The journey to the True Heaven-Valve Sect was not long. After flying for three days, Chen Gensheng descended into a desolate, stone-filled valley where spiritual energy was thin.

  He wasn't tired; after reaching Foundation Establishment, his spiritual reserves were ten times deeper than before. He could fly for thirty days straight without breaking a sweat. He simply stopped to settle his latest spoils.

  He tapped on Li Simin’s coffin, and a mountain-like shadow squeezed out from the crack—the Black Jade Toad.

  Pitch black and shimmering like polished ink, the toad blinked its lantern-sized eyes in confusion, still reeling from the shock of being stuffed into a coffin.

  Gensheng pulled out the yellowed parchment and read the instructions. This was an Essence-Marrow Toad, a second-rank spirit beast. Its innate ability was to devour filth—corpse-qi, resentment, and poison—and refine it into "Essence-Marrow." This substance could temper the body or be spat out as a lethal Baleful Light that corroded artifacts and flesh alike.

  Gensheng was ecstatic. Corpse-qi and resentment were the two things he had in abundance.

  He squatted before the toad. "Your previous master was weak; she couldn't protect you. Following her meant ending up as a pill or being skinned. Follow me, and you’ll flourish."

  He pointed at the silent Li Simin. "From now on, follow her. She eats the meat; you drink the soup."

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  It was a speech of pure, warped logic, delivered with absolute righteousness. The toad remained confused, but instinctively looked at the female corpse-puppet.

  Li Simin reached out and patted the toad’s slimy head. The movement was gentle, yet the toad shuddered as if struck by lightning, flattening itself against the ground in submission. Gensheng then pressed his fingers against its skull, forcibly carving a soul-brand into its spirit.

  "Simin," he said to the corpse. "From now on, you have a little tagalong for your fights."

  Fifteen days later.

  The landscape shifted from jagged hills to barren, endless mountain ranges. Finally, in a bald valley, Gensheng saw the sect gate. A rotting wooden plaque hung above, with the words "True Heaven-Valve Sect" nearly eroded by time.

  A disciple in grey cloth, barely at the second level of Qi Condensation, was yawning against a pillar. When Gensheng and Li Simin descended from the sky, exuding a chilling Foundation Establishment aura, the disciple’s legs turned to jelly.

  "Perfected Man! This disciple was blind! How may I serve you?"

  The title Perfected Man gave Gensheng a momentary pause. From a cockroach to a servant, and now to this. He shook his head and withdrew his pressure. In a sect where only Golden Core experts ruled, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was a valuable asset.

  "I wish to join," Gensheng said.

  The disciple’s face lit up with greed and excitement. "You’ve come to the right place! Our sect is starving for talent! With your cultivation, you’ll be treated as an Inner Elder!"

  He led Gensheng through the crumbling gates. "The True Heaven-Valve Sect has one great virtue: Freedom! We don't care what arts you practice, and we don't force deadly missions on you. Just pay your monthly tribute, and you can stay in seclusion as long as you want."

  This sat well with Gensheng. He didn't want guidance; he wanted a shield.

  The Hall of Affairs was halfway up the mountain—a building even more dilapidated than the gate. The disciple stopped outside, his smile turning obsequious.

  "Senior, you’ve arrived at the perfect time. Just a few days ago, a legendary 'fat position' became vacant, and we’ve been desperate for someone to take over!"