Chapter 37: Persuading Yu Qing

Returning to his cultivation cave on Xuanji Peak, Su Che did not immediately enter seclusion. The female cultivator named Zhen Lan had said she would find Senior Yu Qing to finalize the half-year competition bet. He guessed that Senior Yu Qing would come to ask him about it in a few days.
So, Su Che simply practiced some of the most basic spells in his cave, such as Fireball Spell and Flowing Sand Spell. Once he mastered these spells, he wouldn’t need to spend spirit stones on related talismans anymore.
Five days later, Senior Yu Qing indeed came to visit. After inviting Yu Qing into his cave, Su Che took the initiative to explain the whole situation, including how he had been framed by Jiang Chen in the Blood Curtain Mountains, how he had survived and met Yu Qing, how he had offended people like Fat Song in Xuanji City by demanding his identity talisman, and how he had been falsely accused by them a few days ago—leading him to make the half-year agreement out of desperation…
“There are such despicable people!”
After understanding the whole story, Yu Qing was filled with anger. “It’s laughable that Zhen Lan was deceived. How dare she mock me for having poor judgment?”
“Senior Yu Qing, I’m truly sorry for dragging you into this without reason,” Su Che said apologetically.
“No need to blame yourself!” Yu Qing waved his hand gently, his tone mild. “It’s not your fault for others’ mistakes. I’ve had a feud with Zhen Lan for a long time. Even without your situation, we couldn’t get along. Besides, we’re both competitors for the true disciple spots. The internal competition in five years will surely be a life-or-death struggle.”
Hearing about the internal competition in five years, Su Che became curious and asked, “Senior Yu Qing, no matter how intense the internal competition is, it’s just among peers. Could there really be a risk to life?”
“Yes,” Yu Qing nodded. “Especially the battles for the top ten spots, which determine who gets the true disciple positions. No one will hesitate to use any means. One wrong move could cost you your life.”
“It’s so cruel…” Su Che murmured, his expression serious, but deep down, he felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation. Perhaps, deep within him, he also harbored a fierce fighting spirit.
Yu Qing looked at him with a meaningful gaze and smiled slightly. “The next internal competition will be in fifteen years. I believe by then, you will be very outstanding.”

“Thank you for your praise, senior brother. I will surely work hard.” Though he said this, Su Che thought to himself: I don’t want to wait until the next round. In the internal competition in five years, it would be best if the two of us could claim both of those direct inheritance spots…

Yu Qing added, “I heard your opponents are two people, one of whom is already at the third level of Qi cultivation. There’s a huge gap in strength between you and him. Are you confident about the bet in half a year?”

“I am confident, but as of now, I’m only about 50% sure.” Taking advantage of this topic, Su Che tentatively said, “If I can become a disciple in charge of the Spirit Herb Garden, I’ll have at least a 90% chance of winning in half a year!”

“A disciple in charge of the Spirit Herb Garden?” Yu Qing was slightly stunned, unable to understand immediately how such a position could be directly related to competitive contests.

“Senior brother, it’s like this…” Su Che explained carefully, “I have some advantages in spirit herb cultivation. By taking advantage of the position as the garden’s manager, I can gain extra benefits without violating the sect’s rules or harming the sect’s interests…”

Yu Qing frowned and, before he could finish speaking, immediately advised, “Junior Su, you’re still young. Don’t be too eager for quick success. Remember, once you make a mistake, it might be hard to undo…”

There was a long lecture, but Su Che knew it was out of good intentions. He patiently nodded, willing to listen. As long as he didn’t stop, he wouldn’t argue at all. Sometimes, when someone nagges at you, it just shows they truly care about you.

Only when Yu Qing stopped did Su Che pour him a cup of fragrant tea before saying, “Senior brother, your words are all wise advice. I’ve remembered them all. But I still need to explain further. Rest assured, I will never do anything foolish that could ruin my future for short-term gains. This is indeed a good deed that benefits both others and myself.”

“Very well. Then explain to me in detail how it benefits both others and yourself.” Yu Qing put down his teacup and said, “If you can convince me, I’ll help you get that position as the garden’s manager!”

He really could do it! Su Che was overjoyed and became even more convinced that Senior Brother Yu Qing held great influence at Mysterious Peak.

“Senior, I come from a declining cultivation family. One of our elders is highly skilled in growing spiritual herbs. Since I was five, I’ve been learning cultivation techniques from him…” Su Che brought up the prepared excuse, highlighting his ‘omnipotent’ declining family once again. This time, it was Su Che who talked non-stop, essentially saying that he could not only take excellent care of spiritual herbs but also absorb their essence in the herb garden, which helped improve his wood-element cultivation skills. Then, he could use his wood-element techniques to nourish those herbs, creating a virtuous cycle of harmony and mutual benefit between humans and plants…

“Senior Yu Qing, I’m truly very confident in this area,” Su Che concluded after his long speech. “If you don’t believe me, you can give me a few spiritual herbs to take care of for a while. I definitely won’t disappoint you.”

“No need,” Yu Qing waved his hand.

No need? What did that mean?

Su Che felt anxious, thinking his fabricated excuse had been exposed. But unexpectedly, Yu Qing smiled lightly and continued, “I believe you have talent in this area. I do have a few precious spiritual herbs, but I still can’t risk handing them to you. Only after you work in the herb garden for a while and prove your abilities will I trust you with my herbs.”

Su Che smiled silently. From his words, it was clear—he agreed!

Yu Qing asked further, “You have the spiritual roots of fire, earth, and wood. Does that mean you plan to focus on cultivating wood-element techniques?”

Su Che nodded blankly, agreeing in silence. In truth, he hadn’t yet decided which element to focus on next.

It was precisely because he understood Su Che’s spiritual roots that Yu Qing believed he could achieve success in the wood-element field. That theory of ‘harmony between humans and plants’ was only accepted because of this.

Of course, this theory wasn’t invented by Su Che alone. Every cultivator chooses the cultivation environment that suits them best, and as their skills improve, they develop their own unique methods—what are known as secret techniques. This is nothing strange or unexpected.

At that moment, Su Che smiled broadly and obsequiously poured tea for Yu Qing. “Senior, regarding my going to the herb garden…?”

Yu Qing nodded and said, “Normally, the disciple in charge of the herb garden must not only have expertise in growing spiritual herbs but also at least reach the mid-stage of Qi cultivation. However, you’re quite lucky. Coincidentally, the elder of the herb garden is my own uncle. As long as you truly possess the talent, making a slight exception shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Great!” Su Che was overjoyed. It was then he learned that Senior Yu Qing wasn’t alone in the Tianxuan Sect either—he had family elders who supported him. In the world of cultivation, connections are crucial. If you’re born lucky and have a powerful elder in your family, you can achieve far more than others with the same effort.

Yu Qing stood up and headed outside the cave dwelling. His last words before leaving were, “You’ll hear good news within three days at most. Remember your promise—don’t disappoint me.”

“I definitely won’t disappoint you, Senior,” Su Che called out loudly after him.

Su Che knew well that Yu Qing’s request not to disappoint him didn’t mean expecting him to achieve something extraordinary. It was more of a reminder to avoid being impatient and making irreversible mistakes.

“Master, your Senior Yu Qing is really extraordinary,” Lao He said in a low voice inside the Immortal Prison. It was the first time he had seen Yu Qing since their creation.

“He is indeed extraordinary. It’s said to be the top figure among the 500 inner disciples of Xuanji Peak,” Su Che thought admiringly. “I’ve already checked—on the ranking list of all inner disciples in the Tianxuan Sect, he’s also in the top ten.”

“Master, I’m not referring to that,” Lao He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I vaguely sense that there’s some very powerful force within him—possibly a high-grade magic artifact or an energy that’s been sealed… In any case, he’s much stronger than what you know about him.”

“Everyone has secrets. That’s not a big deal. At least for now, he owes me a favor and has been very kind to me.” As he spoke, Su Che’s tone changed, and he asked, “You said you could sense a hidden force within him. Then I have to worry—could he also sense your existence and that of the Immortal Prison?”

“Unlikely,” Lao He shook his head. “If that were the case, I would sense it…” He scratched his head. “Well, it’s hard to say. Who knows?”

So far, no one even Lao He has any idea what level of magical artifact the Immortal Prison is. It has to be said that this junior artifact spirit truly lives up to the title of “junior”!