First Kill

Gao Xian had never been in a fight in his previous life; he had only ever hacked at people in video games.

Triggering the White Plum Needles in a moment of crisis had failed to finish off Old Wang, and Gao Xian was truly starting to panic.

Fortunately, Sister Lan, deep within his brow, had been continuously condensing the Five Elements Dharma Talisman, helping him circulate his mana. Coupled with the stimulation from Old Wang's sword strike just moments ago, his mental power had surged to its peak.

Old Wang's backward rolling motion still appeared slow and sluggish in Gao Xian's eyes.

It was just that his own body was even slower and more sluggish—no match for Old Wang.

Gao Xian knew clearly in his heart that if he didn't kill Old Wang, he would be killed by him; there was absolutely no room for luck here.

It was too late to surrender and beg for mercy now!

Though Gao Xian was panicked, he didn't give up. This was the resilience tempered by a middle-aged corporate slave's 996 lifestyle.

There's still a chance. Right, I still have the medicine... Gao Xian suddenly remembered he had the Soul-Bewildering Powder.

Refining the Soul-Bewildering Powder had been specifically to deal with Old Wang. The situation had been too tense, and he had forgotten all about it.

Old Wang was agile and powerful, his swordsmanship was brilliant, and his mana was deep; he crushed Gao Xian in every aspect.

However, he had the Great Idol Spirit Method and the Lightning Dragon Hand.

The Great Idol Spirit Method allowed him to trigger spells with maximum efficiency and made his senses exceptionally sharp.

The Lightning Dragon Hand made his hands steady, dexterous, and swift—enough to surpass Old Wang.

With a plan in mind, Gao Xian wasn't as panicked anymore. He retracted his right hand into his sleeve and accurately felt the porcelain bottle containing the Soul-Bewildering Powder among the layers of sleeve pockets.

It was a small, pot-bellied porcelain bottle, only the size of a thumb.

To prevent the Soul-Bewildering Powder from leaking, Gao Xian had sealed the bottle tightly with a wooden stopper and wax.

In the current situation, there was naturally no time to open the bottle.

Gao Xian exerted force with his fingers, crushing the small porcelain bottle outright. After all, he was at the second level of Qi Refining; while he couldn't compare to Old Wang, crushing a porcelain bottle was easy.

As the bottle shattered, Gao Xian hurriedly held his breath. With a light flick of his fingers, the Soul-Bewildering Powder, finer than flour, was scattered into the air.

Old Wang, who had rolled backward, lowered his head to look at the four silver needles in his chest, a hint of lingering fear appearing on his aged face.

Fortunately, he had a Black Scale Inner Armor that blocked Gao Xian's magical tool. That was what had saved his old life!

Old Wang felt suspicious and uneasy; this brat was only at the second level of Qi Refining, so how could he trigger a magical tool so swiftly and without any warning?

One had to know that triggering a magical tool required chanting incantations and forming seals to establish resonance with the tool before it could be activated.

This process was actually quite complex; even for this type of direct-activation magical tool, various preparations were needed. It was impossible to just pick it up and use it.

If it were really that easy to use, why would cultivators bother practicing body techniques!

Old Wang couldn't quite see through Gao Xian, and he became two parts more cautious. He held his sword in a defensive posture and slowly retreated.

Gao Xian had used a Golden Body Talisman, which could normally last for about three hundred breaths. Having taken two sword strikes from him, the Golden Body Talisman wouldn't last much longer.

Old Wang was rich in combat experience; he carefully observed the luster on Gao Xian's face, waiting for the Golden Body Talisman to dissipate before immediately making his move.

As for the magical tool in Gao Xian's hand, he figured the boy didn't have the ability to trigger it again.

Gao Xian watched the slowly moving Old Wang, feeling a bit hollow inside; he didn't know how much effect the Soul-Bewildering Powder would have on him.

Outside, the night rain was heavy, and the sound of the downpour poured in through the window Old Wang had smashed. The room, however, seemed even quieter—so quiet that Gao Xian could hear Old Wang's long, rhythmic breathing.

To be able to control his breathing at such a tense moment, this old man really has nerves of steel!

Gao Xian muttered to himself, but as long as the old man was breathing, that was all that mattered.

In a semi-enclosed room, the Soul-Bewildering Powder would always have some effect.

Old Wang also noticed that Gao Xian was eerily quiet. Wait, why isn't this guy catching his breath?

Low-level cultivators all used breathing to circulate vital energy; it was the simplest and most effective way to do so.

During combat, maintaining steady breathing allowed one to better preserve stamina and circulate mana.

Old Wang had traveled far and wide for decades; he didn't have any great skills, but his worldly experience was vast.

He noticed Gao Xian's abnormality and immediately realized something might be wrong. He hurriedly held his breath and raised his sword, preparing to strike, but the moment he tried to circulate his mana, his vision went black, and his entire body went limp, devoid of strength.

The long sword he had been wielding with ease suddenly felt exceptionally heavy.

"Poison..."

Old Wang knew things were dire. He didn't dare to attack anymore and hurriedly retreated. But his legs went soft, and he stumbled, nearly falling over.

Seeing Old Wang's state, Gao Xian knew the man must have been affected by the Soul-Bewildering Powder, but he hesitated, fearing it might be a trap to lure him in.

Old Wang's reaction was swift; without hesitation, he stimulated his heart aperture to surge his mana, his blood and Qi burning as if they were on fire.

Taking advantage of the power that erupted in that instant, Old Wang turned and leaped out through the shattered window.

Seeing Old Wang flee, Gao Xian hurriedly gave chase.

Old Wang looked like a drunkard, stumbling forward in the torrential rain.

Gao Xian no longer hesitated and jumped out of the window after him.

It had been raining for a long time, and the courtyard was already full of mud and water. Gao Xian slipped and nearly fell.

Relying on his nimble body, Gao Xian barely managed to steady himself, raising his left hand to trigger the White Plum Needles once more.

"Go!" Gao Xian let out a low shout. Deep within his brow, Sister Lan held a mantra and formed a seal, establishing a resonance with the runes in his bracer.

Propelled by his mana, the remaining two White Plum Needles shot forth, piercing deep into the back of Old Wang's head with a sharp, whistling hiss.

Already staggering, Old Wang's body lurched violently before he collapsed onto the ground, splashing up a large spray of mud and water.

The rainy night was dim, the downpour torrential. Gao Xian's face was covered in water; he couldn't see Old Wang's condition clearly and wasn't sure if the man was merely injured or worse.

Gao Xian didn't dare approach. To be safe, he formed several hand seals with his left hand in quick succession.

Sister Lan, residing deep within his brow, responded in sync, helping him circulate his dharma seal to condense mana.

As the dharma seal took shape in his spiritual world, spiritual light flickered, and the essence of heaven and earth condensed and transformed accordingly.

A mass of mana, as scorching as fire, rapidly coalesced upon Gao Xian's hand seals.

"Go!" Gao Xian chanted the spell in a low voice and pointed his sealed hand forward. A ball of flame the size of a fist tore through the heavy curtain of rain, slamming directly into the head of the fallen Old Wang.

With a thunderous boom, the Flame Bomb erupted into a sphere of crimson fire, sending flesh, blood, and rainwater scattering in all directions.

This scene was deeply seared into Gao Xian's eyes, leaving a bright, lingering glow in his vision that refused to fade.

He cursed his luck inwardly, realizing he had forgotten to close his eyes!

After a while, Gao Xian's vision recovered. He wiped the rainwater from his face and slowly crept toward Old Wang.

In the darkness, Gao Xian couldn't see very clearly, only noticing that more than half of Old Wang's head was gone—a rather terrifying sight.

For some reason, a dark joke came to mind: Little Ken riding in a convertible, his mind wide open.

Actually, that description wasn't quite accurate for Old Wang; a more precise way to put it would be: brains splattered on the ground.

Regardless of how one phrased it, this greedy, lecherous, and vicious old man was dead beyond any doubt.

Gao Xian hadn't thought much while he was acting, but with a corpse lying in his courtyard, he could no longer remain calm.

This bloody scene made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He was more worried about the consequences; in his past life, he had been a law-abiding citizen who had never once considered killing anyone.

Gao Xian comforted himself: "This is self-defense. Who told him to try and kill me..."

That was easy to say, but he feared this reason wouldn't convince anyone else. Besides, if Old Wang's friends and family found out he was the killer, they would surely come for revenge!

Should I find the swordswoman? Gao Xian's first thought was Zhu Qiniang; she looked like someone familiar with this line of work who would know the proper procedures.

But upon second thought, he decided against it.

When it came to killing, the fewer people who knew, the better. Zhu Qiniang was close to him, but they didn't have a deep bond, nor did they share any common interests.

Seeking help from Zhu Qiniang would be equivalent to handing over his own leverage; that would be too stupid...