Chapter 301: Cao Youqian — I Am a Hedonist

"Is this kid suffering from some kind of brain disorder?"

The white-bearded ghost in the Nether River blurted this out instinctively upon hearing Cao Youqian’s words.

Could this boy possibly not realize that the opponents before him were no ordinary Nirvana-realm spirits? Some among them had been Half-Saint level figures in their former lives.

It was only due to their fall into this Nether River, with their cultivation slowly eroding over time, that they had been reduced to the Nirvana Realm.

The numerous old ghosts in the Nether River were briefly stunned. But they quickly reacted and surged toward Cao Youqian.

In an instant, a horde of ghosts danced wildly within the river. Piercing shrieks echoed, and the eerie ghostly aura seemed as though it might stain the entire river a sinister hue.

Cao Youqian’s lips curled slightly. He drew the sword jade that Chu Feng had given him from his waist and released a beam of sword light toward the ghosts.

Clang!

A single beam of sword light tore through the Nether River, slicing it cleanly in half.

When the sword light dissipated, absolute silence fell over the entire river.

Cao Youqian absorbed the soul power of the fallen spirits, then forcibly suppressed the breakthrough brewing within his body. He swept a glance across the Nether River and calmly asked, "Anyone else?"

White Beard was dumbfounded by the scene. It took a long while before he finally spoke, "Young man, you’re not playing fair. You said you’d punch your way through the Nether River with a pair of domineering fists… how could you use a treasure instead?"

Cao Youqian turned to him with a chilling smile. "Senior, did you ever say I wasn’t allowed to use treasures?"

"…"

White Beard paused for a moment, then muttered, "Indeed, this old man never said that."

Cao Youqian shrugged. "Well then, problem solved."

"But... but isn't this going against your original intent? Aren’t you worried you’ll leave behind inner demons?"

White Beard originally intended to scold the brat harshly, but the moment he saw Cao Youqian slowly lift that jade pendant again, his tone shifted at once.

"Of course not."

Cao Youqian replied earnestly, "I’ve always been a hedonistic disciple. If I can’t win, using the treasure my master gave me is perfectly reasonable, isn’t it?"

???

White Beard was completely baffled. Had he been trapped in this Nether River so long that he could no longer keep up with the outside world?

Even in the ancient city of antiquity, a prodigy of this level would have secured a place in history. And yet, this boy claimed to be just a hedonist?

"Young man, I consider your trial passed. You don’t need to continue your training here."

"Huh?"

Cao Youqian looked completely confused and muttered, "But I haven’t had enough fun yet. Or… do you want to bet on whether my sword jade still has any sword energy left?"

???

White Beard was speechless. "Young man, can you act like a normal human being?"

Cao Youqian let out a sheepish laugh. "Haha, just joking, senior. Could you tell me if there are any other suitable trial grounds?"

Silence was White Beard’s answer. Only after a long pause did he speak again, "Young man, if you wish to grow stronger, there is a divine herb in the Nether River that could help you break through to the Path Union Realm. However, consuming it carries a risk of death. Do you dare to gamble on it?"

"Senior, could you explain it to me in detail?"

Cao Youqian immediately perked up, looking at White Beard with great anticipation.

"Follow me."

White Beard beckoned and led Cao Youqian away. Only after the pair vanished did the other spirits in the Nether River dare to emerge.

That single sword strike had frightened their souls nearly to oblivion—they had almost ceased to exist even as ghosts.

A short while later, White Beard arrived at a whirlpool in the Nether River. With a simple hand seal, the whirlpool vanished, and a tremendous wave of yin energy surged from the water.

Cao Youqian looked in the direction of the energy and saw a twin lotus growing there—one flower black, the other white.

The black one resembled a flower of the underworld. Even before drawing near, one could feel an intensely chilling aura.

The white one, in stark contrast, seemed completely out of place in the gloomy Nether River. Its petals emitted a blazing heat.

"Senior, what is this?"

White Beard said, “This is the Life and Death Lotus—one flower for life, one for death. No one knows which is which. There have indeed been spirits in the Nether River who tried to seize this lotus, but none have ever chosen correctly.”

“This really is quite the challenge for me.”

As he spoke, Cao Youqian began walking toward the Life and Death Lotus. Before he even got close, the two opposing auras emanating from it made him feel strangely unsettled.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to White Beard. “Senior, you’re not trying to trick me, are you?”

White Beard laughed. “I’ve no reason to deceive you. If I weren’t bound to this Nether River for life, I would’ve taken that Life and Death Lotus long ago.”

Hearing this, Cao Youqian muttered instinctively, “I didn’t expect you to be someone with a story, Senior.”

“…”

White Beard’s expression darkened. “Handle it yourself, brat. I can’t be bothered anymore.”

With that, he turned and vanished into the Nether River.

After sensing that White Beard’s aura had completely disappeared, Cao Youqian didn’t immediately pick the twin lotus.

Instead, he sat down cross-legged and began his breakthrough to the eighth level of Spirit Nurturing.

Several days later, Cao Youqian slowly opened his eyes. His aura had risen to an entirely new level.

“Finally broke through.”

He had only used the lotus as an excuse to make that old ghost leave. As for the twin lotus, he had never intended to give it up. Standing up, he walked once more toward the lotus.

Before long, Cao Youqian arrived in front of the twin lotus. He closed his eyes and began to sense the aura of the so-called Life and Death Lotus with his spiritual awareness.

As the seconds passed, he soon realized that the lotus didn’t represent life and death, but rather the powers of extreme yin and extreme yang.

However, to the spirits of the Nether River, the force of extreme yang was deadly poison. Not to mention swallowing a petal—just being near it caused a burning sensation.

Realizing this, a faint smile appeared on Cao Youqian’s lips. He had already made his decision.

He reached out and plucked the black lotus, then sat down beside the white lotus to begin refining its medicinal power.

Countless eyes within the Nether River stared at this scene with hatred.

All the spirits had assumed that this young man would choose the white lotus. That way, they could rush in and fight for the black one.

White Beard watched and murmured, “Could that brat really not fear death? Or did I describe it poorly? Still, if he can’t endure the power of the black lotus, he’ll become a corpse all the same. Then we’ll use this prodigy’s body as fertilizer for the Life and Death Lotus.”

The moment Cao Youqian swallowed the black lotus, his entire body froze—not just physically, but even his soul was locked in ice.

He shouted in his heart: No! I was careless!

In the brief instant of near-death clarity, Cao Youqian moved with lightning speed and grabbed the white lotus, swallowing it as well...

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