Chapter 20: The Underworld Cave (Part Seven)

Deep within the Yama Cave, the Yin energy is as thick as fog. Monks walking through it not only feel the stagnation caused by the excessive concentration of Yin spirit energy, but even in their breathing and meditation, they have the illusion of a heavy, damp sensation. The Yin energy itself is not damp; this is merely the physical discomfort caused by its overwhelming density.

Yao Qian practices her boxing silently in the dense fog. Her movements are very slow, yet every lift of her hand or step carries a steady, imposing pressure. Within her sea of consciousness, the Lunar Talisman spins rapidly, absorbing the external Yin spirit energy and converting it into Lunar spirit energy, which then circulates through her limbs and bones.

Her meridians and blood vessels are expanding bit by bit under the scouring and tempering of the Lunar spirit energy, while impurities in her organs and flesh are expelled through her rhythmic breathing. Even Yao Qian herself did not expect that she could refine a basic set of boxing techniques to such a degree.

Most areas in the Yama Cave are relatively narrow. At first, Yao Qian practiced both sword techniques and boxing, but she soon found the sword techniques to be far too inconvenient. Since her primary goal in training was physical conditioning rather than combat, she began to focus exclusively on boxing.

This set of boxing techniques is the most common, rudimentary style in the cultivation world. However, Yao Qian has been practicing it since she was five years old under the guidance of her family's academy teacher, totaling seven years of practice. This set of boxing has long since ceased to be the original version; she has integrated countless refinements into it, perhaps without even realizing it.

This boxing style does not have a complete, visible derivation process within the Tianyan Tablet like the Yin-Yang Herb Gathering Art or the God-Slaying Needle Art. Instead, she practiced it continuously, day after day, until she instinctively knew how to modify the movements to make them more perfect.

Executing a complete set now takes her at least half an hour. Every time, she must be fully focused; any lapse in detail, even a slight error in muscle exertion, would cause the movement to fail. Not to mention in her past life, even she herself a few years ago would never have imagined a day where she could exert such precise control over every muscle in her body.

Yao Qian places her left palm against her right elbow, makes a fist with her right hand, and slowly pushes from left to right. Once she reaches a certain point, her posture suddenly pauses, and she delivers a fierce, powerful strike into the empty air before her.

"Boom—" Half of the mine tunnel collapses under the force of her punch, and several thick, fleshy tentacles suddenly emerge, curling toward her. Yao Qian’s body abruptly vanishes into the Yin fog, leaving no trace. The tentacles, having lost their target halfway through the attack, stop in mid-air, twitching and curling in frustration.

Yao Qian has long grown accustomed to being attacked by Yin-soul beasts during her training. As her boxing techniques improved, she began to absorb more and more Yin energy, essentially becoming a beacon for it. High-level Yin-soul beasts possess a modicum of intelligence and are naturally drawn to the disturbance.

Three years of training in the Yama Cave have given her the ability to enter a combat-ready state at a moment's notice. She instantly judged the best hiding spot, activated her concealment ability, and waited in silence for the Yin-soul beast to lose its patience and attack.

Her concealment ability has also improved significantly over these three years, though it has an inherent flaw: once activated, she cannot move. If she moves, the ability fails. No matter how she tries to enhance it, she can only increase the duration of her concealment, not eliminate this weakness.

She suspects it is because the "big fish" she has been killing in her sea of consciousness are of too low a level. She has wondered if killing other types of magical creatures might grant her another ability. However, she seems to have been locked in a feud with this specific type of "big fish" for years. She has lost count of how many she has killed, and she even worries about the karmic consequences should she drive this species to extinction.

Currently, once she activates her concealment, she can maintain it for at least half a month, so Yao Qian is very patient as she waits for the Yin-soul beast to strike. High-level Yin-soul beasts possess intelligence, but it is inferior to that of a three-year-old child, and even with intelligence, they cannot overcome their instinct for slaughter. As long as one has patience, these beasts are easier to deal with than other demonic creatures.

The owner of the tentacles soon revealed most of its form. It was a Yin-soul beast resembling an octopus, though with far more tentacles. Its entire body seemed to consist of these appendages; it had no eyes, relying entirely on them for perception.

Yao Qian was hiding in a narrow crevice between two rock walls where the thick tentacles could not reach. After searching for a long time and failing to find its enemy, the beast lashed out in a tantrum, smashing the surroundings before arching its body and retreating, its abstract and randomly growing tentacles occasionally revealing a smooth, curved section of its body.

Yao Qian’s gaze hardened. Now! A God-Slaying Needle was released from her sea of consciousness, piercing the curved section with lightning speed. The flailing tentacles instantly went still, and the massive body of the Yin-soul beast dissipated. Before the pure Yin energy could scatter, it vanished, leaving only a piece of soul crystal the size of a winnowing basket on the ground.

Yao Qian leaned down and tossed the soul crystal into the Tianyan Tablet. Inside the tablet were six crude wooden racks stacked with storage gourds the size of fingernails. These gourds were filled with her harvests from the last three years: Yin spirit stones were the most abundant, followed by pure Yin energy, and finally the soul crystals, of which she had several thousand. She no longer went to the Treasure Pavilion to buy storage gourds, fearing it would arouse suspicion.

After cleaning up, Yao Qian resumed her boxing. It would be three years in just a few more days, wouldn't it? She couldn't stay in the Yama Cave for much longer; next time, she would need to pay contribution points to enter. Yao Qian felt a hint of reluctance; this was the place where she had earned her first pot of gold.

Just as she set her stance, she suddenly felt a familiar suction force around her. She lowered her fists, puzzled. *Isn't there still time left? Why am I being pulled out already? Could it be because this was the final session?*

Yao Qian did not resist, allowing the suction to transport her out of the Yama Cave and back to the familiar black hall. Three years had passed; the young disciples had all grown, but Pei Changqing remained exactly as he had been three years ago, even sitting in the same posture.

Yao Qian, Jin Xiuer, and the others sat closest to Pei Changqing. The remaining disciples were arranged according to their cultivation levels. The three years of training in the Yama Cave had instilled a sharper, more piercing aura in these disciples, all of whom were under fifteen.

The Yin-soul beasts in the Yama Cave do not possess high intelligence. Once one masters their attack patterns, they are not particularly lethal and can even assist in cultivation. Consequently, after a slightly higher attrition rate in the first year, almost no one had perished in the cave since the second year.

The top ten rankings had stabilized after the third entry. This was because, apart from the first time when Pei Changqing allowed everyone to learn a Taoist technique, only the top ten were granted this qualification from the second time onward.

Moreover, this opportunity to learn without spending contribution points could be retained indefinitely, even after entering the inner sect. Such an opportunity was far too precious, which led to the most intense competition for the top ten spots during the third entry, even resulting in disciples killing one another.

The entrance to the Yama Cave was small, and after staying for so long, it was inevitable to run into fellow disciples. Yao Qian had avoided this because she spent most of her time in the deepest parts of the mine, where even senior brothers and sisters with higher cultivation levels rarely ventured.

Of course, the result of such infighting was the appearance of two more eternal lamps in the hall. Only then did everyone realize the origin of the strange lamps in the hall, and they feared their Senior Brother even more.

After three rounds of competition, the top ten were essentially fixed. Those who stood out were already the most talented among the disciples, and because they gained more resources, the strong remained strong, making it very difficult for those ranked below them to surpass them.

Pei Changqing looked around, seeing that everyone had made significant progress. The top three, whose cultivation had advanced the fastest, were nearly at the Foundation Establishment stage. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "Everyone has made great progress over these years."

Whenever Pei Changqing had the time, he would often discuss key points of cultivation with the disciples before they departed the Yama Cave. They assumed their Senior Brother was going to give them more pointers, and they all straightened up to listen, only to be shocked when Pei Changqing announced that they would participate in the sect's "land reclamation" in three months.

"Land reclamation?" Yao Qian was stunned for a long moment. She recalled her teacher at the family academy saying that many clans and sects engaged in land reclamation. The cultivation world was vast, and the territory currently occupied by humans was but a tiny fraction; most places were uninhabited.

To rapidly expand a family, one must engage in land reclamation. However, it was fraught with danger. A small family like the Yao clan could not do it alone and had to rely on the Green Wood Valley for survival. Whenever the Green Wood Valley required labor for land reclamation, the Yao clan was obligated to send people to assist.

Every such mission was a devastating blow to the Yao clan, as out of ten sent, only one or two would return alive; most were wiped out entirely. The reason the Grand Elder was so desperate for the family to produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator was precisely because if the Green Wood Valley issued another call, Yao Qian would certainly have to go, and whether she would survive was anyone's guess.

If the Grand Elder, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was so worried about land reclamation, let alone Yao Qian. She exchanged a glance with Jin Xiuer, who clearly understood the implications as well. Although she tried to remain calm, her eyes were unavoidably filled with panic.

Whether they came from the secular world or cultivation families, all the young disciples understood what "land reclamation" meant. Their faces turned pale with fear, and had it not been for the heavy prestige Pei Changqing held over them, the hall would have been in an uproar.

Though the disciples were terrified, they managed to maintain a composed appearance, which pleased Pei Changqing. He smiled slightly and said, "This reclamation will be led by a Nascent Soul cultivator from the sect. The main force will consist of Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators. You will mainly be performing menial tasks. As long as you act with caution, the danger will not be too great."

What the Wuji Sect called "land reclamation" was essentially the plunder of resources. It was the domain of high-level cultivators; these disciples, who had yet to reach Foundation Establishment, were merely there to run errands. Pei Changqing wanted them to participate primarily to temper them. The Dragon Burial Cliff would open in another year, and that would be the true battlefield for these disciples. Without such tempering, how could they hope to survive there?

"You have been in the sect for three years and are now considered outer sect disciples. I will grant you one final favor: you may all go to the Dharma Transmission Hall to learn one Taoist technique as before. You will have three months to rest and prepare within the sect, and after three months, you will depart with Senior Brother Shi."

Once Pei Changqing finished speaking, he dismissed them. He had allowed the disciples to emerge early precisely to give them time to prepare. Three days later, there would be an auction at the sect market, featuring many items suitable for low-level cultivators.

Pei Changqing knew that many among this group had accumulated substantial wealth while in the Yama Cave and would certainly have enough spirit stones to purchase what they needed.