[Consumed waste pills. Gained side effect: dislocated joints.]
[Consumed waste pills. Gained side effect: uncontrollable laughter.]
[Consumed waste pills. Gained side effect: weeping uncontrollably.]
[Consumed waste pills. Gained side effect: heavy bleeding from the lower body.]
…
Swallowing over a dozen waste pills at once, the side effects went far beyond Lin Yuan’s imagination.
Chen Qi, who had still been wailing moments ago, suddenly began twisting uncontrollably. His left hand reached around the back of his head to touch his right ear, while his right palm twisted under his leg and covered his knee joint. His legs turned duck-like, his feet spasming outward.
“Hahaha, I… what… hahaha…”
“Wu… wuuu… what did you… do to me…”
Chen Qi alternated between hysterical laughter and desperate sobbing, his crooked head glaring at Lin Yuan.
As he laughed and cried, a stream of blood soaked through the hem of his robe and dripped to the ground, quickly forming a red puddle.
“Didn’t expect your blood to be red too. Shame that there are too many beasts wearing human skin in this world to ever clean them all out,” Lin Yuan said expressionlessly, no longer retreating.
With so many side effects hitting all at once, even if Chen Qi didn’t die, he’d lose half his life.
“Spare… me… hahaha… I… I know I was wrong… wuuu… I know I was wrong…” Chen Qi wailed.
Lin Yuan shook his head and drew his Netherlight Blade.
“You’re not sorry because you did wrong. You’re sorry because you’re going to die. Shadow Pursuit!”
With a burst of speed, he charged to Chen Qi’s side, swinging his blade again and again.
The Shadow Pursuit technique was swift and precise. Every slash left a fresh wound on Chen Qi.
Despite his screams, Lin Yuan showed no mercy. His rage had already taken over.
“One slash, two slashes, three slashes…”
“Two hundred thirty-one, two hundred thirty-two, two hundred…”
After over two hundred strikes, Chen Qi’s life force finally dissipated completely.
“Only that many cuts? Too merciful.”
Lin Yuan sliced off his head just to ensure he wasn’t faking death, then hid the corpse in a secluded cave.
A village had been slaughtered—such an incident couldn’t be covered up. He could report it to the Immortal Gate Sect, but he couldn’t reveal that he was the one who killed Chen Qi. After all, he was only at the Qi Refining Realm. Killing someone at the Foundation Establishment Realm would bring more danger than benefit if revealed.
With the Azurefall Flower secured and this crisis concluded, Lin Yuan didn’t delay and hurried back to the Immortal Gate Sect.
As expected, upon hearing his report, the Immortal Gate Sect flew into a rage and issued a series of missions targeting the Blood Demon Sect.
Though it wasn’t enough to fully master the Iron Bone level of the Hundred Tempered Golden Body Technique, he had already refined much of it.
Now he just needed to continue tempering and consuming various metals. By the end of the year, he was confident he could finish the iron bone tempering and step into the next stage.
After receiving the Azurefall Flower, Sang Xiaoya immersed herself in alchemy and didn’t mention anything about pill testing.
Time passed quickly, and the weather began to turn cold. Far from becoming quiet, the Immortal Gate Sect grew more and more lively.
Whether it was the New Year or the inner sect disciple selection, everyone was anxiously awaiting it.
Finally, after the third snowfall, the inner sect selection was about to begin.
The selection didn’t require a specific cultivation realm—only that participants were under thirty years old. Even pill servants could participate, but they had to qualify for selection first.
Behind the Fragrant Pill Pavilion, the bamboo forest was buried under thick snow.
Lin Yuan pushed open the door, exhaling a breath of white mist.
“Iron Bone mastered. My physical body’s durability is now comparable to a low-grade magical artifact.”
“Wave Overlap can now reach fifteen strikes. Once stacked, I might be able to slay a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator instantly.”
“But Blink Step is still a headache. Cicada Shedding still only works for retreat, not advancing.”
He sighed in frustration.
Over the past month, he had practiced thousands of times. His speed and explosive power had improved, but he still instinctively moved backward. He couldn’t use it to advance yet.
Still, retreating might prove unexpectedly useful—like a surprise counterattack.
Rubbing his hands together, Lin Yuan headed straight for the Mission Hall.
He hadn’t even reached the mountain when he was stunned by the sea of people before him.
The inner sect selection was held once every three years.
When Lin Yuan had first arrived at the Immortal Gate Sect, the previous selection had just concluded. Even so, he hadn’t expected this year’s turnout to be so massive.
“Hey, don’t push! I’m here to register!” a disciple shouted while trying to squeeze through the crowd.
“Yeah, we’re all here to register. Who do you think you are?”
“Exactly! If you want to move quickly, take the special passage. It’s not crowded over there.”
“By the looks of him, he’s not qualified for that. He should just wait in line.”
The crowd buzzed with chatter.
Special passage?
Lin Yuan looked up and indeed saw a long passage made of white jade stretching a hundred meters. But it was guarded by four inner sect disciples in white robes. It wasn’t going to be easy to get through. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
He approached to ask but was stopped by a gesture. One of the guards pointed silently at a nearby sign.
[Cross within ten breaths to use this path.]
Seeing this, Lin Yuan turned around.
The four guards exchanged glances, smirking in disdain. The special passage might be fast, but crossing it wasn’t easy.
Then came a scene that left them dumbfounded.
Lin Yuan’s body suddenly shot backward, retreating five or six meters in a blink.
“What technique is that?” one inner sect disciple asked.
“No idea.”
“Never seen it.”
“Looks awkward, but that speed is real!”
“Yeah, but why’s he moving backward?”
“Maybe he’s just a weirdo. Like that Lai Ren from the Servant Quarters who keeps diving into ponds.”
With continuous activation of Cicada Shedding, Lin Yuan reached the end within ten breaths.
Two more disciples guarded the far end.
“Please proceed up the mountain.”
They had never seen such a strange technique before and treated Lin Yuan with extra courtesy.
“Thank you, seniors!” Lin Yuan cupped his hands and stepped onto the mountain stairs.
He wasn’t alone on this path. Others were ahead as well.
When the others saw this unfamiliar face, they were all surprised.
Lin Yuan didn’t know any of them. He gave a polite smile and began ascending the mountain quickly, leaving the others behind.
“Strange. Shouldn’t only the well-known disciples be able to use the special path? How come I’ve never seen him before?” Qian Yancheng looked back, then up the mountain, puzzled.
“What’s wrong? Is your 8th-ranked outer sect pride feeling threatened?” a woman beside him teased, her voice sweet yet chilling.
She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but a long whip hung at her waist. Her laugh, though soft, sent chills down people’s spines.
Qian Yancheng glanced at her and said calmly, “There’s always some mysterious expert who shows up during these selections. I’m not worried. But I wonder if you are, Qu Lingshe. After all, your 10th place ranking wasn’t exactly earned cleanly.”
“So what if it wasn’t? Victory is everything. Haven’t you even grasped that?” Qu Lingshe continued to smile, but the menace in her voice only grew stronger.