Confrontation

The evening breeze swept past, carrying with it a faint bloody smell.

At this moment, from the very center of the explosion—a charred, gaping crater—came a bout of coughing.

A charred figure struggled to his feet.

His whole body was covered in burn marks, shards embedded throughout his flesh. Even the surface of his chest had been blasted apart, faintly revealing white bone beneath.

Yet astonishingly, despite such grievous injuries, not only had he not died, but his aura was steadily recovering.

"Close... too close..." Zhang Hao's face carried the relief of a survivor.

When he had detonated the Foundation Establishment Realm spirit artifact, he had without hesitation pulled out the two remaining defense spirit artifacts on his body to shield his chest. He had then fully activated the Second-tier Talisman, [Mysterious Turtle Armor Talisman], obtained from exploring the ruins, and only then managed to survive the explosion.

He had also swallowed several [Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pills], allowing his injuries to steadily recover.

"Huff, huff... There's one more..." After catching his breath, Zhang Hao suppressed his internal injuries and looked beyond the crater, his gaze turning increasingly vicious.

In that sudden clash just now, the one who had forced him into a position where he had no choice but to fight for his life was neither the burly man whose single slash had torn through every defense, nor the assassin lurking in the shadows, forever seeking a killing blow. It was the beautiful woman playing the xiao flute.

The other party's Spirit Sound interfered with his consciousness, leaving him unable to use his countless methods even though he had them—and he had nearly died an unnatural death!

One had to know that he had consumed multiple [Soul Nurturing Pills]. Among cultivators of the same rank, his divine soul was considered outstanding. Yet even so, he had been affected by the Spirit Sound and lost focus for an instant.

And on a battlefield, that instant of distraction could be fatal!

"I have to kill that woman!" Zhang Hao made his decision with fierce resolve.

If she escaped this time, recovered, and continued taking part in the campaign to kill him, that would be a real disaster.

With that thought, Zhang Hao once again took out a stack of talismans from his Storage Bag. The strange nature of sound cultivators made him wary, so he decided not to engage in close combat again. Instead, he would rely on his wealth to crush her to death.

Then, he leaped straight out of the crater. Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly froze.

For before him stood a cultivator dressed entirely in black, while at his feet lay half a corpse.

That's... that beautiful sound cultivator? Zhang Hao's gaze flickered with uncertainty.

She had caused him so much trouble, yet she had died just like that, without a sound?

Who had made the move?

Wait, black clothes, that build... Is it that guy who ignores attacks and can teleport?! Fuck, why is every one of these people who showed up later stranger than the last?!

Zhang Hao's expression changed. Clearly, he had recognized Lin Chen.

And Lin Chen recognized Zhang Hao as well.

So it really is him... Lin Chen sighed softly.

His guess had been right.

He had fought Zhang Hao during the Outer Sect Grand Competition, so he naturally remembered him somewhat.

But anyone who could leave an impression in Lin Chen's mind, filled as it was with research into all manner of subjects, naturally possessed something distinctive.

What had left a deep impression on Lin Chen about Zhang Hao was this: he was extremely rich.

While Lin Chen had been practically itching to tear one talisman into two and sell them separately, while forging spirit artifacts for mass sale, the other had directly pulled out over a hundred talismans and several spirit artifacts during the competition, crushing his enemy with sheer financial power.

Had Lin Chen not wielded his tricks with such unpredictable mastery and possessed such formidable battle awareness, he likely would not have been able to take Zhang Hao down without going all out.

Even so, it had cost him quite a bit of effort.

Back then, I was working on the hypothesis and research for the [Non-toxic Qi Pill], so I didn't think too deeply about it. But looking back now, there really were suspicious points everywhere...

A cultivator with no background and a Wasted Spirit Root—where did he get so many talismans and spirit artifacts? And he pulled out several Second-tier items in a row. I also heard he's an alchemist, a profession that takes a huge amount of Spirit Stones to enter... Wait!

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Lin Chen. The look he gave Zhang Hao became increasingly strange.

An alchemist, wealthy, possessing countless methods, yet also burdened with a five-element Wasted Spirit Root and no background... Why did that sound more and more familiar?

In his previous life, he had read quite a few cultivation novels. Those with such traits invariably belonged to only one kind of person: one blessed with immense fortune—the legendary protagonist of an era!

The abnormalities at this auction, the unpredictable situation between the two sects, coupled with the fact that if not for me, a transmigrator, appearing here, every cultivator's Storage Bag at the scene would have...

The more Lin Chen thought about it, the more likely it seemed. If his guess was correct, the other party was Highly Likely to possess an immortal artifact resembling an immortal estate or jade bottle—something capable of ripening spirit herbs!

At that thought, a surge of killing intent abruptly rose in Lin Chen's heart. Who would not want an immortal artifact, something capable of Changing Destiny?

However, Lin Chen ultimately restrained himself through reason.

He knew that as a transmigrator, he might be able to offset the effects brought by a protagonist's fortune. But that did not mean he could kill the other party, even if the other was in poor condition and at a disadvantage.

One had to know that people blessed with such fortune were the hardest to kill. Even in the technological world of his previous life, there were examples to prove it.

Take, for instance, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, that great Archmage who had turned the tide all by himself when surrounded by an army of tens of thousands and trapped in a desperate situation—Liu Xiu!

In legend, that Child of Destiny had used protagonist fortune to unleash the Great Meteorite Technique, shattering Wang Mang—suspected to be a transmigrator—with a single strike!

Lin Chen might believe that he would certainly Become Immortal in the future, but right now he was only a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator. He could not withstand the legendary Great Meteorite Technique!

While Lin Chen was wary of that profound and mysterious fortune, Zhang Hao was equally wary of Lin Chen.

Setting aside his poor condition, merely standing there, Lin Chen made him feel immense pressure.

The other party's methods, Unpredictable as Gods and Ghosts, along with that faint yet omnipresent Aura Lock, gave him the same feeling as when he had faced Senior Brother Lin during the Outer Sect Grand Competition—the one who had wielded the ordinary Spirit Bullet Technique with unpredictable mastery.

Both sides had their own reservations and did not dare make a move lightly. For a time, the scene fell silent.

"I can share the Foundation Establishment Secret Method with you." But before long, Zhang Hao still spoke up.

He knew this would put him at a disadvantage in the negotiation, but he had no choice. Cultivators from the other areas would arrive soon. By then, Lin Chen could easily get away, but he could not, so he could only compromise.

He hoped to give up part of the benefits in exchange for the other party leaving.

"I don't need this thing."

"Hmm?!" Zhang Hao's pupils contracted.

This secret method had sparked so many conflicts and caused the deaths of countless cultivators precisely because it could increase the chances of Foundation Establishment, and its effect could even stack with pills that increased the odds. It could be called a priceless treasure—yet the other party did not care about it at all?!

"Then what do you want?" Zhang Hao asked, his expression grave.

"High-grade cultivation techniques and high-grade treasures." The evening wind thinned the burnt stench hanging inside the room. Standing beneath the dim moonlight, Lin Chen gave this reply.