Chapter 2: Cave Crisis, Karma Severed

Shen Qinghe lay on her side across the jade stone bed, a flick of her fingers sending a shimmering talisman paper drifting down into her palm. It was a Formation-Breaking Talisman that looked perfectly ordinary on the surface, yet under the sunlight, it refracted a bizarre halo. Dappled light and shadow spilled onto the withered moss at the bed's edge, and for a moment, it looked like the dead plant was stirring back to life.

She didn't open her eyes. She just lazily rolled over, her breathing steady and deep, as if the thud they’d both heard earlier was just a hallucination. Outside the Cave Dwelling, spiritual energy swirled in visible currents. Ancient, withered vines were visibly unfurling their branches at a rapid pace, releasing a faint, sweet fragrance that mixed with the cool, stoney air inside, creating a strange, eerie kind of balance.

Lu Xiaoman hurried into the Cave Dwelling with a medicine box, the tin instruments clanking inside to the point of making one’s heart skip a beat. Her face wore a mix of doe-eyed innocence and genuine panic, fine beads of sweat still dripping from her forehead. She was rushing so fast that she nearly kicked over a tea cup on the floor.

Seeing that her young mistress was unharmed, she let out a long sigh of relief, but her brow immediately furrowed. She lowered her voice, speaking in a rush. "Miss, something is off. That outer-gate disciple who delivered the spirit tea earlier had his eyes darting everywhere. There’s a weird scent lingering on the cuffs of his sleeves. I sniffed it secretly—it’s Vein-Cutting Powder. It’s specifically designed to attack the meridians."

Shen Qinghe finally opened her eyes. A streak of light flashed in her pupils, but she showed no sign of panic; instead, she looked almost curious. Deep in the depths of those eyes, it seemed like a river of stars was reversing course, forcing Lu Xiaoman to look away for a brief second out of sheer intimidation. She took the tea cup Lu Xiaoman offered but didn't drink. She just stared at the tea for three breaths.

In her vision, the clear tea instantly bloomed with a dense web of gold-red veins. They twisted and coiled like living snakes. The logical flaws in the composition were clearly visible. It was a poison method based on Causality Stripping chains that locked the Dantian through spiritual resonance.

A half-smile, neither smiling nor not smiling, curved her lips. Her fingertip lightly tapped the edge of the cup. "Vein-Cutting Powder? Sister Liu Ruyan sure is kind. She actually bothers to send me to cultivate." As she spoke, she circulated her spiritual power and activated Causality Stripping. An invisible ripple spread out from her center, washing over the surrounding air like ripples in a pond, marking the toxins that had invaded her meridians as "already broken."

The poison was instantly extracted from her body. Guided by her spiritual power, it flowed into the dead spirit trees surrounding the dwelling. The withered, blackened trunks suddenly glowed with a bizarre, eerie purple-red light after absorbing the toxins. Leaves erupted wildly, blooming into vibrant flowers in an instant.

A thick, surging vitality rose from the depths of the earth, accompanied by the subtle sound of soil cracking, purifying the surrounding spiritual energy to an almost sterile clarity. Inside the dwelling, the scent of flowers was overwhelming, like a fairyland, and even the previously stagnant air felt light and airy.

At the same time, the poisoner guarding the dark spot outside was hiding in the grass, observing the scene. He had expected Shen Qinghe to vomit blood and have her meridians shattered, but instead, he watched the dead trees revive like a miracle, blooming more beautifully than in past years. Petals fluttered down like rain, landing on his shoulders with a cold, chilling touch.

His legs turned to jelly. The dagger in his hand clattered to the ground, the metallic ring sharp in the quiet. He muttered in terror, "Impossible... How did the Vein-Cutting Powder become fertilizer?"

Liu Ruyan stood on a distant cliff edge, watching the dwelling with cold, narrow eyes. The mountain wind whipped up the hem of her white robes. Her fingers moved through calculations, but the shadows in her brow grew heavier. She had been expecting to see Shen Qinghe collapse in a mess, planning to use this opportunity to completely eliminate this potential threat.

However, when she saw the vast fields of bizarre flowers blooming across the mountainside, her face darkened. A chill crept into her heart, as if something was slipping out of her control.

Her confidant beside her asked in a low voice, "Senior Sister, is it possible Shen Qinghe practiced some kind of demonic art?" Liu Ruyan sneered, a flash of jealousy in her eyes. She lowered her voice but made sure every word was clear. "If she dares to use demonic arts, I’ll have a valid reason to report to the Elder Council, expel her from the sect, or even order her execution. Go, send two more people. This time, find solid evidence."

Shen Qinghe sat calmly beneath the flower tree, her gaze steady as she watched the blooms. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled patterns on her face. In her mind, she traced the pathways of the poison, analyzing its underlying logic. Causality Stripping wasn’t just about transferring damage; it was about converting negative causality into positive resources.

She had predicted that Liu Ruyan wouldn’t let this go. The next move would definitely involve allying with other factions to set a trap during the sect’s assessment.

Lu Xiaoman crept up to Shen Qinghe, looking at the spring-like view in the garden. She couldn't help but complain, "Miss, this is too crazy. Using poison as fertilizer? I’ve never seen anyone in the cultivation world slack off like this." Shen Qinghe huffed lightly, reaching up to pluck a red flower and tuck it behind her ear. She smiled. "If you can't turn a crisis into an advantage, *that's* what slacking is. This is just another form of causality."

Suddenly, a sharp, clear sword intent enveloped the dwelling. Jiang Chenzhou had appeared on the flower tree at some point. He was dressed in white robes that looked like fresh snow, his expression stern, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He stared at Shen Qinghe, a glint of scrutiny in his eyes. "Your aura is too steady. You don't look like a poisoned person. Shen Qinghe, what are you hiding?"

Shen Qinghe didn't stand up. She just lazily tilted her head back and laughed. "Senior Brother Jiang, your sword is too cold for flower appreciation. My flowers just bloomed. If you’re here to pick a fight, I’m not entertaining you." Jiang Chenzhou fell silent for a moment. He keenly sensed that this woman’s cultivation was immeasurable. That steady, ancient-well-like aura was far beyond what the word "waste" could describe.

He gave her one last deep look, then turned into a streak of white light, vanishing into the clouds. Only the faint hum of a sword lingered in the air.

Seeing the ambush fail, Liu Ruyan decided to change tactics. She secretly contacted Ancestor Xuanning, who had been secluding himself on the Back Mountain. That old monster was greedy and afraid of death, but he was drawn to the dense luck surrounding Shen Qinghe. He decided to set a trap during the sect assessment, attempting to seize Shen Qinghe’s body to extend his own lifespan by a century. The message was transmitted via a Spirit-Hiding Butterfly, carrying a scent of decay.

Shen Qinghe did not sit around waiting for death. She took out a bizarre spirit herb that had been transformed from the toxins and threw it into the pill furnace. The furnace fire danced, casting a red glow on her calm profile. Moments later, a pill emitting a faint golden light emerged. She swallowed it. Her stagnated cultivation broke through the bottleneck. Spiritual power flooded her limbs and bones, which crackled with a soft, popping sound.

This not only secured her foundation but also boosted her enlightenment by a significant leap.

At this moment, in the sect’s main square, the great list was unfurled. The Elders loudly read out the assessment list, every name pulling at the heartstrings of the disciples. When "Shen Qinghe" was read, the square erupted in a murmur. All eyes focused on the female cultivator who had been removed from the core sequence. Whispers surged like a tide, and the suspense reached its peak at that exact moment.

Shen Qinghe stood by the window of her dwelling, watching the bustling square in the distance. The corner of her mouth twitched upward. She knew that the real game had just begun. The Formation-Breaking Talisman in her robe was slightly warm, as if responding to the coming storm. Lu Xiaoman stood behind her, chewing on a spirit grass root, mumbling incoherently, "Miss, do you think they can actually beat you in the assessment?"

Shen Qinghe didn’t answer. She just flicked her finger, and the talisman turned into a streak of light, merging into her brow. Jiang Chenzhou watched her from afar, the long sword in his hand vibrating slightly, emitting a clear chime. Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes in the shadows, her fingers tracing the talismans as she prepared for a duel with no way out.

Wind swept the clouds away, spiritual energy churned. The flowers inside the dwelling swayed in the wind, foreshadowing a massive upheaval. Shen Qinghe took a deep breath, the spiritual power in her body surging like a tidal wave. She was no longer that lazy waste; she was a sharp sword waiting to leave the sheath, hidden beneath the prosperity, waiting for the moment to strike.

On the day of the assessment, the sun was blazing. Shen Qinghe walked out of the dwelling, her steps light yet graceful, as if blooming with every step. The gazes cast upon her were filled with curiosity, jealousy, and awe. Lu Xiaoman followed tightly behind, not daring to take a deep breath. She knew that her mistress had changed entirely.

Jiang Chenzhou followed from the back of the line, his gaze never leaving her figure. The shock in his heart hadn't subsided. The "waste" he had once looked down on now exerted a subtle pressure on him. He gripped his sword hilt tighter, deciding to see through her bottom card in the assessment.

Liu Ruyan stood on the high platform, smiling sweetly, but her eyes were icy. She watched Shen Qinghe walk toward the assessment zone, calculating how to subtly intervene with Ancestor Xuanning’s power to deliver a fatal blow. A silent storm was brewing over the cultivation world.

When Shen Qinghe stepped into the assessment area, a mechanism in the ground suddenly activated. It wasn’t a preset spiritual trap, but the Bone-Eroding Curse that Liu Ruyan had secretly planted, aimed at instantly devouring a cultivator’s Dantian. However, Shen Qinghe’s steps didn't falter. She didn't even circulate her power to resist. The curse force hit the protective spiritual light around her like a clay ox entering the sea, automatically stripped by a bizarre law of causality.

"Zzzzt—"

A smell of burning filled the air. It wasn't Shen Qinghe who was damaged. It was the roots of a hundred-year-old banyan tree next to the zone that rapidly withered. The once lush green leaves turned charred and black. The curse force was forcibly transferred, becoming nutrient for the dead wood. The old tree completed a cruel "fertilization" in an instant, then, miraculously, sprouted a few new, vibrant buds, contrasting sharply with the surrounding dead silence.

The proctor Elder’s face changed color drastically. He snapped his head up to look at Shen Qinghe, then glanced at the old tree, his pupils shrinking. "Causality Stripping? Transferring the curse force to an object? That... that’s impossible! Unless she had already seen through the formation’s pathways and forcibly altered the laws of causality!"

Liu Ruyan’s smile froze on the platform, her talismans trembling in her fingers. Her carefully prepared guaranteed-kill technique had become a footstool for Shen Qinghe to display her strength. The disciples below whispered excitedly, their eyes filled with even more reverence. Lu Xiaoman, hiding in the crowd, watched her mistress’s back stand as straight as a pine tree. She bit the spirit grass root, thinking to herself that her mistress was probably going to shake up the entire sect this time.

Just then, the crisp sound of wind chimes broke the oppressive atmosphere. The Sect Master personally descended, hovering in the air, his gaze like a torch, sweeping over the entire venue. The jade slip in his hand flared with bright light, slowly unrolling to reveal the list for this great exam. The Sect Master’s voice was cold and majestic, echoing in the center of the square. "The assessment list is announced. The first name is Shen Qinghe. Special exemption granted. She will directly participate in the Secret Realm selection."

The entire hall fell into a death-like silence, then erupted. Shen Qinghe stood still, her gaze calm as she looked at the suspended jade slip. The corner of her mouth curled into a subtle arc. In the shadows, Liu Ruyan stared at her fiercely, her nails digging into her palms until blood seeped out. A much larger game had just opened its curtain.