Jinshen had fallen asleep after eating and the room was in a deep quiet, the jade stones that lit up the room had stopped emitting life.
The only sounds in the room were the soft breathing of the disciples sleeping and the occasional snorting.
Suddenly Jinshen's body sat up straight in the bed as a small, mischievous grin spread across his face, but something was different, the sclera in his eyes was now a vibrant blue and his iris was a deep black.
Alright! I can finally use that feature I got from my new update!
Jinshen stood up as he sat cross legged in the bed, moving his hand and head in random directions like someone experiencing a body for the first time. Which made sense since this wasn't Jinshen.
It was The Nanomachine which could now take over his body whenever its Master was asleep or in a state of unconsciousness.
The Nanomachine continued its weird movements for a few moments before it abruptly stopped, taking a deep breath as it opened the book of The Path Of The Withering Enemies.
It flipped through the pages at a rapid pace, its eyes analyzing the information of the first chapter quickly as it quickly closed the book and placed it right where Jinshen had before he fell asleep.
Alright, since I don't want my stupid master to die in The Trial of Blood. I'll have to cultivate as much as possible since today is the last day before the trial starts.
It sat down on the cold stone ground in the lotus position but in the way that the book instructed, with palms open and facing downward, touching the stone of the ground before starting to absorb the Qi.
Alright.. Here we go! The First Stage: Ember Vein!
It started gathering the absorbed Qi in Jinshen's Dantians before starting to circulate it rapidly through the Qi pathways, the veins starting to glow crimson and the body starting to become hotter and hotter.
Jinhai momentarily woke up, his eyes fluttering open for a moment before he raised an eyebrow looking at 'Jinshen' who was cultivating.
Oh... Seems like he's cultivating.. I shouldn't disturb him.
Jinhai yawned slightly before turning over to his side, putting the blanket over his head and once again, falling asleep.
The guard outside of the room noticed the spike in Qi as he slowly opened the iron gate, just enough for him to peak inside as he noticed that someone was cultivating as he just nodded in approval before closing the gate once more.
"Good, seems like he's determined. That boy will go far." He muttered under his breath as he went back to his standing position, putting his hand behind his back.
Due to Jinshen's body having a Qi pathway to his eyes, the irises started to glow golden as it illuminated the room once more, bathing it in a rich and radiant golden light.
Damn I feel like a nightlight but wake the hell up idiots! Witness my badassery!
The Nanomachine thought to itself. It was basking in the sensation of cultivation and enjoying its freedom without Jinshen constantly reminding it to stay humble and the banter.
Everyone in the room slowly woke up as they realized what was happening, Ruoxue's competitive streak ignited, he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before he immediately sat down besides 'Jinshen' and started to cultivate as well in the same stage as the latter.
Damn I'm a hero~ Master's rivals jumping in too? I'm going to assert my dominance! The Nanomachine smirked in a scheming manner internally
Everyone hesitated for a moment but after Jinhai also joined the two with a small smirk on his face. Everyone also sat down, following his lead, forming a circle in the middle of the room as they all settled into cultivating.
The guard outside noticed the immense spike in Demonic Qi as he once more peeked into the room, he once again nodded in an impressed and approving manner.
"Very good. This batch is very determined. Perhaps I should inform The Grand Marshall, he will be pleasantly surprised, I'm sure he would reward these disciples."
The guard looked at the disciples in the room once more before closing the iron gate and starting to climb the stairway to the top of the Ashen Hall.
The ascent was quiet and tense, the Demonic Qi from The Grand Marshall, his wife and Yo Muxan was weighing down the stairway.
I still can't wrap my arms around the fact that in the top floor is a Saint... He thought to himself as he finally reached the gate of the top floor.
The gate was unlike any of the gates below. Tall and sturdy, its black stone surface shimmered faintly, as if it absorbed the light around it. Intricate crimson runes were carved along its edges, glowing softly as if the gate itself was alive, watching those who approached. In the center, an eye-shaped pattern rested, it was more of a symbol that seemed to shift depending on the light.
The guard took a deep breath as he slowly knocked on the gate which immediately swung up, the wind strong enough to make the guard stumble for a moment before he immediately went into a kneeling position, his hand placed on his heart.
"All hail the Grand Marshall! The Crimson God of the Demonic Sect!"
Before him stood the Grand Marshall, he was still as regal and authoritative as ever despite it being lat in the night. But what was really amusing was that drawn across his chest was a badly drawn face of a dragon, most likely by his granddaughter.
He was wearing an exquisite robe of a midnight blue, its golden embroidery catching the faint light. His leggings were of the same color but they were a bit looser, allowing for freedom of movement. His robe was open, revealing his muscular, almost sculpted body.
His Demonic Qi was overwhelming the Guard who was desperately trying to stop himself from passing out as he started hearing an uncountable amount of whispers and shadow figures out of the corner of his eyes.
"What is the reason of your visit Wuxin?" The Grand Marshall's expression was calm and stoic as ever despite the rather embarrassing piece of artwork on his body, his voice cut through the whispers instantly, stopping their grip on his mind.
Wuxin tried his best to remain calm, ignoring the goofy face of the dragon staring at him, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before speaking in a low and respectful voice.
"Grand Marshall, the disciples have been cultivating for a while.. I thought to inform you of their determination."
The Grand Marshall remained calm as he nodded down at Wuxin, a small contemplative frown on his face.
"I see, very well. Give the one who started this all the Hellish Thorn pill and the others the Infernal Dust Pill,"
Wuxin nodded as he immediately stood up, his back and head still bowed as the Grand Marshall shut the gates in front of him.