NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 333: The Dual Malevolence Technique
Chapter 333: The Dual Malevolence Technique
“How does Senior Sister plan to deal with Eldest Brother Zhao Ming?” Xu Lian asked curiously.
In reality, with his cultivation at the eighth stage of the Origin Tracing Realm, killing Zhao Ming, who was at the seventh stage of the Unity Realm, would be as easy as an adult swatting a child. At the very least, it wouldn’t pose much of a challenge for him. However, he couldn’t afford to reveal his true strength – he was currently posing as Qin Feng and could only do what Qin Feng was capable of. Any action beyond Qin Feng’s abilities would risk exposing his disguise.
Ning Meixue’s autumnal eyes glimmered strangely as she gazed at him thoughtfully. Xu Lian immediately realized that given Qin Feng’s deep respect for Zhao Ming, his question had been too eager. To rectify this slip, he quickly added, “As the saying goes, ‘If you don’t kill a snake completely, it will bite back. If we don’t kill Zhao Ming, he will surely come after us.”
This reasoning fit perfectly with Qin Feng’s cautious nature. Of course, Ning Meixue didn’t suspect anything. She chuckled softly and said, “I thought you were even more eager to see Zhao Ming dead than I am. It turns out you’re just worried about being hunted down if our plans are discovered.”
She seemed confident, her tone brimming with certainty. “Junior Brother, rest assured. Since I suggested eliminating Zhao Ming, I already have a foolproof plan. Have you ever heard of a forbidden technique created by the ancestors of my Ning Marquis House and your Marquis Qin House? It’s called the Yin-Yang Dual Evil Technique.
The Yin-Yang Dual Malevolence Technique? Despite interrogating Qin Feng all night long and gathering extensive information, Xu Lian hadn’t received Qin Feng’s memories, so he didn’t know anything about the ancient affairs of the two Marquis Houses. He vaguely replied, “I think my father mentioned it once, but I’m not entirely sure.”
Ning Meixue explained, “The Yin-Yang Dual Malevolence Technique is a forbidden art that allows for a rapid increase in power within a short period of time. Once we master this technique, our combined strength at the fifth stage of the Unity Realm will be more than enough to defeat Zhao Ming, who’s at the seventh stage. However, due to a disagreement between our ancestors in the past, this technique has been divided into two halves-one kept in my Ning Marquis House and the other in your Marquis Qin House. In order to practice it, we need to retrieve both halves and combine them.”
Xu Lian frowned. “Such a forbidden technique must be a closely guarded secret. How can we possibly obtain it?”
Ning Meixue replied, “I will take care of retrieving the half from the Ning Marquis House. As for the half in the Marquis Qin House, you’ll need to find a way to get it yourself.”
Her tone became slightly resentful. “Your father, the Marquis Qin, has always favored your elder brother and completely ignored you. Are you willing to live in your brother’s shadow for the rest of your life? Think of a way—whether by stealing or deceiving—to obtain the technique. Once we master it together, we can eliminate Zhao Ming. Then, when the Fifth Prince secures the position of Crown Prince, we’ll have the opportunity to oversee an exclusive cultivation resource zone and rise to the upper echelons of the Qian Dynasty. At that point, your father will have no choice but to reconsider who should succeed him as the next Marquis Qin.”
The Yin-Yang Dual Malevolence Technique – judging by its name alone, it clearly wasn’t a righteous cultivation method. And they had to practice it together? Xu Lian nodded resolutely. “Alright. For the sake of being with Senior Sister and securing my own future, I’ll take the risk.”
Ning Meixue smiled brightly. “That’s the spirit.”
They discussed some additional details before she finally departed.
The next day, Xu Lian followed Qin Feng’s usual routine, getting up early to inspect the medicinal fields. Cai Yi accompanied him as his medicine attendant, staying close by at all times. Xu Lian didn’t dare let her out of his sight, fearing that she might escape through the spatial channel and ruin his plans.
Thus, Xu Lian continued to masquerade as Qin Feng, going about his daily tasks in the medicinal fields. As for what exactly he did there, he wasn’t quite sure – he mostly just wandered around aimlessly, pretending to check on things here and there. Occasionally, he would sneak off to the narrow cave to continue interrogating Qin Feng, extracting more information to fully understand the persona he was impersonating.
Two and a half months passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally, the day of refining the Metamorphosis Elixir had arrived. Everyone in the exclusive cultivation resource zone gathered under the towering Thousand Yang Cauldron. Present were the Sage-level alchemist, the eldest disciple Zhao Ming, the second disciple Ning Meixue, the third disciple “Qin Feng” (Xu Lian), hundreds of medicine attendants, and tens of thousands of gardeners. The atmosphere was tense because the Metamorphosis Elixir was incredibly rare and valuable. Success was imperative; failure was unacceptable. Any mistake-whether it was using herbs of insufficient age, incorrect timing in adding ingredients, or improper control of the flames-could lead to failure. Whoever made the mistake would be severely punished. Naturally, everyone was on edge.
“Extinguish the flames, open the cauldron, and retrieve the Metamorphosis Elixir,” the Sage-level alchemist commanded, his expression stern as he gestured like a general directing troops on the battlefield.
Truthfully, given his status as a Sage-level cultivator, an alchemist, and a member of the royal family, he didn’t need to worry too much. Even if the refinement failed once or twice, the worst he’d get would be a reprimand. However, since this batch of Metamorphosis Elixir was intended for the Fifth Prince’s ascension to the Sage Realm-a matter tied to the succession of the throne-he approached the task with great care.
Eldest Disciple Zhao Ming personally extinguished the flames, opened the cauldron, retrieved the elixir, and placed it in a jade box. Then he respectfully presented it to the Sage-level alchemist.
After carefully examining the elixir, the alchemist confirmed, “It is complete.”
“It’s complete!”
“It’s complete!”
Hundreds of medicine attendants and tens of thousands of gardeners erupted in cheers. Success meant that every step had been executed flawlessly, sparing them from any blame.
Is this the Metamorphosis Tonic? Xu Lian stared intently at the object inside the jade box – it was about the size of an infant’s fist, crystal clear, and faintly glowing. Strangely, there was no discernible medicinal fragrance, likely because all of its properties were condensed internally.
He suppressed the urge to seize it by force. Even if he used the divine bone in his left hand, he could only unleash quasi-Sage-level strength—not enough to overpower the Sage-level alchemist, let alone the Quasi-Supreme overseeing this cultivation zone. There was no chance of success through brute force.
Moreover, he now had bigger ambitions: to oversee an exclusive cultivation resource zone. Once he achieved that, he could refine more Metamorphosis Elixirs . He couldn’t afford to risk everything for a single elixir.
“The past period has been hard on everyone,” the Sage-level alchemist said, placing the elixir back into the jade box and storing it away. His gaze swept over the crowd indifferently. “The successful refinement of the Metamorphosis Elixir proves that everyone has performed their duties flawlessly. According to the imperial regulations, failure will be punished, while success will be rewarded. As usual, the court will distribute cultivation resources corresponding to each person’s level.”
The medicine attendants and gardeners beamed with joy and bowed deeply to express their gratitude. Nothing was more convenient than receiving cultivation resources as a reward.
The Sage-level alchemist then turned to Xu Lian and Ning Meixue. “Meixue and Feng’er may go to the Ministry of Finance to claim cultivation resources according to their level. As a reward, each of you will receive five strands of Root of Passage.”
What a pleasant surprise… Xu Lian and Ning Meixue thanked their master.
When the alchemist looked at Zhao Ming, a rare smile appeared on his face. “Ming’er worked the hardest alongside me during the refining process. He deserves double the reward of ten strands of Root of Passage.”
Zhao Ming bowed respectfully. “Thank you, Master.”
So he gets special treatment, huh? Xu Lian grumbled inwardly. After all, he had spent two and a half months “inspecting” rare herbs in the medicinal fields every day. Even though he hadn’t actually done much, he still felt entitled to equal recognition for wasting so much time.