If I Died, Would That Be Better?

That night, the stars and moon stayed awake.

It was already late by the time Qi Dian finished giving his statement. He didn't return to the main city, instead finding a hotel in City Seven to rest for the night.

Lying on the hotel's king-sized bed, he thought about everything that had happened that day and felt increasingly defeated.

He'd been proud and ambitious since childhood. His ideal was to become a renowned swordsman of his time, upholding justice and vanquishing demons. After joining Linjiang Gate, he'd always been one of the better students among his fellow disciples.

On top of that, Immortal Gate disciples were praised wherever they went, which had made him believe he really had a chance to become a prodigy.

But in Tianbei Prefecture, a place known as a cultivation wasteland, there were too few Immortal Gates. He'd had little chance to spar with talented peers his own age.

The Youth Cultivator Convention the following year was the stage he'd always looked forward to. If he could outshine the competition in the City Hero Battle, he'd represent Jiang City and meet the young prodigies from across the land.

He was confident he was no worse than anyone else!

Today had actually been his first time carrying out a mission alone. His sect had wanted to test his combat skills, and he'd assumed that a ruined cemetery in some satellite city wouldn't be home to any major evil spirits.

But he'd been wrong.

He'd set out full of pride and confidence, only to nearly lose his life when he ran into a rogue cultivator.

In the end, it had taken Yue Wen, a rogue cultivator his own age, to save him.

Sigh.

He didn't really mind losing to the rogue cultivator. The man had no doubt been cultivating for years, and he was only in the late Unity Realm. Demonic cultivation methods could boost one's battle strength by consuming one's potential.

It was perfectly normal for a righteous cultivator in the Lower Three Realms to lose to a rogue cultivator.

But Yue Wen had no resources or connections, yet he was superior to Qi Dian in every way, both in cultivation and combat strength... He was even leagues better-looking.

Even a small city like Jiang City had someone his age who could crush him.

That couldn't help but make Qi Dian doubt himself.

Could my talent really be worth nothing?

Qi Dian felt dejected for quite a while.

After a time, he tried to comfort himself in silence.

Rogue cultivators practiced all sorts of methods, good and bad. Perhaps Yue Wen was cultivating some method that let him advance quickly and fight fiercely in the Lower Three Realms.

His master had said that there were plenty of extreme cultivation methods that were powerful early on but weak later. Many rogue cultivators never planned for the long term. The methods of Linjiang Gate, on the other hand, focused on steady progress and came into their own in the later stages.

As long as one had enough insight to reach the Middle Three Realms, one could truly shine.

That was right.

Qi Dian rallied himself. His greatest strength in the sect was his insight! While his fellow disciples needed three days to cultivate a Supernatural Technique, he needed only one. While they needed a month to learn a Cultivation Method, he needed only a week.

Breaking through to the Gang Realm was a sure thing.

As long as he kept making steady progress, then by the time the Youth Cultivator Convention began, he would be in the Fourth Realm and would surely represent Jiang City!

As the sages of the cultivation world liked to say, being fat early didn't count; it was the one who got fat later who could bring down the bed.

At the thought, he immediately wanted to open the sect's archive and continue studying techniques. But after he logged in, he noticed Yue Wen's cultivation record. Not long ago, Yue Wen had spent only twenty minutes on them.

That couldn't possibly have been enough to grasp them.

Thunderclap Art and Flash Art were only minor supernatural abilities, but most Linjiang Gate disciples needed several days to learn them. Even Qi Dian himself had spent more than ten hours studying before he'd mastered them completely.

"Brother Yue is so kind," Qi Dian murmured. "He only studied for a little while. Maybe he was worried about spending my money."

Although Yue Wen had shaken his confidence, Qi Dian didn't feel jealous just because Yue Wen was stronger. Besides, Yue Wen had saved his life. All Qi Dian felt was gratitude.

So he sent Yue Wen a message in particular.

[Young Hero Qi, Sword in Hand: "Brother Yue, feel free to study the Visualization Diagrams for those two supernatural abilities. Don't worry about the fees. Our sect charges very reasonably."]

[AAA Yue's Cultivation Firm Owner: Thanks, Brother Qi. I've already learned them.]

[Young Hero Qi, Sword in Hand: Ah.]

Qi Dian put down his phone and stared silently at the ceiling. After a while, he murmured to himself again.

"Maybe I should just die."

Yue Wen had no idea that his casual reply had dealt such a heavy blow to Young Hero Qi's spirit.

After sleeping for just a few hours, he woke up feeling refreshed in the morning light. He washed up, and since there was still time before he had to leave, he went upstairs and reviewed the Cultivation Methods he currently had.

First was Dragon Wandering Loose Hand, the first technique he'd practiced. It was among the strongest martial arts methods, encompassing both footwork and unarmed combat. It was flexible and unpredictable, and it could handle any martial arts method in close quarters.

Next was Sword Control Art, sharp and deadly. It was fast and powerful, though its only drawback was that it lacked variety. He could buy some more advanced sword techniques later.

For now, these two were more than enough to get him through the Lower Three Realms.

Then there were the Thunderclap Art and Flash Art he'd studied the night before.

Yue Wen clenched his fist, and a rumble of thunder rolled from his palm, as if he were holding a thundercloud in his hand.

He dispelled the thunder and snapped his fingers. A speck of light shot from his fingertip, then burst into a dazzling flash that filled the entire room.

After seeing these two techniques the night before, he'd already begun thinking of ways to use them. They were only minor supernatural abilities, but they could come in handy at the right time.

For example, if he suddenly used Flash Art in a cramped space like this, even another cultivator would be blinded, unable to see for a while. Cultivators could lock onto their target with Spiritual Sense, but they wouldn't react that quickly when caught off guard.

That would give him a chance to strike—a sword through the heart!

Thunderclap Art, meanwhile, boomed loudly and could both shake the mind and mask other sounds. Used well, it could be just as crucial.

It would be a waste to use these two tricks just to show off.

The supernatural techniques he'd bought from Big Dragon were high quality, but expensive, so he couldn't buy them casually. That made these minor abilities exactly what he'd been missing. And asking Qi Dian for them wouldn't make the other man feel the pinch.

He'd gained something and also earned Qi Dian's goodwill.

If he'd demanded a large sum or some treasure as payment for saving his life, Qi Dian might have given it to him, but he would have lost that goodwill.

Yue Wen had a clear plan in mind.

Besides those, there were the two Visualization Diagrams Big Dragon had imprinted in his mind, neither of which he'd mastered yet.

The Method of Breaking Curses for that strip of demonic hide was more complicated than he'd expected. He tried visualizing it, and in an instant he felt as if he'd fallen into a demonic blood cavern. Thick, foul-smelling purple blood surrounded him, while demonic shadows swarmed in every direction.

It would probably take him several more days to fully understand it.

Sometimes, it wasn't just a matter of insight. It also depended on whether the Visualization Diagram suited the person studying it. This Method of Breaking Curses belonged to the dark, evil demonic path, so it took Yue Wen extra effort to grasp.

If he tried something bright and handsome instead, he'd surely master it with ease.

The other one was the Gang Realm chapter of the True Dragon Dao Method.

No wonder the Gang Realm chapter cost so much. Its complexity was on a whole different level from Cultivation Methods in the Lower Three Realms.

If the Visualization Diagram for Flash Art was like an elementary school textbook, then the Gang Realm chapter of the True Dragon Dao Method was like the original Jin Ping Mei: it contained far more information, and it was all in classical Chinese.

To break through to the Gang Realm, one had to refine the Gang Qi within oneself. Every Cultivation Method refined a different kind of Gang Qi.

The Gang Qi refined by the True Dragon Dao Method was called "Chaos Dragon Gang."

As the saying went, great fire refines Gang. To refine Gang Qi, one first had to kindle a spiritual flame in one's sea of qi. That was why materials were needed to prepare for a breakthrough to the Gang Realm.

Cultivating Chaos Dragon Gang required Purple Jade Branch, Blazing Flame Powder, Grand Unity Profound Blazing Cinnabar, and Dragon Breath Fire Seed.

Every one of them was rare and expensive.

Yue Wen was incredibly glad he'd obtained this Cultivation Method on an installment plan ahead of time. Otherwise, after saving enough Demon Suppressing Coins, he'd still have to save up for these materials. Who knew how long it would take him to break through then?

He searched the Cultivation Chat forum for a bit. The prices weren't even the main problem. Most of these items simply couldn't be found on the market.

Looks like he'd have to look for them slowly.

Fortunately, he was only in the late Third Realm. He still had a way to go before reaching the peak, so he had time to prepare.

Anyway, he'd focus on running his own firm first. The money would come, and so would the Demon Suppressing Coins!

It was also a crisp morning.

Zhao Xing'er, wearing a white shirt and a gray skirt, boarded the bus. Her face was brighter than the sunlight as she leaned against the window, drawing glances from passersby.

Once she'd settled into her seat, she took out her phone and messaged the person on the other end. "Mysterious, today's my first day at work! I'm a little excited!"

The reply came at once. "Good luck, Mysterious! I'll give you four words: 'May you make great strides!'"

"Thank you!" Zhao Xing'er typed quickly. "I'll work hard to vanquish demons and make a name for myself! I'll build a great career here in Jiang City! Starting today, I'm going to..."