Inventory and Embarrassment

Black Water City was now far behind him.

Yan Kui carried the enormous Bone Shattering Hammer on his back, his figure shooting forward like an arrow loosed from the string as he raced across the wilderness flanking the Official Road. He felt neither reluctance nor the slightest trace of fatigue; the blood and qi within his body blazed like a furnace, driving him northward at a speed far beyond ordinary men.

It wasn't until the moon hung high in the sky that he finally stopped in a hidden valley.

Thick shrubs grew here, jagged rocks jutted out in every direction, and a narrow crevice in the mountain led straight into the deep belly of the peak—an excellent hiding spot. He cleared the entrance with a few simple motions and crawled inside.

Inside the cave, it was so dark he couldn't see his own hand. Yan Kui pulled a fire striker from his chest, gave it a gentle blow, and a dim yellow flame instantly dispelled the darkness.

He propped the Bone Shattering Hammer upright at the cave entrance, then found a flat boulder to sit cross-legged on.

"Time to take stock of the spoils."

Yan Kui's gaze fell on a dusty cloth pouch hanging at his waist.

This was the Storage Bag he had stripped from Zhao Wuji's corpse. A magic tool exclusive to cultivators, it could store a vast number of items without taking up any space.

He tried to probe it with his Spiritual Sense.

But he had no Spiritual Sense.

Whether it was the Raging Bull Fist, the Iron Cloth Shirt, or the Body Nourishing Technique, all of them only tempered the physical body; none contained any method for refining the soul. Yan Kui tentatively focused his perception on the Storage Bag, but all he felt was an invisible barrier—he simply couldn't open it.

"Tch. Fancy and useless."

Yan Kui curled his lip.

Cultivators and their things—always such a hassle.

He didn't get discouraged. Instead, he took a deep breath, and the muscles in both arms instantly swelled, bulging like twisted ancient trees. He grabbed the Storage Bag and twisted it with all his might!

Crack!

A crisp, explosive sound rang out.

The restrictive formation on the Storage Bag had been torn apart by his sheer brute force!

Immediately after, a flash of white light burst forth.

Clatter!

Countless items poured out like a floodgate opening, piling up and filling the entire cave.

Spirit stones, talismans, pills, jade slips, magic tools... all kinds of bizarre cultivator paraphernalia illuminated the cave in a riot of colors.

Yan Kui's eyes lit up instantly.

This was... a jackpot!

Yan Kui spotted a jade box that had been carefully sealed. When he opened it, a system prompt sounded.

[High-energy item detected: Nine-Orifice Profound Heart Lotus. Can be devoured. Origin Power gained: 25]

"A spirit plant!"

Yan Kui's heart leaped with joy. This Nine-Orifice Profound Heart Lotus had ink-jade-colored leaves, nine in total, each leaf's veins faintly revealing a silver-white orifice; at the center, the lotus platform bore a single pigeon-egg-sized, reddish-gold seed, its inner light pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.

He hadn't expected it to be worth so much Origin Power. It must have been a high-grade spirit plant that Zhao Wuji had prepared for himself after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Devour!"

Origin Power: 20.3 + 25 = 45.3!

Yan Kui sucked in a sharp breath.

This amount of Origin Power was enough to undergo another earth-shattering transformation!

There were also various pill bottles, over a dozen jade slips, and one mid-grade magic tool (a Flying Sword).

As for the pills, most of them the system indicated could not be devoured directly (the medicinal properties were too complex), or devouring them would yield little effect. Still, he picked up a few Foundation Replenishing Pills that looked aged, and the system prompted that they could grant 0.1 Origin Power each—good enough as a snack.

The jade slips all contained cultivation methods or spells, but Yan Kui couldn't cultivate them.

As for that Flying Sword, he tried hefting it in his hand.

"Too light."

Yan Kui tossed it aside casually, and the Flying Sword clattered to the ground with a clang. In his view, this thing was far less handy than the Bone Shattering Hammer in his grip.

He picked up one of Zhao Wuji's robes—a luxurious garment woven with flowing clouds and golden thread. When Zhao Wuji had worn it, it gave him an immortal, otherworldly air.

Yan Kui shook it open and held it up against himself.

Rip!

Before he could even put it on, his massive muscles tore the silk robe apart, turning it into several strips of cloth.

"What kind of crap is this?!"

Yan Kui cursed under his breath and tossed the expensive silk scraps aside.

His gaze landed on the spirit stones.

"No rush to spend them yet."

If you can't find the book by searching the title, try searching the author's name—maybe it was just renamed!

Yan Kui gathered all the spirit stones, useful pills, and jade slips, stacking them in a corner.

What he most wanted to verify now was the hidden flaw in Iron Cloth Shirt.

He walked to the cave entrance and found a thousand-jin boulder that had been shaken loose, blocking the way.

"Hah!"

Yan Kui planted his feet and braced his waist, then exerted force with both arms to lift the boulder.

It was easy.

He hurled it outward with force.

The boulder flew dozens of zhang away, smashing a large crater into the valley floor.

But the moment the boulder left his hands—

"Pfft!"

Yan Kui felt a tightness in his chest, a sweetness in his throat, and a hot, coppery liquid surged up. He forced it back down.

"As expected..."

His expression shifted slightly.

That throw just now, though full of power, had been too brutish. The recoil rattled his internal organs, sending a dull ache through them.

He looked inward at himself.

The Crimson Extreme Golden Body (Mysterious Iron Body) within him was indestructible; his outer skin, muscles, and bones were all like steel.

But his five viscera and six bowels, though nourished by the Body Nourishing Technique, were still mortal flesh and blood.

Under an extreme burst of external force, they were like fragile glass, unable to withstand the backlash.

The system prompt chimed in right on time:

──────────────────────

[Crimson Modifier]

Host: Yan Kui

Status: Peak (Internal organs slightly damaged, urgently needs strengthening)

Body Data:

Strength: 5.5

Agility: 2.0

Physique: 6.0

Skill Techniques:

Raging Bull Fist: Grandmaster (Limit broken)

Iron Cloth Shirt: Grandmaster (Limit broken, Mysterious Iron Body)

Body Nourishing Technique: Grandmaster

Origin Power: 45.3

Note: Host's physical body is strong on the outside but weak within. It is recommended to quickly find a Body Refining Technique that strengthens the five viscera and six bowels, or compensate for the flaw through system fusion.

──────────────────────

"Strong on the outside but weak within..."

Yan Kui's expression turned grim.

The pure physical body he had always prided himself on actually had such a glaring weakness.

It was like a warrior clad in Heavy Armor, but with a soft heart.

"It seems the limitations of the Iron Cloth Shirt fragment are greater than I expected."

He recalled the Corpse Fiend he had encountered at the Old Lin Family Manor. That monster's method of devouring living beings struck directly at the five viscera and six bowels. If he hadn't fled in time back then, even with the Mysterious Iron Body, he probably wouldn't have escaped having his heart ripped out.

"I need a new technique."

A sharp glint flashed in Yan Kui's eyes.

He now had a massive amount of Origin Power, enough to resolve this hidden flaw, or even push further.

"Daganzhou..."

He looked north again.

That vast world of immortal cultivation would surely have Body Refining Techniques capable of compensating for his weakness.

"Once I reach Daganzhou, I'll find a place and strip every last one of those techniques bare."

Yan Kui stood up and picked up the Bone Shattering Hammer.

Once again, that wild grin crept onto his face.

"A new journey begins."