Name: Wei Zhong Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 8 (46%) Cultivation Art: Azure Wave Art · Proficient (95%) Lifespan: 136/137
"Three days of lifespan remaining! Dropping from Qi Refining Level 8 to Qi Refining Level 7 can exchange for 10 years of lifespan."
Wei Zhong looked at his wrinkled hands and let out a long sigh.
How had he transmigrated into the body of someone about to die?
Wei Zhong was one of the spirit farmers of the Yan family, a cultivation lineage. On the surface, he had spent most of his life tending the Yan family's Spirit Fields, until yesterday, when his lifespan had run out and he passed away.
The remaining three days of lifespan existed only because Wei Zhong's soul had transmigrated here.
"Knock, knock!"
A knocking sound came from outside. Having farmed Spirit Fields for most of his life, Wei Zhong had been reluctant to move into a cave dwelling within the spiritual land, and had only built a small courtyard amid the fields.
"Yuan'er!"
Looking at the young cultivator outside, Wei Zhong's expression remained unchanged.
This man was Ning Yuan, the disciple Wei Zhong had brought over from the mortal world thirty years ago. He possessed Four Spiritual Roots, making his aptitude a hair better than Wei Zhong's Five Spiritual Roots.
The man had been single-minded in his pursuit of the Dao, so Wei Zhong had brought him to Yan Family Market and led him onto the Immortal Path. By now, he was already a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator and, like Wei Zhong, a spirit farmer for the Yan family.
Ten years ago, he had latched onto a branch member of the Yan family, and thereafter paid little attention to Wei Zhong, his master.
Yet somehow, he had recently learned that Wei Zhong's lifespan was nearly exhausted. Since then, he had come calling every so often.
The previous Wei Zhong had naturally seen through him—he wanted to inherit his estate. But preoccupied with his cultivation and lifespan, he had not paid him much heed.
However, the previous Wei Zhong's aptitude had been too poor. He had failed to reach even Qi Refining Level 9 before his lifespan ran out and he died.
Wei Zhong had transmigrated here and taken Wei Zhong's body, yet his own life was also hanging by a thread.
"Master Wei, your complexion is poor. Shall this disciple go to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion and get you some medicinal herbs?"
"No need. You are still young, so you should save your spirit stones and cultivate diligently. There is no need to waste your energy on these old bones of mine."
Ning Yuan nodded. After chatting with Wei Zhong for a few more sentences, he left.
When the old horse is about to die, the wolves gather all around!
Though Ning Yuan's face had been sincere, Wei Zhong, who had transmigrated here, could see the wolfish ambition beneath it.
I still have a means of extending my life by dropping levels. How could I let this brat feast at my funeral?
After shutting the courtyard gate and returning to the house, Wei Zhong made up his mind.
"Exchange for 10 years of lifespan."
With only three days left to live, Wei Zhong had no other choice but to sacrifice a cultivation level in exchange for ten more years of life.
His cultivation instantly fell to Qi Refining Level 7 (46%), and the spiritual energy within his body shrank accordingly. In exchange, Wei Zhong felt far more spirited, no longer cloaked in the stale air of old age.
Name: Wei Zhong Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 7 (46%) Lifespan: 126/137
So this was not a life-extending method that raised his maximum lifespan. It directly reduced his bone age instead.
Wei Zhong revealed a delighted smile. In that case, there was plenty of room to maneuver.
He formed a hand seal. A mid-grade first-tier spell, Invisibility Art · Mastery (37%).
These old bones of his were being watched by a treacherous disciple. He could not sleep peacefully unless he followed him and took a look.
Wei Zhong had lived a lifetime. His cultivation realm was not particularly high, but he had accumulated plenty of experience in the martial world. His worldly trials before entering the Immortal Path had been one of the foundations that allowed the previous Wei Zhong to cultivate until the end of his lifespan.
At the same time, Wei Zhong knew full well that his aptitude was lacking, so he had put considerable effort into spells.
Though his various spells were not of high grade, their mastery was remarkably advanced.
Following Ning Yuan's footsteps, he arrived outside a small hut beside the rice paddies. The sound of two people talking came from within.
"How is that old man doing?"
Faced with the question from the person before him, Ning Yuan shook his head.
"He's not dead yet."
"That old bastard has held on for this long? If he doesn't die, how are you supposed to take his inheritance? How about the two of us make a move together and finish him off?"
Ning Yuan's eyes flickered as though he were hesitant, but he still spoke.
"Master is at Qi Refining Level 8. The two of us are only at Levels 5 and 6. The risk is too great. We should wait for him to die of old age."
"Heh, then keep waiting. Maybe by then, the Yan family will step in and snatch all your master's estate, leaving you unable to drink even a mouthful of soup."
A struggle appeared on Ning Yuan's face. As a renowned spirit farmer of the Yan family, Wei Zhong's wealth was not coveted by Ning Yuan alone. Others coveted it as well.
Recently, quite a few descendants from the Yan family's branch lines had tried to enter his tutelage.
"Next time. I'll visit him again next month. If he still isn't dead, the two of us will act together."
Upon hearing that answer, the man opposite him broke into a happy smile.
"Then it's settled, Brother Ning!"
A cold glint flashed through Wei Zhong's eyes as he hid outside the hut.
Returning to his own courtyard, Wei Zhong cursed under his breath.
"What a treacherous disciple. For the sake of a few resources, he actually wants to kill his own master."
No, he could not sit and wait for death. He had to take the initiative and strangle the threat in the cradle.
Having absorbed the previous Wei Zhong's memories, Wei Zhong's way of handling matters had unknowingly begun to resemble his as well.
He then looked toward the Status Panel.
The drop in realm had reduced the spiritual energy in his body, but the difference between Qi Refining Levels 8 and 7 was not obvious.
Moreover, Wei Zhong relied on his various highly mastered spells when fighting, so his strength had not declined by much.
Spells were divided into six levels: Beginner, Proficient, Mastery, Master, Grandmaster, and Peerless. Most Qi Refining cultivators hovered around the Beginner standard.
They could barely activate their spells, but both casting speed and power were hard to put into words.
Only a portion of them could reach the Proficient standard.
Wei Zhong was different. He had been born with exceptional talent for spells and had trained all kinds of spells to an extremely high standard.
This was the means by which the previous Wei Zhong had survived. Of course, the previous Wei Zhong had been as steady as an old dog and concealed all of this extremely well. Now, it made things convenient for Wei Zhong.
Wei Zhong picked up a pebble from the ground, poured spiritual energy into it, then threw it at the earth. There was no sound of explosion. It only left a thumb-sized hole in the ground, yet no one knew how many meters deep it had pierced.
Flying Throwing Art · Mastery (38%)
This was one of Wei Zhong's most adept spells. Though it was merely an ordinary low-grade first-tier spell, once Wei Zhong had trained it to the Mastery level, it had become a great killing weapon.
Its spiritual power was restrained, and its penetrating force was exceedingly strong.
Even against a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining, it could contend head-on.
Still, to be safe, Wei Zhong took out two small black spheres from his Storage Bag.
They were the size of thumbs. Wei Zhong did not know what material they were made from, but even when colliding with magical artifacts, they showed not the slightest damage.
They were quite well suited to the Flying Throwing Art.
Night fell.
Under the cover of darkness, Wei Zhong used the Invisibility Art. Dressed in black, he headed toward Ning Yuan's courtyard.
The spirit farmers hired by the Yan family had long suffered under its exploitation. Most of every year's harvest was taken away by the family, leaving only a small portion for themselves.
Thus, spirit farmers were not wealthy. Most built a courtyard near their own Spirit Fields.
Ning Yuan was no exception.
What surprised Wei Zhong was that, though it was already deep into the night, light still shone from Ning Yuan's room, and the sounds of cups being raised and exchanged drifted from within.
"Brother Ning, we agreed that you and I would split that old Wei's estate evenly."
A slightly drunken voice rang out. Wei Zhong recognized it as the man who had plotted with Ning Yuan during the day.
"Of course. Brother He has led me to earn so many spirit stones, and this time I'll need to rely on Brother He to make a move as well. Naturally, I cannot let you suffer a loss, Brother."
"Hahaha, not in vain have I looked after you all this time. Come, let us brothers drain a cup."
Hmph, they really are still thinking about this old man.
Wei Zhong hid outside the window. The two slightly tipsy men inside noticed nothing at all.
Since that is the case, disciple, then do not blame your master for being ruthless.
Wei Zhong held a stone sphere in his hand and aimed at one of them.
Whoosh.
Ning Yuan was clinking cups with the man before him when he suddenly saw the man's arm droop. Half his body collapsed onto the table, while red blood slurry flowed down from his head.
His pupils shrank, and he was about to cry out.
But before he could make a sound, pain exploded in his head, and he lost consciousness.
Wei Zhong flashed into the room. Looking at the two men, now utterly devoid of breath, regret appeared on his face.
I only wished to live this life well and had no desire to slaughter the innocent. Why force me to do this?
He removed their Storage Bags. Two fireballs appeared in Wei Zhong's hands, reducing their corpses to ashes.
The Yan family leased out many Spirit Fields, and even more Rogue Cultivators were waiting to farm them. The disappearance of two spirit farmers would not draw the Yan family's attention. Before long, new Rogue Cultivators would take over their abandoned Spirit Fields.
With a flash, Wei Zhong departed.
Back in his courtyard, Wei Zhong took out the two Storage Bags and swept them with his spiritual sense. Delight appeared on his face.
I never expected my disciple to have such wealth.
However, seeing the damaged magical artifacts stained with blood, he reckoned Ning Yuan had certainly committed quite a few acts of robbery cultivation.
The other man's Storage Bag was much the same, mixed with many fragments of magical artifacts. Yet the number of spirit stones inside greatly exceeded Wei Zhong's expectations.
There were too few. As a Robber Cultivator drinking and exchanging cups with Ning Yuan, there were far too few spirit stones in his Storage Bag.
After searching for a while, Wei Zhong finally found a bottle of pills in a corner.
"High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills?"
Qi Nourishing Pills were among the most commonly used cultivation pills for Qi Refining cultivators. They were divided into four grades: low, medium, high, and supreme.
Rogue Cultivators mostly used low-grade Qi Nourishing Pills. Their medicinal effect was ordinary, but they offered excellent value for the cost.
Even cultivators in the later stages of Qi Refining only used medium-grade Qi Nourishing Pills occasionally.
Wei Zhong had lived for so long. Though he had entered the later stages of Qi Refining over twenty years ago, he had never once used High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills.
There was no other reason. They were too expensive.
One bottle of High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills cost as much as four bottles of medium-grade pills, or ten bottles of low-grade pills.
At such an exorbitant price, they were simply not something Rogue Cultivators could afford to consume.
Yet a mere mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator carried such a precious item.
I happen to need pills to raise my cultivation, so this poor Daoist will gladly accept them.
How could Wei Zhong have known that this bottle of High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills had been intended for that Robber Cultivator to break through the bottleneck from Qi Refining Level 6 to Level 7?
For the sake of these pills, he had nearly exhausted every spirit stone in his possession. That was why he had been so impatient to make a move against Wei Zhong.
After sorting through the contents for a while, Wei Zhong moved the important items into his own Storage Bag and left the unimportant items inside theirs. He then hid the two Storage Bags in a concealed compartment within the roof beam, intending to dispose of them when an opportunity arose.
Sure enough, the disappearance of the two men caused barely a ripple.
When the Yan family steward in charge of the Spirit Fields saw that Ning Yuan's field had gone untended, he immediately assigned that field to other Rogue Cultivators.
Besides that, rumors spread that a certain descendant of the Yan family's branch line had gone missing.
A Yan family branch line? Could it have been the cultivator I casually killed that day?
Wei Zhong recalled that "kindhearted person" who had carried the High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills.
Forget it. Who cared who he was?
He had done it cleanly. No one would ever trace it back to him.
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