Time was meaningless in the cave, the cold lingering beyond seasons.
One month later, Lin Yuan slowly stood up, his expression filled with helplessness. Now he finally understood why, after years of cultivation, he was still only at the 2nd stage Qi Refining Realm.
“Poor aptitude, coupled with trash-tier techniques—no wonder I could never advance.”
He casually opened his attribute panel.
[Name: Lin Yuan]
[Realm: 5th stage Qi Refining Realm]
[Bound Targets: Lai Ren, He Peng, Liu Songde, Wang Lie]
[Current Side Effects: Seven-Slaughter Demon Blade (muscle strain, nightmares)]
Once someone had been designated, their record would remain on the panel unless they died. He could assign targets directly through the panel without any additional conditions.
When his limit was only one, he had to think carefully about who to choose. Now that the limit had increased to five, he designated them all—letting several people share the burden of his side effects.
“With my current cultivation level and the first move of the Seven-Slaughter Demon Blade, I should qualify to take on beast-hunting missions from the Mission Hall.”
“The contribution points from beast hunts are generous, and along with what I’ve saved from my time as a servant disciple…”
“I should be able to afford one entry into the Martial Hall.”
“If I could choose a technique that boosts cultivation speed, that would be perfect!”
Staring at the data on the panel, Lin Yuan muttered inwardly.
Servant disciples were only taught entry-level breathing techniques, which were highly inefficient. If he could trade for a higher-grade technique, his cultivation would undoubtedly progress faster.
Suddenly, he noticed faint footsteps outside the cave entrance.
Someone was approaching!
Lin Yuan became alert but didn’t overreact. Most disciples would place a silent warding array at their door during cultivation. Although he lacked the spirit stones to buy an array, he had left a warning marker. Anyone seeing the mark should choose to walk away.
Just then, Lin Yuan’s panel displayed a new side effect.
[Inhaled Bone-Corrosive Soul-Scattering Smoke. Side Effect Gained: Scattered Spiritual Power, Limb Weakness]
Well damn, someone was trying to poison him?
Without hesitation, he transferred the effect to Lai Ren.
At the same time, over at Azure Cloud Peak near the Servant Quarters—
Lai Ren had just mounted his flying sword when he suddenly felt numbness in all four limbs and his spiritual power become unstable.
In that brief moment of confusion, he plummeted straight from the sky, crashing into the ground and creating a large crater.
“Agh! Who’s the bastard that ambushed me?!”
It took him tremendous effort to climb out, and he roared at the sky in rage. After venting for a while, the surroundings remained dead silent—not even a bird call.
Clutching his aching back and cursing under his breath, he had no choice but to accept his bad luck.
With his spiritual power in disarray and his flying sword unusable, he could only run back to the Servant Quarters on foot.
…
Back in the cave, Lin Yuan, having transferred the side effect, leaned casually against the stone wall while secretly gripping the hilt of his blade.
The Immortal Gate Sect forbade killing fellow disciples, but personal duels weren’t banned. As long as no one died, everything else could be glossed over. If one had connections in the Law Enforcement Hall, even murder could be overlooked.
The person outside clearly had full confidence in their poison. After waiting just a dozen breaths, they boldly stepped into the cave.
“Liu Songde? Why is it him?”
Though the man wore black and only revealed his eyes, Lin Yuan had already identified him via the panel.
He didn’t resist—he wanted to see what Liu Songde was planning.
After entering the cave, Liu Songde activated a warding array at the entrance, then turned to Lin Yuan.
“Tsk tsk, 5th stage Qi Refining Realm? Looks like those two idiots, He Peng and Wang Lie, really underestimated you.”
“If it weren’t for that Bone-Corrosive Soul-Scattering Smoke, even I might not be your match.”
“Now that your life is in my hands, spill it.”
“You’ve been stuck at the 2nd stage for three years. How did you suddenly advance three levels in one month?”
“What’s your secret?”
Hearing his words, Lin Yuan’s heart skipped a beat—he felt a trace of dread.
Sure enough, his rapid progress had attracted the attention of someone suspicious.
Fortunately, it was Liu Songde who came. If it had been Lai Ren, even with his pill-built cultivation, Lin Yuan likely wouldn’t have stood a chance.
He let out two coughs, his voice weak and hoarse.
Liu Songde, unsuspecting, leaned closer to hear him better.
“Seven-Slaughter – Shadow Pursuit!”
In an instant, Lin Yuan moved with blinding speed.
A dazzling flash of the blade swept by, and a thin red line appeared in Liu Songde’s pupils. The line grew wider until—with a dull thud—half of his head fell to the ground.
Staring at the corpse, Lin Yuan warned himself silently.
The cultivation world was full of hidden dangers. One could never afford to let their guard down. Otherwise, today’s Liu Songde would become tomorrow’s him.
Calming down, Lin Yuan began rummaging through the body. Soon, from the inner pocket of Liu Songde’s undergarments, he pulled out a finely crafted ring.
“Could this be a storage ring?”
He used spiritual power to break the seal and sent his consciousness inside.
The interior was about one cubic meter—enough to hold a fair amount.
Aside from some jars of pills, there was only a thin booklet and ten low-grade spirit stones.
Ignoring the spirit stones for now, Lin Yuan pulled out the booklet.
As he looked closer, his breathing quickened.
Bloodburn Technique—a technique that boosts cultivation speed by burning one’s blood essence.
This was exactly what he needed!
He carefully returned the booklet and dripped a drop of blood on the ring, fully binding it.
Then, imitating Liu Songde, he hid the ring inside his undergarments.
With time to spare, he used his long blade to dig a deep pit and buried Liu Songde’s body.
There were thousands of cave dwellings in the back mountain. No one would discover the body any time soon. By then, he might already be an outer sect disciple.
No one would bother to investigate the death of a servant.
Before leaving, Lin Yuan picked up the warding array at the entrance. It was engraved onto a formation plate. With a bit of spiritual power, it was ready to use—simple and effective.
“Killing and looting really pays. The ancients weren’t wrong.”
He had the technique, the spirit stones, and even a warding array.
This closed-door training had been well worth it.
“Now that I have a technique, I still need to visit the Martial Hall to disguise my use of the Bloodburn Technique.”
With a plan in mind, Lin Yuan returned to the Servant Quarters.
The Servant Disciples’ Grand Competition would begin in a month.
That meant he still had to do servant missions for another month.
On the way back, Lin Yuan noticed the strange looks others were giving him—part sympathy, part schadenfreude.
“Lin Yuan, where’ve you been? Two days ago, that bastard Lai gathered all servant disciples. When he found you missing, he gave you a death mission!”
A young man in a gray short robe ran up, panting, with an urgent tone.
Oh?
Thinking back to the conversation he’d overheard that night, Lin Yuan’s heart leapt with joy.
Could it be… they wanted him to become a pill slave?