I Only Wanted to Stay Unseen, Until...

After a brief moment, the black sky boat flew out of Deerspring town like a streak of light. Pay Ling, experiencing flight for the first time in this world, not in the mood to enjoy the scenery around him. Instead, he stood on the deck with his eyes downcast, focusing on his breathing and doing his best to appear as low-key as possible. 

Fairy Lith had already returned into the cabin suite before the ship departed, leaving the three men standing awkwardly on the deck. Kinson Zheng's brows furrowed, a dark aura flickering in his eyes as he glared at Pay Ling. "Who gave you the courage to barge into my place?" he growled, his voice low and threatening.

Pay Ling's mind raced as he desperately tried to come up with a plausible excuse. 

Damn it, it's not like I wanted to be there! Do you trust me that I don't want to do this either?

Kinson Zheng's eyes narrowed dangerously as he waited for a response. If this delay reply happened just a short while ago, he wouldn't bothered waiting answers, maybe simply struck Pay Ling down without a second thought. However, Pay Ling was brought onto the ship by Fairy Lith's tacit approval, and Kinson Zheng wasn't sure what her intentions. Watching this insignificant disciple, Zheng's mind churned with suspicion and curiosity.

Then, suddenly, Kinson Zheng's expression shifted as he realized something. "Why the mark of the Bone Raksha painting's dissipated?!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Did Fairy Lith remove it?"

Pay Ling was momentarily stunned by the word. It was only then that he noticed his cultivation layer had advanced yet again—he was now at the 4th layer of Qi Refining stage. He quickly steadied himself, preparing to respond, but Pay Honine cut in.

"Fourth level of Qi Refining?!" Pay Honine blurted out, his voice filled with shock and disbelief. As the young master, heir, of the Pay clan and an outer disciple in the Profound Abyss Pit Sect, he was well aware of Pay Ling's previous cultivation level. Just a month ago, he returned from the Sect, and at that moment Pay Ling was only a 2nd layer cultivator of Qi Refining stage. How could he have advanced two levels in such a short time?

Kinson Zheng's eyes narrowed as he listened to Pay Honine's explanation. A thought flashed in his mind, then he quickly checked his belonging perks. The expression darkened as he realized that ten Bone Tempering Pills were missing. These pills were typically used in cultivating the Bone Forging Art, and under normal circumstances, consume only one single pill at a time is more than enough. The fact is clear that ten pills missing meant that Pay Ling had snuck into his residence not for only one time, instead, this brat done this despicable behavior for at least TEN times!

In Kinson Zheng's mind, Pay Honine was nothing more than a loyal dog, no, the entire Pay family was like a pack of dogs groveling at his feet. And Pay Ling? A lowest status figure in Pay clan, he's not even allowed to approach the nearby area of Evergreen Courtyard. And yet, no matter how this brat appeared to be meek and humble, he snuck into his residence place, stolen his pills, cultivated in his room! And this cunt did all these despicable behaviors under the hateful gaze of the Bone Raksha painting, not for only once, but for WHOLE TEN TIMES!

Well, at this very moment, Kinson Zheng didn't realize that he's definitely thinking in the same way just like Wu Tinshee, his FellowDao Sect mate who's dead not long ago. 

"Had I been in the sect for too long, thus I couldn't realize how bold these wild outside cultivators had become?"

They're in desperate, willing to risk the lives for merely ten Bone Tempering Pills..." He wondered. "Or am I, as disciples of the giant sect, resting on my laurels, losing my indomitable spirit to struggle for reaching the pinnacle of Dao? Without even realizing this truth?"

No mercy waits, no gentle hand to guide,

Through blood and fire, the Dao is earned, not tried.

A chill flickered through his heart, yet amidst that icy tremor, Kinson Zheng found he's looking at Pay Ling with new eyes.

Though he still harbored resentment, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration. After all, in a world steeped in the brutal creed of the strong devouring the weak, Pay Ling's actions—though deemed reckless and hardly worth the risk in Kinson Zheng's eyes—spoke volumes. To leap from the measly 2nd layer of Qi Condensation to the 4th was a foolish gain, certainly not worth staking his life for. And yet, this ruthless, no-holds-barred pursuit of power resonated faintly with the profound truth of the Great Dao itself.

Bold beyond measure, still young in years, merciless to his clan and equally unforgiving to himself. Winning him over wouldn't cost much… … Yet, even with these qualities, Kinson Zheng doubted that Pay Ling would be enough to catch the attention of someone like Fairy Lith. As a successor disciple of the Abyss Pit Sect and a candidate for the position of Saintess, her standards of useful minion were far beyond what Kinson Zheng could imagine.

With these thoughts in mind, Kinson Zheng suppressed his anger and gave Pay Ling a measured look. Reaching into his storage pouch, he retrieved a bone blade. 

The weapon was about four feet long, its blade pristine and unblemished save for a single crimson line running down its center, as though blood had been freshly drawn. The hilt was adorned with intricate carvings of ferocious, fanged demons, their grotesque faces twisted in expressions of hunger and malice. The moment the saber appeared, faint, eerie wails seemed to echo in the air, sending a chill down the spines of all present.

Pay Ling's guard shot up at the sight, his muscles tensing instinctively. However, Kinson Zheng made no move to strike. Instead, he flipped the blade around, gripping only the tip of the blade hilt between two fingers. His voice was calm but carried an edge of authority as he spoke, "You both played a part in capturing Wu Tinshee. While the fifty Bone Tempering Pills have already been awarded, the two of you have yet to receive any personal reward. We Abyss Pit Sect is fair in its rewards and punishments. Here's what I'll do: I'll use only twenty percent of my strength. Take turns trying to pull this blade from my grip. Whoever succeeds will take Life Hater, this blade, as his prize."

Pay Honine, who had been too preoccupied to pay much attention to Pay Ling earlier, now couldn't help but notice that his once-mediocre clansman had reached the same level of cultivation as himself. A mix of envy and jealousy churned within him, but Kinson Zheng's offer quickly overshadowed those feelings. "Thank you, Senior Brother Zheng!" Pay Honine exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement. "Your generosity knows no bounds. This humble junior is deeply grateful!"

Without a second thought, he strode forward, his hands wrapping around the hilt of the blade. With a mighty tug, he pulled with all his strength.

The Blade of Life Hater didn't budge an inch.

Pay Honine's expression grew solemn, his brows knitting together. Drawing a deep breath, he summoned the full force of his vitality, the blood coursing through his veins like a rushing river. His cultivation at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement surged to life. He yanked at the hilt again with everything he had—yet still, it remained utterly motionless!

Time and again he tried, but the blade mocked his efforts with its unshakable stillness. Not even the faintest tremor stirred Kinson Zheng's fingertips as he observed. Pay Honine's face burned with a mix of shame and frustration, his heart unwilling to surrender. He steeled himself for one more attempt, but Kinson Zheng's patience had run dry. With a dismissive wave, he cut in sharply, "Enough. Your strength falls short. Step aside."

With those words, his gaze shifted to Pay Ling.

Kinson Zheng's gaze then shifted to Pay Ling, "Your turn."

With those words spoken, his gaze shifted toward Pay Ling.

Pay Ling couldn't fathom why Kinson Zheng's had suddenly decided to let bygones be bygones, even going so far as to offer the Blade of Life Hater as a reward. But in a moment like this, what room did he have to refuse?

Yet just as he stepped forward, a shiver jolted through him.

His left arm—the one struck earlier by Wu Tinshee's Five Poison Finger—still bore a wound deep enough to glimpse bone. Though the poison had been purged and dual cultivation had mended much of the damage, it hadn't fully healed. His right hand, thankfully, was unscathed. The problem? His right palm was clenched tight around the Spirit Nourishing Pill he'd just pilfered from Fairy Lith!

What now?

Kinson Zheng noticed his hesitation, and his face darkened slightly.

This Pay Ling… When Pay clan's chief had ordered him to the main hall of the Pay Mansion to heed his commands, he'd been meek and obedient. Yet now he dared to dawdle? Did he think himself special just because Senior Sister had shown him some favor, so he could put on airs like some puffed-up peacock?!

If that was the case, this brat was nothing impressive after all.

"Insolent Pay Ling!" Pay Honine, still smarting from his own failure, seized the chance to twist the knife. His eyes rolled as he barked, "Senior Brother Zheng is offering you a reward, and you dawdle like this? What, do you look down on Blade of Life Hater?!"

"Fu.. you! Play scheme my ass in a freaking cultivation world! I'll remember you, you bastard!" Pay Ling cursed Pay Honine inwardly. 

"And damn this idiotic system too! I never should've given that brain-dead thing a five-star review!"

His mind raged, the Spirit Nourishing Pill's "gifted" by the system had a backstory so suffocatingly absurd he could choke on it. But with no other choice now, he steeled himself, extended his left hand and grasped the Blade of Life Hater.

At that very moment, the light around them dimmed abruptly.

Pay Ling froze, his eyes darting around. No clouds blotted out the sky, no shadow cloaked the sun. Bewildered, he squinted—only to notice faint wisps of black mist rising from the deck.

The mist emerged without warning, spreading with eerie speed. In moments, it reached up to their waists, bringing with it a bone-chilling cold that seemed to pierce straight into their souls.

Pay Ling and Pay Honine clenched their jaws against the shivers rattling their teeth. As the brothers gaped in shock, the black mist churned like a stormy sea, as if summoned by some unseen will. It surged toward a spot not far from them, coiling into a towering pillar of inky fog, over a dozen meters high, its presence as majestic and menacing as a dragon!

Then, with a thunderous crash, the pillar collapsed. In its place stood two translucent ladies clad in palace attire.

The lady on the left wore her hair in an elegant high bun, adorned with a floral crown. Her features were delicate and lovely, though her face was deathly pale. The one on the right looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, her beauty refined and ethereal, with twin spiral buns and a circlet of jade beads. Several indigo butterflies fluttered around her, their wings dusting the air with faint blue sparkles as they danced.

Both wore flowing, wide-sleeved robe dress that shimmered like silk, though the fabric faded into swirling black mist below their knees. They hovered above the deck, turning their heads in unison to gaze at the three men. Their eyes, devoid of pupils, were pools of fathomless black, unsettlingly strange.

"Senior Sister's phantom maids," Kinson Zheng muttered, his pupils contracting. A flicker of wariness crossed his face as he bowed his head in respect. "Greetings Lady Joanie, Lady Willow. Does Senior Sister, her highness, have orders for us?"

"My mistress commands you all to retire to your cabins and rest," the lady on the left said coolly. "Should you need anything, ring the bell in your room."

Kinson Zheng hastened to ask, "And Senior Sister, does she... "

The younger lady on the right giggled behind her hand, a flash of blue glinting in her inky eyes. She didn't spare him a glance, her voice soft as a whisper. "My mistress also said that unless it's a matter of grave importance, no one is to disturb her on the top deck until we reach the sect."

Kinson Zheng fell silent at once, cowed by her words. Satisfied, she swept her gaze over the trio, curiosity sparking in her tone. "What are you all up to doing?"

"Replying to Lady Willow," Pay Honine mumbled, head low and spirits lower, "Senior Brother Zheng was testing us." He recounted the ordeal in a dejected tone.

The two ladies exchanged a look. Joanie's interest piqued, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "So, you've already failed, and now it's up to your clan junior here?"

Pay Honine gave an awkward laugh. "Yes, ma'am."

Joanie's gaze slid to Pay Ling, her smile teasing yet cryptic. "Well then, go on. Let us see the fun."

Those deep, abyssal eyes locked onto him, sending a chill prickling up Pay Ling's spine. He ducked his head hastily, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His right hand still clutched the Spirit Nourishing Pill—one stolen from their mistress!