The stench of blood mingled with dust in the gorge, making people want to vomit.
The lingering light of the setting sun dyed the entire battlefield a bleak, ghastly red.
Only after the last bandit vanished into the depths of the mountains, scrambling and crawling away, did the surviving escorts erupt in cheers of surviving a calamity.
But the cheers soon gradually died away. Everyone's gaze unconsciously converged on the youth standing quietly beside the One-Eyed Dragon King's corpse.
Lin Xiao.
At this moment, the name had taken on a mysterious and terrifying color in everyone's hearts.
The tattered hemp clothes on his body remained spotless, utterly out of place amid the bloody surroundings. There was not the slightest ripple on his somewhat youthful face, as though that hair-raising assassination just now had been no more than crushing an ant.
Zhang Kui leaned on his Ghost-Head Saber and panted heavily. He had several wounds on his body, yet he could not feel the slightest pain at the moment. As he looked at Lin Xiao, his one eye brimmed with complicated emotions—shock, gratitude, and a deep trace of wariness.
He asked himself whether, even at his peak, he would have had more than a thirty percent chance of victory against the Body Refinement Fifth Level One-Eyed Dragon King. Yet this youth had killed him in an instant, with a posture that was nearly crushing!
This had already surpassed his understanding of what a genius was. This was simply a monster!
Boss Zhao, the fat merchant, poked his round head out from behind the carriage. Seeing that the battle had ended, he hurriedly straightened his clothes and ran over in quick little steps.
Rather than checking on his goods first, he ran straight to Lin Xiao, his face piled high with fawning smiles. He bowed deeply. "Lin... Young Hero Lin! If not for you turning the tide today, these hundred-odd pounds of flesh of mine, along with this entire caravan's goods, would have all been left here! Great kindness needs no words of thanks—please accept this bow from Zhao Defa!"
He lowered himself immensely, even using the respectful form of address.
Lin Xiao glanced at him and said blandly, "I was merely protecting myself."
He bent down and began searching the One-Eyed Dragon King's corpse. He was never polite when it came to spoils.
Very quickly, he found a heavy money pouch and a small booklet wrapped in oilcloth from the One-Eyed Dragon King's robes.
He opened the pouch. Inside were more than a dozen gleaming gold coins, along with some loose silver. Gold coins! One gold coin was worth one hundred Silver Coins. This windfall alone was enough to let an ordinary family live without worry for food or clothing for a lifetime.
His heartbeat quickened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he put away the pouch. Then he opened the oilcloth wrapping.
Inside was a thread-bound martial manual. Four ancient, unadorned characters were written on its cover—Cloak Axe Technique.
[System Prompt: Human-Tier Low-Grade Martial Skill Cloak Axe Technique discovered. Learn it?] [Martial Skill Description: Cloak Axe Technique is a close-range axe technique that emphasizes momentum and strength. Its movements are broad and forceful, and its power is considerable. When cultivated to mastery, it can split gold and cleave stone.]
A Martial Skill!
Lin Xiao's breathing involuntarily grew more rapid. He currently possessed only cultivation and strength, without any decent offensive methods. He had always relied on the system's weakness analysis and the fighting techniques from his previous life in battle. This Martial Skill perfectly made up for his greatest shortcoming!
Although it was an axe technique and did not match his dagger, its methods of exerting force and changes in technique could still be applied by analogy.
"Learn!" he silently said in his heart.
In an instant, a flood of information about axe techniques surged into his mind. Splitting, chopping, lifting, slashing... every move and every stance was clearly branded deep into his memory.
[System Prompt: Successfully learned Cloak Axe Technique. Current proficiency: 0/1000.]
Greed flashed through Zhang Kui's and Boss Zhao's eyes when they saw this, but they quickly forced it down. They knew that what belonged to this youth was not something they could covet.
Only after finishing all this did Lin Xiao rise and say to Zhang Kui, "Team Leader Zhang, clean up the battlefield. These bandits should still have some valuables on them."
"Yes, yes! Everything will be as Young Hero Lin decides!" Zhang Kui hurriedly nodded and bowed. His manner was a hundred times more respectful than before.
What followed was simple.
The escorts began clearing the battlefield, treating the wounded, and gathering the spoils. Lin Xiao did not interfere further. He merely found a clean spot, sat cross-legged, and began digesting what he had gained from the battle and his study.
Although the battle had seemed easy for him, it had consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy. Especially when he had directed the entire battle, he had needed to process the enormous volume of information fed back by the system panel at once. It had been an immense test of his mental strength.
Fortunately, his mental attribute had already reached 10 points, the limit of an ordinary person. After killing the One-Eyed Dragon King, he had even broken through that limit.
He brought up his attribute panel, satisfaction rising in his heart.
[Name: Lin Xiao] [Realm: Body Refinement Second Level (4/200)] [Level: 4 (36/100)] [Strength: 9 (Beyond Mortal)] [Agility: 10 (Beyond Mortal)] [Mental Strength: 11 (Beyond Mortal)] [Cultivation Technique: Qi Gathering Art (Proficiency 45/100)] [Martial Skill: Cloak Axe Technique (Proficiency 0/1000)]
After reaching Level 4, his realm had naturally broken through from the Body Refinement First Level to the Body Refinement Second Level! His strength, agility, and mental strength had all surpassed the limits of mortals!
This was the rapid growth brought by battle and slaughter!
Night fell, and the caravan did not continue on its way. Instead, it chose to rest in the gorge.
The bonfire burned brightly, but the atmosphere was strangely quiet. Every escort stayed far away from Lin Xiao, not daring to approach him lightly.
Zhang Kui and Boss Zhao came together, respectfully placing all the valuables gathered this time before Lin Xiao.
"Young Hero Lin, these are all the gains from this haul: thirty-seven gold coins and more than five hundred Silver Coins. According to the rules of the trade, you alone should take seventy percent!" Zhang Kui said.
Lin Xiao looked at the pile of gold and silver, then shook his head. "I only want the portion that should be mine. I killed the bandit leader, so his belongings are mine. Divide the rest according to merit. Make sure the compensation for those brothers who died is sufficient."
He knew that winning people's hearts was more important than gathering wealth.
Zhang Kui and Boss Zhao were both stunned. Then their eyes revealed incomparable gratitude and admiration.
"Young Hero, your righteousness is lofty!" Zhang Kui bowed deeply. "I, Zhang Kui, thank you on behalf of the fallen brothers!"
That night, Lin Xiao's image in everyone's hearts gained a touch of "benevolence and righteousness" alongside that of a terrifying "monster."
There were no more twists or turns along the rest of the journey.
With a great deity like Lin Xiao holding the fort, ordinary thieves and petty scoundrels did not dare come near at all.
Lin Xiao was happy to have some peace as well. Most of the time, he stayed inside the carriage, cultivating the Qi Gathering Art while mentally deducing the moves of the Cloak Axe Technique.
Although he had no axe in hand, he could incorporate the force-generating techniques of the axe art into his fists, kicks, and dagger work, making his attacks sharper and more threatening.
Five days later, the outline of a majestic city finally appeared at the end of the horizon.
Its walls rose dozens of zhang high, built from massive blocks of bluestone, gleaming with an ancient and weighty luster beneath the sunlight. Flags fluttered atop the walls, and armored soldiers stood in ranks. A broad moat encircled the entire city like a jade belt.
Even from a great distance, they could feel the prosperity and vast majesty rolling toward them from that city.
Cloud Creek City!
One of the largest cities in the eastern region of the Skywind Kingdom, and the only city within a thousand li that possessed a first-rate cultivation academy!
Standing atop the carriage, Lin Xiao gazed at the colossal city in the distance, and a sense of awe rose within him. Compared to Cloud Creek City, Qingyang City, where he had previously stayed, was simply like a tiny rural village.
The others in the caravan also revealed excited and yearning expressions.
"We've finally arrived!" Boss Zhao was so excited that tears filled his eyes.
As the caravan slowly approached the city gate, there were more and more pedestrians on the official road. There were richly dressed merchants, mercenaries carrying sabers and swords, students hurrying along, and even the occasional genuine cultivator with a powerful aura riding an exotic beast.
The prosperity and vitality here were far beyond anything Qingyang City could compare with.
After paying a considerable entrance tax, the caravan smoothly entered Cloud Creek City.
The scene within the city opened Lin Xiao's eyes even wider. The broad streets were paved with smooth bluestone slabs, wide enough for eight carriages to travel side by side. Shops, restaurants, and inns stood in orderly rows along both sides. Cries of vendors, calls of hawkers, laughter, and chatter rose without end, creating a flourishing scene of bustling traffic.
Even the air seemed to be filled with spiritual energy several times denser than that of the wilderness.
The caravan stopped in front of a large freight depot within the city.
Boss Zhao successfully handed over the goods and received a large final payment. He grinned so broadly that his mouth could barely close.
It was time to part ways.
"Young Hero Lin, this is the agreed-upon payment: twenty Silver Coins. In addition, this is a small token of my personal appreciation. Please, you must accept it!" Boss Zhao handed over a money pouch. Besides the twenty Silver Coins, it contained an additional five gold coins.
Lin Xiao did not refuse. This was what he deserved.
Zhang Kui also came over. He handed Lin Xiao a black iron token engraved with the character "Wind."
"Young Hero Lin, this is a token of our Black Wind Escort Agency. If you ever need anything from our escort agency in Cloud Creek City, just take this token to our main office in the west of the city and find me. As long as I, Zhang Kui, can do it, I will never refuse!" he said solemnly, his words filled with sincerity. He wanted to befriend Lin Xiao, this youth of limitless potential.
"Thank you." Lin Xiao accepted the iron token and clasped his hands toward them. "We part here. Until we meet again."
Without the slightest attachment, he turned and merged into the bustling crowd, soon disappearing from sight.
Zhang Kui watched his retreating figure in silence for a long time, his one eye filled with emotion. He knew that this hidden dragon would one day soar into the heavens, while they might merely be insignificant passersby in his life.
Lin Xiao walked alone through the bustling streets of Cloud Creek City.
He first found a clothing shop and changed out of his ragged clothes, putting on a clean, fitted black outfit. Then he went to a weapon shop and spent one gold coin on a dagger forged from refined steel, replacing the rusty weapon that had long been unable to bear the strain.
Refreshed from head to toe, he no longer looked like a refugee fleeing disaster. Instead, he resembled a young master from a noble family out gaining experience.
He found an inn that looked reasonably clean and checked in.
In his room, Lin Xiao poured all his possessions onto the bed.
Forty-two gold coins, several Silver Coins, one first-grade low-grade demon core, the Human-Tier Low-Grade Martial Skill Cloak Axe Technique, and one Black Wind Escort Agency token.
This was the first pot of gold he had carved out in this world with his own life!
Looking at these things, Lin Xiao's heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and security.
He was in no hurry to inquire about the cultivation academy. He knew that what he needed most now was to quickly turn his power into genuine combat strength.
Over the following days, he never stepped out of the inn, locking himself in his room and cultivating madly.
He used gold coins to buy large quantities of meat from the innkeeper. These energy-rich foods provided ample support for his cultivation.
During the day, he mentally deduced the Cloak Axe Technique and tried to integrate it into his dagger techniques. At night, he fully circulated the Qi Gathering Art, absorbing the spiritual energy in Cloud Creek City, which was far denser than that of the wilderness.
His strength rose at an astonishing speed.
[Qi Gathering Art proficiency +5] [Cloak Axe Technique proficiency +10] [Realm increased! Current realm: Body Refinement Third Level!]
One week later, when Lin Xiao opened his eyes again, his realm had successfully broken through to the Body Refinement Third Level! The proficiency of the Cloak Axe Technique had also reached the level of minor mastery.
He could feel that the spiritual energy within his body was several times more abundant than before. If he faced an opponent like the One-Eyed Dragon King again, he was confident he could kill him head-on within ten moves!
"It's time."
Lin Xiao stood, pushed open the window, and looked toward the center of the city.
There, towering spires rose indistinctly into the clouds, emanating a solemn and ancient aura.
That was where Cloud Creek Academy stood.
It was also the ultimate destination of his journey.
A fire called ambition burned in his eyes.
Aptitude test? Mortal-Grade Inferior?
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