Heavenly Sound Sect.
Under Broken Hearts Cliff.
A river meandered through the mountains, its surface clear and calm, shimmering under the sun.
Boom!
A dull sound came from the riverbank, from a small wooden cabin.
The cabin had two floors, surrounded by a fence.
Inside the fence, spirit herbs grew, their faint fragrance spreading all around.
On the second floor, Jiang Hao was flung aside, hitting a wall. A stunning woman in sheer clothing appeared beside him in a heartbeat, her longsword held against his neck. The blade cut his skin, and crimson blood slowly oozed out.
At that moment, Jiang Hao felt death was just a step away.
It was a disaster he hadn't foreseen.
Last night, after tending to the spirit herbs and preparing to cultivate, a woman with a flushed face and chaotic vital qi suddenly appeared.
Her figure was graceful, her beauty unparalleled, but her mind seemed unclear.
She must have been poisoned or experienced a setback in cultivation.
Jiang Hao had no intention of helping, but the woman’s cultivation level was unfathomable as she dragged him to the second floor by force and was anything but gentle.
Experiencing such a thing for the first time, it wasn't entirely unpleasant, but he was at the mercy of her actions.
The woman was undeniably flawless, perfect in every way, if only her eyes upon waking weren't filled with killing intent, she would have been even more perfect.
At dawn, with her sanity restored, she wielded her sword against him.
And that's how he found himself in this predicament.
Now, Jiang Hao could see from her cold eyes a trace of shame, probably recalling the events of the previous night.
She seemed to hesitate whether to deliver a killing blow.
"Are you a disciple of the Heavenly Sound Sect?" The woman asked coldly.
Jiang Hao dared not nod with the sword at his throat. He could only croak out hoarsely, "Yes."
"Swallow this." The woman handed him a pill with an expressionless face.
Jiang Hao, though taller than her, felt like he was being looked down upon.
An authoritative gaze.
"What is this?" he asked instinctively.
Boom!
Her long leg kicked his stomach, forcing his mouth open, and the pill slipped down his throat.
Witnessing this, the woman grabbed her fallen clothing, shrouded herself in a pink mist, and disappeared through the window.
Once sure she was gone, Jiang Hao let out a heavy sigh of relief, touching the wound on his neck which had already formed a scab before starting to think.
"I almost used my one and only death substitution. This woman is insanely powerful."
He stepped onto the balcony, looking around, still shaken.
Though unrivaled in beauty and having shared a night, in the world of cultivation, making a cooked meal of raw rice doesn't earn one's favor, especially not within the Demonic Sect.
One careless move and he might end up under attack for some whimsical reason.
"Life in the harmonious world was better," Jiang Hao sighed, shaking his head.
He had traveled to this world nineteen years ago.
From birth until being driven out and secretly sold to the Demonic Sect by his stepmother, his early life had been rough. If not for his aptitude in cultivation and the fact that the Demonic Sect was recruiting, he might have ended up as a sacrificial spirit.
Given the chance, he would have chosen a renowned and righteous sect.
Like the Vast Heaven Sect, known as the strongest.
Alas, he had no such luck and had to scrape by in the Demonic Sect.
Mercifully, cultivating brought some changes to him.
He gained a few things.
Jiang Hao focused and saw a panel invisible to others.
[Name: Jiang Hao]
[Age: Nineteen]
[Cultivation: Ninth Level of Qi Refining]
[Technique: Hundred Revolutions of Heavenly Sound]
[Divine Ability: Nine Revolutions Death Substitution (Unique), Daily Appraisal (Locked)]
[Vital Qi: 100/100 (Cultivable)]
[Cultivation: 100/100 (Cultivable)]
[Divine Ability: 1/3 (Unattainable)]
Seeing this, he exhaled deeply, knowing that his vital qi, cultivation, and divine ability came from constant accumulation.
Planting spirit herbs, clearing spirit beasts, wandering here and there allowed him to gather the bubbles and collect these resources.
Not just vital qi and cultivation, but also treasures and cultivation aids.
However, amassing vitality and cultivation to a hundred wasn't easy. It took him several years just to reach a hundred for the second time.
The first time made his body tougher and advanced his cultivation from the third to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
Luckily he could digest it slowly, avoiding too much attention.
Thus, he had moved from an outer disciple to an inner disciple.
Here at Broken Hearts Cliff, overseeing the Spirit Herb Garden.
Navigating the sect became more convenient, and while it was quicker to improve his cultivation, pretending otherwise was risky.
In the Demonic Sect...
A careless mistake could lead to death at a fellow disciple's hands for some frivolous reason.
Even one's purity could be at risk.
Last night was undeniable proof.
Divine ability differs from vital qi and cultivation. While vitality and cultivation permit refinement at ten, divine abilities require three fragments to form one intact power.
Thus far, he had only obtained one divine ability, Daily Appraisal.
Nine Revolutions Death Substitution was innate.
After a moment of pause.
He returned to his room, fixing his gaze on the blood-streaked sheet with a sigh, deciding to change it.
The reason he survived could be partly due to these traces of blood.
"Who is she? If she's from Heavenly Sound Sect, that spells trouble."
"If she harbors a grudge and comes for my life, that's bad."
Being used then slain, he would ultimately be the one bearing the loss.
Failing to protect himself, he felt shame.
After tidying up the bedding, Jiang Hao left for the Spirit Herb Garden to tend to the emotion-severing grass.
Once night falls, he planned to attempt forming his foundation.
With vital qi and cultivation at a hundred, the conversion rate was not the same as at ten.
"I also need to visit the book pavilion to check what pill she forced on me."
On the way, Jiang Hao mulled over his next steps.
"Her appearance wasn't normal, I need to be cautious."
Heavenly Sound Sect is a top-tier sect.
Though unlikely to be overrun by righteous sects, it's still necessary to be on guard.