A Demon's Path Volume 1 Chapter 9-10

Ling Xiao sat down cross-legged to meditate. If Cheng Qiantai were to walk in, he'd think his disciple was putting his heart and soul into comprehending various techniques and methods related to concocting medicine.

Only Ling Xiao knew that he was using his mental strength to cultivate various demonic techniques contained within the Demonic Seven Souls Chain.

The first of the seven souls was the Heavenly Soul. By utilizing this soul, a cultivator could control space itself.

There was a formation array within the Heavenly Soul Stone called Ghostly Roundabouts. This formation array caused the victim to lose their sense of direction. From the information Ling Xiao garnered, he figured its main purpose was to kidnap women and children.

The second soul was the Spiritual Wisdom Soul which focused on a cultivator's mental strength. Pill cultivators primarily trained this soul. Other than that, it could also be used to unleash powerful mental attacks.

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul Stone in the Demonic Seven Souls Chain held a red-ranked mental technique called Demonic Nightmares. This technique enabled the user to create various dreadful illusions. Those only slightly affected by the attack would be in a trance whereas those who were hit hard would be in total confusion. There were even stories of people having mental breakdowns after having fallen victim to this technique.

Of course, these sorts of techniques had their limitations. For one, a red-ranked mental technique only worked against anyone at or below the red rank. Even if Ling Xiao grew more powerful and reached the orange rank, it wouldn't increase the power of this technique. In short, it was of limited use.

The third soul was the Spirit Soul which focused on honing the cultivator's power over the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

There was an elemental technique in the Spirit Soul Stone called the Will-o'-Wisp technique. This skill focused on burning a person's soul in a rather vicious way. Additionally, its strength increased with that of the cultivator. Anyone could use it, regardless of their rank.

The fourth soul was the Strength Soul with which a cultivator could increase their physique. The Northern Jade Celestial Fist Ling Xiao practiced was a Strength Soul technique Celestial Soul Masters used.

The Strength Soul technique Ling Xiao found in the Demonic Seven Souls Chain was a series of boxing techniques called the Mad Demonic Fist.

The Northern Jade Celestial Fist was a technique that held true to the beliefs of Celestial Soul Masters; it let nature take its course. Never would cultivating this technique ask its cultivator to exert more than their body's limit. On the other side of the spectrum was the Mad Demonic Fist, which sought to push the human limit. Where this skill could deal great damage, the rebound if the cultivator failed was even greater. Only a madman would use this kind of technique!

The fifth soul was the Core Soul. Cultivators of this soul swallowed the souls of celestial or demonic beasts. From there, they could transform themselves and become the monsters they swallowed.

Ling Xiao witnessed the red-haired old man transform into a dragon only the other day. That was most likely because he'd swallowed that dragon's soul.

After searching through his chain's depository, he found he could only swallow the soul of a red-ranked Canine Dog. "Fuck! I can only transform into a big dog? What am I supposed to do, bite my enemy to death?" Ling Xiao questioned whether he had this kind of courage and drive. He immediately came to an answer and gave up on the notion of swallowing this dog's soul. Instead, he moved his attention to the sixth soul, the Essence Soul.

A cultivator could transform their essence into an illusion, or even reality! These were the two stages of the Essence Soul. Attacking with the Essence Soul was rather unique because the cultivator had to draw a talisman with their own blood in order to fight. For example, Enlightened Wu Jing was an Essence Soul Cultivator. Only the day prior he showcased the might of this soul in the fight against Ancestor Qi Mo.

There were two red-ranked talismans in the Essence Soul Stone, the Rapid Turtle Talisman and Miasma Talisman. Ling Xiao understood what these talismans were used for just through their names alone.

The seventh soul was the Heroic Soul. Cultivators who focused on this soul would attack through summoning either celestial or demonic spirits. For example, the sword-brandishing bird person Matriarch of the Purple Jade Sect summoned the day prior was a celestial spirit.

The demonic spirit Ling Xiao could now summon was a knife brandishing skeleton with just enough tendons to allow for basic movements.

"There are quite a lot of techniques in here. Heh, I'll take my time!" Ling Xiao kept his emotions under wraps as he closed his eyes to meditate. Other than the Mad Demonic Fist from the Strength Soul, Ling Xiao also started cultivating several other demonic techniques.

When Ling Xiao guided his demonic soulforce into the seven soul stones, they began flashing incessantly. Before long, a demonic crimson light of disharmony and mismatch enveloped him, distorting his delicate face.

The gray token in Ling Xiao's Demonic Seven Souls Chain rapidly soaked up the crimson light from the soul stones, the black speckle on top of the token absorbing it all. It immediately erupted in light and the surrounding black area consequently emitted a bluish black light.

After the black speckle absorbed the crimson light, the Demonic Seven Souls Chain on Ling Xiao's chest shone red once more before turning bright red in colour. It was even brighter and holier than the aura of Celestial Soul Masters.

The sun rose from the east and sunk in the west, the moon gracing the sky with its glow. The days passed in this manner and just as before, Ling Xiao was still meditating.

"You're telling me he's just sitting there, every day? Other than eating a bit every now and then, he's been meditating like that for a month?" After listening to Li Yuanhuan's report on Ling Xiao, Cheng Qiantai couldn't help but view Ling Xiao in a new light.

His other disciples would grow itchy when they had to cultivate for such a long period of time. Yet this youngster hadn't left the Medicine Warehouse for an entire month. Other than Ling Xiao, only Li Yuanhuan had such perseverance in the entire sect!

Ling Xiao's existence slowly slipped from everyone minds save for Cheng Qiantai and Li Yuanhuan.

"What a good boy! When he said he wanted to spend his time researching medicine methods and techniques, he was actually so determined!" Praise was written all over Cheng Qiantai's face. "Yuanhuan, you're to immediately ask him to find me once he comes out. Hmm, no, no need. You just need to inform me. That's all."

"Master, Ling Xiao, he has come out!" Cheng Qiantai was rudely interrupted by a disciple who came running into the grand hall to bring the news.

"He must have had some success!" Cheng Qiantai's heart bloomed with joy as he hastily rushed to the Medicine Warehouse with Li Yuanhuan in tow.

When he saw Ling Xiao again, Cheng Qiantai felt this boy was nothing like the youngster he met only a month ago. Even though he was covered in dust from head to toe, the feeling Ling Xiao exuded was one of extreme freshness. His eyes in particular were as bright and clear as water.

Ling Xiao behaved rather unexpectedly when he saw Cheng Qiantai, laughing in a slightly bashful manner. "Master, you're here."

Ling Xiao felt embarrassed because he hadn't bothered further improving his skills and knowledge regarding medicine during the month he spent in the Medicine Warehouse. If Cheng Qiantai knew why Ling Xiao was behaving so bashfully, he would definitely be blowing his top.

But Cheng Qiantai didn't know. Looking at Ling Xiao's dust-covered clothing and the scent of medicine wafting from his body, Cheng Qiantai was so touched that tears almost rolled down his face.

He patted off the dust from Ling Xiao's arms and amiably asked, "My good disciple, are you tired?"

Ling Xiao replied appropriately, "No matter how tiring and painful cultivating the pill techniques are, it's all worth it for the sect!"

Looking at how excited Cheng Qiantai was, Ling Xiao felt he had done right. Master, it's not that I want to lie to you. It's just that there's nothing to be gained if I tell you the truth. If I tell a lie, you and I will both be happy. Isn't that good?

But how could Cheng Qiantai know of the schemes Ling Xiao had formulated in his mind? Cheng Qiantai was ecstatic when he heard Ling Xiao's words. "The whole sect will have a luxurious meal today to celebrate the successes you've achieved this month!"

When Ling Xiao heard food being mentioned, rumbling sounds cried out from his stomach.

He didn't really eat much since he started cultivating. Although he was used to starving in the past, it was never for so long. He was really famished right now.

"Master, could we maybe change it to this afternoon?" Ling Xiao assumed pitiful puppy eyes as he looked at Cheng Qiantai with hope and expectation.

Cheng Qiantai was speechless, but agreed.

After a scrumptious and filling meal, Ling Xiao returned to his new home which wasn't much of an upgrade from his previous tattered house.

The banquet from a moment ago gave Ling Xiao a little insight into the sect. Although the Northern Jade Sect looked bright and neat from the surface, the reality was they couldn't compare to the wealthy families in Northern Jade City. Although these families sent their children here, they only did so because this was a mysterious place where cultivation was taught. This was the first step on the path of becoming a Chain Soul Master!

A large portion of the Northern Jade Sect's income was reliant on the fees from these rich families. Yet the wealthier ones would send their children to larger sects, so the Northern Jade Sect could only receive a limited amount of fee paying disciples. At present, they only had a few hundred.

The larger sects had their own business ventures in the secular world. Moreover, they could pompously collect large sums of protection fees from their respective administrative regions by protecting them from Demonic Soul Masters.

The Northern Jade Sect was a small sect. As such, the protection fees they received were only limited to the area encompassing Northern Jade City. They didn't have any business ventures for a little extra income either, and a portion of what they did earn had to be gifted to the Sunken Wind Valley.

It would be surprising if they weren't scraping by to make ends meet under such dire circumstances.

Ling Xiao was originally surprised as to why the disciples had to sleep in beds similar to his doghouse-like bed in Northern Jade City, when the Northern Jade Sect looked splendorous and majestic from the outside.

However, Cheng Qiantai previously mentioned that as long as Ling Xiao focused all his attention on concocting medicine and sold half of the pills he made, the Northern Jade Sect would soon see better days.

Cheng Qiantai was very frank and straightforward with Ling Xiao. He was the source of the Northern Jade Sect's income and whether riches would come rolling in depended on his abilities alone.

Moreover, Cheng Qiantai had even showered immense praise on Ling Xiao in front of the other disciples. He pointed out that Ling Xiao had perseverance and willpower while having the best interests of the sect in mind. Ling Xiao was very thick-skinned, but having the envious and hateful gazes from all disciples centered around him made even him blush ever so slightly.

When he recalled that scene from a moment ago, Ling Xiao chuckled mischievously. "Master, oh Master. I love earning money without you telling me, too. Don't you agree, my metal broom?" Ling Xiao spoke to the broom, gently caressing it as he held it in his hands.

When Ling Xiao knew what metal this broom was made out of and how much it was worth, he could finally place a monetary value on it. To an avaricious person like Ling Xiao, this broom was like his child.

Although Ling Xiao was now absurdly rich, only he knew of this fact. The others were oblivious to it.

"Hmm? There's words written on here!" When Ling Xiao caressed a certain area of the broom's handle, the subtle coarseness that grazed his fingertips didn't escape from his acute senses.

Ling Xiao quickly raised the broom and carefully inspected the small row of words the size of louses inscribed on the handle.

"Sweep every day and you'll sweep the world away!"

Ling Xiao was stunned. "What's this about?"

Ling Xiao was eager to study the broom to its very core and find out whether it was a treasure like the shovel he found in his Demonic Seven Souls Chain.

First he inspected every single inch of the broom, searching for any hints. But nothing was out of place. The second thing Ling Xiao tried was probing it with his mental strength. That resulted in his conjecture that the broom was crafted from metal, nothing more.

Unwilling to get outclassed by such an object, Ling Xiao tormented himself searching for answers. But alas, it was to no avail. His efforts bore no fruit so he could only helplessly place the broom to the side.

"Since there are no other mysterious aspects to the broom, the key is in these words: Sweep every day and you'll sweep the world away! Mhmm, could the former owner of the broom want me to sweep the floor every day?"

Ling Xiao looked pensive as he recalled the introduction Li Yuanhuan gave of the broom’s owner. "The old man originally used the broom to sweep the floor. Other than sweeping, what can this broom do? Also, why didn't he use other brooms and insisted on using this cumbersome metal broom?"

Ling Xiao took the broom in his hands and placed its metal hairs on the ground. After testing it out a few times, Ling Xiao noticed a few problems arising from the broom's ability to sweep.

It really wasn't easy to sweep the ground with it. The metal ends of the broom were tough. Ling Xiao had to use all his strength to push them on the ground, allowing him to sweep away the dust.

Exerting so much force to sweep this small house was still doable, but things would be different if he were to sweep the neighbouring regions of Razor Cache Cliff. Ling Xiao concluded his physique was still far too lacking to properly use the broom.

"Sweeping every day? Alright, I'll sweep every day!" Ling Xiao forced a mischievous laugh, a devious plan forming in his mind.

The next morning, the sun had yet to rise.

Many disciples were currently immersed in various pleasant dreams. Some were drooling, others were nibbling on the bedsheet, while still others were bunched up against their pillows. All of a sudden, bursts of someone knocking at the door disrupted them mid-dream.

Bang! Bang! "Open up, open up! I'm here to sweep the floor!"

Waves of curses and abuses followed at every door he knocked on. They were then met with Ling Xiao who barged into their rooms, dragging a dark and swarthy broom along with him. Without saying another word, he would get to work, sweeping the floor clean. After he was done, he immediately took his leave which provoked further screams of abuse from the disciples.

"Mental case!"

"Lunatic!"

Even the young ladies weren't spared. Ling Xiao carelessly opened their doors, peeking at the sexy scenes before him. After which shrieks and tongue lashings followed.

"Damn hoodlum!"  

"Get lost!"

This early morning routine continued for several days. Ling Xiao was now the reason why everyone didn't have a good night's rest. The disciples had enough of him and complained to Cheng Qiantai who replied with a kind smile, "Your Junior Brother is only doing this out of the kindness of his heart. How about this? Just leave your doors open when you go to bed."

The female disciples wanted to say something, but were hesitating to do so. Seeing this, Cheng Qiantai immediately suggested, "The female disciples can close their doors, of course…"

When the female disciples were rejoicing, Cheng Qiantai added another sentence. "You can let Ling Xiao go in and sweep after you get out of bed."

Curses were flung around incessantly, some at Cheng Qiantai's decision but most toward Ling Xiao's ethics.

When everyone left, Cheng Yu huffed out, "Father, aren't you spoiling him a little too much? Even though he's concocted 1,000 Crimson Soul Pills this month, you should strictly separate business from favouritism. You can't let him do as he pleases!"

Cheng Qiantai looked at his daughter as thoughts ran amok in his head. The little kid found the inscription on the broom. It's been so long since someone in the Northern Jade Sect discovered this profound theory. For Ling Xiao to find it just after he arrived, it must be fated.  

Since it was like this, Cheng Qiantai decided to help Ling Xiao accomplish his task of sweeping the floor.

If Ling Xiao were to go from sect to sect, sweeping their property, they would definitely sit him down and explain to him the rights and wrongs of his actions. This would easily attract suspicion, so Cheng Qiantai tacitly approved of what Ling Xiao was doing.

In Ling Xiao's words, one had to sweep in different places to notice the difference. There wouldn't be much meaning to him sweeping the Medicine Warehouse every day. Moreover, birds of the same feather ought to help one another. Take a previous occasion for example. He'd helped a Senior Sister sweep out a very sexy black panty from under the bed.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Ling Xiao more or less comprehended the demonic techniques he opted to cultivate. At this point, there wasn't really any need for him to practice the Northern Jade Celestial Fist anymore.

If Ling Xiao wasn't sweeping, he was concocting medicine. Without him noticing it, his physical and mental strength underwent constant tempering.  

The medicinal ingredients he received steadily increased, and so did his output.

Even though he only concocted red-ranked pills, they were of the highest quality and were sold for fair prices. As a result, the Northern Jade Sect earned a significant amount of gems.

Gems were money to commoners, but to Chain Soul Masters they were important items required for cultivating, setting up formation arrays, concocting medicine, and forging tools. One could say it was difficult for a sect to develop without them.

There was no impregnable wall, no perfect way to kill all communication. After some time, the news of the Northern Jade Sect's successful medicine business reached the other sects.

On this very day, Ling Xiao was arranging the medicinal ingredients when Li Yuanhuan suddenly ran in. He wore a serious expression on his face as he said, "Junior Brother Ling, Master has summoned you to the grand hall."

Ling Xiao knew Cheng Qiantai wouldn't come looking for him at this time if it wasn't for something important.

"Let's go." Ling Xiao immediately stopped with what he was doing and followed Li Yuanhuan to the grand hall.

When they arrived, Ling Xiao was met by four people, Cheng Qiantai and three others. These three were clearly guests of the sect.

They donned righteous expressions on their faces and had almost the same temperament as Cheng Qiantai. However, the dignity and aura they possessed flushed more as compared to Cheng Qiantai's.

Ling Xiao had seen the peak powerhouses from the Seven Grand Holy Lands, so why would he bother with these small fries? Besides, there was nothing he hated more than that righteous look plastered on their faces.

Cheng Qiantai introduced them to Ling Xiao. "Xiao'er, these are the Sect Masters of the Everlasting Pool Sect, Sunny Spring Sect, and Sand Mound Sect.

Xiao'er? Ling Xiao was taken aback. He had only ever heard Cheng Qiantai address Li Yuanhuan in such a casual manner. He would usually call him Ling Xiao, so what was with the sudden change in appellation?

I reckon it's got something to do with those three. Ling Xiao was very good at reading people. Even though he hadn't accustomed himself with the nickname, he still came back to his senses and greeted the three Sect Masters. "Disciple Ling Xiao pays his respects to the three Sect Masters."

A Sect Master who looked to be around Cheng Qiantai's age chuckled and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. You don't need to be so courteous. Martial Nephew Ling Xiao is too polite."

Ling Xiao naturally didn't continue with his courteous act when he heard this. He straightened himself, directing his question at Cheng Qiantai. "Master, why did you summon Xiao'er here today?"

Goosebumps rose all over Ling Xiao's body when he heard his voice utter these words. Yet when Cheng Qiantai heard them, he was beaming with joy. "Xiao'er, these three Sect Masters heard of your expertise and want to recruit you. What do you think?"

Ling Xiao understood these three Sect Masters were plotting to use him for something without Cheng Qiantai having to elaborate on the matter.

He turned around and spoke in a grave manner, "To the three Seniors sitting before me, Ling Xiao is deeply indebted to Master and am currently repaying Master by serving him. How can I possibly leave him? Ling Xiao is terrified of being indebted to you Sect Masters for your misplaced kindness."

The words Ling Xiao spoke made him seem as though he was a person who understood the principles of the world. They weren't the words a good-for-nothing beggar was capable of saying. Even Ling Xiao didn't know where these erudite and heart-wrenching phrases came from.

Ling Xiao's expression could vary from being serious in one moment to playful in the next. If Cheng Qiantai didn't know this, he would definitely think that he'd mistaken Ling Xiao for someone else. "Don't mind him. Even though this boy is a little strange, he treats the Northern Jade Sect rather well. Please, forgive his manners."

The smiles on the three Sect Masters' faces were a little stiff. The Sect Master who pardoned Ling Xiao from being courteous just now still held some hope. "Martial Nephew Ling Xiao, you haven't even listened to the price we're willing to pay you. If you agree to enter any one of our sects, we're willing to give you 100,000 orange gems!"

The value of gems were the same as the rankings of Chain Soul Masters. The ratio between the higher and lower rank was 1:100.

Ling Xiao would immediately sell himself to them if he heard that he was worth that stack of orange gems in the past. But how could his current wealth compare to what these guys were offering?

Ling Xiao pretended to be shocked before reverting to a state of calmness. "Master's kindness cannot be measured with gems."

The two other Sect Masters lost their calm. One of them said with an overbearing tone, "You imbecile! You don't know how to appreciate kindness! Cheng Qiantai, since he's not willing to join us, we won't push this matter any further. It's just that we've already discussed things over amongst ourselves. If he's not willing to join any of our sects, that's fine too. We'll provide the medicinal ingredients and your Northern Jade Sect is in charge of concocting the medicine. It's only natural for those well-off to help out the poor so that we can make a profit together. Our sects all belong to the same branch, after all!"

Ling Xiao bitterly laughed in his heart. These guys are really at the peak of shamelessness. They clearly want a share of the pie, but speak in such a pompous manner.

The Celestial Soul Masters who deemed themselves to be the so-called protectors of the world actually had such morals and conduct. It was really lamentable. Although Ancestor Qi Mo was vicious in dealing with the matter, he clearly denoted the price of their business transaction. He was much more dignified compared to these hypocrites.

Cheng Qiantai had a hesitant look on his face as he didn't dare to offend the three Sect Masters. "This… It's not that it isn't possible, but how are we going to split the profit?"

The Sect Master with the amiable air around him said, "We'll provide the raw materials and will be responsible for sales. Martial Nephew Ling Xiao only needs to provide the manpower. Naturally, we won't shortchange you guys. We'll split the profits 9:1. We'll get 90% and you guys get 10%. How about it?"

When these words reached Cheng Qiantai, it took him all he had to suppress his anger. His body started trembling as he wanted to rebuke the three in front of him. 10%?! Aren't they treating Ling Xiao as a robot?! Cheng Qiantai dared rage, yet he lacked the courage to voice his thoughts. Matters like the powerful bullying the weak wasn't something that only happened to little kids in the secular world.

While Cheng Qiantai was searching for the words to reply, Ling Xiao spoke up, "80% goes to you and 20% to us. One less gem received means the deal is off!"

The three exchanged glances and communicated through their eyes before nodding. "Deal."

Out of nowhere, a brilliant smile formed on Ling Xiao's face. "Since we've come to this, could the Sect Masters send someone to deliver the medicinal ingredients? I'll start concocting first thing in the morning. Ling Xiao is not used to going to other places. Please forgive me, respected Elders."

The positive energy from Ling Xiao rubbed off on the trio. The anger they previously had departed with the passing wind and they were now all smiles, too. "Well said! We'll return and prepare the ingredients right away."

Cheng Qiantai looked at Ling Xiao after the trio left, feeling a little worried. "Xiao'er, this is not sustainable! You'll be on the losing end!"

Ling Xiao sheepishly rubbed his nose, an evil grin forming on his face. "Master, you just need to relax. Our Northern Jade Sect will definitely be the largest beneficiary in this transaction."

Cheng Qiantai trembled. This boy's smile can actually give me goosebumps!

Chapter end