Chapter 23: Old Devil Xu’s Killing Intent, the Secret of the Heavenly Book of the Great Dao

"It didn't work, it really didn't work. Deacon Ling must be dead! Yet, the poison of my Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Powder hasn't been neutralized? This poison is truly terrifying..." Jiang Fan’s face turned ghastly pale. Just as he worried that Deacon Wu would soon perish as well, the door to Old Devil Xu’s room creaked open.

Knowing that Old Devil Xu had emerged, Jiang Fan hurriedly clutched his chest with both hands and began rolling on the ground, feigning unbearable agony.

Old Devil Xu stepped forward quickly, opened a jade bottle, and poured a transparent liquid with a peculiar odor into Jiang Fan’s mouth.

"You brat, why didn't you come to find your master sooner? If I had arrived even half a step later, you would have surely lost your life!" Old Devil Xu said with a gloomy face, sounding as if he were frustrated by Jiang Fan's lack of discipline.

Seeing Jiang Fan gradually recover, Old Devil Xu finally set his mind at ease.

After swallowing the transparent liquid, the abnormality in Jiang Fan’s chest vanished instantly. At the same time, the name of Deacon Wu, which had been flickering with a dim light, finally stabilized.

"Jiang Fan, remember next time to come to me before the seven days are up. Otherwise, once the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Powder takes full effect, even I will be unable to save you." Seeing that Jiang Fan had recovered, Old Devil Xu issued a stern warning.

"Disciple... disciple knows he was wrong!" Jiang Fan hurriedly stood up, bowed with cupped hands, and spoke in a weak, trembling voice.

He had always feared that the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Powder could not be neutralized by transferring the damage, and it seemed his worries were justified. Today’s attempt left him with lingering fear. If it weren't for the fact that his "Great Dao Heavenly Tome" allowed him to transfer damage to three different names, he would surely be dead by now.

It turned out that his theory about transferring damage was correct: it could only absorb damage within the limits of the enemy's endurance. Once that threshold was exceeded, the enemy would die, and the remaining damage would still fall upon him. If not for Deacon Ling serving as a scapegoat and Deacon Wu helping to absorb the residual pain, he would have died on the spot from the poison's eruption.

"See that you correct your mistakes! Otherwise, next time, you won't be so lucky!" Old Devil Xu said coldly.

"Master is right to reprimand me! It was just that I was at a critical juncture in my cultivation breakthrough, which is why I was a bit slow! I didn't expect the poison to strike so suddenly!" Jiang Fan feigned a look of lingering terror, reciting the excuse he had prepared, and then said sincerely, "Master, could you give me the antidote in advance? I... I am worried that if there is another accident, I won't make it in time!"

"I have the antidote, but you can only have it once you reach the third level of Qi Refining!" A glimmer of joy appeared in Old Devil Xu’s eyes. "Let me check your cultivation. If you have reached the second level, I shall reward you handsomely."

Old Devil Xu reached out with hands as withered as dead wood and grabbed Jiang Fan’s wrist. Immediately, Jiang Fan felt a gentle energy flow from his pulse toward his Dantian. A moment later, the energy reached its destination, and Old Devil Xu retracted his hand with a look of surprise.

"Good, good, good! You did not disappoint me. Your spiritual energy vortex is already a foot wide; you have indeed reached the second level of Qi Refining. I am in a good mood today, so I will give you some spirit stones as a reward! There are one hundred in total. Once you refine and absorb them, you should be close to the third level. Practice hard; once you reach that level, I will give you the antidote."

Old Devil Xu took a small storage bag from his robes with great care and, with a thought, produced an exquisite stone box, which he handed to Jiang Fan.

"Thank you, Master! Once I return, I will cultivate diligently and strive to reach the third level as soon as possible." Jiang Fan then asked, "May I ask, Master, what exactly are these spirit stones? And how do they differ from the precious pills you gave me before?"

"Cultivators must absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen themselves. These spirit stones are vessels containing pure spiritual energy that can be absorbed directly," Old Devil Xu explained. "The pills I gave you are far more valuable than standard waste-grade spirit stones. One pill is worth at least ten waste-grade stones. Although they don't contain as much energy as low-grade spirit stones, they are far superior to common waste-grade ones.

"Spirit stones are essential for cultivation. They are categorized into waste-grade, low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and the legendary supreme-grade. Waste-grade stones contain many impurities and are the lowest quality, yet for low-level cultivators, they are still precious. I currently lack low-grade spirit stones myself; otherwise, my own cultivation would have broken through long ago, and I wouldn't have to toil away refining those blood-based pills."

Jiang Fan was shocked. He hadn't realized that the human-blood pills Old Devil Xu gave him were so valuable. No wonder the old devil hadn't given him any this time—he likely had few left, or perhaps none at all. Furthermore, judging by his words, the old devil's cultivation wasn't particularly high, or he wouldn't need to struggle to refine those pills to advance his realm.

"So there is so much to know about spirit stones! I have learned a lot today," Jiang Fan said, taking a deep breath. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Master, may I ask what level your cultivation has reached?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a flash of undisguised killing intent flickered in Old Devil Xu’s eyes. However, he quickly suppressed it and laughed.

"My cultivation... you will naturally know once you reach the third level of Qi Refining. Now, off you go to refine those stones and cultivate. If these hundred aren't enough to help you reach the third level, I shall give you more."

"Yes, Master! This disciple will take his leave!" Jiang Fan hurriedly took the stone box and bowed respectfully before leaving.

Watching Jiang Fan’s retreating back, Old Devil Xu sneered cruelly. "Brat, you ask me about my cultivation—you must have started to suspect me, perhaps even planning to turn against me! But do you think I would let you succeed? As for the antidote... I will give it to you only after you are dead."

Jiang Fan was no fool; he had sensed the intense killing intent radiating from Old Devil Xu. Now, sitting cross-legged on the cultivation plaza, he found it impossible to calm his mind.

"Old Devil Xu revealed a lot of information just now. If I’m not mistaken, his cultivation isn't very high... Perhaps he is still stuck at the fourth level of Qi Refining! But even if he is only at the third level, he cannot be underestimated. He has lived for a long time; he must have powerful hidden cards and his combat ability is surely not simple... However! You want my life? It won't be that easy!"

Jiang Fan took a deep breath and turned his focus inward to his sea of consciousness, eager to see what he might find.