Chapter 10: Mutation

"Splurt!" Yitianxing threw himself between Zhang Ping, Lin Fan, and Qingyue, taking the full force of Qingyue's palm. Blood spurted from his mouth as he was knocked flying, landing heavily on the ground, his face drained of color.

Qingyue was an inner disciple, her cultivation at least at the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage. Though she hadn't struck with full strength and restrained some of her power at the last moment, Yitianxing was just an ordinary man, without the slightest trace of cultivation. How could he possibly withstand such a blow?

With just a single strike, Yitianxing was severely injured—spitting blood, sent flying, his muscles and bones fractured in ways he could not even fathom.

"Tianxing, why must you go to such lengths? Second Senior Brother merely intended to give a light punishment. Why did you intervene? Now you've been wounded by mistake, and when Master returns and sees you like this, how will Second Senior Brother explain himself? Truly, you... ah!" Ye Tianxing spoke with a look of pained regret.

Qingyue, who had felt a pang of guilt for having injured Yitianxing, suddenly grew cold at Ye Tianxing's words.

"This brat relies on Master’s favor and dares use such despicable tricks. If Master were to return and discover I’d harmed him, with Master’s temperament, I’d surely be harshly punished—or perhaps never be taught again," Qingyue thought rapidly. Her gaze toward Yitianxing became colder still.

"What a cunning ruse—truly sinister in intent," Qingfeng sneered, clearly furious at Yitianxing’s actions.

"All this for the sake of two servants, casting Qingyue into wrongdoing—what a fine junior brother you are," Qingfeng said icily, his look at Yitianxing thick with loathing and anger.

"Senior Brother, I..." Yitianxing’s breath was weak, agony from shattered bones making even breathing a struggle, his face ghastly pale.

"Enough!" Qingfeng shouted. "We have no such junior brother! Qingyue, Tianxing, let’s go!" With a sweep of his sleeve, Qingfeng turned and strode off in fury. Qingyue gave Yitianxing a final cold glance and left as well.

As Qingfeng and Qingyue departed in anger, a chillingly triumphant smile appeared on Ye Tianxing’s lips.

"Yitianxing, so what if you were lucky enough to become Master’s disciple? In the palm of my hand, you’re still at my mercy. Ha ha..." At this moment, Ye Tianxing was filled with pride.

The news that Yitianxing had been accepted as a disciple by the Daoist Master Wuchen had deeply unsettled him, and seeing Wuchen’s evident favoritism only made his resentment stronger. In his eyes, this was something that should have belonged to him, and Yitianxing had snatched it away.

Once, Yitianxing had been a nobody in the Ye family, a stray child beneath even the servants in his eyes. Yet overnight, he had become a disciple of Daoist Master Wuchen. If Yitianxing truly embarked on the path of immortality, with Wuchen’s affection for him, Yitianxing would surely rise above Ye Tianxing. How could Ye Tianxing stand to see this happen?

He was determined to make Yitianxing’s life in the Qingyun Sect unbearable. The first step was to turn Qingfeng and Qingyue against him.

Ye Tianxing’s cold, triumphant smile burned in Yitianxing’s mind, filling him with seething rage. Overcome with fury, he coughed up another mouthful of blood, and unable to support himself any longer, his vision went black and he lost consciousness.

"Young master..." Zhang Ping and Lin Fan were both startled and rushed to carry Yitianxing into the cave dwelling. Leaving Lin Fan to watch over him, Zhang Ping hurried off in search of help.

Three days later, Yitianxing finally awoke from his coma, the pain within his body making him frown. Still, the severity was within his endurance—though his broken bones would need time to heal.

Qingyue’s strike would have been fatal to anyone else. But Yitianxing had, since childhood, accumulated vast reserves of spiritual energy within his body, energy that had crystallized and solidified his meridians. Though he had yet to truly enter the gates of cultivation, his meridians were already restored, and even stronger than ordinary people’s. Thus, despite the heavy blow, his meridians suffered no serious damage. Gravely wounded, yes, but his life was not in danger.

"Young master, you’re finally awake!" Zhang Ping and Lin Fan exclaimed in delight when he opened his eyes.

"How are you feeling now?" they asked, hurrying to his side with anxious expressions.

"I’m all right." Seeing their concern, Yitianxing felt a warmth in his heart and shook his head with a faint smile.

"As long as you’re all right. I’ll go make you something to eat."

"I’ll fetch you some water."

The two were overjoyed and bustled out of the room. Watching their retreating figures, Yitianxing felt a pang of emotion. Other than his master, these were the only people who cared for and tended to him.

On the tranquil mountain peak, beneath a sparse scattering of stars and a bright moon, Yitianxing sat alone on the ground, gazing blankly at the night sky. He had never imagined he would one day enter the gate of the immortals. In his imagination, the immortal sect should be a place of beauty and harmony.

Yet, now that he had truly entered, he found that so-called immortals were nothing more than mortals possessing great power. The so-called immortal sect was but another mundane order, rife with deceit and intrigue—indeed, even more sordid than the secular world.

A chill wind rose in the night. Yitianxing drew his clothes tighter around himself, the daze in his eyes gradually fading to clarity. Memories of being bullied in the Ye family, scorned by others, having the Serpent Tongue Herb stolen by Ye Tianxing, and now being spurned by his senior brothers in the Qingyun Sect—all these flashed through his mind. His fist clenched slowly.

"Ye Tianxing, you and I are irreconcilable enemies!"

Sitting cross-legged, Yitianxing closed his eyes and began to cultivate. Threads of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth flowed into his body with each breath, coursing through his limbs and gathering in his dantian. Yet, as always, the moment the energy entered his dantian, it vanished without a trace, as though sinking into the sea.

At dawn, sunlight bathed the mountain peak. Yitianxing slowly opened his eyes and exhaled, disappointment in his expression. Over the long night, he had clearly felt spiritual energy flowing within him, yet the moment it reached his dantian, it vanished. As an ordinary man, he could not perceive his dantian—he had no way of knowing where that energy had gone.

He rose with a hint of melancholy, and with a dejected air, made his way back to the cave dwelling. After hurriedly finishing his breakfast, he buried himself in cultivation once more.

Day after day, Yitianxing remained in seclusion, almost as if possessed, causing Zhang Ping and Lin Fan mounting concern.

"Do you think young master will be all right?"

"I hope so, but if he keeps this up, will his body be able to take it?" Lin Fan replied.

They exchanged worried glances, shaking their heads with a sigh—they truly didn’t know what to do.

"He’s still just an ordinary person. This won’t do. Maybe tonight we should knock him out so he’ll get some real rest," Zhang Ping suggested.

"Isn’t that a bit much?" Lin Fan hesitated.

"Do you really want to watch him collapse?"

At that, Lin Fan gritted his teeth. "All right, if young master still won’t rest tonight, we’ll knock him out."

Night fell once more. Zhang Ping and Lin Fan crept quietly toward the cave dwelling.

Inside, Yitianxing looked gaunt and withered, sitting motionless on the bed like a wooden statue. His breathing had grown erratic—on the verge of a cultivation mishap.

The two crept to his side, exchanged a glance, and prepared to strike him unconscious. But before they could move, Yitianxing’s eyes flew open. In an instant, two piercing beams of light shot from his eyes, illuminating the dark cave as if it were day.

Those were beams of light emanating from his gaze, and a strange aura filled the room. Under its influence, Zhang Ping and Lin Fan stood frozen, unable to move...