Killing Isn't Fun At All

Sitting cross-legged on a cushion on the heated brick bed, Su Fan formed hand seals according to the cultivation method.

Within his consciousness, qi circulated throughout his body.

His breathing was long and steady, each inhale and exhale following a precise rhythm.

Unknowingly, Su Fan's mind and breath became one, all distracting thoughts vanishing.

The sense of all things cycling endlessly was indescribably profound.

Gradually, the pores of his entire body opened, and spiritual energy was continuously absorbed into him.

It was like stepping into an air-conditioned room on a sweltering summer day, a wave of intense coolness washing over him.

His pores contracted, and as he shivered, he felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

No wonder his predecessor had cultivated for twenty years without giving up.

Cultivating immortal techniques was f*cking awesome.

After nine cycles, Su Fan slowly opened his eyes, awakening from the profound state.

He opened his status panel and sighed silently.

[Name] Su Fan
[Lifespan] 36/92 years
[Realm] Qi Refining Second Layer: 99/100
[Cultivation Methods]
1. Primordial Chaos Technique (Tier 1): 22/100
2. Body Tempering Art (Tier 2): 45/200
3. Demonic Saint Body Art (Tier 1): 100/100
[Spells]
1. Qi Gazing Art (Minor Accomplishment): 43/200
2. Light Body Art (Minor Accomplishment): 61/200
3. Spirit Concealment Art (Minor Accomplishment): 36/200
[Skills] None
[Spiritual Powers] None

His cultivation methods and realm remained completely unchanged.

Su Fan sighed inwardly, wondering when he would be able to break through this damned bottleneck.

He took out the "Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes" and began to study it carefully.

The entire book was thick, made from cut animal hides.

Although worn, it possessed an ancient simplicity honed by the passage of time, evoking a profound sense of timelessness.

The general principles alone spanned nearly ten thousand characters, with over a dozen pages detailing the application of each slash.

These were the insights of generations of Body Cultivators.

Whirlwind Slash, Headwind Slash, Sacrificial Slash, Limitless Slash, Tidal Slash, Ghost Wheel Slash, Rage Slash, Ruthless Slash, Void Slash.

The nine sword techniques were fierce and swift, with no retreat, only advance.

Their offensive power was endless, the nine consecutive slashes tearing through everything. When practiced to the extreme, nothing could resist them, nothing could remain unbroken.

After reading for a while, Su Fan frowned.

He could still understand the initial parts of the sword manual's detailed explanations.

But as he went further, the chapters became increasingly profound and difficult to comprehend, obscure and abstruse. Each word often held a thousand meanings, making understanding them like deciphering an ancient text.

For just a few sword techniques, is it really necessary to be this complicated? Just teach me how to chop people, that's all.

Fortunately, the beginning sections of each slash's detailed explanation were enough for him to practice.

He had originally thought this sword technique was simply about gripping a sword and hacking away...

But that was not the case.

Although the sword moves themselves were simple, each slash involved different methods of spiritual energy circulation and unique power-generating techniques.

Furthermore, each slash required giving it his all until he was utterly exhausted.

The combat style of ancient Body Cultivators was simply brutal.

No wasted movements, just straight into a flurry of hacking.

Every strike was meant to kill.

It was either you die, or I die.

There was no thought of leaving oneself an escape route.

Su Fan's teeth ached as he read; this sword technique was too reckless.

"Just use it for now, it's just a temporary measure.

Once I break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining, I'll be using magic tools. Who needs a magic sword to fight people then?

No more talk, let's train.

Su Fan had never practiced martial arts, so he could only start by familiarizing himself with the sword techniques.

Fortunately, the sword techniques weren't difficult, only nine moves.

They were all slashes, slashes, slashes, without a single defensive move.

When he first started practicing, his body was still a bit stiff, and his movements were clumsy.

But with continuous slashing, slashing, slashing, the moves became smoother and smoother.

Perhaps it was due to his minor accomplishment in body cultivation, his stamina was now incredibly strong.

He practiced for an entire afternoon, and Su Fan didn't feel tired at all.

He felt great practicing his sword, and he was really getting into the rhythm of slashing.

The nine sword techniques weren't difficult to begin with, and he was performing them with fluid grace by the end of the afternoon.

Could I be a once-in-a-century sword genius...?

Su Fan was a little smug, feeling incredibly pleased with himself.

Even though no "+1 Sword Technique" notification popped up in his vision, he was still very excited.

In his hyped-up state, as if he'd been injected with adrenaline, he ate two huge bowls of dinner.

After dinner, he began to formally cultivate according to the sword manual.

"Today's goal: achieve basic mastery of the Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes..."

Picking up his sword, Su Fan eagerly went into the courtyard and practiced the nine sword techniques, one move at a time.

For each slash, he circulated his spiritual power according to the detailed instructions in the sword manual, pouring all his strength into it.

As a result, after executing just two consecutive slashes, Su Fan was completely exhausted.

His hands could barely hold the sword, and he couldn't stand steadily.

He had been recovering from his injuries during this period, and although he hadn't been cultivating, he understood this body quite well.

He had practiced swordplay for an entire afternoon with no issues.

Now, after only two slashes, he was already this worn out.

This set of sword techniques had some depth to it.

It was worthy of being an ancient inheritance; not only could it be used for combat, but it also aided in body tempering.

It was indeed not simple, and the tens of spirit stones were well spent.

Su Fan sat cross-legged on the ground. This sword technique consumed a massive amount of stamina, but the spiritual power consumption wasn't as high.

While his stamina recovered, he practiced some spells for a while. Once his stamina was mostly restored, he would continue practicing his sword.

Finally, at midnight, a message popped up in his vision.

[Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes +1]

He opened his status panel; the sword technique had finally reached basic mastery.

Over the next two days, Su Fan practiced his sword day and night.

When his stamina ran out, he would sit cross-legged and repeatedly practice several auxiliary spells. His life was incredibly fulfilling.

The occasional notification popping up before his eyes was the greatest motivation for his cultivation.

Su Fan felt as if he had returned to his past life, the leisurely time spent at home playing games and grinding progress.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Once again, he collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.

After two days of continuous effort, Su Fan could now execute five consecutive slashes at once.

He opened his status panel and found that his various stats had been updated.

[Name] Su Fan
[Lifespan] 36/92 years
[Realm] Qi Refining Second Layer: 99/100
[Cultivation Methods]
1. Primordial Chaos Technique (Tier 1): 22/100
2. Body Tempering Art (Tier 2): 45/200
3. Demonic Saint Body Art (Tier 1): 100/100
[Spells]
1. Qi Gazing Art (Minor Accomplishment): 118/200

2. Light Body Art (Minor Accomplishment): 145/200

3. Spirit Concealment Art (Minor Accomplishment): 97/200

4. Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes (Novice): 75/100

[Skills] None

[Spiritual Powers] None

The data for the novice stage of sword techniques is already close to half, and there's been progress in the three spells as well.

"The future is promising..."

Su Fan sat down cross-legged, about to continue practicing a few more spells.

His back suddenly felt a little itchy; it must be scabbing over.

Finally, he could take off the bandages.

Being wrapped like a mummy every day made everything inconvenient.

He scratched a few times through the bandages, and as soon as he did, other parts of his body started itching too.

An unbearable itch spread all over him, making him lose all interest in practicing swordplay.

It wasn't until midnight that Su Fan was still scratching, scratching, scratching.

The more he scratched, the itchier it got, driving him almost mad. He couldn't sleep at all.

"Snap..."

Just as he was enjoying the scratching, a light sound suddenly came from outside.

It was exceptionally clear in the dead quiet of the night.

Su Fan flinched and stopped what he was doing.

It was this late, who would be lingering outside his house? The answer was obvious.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly got out of bed.

He grabbed the magic sword stuck beside him and cautiously walked to the north room.

Holding his breath, he pressed his face gently against the door.

After listening carefully for a moment, Su Fan's face turned pale.

He had been careful enough, yet he hadn't expected to be targeted.

There was definitely someone outside the courtyard, and not just one person.

Su Fan's throat felt dry, his palms were sweaty, and a primal urge to escape arose.

He was just a weakling, and there were several opponents.

He couldn't win, so he should run.

He shook his head abruptly. They had already reached his doorstep, where could he run?

Unless he left the market town and never returned.

Winter was fast approaching. The thousand-mile radius around Shaoyang Mountain was a vast expanse of continuous mountains and dense forests, almost devoid of human life.

As a mere Qi Refining Second Layer rogue cultivator, he would be eaten by demonic beasts before he could even get out of the mountains.

Not to mention the evil cultivators who often appeared in those mountains; they were even more terrifying.

If they caught him, they would rip out his soul and refine his physical body into a zombie.

He wouldn't even have a chance at reincarnation.

"Snap..."

This time, the sound was already inside the courtyard. They had jumped in.

Su Fan hardened his resolve and gritted his teeth.

Damn it, he'd fight!

He took out several talismans from his embrace and arranged them neatly.

Clenching his magic sword with both hands, he leaned against the wall beside the door.

At this moment, Su Fan, on the brink of crisis, felt his heart pounding almost out of his chest.

The blood in his entire body was boiling.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the center of his chest suddenly felt scorching hot.

A burning heat was seeping out, spreading throughout his body.

The sensation was peculiar, as if something was melting.

However, Su Fan was in a state of extreme tension at the time and quickly ignored this unusual feeling.

Just then, a knife was inserted through the gap in the door.

With a gentle nudge, it dislodged the bolt.

The moment the door opened, Su Fan kicked it open.

He had only intended to kick the door open, but even he didn't know how he suddenly possessed so much strength.

The wooden door, over three inches thick, was actually kicked flying.

"Bang..."

A person happened to be standing in front of the door and was hit squarely in the face by the heavy wooden door, immediately passing out.

The sudden turn of events left the two people standing behind startled.

Dodging the wooden door, they fumbled for talismans in a hurry, but before they could activate them.

They saw a figure rush out, followed closely by streaks of sword light.

"Whirlwind Slash..."

"Rage Slash..."

"Ruthless Slash..."

"Sacrificial Slash..."

"Limitless Slash..."

Su Fan's five consecutive slashes in an instant were fierce and explosive.

Like lightning, they were gone in a flash.

The two on the other side only saw a few faint lights flash by in the darkness before they knew no more.

Su Fan's body swayed, as if all his strength had been drained.

[Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes +3]

"Huff... huff..."

Su Fan leaned on his sword, panting heavily.

Although he had almost exhausted his stamina, he was incredibly exhilarated, his pores trembling.

Only a life-or-death battle could bring out his greatest potential.

Those few swords just now were the best he had ever performed since he started practicing swordsmanship.

Before he could even get excited, he saw the mangled corpses and severed limbs in the courtyard, and the smell of blood that assailed his senses.

He couldn't hold it in any longer, turning his head and vomiting violently.

"Killing isn't fun at all..."