First Kill

"It's snowing!"

Early in the morning, after pushing open his door, Wu Tao saw snowflakes fluttering down from the sky, leaving the world a sheet of pure white.

Stepping onto the street, one's foot sank directly into the soft, knee-deep accumulated snow.

He reached out his hand and looked up at the sky. The sky was very clear, without a sun, and only goose-feather-like snowflakes were drifting down leisurely. They landed on his hand and instantly melted from the heat of his skin.

When he had first transmigrated here, it was still midsummer. In the blink of an eye, without realizing it, it was already the bitter winter.

The various matters of his past life seemed to be slowly blurring within his memories.

The faces of teachers like Youcai also seemed to blur into a haze in his memories, leaving behind only the recollection of a few gestures.

After cultivating the Body Tempering Art, his vital energy and blood were robust. Although a biting wind swept past, he could not feel the cold.

Looking at the snow filling the sky, a sudden mischievous impulse rose within him. Strictly speaking, in his fifty-some years across two lifetimes, this was only the second time he had ever seen snow. The city where he grew up in his past life had only snowed once in the year 2002, and after that, there was never any snow again.

So upon seeing snow, Wu Tao's dormant heart could not help but become active.

He ran around in the snow, rolled the snow into a ball, and smashed it against the door. Watching the snowball burst apart, he simply piled up two snowmen at the entrance, which possessed quite the air of left and right guardian deities.

However, after his enthusiasm subsided and he seriously inspected these two snowmen, he felt that they were far too eye-catching and did not fit his low-key style of conduct. After thinking about it, he dissolved the snowmen with a Fireball Technique.

Afterward, he stepped through the knee-deep accumulated snow, stride by stride, heading toward the marketplace.

Wu Tao only carried a single bundle on his back. The Three-Pointed Great Spear was not left at home; rather, to avoid drawing attention, he placed it inside a Disposable Storage Talisman.

Disposable Storage Talismans cost five for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

Once the items inside were taken out, the internal space would collapse. It could not compare in spatial stability to magical artifact storage items like storage bags, but its advantage lay in being cheap.

As for a storage bag, Wu Tao was still saving spirit stones for one, which should be a matter for a long time in the future.

Arriving at the marketplace, the first task was to head to the Market Rental Office to rent a stall. Ever since he obtained the Artifact Refiner Certificate, Wu Tao noticed that the staff members at these offices seemed to have become a bit more polite.

The Four Arts of Cultivation were truly lucrative.

Arriving at the rented stall in Yi District, Wu Tao set up his stand, displaying a total of a dozen or so magic robes. Most of them were Small Spirit Shield Robes, while the Wind-Speed Magic Robes were crafted from the remaining leftover scraps.

Having spent three months continuously refining Small Spirit Shield Robes, practice had long since made it second nature, and he would no longer fail.

Of course, there was also the reason of his overall strength having increased; both his refining speed and his state-recovery speed had been greatly shortened.

Now he set up his stall once a month, and the Small Spirit Shield Robes enjoyed high popularity among the rogue cultivators. By the time the market closed, they could basically all be sold out.

Exchanging greetings with the stall owners to his left and right, Wu Tao sat down on a self-made small stool to wait for rogue cultivators to approach.

About a dozen minutes later, a rogue cultivator came up to inquire about prices.

Wu Tao hurriedly greeted him warmly, saying, "Fellow Daoist, the First-Rank Level 2 Wind-Speed Magic Robe and the Tier 1 Level 3 Small Spirit Shield Robe are both essential items. Which kind does Fellow Daoist desire?"

"How many spirit stones for a Small Spirit Shield Robe?"

"Forty-two!"

"Forty-two? That's a bit expensive!"

At this, Wu Tao would immediately produce the Artifact Refiner Certificate for the rogue cultivator to see, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please take a look. This is a certified credential from the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall. Without an Artifact Refiner Certificate, I imagine Fellow Daoist wouldn't feel entirely at ease using it."

"Even though it's a bit more expensive, buying it from me comes with another benefit: if it breaks within a month, you can bring it back to me, and I guarantee to help you fix it."

Depending on the one-month warranty strategy, forty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones felt acceptable to most rogue cultivators, and some even felt they were getting a bargain. This rogue cultivator was no exception.

In the span of a single morning, Wu Tao sold half of his magic robes. Spirit stones came clinking in, making the stall owners on both left and right green with envy. But envy aside, the path of the Four Arts of Cultivation was not one you could simply embark on just because you wanted to.

Otherwise, artifact refiners, alchemists, talisman makers, and formation masters would not be so highly sought after by people.

By the afternoon hours.

An old customer came calling.

"Fellow Daoist Li." Wu Tao greeted the tall rogue cultivator.

Li Yuanfeng took out a Small Spirit Shield Robe and said, "Artifact Master Li, help me mend this magic robe. It was struck by a demonic beast, and the internal restriction was triggered. It doesn't seem quite as fluid anymore."

Wu Tao understood. In other words, its startup time was slow.

He took the magic robe and smiled. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. Give me two days, and I will definitely mend it for you. Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Li, you could go out a bit less often, couldn't you? The Immortal Dao values life; earning a few less spirit stones is fine too."

Li Yuanfeng was an adventurer who frequently left the city to hunt demonic beasts. Hearing this, he gave a bitter smile. "Artifact Master Li, of course I understand your words. But there's no help for it—we lack other talents and can only hunt demonic beasts to earn spirit stones. As you know, my son was blessed by heaven and managed to awaken a talisman-painting talent with some difficulty. How can I not provide for his talisman painting?!"

"Though, come to think of it, thanks entirely to Artifact Master Li's magic robe, otherwise my life would most likely have been left out in the wilderness."

Wu Tao comforted him, saying, "The Four Arts of Cultivation are all piled up using resources. However, bitterness comes first and sweetness later. Once your son becomes a talisman maker in the future, you'll be able to enjoy the fruits of his labor."

"I'm just pinning all my hopes on that day."

Li Yuanfeng chatted for a while and mentioned he would send some sources of customers Wu Tao's way. Wu Tao expressed his thanks repeatedly before the man departed.

Soon it was time for the market to close. Wu Tao had only a single Wind-Speed Magic Robe left unsold, while all the other magic robes had been disposed of.

His total income came to six hundred and fifty-six Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Without an Artifact Refiner Certificate, he would have had to pay a tax of sixty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones; now, with the certificate, a twenty-percent discount applied, requiring him to hand over only fifty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Wu Tao could now be considered a person with a monthly income of over six Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

It looked very wealthy.

Yet calculated this way, the medicinal bath required three Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, the Qi Condensation Pill one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, and refining costs also took one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone. Factoring it all up, he was left with only a bit over one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.

Subtracting rent, food and drink, the Formation Practice Board, and the like, he could only save slightly over fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones a month.

If he wanted to buy a storage bag, he still had a long way to go.

Calculating thusly, Wu Tao left the marketplace and prepared to go home. Every time he went back, he was exceptionally careful, walking through several extra alleys until there was no one around before turning toward his home on Sincere Tea Street.

Yet this time, footsteps were persistently trailing behind him.

Wu Tao's brows furrowed; it seemed he had been targeted.

He had always kept a low profile in his conduct and never made enemies with anyone. Blameless and without enmity, how could he have been targeted?

"Fellow Daoist, please stay your steps!"

Wu Tao's heart skipped a beat. Hearing that ill-intentioned voice from behind, he knew the reason the other party called out to him at this moment was because this was a secluded alley; even if he were killed here, no one would ever know.

"Fellow Daoist, please turn around. Don't force me to make a move," that person threatened once more.

Wu Tao slowly turned around and looked at his pursuer. The opponent was dressed in gray clothes and was not very tall. Seeing him turn, the gray-clothed loose cultivator said, "Fellow Daoist, do not be afraid. I am only after wealth and do not want your life. As long as you obediently offer up your spirit stones, I can let you leave."

At the end, he added, "Fellow Daoist had better not play any tricks. I've been watching you for many days. Fellow Daoist is an artifact refiner, right? You only know how to refine Small Spirit Shield Robes and Wind-Speed Magic Robes. Don't think about running away or resisting; I have a Godly Travel Talisman, so you cannot escape."

"Moreover, you are a rogue cultivator. At your age, merely studying artifact refinement is enough to occupy all your focus, so you clearly haven't had time to practice combat spells. Therefore, please offer up your spirit stones, Fellow Daoist."

The gray-clothed loose cultivator wore an expression of complete mastery.

A look of regret appeared on Wu Tao's face as everything had been accurately guessed by the man. He hastily cranked up his desire to survive, saying, "Is Fellow Daoist a man of his word? You will only take the spirit stones and not harm my life?"

"Of course!" The gray-clothed loose cultivator intended to keep Wu Tao alive and drop in to rob him from time to time.

"Good! The spirit stones, I'll give them to you!" Wu Tao took off his spirit stone bag and flung it directly toward the gray-clothed loose cultivator. A satisfied smile bloomed on the gray-clothed loose cultivator's face, and he reached out a hand wanting to catch the spirit stone bag...

Right at that instant, Wu Tao activated his Small Spirit Shield Robe and Wind-Speed Magic Robe, lunged forward with a leap, and charged straight at the gray-clothed loose cultivator.

Sensing Wu Tao's aura, a trace of derision curled the corner of the gray-clothed loose cultivator's mouth. "Second Level of Qi Refining? Overestimating your own capabilities!" With that, his cultivation at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining burst forth.

"Wind and Thunder!"

Within ten meters.

Wu Tao activated the Disposable Storage Talisman, bringing the Three-Pointed Great Spear instantly into his hand. The Wind and Thunder Form erupted fiercely.

The tip of the spear was accompanied by wind and thunder, its speed matching them as it burst forth abruptly.

"What?"

The gray-clothed loose cultivator's pupils shrank violently as he saw a great spear thrusting toward his chest with an unstoppable momentum. It was too late. In the span of a single breath, his face flashed through complex emotions of regret, astonishment, and terror.

Then, with a deafening boom, spiritual power and the force of vital blood exploded within the gray-clothed loose cultivator's chest. From a single point outward, his entire body burst apart with a loud bang.

A rain of blood, shattered flesh, and broken limbs defiled the quiet, secluded alley.