Thud!
A muffled sound came from the foul-smelling pit, as if something had just sunk to the bottom.
Golden liquid splashed up.
A swarm of flies, startled by the disturbance, buzzed into the air, annoying the pigs nearby. Not Qin Xiaozhu, but the actual pigs in the pigpen.
"Enjoy it while you can. This is what happens when you cross my father!" Qin Zi stood outside the pit, laying down layer after layer of seals while sneering coldly.
He had already bought out many of the surrounding pigpens and manure pits, establishing two pig farms—East Farm and West Farm.
Raising a large number of pigs ensured a steady supply of manure, so no matter how many people he captured, there would always be plenty of pits for them to soak in.
These pits were a perfect form of torture, causing minimal physical harm but maximum humiliation.
Most powerful beings had endured numerous hardships, so physical pain meant little to them. It was this kind of mental torment that truly broke them.
Qin Xiaozhu understood this principle well.
Soon, he had finished placing layer upon layer of seals around the pit, ensuring that no one with ill intentions could steal anything from it, and left.
Beneath the surface of the pit, however, a different scene unfolded.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The Dragon Emperor roared in fury.
Of course, he wasn't using his mouth.
The filthy sock had been removed from his mouth, but he dared not open it, so he could only roar with his spiritual sense.
It was a cry from the soul.
A sound from the depths of his spirit.
"Young man, save your energy."
A weary, old sigh came from nearby, weak and tired.
The Dragon Emperor was startled.
He turned his head, though he didn't dare open his eyes, using his spiritual sense to perceive his surroundings.
Though his power had been sealed, his spiritual sense still allowed him to see things within a few meters.
Then he saw a golden spirit wrapped tightly in a large net. The golden spirit shone brightly, like a blazing sun.
"So powerful!"
The Dragon Emperor's expression changed slightly. The aura emanating from this spirit filled him with dread.
This was a Heavenly God!
"Senior, you are..."
The Dragon Emperor asked softly, feeling a natural affinity for this Heavenly God who shared his miserable fate—he's worse off than me!
A dignified Heavenly God, trapped in a pit of filth, and apparently he'd been here longer than the Dragon Emperor himself. With that thought, his situation didn't seem quite as unbearable.
Humans, after all, find solace in comparison.
"I am Qingxuan Sanren... I was ambushed by that wretch and then imprisoned here by the little wretch."
The golden spirit said in a low voice.
"How could someone as powerful as you be captured by him?"
The Dragon Emperor couldn't understand. Qin Chuan was strong and had treasures, but the power of this spirit seemed far beyond anything he had encountered.
This was a Heavenly God!
"Heh, at the time, my strength hadn't fully recovered to the Heavenly God realm. I was caught off guard by his treasures and suppressed. Now I'm completely sealed by those treasures. Even though my power has recovered somewhat, I can't break free anytime soon."
Qingxuan Sanren said with a bitter smile.
Suddenly, Qingxuan Sanren stared at the Dragon Emperor, exclaiming in surprise, "You... you have that kind of physique!"
The Dragon Emperor instinctively tensed, cautiously asking, "Senior, you know about my physique?"
His physique was mysterious and powerful, yet despite his tens of thousands of years of searching, he had never found any clues about it.
"Don't you know? You possess the rare and ancient Immortal Body!"
Qingxuan Sanren's eyes gleamed with intensity.
"This physique has incredible life force, and most importantly, it allows perfect control over every particle that makes up your body. You can even sever the connections between those particles at will."
"In other words, when you're injured and some particles are destroyed, you can simply discard them and regenerate new ones to replace them, thus healing the damage."
"Injuries that would be fatal to others only cost you some life force."
"Even if you were cut in half, your body would regenerate through particle replication, leaving no trace of injury."
The more the Dragon Emperor listened, the more shocked he became.
Everything Qingxuan Sanren said matched his own experiences exactly!
He wasn't particularly bright, but his rise to power through sheer brute strength had been largely due to his special physique.
Because he could take so much punishment and had incredible resilience, he could take greater risks and seize more opportunities than others.
In battle, he could even trade blows, life for life, but in the end, the other person would die while he got up, dusted himself off, and moved on.
So, for everyone who had risen to power, it was never just by chance—there was always something extraordinary about them!
"Young man, would you like to become my disciple?"
Suddenly, Qingxuan Sanren asked.
"Ah??"
The Dragon Emperor froze for a moment. He looked at Qingxuan Sanren, who was soaked in the same pit of filth as him, and fell silent.
A strange feeling welled up inside him.
There's an old saying: We are all strangers from different lands, so why meet as though we know each other? Now, having both sunk in the same pit, how could he bring himself to accept this man as his master?
It felt... off.
After all, his master should be someone who sits in the heavens, dignified and awe-inspiring. Yet this...
It wasn't that Qingxuan Sanren wasn't strong.
It was just that the current situation was far too absurd, leaving the Dragon Emperor feeling conflicted.
Sensing his hesitation, Qingxuan Sanren calmly said, "Fortunes rise and fall for everyone. The moon waxes and wanes, but does that define us? Aren't you, an unparalleled talent, soaking in the same pit? Do you truly believe you belong here?"
Whoosh!
The Dragon Emperor's heart pounded as if struck by lightning, and shame filled his face.
To think he had lived for tens of thousands of years and was still so shallow.
He took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Junior Qin Long is willing to acknowledge Senior as his master!"
"Good!"
Qingxuan Sanren laughed heartily and said, "Since we are both trapped, we can dispense with the formalities. From now on, you are my disciple, and I will impart all my knowledge to you."
"Qin Long greets Master!"
The Dragon Emperor, whose true name was Qin Long, said respectfully.
"Good, my obedient disciple."
Qingxuan Sanren smiled with satisfaction. He had finally accepted another disciple, and such a strong one at that.
His criteria for choosing disciples were simple: a good physique capable of withstanding the rigors of training.
A master must impart both knowledge and... "essence"!
"Disciple, I have a secret technique that, combined with your physique, might allow us both to escape from here. Let me teach it to you now." Qingxuan Sanren said, barely containing his excitement.
"Thank you, Master!"
Qin Long's face lit up with excitement.
In truth, he felt that this old man was not entirely trustworthy and likely had ulterior motives, but he pretended not to notice.
As long as it made him stronger, he feared nothing. Besides, after everything he had been through in the Burial Grounds, what hadn't he seen?
One-on-one guidance?
Two-on-one training?
Three-on-one intensive strengthening?
All too small.
His mindset was still too narrow!!
Unbeknownst to these two scheming individuals, every one of their actions was being closely monitored by Qin Chuan.
Of course.
At the moment, Qin Chuan couldn't be bothered with these two fools, as he had a more important task at hand—generating income.
In common terms, it was time to harvest the "crops."
Thanks to the Human Sacred Hall and the Tianheng Clan's vigorous promotion, a grand tournament for heavenly talents was about to begin.