Battle Through the Heavens: Obtaining the Extraction System at the Start, Chapter 12

Before he could get within a meter of the two of them, the little boy was viciously sent flying. His chest looked as if it had taken a heavy blow, caving in slightly. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, struggled a few times, then collapsed onto the ground. Without timely treatment, such injuries could very well be fatal. Several small money pouches also fell from his chest, revealing his identity.

Xiao Ling withdrew his outstretched palm, his gaze utterly cold. With a slight activation of the Suction Palm, several pouches of Gold Coin flew into his hand, and he stored them in the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night.

Several concealed gazes lurking in the shadows of the street gradually withdrew as well.

It had now been three days since he left Jia Nan Academy. Because Xiao Ling had used the "Camouflage" skill of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Torso Bone to maintain the aura of a five-star Dou Shi, those above Da Dou Shi had no interest in him on the road to Black Stone City, while those below Dou Shi did not dare provoke him.

The ones who came looking for trouble were all Dou Shi and Da Dou Shi. In the end, Xiao Ling robbed them instead.

He still remembered the two Five Star Dou Grandmasters who had tracked him. Once he entered an alley, they surrounded him. Xiao Ling first pretended to surrender, then ambushed one of them when he approached. After that, he fought the other alone for several exchanges before killing him.

The two of them had been utterly dumbfounded at the time. Xiao Ling merely said, "You two aren't bad. You can continue being brothers in the Myriad Soul Banner." Then he collected them into the Myriad Soul Banner.

Entering a fairly lavish inn, Xiao Ling walked to the counter and said to the plump man behind it, "One room."

The plump man had been dozing behind the counter. Seeing someone enter, he carefully sized Xiao Ling up, and a glint of gold flashed through his narrow eyes.

Xiao Ling casually tossed over a small pouch filled with bulging Gold Coin, which clinked loudly inside.

The greed in the plump man's eyes intensified. He weighed the pouch in his hand, then looked at the Ring on Xiao Ling's hand and the belt around his waist. The smile on his face grew increasingly avaricious, though he said with some disdain, "This is the best inn in the city. That little bit of money isn't enough."

"You'll need at least another ten... no, twenty Gold Coin."

Beneath the Black Robe, Xiao Ling lowered his eyes without any reaction and tossed over another pouch.

Seeing Xiao Ling's generous manner, the plump man seemed to have spotted an enormous fat sheep and became even more enthusiastic. "Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment. I'll arrange a room for you right away."

At the same time, he secretly groaned inwardly. I asked for too little just now. Still, I can make a little extra tonight... A mere Dou Shi has two storage items. He must be carrying quite a fortune.

After entering his rented room, Xiao Ling looked around. It was not particularly luxurious, but the furniture, tables, chairs, and bed were all present.

He walked to the bed and sat cross-legged, taking out a wanted poster from the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night.

A careful look revealed that it bore the portrait of the plump man downstairs, along with some basic information.

[Tang Ri Tian, skilled in hammer-type Dou Techniques. An eight-star Da Dou Shi. Runs an inn in Black Stone City and frequently murders guests within it.]

Xiao Ling put the wanted poster back into his belt and muttered to himself, "A true hunter appears in the guise of prey. Hopefully, I can finish this tonight. It'll be a good chance to test the power of the Dou Technique I imitated and created earlier."

No longer dwelling on it, he sat cross-legged and formed a cultivation seal, beginning his training. His body started absorbing Dou Qi, while his Soul Perception remained constantly alert to the movements around the room.

At three in the morning, the moon shone brightly amid sparse stars.

While cultivating, Xiao Ling noticed a figure approaching his room.

Focusing his Soul Perception, he found that it was Tang Ri Tian from downstairs. The man held a pitch-black sledgehammer in his hand, his eyes filled with greed.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling swiftly withdrew from cultivation. He first used the "Camouflage" skill to conceal his aura, then summoned the Blazing Wolf Beast Fire and the Dark Sea Flood Dragon Beast Fire. He fused the two together, and when their energies reached balance, they formed an unusual flame lotus.

His Soul Perception focused outside the door. The moment Tang Ri Tian opened it, Xiao Ling immediately hurled a Buddha's Rage Flame Lotus at him.

Feeling the enormous energy rushing toward him, Tang Ri Tian hurriedly swung his sledgehammer and shouted, "How can it be this strong? Take my ultimate technique, the Great Sunyatta Hammer!" Unfortunately, before he could even swing the hammer, the flame lotus had already landed on him and exploded in front of his body. Luckily, he activated his Dou Qi Armor in time. Otherwise, he might have been blasted straight into ashes.

"Boom!"

A huge hole was instantly blasted through the inn, and flames began spreading in every direction.

Xiao Ling had already leapt out the window and moved some distance away, so he was unaffected. Tang Ri Tian, however, had taken the Buddha's Rage Flame Lotus head-on. One of his arms was now a mangled mass of flesh and blood, and burns of all sizes covered his body.

Seeing Xiao Ling standing there unscathed and staring coldly at him, Tang Ri Tian ignored his injuries and fled into the distance.

But Xiao Ling had no intention of giving him that chance. The instant he spotted Tang Ri Tian's figure, he rushed after him.

When Tang Ri Tian saw the Dou Qi Armor on Xiao Ling's body, he knew he had been set up. He was already severely injured, and escape was practically impossible. He shouted at Xiao Ling, "Young hero, today's matter was entirely my fault. I'll serve you like an ox or horse—please spare this lowly man's wretched life!"

Yet deep hatred was hidden within his pleading gaze. He had already sensed that Xiao Ling was only a one-star Da Dou Shi. He planned to ambush him once Xiao Ling lowered his guard. With his strength as an eight-star Da Dou Shi, he could surely succeed and kill him in one strike.

However, Xiao Ling gave him no chance to continue speaking. Using Wind Chasing Steps, he rapidly closed in on Tang Ri Tian. Under the latter's horrified gaze, Xiao Ling launched a Crimson Flame Fist at his heart meridian. Although Tang Ri Tian raised his sledgehammer to block it, it was knocked aside after only two seconds of resistance. Amid Tang Ri Tian's terrified stare, Xiao Ling's fist pierced through his chest.

Xiao Ling's principle in battle was simple: strike while the enemy was down and finish them off. He had seen far too many villains die from talking too much. He had no intention of becoming that kind of idiotic villain.

He withdrew his fist and used Beast Fire to burn away the blood on it. Then he took Tang Ri Tian's Ring, collected his soul into the Myriad Soul Banner, used a Shadow Recording Crystal to record the corpse, and put on a Black Robe before melting into the night.

Three days later, outside Peace Town of Jia Nan Academy.

A young man was walking toward Peace Town. Judging by his appearance, it was Xiao Ling.

When Peace Town came into view, Xiao Ling let out a long breath. The nerves that had been tense for the past few days finally relaxed somewhat.

The past few days had not been easy for Xiao Ling. On his journey back, he frequently encountered people who came to assassinate and rob him. He had not dared relax for even a moment, and his rest had been extremely poor.

Shaking his head, he thought it was still because he was too weak. If he were a Dou Wang or Dou Huang, he could swagger through places like these without a care.

Touching the several dozen Rings in his pocket, Xiao Ling could not help smiling. He had not sorted through them yet in order to stay safe. He muttered inwardly, The assets of Da Dou Shi and Dou Shi probably aren't much, but with this many, there should be some good items. It feels like opening blind boxes.

No longer thinking about such random things, Xiao Ling circulated his Dou Qi and raced toward the gate of Peace Town.

There were quite a few travelers on this Yellow Earth Main Road, and they were clearly coming from the Black Corner Region. Xiao Ling recognized the fierce, violent aura within them. They had obviously been tempered through brutal struggles in the Black Corner Region.

Yet no matter how fierce these people were, they could only restrain their tempers within a hundred li of Jia Nan Academy.

Watching these passersby, whose expressions had become rather strange from trying so hard to hide the killing intent in their hearts,

Xiao Ling sighed inwardly, Jia Nan Academy's lingering prestige remains. No one around here dares act recklessly. He shook his head and paid them no more attention.

Following the Yellow Earth Main Road lined with lush trees on both sides, Xiao Ling enjoyed the rare tranquility of the Black Corner Region as he slowly approached the town.

After running for several minutes, Xiao Ling stopped at the entrance of the town. Raising his head, he glanced at the plaque above the gate. The name was ordinary and vulgar; if it were placed in the Black Corner Region, it would surely be torn down the next day.

"Peace Town." This was the first town one encountered upon entering the area surrounding Jia Nan Academy from the Black Corner Region!

Xiao Ling glanced at the crowd beside the Death Spirit Tree, who were marveling at the corpses of the Dou Huang and Dou Wang, before stepping into Peace Town.

The moment he entered the town, Xiao Ling saw a middle-aged man leading more than a dozen young men and women dressed in pale blue robes. They were recording the identities of those who had just entered Peace Town.

Xiao Ling also saw that after many travelers reported their information, they were given a pale red medicinal pill.

However, those travelers seemed extremely unwilling to swallow it.

The middle-aged leader merely sneered and said, "Anyone entering Peace Town must report their identity, name, and so on. Otherwise, you will be expelled immediately."

"Furthermore, you must swallow that pill. It is a medicinal pill capable of sensing killing intent, refined by the Academy's Alchemy Department. Don't worry, it isn't poison. If you harbor murderous intent within the town, the pill will emit a red glow from within your body. Our Law Enforcement Team will follow that glow to find you. You should all know how Jia Nan Academy deals with those who bring the ways of the Black Corner Region here... When you plan to leave the town, you may collect the antidote at the Antidote Distribution Point in the center of town. However, once you receive the antidote, a Law Enforcement Team will supervise you all the way out of town."

"If you refuse to take the pill, you can leave now."

After explaining these rules, the middle-aged leader ignored the resistant travelers.

After all, Peace Town was not a place where these people could run wild. Jia Nan Academy was not afraid of those from the Black Corner Region coming to provoke them. The corpses on the Death Spirit Tree nearby were the consequence.

Not far from the town gate stood a large tree, its crown hung with corpse after corpse. Some had already dried out, while others remained fresh. When the breeze blew through the branches, the bodies swayed and produced creaking sounds that sent chills down one's spine.

The Death Spirit Tree's reputation had reached a level where its very name struck terror into people. Many who had spent years in the Black Corner Region would never forget the deadly battle between the Black Corner Region and the Southern Academy.

Not many people still investigated the exact cause of that bloody battle. The only thing everyone knew was that afterward, the corpses of two Dou Wang and one Dou Huang were hung from this Death Spirit Tree in an almost cruel manner.

From then on, no expert from the Black Corner Region dared cause trouble here again. Even if disturbances occasionally arose, within less than an hour, whoever caused them would become a fresh corpse hanging from the Death Spirit Tree.

Xiao Ling walked toward the crowd and found a Senior Sister he had seen in the Outer Academy. Walking up to her, he smiled and said, "Senior Sister Li Xi, long time no see. I just returned from training in the Black Corner Region. Can I enter the Academy directly?"

When Senior Sister Li Xi saw his handsome face, her pretty cheeks reddened. Naturally, she recognized Xiao Ling. He was quite famous in the Outer Academy and always treated people gently. She had even patted his head when he was eight, but she had not expected that after two years, he had grown even more handsome. Shaking her head, she hurriedly said, "So it's Junior Brother Xiao Ling. Of course you can enter directly. Were you injured outside? Do you need us to help?"

Upon hearing Xiao Ling's name, everyone nearby turned their attention toward him.

When they saw that it was Xiao Ling, the famous genius of the Outer Academy, they began discussing him one after another.

"That's Junior Brother Xiao Ling, Jia Nan Academy's number one genius? He's so handsome."

"Junior Brother Xiao Ling broke through to Da Dou Shi at ten years old. What a genius!"

"I'd be satisfied if I had even half his talent!"

Ignoring the discussions around him, Xiao Ling answered Li Xi, "I'm not injured. Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. Goodbye." He waved his hand and headed toward the Academy.

Peace Town was still quite far from Jia Nan City.

By the time Xiao Ling arrived at the Academy on a flying Magical Beast, it was already late at night.

Seeing that it had grown dark, Xiao Ling decided to visit Xiao Xun'er tomorrow.

For today, he would first take stock of his gains.

He walked over to a chair and sat down, taking out the Rings from his pocket. There were twenty-seven Rings in total.

His Soul Perception entered them, and he took out the items within one by one.

He tossed the miscellaneous junk aside and ignored it.

First were the Gold Coin. There were more than two hundred thousand in total—not bad.

There were also medicinal ingredients for some low-grade pills, mostly for recovering Dou Qi and healing injuries. There were only two Qi Gathering Powder pills, which were of no use to Xiao Ling.

There were also some Dou Techniques and cultivation methods of various attributes. They were all Mysterious Grade and Yellow Grade, none of them comparable to the Dou Techniques Xiao Ling currently used.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Ling muttered inwardly, The next time Instructor Ruo Lin goes recruiting, I'll have her bring these to the Xiao Family. Once one of the Eight Ancient Clans, and now they only have a wind-attribute Profound Grade Intermediate cultivation method worth using. If the Clan Leader isn't wind-attributed, he can't cultivate it at all.