After testing him, Lin Ze found that the Death Soldier's various attributes were about the same as those of an ordinary adult man, and that he had a degree of autonomy.
Lin Ze looked the Death Soldier up and down, rubbed his chin, and asked,
"Can you cultivate?"
The answer to this question would determine his next move.
Having Death Soldiers absolutely loyal to him was certainly wonderful.
But Lin Ze wouldn't forget that the Dou Qi Continent was a Mystical World.
If the Death Soldiers couldn't cultivate, then with his current rate of producing two Death Soldiers a day, he might as well find a place to live in peace.
The Sturdy Death Soldier raised a hand and scratched his head.
"I dunno."
Lin Ze thought for a moment, then found a Cultivation Booklet in his room.
He had joined the Mercenary Group only after cultivating to Dou Qi Stage Four or higher.
Before that, his parents had occasionally taken commissions to hunt Magical Beasts and hadn't had time to teach him.
So they had written down the cultivation process, insights, and key points for the Dou Qi stages in the booklet.
Now it could come in handy for the Death Soldier to give it a try.
"Give it a try and see if you can learn to cultivate on your own. If you don't understand something, you can ask me."
The Sturdy Death Soldier took the booklet from Lin Ze and began flipping through it. A while later, he sat cross-legged on the ground.
Lin Ze waited patiently.
Only after a long while did he finally see the Death Soldier absorb a wisp of Dou Qi from the outside world, so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Lin Ze's face.
As long as he could cultivate, that was good.
In this Mystical World, the gap between ordinary people and the strong was simply enormous.
A sufficient number of ordinary Death Soldiers could indeed take on Dou Zhe and Dou Masters, but what about Dou Wang and Dou Emperors?
A Dou Wang could soar through the sky. Until their numbers were great enough to bring about a qualitative change, they would remain invincible.
So whether the Death Soldiers Lin Ze summoned could cultivate was an important factor.
Seeing the Sturdy Death Soldier working hard at cultivation, Lin Ze didn't disturb him. Instead, he returned to the kitchen and absorbed all the remaining dried meat.
The Flesh Essence barely amounted to two units.
Seeing this, Lin Ze sighed softly.
"Too bad the Iron Blood Mercenary Group's headquarters was seized by the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. There were some Magical Beast corpses inside, too..."
Lin Ze shook his head and spent one unit of Flesh Essence to summon the last Death Soldier for the day.
He ordered this Death Soldier to go cultivate as well.
Lin Ze began exploring the Bronze Mirror's functions.
[Flesh Essence: 1/1 unit] (Flesh Essence can summon Death Soldiers, enhance Death Soldiers, and unlock functions.)
Looking at the words in parentheses after Flesh Essence, Lin Ze thought for a moment and focused his attention on the Flesh Essence.
The words changed at once.
[Consume one unit of Flesh Essence?]
Lin Ze considered it. He had already summoned all the Death Soldiers reflected today.
So the Flesh Essence he consumed should be used to enhance Death Soldiers or unlock functions?
Once he figured that out, Lin Ze didn't hesitate and silently chose to consume it.
[One unit of Flesh Essence consumed. Function unlocked: Resonance!] [Resonance: Reflect lives, resonate with one another. For every one hundred Ordinary Death Soldiers owned, the Mirror Master and all Death Soldiers gain 1% Cultivation Speed!]
When he saw what Resonance did, Lin Ze's breathing quickened slightly.
He'd been worried that his own aptitude wouldn't be enough to reach the peak.
But now that he'd seen Resonance's function, all he needed to do was keep producing Death Soldiers.
He could gain an extraordinary Cultivation Speed.
With ten thousand Ordinary Death Soldiers, he could gain an additional one hundred percent Cultivation Speed!
And Resonance could probably be upgraded.
After all, it specified Ordinary Death Soldiers. There should be higher-ranking Death Soldiers beyond them.
High-Rank Death Soldiers should provide different bonuses.
[Flesh Essence: 0/10 units] (Flesh Essence can summon Death Soldiers, enhance Death Soldiers, and unlock functions.)
"Looks like the next enhancement or unlock will require ten units of Flesh Essence..."
After exploring for a while longer, Lin Ze glanced at the sky. It was already close to dusk.
He rubbed his stomach and was about to find something to eat when he heard someone kicking at the door outside.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The heavy thuds and the wooden door's strained creaking made it clear that the visitors meant trouble.
Lin Ze's home had two bedrooms, a living room, and a Small Courtyard. He hurried into the living room and stared at the trembling wooden door, listening to the laughter and curses from outside.
"Brother Dali, there's no movement inside!"
"That kid was pretty tough this morning. Why's he gone quiet now? Could he still be unconscious?"
"Haha, maybe he's pretending to be out!"
"Heh, good thing the kid knows what's good for him. Otherwise, he'd be in for a few more beatings!"
At last, a voice full of arrogant swagger rang out.
When the people outside saw that there was still no movement inside, their interest began to wane.
They called to one another, discussing where to go for fun next.
In the living room, Lin Ze listened as their voices faded away. A sharp resolve flashed in his eyes.
The Iron Blood Mercenary Group and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group were both based in Qingshan Town, and they were in the same line of work. It was inevitable that they would have minor frictions and disputes.
The fellow outside whom the others called Brother Dali had once gotten into a minor altercation with Lin Ze.
Neither side had actually lost out in that scuffle.
But it was enough to make Liu Dali hold a grudge against Lin Ze.
That morning, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had seized the Iron Blood Mercenary Group's headquarters. Liu Dali had repeatedly taunted Lin Ze, and Lin Ze had finally lashed out.
Liu Dali had then teamed up with several mercenaries from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group and beaten Lin Ze up.
Lin Ze felt the injuries on his body still aching faintly and slowly breathed out.
"Time and again, he just keeps pushing his luck!"
Lin Ze returned to the bedroom. Seeing the two Death Soldiers sitting cross-legged on the floor as they cultivated, he smiled.
"Just the right time to test out the Bronze Mirror's control function!"
Night deepened. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and the Magical Beast Mountain Range in the distance occasionally echoed with a few piercing roars.
Qingshan Town remained lively. Being a mercenary was a life lived on the edge, and plenty of them believed in living for the moment and enjoying themselves while they could.
The mercenaries hunted Magical Beasts by day, then spent their coins recklessly in Qingshan Town at night.
A few people walked down a small street with their arms slung over one another's shoulders.
"Brother Dali, are we still going to cause trouble for that kid?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't we?"
"That kid's lost the Iron Blood Mercenary Group's protection. Just watch me make his life hell!"
Liu Dali said viciously, a murderous glint in his eyes and a drunken slur in his voice.
"But there's no rush. We'll take our time. Once I'm done playing with him, I'll finish him off..."
Liu Dali hadn't finished speaking when he collided head-on with a burly figure.
"Watch where you're going! You dare bump into—uh!"
Liu Dali hadn't even finished speaking when the sharp pain in his abdomen instantly sobered him up!
He looked down and saw a short knife sticking out of his stomach.
The exposed blade gleamed in the moonlight with a dark, sinister sheen. It had clearly been coated in poison!
"Ugh... help me..."
A wave of agony swept over him, and Liu Dali spoke in a hoarse voice.
Only then did his companions snap out of their shock.
They hurriedly took out antidotes, then turned toward the attacker.
Unfortunately, the attacker was extremely elusive.
After landing a single blow, he immediately fled.
All of them were drunk and slow to react. By the time they tried to chase him, the figure had already slipped into a dark alley.
Meanwhile, back at Lin Ze's home.
Through the Death Soldier's eyes, Lin Ze saw Liu Dali collapse with blood flowing from his abdomen. The pain in Lin Ze's own body seemed to ease considerably.
Revenge before the day was out was a fine habit!
Before you continue