22: The inner door "welcomes" but hides a murderous intent

Three days later.

Lin Gou, with his “healed injuries,” donned a brand-new azure Inner Sect Disciple robe, holding the warm white jade token, and stepped into the mountain gate of the Qingyun Sect's Inner Sect.

A rich Spiritual Qi, almost substantial, rushed towards him.

The Spiritual Qi concentration in the Inner Sect was three times denser than in the Outer Sect!

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and herbs, distant mountains were like painted brows, and pavilions were scattered in an orderly fashion.

Several Inner Sect Disciples who were Cultivating looked up, their gazes falling on him.

Their eyes held scrutiny and curiosity.

“The newcomer?”

“That must be Lin Gou, the one who performed well in the Outer Sect’s minor competition.”

“I heard he pushed Li Tian to a desperate situation; quite interesting.”

Lin Gou lowered his eyelids, outwardly nodding humbly to everyone in greeting.

But internally, he was observing frantically.

The cultivation of Inner Sect Disciples was generally at Qi Refining Stage 6 or above!

Among them, there were many masters at Qi Refining Stage, Eighth Level and Qi Refining Stage, Ninth Level.

There were even a few whose aura was unfathomably deep, very likely having one foot already in the Foundation Establishment Stage!

“Holy crap! This is the standard a true Cultivation School should have!”

“Those Qi Refining Stage 3 or 4 little weaklings in the Outer Sect are kindergarten level compared to here!”

“However… the higher the cultivation, the richer the death reward!”

“This place is simply my five-star death reward buffet!”

Lin Gou's heart was already celebrating.

Just as he was pondering how to “reasonably” approach these Advanced experience babies, a slightly harsh voice sounded.

“Oh, isn’t this Junior Brother Lin, the ‘hero’ of the Outer Sect’s minor competition?”

Lin Gou looked up.

He saw three Inner Sect Disciples walking towards him.

The leader was a gloomy-faced young man, whose cultivation had impressively reached the Qi Refining Stage, Eighth Level Middle Stage!

Behind him followed two followers, both at Qi Refining Stage 7 Late Stage.

All three had a half-smile on their faces.

“Here they come! Here they come!”

“The classic Inner Sect veteran bullying the newcomer trope!”

“These three guys don’t look like good people at all, perfect for being my death reward providers!”

“I am Lin Gou, I greet the three Senior Brothers.”

Lin Gou quickly cupped his hands in a bow, appearing extremely apprehensive.

He looked just like a chick targeted by an eagle.

The leading young man sneered.

“My name is Fang Jian, and these two are my Junior Brothers, Wang Fei and Li Feng.”

“I heard Junior Brother Lin performed well in the Outer Sect’s minor competition, managing to push that good-for-nothing Li Tian to such an extent; you do have some skill.”

Wang Fei chimed in, “However, the Outer Sect and Inner Sect are not the same; here, strength is the absolute truth.”

Li Feng also echoed, “That’s right, the small skirmishes in the Outer Sect are nothing in the Inner Sect.”

The three’s words were full of disdain and provocation.

Lin Gou’s heart was as clear as a mirror.

These three guys were clearly here to give him a warning.

But he still maintained a humble appearance on the surface.

“The three Senior Brothers are right; as a newcomer, I ask for your continued guidance.”

A hint of triumph flashed in Fang Jian’s eyes.

This Lin Gou was indeed a soft persimmon!

“Guidance is possible, but…”

He deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping up and down Lin Gou.

“Junior Brother Lin, are you interested in the Dao of Alchemy?”

Lin Gou’s heart stirred.

He keenly sensed the unusualness of this question.

“Oh-ho? Are they starting to set a trap?”

“Interesting, let me see what big gift package you’ve prepared!”

“I do have some interest in the Dao of Alchemy, but I haven’t had the chance to study it in depth.”

Lin Gou feigned an eager look.

Fang Jian’s smile became more pronounced.

“That’s truly a coincidence; I know a place that’s particularly suitable for studying the Dao of Alchemy.”

“It’s the abandoned Alchemy Room in the southeast corner of the Sect, formerly an Elder’s Alchemy place, now unused and forgotten.”

Wang Fei added, “It’s very quiet there, no one will disturb you, perfect for focused study.”

Li Feng also nodded, “And there are still some residual Pill Furnaces and tools inside, just right for practice.”

A hint of imperceptible malice gleamed in the eyes of the three.

Lin Gou frowned slightly, feigning hesitation.

“An abandoned Alchemy Room… will there be any danger?”

Fang Jian laughed heartily.

“Danger? Junior Brother Lin is overthinking; it’s just an ordinary Alchemy Room.”

“What, the esteemed figure of the Outer Sect’s minor competition, doesn’t even dare to go to an abandoned Alchemy Room?”

The three’s eyes were filled with mockery.

Lin Gou sneered inwardly.

These three fools thought he couldn’t see through their little trick?

An abandoned Alchemy Room?

And they specifically emphasized it was forgotten?

This was clearly a trap!

But since it was a “death reward” delivered to his doorstep, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

“An abandoned Alchemy Room? Sounds like it has great potential for an explosion!”

“And it’s an Inner Sect trap, so the reward quality definitely won’t be low!”

“These three guys are truly my benefactors!”

“Since the three Senior Brothers recommend it so much, then I will go take a look.”

Lin Gou displayed a “convinced” expression.

Fang Jian and the other two exchanged glances, triumphant gleams flashing in their eyes.

“Then it’s settled, Junior Brother Lin can go anytime; we’ll ‘leave the door open’ for you.”

Fang Jian’s tone carried a profound hint.

“Thank you for your care, Senior Brothers.”

Lin Gou cupped his hands in thanks again, then bid farewell and left.

Watching Lin Gou’s retreating figure, Wang Fei asked in a low voice, “Brother Jian, will he really go?”

Fang Jian sneered, “How dare he not go? That cowardly look just now clearly showed he was intimidated by us.”

Li Feng also smiled sinisterly, “The Pill Furnace in that abandoned Alchemy Room has been corroded by Devilish Qi for decades, it’s extremely unstable, and will explode with the slightest carelessness.”

“Even if he dies then, he can only blame himself for being careless.”

Fang Jian nodded, “Exactly, a country bumpkin from the Outer Sect dares to put on airs in front of the Inner Sect.”

“This time, we’ll let him know what it means to be out of his depth.”

After speaking, the three dispersed, waiting to watch the show.

Meanwhile, Lin Gou had already returned to his residence.

He immediately began to consult Sect records, gathering information about the abandoned Alchemy Room.

Soon, he found relevant records.

The former owner of that Alchemy Room was an Elder named Mo Xincheng!

This person was once obsessed with refining various forbidden Devil Pills, ultimately suffering Qi Deviation, and was expelled by the Sect.

The Pill Furnace he left behind, having refined Devil Pills for years, retained a large amount of Devilish Qi and was extremely unstable.

Over the decades, several Disciples, driven by curiosity, entered it, only to be caught in the Pill Furnace explosion, resulting in death or injury!

“So that’s how it is!”

Lin Gou put down the records, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

“A Pill Furnace corroded by Devilish Qi exploding… this way of dying sounds very technical!”

“And it’s in the Inner Sect, so the impact will be greater, and the reward definitely won’t be low!”

“Maybe I can even get an S-rank gift package directly!”

“However, I need to do some preparatory work first.”

He quietly left his residence, and under the cover of night, arrived at the southeast corner of the Sect.

The abandoned Alchemy Room was situated in a desolate mountain hollow, surrounded by overgrown weeds, appearing particularly eerie.

Under the moonlight, the dilapidated building resembled a lurking beast.

Lin Gou did not enter rashly, but instead carefully surveyed the vicinity.

Finally, he set up his second “Soul Anchor” in an abandoned well a hundred meters away from the Alchemy Room.

This well was hidden and safe; even if the Alchemy Room were razed to the ground, it would not affect this spot.

Having completed all this, Lin Gou clapped his hands in satisfaction.

“Preparation complete; tomorrow I can go ‘study the Dao of Alchemy’!”

“Those three fools, Fang Jian, still think they’re so clever!”

“Little do they know, they’re delivering a big gift package to me!”

“They’re truly self-propelled Santa Clauses!”

Early the next morning.

Lin Gou deliberately procrastinated for a long time, not moving towards the abandoned Alchemy Room until noon, appearing “hesitant.”

His steps seemed heavy, as if he were making a difficult decision.

In the distance, Fang Jian and the other two were hiding in the shadows, observing.

Seeing Lin Gou’s timid appearance, all three revealed triumphant smiles.

“Look at his cowardly demeanor; he’s probably thinking of backing out.”

“But since he’s here, he shouldn’t expect to leave easily.”

“Just wait and watch the show!”

Lin Gou pushed open the Alchemy Room door.

A smell of decay mixed with medicinal dregs rushed out.

The room was dimly lit, with scattered discarded pills and damaged Talismans piled in the corners.

The most striking feature was the pitch-black Pill Furnace in the center of the room.

The Pill Furnace’s surface was covered in cracks, faintly emitting an ominous black-red glow.

A faint but unsettling Devilish Qi fluctuation permeated the air.

Lin Gou took a deep breath.

A genuinely excited smile appeared on his face.

“Excellent! This place is my five-star death experience hall!”

“I wonder what good things the System will give me for being blown up by this Devilish Qi Pill Furnace?”

“A-rank? Or directly S-rank?”

“Maybe I can even unlock some special achievements!”

He rubbed his hands, eagerly walking towards the dangerous Pill Furnace.

This wave, he was going to get rich again!