Kill "Wife" to Prove the Dao!

Your name was Zhang Qing, a bonded guard of the Chuan Family in Zi City.

Oh, right—the Chuan Family was part of the Ratfolk!

You were quite lucky. The Chuan Family had just assigned you a human woman. You had only been married for three days, and you had already become addicted to procreation. Yet you did not know that once your wife became pregnant, you would become an offering for the ancestral rites!

Today, after getting up, you had gone on patrol with your usual partner, Li Hu. But because you had overexerted yourself the previous night, you found a place to take a nap...

The system's voice gradually faded away.

The world before Zhang Qing's eyes slowly came into focus.

"Zhang Qing, wake up already."

Someone beside him gave Zhang Qing a shove.

Zhang Qing slowly woke up in the corner by the wall.

"I have to say, Brother Zhang, you really went all out. I know you just got married, but you should still do less of that sort of thing."

"Look at you—you had to find a place to nap in broad daylight during patrol. If the master's family catches you, you won't escape a whipping."

"Alright, patrol's over. Hurry back."

Li Hu continued nagging.

Zhang Qing quickly got up and dusted himself off.

He glanced at Li Hu.

Oxenfolk!

He had the appearance of a Minotaur, with a box floating above his head.

Li Hu; 24/26!

Zhang Qing narrowed his eyes.

His mind began racing wildly.

He had entered the Dark Realm.

That was a character's health bar. The Dark Realm gave Blue Star Login Users tremendous advantages.

Being able to see health bars was an absurd cheat.

And the stronger the being, the more substantial its health bar was.

Right.

The Dark Realm was a world of cultivation. Otherwise, it would have long become a world ruled by Specters.

The early stages of martial cultivation were divided into several realms: Glimmering, Candleflame, Starflash, Waning Moon, Morning Sun...

Bonded guards like Zhang Qing and Li Hu were completely unranked. They did not even count as being in the Glimmering Realm.

Li Hu had 26 health at full health, while he...

Zhang Qing raised his head and took a glance.

Zhang Qing; 18/21!

Pathetic.

And he was not even at full health?

Addicted to procreation?

Had he gone too hard last night?

Damn it, women really were an obstacle to becoming stronger.

"Brother Hu, sorry about that. I've made a fool of myself in front of you!"

Zhang Qing began settling into his role and said with a smile.

Li Hu shrugged and said nothing more.

The two headed back together.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qing continued brainstorming in his mind.

Zi City is a city of the Ratfolk. The Chuan Family should be Ratfolk too. I just don't know where they rank among Zi City's powers.

Humans hold an extremely low status in the Dark Realm. Starting as a bonded guard is practically a god-tier opening.

According to the Dark Realm's rules, I should find a way to kill people—other than Specters—or kill Specters!

Killing people lets me seize their health bars and increase my maximum health. Killing Specters earns Attribute Points.

There seem to be diminishing-return restrictions, but that rule is completely beyond my reach right now!

Unlike the cultivation of the Dark Realm's native inhabitants, Login Users only need Attribute Points to raise their cultivation realm.

But... the chances of me making a move and succeeding right now are very, very low.

Zhang Qing's brow furrowed slightly.

The Dark Realm's opening stage was extremely difficult.

In his previous life, many people had been stuck in the early stages, unable to make any progress.

Especially those who rolled the identity of refugees—it was simply a hellish start.

Refugees in the wilderness were Specters' emergency rations. Whenever they were hungry, they would come and eat one.

They endlessly rerolled identities through constant death.

As a result, their system weighting got worse and worse with every reroll.

Some people even rerolled directly into barely living meat rations on a barbecue rack...

Insane.

His current identity was not bad.

But if he wanted to embark on the path of cultivation and become stronger, he still needed to find a way.

Perhaps using his salary to buy a Cultivation Technique would be a good option.

But.

According to the system, he could not let his wife get pregnant. Otherwise, he would become a sacrifice and die on the spot.

But what if his wife could become a sacrifice even without getting pregnant?

Bonded guards had no human rights.

Unless they became ranked martial artists.

Only then would their value increase.

He felt around for his assets.

He had a total of 10 Silver Coins on him.

(1 gold coin = 100 Silver Coins = copper coins.)

With 10 Silver Coins, he should be able to exchange for the lowest-grade Cultivation Technique from the family's Scripture Pavilion.

Only by cultivating a technique could one break through martial cultivation realms.

Once he broke through a martial cultivation realm, he would have value.

This seemed to be the only way to overcome the difficulties of the opening stage.

Along the way, Zhang Qing coaxed quite a bit of information out of Li Hu.

The Chuan Family ranked third among Zi City's powers.

The Yu Family ranked first. They were the dominant power in Zi City, a city lord-level family whose position was unshakable.

The Tie Family ranked second. They currently had irreconcilable friction with the Chuan Family, and a major battle between them seemed imminent.

The Chuan Family was currently preparing for an ancestral rite ceremony.

They hoped to extend their ancestor's lifespan, then fight the Tie Family fiercely for second place.

Ancestral rites?

Offerings!

If that was the case, then improving his martial cultivation realm was even more urgent.

He would return first.

He could think of a solution in the afternoon.

Then he would exchange for a Cultivation Technique and work overtime at night to see whether he could begin cultivating.

As for the advantage he had gained from being reborn.

There was very little information about Zi City.

This was not Zhang Qing's home base.

But he vaguely remembered two major events.

First, half a year later, Zi City would be destroyed, with fewer than one in ten survivors remaining.

Second, Zi City would produce a Secret Treasure called Star Steel, which seemed capable of allowing living beings to enter the Sequence User cultivation system.

As for what exactly Sequence Users were.

Well, those things were freaks. Only legends of them remained. In his previous life, across all of Blue Star, there had been only one Sequence User right up until the moment of destruction.

Rumor had it that their combat strength was terrifying, as though they had cheats enabled.

Since he had rolled an identity in Zi City, he had to find a way to survive and obtain that Secret Treasure.

But that would likely be a long-term process.

He returned with Li Hu to the guards' living quarters.

Zhang Qing was a little dumbfounded.

How the hell was he supposed to know which house was his?

But it did not matter.

"Brother Hu, thanks for this morning. Come have lunch at my place."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Li Hu.

Under Zhang Qing's insistent invitation.

Li Hu agreed.

Then, with Li Hu leading the way, Zhang Qing found his home.

He knocked on the door.

The person who opened it was a woman.

She appeared to be around sixteen. Her features were well-proportioned, her eyes bright and lively, and her thick, glossy hair cascaded down like a waterfall, lending her a distinctive charm.

Zhang Qing stared blankly.

The Chuan Family was really generous. They had rewarded such a stunning woman to a mere guard?

He slightly raised his head and looked at the health bar above her head.

Wang Yue; 1000/1000!

Huh?

What the hell!

A thousand-health powerhouse?

No!

Zhang Qing's legs began to tremble.

If she were a martial artist, someone with a thousand health would absolutely be insanely powerful.

There was no way she could be given to him as an object of reward.

But if she was not a martial artist.

Then she was...

A Specter!

I'm screwed!

Zhang Qing cursed inwardly.

His bargain wife was actually a Specter.

A death knight, huh?

Luckily, he had logged in and had not been contaminated. Otherwise, he definitely would have been impotent.

Stay calm. I absolutely can't let her notice anything, or I'll be instantly killed!

Zhang Qing thought to himself.

Then he said.

"Wang Yue, I brought Brother Hu over for a meal. Go make the preparations."

Wang Yue replied.

"Yes, Husband."

Her voice was soft and delicate, without the slightest trace of a Specter.

Specters!

They were best at hiding.

However.

Just as she turned around.

Zhang Qing suddenly sprang into action.

He chopped off her head with a single slash.

-199!

Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering Li Hu's face and head.

Li Hu was instantly dumbfounded.

But.

The next second.

Blade light flashed again.

Zhang Qing split open half of his neck.