Chapter Eight: The Nameless Town
In the desolate wilderness, under the pitch-dark night sky, the occasional cries of wild beasts echoed through the air.
Xiao Lin spoke in a daze, “You’re saying Lin Ling isn’t of the Lin family?”
The man in black replied, “Lin Ling? The Lin family’s young lady does bear the surname Lin, but she is not called Lin Ling. You two, surrender the corpse of the Lin family’s young lady at once.”
Xiao Lin suddenly charged forward, roaring, “Corpse? Are you saying Lin Ling is already dead?”
The man in black hurriedly retreated a few steps and barked, “Stand right there, do not come closer. The Lin family’s young lady died two months ago. The Lin family paid a great price to hire me to find their daughter’s remains.”
Xiao Lin was stunned by these words. Though he had experienced much, he had never heard of such bizarre happenings—especially not involving someone he loved.
Su Fan, however, remained composed. He thought to himself that the aura emanating from the man in black was much like his own—likely at the third level of Qi Refinement. Judging by his cautious manner and long years of training, he must have been practicing for some time. Despite following them for so long, Xiao Lin had not noticed him.
Su Fan said, “You claim the Lin family’s young lady died three months ago. Yet the two of us met her just a month ago.”
The man in black snapped, “Stop trying to evade responsibility. I’ve heard the Lin family’s young lady possessed an extremely yin constitution, making her an ideal vessel for cultivators. You two must have been tempted by greed and harbored wicked intentions. Hand over her corpse at once.”
Su Fan smiled faintly and said, “Perhaps it is you who covets the corpse, intending to keep it for yourself.”
The man in black roared, “Nonsense!” With a subtle movement of his fingers, three slender needles glowing green shot swiftly toward Su Fan’s brow.
Su Fan’s eyes narrowed. He caught the flying needles in one swift motion. They looked like ordinary embroidery needles but pulsed with spiritual energy and contained deadly poison. Had Su Fan reacted even a heartbeat slower, the needles would have struck him and left nothing behind but a pool of blood.
Still smiling, Su Fan said, “A guilty conscience betrays you.”
Xiao Lin lunged to seize the man in black, but the latter moved like a ghost, vanishing in a blink to appear behind Xiao Lin. He struck with a sudden punch, sending Xiao Lin crashing to the ground, coughing up blood.
Su Fan rushed to help, but the man in black flicked his fingers, summoning a ball of flame that burned steadily in his palm. Su Fan instinctively backed away, a short sword already drawn from his sleeve at some unknown moment.
Beads of sweat dripped onto the blade, ticking with each drop. A gust of wind swept by, making Su Fan shiver involuntarily.
Suddenly, the man in black hurled the flame straight at Su Fan. In panic, Su Fan wildly swung his sword, but the fire had already reached him without a sound.
With a cold sneer, the man in black drove the flame fiercely at Su Fan. Su Fan clenched his eyes shut and slashed madly with his sword. There was a sharp, ringing sound. The man in black cried out in disbelief, “How is this possible?”
Su Fan opened his eyes cautiously. The fire had already vanished, though his sword was riddled with cracks, it had not shattered.
When Su Fan looked back at the man in black, he saw him lying collapsed at Su Fan’s feet, though Xiao Lin, still sprawled on the ground, now wore a vicious, satisfied grin.
The man in black muttered in a low voice, “If you kill me, you’ll never find the Lin family’s young lady.”
Su Fan quickly asked, “You know where she is?”
The man in black sneered, “If you truly saw her a month ago, then she must have been possessed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Lin family left a soul token at home, so I am certain she died two months ago.”
Su Fan understood Foundation Establishment—it was the qualitative transformation of spiritual energy after reaching the ninth level of Qi Refinement. Only then did one become a true cultivator.
Su Fan said, “Foundation Establishment? That’s impossible—she didn’t have such cultivation.”
The man in black replied, “Taking possession requires time to recover. Even a Foundation Establishment expert would need some time to restore their power after taking over another body.”
Su Fan pressed on, “Then how do you know how to find Lin Ling?”
With a smug smile, the man in black said, “If you two accompany me, I can guarantee we will find her. But if I tell you now, you’ll surely kill me.”
Xiao Lin quickly said, “Very well, we’ll go with you.”
Su Fan frowned and said, “Wait. You just want us to travel with you so you can find an opportunity to kill us.”
The man in black froze, then suddenly leapt back, preparing to escape.
A murderous gleam flashed in Su Fan’s eyes. He thrust his short sword into the man’s back. The man let out a terrible scream, and the sword broke off inside his body.
Yet the man in black did not fall. In an instant, he vanished from Su Fan’s sight.
Su Fan’s hand, still clutching the sword, trembled uncontrollably. He didn’t even know why he had acted so ruthlessly. Xiao Lin stared at him in shock, then suddenly smiled—a strange and twisted smile. “It seems you’ve grown used to this kind of life,” he said.
Su Fan only smiled faintly, quietly wiping the blood from the broken sword before slipping it into his sleeve.
Suddenly, Su Fan forced another smile—this one strained and unnatural. “As you said, if I didn’t kill him, he’d surely have killed me.”
Xiao Lin exhaled deeply. “But he still got away.”
Su Fan replied, “His cultivation may be no higher than ours, but he can wield magical arts and is extremely cunning. We shouldn’t regret failing to kill him.”
The place marked on the map was not the Tianyuan Sect itself, but a shop run by the sect in a nearby town, specializing in goods for cultivators.
After their harrowing encounter, Su Fan and Xiao Lin hurried toward the town.
It was a small town—perhaps even smaller than Longshi Village—but far more prosperous than Huailiu Town. It had no name and no mortals. From afar, a tall building was visible.
The map described the town in detail. It had been established by the Tianyuan Sect, originally meant to recruit registered disciples for the sect.
Over time, as more cultivators gathered, some began setting up stalls to sell cultivation techniques, pills, and other such wares.
Su Fan and Xiao Lin headed straight for the tall building—not because they knew it was the Tianyuan Sect’s shop, but because it was the only tall building in town.
Most cultivators here were around the sixth level of Qi Refinement. Occasional minor disputes broke out during trades, but rarely did any escalate to life-or-death struggles.
The shop was lavish, glittering with gems and gold everywhere—even the plaque above the door was made of pure gold. Normally, cultivators were above the greed for worldly wealth, but evidently, the Tianyuan Sect was an exception.
The moment they entered, a woman in yellow greeted them. Her lips were as red as if she had drunk blood, her entire being exuding a strong scent of powder and perfume.
She called out in a shrill voice, “Gentlemen, what can I get for you today?”
Su Fan quickly replied, “We are here to register as disciples of the Tianyuan Sect.”
The woman's smile immediately vanished, replaced by a cold expression. “Jade tubes,” she demanded.
They hurriedly presented their jade tubes. She pressed them to her brow, her coquettish eyes flickering. “Wait here a moment. Someone from the sect will come for you shortly.”
Su Fan was about to thank her, but she shot him a contemptuous glance before turning away toward the counter, muttering under her breath, “With such poor aptitude, how did they even get jade tubes? Was the person handing them out blind?”
Her voice was low but shrill—Su Fan heard every word, though he kept his expression unchanged, as if he hadn’t.
Few people came or went from the shop. By noon, only ten people had entered, six of whom were also there to register. Su Fan didn’t examine them closely, but from their conversation, it seemed they all came from the same clan.
Around midday, a young man in green entered. The woman in yellow immediately greeted him, her enthusiasm surpassing that shown to any customer.
She clung to his sleeve, pouting flirtatiously, “Brother Liu, you’re finally here! Did Master say when I can go back?”
The young man in green could barely conceal his annoyance, trying to evade her as he replied, “Master said he’ll speak to the elders in a few days. Maybe you can go home then.”
A glint of gold flashed in her eyes. She pressed, “And what about Ergou? That little bastard tattled on me—Master must have accepted him as a formal disciple by now.”
“Ergou?” Su Fan exclaimed.
Xiao Lin looked puzzled, “Do you know him?”
Su Fan waved his hand dismissively. “Probably not the one I know.” Yet, the familiar, overbearing face slowly surfaced in his mind.
Unable to endure her pestering any longer, the young man in green shouted, “Junior sister, I’m here on business!”
She quickly let go, feigning a look of wounded innocence.
He turned to address Su Fan and the others. “You eight are here to register as disciples, correct?”
They all replied, “Yes.”
He smiled. “Very well. This session, three hundred people are registering. You eight are the last group. For five years, the Tianyuan Sect will provide you with a cultivation dwelling and some basic techniques. After five years, there will be a competition among the registered disciples. Those who perform well will be selected as formal disciples. Those who are not chosen will need to pay spirit stones to receive another jade tube and try again.”
Su Fan thought to himself, “That man in black was so formidable—he must have cultivated advanced techniques. The fire he conjured was incredibly powerful. Though I broke his attack with a single slash, his strength should not be underestimated.”
The young man in green glanced around, pausing briefly on Su Fan before continuing, “For the next five years, you are not permitted to leave your designated dwellings. Can you all comply?”
Su Fan sighed inwardly, thinking of his mother at home—he had been away for days. Yet when he imagined the glory awaiting him upon achieving immortality, his resolve only hardened. He nodded silently to himself.