Venerable Qingyao's Immortal Destiny! A Surge in Strength!

Pfft!

Blood sprayed from Zheng Kecheng's throat. His eyes widened as he stared at the sallow-faced youth, his gaze filled with terror and disbelief.

The youth before him had hatred in his eyes. His strikes were vicious, aimed straight at vital points.

He did not recognize him at all!

What kind of poison was this?

How could it be so potent? In such a short time, he could not even muster his inner strength, and his entire body had gone limp?

"Zheng Kecheng, haven't you been looking for me all this time?!"

"Scum like you should have died long ago!"

Qin Wang picked up the dagger, glanced at Zheng Kecheng, and walked toward Wang Jiang, the constable beside him.

"You bastard... I refuse to accept this!"

Zheng Kecheng stared fixedly at the sallow-faced youth before him, a surge of venomous resentment and stifled grievance rising within him!

After taking the pill bestowed by the Morning Envoy,

he had felt that he would soon break through to the peak of the second-rate realm. Once his mission was complete, he would no longer need to be a spy. He could return to Prince Jin's side, make achievements, and keep his only son, Zheng Lingyun, company. Everything had been looking up!

Yet now, he had been poisoned by some strange toxin and was about to die at the hands of a youth in the third-rate realm!

Regret filled Zheng Kecheng's heart.

Just yesterday, he had told his elder brother Zheng Keshou that he would return after dealing with a little fly. Who would have thought that this little fly would take his life instead!

A wave of weakness swept over him!

Zheng Kecheng only felt himself flying upward. He could even see his own body lying on the ground, blood gushing from its throat, its eyes refusing to close in death. The next moment, he saw black light flashing from the bundle on Qin Wang's body, and a fierce suction force swept him into it!

Qin Wang drew his dagger across Wang Jiang's throat. Disbelief appeared in Wang Jiang's eyes as he, too, died.

His soul was likewise collected by the Soul Gathering Bowl.

From Zheng Kecheng and the accompanying constable, Qin Wang found a total of five taels of silver and two identity waist tokens: one belonging to Arrest Bureau constable "Wang Jiang," and the other to Arrest Bureau Chief Constable "Zheng Kecheng."

In Wang Jiang's robes, Qin Wang also found a black token. One side bore the character "Kill," while the other was engraved with "99."

"Hm? Wang Jiang? A double identity? An assassin?"

Qin Wang's heart stirred.

He remembered that previous intel had revealed that Arrest Bureau constable Wang Jiang was actually the Number 99 human-rank assassin of Blood Kill Hall, Great Cang's third-largest assassin organization. His goal was to find the daughter of the Phoenix Yao Saintess, who had been cast adrift in the Great Cang Kingdom thirteen years ago!

Combined with this "Kill" token, Wang Jiang was undoubtedly that assassin.

Qin Wang remembered.

The intel had said that Li Hongfei had contacted Blood Kill Hall's Number 98 assassin, Song Lin. He had never expected that he himself would kill Number 99, Wang Jiang!

It would have been nice to find a martial arts manual.

Qin Wang searched Zheng Kecheng and Wang Jiang from head to toe, then sighed.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

Who carried martial arts manuals around for no reason?

"Now that Zheng Kecheng has been dealt with, it's time to return and take the Dragon Blood Pills and Tiger Blood Pills to raise my cultivation to the second-rate realm!"

Qin Wang looked at the dead Zheng Kecheng, anticipation appearing in his eyes.

When his strength was too low, he often had to rent houses to avoid danger.

Once he reached the second-rate realm, he would be able to handle some minor dangers. What Qin Wang looked forward to even more was that, with second-rate inner strength, using the Flying Eagle Movement Technique to leap over walls more than ten feet high would be effortless.

Moreover, with second-rate cultivation, the power of Ancestor's Long Fist would rise by a great step compared to before.

After cleaning everything up, Qin Wang dragged Zheng Kecheng and Wang Jiang into the room, set it ablaze, and left the rented courtyard through the back door.

Yan Yun County.

Inside a three-room house of blue bricks and gray tiles.

Qin Wang bolted the door from within.

He sat cross-legged on the bed. Before him was a white porcelain bottle, while a bundle lay beside him.

"Let's take a Tiger Blood Pill first and see!"

Qin Wang poured a Tiger Blood Pill from the white porcelain bottle, anticipation in his eyes.

He would use the Tiger Blood Pills first. The Dragon Blood Pills had stronger medicinal effects, so they would be best saved for breaking through to the second-rate realm.

A rich fragrance rushed into his nostrils.

"The Intelligence Panel said that after taking these pills, I can advance to the second-rate realm. They should be free of poison."

Qin Wang held the pill between his index finger and thumb as he silently thought to himself.

Besides,

the intel had said these pills were left by Li Hongfei for his grandson to take, so they should not have been tampered with.

After using the Treasure Bowl to purify the Tiger Blood Pill, Qin Wang opened his mouth and swallowed it.

The Tiger Blood Pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a surging torrent of heat that spread from his stomach and swept through all four limbs and every bone!

Qin Wang immediately circulated the Minor Scarlet Sun Cultivation over and over, absorbing and refining the Tiger Blood Pill's medicinal power.

Part of that medicinal power

nourished his meridians, flesh, blood, and bones. Another part was absorbed by the Minor Scarlet Sun Cultivation and eventually transformed into inner qi within his dantian.

Time passed.

Seven o'clock at night.

Qin Wang opened his eyes from meditation and looked at the right side of the book-page panel before him.

Realm: Third-rate (311/1000)

"Taking one Tiger Blood Pill increased my cultivation progress by 40 points?"

Qin Wang looked at the display on the panel, a thoughtful expression appearing in his eyes.

Previously,

his progress had been 271 points.

Qin Wang calculated.

The Tiger Blood Pill's efficacy was roughly fifteen times that of a Qi and Blood Pill. From noon until seven at night, he had only just finished absorbing the medicinal power of one Tiger Blood Pill.

By that calculation, ten Tiger Blood Pills could increase his cultivation progress by 400 points, bringing his third-rate cultivation progress to 711. How much would three Dragon Blood Pills add?

Qin Wang was greatly looking forward to it.

"I'll take all the Tiger Blood Pills first and raise my cultivation progress before anything else!"

With that thought, Qin Wang immediately sat down again and continued taking Tiger Blood Pills.

Five days later.

Late at night.

Realm: Third-rate (711/1000)

Qin Wang looked at his panel and felt the inner strength within him, now three times stronger than before. Anticipation filled his eyes. He decided to rest for a while, then make one final push and take the Dragon Blood Pills!

Daily Intel Has Been Updated!

Today's Intel

1: You have consecutively taken Li Hongfei's 10 Tiger Blood Pills, and your strength has surged. You have obtained related intel: after taking the Dragon Blood Pills, you will advance to the second-rate realm.

2: You cultivated the Minor Scarlet Sun Cultivation yesterday and obtained related intel: your Minor Scarlet Sun Cultivation will reach minor mastery in one year and three months.

3: Because you killed Arrest Bureau Chief Constable Zheng Kecheng, you have obtained related intel: Yan Yun County is in an uproar. County Magistrate Chen Hao has instructed all Arrest Bureau constables to search for your whereabouts and post your portrait at all four city gates.

4: Because you killed Blood Kill Hall's Number 99 assassin Wang Jiang, you have obtained related intel: Blood Kill Hall has listed "Hundred Knowledge Divine Lord" as a key investigation target.

5: Because you took Li Hongfei's life savings, you have obtained related intel: Li Hongfei seems to have aged several decades, his beard and hair turning completely white.

7: You swallowed a Tiger Blood Pill yesterday and obtained related intel: the fierce tiger Li Hongfei used to refine this pill was captured from Tiger Roar Mountain.

10: You read the Pill Comprehension Primer yesterday and obtained related intel: the original draft of the Pill Comprehension Primer was written by "Venerable Qingyao," who was once a rogue cultivator at Little Dan Mountain Market. While returning to the mortal world to visit relatives, he was ambushed by other rogue cultivators. After escaping, he succumbed to severe injuries at Eagle Worry Ravine in Jin Prefecture. At the place where he passed away, he left behind an immortal cultivation technique as well as Venerable Qingyao's accumulated savings.

"It refreshed?"

Qin Wang's eyes lit up as he looked at the panel. There had been no genuinely useful intel these past few days. He wondered what today would bring.