The delicate cannon fodder is stunning, saving the male supporting role but getting teased instead

Chu Mo staggered into the cave. The moment the green jade door slammed shut behind him, he could no longer hold on and fell forward like a puppet with its strings cut.

With a dull "bang", his knees hit the cold jade floor hard, causing the teacups on the table to clink.

"puff--"

A mouthful of black blood gushed out, splashing on the snow-white cold jade bricks, corroding them into wisps of green smoke.

The veins on the back of Chu Mo's hands, which were supporting the ground, bulged, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

He could clearly feel that the spiritual power in his body was rapidly dissipating like sand through his fingers - every meridian was like a torn cloth bag, and the spiritual power he had cultivated with great difficulty was dissipating from countless gaps.

"Soul-Erosion Powder..." He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with a wry smile, and the image of Gong Xueying's trembling fingertips as she served tea appeared in front of his eyes.

The poison in that cup of tea might have even quenched Chen Xuan's sword.

The wound on his right wrist now glowed a strange purple-blue color, spreading like a spider web towards his heart.

The spirit gathering array in the cave was still operating, and the rich spiritual energy turned into a light blue mist that enveloped the entire body.

However, the spiritual energy that he had used to be at his fingertips now seemed like a solid wall. No matter how he practiced his mental skills, he could not absorb even a little bit of it.

What's even more terrifying is that the golden elixir originally stored in the dantian is dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even fine cracks have appeared on the surface.

"How could this be..." He stared in disbelief at the spiritual energy emanating from his palm. From the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment... to the late stages of Foundation Establishment... his cultivation was regressing at a terrifying rate. Memories of training in the coldest and hottest days of winter, those opportunities gained through risking one's life in the secret realm, were all fading as his spiritual energy dissipated.

When the severe pain came again, Chu Mo knocked over the rosewood table.

“Chirp—”

The sound of the teacup breaking woke up the bluebird under the eaves, and the little guy flapped its wings and landed on its owner's shoulder.

The little guy pecked at Chu Mo's collar anxiously, trying to wake up his master whose consciousness was beginning to blur.

"It's okay..." Chu Mo forced a smile, but it tore the dried blood scab at the corner of his mouth.

He reached out to comfort the bluebird, but found that his fingers were twitching uncontrollably.

When the pain hit again, Chu Mo lost control and knocked over the rosewood table. With the crisp sound of the teacup falling to the ground, he was in a trance and returned to the arena.

"It's okay..." He forced a smile, but it tore the dried blood scab.

The severe pain came again, and Chu Mo knocked over the rosewood table.

Amidst the crisp sound of shattering teacups, he vaguely remembered the scene from the duel: the strange glow on Chen Xuan's sword, the look of pity in his master's eyes, and the whispers of his fellow disciples as their expressions suddenly changed...

“If Master knew…” He instinctively reached for the jade slip for help, but stopped the moment he touched it.

If Xueying had truly poisoned the sect, how furious would Master be upon learning of this? The daughter of the Xuantian Sect's leader poisoning and murdering the leader's disciples would be enough to make the entire sect a laughing stock.

The bluebird suddenly screamed in fear.

How could the figure reflected in the bronze mirror still possess the aura of a genius? Silver streaks appeared in his messy black hair, and his eye sockets were sunken, like those of an elderly man in his twilight years. Most horrifying of all was the dark, poisonous blue-black lines on his chest, which had formed a spiderweb-like pattern.

When his cultivation level fell below the initial stage of foundation building, Chu Mo laughed softly instead.

Trembling, he unsheathed his natal spirit sword, Frost Bright. A pair of bloodshot eyes flashed in the reflection of the blade. "Even you..." Before he could finish his words, the spirit sword, which had accompanied him for over a decade, suddenly let out a mournful cry and broke in two, falling to the ground. The backlash from his natal magic weapon caused him to spew blood mist once more.

The dusk shone through the window lattice, shattering his shadow.

Chu Mo huddled in the corner, listening to the subtle cracks of his golden core shattering. All that past glory, all that respect and admiration from his fellow disciples, turned out to be as fragile as the porcelain shards scattered across the floor.

"Xueying..." He didn't crush the jade talisman in the end, but pressed his bloody fingers on the cold ground, "Is this the ending you wanted?"

The night wind blew fallen leaves against the window, as if responding to this question that no one could answer.

The stars outside the cave went out one after another, just like his dissipating cultivation, silently sinking into the eternal darkness.

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Chen Xuan stood in the center of the newly assigned cave, his fingertips stroking the night pearls inlaid on the stone wall.

The soft pearl light reflected on his face, outlining a sharp outline.

This cave, located halfway up the Xuantian Peak, has a spiritual energy concentration that is more than ten times that of the outer gate. A spiritual energy gathering formation is hidden under the jade-paved ground, and one can feel the spiritual energy flowing happily through the meridians with every breath.

"Finally..." He murmured softly, years of suppressed desire in his voice.

His right hand unconsciously reached for his waist, where a black wooden plaque was hidden - a relic of the Chen family.

Only after entering the inner gate will he have the opportunity to take revenge...

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door. Chen Xuan quickly restrained his expression and put on a gentle smile when he turned around.

The stone door opened and Gong Xueying stumbled in, her hair disheveled and tear marks on her cheeks.

"Senior Brother Chen, you must leave the sect immediately!" She grabbed Chen Xuan's sleeve, her fingertips frighteningly cold.

Chen Xuan frowned slightly and gently held her hand: "Junior Sister Xueying, what's going on? Chu Mo will soon become a cripple. Who will find out that we..."

"It's not because of this!" Gong Xueying shook her head violently, her pearl hairpins jingling on the ground, "I..." The words came to her lips but she swallowed them back. She bit her lower lip hard until she tasted blood.

A hint of impatience flashed across Chen Xuan's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by tenderness.

He reached out and touched Gong Xueying's cheek, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb: "Don't be afraid, I know what you are worried about. I forced you to drink that cup of tea, and I will bear all the blame."

"No, you don't understand..." Gong Xueying's voice trembled, thinking of the words her father said in the secret room, and the cold expression on his face when he said, "Let me see what he can do first. If...", he will naturally follow in Chu Mo's footsteps.

Chen Xuan suddenly pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back as if soothing a frightened little animal. "Silly girl, it's a fact that Chu Mo's meridians are broken. Even if the master finds out the source of the poison, he will only blame me." He chuckled, his breath brushing against Gong Xueying's ear. "But your father won't investigate. Who is more important, a useless disciple or a promising newcomer?"

Gong Xueying's whole body stiffened.