Storms Within the Sect, Chapter 18: Elder Bai’s Shock and Suspicion

Just as Chu Xing felt as though he were about to be torn apart, the stone bead within his dantian released a faint, cooling energy, barely managing to protect his heart and meridians.

I do not know how much time passed before that bone-chilling, heart-wrenching pain slowly receded. Chu Xing let out a long, ragged breath that carried a faint metallic stench, and he collapsed onto his bed, completely exhausted.

He propped himself up to sit, acutely sensing a difference. The sense of power in his fists felt several times more solid than before. Looking down, he saw that a layer of foul-smelling, black impurities had seeped out through his pores.

"This gray mist... it can actually refine the body!"

A burst of wild joy erupted in Chu Xing's eyes. This was truly a case of heaven providing a way out!

This discovery set Chu Xing’s heart ablaze. Yet, at the mere thought of the excruciating torture he had just endured, he couldn't help but shudder.

But then he thought of Wang Meng's insufferable face, and he gritted his teeth, not hesitating for a second.

"Again!"

He drew more of the gray mist from the stone bead and inhaled it.

"Urgh..."

A stifled groan echoed once more through the small room.

After a night of inhuman torment, the horizon began to pale before Chu Xing finally stopped.

Within his dantian, the gray mist stored in the stone bead had been mostly consumed. As for him, he lay paralyzed on the bed, not moving a muscle, too tired to even lift his eyelids.

It was not until the sun was high in the sky that Chu Xing climbed out of bed. He twisted his neck, and an unprecedented sense of lightness washed over his entire body.

He threw a casual punch, which produced a low, whistling sound in the air; its power was significantly greater than before!

Looking at the thin wisp of medicinal mist left in the stone bead, he thought that it would be better to trade his contribution points for herbs, as the effects had left him highly satisfied.

After a moment's thought, he pushed the door open and headed straight for the Contribution Hall.

He had just reached the entrance of the alley when he bumped into five people. Leading them was a tall, sturdy youth, while Zhao Hu followed behind with a pale face, his eyes darting around, not daring to meet Chu Xing's gaze.

Chu Xing sneered, "What? Here to deliver contribution points?"

Zhao Hu's face went white. The youth looked Chu Xing up and down. "You're Chu Xing? My name is Li Mang, at the ninth stage of Body Refining. I heard you beat that piece of trash Zhao Hu yesterday?"

Hearing the word "trash," Zhao Hu's mouth twitched. He felt it was strange himself; how did he lose to an outer sect bottom-feeder?

Li Mang, clearly oblivious to Zhao Hu’s internal struggle, cupped his hands toward Chu Xing. "Li Mang, initiating a plunder challenge."

Chu Xing looked at Zhao Hu and suddenly smiled. "Fine. But a challenge needs a stake, doesn't it? If I win, the contribution points of everyone present belong to me. Do you dare?"

"Arrogant!" Li Mang was thoroughly enraged. "If you can win against me, I'll pay their contribution points for them!"

Before the words had even faded, he lunged forward, throwing a heavy, powerful punch toward Chu Xing’s face.

Facing a full-force strike from a ninth-stage Body Refining expert, Chu Xing did not dodge or weave; he met it with a punch of his own!

"Bang!"

Their fists collided, producing a dull, drum-like boom.

Li Mang had expected to send Chu Xing flying with one punch, but he was horrified to find an even more overbearing force surging from his opponent's fist, instantly numbing his entire arm!

"How is this possible!"

In the moment of his shock and distraction, Chu Xing pressed in close, delivering a clean and decisive shoulder strike directly into his chest!

"Thump!"

Li Mang let out a miserable scream, flying backward like a sandbag. He followed in Zhao Hu's footsteps from the previous day, hitting the ground and unable to crawl back up for a long time.

The scene fell into a dead silence.

Chu Xing shook his hand, his gaze sweeping with indifference over Zhao Hu and the others, who were already pale with fright.

"Your turn."

Looking at the unconscious Li Mang on the ground, Zhao Hu's mental defenses completely collapsed, while his inner voice roared wildly:

"Li Mang, you idiot! You have the brain of a pig! I told you this kid is a monster now! You wouldn't believe me! You said I was a coward! Now look at you! Beaten into a stray dog!"

While his internal monologue was chaotic, in reality, Zhao Hu’s reaction was astonishingly swift. He tremblingly took out his token.

"I'll pay! It was all that idiot Li Mang who dragged me here! You are a magnanimous person, please don't hold this against me!"

Seeing this, his lackeys followed suit, scrambling to hand over their contribution points for fear that being a second late would result in a beating.

Chu Xing watched the numbers on his token rapidly climb and nodded with satisfaction. "As expected, robbing... no, plundering is the fastest way to get contribution points."

Including his original thirty-four points and the ten points taken from Wang Meng twice, he now had a full sixty-nine contribution points!

Ignoring the crestfallen group, Chu Xing turned and walked into the Contribution Hall.

Inside the hall, it was as desolate as ever.

Elder Bai, with his white hair and beard, was leaning back in his chair, dozing off.

"Kid, what do you want to trade for?" he asked lazily, clearly having recognized who was coming.

"Elder Bai," Chu Xing bowed respectfully and handed over his identity token. "This disciple would like to trade for thirteen stalks of Hemostatic Grass."

"Hemostatic Grass? What do you need that stuff for?"

Elder Bai finally opened one eye a crack. "Why, not saving up for that precious Dragon Blood Grass of yours? You’ve been eyeing it here several times."

Chu Xing smiled sheepishly. "That Dragon Blood Grass is too far out of reach. This disciple feels it's better to secure the present first."

"Hmm, that’s a much more grounded way of thinking than before."

Elder Bai nodded and took the token. However, when the number "sixty-nine" caught his eye, his half-closed eyes suddenly widened.

"Sixty-nine points?" Elder Bai brought the token to his face, checking it repeatedly. "Kid, did you go out and rob someone?"

Chu Xing smiled honestly. "I was just lucky. I had a little exchange with a few senior brothers."

"An exchange? Haven't you always been the one being robbed?" Elder Bai curled his lip. A faint, undetectable divine sense swept over Chu Xing, and then, the expression on his face froze completely.

"Body Refining... seventh stage?"

His voice was dry, as if he couldn't believe his own perception.

"When did you break through to the seventh stage?"

Chu Xing scratched his head. "Just a couple of days ago. While I was cultivating, I suddenly felt like everything just clicked."

Elder Bai squinted his cloudy eyes at Chu Xing, as if trying to find something extraordinary on that face.

He clearly remembered that when this kid came to ask how to earn contribution points a few days ago, he was only at the fourth stage. Not long after, when he came to collect his monthly allowance, he had jumped to the sixth stage. Now, it was even more absurd—he had leaped straight to the seventh!

Is this kid haunted?

"Suddenly felt like it clicked?" Elder Bai repeated, his tone extremely odd. "That 'sudden' moment of yours is more effective than a year of bitter cultivation for others. If word of this gets out, I'm afraid plenty of people will be jealous of your good luck."

He tossed the bundle of thirteen stalks of Hemostatic Grass onto the counter and threw the token back.

"You're trading your sixty-nine points for this pile of worthless grass?" Elder Bai couldn't help but ask. "Wouldn't saving it for some Body Refining Pills be better than this?"

"Thank you, Elder Bai, but this disciple has his own uses for them."

Chu Xing smiled, tucked the Hemostatic Grass into his robes, and bowed respectfully once more.