truth be told, he wasn't the least bit hungry. Nonetheless, Wang Yu generously shared his own meal, and Zhao Lin, moved by the gesture, took a few grateful bites. As darkness enveloped the night, and Wang Yu's snores filled the air, Zhao Lin slipped on his straw shoes and quietly left the hut.

Back in the mountains with no one to hinder him, Zhao Lin sprinted towards the spot where he had buried the box during the day. He pulled the python aside and unearthed the box, letting out a deep sigh of relief. The fear that someone else might stumble upon his secret had been weighing heavily on him.