The plan couldn’t be called flawless, but it was still very thorough. According to the sect rules, low-ranking disciples could receive the Marrow Cleansing Pill, but he deliberately made things difficult, substituting it with a useless pill. Such unfair treatment—let alone for William Clark, a teenager—would be hard for even a seasoned old fox to endure. As long as he lost his temper, it would give them an excuse to make a fuss.

However, man proposes, heaven disposes. Although William Clark had no spiritual root and was just an ordinary person, he was far from stupid—in fact, he was quite clever. His character was also tenacious, able to endure what others could not. He always thought thrice before acting or speaking, never impulsive. When Elder Mason gave him the useless pill, he was indeed angry, but he hid his emotions very well.

From the contemptuous look in Elder Mason’s eyes, William Clark also saw a hint of mockery, a scheme. He immediately drew a conclusion. Although he didn’t know the specifics of the plot or why he was being targeted despite having no grudge, these could be investigated later. The urgent matter was not to fall into the trap.

So, not only did William Clark not lose his temper, he even accepted the useless pill with a calm expression, successfully dodging a round of persecution. Elder Mason’s plan failed; unable to frame William Clark, he was left speechless with anger.

Chapter Six: The Mysterious Canyon

After leaving the Flying Cloud Hall and arriving at a deserted spot, the smile on William Clark’s face gradually faded, replaced by a gloomy look, with a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

He stood quietly for a moment, saying nothing. However, Elder Mason had already left a deep impression in William Clark’s heart. Of course, he wouldn’t act now, but once he had the strength in the future...

Footsteps reached his ears—someone was approaching. William Clark’s heart stirred, and his gloomy expression quickly vanished. When he looked up, his face was calm as usual, showing no sign of anything amiss.

“Haha, did you hear? That good-for-nothing William Clark got two bottles of useless pills.”

“What’s so strange about that? A mortal with no spiritual root isn’t worthy of taking spiritual medicine refined from rare treasures. Trash deserves trash pills, doesn’t that fit perfectly?” The other person mocked without restraint, not caring at all that the person they were talking about was right beside them.

...

But William Clark acted as if he hadn’t heard, passing by them with a calm expression. Those who accomplish great things cannot act on impulse; acting rashly is not bravery, but foolishness. A real man must endure what others cannot. He would remember these people who had insulted him...

Right now, the most important thing was to focus on cultivation—strength was the only real truth. His original plan was to use the Marrow Cleansing Pill to break through the bottleneck of the second layer of his cultivation method, but looking at the useless pill in his hand, William Clark fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked out of Floating Cloud Valley.

Without the aid of pills, with his ordinary aptitude, even with hard work on the Path of Heart Refinement, breaking through the bottleneck would be difficult. After some thought, William Clark decided to try his luck.

Not far from the sect, there was a small canyon with a hidden entrance, rarely visited by people. William Clark had discovered it by chance, and sometimes managed to pick some rare herbs there.

Although the chances were slim, William Clark had found some a few times. Besides spiritual pills, some thousand-year-old spiritual herbs could also help improve cultivation.

After careful consideration, William Clark realized this was his hope of quickly reaching the second layer of the Spirit Movement stage. Even if he couldn’t find any spiritual herbs, he would lose nothing. After weighing it all in his mind, William Clark left Floating Cloud Valley.

After leaving the sect grounds, William Clark didn’t head straight for the canyon. Instead, he wandered aimlessly around the area for a while. He did this to make sure no one was following him, because the hidden canyon sometimes yielded rare herbs, and William Clark didn’t want anyone else to know about it.

After circling for an hour, William Clark was sure no one was watching him. Only then did he quietly leave the main road and slip into a secluded path. After winding through several twists and turns, he arrived at the hidden canyon.

A riot of color—wildflowers covered the grass, and the air was filled with a fragrant scent. It was a beautiful scene, but William Clark wasn’t here for a picnic. He began searching the area carefully, looking for any herbs that could boost his cultivation.

Time slipped by quietly. William Clark still hadn’t found anything, but he wasn’t discouraged—he had only searched a small area so far, and continued looking.

Just then, faint voices reached his ears. William Clark was startled, but immediately, without hesitation, hid in the nearby grass.

A red light approached from afar, followed by a “thud” as two people landed in the canyon, not far from William Clark.

“Master, are your injuries all right?” A young woman’s voice, full of concern.

Peering through the gaps in the grass, William Clark saw they were wearing Floating Cloud Valley robes—fellow sect members. Still, William Clark didn’t come out to greet them; better to stay out of trouble and observe quietly.

“Cough, cough, I can still hold on. Emily, are we almost at Floating Cloud Valley?” The weak voice sounded familiar to William Clark—which elder of the sect was it?

“Don’t worry, Master. We’re only a few miles from the sect. The enemy won’t dare pursue us here.”

“That’s good.” The weak voice breathed a sigh of relief, clearly badly injured.

“Master, please rest for a while.”