Chapter 1499

Young Thieving Heaven refuses to refine the vicious Gu recipe Sha Xiao has given him, which needs an infant killed, saying he has his bottom line. He adds that Sha Xiao wants him near the pool, so killing him now would be a pity. Sha Xiao agrees, then sends an intense pain through his body. The youth endures it in a dark corner. Sha Xiao calls him a small pawn and demands that he call him grandpa. After a long while the youth squeezes out the word, and when Sha Xiao claims it was too soft to hear, he remembers his family and his beloved woman and calls out a louder greeting. ^{ch. 1499}

Sha Xiao orders him to refine the Gu, but the youth refuses again, and Sha Xiao intensifies the pain until he collapses. Sha Xiao argues that if the infant does not die the youth will, but the youth says he will not build his happiness on others’ suffering. Sha Xiao replies that the clan banished the youth over scarce resources, openly using its rules to try to kill the youth, but the youth answers that what others do is their issue. Furious, Sha Xiao is about to attack when a woman’s cry rises from the house beside them. The owners’ baby, congenitally deficient, has died today despite a rank three Gu Master. Sha Xiao says the corpse is enough to refine the Gu and tells the youth to take it or die, since Sha Xiao can change to another pawn. ^{ch. 1499}

After a long silence the youth agrees. He now thoroughly grasps how forceful Sha Xiao is, and swallows the humiliation so that he can return home. During the competition’s pause of a few days he gathers the recorded materials and digs up the buried corpse at night. Two days before the competition resumes, he starts refining in a remote hut under Sha Xiao’s guidance. Extremely bad at first, he adapts very quickly and shows extremely powerful refinement talent, which shakes Fang Yuan, watching from the side. ^{ch. 1499}

With four steps remaining, Sha Xiao encourages him to give grandpa face in the competition. The youth gazes at the corpse, cannot bear to use it, and reasons that refinement can easily fail without Sha Xiao blaming him. He inwardly begs the child’s forgiveness, then makes a deliberate mistake, and the fire engulfs the corpse. When Sha Xiao orders the fire lowered, the youth pretends to panic, and it burns hotter. Sha Xiao realizes his intention and rages that he failed on purpose. ^{ch. 1499}