"At this rate, it won't be long before I can return to the Rank Seven realm!"
Li Zhiming was brimming with excitement. He hoisted Cai Kun’s corpse onto his back, preparing to carry it out for disposal.
"Hey, you even wrapped this traitor in a mat?" A guard chimed in, leaning over. "For bodies like this, just toss them straight into the Xuyuan Prison. Down below, the dense Yin Demonic Dead Qi mixes with violent air currents to create razor-sharp wind blades. They’ll shred the corpse to pieces—far more efficient than burning it."
"Understood."
Li Zhiming walked to the railing. Below lay the bottomless Xuyuan Prison. It was pitch black, with nothing visible but swirling mist, and an occasional mournful howling of the wind rising from the depths.
He heaved the body over. The stiff corpse, wrapped in its straw mat, vanished into the vast darkness.
"After you're done with the body, don't forget to clean the cell. Then, you'll patrol Sector Three for two hours. I'll be coming by to inspect, so don't let me catch you slacking off."
"Otherwise, you'll face the consequences!"
With that warning, the guard walked away. Each level of Xuyuan Prison was divided into nine sectors, and as a servant assigned to Sector Three, Li Zhiming only needed to work within that area.
Li Zhiming returned to the cell to collect the second body. Any storage bags or rings that might have held items were already gone, clearly looted by the guards or the coroner. By the time the corpses reached the jailers, they were nothing but withered shells; there was nothing left to scavenge.
Li Zhiming went about his work, wrapping the next body in a mat.
[Successfully collected the corpse of Hehuan Sect captive Wang Jiang. Lifespan +2 years, Reinforcement Point +1, Qi and Blood +999, True Qi value +500.]
Li Zhiming closed his eyes, sensing the changes in his body. His strength had increased. Although his realm hadn't broken through, every little bit helped.
"It seems the rewards are tied to the strength the corpse had while alive. If I want richer rewards, I need to find a way to the next level down. But the Yin Demonic Dead Qi grows significantly denser and more intense with every level."
Li Zhiming mused. He was already a Mid Rank Nine Martial Artist, which allowed him to survive on this first level for extended periods. He would need to find a way to procure more Vitality Pills to ensure his cultivation and realm remained unaffected. But to go deeper, being a mere Rank Nine was far from enough; he needed to become stronger.
With that thought, Li Zhiming sat cross-legged and began to study his status panel.
[Host: Li Zhiming]
[Realm: Ninth Grade of Martial Dao — Mid Rank]
[Age: 16]
[Lifespan: 122]
[Charm: 96]
[Luck: 89]
[Reinforcement Points: 101]
[Martial Arts: Fallen Flower Palm (Unpracticed), Burst Fist (Unpracticed), Chaotic Shadow Steps (Unpracticed)]
[Cultivation Method: Qingyang Technique (Unpracticed)]
[Secret Art: Taichu Heart Sutra — Fragment (Unpracticed)]
Since his physical state had been reset, Li Zhiming currently possessed no practiced martial arts. As for the secret art, it wasn't a technique of the Zhenyuan Sect, but the legacy Tian Yaoyao had desperately sought. After he had obtained the legacy stone in the ruins, its information had merged directly into his mind, which was why Tian Yaoyao had found nothing despite searching his entire body.
"What are these Reinforcement Points for?"
Li Zhiming noticed a question mark next to the points and clicked it.
[Reinforcement Points can be used to upgrade practiced martial arts, cultivation methods, and secret arts.]
"I see."
Li Zhiming decided to experiment. Since a single corpse collection only yielded one point, they were clearly a scarce resource.
The Fallen Flower Palm was too low-grade to be worth the points. Burst Fist and Chaotic Shadow Steps were Inner Sect martial arts—the latter being a high-tier Yellow-grade movement technique—while Burst Fist and the Qingyang Technique were low-tier Profound-grade. Having practiced these once before, he could reach proficiency in at most a month on his own.
Therefore, he decided to spend his points on the Taichu Heart Sutra. It had come from the heart of the ruins, and the owner of those ruins had been a First Grade master. That he had chosen to make this specific secret art his primary legacy spoke volumes about its importance.
"Let's try it."
Li Zhiming clicked on the Taichu Heart Sutra, and a plus sign appeared next to it.
[Requires 100 Reinforcement Points. Upgrade?]
"Damn, 100?" Li Zhiming’s eyelids twitched. He quickly tapped on his other techniques.
[Fallen Flower Palm upgrade requires 1 Reinforcement Point.]
[Chaotic Shadow Steps require 3 Reinforcement Points.]
[Burst Fist requires 4 Reinforcement Points.]
[Qingyang Technique requires 5 Reinforcement Points.]
Seeing this, Li Zhiming gasped. Clearly, the Taichu Heart Sutra was far more precious than the Inner Sect's Profound-grade techniques. And most importantly, this was only a fragment. No wonder Tian Yaoyao had been so desperate to get her hands on the legacy from those ruins; she must have known something about this secret art.
Li Zhiming steadied his mind and stopped overthinking. A plus sign reappeared next to the Taichu Heart Sutra.
[Upgrade Taichu Heart Sutra (Fragment) requires 100 Reinforcement Points. Upgrade?]
[Yes/No]
This time, he didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
With that simple decision, Li Zhiming’s life began a silent transformation. A new era quietly unfolded at that very moment.
[Upgrade successful. Reinforcement Points -100. Remaining: 1.]
As the text appeared before his eyes, a deafening sound echoed in his ears. It felt as if it had traversed hundreds of thousands of years, descending from the heavens with an aura of antiquity and decay, shaking his very soul!
[The Qi of Taichu can nourish all things, transform into anything, control the five elements, and forge the yin and yang of all manifestations.]
A single simple sentence, yet it weighed a thousand pounds, leaving Li Zhiming dizzy. After half an hour, the cultivation method for the Taichu Heart Sutra finally began to carve itself into his mind.
"The root of all energy in this world can be said to have evolved from the Qi of Taichu."
"The Qi of Taichu cannot be cultivated by those without heaven-defying comprehension. Without the system's help, it would take a decade just to enter the threshold, if one could even grasp it at all in a lifetime."
Li Zhiming sighed inwardly, realizing he truly had obtained a supreme treasure in those ruins. He opened his eyes and began to recite the incantations of the Taichu Heart Sutra. Golden characters emerged, circling the back of his head like living things before merging into his brow. A golden, vortex-like pattern slowly formed before fading away.
[Upgrade successful. Taichu Heart Sutra (First Half) — Entry Level.]
The first half of the Taichu Heart Sutra focused on mastering the five elements; once cultivated, one could control their attributes. Li Zhiming whispered to himself, the Taichu Seal appearing on his forehead as his eyes flooded with a pale white light.
At that moment, a miraculous power appeared in his vision. It manifested as a milky-white mist—the Qi of Taichu—hidden and formless, difficult for ordinary people to perceive. The surrounding Qi of Taichu was drawn to him, coalescing like white silk and gathering at his brow. The True Qi within his body dissolved, replaced as the Qi of Taichu poured into his dantian.
As the Qi of Taichu filled his body, Li Zhiming felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, as if his soul were floating on clouds.
"Fire!"
With a thought, the Qi of Taichu within him surged, transforming into the True Qi he required. Under his control, crimson flames suddenly erupted from his palm.
"Water!"
He extended his right hand, and pale blue, water-attribute True Qi manifested. The fact that incompatible water and fire True Qi could coexist within him was simply unbelievable.
"How marvelous!"
Li Zhiming was exhilarated. Normally, a person could only master one attribute. Only a tiny fraction of people could master two or more. Li Zhiming’s constitution was wood-based, meaning he could previously only cultivate wood-attribute techniques. But now, he could manipulate the five elements at will. Even the rare attributes—Wind, Thunder, Ice, and Lightning—were all derived from the fundamental five elements. With the five elements generating and overcoming one another, he could maintain an advantage in any battle.
"The Taichu Heart Sutra is truly peerless!"
Li Zhiming lowered his hand, his expression returning to calm. He was only at the entry level of the first half, and his control over the Qi of Taichu was still green. But with constant cultivation, he would become more adept. Proficiency was divided into three stages: Entry, Mastery, and Perfection. He still had a long way to go, and even with the Corpse Collection System, it would take time to accumulate the points.
Li Zhiming tried to upgrade the Taichu Heart Sutra again.
[Taichu Heart Sutra (First Half) (Entry Level). Upgrade requires 300 Reinforcement Points.]
"Damn it, 300?!" Li Zhiming’s face twitched. That was too much. But he understood—the only drawback to something precious was its price. For now, the entry-level proficiency was more than enough. Besides, he would work hard to master the Sutra himself; progress might be slower than just adding points, but it was better than nothing.
He stood up, discovering that all his previous physical discomfort had vanished. He channeled the Qi of Taichu into his eyes and was amazed to see that the Yin Demonic Dead Qi retreated in terror as if it had encountered a natural predator.
"The Qi of Taichu is practically the great-great-grandfather of this Yin Demonic Dead Qi..."
Li Zhiming let out a long breath, lamenting the unpredictability of fate. The woman he loved had conspired with his junior brother to betray him just when he was at his happiest, yet in his moment of absolute despair, a cheat code had fallen from the sky to help him escape his predicament. Since heaven was looking out for him, he had no choice but to carve out a grand future.
"Heh, Tian Yaoyao, Qi Yang... just wait until I get out of here, I'll slaughter the both of you!"
A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes. He picked up Wang Jiang’s corpse and headed out. Just as he left the cell, three men walked toward him. The leader, a burly young man with a fierce expression, was shouting, "Where is Li Zhiming? Which one of you is Li Zhiming? Get out here and meet your master!"
"And who might you be?" Li Zhiming set the corpse down for a moment.
"Huh?" The burly man’s expression darkened. "Where the hell did a little pawn like you come from, daring to speak to me like that? Where is Li Zhiming? Tell that brat to roll out here!" His tone was arrogant and barbaric.
"Too loud!"
Li Zhiming struck suddenly. His kick was as fast as lightning.
*Bang!*
With a dull thud, the ox-like man flew backward and slammed into the wall. He looked strong, but he was ultimately just an Unranked Martial Disciple; he was no match for Li Zhiming.
"Cough, cough..." The man wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, trying to stand up to retaliate. But the searing pain in his abdomen kept him pinned. The strike had shattered several of his ribs, one of which had pierced through his skin, the blood-stained bone now exposed.
"So... so strong!" The two young men behind him stared in shock, their bodies instinctively retreating two steps. The man's movements had been too fast; they hadn't even seen him strike.
The burly man, now incapacitated, lay on the ground, wincing as he asked, "Who are you?"
"I am the Li Zhiming you're looking for. Now speak—who sent you? Was it that bitch Tian Yaoyao?" Li Zhiming demanded, his face expressionless.