Chapter 498: Chapter 487: Sword Cultivator Father
"Human, don’t be too smug, don’t think I have no way to attack you."
"Human, why aren’t you talking, are you scared?"
"Human, I will trap you here until you die."
"Hey, is that thing you said about ’a desperate fight to the end’ true? Aren’t you cultivators the most afraid of death?"
"Hmph, still not talking? I knew what you said was fake."
Ye Qiu closed his eyes and said nothing, while Old Turtle muttered to himself for two days, starting to get a little anxious.
"Human, are you really not afraid?"
"Hey, how did you find out about the merfolk treasure?"
"Who else knows about it besides you?"
"Talk, I knew it, you humans are the most cunning."
Seeing Old Turtle so impatient, Ye Qiu chuckled inwardly and then threatened it: "What I said is true, if anyone wants to take what’s mine, if they want my life, they better be prepared for a fight to the death. If I can’t have it, no one else can."
"You... how can your heart be so cruel!" Old Turtle was agitated, as although it was Late-stage Nascent Soul, if this Early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator really went all out, it truly wouldn’t end well for itself.
A madman, another madman, the last human was the same.
"Then tell me, how did you find out about the merfolk treasure?" Old Turtle hesitated for a moment before asking.
Ye Qiu held the merfolk inner core and chuckled lightly: "Of course, the person who gave me this inner core told me."
Old Turtle immediately retorted upon hearing this: "Impossible, that person is still trapped there!"
Ye Qiu’s eyes narrowed: "Oh? So you do know about the treasure. Do you want to let me out so we can go find the treasure together? Otherwise, I’ll crush this inner core, and then no one will be able to get it."
"You... do you know how hard it is to find a merfolk inner core now, destroying it might mean the treasure can never be opened again." Old Turtle was extremely anxious and a bit incoherent, spilling out everything it knew.
Ye Qiu smiled indifferently: "What does that have to do with me? If I’m dead, what do I care if others can get it!"
"You’re really bad." Old Turtle struggled and finally squeezed out these three words.
"Right, I am bad, so do you want to go treasure hunting with me? If we find it, I’ll share some with you."
"Didn’t you say you’d give me half before?"
"Who allowed you to trap me for so long? Who knows how much effort you’ll put in afterward? After all, the Merfolk Inner Core is mine; it’s only fair that I get the larger share," Ye Qiu said assertively, then continued to threaten it, "You better think clearly, if you don’t cooperate, you’ll get nothing. I do what I say."
"You humans are really cunning and untrustworthy. How do I know you will share with me after I lead you there?" After much thought, the Old Turtle finally wised up.
Ye Qiu swore to the heavens: "As long as you take me there, as long as you don’t act maliciously, and we obtain the Merfolk Treasure together, I guarantee I’ll share some with you; otherwise, may thunder strike me down. You believe me now, don’t you?"
Seeing Ye Qiu swear, the Old Turtle finally felt at ease and reluctantly agreed: "Fine, let’s settle on that. But if there’s anything in that treasure that benefits my cultivation, I want to choose first."
"Then you’ll get less of the other things." Ye Qiu didn’t mind this; the Merfolk Treasure should be quite substantial, or else Lin Shen wouldn’t have caused Wuji Sect’s covetousness in his previous life. Sharing some with the Old Turtle was not unjustifiable—if not for it, he might have to face a big battle and aimlessly search, wasting both time and energy.
"Don’t try any tricks." The Old Turtle, probably having been tricked by humans before, was very distrustful of Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu snorted lightly without disputing it: "Let’s go. I’ve sworn to the heavens, what else are you worried about?"
While Ye Qiu and the Old Turtle headed towards the legendary Merfolk Treasure, Ye Sheng also entered the Small Secret Realm for cultivation.
He had just reached the Qi Refining Fifth Level, the minimum cultivation required by the sect to enter the Small Secret Realm. On his first solo outing, even the stable Ye Sheng was somewhat excited.
"Junior Brother Ye, why have you come to Dangerous Crocodile Beach alone?" One day, while Ye Sheng was resting and recovering his Spiritual Energy after dealing with a crocodile, a few Low-level Disciples approached from afar, only one of whom was at the same level of Qi Cultivation as him. The rest had higher cultivation than him, which he couldn’t discern, but they were all older than him.
"Greetings, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters." Ye Sheng opened his eyes and slightly nodded with a cool demeanor.
Two of the four seemed to think Ye Sheng’s attitude was poor and snorted coldly, turning their heads away, while the female disciple of the same cultivation level and the man who greeted him showed no change in expression.
"Junior Brother Ye Sheng truly is the son of the Lonely Swallow Sword Lord. I’m also at the Qi Refining Fifth Level, and I’m a few years older than you, but I wouldn’t dare to take on a crocodile at Dangerous Crocodile Beach alone!" said the girl who was around eighteen or nineteen years old and also at the Qi Refining Fifth Level, laughing as she spoke.
"Your father is a Nascent Soul Sword Master, and your Master is a Great Power in Artifact Refining, you’ve got plenty of treasures, can you compare?" one of the men who had previously looked at Ye Sheng with disdain jabbed.
"Zhong Hai, what are you ranting about? Cultivation is never a fair thing. If you have the ability, go get reborn into the family of a Nascent Soul Expert!" The woman who spoke to Ye Sheng retorted to her companion, seemingly defending Ye Sheng but actually insinuating that Ye Sheng relied on Ye Qiu and his Master.
Ye Sheng’s eyebrows drooped slightly as he inwardly sneered. The eldest brother was right; even fellow sect members would scheme against you. Did they really think that at ten years old, he was a naive child easily deceived and disturbed in his cultivation?
"Junior Brother Ye, don’t be upset. Zhong Hai is just like that; he doesn’t mean any harm," the leading companion put his hand on Ye Sheng’s shoulder, looking very friendly.
Feeling discomfort as a foreign object landed on his shoulder, Ye Sheng stepped aside to avoid the Senior Brother’s hand, then smiled nonchalantly: "Senior Brother thinks I would get angry? Why should I? My father and Master are my pride and my role models; it’s only natural for others to be envious."
Hearing Ye Sheng’s words, that person got even angrier, giving Ye Sheng a cold look: "Hmph! What’s the use of having a good father and Master? Cultivation is your own. With enough effort, who knows what the future holds? Lin Shen, who has Five Spirit Roots, reached Qi Cultivation Second Level in just two months!"
Ye Sheng smiled broadly: "It seems Senior Brother understands this principle. Indeed, cultivation depends on oneself, and one must not let their mind wander. Junior Brother Lin Shen is indeed impressive; I really should learn more from him."
"So Junior Brother Ye isn’t jealous of Junior Brother Lin Shen, huh!" the only female among them laughed awkwardly.
Ye Sheng looked bewildered, giving her an innocent look: "Why should I be jealous of him? We’re all brothers in the same sect. What’s wrong with being capable? Or is everyone here listening to rumors lately? The path of cultivation values focus; I think it’s better for us to mind our own business and concentrate more on our cultivation."