Chapter 87: The Anointment

Sima Liuguang let out a cold laugh and said, “Right and wrong will be judged fairly. The Heavenly Confucian Sect will investigate thoroughly and give justice to the fallen disciple.”

Gu Tian’s eyes shifted; he knew when to stop. Otherwise, the distribution of benefits would be delayed, and the longer it dragged on, the greater the risk. It was best to settle things quickly.

Straightening his posture, he spoke solemnly, “In my opinion, we should first divide the shares of profit, then unite the five sects to investigate the matter concerning the Heavenly Confucian Sect. What do you all think?”

Naturally, Jiuhua had no objection—she was either first or second. The Twin Fiends of Harmony had no objection either, since they ranked third. Wuchen of the Refining Yuan Temple could only follow the majority.

Sima Liuguang had no choice but to agree, for he was destined to take the last place.

Seeing no objections, Gu Tian instructed Ge Qian to bring out the spirit herbs. Ge Qian did not dare to delay and immediately handed a prepared storage pouch to Elder Cui Yun.

Elder Cui’s heart was filled with joy, knowing that he had bet on the right person. This youth had played dumb while hiding his true prowess. For him to come out unscathed, he must have succeeded. Cui Yun accepted the storage pouch with apparent calm, then meticulously used his detection technique to search Ge Qian from head to toe.

But Cui Yun was only going through the motions. He did not activate the detection technique. With a sweep of his spiritual sense across Ge Qian’s body, he discovered another storage pouch, bulging with contents. He immediately understood.

A cold sneer flickered in his heart. This fellow, taking advantage of my lack of inspection, had embezzled quite a few spirit herbs. Calculating at every turn.

After completing the inspection, Elder Cui Yun announced, “No hoarding detected. Passed! Now I will tally the spirit herbs.”

He deliberately pulled out the herbs one by one. At the first herb, the Heavenly Star Sect and the Beast Master Sect tied for first place again. With the second herb, the outcome was immediately clear—Heavenly Star Sect had won.

Liu Xixi, an elite disciple of the Beast Master Sect, trembled uncontrollably, cursing silently, “You despicable, shameless Ge Qian! No wonder you spared me—it was all to create the illusion that the Beast Master Sect massacred the Heavenly Confucian Sect. In truth, you killed Sima Tu and seized the Supreme Spirit Fruit King, yet now you make my sect take the blame. If not for my vow to the heart demon, I would expose you!”

But after careful consideration, she realized that even if she spoke out, Gu Tian would protect him for the benefit of the Heavenly Star Sect. She endured the indignation. “Ge Qian, just you wait. When my Beast Master Sect completes that grand plan, you won’t even be worthy to carry our shoes.”

Bai Ruyu’s heart was in turmoil, unable to calm down for a long time. “Ge Qian, you truly surprise me. We came out early and collected more herbs, but what use was it? You seized the opportunity at precisely the right moment, and with just a few words, pushed the Beast Master Sect and the Heavenly Confucian Sect into opposition. No wonder he waited for me in the Valley of Resentment. Had I not agreed, I would have ended up like Sima Tu, then blamed Liu Xixi, Jue Ming, Liu Mei—while he walked free. Ruthless and decisive. Best not to scheme against him again.”

Cui Yun produced a total of twenty spirit herbs, then reported to Gu Tian, “Grand Elder, Heavenly Star Sect collected one thousand eight hundred and sixteen herbs, sixteen more than the Beast Master Sect.”

Gu Tian burst out laughing. “For this minor event, Heavenly Star Sect takes first place. No objections, I trust?”

Jiuhua, full of resentment, replied, “It’s mere luck, not skill. But my Beast Master Sect stands with honor and accepts defeat. Consider it your win. According to tradition, Heavenly Star Sect will receive the greatest profits from Five Peaks City for the next sixty years.”

“Our victory is due to luck, you say? Let me tell you—luck is the convergence of fate and opportunity. All of us who have cultivated to this level rely on fortune to some degree. And I’ll tell you, his luck isn’t over yet. I will reward him by using my primordial pill energy to cleanse his marrow and sinews, enhancing his constitution. He will return and advance directly to the Foundation Establishment stage in seclusion.” With these words, Gu Tian cast a provocative glance at Jiuhua, thinking, “You claim he’s lucky? I’ll give him the greatest luck, infuriate you, leave you with heart demons, and see how you advance to the Infant Transformation stage.”

Gu Tian himself had long been unable to advance to the Infant Transformation stage, but he cherished his reputation. Those who knew him never forgot to praise his past feats before asking for favors, making things easier—like Wuchen, who understood him best and always lavished him with compliments upon meeting.

As expected, Jiuhua’s expression changed, trembling with rage; her chest heaved violently. Originally, had the Beast Master Sect won, she would have achieved a triple crown and used this momentum to break through to the Infant Transformation stage. Now it was all ruined, all because of an insignificant ant whom she could crush with a single step—yet she could not. Watching him reap greater benefits, her centuries-long pride was wounded, heart demons stirred wildly. Fortunately, as a late-stage Pill Condensation cultivator, she was able to suppress the heart demons with her power.

Inwardly, she cursed Gu Tian fiercely, “Old bastard, primordial pill energy is the foundation of Pill Condensation cultivators. Mana can be replenished, but pill energy requires lengthy accumulation. Every bit spent is gone forever. Use it, then—let it drain you dry.”

Gu Tian saw Jiuhua’s face flush, then settle into calm, and was pleased. He reached out and grasped Ge Qian’s crown, channeling his core pill to extract a strand of pill energy, infusing it directly into Ge Qian’s body to cleanse his marrow, strengthen his constitution, reinforce his foundation, refine his meridians, and forge his dantian.

Gu Tian stood at the pinnacle of late Pill Condensation stage; the purity of his pill energy was unmatched among those present. As the pill energy entered Ge Qian’s body, it became wild and ferocious, pushing out hidden impurities.

Ge Qian had refined the Supreme Spirit Fruit King, but with his Nascent Qi stage cultivation, he could not absorb it all. Much remained in his body.

Gu Tian’s pill energy infusion now thoroughly activated it, transforming it into pure substance that merged with the walls of Ge Qian’s dantian, storing it for explosive growth at Foundation Establishment—a benefit beyond measure.

Gu Tian frowned, astonished. Normally, a Nascent Qi stage cultivator would need only a strand of pill energy for marrow cleansing; more would cause their body to explode. Yet, despite Ge Qian’s agony, he was far from bursting. This youth was extraordinary, his potential vast.

Gu Tian was always decisive. “Let’s see how much pill energy you can absorb.” He ran his core pill again, sending another strand into Ge Qian.

Still not enough—another strand. In total, three strands of pill energy entered, and only then did Ge Qian’s body swell like a ball.

Gu Tian felt relieved. “This freak is finally full. I’ve spent three strands of primordial pill energy; it will take ten years of hard cultivation to recover. Now, the rest is up to his fortune.”

Direct pill energy infusion was extremely dangerous and could easily lead to explosion and death. Everything depended on the recipient’s ability to refine the energy: success would bring great advancement; failure would scatter them to pieces.

Ge Qian was in excruciating pain. Without his cultivation of the Mountain Shifting Art, he would have died long ago. Now, he dared not think too much and immediately followed the Sword of Six Paths cultivation method, refining the pill energy and merging it into his dantian wall.

He was preparing to open the Purple Mansion and advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.