[Life Span: 25/85]
[Realm: Third Level of Qi Refining]
[Cultivation Technique: Three Yang Technique: Qi Refining Chapter (Third Level): 0%]
When he had first transmigrated, the original owner had been at forty-five percent progress through the Second Level of Qi Refining. Based on that cultivation progress, Wu Tao had estimated that he would only break through to the Third Level of Qi Refining a year later, at the age of twenty-six.
Yet after just over half a year, he had cut the time in half and broken through to the Third Level of Qi Refining ahead of schedule.
"Having skills really makes you popular!"
"Breaking through one level also added two years to my lifespan."
Wu Tao felt utterly refreshed. From now on, he could obtain resources through artifact refinement, and improving his cultivation would no longer be so difficult. If things had continued as they had for the original owner, he might have cultivated no further than the Mid-Stage Qi Refining for his entire life.
No, that was not right. The original owner had suffered Evil Possession. Perhaps the grass on his grave would already be three zhang high by now.
He strode out of the Cultivation Room in high spirits when a face suddenly flashed through his mind. Smiling, he said, "Breaking through a realm is such a joyous event. I ought to celebrate."
"Packhorse Street, here I come!"
He had been busy breaking through these past three days, and no one from the Patrol Squad had come knocking. That meant no one knew of the Gray-Clothed Loose Cultivator's death—or perhaps they did know, but he had merely been a Rogue Cultivator. The Patrol Squad could not be bothered to waste effort hunting down his killer.
This matter secretly served as a warning to Wu Tao. As a Rogue Cultivator himself, his life was likewise not worth mentioning in the eyes of Immortal Sects and the smaller powers of the Immortal Dao.
To avoid meeting the same fate as the Gray-Clothed Loose Cultivator, he needed to conduct himself even more discreetly.
Of course, keeping a low profile did not mean being afraid of trouble. It simply meant not taking the initiative to provoke it.
But if someone tried to harm him, Wu Tao would not mind letting them learn just how formidable a Body Cultivator could be.
As he passed the table, the Coffin Nail on its surface caught Wu Tao's attention.
"Celebrating can wait. I should first study this Coffin Nail and see what is so special about it."
With that thought, Wu Tao sat down, picked up the Coffin Nail, and examined it carefully from every angle.
The Coffin Nail was only six inches long and about as thick as two fingers. Its entire body was black, without any patterns, and it was even covered by a layer of rust. It felt exceptionally heavy in his hand and seemed to be some kind of iron, but he could not tell exactly what kind.
Nor was it a Magic Tool. If it were one, it would certainly possess Spiritual Charm.
As an Artifact Refiner, Wu Tao naturally knew that much.
Of course, he could not speak so absolutely.
He was only a Tier 1 Level 3 Artifact Refiner, still standing at the very bottom of the Artifact Refiner pyramid. He had not even seen through the scenery at the bottom, and there was still much he needed to learn.
Wu Tao probed it with Spiritual Power and found that he could not penetrate it. He then tested it with Divine Sense. This time, his Divine Sense entered it, but it was clearly just an ordinary Coffin Nail, utterly unremarkable, with no Restriction to be sensed inside.
"Would that Gray-Clothed Loose Cultivator carry an ordinary Coffin Nail around with him?"
Wu Tao could not make sense of it.
Then a possibility occurred to him. "Could it be a Demonic Blood-Refining Magic Tool?"
Most Demonic Dao Artifact Refiners made Blood-Refining Magic Tools. Refining such Magic Tools required sacrificing them with blood, while some were sacrificed with souls. They were exceedingly evil; every time one such Magic Tool was refined, who knew how many cultivators had fallen victim to it.
Such Magic Tools harmed the harmony of Heaven, yet were extraordinarily terrifying.
That was why righteous cultivators treated Devilish Cultivators as enemies to be beaten and killed, standing irreconcilably opposed.
Suspecting it to be a Blood-Refining Magic Tool, Wu Tao inspected it closely. Yet no matter how he looked, the Coffin Nail did not resemble one at all. It lacked any trace of resentment or Killing Intent.
"I'll know if I try dripping blood on it."
An hour later, Wu Tao held a rabbit, cut open its ankle, and dripped its blood onto the Coffin Nail.
The blood fell onto the Coffin Nail, but nothing changed.
Wu Tao set the rabbit down, intending to stir-fry it with chili that evening. Reaching for the Coffin Nail, he said with disappointment, "Looks like I misjudged it. Perhaps that Gray-Clothed Loose Cultivator simply had some peculiar hobby."
Just as Wu Tao was about to put down the Coffin Nail and toss it into a corner for the time being, a shocking change erupted.
All the rabbit blood on the Coffin Nail suddenly flew away. Then, with speed too swift to cover one's ears, the Coffin Nail shot straight toward Wu Tao's brow.
My life is over!
Wu Tao's pupils widened. He felt a chill at his brow as that thought flashed through his sea of consciousness.
A sharp pain pierced his brow in an instant. Wu Tao's body went limp, and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
After an unknown amount of time, Wu Tao slowly awakened. He scrambled to his feet and said in relief, "I'm not dead? Where is that Coffin Nail?"
He touched his brow, but could not make head or tail of anything.
He picked up a bronze mirror and looked into it, only to discover a red dot on his brow: dried blood.
An absurd thought crossed his mind. Could that Coffin Nail have lodged itself inside my head? He shook his head hard, but felt nothing unusual.
Wu Tao immersed his mind into his Sea of Divine Sense. Sure enough, the Coffin Nail was quietly floating in the center of his sea of consciousness. He tried to drive it out with his Divine Sense, only to find it as immovable as a boulder.
"My Divine Sense is still too weak." Wu Tao's face immediately crumpled with worry.
He had no idea whether the Coffin Nail occupying his Sea of Divine Sense was a blessing or a curse. After worrying for a while, he realized that no amount of worrying would help. He might as well lie flat and accept it. If the Coffin Nail intended to harm him, he would likely have died long ago.
"Ah, curiosity killed the cat. I need to learn from this lesson."
Wu Tao sighed and felt it was necessary to go to Packhorse Street to calm his nerves.
After steadying his emotions, Wu Tao left home and headed straight for Packhorse Street. Before long, he had arrived.
There was a joke in West Outer City: Packhorse Street, Packhorse Street, Packhorse Street has packhorses. If you wanted to ride a horse, you went to Upper Street; if you wanted to ride a mule, you went to Lower Street. Horses were found in this courtyard or that tower or pavilion, and their prices were premium and expensive. Mules, meanwhile, were found in the secluded brothel corners of the streets. Their conditions were simple, so naturally their prices were cheap.
Wu Tao walked along Upper Street. Though winter had arrived and snow was falling, the Female Cultivators leaning against the railings of the pavilions on both sides were all scantily clad, their grapes half-hidden and half-revealed.
Whenever they saw cultivators passing by, they greeted them with smiling faces.
Wu Tao eventually entered The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Beauties. A madam who still retained some of her charms came forward to welcome him. "Ah, fellow cultivator, have you made an appointment with a fairy for the Dao of Moistening?"
Wu Tao looked over the blooming Beauties in the pavilion. It truly lived up to the name of The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Beauties. Every one of them was a cultivator, so none could possibly be lacking. After some thought, he said, "I'm here to see Zhang Li."
"Zhang Li? Fine. Two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Someone, take this Fellow Daoist to Zhang Li."
In a daze, Wu Tao took out two Low-Grade Spirit Stones and placed them in the madam's hand. A man dressed as a brothel attendant immediately came forward to lead the way. Upon reaching a room, he said, "Fellow cultivator, this is fairy Zhang's room. You can knock on the door yourself."
Wu Tao felt his heart beating somewhat quickly and hesitated instead. But then he remembered that he had spent Spirit Stones—how could he let them go to waste? Gritting his teeth, he knocked on the door.
The door opened. Zhang Li was somewhat surprised to see Wu Tao, but she soon said with a faintly resentful air, "Fellow Daoist Li, you said you would come see me. It took you so long to come that I thought you had already forgotten me."
Wu Tao gave an awkward laugh. "Didn't I come?"
Not long after, inside the room, Wu Tao worked his fingers deeply and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you said you had been to New Virtue Alley?"
As Zhang Li watched Wu Tao's hand continue without pause, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Restraining her pleasure, she replied in broken fragments, "Well, two... two months ago, I wanted to... find you, but after knocking... on the door, I discovered you had already... moved away. By the way, why did you move... away?"
Wu Tao worked his fingers deeply and said, "After you moved away, a gambling dog moved in next door. I was afraid he would harass me, so I simply moved out."
Zhang Li felt that it was enough. "Then you had to move... out... Come in!"
Two Quarters of an Hour later, regret showed on Wu Tao's face. Looking at Zhang Li guiltily, he said, "This... I got too excited and didn't make it in time."
Zhang Li smiled. "It's fine. I'll force it out with Spiritual Power."
Wu Tao froze, instantly struck with awe.
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