Rebirth as a Demonic Cultivator: Starting with a Zombie Planet

Chapter 30: Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method, Blood Fiend Demon Refining Sutra!

Liu Zhenxiong’s gaze swept over Chu Xuan, assessing him as if seeing the Qi Condensation junior for the very first time. “What realm have you reached? You must be at least at the eighth layer of Qi Condensation, yes?”

“I recall that back when the Wuji Sect still stood, you were merely at the fourth layer. To think you’ve made such staggering progress.” A genuine, warm smile broke across the elder’s face.

Chu Xuan simply nodded. He saw no reason to correct the man and admit he had already broken through to the ninth layer. If Liu Zhenxiong wanted to believe he was at the eighth layer, then the eighth layer he would be. Hiding his fangs was never a bad strategy.

“Excellent! Among all our surviving Qi Condensation disciples, your cultivation is the highest!” Liu Zhenxiong’s smile widened into a beaming grin. “Come with me to the Wu Family Manor. I will do everything in my power to help you break through to Foundation Establishment!”

Chu Xuan immediately shook his head.

What a joke.

He needed to harvest Hailan Planet regularly. How could he possibly afford to play house with the remnants of the Wuji Sect day and night? Proximity bred scrutiny, and scrutiny would inevitably expose his secret. His ability to freely traverse the boundary between the Cangxuan Continent and Hailan Planet was his greatest trump card. No one could ever know.

Liu Zhenxiong blinked, taken aback. He had offered his full backing, yet Chu Xuan was refusing? The elder’s expression darkened, a hint of displeasure creeping into his features.

Sensing the shift, Chu Xuan smoothly adopted a tone of earnest humility. “Uncle-Master Liu, please understand. I am fully confident in my ability to refine the Foundation Building Blood Pill and attempt the breakthrough on my own. If you were to pour the Sect’s dwindling resources into me, it would inevitably breed resentment among the other Senior and Junior Brothers.”

He lowered his head slightly, playing the part of the loyal, self-sacrificing junior. “The Wuji Sect has already fallen. We survivors must rely on absolute unity to weather this storm. I cannot allow my personal advancement to sow discord among our ranks.”

Liu Zhenxiong’s eyes widened. The displeasure vanished, replaced by a profound sense of being moved.

What a spectacular seedling!

Resolute, fiercely independent, highly capable, and yet so deeply considerate of his peers. How had he been blind to such a gem of a disciple before the Sect’s ruin?

In the past, during the Wuji Sect’s golden age, Liu Zhenxiong would have immediately petitioned his Master to groom Chu Xuan personally. They would have drowned him in resources to force a rapid breakthrough, securing another Foundation Establishment pillar for the Sect.

But now? It was impossible. Just as Chu Xuan had pointed out, Demonic Cultivators were being hunted like dogs. Resources were agonizingly scarce. Funneling everything into one prodigy meant starving the rest. Men did not fear poverty; they feared inequality. Such blatant favoritism would eventually fracture their fragile alliance.

“You…” Liu Zhenxiong choked up, momentarily at a loss for words.

Chu Xuan respectfully cupped his hands. “I am willing to forge my own path. Please, Uncle-Master, say no more on the matter.”

“Ah…” Liu Zhenxiong let out a long, heavy sigh. “If the Sect were still standing, I would never allow a talent like yours to wander alone.”

Chu Xuan mentally breathed a sigh of relief. That sigh confirmed Liu Zhenxiong was dropping the issue. He wouldn’t be dragged back to the Wu Family Manor to play babysitter.

Seizing the opening, Chu Xuan smoothly transitioned. “However, this disciple is indeed lacking a subsequent cultivation method. I wonder… what price would Uncle-Master Liu ask for a copy of the Blood Fiend Demon Refining Sutra?”

Liu Zhenxiong offered a weary smile. “No price is necessary. I’ve taken the time to transcribe several copies of the Blood Fiend Demon Refining Sutra recently. I can give you one directly.” He paused, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his face. “However, I must consider the other disciples… Do you happen to have any Blood Beads on hand? One hundred Blood Beads, and the manual is yours.”

Chu Xuan’s heart gave a violent thud.

The Blood Fiend Demon Refining Sutra was a premier Foundation Establishment method. Back in the day, even a mere transcription required a staggering one thousand Sect contribution points—the equivalent of at least two thousand five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. One hundred Blood Beads? That was worth two, maybe three hundred Spirit Stones at best.

Liu Zhenxiong was offering a ninety percent discount. He was practically giving it away.

Yet, despite the steal, Chu Xuan didn’t immediately produce the payment. He had the beads, of course. Thousands of them. But paying up too readily would raise suspicions. If Liu Zhenxiong realized he was sitting on a mountain of Blood Beads, the elder’s touching sentimentality might quickly turn into predatory greed. The human heart was a fickle, treacherous thing. Paranoia was the armor that kept a Demonic Cultivator alive.

Forcing a pained, embarrassed expression, Chu Xuan hesitated. “Uncle-Master, I only have a little over fifty Blood Beads on me. Could I make up the difference with Spirit Stones?”

Liu Zhenxiong waved a hand dismissively. “Fifty is fine. I have no use for them at my realm anyway; they are strictly to aid the Qi Condensation disciples.”

Chu Xuan nodded gratefully, retrieving a pouch of fifty Blood Beads and handing it over. In exchange, Liu Zhenxiong produced a freshly bound transcription of the Blood Fiend Demon Refining Sutra and pressed it into Chu Xuan’s hands.

“Alright, you should leave.” Liu Zhenxiong’s tone turned grave. “Ouyang Hao managed to escape, though severely injured. The Shenggang Sect will undoubtedly launch a brutal new wave of sweeping operations around Taiping Market to hunt down the culprit. Protect yourself. If the pressure becomes too great, abandon your pride and come to the Wu Family Manor.”

Chu Xuan blinked, maintaining a perfectly neutral expression.

Ouyang Hao escaped severely injured?

That was news to him, considering the righteous bastard’s corpse was currently resting obediently inside his Storage Bag. He kept his deadpan silence, offering a solemn nod before turning away.

The two men parted, melting into the shadows of the market.

***

Wu Family Manor.

Liu Zhenxiong peeled away his disguise, his face etched with lingering regret.

Such a flawless seedling. It was a bitter shame he couldn’t keep the boy close to personally guide his path.

The moment he stepped into the compound, the surviving disciples—Chen Ge, Wei Hua, Xu Ming, and Bai Feng—swarmed him.

“Uncle-Master, did you find the disciple who was selling the pills?” Xu Ming asked, his voice tight with anticipation.

Liu Zhenxiong smiled. “I found him.”

“Who was it?” the group chorused, eyes wide with curiosity.

Liu Zhenxiong shot Xu Ming a rather peculiar look. “You know him.”

Xu Ming pointed at himself, baffled. “I know him?”

Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and Bai Feng exchanged confused glances, scratching their heads.

Liu Zhenxiong let out a hearty laugh. “I won’t keep you in suspense. It was Chu Xuan. And he has already reached the eighth layer of Qi Condensation.”

Dead silence fell over the courtyard.

Xu Ming’s eyes bulged, the words catching in his throat. He had been cultivating like a madman lately, pushing himself to the absolute brink, yet he was still only at the fifth layer. He wasn’t even close to touching the sixth. And Chu Xuan… that utterly mediocre, unremarkable Chu Xuan was at the eighth layer?!

Impossible!

Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and Bai Feng stood frozen in shock. Their thoughts mirrored Xu Ming’s disbelief. No matter how hard they racked their brains, it made absolutely no sense. How could Chu Xuan’s cultivation skyrocket so violently? It hadn’t even been a full year since the Wuji Sect was annihilated. How did a thoroughly average disciple leap straight to the eighth layer?

Suddenly, a realization dawned on Chen Ge. He swallowed hard, his voice timid. “Wait… last time, when we stumbled across those three dead Shenggang Sect disciples… could it have been Senior Brother Chu who killed them?”

Liu Zhenxiong raised an eyebrow, stroking his chin. “Now that you mention it, it is highly probable. With an eighth-layer cultivation base, a sudden, ruthless ambush would easily allow him to slaughter those three before they even knew what hit them.”

Chen Ge’s face lit up. “Xu Ming, do you realize what this means? We were essentially saved by Senior Brother Chu!”

Xu Ming’s expression twisted into something ugly. For months, he had comforted himself with the belief that his diligent cultivation would easily allow him to surpass a nobody like Chu Xuan. He had never once considered the man a rival. But now, reality had delivered a brutal, stinging slap to his face. Chu Xuan wasn’t just impressive; he was standing on a summit Xu Ming couldn’t even see.

Wei Hua and Bai Feng sighed, their voices thick with envy. “Senior Brother Chu must have stumbled upon some heaven-defying fortuitous encounter to advance so rapidly. I’m so jealous.”

Liu Zhenxiong reached into his robes and produced a Storage Ring. With a flick of his wrist, a pile of crimson orbs materialized. “There are fifty Blood Beads here. Divide them equally amongst yourselves. These are the resources Chu Xuan provided for the Sect.”

Chen Ge and the others eagerly stepped forward, scooping up their shares with bright smiles.

“Xu Ming, aren’t you going to take yours?” Wei Hua asked, noticing the other man standing perfectly still.

“I…” Xu Ming stared at the glowing, blood-red beads. They felt like thorns lodged in his throat, a mocking reminder of his own inferiority.

“Hey, if you don’t want them, we’ll just split your share. That’s an extra bead for each of us,” Chen Ge chuckled, reaching for the remaining pile.

“I want them!” Xu Ming gritted his teeth, lunging forward to snatch the Blood Beads from the table, his pride thoroughly crushed under the weight of his own weakness.