Chapter Seven: I Will Find You

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Barbed vines, poisonous insects of the swamp, and miasma capable of eroding the will blanketed the entire Thorn Prison, killing without leaving a trace.

Lian Daiying’s robes were already soaked through with sweat. Spiritual energy gathered beneath her feet as she floated above the swamp, both hands clutching several vines with all her strength.

Venom oozed from the barbed vines, each drop hissing into the swamp below.

She checked her storage pouch—apart from a few rare materials, she had used up nearly all her pills and talismans.

Wounds on her body continued to burn with venom, corroding her flesh bit by bit. She was utterly spent, with nothing left to give.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she knew that at this level, any other cultivator at the mid-stage Spirit Concentration realm would have chosen to give up. But her stubbornness made her want to fight on.

“Little sister, we meet again.”

A sly, mocking voice sounded in her ear. She frowned and turned to see Shen Wan grinning at her.

That face… Completely unfamiliar.

“Who the hell are you? Get lost!”

Already concentrating all her will, Lian Daiying’s anger flared instantly as she was interrupted. If not for the barbed vines pressing close, her fiery temper would have erupted in a torrent of curses.

Shen Wan stood frozen, a little embarrassed.

Wasn’t he supposed to be the one teasing her? Did he mix up his script?

After hearing her shout “Get lost!” and seeing her ignore him, Shen Wan watched as Lian Daiying leaned back, straining against something, blue veins bulging faintly on her forehead.

He curled his lip, then in a flash, appeared before her, thinking, “Let’s see if I can’t handle you now!”

Remembering the impact of Lin Bufan’s robes in the crowd, Shen Wan stood in front of her, ostentatiously shaking out his sleeves.

He smoothed his attire, the gold patterns on his blue undershirt glimmering with a striking sheen.

“To speak so rudely to your senior—do you have a death wish?”

He wore an air of supreme arrogance, eyelids drooping, mouth askew, even letting out a dismissive snort.

Lian Daiying’s brow tightened. But before she could react to Shen Wan’s idiotic expression, the vines before her, upon touching his body, instantly dissolved into green smoke.

Beneath their feet, the swamp rippled outward in endless waves.

Venomous insects either fled in panic or died on the spot, their bodies falling lifeless at his feet.

The sight shocked Lian Daiying.

Her body, which had been locked in struggle with the vines, lost all support the moment the vines vanished. She staggered backward two steps, nearly falling into the swamp.

Shen Wan, meanwhile, stood in a bubble of empty space—those once-ferocious vines and poisonous insects now huddled at a distance, not daring to approach.

Astonishment grew in Lian Daiying’s heart.

This Ten Prisons Tower was a treasure left by the founding ancestor, a sacred place for tempering the younger generation. As long as one was below the Foundation Establishment stage, no one had ever reached the summit.

Each level was increasingly perilous, the spiritual pressure intensifying. Even those at the peak of the Spirit Concentration realm could never suppress the tower’s spiritual pressure so completely.

Perhaps she was ignorant, but Lian Daiying had never heard of such a thing.

“How… How did you do that?”

Her voice trembled. Her usual arrogance gave way to caution.

Shen Wan, well aware of his own peculiarities, understood her question but had no intention of answering.

With a flourish, hands clasped behind his back, he gazed up at the vaulted ceiling, exuding utter confidence.

He held the pose at exactly forty-five degrees.

“Between you and me lies an unbridgeable chasm. I am an existence you can never surpass. Insignificance is your lot. Even if you cross the mountain that blocks your path, you’ll only glimpse my fading shadow. Don’t ask—because even if you do, you won’t comprehend!”

With that, he spun around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lian Daiying standing agape, stunned.

The moment he turned away, Shen Wan’s dignified expression collapsed into pure mischief.

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He could no longer suppress a wide grin that nearly stretched to his ears.

His purpose achieved, it was time to leave.

Lian Daiying, watching Shen Wan’s string of antics, suddenly recalled who he was.

So, it was him! “How did you sneak into my Qianxuan Sect? You illicit infiltrator! I’ll report you to the sect and have you dismembered limb from limb!”

She quickly drew a palm-sized bronze mirror from her storage pouch. The mirror shimmered with a faint light, ripples spreading across the surface as if it contained infinite possibilities.

“Heaven-Earth Mirror, remember this man’s face for me!”

With a flick of her wrist, she sent the mirror flying toward Shen Wan.

Shen Wan was startled.

He’d read enough xianxia novels to know that magical artifacts came in all forms—surely one that could capture a person’s likeness existed. If his face was truly recorded and a wanted notice was circulated through the sect, he’d be in real trouble.

Though many inside the tower had seen him, no one had identified him yet.

He hurriedly raised his sleeve to block his face.

But the mirror was swift—before he could lift his arm, it had already appeared behind him, arcing over his head to face him.

Lian Daiying snorted. But the next instant, her expression froze.

For as the mirror neared Shen Wan, its glow abruptly faded, the ripples on its surface vanishing into stillness.

Then, following a perfect parabolic arc, it smacked Shen Wan on the back of the head with a crack.

The mirror shattered, fell into the swamp, and was instantly swallowed.

Shen Wan felt a faint sting at the back of his head, as if something had touched him, but didn’t pay it any mind.

With his sleeves covering his face, he ran off without looking back.

Behind him, as Lian Daiying stood stunned, several vines erupted from the swamp, binding her tightly.

A thicker poisonous vine then drove straight through her abdomen.

Golden light flashed from her body. Lian Daiying vanished—exiting the Ten Prisons Tower.

In the instant she left, blue veins bulged on her forehead as, with the last of her spiritual power, she pressed a hand to her chest and let out a roar that echoed through the space.

“Bastard! Just you wait! I’ll find you no matter what!”

Rage, grievance, and unwillingness mingled in her angry cry, reverberating for long moments before fading away.

Shen Wan was so startled by the shout that he stumbled.

He didn’t dare look back. Still, out of the corner of his eye, he saw all the other disciples, locked in their own struggles, staring at him in disbelief.

In their eyes, there seemed to be a trace of… sympathy…

“Crap, did I provoke the wrong person?”

A chill ran through him. Lian Daiying’s murderous glare kept swirling in his mind, round and round. Clearly, you couldn’t mess with anyone sporting a red armband.

This was no place to linger—time to make a swift exit.

Heart pounding, bent double, sleeves still drawn over his face, Shen Wan made straight for the stone gate leading to the Third Prison.

He didn’t dare glance at the other disciples along the way and quickly slipped through the gate.

Taking a deep breath, he still felt as if that little girl was behind him. He glanced back several times, just to be sure.

“I really can’t show off like that again. Caution keeps one safe for ten thousand years.”

He sighed to himself, then looked at the stone steps ahead.

“Sigh, more stairs. For all its might, the Divine Realm really should have installed an elevator.”

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He grumbled inwardly. But just then, a muffled groan sounded behind him. Turning, he saw a figure flying through the air, bouncing twice along the ground before sliding over Shen Wan’s feet and crashing into the stone stairs ahead.

Shen Wan stared, dumbfounded, at the figure lying on the ground.

…

Zhu Qianqing spat fresh blood, her clothing in tatters, several wounds turned a dark purple.

Poison was spreading through her body. She pulled out a pill from her pouch, swallowed it in one gulp, then sat, crossing her legs in meditation.

Her hair was disheveled, garments in disarray—gone was her previous celestial beauty.

Shen Wan tiptoed over, peering through the tangled hair for a long moment before recognizing her.

“Whoa, did you just escape from a coal mine? How did you end up like this?”

Shen Wan was astonished. Where was the beautiful, enchanting young lady? Did she just turn off her beauty filter?

Zhu Qianqing’s brow furrowed but she ignored him, letting the medicinal energy spread through her body. The blackening wounds visibly faded.

Though not healed, they were beginning to scab.

She exhaled heavily, regaining some of her composure.

“Se… Senior Brother?”

With her beauty slightly restored, Zhu Qianqing let out a coquettish yelp, making Shen Wan’s heart thump wildly.

“Oh, the folly of my shallow human nature,” he silently chided himself, but managed a gentlemanly nod.

But when Zhu Qianqing saw Shen Wan unharmed, she suffered a devastating blow.

“How… did you get through?”

“I walked, of course. Climbing all those stairs was a pain though—this place is absurdly tall!”

Shen Wan replied nonchalantly, dealing another heavy blow to Zhu Qianqing’s pride.

“Walked… Could you sound any more casual? I almost had to burn my own blood just to get through the Second Prison!”

She thought this, but only managed to say softly, “Senior Brother, you’re amazing…”

Beyond that, she could think of nothing to mask her sense of defeat.

Weakness—there was simply no remedy.

Naturally, Shen Wan only responded half-heartedly, because through her torn robe, a swath of snowy skin shone dazzlingly.

“See no evil, see no evil. It’s just the angle, nothing to do with my morals. Yes, I’m very upright!”

Shen Wan shamelessly raised his head, afraid he might start bleeding from his nose.

And so, the two exchanged a few awkward words. Zhu Qianqing’s condition soon recovered to about seventy percent.

Though her spiritual energy was less than a third, she could still attempt to challenge the Third Prison.

She stood, using a spell to instantly change into a fresh set of robes.

Shen Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He feared that if things continued, his blood would boil over and he’d drop dead on the spot.

After settling himself, they wasted no more time, climbing the steps together toward the Third Prison.