Chapter Sixty-One: The Sect of Blackwater

Snowflakes still drifted quietly in the courtyard, while inside the room, silence reigned. Xu Cheng felt his own knowledge inadequate before Tu Shanba, whose cultivation had already reached the Talisman Arts stage, and so he was at a loss for words. For a long while, only the sound of a teacup lid gently brushing aside tea leaves broke the stillness.

After some time, Tu Shanba finally broke the silence. “Benefactor, is there some important business that brings you here?”

“Do you know what happened in Fuchang City?” Xu Cheng asked casually after a brief consideration.

“Of course I do. That was the doing of the Blackwater Sect. The Blackwater Sect has long been attached to the Great Xia Dynasty and has grown ever more reckless in their actions,” Tu Shan sighed.

“What kind of sect is this Blackwater Sect?” Xu Cheng frowned.

“They’re a branch of the demonic path, practicing the art of Soul-Binding Demon Marks and enchantment spells. They have a notorious reputation,” Tu Shanba replied, his beard trembling with anger.

“Old Ba, have you ever seen the Soul-Binding Demon Marks?” Xu Cheng recalled the black lotus-shaped mark that once appeared on his palm. It might very well be connected to the Blackwater Sect.

“I’ve seen it, naturally. That thing is nothing to trifle with! It takes the form of a black lotus mark. Once it is silently imprinted on someone, if no one suppresses it, it can draw out the victim’s soul from a distance and turn them into a walking corpse,” Tu Shanba said, his voice betraying an obvious wariness.

So the fox spirit who left the black demon mark on Xu Cheng’s body must have been a member of the Blackwater Sect.

“Are there any Blackwater Sect members nearby?” Xu Cheng pressed on.

“That, you’ll have to ask Little Tang. He’s the real local here!” Tu Shanba glanced outside; Tang Gumeng was happily playing in the snow. “Little Tang!”

“Yes, Old Ba?” Tang Gumeng brushed off the snow from his body and, flicking open his folding fan, assumed the air of a scholar.

Tu Shanba stroked his beard and said, “Our benefactor wishes to know if there are any Blackwater Sect members in the area.”

“That’s easy!” Tang Gumeng tapped the ground with his finger, producing a series of squeaks.

In no time, countless rats of all sizes and colors—white, gray, small, large—gathered from all directions until the courtyard was seething with them.

The incessant squeaking filled Xu Cheng’s ears. Even Xu Cheng, who was used to grand spectacles, and his companions Yan Mengdie and Chrysanthemum couldn’t help but feel unsettled. Was this scholar-like fellow actually a rat spirit?

After a while, the little mice seemed to have reported all their intelligence to Tang Gumeng, the “big rat,” and then scattered with a rush. The scene immediately quieted down.

Tang Gumeng paused, then said, “My little brothers tell me there are indeed Blackwater Sect members nearby. They’re working with the town mayor to select some cultivators to join the local government. Normally, this would be a good thing for rogue cultivators, except the Blackwater Sect is infamous. Now that they’ve joined forces with the authorities, I fear this selection is not as simple as it seems.”

Xu Cheng’s heart stirred. If he could infiltrate the enemy, it would be much easier to eliminate the Great Xia Dynasty’s men from within. Most of the Xia Dynasty’s people were straightforward muscle-heads and easy to fool, but the Blackwater Sect members were far more cunning and resourceful.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Cheng spoke up, “I want to infiltrate the Xia Dynasty. What do you think?”

“The Right Envoy’s plan is sound, but... that enormous coffin on your back might draw some attention,” Chrysanthemum said, pointing at the coffin Xu Cheng carried.

“No matter. I have ghostly arts. Using them together with the coffin’s powers, I can make it invisible to others,” Xu Cheng replied, sending a wisp of black energy from his hand to shroud the coffin. Moments later, the entire coffin vanished from sight.

“Excellent!” Chrysanthemum nodded approvingly, and the others had no objections.

Xu Cheng continued, “Gumeng, do you know when the selection for cultivators will take place?”

“It’s today—right now, in fact. There’s a martial contest going on at the central square. Most of the competitors are martial cultivators,” Tang Gumeng said, fanning himself and pointing the way.

Yan Mengdie, worried for Xu Cheng, asked, “Are you going alone?”

“Yes. I’ve already broken the Soul-Binding Demon Mark once. Even if I’m targeted again, I won’t fear it. Let me go alone—if I succeed, it’ll be easier for us to coordinate inside and out,” Xu Cheng reassured Yan Mengdie and the others.

“Very well,” Yan Mengdie was convinced and nodded.

The group bid farewell to Tu Shanba and, braving the wind and snow, headed toward the central square.

To their surprise, a large crowd had gathered despite the cold, eager to witness the spectacle. More than a dozen fighting platforms stood in the square. The matches were simple contests of martial skills—most participants were at the Martial Talisman stage, the strongest barely at the Martial Seal stage.

A host loudly announced, “Victory again at Platform Five! Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge?”

The current champion at Platform Five was a Martial Seal cultivator who had already dispatched five Martial Talisman challengers, sending each tumbling out of the ring.

If he was to fight, Xu Cheng would face the strongest.

Xu Cheng called out, “Let me try!” and leaped onto the platform.

The onlookers saw that Xu Cheng was small and thin, not at all resembling a formidable martial artist.

By contrast, his opponent on the platform was a burly Martial Seal expert, his muscles bulging, and a dragon-shaped martial seal tattooed on his arm—he looked the part of a true powerhouse.

The crowd shook their heads, clearly doubting Xu Cheng’s chances.

Facing Xu Cheng, the burly man rumbled, “Kid, I advise you to step down now.”

“We’ll see after we fight—come at me, if you dare!” Xu Cheng taunted.

“If you’re so eager to die, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” the man snarled. His imposing aura surged, and his fist thundered forward, as if dragging a dragon with it.

Yet, his presence was a far cry from the Dao Forging martial artist Xu Cheng had once faced.

Intent on concealing his true abilities, Xu Cheng had no wish to reveal his techniques. It would be best to disguise himself as a simple martial artist—then the Blackwater Sect and the officials would surely lower their guard.

As Xu Cheng pondered which spell to use, his opponent’s fist drew near. Some in the crowd, unable to bear the sight of what they expected would be Xu Cheng’s miserable defeat, covered their eyes.

In a sudden flash of inspiration, Xu Cheng shouted, “Five Elements Fist!”

His fist shimmered with five colors—the Minor Five Elements Creation Art. Even if a Golden Core cultivator were present, they might not guess this was a spell at all.

At the same time, Xu Cheng drastically reduced the explosive force generated by the interplay of the five elements, using only a tenth of his true power. Even so, the impact sent his opponent flying from the platform, where he lay motionless for a long time.

“This young man is formidable!”

“I could tell all along!”

“Nonsense! You were just covering your eyes a moment ago!”

The townsfolk broke into a chorus of surprised discussion.

“Platform Five’s winner! Does anyone wish to challenge this young man? If not, then first place belongs to him!” the judge called out.

But in this small town, a single Martial Seal cultivator was already an unrivaled force; those capable of forming a Golden Core had long since joined the Great Xia Dynasty, and were exceedingly rare.

“As there are no further challengers, the first place goes to this young man! May I ask your name, sir?” the judge asked, fixing his gaze on Xu Cheng.

“Xu Cheng,” he replied.