Chapter Twenty-Five: The Ember of Will-o'-the-Wisp

"Chao Xiong, are we together or not?"
A young man emerged from the crowd behind them, more than a dozen people following at his heels. A group of youths eyed the two of them with obvious malice.
"I'll treat all you big brothers. Order whatever you like, and if it's not enough, I still have some money left," Chao Xiong said, bowing and handing over his card.
"Well then, brothers, I'll take the lead and swipe the card first. Make sure you don't leave a cent unused," the leader said, and the rest burst into laughter.
Dao Sansheng, seeing this, was about to make a move, but Chao Xiong stopped him, leaning close to his ear.
"The sect forbids private fights between disciples. If we cause trouble, we'll be punished. They bully others in secret like this; if you don't play along, they'll just find other ways to target you. Better to let it go."
Dao Sansheng, hearing this, reluctantly held back his anger and went with Chao Xiong to eat in the back.
Soon, the group followed them over. The leading disciple tossed the meal card onto Chao Xiong's table.
"Since you're so obedient, we won't take your pills this month. But your friend here has to hand over one pill. Make sure you send it to me," he declared, then left for another table.
"Pills? What pills?" Dao Sansheng was still confused.
"Each outer disciple receives two pills a month. You'll see soon enough, Senior Brother. It's my fault for bringing trouble to you," Chao Xiong said, guilt-ridden.
"It's nothing, just a few punks. Give me a few days and I'll teach them to behave," Dao Sansheng promised.
"Senior Brother, best not to say that. Be careful they don't cause you more trouble."
Dao Sansheng ignored him. After finishing his meal, he went straight back to his room, while Chao Xiong said he had to go work for some money and left alone.
Back in his room, Dao Sansheng took out the plump bird hidden in his clothes. The little thing had been sleeping for so long that he thought it might be dead, but it still didn't move. He placed it on the bed.
"Pills... I've been cultivating all this time and never seen a real one. Pills must be important for cultivation if everyone wants them."
The next morning, Chao Xiong informed Dao Sansheng that new outer disciples could go to the Outer Armory Pavilion to select a weapon, but he also warned Dao Sansheng:

"Be sure to give a little 'grease' to the gatekeeper. The Outer Armory Pavilion is guarded by inner disciples, and it's a very lucrative job. Outer disciples usually know little about weapons, while inner disciples study weapon refinement and know what's good and what's junk. Otherwise, you might end up with trash."
Chao Xiong himself had only managed to get his refining furnace by giving a generous gift. Each month, he helped the sect and other inner disciples refine and purify materials, earning enough money to cultivate—though he still drew the attention of those bullies. He just had to hold out a little longer, and soon he could enter the inner sect.
Dao Sansheng agreed outwardly, but thought to himself, "I have the Cultivation Detection Lens. I don't need anyone's help; I can check for myself." With that, he headed toward the Outer Affairs Hall, where the Armory Pavilion was likely nearby.
Dao Sansheng guessed right. After some walking, he found the Armory Pavilion. All the new disciples were gathered in the area.
From a distance, Dao Sansheng saw a disciple hand a bag to the gatekeeper, who quickly stashed it away in his storage pouch. A few words were exchanged, a note swiftly written and handed over, and the new disciple grinned from ear to ear.
Dao Sansheng went up, gave his name and waist token. The gatekeeper swiped it, then extended his palm for a tip, as was customary.
Dao Sansheng played along, slapping the man's palm once. "You slap one, I slap one. Like a children's game—slap two, I slap two..."
Before he could finish, the gatekeeper cut him off. "If you keep slapping, I'll slap you into the wall."
Dao Sansheng stopped, drawing the attention of those nearby.
"Each person has a half hour to choose, but you only have ten minutes left. We start timing from when you line up."
Dao Sansheng stepped over the threshold and went straight for the shelves.
"Brother Bai, that's harsh. He doesn't know anything; he'll definitely end up with junk. You're bad, but I like it," whispered one of the newer disciples, while the others obediently handed over their money.
Inside, Dao Sansheng saw a dazzling array of items. Rather than browse aimlessly, he decided to get straight to the point, weaving through the shelves in search of something that caught his interest.
A mask—he scanned it with the Cultivation Detection Lens: "Eight-Faced Mask—can alter the wearer's appearance at will. Best tool for killing, looting, seduction, or undercover work."
"Yellow Earth Seal—mid-grade magic weapon. When used, it exudes a formidable aura, capable of smashing rocks and damming rivers. Best for those at the fifth stage of Qi Refinement."
After a long search, only these two items stood out, but neither was what Dao Sansheng truly wanted.

Then he noticed a bead on a nearby shelf and scanned it: "Ghostfire Pearl—contains a sealed ghostly fire seed, a flame from the Netherworld. Nothing special, just an ordinary fire seed."
"Hurry up, Dao Sansheng! Time's almost up. If you don't come out, you'll lose your turn," came the impatient voice of an inner disciple.
Flustered, Dao Sansheng grabbed the bead and rushed out. "Senior Brother, I want this one," he said, holding up the pearl.
Brother Bai took the bead and chuckled. "This ghost pearl's flame is useless. But if you're willing to give me a pill, I'll tell you where the weapon you really want is, and even give you another chance to choose. What do you think?"
Dao Sansheng refused to budge. "Senior Brother, please register my item. I need to get back to my cultivation."
Brother Bai tossed the bead back, recorded the item as "one ungraded magic weapon, Ghostfire Pearl," and sent Dao Sansheng on his way.
The moment he saw the words "fire seed," Dao Sansheng's eyes lit up. This was exactly what he needed, the thing he liked most. Now he could finally test if his cultivation technique would level up.
Clutching the Ghostfire Pearl, Dao Sansheng rushed back to his room, sat cross-legged, and placed the pearl before him. He tried to recall how he'd absorbed the flame last time, but still had no idea how to proceed.
"Let me first check on the flames and ice in my dantian—there must be a way."
Dao Sansheng began his usual cultivation routine, reciting the Sansheng Mantra and entering meditation. Gradually, the surrounding spiritual energy was drawn into his meridians, three times richer than usual. No wonder everyone wanted to join the immortal sects.
The spiritual energy nourished his meridians, circulating smoothly along the paths he had opened, and entered his dantian. Now, his dantian was nearly full, and he was close to breaking through to the second level of Qi Refinement.
He checked the spiritual energy in his dantian, then looked at the ice and the flame within. They remained unchanged, each occupying half the space.
He tried to guide the flame with his spiritual energy. As the energy approached, the flame flickered, but in just a moment, the energy was scorched smaller and became purer.
This attempt failed. Dao Sansheng tried again; this time, the flame moved slightly, followed his spiritual energy for a short distance through his meridians, then shrank back into the dantian.