Chapter 39: The Layout

Qianwei frowned upon seeing Qin Tian. Although Qin Tian was remarkably handsome, he was merely a mortal, and in her heart, she held mortals in contempt.

Seeing Qianwei enter, Qianxue quickly said, "Sister, this young master is here to wait out the rain. He says he knows the author of The Legend of the White Snake!"

Qianwei looked Qin Tian over, but she remained skeptical.

"Just stay here and don't wander off. Leave as soon as the rain stops," Qianwei said coldly, turning away with a look of disdain.

Qianxue said awkwardly, "My sister might just be uncomfortable with strangers."

Qin Tian nodded, unbothered; he was just a passerby, after all.

After their earlier conversation, Qianxue felt that Qin Tian was a man of great depth. It was a pity that such a person was only a mortal. Driven by this thought, she took out a low-grade Heaven-tier cultivation manual and handed it to him.

"Young Master, this is a cultivation technique. You may take it to practice. Once you step onto the path of immortality, you won't have to worry about the cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death."

Qianxue’s gesture earned Qin Tian’s favor, and he decided to form a bond of kindness with her. Instead of taking the manual, he took out half of the "Ziwang Longevity Sutra" from his robes.

"There is no need for your manual; I have a better one here." He handed it to her. "Take this as a token of thanks for your hospitality, but please, do not pass it on to others."

Qianxue subconsciously took the sutra and began to read. She was stunned; her own technique could only reach the third level of the Semi-Saint realm, but Qin Tian’s manual could reach the third level of the Saint realm and was incredibly profound. After reading only a little, she gained sudden insight, believing that if she cultivated it, she could break through to the second level of the Creation realm in a short time.

Qianxue felt conflicted, as the manual was too precious to accept without merit. She disliked owing favors, yet the technique was vital to her. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and tried to return it. "Young Master, this is too valuable, I..."

Qin Tian was surprised by her noble character and held her in even higher regard. Qianxue possessed excellent talent—Saint-grade—but it contained a trace of ancient aura, meaning her potential could reach the Emperor-grade. While the cost to unlock it would be high, Qin Tian was willing to nurture this connection.

"Keep it for now. Just agree to grant me one request when we meet again."

Qianxue eventually succumbed to the temptation of the manual and agreed, promising not to let anyone else see it, including her sister.

The rain stopped, and Qin Tian prepared to go hunting. As he stepped out, Qianxue asked, "Where can I find you in the future?"

"Qingyun City, the Artistic Conception Gallery." With that, Qin Tian slowly vanished from her sight.

Soon after, Qianwei returned. Looking at her sister with displeasure, she said, "Do not let such mortals into the manor again. He is not one of us."

Qianxue bit her lip, wanting to explain, but kept silent. She knew her sister’s snobbish nature. Furthermore, she had a feeling that Qin Tian was no mere mortal, but a peerless expert.

Qianwei glanced at the copy of *The Legend of the White Snake* on the table. "Spend more time practicing and stop reading these things. You’re picking up mortal habits; you must understand our current situation."

Meanwhile, Qin Tian ventured deeper in search of demon kings. Finding one on the outskirts of the Qingyun Mountains was rare. While searching, he heard sounds of combat and went to investigate out of curiosity.

It was a Light Tiger, a demon king of the second level of the Creation realm. Its opponent was the white-robed youth he had seen earlier in the city, accompanied by the old man of the Emperor realm. The youth was only about twenty, yet he had reached the first level of the Creation realm—a rare talent, likely the result of the old man pouring all his efforts into training him before his inevitable death. The youth was likely challenging the tiger to help extend the old man’s life, but Qin Tian knew it was futile; a Light-element demon king was useless for an Emperor-realm expert.

Because of his lower cultivation level, the youth was struggling and suffered injuries. Boom! The youth was sent flying by a collision with the tiger. Just as the beast prepared to deliver a fatal strike, Qin Tian lunged forward, raising his kitchen knife and slashing down fiercely. A deep gash appeared on the Light Tiger, blood gushing out.

The tiger had seen Qin Tian charge but sensed no spiritual energy, so it had ignored him. Qin Tian pressed the attack, swinging the blade horizontally. This time, the Light Tiger went all out, swiping with its claws.

*Awoooo!*

The tiger’s claw was sliced open by the kitchen knife, and it let out a painful howl. It had expected to swat the mortal away, but the result was the opposite. After two hits, the tiger was no longer a match for Qin Tian.

Once the beast fell, Qin Tian walked over to the youth. "The Light Tiger is useless for your grandfather's condition."

The youth shuddered, wondering if an enemy of his grandfather had found them. Seeing no malice in Qin Tian, he asked tentatively, "How do you know about my grandfather’s situation?"

"I can tell. I saw you both on the streets of Qingyun City."

The youth let out a breath of relief and began to study Qin Tian closely. He was puzzled to find no trace of spiritual energy, yet Qin Tian had easily killed the demon king. He concluded that Qin Tian must be concealing his aura, and his strength was likely on par with his grandfather’s.

"You saw through his condition at a glance," the youth asked urgently. "Do you have a way to fix it?"

Qin Tian pointed at the tiger. "Take this and follow me."

Assuming Qin Tian had a solution, the youth quickly collected the tiger and followed him to the Artistic Conception Gallery. Qin Tian told him to leave the carcass in the kitchen, then sat down to write out a new copy of the *Ziwang Longevity Sutra* for the Saint realm. The one he gave Qianxue had been meant for the old man, so he had to start over. He missed having his spiritual energy, which would have allowed him to imprint the contents directly onto a jade slip.

After finishing, Qin Tian handed the manual to the youth, telling him it might be of some help. The youth thanked him profusely and hurried away. Qin Tian was confident the old man would come looking for him soon; the first part of the manual could only slow the passing of life, but the latter part was the only true solution.