Chapter Thirty-Seven: Elder Qi

Mo Zhanpeng and his disciples had been waiting outside the bamboo forest for quite some time. Earlier, they had been terrified by the earth-shattering surge of spiritual energy unleashed by Qi Fei, and now their hearts burned with anxiety. When Elder Sun emerged from within, they hurriedly gathered around him.

Mo Zhanpeng, worried about Qi Fei’s safety, quickly asked, “Elder Sun, has Qi Fei succeeded in forging his spiritual soul? Why was there such a commotion?”

Elder Sun wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a bitter smile. “Your disciple’s martial prowess is unfathomable, and his cultivation of the arcane arts is just as domineering. I must admit my own knowledge is limited; I cannot see through your prodigiously gifted disciple. Now that Qi Fei has just formed his spiritual soul, he must remain secluded in the bamboo forest for some time to consolidate his cultivation.”

Mo Zhanpeng could only smile wryly in his heart. His disciple’s talent was so extraordinary that it made even him feel humbled; now, Qi Fei’s mastery of the arcane arts was astonishing. Such a remarkable anomaly had appeared in Danxia Sect—perhaps a sign that their ancestors had blessed them.

Looking at his disciples, still shaken by the earlier events, Mo Zhanpeng made a decision. After clearing his throat, he declared in a loud voice, “You all risked your lives to follow me down the mountain and are the pillars of our sect. I know my cultivation does not surpass Qi Fei’s. If any of you gain his approval, you may become his disciples.”

The disciples were stunned at first, but soon their faces showed joy. Though they had not witnessed Qi Fei’s defeat of Zhang Xuzhong firsthand, his martial prowess clearly surpassed their master’s, and now, with the earth trembling at his formation of the spiritual soul, Qi Fei’s abilities were truly awe-inspiring.

Jiang Yifan, a disciple nearby, hesitated and said, “Master, isn’t this improper? Qi Fei is your disciple—if we become his, wouldn’t it disrupt the sect’s hierarchy?”

Mo Zhanpeng’s expression was resolute. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Qi Fei was blessed with great fortune and now his martial cultivation exceeds mine. If you receive his guidance, your progress will surely surpass mine. Elder Sun and I will speak with Qi Fei to see if we can persuade him to accept the post of sect elder.”

Traditionally, Danxia Sect’s elders were chosen according to seniority, so Mo Zhanpeng’s sudden decision to elevate Qi Fei shocked the disciples.

Elder Sun hesitated, frowning. “Elder Mo, your decision is for the revival of our sect, but with the sect leader missing, how can we appoint Qi Fei as an elder?”

Mo Zhanpeng sighed. “With chaos in the sect and Yang Zheng from Qingyang Peak conspiring with Xuan Zhen Temple to seize the sect leader’s position, and since Qi Fei does not wish to compete for the leadership, let us appoint him as elder. When a new leader is chosen, I will confess to the sect leader myself.”

He paused, then announced loudly, “The situation is urgent; let us keep things simple. When Qi Fei emerges from seclusion, he will be our newly appointed elder. You must show him utmost respect.”

---

The Danxia Sect disciples exchanged bewildered glances; in the blink of an eye, Junior Brother Qi had become an elder, which seemed absurd. Yet, considering their master’s ways and Qi Fei’s unfathomable abilities, they accepted it, though facing him with the proper ceremony would surely be awkward.

Elder Sun, seeing Mo Zhanpeng’s resolve, no longer dwelled on the propriety of the matter and instead told the disciples, “The spiritual soul Qi Fei has cultivated is extremely domineering, and he will surely surpass us in time. If you are fortunate, you may seek guidance from Elder Qi in the future.”

Mo Zhanpeng, fearing his disciples might trouble Qi Fei later, warned, “If you wish to seek Elder Qi’s advice, do not pester him. Elder Sun and I must instruct the outer disciples; you are dismissed.”

Though reluctant, the disciples obeyed and dispersed. Luo Dingshan hesitated, but a stern glare from his master sent him away with the others.

Once the disciples were gone, Elder Sun took out several spiritual talismans with a pained expression and chuckled bitterly, “The spiritual gathering array in the bamboo forest is destroyed. My meager resources will be entirely consumed by your outstanding disciple!”

Mo Zhanpeng’s face was determined. “My disciple is unlike Huo Zhongmou; I must support him with all I have so that, when we face Xuan Zhen Temple atop Qingyang Peak, we stand a chance. Qi Fei spoke truly—these past days, Elder Sun and I have instructed the outer disciples in cultivation and bestowed them some elixirs. Their gratitude and loyalty were quickly won. Elder Sun, please set up the arcane spiritual gathering array here. The outer disciples must have been frightened by the upheaval in the valley; I must go comfort them.”

Qi Fei, deep in the bamboo forest, was unaware of the decisions made outside—that his master, Mo Zhanpeng, had appointed him as an elder of Danxia Sect.

Within the depths of the bamboo forest, Qi Fei, having forged his spiritual soul, followed Elder Sun’s guidance and continued his secluded cultivation. During the formation of his spiritual soul, he had absorbed all the spiritual energy in the bamboo forest, and after meditating for a long time, he finally sensed faint streams of spiritual energy flowing in from the surroundings.

The path of arcane cultivation required, after forming the spiritual soul, to draw spiritual energy into oneself, transforming it into true essence.

Qi Fei practiced the “Transforming Court Sutra,” continually absorbing spiritual energy into his body.

Now that he had formed his spiritual soul, cultivating true essence came naturally. After several hours, he felt a warm current from his spiritual altar, flowing gently through his meridians.

Qi Fei slowly opened his eyes and, with a thought, channeled the newly formed arcane true essence into his right palm. Instantly, a dazzling radiance shone from his fingertips.

---

The Heart Demon Sect’s secret manual was the supreme arcane method. Qi Fei knew that the meager true essence in his body could not yet be used to cultivate the demonic arts; he could only continue to transform spiritual energy into true essence, and wait until his true essence was fully formed before attempting the Heart Demon Sect’s supreme techniques.

While Qi Fei was cultivating in the bamboo forest, the next day, Mo Zhanpeng and Elder Sun gathered the outer disciples in the valley and announced Qi Fei’s appointment as elder. As expected, the news shook the outer sect.

Qi Fei, already a legendary figure among the outer disciples, had immense influence. Hearing that the former herbal boy had now become an elder filled everyone with shock and renewed confidence in their future.

A few days later, another uplifting news spread among the outer sect: under the guidance of Mo Zhanpeng and Elder Sun and with the aid of sect elixirs, two ordinary outer disciples succeeded in cultivating martial true energy.

Previously apprehensive about Xuan Zhen Temple’s growing power, the outer disciples now forgot their worries and threw themselves into cultivation with enthusiasm.

On this day, after finishing the energy transformation from the “Transforming Court Sutra,” Qi Fei sensed his arcane true essence had reached a modest level. His master Blood Shadow True Lord had mentioned that dual cultivation allowed martial true energy and arcane true essence to coexist. Qi Fei feared that an excess of arcane true essence might clash with the martial true energy hidden in his meridians, risking injury if both energies erupted, so he refrained from further cultivating arcane true essence.

Previously, Qi Fei had used the ingenious “Spirit Insight Technique” to conceal his martial true energy, thus successfully forming his spiritual soul and arcane true essence. Now, he cautiously employed the reverse method of the “Spirit Insight Technique,” allowing wisps of icy jade energy to flow from his meridians, splitting in two and merging into his Icefire Martial Soul and newly formed spiritual soul.

As the icy jade energy seeped into both the martial soul and spiritual soul, a familiar stream of Icefire true energy surged through Qi Fei’s meridians. To prevent conflict between martial true energy and arcane true essence, Qi Fei restrained his martial true energy at the first stage.

The martial true energy flowed into his meridians, instantly entwining with the new arcane true essence. Qi Fei grew concerned and quickly invoked the “Arcane Heavenly Heart Sutra” to try to separate the martial true energy from the arcane true essence, but unexpectedly, the icy jade energy within his martial soul and spiritual soul mutated, erupting violently from within him.

(P.S.: Total recommendations at 250—I’m dizzy! Please vote, just one vote.)