The Eternal Sin

The heavy bronze-studded doors of the Martial Scroll Hall groaned shut with a resonant thud that seemed to vibrate through Jiang Chen’s ears.

He stood upon the elevated stone terrace for a fleeting moment, casting a sidelong glance at the towering structure that loomed like a slumbering beast. A faint light of contentment shimmered within the depths of his pupils.

The past few hours had been a grueling exercise in verbal and mental gymnastics as Jiang Chen navigated the labyrinthine skepticism of the elders.

Questions had come one after another. Where had he obtained the technique? Under what circumstances? Had there been witnesses? Had blood been spilled? Each inquiry had cut to the heart of the matter, ruthlessly seeking out flaws in his statements.

As if that were not enough, they had subjected him to a handful of spiritual truth inspection methods to ensure the Midnight Sun Arrow Technique had not been ripped from the hands of a fellow righteous cultivator or organization. Even the manual itself had been dissected line by line by elders who seemed able to trace its origin through the ink.

But Jiang Chen did not find it too worrisome, as what he spoke was mostly the truth, layered with small tidbits of lies that would not expose his venture into the black market. If that were to be exposed, then the question of where he obtained the blood token to enter it would arise, and matters would grow even more troublesome.

Nevertheless, even if it had come to that situation, which fortunately it did not, Jiang Chen still had some defenses prepared to prove his innocence, or at least stall his capture.

Only after enduring all of this was the transaction of the technique permitted.

’A righteous sect truly does love its procedures,’ Jiang Chen mused inwardly, the corners of his lips curving faintly as he descended the stone steps.

He was under no false illusions regarding the true nature of the "righteous" path that these elders so proudly championed.

’If I had truly been caught in a lie or proven to have obtained the manual through dishonorable means, then the sect would have likely broken my meridians in a public display of justice while quietly tucking the high-grade technique into their private vaults. At best, they would have then announced a search for the rightful owner that would never conclude. At worst, they could simply act as though neither I nor the manual had ever existed in the first place.’

’Of course, that is only if the matter does not reach the ears of those few who still cling to true righteousness. Such people would not bend their morals for benefit. People like that are rare in this world, but they are not nonexistent. In that weird sense, perhaps they are not entirely unlike me, true to thier belief.’

He stepped onto the main path that wound toward the outer residences. Disciples passed by in clusters, some engaged in heated discussions of the upcoming auction, others moving alone in silence with lowered eyes.

The mountain wind carried the scent of damp earth.

’I did not expect such generosity,’ Jiang Chen mused inwardly. ’Fifteen thousand spirit stones as an initial payment, supplemented by a ten percent share of the profits each time a disciple purchases this technique from the hall, and this benefit lasts until my death. Considering that a standard Rank One high-grade manual in the Martial Scroll Hall usually goes for one thousand to twelve hundred spirit stones, this fifteen percent share is as sweet as mountain honey.’

In exchange for this wealth, the sect had made him swear a Heavenly Oath of Secrecy, binding his soul never to divulge the contents of the Midnight Sun Arrow Technique to any external party. Such a condition was only natural, and Jiang Chen had no objection to it.

’Spirit stones are the foundation of cultivation, and I suspect I shall never possess a hoard large enough to satisfy my needs.’

His eyes narrowed slightly as his thoughts deepened.

’However, my primary intent in selling this technique was not merely the accumulation of wealth. This transaction serves as a convenient justification for the rapid advancement of my cultivation, both the progress I have already made and the meteoric rise yet to come.’

’If a person of my abysmally poor talent were to break through at a rate that defies common order, suspicion would spread like a plague. Even the members of Sun Jian’s faction who think they are in the know will find it suspicious. Not only that, even those who do not care would begin to watch. That Sun Jian... if his thoughts linger upon me, with his standing, it will not be difficult for him to connect the threads of what happened back then...’

Jiang Chen believed, and rightly so, that Sun Jian had not gone to greater lengths to find the culprit who stole the purple storage ring containing the core resources of the Jade Heart Plantation because he was too busy managing it now.

The transfer of ownership had kept him occupied, and given the destruction the plantation had suffered, it was no simple matter to turn it into a profitable venture.

Even with support from his father, Sun Jian was working himself to exhaustion. Although he had previously sent people to observe the markets outside in hopes that the culprit would appear to sell the stolen goods, there was also a secondary motive.

He sought to recruit those who brought large quantities of herbs into his faction. Normally, local forces would not tolerate such poaching behavior, but Sun Jian possessed the righteous excuse of the Jade Heart Plantation incident. If the local powers refused to cooperate, he could tarnish their reputation by accusing them of colluding with the culprit.

Since Jiang Chen had not been caught until now, he guessed that Sun Jian lacked the means to investigate further.

Be it divination, information path methods, or fate tracing, such methods were rare, difficult to obtain, and even harder to master. However, there was always the possibility of asking someone with such capabilities to investigate, yet digging into a matter that had already been publicly resolved would draw suspicion.

It could imply that Sun Jian possessed hidden knowledge. More importantly, if it became known that he had been deceived by a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, what face would he have left?

Sun Jian valued such matters greatly, and his father would not tolerate him bringing such embarrassment to their family name.

And that was where they differed from Jiang Chen.

He had no such concerns and would never allow the cost of reputation or face to affect him.

Jiang Chen’s expression remained peaceful. ’Up until now, my progress can still be explained to the faction members through the perceived benefits I gained from the Jade Heart Plantation mission. But from this point onward, once I obtain the fire essence, everything will change with the violence of a flood.’

’With the wealth I now hold, I could just shut my doors and consume top-grade Qi Nourishing Pills to reach the fifteenth layer of Qi Condensation within five days. It is that effortless now. But to do so would be incredibly unwise. Only a fool seeks the summit so quickly that he forgets to watch for the mountain lions lurking in the mist.’

Jiang Chen understood the thoughts and desires of cultivators with greedy hearts masquerading as righteous souls within the sect. To act like a weak and trembling sheep would invite bullying and the theft of his resources, yet to shine too brightly was to mark himself as a target for arrows from all directions, especially from those in higher positions.

Put simply, there was a need for balance.

By surrendering a high-grade technique to the sect, he had not only demonstrated "loyalty" but also provided a plausible reason for his future strength. People would look at his rising star and attribute it to the benefits he gained from selling the sect a high-grade technique, rather than examining the darkness within his eyes too closely.

Not long after, the gates of his residence appeared before him. The first thing Jiang Chen did upon entering was to take a bath.

He removed his robes and stepped into the bath.

Warm water enveloped his body, seeping into his muscles and bones. He soaked for nearly half an hour, feeling the fatigue built up over the past weeks begin to loosen, strand by strand.

He leaned back slightly, letting out a slow breath. For days he had roamed the wilderness like a lone beast, sleeping under the open sky, eating what he hunted, and remaining alert even at rest. It was a struggle in which one misstep could turn him into a feast for scavengers.

Such a life hardened the will, but it also wore down the body.

Back within the protective embrace of the sect, life was easier, though not entirely so.

’Whether a sect is righteous or demonic, it is never a place of comfort. One never truly knows when a fellow disciple might set their sights on your life, whether for grand ambition or something as petty as a perceived slight in a public gathering. Who can say what the heart holds?’

The water rippled softly as he moved.

After cleansing himself, he dressed in fresh robes and stepped into the main room. Soon after, a young mortal servant girl arrived to deliver a sumptuous feast of spirit-grain rice, roasted vitality lamb, and jade-leaf tea.

Jiang Chen ate without haste, savoring the flavors. Compared to the crude meals of the wild, this was a feast fit for a king.

After finishing the meal, he sat upon his cultivation cushion and began to circulate his Qi out of ingrained habit. After a few minutes, he paused and lightly tapped his forehead with a self-mocking smirk.

’Cultivation is not the priority this evening. Spending time on it would be dumb when there are other matters to focus on,’ Jiang Chen reminded himself.

Then, with a flick of his hand, he withdrew the scrolls pertaining to the Four Seasons Human Array.

He spent the remaining hours of the evening immersed in the complex diagrams and temporal equations of the formation, his mind working like a tireless loom to weave patterns of time and space into a coherent understanding.

The mental strain of comprehending such a high-level array was immense, and eventually, exhaustion overcame even his iron will.

As the moon reached its zenith and cast a silver glow across his chamber, Jiang Chen finally succumbed to sleep, his breath evening out as he drifted into a dreamless slumber. He had survived the Sunken Moon Valley, outwitted the elders, and secured his future. For tonight, at least, the tiger could rest before the hunt resumed at dawn.