Refuse, and be sent to the Netherworld...
Qin Xuan carefully read the divination, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
'This trip to the Scripture Pavilion—I can't refuse!'
According to the Golden Finger's hint, if he refused to go, he would be killed on the spot.
'That Qi Blood Pill probably has a problem, too, with huge side effects...'
Qin Xuan clasped his fists, stepped forward, and lowered his gaze.
"Elder Wang, I am willing to go. Please grant me the Qi Blood Pill."
The moment he spoke, the nearby Demon Disciples' eyes widened in shock as they stared at him.
'Does he have a death wish?'
'How dare he actually volunteer?'
'The bodies of those guys we buried this morning aren't even cold... We're all trying to avoid this, and this idiot is rushing to his death?'
'He's even asking for the Qi Blood Pill. Do you think that son of a bitch would hand out anything good?!'
Everyone looked at Qin Xuan like he was an idiot, considering him a dead man walking.
Li Fan quietly tugged on Qin Xuan's sleeve, trying to warn him not to be a fool.
Wang Jian narrowed his eyes. "What did you call me?"
Qin Xuan looked confused. "Elder Wang, did I say something wrong?"
"It's not important. Say it again."
"Elder Wang..."
"Ahhh—" A look of pure ecstasy spread across Wang Jian's face.
Li Fan watched from the side, dumbfounded.
"Brother Qin Xuan, you misspoke. Steward Wang is only at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer and hasn't reached Foundation Establishment yet. In our Holy Sect's Outer Sect, you can only be called an Elder after reaching Foundation Establishment," Li Fan whispered, trying to be helpful.
A frightened Qin Xuan immediately admitted his mistake.
Wang Jian shot Li Fan a meaningful glance, then laughed and patted Qin Xuan's shoulder. "It's fine. I don't mind such things. Just remember not to call me that in public next time. It wouldn't be good if others heard."
"By the way, what was your name again?"
"My name is Qin Xuan, Steward."
"Very good, Qin Xuan. I'll remember that... Oh? You're at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer?"
Steward Wang looked quite impressed and waved his hand grandly. "Looks like yesterday's Yellow Sheep were quite effective. I won't give you a Qi Blood Pill, then. No need to waste a good Pill!"
Wang Jian had seen situations like Qin Xuan's many times before.
After cultivating the Blood Demon Sword Scripture, breakthroughs came easily.
Devouring a dozen or so of those Yellow Sheep, transformed by the Beast Creation Technique, was enough to guarantee a breakthrough to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer. The only drawback was that the True Essence gained this way contained more impurities.
"Yes." Qin Xuan wore a look of regret, his gaze lowered, but inwardly he was secretly relieved.
'The Golden Finger was right. There's definitely something wrong with that Qi Blood Pill.'
"Besides Qin Xuan, is anyone else willing to volunteer?"
SHUFFLE!
Everyone took half a step back. Not a single person stepped forward.
"Only one person is willing?"
"Heh heh, you bunch of Demon Pups."
Steward Wang continued, "Who doesn't want to go? It's within my duties to grant some of you your wish not to go."
'We can actually get out of it?'
Everyone was overjoyed.
One of them was particularly bold.
"Steward Wang, I... I don't want to go!" the man shouted, raising his hand with a joyful expression.
Steward Wang chuckled and walked up to him.
"And what's your name?"
"Steward, I..." The man had just begun to speak when his voice suddenly cut off.
His eyes bulged as he desperately clawed at the hand Steward Wang had wrapped around his neck.
"Sorry, but I've lost interest in hearing your name now."
Pitch-black nails sank into flesh, and with a twist of his large hand...
The man's legs kicked out, his head lolled to the side, and he stared blankly, all signs of life gone.
Bright red blood trickled out like a small stream.
In an instant, a living person was sucked into a withered husk.
"Fucking dog. You had to learn the hard way," Wang Jian snorted coldly.
'In the Holy Sect, are Demon Cultivators even considered human?'
'Of course they are. But you were just a Demon Disciple. And as a Demon Disciple, you should know your place and act like an obedient dog. To dare oppose a proper Steward like me... you were simply courting death.'
Demonic Essence surged in Wang Jian's palm as he brushed the warm blood from his arm, as if nothing had happened.
A chill ran through Qin Xuan's heart.
'The divination is starting to come true.'
Steward Wang asked, "Does anyone else dare to defy the Sect's rules? Anyone who has reached the Qi Cultivation Second Layer but is unwilling to go to the Scripture Pavilion?"
Silence.
A deathly silence.
"It seems everyone is willing, then. In that case, I'll just start picking people."
Steward Wang smiled again, a very happy smile.
The crowd fell deathly silent, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
They finally understood what Steward Wang meant by "granting their wish."
'Only the dead were qualified to refuse.'
'Unwillingness... means death!'
...
It didn't take long for the group to arrive at their destination.
A colossal wooden pavilion stood before them, hundreds of feet tall.
Streaks of light from the Restrictions flashed ceaselessly, weaving with motes of starlight and bathing everything in a magnificent glow.
In the square before the pavilion, there were at least a dozen other squads of Demon Disciples, just like Wang Jian's, brought here to receive Divine Power Techniques. It was a dense crowd of clueless new Demon Disciples.
Seeing so many others present, the Demon Disciples finally felt their hearts settle back into their chests.
'No matter how much of an animal Steward Wang is, he can't just suck our blood in front of all these people, right?'
In front of the Scripture Pavilion, Wang Jian explained, "The Scripture Pavilion has nine floors. Each floor contains a thousand kinds of Magic Techniques and ten thousand Great Daos."
"The first floor is exclusively for Qi Cultivation Cultivators. However, you Demon Pups have Cultivations that are too low, and you have no Contribution Points, so you can only choose from the few free Divine Power Techniques. Choose carefully, and don't get dazzled!"
"Understand?"
The Demon Disciples replied in trembling voices, "Understood!"
"Mm," Steward Wang nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Step forward one by one and receive your Qi Blood Pill."
Wang Jian took out a milky-white Pill. Its fragrance wafted through the air.
Just a simple sniff was enough to make one's mouth water.
"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with this Qi Blood Pill. It will definitely improve your Cultivation. The Scripture Pavilion has a Cultivation requirement—no one below the Qi Cultivation Second Layer may enter."
Hearing Wang Jian repeatedly emphasize that it could improve their Cultivation, his voice seemingly laced with some sort of bewitching art, the Demon Disciples were all tempted.
After they lined up, received, and swallowed the Qi Blood Pills, the qi and blood in their bodies instantly began to surge.
BUZZ!
Auras of the Qi Cultivation Second Layer began to erupt all over the square as mists of Yun Xia rose and swirled.
Li Fan said in pleasant surprise, "I feel stronger! This Qi Blood Pill really can help you break through!"
It was the same for Zhao Youliang and the other Demon Disciples.
Even the majority of the Essence Blood they had lost yesterday seemed to be replenished in that moment.
Qin Xuan, however, noticed that these Demon Disciples who broke through to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer by taking the Qi Blood Pill all had unstable auras and an unnatural flush on their faces. Their True Essence was far from being as condensed as his own.
'This so-called Demon Sect is full of pitfalls!'
'There's a huge problem with this Qi Blood Pill. The so-called increase in Cultivation is clearly bought by overdrawing their qi and blood.'
After the lesson from Chen Xuanba's Blood Escape Talisman, even without the Golden Finger's reminder, Qin Xuan wouldn't have taken the Qi Blood Pill. He had even summed up his second rule for survival in the Demon Sect.
[These fucking Demon Sect Talismans and Pills—the more legitimate they look, the bigger the problem!]
...
"By the way, which one of you is Xiao Ran?"
Steward Wang, who was in the middle of distributing the Qi Blood Pills, suddenly asked casually.
"Replying to the Steward, that would be me."
A voice that was neither servile nor overbearing rang out.
Following the voice, Qin Xuan saw that the speaker was standing in the middle of the line, towards the back.
He was tall and handsome, with an air that made him stand out from the crowd.
"Oh, so you're Xiao Ran!"
Steward Wang's eyes narrowed slightly.
'So you're the little punk who found that wild Red Blood Fruit Tree yesterday, making me lose face in front of Steward Huang?'
"Come here, Xiao Ran. Steward Huang thinks very highly of you and specifically told me to take good care of you. Here, you can have two of these Qi Blood Pills."
Steward Wang beckoned, pulling Xiao Ran in front of Qin Xuan with a familiar gesture.
There were only twelve Qi Blood Pills, and Qin Xuan was the last in line.
If two were given to Xiao Ran, there would be none left for Qin Xuan.
Li Fan couldn't help but speak up for Qin Xuan, timidly saying, "Steward Wang, you promised Junior Brother Qin Xuan a Qi Blood Pill before..."
Qin Xuan looked at Li Fan in astonishment.
Wang Jian said with a smirk, "Qin Xuan is already at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer. He can enter the Scripture Pavilion without a Qi Blood Pill. But you, on the other hand... so enthusiastic. Should I give you an award?"
Li Fan shrank back, instantly falling silent.
Xiao Ran, still neither servile nor overbearing, said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Steward Wang, but I am also at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer and do not need a Qi Blood Pill."
"Fuck! I told you to eat it, so you eat it! I hate posers more than anything!"
Wang Jian couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore. He tore off his friendly mask. With a pull from his palm, his True Essence surged as he grabbed Xiao Ran. He picked up two milky-white Qi Blood Pills and, as easily as grabbing a chick, pinched the boy's neck and violently shoved them into his mouth.
He used so much force that deep, bloody marks were left on Xiao Ran's neck.