Chapter 777: Million Change

However, the Taixue students' uniform attire, masks, and the enhancements to their aura and magical abilities made it extremely difficult to discern their true identities based on voice or appearance. Even their gender was indiscernible. Thus, while Xu Qing felt a surge of vigilance, he couldn't immediately ascertain the identity of the person in front of him. After such a significant incident involving the Heretic Immortals, and with increasing external scrutiny, it was natural that more than one person would come to investigate.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over the student, and he spoke softly: “I've only recently joined the Heretic Immortals, so I don't know much. However, ever since I arrived, our sect leader has been like this.”

Upon hearing this, the student looked thoughtful, then meticulously scrutinized the sect leader. Only then did she turn her attention back to Xu Qing, who was beside her. Although this was her first time directly focusing on Xu Qing, the Heretic Immortals sect had so few members that, after the incident, much information about them had already been uncovered by others. Even if the true identities of these Heretic Immortal disciples were unknown, their joining dates and everyday conduct were largely public knowledge. Most outsiders were aware of this, so the information she had gathered also included this disciple, who called himself Xuan Leizi.

She knew that the other party had indeed just joined. This fact led her to certain conjectures while also indirectly ruling out a suspect; in her estimation, the person from the day before yesterday could not possibly have been a new initiate. As for Xuan Leizi's true identity, she had no interest. Her primary focus at the moment was the grand master of the Heretic Immortals. So, after a few brief inquiries, she simply walked away.

She then walked to the sect leader, who was sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, and bowed deeply. “Sect Leader, this disciple wishes to join the Heretic Immortals!”

Her actions drew the attention of everyone inside the Heretic Immortals' White Pagoda. While many students had come to inquire after such a significant event, she was the first to explicitly request to join. Xu Qing's eyebrows rose beneath his mask, and his inner vigilance intensified. Her earlier probing could be explained, but this sudden and decisive request to join seemed rather peculiar. Even the Heretic Immortals' sect leader opened his eyes and looked at the student. His gaze held authority. He swept his eyes over her, clearly delighted internally, but his voice remained calm as he spoke faintly: “Our sect has a rule: only core disciples are taught the true methods.”

“Understood. However, this disciple has three questions I hope the sect leader can answer.” The mysterious woman, with a resolute look, spoke again.

The sect leader glanced at the students in the White Pagoda, and seeing that everyone was paying attention, he smiled faintly. “My first question is: I've heard that our sect's soul-thread condensation technique requires constantly strengthening the soul. Is there any profound method for soul nourishment within the Heretic Immortals?” As she spoke, she closely observed the sect leader's eyes.

The sect leader's eyes remained unperturbed, and his voice calmly echoed: “With a single thought, a Summer Immortal's body forms naturally; with this thought, even a fallen soul can achieve this state.”

Everyone in the White Pagoda hesitated. In any other circumstance, they would have scoffed, as the statement was utterly ambiguous and vague. But now, with such a major incident involving the Heretic Immortals and the emergence of a grand master whose hundreds of thousands of soul threads had already proven everything, everyone couldn't help but ponder seriously. Even the three core disciples were deep in thought. Only Xu Qing merely blinked.

The mysterious woman fell silent, her brows furrowed beneath her mask. After a moment's thought, she posed her second question: “Sect Leader, is it true, as rumored outside, that the Heretic Immortals' soul threads form incredibly slowly?” This question was also a key point of interest for the other students in the White Pagoda, and even the three core disciples of the Heretic Immortals listened intently.

The sect leader raised his chin, a hint of arrogance in his eyes, and his confident voice echoed: “A thousand years ago, our sect reformed its cultivation techniques, dividing them into internal and external sections. Furthermore, the heritage left by our ancestors can only be taught as internal methods to core disciples who have reached a certain seniority! The external methods are indeed slow, but the internal methods are swift.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was visibly moved. Although they still harbored doubts, the thought of the hundreds of thousands of soul threads and the mysterious grand master caused them to hesitate. The mysterious woman reacted similarly, her brows furrowing even tighter. She felt that the sect leader before her was far from simple; his answers were watertight, yielding no useful clues. After a moment of silent contemplation, she didn't ask her third question. Instead, she bowed decisively.

“This disciple has no further doubts and wishes to become a core member of the Heretic Immortals!”

The sect leader nodded slightly, thinking to himself, 'Is this all they intend to use to test me?' In truth, as the sect leader, he naturally discerned the true intent behind the student's questions, but he remained entirely unfazed. This did not, however, prevent him from intending to leverage this situation to elevate the Heretic Immortals' prestige. After all, regardless of the circumstances, the mysterious grand master had indeed displayed the soul threads of the Heretic Immortals, and that alone was sufficient. As for the grand master's identity, he believed the person would undoubtedly reveal themselves at the appropriate moment. He also paid no heed to the displeasure of the Supreme Star Emperor Sect, which stemmed from him taking responsibility for the theft related to Mingfang.

As the leader of a Taixue sect with a transcendent status, he thought of this, raised his hand, and a jade slip flew out, landing before the mysterious woman. The woman caught it and, without hesitation, imprinted her identity onto it.

“Go and join your four senior brothers!” the sect leader spoke faintly, then closed his eyes, remaining silent.

Xu Qing had observed the entire interaction, and his inner vigilance was now exceptionally high. “This person's line of questioning could suggest genuine interest in the Heretic Immortals, or it could indicate ulterior motives; it's difficult to distinguish between the two.”

“However, there is one explanation that accounts for everything logically: this person has crossed paths with me before! Could it be her?” Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, casting an imperceptible glance at the student.

Thus, a day passed. Throughout it, this newly joined woman, along with Xu Qing and the other four, received hundreds of students. During this time, she also observed Xu Qing and his companions, occasionally posing questions that seemed casual but were, in fact, premeditated. But soon, she redirected her attention to the sect leader. She observed the sect leader, while Xu Qing observed her. The more he watched, the clearer Xu Qing's suspicions became, until night fell, and he estimated the likelihood of her being the mysterious woman was around fifty to sixty percent. Xu Qing believed that with the passage of time, he would certainly be able to discern more details, as both he and the other party were people with hidden agendas.

Thus, as night descended, Xu Qing bade farewell to the sect leader and his fellow disciples, left the White Pagoda, and returned to his residence. Recalling the day's events, Xu Qing closed his eyes, took out the crimson mother's flesh, and began to cultivate.

Time flowed, and half a month passed in a flash. The storm surrounding the mysterious grand master of the Heretic Immortals, lacking continuous new developments, gradually subsided. Despite the sect leader's repeated public appearances attempting to rekindle interest, it was like building a castle in the air. Ultimately, interest slowly dissipated with the passage of time. The number of students visiting the Heretic Immortals' White Pagoda daily gradually decreased from hundreds to mere dozens. Nevertheless, compared to its former deserted state, this was still a monumental transformation. An additional nine students had joined, bringing the total number of new initiates to thirteen.

These individuals had diverse and complex backgrounds, hailing from various factions. Their daily inquiries, which had initially been covert, now became direct. Xu Qing and the other four earliest disciples even began to occasionally discuss among themselves. Furthermore, through half a month of observation, Xu Qing had essentially confirmed that the fifth new initiate was none other than the mysterious woman from that day. He consistently recalled that the aura of her attacks felt neither like cultivation nor divine power; it seemed to be another form of energy, more overbearing than cultivation and more incisive than divine abilities. There was something more to it. Xu Qing searched through the Taixue sects he had investigated but found no clues, so he kept this matter in mind. Meanwhile, both his cultivation and the refinement of his soul threads reached a new height over the past two weeks.

The Heretic Immortals! Indeed, the Heretic Immortals possessed an advanced soul-refining method whose cultivation speed surpassed that of normal techniques. To substantiate his claims, the sect leader revealed this cultivation method, though he only provided it to Xu Qing and his four initial companions. He also stated that this was merely a transitional technique, not the true cultivation method. He would provide subsequent, more advanced techniques based on an individual's years of practice and aptitude. This rhetoric proved effective, causing the initially somewhat dissatisfied scouts from various factions to take note and reconsider their stance.

While this cultivation method did offer some efficiency, the actual improvement wasn't significant. For the other three core disciples, it merely amounted to refining one additional soul thread per month. However, it was different for Xu Qing. Utilizing this more advanced Heretic Immortal technique, he gained a greater number of soul threads from absorbing the crimson mother's flesh. Consequently, after two weeks, having absorbed all the crimson mother's flesh to its limit, Xu Qing's soul thread count had reached nearly one million. He was just three threads short.

This very night, Xu Qing intended to condense the remaining three soul threads in one swift effort. Xu Qing inwardly observed his sea of consciousness, where soul threads of divine origin nearly filled every area, and he fell into thought. These soul threads were no longer as active as before; they had become somewhat dense, emitting an aura of impending transformation. Xu Qing pondered, sensing a premonition that once his soul threads reached one million, a new kind of transformation might occur. He didn't know what it specifically was, and the cultivation method didn't record it. After all, from ancient times to the present, no one in the Heretic Immortals had ever accumulated soul threads to such a terrifying extent. Even the technique's creator had never imagined someone could condense them to this degree.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with insight; the feeling of impending transformation was incredibly strong. “What kind of transformation will this bring?”

Xu Qing closed his eyes and began to cultivate according to the Heretic Immortals' method. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a soul thread gleamed forth in his sea of consciousness. Immediately, all soul threads vibrated in unison, and the aura of transformation intensified. Xu Qing continued. An hour later, the second soul thread formed, and Xu Qing's sea of consciousness began to roar and churn violently. Another hour passed, and when the final soul thread appeared in his sea of consciousness, the million soul threads were instantly complete.

A transformation unprecedented in history suddenly surged within Xu Qing's sea of consciousness.