The muscular man clutched his lower abdomen, his face twisted in agony. His teeth were stained red with blood, and he wheezed as he demanded, "You're Li Zhiming?!"
"Didn't the sect already strip away all your cultivation? How do you still have such terrifying strength?"
"I asked you a question, and I expect an answer!"
Li Zhiming looked down at the man lying on the ground, raised his leg, and kicked him viciously.
The man's face swelled instantly, and two teeth mixed with blood flew out of his mouth.
"I think you should know that the rules in Xuyuan Prison are different from those in the Zhenyuan Sect," Li Zhiming reminded him coldly. "Here, prison guards getting beaten and killed is a common occurrence. No one will investigate or hold anyone accountable."
He raised his foot once more and brought it down heavily on the man's ankle.
As Li Zhiming exerted pressure, the man let out a miserable shriek.
"Ah..."
"Big brother! Big brother, I'll talk! I'll talk!" the man begged for mercy.
"Speak properly, starting with your name."
Li Zhiming lifted his foot off the man.
The other prison guards who had followed him here looked at each other in dismay, their throats bobbing as they swallowed hard.
They had only tagged along to back him up, never expecting that their boss would kick such a massive iron plate.
Was this really a disciple whose cultivation had been crippled by the sect?
You've got to be kidding me!
This Li Zhiming was as ferocious as a tiger.
And yet, their boss was a Bone-Tempering Realm martial disciple about to step into the Ninth Grade of Martial Dao.
He didn't even have room to fight back in front of Li Zhiming.
"What do you three think you're doing?" Li Zhiming turned his head and glanced at the three men.
"N-nothing... We're not doing anything."
The three stammered, completely at a loss for words.
"Stay right there and behave!" Li Zhiming's tone was icy.
At the same time, the man on the ground managed to speak. "My name is Wang Zi. I'm also a guard here in Xuyuan Prison, but I don't know any Tian Yaoyao you're talking about..."
Before Wang Zi could finish, Li Zhiming stepped on his face again, pressing it directly into the ground.
"Do you know her or not? This is your last chance!"
"I really... I really don't know her!"
With his face pressed against the floor, Wang Zi's words came out completely distorted.
The commotion between the two had drawn a crowd, and prison guards passing by stopped to watch.
Brawling over a simple disagreement was far too common in Xuyuan Prison.
They were more than happy to stand around and eat melons while watching the show.
Li Zhiming slowly increased the pressure of his foot, but Wang Zi still denied having any connection to Tian Yaoyao.
"Could it be that this guy really wasn't sent by Tian Yaoyao?"
Li Zhiming frowned and lifted his foot. "We have no enmity between us. Why are you causing trouble for me?"
"I figured I've been a bit short on cash lately, and since you're new here, I thought I'd try to shake you down for some things, like Vitality Pills," Wang Zi answered sheepishly.
Hearing this, Li Zhiming suddenly remembered that his stipend hadn't arrived yet.
Though it wasn't much, it at least included a Vitality Pill.
Even if the pill was of little use to him now, he could always sell it in exchange for other resources.
"Get lost with your men, and don't let me see you again," Li Zhiming warned.
"..."
Wang Zi struggled to his feet and prepared to leave with the support of his subordinates.
By now, quite a crowd had gathered in the area, including several Patrol Disciples of a higher rank, though the majority were still ordinary guards.
Seeing this, Li Zhiming's gaze shifted slightly. He turned and called out, "Stop right there!"
Hearing Li Zhiming's voice, Wang Zi froze in his tracks.
He frowned, his eyes darting back and forth as panic crept into his expression.
"No way... Did he figure out I was lying?"
"Damn it! Senior Sister Tian from the Inner Sect said Li Zhiming's cultivation was crippled! How is he still this strong? I really give up!"
Hearing the footsteps drawing closer, Wang Zi raised his head, scratched it, and forced a smile. "Big brother, is there anything else you need?"
"Which hand do you usually use to shake people down for their stipends?"
"Uh... My right hand."
"Then you won't be needing that right hand anymore."
At these words, Wang Zi froze in place, his face twitching uncontrollably.
Just what kind of monster had he provoked? The man was utterly ruthless!
He had already given him a brutal beating, and now he still wanted to cripple one of his hands? Despicable!
Though filled with extreme reluctance, Wang Zi lacked the courage to utter a single word of refusal.
Li Zhiming's gaze was locked onto him like a leopard staring at its prey.
An uproar broke out among the onlookers, who exchanged shocked glances.
This newcomer Li Zhiming was far too ruthless! This was someone you simply couldn't afford to provoke—absolutely not!
Many people harbored this exact thought, and a few quietly turned and left.
Even Wang Zi had been beaten to a pulp by this guy; they stood no chance against him. If they accidentally offended Li Zhiming, they would be done for.
Li Zhiming watched the dispersing crowd with complete calm.
This was the exact result he wanted.
To deter and establish his authority.
That way, it would save him a lot of unnecessary trouble in the future.
"What, do you want me to do it myself?" Li Zhiming asked indifferently.
"You... Li Zhiming, don't go too far!" Wang Zi gritted his teeth, his expression hideous.
He could accept getting beaten after kicking an iron plate today, but having one of his hands crippled was something he couldn't swallow.
"Heh, too far?"
Li Zhiming let out a cold snort. The next second, he dashed in front of Wang Zi and snapped his wrist with a brutal twist.
*Crack—*
A crisp, bone-chilling sound echoed through the crowd.
Wang Zi shrieked, his face twisting in agony as dense beads of sweat popped up on his forehead.
"Heh, with your third-rate Kung Fu, you actually had the guts to go around causing trouble for people? You were lying just now, weren't you?"
"Still, the person behind you won't be able to hide for long. Even if you don't tell me, I'll find out eventually."
Li Zhiming whispered into Wang Zi's ear before sending him flying with a single kick.
"Get lost!"
"Li Zhiming, you'll regret what you did today!" Wang Zi roared as he scrambled to his feet.
"Heh."
Li Zhiming sneered and ignored him entirely.
Clenching his fist and casting one vicious glare at Li Zhiming, Wang Zi turned and led his men away.
Seeing this, the onlookers quickly dispersed.
Once the area was finally clear, Li Zhiming stretched lazily. "Ah, finally some peace and quiet."
After today, prison guards like Wang Zi shouldn't come looking for trouble with him anymore.
When all was said and done, if you wanted to live in peace here, you still needed sufficient strength.
Next, he needed to head as deep down as possible to take on more corpse-collection tasks, earn rewards, and strengthen himself.
Ideally, he should get down to the fourth level as soon as possible.
Also, in three days, that bitch Tian Yaoyao would come looking for him again to demand the Taichu Heart Sutra.
He had to make thorough preparations to survive the coming crisis.
Li Zhiming lifted the corpse he had prepared, carried it into the depths of Xuyuan, and let it dissolve into the wind currents formed by the gathering Yin Demonic Dead Qi.
Having finished with that body, he moved on to the second cell.
To Li Zhiming's disappointment, there was only one corpse in this room.
Even if the owner of the body hadn't been strong in life, it could still provide him with some blood-qi and True Qi—and, most importantly, enhancement points.
The person sat cross-legged, his head drooping forward.
Li Zhiming placed his palm on top of the corpse's head, and the True Qi within his body began to circulate, transforming into thousands of fine threads.
Although his current realm was far below what it used to be, his control over his own power had become even more deft and effortless.
This was the improvement brought to him by the Taichu Heart Sutra.
It was safe to say his control over True Qi far surpassed that of any Rank Eight expert!
Countless strands of True Qi entered the body, wandering and probing within.
"Completely dead. Probably died last night."
Li Zhiming withdrew his hand. Thanks to his improved control, he had unlocked a new skill: corpse inspection.
Although the elders and disciples had already double-checked to confirm the prisoner was dead, a little extra caution never hurt.
Judging by his attire, this person was not a disciple of the Zhenyuan Sect.
He wore a cloud-patterned robe, though it was so stained with blood that its original style was barely recognizable.
Li Zhiming channeled his True Qi to soften the stiff corpse until it collapsed limply onto the ground.
Using the same method as before, he pulled out a straw mat, rolled the body inside, and tied it securely with rope.
The simple task of corpse collection was thus complete.
【Successfully collected the corpse of Qi Yong, a spy from the Wanjian Sect (Mid Rank Nine).】
【Lifespan +3, Enhancement Value +1, Blood-Qi +999, True Qi Value +1,000, Acquired Qi Yong's lifelong martial art: Cloud-Soaring Dance!】
【Cloud-Soaring Dance: High-grade Xuan-tier movement technique!】
"What? A high-grade Xuan-tier movement technique!"
Seeing the words floating before his eyes, astonishment washed over Li Zhiming's face.
Movement techniques were rare to begin with, and a martial art of this grade could be considered a true rarity even within the Inner Sect!
He never expected to find one on a spy from the Wanjian Sect. It was truly surprising.
From the system, Li Zhiming learned that this person had been at the Mid Rank Nine realm during his lifetime. To possess a martial art of this tier, he must have encountered some extraordinary opportunity.
Without overthinking it, he flashed a single thought, and a scroll materialized in his hand.
This was none other than the high-grade Xuan-tier movement technique, *Cloud-Soaring Dance*.