《Transmigrated in a xianxia novel》 1 Transmigration Inside the bedroom of a modest apartment, a teenager could be seen sitting at a desk surfing the internet on his laptop. Ding! Hearing the ringing of his phone, the teenager, whose name was Li Jing, took out his smartphone from his pocket and smiled widely when he saw the message on the screen. He just received a notification informing him that the last chapter of his favorite web novel was released! The web novel "Rise of the Immortal Cultivator" told the story of Teng Fen, a cultivator who has lived for hundreds of thousands of years and stood at the apex of the Immortal World. Unfortunately, before reaching the Heavenly Saint realm, Teng Fen was betrayed by the person he trusted the most and died. However, he was given a second chance and reincarnated in the body of a trash young master of a clan who had the same name as him. Although the plot was very cliche, this web novel was extremely popular thanks to the work of the author around it. Indeed, the author had his own website and often published artworks and mini-stories of the different characters. He also published interactive world maps as well as a lot of other information that contributed to reinforce the world-building such as detailed pill formulas or array formations used in the story. Thanks to this, the web novel gained a huge fan base and everyone talked about it in the social networks. Li Jing was really addicted to this web novel and followed it since it started a few years ago. Finally, after five years and more than two thousand chapters, the final chapter of the story was released. Without hesitation, Li Jing directly accessed the author''s website and clicked on the link to the final chapter. However, before he could start reading it, he heard someone calling him. "Jing''er, I have no more oil to prepare dinner. Can you go to the convenience store to buy a bottle, please." It was his mother who called him from the kitchen. ''What? Not now!'' He thought, furious. It was really bad timing. Li Jing absolutely wanted to read the last chapter right now. His mother could wait for a little, right? It will only take him a few minutes to read the chapter. "Alright, give me five minutes." He shouted. Well, more like ten minutes, but it didn''t matter. Li Jing lied on his bed, his laptop in his hands, and started reading. For him, there was nothing more relaxing than reading his favorite web novel while lying on his bed. His attention was entirely focused on his computer screen when his mother suddenly entered his bedroom and yelled at him. "Not in five minutes, I need it right now! We are receiving guests tonightˇ­ You''re still on your computer? You''re already seventeen, you should really stop with your mangas and video games and start growing up! We already had this discussion many times before." She exclaimed. Dissatisfied, Li Jing heavily sighed. He stood up and looked at his mother. ''Mom, you can''t understandˇ­ Reading mangas, web novels, and watching animes are the only distractions in my boring life.'' He thought. Obviously, he will never tell her this. He just answered her his traditional "yeah, yeah, I understand". Actually, he knew why his mother reacted like this. She often told him that she was a popular girl back when she was in high school, so she had a hard time accepting the fact that her son was a shut-in otaku. But still, he found her annoying because instead of accepting him the way he was, she always tried to change him. Even his father, who was a cop, was not as strict as her. Li Jing''s mother crossed her arms. Judging by her expression, she didn''t seem convinced by her son''s answer. Frustrated, Li Jing closed his laptop and put on his shoes. Only then, she left his room. Once she left, Li Jing smirked. He immediately lied down on his bed again and started reading the chapter. A few minutes later, a large grin could be seen on his face. The ending was perfect, exactly as he had imagined. Although he was a bit sad that his favorite web novel was over, he was also very satisfied. "Wow, now I can die in peace, hehe. If only I could reincarnate in a cultivation world like those protagonists..." He said, jokingly. Li Jing stood up from his bed, he was now ready to buy the bottle of oil for his mother. However, before he could leave his bedroom, he suddenly felt a heavy pain in his chest. It was like his heart was about to explode! He gasped for air and pressed his hands against his chest but the pain was growing stronger and stronger. He tried to scream, to call for help, but no sound came out of his mouth. He was completely powerless and felt his life abandoning him. ''What the hell is going on?'' He thought, panicked. Li Jing fell to the ground and after a few long and painful seconds, everything around him became darkness as he lost consciousnessˇ­ ˇ­ The sun slowly rose from the east, its rays shone down on the majestic White Jade city. The White Jade city was the capital of the Sky Jade Kingdom, it spanned several hundreds of kilometers and its proximity to the Dark Forest made it a rich and prosperous city. The kingdom was led by the royal family as well as four powerful clans of cultivators known as the four Great Clans: the Li clan, the Hong clan, the Zhao clan, and the Teng clan. These four clans existed since the foundation of the kingdom, more than five thousand years ago, and were in constant competition to determine which clan was the most powerful through many tournaments organized between the younger generation. Among the four Great Clans, the Li clan was definitely not the most powerful. However, it was doubtlessly the richest. The clan was the owner of the Heavenly Pill Pavilion, the most famous alchemist shops in the Sky Jade Kingdom. The Li clan had many genius physicians and alchemists, it was therefore very respected by the other clans and the royal family. Inside a large bedroom of one of the courtyards of the Li clan, a young boy about fourteen years old could be seen lying on a bed. No one could tell if he was dead or alive. This boy had mid-long black hair, thick eyebrows, and a long nose. His fair face exuded maturity and refinement despite his young age. If one had to describe him in one word, it would undoubtedly be the word handsome. The young boy slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of deep black eyes, and seemed confused for a moment. He looked to his right, then to his left. A shocked expression could be seen on his face. He didn''t recognize the place he was in! ''W-Where am I?'' He wondered, a little panicked. He tried to remember the last thing he did in order to understand how he ended up in this place. ''The pain in my chestˇ­ Was that a heart attack? Did I die?'' He thought that even if he survived, he should be in a hospital room now, not in an ancient-looking bedroom. This room had ancient wooden furniture and beautiful paintings on the walls. He only saw this kind of room on TV! This young boy was indeed Li Jing. As he sat on his bed, Li Jing suddenly noticed that his hands were smaller than usual, not only his hands but his whole body has changed! However, before he could panic, strange and unfamiliar memories started to flood his mind, causing a strong pain in his head. The pain was so strong that he had to grab his head with his hands and grit his teeth to avoid screaming. Thankfully, the pain didn''t last long. Once it finally stopped, Li Jing started to breathe heavily and a dumbfounded expression could be seen on his face. "No way, I transmigrated in a cultivation world!" He exclaimed. He was sure that it wasn''t a dream, the pain he felt a minute ago was real. Although he has always wished that something like that would happen to him, he had never imagined that he would really transmigrate one day. After all, this kind of situation was supposed to happen only in fiction. ''How is this possible? Who sent me to this world? And why me? I''m just a nobody, I''m nothing special.'' He didn''t have the answers to these questions. He didn''t even know if he should feel happy or frightened. This whole situation was completely surreal for him. However, he couldn''t help but feel excited. He always wanted to have an exciting life. Now that he had this chance, it was not the time to act like a coward, he had to take this opportunity and work hard in order to become the strongest and reach the apex! ''But first, I must understand my current situation.'' Li Jing closed his eyes and focused. He then started to explore his new memories. This world was a cultivation world known as Mortal Martial Continent. In this world, cultivators could absorb the spiritual energy from heaven and earth - also called Qi - to become stronger and increase their lifespan. Here, the strong ruled over the weak. It was truly a dangerous world. He transmigrated in the body of a fourteen years old boy who had the same name as him. This Li Jing was the only son of the current leader of the Li clan, Li Bai. His father, Li Bai, was not only a powerful cultivator, but he was also a 3-stars alchemist. In the whole kingdom, there were only two 3-stars alchemists! But although the original owner of his body was the young master of the prestigious and powerful Li clan, he never acted like an arrogant young master. On the contrary, he studied and trained hard since he was a little child to meet his father''s expectations. ''Not bad! This kid''s life is not bad at all!'' Li Jing thought, smiling. Li Jing tried to find in his memories how the previous owner of his body died, but he didn''t find anything. ''Then, how did he die? Did I kill him by taking over his body? Or did he die during his sleep?'' He didn''t know what killed him, but he was sure that he was not murdered so he decided to not think about it for now. As Li Jing continued to browse his new memories, the smile on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by an astonished expression. ''What?? Noˇ­ That''s impossible! Am I in the world of the web novel "Rise of the Immortal Cultivator"?'' There were too many similarities to be just a simple coincidence. Be it the name of the different places, the name of the different clans and sects, the cultivation realmsˇ­ Everything was the same. But more importantly, the young master of the Teng clan was calledˇ­ Teng Fen! The main character of the novel. 2 A new life Once Li Jing finished analyzing his new memories, he had no doubt anymore. He really was in the world of his favorite web novel. There was no difference at all. Even the original owner of his body existed in the web novel. But except the fact that he was talented in alchemy, there was no information about him. He was just a minor character that only appeared two or three times in the story and one of the few characters that didn''t provoke the main character. ''Stupid author, you wrote details on many characters except the one in which I transmigratedˇ­ Does that mean that I''m doomed to be a minor character? I really hope not.'' He thought. Li Jing recognized that he was currently in the starting area, where the story took place at the beginning. According to his new memories, today was the day of the Awakening Ceremony. That meant that the story just started. The day before, Teng Luo, the main character''s cousin, killed Teng Fen, resulting in the transmigration of the soul of the hundreds of thousands of years old Teng Fen in this world. ''Even though I know the future and the location of some powerful treasures in this world thanks to the web novel, it''s definitely not enoughˇ­ How am I supposed to rival the main character? I don''t want to be a stepping stone for him!'' Li Jing thought. He knew that the main character was ruthless and didn''t hesitate to kill his rivals. If you weren''t with him, you were against him. That was one of the reasons he liked this protagonist so much. ''Should I try to befriend him? Hmmˇ­ I''m not sure that''s a good idea.'' For Li Jing, it was out of the question to let other people know about his true origin and his knowledge, it was far too dangerous. If he chose to befriend Teng Fen, he was not sure that he would be able to hide this information from him. While Li Jing was thinking about what he should do, he suddenly heard someone knocking at his door. The door opened without waiting for his answer, revealing a beautiful young girl dressed in a simple yellow dress. Seeing Li Jing sitting on his bed, the young girl smiled. "Good morning Young Master, did you sleep well? Are you excited? Today is a big day!" She asked. Li Jing knew her thanks to the memories of the original owner of his body. This girl was Li Hua, she was fifteen years old. Li Hua was his personal maid, but because she served him since they were little kids, they were like brothers and sisters. Although he was still a little disoriented by this whole transmigration situation, he decided to act like the previous Li Jing to avoid suspicion. The previous Li Jing was someone intelligent and calm. However, he rarely spoke and was not very sociable. Because of this, he didn''t have friends of his age in the clan although he was very respected and admired by both the young and the old generation. He liked sword training and studying alchemy. Most of his time was spent on these two activities. "Good morning sister Hua. I''m fine, and yes, I''m very excited about today!" Li Jing said, smiling. Today was the Awakening Ceremony day. Every year, the royal family, as well as each clan and martial family of the kingdom, organized a special ceremony. Every kid who has reached the age of fourteen years old had to participate in the ceremony. Those who participated in the Awakening Ceremony discovered their talent and could start cultivating. This year was very special because the heirs of the four Great Clans of the kingdom, as well as the daughter of the king, participated. Everyone in the kingdom anticipated this year''s ceremony. Li Jing was both excited and stressed about this event. After all, his talent in cultivation will determine either he will live his new life as a trash or if he will be able to reach the apex. He really didn''t want to be a trash! "Don''t worry Young Master, I''m sure that your talent will be higher than everyone else''s! Oh right, Master is waiting for you in his courtyard. I already prepared a bath and clean clothes for you." Said Li Hua, seeing that her Young Master seemed worried. Hearing that his new father wanted to see him, Li Jing immediately stood up. He knew that his father in this world was even more strict than his mother in his previous life so he shouldn''t let him wait for too long. "Alright, lead the way." He said to Li Hua. He followed her outside his bedroom. But before leaving it, he prayed one last time for his parents. ''Mom, Dad, please don''t worry about me, I''m fine. I hope you both will not cry over my death too much and will live a long and happy life. I will never forget you.'' Since there was no going back to his old world and life, Li Jing could only accept this new life and move on. As Li Jing followed Li Hua, he noticed that his ''new'' house was really huge, at least five times bigger than his house in his previous world. Knowing that he was the only one living inside, he couldn''t help but be amazed by how rich his clan was. He arrived with Li Hua in front of the bathroom. Inside, Li Jing saw a large wooden bathtub filled with warm water. He entered the bathroom, leaving Li Hua waiting for him outside. He then removed his clothes and examined his new body. His skin was white and flawless. And, for a fourteen years old boy, he was very tall - almost six feet tall - and muscular. He was not surprised though, the original owner of his body trained hard in the martial art since he was six years old. Li Jing immersed himself in the warm water of the bathtub. He knew that there were spiritual plants in his bath that helped the body to relax, it was so relaxing that he wanted to sleep. But, of course, he couldn''t do that. ''Being the young master of a powerful clan is so good!'' In his previous life, his family was average, not poor but also not rich. He enjoyed his bath a few more minutes before getting up. Then, he dressed in the clothes that were placed on a table near the bathtub. He was now wearing a dark blue robe with black boots. He was surprised by how amazing the quality of the robe was, it was sturdy and comfortable at the same time. And, like every cloth in the Li clan, the name ''Li'' was embroidered in gold just under the right shoulder. Li Jing then looked intensely at his reflection in the bronze mirror next to him and sighed. ''I still can''t believe that I really transmigrated. Will I be able to survive in this world? What if I have no talent for cultivation? I didn''t even receive a cheat to help me!'' He thought, anxious. He stayed lost in his thoughts in front of the mirror for a few minutes before shaking his head and clenching his fists. "No matter what happens, I will never give up. My dream finally became true, so I will work hard to reach the peak or die trying!" He exclaimed loudly. "Y-Young Master, is everything fine?" Asked Li Hua from outside the bathroom with an anxious voice. "Huh? Y-Yes, I''m fine. *Cough* I''m done, let''s go to see my father." He said, embarrassed. Li Jing left the bathroom and followed Li Hua outside his courtyard. They traversed a large and beautiful garden that was filled with all kinds of spiritual flowers and arrived in front of the clan leader''s courtyard. Li Jing''s father courtyard was even bigger and more luxurious than his own''s! They entered the courtyard and walked to the main hall. The main hall was a very large room decorated with many luxurious furniture, ancient pottery, sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on paper. At the back of the room, Li Jing saw a middle-aged man sitting on an armchair that almost looked like a throne. He had long black hair and a short beard, his face was strong and well-defined, and his deep black eyes gave him a severe look. This middle-aged man was indeed the current leader of the Li clan, Li Bai. Next to him was sitting an old man with long grey hair and a very long grey beard. Although he looked like a sympathetic old man, his aura gave off a feeling of wisdom and experience. Li Jing recognized him as his grandfather, the patriarch of the clan, Li Zhang. He didn''t expect him to be here! Both of them were really intimidating and Li Jing had no doubt that they could kill him with only one finger if they find out that he was not the original Li Jing. Thankfully, they were currently smiling at him. Li Jing walked to them, leaving Li Hua behind, and greeted his father and grandfather. "Good morning father, grandfather." He said, trying to act as natural as possible. 3 System "Good morning father, grandfather." Li Jing said, trying to act as natural as possible. "Jing''er, you''re here! Come, sit with us." Li Jing''s grandfather said, smiling and pointing the chair next to him. Li Jing walked to the chair and sat. A maid then brought a cup of tea and some cakes and placed them on the small table next to him. "We were discussing the Awakening Ceremony. What is your opinion on this?" Li Jing''s father, Li Bai, asked. ''Is he testing me?'' Pondered Li Jing. After the death of his wife a few years ago when Li Jing was only seven years old, Li Bai became more and more strict with his son. He would often test him and push him to train and study more. Although Li Jing knew that his father loved him, he thought that he had a really weird way to show it. Li Jing took a deep breath and answered his father. "In terms of strength, our clan may be the weakest but it is not that far behind the other Great Clans. Depending on the ceremony''s result, we might be able to increase our rank." He said. Thanks to his knowledge of the web novel as well as the knowledge of the original owner of his body, Li Jing knew exactly how this world worked. The Southern Border Continent he was currently in, was the weakest of the three continents of this world. Although three continents seemed little, this world was actually huge. The web novel described that each continent was as large as four to five continents combined on Earth! Furthermore, each continent was separated from each other by a wide ocean of several million kilometers. The only way to travel from a continent to another was to use a portal located in the middle of each continent. However, these portals had been inactive for several thousands of years and no one knew how to reactivate them. Well, no one except Teng Fen and Li Jing now. Although weak, the Southern Border Continent was occupied by many powers: one first-rank sect, two empires, six major kingdoms, dozens of minor kingdoms and second-rank sects, as well as several cities of cultivators and third-rank sects. The two empires were as strong as the first-rank sect, and these three powers ruled over the whole Southern Border continent. While the empires ruled over the kingdoms and cities, the first-rank sect ruled over the second-rank and third-rank sects. The consequence of this balance of power was that the continent was at peace, and the different resources in it were therefore shared equally between the different powers. The Sky Jade Kingdom was a major kingdom and was located in the northeast part of the continent. It was under the rule of the Heavenly Jewel Empire and controlled a lot of precious and important resources such as Spirit Stones mines, spiritual ore mines, or spiritual plant fields. Since its foundation, the kingdom has always had a strict hierarchy: the four Great Clans shared the ownership of these resources and paid taxes to the royal family. The amount of resources owned by a Great Clan depended on its ranking. The first clan owned forty percent of them, the second clan thirty percent, the third clan twenty percent, and the fourth clan ten percent. The Li clan was currently ranked fourth. If it was not for the fact that the clan had many genius alchemists, there would be no way for them to be the richest clan of the kingdom. Li Bai nodded, he was satisfied with his son''s answer. "This is exactly what I think, especially the Teng clan. If their good for nothing young master, Teng Fen, has no talent for cultivation then our place as the third strongest clan is assured." He said with a smirk. Before being possessed by the soul of the hundreds of thousands of years old Teng Fen, the young master of the Teng clan was an arrogant brat who bullied other people and abused his power. He never trained or study. His genius cousin, Teng Luo, was jealous of him and estimated that he didn''t deserve to be the heir of the clan. That was why he decided to kill him in secret by poisoning him. Hearing his father talking about the Teng clan, Li Jing couldn''t help but sigh. In the web novel, the Teng clan was also the owner of some minor alchemist shops, but because of Teng Fen and his knowledge of ancient and lost pill recipes, these shops became number one in the kingdom surpassing the Li clan''s shops and resulting in the Li clan bankruptcy. Li Jing was determined to never let that happen. He needed his clan to get cultivation resources until he becomes strong enough to venture the world or join a powerful sect. Thankfully, thanks to the author of the web novel he also knew many powerful pill recipes that were supposed to be lost. His father and grandfather then started talking about their prognostic concerning the result of this year''s ceremony. Who will be the most talented, which family will rise or fall, which people they should keep an eye on... Li jing already knew the result since he has read the web novel, so he was not interested in their discussion. After a few minutes, he started to be hungry and took one of the cakes that were placed next to him. The cake looked like a simple cookie, not very appetizing. But when he took a bite, he felt an explosion of flavor in his mouth, he couldn''t believe how good it was. ''Wow, even the best cake on Earth can''t compare to this simple cake!'' He happily ate another cake. Then another one. And another one. But before he could eat the last one, his father interrupted him. "I thought you didn''t like sweet things. You never ate cakes before." He said. Li Jing gazed at his father for a moment, he didn''t know what to say. ''Oh shit, I got carried away by the amazing taste and totally forgot about thatˇ­'' He thought, angry with himself for this mistake. "Hahaha, Jing''er you must be really anxious because of the Awakening Ceremony, right?" Li Zhang said. Li Jing mentally thanked his grandfather for giving him a good excuse and was about to reply, but he was interrupted by someone. "Nephew Jing, there is nothing to worry about. I''m sure you inherited the talent of your father." He turned to the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man and a boy around his age coming towards him. This middle-aged man was his uncle, his father''s brother, Li Lang. He was accompanied by his son Li Zhiwang, who was one year older than Li Jing and was considered a genius in the clan thanks to his B-grade talent. Li Jing and Li Zhiwang often trained together in the past. But after his Awakening Ceremony, Li Zhiwang became very arrogant and looked down on everyone. After all, he was one of the very few B-grade talents in the clan. Li Lang and Li Zhiwang greeted everyone and were invited to sit next to Li Jing. They discussed for a moment about the progress of Li Zhiwang in his cultivation. He only started to cultivate a year ago, but was already at the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realm! Li Jing was not that impressed. For him, people in this world were ignorant, their view of the world was too narrow, just like a frog in the bottom of a well. In fact, in the novel, Teng Fen reached a higher realm than that in less than six months with his trash E-grade talent thanks to his overpowered Cultivation method. "Little Zhiwang, you must continue to work hard and honor our clan during the Inter-Clan Tournament." Said the Li clan patriarch. "Yes grandfather, I will show to everyone that our Li clan is the strongest!" Exclaimed Li Zhiwang. Hearing this, Li Jing almost laughed. In the web novel, Li Zhiwang was just a cannon fodder that was killed by the main character in just one strike during the Inter-Clan Tournament. He had no pity for the fate of his cousin though, this guy was just an arrogant bastard that killed innocent people for no reason. The discussion continued for a moment before Li Zhang announced that it was time to prepare for the ceremony. They all left the main hall and walked to the central court of the clan, where the ceremony will take place. But just as Li Jing left the main hall, strange blue screens appeared before his eyes and he heard a mechanical voice inside his head. [System initialization...] [System successfully bound to Host''s soul.] [The Almighty God ###### is curious to see Host compete against the so-called main character of this world.] [The Almighty God ###### estimated that with Host''s current talent and fate, there would be no way for him to reach the apex. For this reason, the Almighty God ###### gifted Host a system of his own creation.] Li Jing widened his eyes in disbelief. 4 The Awakening Ceremony part 1 In front of the main hall of the Li clan''s leader''s courtyard, a young boy could be seen standing still with a dumbfounded expression. This young boy was obviously Li Jing. He was currently gazing intensely at the blue screen in front of his eyes. ''A system! It''s really a system. Thank god or whoever you are!'' He thought excitedly. He didn''t care to know who was this Almighty God or if it was because of him that he transmigrated into this world. The only thing in his mind right now was: ''Oh my god, I can''t believe I received a system, just like those protagonists in the web novels I read!'' After a short moment of euphoria, he pulled himself together. ''So, System, what can you do?'' He thought. [The system will be fully unlocked and explained after Host''s Awakening Ceremony.] Li Jing was a little disappointed, but the Awakening Ceremony will start soon so he will not have to wait for too long. "Jing''er, what''s wrong?" Asked Li Bai, seeing that his son hadn''t move for a moment. Li Jing shook his head. "Nothing father. I''m coming." He said, joining his family. They all walked slowly to the central court as if nothing was in a hurry. ''Can''t you all walk faster, I want to unlock my system!'' Thought Li Jing angrily. Of course, he would never dare to say that, he just swallowed his anger and followed his family members. Once they arrived, Li Jing noticed that they were already a lot of people gathered. At least half of the members of his clan were here. The central court was a really huge place and could welcome the whole clan if needed. As they walked to the middle of the central court everyone greeted them and started talking. "Greetings patriarch." "Greetings clan leader." "Look, it''s Young Master Jing. I wonder if he will be as talented as Zhiwang." "Of course he will, he is the young master of our clan!" "Young Master Jing is very smart and trains hard with the clan leader since he was a child, he will obviously be very talented." Li Jing started to get nervous. He was not used to being the center of attention. As they arrived in the middle of the court, they were joined by a group of elders accompanied by five young. This year, in addition to Li Jing, five youngs of the clan participated in the Awakening Ceremony. Three boys and two girls. Li Jing didn''t recognize any of them, so they were probably from minor families of the clan. The group bowed and greeted them. Li Bai replied with a nod and started his speech. "As you all know, this year''s Awakening Ceremony is very special. The future of the Sky Jade Kingdom and our clan is in the hands of the younger generation. Each one of you, as a member of the Li clan, must show the example and work hard! Alright, let''s start the ceremony. Bring the Spiritual Orb!" He said. Li Bai''s voice was powerful and as he spoke, everyone could feel his strong dominating aura. Two people then brought a large transparent orb the size of an adult head. The Spiritual Orb was a very important item. In fact, for people who had a talent for cultivation, the dantian naturally opened at the age of seventeen, allowing them to start cultivating by absorbing the spiritual energy from heaven and earth. But thanks to the Spiritual Orb, the dantian could be forcefully open at the age of fourteen! The Spiritual Orb was placed in front of the clan leader and he started to call the people who will participate in the ceremony. "Li Wei, Li Die, Li Lian, Li Xiaolan, Li Yueliang, and Li Jing." As Li Bai called their name, the youngs formed a line in front of the Spiritual Orb. Li Jing joined them in the last position. Everyone was excited to discover who will have the highest talent. Even though most of the time the talent of someone was inherited from their parents, there were also other unknown factors that could influence it. This meant that it was not because the parents were talented that the children would necessarily be talented, and vice versa. Li Bai then started to explain how the Spiritual Orb worked. "Each of you will place your hand on the orb. After that, a powerful energy will open your dantian, and, depending on the color of the orb, we will know your talent." He said. The clan leader also explained that the talent of a person was divided into five grades, from the lowest to the highest: E-grade, D-grade, C-grade, B-grade, and A-grade. In this world, only one person out of ten thousand had the talent to cultivate. Among them, the large majority had a D-grade talent. Therefore, those with an E-grade talent were considered as trash, those with a C-grade talent were considered as talented, and those with a B-grade talent were considered as geniuses of their generation. As for A-grade talent, it was considered a myth since no one in the whole Sky Jade Kingdom had this grade of talent for more than one thousand years. There were many legends about cultivators with an A-grade talent that had reached the famous Nascent Soul realm, and everyone knew that there was nothing higher than this grade. But it was not true. In the whole Mortal Martial Continent, only a handful of people, including Li Jing and Teng Fen, knew that there were actually three grades above the A-grade. The Supreme-grade, the Celestial-grade, and the Divine-grade. There was a huge gap between the A-grade talent and the Supreme grade talent, and each one of these three grades of talent had a special effect. For example, someone with a Celestial-grade talent had his dantian absorbing passively the Qi from heaven and earth, allowing him to auto-cultivate. The innate talent of a person was like a filter. A cultivator could gather the Qi from heaven and earth by following a Cultivation method, the Qi gathered was then absorbed inside the cultivator''s body. However, the amount of Qi that could be absorbed at once inside the body was limited by the cultivator''s talent. In other words, the higher the talent of a person was, the faster they could cultivate, and the easier they could breakthrough a bottleneck. Li Jing really wanted to have a Divine-grade talent. He hoped that with the help of his system he would be able to obtain it. Once the clan leader finished his speech, the first young boy of the line, Li Wei, walked to the Spiritual Orb and touched it. A few seconds later, the orb started to glow and its color changed from transparent to yellow. "D-grade talent." Announced Li Bai. No one commented, D-grade talent was common in the clan. Li Wei joined his parents in the crowd, he seemed satisfied. The clan leader then called the next person, Li Die. The young girl walked to the orb and touched it. However this time, nothing happened. Li Bai shook his head. "No talent..." He announced. The three following youngs were tested with either D-grade talent or E-grade talent. But no one expected something from them so no one commented. They were all impatiently waiting for their young master turn. And now, it was finally Li Jing''s turn to be tested. His heart was beating fast as he walked to the orb. He remembered the different colors that the orb could possibly take: red for E-grade talent; yellow for D-grade talent; green for C-grade talent; blue for B-grade talent; and purple for A-grade talent. Everyone watched in silence as Li Jing walked to the orb. Everyone held their breath as Li Jing touched the orb with his hand. As he touched the Spiritual Orb, Li Jing felt a warm sensation just below his navel. His dantian was now open. Then, the color of the orb changedˇ­ Blue. The Spiritual Orb now emitted a blue color. 5 The Awakening Ceremony part 2 In the middle of the central court of the Li clan, Li Jing was standing in front of a blue-colored orb. Seeing the color of the Spiritual Orb, the crowd became excited. "B-grade talent! Young Master Jing has a B-grade talent!" Someone exclaimed. "I can''t believe it! It''s the second B-grade talent in two years, it never happened before. Our clan is truly blessed!" "Young Master Jing is truly a dragon among men!" "Congratulations clan leader, Young Master Jing is genius among genius." Said an elder of the clan. Li Jing''s father, Li Bai, was ecstatic and proud of his son, but as the clan leader, he still had to control his emotions and act humbly. "Jing''er, talent is not everything. You must work hard now to honor our clan!" He said, trying to be humble. However, the patriarch of the clan, Li Zhang, was not as reserved as Li Bai and exclaimed loudly: "Hahaha, good! My grandson will outshine everyone in the younger generation!" At this moment, Li Jing was lost in his thoughts. He was happy but not as excited as them. Although a B-grade talent was considered as exceptional in this part of the world, it was far from enough to reach the apex. Only the main character knew the method to increase one''s talent so If he hadn''t received a system he would have been extremely depressed now. ''I''m glad that I received a system! B-grade talent is good too, at least I will be seen as a genius in my clan without attracting the attention of outside threats.'' [The system has been fully unlocked. Host, please think ''Start Tutorial'' whenever you are ready.] Li Jing smiled, he will start the tutorial as soon as he will be alone! Conversation, courtesy, and congratulations continued for a moment before the clan leader announced the end of the ceremony. People bowed to the clan leader and the patriarch, then started to leave the court. No doubt that the result of this year''s ceremony will spread far and wide. "Elder Mo, please take care of the children who participated in the ceremony. Jing''er, follow me." Said Li Bai. "Yes, Father." Said Li Jing. "Yes, clan leader." Said Elder Mo. Li Lang and his son Li Zhiwang congratulated Li Bai and Li Jing before going their own way. "Congratulations, cousin Jing. Let''s train together in the future, just like old times." Said Li Zhiwang. "Of course, cousin Zhiwang." Said Li Jing with a smile, though he really didn''t want to train with this guy. Li Bai, Li Zhang, and Li Jing then walked back to Li Bai''s courtyard. Back in the main hall of the clan leader''s courtyard, Li Zhang and Li Bai were smiling widely. "Jing''er you did great, I''m proud of you. Now, you should start cultivating as soon as possible. Here, take this boxˇ­ Inside there are fifty Qi Gathering Pills. And, this Body Strengthening Pill, is your reward for being so talented." Said Li Bai as he took out the items from his spatial ring. Li Jing knew these two pills thanks to the web novel. The Qi Gathering Pills could be absorbed by cultivators to increase their cultivation. Despite being only rank-1 pills, these pills cost a lot of money. Only a powerful clan could have a large amount of them. As for the Body Strengthening Pill, it was a rank-3 pill. This pill could only be created by a 3-star alchemist and the ingredients to make it were also extremely expensive. The pill had the effect of one hundred Qi Gathering Pills in addition to purify and strengthen one''s body. Even the royal family didn''t have more than ten pills like this. Lin Jing was really happy and glad to have transmigrated in the best alchemist clan of the kingdom. Thanks to these pills he will be able to cultivate very quickly and, therefore, becoming stronger faster! "Thank you very much, Father!" Said Li Jing. "You deserve it. Here, take thisˇ­ This is the Cultivation method of our clan. You must cultivate diligently now. Your grandfather and I will closely follow your progress." "Yes, Father." Said Li Jing as he took the manual. "Jing''er, I also have something for you. Take this spatial ring. Inside I already put some cultivation resources and Spiritual Stones. However, you will only be able to activate the ring once you reach the first level of the Qi Gathering realm." Said Li Zhang. Taking the ring and putting it on the index finger of his right hand, Li Jing smiled widely. He has always dreamed to see and have a real spatial ring! "Thank you, grandfather." Li Jing bowed to his father and grandfather and was about to leave the main hall. "Wait, before leaving you should also take thisˇ­ In this bottle are twelve Food Replacement pills. After eating one pill, you won''t need to eat nor drink for three days. Now, you should go and start cultivating. Tell me whenever you need anything." Li Bai said as he gave the pill bottle to his son. The Food Replacement pill was a pill exclusively used by the Li clan. It was created by one of the clan ancestors around seven hundred years ago. Although the pill was revolutionary, at that time it was decided that the Li clan was forbidden to sell it because it could break the economy of the kingdom. After all, because of this pill, restaurants and food shops would become useless. Since then, the pill was only used by the Li clan''s cultivators. Li Jing took the bottle, thanked his father, then walked to his courtyard to finally start cultivating. In front of his bedroom, he was greeted by his maidservant Li Hua. "Congratulations Young Master! I always knew that you were the most talented." She exclaimed. Li Jing really liked Li Hua''s personality. She was cheerful and very loyal to the original owner of his body. Actually, the original Li Jing was secretly in love with her, but the new Li Jing didn''t care about this feeling. His goal was to become the strongest, to become immortal, or even a god. He had no time to think about romance for now. "Thank you, sister Hua. I will start cultivating now, so you have to make sure that no one bothers me during that time." He said. "Of course Young Master." She said with a smile. After entering his room, Li Jing put the items he received on his desk then lied down on his bed and sighed heavily. ''Ahhˇ­ So much stress and excitementˇ­ And it has not even been one day since I came to this world.'' After a few minutes, he got up from his bed with a serious look on his face. ''Alright, now it''s time to see what my system can do. Start Tutorial!'' He thought. 6 System tutorial ''Start Tutorial!'' Li Jing thought excitedly. The moment he thought these words, blue screens suddenly appeared before his eyes and a mechanical voice talked in his head. [Initialization of the tutorial...] [The system is divided into three main functions:] [Status] [Lottery] [Inventory] [To open a function, Host must think about it. Host, please, think about a function to learn more about it.] Li Jing hadn''t expected his system to be a lottery system. Since he didn''t consider himself a lucky person, he was slightly disappointed. Anyway, having a lottery system was still much better than having nothing at all, so he cheered himself up, smiled, and thought: ''Status''. Then, a large blue screen appeared. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 0 XP / hour: 0 Strength: 25 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/3000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: None Perks: [Appraisal] Cultivation methods: None Martial techniques: None --------------------------] [Experience Points (XP) are the currency that Host can use to increase his cultivation realm or buy tickets in the Lottery menu. Host can gain Experience Points by cultivating, killing living beings, or consuming cultivation pills and treasures.] [The XP / hour is automatically calculated based on Host current environment, Cultivation method, talent, bloodlines, and perks.] [The perk Appraisal allows Host to accurately value any target. Be it an object, a plant, a person, or a beast, the perk gives Host information about it.] Li Jing read attentively the information displayed on the blue screens. He was both excited and amazed by the possibilities of his system because he hadn''t expected it to have bloodlines and perks. In the web novel, it was explained that a bloodline couldn''t be acquired, a person was either born with or without one. As for perks, it was probably something exclusive to the system. He was also extremely surprised to see that to increase his cultivation realm, he just needed Experience Points. Did that mean that as long as he accumulated Experience Points he could increase his cultivation realm without worrying about bottlenecks? If that was the case, then his system was really powerful! He knew that cultivators could be stuck at a realm for years because they couldn''t breakthrough a bottleneck. Advancing in cultivation depended on many factors. Among them, there were a powerful Cultivation method, talent, luck, and resources. But to breakthrough the different bottlenecks, cultivators also needed to rely on their own comprehension and experiences. Needless to say that thanks to the system, Li Jing will save an incredible amount of time and effort! Seeing that the explanations were over. Li Jing thought about the second function. ''Lottery'' [Host can use a lottery ticket to get a random item from the system. List of items that can be obtained: bloodlines, perks, Cultivation methods, Martial techniques, weapons, and artifacts. Each item can only be obtained once, meaning that once an item is obtained, it is not possible to obtain it a second time.] [The grade of the item obtained depends on the rarity of the lottery ticket used. There are four types of lottery tickets: Common ticket, Rare ticket, Epic ticket, and Legendary ticket.] [Host must use Experience Points (XP) to buy a ticket. The price of the tickets are: 5000 XP for a Common ticket. 15000 XP for a Rare ticket. 500000 XP for an Epic ticket. 1500000 XP for a Legendary ticket.] Li Jing thought that the price of the Epic and Legendary tickets was completely abused and unreasonable! However, although everything was random, he was still happy to see that at least there was no useless item in the lottery. Items like pills, alchemy ingredients, or spiritual ores were useless to him. ''Inventory.'' Li Jing finally thought about the last function. [The inventory space is unlimited but can only store items obtained from the system.] [To use an item stored in the inventory, Host just needs to think about it.] [Host currently has one item stored in his inventory: ''Starter Gift''.] [The tutorial is now over. Please note that from now on, the system will not interact with Host outside of the standard notifications.] Nodding, Li Jing was overall very satisfied with his system. Although he still had some questions, he thought that they will naturally be answered after using his system for some time. He was now ready to start cultivating. However, he first wanted to open the Starter Gift to see what was inside. He hoped to receive some powerful items that could help him get started in his cultivation path. ''Use item: Starter Gift!'' He thought. [Using the item: Starter Gift.] [Host received 4 items: 1x Common Lottery ticket; 1x Rare Lottery ticket; 2x Epic Lottery tickets. These items have been stored in Host inventory.] Seeing that he received four lottery tickets, Li Jing decided to use them right away. ''Use item: Common Lottery ticket.'' [Congratulations! Host received the item: Bloodline: Iron Boar (common). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Iron Boar Type: Bloodline Grade: Common Description: Gives Host, the strength of an Iron Boar. Effect: Permanently increases Host''s strength by 150 Jin. ] A bloodline! Li Jing smiled excitedly. Although it was just a common bloodline and in the long term an increase of strength by 150 Jin was nothing, it was still very helpful at the beginning. One had to know that in the Qi Gathering realm, each level increased the strength of a cultivator by 100 Jin. It meant that thanks to this bloodline, Li Jing will be able to fight against opponents with one level higher than him! The Qi Gathering realm, like the other cultivation realms, was divided into ten levels. Every three levels, the cultivators will encounter a small bottleneck. They will also encounter a big bottleneck before reaching the next realm. Therefore, a lot of untalented cultivators were stuck at the Qi Gathering realm their whole life. Li Jing decided to activate his bloodline later. Now, he couldn''t wait to see what other items he will obtain with the last three lottery tickets. ''Use item: Rare Lottery ticket.'' [Congratulations! Host received the item: Weapon: Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers (rare). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers Type: Weapon Grade: Sky (Middle) Description: A pair of powerful spiritual weapons that can convert the Qi channeled inside of them into Lightning Qi and Fire Qi. Effect: Convert the Qi channeled inside the lightning dagger into Lightning Qi and inside the flame dagger into Fire Qi. The speed and strength of the wielder are also increased by 15% while his Qi is channeled inside the daggers. ] The grade of a weapon, just like the grade of a Cultivation method or a Martial technique, was divided into six levels: Yellow, Mortal, Earth, Sky, Heaven, and Divine. Each level was divided into four sub-levels: Low, Middle, High, and Peak. A Sky grade spiritual weapon was extremely rare in the Southern Border Continent. Only an emperor or a sect leader of a powerful sect could have one. However, seeing it, Li Jing winced. He was not at all satisfied with this item. He didn''t even know how to use a dagger! The original owner of his body only trained with a sword, meaning that if he wanted to use daggers, he would have to find a competent teacher and train for years. In his mind, it was a waste of time. Furthermore, he wanted to be a real martial artist, using his punch to destroy mountains and his kick to break his enemies'' bones. He didn''t want to specialize in weapons. However, he wasn''t narrow-minded, maybe one day he will change his mind, and in the worst case, he could still sell the weapons with the pretext that he luckily found them. A Sky grade weapon could easily be sold for hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones! Li Jing''s heart was beating fast with excitement because now it was time to use his Epic Lottery tickets. He really hoped that he could obtain a powerful Cultivation method with these tickets. Most people in this world believed that talent was the most important thing for a cultivator. However, it was not entirely true. The Cultivation method used by a cultivator was as important as his talent. The grade of a Cultivation method determined how much and how fast a cultivator could gather the Qi from heaven and earth. What was the point of having a great talent if a cultivator couldn''t gather Qi as quickly as he could absorb it inside his body? Furthermore, some Cultivation methods also had additional special effects like converting the Qi absorbed into elemental Qi or making the Qi inside the dantian purer and thicker. ''Alright, let''s use my Epic Lottery tickets!'' Li Jing thought. 7 A pleasant surprise Li Jing was standing in the middle of his bedroom. His eyes were focused on a blue screen only he could see. ''Use item: Epic Lottery ticket!'' Li Jing thought. [Congratulations! Host received the item: Perk: Full Recovery (Epic). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Full Recovery Type: Perk Grade: Epic Description: Host''s strength increases substantially after recovering from near-fatal injuries. Effect: Permanently increase Host''s strength by 20% after recovering from near-fatal injuries. ] Seeing this perk, Li Jing became very excited and couldn''t help but think about the famous Saiyan''s Zenkai ability from the manga Dragon Ball Z. It was a really good perk and he could already imagine many ways to abuse it. After all, his clan was the best alchemist clan in the kingdom and therefore had the best healing pills and drugs, so he wasn''t afraid of being seriously injured. Now, Li Jing only had one Epic lottery ticket left and he desperately needed a Cultivation method. He closed his eyes, joined his hands, and fervently prayed. ''Please RNJesus, I really need a Cultivation method. Please, please!'' ''Use item: Epic Lottery ticket!'' [Congratulations! Host received the item: Martial technique: Elusive Smoke Steps (Epic). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Elusive Smoke Steps Type: Martial technique Grade: Heaven (High) Description: This technique allows Host to transform his body into smoke. Effect: After activation, Host''s body becomes elusive like the smoke. Attacks and Martial techniques from cultivators up to one cultivation realm above Host will harmlessly pass through his body. While activated, the technique also greatly increases Host''s speed. ] Li Jing was pleasantly surprised and laughed loudly. He just received an extremely powerful movement-type Martial technique. He remembered that in the web novel, one of the main character''s enemies used this technique in the Immortal World. He was literally untouchable, and to defeat him, Teng Fen had to use one of his most powerful treasures! ''Although I didn''t receive a Cultivation method, this technique is still amazing. I''m glad that I received it!'' He thought, smiling. For Li Jing, the fact that he didn''t get a Cultivation method was a little disappointing but not that depressing because he knew that in a few months, the Inheritance Realm of Luo Renji, the founder of the Sky Jade Kingdom, will open. There, if he could get the inheritance before Teng Fen, he will obtain a Peak-grade Earth Cultivation method! Now that Li Jing had used his four lottery tickets, he planned to activate the items he received. Then, he will finally start cultivating. ''First, the bloodline. Use item: Bloodline: Iron Boar.'' He thought. The moment he thought of these words, he felt a warm sensation inside of him. Then, his whole body started to hurt and sweat profusely. Although it hurt, the pain was bearable and Li Jing could feel his body strengthening second after second. A few minutes later, the pain stopped and a blue screen appeared before Li Jing''s eyes. [Host has obtained a new bloodline: Iron Boar.] Li Jing examined his body with widened eyes. Although his body hadn''t changed, he could clearly feel the new power inside of it. ''Wow, it''s amazing, I never felt so strong before! I feel like I can destroy a boulder with one punch!'' A person that has never cultivated but has physically trained all his life could, at most, reach a strength of 60 Jin. Li Jing, with his new strength of 175 Jin was, therefore, almost three times stronger than a mortal! ''Now, let''s see my spiritual weapon.'' Even though Li Jing didn''t plan to use his daggers, he still wanted to see what they looked like. It will, after all, be the first time that he will see a weapon with his own eyes and not through the original Li Jing''s memories. However, he thought that using this item by thinking the whole sentence ''use item: Weapon: Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers'' was too long. If he needed them during a fight, he would be dead before he had the time to summon them. Therefore, he wanted to try if he could summon them just by thinking about the daggers in his inventory. ''Daggers.'' He thought. As he thought this word, a red-colored dagger appeared in his right hand, and a purple-colored dagger appeared in his left. They looked like elven-style daggers measuring around fourteen inches each, there were also strange blue glowing runes covering them. ''It worked! That''s good to know.'' The daggers were rather heavy, and, if Li Jing hadn''t gained more strength by activating the Iron Boar bloodline, he didn''t think that he would have been able to carry them. After carefully examined the daggers from every angle, Li Jing concluded that they were definitely powerful weapons. ''These daggers are so cool, it''s a shame that they are useless to meˇ­'' With a sigh, Li Jing stored the daggers inside his inventory. Then, he activated his perk. ''Use item: Perk: Full Recovery.'' This time, he didn''t feel any change in his body. There was just a blue screen informing him that he successfully activated his perk. [Host has obtained a new perk: Full Recovery.] Li Jing smiled. Now it was the time to activate the best item he received, the Martial technique Elusive Smoke Steps. ''Use item: Martial technique: Elusive Smoke Steps.'' Suddenly, knowledge of the technique flowed into his mind causing a slight headache, and a few seconds later, a blue screen appeared. [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Elusive Smoke Steps.] Li Jing was very surprised, just by using the item he learned how to use the technique like he had practiced it for years! At first, he thought that after activating the item he would just have received the manual and will have to practice it by himself, but it seemed that he was wrong. Well, he was glad that he was wrong because this Martial technique was extremely complex. If he hadn''t received the knowledge on how to use it, he would have needed dozens of years of training before being able to use it! The higher the grade of a Martial technique was, the harder it was to comprehend and master it. Once again, Li Jing was delighted to have received a system. Before he had some doubts, but now he was sure that he will one day become stronger than Teng Fen and reach the apex! 8 Cultivating Li Jing took the items given by his father and sat cross-legged in the middle of his bedroom. He was finally ready to start cultivating. He opened the Cultivation method of his clan and started reading it. Thanks to his perk Appraisal, he was able to determine that this method was a Middle-grade Mortal Cultivation method. Li Jing sighed, in this continent, it was enough for a clan to possess a weak Mortal-grade Cultivation method to be considered as one of the most powerful clans of a kingdomˇ­ The Li clan''s Cultivation method didn''t have many pages. It contained the breathing method that the cultivator had to follow to gather the Qi from heaven and earth, as well as notes, advice, and recommendations from the ancestors of the clan. Since it was a Mortal-grade method, it was rather easy to understand, and it only took Li Jing a few minutes to memorize it. [Host has learned a new Cultivation method: Li clan''s method.] Li Jing nodded, he had anticipated that such a message would appear. Now everything was ready, but before starting to cultivate, he first wanted to see his status. ''Status'' He thought. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 0 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 175 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/3000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps] --------------------------] After examining his status, Li Jing took out and ate a Food Replacement pill, this way he will not need to eat or drink for the next three days. In his previous life, he always wondered what was the taste of a pill when he read xianxia web novels. After he ate it, he was disappointed to discover that it only had a bitter taste. However, he could feel that his feeling of hunger and thirst had now disappeared. Li Jing then took out his Body Strengthening Pill and used his perk Appraisal on it. [ Name: Body Strengthening Pill Type: Pill Grade: Rank-3 Description: Increases the cultivation, removes the impurities in the body, and strengthen the body. Effect: XP +3000. Strength +25 Jin. Removal of a part of the impurities in the body. Time needed to absorb the pill: 20 hours ] ''This pill is amazing. If only I could have more than oneˇ­'' He thought. Li Jing ate the Body Strengthening Pill. He then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. Finally, he started to absorb the energy from heaven and earth by following the breathing method described in his Cultivation method. It was his first step as a cultivator! The first cultivation realm was known as the Qi Gathering realm. Each cultivation realm was divided into ten levels, from level one to level ten. Each level was divided into four stages: Early, Middle, Late, and Peak. After the Qi Gathering realm, there was the Foundation Establishment realm. In the whole Sky Jade Kingdom, very few cultivators have reached the realm above: the Golden Core realm. And no one for more than a thousand years had reached the Nascent Soul realm. ˇ­ While Li Jing was peacefully cultivating inside his bedroom, the news of the result of this year''s Awakening Ceremony started to spread across the kingdom. Especially in the White Jade city, since it was the capital of the kingdom, everyone talked excitedly about it. The result of the ceremony was like this: Wang Qing Yue, the princess of the kingdom, was a legendary genius and the first one in a thousand years with an A-grade talent! Zhao Yimou, the heir of the first Great Clan, was a genius of his generation with a B-grade talent. Hong Mei, the heiress of the second Great Clan, was a genius of her generation with a B-grade talent. Teng Fen, the heir of the third Great Clan, was a trash with an E-grade talent. Li Jing, the heir of the fourth Great Clan, was a genius of his generation with a B-grade talent. "I can''t believe that princess Qing Yue has an A-grade talent, I always thought it was a legend!" Exclaimed someone in the city. "It''s the first time that so many geniuses appear at the same time. Our kingdom is truly blessed!" Exclaimed someone else. "I can''t wait to see which Great Clan will win the Inter-Clan Tournament. With so many geniuses it will definitely be interesting!" "Fairy Mei is not only gifted with great beauty but also with great talent!" "This trash, Teng Fen, got what he deserves. Now, let''s see if he still acts arrogantly!" Comments like these continued for a long momentˇ­ ˇ­ One day later in the Li clan. The sun shone brightly today, bringing with it a warm light. Inside his room, Li Jing slowly opened his eyes. A smile could be seen on his face. During the last twenty hours, he had totally refined the Body Strengthening Pill inside his body and continuously absorbed the spiritual energy from heaven and earth. From this short cultivation session, he has been able to make two observations. His first observation was about the way he absorbed the Qi. For a normal cultivator, once the Qi was absorbed inside their body, it circulated through the meridians and was then stored inside the dantian. However, for Li Jing it was different. The Qi he absorbed was not stored inside his dantian but inside something else. Probably inside his system. That way, no matter how long he cultivated, the Qi would never reached and filled his dantian. It meant that if he wanted to breakthrough the different cultivation realms, he really needed to use his system, he couldn''t do it like the other cultivators. His second observation was more practical. It seemed that while cultivating, he didn''t need to sleep. Indeed, he just cultivated for twenty hours straight but didn''t feel tired at all. On the contrary, he felt refreshed! ''Now, let''s see my progress. Status.'' He thought. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 3320 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 200 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/3000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps] --------------------------] Now that he had some Experience Points, Li Jing had the choice to spend them between two paths: the Qi cultivation path and the Body cultivation path. Although cultivators that followed the Body cultivation path cultivated slower than those that followed the Qi path, they were also stronger than the Qi path cultivators. In this world, no one followed the Body cultivation path for the simple reason that Body Cultivation methods were almost non-existent here. Even in the Immortal World were these methods were more common, this path was mostly ignored because it was extremely painful and also needed a huge amount of resources. However, for Li Jing, all of this was not a problem. With his system, he just needed to accumulate Experience Points and spent them to increase his cultivation realm. He didn''t even need a Body Cultivation method! ''I don''t want to choose between the two paths. I will just walk the two paths and become the strongest!'' But first, he decided to follow the Qi cultivation path. Once he will get a powerful Cultivation method to increase his cultivation speed, he will invest his XP in the Body cultivation path. ''Use 3000 XP to increase my Qi cultivation realm'' [3000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 320.] Suddenly, Li Jing felt a warm sensation in his dantian and his whole body was traversed by a strong power. [Congratulations! Host has reached the first level of the Qi Gathering realm.] * 9 Martial Art Pavilion Li Jing inspected his body following his increase in power. Only now did he notice that his whole body was covered by a thick black fluid and a nauseous smell emanated from it. ''This thing is probably the impurities of my body. I need a bath!'' He thought. Li Jing stood up and left his bedroom. He noticed that he was a lot faster since he entered the first level of the Qi Gathering realm. Outside, Li Hua was guarding her young master''s bedroom. "Sister Hua, can you prepare a bath for me?" Asked Li Jing. "Young master! Of course, please wait a moment." She answered, surprised to see him out of his room so soon. Li Hua prepared the bath and called Li Jing once it was ready. Inside the bathtub, Li Jing washed away the black liquid on his body and noticed that his skin was brighter and his muscles were more defined compared to before. ''This Body Strengthening Pill is really miraculous!'' While Li Jing was relaxing in his bath, he activated his status screen to see his progress. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 320 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 300 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering I (XP: 0/6000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps] --------------------------] Once his body was clean, he dressed up in a grey robe and black boots and left the bathroom. "Sister Hua, do I have any messages?" He asked. "Yes. The clan patriarch wants Young Master to visit him once you reach the first level of the Qi Gathering realm." She answered. Li Jing nodded and wondered what his grandfather wanted. "Alright, let''s go." He said. "Yes Young Master!" The clan patriarch''s courtyard was not far from Li Jing''s courtyard. Once they arrived, a servant asked them to follow him to meet the clan patriarch in his study room. The clan patriarch''s study room was large and filled with many bookshelves. In the middle of the room, Li Jing saw an old man sitting at a table drinking a cup of tea while reading a book. "Grandfather." Li Jing bowed as he greeted the clan patriarch, LI Zhang. "Jing''er, you''re here! Hum, only one day and you''ve already reached the first level of the Qi Gathering realm! A true genius indeed. Sit, drink a cup of tea with me." LI Zhang said, signaling the servant next to him to pour a cup for Li Jing. Li Zhang was very surprised to see that his grandson has reached the first level of the Qi Gathering realm in only one day. Even with a Body Strengthening Pill, it should have taken him two to three days. His other grandson, Li Zhiwang, also had a B-grade talent, but it took him three days to reach the first level! "Thank you." Said Li Jing. They sat in silence for a moment until a man suddenly entered the study room. After greeting the clan patriarch, he gave him a small box. Li Zhang took the box and dismissed the man. He then opened the box and smiled at Li Jing. Inside the box was a wooden token with the character "Two" carved on it. "This token will grant you access to the Martial Art Pavilion of the clan up to the second floor." He explained, giving the token to his grandson. Li Jing knew that the second floor of the Martial Art Pavilion was usually reserved for the veteran of the clan. But as the heir of the clan, it was natural that he could also access this floor. Li Jing was very happy, he could finally learn Martial techniques! "Thank you, grandfather." He said. "I also asked you to come here because I want you to participate in the next month clan''s tournament." Li Zhang said. Although the Li clan was the richest, cultivation resources were still precious and not everyone in the clan could have them, especially the younger generation. Therefore, in the Li clan, a tournament was organized every two months between those of the younger generation. Those who did well received great rewards. This tournament was not only to reward the younger generation with precious resources but also to encourage them to become stronger. As the heir of the Li clan, Li Jing didn''t need to participate in these tournaments to get cultivation resources. If the clan patriarch wanted him to participate, it was because during this tournament Li Jing will be able to show to the younger generation that he was superior to them. It was a political decision because as heir to the clan, Li Jing needed to earn the respect of his peers by showing his prowess in battle. Li Jing didn''t mind participating in this tournament, he also wanted to see how strong he will become. After agreeing, his grandfather asked a servant to guide him to the Martial Art Pavilion. ˇ­ They arrived in front of a huge three-story pavilion. The words "Martial Art Pavilion" were carved on a plaque in an imposing manner. Li Jing walked inside and saw an old man with grey hair and a short grey beard sitting behind a large wooden table in front of the entrance. The old man glanced at Li Jing and smiled. "Welcome Young Master Jing." He said. Li Jing was already famous in the clan but only by name. Because he rarely left his courtyard, only a few people knew him. After his performance during the Awakening Ceremony, everyone was now respecting him even more and treating him as the genius of the clan. Li Jing greeted the man then took out the wooden token he received from his grandfather and gave it to him. The old man did something with the token and nodded. Li Jing was surprised, wasn''t this token just a piece of wood? Seeing the interrogation look on Li Jing face, the old man explained: "This token is made from Spirit Wood, the clan patriarch personally imprinted his Qi inside it. This way I can check if this token is a fake or not." Li Jing understood and nodded. When he first saw the token, he thought that anyone could easily replicate it, but it seemed he was wrong. The original Li Jing knew the use of the token but never saw one. "Do you know the rules?" Asked the old man. "I don''t know them." Answered Li Jing. "This token gives you access to the first two floors of the pavilion. You can at most choose four Martial techniques from the first floor and two Martial techniques from the second floor. You can only enter the Martial Art Pavilion once every two months or if you obtain a special authorization thanks to a reward, so you must choose well. Take your time." He explained. "I understand, thank you." Said Li Jing. ''So, even as the heir of the clan, I can''t just take all the techniques I want? Too badˇ­'' He thought. Li Jing walked through the different bookshelves and started to inspect the first floor. On the bookshelves, there were only bamboo slips with the name, the grade, and the description of the Martial technique. The true techniques were kept by the old man inside jade slips. On the first floor, there was only Yellow grade Martial techniques. Seeing all these techniques, Li Jing was at first really excited. However, after carefully inspecting them, he only found two interesting Martial techniques. The first one was a Middle-grade Yellow Martial Technique called Hammer Fist. This was not a flashy technique, the description said that the cultivator needed to infuse his Qi into his fist to deal a powerful blow. However, since his strength was slightly higher than the other cultivators of his level thanks to his Iron Boar bloodline, this technique could be useful to him. The second technique was a High-grade Yellow Martial technique called Instant Flash Step. It was a movement-type technique that allowed its user to move very quickly in a small radius. This small radius was the main weakness of this technique as it could only be used in an offensive way or to dodge and not to retreat or chase after an enemy. But it was perfect for the upcoming clan''s tournament since he didn''t plan to show to everyone his technique Elusive Smoke Steps. Before making his decision, Li Jing still wanted to inspect the second floor. 10 Choice The second floor of the Martial Art Pavilion had far fewer bookshelves and bamboo slips compared to the first one. However, every Martial technique here was a Low-grade or a Middle-grade Mortal Martial technique. ''Lightning Dragon Palm, Fire Tiger Punch, Unstoppable Tornado Kickˇ­ These Martial techniques sound amazing, too bad I can''t take them allˇ­'' Thought Li Jing. As Lin Jing was going through the various shelves, a set of bamboo slips suddenly attracted his attention. "Foundation Sword Manual, Foundation Spear Manual, Foundation Staff Manual, Foundation Daggers Manualˇ­" He read. Each one of these manuals taught the basic skills of a weapon. They were specifically written for beginners to help them have a good foundation in the weapon of their choice. If these manuals were for beginners why were they on the second floor? Because only some privileged members of the clan who possessed a spiritual weapon could train with these manuals. Li Jing was suddenly very interested. If he could learn by himself how to use his daggers, maybe it was worth reconsidering his previous statement. Now that he thought about it, limiting himself by saying that he didn''t want to use a weapon was silly of him. Since he received a Sky-grade weapon he should take advantage of it. He took the Foundation Daggers Manual bamboo slip and read the description. According to the description, the manual taught the basic moves related to double daggers such as stabbing, slashing, thrusting, and slicing as well as the basic footwork and stance. However, it didn''t contain any dagger Martial technique. What frustrated Li Jing was that it was only the basics, there was no advanced moves or techniques. Was it really worth to spend years of training to master a weapon? After a long and mature reflection, Li Jing finally decided that yes, it was worth it. If he didn''t have a system, he couldn''t have gotten hold of such a powerful weapon for decades. Almost no one in this continent possessed a Sky-grade weapon, so he should feel lucky. He now realized that obtaining these daggers was not bad luck but on the contrary a blessing! Li Jing took the Foundation Daggers Manual bamboo slip and started searching for a dagger Martial technique. After several minutes of research, he finally found one. The technique was called Power Slash. It was a Low-grade Mortal Martial technique. According to the description, with this technique, the dagger absorbed and condensed the wielder''s Qi before releasing it at the tip of the blade, enhancing the slash attack, which flew forward. Satisfied, Li Jing made a final inspection to be sure not to miss interesting techniques. He regretted that he couldn''t access the third floor of the pavilion. The third floor was reserved for the clan elders, the clan leader, and the clan patriarch. Even as the heir of the clan he couldn''t access itˇ­ Li Jing went back to the first floor and took the Instant Flash Step and the Hammer Fist bamboo slips. In total, he chose four techniques. Two Yellow-grade Martial techniques: Instant Flash Step and Hammer Fist, one Mortal-grade Martial technique: Power Slash, and the Foundation Daggers Manual. Li Jing gave the bamboo slips of the techniques he chose to the old man. "Hammer Fist and Instant Flash Step, not a bad choice. However, daggers are not weapons easy to use and master. Are you sure of your choice?" Said the old man with a smile. Li Jing nodded, he didn''t regret his choice. The old man took out four long, narrow strips of jade from his spatial ring and gave them to Li Jing. ''Oh, right, I also have a spatial ring. I need to see what''s inside.'' He thought. "Inject your Qi inside these jade slips and you will be able to read their content." Explained the old man. Li Jing did as the old man said, and, after injecting his Qi into one of the jade slip, he could read its content exactly like he was reading a book! Li Jing put the four jade slips in his pocket and bid farewell to the old man. Walking out of the Martial Art Pavillon, Li Jing told to Li Hua that he wanted to visit the Weapons Hall to get a weapon. He couldn''t use his Sky-grade daggers in front of everyone, it would attract too much unnecessary attention and could even cause powerful people to attack him to steal them. They arrived in front of the Weapons Hall. It was far smaller than the Martial Art Pavillon and only had one floor. Inside he was greeted by an old lady who smiled upon seeing him. "Good morning Young Master Jing." She said. Li Jing was ashamed, many people knew him but he had no idea who they were. "Good morning." He said, showing her the token he received from his grandfather. The token could also be used to enter the Weapons Hall. The old lady nodded and explained: "You can choose one weapon of your choice in the hall. If you are not satisfied with your choice, you can come back and exchange it for another one." "I understand, thank you." Said Li Jing. Inside the hall, he saw many different kinds of weapons. The traditional sword, saber, spear, and staff, but also some untraditional weapons like bow, hammer, or whip. Of course, they were all spiritual weapons. The main differences between a normal weapon and a spiritual weapon were that a cultivator could channel his Qi inside a spiritual weapon and the quality of a spiritual weapon was also far higher. The higher the grade of a spiritual weapon was, the more Qi a cultivator could channel inside of it, and the better its quality. A Sky-grade weapon could easily shatter a Yellow or Mortal-grade weapon. Seeing all these weapons Li Jing became excited. He was like a child in a toy store! He started searching for daggers and used his perk Appraisal on the weapons around him. When he noticed that they were all Yellow or Mortal-grade weapons, he sighed. A moment later, he finally found what seemed like the only pair of daggers in the hall. Although they were only Yellow-grade daggers, Li Jing didn''t care. He just needed them to practice after all. Li Jing left the Weapons Hall with his new daggers in hand after bidding farewell to the old lady and returned in his courtyard with Li Hua. In front of his bedroom, Li Jing suddenly remembered something important, he turned to Li Hua and asked: "Sister Hua, do you know when the next auction will take place?" "Huh? Do you mean the auction organized by the Yuan Auction House? It takes place every month, so the next one is in three days. Why do you ask, Young Master?" Said Li Hua, surprised by this sudden question. ''So, only three days left before the start of the first main event of the novel.'' Thought Li Jing. 11 Preparation Li Jing was lost in his thoughts. ''Only three days left before the Auction House event. I will definitely not let Teng Fen get this item. Not only this item will be very useful to me but if Teng Fen doesn''t get it, it will also significantly slow down his power increase.'' "Young Master?" Li Hua''s call brought him back to reality. "Sister Hua, I want you to prepare a carriage for me in three days. I will participate in the auction." He said, smiling. "Really?!" She asked with widened eyes. Li Hua was shocked. Her Young Master hadn''t left the Li clan compound since the death of his mother, seven years ago. Of course, Li Jing knew why Li Hua reacted like this. After all, the original Li Jing had been traumatized by the death of his mother. She was killed by the Red Hand Organization. The Red Hand Organization was actually not a group of criminals. It was an organization that was against the four Great Clans. The organization accused the Great Clans to be tyrants, to monopolize all the cultivation resources for them and only giving their leftovers to the others. Many small clans and martial families secretly supported the organization. Of course, the four Great Clans knew of their existence but didn''t think much about it. For them, this organization was similar to a group of ants. They just ignore it. But one day, seven years ago, the Red Hand Organization tried to kidnap the original Li Jing because they wanted to use him in order to organize a negotiation meeting with the four Great Clans. However, an accident happened and Li Jing''s mother died while trying to protect her son. Furious, Li Jing''s father gathered the other Great Clan leaders and eradicated the Red Hand Organization. All of this was not explained in the web novel since Li Jing was only a minor character and the Red Hand Organization no longer existed at the start of the story. "Yes. After all, I''m an adult now that the ceremony is over. I will cultivate now, I''m counting on you." He said, smiling. Meaning that he has grown up and was not afraid of leaving the clan compound anymore. Li Hua nodded vigorously and Li Jing entered his bedroom. Inside, Li Jing put his new daggers on the table, sat cross-legged on the floor, and took out the four jade slips containing the Martial techniques he chose in the Martial Art Pavilion. But before reading them, he decided to first check what was inside his spatial ring. Spatial rings were rare and expensive, only a few people had one in the Sky Jade Kingdom. A spatial ring could be crafted by an experienced blacksmith from a very rare type of spiritual ore called Void Ore. This ore possessed a natural affinity for Spatial Laws. However, because it was extremely hard to smelt it, it could only be used to craft small things like rings. Li Jing injected his Qi inside his spatial ring and could suddenly visualize a small dark dimension with items stored inside of it. He could see that there were three middle-sized boxes and one large box inside the dimension. He was slightly disappointed because the dimension was rather small, probably only around ten cubic meters. When Li Jing tried to think about retrieving one of the boxes, it immediately materialized in front of him. ''It actually works exactly like the inventory of my system.'' He thought. Li Jing materialized the four boxes in front of him and opened them to check what was inside of them. Inside the first box, he found around one hundred Qi Gathering Pills. Li Jing mentally thanked his grandfather, he was glad to have received so many pills. After all, each one of these pills could give him 30 XP. Adding these one hundred pills to the fifty he already received from his father, he now had one hundred and fifty pills. He could, therefore, gain 4500 XP by consuming them all! Inside the second box, he found around fifty Healing Pills. The Healing Pills were rank-1 pills, and, as the name suggested, they could heal external and internal injuries. However, since they were only rank-1 pills, their effect was slow and they were not very effective in case of serious injuries. Inside the third box, Li Jing saw around fifty Qi Replenishing Pills. The Qi Replenishing Pills were also rank-1 pills. When cultivators consumed them, their Qi regenerated over time. However, it was only 20% of their Qi and the pills were only effective once every two hours. What Li Jing saw inside the fourth and largest box made his eyes sparkle. Three thousand Spirit Stones! Spirit Stone was the money of this world. There were three grades of Spirit Stones: Inferior-grade Spirit Stones, Medium-grade Spirit Stones, and High-grade Spirit Stones. However, in the Southern Border Continent, there were only Inferior-grade Spirit Stones. Therefore, they were simply called Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones contained a small amount of spiritual energy that could be absorbed by cultivators, but they were mostly used as money. A Spirit Stone was not long but could be cut into five smaller stones to buy cheaper things. These smaller Spirit Stones were mostly used by civilians and poor families. The monthly salary of a civilian family was around twenty Spirit Stones. A merchant family or a martial family could earn between two hundred to five hundred Spirit Stones per month. A noble family or a minor martial clan earned around two to three thousand Spirit Stones monthly. As for the Great Clans, they earned several dozens of thousands of Spirit Stones per month! For the Li clan, three thousand Spirit Stones were nothing at all. Li Jing smiled widely, it was exactly what he needed. With so much Spirit Stones, he will definitely be able to get this item during the Auction House event. He then used his perk Appraisal on a Spirit Stones and discovered that he could actually absorb them to gain Experiences Points! However, it was only 1 XP per Spirit Stone. So, for now, he preferred keeping them to buy things he needed, and will only absorb them once he will have a large amount of them. Li Jing was extremely pleased with his grandfather''s gift. ''Next time I see him, I will have to greatly thank him!'' He thought. Li Jing stored the four boxes inside his spatial ring and started to inspect the jade slips containing his Martial techniques. He decided to split his time between training and cultivating. Thanks to the Food Replacement pill he didn''t need to eat and while cultivating he didn''t need to sleep, so he could train the whole day and cultivate the whole night. When his body will be too tired because of his excessive training, he will just take a Healing Pill and a Qi Replenishing Pill and continue his training. This world was unfair. Cultivators with a lot of resources would always be stronger than cultivators without resources since they could train with almost no limit. Since he only had three days left before the first main event of the novel, Li Jing chose to first focus on his two Martial techniques Instant Flash Step and Hammer Fist. He injected his Qi inside the Instant Flash Step jade slip and started reading it. One hour later, Li Jing was standing in the training ground behind his house. His courtyard was very large and could easily contain a training ground. Since the original Li Jing had trained with his father since he was six years old, he obviously knew how to fight. So when Li Jing transmigrated to this world and obtained the memories of the original Li Jing, he, by extension, also knew how to fight. Li Jing put himself in a fighting stance. He wanted to test his two new techniques. "Hammer Fist!" He said, striking the ground with a powerful punch. Small cracks appeared on the ground and a small crater could be seen at the place where he struck. As expected, this technique was not really powerful. Li Jing thought that even if he reached the Perfection stage for this technique, it will still stay a weak technique. Martial techniques could be mastered at different levels: Entry stage, Low success stage, Medium success stage, Large success stage, and Perfection stage. The higher the grade of a technique was, the harder it was to master it. However, even for the weakest techniques, reaching the Perfection stage asked months or even years of training. [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Hammer Fist.] Next, Li Jing started to train his movement-type Martial technique, Instant Flash Step. "Instant Flash Step!" Li Jing used the technique multiple times to test its limit. He was really fast, but three meters seemed to be the maximum distance he could reach in one activation, and he needed to wait two seconds between each activation. According to the description of the Instant Flash Step, if he could reach the Large success stage for this technique, he would be able to create an after image. ''I can probably reach the Large success stage before the clan''s tournament.'' He thought. [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Instant Flash Step.] Li Jing sighed. If he had this kind of power on Earth, he would be considered as a god. But in this world, he was nothing more than an ant. ''I need to train harder and become stronger!'' 12 Meeting a villainess Li Jing opened his eyes. He felt refreshed after a night of cultivation. During the past three days, he had continuously trained and cultivated. His days were divided as follows: ten hours of training his Martial techniques Instant Flash Step and Hammer Fist. Two hours of rest. And twelve hours of cultivation. With all this training, he was only one step away from reaching the Low success stage for both his Martial techniques. He also consumed his one hundred and fifty Qi Gathering Pills and was almost ready to breakthrough the second level of the Qi Gathering realm. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 5588 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 300 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering I (XP: 0/6000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] Li Jing was excited, today was finally the day of the Auction House event. It will take place in only a few hours! He walked out of his bedroom and after bathing and dressing in a beige-colored robe, Li Hua informed him that his father wanted to talk to him. Inside the clan leader''s main hall, Li Jing greeted his father. "Good morning father. You wished to see me?" Li Bai was sitting in his armchair, sipping a cup of tea. When he heard his son greeting him, he put the cup on the table next to him, stood up, and walked over to Li Jing. "Jing''er, I heard that you wanted to go to the Yuan Auction House. It will be the first time that you leave the clan compound sinceˇ­ Is it fine for you?" Asked Li Bai. Li Jing was surprised, he didn''t know that his father was someone sentimental. Wasn''t he supposed to be a severe and strict man? Maybe he misjudged himˇ­ "I''m fine father, don''t worry." He answered. "All right. I arranged three shadow guards to follow you and protect you while you are outside." Said Li Bai. The shadow guards of the Li clan were all powerful experts at the Foundation Establishment realm. Very few people could threaten them in the Sky Jade Kingdom. Li Jing nodded and discussed with his father for a moment before bidding him farewell and leaving his courtyard. "Sister Hua, is the carriage ready?" Asked Li Jing. "Yes, Young Master. But we still have two hours before the start of the auction." She answered. Li Jing knew that the journey to the Auction House took only thirty minutes, but he also wanted to explore the city. After all, the original owner of his body hadn''t seen the city for seven years! "I want to visit the Marketplace before going to the Auction House." He explained. The Marketplace was the busiest and liveliest place in the city. Most of the interesting shops were there, including the Li clan''s Heavenly Pill Pavilion and the Yuan Auction House. Li Jing followed Li Hua, and, after a few minutes of walking towards the exit portal of the clan, he saw a large and luxurious carriage drawn by four majestic horses. In front of the carriage, he was greeted by a coachman who invited him to enter it. Li Jing and Li Hua entered it and stayed silent during the journey. Li Hua was wondering if her young master would be fine after going out after so many years. Li Jing, meanwhile, was planning what to do during the auction. ''When I will meet Teng Fen, I must absolutely avoid offending him. I''m not yet ready to face him. Even if he just started cultivating, this guy can easily kill a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment realm with his overpowered Martial techniques and his thousands of years of battle experience!'' Around half an hour later, the carriage finally stopped. Li Jing went out of the carriage and was amazed by what he saw outside of it. This place looked like a street straight out of historical dramas he saw on TV! Around him, there were many large ancient-Chinese looking buildings. Most of them were shops and inns. The street was very colored since these buildings were built using bright colors like vermilion for the pillars, yellow for the glazed roof tiles, and green for the decorative parts such as the brackets under the eaves. Along the street, there were also many stalls selling various things like food, clothing, jewelry, or books. The vendors of these various stalls were all screaming to attract the attention of the many people around them. Li Jing smiled. In his previous life, he didn''t like noisy and crowded places, but here he actually enjoyed it. The ambiance of the streets in this world was completely different compared to the ambiance of the modern streets on Earth. Li Jing started walking down the street, admiring the different goods on display. Stopping in front of a stall that sold steamed meat buns that looked very appetizing, he turned to Li Hua and smiled. "Sister Hua, these meat buns smell so good. Do you want to taste one?" "Yes!" She nodded her head vigorously and eyed the meat buns like they were something precious. Li Jing could almost see her drooling, this girl was very funny. Li Jing brought a bag of six big buns for only a fifth of a Spirit Stone and ate them with Li Hua. They were very delicious, far more than the industrial meat buns on Earth. "Thank you, Young Master!" She said, smiling brightly. After they finish eating, Li Jing resumed his stroll along the street. A few minutes later, he spotted a girl at a stall that he immediately recognized. He was stunned by her beauty, the web novel had clearly not exaggerated when it described her and even the different artworks of her didn''t do her justice. The young woman was wearing a white and gold dress. She had long black hair that descended down onto her waist and glistening jade-like skin. Her bright phoenix eyes and gorgeous pink lips gave her an appearance as mesmerizing as the full moon. There were simply no flaws that one could see. This girl was Hong Mei, the heiress of the Hong clan, the second strongest Great Clan. Li Jing didn''t expect to see her here. Hong Mei was known as the number one beauty in the whole Sky Jade Kingdom. There was a saying about her in the capital: "When the flowers see Hong Mei, they close up because they are ashamed of themselves". Therefore, everyone called her Fairy Mei. Hong Mei noticed that Li Jing was gazing at her. She smiled at him and walked over to him. "You, what are you looking at? Do you know who I am? One word from me and my guard can tear out your eyes and feed them to the dogs!" She yelled, pointing at him. Li Jing sweatdropped. Unfortunately, exactly like in the web novel, she had a terrible personalityˇ­ Despite her beauty, Hong Mei was extremely arrogant and prideful. She respected only the strong and the powerful, and despised and bullied the weak. Actually, her whole clan was like her. It was no wonder that in the web novel she offended the main character, resulting in her death and her clan''s destructionˇ­ Hong Mei was waiting for the boy in front of her to beg her to spare his miserable life on his knees, but the boy only smiled. "Hello, my name is Li Jing." He simply said. Li Jing? She knew this name. Wasn''t this the name of the young master of the Li clan? When she noticed the ''Li'' name embroidered in gold on the boy''s cloth, she widened her eyes in realization. "Oh, so it''s Brother Jing from the Li clan. I apologize for not recognizing you. My name is Hong Mei from the Hong clan, but you can call me Sister Mei." She said, cupping her hands and smiling. Li Jing was not surprised by her sudden politeness. No one could afford to offend the powerful Li clan, not even the Hong clan. Furthermore, with his B-grade talent, he was also considered as a genius in the kingdom. 13 Meeting the main character Li Jing didn''t care about Hong Mei''s aggressive behavior since he knew her personality beforehand. Furthermore, Hong Mei had no way to know who he was since the original Li Jing had not left his clan compound for the past seven years. "No worries, Sister Mei. Are you here to participate in the auction organized by the Yuan Auction House?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. "Yes! I heard that this time they will sell some interesting items. What about you Brother Jing?" She said. "I also plan to participate." He answered. "Great, let''s go together!" She suggested. Hong Mei didn''t care about Li Jing, but if she accidentally offended the young master of the Li clan, it would be bad for her clan and her father will reprimand her. So, she proposed to accompanying him in hope that he will forget about the previous event. She was sure that he would not hold grudge against a beauty like her after using her charm on him. Li Jing really didn''t want to associate himself with a cannon fodder like Hong Mei, but if he refused it will be seen as not giving her faceˇ­ He inwardly sighed and accepted her suggestion. Li Jing and Hong Mei walked towards the Yuan Auction House, followed behind by their respective maid. After a few minutes, they suddenly heard and saw a young girl rushing to them. The young girl was looking behind her and talking to someone while running. "Young Master look, there isˇ­ Ouch!" Exclaimed the young girl before colliding with someone and falling to the ground. Unfortunately for her, this someone was Hong Mei. "Young Miss, are you alright?" Asked Hong Mei''s maid, checking if her young miss was fine. Hong Mei was obviously fine, but she was red from anger. Because of this girl, she was ridiculed in front of everyone. "You, worm! How dare you touch me? You will regret this!" She yelled at the poor girl on the ground. However, before she could slap the girl, a powerful voice resonated. "Stop!" Hong Mei stopped her hand mid-air and was curious to see who dared to interrupt her. "Are you alright Xiao Tan?" Asked a boy to the young girl on the ground. "I-I''m fine, Young Master." She answered in a small voice. Li Jing was also about to stop Hong Mei but this boy has been faster than him. He looked at him to see if he recognized him. The boy was wearing a black robe embroidered with red threads. He had mid-long black hair and intriguing dark pupils. His thick arched eyebrows, long nose, and thin lips all added up to his elegance and noble air. ''No wayˇ­'' Thought Li Jing when he recognized the boy. "Oh? Isn''t that the trash young master of the Teng clan? Good, if you kowtow to me three times I may forgive your maid!" Said Hong Mei, smirking. She was very frustrated today and now it was a perfect opportunity to vent her frustration. Teng Fen was just a trash and there were even rumors that his cousin will replace him as the heir of the Teng clan. Furthermore, the Teng clan was inferior to her Hong clan. "Little girl, if you don''t want to lose your mouth, you better shut it." Said Teng Fen to Hong Mei in a cold voice. Seeing this scene, Li Jing was completely panicked and didn''t know how to react. ''Shit, shit, shit, why is Teng Fen here? He was not supposed to meet Hong Mei in the Marketplace, this event was not in the web novel!'' He thought. "Youˇ­ You''re courting death! Did you hear him, Brother Jing? This trash thinks that he is better than us. Let''s teach him a good lesson!" Exclaimed Hong Mei. This girl was clever. If she has said that to anyone else, he would have immediately attacked Teng Fen to impress her. But who was Li Jing? He was a transmigrator who had read the web novel. He will never offend the main character to impress a beautiful girl, he was not suicidal! Hearing the commotion, many people started to gather around them. "Look, it''s Fairy Mei! It looks like someone offended her." Said someone in the crowd. "Isn''t that Teng Fen? This trash still dare to cause trouble in the city!" Said someone else. "We must defend Fairy Mei and teach this trash a lesson!" In the past, they didn''t dare to speak like that about Teng Fen, but now he was just a trash that will probably be rejected by his clan. If they could gain favor from the powerful Hong clan by beating him, they will not hesitate! "But, who is the young man beside Fairy Mei? I never saw him before." Asked someone. "I don''t know him either, but he is wearing cloth from the Li clan." "You''re right! He is probably Li Jing, the young master of the Li clan!" Supposed someone. Although they never saw him, the young master of the Li clan was the only one with a status high enough to stand beside the young miss of the Hong clan, so this supposition was the most logical. "Huh? I didn''t know that Young Master Jing had a relationship with Fairy Mei." Li Jing wanted to slap them all. Now that they associated him with Hong Mei, Teng Fen will also see him as a villain! ''I must do something right now or it will be too late!'' He thought. 14 Yuan Auction House Li Jing and Hong Mei were facing Teng Fen. The three of them were surrounded by a crowd of people that were looking at them like they were watching a good show. Hong Mei was angry, she wanted to humiliate Teng Fen and get out of this place. Teng Fen was indifferent. In his eyes, these people were nothing more than ants. Li Jing was focused, he was trying to think about a solution to get him out of this situation. He didn''t have many options. Although Li Jing had nothing against Teng Fen, he was very tempted to attack him. As someone who has read the web novel, he knew the damage that Teng Fen will cause to this kingdom. Moreover, Teng Fen will be his main obstacle when trying to reach the apex. Unfortunately, he knew he wasn''t strong enough yet to defeat him. If he attacked him and failed, Teng Fen would cripple him or worst kill him. Even his shadow guards wouldn''t be able to protect himˇ­ Teng Fen didn''t care about the consequences of his actions. If someone pissed him off, he would just kill him and kill everyone else who would try to punish him for this action. Even if Li Jing had a very very slim chance to kill Teng Fen by launching a surprise attack with his Elusive Smoke Steps technique and his Sky-grade daggers, it wouldn''t be good either. Teng Fen was still the heir of the Teng clan and Li Jing will be punished by the kingdom for killing him. He didn''t think that he could kill Teng Fen so easily though. Furthermore, he never killed anyone before so he will probably hesitate before striking and failˇ­ Then, maybe he should side with Teng Fen and insult Hong Mei? No, bad idea. In the following years, Teng Fen will offend tons of people and make a lot of strong enemies. If Li Jing joined his side he will also become a target for them. He definitely didn''t want to become a cannon fodder. Li Jing also knew that Hong Mei was too stubborn, if he just told her to drop this matter, she would never listen to him and it could even make things worse. So, the best way out of this situation was to ignore Hong Mei and Teng Fen. If Hong Mei wanted to die by provoking Teng Fen it was her problem and Li Jing had no intention of saving her. "Sister Mei, I''m afraid to be late for the auction. I will go first." He said. It was true that the Yuan Auction House closed their door thirty minutes before the start of the auction. So, if he was late, he would miss the auction. Hong Mei and the crowd saw Li Jing walking away towards the Yuan Auction House. Did he just ignore them all? Hong Mei was now even angrier... Li Jing refused to give her face? But there was nothing she could do to him for now. He was after all the heir of the Li clan. However, she was still decided to humiliate Teng Fen. Li Jing hated the fact that he was not strong enough to face Teng Fen. He felt like he was a coward running away to save his life, it was really humiliatingˇ­ He clenched his fists and swore to himself that he will one day be stronger than Teng Fen. In the meantime, he should also stay as far away as possible from Hong Mei. This girl and her whole clan could die, he didn''t careˇ­ He finally arrived in front of the Yuan Auction House. It was easy to recognize since it was the largest building in the Marketplace. The Yuan Auction House was an independent entity that had an auction house in each of the six major kingdoms of the Southern Border Continent. Although they never interfered in the matter of the kingdoms, they held a lot of power. Even the royal family and the Great Clans didn''t dare to offend them! As he entered the Auction House, Li Jing noticed that there were already a lot of people inside. The entry hall of the Yuan Auction House was very large and beautifully decorated with a lot of heroic paintings showing scenes of cultivators fighting Demonic Beasts or classical poems of this world. The entry hall was divided into three parts. In the front, there was a huge door leading to the auction room. To the right, there was a staircase that led to private rooms from where people of prestigious families could attend the auction. Finally, to the left, there was a staircase that led to rooms reserved for the employees of the Auction House. "Young Master, I''ll get someone to guide us." Said Li Hua Li Jing nodded and saw Li Hua waking to the counter near the front door and speak to the receptionist. The receptionist glanced at him and immediately rushed towards the left staircase. A short moment later, a chubby middle-aged woman wearing an opulent red dress and an extravagant number of jewels came down from the left staircase and walked over to them. "Young Master Jing, welcome to our Yuan Auction House! My name is Sun Di, I will take care of you." She said, smiling widely. Li Jing knew this middle-aged woman thanks to the web novel. Her name was Sun Di, she was the general manager of the Yuan Auction House. Her position was just under that of the director! "Greetings, Lady Sun." Said Li Jing, cupping his hands. "This is your first time in our Yuan Auction House, right? Then, you should follow me to receive your welcome gift!" Said Sun Di. Li Jing was intrigued by this welcome gift. It was not mentioned in the web novel since Teng Fen already came many times in the Yuan Auction House before his transmigration. "Alright." He said. ˇ­ In the meantime, Teng Fen could be seen in the street of the Marketplace with many dead bodies around him. These idiots believed that they could attack him with impunity but all paid for it with their lives. Hong Mei was hiding behind her four shadow guards, half scared and half angry. "Y-You dared to kill them all?! Kill him!!" She ordered her shadow guards. "Young Miss, I don''t think it''s a good idea. He is still the heir of the Teng clan." Said one of the shadow guards. Hong Mei knew that he was right but today she suffered the greatest humiliation of her lifeˇ­ "Youˇ­ Goodˇ­ Teng Fen this is not over! I swear you will one day pay for this! Let''s go!" She exclaimed. Hong Mei and her four shadow guards then walked away towards the Yuan Auction House. Teng Fen just smirked and ignored them. If they had attacked him, he would have killed them all without hesitationˇ­ 15 Auction part 1 Li Jing was standing in the office of the general manager of the Yuan Auction House, Sun Di. Her office was rather large and contained many bookshelves, a long wooden desk, but only two chairs. So, he assumed that few people usually came to her office. The middle-aged woman took out an envelope from her desk and gave it to Li Jing with a smile. "Young Master Jing, this is your welcome gift. In this envelope, you will find three important items." She said. After thanking her, Li Jing opened the envelope and pulled out a golden card, a silver ring, and a yellow piece of paper. The golden card had the name ''Yuan Auction House'' written on its front. He assumed that it was a kind of VIP card and started to inspect it. But except the fact that it was made of wood, he didn''t find anything special about it. Or maybe it was made from Spirit Wood like the token of his clan? The silver ring was most likely a spatial ring. Although he already had one, since it didn''t contain a lot of space, having a second one was a good thing. The Yuan Auction House was indeed rich, it must cost a lot of money to give a spatial ring to all their important clients. Finally, the yellow piece of paper was about the size of his palm, there was just the word ''Priority'' written in red in the middle of it and nothing else. He had no idea what this item could be used for. "The golden card gives you access to the private rooms of the auction house as well as a ten percent discount on all your purchase. The ring is a spatial ring containing a ten-meter cubic dimension. The yellow piece of paper is called ''Priority Pass''. It is a one-time use item that you can use to directly purchase an item presented during an auction without needing to bid on it. As long as it''s not the top item of the auction, of course. I hope you enjoy this welcome gift, Young Master Jing." She explained. Of course, he enjoyed it. Especially this Priority Pass, it could prove very useful! "Yes, I do. Thank you very much Lady Sun." He said. "Young Master Jing is too polite. I assume that you are here to participate in the auction. Let me show you the way to your private room." Li Hua was waiting for her young master outside the general manager''s office. Once he left it, she and Li Jing followed Sun Di until they arrived in a small-sized room with a balcony overlooking the large auction room. The auction room was already full of people sitting on chairs and discussing while waiting for the auction to begin. At the front of the room, there was a large platform on which the items will be presented. "The auction will start in approximately thirty minutes. I will send someone to bring you refreshments. Goodbye, Young Master Jing." Said Sun Di. Li Jing nodded and the woman left, leaving him and Li Hua alone in the room. Because Li Jing decided to cultivate to pass the time faster, they remained in silence for half an hour. Finally, the auctioneer who was standing in the middle of the platform announced the start of the auction. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen and thank you for your patience. The auction can now begin!" He exclaimed. The auctioneer, a man in his forties with a short beard, then began to explain the rules. Today, thirty items will be sold. The top item of the auction will be presented at the beginning but people will only be able to bid on it at the end of the auction. The different items will be presented one after the other. There was no starting price and the higher bidder won the auction if no one overbid after three calls. After his explanations, a man walked to the platform and gave a small white porcelain bottle to the auctioneer. The auctioneer presented the porcelain bottle to the audience and exclaimed: "The twenty pills inside this bottle are the top item of this auction andˇ­" "What does that mean? I heard that the top item was supposed to be a spiritual weapon!" Interrupted someone. The auctioneer coughed, he really didn''t like being interrupted while he was talking. "The top item has been changed this morning following the visit of a respectable Master Alchemist." He explained, before continuing: "As I said, The twenty pills inside this bottle are the top item of this auction and were personally tested and approved by our director! They are called Qi Condensing Pills. They are five times more efficient than the traditional Qi Gathering Pills and are particularly useful for those who try to breakthrough the Foundation Establishment realm!" Although the Body Strengthening Pills were more powerful than these pills, they were so rare and hard to create that they were almost never sold. The few that existed were kept by the Great Clans and the royal family. Since these pills were personally tested and approved by the director of the Yuan Auction House, no one doubted their efficiency. Therefore, everyone was excited about this new pill! "Unbelievable! My Xia family wish to buy these pills!" "My Gu family also wish to buy these pills!" "You dare to go against myˇ­" "Please calm down everyone. These pills will be sold at the end of the auction, after the thirty other items." Interrupted the auctioneer. Li Jin obviously knew who was the ''respectable Master Alchemist'' who created these pills. It was Teng Fen. Teng Fen already came early in the morning disguised as an old man to sell these powerful pills he created. ''For now, he sells his pills anonymously but soon, he will sell them through his clan''s shops...'' He thought. But Li Jing was not here for these pills. The item that interested him was only a minor item of this auction. 16 Auction part 2 The first ten items sold were not really interesting. Demonic Cores of tier-2 Demonic Beasts, hundred years old spiritual plants, Spiritual Lightning oresˇ­ Although these items were rare, they were only of interest to alchemists or blacksmiths. "The next item is the Mysterious Box. I''m sure you have all heard about it. This box has been found in the Dark Forest a few years ago. No one knows what it contains since no one has been able to open it." Announced the auctioneer. "What? You''re still trying to sell this stupid box? It has been years and no one has been able to open it. Every time someone buys it, they will immediately resell it after a few days." Said a young man. "He is right, this Mysterious Box is a scam!" Everyone agreed with them. A lot of people already tried to open it, but even the most knowledgeable elders of the kingdom couldn''t do it. Li Jing became excited. This was exactly the item he has been waiting for! This Mysterious Box was the size of an adult hand and was entirely black with no sign of lock or slot. It has been crafted thousands of years ago by a blacksmith who used an ancient and lost blacksmith technique called ''Blood Binding Forging Technique''. It was not surprising that nobody could open it because the technique to open the box was very peculiar. The blacksmith who created the box stored his family''s inheritance inside and never parted from it. Unfortunately, he died in the Dark Forest attacked by a group of Demonic Beasts while searching for rare ores. Only this box remained and was coincidently found three years ago by a cultivator of the White Jade city who decided to sell it since he couldn''t open it. Li Jing knew the item inside the box thanks to the web novel. It was a spiritual plant called ''Yin Yang Soulgrass''. For normal cultivators, consuming this plant will give a huge boost to their cultivation. However, for Teng Fen, this plant was inestimable since it was the main ingredient needed to craft the ''Immortal Talent Enhancing Pill''. With this pill, Teng Fen would be able to increase his trash E-grade talent to A-grade talent! This was the reason why Li Jing was determined to never let Teng Fen obtain this item. This Yin Yang Soulgrass was one of the last in this world, meaning that if Teng Fen didn''t obtain it now, he would have to wait dozens of years before finding another one. Unfortunately, the author of the web novel never revealed the complete recipe of the Immortal Talent Enhancing Pill, or Li Jing would have tried to craft it. But, of course, he could still consume the plant to gain thousands of Experience Points. "You can start to bid for the Mysterious Box!" Announced the auctioneer. From his private room, Teng Fen was watching with interest this Mysterious Box. He, of course, has recognized that it was crafted using the Blood Binding Forging Technique. The item inside it couldn''t be simple. He was about to bid on it butˇ­ "I, Li Jing from the Li clan, use my Priority Pass to buy this item." Exclaimed a voice from the private room next to his. Li Jing didn''t want to risk losing the auction so he directly used his pass. Although he didn''t think that Teng Fen would use thousands of Spirit Stones to buy the box, it was better to be safe than sorry. Everyone was surprised to hear that the young master of the Li clan was here. They all looked up at the direction of the voice and saw a handsome young man holding a yellow piece of paper. "The Mysterious Box has been brought by Young Master Jing. Congratulations!" Exclaimed the auctioneer. Although no one understood why he used the inestimable Priority Pass to buy this useless box, no one dared to question it, they were too afraid of offending the powerful Li clan. Teng Fen was surprised that someone brought the box before him. Unfortunately, the original owner of his body already used his Priority Pass months ago and he couldn''t use the new one he had received without exposing his identity as the respectable Master Alchemist, so he couldn''t do anything about it. But it didn''t matter to him because he was sure that Li Jing or anyone else would never be able to open the box and would, therefore, resell it in a few days. Then, he will be able to obtain it. Li Jing''s heart was beating fast, he tried his best to hide his excitement. ''I did it!'' He thought. "Young Master, why did you use your Priority Pass to buy this box? No one seemed to want it." Asked Li Hua, who was sitting next to him. "It''s because I''m really curious about this Mysterious Box so I didn''t want anyone else to buy it." He answered. "But you could have use Spirit Stones instead. I heard that the Priority Pass is only given to important members of the Great Clans and the royal family and they can only have one in their life!" She explained. Well, he didn''t know that. But he didn''t care because the item inside the box was worth thousands of Priority Passesˇ­ "Hehe, I suppose it''s too late now." Said Li Jing, smiling brightly. Li Hua was too shocked to continue arguing. It was the first time that she saw her young master acting like that. Usually, he rarely smiled and talked but recently he was a lot more expressive. She realized that he had, in fact, changed a lot since the day of the Awakening Ceremony... The following items presented didn''t attract Li Jing''s attention, except for the thirtieth item. The thirtieth item was supposed to be the original top item of the auction. It was a Middle-grade Yellow Spiritual Sword. Although for a Great Clan a weapon like that was nothing, for a martial family or a minor clan it held a lot of value. Therefore, a lot of people ''fought'' for it. After almost fifteen minutes, the minor Zhou clan won the auction with a bid of 14500 Spirit Stones! Finally, it was time for the top item of this auction to be sold. As expected, everyone wanted to buy these Qi Condensing Pills. Many people were stuck at the Qi Gathering realm because of their lack of talent or insight to breakthrough the Foundation Establishment realm. However, if they could breakthrough with the help of these pills, it will not only increase their own strength but also the overall strength of their clan or family. After ten minutes of bids, insults, and threats, the bottle of pills was sold to Hong Mei who brought it for 30000 Spirit Stones! Li Jing sighed, it was finally over. Now he could retrieve the Mysterious Box and go home. 17 Opening the box Li Jing was back in his bedroom. He was currently admiring the Mysterious Box in his hand. He already informed Li Hua that he will cultivate for the next few days, so he could peacefully open the box and absorb the Yin Yang Soulgrass without anyone bothering him. Since the Mysterious Box was crafted using the Blood Binding Forging Technique, the process to open it was as follows: each side of the box needed to be covered with blood. Normally, only the blood of the crafter could open it. But since he was dead, anyone''s blood could now open it. Li Jing put the box on his desk, took out one of his daggers, and sliced the palm of his right hand, letting his blood flow on the upper face of the box. At first, nothing happened. However, as more blood covered the box, it suddenly started to absorb it. Little by little, the color of the upper face of the box changed from black to red. Once it became red, Li Jing poured his blood on another side, until the six sides of the box entirely turned red. Crack! The Mysterious Box that was now red started to crack from all sides and after a few seconds, crumbled and turned to ash, revealing a bi-colored spiritual plant. The Yin Yang Soulgrass was the size of a thumb. The right side of the plant was black while its left side was white. It emitted a very fragrant and pleasant odor that Li Jing couldn''t describe with words. Li Jing smiled and nodded. Seeing the Yin Yang Soulgrass in front of him, he was very satisfied. It was proof that he could change the events of this world! He took a Healing Pill to heal the wound on his hand and used his perk Appraisal on the plant. [ Name: Yin Yang Soulgrass Type: Spiritual Plant Grade: Immortal Description: A spiritual plant that grows once every ten thousand years. The plant only grows near volcanic areas sheltered from the sun. The Yin Yang Soulgrass can be consumed or used as an alchemy ingredient. Effect: XP + 35000 when consumed. Time needed to absorb the plant: 70 hours ] ''35000 XP!'' Li Jing was shocked, he thought that the plant would only give him around ten thousand Experience Points, he really didn''t expect that much. With so much XP, his strength will skyrocket! Li Jing carefully took the Yin Yang Soulgrass and sat cross-legged in the middle of his bedroom. The moment he swallowed the spiritual plant, he felt an explosion of energy inside his body. It was so intense that it took him a few seconds to focus before he started cultivating while refining the plant. ˇ­ One day has passed since Li Jing had consumed the Yin Yang Soulgrass. Inside one of the rooms of an isolated house of the Li clan, a bald man with a scar on his right cheek could be seen kneeling in front of a middle-aged man with deep black eyes and an old man with a long grey beard. "So, did you find any information about the Master Alchemist that appeared in the Yuan Auction House?" Asked the middle-aged man. "I apologize for my incompetence, clan leader. But except for the fact that he was in the Yuan Auction House yesterday morning, I didn''t find anything. This Master Alchemist appeared out of nowhere and disappeared without a trace!" Explained the bald man with an apologetic face. The bald man''s name was Li Wu, he was the captain of the shadow guards of the Li clan. The leader of the Li clan, Li Bai, had full confidence in him. When Li Bai heard that a new kind of pills named ''Qi Condensing Pill'' was sold by a mysterious Master Alchemist in the Yuan Auction House, he immediately sent Li Wu to investigate who was this person. A Master Alchemist that could create a new pill far more powerful than the Qi Gathering Pills was definitely a great threat for the Li clan. Li Bai was determined to find this man and convince him to join the clan or kill him if he refused. Hearing the bald man''s answer, Li Bai frowned. This time Li Wu disappointed himˇ­ "Keep looking for him. You must absolutely find him before the other Great Clans." He said, signaling Li Wu that he could leave. "I understand, clan leader." Said Li Wu before bowing and leaving the room. Once the man left, the clan patriarch, Li Zhang, who was standing next to Li Bai turned to him and said: "If even the captain of our shadow guards couldn''t find anything about this Master Alchemist, it means that he must be someone powerful that we can''t afford to offend. Are you sure it''s a good idea to look for him insistently?" "I know what I''m doing, father." Answered Li Bai in a cold voice. Even though Li Zhang was the patriarch of the clan and held a lot of power, he couldn''t make major decisions. In the Li clan, it was a tradition that only the clan leader had the final say when making important decisions. The patriarch and the elders could only advise him. Li Zhang could only sigh and hope that his son made the right decision. ˇ­ Two days later in the Teng clan. Teng Fen was standing in the middle of the arena of his clan arms crossed, his face held a blank expression. No one could tell what he was thinking. In front of him was lying the dead body of his cousin Teng Luo. The spectators who attended the match between them were all astonished! "How is it possible that he killed Young Master Luo so easily?" Asked one of them. "It''s impossible for someone in the first level of the QI Gathering realm to beat someone in the sixth level. He must have cheated!" "That''s right, he probably poisoned Young Master Luo before the match. That cowardˇ­" Seeing the dead body of his son lying on the cold hard ground of the arena, Teng Luo''s father, Teng Bin, became extremely furious. It was not supposed to happen that way. His son was supposed to kill Teng Fen and become the heir of the clan. But since Teng Fen killed him, everything was now overˇ­ No! He had to avenge his son and kill Teng Fen. Teng Bin rushed to the arena and appeared in front of Teng Fen. "Youˇ­ You dared to kill my son! He was a genius of the clan while you are just a trash. Since you cheated, you broke the rules!" He said. As an elder of the clan, he needed a good excuse to kill Teng Fen, so he decided to intimidate him and make him admit that he cheated. Teng Bin released his powerful killing intent towards Teng Fen, and although it was directed to him, everyone around them felt a shiver down their spine. However, it didn''t even make Teng Fen flinch. "It was a death match." Simply said, Teng Fen. "Youˇ­" Teng Bin was now even angrier. "Enough!" Interrupted a powerful voice The owner of this voice was Teng Wei, Teng Fen''s father and the leader of the Teng clan. "Fen''er won the match. He has proven that he was worth being the heir of the clan. From now on, I don''t want to hear anyone complains about it. Brother Bin, you should take your son, we will give him an appropriate burial." He said. Hearing this, Teng Bin clenched his fists so hard that his nails penetrated his skin. He had no choice but to obey the order of the clan leader. But it was not over. He will definitely avenge his son. ˇ­ 18 A new bloodline In the middle of his bedroom, sitting cross-legged, Li Jing slowly opened his eyes. Three days have passed since he consumed the Yin Yang Soulgrass. Without hesitation, he immediately opened his status screen to see how much XP he now had. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 41716 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 300 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering I (XP: 0/6000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] Li Jing smiled widely. With so many Experience Points, he could do a lot of things! He started to think about his different options: First, he shouldn''t increase his cultivation realm by more than one level or it will be suspicious. He didn''t want to let other people know that he successfully opened the Mysterious Box and that there was a great treasure inside it. Second, he wanted to gamble and buy a Rare Lottery Ticket. He knew it was risky, but even if he obtained a useless weapon or artifact, he could still sell it and get tens of thousands of Spirit Stones that he could absorb to reimburse the lost Experience Points. Third, he still decided not to invest XP in the Body cultivation path. He will stick to his first plan and wait for him to get a more powerful Cultivation method before spending his XP in this path. Li Jing was satisfied with his plan and started using his Experience Points. ''Use 6000 XP to increase my Qi cultivation realm.'' He thought. [6000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 35716.] Like the last time, Li Jing felt a warm sensation in his dantian as strong power passed through his body. [Congratulations! Host has reached the second level of the Qi Gathering realm.] Great, Li Jing felt even more powerful than before! ''Buy one Rare Lottery ticket.'' He now thought. [15000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 20716.] [Host received 1 item: 1x Rare Lottery ticket. The item has been stored in Host inventory.] Li Jing decided to directly use his ticket and hoped that he will obtain something good. [Congratulations! Host received the item: Bloodline: Thunder Wyvern (rare). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Thunder Wyvern Type: Bloodline Grade: Rare Description: The Thunder Wyvern bloodline is a lesser dragon bloodline that can evolve into the Black Thunder Dragon bloodline after 10 evolutions. Each evolution stage grants a unique skill, increases the lifespan and the strength. Effect: Grant access to Lightning Qi. Lifespan increased by 300 years. Strength + 2600 Jin. Greatly increase Host''s senses, speed, and reaction time. Evolution stage: 0/10 (consume 500 tier-1 Demonic Cores to reach the first evolution) ] Seeing the screen in front of him, Li Jing widened his eyes, he couldn''t believe his luck! He was so shocked that his whole body was shaking from excitement. An evolvable bloodline? He didn''t know that it existed. Moreover, the Black Thunder Dragon bloodline was not mentioned in the web novel. But since it was a dragon bloodline, it was definitely very powerful. He couldn''t wait to start evolving his new Thunder Wyvern bloodline! Although five hundred tier-1 Demonic Cores were a lot, Li Jing could probably take them from his clan. After all, tier-1 Demonic Cores were not rare for the best alchemist clan of the kingdom. However, he wanted to instead go to the Dark Forest to collect them by himself. By going to the Dark Forest, he would not only gain a lot of Experience Points by farming the tier-1 Demonic Beasts but also gain battle experience. Battle experience was what he lacked the most since he never fought seriously or had life and death battles in this life or the previous oneˇ­ ''Use item Bloodline: Thunder Wyvern.'' He thought. Li Jing activated his new bloodline and immediately felt his whole body shaking and hurting terribly. It felt like every one of his bones and muscles was crushed and reconstructed while a powerful electric current passed through his body. Lying on the floor, Li Jing gritted his teeth and endured the pain as best he could. ''Shit, why was there not an alert to warn me that it would be so painful!'' He thought, furious. Crack! Crack! After a few minutes, the pain still didn''t stop, on the contrary, it became stronger and stronger and his body was cracking from all parts. It was really unbearable, Li Jing thought that he was going to die. He was certain that if he lost consciousness right now, he would never wake up. Never in his life, he had felt so much pain. Even when he died in his previous life, it was not so painful! He started to regret having activated this bloodline, maybe he was not strong enough yet to activate it and will pay the price for this mistake... It was only around five minutes later that the pain subsided before finally stopped. Li Jing breathed heavily and needed a moment to recover from this terrible pain. He felt very lucky to have survived. [Perk Full Recovery activated. Host''s strength +20%.] He was extremely happy to see this notification. At least all the pain he felt was worth it! Once he has recovered, he slowly stood up and suddenly noticed that everything around him seemed different. No, it was he who was different. Since the Thunder Wyvern bloodline increased his senses, he could now see everything around him with greater details. In fact, the little details that usually escaped his attention were now visible, like the tiny insects crawling down his bedroom window. His hearing also increased a lot. For example, he could discern that there were six birds around his house and deduce their exact location just by hearing them coo. But the most spectacular change was his strength. With his new strength, Li Jing was now unbeatable in the Qi Gathering realm and could even beat someone in the first or second level of the Foundation Establishment realm since every level in this realm increased the strength of the cultivators by 1000 Jin. ''Status.'' Thought Li Jing. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 20716 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 3600 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering II (XP: 0/9000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Thunder Wyvern] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] Noticing his new strength and the new line ''Elemental affinities'', Li Jing laughed excitedly. An elemental affinity was something very rare. By default, the Qi was neutral, and only by using a Martial technique, a cultivator could change its element. A cultivator who had an elemental affinity could naturally use the element for which he had an affinity without needing a Martial technique. This way, Li Jing could, for example, change his neutral Hammer Fist Martial technique into a Lightning Hammer Fist Martial technique or his simple punches and kicks into lightning punches and lightning kicks. Li Jing couldn''t wait to test his new power in the Dark Forest. With a strength of 3600 Jin, he would be able to effortlessly kill any tier-1 Demonic Beasts in this forest! But before going to the Dark Forest, he still had one thing important to do. 19 Teng Fen’s pas Inside a dark cave, a silhouette could be seen walking towards a large glowing cube. This cube was covered with runes written in an unknown language and was the only source of light in this dark place. If one could see this silhouette, they would immediately recognize Teng Fen, the respected leader of the Soaring Immortal Sect, the most powerful sect in the Immortal World. Although Teng Fen could perfectly control his emotions, a small smile could be seen on his handsome face as he was getting closer to the cube. He finally found it. After more than five hundred years of search, he finally found the Divine Astral Scripture. With this Divine Cultivation method, he will definitely reach the Heavenly Saint realm and attain Godhood. He was only one step away from getting it. He could see the strange blue runes wrote in a language even he couldn''t understand carved on the cube. Now, the only thing he needed to do was to pour a drop of his blood on the glowing cube in front of him to obtain the scripture. He took out his celestial sword, Longyuan, from his spatial ring, but before he could cut his finger, he felt a presence behind him. Teng Fen quickly turned and parried the surprise attack. However, he was not fast enough and suffered a slight cut in the right shoulder. He was about to counter-attack but was shocked when he saw the person who attacked him. That person took this opportunity to distance himself from Teng Fen. "Little brother Yan?" Asked Teng Fen. "Big brother Fen, it''s been a long time. Thank you for finding the Divine Astral Scripture for me!" Said the mysterious aggressor, smirking. Teng Fen frowned furiously and hatred filled his heart. He never suspected that his own brother would betray him. They grew up together and founded the Soaring Immortal Sect tens of thousands of years ago. "Youˇ­ You dare to betray your own brother! You will pay for this!" Exclaimed Teng Fen, releasing a powerful killing intent. The whole cave shook under his rage. He disappeared and reappeared in front of his brother at a speed even gods could not hope to reach. Teng Fen knew that just one strike from him would be enough to kill his little brother. However, before Teng Fen could strike, he felt that something was wrong with his body. He couldn''t move anymore?! Poison? But it shouldn''t be possible for an Immortal Emperor to be poisoned. Except if his brother usedˇ­ Seeing the look on Teng Fen''s face, Teng Yan couldn''t help but laugh. "Ahahaha. That''s right, this poison has been created from the blood of a Twelve-headed Demonic Hydre. Even someone in the Immortal Emperor realm can''t resist it." He said. Although they were both in the Immortal Emperor realm, Teng Fen had always been stronger than his brother. That''s why Teng Yan took his precaution before attacking Teng Fen and created this poison. "It''s useless, you can''t kill me and the effect of your poison will not last long." Said Teng Fen. Teng Fen had many treasures that made his body indestructible. No matter how bad his injuries were, or if there was nothing left of his body. As long as his soul was intact, his body could regenerate from nothing. Teng Fen was confident and knew that as soon as the poison effect will dissipate, he will immediately defeat his brother and imprison his soul for eternity in one of his treasures to punish his betrayal. It was a fate worse than death! "I know I can''t destroy your body, but your soul is not indestructible!" Exclaimed Teng Yan as he took out a small black orb from his spatial ring. Seeing this orb, Teng Fen''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Soul Destroyer Orb! How did you obtain it?" He asked. "It''s a long story. You don''t need to hear it since you will soon dieˇ­ After your death, I will obtain the Divine Astral Scripture and reach the Heavenly Saint realm. Then, no one will ever be able to say that you''re better than me!" Said Teng Yan. "So that''s how it isˇ­ You have always been jealous of me. Youˇ­" Said Teng Fen. "Shut up!! Now die!" Screamed Teng Yan as he activated the Soul Destroyer Orb. A black vortex appeared above Teng Fen and he felt his soul being absorbed by it. ''So, I''m going to dieˇ­ My only regret is that I will never be able to avenge myself and make my brother pay for this...'' That was Teng Fen''s last thought before everything turned black. ˇ­ Teng Fen never expected to survive. The Soul Destroyer Orb should have destroyed his soul and erased his existence forever. But it seemed that somehow, his soul escaped from the orb and transmigrated in the body of a young boy who lived in a low Mortal World. Moreover, he unexpectedly received the Divine Astral Scripture! Unbeknownst to Teng Fen, when his brother wounded him, his blood spilled on the glowing cube, triggering the merge of the Divine Astral Scripture with Teng Fen''s soul. This Divine Cultivation method was very special because in addition to absorb the spiritual energy from heaven and earth, the cultivator also needed to absorb the energy from the moon and the sun also known as Astral Energy. The mix of these two different energies will form Astral Cores inside the cultivator''s dantian. Each core drastically increased the cultivator''s strength and slowly transform his body from a mortal body to an Astral body. An Astral body was one of the three divine bodies that existed. An Astral body was indestructible and extremely powerful because it allowed a cultivator to directly use the power of the stars, the moon, and the sun. Now that he had a second chance, Teng Fen swore to himself that he will do anything to reach the apex and kill his brother. He will let no one, not even the gods, stand on his path of vengeance. 20 Transaction The main reason why the Li clan fell in the web novel was that Teng Fen sold the Qi Condensing Pills through the alchemist shops of his clan. It was explained that since these pills were cheap to create and more efficient than the Qi Gathering Pills, they gained huge popularity in just a few days. The Li clan didn''t have any pill to compete with the Qi Condensing Pill so their reputation quickly degraded over time. Then, no matter what they tried it was already too lateˇ­ In his previous life, Li Jing had read the web novel many times while waiting for the author to release more chapters. Over the five years of publication of the web novel, Li Jing had not only read it more than twenty times but he also participated in many discussions about it through forums and social networks. It could be said that Li Jing knew everything about the novel by heart. That also included the many pill recipes revealed by the author. Among these pill recipes, there was obviously the recipe for the Qi Condensing Pill. If Li Jing wanted to prevent his clan bankruptcy, he had no choice but to sell the Qi Condensing Pill before Teng Fen. Thankfully, he already had a plan. Currently, everyone believed that there was a mysterious Master Alchemist who could create these pills. In the web novel, Teng Fen lied by saying that this Master Alchemist wanted to work with his clan and sell them the Qi Condensing Pill recipe in exchange for a part of the profit they will make by selling the pills. Thanks to this, Teng Fen earned tons of Spirit Stones and his power grew quickly. Li Jing''s plan was simple, he will do exactly as Teng Fen did in the novel. He started to grind the inkstone placed on his desk and once there was enough ink, he took out a paper sheet and a brush then wrote a basic contract. In the contract, he wrote that he would take an upfront payment of 100000 Spirit Stones in addition to sixty percent of the profits made by selling the pills. He also wrote that ''Li Jing'' would be the only contact between him and the Li clan. Then, he indicated that if he was satisfied with this transaction he will sell other pill recipes in the future. Of course, Li Jing didn''t forget to fake his handwriting to be sure that his father would not recognize it. Li Jing had no doubt that his father will accept the transaction. This contract was totally worth for the Li clan, they could gain millions of Spirit Stones over time by selling the Qi Condensing Pills. After he finished writing the contract, Li Jing took another paper sheet and wrote the recipe of the Qi Condensing Pill. Then, he left his bedroom and rushed to his father''s courtyardˇ­ Li Bai was in his studying room, reading reports on the finances of the clan. He didn''t like being disturbed when he read reports, so he specifically asked that no one bother him while he was in his study room. "Father, I have something urgent to tell you!" Li Bai heard the voice of his son from outside his room. It had to be really urgent for his son to come directly to see him in his study room. "Let him in." He said. Li Bai saw his son walking towards his desk with a paper sheet in his hand. "Father, an old man came to my bedroom a moment ago and told me that he was the mysterious Master Alchemist who created the Qi Condensing Pills and wanted to secretly work for our clan. He told me to give you thisˇ­" Said his son, giving him the paper sheet in his hand. "What?" Hearing this, Li Bai was at first shocked. Someone successfully infiltrated the Li clan compound and even entered his son''s courtyard without any shadow guards detecting him! But seeing that his son was fine, he calmed down and started reading the paper sheet. He was curious to know what this intruder wanted. It was a business contract with some conditions added to it. After having carefully read it, Li Bai frowned and wondered what was the objective of this man. Was he really a Master Alchemist and not an assassin or a spy? If he was the mysterious Master Alchemist, why would he want to work for his clan? And why would he want to only talk to his son and not directly to him? All of this was really suspicious and Li Bai had no reason to trust this man. Furthermore, since he dared to infiltrate his clan, it meant that he was definitely someone powerfulˇ­ Li Jing knew that his father had no reason to doubt his words. The original owner of his body never lied to his father and was someone who was always serious. Seeing that his father was lost in his thoughts, Li Jing took out the second paper sheet and presented it to his father. "The Master Alchemist told me to give you this as a sign of good faith." He said. Reading the content of the paper, Li Bai was shocked once again! He obviously recognized that it was a pill recipe. Was it really the Qi Condensing Pill recipe? "Thisˇ­ What else did the man say?" Asked Li Bai. "He said that he will come back in two hours in my bedroom, if we accept his proposition I must pay him and if we refuseˇ­ Well, he didn''t say what he would do if we refuse." Answered Li Jing. Of course, it was supposed to be seen as a threat. Now his father had no choice but to accept the transaction. Li Bai really didn''t like this, but if the pill recipe was real then it will greatly benefit his clan. Moreover, this mysterious Master Alchemist implied in the contract that he had other pill recipes to sell. "I must first check if this pill recipe is real and then consult the patriarch and the elders. Wait for me in your courtyard." Said Li Bai. "Yes, father." 21 Reques It has been more than an hour since Li Jing returned to his courtyard. He was impatiently waiting for his father to return inside his bedroom. He could already imagine absorbing the 100000 Spirit Stones and gained 100000 Experience Points! He planned to use his Experience Points to increase his cultivation realm. For cultivators, increasing their cultivation realm not only increased their strength but also the Qi reserve in their dantian. A Martial technique consumed QI when used, so the higher the Qi reserve of a cultivator was, the more they could use their Martial techniques. Li Jing was currently only in the second level of the Qi Gathering realm so his Qi reserve was very low. This time, the fact that he will increase his cultivation realm by many levels will not be seen as suspicious since he could pretext that the mysterious Master Alchemist gifted him a powerful pill to thanks him! Half an hour later, someone knocked at Li Jing''s bedroom door and entered it. Seeing that it was his father, Li Jing stood up and greeted him. "Jing''er, the pill recipe is real. After talking to the patriarch and the elders, we decided to accept the proposition of the Master Alchemist." Said Li Bai. Li Bai took out a large chest filled with Spirit Stones from his spatial ring and placed it in front of his son. "I still don''t know why this Master Alchemist only wants to talk with you but don''t worry, I placed many shadow guards around your house. This man will not dare to do anything against you if he has bad intentions." He said. "Thank you, father." Said Li Jing. "In a few days, I will announce to the whole kingdom that our Heavenly Pill Pavilion sells the Qi Condensing Pills! Come to see me next time the Master Alchemist contacts you." Said Li Bai. Li Jing agreed and his father left his bedroom. He knew that once his father will announce that his clan will sell the Qi Condensing Pills it will attract the attention of Teng Fen, but he didn''t care. On the contrary, Teng Fen will lose his time searching for an unknown person who knew pill recipes from the Immortal World. Since he didn''t know who Li Jing was, Teng Fen will probably never suspect him to be that person. Li Jing has read the web novel so he knew how Teng Fen was thinking. He was sure that in a few weeks, Teng Fen would sell one of his pill recipes to attract that ''unknown person'' once he would not find anything about him. Of course, Li Jing will not stupidly fall into Teng Fen''s trap. Since his clan would be financially safe just by selling the Qi Condensing Pills, he wouldn''t need to take more risks... Li Jing sat cross-legged, ready to absorb the Spirit Stones. Thankfully, the many shadow guards around his house couldn''t see through the wall of his bedroom so he could peacefully absorb them without anyone noticing. Absorbing the spiritual energy contained in a Spirit Stone was instant. However, Li Jing could only absorb them one by one. Knowing that there were more than one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, it will take some time to absorb them all. The Mysterious Box cost him only sixty Spirit Stones, so Li Jing still had 2940 Spirit Stones in his spatial ring. He decided to absorb 2900 of them in addition to the one hundred thousand Spirit Stones he just received from his father. Li Jing took out one Spirit Stone and focused on absorbing the spiritual energy contained inside itˇ­ It took him more than two full days and nights to absorb the 102900 Spirit Stones. It was now noon and the sun was shining high in the sky. Inside his bedroom, Li Jing could be seen sitting cross-legged and stretching his arms. Absorbing all these Spirit Stones has been very boring and repetitive. Thankfully, it was worth it! Once the spiritual energy inside a Spirit Stone was absorbed, it became a simple stone. Li Jing stored all the depleted Spirit Stones inside his spatial ring and decided to throw them later. He then stood up and displayed his status screen before spending his Experience Points. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 123616 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 3600 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering II (XP: 0/9000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Thunder Wyvern] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] ''Use 9000 XP to increase my Qi cultivation realm.'' He thought. [9000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 114616.] [Congratulations! Host has reached the third level of the Qi Gathering realm.] ''Use 12000 XP to increase my Qi cultivation realm.'' [12000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 102616.] [Congratulations! Host has reached the fourth level of the Qi Gathering realm.] ''Use 15000 XP to increase my Qi cultivation realm.'' [15000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 87616.] [Congratulations! Host has reached the fifth level of the Qi Gathering realm.] [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 87616 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 3900 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Thunder Wyvern] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] For now, Li Jing decided to stop spending his Experience Points. He will spend the remaining points once he will enter the Dark Forest. Unfortunately, being the heir of the Li clan meant that he couldn''t leave his clan compound by himself or without shadow guards following him. But, he knew how to convince his father to let him go to the Dark Forest alone. Li Jing left his bedroom and saw Li Hua waiting for him outside it. "Sister Hua, has anything interesting happened in the past two days?" He asked. "Master announced this morning that the Heavenly Pill Pavilion will sell the Qi Condensing Pill from tomorrow. The whole clan is busy right now!" She answered. "Alright, let''s go see my father." They both walked towards the main hall of the clan leader''s courtyard. Once they arrived, Li Jing noticed that his father was busy talking with his grandfather. "... We must be sure that everything is readyˇ­ Jing''er you''re here. Hum? Your cultivation, how is it possible?" Asked Li Bai, clearly surprised. "Jing''er tell us, how did you reach the fifth level of the Qi Gathering realm so quickly?" Asked Li Zhang. Li Jing has anticipated that they will both immediately notice the increase in his cultivation. "The Master Alchemist gave me a special pill to thanks me. Although he didn''t tell me the name of this pill, he told me that it will greatly increase my cultivation if I consume it. I was also very surprised, I didn''t expect it to be so powerful." Explained Li Jing. Hearing this, Li Bai and Li Zhang both wondered what kind of miraculous pill could help someone breakthrough three levels in only two days. But they knew that if this Master Alchemist could enter and exit their clan compound without being spotted by their shadow guards, it meant that he was a league above them. Despite all their investigation, they didn''t even find his name! Therefore, they thought that if Li Jing could receive benefits from this man then it was their clan''s blessing. "Alright, did he say anything else?" Asked Li Bai. "He just said that he will come back next month to take his part of the profitsˇ­ But I''m also here to ask you something." Said Li Jing. "Tell us, Jing''er." Said Li Zhang. "I want to go to the Dark Forest to gain battle experience." He said. 22 Departure "I want to go to the Dark Forest to gain battle experience." Said Li Jing to his father and grandfather. Li Bai and Li Zhang thought about it for a moment. "Since you''re already in the fifth level of the Qi Gathering realm, you should be strong enough to kill the weak Demonic Beasts who live at the edge of the forestˇ­ Alright, I can arrange two shadow guards to accompany you there." Said Li Bai. "Father, I don''t want to be accompanied by shadow guards, I want to go there alone." Said Li Jing. Li Bai frowned, he didn''t understand why his son would want to go alone. "Why?" He asked. "I want to experience battle knowing that no one would save me in case of danger." "You know that it is impossible. You are the heir of the clan, your life is very important. Demonic Beasts are not the only threat, you can be targeted by assassins when you are outside the clan compound." Said Li Bai. "I think you worry too much, father. But if it can put your mind at ease, why don''t you give me a Protection Talisman and let me go alone?" Asked Li Jing. A Protection Talisman was an Earth-grade life-saving artifact. Once activated, it could protect its carrier by absorbing attacks dealt by a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm or a tier-2 Demonic Beast. Furthermore, once it activated, the owner of the talisman would immediately know that the carrier was in danger and his location. A Protection Talisman was very rare and expensive. Usually, a powerful clan only had one of them and even the Li clan only had three of them. Seeing that his son was so determined to go to the Dark Forest alone, Li Bai started to ponder if he should let him go. It was true that his son has been sheltered all his life and had not left the clan compound for the past seven years. He thought that maybe he should let his son experience the life outside the clan alone, it could be beneficial for him. Moreover, with a Protection Talisman, he would be relatively safe. "Who would dare to assassinate my grandson? I may be old, but I''m still one the most powerful person in this kingdom! If Jing''er wants to go to the Dark Forest alone, we should let him go." Exclaimed Li Zhang. Li Bai sighed before finally agreeing. "Fine, you can goˇ­ But you must be back in a week, before the king''s birthday. When are you leaving?" He asked. "Thank you, father and grandfather! I plan to leave right now." Said Li Jing, smiling. "Alright, I will soon send someone to bring you the Protection Talisman and prepare the carriage. In the meantime, make sure you have everything you need for your journey." Li Jing nodded and went back to his courtyard. Li Hua who attended the entire discussion was worried about her young master. "Young Master, are you really going to the Dark Forest alone? Isn''t it too dangerous?" She asked. "Don''t worry Sister Hua, I will be fine and will come back soon." Said Li Jing. "I''m sorry I can''t accompany youˇ­" She said, lowering her head. When she was tested during last year''s Awakening Ceremony, Li Hua discovered that she had no talent for cultivation. She really couldn''t cultivate contrary to the maid of Teng Fen, who had a unique bloodline that prevented here to cultivate before it was activated by him. Li Jing didn''t know what to say. He knew that Li Hua cared a lot about the original owner of his body. She acted like a big sister and was even sometimes a bit overprotective with him. "You should really not worry. I''m very strong, you know." He said, smiling. Li Hua just nodded, trusting her Young Master, and they both continued to walk towards Li Jing''s bedroomˇ­ Inside his bedroom, Li Jing made an inventory of the things he needed. He still had around forty-five Healing Pills and Qi Replenishing Pills inside his spatial ring and last time he asked Li Hua to bring him twenty Food Replacement Pills. So, he thought that all these pills were enough for a week. He walked to his wardrobe and stored a few clothes in his spatial ring, then he stored the two jade slips containing the Foundation Daggers Manual and the Martial technique Power Slash, he planned to study them using his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers in the Dark Forest. Next, he took a brush and drew a very basic map of the Dark Forest. The author of the web novel had published an interactive map of the Dark Forest and although Li Jing didn''t remember every detail of it since there were too many, he still remembered that it was divided into many areas. Each area was occupied by a specific race of Demonic Beast. Admiring the map he drew, he marked some areas that he should visit once he will be there. Half an hour later, a man brought him the Protection Talisman and informed him that the carriage was ready. Li Jing took the Protection Talisman, it was shaped like a large round stone with a rune engraved in its center. Then, he mentally checked that he didn''t forget anything and followed the man towards the carriage after he bade farewell to Li Hua. The Dark Forest was located east of the White Jade City and the journey from the city to the forest took about three hours. 23 The Dark Fores The Dark Forest was vast, impenetrable, and flourishing. The spacing between the trees was not large but gave just enough light a chance for a plethora of spiritual plants to grow in the fertile grounds below. Quiet climbing plants held onto the occasional tree, and a variety of spiritual flowers, which claimed quiet corners, added colorful, scented elements to the otherwise unchanging backdrop. A cacophony of wild and frightening sounds, most belonged to Demonic Beasts, reverberated through the air, and were out of sync with the beauty of the forest. Li Jing was standing in front of the edge of the Dark Forest, a grin could be seen on his handsome face as he admired the large trees before him. ''So, this is the famous Dark Forest. Very impressive.'' He thought. According to his memories of the web novel, the edge of the forest was inhabited by weak tier-1 Demonic Beasts, mostly snakes, wolves and bears. It was the favorite hunting place of the Beast Hunters. Beast Hunter was the most popular job among rogue cultivators. Although it was a dangerous job, it was also a very profitable one. By selling the Demonic Cores and the carcass of the Demonic Beasts, they could earn dozens of Spirit Stones. Li Jing didn''t see any Beast Hunter around him, but he knew that he will definitely meet some of them as he will go further inside the forest. Li Jing entered the edge of the forest and as he walked through the trees towards the north, he decided to ignore the many common spiritual plants around him and instead focus on his goal: killing as many Demonic Beasts as he could. These spiritual plants were just Jade Spirit Grass or Silkworm Grass anyway, they didn''t have a lot of value. He continued to walk for a few minutes before spotting a large hill with a hole inside it. He smiled as he recognized that it was the den of a Demonic Black Bear. It meant that he was currently in the area occupied by bears. He took out his map and started inspecting it. If he walked towards the west, he will find the territory of the Savage Wolves. Towards the east, was the territory of the Devouring Snakes. Walking north, he will have to pass through the territory of the Iron Boars before leaving the edge of the forest and entering the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. It was his goal. The Four-eyed Jade Monkeys were among the strongest tier-1 Demonic Beasts and always attacked in large groups. Furthermore, Li Jing knew that their king kept an interesting treasure. But before going north, he decided to inspect the hill, maybe a Demonic Black Bear lived inside it. Entering the hole inside the hill, Li Jing heard weird and loud growls. There was definitely a beast living here. "GHAAA!!" The beast roared and Li Jing suddenly saw a huge black bear with glowing red eyes charging him at full speed. But he reacted in time, activated his Instant Flash Step, and easily dodged the charge. Despite its imposing size, Li Jing was not afraid of this Demonic Black Bear, he knew that he was far stronger than it. Li Jing rushed to the bear, decided to give it a quick death, and punched its head. It looked like a casual punch, but it contained a strength of 3900 Jin! Upon contact, the bear''s head immediately exploded and blood spurted all over the place, staining Li Jing''s clothes. He never saw so much blood before, it was really gore. However, Li Jing knew that he would have to get used to it. If he wanted to reach the apex he will have to kill thousands and thousands of people and beasts. He closed his eyes a second and took a deep breath before opening them again and revealing a determined expression. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] Li Jing was surprised to see that killing a tier-1 Demonic Beast was almost as effective as cultivating for an hour, it was totally worth it! He walked towards the body of the bear, took out his dagger and opened its chest to extract its Demonic Core, then he stored the core inside his spatial ring. The Demonic Core of a Demonic Beast always replaced its heart. It was their most vital part and destroying their core would kill them immediately. Li Jing finished inspecting the cave but didn''t find anything interesting. There were only the carcasses of small wild animals. Leaving the cave, he resumed his walk towards the north. He knew that tier-1 Demonic Beasts would pose no challenge to him. Only fighting tier-2 Demonic Beasts would be interesting. The strength of a tier-1 Demonic Beast was between 350 Jin for the weakest and 1100 Jin for the strongest, while the strength of a tier-2 Demonic Beast was between 2200 Jin and 12000 Jin! The strength of the Demonic Black Bears in this area was about 450 Jin. A group of Beast Hunters in the fourth level of the Qi Gathering realm could easily kill one of them. After walking some distance, Li Jing finally spotted two Demonic Black Bears a few meters away from him. This time, he wanted to try his Elusive Smoke Steps technique. Although he gained the knowledge on how to use it perfectly thanks to the system, it will be the first time that he will use it for real. With his current Qi reserve, he could only maintain the technique for around one minute, but it was more than enough against such weak beasts. ''Elusive Smoke Steps!'' He thought. Li Jing activated his Martial technique and a thick grey smoke suddenly surrounded his body. In this form, his body was completely elusive. As he rushed to one of the bears, a trail of smoke could be seen behind him. He was so fast that it covered the distance that separated them in less than a second! Without hesitation, he punched the head of the bear, killing it on the spot. Although Li Jing''s body was now made of smoke, he could materialize any part of his body at will. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] The Demonic Black Bear who witnessed the death of its comrade was furious and charged Li Jing with all its strength and speed. However, it completely passed through him! Li Jing smiled, this technique was really overpowered. "Lightning Hammer Fist!" He used his Martial technique fused with Lightning Qi and his fist was now surrounded by many electrical sparks. As Li Jing struck the flank of the Demonic Black Bear, he not only easily pierced its skin, flesh, and bones but also charred its whole body, leaving nothing but a smoking and bloody carcass. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] 24 A variant Demonic Beas It has been more than an hour since Li Jing killed the two Demonic Black Bears. Since then, he met and killed six other bears. Of course, he didn''t forget to extract their Demonic Core after killing them. Li Jing was getting more and more used to kill and even started to enjoy it. This feeling of power was very addictive but it scared him a lot, he didn''t want to become a psychopathic killer! The sun will set in a few hours and Li Jing estimated that he would not reach the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys before another day of walking. Therefore, he decided to walk for an additional hour before searching for a cave where he could cultivate for the night. Half an hour and two Demonic Black Bears dead later, Li Jing suddenly heard noises coming from his right. A powerful roar followed by several people shouting. Curious, he decided to follow the direction of the noise to see what was going on. "GHHHHHHAAAAA!!!!" The ground shook when the mighty roar resounded. "Hahaha, We hit the jackpot!" "Yes, this is a unique opportunity, we must kill this beast!" "You''re right, imagine the amount of Spirit Stones we can gain if we kill it!" As Li Jing got closer and closer to the noise, he finally spotted three middle-aged men, probably Beast Hunters, surrounding a huge blue bear. Blue? Was this bear a variant Demonic Beast? Li Jing widened his eyes. The bear was at least seven feet tall, his thick fur was sky blue and his eyes golden. Its large mouth was wide open, revealing long, sharp teeth that could probably shred a man in half in just one bite. It was definitely a variant Demonic Beast. Such a lucky encounter, it was understandable that these Beast Hunters still wanted to fight it despite their inferior strength instead of running away, but it was also suicidal. Usually, only a few beasts among an entire Demonic Beast breed would be born as a variant. A variant Demonic Beast had more than twice the strength than a normal one and was also smarter. It was said that eating the flesh of a variant Demonic Beast could greatly increase one''s cultivation as well as strengthening one''s body. The rest of the beast''s body was also extremely valuable, just its fur alone could be sold for thousands of Spirit Stones! Li Jing who was hiding behind a tree not far from them, thought about what he should do. He could wait for the Beast Hunters to die and then kill the beast himself or he could save them by killing the beast right now. Normally, he would not have hesitated and would have saved them. But he was not on Earth anymore, he was in a cultivation world. Judging from the previous conversation of these three men, they were probably greedy people. If Li Jing appeared out of nowhere, killed the beast, and took its body, they would accuse him of having stolen their prey and attack him. Then, Li Jing would have no choice but to kill them. He was not the kind of person who would spare someone who tried to kill him. The value of this beast was so high that If Li Jing let them go, these men would seek for reinforcements and look for him all over the forest to recover the body of the beast. Li Jing sighed, he was not a hero, he wanted the whole beast for himself and didn''t want to share it. By eating this beast, his strength will greatly increase. And strength was the law in this world. For this reason, he decided to just watch and wait for the beast to kill them. As expected, when the first Beast Hunter ran to the bear, he received a powerful claw strike that sent him flying away and crashing into a tree. Dead. The second man repetitively attacked the beast with his sword but couldn''t pierce its fur. The bear then opened its mouth widely and crunched a third of the man in one bite. The third man was shaking in fear and immediately ran away, but the bear ran after him. The beast was faster than the man and charged him from behind, killing him. Seeing this, Li Jing clenched his fists. Although he didn''t kill these men, he still felt guilty. He didn''t regret his decision but was furious with the huge bear and decided to kill it immediately. He rushed towards it, focusing his Qi in his right fist. "Hammer Fist!" He dealt a powerful blow to the beast''s head, but contrary to his expectation, its head didn''t explode. However, the beast was ejected several meters away and crashed through many trees. Since there was no notification, it meant that the bear was still alive. A variant Demonic Beast was indeed very strong. Li Jing saw the beast get up from the ground, its face was bloodied. It growled furiously and charged at him. Each of the beast steps made the ground shake violently as it rushed towards him. "GHHHHHHAAAAA!!!!" Since the body of this beast was very valuable, Li Jing decided to kill it causing as little damage to its body as possible. He took out his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers from his system inventory, activated his Elusive Smoke Steps technique, and waited for the beast to charge him. When the beast passed through his body, Li Jing jumped and landed on its back. With his two daggers, Li Jing stabbed the bear''s neck making it roar in pain and stop its course. "GHHAA! GHHAA! GHHAA!!" The bear tried to struggle to topple Li Jing, but he was stronger than it and didn''t let go. He stabbed the neck of the beast again, which this time collapsed to the ground. The beast stopped moving and breathing, there was no doubt that it was dead. [Host has killed a variant tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 1500.] Li Jing didn''t smile when he saw the notification, he just stored the body of the variant Demonic Beast inside his spatial ring and looked one last time at the dead body of the three men on the ground before leaving this place. He decided to find a cave to cook the variant Demonic Beast and spend the night. 25 Eating a Demonic Beas Inside the territory of the Demonic Black Bears in the Dark Forest, a young man could be seen sitting near a campfire in the middle of a large cave. This young man was obviously Li Jing. After storing the variant Demonic Beast in his spatial ring, he finally decided to search the bodies of the three men. He didn''t like it, but to get stronger he needed all the resources he could find. Unfortunately, they had nothing interesting on them. About forty Spirit Stones, a dozen Qi Gathering Pills, five Demonic Cores, two weapons but they were normal weapons and not Spiritual weapons, and they didn''t even have any spatial ringˇ­ Finally, after looking for almost an hour, he found a secluded cave hidden by many bushes and trees. Li Jing looked at the campfire next to him and smiled. Creating this campfire has been easy for him, he just needed to use his Lightning Qi on some piece of dry wood to ignite them. He had no survival experience in the wild so he was really happy to have this ability. Now that he was in a safe place, he decided that it was time to cook and eat the variant Demonic Beast. Then, he will cultivate the whole night and continue his exploration of the forest in the morning. Li Jing took out the large body of the bear from his spatial ring and placed it at the back of the cave. Then, he used his perk Appraisal on it. [ Name: Demonic Black Bear Type: Demonic Beast Grade: Tier-1 (Variant) Description: A variant Demonic Beast belonging to the Demonic Black Bear breed. Eating its meat can increase Host''s cultivation and strength. Effect: XP + 20 and Strength + 1 Jin for each kilogram (kg) of meat consumed*. ] (*Author''s note: 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds) Seeing the effect, Li Jing grinned. The gain in experience and strength was really high since the whole beast probably weighed more than 1000 kg. A variant Demonic Beast was so rare that even the best restaurant in the powerful Heavenly Jewel Empire hardly ever offered it on its menu. When it was the case, the demand was so high, that they were forced to limit to 1kg of meat per person! Li Jing was probably one of the only people in this world who could eat the whole body of a variant Demonic Beast. Of course, he will never be able to eat 1000 kg of meat in one go. It will take him a few days or weeks to finish it all. Li Jing took out one of his daggers and look intently at the carcass in front of him. There were a lot of steps before he could cook it. The first step was to skin the bear. Although he never did that for real in his previous life, he had played Red Dead Redemption 2 for a few hundreds of hours, so he more or less knew what to do. The fur of the beast was very thick and sturdy but Li Jing had a lot of strength and with the help of his Sky-grade dagger, he had no difficulty to cut through it. Little by little, Li Jing removed the skin from the bear and after a few minutes, he successfully removed it all. Li Jing stored the beautiful sky blue fur of the variant Demonic Beast inside his spatial ring and prepared for the next step. The second step was to gut the bear. Li Jing opened the chest of the beast and first extract its Demonic Core before removing its intestines and other internal organs. It was really disgusting, it stank, and there was a lot of blood! A few minutes later, Li Jing sighed in relief. The beast was finally clean. Next, he cut the head and paws of the bear and stored them in his spatial ring. The claws and fangs of a variant Demonic Beast could be sold for a lot of Spirit Stones to a blacksmith. Li Jing decided to eat one of the thighs of the bear. He cut it and stored the rest of the beast. Fortunately, food didn''t rot inside the dimension of the ring. The thigh of the bear was very large and easily weighed 35 kg. It looked like he will have to eat a lot tonight. Thirty-five kilograms of meat was far too much for a normal man, but Li Jing was a cultivator so his body constitution was far higher than normal. Eating the whole thigh will therefore not be a problem for him. Li Jing stabbed the thigh with his dagger and placed it next to the fire. He waited for around an hour before it was finally cooked. He excitedly took a bite of the juicy hot meat, wondering if it would taste good. It was blandˇ­ Too bad he had no seasoning. ''Where is the lamb sauce?'' He thought, thinking about a famous cook on Earth. It took him a little less than an hour to finish eating the whole piece of meat. Li Jing lied down on the cold hard ground of the cave for a moment, feeling full. Then, he displayed his status screen to see his progress. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 90059 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 3935 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Thunder Wyvern] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] By eating the thigh of the variant Demonic Beast, his Strength increased by 35 Jin and his Experience Points by 700! He decided that for now, he will accumulate Experience Points and only spend them at the end of the week. He still hesitated between increasing his cultivation realm and buying Rare Lottery Tickets. Next, he counted the number of Demonic Cores he had. A Demonic Core looked like a glowing black pearl, the size of a golf ball. If a cultivator injected their Qi inside a core, they could determine what breed of Demonic Beast it belonged to as well as its level. Li Jing currently had 19 Demonic Cores in his spatial ring. "Only 481 Demonic Cores to collect before I can evolve my bloodline!" He motivated himself. It was a lot but he knew that once he will enter the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys, he would be able to kill hundreds of them every day. Li Jing changed his clothes, his previous ones were covered with blood and stank. Then, he sat up cross-legged and started cultivating. He had only six days left before he had to go home. 26 Li Yuan Yuan The sun rose slowly, bringing the forest out of the dark and warming it with its rays of light. Among the trees, a silhouette could be seen holding two daggers in reverse grip position, and doing some movements with them: stabbing, slashing, thrusting, slicingˇ­ This silhouette belonged to Li Jing. He was currently practicing the movements described in the Foundation Daggers Manual. Li Jing continued to perform some movements: horizontal slash, double downward strike, diagonal downward strikeˇ­ Each of his movements possessed strength and elegance. It was said in the manual that, to master a weapon, one had to practice the basic movements more than a thousand times, until the weapon became an extension of the arm of its wielder. Li Jing has been practicing with his daggers for more than an hour and now that he saw that the sun had risen, he decided to stop his training and continue to walk towards the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. He stored his daggers inside his inventory and sighed. He just started to understand how to properly use his daggers while Teng Fen was already a master with his sword. Teng Fen could use the Sword Qi, Sword Aura, and Sword Domain. He was pretty much unbeatable with a sword in his handsˇ­ Reaching such a level required a huge comprehension capacity as well as hundreds of years of training! However, Li Jing was not demoralized by it. He knew that one day he too would reach this level. He believed that as long as he put his mind to something, anything was possible. Li Jing started to walk towards the north. If he didn''t drag along the way, he thought that he could reach the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys before nightfallˇ­ "GHHAAA!!" Not even half an hour after he left his cave, Li Jing was already attacked by a Demonic Black Bear. Tier-1 Demonic Beasts had very low intelligence. If someone penetrated their territory, they would immediately attack him, without caring if they were weaker or stronger than him. Li Jing didn''t even need to dodge the bear''s charge. He just waited for it to get closer to him and powerfully punched its head, killing it instantly. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] He was walking towards the body of the beast when he heard someone behind him. "Wow, you''re very strong!" Exclaimed a female voice. Li Jing turned his head towards the direction of the voice and saw a young woman of about twenty years. She was wearing a white and blue dress with beautiful flowers embroidered on it. Her body was svelte and perfectly proportioned. She had long black hair and a very cute face with a rose-colored tint to her cheeks. Her small black eyes were lively, warm, and gave her an innocent look. "Who are you?" He asked. She didn''t seem to have bad intentions but he preferred to be careful. "My name is Li Yuan Yuan, I''m a 1-star Alchemist! And you, who are you? How can you be so strong while being so young?" She said. Being a 1-star Alchemist at the age of twenty was considered a feat in this continent. Li Yuan Yuan was proud of that and liked to be complimented on it. So, every time she met someone she would tell him "I''m a 1-star Alchemist". Li Jing never heard of her, neither in the web novel nor in the memories of the original owner of his body. But hearing her name, he wondered if she was part of his clan. "Are you from the Li clan?" He asked. "So, you''ve heard of me! Yes, I''m the most talented alchemist of the Li clan." Li Jing frowned. If what she said was true then why the original owner of his body never heard of her? The youngest and most talented alchemist of the Li clan was supposed to be a guy named Li Shanˇ­ She probably exaggerated her status. "Are you really the most talented alchemist of the Li clan?" He asked, smirking. "What do you mean? Of course, I amˇ­ Hey, you still haven''t told me who you are!" She answered. "I''m Li Jing." He said, turning his body towards her and revealing the name ''Li'' embroidered in gold on his clothing. "Hehe, we have the same surname. It must be fate that we metˇ­ Waitˇ­ Are you THE Li Jing? The young master of the Li clan?" She asked, astonished. "Well, yes I amˇ­ Did you come to the Dark Forest alone?" Said Li Jing, looking around her. The Dark Forest was a very dangerous place and even experienced Beast Hunters preferred to venture there as a group. Li Jing didn''t know her cultivation realm but she didn''t look that strongˇ­ It was only when cultivators reached the Foundation Establishment realm that they unlocked their Divine Sense and gained the ability to scan other cultivators'' cultivation realm. However, before Li Yuan Yuan could answer, they heard a growl coming from the right. "GHHAAA!!" A Demonic Black Bear was charging them at full speed! "Let me take care of it." She said. Li Yuan Yuan took out a needle from her pouch and elegantly threw it towards the bear. When the needle reached the beast and stuck between its two eyes, it immediately collapsed to the ground! Seeing this, Li Jing widened his eyes. He clearly underestimated this girl! "Was that a poisoned needle?" He asked. He has read in the web novel about poison master that used needles as their main weapon. "Yes, I''m a poison specialist. I often come to the Dark Forest to collect alchemy ingredients." She answered, smiling. 27 Treasure map Alchemy was divided into three main paths. Usually, alchemists chose one of the paths and dedicated their lives to it. The first path was known as the Qi Path. An alchemist that followed that path specialized in the creation of Qi pills and Cultivation pills like the Qi Gathering Pill, the Qi Replenishing Pill, or the Body Strengthing Pill. The second path was the Healing Path. An alchemist that followed that path specialized in the creation of Healing pills, elixirs, and drugs. Finally, the third path was the Poison Path. An alchemist that followed that path studied poisonous spiritual plants and venomous Demonic Beasts in order to create poisons and antidotes. A cultivator that studied and used poison was not considered as following the Demonic path. So, in this world, there were a lot of sects and clans that specialized in poison. Li Yuan Yuan was a 1-star Alchemist who followed the Poison Path, it meant that she was able to create rank-1 poisons that could kill cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm or tier-1 Demonic Beastsˇ­ Li Jing approached curiously the Demonic Black Bear on the ground and suddenly noticed that it was still breathing. "It still alive." He said "I knowˇ­ I still can''t create a poison able to kill these beasts instantly... But it will die in a minute." She said, annoyed. Alchemy was very complex. It was not enough to follow a recipe to successfully create a pill or a poison. In a sense, alchemy was quite similar to cooking: it was not because one followed the recipe of a dish to the letter that it would be good or beautiful. Only by practicing and experimenting, an alchemist could improve. Li Jing nodded and decided to kill the beast himself to gain Experience Points. He walked towards the bear and stomped on its head, exploding it upon contact. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] "Do you need its Demonic Core?" He asked. Technically, it was Li Yuan Yuan who killed the beast. Li Jing finished it but it would still be dead because of the poison. Although this was the second time she had seen Li Jing kill a demonic beast, Li Yuan Yuan was still shocked at how easily he could kill them. Even if she used all her strength she couldn''t do that! Because she had a D-grade talent, in six years of cultivation she has only reached the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realm and was stuck at this level. But, wasn''t Li Jing supposed to have started cultivating just a few days ago? To be able to destroy the sturdy body of a Demonic Beast so easily, it meant that he was at least two times stronger than her! How did he become so strong so quickly? She was really intrigued and thought that maybe he could help her. Noticing that Li Jing was about to open the beast''s chest, She quickly exclaimed: "Don''t touch the beast''s body, it''s poisoned!" Hearing this, Li Jing stopped his hand mid-air and sighed. He was a little disappointed that he couldn''t get the beast''s Demonic Core. "Anyway, why do you need it? if you ask the clan, they''ll give you tons of cores." She asked "It''s a long story." Simply said Li Jing. Since he had nothing more to do here, he prepared to leave to resume his journey. "Well, it was nice to meet you. I have to go now, bye." He said, smiling. "Wait!! What is your cultivation realm? How strong are you?" She exclaimed. "Why do you ask?" Asked Li Jing, frowning. "Please, answer me." Said Li Yuan Yuan, anxious. "I''m very strongˇ­ But why are you interested in knowing this?" He asked. Hearing that Li Jing didn''t want to answer her, Li Yuan Yuan sighed. "I-It justˇ­ Fine, I will tell youˇ­ A few weeks ago, I found a treasure map on the body of a dead Beast Hunter. According to the map, there is a treasure hidden in the territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders. If you help me get the treasure, we can share it." She said. Li Yuan Yuan would have normally never talked to anyone about the treasure map. But Li Jing and her were from the same clan and he had a very good reputation in the clan. Moreover, she was good at judging people and thought that Li Jing seemed to be someone nice, so she doubted that he would betray her. Alone, she could never get the treasure because the Crimson Blood Spiders were immune to her poison. She hesitated for a long time to ask someone to help her, but she didn''t know anyone strong enough she could trust. Even now, she wasn''t sure that she could trust Li Jing but it was a risk to take and she hoped not to regret it. She didn''t know what the treasure contained but she hoped that it would be something that could help her to finally breakthrough the seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm. Her dream was to become a 2-star Alchemist but to become one, she first needed to reach the Foundation Establishment realmˇ­ Li Jing was very curious about this treasure, especially since it was not mentioned in the web novel. He thought for a moment about Li Yuan Yuan''s proposal. The Crimson Blood Spiders were very strong tier-1 Demonic Beasts. Their territory was outside the edge of the forest and near the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. Although it will make him take a detour, if he could get a treasure, it was definitely worth it. But he didn''t completely trust Li Yuan Yuan. Maybe she was stronger than him and wanted to trap him? He needed to know more about this girl and wondered if he could see her cultivation realm if he used his perk Appraisal on her. He decided to try it. [ Name: Li Yuan Yuan Race: Human Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering VI Body cultivation realm: Mortal ] ''So, she is only in the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realmˇ­'' He thought. Li Jing thought that, although her poison could be a problem, with his current strength he could easily kill her in case she had bad intentionsˇ­ She probably kept an antidote on her. "Alright, I will help you. But you must first give me an antidote to your poison." He said. He was not so suspicious in his past life, but he knew that in this world, anyone could be an enemy. Li Yuan Yuan was very happy when she heard that. She knew that Li Jing wouldn''t have agreed to help her if he wasn''t strong enough to kill a Crimson Blood Spider. Of course, she understood that he still didn''t fully trust her. She took out a small porcelain bottle from her pouch and gave it to Li Jing. "Thank you! In this bottle, you will find the antidote." She said. Li Jing didn''t know if it was really the antidote but he decided to trust her. He took the bottle and stored it inside his spatial ring. "The territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders is in the northwest direction. If we walk quickly, we can reach it before nightfall." She explained. He nodded and followed Li Yuan Yuan through the forest. 28 Treasure hunt part 1 The sun was setting, gradually darkening the forest. Li Jing and Li Yuan Yuan could be seen walking at high speed through the trees, they were about to exit the territory of the Demonic Black Bear. Since their first meeting, they killed some Demonic Beasts and discussed a lot while traveling. Li Jing learned about Li Yuan Yuan''s family. Apparently, her parents were just shopworkers in the clan and had no talent for cultivation. She was very happy when she discovered that she could cultivate and was talented in alchemist because thanks to that, her life, and her parent''s life greatly improved in the clan. She told him that her dream was to become a 2-star Alchemist. Actually she wanted to be more than that but she knew that it was impossible because of her D-grade talent. She also apologized for lying to him when she said that she was the most talented alchemist of the clan, she just wanted to show off a little. Of course, Li Jing didn''t mind that. In the end, she was the one who talked the most, Li Jing didn''t reveal anything about him, he just told her that he was here to gain battle experience. It was not that he didn''t want to say anything but more like she didn''t give him a chance to speak because she was talking too muchˇ­ "... And guess what I told him? Iˇ­" Said Li Yuan Yuan. "It will be dark soon, we should try to find a safe place to spend the night." Suggested Li Jing, interrupting her. "Hum, You''re right. I''ll tell you the rest of the story once we find a safe place." She said. It took them a few minutes before they finally found a small cave sufficient for three people to stay in. It seemed to be the only one around here. "It''s not very safe, the place is exposed. We should stand guard each in turn. I can start." Said Li Jing. "Alright." Agreed Li Yuan Yuan. Li Yuan Yuan entered the cave and sat at the back while Li Jing sat at the entrance keeping a watchful eye. A few minutes later Li Yuan Yuan approached him from behind. "You don''t want to rest? We walked the whole day." He asked. "I''m not really tired and I haven''t finished telling you the time when this idiot from the Zhao clan challenged me!" She answered. Li Jing sighed. It will be a long nightˇ­ The next morning, Li Jing and Li Yuan Yuan left the cave as soon as the sun rose, and after about an hour of walk, they finally left the edge of the forest and entered the territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders. it was easy to recognize because in this part of the forest, there were more trees than before and there was very little spacing between them. Furthermore, despite the fact that it was daylight, this part of the forest was dark and gave an ominous feeling. Li Jing also noticed many large spider webs that covered the ground, bushes, and trees. Judging by the size of these spider webs, the Crimson Blood Spiders had to be really huge! Fortunately, Li Jing was not arachnophobicˇ­ "The Crimson Blood Spiders are venomous but don''t worry I have an antidote." Said Li Yuan Yuan as she took out two pills from her pouch. She kept a pill for her, gave the other to Li Jing, and explained: "After swallowing this pill you will be immune to their poison for three hours." Li Jing still checked the pill with his perk Appraisal, to be sure that it was not poison. After the perk confirmed to him that it was really the antidote, he swallowed the pill and looked around him. "So, where should we go?" He asked. "According to the treasure map, we must first find a huge leafless tree. It''s supposed to be the largest tree in this area so we should find it easily. At the foot of the tree, there should be a cavern, the treasure is buried inside." She explained. "Alright. The Crimson Blood Spiders are stronger than you so stay close to me." He said. The strength of a Crimson Blood Spider was between 950 and 1000 Jin, far higher than Li Yuan Yuan''s strength that should be around 600 Jin. But the most annoying things about these spiders were that they could use their thread to trap their target, their mortal poison, and the fact that they often attacked as a group. Li Yuan Yuan nodded and followed Li Jing as he led the way through the trees. After a few minutes of walking, they quickly noticed that the huge spider webs formed walls and blocked a lot of passages. They had to make many detours to keep movingˇ­ Click click click click click! While they were walking, they suddenly heard noises that resonated and seemed to come from all directions. Li Jing and Li Yuan Yuan looked around to find where these sounds came from. "Behind us!" Exclaimed Li Yuan Yuan. Li Jing turned around and could finally see the things that were the origin of the noises: three huge spiders. Their large body of at least a five feet tall and five feet wide was as red as blood, their legs were black and hairy, and their many red eyes were glowing intensely. They were quickly coming in their direction! Li Jing immediately rushed to them, lightning sparks could be seen around his fists. One of the Crimson Blood Spider threw a sticky thread towards Li Jing in order to trap him but he easily destroyed it with his lightning and kept rushing towards the Crimson Blood Spider on the left. BANG! Li Jing powerfully kicked it, destroying a large part of the spider''s body and sending it flying away. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] The two Crimson Blood Spiders next to him jumped on him to try to bite him but Li Jing used his Instant Flash Step. In an instant, he disappeared and reappeared behind them, dodging their attack. Then, he struck them from behind with his lightning fists, charring their body. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] In only a few seconds, Li Jing killed three powerful tier-1 Demonic Beasts. Li Yuan Yuan who attended the whole fight was dumbfounded! 29 Treasure hunt part 2 Li Yuan Yuan was watching Li Jing with awe. She knew that he was strong but until now she had only seen him killing weak Demonic Black Bears. The difference in strength between a Crimson Blood Spider and a Demonic Black Bear was huge but it seemed that for Li Jing these monstrous spiders were as weak as little ants! She wondered if he was already in the Foundation Establishment realm but she quickly rejected that thought. Even with a B-grade talent, it was impossible to reach that realm in only a few days. So, who was he really? Li Yuan Yuan saw Li Jing extracting the Demonic Core of the three dead Crimson Blood Spider, she still didn''t understand why he needed them but they seemed important to him. "Are you really Li Jing, the young master of the Li clan?" She asked. "What do you mean?" Said Li Jing. "The Awakening Ceremony was less than two weeks ago, it''s not possible to become so strong so quickly!" She exclaimed. "So? What would you do if I was not the real Li Jing?" He asked, smirking. "Iˇ­" She didn''t know what to say and her expression darkened. "I''m kidding, don''t be so serious. As the heir of the clan I have, of course, access to a lot of resources that make me get stronger faster. Look, I''m the real Li Jingˇ­ " He said as he took out the token of his clan and showed it to her. Seeing the token, Li Yuan Yuan sighed in relief and had no doubt anymore. She thought that after all, it was normal for the young master of the powerful Li clan to have access to many resources and treasures. "I''m sorry for doubting you." She said. "It''s fineˇ­ Alright, we can go now." Said Li Jing. "Wait, before I want to take the spiders'' venom glands. I will be able to create a powerful poison thanks to them!" Said Li Yuan Yuan. Li Jing nodded and waited for her to take the venom glands. In the meantime, he counted the number of Demonic Cores he had. He only had thirty-four cores and only five days left before he had to go home. He really hoped that this treasure would be worth it... "You completely destroyed their body!" Exclaimed Li Yuan Yuan after she examined the corpse of the three spiders. "Sorry." Said Li Jing, smiling. "Never mindˇ­ Let''s go." She said, sighing. They resumed their way through the trees and this time, Li Jing decided to take out a sword from his spatial ring to cut the many spider webs that were blocking their path. An Hour and a few dead spiders later, there was still no trace of the huge tree described in the treasure mapˇ­ Click click click click click! A few minutes later, they were once again attacked by Crimson Blood Spiders. Five of them were quickly coming towards Li Jing and Li Yuan Yuan from all directions! Li Jing threw the sword in his hand towards the spider on his right. The sword flew very quickly and in a flash, pierced the spider''s head, killing it on the spot. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] "Stay behind me!" He said to Li Yuan Yuan. Li Jing took out his Yellow-grade daggers and injected his Lightning Qi inside them, lightning sparks could now be seen around them. The four remaining spiders repetitively threw their sticky threads towards Li Jing and Li Yuan Yuan while moving towards them. However, Li Jing destroyed the incoming threads with the help of his daggers. Then, he threw his two daggers at the two spiders in front of him and used his Instant Flash Step to get closer to the one behind him, and violently kicked it. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] There was only one Crimson Blood Spider left and it was currently jumping towards Li Yuan Yuan! Thankfully, she reacted quickly and dodged the spider just in time. Li Jing rushed to the spider and used his Hammer Fist on it, reducing its body to meat paste. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] "Thank you." Said Li Yuan Yuan. "No problem." He said, picking up his weapons from the ground. They continued to walk for two hours, killing every Crimson Blood Spider on their way, until they finally saw it. A huge and large leafless grey tree was standing in front of them. There was no other tree around it as if they were afraid to stand close to it. On the ground, they noticed that there were dozens and dozens of skeletons scattered around the tree. "Why are there so many skeletons here?" Asked Li Yuan Yuan. "I don''t know but I don''t think it''s a good sign." Answered Li Jing, but he actually had an idea of what this tree was. "According to the treasure map there should be a cavern at the foot of the tree but I don''t see it." She said. "YOU TWO ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" They suddenly heard a powerful voice resonated in their head and felt an immense spiritual pressure that forced them to kneel on the ground. "W-w-what''s going on?" Asked Li Yuan Yuan. She was feeling like her whole body was crushed and about to explode. Li Jing was in the same state but his heart was beating fast because now he was sure to know what this tree was. It was a Spirit Tree, it meant that a powerful cultivator was buried here! After a powerful cultivator died and was buried, the remaining spiritual energy inside his body greatly affected the environment around him and could ''give birth'' to a Spirit Tree which will become the guardian of the place and kill everyone that approached it, excepted the descendants of the cultivator buried. Fortunately, a Spirit Tree had the intelligence of a child and was easy to fool. Li Jing had a plan and knew what to do. "Spirit Tree, my sister and I are the descendants of the powerful cultivator buried here. We inherited a treasure map that led us to this place." Said Li Jing with difficulty. After Li Jing spoke those words, the spiritual pressure that was crushing their body immediately stopped. "SHOW ME THE TREASURE MAP!" "Big sister Yuan Yuan, show our treasure map to the Spirit Tree." Said Li Jing. Li Yuan Yuan had no idea what was going on. She just knew that she was about to die because of the spiritual pressure but it suddenly stopped after Li Jing lied to the tree. "Y-yes, this is the treasure mapˇ­" She said, showing the map to the tree. After a short moment which seemed to be an eternity, the ground suddenly started to shake violently, raising a thick dust cloud. Rumble! Once the dust cloud disappeared, the entrance to an underground cave was now visible at the foot of the tree. "YOU TWO CAN ENTER, BUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN OBTAIN THE INHERITANCE OF YOUR ANCESTOR, THE DEVIL MONARCH ZHANG MO, DEPENDS ONLY ON YOU!" ''Devil Monarch?! So, that means it''s a Demonic Inheritance!'' Thought Li Jing. 30 Demonic Inheritance part 1 Demonic Inheritances contrary to Righteous Inheritances were full of traps and Demonic Beasts. Reaching the burial chamber where the demonic cultivator was buried was a veritable challenge! Whereas to get a Righteous Inheritance one had to show intelligence and wisdom, to get a Demonic Inheritance one had to show strength and aggressionˇ­ Unlike regular cultivators that used Qi or Elemental Qi, demonic cultivators used Dark Qi, Death Qi, or Blood Qi. These three kinds of Qi were taboo in this world because of their malefic nature. In fact, with Dark Qi, a cultivator could wound and manipulate people''s souls. With Death Qi, a cultivator could bring the dead back to life and manipulate them like puppets. And Blood Qi practitioners could increase their power by drinking people''s blood. Nowadays, only very few demonic cultivators remained because around two thousand years ago, all the Righteous sects united to destroy the Demonic sects, kill every demonic cultivator, and burn their Demonic Cultivation methods. This event was known as the Righteous Purge. Following this event, the demonic cultivators still alive either hid or were chased by righteous cultivatorsˇ­ Li Jing thought that finding a Demonic Inheritance was both a good and a bad thing. He never heard of this Devil Monarch Zhang Mo, but since he had the title ''Devil Monarch'' it meant that he was very powerful and probably had a lot of treasures buried with him. However, since this Devil Monarch practiced a Demonic Cultivation method, it meant that Li Jing would not be able to use it if he found it because he will be considered as a demonic cultivator and be chased by all the Righteous sects of this continent. Or maybe he could practice it in secret? He was still not sure of what he wanted to do. Anyway, the first step was to get the inheritance, he will think about that later. "THE ENTRANCE WILL ONLY REMAIN OPEN FOR ONE DAY. IF YOU DON''T LEAVE THE CAVE BEFORE THAT, YOU WILL BE BURIED ALIVE!" Said the Spirit Tree. Li Jing and Li Yuan Yuan looked at each other and nodded, then they entered the underground cave by going down a long and narrow passage and found themselves in a large dark place filled with many stalagmites and stalactites. In front of them were three large tunnels. One leading to the right, one leading to the left, and one leading ahead. "How did you know what to say to the tree? I really thought we were going to die." Murmured Li Yuan Yuan. "I read about it in a book some times ago. This place is the inheritance of a demonic cultivator and is extremely dangerous. You should stay here and wait for me." He explained. "What? Butˇ­" She said. "Don''t worry, if I wanted to keep the inheritance just for me, I would have let you come with me and you would have died on the way." He said, interrupting her. Since he found this place thanks to Li Yuan Yuan, he decided that he will share the inheritance with her. However, he will, of course, keep all the best items for him since he did all the hard work. "I-I understandˇ­" She said, lowering her head. Li Yuan Yuan knew that she wasn''t strong enough and would probably die if she accompanied Li Jing. She could only wait for him here and believe in him. "Give me the treasure map, I will be back soon." He said, smiling. She gave him the map and he started to inspect it. This treasure map was real. It meant that it was really left by the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo for his descendants. Furthermore, since the Devil Monarch chose to bury himself in a weak area of tier-1 Demonic Beasts, it also meant that he wanted his descendants to obtain his inheritance. Therefore, the challenge shouldn''t be that high, but Li Jing preferred to be careful. Demonic cultivators were known to be cruel, ruthless, and sadisticˇ­ According to the map, he had to follow the tunnel on the left to reach the burial chamber. He supposed that the other two tunnels were full of deadly traps. "I have some antidotes that can be useful, take them. Be careful." Said Li Yuan Yuan as she gave him three small porcelain bottles. Li Jing thanked her and headed for the left tunnel. Once he was out of Li Yuan Yuan''s sight, he displayed his status screen. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 90770 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 3935 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Mortal (XP: 0/5000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Thunder Wyvern] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] Li Jing didn''t know what was waiting for him in the burial chamber but he supposed that he would have to fight many powerful Demonic Beasts, most likely tier-2 Demonic Beasts. For this reason, he would need all the strength he could get. Increasing his Body cultivation realm was the fastest and safest way to increase his strength. The first realm of the Body cultivation path was known as the Skin Refining realm. Just like the Qi Gathering realm, it was divided into ten levels but each level increased the strength by 250 Jin and enhanced the sturdiness of the skin. It meant that, by entering the Skin Refining realm, Li Jing''s skin will become so sturdy that it couldn''t even be pierced by a Mortal-grade weapon! Furthermore, the first six realms of the Body cultivation path didn''t increase the cultivator''s Qi but only strengthen his body, bones, and organs. It meant that Li Jing could increase his Body cultivation realm as much as he wanted without anyone noticing it. ''Use 75000 XP to increase my Body cultivation realm.'' He thought. [75000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 15770.] Suddenly, Li Jing felt like his skin was pierced by thousands of needles. It was not a painful sensation but rather an unpleasant sensation. However, he could clearly feel his skin becoming more and more solid and strong. After about a minute, the unpleasant sensation finally disappeared and a screen appeared before his eyes. [Congratulations! Host has reached the fifth level of the Skin Refining realm.] Li Jing smiled and displayed his status screen once again to see his progress. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 15770 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 5185 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Thunder Wyvern] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] Satisfied, he now wanted to test the new sturdiness of his body. He took out one of his Yellow-grade daggers and stabbed his right leg with it. As expected, the weapon couldn''t penetrate his skin and he could barely feel the tip of the dagger touching his leg! 31 Demonic Inheritance part 2 The tunnel in which Li Jing was walking was becoming darker and darker to the point that Li jing couldn''t see anything anymore, even with his enhanced sight. There was a high risk that there were traps and Demonic Beasts in this tunnel so Li Jing needed a source of light. He took out his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers and injected his Qi inside the red dagger. The dagger was then surrounded by a bright red flame and repelled the darkness around Li Jing thanks to the intense light it emitted. As Li Jing continued to walk at a rapid pace, he wondered just how long this tunnel was, he couldn''t see its end! Squitt! Squitt! Squitt! Tsk tsk! Tsk tsk! Tsk tsk! Suddenly, dozen and dozen of rats and bats were coming towards Li Jing from the other side of the tunnel. Although they had the same size as normal rats and bats, they were actually tier-1 Demonic Beasts known as Steel Jaw Rats and Horned Bats! These Demonic Beasts were formidable because the razor-sharp teeth of the Steel Jaw Rats and the strong horn of the Horned Bats could easily pierce through rock and metal. Seeing all these beasts rushing loudly towards him, Li Jing knew that he had made the right decision by increasing his Body cultivation realm because now that his skin was extremely sturdy, these bats and rats had no chance to pierce through it. His two daggers in hand, he got into a fighting position and waited for the beasts to charge him. Once they were close enough Li Jing started to cut them with his daggers but because there were too many of them, he couldn''t handle them all at once. Some rats climbed up and grabbed onto his body to bite him while many bats surrounded him and repeatedly charged him with their sharp horn. An ordinary cultivator in the Qi Gathering realm would have died a hundred times under so many attacks. However, thanks to his strong and powerful body, they couldn''t pierce through Li Jing''s skin. He felt no pain at all and could just ignore their attacks while continuing to slaughter them. For several minutes, Li Jing slashed the bats that were flying around him while violently stamping on the ground to crush the rats, turning them into meat paste. The whole tunnel was shaking under his powerful attack! Slash! Finally, Li Jing killed the last Horned Bat that fell on the ground cut in half. All around him, at least a hundred corpses of Demonic Beasts were visible. There was a large quantity of blood on the ground and on the walls, and his clothes were bloody and completely tornˇ­ Li Jing took a deep breath, killing these beasts took him longer than expected but at least he gained 1680 Experience Points! He decided to store the bodies in his spatial ring to extract their Demonic Cores later and continued to walk along the tunnel with his fire dagger in hand. A few minutes later, he finally exited the tunnel and find himself in a huge room lit by numerous Spirit Crystals encrusted on the walls and the ceiling which emitted an intense blue light. A Spirit Crystal was quite similar to a Spirit Stone excepted that it was glowing and could only contain the spiritual energy inside it for three hundred years before being extinguished. Seeing this, Li Jing deduced that the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo was dead less than three hundred years ago and since ''Devil Monarch'' was a title only given to demonic cultivators before the Righteous Purge, it meant that he was one of the survivors of the Righteous Purge! He Inspected the room and noticed a large stone coffin at the back surrounded by many Blood Lotuses. The body of the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo had to be inside the coffin. A Blood Lotus was a rare spiritual flower that could sometimes grow around the dead body of a cultivator. It could be sold for a lot of Spirit Stones since it was one of the main ingredients of the Body Strengthening Pill recipe. Li Jing walked carefully towards the coffin. Although he didn''t see any enemy, he was sure that he would be attacked very soon. CRACK! CRACK! After just a few steps, he suddenly heard cracking noises on his right and saw two huge centipedes emerging from the ground. They had a gigantic size of at least fifteen feet, strong pincers able to chop everything in their path, and a steel-like golden carapace. These monsters were known as Golden Armored Centipede, a tier-2 Demonic Beast! The strength of a Golden Armored Centipede was around 4000 Jin. Although it was weaker than Li Jing, it could spray acidic poison from its mouth, had a powerful defense thanks to its armored carapace, and could hide in the ground by digging holes. The two Golden Armored Centipedes crawled rapidly towards Li Jing, one from the left, the other from the right. They were planning to corner him by attacking him from both sides! Li Jing, seeing them approach, went into combat position, his two Sky-grade daggers in hand. Since they wanted to trap him, he will make them fall into their own trap. He waited until the very last moment before their pincers were about to chop him to activate his Elusive Smoke Steps technique. The two Golden Armored Centipedes, seeing that the human in front of them didn''t move, were sure that they would instantly cut him into small pieces. However, instead of chopping him, they actually passed through his body and crashed into each other! "WAAAAAAA!!" "WAAAAAAA!!" The two centipedes screamed in pain. They were bleeding profusely because their mouths were one of the only parts of their body that were not protected by a shell. Li Jing gave them no respite, while they were on the ground writhing in pain, he jumped on the head of the centipede on his right and ruthlessly pierced his eyes with his daggers. The golden centipede screamed and struggled by moving its body in all directions but Li Jing kept his balance by firmly holding his daggers still sunk in the eyes of the beasts. Li Jing injected his Qi inside his daggers and Lightning Qi and Fire Qi penetrated the head of the centipede, turning it into a smoky mush. [Host has killed a tier-2 Demonic Beast: XP + 50.] ''Only one left." Thought Li Jing, landing on the ground at the same time as the lifeless body of the Demonic Beast. Following the death of the first Golden Armored Centipede, Li Jing was about to rush towards the second one but the beast dug a hole and took refuge underground. Seeing this, Li Jing remained on guard and tried to hear and feel the vibrations of the ground with his enhanced senses to determine the location of the beast. CRACK! A moment later, the huge centipede emerged from the ground far behind Li Jing and spat its poison on him. Li Jing had already determined that the beast would emerge from behind him and rolled to the right to dodge its poison spay. However, the Golden Armored Centipede didn''t stop here and continuously spat its poison towards Li Jing. Annoyed, Li Jing reactivated his Elusive Smoke Steps and let the poison spays pass through his body while rushing at full speed towards the centipede. "Lightning Hammer Fist!" Crack! Li Jing thought that he could destroy the centipede''s shell with his technique but he was wrong, only small cracks appeared on it. The Golden Armored Centipede had low intelligence. When it saw Li Jing just next to it, it opened its pincers widely and tried to chop him. It was its mistake. The head of the beast passed through Li Jing''s body who took this opportunity to jumped on it. The same way Li Jing killed the first centipede, he stabbed its eyes with his daggers and inject his Qi inside them, killing the beast. [Host has killed a tier-2 Demonic Beast: XP + 50.] Li Jing sighed. Tier-2 Demonic Beasts were indeed far stronger than tier-1 beasts. If he didn''t have his Elusive Smoke Steps Martial technique and his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers, he wouldn''t have killed them so easilyˇ­ Although he just killed the two tier-2 Demonic Beasts that were probably the guardians of the burial chamber, Li Jing dared not let his guard down as he walked towards the stone coffin. He kept his Elusive Smoke Steps technique active while removing the lid from the coffin just in case it was trappedˇ­ 32 Demonic Inheritance part 3 Once the lid was removed from the coffin, Li Jing saw the body of an old man perfectly conserved inside it. The old man had a lot of wrinkles, long white hair, a long white beard, and was wearing a black robe. Seeing him like this, Li Jing almost thought that he was still alive! Thankfully he was truly deadˇ­ This old man was a ''Devil Monarch'', his title was just below the ''Devil Sovereign'' of the legends. In this world, it was the second highest title that a demonic cultivator could have. Li Jing inspected the surrounding of the body but found nothing until he suddenly noticed a red ring on the thin index finger of the old man''s right hand. ''A blood ring!'' He thought, excited. A blood ring was quite similar to a spatial ring except that it was linked to its owner by a blood pact. As long as the owner of the blood ring was alive, he was the only person who could view and access its content. Li Jing took the blood ring from the old man''s finger and poured a drop of his blood on it. The ring glowed for a second and now recognized Li Jing as its new owner. Then, Li Jing injected his Qi inside it to see its content. The first thing he noticed was that the dimension inside the blood ring was at least ten times larger than the dimension of his spatial ring! Inside the dimension was stored thousands of pills, thousands of spiritual plants, a dozen of weapons and artifacts, and hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones! However, Li Jing chose to ignore it all for now because his gaze was attracted by four manuals placed in a beautiful golden box. He was sure that these manuals were the Cultivation method and Martial techniques used by the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo. He took out the golden box and inspected the first manual with his perk Appraisal. It was a Sky-grade Demonic Cultivation method called ''Unholy Dark Art''! The method described how to gather Dark Qi from the Underworld, a place where the soul of the dead who had committed atrocities resided, and how to use it. It also contained many notes and advice making it easier to understand it despite its complexity. These notes were probably written by the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo himself! ''So the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo was a Dark Qi practitioner.'' He thought. Li Jing was very tempted to use this method to cultivate. The Unholy Dark Art, being a Sky-grade Cultivation method, was obviously far more efficient than his current Mortal-grade Cultivation method. Moreover, Dark Qi was also extremely powerfulˇ­ He inspected the other three manuals and used his perk Appraisal on them. [ Name: Nightmarish Eyes Type: Dark Qi Martial technique Grade: Sky (Low) Description: Disturb the soul of people who see you in the eyes, trapping their mind in a powerful illusion that shows them their deepest fear. The stronger the targets are, the easier they can free themselves from the illusion. People with a powerful soul can resist the technique. ] [ Name: Soul Shattering Palm Type: Dark Qi Martial technique Grade: Earth (High) Description: A palm attack that damages the target''s soul instead of doing physical damage. ] [ Name: Dark Command Type: Dark Qi Martial technique Grade: Sky (Middle) Description: Force a target in the same cultivation realm as you to obey your orders. The more Dark Qi is used, the longer the target is forced to obey. People with a powerful soul can resist the technique. ] Seeing the grade and description of these Martial techniques, Li Jing widened his eyes in surprise. ''These techniques are so powerful, it''s no wonder that this man was recognized as a Devil Monarch and survived the Righteous Purge!'' He thought. Li Jing thought that it would be a shame to not take advantage of this powerful inheritance and decided that he will definitely practice the Unholy Dark Art and learn these Martial techniques. There was no risk to be discovered as long as he was careful and didn''t use Dark Qi in public. Even Teng Fen who could tell the Cultivation method practiced by a cultivator in just one glance wouldn''t be able to discover Li Jing. Because thanks to his system, Li Jing didn''t store the Qi inside his dantian while cultivating so for other people, his dantian only contained neutral Qi. Li Jing stored the four manuals and the golden box inside his new blood ring and examined the other items. There were thousands of pills of all kinds: Qi Gathering Pills, Healing Pills, and Qi Replenishing Pills; but also some extremely rare pills like the Berserk Pills that greatly increased the strength of a cultivator momentarily or the Supreme Cleansing Pills that could cure any poison and disease! Next, he inspected the spiritual plants. He recognized most of them and used his perk Appraisal on those he didn''t recognize. Silver Fairy Root, Fire Red Leaf, Frozen Spirit Flowerˇ­ Although none of these spiritual plants were of Immortal grade, some of them were very rare and could only be found on the other side of the continent, thousands of miles from the Sky Jade Kingdom. With so many pills and spiritual plants, Li Jing could literally create a small martial clan! Among the dozen artifacts in the ring, there were four Protection Talismans, four Protection Stone Barriers that could protect a small area for days with a powerful shield, and three Suppression Collars that could prevent a cultivator wearing it from using his Qi. But the most interesting artifact was the Qi Concealment Ring that could hide the true cultivation realm of a cultivator by making it appear five levels lower! Although it was only effective up to the Nascent Soul realm, it was already amazing. Finally, Li Jing took out all the weapons and examined them. There were four swords, two sabers, three spears, and two bows. They were all Earth-grade weapons! Li Jing also noticed a majestic halberd that was broken in half, it was entirely black with golden patterns carved on it. The weapon was really well-crafted and was clearly worthy of a Monarch! Li Jing supposed that it was the personal weapon of the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo. There was a manual next to the broken halberd; Li Jing took them out of his blood ring and used his perk Appraisal on them. [ Name: Soul Drainer Halberd (Broken) Type: Weapon Grade: - (Broken) Description: Drain the soul of anyone killed by this weapon. The souls drained are used to execute various skills detailed in the Soul Drainer Halberd Scripture. ] [ Name: Soul Drainer Halberd Scripture Type: Martial technique Grade: Sky (High) Description: The Scripture contains a set of powerful skills that can only be used with the Soul Drainer Halberd. ] ''No, why is the weapon broken!'' Lamented Li Jing. Although he knew a blacksmith capable of repairing the weapon, that person lived in the Central Continent and the only way to go there was to reactivate the portal that linked the Southern Border Continent to the Central Continentˇ­ Despite the fact that he was disappointed that the weapon was broken, he was overall extremely satisfied with this inheritance which has greatly exceeded his expectations. 33 Four-eyed Jade Monkeys Now that Li Jing had finished inspecting the entire inheritance, it was time to return to Li Yuan Yuan. But before that, he took out the spatial ring he received from the Yuan Auction House and stored inside a third of the Qi Gathering Pills that were part of the inheritance, representing around 1500 pills. He also stored a third of all the spiritual plants as well as a sword, a spear, and a bow. He decided to give this spatial ring to Li Yuan Yuan. For him, it was not a big loss and for her it was a lot. He stored the body of the two Golden Armored Centipedes as well as the Blood Lotuses inside his blood ring and transferred all the content of his spatial ring inside it. Then, he changed his bloody and torn clothes for a new black and blue robe and went back to the entrance of the caveˇ­ Li Yuan Yuan was sitting on the ground near the entrance of the inheritance and was anxiously waiting for Li Jing to return. She felt bad for letting him go alone. She should have come with him to help him, even if it was just a little. If only she was strongerˇ­ It has been around an hour since Li Jing left when she suddenly heard noises coming from the tunnel in front of her. She looked up and saw and a handsome boy wearing a black and blue robe coming out of the tunnel. This boy was obviously Li Jing. Li Yuan Yuan smiled widely when she saw him and all her anxiety vanished. "You''re back! How was it? Are you hurt?" She asked. "I''m fine." Said Li Jing, smiling. Li Jing walked towards her and gave her the spatial ring he prepared earlier. "This is for you." He said. Li Yuan Yuan thanked him and injected her Qi in the spatial ring to see its content. She never saw so many Qi Gathering Pills before, there were at least more than a thousand! All these spiritual plants also surprised her a lot, there were even some she couldn''t recognize. When she saw the three weapons, she widened her eyes. Were these weapons Earth-grade weapons? Even the Great Clans would fight each other for an Earth-grade weapon, to think that she now had three of them! She was very satisfied and happy. With all these pills she will definitely breakthrough the seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm. She could create new poison thanks to the many spiritual plants and she could also sell one of her weapons to earn enough Spirit Stones to buy a lot of cultivation resources. Li Yuan Yuan knew that Li Jing kept the best part of the inheritance for him, but she didn''t care. Without him, she would have died against the Crimson Blood Spiders and if she had met anyone else, she would have died because of the Spirit Tree. "Thank you very much." She said, bowing. Her eyes full of gratitude. "No problem. So, what are you planning to do now?" He asked. "I will go back to the clan to cultivate. What about you?" She said. "I plan to stay in the Dark Forest for a few more days before going back. Alright, I will escort you outside the territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders, let''s go." He said. Li Yuan Yuan nodded and followed him as he walked outside the cave. Once outside, she saw Li Jing walking towards the Spirit Tree and bowing in front of it. "Thank you Spirit Tree for keeping the tomb of our ancestors." He said. The tree didn''t answer but the ground suddenly shook and a moment later, the entrance of the cave disappeared. "Let''s go." Said Li Jing. As they were both walking towards the exit of the territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders, Li Jing thought about the upcoming event described in the web novel. In six days the king''s birthday banquet will take place. The patriarch, leader, and heir of the four Great Clans were invited. It was during that event that the original Li Jing appeared for the first time in the web novel. During the banquet, the four heirs were invited to exchange pointers and the original Li Jing was Teng Fen''s first opponent. He obviously lost, but he didn''t care because alchemy was his specialty. Li Jing didn''t know what he will do when he will face Teng Fen. His pride was telling him to fight him with all his strength but, of course, he knew that it was a bad ideaˇ­ ˇ­ There were a lot of annoying Crimson Blood Spiders on their way so It took them around two hours to exit the spider''s territory. They were now back in the territory of the Demonic Black Bears. "I can continue alone from here, thank you again for everything." Said Li Yuan Yuan. "Take care of yourself, see you later." He said. They smiled at each other and Li Jing saw the figure of Li Yuan Yuan disappear in the distance. Now it was time to go to the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. He had only five days left to upgrade his bloodline so he should hurry. The fastest way to reach their territory from his location was to cross the territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders again, and then walk eastˇ­ The sun was setting when he finally arrived in front of the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. On the way, Li Jing had killed more than twenty-five spiders and collected their Demonic Cores. In this part of the forest, all the trees were gigantic and covered with liana. These trees were special because they sometimes produced fruits called Soul Enhancing Pears. These pears could slightly increase the Soul Power of a cultivator but no one knew this because every time a pear was growing, a Four-eyed Jade Monkey would immediately snatch it and bring it to its king. It meant that all the Soul Enhancing Pears of this forest were currently kept by the king of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. 34 First bloodline upgrade part 1 In the web novel, Teng Fen coincidently saw a Four-eyed Jade Monkey transporting a Soul Enhancing Pear and followed it to the lair of their king. There, he killed the king and found hundreds of pears. His Soul Power was already extremely high, so the increase was only minimal for him after he consumed them. But for Li Jing who had a normal level of Soul Power, these pears would give him a huge boost! The Soul Power of a cultivator was inborn and could only be increased thanks to some rare treasures. The Soul Power determined a cultivator''s ability to understand profound Cultivation methods and Martial techniques as well as his comprehension of the Dao of cultivation. In other words, the higher the Soul Power of a cultivator was, the faster they learned things, and the easier they could understand how to breakthrough a bottleneck. Li Jing didn''t believe that he could coincidently see a Four-eyed Jade Monkey transporting a Soul Enhancing Pear because these fruits were too rare and grew randomly. So, to find their king''s lair, he had to use another method. He knew that despite their high strength, the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys were very coward, so his idea was to slaughter as many monkeys as possible until they were completely scared of him. Then, they would immediately run towards there king after seeing him and he would just have to follow them. He was sure that his plan would work. But first, Li Jing needed to rest for the night. His Qi reserve was very low following all the fights he fought today. Thankfully, he saw a small cave on the way, not far from here, so he decided to go there... The cave was still in the territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders. It was just big enough for one person and was very exposed so there was a high risk that some spiders would attack him during the night. However, it was not a problem for Li Jing because he now had a few Protection Stone Barriers that he got through the inheritance. A Protection Stone Barrier was an artifact that contained enough spiritual energy to protect an area with a powerful shield for seven days and seven nights. Of course, it could be activated and deactivated at will. The shield could withstand attacks from cultivators in the Foundation Establishment realm or from tier-2 Demonic Beasts without any problem. Li Jing took out a Protection Stone Barrier from his blood ring, placed it in the middle of the cave, and activated it. The shield was invisible, it was only when it was under attack that it became visible. Now that he was in a safe place, Li Jing lit a campfire and took out a big meat piece of at least 25kg of the variant Demonic Beast. He cooked it and took his time to eat it. Then he started cultivating for the nightˇ­ [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 18762 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 5210 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Thunder Wyvern] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] --------------------------] The next morning, Li Jing felt refreshed and in great shape. He deactivated the Protection Stone Barrier and store it in his blood ring. It seemed that he has been overly cautious because no beast attacked him during the night. Li Jing left the cave and walked towards the territory of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. A few minutes later, he was in their territory and was already surrounded by twenty monkeys perched on the trees around him, these beasts didn''t like intruders. Ook-ook! Ook-ook! Ook-ook! Ook-ook! Ook-ook! The Four-eyed Jade Monkeys looked like chimpanzees, except that their fur was entirely white and they had four green eyes that looked like jade stones. These beasts should not be underestimated because they were far smarter than the normal tier-1 Demonic Beasts and were also very agile, fast, and powerful! But, of course, for Li Jing, they represented no challenge. The monkeys rushed to Li Jing, attacking him simultaneously from all directions. One of them was about to kick him from behind, another one was about to punch his face, four others were also going to attack him from the sidesˇ­ ''Stupid beastsˇ­'' Thought Li Jing, smiling. He activated his Elusive Smoke Steps techniques and all the monkeys passed through his body, crashing into each other in a loud bang. Li Jing immediately took out his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers and slaughtered the six monkeys in a second. Seeing this, the other Four-eyed Jade Monkeys were furious with him and rushed to him, determined to kill this intruder. However, despite all their efforts, they couldn''t touch him and all of them died in a matter of seconds a soon as they were close to him. Once the twenty monkeys were dead, Li Jing stored their body inside his blood ring. He decided that he will extract their core tonightˇ­ ... Half a day later, Li Jing could be seen among the huge trees, his two daggers in hands, cutting some Four-eyed Jade Monkeys in the middle of their territory. "133ˇ­ 134ˇ­ 135ˇ­" He said, each time he was killing a monkey. Since this morning, he already killed more than a hundred of them! He still had a few hours before nightfall and didn''t plan to stop before thatˇ­ It was finally night. Li Jing was sitting in the middle of a medium-sized cave, with a Protection Stone Barrier next to him. Outside, some Four-eyed Jade Monkeys were trying to enter the cave by continuously striking the shield, but Li Jing didn''t care about them for now. He has killed more than two hundred monkeys today but it seemed that it was still not enough, they didn''t fear him yet. He will probably have to kill have a few hundred more before that. Li Jing was currently extracting the Demonic Core of all the Demonic Beasts he has killed for the past few days. Once he was done, he counted that he had 404 cores! He just needed less than a hundred more to be able to upgrade his bloodline. 35 First bloodline upgrade part 2 Li Jing opened his eyes after a night of cultivation. He now had three days left before he had to go home but knowing that he needed at least one day to travel back there from his current position, it meant that he only had two days left to upgrade his bloodline and find the lair of the king of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. He stood up and noticed that the monkeys that were attacking the shield yesterday were not here anymore. They probably gave up after seeing that they couldn''t destroy it. He left his cave and went in search of some monkeys to kill. Ook-ook! Ook-ook! Ook-ook! He didn''t have to wait long before finding them. With his two daggers in hands, he started to slash them one after the other as they tried to get close to him. Slash! Slash! Although they were a little smart, the fighting strategy of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys was always the same: surrounding their opponents and attacking them from all sides. Ook-ook! One of the monkeys tried to punch Li Jing but he used his Instant Flash Steps technique to dodge it and immediately cut the beast in half from behind. Soon, the twelve monkeys that attacked him were all lying on the ground bathing in a pool of bloodˇ­ ˇ­ Half a day later, Li Jing was still killing the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys but this time it was different. It was him who was chasing them because they were running away after seeing him! Ook-ook! A monkey was running away from Li Jing at full speed. It knew that the human behind it could easily kill its kin in one strike! Seeing this, Li Jing smiled. He threw his dagger at the fleeing monkey, killing it on the spot. He finally reached his goal: the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys were now afraid of him. ''Finally, now I just have to follow one of the monkeys to find their king''s lair. But their king is strong, so first, I want to upgrade my bloodline.'' He thought, picking up his dagger. He already collected the hundred of Demonic Cores that he was missing. A few minutes later, he finally found a cave where he could peacefully upgrade his bloodline. After entering the cave, he activated a Protection Stone Barrier and sat cross-legged. Then, he took out five hundred Demonic Cores from his blood ring and placed them in front of him. For someone who didn''t possess a special bloodline, consuming a Demonic Core was impossible and would irremediably kill him. Li Jing didn''t know if his Thunder Wyvern bloodline was one of them but he decided to trust his system. After all, he had no reason to not trust it, so far it has never disappointed or betrayed him. He took one of the cores in front of him and swallowed it in one gulp. Thenˇ­ Nothing. Nothing happened, he didn''t feel anything at all. It was just like he had eaten a marble. He expected to at least feel pain or a strong power passing through his bodyˇ­ [Host has consumed a Demonic Core. Thunder Wyvern bloodline evolution stage: 0/10 (consume 499 tier-1 Demonic Cores to reach the first evolution)] ''Oh, so it works like this!'' He thought. Now that he knew that there was no risk of eating the cores, Li Jing started to eat them one after the other until he finally consumed them all. [Host has met the requirement to evolve the Thunder Wyvern bloodline.] [Initialization of the evolution...] Suddenly, Li Jing felt like his whole body was crushed under immense pressure and he was forced to lie on the ground. Then, his whole body started to slightly glow and small scales could be seen continuously appear and disappear on it. A powerful electric current flowed inside and outside of his body, and just like the first time he activated the bloodline, it hurt terribly. Li Jing clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and endured the pain. He hoped that this pain would not last as long as the last timeˇ­ Around five minutes later, the pain finally stopped and many screens appeared before his eyes. [The Thunder Wyvern bloodline has successfully evolved.] [The Thunder Wyvern bloodline has become Lesser Thunder Dragon bloodline.] [New bloodline skill unlocked: Lightning Breath. Lifespan increased by 400 years. Strength increased by 6000 Jin. Host''s skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs have been strengthened.] [ Name: Heavenly Thunder Breath Type: Bloodline skill Description: Host expels from his mouth a powerful lightning wave which carries the aura of Heavenly Tribulation. ] Li Jing stood up, feeling stronger than ever. A smile could be seen on his face as he displayed his status screen to see his new strength. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 23712 XP / hour: 16 Strength: 11210 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Lesser Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath] --------------------------] ''Good! I''m a little stronger than Teng Fen now.'' He thought. Teng Fen cultivated the Divine Astral Scripture which created Astral Cores in his dantian. In the QI Gathering realm, each Astral Cores increased his strength by 5000 Jin! By now, he was in the second level of the QI Gathering realm and therefore had two Astral Coresˇ­ Li Jing was lost in his thought when a screen suddenly appeared before his eyes. [Lesser Thunder Dragon bloodline evolution stage: 1/10 (consume 1500 tier-2 Demonic Cores to reach the second evolution)] Seeing this screen, Li Jing thought that he would never be able to collect 1500 Demonic Cores of tier-2 Demonic Beasts in only two days. So, for now, he decided to focus on getting the treasure of the king of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. By eating the hundred of Soul Enhancing Pears kept by the king of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys, his Soul Power will greatly increase so he will be able to learn the Unholy Dark Art Cultivation method and the three Dark Qi Martial techniques faster and easier! 36 The king of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys Li Jing left his cave and started searching for some Four-eyed Jade Monkeys that could lead him to their king''s lair. He walked through the trees for a few minutes before finally finding one that was eating something at the foot of a tree. "Hello there." He said, smiling and waving his hand. Ook-ook! Seeing him, the monkey immediately panicked and ran away as fast as it could. The monkey was very fast and knew every corner of its territory. It jumped from tree to tree in the hope of outdistancing its pursuer. From time to time, it looked back to see if it was still being chased. Unfortunately, this human was tenacious and stuck close to it. After several minutes of high-speed chase, the monkey suddenly changed its direction. It realized that it would have no chance to outrun the human behind it. Its last hope for survival was to find its king. Its king was the strongest and smartest among its kin, surely it will easily get rid of this human. Li Jing chased the Four-eyed Jade Monkey for a few more minutes through thick trees and bushes until he saw a secret path that led to a hidden cave in a large hill. The monkey entered the cave and he followed it. The cave was large and divided into two rooms. Li Jing noticed that there was a large and muscular humanoid figure not far from him, at the back of the room. But because of the darkness of the cave, he couldn''t clearly see its face. The monkey that he followed walked towards the figure and bowed like it was greeting a king. "Little one, why did you bring a human in my lair?" Said the figure with a powerful voice. "Ook-ook!" "So, he is the human that killed so many of my kin the past two daysˇ­" It said, revealing a dangerous killing intent. Li Jing knew the person who just spoke. It was the king of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys! Over the years, the king had consumed hundreds and hundreds of Soul Enhancing Pears. With the increase of its Soul Power, it became smart enough to talk like a human and it could be said that its intelligence was on par with an adult human! The king was actually a Four-eyed Diamond Gorilla, a tier-2 Demonic Beast. At first, it was just a Four-eyed Jade Monkey but thanks to his high comprehension of the Dao of cultivation, it found a way to evolve. "I suppose you''re here for my treasure?" Said the king in a threatening tone. "Yes, I am. But I will spare your life if you make a blood contract with me." Said Li Jing. He had nothing against the Four-eyed Diamond Gorilla, it was normal that it wanted to defend its treasure. Li Jing thought that instead of killing it as Teng Fen did in the web novel, he could make a blood contract with it and gain a smart and powerful ally. "Hahaha! I will never become the pet of a lowly human. If you want my treasure, you will have to kill me." It said. "I see, too bad for youˇ­" Said Li Jing, shaking his head in disappointment. He thought that he could convince it to make a contract but hearing its answer, it was obvious that it was not possible. Immediately after that, the large gorilla dashed to Li Jing and powerfully punched him but Li Jing blocked its fist and punched it back. However, just as his fist was about to touch the gut of the beast, it disappeared, reappeared behind him, and kicked his back. The strong kick sent Li Jing crashing into the back wall of the cave in a loud bang. Li Jing immediately stood up and looked seriously at the gorilla in front of him. Although he was fine thanks to his strong body, he was very surprised because it was the first time that a Demonic Beast dodged one of his attacks. He shouldn''t have underestimated this beast! Li Jing knew that he could easily kill the Four-eyed Diamond Gorilla if he used his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers and his Elusive Smoke Steps technique but he thought that he could gain a lot of fighting experiences if he fought the beast without them. He rushed towards the gorilla and tried to punch its gut but the beast once again disappeared and reappeared behind him. However, Li Jing had anticipated this and used his Instant Flash Step technique to move behind the gorilla and punched its back. This time it was the beast''s turn to be thrown against the wall of the cave. Li Jing didn''t know the exact strength of the Four-eyed Diamond Gorilla but it should be over 9000 so it would not die in just one attack. The beast stood up and walked cautiously towards Li Jing. From this, one could see that it was very smart, a normal tier-2 Demonic Beasts would have brainlessly charged him in rage. Li Jing and the gorilla ran towards each other and exchange multiple blows for several minutes. The whole cave was shaking each time their fists and kicks connected! However, because the beast''s body was not as strong as Li Jing''s body, it started to bleed profusely, and after being struck several times, it became very weak. Li Jing, on the other hand, was relatively fine but his body hurt a little. The gorilla''s strength was very high and if his body had not been strengthened by his bloodline, he would not have dared to take a blow from the beastˇ­ Suddenly, the Four-eyed Diamond Gorilla distanced itself from Li Jing. It took a deep breath and yelled very loudly: "Everyone come! An intruder attacks your king!" Ook-ook! Ook-ook! Ook-ook! Ook-ook! A few seconds later, dozen and dozen of monkeys entered the cave and ran towards Li Jing. "You cheater!" He exclaimed. Li Jing was very furious, he had a lot of fun fighting the gorilla and felt he was making good progressˇ­ Seeing all the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys coming towards him, Li Jing gathered Lightning Qi in his throat. "Heavenly Thunder Breath!" He said. Rumble!! A loud thunder sound echoed and the cave shook violently as Li Jing released from his mouth a wave of purple lightning that instantly turned every monkey in front of him into ash. Following that, the smells of burnt corpses spread throughout the whole caveˇ­ The monkeys that saw how their kins were reduced to nothing in a second immediately panicked and ran away, leaving their king to its own fate. Li Jing turned to the Four-eyed Diamond Gorilla and decided to give it a quick death. He took out his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers, activated his Elusive Smoke Steps technique, and rushed towards the beast at full speed. The gorilla was shaking in fearˇ­ When it saw Li Jing coming towards it, it instinctively tried to punch him but its fist passed through his body. Then, Li Jing stabbed the head of the beast with his daggers and injected his Qi inside them, exploding it immediately and leaving only its four diamonds eyes to fall to the ground. [Host has killed a tier-2 Demonic Beast: XP + 50.] 37 Unholy Dark Ar Li Jing could be seen standing in the middle of a large cave. In front of him was lying the headless corpse of the king of the Four-eyed Jade Monkeys. ''Too bad that I had to kill itˇ­ Anyway, I must find its treasure now.'' He thought. He stored the beast''s body inside his blood ring and walked towards the room on his left. Inside the room, Li Jing saw five large wooden chests badly crafted and approached them. Each of these chests was filled with dozens of golden pears, they were obviously the Soul Enhancing Pears! Seeing all these pears, Li Jing smiled and activated a Protection Stone Barrier. He decided to eat all of them right now. He took a Soul Enhancing Pear and bit a piece. He was surprised that it tasted the same as a normal pear on Earth, he expected a more mystical taste from such a rare treasure. Once he finished eating the entire pear, he waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened and he didn''t feel different compared to before. ''Maybe eating only one pear is not enough?'' He wondered. Li Jing started eating the pears one after the otherˇ­ Each time he ate a pear he could feel that something small changed in him. He couldn''t tell precisely what it was but the Soul Enhancing Pears were definitely effective on him. He devoured all of them in only a few hours. In total, he ate two hundred and thirty-four Soul Enhancing Pears. Li Jing closed his eyes and noticed that his comprehension truly increased by a lot. He could now think of many ways to improve and correct the flaws of his two Martial techniques Instant Flash Step and Hammer Fist. He could even think of some Martial techniques he could create himself based on his knowledge of the web novel and the different mangas he has read! ''These Soul Enhancing Pears are really amazing.'' He thought. But for now, Li Jing wanted to learn his Unholy Dark Art and his three Dark Qi Martial techniques. He has already completed all his objectives and still had two days before having to go home. Li Jing sat cross-legged on the ground, took out the Unholy Dark Art Cultivation method, and started reading it. According to the method, the first step to cultivate Dark Qi was to make a spiritual connection with the Underworld. Then one had to feel the Dark Qi that emanated from this place in order to absorb it. Understanding how to make a connection with the Underworld seemed extremely complex. The notes wrote by the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo explained that the best way to understand how to make that spiritual connection was to stay close to a place where the veil between our world and the Underworld was the thinnest. There were a few places like that in the Southern Border Continent. For example, the Ethereal Ghost Forest, the Ancient Diabolic Ruines, the Cursed Battlefield, or the Lifeless Valley. The problem was that all these places were thousands of miles away from Li Jing''s current positionˇ­ Of course, it was possible to make a spiritual connection with the Underworld without going to these places but according to the notes of the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo, it would require either a huge comprehension capacity or several months of trial. Fortunately, thanks to the Soul Enhancing Pears that increased his Soul Power, Li Jing''s comprehension capacity was now far above that of a genius! The key to establishing a spiritual connection with the Underworld was to understand and meditate on the mantra written in the Cultivation method: ''I Bow To The Underworld. In That Place Reside The True Darkness. And Whose Grace Gives The Wicked A Place To Eternally Rest.'' Li Jing closed his eyes, repeated the mantra in his head many times, and started to reflect on itˇ­ ˇ­ In the meantime, in the Teng clan. A young man holding a small white porcelain bottle containing pills could be seen in the middle of a luxurious bedroom. This young man was Teng Fen, he just came back from the Heavenly Pill Pavilion. After inspecting the pills in the bottle, he concluded that, although their quality was not that high, they were definitely the real Qi Condensing Pills. Teng Fen pondered how it was possible. The recipe of the Qi Condensing Pill came from the Immortal World, he personally knew the alchemist who created it, and the number of people who knew this recipe was very limitedˇ­ Was it possible that his brother found out that his soul escaped from the Soul Destroyer Orb and sent someone here to find him? No, it was unlikely. An immortal would be able to detect his soul and would have already found him. Furthermore, for an immortal, this world and all its inhabitants were nothing at all. If that person had the tiniest doubt that he was here, he would have already wiped out this kingdom. Teng Fen''s second theory was that an alchemist from this world has been able to deduce the recipe of the pill after he sold them to the Yuan Auction House. But again, it was very unlikely. If an alchemist able to do that existed in this world, he would be extremely famous and would not hide and work for a clan in a small kingdom. It meant that for now, his only trail was that this alchemist was linked to the Li clan. He will have to keep an eye on them... ˇ­ One day later, in the Dark Forest. It has been a couple of hours since Li Jing had successfully made a spiritual connection with the Underworld. In his mind, he could see a hellish place filled with demon-like creatures torturing myriad of souls. All around him, he could hear the screams of agony of these souls, and, looking up high in the sky, he could see a large ominous black sun menacing to devour this desolate place. This place was the Underworld. Cultivating Dark Qi wasn''t without risk. If Li Jing lost his concentration while absorbing the Dark Qi of this place, he could easily lose his mind or damage his soul. So, he had to be extremely careful... A few hours later, Li Jing cut his connection to the Underworld and opened his eyes in the real world. As he opened his eyes, three screens immediately appeared before them. [Host has learned a new Cultivation method: Unholy Dark Art.] [The Unholy Dark Art has become Host''s current Cultivation method. Host can change his current Cultivation method in the status screen.] [Host has learned a new Elemental affinity: Dark.] 38 Dark Command Understanding how to make a spiritual connection with the Underworld has been easier than Li Jing thought. It had to be said that the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo had insisted in its notes on the difficulty of the thing. It was not that the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo had exaggerated on the difficulty but rather that Li Jing''s comprehension capacity was now very high! Li Jing displayed his status screen to see his progress. The Unholy Dark Art being a Sky-grade Cultivation method, his gain of Experience Points per hour should have significantly increased. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 24314 XP / hour: 42 Strength: 11210 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Lesser Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath] --------------------------] His experience gain per hour had more than doubled! Li Jing was very satisfied and thought that the risks involved in practicing this Cultivation method were definitely worth the gain. He inspected his dantian, and as he expected, there was only neutral Qi in it. Since the Dark Qi he absorbed while cultivating didn''t enter his dantian but was directly absorbed by his system, it meant that the Qi inside his dantian always stayed neutral. Thanks to his system, if he wanted to use Dark Qi or Lightning QI, he just had to convert his neutral Qi into the element he wanted to use. As long as he had the affinity for this element, of course. Therefore, if anyone inspected his dantian, they would only see that he practiced a standard and neutral Cultivation methodˇ­ Now, Li Jing wanted to learn his Dark Qi Martial techniques, starting with the Dark Command technique. He only had a few hours before nightfall and tomorrow morning he would have to travel back to his home. But before that, he first wanted to spend his Experience Points to buy a Rare Lottery Ticket. He thought that if he could get a new bloodline or a powerful Martial technique it would be very nice. ''Buy one Rare Lottery ticket.'' He thought. [15000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 9314.] [Host received 1 item: 1x Rare Lottery ticket. The item has been stored in Host inventory.] Li Jing immediately used the ticket. [Congratulations! Host received the item: Perk: Exchange (rare). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Exchange Type: Perk Grade: Rare Description: Host can exchange an item he received from the system for another item of the same rarity in the category of his choice (bloodline, perk, Cultivation method, Martial technique, weapon, or artifact). This perk can only be used once per month and doesn''t work on items already activated. ] ''So lucky!'' He thought, excited. Thanks to the inheritance, Li Jing currently had around five hundred thousand Spirit Stones in his blood ring. If he absorbed them all, he would be able to buy an Epic Lottery Ticket. Then, thanks to this perk, in case he would obtain something he wouldn''t want, he could exchange it for a new bloodline! Li Jing activated his perk and took out the manual of the Dark Command technique. He decided that he would absorb the Spirit Stones when he returned home. [Host has obtained a new perk: Exchange.] As he read the manual, Li Jing found out that in order to use the Dark Command technique, he had to inject his Dark Qi in his voice. Then, he needed to guide his voice and make it penetrate the soul of his target. Therefore, this technique was only effective on the target of his choice and not on everyone who would hear his voice. A few hours later, Li Jing thought that he finally understood how the technique worked and wanted to practice it on a Demonic Beast. Demonic Beasts, just like humans, also had a soul. After a few minutes, he found a Four-eyed Jade Monkey and rushed towards it in order to capture it so it wouldn''t run away. "Ook-ook!" The monkey was struggling and looked very afraid. Li Jing sighed, he knew that it was very cruel to experiment with the soul of a living being and he was not so brutal in his previous life but this world changed him a lot. Or to be more precise he had to change to adapt to this new environment. He had already decided to walk the Demonic path so he will not hesitate and do whatever he had to do in order to reach his goal. Therefore, he steeled his heart and started to practice his Dark Command technique on the beast. There was a reason why Li Jing choose to walk the Demonic path despite its cruelty and risks. It was because Dark Qi was the key to kill Teng Fen in case he would one day become a threat. With his Divine Astral Scripture, Teng Fen''s body would become indestructible. However, his soul despite being very powerful would stay vulnerable to Dark Qiˇ­ "Kill Yourself!" He ordered the beast. He wanted to check if it was a valid order. However, nothing happened and the monkey continued to struggle to escape from his gripˇ­ Li Jing didn''t give up. He used his technique again and again, and after many fails, he finally understood how to properly use it. "Kill Yourself!" He ordered. Suddenly, the monkey''s eyes became lifeless and it stopped to struggle. Li Jing put the beast on the ground and observed it. The Four-eyed Jade Monkey put its right hand on its chest and pierced it without hesitation, destroying its own Demonic Core! [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Dark Command.] Li Jing was speechless, with just one word he could now kill someone. Of course, the use of the technique was limited. He estimated that with his current Qi reserve, he would not be able to control someone more than two minutes or use the ''kill'' order more than four times. Li Jing inspected his Qi reserve and found out that it was almost empty because of all his practice. So, he decided to go back to the cave and cultivate for the rest of the day and the nightˇ­ [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 9707 XP / hour: 42 Strength: 11210 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Iron Boar], [Lesser Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery], [Exchange] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist], [Dark Command] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath] --------------------------] The next morning, Li Jing stopped cultivating early. He was now ready to go back to his clan. 39 Return The early morning sunlight, soft and diffuse, gave way to the first strong rays of the day. Among the numerous and tall trees, a silhouette could be seen walking at a rapid pace. It looked unstoppable as it walked through the trees and bushes. Sometimes, a beast tried to attack it but would immediately die because of a simple movement of the silhouette. This silhouette obviously belonged to Li Jing. He was currently in the territory of the Crimson Blood Spiders and was making his way towards the territory of the Demonic Black Bears. At his current pace, he estimated that he would reach the exit of the Dark Forest before nightfall. Killing the spiders and cutting the cobwebs along the way, it took him a few hours before he finally reached the territory of the Demonic Black Bears. As he continued to walk, he suddenly saw two middle-aged men fighting a group of three bears. They were wearing a brown tunic and brown leather boots. The head of a wolf could be seen embroidered in black on their tunic, it was the symbol worn by veteran Beast Hunters. Li Jing quickly used his perk Appraisal on them and found out that their cultivation realm was in the fifth level and the seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm. They could easily kill these beasts so he decided to ignore them. He kept walking until he was suddenly attacked by a Demonic Black Bear. "GHHHHHHAAAAA!!!!" The beast charged him but as it got close to him, Li Jing killed it with a simple wave of his hand. [Host has killed a tier-1 Demonic Beast: XP + 15.] Around one hour later, Li Jing saw three dead bodies on the ground. Two boys and a girl, they looked rather young. He was about to ignore them but he noticed that they were not dead because of a Demonic Beast but because of a sword. Were they attacked by bandits? He decided to search their bodies to learn more but didn''t find anything on them. It was not enough to completely confirm his theory but if they were really attacked by bandits he would have to be careful. Not that he was afraid of them, he just didn''t want to lose his time dealing with them. Bandit attacks were not rare in the edge of the Dark Forest, they usually target young and inexperienced people. After killing them they could just leave their bodies on the ground since they would eventually be devoured by the Demonic Beasts. Li Jing increased his pace and kept moving through the trees, this time without stopping. "Stop right there, kid!" Suddenly exclaimed a man. And a second later, Li Jing was surrounded by four masked people. Seeing them, Li Jing sighed. Why was his luck so bad? He used his perk Appraisal on them and found out that three of them were in the fourth level of the Qi Gathering realm and the man who just spoke was in the sixth level. He was most likely the chief of this bandit group. These four bandits obviously noticed the ''Li'' name embroidered in gold on the youth''s clothes and since his clothes were covered with blood, they assumed that he was wounded. A member of the powerful Li clan alone and wounded? It was easy prey for them since everyone would assume that he died because of a Demonic Beast. They were all greedily staring at his spatial ring and could already imagine its content. They were experienced bandits and knew very well this part of the forest so they were sure that no one was followed him. The chief unsheathed his sword and pointed it to Li Jing. "Listen kid, we are reasonable men. If you give us your spatial ring, we will spare your life." He said. He was obviously lying and Li Jing knew this. Since they wanted to kill him, Li Jing had no reason to spare them. In this world, the strong survived and the weak died. But why should he get his hands dirty for some bandits scum? "Kill Your Comrades Then Kill Yourself!" He ordered, using his Dark Command technique. The chief suddenly turned to his three comrades and looked at them with lifeless eyes. "Hahaha, Boss, did you heard this kid? He thiˇ­" Before he could finish his sentence, a sword suddenly pierced his heart. Seeing this, the other two men panicked. "B-Boss, what are you doing? Why did you kill Yaˇ­" The man was beheaded before he finished speaking. The last man tried to fight back but was far weaker than his boss and quickly died. Finally, the chief took his sword with his two hands and pierced his own heart. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 150.] Staring at the four dead bodies on the ground Li Jing sighed. He didn''t think that he would have to kill humans so soon after his transmigration. Strangely, he didn''t feel that bad. Maybe it was because he got used to killing the past six days or maybe it was because he thought that these men deserved to dieˇ­ Before hitting the road, he searched the bodies of the four men. They had two bags filled with tier-1 Demonic Cores, a few Spirit Stones, and three normal weapons. After that, he left the place, leaving their body on the ground. He knew that they will be devoured by some Demonic Beasts in less than an hour... He walked for a few more hours and when he finally exited the Dark Forest, the sun had already started to set. At the distance, he could see a luxurious carriage drawn by four majestic horses. He immediately recognized that it was the carriage of his clan and walked towards it. As he got closer to the carriage, the door suddenly opened and a beautiful young girl wearing a pink and blue dress got out of it. The girl ran towards him with eyes filled with tears and a worried look. "Young Master, what happened to you? Are you hurt?" She asked, panicked when she saw the bloody clothes of Li Jing. This girl was obviously Li Hua, his personal maid. Li Jing didn''t expect to see her here but strangely, seeing her made him feel at home. "Don''t worry sister Hua, I''m fine. It''s not my blood." He said, smiling. Hearing this, the girl sighed in relief. She quickly rubbed her red eyes and smiled at him. "By the way, why are you here?" Asked Li Jing. "I just wanted to be sure that you were fine!" She answered. "Ohˇ­ Alright, let''s go." He said. They both entered the carriage and let the coachman bring them back home. Inside the carriage, Li Jing wondered what had happened to the clan while he was away. "What news is there from the clan?" He asked Li Hua. "The Qi Condensing Pill is a huge success! There is so much demand that it is hard to keep up. Even the royal family is interested in these pills and the king personally invited Master yesterday." It was not surprising to hear this, Li Jing had already anticipated such a success. Now he just had to wait for Teng Fen''s reaction. "I see. What about the other Great Clans?" He asked. "I don''t know what they think but they already ordered a large number of pills, especially the Zhao clan." She answered. Li Jing nodded and stayed silent for a few minutes. "What about you? Was it hard to stay alone in the Dark Forest for a week?" Asked Li Hua. "It wasn''t hard and I learned a lot of things. But I really need a bath!" "Then, I''ll prepare a bath for you as soon as we arrive." Three hours later, the carriage finally arrived in front of the door of the Li clan compound. The moon was already hanging high in the sky but although it was dark, the whole clan compound was illuminated by many Spirit Crystals. Li Jing leisurely walked to his courtyard with Li Hua following him. Once they arrived, she immediately prepared a bath for her young master. He took his time to enjoy and relax in his bath and once he was done, he entered his bedroom to cultivate. According to Li Hua, he will have to meet his father and grandfather tomorrow morning. 40 The kings birthday banquet part 1 When Li Jing opened his eyes after his cultivation session, the sun had already risen for a few hours. Thankfully, cultivating Dark Qi had the same effect on his body as cultivating neutral Qi so he felt refreshed after this night of cultivation. Li Jing stood up and started mentally making a list of the things he needed to do before tomorrow''s king''s birthday banquet. Avoiding the banquet was not a possibility, it was the king''s one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. All the nobles and powerful clans were invited, including the four Great Clans. As the heir of the Li clan, not participating in the banquet could have a big impact on him and his clan''s reputation. The first thing he needed to do was to go see his father and grandfather. Obviously, he will not tell them about the inheritance he found. And, for now, he didn''t lack Spirit stones and cultivation resources so he didn''t need to sell the weapons and the parts of the variant Demonic Beast he had. Immediately after that, he will start absorbing the Spirit Stones to gain a maximum of Experience Points. Absorbing five hundred thousand Spirit Stones will take a long time so he preferred to start now. Li Jing hid his blood ring in his pocket because he knew that his grandfather would recognize that it was a blood ring if he saw it. Then, he left his bedroom and walked towards his father''s courtyard. Once he arrived in the main hall, his father, Li Bai, and his grandfather, Li Zhang, smiled at him as he greeted them. "Jing''er, quick, sit with us and tell us everything." Said Li Zhang. Li Jing sat in the armchair next to them and started to think about what he should tell them. "I mainly stayed in the territory of the Demonic Black Bears. I could easily kill them so I was not in danger. This week in the Dark Forest has been very beneficial to me so I hope you will let me go back there from time to time." He said. Both Li Bai and Li Zhang nodded, they effectively noticed that Li Jing seemed more mature since the last time they saw him. "We will let you go back there but for now you should focus on your cultivation. Thanks to the pill given by the Mysterious Alchemist, you had a great head start so you should not waste it." Said Li Bai. "Yes, father. Talking about that, how was the presentation of the Qi Condensing Pill? Li Hua also told me that the king wanted to see you, how was it?" Asked Li Jing. "Except you, your grandfather, me, and the president of the Yuan Auction House, no one knows about the Mysterious Alchemist. We told everyone that we sold the pills during the auction to make them popular before selling them in our Heavenly Pill Pavilion. The pill is a huge success and every talented alchemist of the clan is currently producing themˇ­ As for the king, he told me that because this new pill could bring a calamity to the kingdom, he had no choice but to ask the Heavenly Jewel Empire for help. The Emperor answered that he will send four of his powerful generals that are in the Nascent Soul realm. They will be here in a week." Said Li Bai. Li Jing nodded. These four generals were also part of the web novel. The Heavenly Jewel Empire was obviously interested in these pills. So, by selling them to the empire, his clan, and by extension him, will become even richer. Li Jing, Li Bai, and Li Zhang continued to talk for a moment about the preparation they needed to make before the king''s birthday banquet of the next day. Li Bai also gave Li Jing a bottle containing twenty Qi Condensing Pills. Then, Li Jing returned to his bedroom. Inside his bedroom, he took out some Spirit Stones and started absorbing them. The king''s birthday banquet will take place the next day from noon until late at nightˇ­ One day later. Li Jing just finished absorbing the 71234th Spirit Stones when someone suddenly knocked at his door. "Young Master, it''s time to prepare." It was Li Hua''s voice. Li Jing followed Li Hua and after taking a bath, he dressed in a luxurious purple robe with golden patterns embroidered on it. He really looked like a prince in these clothes. He left his courtyard and joined his father and grandfather that were also ready. Both of them were wearing a blue robe embroidered with golden patterns. In these clothes, they looked even more noble and intimidating than usual. A moment later, they all walked to the carriage that will bring them to the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was located in the center of the White Jade City, the whole royal family lived inside it and rarely left it. The king was the strongest cultivator in the kingdom so everyone respected and feared him. He was in the Golden Core realm and could, therefore, live for three hundred years! This time it was his one hundred and fiftieth anniversary, it meant that he had just reached half of his lifespan. Unless he could breakthrough the Nascent Soul realm, of course. Although the king was one hundred and fifty years old, he was not the oldest man in the kingdom. Indeed, Li Jing''s grandfather was almost two hundred years old and the patriarch of the Zhao clan was over two hundred and fifty years old! In this world, cultivators could have children even after their hundredth birthday. Therefore, most of them married late. Li Jing''s father, for example, looked like a thirty years old man but was actually over sixty years old. The carriage of the Li clan suddenly stopped, not because they arrived but because the road that led to the Royal Palace was overcrowded with many carriages of prestigious families and clans. It was as if everyone had decided to go to the palace at the same timeˇ­ A long moment later, their carriage finally arrived in front of the door of the palace. Li Jing got out of the carriage and saw a huge and long wall pierced by a gate. At the top of the gate, the name ''Gate of Divine Might'' was engraved on a plaque. The Royal Palace in this city reminded Li Jing of the time he had visited the Forbidden City in his previous life. Both of them looked really majestic. After being greeted by some servants, Li Jing, his father, and grandfather followed them inside the palace. The banquet will take place in the Royal Garden. 41 The kings birthday banquet part 2 Li Jing and his family followed the servants through many buildings and beautiful gardens in the Royal Palace. A few minutes later, they finally arrived in front of the huge Royal Garden. At least a hundred people were already sitting at individual tables and discussed with each other. These people were divided into three groups: at the back of the garden, next to the luxurious and large table were the king was sitting with his wife and daughter, were sitting the patriarchs of the clans and families. In the middle, were sitting the leaders and in the front were sitting the heirs. Before even looking at the king, Li Jing glanced at the heirs that were already present. Teng Fen and Hong Mei were here. Hong Mei was wearing an elegant pink and blue dress while Teng Fen was wearing a classy blue and grey robe. With Li Jing here, it meant that the only heir missing was the heir to the Zhao clan, Zhao Yimou. Li Jing didn''t know the other heirs around him but he knew they were not important characters in the web novel. One of the servants that guided them suddenly announced their arrival. "The members of the Li clan have arrived!" He exclaimed in a loud voice. Everyone stopped talking and looked at them, some with envy, others with respect. Li Jing, Li Bai, and Li Zhang walked towards the king and bowed to him. "Congratulations, Your Majesty. May you live ten thousand years." Said Li Zhang, with great respect. "Old friend, no need to be so polite. You and your family are more than welcome here!" Said the king, Wang Ying. "Thank you, Your Majesty." The three of them said. Li Jing straightened up and discretely examined the king. He had the appearance of an old man with grey hair but looked strong and vigorous. His aura commanded respect for his subjects and fear for his enemies. Next, Li Jing examined the queen, Wang Rong. She was an old lady, almost as old as her husband. She had long grey hair and a smile on her face that gave her a friendly aura. But despite her gentle and calm personality, she was actually a strong cultivator in the Golden Core realm. The king and the queen also had two sons but they were currently studying at the Long Wu Academy, the best martial academy of the Heavenly Jewel Empire. The top students at this academy had a chance to directly work under the powerful Emperor! Finally, Li Jing stared at the princess, Wang Qing Yue. She had very long black hair, jade-like skin, delicate eyebrows, and beautiful almond eyes. The stylish white and pink dress she was wearing greatly highlighted her beauty and, although she could not be considered as beautiful as Hong Mei, she definitely had her own charm. Wang Qing Yue had an important role in the web novel as the first girl that fell in love with Teng Fen. Li Jing used to call her ''Harem Member #1'' when he read the novel. Since she was a child, Wang Qing Yue suffered from a chronic illness and no one has been able to cure her. In a few days, she will fall into a coma and the person who will save her will be none other than Teng Fen. In the web novel, Wang Qing Yue was very grateful to Teng Fen for curing her. Her illness was extremely painful and forced her to be bedridden a few days every month. So, after she was cured, she decided to befriend him, and sometimes later, she eventually fell in love with him. Teng Fen had seen countless Immortal beauties in his previous life so he didn''t really care about her but he allowed her to follow him because, in addition to her A-grade talent, she also had a unique gift that allowed her to understand and crack every Array Formation she saw in just one glance. Now, Li Jing also knew how to cure Wang Qing Yue but he didn''t know if he wanted to do it instead of Teng Fen. He knew that if he chose to save her, the king would thank him by giving access to his treasure room, just like he did with Teng Fen in the web novel. And, inside this room, there was a very interesting treasure. However, by saving her, it will completely change her fate. She will not fall in love with Teng Fen, she will not receive guidance and a powerful cultivation method from him, and she will not be able to reach the Immortal World. So, should he be selfish and sacrifice her future for his own interest? While Li Jing was lost in his thoughts, a servant invited him, his father, and grandfather to sit in their respective group. Coincidentally, his seat was right next to Teng Fen. ''Why is my luck so badˇ­'' Thought Li Jing. Teng Fen saw Li Jing sitting next to him and smirked. After all his investigations, he still didn''t find out who was the alchemist who worked with the Li clan. However, he thought about another theory: what if he wasn''t the only one who had his soul transmigrated from the Immortal World to this world? Although It was very improbable since his soul was brought to this world after being extracted by the Soul Destroyer Orb and saved by the Divine Astral Scripture, he couldn''t ignore that it was a possibility. Of course, it could be anyone in the Li clan but since Li Jing was next to him, he wanted to test him. In case his theory was false, he believed that the heir of the Li clan should at least know who was this alchemist. Teng Fen had currently no opinion on Li Jing. He just saw him once a few days ago and there was no information about him in the memories of the previous owner of his bodyˇ­ "So, you''re the heir of the Li clan? My name is Teng Fen, the heir of the Teng clan but you can call me Brother Fen." He said. Li Jing was not surprised that Teng Fen suddenly spoke to him, he probably wanted to investigate the mysterious alchemist who sold the Qi Condensing Pills. Of course, he would not fall into his traps, no matter what they were. "Nice to meet you Brother Fen. You can call me Brother Jing." He said, smiling. 42 Duel part 1 Li Jing knew that Teng Fen will observe all of his movements and expressions. The best way to deal with this was to act as natural as possible. "Since your clan is the best alchemy clan of the kingdom, do you also specialize in making pills?" Asked Teng Fen. "I know the basics but I never tried to make a pill. What about you?" Answered Li Jing. Teng Fen was very good at reading people and saw that Li Jing didn''t lie. Since the few people who knew the recipe of the Qi Condensing Pill were all genius Immortal Alchemists did that mean that Li Jing should be removed from the suspect list? No, it wasn''t enough to be sure. "Alchemy is just a hobby for me." He said, smirking. Hearing this, Li Jing mentally rolled his eyes. In the web novel, Teng Fen always said to others that alchemy was just a hobby for him although he could easily create rank-10 pills. "By the way, I apologize for not stopping Hong Mei the last time. I hope she didn''t do anything stupid." Said Li Jing, to change the topic of their conversation. Both of them glanced at Hong Mei who was sitting not far from them on their right. She looked angry when she noticed them. "This little girl is too arrogant for her own good." Said Teng Fen. "I totally agree." Said Li Jing, smiling. "Aren''t you friend with her?" Asked Teng Fen. "Not at all. I just met her once, a few minutes before we bumped into you." "I see." "The members of the Zhao clan have arrived!" Suddenly exclaimed a servant. Li Jing saw three people walking towards the king. An old man, who was the patriarch of the Zhao clan, Zhao Chang Zou. A middle-aged man, who was the leader of the clan, Zhao Jian. And a young boy, who was the heir of the Zhao clan, Zhao Yimou. Zhao Yimou had mid-long black hair and small black eyes. The smile on his face gave him a sympathetic and honest look. He was wearing a white robe with black patterns embroidered on it that gave him a noble aura. Seeing him, Li Jing almost winced. He used to call Zhao Yimou the ''creepy two-faced guy'' when he read the web novel because he always smiled and was nice to everyone but actually he was very scheming and twisted! The Zhao clan was the strongest Great Clan in the kingdom so all eyes were on them when the three men greeted the king. After that, Zhao Yimou sat next to Hong Mei. "Everyone, thank you for coming. The banquet can now start!" The king exclaimed, holding a glass of wine in his hand. Once the king finished drinking it, everyone took the glass of wine in front of them and drank it while offering their congratulations. Then, music started and the servants brought various food. In this world, there was no minimum legal age to drink alcohol and since cultivators had a strong constitution, even kids could drink without becoming drunk. It was the first time in two lives that Li Jing was drinking wine and he thought that it didn''t taste that bad. This wine was sweet and its aroma was fruity. "Such a low-quality wineˇ­" Said Teng Fen looking at Li Jing. "Oh? I really like it." Said Li Jing. "You never tasted a high-quality wine to say that." Said Teng Fen. "Actually, it''s my first time drinking wine." Said Li Jing. Once again, Teng Fen saw that Li Jing was not lyingˇ­ Three hours later, the guests began to get bored. Most of them were experienced cultivators so they liked the action and not the music, the graceful dances, or the good food. During these three hours, Teng Fen and Li Jing only made small talk and mostly listen to the conversations around them. People in this kind of event liked to gossip and one could learn a lot by listening to them. Suddenly, one of the old men stood up and turned towards the king. "Your Majesty, why don''t we let the young generation exchange pointers to entertain us?" He suggested. "Good idea! Shao Qun, announce the rules!" Exclaimed the king. Shao Qun was the king''s personal steward. Hearing his king''s order he immediately announced: "Yes, Your Majesty! If any of you wish to fight, walk to the front of the garden and announce your name and age. Only two young of the same age can fight each other and seriously injuring your opponent is prohibited. Lastly, the winner continues to fight until he loses or until there is no more opponent of his age." The Royal Garden was large enough to let many people compete, so during the fighting there was no risk of breaking the tableware. Of course, every young man and woman wanted to participate because it was a unique opportunity for them to show their talent in front of every powerful person in the kingdom. A short moment after Shao Qun''s announcement, one of the young men suddenly got up and walked towards the front of the garden. "I, Xiao Ming of the Xiao clan, twenty-one years old, wish to exchange pointers." He said, cupping his hands politely. "I, Yi Fan of the Yi family, twenty-one years old, wish to exchange pointers with you." Another young man said, walking towards Xiao Ming. The two young men bowed, then ran towards each other and started exchanging multiple blows. Li Jing watched them fight with a watchful eye, he could learn a lot by analyzing other people''s fights. He still had some time before his fight against Teng Fen since the four heirs of the Great Clans will have to fight after everyone else. A few minutes later, Xiao Ming won the fight by dodging his opponent''s punch and pinning him on the ground. Everyone cheered loudly and applauded. "Both of them are very talented!" Exclaimed the king. Next, a girl got up and walked to the front of the garden. "I, Zhou Mu Yin of the Zhou clan, twenty-one years old, wish to exchange pointers with you." She said to Xiao Ming. ˇ­ The fights continued one after another until everyone but the heirs of the Great Clans fought. Since the four heirs were the only ones who didn''t fight, all eyes were on them. Everyone knew that although the four Great Clans were allied, they were actually always competing with each other. This time, it was the perfect opportunity to see which heir was the strongest. Actually, they all knew who will win since they all noticed that the heir of the Li clan was in the fifth level of the Qi Gathering realm while the others were between the second and the fourth level. They were not really surprised by Li Jing''s high cultivation realm because they assumed that he should have received an extravagant number of Qi Condensing Pills from his clan. "You four are the last participants. Who wants to go first?" Said Shao Qun. "Wait, let''s change the rules. Since there is a large disparity between their cultivation realms, let them fight in two against two." Announced the king. "As you wish, Your Majesty. Then, the last battle will be Zhao Yimou and Hong Mei against Teng Fen and Li Jing!" Zhao Yimou was in the fourth level of the Qi Gathering realm, Hong Mei was in the third level, Teng Fen was in the second level and Li Jing was in the fifth level. This way, the fight would be balanced. For his part, Li Jing was really surprised, it would seem that his presence has changed the story! 43 Duel part 2 In the web novel, the original Li Jing was only in the third level of the Qi Gathering realm and, since at this point in the story Teng Fen still had not sold the Qi Condensing Pills through his clan, Zhao Yimou was also only in the third level. Therefore, the heirs of the four Great Clans were all around the same level and had to fight one against the other. Teng Fen easily won against the other three heirs enraging the Hong clan and the Zhao clan at the same time. However, now, Li Jing''s presence in this world had changed some things. First, he was in the fifth level of the Qi Gathering realm and not in the third level. And second, he sold the Qi Condensing Pills earlier than expected. The Zhao clan bought a lot of these pills and thanks to that, Zhao Yimou has been able to breakthrough the fourth level of the Qi Gathering realm the night before the banquetˇ­ Li Jing, Teng Fen, Hong Mei, and Zhao Yimou walked towards the front of the Royal Garden and bowed to each other. "Brother Fen, Brother Jing, it''s the first time we meet. Let''s do our best." Said Zhao Yimou, smiling. Li Jing really didn''t like this two-faced guy so he just nodded and didn''t return his greeting. Teng Fen did the same. Then, they all prepared for the fight. Hong Mei and Zhao Yimou''s plan was simple. They will first target Teng Fen since he was the weakest then they will take care of Li Jing. "Do you have a plan?" Asked Teng Fen to Li Jing. Teng Fen could easily take care of these two but he wanted to see what Li Jing was capable of. If he was really someone from the Immortal World, he would either show his great fighting skills or try his best to hide them. "Well, we can take care of Hong Mei first then focus on Zhao Yimou or we can fight them separately." He said. "You can fight Hong Mei. I take care of Zhao Yimou." Said Teng Fen. "Are you sure that you can take care of him alone?" He asked. He was not supposed to know that it was the case. "Of course, I am." Answered Teng Fen, smirking. "The fight can begin!" Announced Shao Qun. Immediately after the announcement, Hong Mei and Zhao Yimou rushed towards Teng Fen. However, Teng Fen didn''t move and let his opponents coming towards him. Li Jing intercepted Hong Mei by punching her but she blocked his fist. Of course, Li Jing would not use his full strength or he would kill her in one punch. Hong Mei focused her attention on Li Jing and tried to kick him but he dodged the attack and kicked her back in the gut. She was thrown a yard back and winced in pain. "You!" She expected that Li Jing would go easy on her because of her great beauty, but it seemed that she was wrong. She clenched her fists in anger and charged him. She kicked and punched him several times but Li Jing dodged or blocked all her attacks. Hong Mei was clearly not a skilled fighterˇ­ On the other side, Teng Fen easily dodged all of his opponent''s attacks with only the minimum of movement. Each time Zhao Yimou was sure that he would hit Teng Fen, he would miss him by a hair! He didn''t understand, Teng Fen was supposed to be two levels lower than him, how could he be faster than him? While Teng Fen was dodging Zhao Yimou''s attacks, he also carefully observed Li Jing. He noticed that his movements were predictable and full of opening, he could see that it was not faked and that he was not an experienced fighter. It would seem that Li Jing was not someone from the Immortal Worldˇ­ However, he needed to stay close to him to discover who was that person. Deciding that he would take his time with his opponent, Teng Fen casually poked Zhao Yimou''s right shoulder who was forced to step back and spit a mouthful of blood. "What did youˇ­?" Zhao Yimou was shocked, how could this weak attack be so painful? Teng Fen''s casual poke actually targeted one of Zhao Yimou''s meridians. Only a very experienced fighter could do that! Seeing Teng Fen smirking, Zhao Yimou couldn''t control his emotions anymore. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and rushed towards him. However, despite all his efforts, he was still not able to touch him and Teng Fen continued to beat him with one fingerˇ­ Li Jing didn''t want to show too much of his real strength so he also took his time with Hong Mei, countering her attacks with palms, punches, and kicks not strong enough to hurt her but enough to make her fall on the grounds many times. Zhao Yimou and Hong Mei quickly realized that their opponents were toying with them but even if it really angered them, there was nothing they could do about itˇ­ A moment later, Teng Fen kicked Zhao Yimou and sent him flying away. At the same moment, Li Jing punched Hong Mei who was also ejected. "Enough! The winners are Teng Fen and Li Jing!" Announced Shao Qun. All the spectators were dumbfounded by Teng Fen''s performance. They all thought that he was just a trash with an E-grade talent that didn''t deserve to be heir to a Great Clan but he easily beat an opponent two levels higher than him, and not any opponents but the heir of the powerful Zhao clan! "I didn''t expect the heir of the Teng clan to be so skilled!" Exclaimed someone. "Sure he is skilled but how did he beat someone two levels higher than him so easily?" Asked someone else. Zhao Yimou and Hong Mei got up from the ground and felt deeply humiliated. Not only them but their parents too felt humiliated. They were supposed to be the first and second strongest Great Clan but their son and daughter were effortlessly beaten by Teng Fen and Li Jing. "Brother Fen, I didn''t expect you to cheat." Suddenly said Zhao Yimou, smiling. "What do you mean?" Asked Teng Fen, frowning. "You used a treasure to beat me." Said Zhao Yimou, still smiling. Zhao Yimou had a very good reputation in the city while Teng Fen was known as a troublemaker and arrogant person so no one doubted Zhao Yimou''s words. "So, he used a treasure. That explains a lot." Said one of the young. "If Teng Fen cheated, he should be disqualified!" Said another one. "Zhao Yimou, how dare you accuse my son?" Exclaimed Teng Fen''s father, Teng Wei. "Brother Wei, we should let the young generation solve their problem between them." Said Zhao Yimou''s father, Zhao Jian. Teng Wei gritted his teethˇ­ Of course, this situation was advantageous for the Zhao clan''s reputationˇ­ Teng Fen crossed his arms and looked at Zhao Yimou with disdain. "I don''t need a treasure to beat someone as weak as you." He said. "Teng Fen, it''s obvious that you used a treasure or you couldn''t have beaten Brother Yimou. Admit it now!" Exclaimed Hong Mei. Li Jing didn''t plan to interfere at first but he couldn''t stand this ridiculous situation anymoreˇ­ 44 End of the banque Li Jing was listening to everyone''s ridiculous accusations against Teng Fen and felt that he should intervene. Firstly, because it was better for Teng Fen to consider him an ally rather than suspecting him, and secondly because no one knew him in the city, so he wanted to use this situation to build his reputation. He knew that he would probably offend the Hong clan and the Zhao clan by intervening but he didn''t care because with his current strength, only a dozen people were stronger than him in the kingdom and these people would never do anything against him. "Brother Yimou, do you have proof that Brother Fen used a treasure?" He asked, loud enough for everyone to hear. Zhao Yimou was slightly surprised, he didn''t expect that someone would speak for Teng Fen. He turned towards Li Jing and smiled. "I don''t. But without treasure, he would not have been able to beat me." He said with confidence. "Since you''re so sure of it, tell us. What kind of treasure did he use?" Said Li Jing. "Heˇ­ He used a Strength Talisman!" Answered Zhao Yimou. "Oh? The Strength Talisman is only effective during a few minutes. Did anyone of you see him using it during the fight?" Said Li Jing, addressing the people around him. The people around them started to discuss and realized that what Li Jing said was true, they didn''t see Teng Fen used any kind of treasure during the fight. To activate a Strength Talisman, a cultivator needed to shatter it by injecting his Qi inside itˇ­ "He must have used it before the fight!" Said Hong Mei. "I was sitting next to him since the start of the banquet and can witness that he didn''t use anything before the fight." Said Li Jing. No one could retort what Li Jing said and an awkward silence followed. "Alright, that''s enough. Let''s not forget that this is the king''s birthday." Said Shao Qun. "We apologize, Your Majesty." Exclaimed Someone. Everyone else apologized to the king after that. Actually, the king and a lot of patriarchs and leaders knew that Teng Fen didn''t cheat but they didn''t intervene because they wanted to let the youngs solve the problem themselves. "It''s fine. Let''s resume the music and enjoy the wine!" After the king had said these words, the banquet continued as if nothing had happened. Li Jing sighed. Teng Fen always attracted trouble on him even if he didn''t do anything, it was one of the reasons why he didn''t want to befriend him. Teng Fen watched Li Jing as he sat down at his table. He obviously didn''t need anyone to speak for him but he was slightly surprised that Li Jing took the risk to go against the other Great Clans to defend him while he could have stayed quiet and neutral. Even if it was something insignificant, Teng Fen always repaid evil with evil and rewarded kindness with kindness. Hong Mei was furious but tried her best to hide it. Because of Li Jing, she had just missed a good opportunity to make Teng Fen pay for the humiliation she suffered a few days ago. Worst, today she even lost face by being easily beaten by him in front of everyone. She will have to make these two pay for this affront. Zhao Yimou kept his usual smile on his face but inside he was boiling with anger. He never felt so humiliated in his life. Today, he has been effortlessly beaten by a trash and the perfect reputation he had built for so many years has been shattered because Li Jing basically called him a liar in front of everyone. He will never forgive themˇ­ Teng Fen sat at his table next to Li Jing and stayed silent for a moment before talking to him. He wanted to know why he chose to antagonize the Hong clan and the Zhao clan instead of taking their side. "Why did you help me?" He asked. "Well, you clearly didn''t cheat but they accused you. These two are too arrogant and schemingˇ­" Li Jing really didn''t like these two villains when he read the web novel. "How can you be sure that I didn''t cheat? After all, I don''t have a good reputation in the city." "That''s right. But after discussing with you, I realized that you were different from what people say about you. So I assumed the rumors about you were false." Said Li Jing. He actually always wondered how the people around Teng Fen never realized that he was a different person. They just magically accepted that overnight he changed from a stupid arrogant young master to someone super strong and knowledgeable. "I see. Then, I suppose that I should thank you." They stayed silent for a moment before Teng Fen remembered something important. "By the way, do you still have the Mysterious Box you bought during the auction?" He asked. Li Jing had expected Teng Fen to ask questions about the Mysterious Box and had already prepared a lie. Of course, lying to someone tens of thousands of years old was not easy but Li Jing knew everything about Teng Fen so lying to him was easier for him. He has read his story for more than five years, he knew his way of thinking, and he knew his weaknesses and strengths. Therefore, he was confident that he could lie to him without being spotted. "Yes, I still have it. Why?" He said. "I''m wondering if you have been able to open it." Said Teng Fen. "No. Unfortunately, I still haven''t been able to open it." Said Li Jing, shaking his head. Hearing this, Teng Fen frowned. He couldn''t tell if Li Jing was lying or not but he found it strange that he hasn''t been able to open it. The box was crafted using the Blood Binding Forging technique which was common in the Immortal World. Could it be that his theory was false and that there was not someone from the Immortal World in the Li clan? He still couldn''t tell for sure and needed to elaborate a plan to spot that person if he existed. "I''m also quite curious about this box and want to try to open it. Can you sell it to me?" Asked Teng Fen. "Actually, my father and grandfather are also curious about this box and are still trying to open it. But I can ask them if they want to sell it after their attempts." Said Li Jing, smiling. "Then, I''ll trouble you." Said Teng Fen. Of course, Li Jing will just drag this matter until he or Teng Fen will leave the kingdom. That way, Teng Fen will never know what he really missed. ˇ­ Time passed quickly and it was already night. The guests started to leave the banquet one after the other and soon it was time for Li Jing to leave as he saw his father and grandfather walking towards him. "Well, it was nice to meet you Brother Fen. It seems like I have to go." He said. Teng Fen nodded and Li Jing walked away with Li Bai and Li Zhang towards their carriage after politely bidding farewell to the king. Inside the carriage, Li Bai was glaring at his son intently. "What''s wrong?" Asked Li Jing. "Are you sure that it was a good idea to offend the Zhao clan and the Hong clan for a good-for-nothing like Teng Fen?" Said Li Bai. "I did what was right, he didn''t cheat." Lied Li Jing. "You are too kind, just like your motherˇ­" Said Li Bai, sighing. Hearing this reminded Li Jing of his mother in his previous world, he actually missed her a lot. The last time they talked she was yelling at him and he was completely ignoring herˇ­ He wondered if she was fine and if she was able to accept his deathˇ­ Around an hour later, they finally arrived, Li Jing got out of the carriage and immediately walked towards his bedroom. He had a lot of plans to make for the future. 45 Epic Lottery Ticke Li Jing was sitting cross-legged and eyes closed in the middle of his bedroom. He was currently reviewing the events of the day to be sure that he hadn''t made any major mistakes. A moment later, he opened his eyes and a serious expression could be seen on his face. It seemed that for now he was fine but Teng Fen would surely keep an eye on him and his clan so he should avoid acting recklessly and stay discreet for a while. As for the Zhao clan and the Hong clan, he will just ignore them. If the story goes on like in the web novel, Teng Fen will destroy these two clans in a few months so he didn''t need to waste his time with them. Thinking about the future, Li Jing remembered that he still had to make a decision concerning princess Wang Qing Yue. In exactly four days she will fall into a coma and the king will summon the leaders of the four Great Clans as well as the most knowledgeable alchemists of the city to cure her. Teng Fen will be there, accompanying his father. The last time Li Jing wondered if he should be selfish and sacrifice her future for his own interest. He decided that yes, he should be selfish. Since his goal was to reach the apex, collateral damages were inevitable. However, after today''s interaction with Teng Fen, he wondered if it was a good idea to save her since it will attract his attention. Sure, the treasure inside the treasure room of the king was good but it was not a heaven-defying treasure. It was an artifact called Qi Refining Bracelet. A cultivator who wore this bracelet while cultivating had his cultivation speed greatly increased. In addition, the bracelet purified the Qi absorbed by the cultivator making the Qi inside his dantian extremely pure. When Teng Fen chose this bracelet in the web novel, the king didn''t know its ability and thought that it was just a gold bracelet since there was a special way to activate itˇ­ Li Jing wasn''t sure that the purifying effect of the bracelet would work on him since the Qi he absorbed while cultivating directly went to his system and not to his dantian. It meant that the bracelet will only serve to increase his cultivation speed. Moreover, he also didn''t need to have the princess by his side since her unique gift was only useful two or three times in the web novel. So, was saving Wang Qing Yue worth the risks and the efforts? Clearly, no. Teng Fen could keep this treasure and the girl, Li Jing had another treasure in mind. A much more interesting treasure. But before going on a treasure hunt, he still needed to absorb more than four hundred thousand Spirit Stones to buy an Epic Lottery Ticket. He decided to start absorbing them right now. ˇ­ Three days and a half later, He finally finished absorbing the Spirit Stones. Li Jing sighed. Absorbing these Spirit Stones took far too much timeˇ­ He still had around ten thousand of them in his blood ring but he decided to keep them for later because inspecting his status screen, he saw that he currently had 510,676 Experience Points and could, therefore, buy an Epic Lottery Ticket. ''Buy one Epic Lottery ticket.'' He thought. [500000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 10676.] [Host received 1 item: 1x Epic Lottery ticket. The item has been stored in Host inventory.] Opening it, a new notification appeared. [Congratulations! Host received the item: Martial technique: Tyrannical Fist of the Nine Voids (epic). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Tyrannical Fist of the Nine Voids Type: Martial technique Grade: Heaven (Peak) Description: Deal a tyrannical blow that transcends the Nine Voids and shatters time and space. ] Li Jing recognized this Martial technique, it was a technique created by Lu Hong, the Immortal Emperor of the Nine Voids, an antagonist in the web novel. It was said that this technique was unavoidable, unblockable, and undefendable. Too bad for Lu Hong, Teng Fen already had his Astral Body when he fought him so his body was indestructibleˇ­ Li Jing pondered if he should keep this Martial technique or exchange it for a bloodline as he planned to do. Sure it was a very powerful technique and with it, he would be able to easily kill Immortal Emperors once he would get enough strength. But before that, it was pretty useless because he didn''t need such a powerful technique to kill someone with his current strength. Furthermore, by the time he would reach the Immortal Emperor realm, he would have probably already obtained Divine-grade Martial techniques from his system. However, a bloodline would be useful to him right now and in the future. ''Exchange the item: Martial technique: Tyrannical Fist of the Nine Voids (epic) for a bloodline.'' He thought. [Exchange completed. The item: Martial technique: Tyrannical Fist of the Nine Voids (epic) has been removed from Host''s inventory.] [Congratulations! Host received the item: Bloodline: Soul Devourer Evil Boar (epic). The item has been stored in Host inventory.] [ Name: Soul Devourer Evil Boar Type: Bloodline Grade: Epic Description: The Soul Devourer Evil Boar is physically weak but its natural affinity for Dark Qi allows it to absorb the soul of its victims to gain their skills. Effects: Host absorbs the soul of his human victims, increasing the strength of his soul and retaining the memories and skills of his victims. Strength + 2000 Jin. ] ''Excellent, this bloodline is a perfect combination for my Dark Qi!'' Thought Li Jing, excited. Outside of the Nascent Soul realm, the only way a cultivator had to increase the strength of his soul was to consume treasures or gain life experience through the years. Thus, the older a cultivator was, the higher the strength of his soul was. The strength of the soul was different from Soul Power. The Soul Power determined a cultivator''s comprehension capacity while the strength of the soul increased the power and the resistance of soul attacks. Increasing the strength of the soul was only useful for those who used Dark Qi or for those who wanted to protect themselves from Dark Qi. ''Use item: Bloodline: Soul Devourer Evil Boar.'' He thought. [Alert: a Boar Bloodline is already active. The system will merge the two bloodlines before activationˇ­] [The bloodlines Iron Boar and Soul Devourer Evil Boar have been merged. New bloodline created: Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar] [ Name: Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar Type: Bloodline Grade: Epic (Variant) Description: The Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar is a variant version of the Soul Devourer Evil Boar with a strong and resistant metal body. Effects: Host absorbs the soul of his human victims, increasing the strength of his soul and retaining the memories and skills of his victims. Strength + 5000 Jin. Each soul absorbed also increases Host''s strength by an amount depending on the cultivation realm of the victim. (Qi Gathering + 5 Jin, Foundation Establishment + 50 Jin, Golden Core + 500 Jin, Nascent Soul + 5000 Jinˇ­) ] Li Jing didn''t even have time to be surprised that a strong pain struck him and forced him to fall to the ground. The pain was as strong as the one he felt when he activated his Wyvern bloodline but thanks to his strong body, he was able to bear it the few minutes it lasted. [Host has obtained a new bloodline: Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar.] Once the pain stopped, Li Jing took a deep breath and slowly stood up from the ground, a dumbfounded expression could be seen on his face. Merging bloodlines? Since when was it possible? Such a function was not mentioned in the tutorial of the system! Well, he didn''t complain. With this new bloodline, he now had a new way to become stronger. 46 Decision Now that Li Jing had a bloodline that allowed him to gain the skills of his victims, he absolutely wanted to test it. Coincidentally, the treasure he planned to obtain was in a bandit hideout. It was located in the Relentless Mountain. Inside this mountain was hidden a powerful bandit group known as the Black Tiger. The treasure coveted by Li Jing was buried under the hideout of these bandits but they actually had no idea about it! This treasure was left behind by a cultivator who failed to ascend to the Immortal World a few thousand years ago, before even the foundation of the Sky Jade Kingdom. To ascend to the Immortal World, it was necessary to survive a Heavenly Tribulation which took the form of a lightning storm, with twelve extremely powerful bolts of lightning raining down from the Heavens to strike at the cultivator. A Heavenly tribulation was not easy to overcome and unfortunately for him, the cultivator failed to overcome it and was severely injured. He took refuge in the Relentless Mountain and hid his most valuable treasure there. Then, he spent the rest of his lifespan searching for a way to try to ascend once again but died before finding it. In the web novel, a few days after Teng Fen saved the princess, he went to venture outside the city for a month to temper his body. During that time, he met a man who claimed to be a descendant of this cultivator. This man and his sister were searching for the treasure left by their ancestor in the Relentless Mountain. However, the man''s sister was kidnapped by the Black Tiger bandits during the search and he had to ask Teng Fen for help because he was not strong enough to save her. Now, Li Jing will go to the Relentless Mountain before all of them, eradicate the Black Tiger bandits, and take the treasure for him. This treasure will greatly strengthen Li Jing so he decided that after he would obtain it and upgrade his dragon bloodline, he would consider leaving the kingdom. He didn''t want to always follow the plot of the web novel and wanted to find his own opportunities. He estimated that after his bloodline upgrade, he would be strong enough to venture the world. Li Jing started to make a plan in his mind and once he was satisfied, he decided that before going to the Relentless Mountain, he will first consume the pills he had. Currently, he had around 3200 Qi Gathering Pills and 20 Qi Condensing Pills. One Qi Gathering Pill gave him 30 XP and one Qi Condensing Pill gave him 150 XP. Li Jing took out the pills from his blood ring and started to consume them one after the other. ˇ­ A day later. It was a little past noon when Li Jing had finally consumed the last pill. After that, he displayed his status screen to see his progress. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 110066 XP / hour: 42 Strength: 16210 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Qi Gathering V (XP: 0/18000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar], [Lesser Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery], [Exchange] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist], [Dark Command] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath] --------------------------] This time, he will keep his Experience Points to increase his Qi cultivation realm. His goal was to reach the Foundation Establishment realm as soon as possible. Once he reached that realm, he would unlock his Divine Sense and would be able to scan his surrounding. This ability will greatly increase his survivability. Li Jing stood up and left his bedroom. Early this morning, Wang Qing Yue should have fallen into a coma so his father should be with the king right nowˇ­ Outside, Li Hua was waiting for her Young Master to come out of his bedroom. She had an important message for him but didn''t dare to disrupt him because he asked that no one disturb him a few days ago. A moment later, she saw that Li Jing left his bedroom and immediately called out to him. "Young Master, something happened in the Royal Palace and the king summoned your father a few hours ago." She said, anxious. "Do you know what happened?" Asked Li Jing, although he knew the reason. "No, but it seemed urgent." She answered, shaking her head. "Alright, we will wait for his return then. By the way, I need a detailed map of the kingdom and a map of the Southern Border Continent. Do you think you can get them for me?" He asked. "Ah? Hmmˇ­ Yes, I think I know where I can get them. But why do you need a map?" She said, surprised "Because I need to find a place, of course. Please get them now, I need to see my grandfather in the meantime." He said, smiling. Li Hua nodded and went away while Li Jing walked towards the patriarch''s courtyardˇ­ Li Zhang was already very old and knew that he wouldn''t be able to breakthrough the Nascent Soul realm before his death since he was stuck in the third level of the Golden Core realm for more than fifty years. Therefore, most of his time was spent helping his son managing the affairs of the clan rather than cultivating. He was peacefully sitting at a table reading a book in his studying room when a servant told him that his grandson wished to see him. Li Zhang smiled and told the servant to let his grandson enter his study room. "Jing''er, you wanted to see me?" He asked. "Yes, grandfather. The Mysterious Alchemist came to see me and wanted to make a deal with our clan." Li Jing took out four Earth-grade spiritual weapons, two swords, a saber, and a spear from his spatial ring and placed them in the table in front of Li Zhang. These were obviously the weapons he obtained from the inheritance of the Devil Monarch Zhang Mo. "He wants to exchange these four Earth-grade weapons for 50,000 Spirit Stones, 1500 tier-2 Demonic Cores, and as much Qi Condensing Pills and Qi Gathering Pills as we can get." Said Li Jing. Li Zhang''s eyes shone when he saw the four weapons. These were real Earth-grade spiritual weapons! The clan only had one of them and it was considered as one of its most valuable treasures. Of course, Li Zhang was an experienced man so he immediately regained his composure. He wondered for a moment the reason why this Mysterious Alchemist wanted to exchange these invaluable weapons for some common items but he couldn''t find any logical reasonˇ­ "What he asked is not a small sum, we should wait for your father''s return before deciding." He said. "But grandfather, the Mysterious Alchemist said that it was urgent and will come back in an hour to either get the weapons back or the items he asked." Said Li Jing. Hearing this, Li Zhang stroked his long grey beard and thought about it for a momentˇ­ He was sure that his son would accept this deal, it was, after all, a unique occasion to make the clan stronger. "Alright, follow me to the Storage Hall." He said. 47 Foundation Establishment realm Li Jing and Li Zhang arrived in front of a small building after a few minutes of walking. The Storage Hall was the most protected place in the clan. In addition to many guards, it was also protected by a powerful and deadly Array Formation that could only be deactivated by the clan leader or the clan patriarch. Li Zhang deactivated the Array Formation by injecting his Qi inside it and both him and Li Jing entered the building. Li Jing wondered why the Storage Hall was not a huge building but everything became clear when he saw its inside. The Storage Hall was actually one big room filled with several shelves and, on each shelf, was inscribed the name of the category of an item. Every item was stored inside spatial rings sorted by category. Li Zhang walked towards the shelf ''Spirit Stones'' and took out from the spatial ring five large boxes with the number ''10000'' written on it. "Here are the 50000 Spirit Stones." He Said, pointing the five boxes. Li Jing nodded and stored the Spirit Stones inside his own spatial ring. Then, he followed his grandfather towards the shelf ''Tier-2 Demonic Cores''. One thousand five hundred Tier-2 Demonic Cores was a lot even for the powerful Li clan and represented almost three-quarters of their reserve. It was because the number of cultivators in the clan who could kill a tier-2 Demonic Beasts was limited. Moreover, the price of these cores was very high so it was not worth buying them from outsideˇ­ Finally, after giving the 1500 Demonic Cores to Li Jing, Li Zhang walked towards the shelf where the pills were stored. "Considering the market price of the Earth-grade weapons, I can give him 4500 Qi Gathering Pills. However, we currently only have 300 Qi Condensing Pills in our reserve since these pills are still new." Li Zhang hoped that it would be enough. He didn''t want to offend this Mysterious Alchemist and, on the contrary, wanted to gain his favor. Li Jing was satisfied, with all these pills he would be able to breakthrough the Foundation Establishment realm immediately. He stored the boxes containing the pills in his spatial ring and thanked his grandfather before walking back to his bedroom. Inside his courtyard, he saw Li Hua who seemed to wait for him. "Young Master, I found the maps!", She exclaimed when she saw him. "Good job, Sister Hua." He said, smiling and taking the maps from Li Hua. She found them faster than he expected. Li Jing entered his bedroom and started consuming the pills he just receivedˇ­ Three hours later, Li Jing had not yet consumed all the pills but someone knocked at his bedroom door. "Young Master, your father is back and wants to see you. It''s urgent." Said Li Hua, anxious. Li Jing assumed that his father wanted to see him to talk about princess Wang Qing Yue and the deal with the Mysterious Alchemist. He left his bedroom and walked towards his father''s courtyard. Inside the main hall, Li Jing saw his father and grandfather sitting in their armchair and talking. Judging by their facial expression, they seemed to be very angry. Li Jing greeted them and Li Bai turned to him. "Today, the princess fell into a coma and no one was able to cure her except this trash Teng Fen. He said that a mysterious alchemist came to see him this morning to tell him how to cure her. What does that mean? I thought we had a contract with this mysterious alchemist!" He said. Hearing this, Li Jing was surprised. In the web novel, Teng Fen said that he read the method to cure the princess in an old book. "We can''t trust this Mysterious Alchemist anymore. From now on, we won''t make any deal with him and if he wants to get the Spirit Stones from the sale of the Qi Condensing Pills, he will have to see me directly and show me his face." Continued Li Bai. Li Bai wasn''t afraid of this man. He already realized that if this Mysterious Alchemist was that strong, he wouldn''t hide and instead reveal his identity to everyone. It was more probable that he had a kind of treasure that allowed him to be undetectable. Li Jing understood that Teng Fen''s plan was to create discord between his clan and the Mysterious Alchemist to force him to reveal himselfˇ­ He couldn''t prove to his father that Teng Fen lied or that it was another mysterious alchemist who talked to him. Moreover, Li Bai was a stubborn man so it was useless to try to change his mind. "I understand. What about the king and the princess? What did they do?" Asked Li Jing. "The king is very intrigued and wants to meet the Mysterious Alchemist to thank him personally. The princess is fine, she''s very grateful to that person and also wants to meet himˇ­ I''m sure that this Mysterious Alchemist wants to get closer to the royal family. He just used our clan and the Teng clan to gain money and fame." Answered Li Bai, furious. So, Teng Fen didn''t get the treasure and the princess was not interested in him, it was a very good outcome for Li Jing. However, it seemed that he won''t be able to use the identity of the Mysterious Alchemist anymore. Fortunately, he already obtained all the items he needed just before his father came back. "I understand, father. Next time the Mysterious Alchemist comes to see me, I will tell him to see you." Said Li Jing. "Good." Li Jing bade farewell to his father and grandfather and walked back to his bedroom, he still had a lot of pills to absorb. ˇ­ The next day. It was noon when Li Jing finished consuming all the pills. He now had 290,066 Experience Points, more than enough to breakthrough the Foundation Establishment realm! However, before spending his Experience Points, he first took out the Qi Concealment Ring from his blood ring and put it on the index finger of his left hand. This ring was one of the artifacts he obtained from the demonic inheritance and could hide the cultivation realm of a cultivator by making it appear five levels lower. That way, when Li Jing will breakthrough the Foundation Establishment realm, everyone will only see him in the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realm. ''Use 155000 XP to increase my Qi cultivation realm.'' He thought. [155000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 135066.] Li Jing suddenly felt an overwhelming energy passing through his whole body and moving towards his dantian. A moment later, he felt like this raging energy was trying to break a wall in his dantian by repetitively crashing onto it. Bang! As a loud bang resonated, the wall inside his dantian finally broke and the powerful energy invaded it. It was the sign that Li Jing successfully breakthrough the Foundation Establishment realm. [Congratulations! Host has reached the first level of the Foundation Establishment realm.] 48 Second bloodline upgrade [Congratulations! Host has reached the first level of the Foundation Establishment realm.] Li Jing smiled widely when he saw this notification. He knew that without his powerful system it would have taken him years to reach this realm. Before being able to breakthrough this realm, a normal cultivator needed to understand the concept of Divine Sense and slowly unlocking it. A lot of cultivators couldn''t understand how to unlock their Divine Sense and were therefore stuck in the Qi Gathering realm. Basically, Divine Sense was an ability that allowed cultivators to scan their surroundings with their spirit. The cultivators could extend their spirit out of their body to see, hear, and become aware of the area where they extended their spirit at a level far beyond the limits of their ordinary five senses. In the Foundation Establishment realm, each level not only increased the strength of the cultivators by 1000 Jin but also increased the range they could extend their spirit while using their Divine Sense. ''Alright, let''s try my Divine Sense.'' He thought. Li Jing focused on extending his spirit out of his body and a second later his perception entirely changed. He could now see and feel everything around him just like he was omnipresent! However, the range seemed to be limited to twenty-five meters for now. He deactivated his Divine Sense and nodded in approval, this ability was really amazing. Next, he displayed his status screen to see his new strength. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 135066 XP / hour: 42 Strength: 17710 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Foundation Establishment I (XP: 0/40000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: B-grade Bloodlines: [Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar], [Lesser Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery], [Exchange] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist], [Dark Command] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath] --------------------------] Satisfied, Li Jing now thought about his next step. If the storyline had not changed, Teng Fen would leave the city in three days. That left him enough time to upgrade his bloodline. He decided that it was safer to upgrade his bloodline now, before leaving the clan. So, he took out the boxes containing the tier-2 Demonic Cores and placed them in front of him. He took one of the cores in his hand, it looked exactly like a tier-1 core: a glowing black pearl. Then, he ate it without hesitation. ˇ­ A day later. Li Jing held in his hand the 1500th Demonic Cores but before eating he mentally prepared. He had the feeling that this upgrade would be extremely painfulˇ­ A few seconds later, he ate the core and a screen appeared before his eyes. [Host has met the requirement to evolve the Lesser Thunder Dragon bloodline.] [Initialization of the evolution...] As he expected, the moment the notification appeared, an overpowering pain assaulted his body. Small blue glowing scales suddenly covered his skin and the powerful roar of a dragon resonated in his head as an overwhelming pressure forced him to lie down on the ground. Li Jing was in so much pain that his complexion became ashen. Lying on the ground, his eyes closed, he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out. This pain was similar to his whole body being crushed, stabbed, and struck by lightning repeatedly. He felt like he was dying! He stayed in this state for several minutes that seemed hours for him until, finally, the small scales disappeared, the roar in his head stopped, and the pain subsided. [The Lesser Thunder Dragon bloodline has successfully evolved.] [The Lesser Thunder Dragon bloodline has become Minor Thunder Dragon bloodline.] [New bloodline skill unlocked: Dragon''s Talent. Lifespan increased by 400 years. Strength increased by 15000 Jin. Host''s skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs have been strengthened.] [ Name: Dragon''s Talent Type: Bloodline skill Description: Increase Host''s talent by one grade. ] Li Jing breathed heavily as his whole body was still shaking. He really thought that he would not survive this timeˇ­ [Perk Full Recovery activated. Host''s strength +20%.] [Minor Thunder Dragon bloodline evolution stage: 2/10 (consume 50 Demonic Cores of Wyvern-type Demonic Beast to reach the third evolution)] He slowly stood up and examined the screen before his eyes. Wyvern-type Demonic Beast only lived in the Central Continent. Furthermore, they were very strong tier-3 Demonic Beasts with a strength higher than 60000 Jin! It seemed like he wouldn''t be able to upgrade his bloodline anytime soonˇ­ Next, Li Jing inspected his body and it seemed that it still had not physically changed. However, he clearly felt far stronger than before. ''Status.'' He thought. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 135066 XP / hour: 84 Strength: 39252 Jin Qi cultivation realm: Foundation Establishment I (XP: 0/40000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Talent: A-grade Bloodlines: [Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar], [Minor Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery], [Exchange] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist], [Dark Command] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath], [Dragon''s Talent] --------------------------] With his new strength, Li Jing was now as strong as someone in the third level of the Golden Core realm. Moreover, the increase of his talent was truly amazing! Between the E-grade talent and the A-grade talent, each grade of talent double the cultivation speed of a cultivator. Now that his strength drastically increased, he was ready to go to the Relentless Mountain. The treasure he coveted was actually the sealed egg of a powerful variant Demonic Beast from the Immortal World. In the web novel, it was explained that the powerful cultivator whose name was Xiang Ding found the egg in the Inheritance Realm left by a True Immortal in the North Continent. This True Immortal had many enemies in the Immortal World and was seriously injured by them. To survive, he had to hide in this Mortal World. Unfortunately, the wound he had was too serious and he died not long after he left his Inheritance Realm in this world. Leaving an Inheritance Realm was common for cultivators, it was a way for them to pass their last wish and not to be forgotten. Xiang Ding was actually originated from the North Continent and was a talentless cultivator until he found and used the inheritance of the True Immortal. Thanks to that he has been able to reach the Ascension realm but failed to pass the Heavenly Tribulation. The only item of the inheritance left was the egg because he had no idea how to unseal it. It meant that it stayed sealed until now. To obtain the egg, Teng Fen lied to the brother and sister who were the descendants of Xiang Ding by saying that it was sealed forever and no one would be able to open it. Of course, since these two were grateful to him for having saved them from the bandits, they didn''t doubt his word and let him keep itˇ­ Later in the story, Teng Fen left the Demonic Beast to his clan and it became the guardian of the Teng clan when he left the kingdom to venture the world. Li Jing, for his part, obviously intended to keep the Demonic Beast for him and use it as a battle petˇ­ Now that he was ready, he took out the map of the Sky Jade Kingdom given by Li Hua and started to inspect it. According to the map, the Relentless Mountain was located northwest of the city and the trip there would likely take about two days on horseback. He just had to go to his father and tell him that he would be leaving town for a few days. 49 Half a day Li Jing left his bedroom and walked towards his father''s courtyard. But on the way, he was stopped by Li Hua who called him from behind. "Young Master, wait! Are you going to see your father?" She asked. "Yes, why?" He answered. "He is not here. The clan leader and the clan patriarch have been summoned by the king." "Do you know why?" "I think the king is supposed to announce the coming of some people of the Heavenly Jewel Empire or something like that." Li Jing nodded. According to the timeline, the four generals from the Heavenly Jewel Empire should be here in a day or two. He actually had a plan for them but if he decided to leave the kingdom after getting his pet, he could just ignore them. "Do you know when they will come back?" He asked. "Probably tonight." She answered, not sure of her. Hearing this, Li Jing sighed, he had planned to leave immediately but because of this, he will lose half a dayˇ­ If he left the clan without the consent of his father, his shadow guards would follow him and it was not what he wantedˇ­ Since he had half a day free, Li Jing thought about how to take advantage of it. He decided that he would train with his daggers and finally learn the Martial technique Power Slash. He got this technique in the Martial Art Pavilion of his clan but still hadn''t trained it since then. With this Martial technique, he would be able to launch Qi slashes with his daggers. It was not a powerful technique but it was a ranged attack and Li Jing lacked this type of attack. He also decided that he would not train in the training ground of his courtyard but instead, he would train in the training ground common to the whole clan. It was because according to the memories of the original owner of his body, there were special training dummies there that used Wood Qi to regenerate themselves after being destroyed. They made perfect targets for training his Martial technique and his aim. Li Jing walked towards the training ground of his clan. It was located at the back of the clan compound and was as large as a football field on Earth. Many people could train there at the same time. Once he arrived there after a few minutes of walking, he noticed that there were a lot of people around his age gathered in the middle of the field. At least twenty young people formed a circle and cheered and laughed loudly. Curious, he decided to go there to see what was going on. "What''s happening?" Asked Li Jing to the person closest to him. "Someone offended Young Master Zhiwang so he decided to teach him a lesson in front of everyone." Answered the young. Li Zhiwang was Li Jing''s cousin, he actually only met him once since he transmigrated in this world, during the day of the Awakening Ceremony. The original Li Jing almost never left his courtyard so very few people knew what he looked like. The only people who knew him were the ones who saw him during the Awakening Ceremony but there were only adults during that time except the young who participated in the ceremony. Li Jing approached the center of the circle, pushing a few people in his path, and saw his cousin facing another young of his age. This young could barely stand on his legs and his face was covered in blood. "Li Wei, will you admit it now?" Asked Li Zhiwang in an arrogant tone. "I didn''t do anything, there is nothing to admit." Stubbornly answered Li Wei. "Goodˇ­ It seems like I still have to beat you." Replied Li Zhiwang, furiously. Li Jing didn''t really understand what was going on between these two. He didn''t know Li Wei but he knew that Li Zhiwang was an arrogant brat. Li Zhiwang was about to punch Li Wei but he was interrupted by someone. "Li Zhiwang that''s enough!" Said a girl while walking towards them and helping Li Wei. Li Jing immediately recognized her, it was Li Yuan Yuan! "A trash like you has no right to tell me what to do." Said Li Zhiwang, smirking. Although she was a 1-star Alchemist, because of her D-grade talent she was nothing in Li Zhiwang''s eyes. After all, he had a B-grade talent and was one of the rare geniuses of the clan. "A trash? I will show you who is the trash!" Exclaimed Li Yuan Yuan. "Oh? Then why don''t we make a bet? If you can beat me, I will give you one hundred Qi Gathering Pills but if you lose, you''re mine for the whole night." He said with a lecherous smile and eying her perfect body. "Youˇ­ You''re disgusting!" She said, angrily. Some of the people here agreed with her but none of them dared to say anything. Li Zhiwang was the grandson of the patriarch of the clan and one word from him would be enough to destroy their future or worse. They were only here because Li Zhiwang''s lackeys forced them to comeˇ­ "So, you''re afraid now? As expected of a trash." He said to provoke her. Seeing that Li Yuan Yuan took the bait and was about to accept the fight, Li Jing used his Divine Sense and found out that she actually successfully breakthrough the seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm. But although she was one level higher than Li Zhiwang, it didn''t mean that she could beat him. Li Zhiwang trained and fought since he was young while Li Yuan Yuan mostly studied alchemist and the rare time she fought, she only used her poison. However, in this fight, she won''t be able to use her poison because it was a sparring between clan members so weapons and Martial techniques were forbidden. Li Yuan Yuan knew that her chance to win was not high but she couldn''t stand seeing this bully acting so arrogantly. She was about to accept the fight butˇ­ "Cousin Zhiwang, I didn''t expect you to bully the members of our clan!" Exclaimed someone. This person was obviously Li Jing. He decided to help Li Yuan Yuan firstly because Li Zhiwang, this bastard, disgusted him and secondly because he didn''t want Li Yuan Yuan to attract too much attention before he left the kingdom. If people found out that she found a Demonic Inheritance, it would be bad for him. Although he didn''t think that she would say anything, it was better to be safe than sorryˇ­ Everyone turned to the person who just spoke to see who had the courage to oppose Li Zhiwang, including Li Zhiwang himself. When she saw that this person was Li Jing, Li Yuan Yuan smiled widely. She knew that with him here, everything would be fine. She actually wanted to see him sooner to tell him that she brokethrough the seventh level but Li Jing had told her that no one should know that they met in the Dark Forest and found an inheritance so they should act like strangers. "Cousin Jing, it''s rare to see you outside of your courtyard." Said Li Zhiwang with a fake smile. He heard from his father that Li Jing received a special pill that allowed him to directly breakthrough the fifth level of the Qi Gathering realm and was very jealous of that. Why did Li Jing receive this pill and not him? He also had a B-grade talent! "Is he really Young Master Jing? It''s the first time I''m seeing him." Said someone. Everyone started to talk about Li Jing which angered Li Zhiwang since he gathered all these people to show off in front of them in the first place. "I was not bullying them, Cousin Jing. I just wanted to teach them an important lessonˇ­ By the way, I heard that you were already in the fifth level of the Qi Gathering realm. Why don''t we exchange pointers to enlighten everyone?" Said Li Zhiwang with a cunning smile. 50 Fighting Li Zhiwang In the middle of the large training ground of the Li clan, a group of people was gathered around two young boys who were facing each other. "Don''t worry Cousin Jing, I won''t use my full strength since I have a level higher than you. So, what do you think?" Said Li Zhiwang. His goal was to show to everyone that he was better than Li Jing. If his cousin refused to fight, he would be seen as a coward and if he accepted, he would beat him easily. "Well, since you want to fight, why don''t we also make a bet?" Asked Li Jing. "Are you sure you want to make a bet? It''s not because I will go easy on you that I will let you win." "Of course, I''m sure. Let''s say that the loser has to give 5000 Spirit Stones to the winner." Said Li Jing. If Li Jing asked more than 5000 Spirit Stones, his cousin wouldn''t be able to gather them before he left the city. Everyone was surprised by this bet. Five thousand Spirit Stones was a huge sum, none of them had ever seen that much Spirit Stones in their life. But they were even more surprised by Li Jing''s confidence in beating Li Zhiwang, wasn''t he supposed to be one level lower than him? Only Li Yuan Yuan knew that Li Jing could beat Li Zhiwang with nothing more than a finger. She was the only one who had seen his true strength and even now she still had no idea how he became so strong so fast. "Alright, I accept." Said Li Zhiwang, smiling. He didn''t hesitate to accept the fight because he was sure that his cousin was bluffing. Did Li Jing really think that he would refuse the fight because of five thousand Spirit Stones? What an idiotˇ­ Everyone moved aside to make room for them while Li Jing and Li Zhiwang got into a fighting stance. A moment later, Li Zhiwang rushed forward to kick at Li Jing but he dodged it with a quick step aside. He didn''t stop here and kicked Li Jing again who this time blocked it, grabbed his leg, and threw him effortlessly to the side. Li Zhiwang was very surprised by his cousin''s skills but he quickly got up, determined to show him what he was really capable of. However, Li Jing was not in front of him anymore?! "Behind you." Said Li Jing. He turned around immediately but before he could react, Li Jing sent him flying a few meters away with a powerful kick in his gut. "He is so fast! Did you see him move?" Asked one of the young. "Noˇ­ One second he was there and the next he was behind Young Master Zhiwang." Answered another one, shaking his head. Li Zhiwang who was lying on the ground spit a mouthful of blood and clenched his fists in anger. He couldn''t understand how there could be such a difference in power between him and Li Jing. Could it be that his cousin had received another special pill and already exceeded his cultivation realm? It was the only explanation he could think ofˇ­ He got up from the ground and stared at Li Jing with a murderous look. "Youˇ­ What is your real cultivation realm?" He asked, furiously. "I''m in the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realm." Simply said, Li Jing. "You''re lying! You wouldn''t be able to beat me if we had the same cultivation realm." Exclaimed Li Zhiwang. "It''s up to you to believe me or notˇ­ So, are you giving up or do you want to continue the fight?" Asked Li Jing. Immediately after hearing that, Li Zhiwang rushed towards Li Jing and jumped high in the air to punch his head, he wanted to use the sun to dazzle him so that he would not dodge his attack. However, for Li Jing''s enhanced senses, the dazzling rays of the sun were not a problem. He moved at the very last moment and let Li Zhiwang smash the ground. Then, he kicked his face and sent him flying away once again. Li Jing only used the minimum of his strength but he made sure that his cousin would lose consciousness with this kick. "Young Master Zhiwang!" "Young Master Zhiwang, are you alright?" Immediately after he lost consciousness, the three lackeys of Li Zhiwang ran towards him to see if he was fine. Seeing that he was no longer able to move, they carried him and prepared to take him to the clan infirmary. The Li clan had a lot of powerful medicines so Li Zhiwang won''t stay unconscious for too long. "Tell him to send me the 5000 Spirit Stones once he wakes up." Said Li Jing. The three of them glared angrily at Li Jing but didn''t dare to do anything and just nodded. Once they left, everyone approached Li Jing and praised him. "Young Master Jing is really strong!" "Yes, he beat Young Master Zhiwang in only a few moves!" Li Jing just ignored their praises, there was no merit in winning this match since he was far stronger than his cousin. Li Yuan Yuan walked towards Li Jing and smiled at him. "Thank you for helping us." She said. "No problem." He said, smiling and nodding. Then, Li Yuan Yuan walked towards Li Wei and helped him walk supporting him by placing his right arm over her shoulders. "I will take Li Wei to the clan infirmary, thank you again." She said, before leaving. "Alright everyone, I will start my training now so continue what you were doing before and don''t mind me." Said Li Jing. After he said that, some people left while others stayed either to train or to watch Li Jing train. Li Jing took out the jade slip containing the technique Power Slash and started reading it. Thanks to his high Soul Power, understanding and mastering this Mortal-grade Martial technique would be very easy for himˇ­ A quarter of an hour later, he had finished reading and memorizing the content of the jade slip. He was, therefore, ready to test his technique. He took out his Yellow-grade daggers and walked towards one of the training dummies place at the back of the training ground. There was a long line of at least ten training dummies so he chose one at random and stood a few meters from it. He charged his Qi inside the dagger in his right arm and slashed horizontally. A small crescent moon of blue-colored Qi quickly flew from the dagger towards the training dummy, beheading it! A few seconds later, the head of the training dummy regrew thanks to the Wood Qi inside it and Li Jing continued to test his technique, this time with his two daggers at the same time. [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Power Slash.] He only planned to stop his training once his father would come backˇ­ 51 Preparing for the journey After testing his Martial technique Power Slash for a few hours, Li Jing made many observations. There was no limit to the number of times he could use the technique as long as his Qi reserve was not empty. However, he could only launch one Qi slash per dagger at the same time. Moreover, the maximum range of the technique was ten meters, after that the Qi slash would dissipate. Thanks to these few hours of training and his high comprehension capacity, he already mastered the technique at the Large success stage! Li Jing estimated that he still had two or three hours before his father would come back so he decided to also train with his Martial techniques Instant Flash Step and Hammer Fist to reach the Large success stage with them... ˇ­ It was night when Li Hua finally announced to Li Jing that his father and grandfather were back. Hearing the good news, Li Jing immediately stopped his training and walked towards his father''s courtyard. Once he was there, he saw his father talking to his grandfather and greeted them. "Jing''er, it''s already late. Do you have something important to tell us?" Asked Li Bai. "Yes, father. I successfully brokethrough the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realm and want to go alone to the Dark Forest again tomorrow morning." He answered. He couldn''t tell that he actually wanted to go the Relentless Mountain because it was a place known to be inhabited by many bandits. "Oh? I thought that you wanted to talk about what you did to your cousin, his father was not happy to see him in the state in which you put himˇ­ Anyway, I can''t let you leave the city tomorrow." Said Li Bai. "Why?" Asked Li Jing, surprised. He didn''t expect his father to refuse, it wasn''t because of what he did to Li Zhiwang, right? "Tomorrow afternoon the four generals of the Heavenly Jewel Empire will be here, we must welcome them along with the other four Great Clans and the royal family." Answered Li Bai. "Can I not come? My presence should not be mandatory." Asked Li Jing. This event was not very important in the web novel so he thought that he could skip it. "No, you have to come. With your talent and your high cultivation realm, you will make a great impression on them and they can recommend you to join the Long Wu Academy." Joining the Long Wu Academy? Li Jing had never considered it. Although the Long Wu Academy was the best martial academy of the Heavenly Jewel Empire, he would be stuck there for two years if he joined it. Li Jing''s plan was to venture the world for some time and maybe later join the Heavenly Cloud Sect, the most powerful sect of this world located in the Central Continent. He didn''t want to lose his time in the Long Wu Academyˇ­ "Why do you want me to join the Long Wu Academy? I am the heir of the clan." Asked Li Jing. "Yes, but with your talent and the rate at which you progress, I know that this little kingdom will not be enough for you soon. If you join the academy you will have access to much better resources, techniques, and cultivation methods. I already discussed it with your grandfather and he agreed with me." Said Li Bai. Although Li Jing was grateful to his father for thinking of his future, his own plans were different. "I''m sorry father but I don''t want to join the academy and I don''t want to meet the four generals tomorrow either." He said. Li Bai was surprised to hear his son say something like that, he has always been obedient and filial. It was actually the first time that his son rejected what he saidˇ­ "Do you have a good reason for refusing to join the academy and meet the generals?" He asked. "Yes, I have. But I can''t tell you the reason for now, you have to believe in me." Answered Li Jing. Seeing the determined look on Li Jing''s face, Li Bai sighed. Years ago, he promised his wife that he would always care for and support their son so he would not force his decision on him. He has been hard and strict with his son these past few years to prepare him to be a future good leader, but now that he saw that he became more mature, he thought that he could trust him. "Alright, you can go. How long do you plan to stay there?" "Thank you, father. I think around a week, maybe a little more. And no need to prepare a carriage, I will take my horse." Said Li Jing. The original owner of his body actually had his own horse and perfectly knew how to ride one. Li Jing didn''t exactly plan to leave the kingdom immediately after he would obtain his pet. He needed to wait for the opening of the Inheritance Realm of Luo Renji, the founder of the Sky Jade Kingdom, in one month before leaving. It was because there, he would find the necessary items to evolve his pet from a tier-1 to a tier-3 Demonic Beast in addition to a fire-type cultivation method that would give him access to the fire elemental affinity. Li Bai nodded and Li Jing bade him and his grandfather farewell before going back to his courtyard to cultivate the whole night. ˇ­ The next morning, around an hour after the sun rose, Li Jing stopped cultivating and prepared a few things for the journey. He took some clothes without the ''Li'' name embroidered on them because he wanted to travel incognito and after a quick bath, he asked Li Hua to bring him some Food Replacement Pills. After half an hour, Li Hua was still not back with the pills and Li Jing was wondering if something happened. However, someone suddenly knocked on his bedroom door and he saw her come in with a large box in her hands. "Young Master, I saw one of Li Zhiwang''s lackey and asked him to prepare the five thousand Spirit Stones of the bet you won, that''s why I''m late." Explained Li Hua, giving him the large box and the bottle of pills. "Good job Sister Hua, you''re the best! By the way, I have something for youˇ­" Said Li Jing, smiling and giving her a Protection Talisman that he took out from his spatial ring. "I''m sure that Li Zhiwang will not dare to do anything against you but just in case always keep this Protection Talisman on you." He said. A Protection Talisman could be activated manually without needing to inject Qi in it. "What about you Young Master? It''s dangerous outside, you need it more than me." Said Li Hua, anxious. "Don''t worry about me, I have another one. Alright, I will go now, take care of yourself." He said with a reassuring smile. Li Hua nodded and bade him farewell. Then, Li Jing walked away towards the clan stables to prepare his horseˇ­ A few minutes of walking later, he finally arrived there and asked the stableman, a man in his fifties, to prepare his horse. His horse''s name was Yinglong, it was a majestic slender-limbed and muscled dark brown horse. The stableman already equipped it with a bridle on its mouth and a saddle on its back so it was ready to be mounted. Yinglong was not a Demonic Beast but it has been fed with only high-quality spiritual grasses since its birth so it was very fast and had very great stamina. After petting his horse for a moment, Li Jing mounted it. He was now ready to leave the city. 52 Green Jade City Before leaving, Li Jing carefully studied the map of the kingdom. The Relentless Mountain was located northwest of the White Jade City, it meant that he had to leave the city by the North Gate. Moreover, since the journey there would take around two days, he would also need to make a stop before nightfall. According to the map and his estimation, if he rode the whole day, he would be able to reach the Green Jade City before sunset. Li Jing left his clan compound and crossed the city on horseback. At this hour of the day, there were not a lot of people outside and only a few shops were already open or begun to set up for business. Since galloping was prohibited within the city, Li Jing had no other choice than to go to the North Gate by trotting and because his clan compound was quite far from this gate, it took him almost an hour to reach it. Finally, after showing his clan token to the guards in front of the gate, Li Jing was allowed to leave the Sky Jade City. After five minutes galloping along the road to the Green Jade City, he activated his Divine Sense to be sure that no one was following him. A lot of people had a reason to follow him, it could be the shadow guards of his clan, even though he believed that his father would keep his promise and let him go alone. It could also be assassins from the Hong or Zhao clan since he offended them. He knew that Hong Mei and Zhao Yimou were crazy enough to hire assassins to kill even the heir of a Great Clan, they did it for Teng Fen in the web novel. Finally, it could also be Teng Fen''s spies since he probably kept an eye on his clan. He confirmed that no one was following him for now but since the range of his Divine Sense was limited to twenty-five meters, he couldn''t tell for sure so he decided to activate it from time to timeˇ­ Li Jing thought that the landscape outside the city would be beautiful but it was actually quite empty. Sometimes he could see small villages in the distance but besides that, there was nothing else interesting to see except trees, pastures, and fields. There were also some people along the road, mostly merchant caravans and cultivators walking or riding horses but he just ignored them. ˇ­ While Li Jing was hitting the road, the royal family and the powerful clans of the White Jade City were all busy preparing for the arrival of the four generals from the Heavenly Jewel Empire. It was early in the afternoon when the city''s inhabitants saw a giant silver eagle flying over the city and heading towards the Royal Palace. Seeing this huge and imposing beast, they all gasped in surprise but none of them was afraid because they all knew who the owners of this beast were. This giant silver eagle was actually a Silver Cuirassed Eagle, a powerful tier-3 Demonic Beast. Four men releasing an imposing and domineering aura could be seen sitting on its back. They were obviously the four generals of the Heavenly Jewel Empire! Although a cultivator in the Nascent Soul realm could fly, it would have been much less impressive to enter the city like that than on the back of a powerful Demonic Beast. After all, one of their goals was to show the domination of their empire. The Silver Cuirassed Eagle landed in the middle of the Royal Palace and the four men got down of it. The king and the leaders of the four Great clans were already there to greet them. All the heirs were also here, except for Li Jing. Li Bai gave the excuse that he was in closed-door cultivation. "Welcome my lords, I hope you had a pleasant journey." Said the king. Each one of these generals was powerful enough to kill him and destroy the kingdom so he had to be very careful and polite with them. The four men nodded and introduced themselves one after the other. The strongest among them was named Zhuo Fan and looked to be in his thirties. He had a short beard, a small scar on the cheek, and his hair was tied into a bun attached by a luxurious accessory. He was in the Late stage of the first level of the Nascent Soul realm. The other three men were named Yi Zhen, Song Ming, and Xu Jian. However, contrary to Zhuo Fan, they looked to be in their seventies with grey hair and grey beard and were only in the Early stage of the first level of the Nascent Soul realm. The four generals all wore an impressive black and gold armor with two tigers'' heads as shoulder pads. In the middle of their armor chest, was engraved a golden diamond, the symbol of the Heavenly Jewel Empire. Once they finished their introduction, they followed the king towards the Reception Hall. A banquet had been prepared for them. ˇ­ After a day of riding at a rapid pace, Li Jing could finally see the walls of the Green Jade City in the distance. He arrived exactly at the time he had planned since the sun had just started to set. Li Jing thought that at this hour, the four generals of the Heavenly Jewel Empire should have already arrived in the White Jade City. In the web novel, it was during the banquet organized for them that princess Wang Qing Yue tried to befriend Teng Fen for the first time. But since the future has changed and she was now not interested in him, he doubted that it would happenˇ­ The Green Jade City belonged to the Sky Jade Kingdom therefore it was based on the same model as the White Jade City. It was led by the king''s cousin who acted as the City Lord, as well as the minor branches of the four Great Clans. The main differences were that this city was much smaller and less powerful than the White Jade City, which was normal since it was not the capital of the kingdom. To enter the city there were two ways. The first way was if someone was a merchant or a citizen of the Sky Jade Kingdom, in that case, they could freely enter the city. The other way was to pay one Spirit Stone to obtain a temporary pass to stay in it. Li Jing could have shown his clan token and even be hosted like a king in the branch of his clan but since he planned to travel incognito, he decided that he would pay the Spirit Stone to obtain the pass. After greeting the gatekeeper and paying one Spirit Stone, he received the pass and finally entered the Green Jade City. A few minutes later, Li Jing got off his horse. He noticed that the architecture of this city was exactly the same as the White Jade City. The buildings and houses were made of wood or stone and because it was almost night, there were not a lot of people in the streets. Now, he needed to find an inn to spend the night. 53 The Relentless Mountain Li Jing quickly found a small and discreet inn. He didn''t need a luxurious place since he will spend the whole night cultivating. He thought that by choosing a small inn he would avoid the usual arrogant young masters and their problems but he was wrong. As soon as he entered it, he saw a beautiful and frail girl about sixteen years old, violently beating three muscular men. "You three are not welcome in our inn anymore!" She yelled at the three men on the ground. The three men quickly stood up and left the inn with a horrified expression as if a monster was chasing them. Li Jing who attended the whole scene was speechless. This girl wasn''t even a cultivator but she beat these men rather easily. The man behind the counter who appeared to be the innkeeper looked at the girl and sighed. "Yun''er, If you keep chasing our customers, soon no one will want to come to our innˇ­" He said. "But father, did you see how they looked at me? These perverts deserved this beating!" She said. The innkeeper didn''t reply and let out a long sigh. He suddenly noticed Li Jing and smiled at him. "Welcome young man, I''m sorry that you had to witness this. Are you here to book a room or for dinner?" He asked. Li Jing walked towards the counter to answer the man. At least, he was now sure that there was no one else in the inn so he won''t be disturbed overnight. "I want to book a room for the night, please." He said. "A room costs two-fifths of a Spirit Stone per night. For three-fifths of a Spirit Stone, dinner and breakfast are also included." Explained the innkeeper. Li Jing pondered for a moment. It has been a long time since he ate any food, he usually relied on his Food Replacement Pills and he couldn''t eat his variant Demonic Beast in his clan or in public. Therefore, he decided that he will eat real food for once. "I will take a room with the meals included." He said while taking out a Spirit Stone and placing it on the counter before adding: "I left my horse outside the inn, can you please take care of it." "Of course. You can sit at the table of your choice, my daughter will bring you dinner soon." Said the innkeeper with a large smile. Since the inn was small, there were only five wooden tables. Li Jing chose the one on the far left and sat, waiting to be served. A few minutes later, the girl brought him a warm bowl of noodles with pork. "Thank you." He said, making sure to not look at her since she didn''t seem to like it. The girl didn''t say anything and returned to her occupations while Li Jing started to eat his noodles. For him, it seemed like forever since the last time he ate noodles, so he took his time to appreciate them. Thankfully, they were very good. A moment later, the girl came back and looked intently at Li Jing. "Is there a problem?" He asked. "You don''t look like a pervert." She said. "Huh? Thanks... I guess?" He said. "So, are you in the city to participate in the tournament organized by the City Lord Wang Sheng? You seem young enough to participate." She asked. "A tournament?" "You really didn''t hear about it? The City Lord organizes a tournament in four days to celebrate the wedding of his son. I heard that the prize will be an inestimable Body Strengthening Pill! Many people come to town to participate. However, there is an age restriction, only those between fourteen and eighteen years old can participate." She explained. Li Jing thought about it for a moment and realized that this tournament was not mentioned in the web novel because Teng Fen will not come to the Green Jade City before a week. "I see. It seems interesting, I will probably participate." He said, smiling. The Body Strengthening Pill was very rare and its effect was amazing, Li Jing will not refuse a way to become stronger. Since this tournament will take place in four days, it left him enough time to get his pet and come back hereˇ­ "Then why are you in this city if you didn''t even hear about the tournament?" She asked. "Personal business." Answered Li Jing. Hearing this, the girl looked annoyed but she didn''t insist and walked awayˇ­ Once Li Jing finished eating his noodles, the innkeeper was already back from taking care of his horse so he asked him to show him his room. He followed the man to his room that was located on the first floor of the inn and asked him not to be disturbed until the next morning. The room was pretty basic: a bed, a desk with a chair, and a small dresser, but it was more than enough for Li Jing. He sat cross-legged on the floor and started cultivating for the whole night. ˇ­ The next morning, Li Jing stopped cultivating early and prepared to leave the inn. After a quick breakfast, a bowl of rice porridge, he bade farewell to the innkeeper and his daughter and walked outside the inn towards his horse. Then, he took out his map and studied it. According to the map, he had to follow the north direction from this city to reach the Relentless Mountain and he should be there before nightfall if he didn''t stop on the way. Li Jing mounted his horse and started his journey. ˇ­ The sun has just started to set when he finally arrived. The journey had been uneventful but it was mainly because very few people dared to take the road leading to the Relentless Mountain. From his position, Li Jing looked up and could see it: the Relentless Mountain. The mountain rose on the horizon and was so huge that its peak seemed to pierce the sky. The base of the mountain was covered in a thick forest that had to be crossed to find the path to the bandits'' hidden hideout. Because this mountain was inhabited by many bandits, there were no villages or camps nearby. Therefore, Li Jing had no choice but to leave his horse at its base. After giving it some food, he attached it to a tree and entered the forest to start searching for a shelter. The nights in this world were very dark and in a forest, it was even worseˇ­ 54 The Black Tiger The Black Tiger was a group of bandit guilty of several serious crimes. Among them, there were the theft of goods, kidnapping of children and women, murders, and many other atrocities. In only thirty years, the Black Tiger had become the most fearsome bandit group of the Sky Jade Kingdom. If the kingdom tolerated them, it was because their chief, Yong Zhen, was a powerful cultivator in the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment realm meaning that he was as strong as the strongest general of the kingdom. Yong Zhen was actually a famous general in the past but he suddenly betrayed the kingdom forty years ago and up until now, no one knew why he did this. The web novel gave no details about it since Yong Zhen was just a minor character that Teng Fen needed to kill to free the sister of the man he met in the Relentless Mountain. It meant that Li Jing had also no idea why he betrayed the kingdomˇ­ It has been a few minutes since Li Jing had entered the forest at the base of the Relentless Mountain. His plan was to kill some bandits and ''steal'' their memories until he found where the path leading to their hideout was. The Black Tiger had a strict hierarchy among its members so not all of them knew the location of their hideout in the mountain. But first, he needed to find shelter before it was completely dark. A few minutes later, Li Jing finally found a cave. However, he noticed that light from a campfire lit the interior signifying that someone was already there. Friend or enemy? Most likely an enemy since the weakest members of the Black Tiger lived in this forest. Li Jing used his Divine Sense before walking inside the cave. There was only one man living inside but since the cave was curved and a little deep, he decided to intentionally make noises to force him to come towards him. "Who is there?" The voice of a man echoed, followed by the sound of a sword being unsheathed. The man walked towards the entrance of the cave and when he saw that the noises came from a young boy, his expression relaxed. "Are you lost, kid?" He asked with a fake smile. "Who Are You?" Asked Li Jing, using his Dark Command. "My name is Lu Hong, thirty-seven years old. I am a member of the Black Tiger for two years and before that Iˇ­ Argh!" Li Jing didn''t let the man finish his sentence and immediately killed him by piercing his heart with his dagger after he heard that he was a member of the Black Tiger. It was the first time that he killed a man with his own hands but he didn''t regret it. For him, bandits like this man who killed and destroyed the lives of innocent people didn''t deserve to live. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 150.] When the lifeless body of the man fell to the ground, Li Jing saw a large translucid dark orb coming out of it and flying towards him. This dark orb was actually the soul of the man and Li Jing was the only one who could see it. The dark orb entered Li Jing''s body and he realized that he wasn''t forced to immediately absorb the soul, he could momentarily keep it inside him to absorb it later. However, it seemed that if he waited for too long, the soul would dissipate. Li Jing searched the man''s body and found some Spirit Stones then, he reduced it into ash with his lightning. Next, he entered the cave and after placing a Protection Stone Barrier on the ground, he sat cross-legged in front of the campfire and decided to absorb the soul. A lot of images and sounds suddenly flooded his mind, it was like seeing a movie whose images scrolled extremely quickly. During this process, Li Jing discovered that he could actually select the memories that interested him and erase those without interest! The man''s memories were unfortunately useless. He was so weak and talentless that although he joined the Black Tiger two years ago, he was still at the lowest position. He didn''t know any Martial technique, his Cultivation method was even weaker than the one from his clan, and his sword skills were awfulˇ­ The only parts of the man''s memories that Li Jing kept were his knowledge of this forest, his ability to survive in the wild and make traps, and the information about three other members of the Black Tiger that he knew. As for the man''s personal life, Li Jing was only interested in the fact that he came from Star City, a small city of cultivator located outside the Sky Jade Kingdom, and erased everything else. Once Li Jing finished selecting the parts that interested him, he noticed that the man''s soul merged with his own''s making it and himself slightly stronger. [Host has absorbed the soul of a cultivator in the Qi Gathering realm: Strength + 5 Jin, Soul Strength + 5.] Satisfied, he now decided to cultivate the whole night and start searching for the bandit''s hideout as soon as the sun would riseˇ­ [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 137316 XP / hour: 84 Strength: 39257 Jin Soul Strength: 152 Qi cultivation realm: Foundation Establishment I (XP: 0/40000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Lifespan: 1250 Years Talent: A-grade Bloodlines: [Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar], [Minor Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery], [Exchange] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist], [Dark Command] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath], [Dragon''s Talent] --------------------------] The next morning, when Li Jing displayed his status screen to see his progress, he noticed that two new lines had appeared: Lifespan and Soul Strength! The base value of the Soul Strength was 100 and for a cultivator to increase the strength of his soul depended on his age and his life experiences. In this life and the previous one, Li Jing was a shut-in with very little life experiences. Moreover, he died at the age of seventeen and took over the body of the Li Jing of this world who was only fourteen. Therefore, his Soul Strength was very low. But he knew thanks to the web novel that as long as his opponents'' Soul Strength was not more than fifty times higher than his, his soul base techniques would be effective on them. It meant that in this world, except for Teng Fen and some old monsters, no one could resist his Dark Qi. And since he now had an amazing way to increase his Soul Strength, in the future even them wouldn''t be able to resist it! Although the sun had just risen, it illuminated the forest enough to make it possible to venture it. Li Jing left his cave and started searching for more bandits to kill in order to locate their hideout. 55 The Bandits hideout part 1 Li Jing left his cave and started walking towards the north. According to the memories of the man whose soul he absorbed, he would find a small camp with some bandits in that direction. There was no Demonic Beast in the Relentless Mountain. There were only normal savage beasts a little stronger than those on Earth due to their permanent exposure to the spiritual energy from heaven and earth. A few minutes later, Li Jing finally found the camp and saw three men sitting around a campfire cooking a rabbit. He didn''t need to lose time asking them who they were. He just used his Instant Flash Step to appear in the middle of the three men and instantly killed with one punch on their head, strong enough to make it explode. [Host has killed 3 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 450.] [Host has absorbed the soul of 3 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: Strength + 15 Jin, Soul Strength + 15.] After Li Jing absorbed their souls, he shook his head in disappointment. Unfortunately, just like the man from the last night, these three were just weakling who didn''t know the location of the hideout. ''Shit, these bandits are so uselessˇ­'' He thought. He continued to walk towards the north in search of other bandits but he realized that at this rate, he would never be able to find their hideout before nightfallˇ­ Thankfully, he suddenly had an ingenious idea: rather than looking for bandits, they would be the ones who would go to him! He took a deep breath and yelled as loud as he could: "Hey, stupid bandits, there is an intruder in your territory!" His voice resounded over five hundred meters! Even if more than one hundred bandits attacked him at the same time, they would still have no chance of hurting him so he didn''t need to be cautious. After a few minutes, four bandits arrived at Li Jing''s location and surrounded him. "Is he the one who yelled? He''s just a kid, hahah!" Said one of the bandits. "Are you lost, kid? Do you need our help? Hahaha!" When the four men heard someone shout, they actually slightly panicked. Who would be crazy enough to announce their presence in the territory of the Black Tiger? No one, excepted if it was someone very powerful. However, when they saw that it was just a kid, they relaxed and made fun of him. "What, only four of you? I''m very disappointedˇ­" Said Li Jing, shaking his head. He expected at least a dozen of them. Without hesitation, Li Jing instantly killed them with his daggers. The four men didn''t even have time to react or to understand what happened to them. They were only in the second and third levels of the Qi Gathering realm so their speed was far lower than Li Jing''s speed. [Host has killed 4 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 600.] [Host has absorbed the soul of 4 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: Strength + 20 Jin, Soul Strength + 20.] He immediately absorbed their souls after killing them. The first three men''s memories were useless and Li Jing had no hope concerning the fourth. But luckily, this man was actually friends with one of the captains of the Black Tiger and knew where to find his camp. He even knew a Martial Technique! [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Shield of the Four Truths.] It was a defensive High-grade Mortal Martial technique that the captain he knew stole from a group of monks a couple of years ago. He gifted it to this man because they were childhood friends and joined the bandit group at the same time. However, this man had only an E-grade talent so he was doomed to stay a low bandit all his life. Li Jing realized thanks to his high comprehension that the man didn''t entirely understand this Martial technique. Trained to the Large Success Stage, this technique was supposed to be able to block Sky-grade Martial techniques but this man didn''t even reach the Low Success Stage and thought that it could only block physical attacksˇ­ After he finished analyzing the memories of the man, Li Jing search the four men and found some weapons, Spirit Stones, Qi Gathering Pills, and the manual of the technique Shield of the Four Truths. Then, he started to walk towards the camp of the captain located in the northeast part of this forest. Surely, this captain would know where to find the path leading to their hideout. It took him half an hour to reach the camp. On the way, he only met some wolf that attacked him. Unfortunately, killing these ''normal'' beasts didn''t give him any Experience Pointˇ­ The captain''s camp consisted of eight tents surrounded by a barricade. The surrounding trees had been cut and there was an observation tower with a man at its top. "Intruder!" Yelled the man at the top of the observation tower. Li Jing didn''t even bother to hide that was why he was so easily spotted. He entered the camp directly by destroying a part of the barricade that blocked his path with a powerful punch. All the bandits in the camps were alerted, including the captain, and left their tents to see who dared to come here. "It''s just a kid, take care of him!" Ordered the captain to the seven men around him. He was a man with a scar under his right eye and a bushy black beard. "Yes, Captain Ming!" Said the men in unison. Seeing the seven men rushing towards him, Li Jing gathered Lightning Qi in his throat. He planned to kill them all in one go with his bloodline skill Heavenly Thunder Breath. Rumble! The ground shook and a loud thunder sound echoed as Li Jing release a wave of lightning from his mouth. Upon contact with the lightning wave, the seven men immediately turned into ashes. None of them had time to dodge or to defend themselves! [Host has killed 7 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 1050.] Although they were nothing more than ashes, the soul of the seven men still flew towards Li Jing who decided to absorb them after he took care of the captain. Seeing his subordinates'' state, the captain was first dumbfounded and then completely scared. Even with his strength of a cultivator in the seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm, he couldn''t do something like that. It meant that this young boy was far more powerful than him! What kind of monster was this boy? This thought made his whole body shook in fear and he fell to his knees in front of Li Jing. "P-p-please spare me... What do you want? Spirit Stones? Information? I will give you and tell you everything!" He begged. Li Jing walked towards the man with a determined expressionˇ­ 56 The Bandits hideout part 2 Li Jing was not a heartless man but he knew that sparing an enemy would only cause him problems in the future. In this kind of ruthless world, if one showed mercy to their enemies, they would always regret it. He approached the shaking captain of the Black Tiger and pierced his heart with his dagger, giving him a quick death. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 150.] Before absorbing the soul of the captain, he first absorbed the seven souls of the men he killed earlier one after the other. [Host has absorbed the soul of 7 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: Strength + 35 Jin, Soul Strength + 35.] As expected, their memories were useless but he was not surprised by this. These men were weak and were more interested in stealing people to gain money rather than increasing their cultivation or trainingˇ­ The only thing interesting in their memories was that they traveled a lot and knew well almost every place in the Sky Jade kingdom. [Host has absorbed the soul of a cultivator in the Qi Gathering realm: Strength + 5 Jin, Soul Strength + 5.] When Li Jing absorbed the soul of the captain, a large smile appeared on his face. Not only this man knew where to find their hideout but he was also in possession of a Low-grade Mortal Cultivation method of the Light element called ''Mantra of the Six Perfections''! A couple of years ago the captain, whose name was Ming Chen, attacked with his group some disciples of the Bhikkhu Monastery. The Bhikkhu Monastery was a buddhist monastery with a power equivalent to a rank-3 sect that was located in the southern part of the kingdom. A rank-3 sect was weaker than a major kingdom so they couldn''t do anything against the Black Tiger. On one of the disciples of the monastery he attacked, he found the Shield of the Four Truths technique and the Mantra of the Six Perfections method. However, Ming Chen couldn''t cultivate the Mantra of the Six Perfections method because to absorb and contain Light Qi inside one''s dantian, one needed to have a pure heart. Of course, this restriction didn''t apply to Li Jing because he didn''t absorb the Qi inside his dantian while cultivating. Even though this cultivation method was less powerful than his Unholy Dark Art method and even less powerful than his clan''s method, it was still worth learning it because it would immediately unlock the Light elemental affinity. Light Qi was mainly used to use and create defense and healing techniques, so it was always useful to have this element. After Li Jing finished assimilating the soul of the captain, he took the spatial ring that the man wore at the index finger of his right hand and inspected its content. Inside, there were around two thousand Spirit Stones, fifty Qi Gathering Pills, some Healing Pills and medicinal plants, the jade slip containing the Cultivation method ''Mantra of the Six Perfections'', and a Monk Staff that was actually a Low-grade Mortal spiritual weapon. Li Jing also noticed that the man wore a saber at his waist. Since it was a Yellow-grade spiritual weapon, he took it and after storing it in his blood ring, he transferred all the content of the captain''s ring into his own blood ring. ''Not a bad harvest for just a captain.'' He thought. Next, Li Jing inspected the eight tents and found around three hundred Spirit Stones, some pills, and normal weapons. Now, he was finally ready to find the Black Tiger''s hideout. It was located in the southwest of his current position and would take him a couple of hours to go there. The bandit''s hideout was a huge cave hidden in the depths of the Relentless Mountain but its entrance was hidden by an Illusory Array Formation. Therefore, it was not possible to find the entrance of this cave without knowing its exact position or being able to see through the Illusory Array Formation as Teng Fen did in the web novel. This cave was actually made by the powerful cultivator who failed to ascend to the Immortal World a few thousand years ago, it was there that he hid his egg. A few years ago, when the Black Tiger bandits settled in the Relentless Mountain, they found the entrance of this cave by chance and made it their hideout. ˇ­ Two hours later, Li Jing was standing in front of the entrance of the cave. On the way, he had to kill eleven bandits and some beasts. The entrance of the cave was not kept by anyone, probably to not attract attention to it and the Illusory Array Formation was doing an amazing job, it really looked like there was no entrance at all! Li Jing wanted to try if he could see through the array and after focusing for a few minutes, he was actually able to see some flaws in it. However, it was only because he knew that there was an Illusory Array Formation in this place, otherwise it would not have been so easy. Anyway, he didn''t need to see through the array formation to enter the cave, he just needed to walk through it. When he entered it, he noticed that the whole cave was lit by Spirit Crystals and he could hear a lot of people discussing or laughing. He knew from the web novel that the cave was divided into five levels of depth. The first four levels were each guarded by a Black Tiger commander while the fifth level was guarded by the chief, Yong Zhen. The egg of the Demonic Beast, for its part, was buried below the fifth level. He walked casually through the first level of the cave. It looked like a long, wide corridor with several cavities on the sides that served as rooms for the bandits. Li Jing wasn''t careless due to arrogance but because he was convinced that no one at this level could hurt himˇ­ "Who is there?" "How did this kid found the entrance of this place?" "We must capture him alive to know who he is and where he comes from!" Many bandits spotted Li Jing and ran towards him before surrounding him. Seeing the six men around him, Li Jing took out his daggers, and without a word, he started to kill them. He rushed towards the man in front of him and slice his throat. Then, he switched to the man on his left and stabbed his stomach. [Host has killed 2 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 300.] The four remaining men were very surprised to see how fast the young boy in front of them killed two of their comrades but they were experienced fighters so they immediately attacked him. However, when they were sure that they cut him with their swords they suddenly noticed that it was only his after image! Since Li Jing had reached the Large Success Stage with his technique Instant Flash Step, he was now able to create an after image when he used it. He reappeared behind the four men, injected his Lightning Qi inside his daggers, and slashed their back before they had time to turn around. [Host has killed 4 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 600.] Li Jing decided that he would absorb their souls after he killed the commander of this level. 57 The first commander After killing the six bandits, Li Jing decided to look for the commander of this level but he was interrupted by a group of nine men that came towards him. "I''m impressed that you killed these men so easily, kid." Said one of the men, clapping his hands and smiling widely as if the lives of his comrades didn''t matter to him. He was a middle-aged man in his forties with long black hair and a short beard. He was wearing a brown leather armor and a long sword in his back. Eight muscular men accompanied him and looked at Li Jing like he was some kind of prey. The man crossed his arms, turned to the other men, and ordered: "Don''t kill him, I want to know who he is and if there is someone else with him. Of course, I don''t prevent you from cutting his arm or leg if you need to immobilize him." "We will take care of him, commander!" Said one of the men, smiling viciously. So this man was a commander? Li Jing used his Divine Sense and found out that he was in the first level of the Foundation Establishment realm while the men around him were in the sixth or seventh level of the Qi Gathering realm. The eight men formed a line in front of their commander and ran towards Li Jing with their weapons in hands. However, LI Jing decided to ignore them and directly target the commander. Since the commander should think that he was only in the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realm, he would surely underestimate him and Li Jing wanted to take advantage of that to finish him quickly. He activated his Elusive Smoke Steps technique and rushed towards the commander with his Yellow-grade daggers in hands, passing through the eight men. "What the hell?!" "How did he do that?!" "Impossible!" The eight men were dumbfounded while the commander widened his eyes when he saw Li Jing rushing towards him at full speed. He just had enough time to take out his long sword to parry the attack! However, since Li Jing had much more strength than him, the man was ejected several meters back and crashed into a wall of the cave. "Commander!" Exclaimed several men. If this kid was able to injure their commander did that mean that he was already in the Foundation Establishment realm? This thought scared them a lot. "Let''s get reinforcements from the second level!" Suggested one of them. Hearing this, Li Jing decided to let them go to get reinforcements. More people meant more Experience Points to him and he knew that no matter how many they were, they would have no chance against him. ''Is it bad if I''m starting to consider human lives as Experience Points?'' He wondered. But it was not the right time nor the right place to think about thisˇ­ Li Jing rushed towards the commander who had just got up and struck him several times with his daggers. As someone in the first level of the Foundation Establishment realm, the commander was almost as fast as Li Jing so he was able to dodge or parry some of his attacks, but most of them still hit him so he started to bleed profusely. "Enough! Mystical Blazing Palm!" Exclaimed the commander as he used his Martial technique. His whole hand was covered by an intense red flame as he targeted his opponent''s heart to finish him in one go. However, his attack didn''t hit Li Jing but instead, it hit a golden shield of light! "What?" Li Jing had activated his new technique Shield of the Four Truths to block the commander''s Martial technique and took advantage of his opponent''s astonishment to drive his dagger into his heart. He then injected his Lightning Qi into his dagger to destroy the man''s heart and internal organs. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm: XP + 350.] He kept the soul of the man inside his body to absorb it later since more men were coming towards him. They were the men from earlier who came back with reinforcements. Seeing Li Jing covered in blood standing in front of the dead body of their commander, they all shook in fear. "D-did he really kill commander Yu?" "He is not a kid but a demon!" "W-we must warn commander Rong, only she can take care of himˇ­" "You are not going anywhere!" Exclaimed Li Jing. Rumble! The ground shook as he used his Heavenly Thunder Breath, instantly killing the twenty men in front of him. [Host has killed 20 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 3000.] As the twenty men turned into ashes, their souls flew towards Li Jing''s body. The whole first level was now clear. There was no one else but Li Jing standing in the middle of a pile of corpses and ashes. Before going down the second level, Li Jing took a few minutes to absorb the souls of all the men he killed. [Host has absorbed the soul of 26 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: Strength + 130 Jin, Soul Strength + 130.] [Host has absorbed the soul of a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm: Strength + 50 Jin, Soul Strength + 10.] [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Mystical Blazing Palm.] [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Quick Sword Draw.] There was nothing interesting in the memories of the twenty-six cultivators in the QI Gathering realm except for their fighting experience that Li Jing kept. However, the memories of the commander, whose name was Long Yu, were very satisfying. He knew a lot about this place and the Sky Jade Kingdom, he was proficient with a long sword, had a lot of fighting experience, and although his Cultivation method was useless for Li Jing, he still knew two Martial techniques: Mystical Blazing Palm which was a Middle-grade Mortal Martial technique and Quick Sword Draw which was a Low-grade Mortal Martial technique. Next, Li Jing took the spatial ring of the commander as well as his long sword and inspected its content. Inside, there were more than 5000 Spirit Stones, about a hundred of Qi Gathering Pills, some Yellow-grade spiritual weapons, some clothes, a map of the kingdom, the Black Tiger''s next attack plans, and some other useless itemsˇ­ ''Very good! Now, let''s see my progress.'' He thought as he displayed his status screen. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 145466 XP / hour: 84 Strength: 39567 Jin Soul Strength: 422 Qi cultivation realm: Foundation Establishment I (XP: 0/40000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining V (XP: 0/30000) Lifespan: 1250 Years Talent: A-grade Bloodlines: [Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar], [Minor Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery], [Exchange] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist], [Dark Command], [Power Slash], [Shield of the Four Truths], [Mystical Blazing Palm], [Quick Sword Draw] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath], [Dragon''s Talent] --------------------------] According to the commander''s memory and his knowledge of the web novel, the second commander was a woman named Yang Rong who used poison as her main weapon. Li Jing''s Qi reserve was almost half empty, it meant that he couldn''t repeatedly use his Elusive Smoke Steps technique. Therefore, if he wanted to avoid being poisoned, he had to make sure that his body would be strong enough to not be pierced by her poisonous weapons. Moreover, he knew that the third commander was an expert in hand-to-hand combat who possessed formidable strength so he also needed a strong body to resist his attacks. For these reasons, Li Jing decided to increase his Body cultivation realm as much as he could. Although he didn''t have enough Experience Points to reach the Bronze Body realm, he was confident that increasing his Body cultivation realm by just three levels would be enough to fight the next two commanders without risk. ''Use 105000 XP to increase my Body cultivation realm.'' He thought. [105000 XP has been used. Remaining XP: 40466.] Just like the first time he increased his Body cultivation realm, Li Jing felt like his skin was pierced by thousands of needles as it was becoming more solid and stronger second after second. [Congratulations! Host has reached the eighth level of the Skin Refining realm.] Now that Li Jing was ready, he walked towards the second level of the cave. 58 The second commander When Li Jing arrived at the second level of the cave, he noticed that, contrary to the first level that looked like a long corridor, this level looked like a very large circular room with many stalagmites, stalactites, and cavities on the walls. At the center of the place, he saw a tall and seductive woman who seemed to be in her thirties with a long whip covered with metal spikes in her right hand. She was wearing a black leather armor that revealed a lot of her skin and a belt around her waist that contained a lot of throwing knives. This woman was obviously the second commander of the Black Tiger: Yang Rong. Behind Yang Rong were standing several men and women who looked at her with reverence and adoration. "Mistress Rong, let me take care of this kid for you!" Exclaimed one of the women. "No, I will be the one who kills him for Mistress Rong!" Retorted a man. "Silence!" Said Yang Rong, raising her left hand. Then, she looked a Li Jing and smiled before saying: "Since you are here, it means that you killed Long Yu. This good for nothing can''t even take care of a kid in the sixth level of the Qi Gathering realmˇ­" Li Jing looked at her but didn''t say anything. He already decided that he would kill her as fast as possible. Not because he was afraid of her poison but because he knew thanks to the web novel that she possessed a secret poisonous artifact. He wanted to kill her before she could use it so he could obtain it. This artifact was known as the Poison Spreader Disk and could poison and kill a small town of cultivators in only a few minutes! In the web novel, Yang Rong used it as her last resort to kill Teng Fen but he immediately recognized the poison and knew how to neutralize itˇ­ Li Jing needed to save his Qi for his battles against the other two commanders and their leader. Therefore, he took out his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers and rushed towards Yang Rong. She was only in the second level of the Foundation Establishment realm so her strength was far inferior to Li Jing''s strength. "Mistress!" Just as Li Jing was about to stab her, a man appeared in front of her and took the hit for his mistress, killing him on the spot. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 150.] Yang Rong jump backward and looked angrily at Li Jing. "Youˇ­ You need to be disciplined!" She said, gritting her teeth. She swung her whip powerfully towards Li Jing and smiled viciously. The metal spikes that covered her whip were all poisonous so she just needed to scratch him and he would die. Li Jing quickly took out his daggers from the dead man''s body and immediately countered the whip with them. Shatter! Upon contact with the daggers, the metallic whip immediately shattered! It was because the difference in quality between the two weapons was too high. The whip was only a Mortal-grade weapon while the daggers were Sky-grade weapons. Because her whip broke, Yang Rong lost her balance momentarily and Li Jing took this opportunity to use his Power Slash technique, aiming for her head. Two crescent moons of Lightning Qi and Fire Qi quickly flew towards her head and because Yang Rong didn''t have enough time to dodge them completely, she had to sacrifice her left shoulder to avoid being beheaded. Blood flowed from Yang Rong''s shoulder as she looked at Li Jing with a mix of anger, pain, and fear. She was not good at hand-to-hand combat, her only advantage was her poisoned weapons. She threw him several poisoned knives but Li Jing effortlessly deflected them all. However, among the knives that she was throwing, there were also tiny, almost invisible poison needles that Li Jing couldn''t deflect. Thankfully, his body was strong enough so these needles couldn''t pierce through it. Therefore, he ignored them and rushed towards Yang Rong. Yang Rong widened her eyes, she didn''t understand why her needles were ineffective on Li Jing! Seeing that their mistress was in difficulty, many of her subordinates interposed by standing in front of her and suggested to let them fight for her. "Mistress, let us help you!" Hearing this, Yang Rong smiled. She will let her subordinates sacrifice their lives for her while she would prepare her secret weapon, the Poison Spreader Disk. She knew she had no chance against Li Jing and she preferred to die rather than to ask for help from the old man of the third levelˇ­ "Alright, take care of him." She said. Li Jing knew exactly what she was planning to do and preferred to spend more Qi rather than letting her using her artifact. "Kill Yourself!" He ordered, using his Dark Command. Yang Rong''s eyes suddenly became lifeless. She took out one of her knives and sliced her own throat. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm: XP + 350.] "What?! Mistress, why did you kill yourself?" "Mistress, why?" None of them understood why she obeyed the order of the young boy in front of them. Only knowledgeable people knew about Dark Qi since most of its practitioners died a long time ago. "Let''s kill him, we must avenge our mistress." "B-but we have no chance against himˇ­" "You coward! We must avenge our mistress or join her in death." After hearing that, the sixteen men and women all rushed towards Li Jing. Their decision suited him well, at least he wouldn''t have to chase them to kill them all. In only a few seconds, Li Jing slaughtered them all. Their attacks couldn''t pierce his body and with his daggers, he didn''t need more than one slash to kill them. [Host has killed 16 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 2400.] Li Jing was now standing in the middle of many corpses, his clothes were covered in blood, and the whole place was silent since no one else was alive. ''I still can''t believe the speed at which I got used to killing human beingsˇ­'' He thought, sighing. Now, that this level was clean, he started absorbing the souls of the people he killed. [Host has absorbed the soul of 17 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: Strength + 85 Jin, Soul Strength + 85.] [Host has absorbed the soul of a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm: Strength + 50 Jin, Soul Strength + 10.] Li Jing analyzed the memories of these peopleˇ­ Some of them had little knowledge in alchemy so he decided to keep these memories. As for Yang Rong, she didn''t know any Martial technique but she possessed various interesting knowledge like creating poisons and antidotes, creating hidden weapons, launching sneak attacks, and throwing knives and needles. Once he finished selecting the memories he would keep, Li Jing searched Yang Rong and the people on the ground. In her spatial ring, he found the famous Poison Spreader Disk, around 3000 Spirit Stones, hundreds of needles and throwing knives, many poisonous spiritual plants, some poison recipes, and a Yellow-grade alchemist cauldron. Of course, Li Jing didn''t plan to use the Poison Spreader Disk to massively kill people, he would only keep it as a last resort weapon, a kind of trump card. Unfortunately, Yang Rong''s whip was broken so it wasn''t worth anything anymore and the dead people around her didn''t have anything interesting on them except for some Spirit Stones, Qi Gathering Pills, and normal weaponsˇ­ ''Status.'' He thought, after he stored all the items in his blood ring. [----------STATUS--------- Experience Points (XP): 43366 XP / hour: 84 Strength: 40457 Jin Soul Strength: 562 Qi cultivation realm: Foundation Establishment I (XP: 0/40000) Body cultivation realm: Skin Refining VIII (XP: 0/30000) Lifespan: 1250 Years Talent: A-grade Bloodlines: [Soul Devourer Evil Metallic Boar], [Minor Thunder Dragon] Perks: [Appraisal], [Full Recovery], [Exchange] Elemental affinities: [Lightning], [Dark] Cultivation methods: [Li clan''s method], [Unholy Dark Art] Martial techniques: [Elusive Smoke Steps], [Instant Flash Step], [Hammer Fist], [Dark Command], [Power Slash], [Shield of the Four Truths], [Mystical Blazing Palm], [Quick Sword Draw] Bloodline skills: [Heavenly Thunder Breath], [Dragon''s Talent] --------------------------] Seeing his status screen made Li Jing smile, the speed at which he progressed was mind-boggling! Next, he took out a Qi Replenishing Pill and swallowed it. This pill would restore twenty percent of his Qi reserve but was unfortunately only effective once every two hoursˇ­ He was now ready to go to the third level and only needed to kill two commanders and their chief to finally reach his goal. 59 The last two commanders Li Jing knew thanks to the web novel and the memories of Yang Rong that the commander of the third level was an eccentric and perverted old man. He was actually one of the first people who joined the Black Tiger after Yong Zhen founded it, mainly because he was one of the most wanted criminals in the Sky Jade Kingdom and needed a place to hide. This old man''s name was Hei Zi and was an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Many years ago, he found an incomplete Body Cultivation method and reached the Bronze Body realm thanks to it. However, since it was an incomplete method, he couldn''t go further than this realm. Although a Bronze Body was very sturdy, with Li Jing''s superior strength, Hei Zi will not pose any challenge to him especially since he was an old man who had lost all of his vitality. The only thing that will be annoying during this fight, will be the Martial technique of the old man.ˇ­ Li Jing finally arrived at the third level of the cave. Contrary to the first two levels, this one was smaller and he noticed that the walls and the ground were covered in many cracks like someone smashed on them repeatedly. In the middle of the place, Hei Zi was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, and shirtless, revealing a muscular but wrinkled chest. His grey hair was attached in a bun and his grey beard was trimmed to a thin point. Li Jing knew that Hei Zi was an eccentric old pervert, that''s why he was the only one living at this level. When he heard someone approaching, the old man slowly opened his eyes, revealing an annoyed expression. "I asked these idiots to bring me a young girl, not a young man." He said. "I''m not here to entertain you." Said Li Jing. "Then, you must die." Said Hei Zi, smiling. Without any other word, Hei Zi rushed towards Li Jing and raised his fist to smash his head. However, Li Jing easily blocked the old man''s fist with his right arm, and gave a powerful punch to his chest with his left fist which made the old man''s body instantly explode in a cloud of smoke! But Li Jing knew that it was not over yetˇ­ "I''m impressed that you were able to destroy one of my clones so easily, kid. Who are you?" Said a voice not far behind Li Jing. Hei Zi''s Martial technique was called the Three Bodies Form. With this technique, Hei Zi could create and control three clones of himself! However, this technique had two major flaws: the clones only had ten percent of his original body''s strength and speed, and his original body couldn''t be more than thirty meters from the clones. Li Jing suspected from the beginning that he would fight a clone, that was why when he entered the third level, he used his Divine Sense. However, since he couldn''t differentiate the clones from the original Hei Zi, he decided to destroy the clones first, then killing him. "Your clones are not strong enough to defeat me, you should come out and fight yourself." Said Li Jing. "We will see thatˇ­" Hei Zi''s two other clones rushed towards Li Jing, one trying to kick his chest, the other trying to punch his head. But Li Jing once again blocked the two attacks and immediately destroyed the clones with a violent palm attack on their chest. Hei Zi was in the second level of the Bronze Body realm, it meant that his strength was around 7500 Jin so, his clone only had a strength of around 750 Jin. Now that there was no more clone, Li Jing, who had detected the location of his opponent with his Divine Sense, rushed towards him. The old man, who was hiding in one of the cavities of the cave, saw Li Jing coming towards him and immediately understood that the kid used his Divine Sense to find him and was therefore in the Foundation Establishment realm. However, he was confident that he could easily beat him with his superior strength. Li Jing was about to punch Hei Zi but the old man countered it with his own punch. Bang! A loud bang resounded when the two fists collided with each other. Crack! "Ahhhhhhhh!!" The old man''s entire right arm exploded under the pressure of the strength of Li Jing''s punch, making him scream in pain. Although Hei ZI was used to pain because he practiced a Body Cultivation method, he never felt so much pain before! Li Jing took advantage of this moment to punch the old man''s chest, creating a hole in it and killing him on the spot. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Bronze Body realm: XP + 450.] [Host has absorbed the soul of a cultivator in the Bronze Body realm: Strength + 65 Jin, Soul Strength + 13.] Li Jing immediately absorbed the soul of Hei Zi, gaining all of his knowledge, fighting experience, Martial Technique, and Cultivation method. [Host has learned a new Martial technique: Three Bodies Form.] [Host has learned a new Cultivation method: Extreme Body Reforging (incomplete).] According to the web novel, the Extreme Body Reforging was a weak Body Cultivation method, even in its complete form so Li Jing didn''t really care about it. However, the technique interested him a lot and was a Middle-grade Mortal Martial technique. The Three Bodies Form didn''t require Qi to be activated but directly drew the energy necessary for its activation from the stamina of its user. Moreover, the clones did not disappear until they were destroyed but the technique could only be used once every five hours. The old man didn''t have a spatial ring on him since he couldn''t use Qi. A Body path cultivator only unlocked his Qi after he reached the Body Recreation realm. Hei Zi actually had no talent for cultivation but to cultivate a Body Cultivation method, one didn''t need to have a talent for cultivation. When he found the incomplete Cultivation method, he practiced it and became very strong. Unfortunately, he used his strength to commit atrocities like killing innocent people or raping women and young girls. This man really deserved to die... Li Jing searched the various cavities of this level and found a few thousand of Spirit Stones, some medicinal plants and Healing Pills, as well as the broken jade slip containing the incomplete version of the Extreme Body Reforging method. After that, he was finally ready to go to the fourth level of the cave. The fight against the commander of that level will be quick since he plained to directly use his Dark Command to kill him. A few minutes of walking later, he arrived there and immediately noticed that this level was largest among the four. A dozen men and women were busy fighting each other and Li Jing deduced that they were probably in the middle of a training session. The commander of this level, Mao Ning, was also an ancient general of the Sky Jade Kingdom and a close friend of Yong Zhen. Although he was now a bandit, he still treated his subordinates the same way he did with his soldiers in the army. "Who are you?" Asked a man when he saw Li Jing, menacing him with his sword. "I have an urgent message for commander Ning from commander Zi." Lied Li Jing, loud enough for everyone to hear. "What does this old fool want?" Asked another man. He was a tall and muscular man with a deep scar on his left cheek. Li Jing recognized him thanks to the memories of the other commanders, this man was Mao Ning. "I Want You To Kill Yourself." Ordered Li Jing using his Dark Command. Hearing this order, Mao Ning''s eyes became lifeless. He unsheathed his sword and pierced his heart with it. [Host has killed a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm: XP + 350.] "Commander Ning!" "Commander, why did you do that?!" Li Jing didn''t give them time to understand what happened. He took out his Lightning-flame Spirit Daggers and slashed the men and women around him until there was no one else but him alive in this place. [Host has killed 13 cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm: XP + 1950.]