CHAPTER 74: Disciple?
The young man’s sea of soul was not only damaged; it was as if it had been torn apart and forcibly stitched back together, with traces of an energy that did not belong to him.
For a brief moment, many questions crossed her mind; outwardly, however, she only frowned.
She slowly withdrew her perception and turned her gaze toward Bai and the others, her expression now more severe, carrying a slight irritation she did not bother to hide. “Explain,” she said without raising her voice, but with enough weight for all five to feel the air tighten around them, “what happened here?”
The young women exchanged nervous glances before beginning to speak. Bai was the first to do so, though her voice still carried traces of tension; she explained how they had decided to explore the cave, how they had encountered Jin along the way and, after confirming he was a disciple of the Eight Celestial Peaks Sect, invited him to join their group. The others added details between them, completing the story without interrupting too much, describing how they had advanced to the deepest part of the place… and how everything had gone wrong.
The appearance of the demonic cultivator changed the tone of their words.
Their voices became more strained as they recounted how that man had immobilized them with a technique none of them could resist. They had tried to use talismans, artifacts… anything, but their bodies simply would not respond. The helplessness was still reflected in their expressions, mixed with a guilt that was difficult to hide.
And then they spoke of Jin: how, despite the difference in realm, he had stepped forward, how he had fought, how… he had won.
When they finished, silence spread for a moment. None of them raised their gaze; some clenched their fists, others looked away, clearly displeased with themselves for having been reduced to mere spectators.
The woman in red closed her eyes for a second.
When she opened them again, the surprise was no longer as restrained.
A young man only a small realm above her disciple… killing someone a major realm higher. That alone was something few sects could ignore. But that he was still alive, even with his soul in that state…
Her gaze fell back on Jin for an instant, evaluating him in silence, before a more practical thought took shape. A disciple like this cannot be someone without backing… If he belonged to the Eight Celestial Peaks Sect, then what stood before her was not just a wounded young man, but a potential point of friction between them.
As she organized her thoughts, a voice pulled her from them.
Bai had stepped forward, her hands clenched tightly as she looked at her directly, not hiding the plea in her eyes. “Master… can you save him?” Her voice lowered slightly at the end, but did not lose firmness. “Please… save senior brother Jin.”
The woman in red raised an eyebrow slightly, and for an instant a faint irritation crossed her gaze. Senior brother? The way she had said it… the attachment was irritating in a way that was difficult to explain.
For a second, she truly considered ignoring it, or even… pushing him aside, but in the end she did none of that.
She only looked away, as if that small discomfort was not worth it, and let out a soft sigh.
She had not yet finished deciding what to do with him when another presence descended from the open sky of the cave. There was no commotion or announcement, but the air changed, as if a heavier force had entered the scene. The young women looked up almost at the same time, and upon seeing the figure accompanying their master, they could not hide their surprise; they had not expected the hall master to arrive accompanied by a man.
The man was tall, of imposing build, his black robe marked with patterns of dragons and mountains that seemed to move under the light. At first, his face carried that calm, almost benevolent smile, which gave off a strange sense of ease.
But only at first, because the moment his perception brushed the surroundings, the smile faded and his gaze stopped on the young man floating beside the woman in red, causing the expression on his face to change without exaggeration, though with a weight that became clearly more evident.
Qing Feng, for her part, the moment she saw him arrive understood that something was not right.
She had known him long enough to notice that change, however slight it was. She was about to say something when, without warning, Jin’s body shifted through the air, moving away from her and stopping in front of the newcomer, as if an invisible force had claimed him.
Mo Tianhai made no unnecessary movements.
A slight adjustment of his spiritual energy was enough to hold the young man’s body before him. His eyes swept over every detail without haste, but with a depth that seemed to pass through flesh and bone to reach directly the soul.
And when he finished evaluating, his voice sounded.
“Qing…” it was not loud, but it carried a pressure difficult to ignore. “What happened here? Why is his soul in this state?”
The tone was not explosive, but it was harsher than usual, and Qing Feng noticed it immediately.
For a moment, surprise crossed her face. It was not common to see him like this; Mo Tianhai rarely showed anger, and even less so in such a direct way. Even so, instead of answering immediately, she narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced at Jin before speaking again with some calm.
“So you know him…” she murmured, as if confirming a suspicion, “and what happened here is not something simple to explain, but—” she did not get to continue.
“Sister Qing,” he interrupted, this time more clearly, though without losing that characteristic control, “tell me what happened.”
The change in the way he addressed her made it clear that this was no ordinary disciple.
Qing Feng observed him for a moment longer, and seeing that he had no intention of yielding, she let out a soft sigh before turning toward her disciple and explaining the version they had been given.
From the exploration of the cave, the encounter with Jin, to the appearance of the demonic cultivator… and finally, the battle.
As he listened, Mo Tianhai’s expression became more serious.
When it reached the point where Jin, being a major realm lower, had killed a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, his eyes showed a clear flash of surprise, though he said nothing. He simply continued listening until the end, in silence.
When Qing Feng finished, she added in a warmer tone.
“His soul is severely damaged… but it is not completely broken. There is an unusual tenacity for someone at his level.” Her eyes returned to Jin. “If we act quickly… there is a possibility of helping him restore it.”
Qing Feng finished speaking and fell silent, letting her words settle in the air as she looked at Mo Tianhai, waiting for his response. For a moment, the man remained still, his gaze fixed on the unconscious young man… and then, without warning, a deep laugh broke the tension in the place.
It was not a restrained laugh, but broad, resonant, filled with a satisfaction difficult to hide.
“Good! That’s how it should be!” he said between laughs, nodding firmly as he looked at Jin as if he could hear him. “A real man doesn’t stop halfway, he fights until there’s nothing left! That’s what it means to have backbone!”
His voice filled the open cave, carrying with it a completely different air from moments before. His eyes shone with approval as he continued, as if recalling something that confirmed his own ideas. “I knew it… my senses were not wrong about you.”
Jin, of course, did not respond, but that did not seem to matter.
When his laughter finally calmed, he turned his head toward Qing Feng, who was watching him with an evident mix of surprise and confusion. Without beating around the bush, he answered the question she had left hanging moments earlier, his tone filled with almost proud certainty.
“You asked me if I know him?” A wide smile spread across his face. “Of course I know him… he’s my disciple.”
His words fell like a stone into a calm lake.
Qing Feng blinked, surprised… and almost at the same time, a slight frustration crossed her expression. His disciple? She glanced at Jin, then back at Mo Tianhai, as if trying to reconcile both images. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made… and that only irritated her a little more.
Of course… A body with such absurd resilience and a will that refused to break even with the soul in that state… only someone like him would raise a monster like that.
Meanwhile, the young women behind could not help but react. They looked at each other, surprised, some with shining eyes, as if finally confirming something they had already suspected. To them, the image fit perfectly: Jin, that young man who had done the impossible before their eyes, had to come from an extraordinary background.
Bai was the first to move. With a mix of respect and emotion, she stepped forward and brought her hands together in greeting, slightly lowering her head. “Senior,” her voice still carried traces of tension, but now also hope, “can he… recover?”
Mo Tianhai looked at her for a moment, then laughed again, though this time with a more relaxed tone, almost carefree. “Recover?” he repeated, as if the idea that he wouldn’t was absurd. “That boy isn’t so easy to break. He’ll be out for a while, that’s true…” he glanced briefly at Jin, “but he’ll wake up. He will definitely wake up.”
There was no doubt in his voice; it was an absolute statement.
Hearing that, Bai’s body seemed to relax all at once. Her shoulders lowered slightly, and an expression of relief crossed her face, as if an invisible pressure had finally dissipated. Even her eyes shone with a trace of restrained emotion.
Qing Feng did not miss that change; her brow furrowed slightly, a faint irritation appearing in her gaze as she observed her disciple’s reaction, and though she said nothing, the gesture was enough.
Mo Tianhai noticed it, and in response simply gave her a crooked smile, almost provocative, as if he found some amusement in that small discomfort.
Without warning, he rose slightly into the air, as if he had already made a decision even before the conversation had ended.
His gaze shifted toward Qing Feng, and in a direct tone he spoke as if time were a luxury he could not afford. “Alright… we can’t waste any more time,” he said, placing one hand behind his back while Jin’s body floated beside him. “Given his condition, you won’t hesitate to use high-grade treasures to treat his soul… right?”
Qing Feng frowned immediately; this was not a simple request.
Treasures related to the soul were among the rarest even within her own hall, and although she partly felt responsible for what had happened, it was still a considerable burden. For a moment she did not respond, her gaze briefly shifting toward Jin… and then toward her disciple.
Bai remained silent, and even so, her words were unnecessary.
The way she looked at that young man, that silent plea in her eyes… ultimately tipped the balance. Qing Feng let out a soft sigh, as if releasing an inner resistance, and nodded with reluctance.
Then, before Mo Tianhai could leave just like that, she added in a more serious tone, marking each word clearly. “With the proper treasures, we can repair his soul… but if we want him to return to his original state, without leaving any sequelae in his cultivation… we will need something more.” She paused briefly, making sure he understood. “A ninth-rank pill… or a supreme natural treasure.”
The brief silence did not affect Mo Tianhai; his expression remained calm, without a trace of surprise.
On the contrary, a slight smile appeared on his face, as if that difficulty were nothing more than a minor detail along the way. “Don’t worry,” he replied calmly, almost dismissively. “We just need to stabilize him for now. As for the rest…” his eyes shone with a hint of confidence, “I know a bad-tempered alchemist who loves hoarding treasures and just so happens… he owes me a few favors.”
The space before him tore open smoothly, forming a dark crack that distorted everything around it. Without looking back, he stepped forward and disappeared into it along with Jin’s body, as if both had been swallowed by the void.
Qing Feng exhaled slowly, bringing a hand to her temple for a moment, as if trying to ease a fatigue that was not physical. “Even after hundreds of years… he’s still just as annoying,” she murmured under her breath, though without real irritation beneath it.
She shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to the young women. Her expression changed, becoming more serious, though a trace of fatigue still lingered in her gaze.
“We’re leaving,” she said firmly. “We will return to the sect immediately.” Her eyes settled on her disciple; it was not a harsh look, but it carried meaning. “There are matters I need to handle,” she continued, “and others we need to discuss.”
Bai tensed instantly.
The faint blush on her face did not fade; on the contrary, it seemed to deepen under her master’s gaze. She lowered her head slightly, avoiding eye contact, as if she already knew exactly what she was referring to.
Qing Feng added nothing more; with a simple wave of her hand, spiritual energy enveloped the group, and effortlessly she rose into the sky while carrying them all with her.