Killing and Looting

In a modern city, inside an old-fashioned apartment. Sigh! Zhou Qing held a short sword, a little over a foot long and two fingers wide, entirely crystal yellow with a few black spots, a frown etched on his face. "Two months ago, I finally reached the Qi Induction realm. It wasn't easy, I can finally wield a flying sword, but these flying swords are just too hard to get! Five hundred catties of the best red copper, three hundred catties of red-haired steel, and tens of thousands spent on gold, silver, and jade powder. In the end, I only managed to craft one, and its quality is too impure." Zhou Qing is a cultivator, a disciple of the Refining Sect. As the name suggests, the Refining Sect primarily focuses on crafting magical artifacts. It's an extremely small sect in the cultivation world, so small that other cultivation sects don't even know it exists. Zhou Qing was lucky. Just as he entered university, full of youthful passion, wanting to do good deeds like Lei Feng. After saving a beggar by the roadside with a bottle of mineral water, he became the successor of the Refining Sect. He was taken as a disciple by the beggar who called himself Daoist Ling Yun. However, after studying cultivation with Ling Yun for a month, Ling Yun left behind a copy of the Refining Compendium and passed away. It turned out that Ling Yun had a dispute with a disciple of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect over a piece of Yellow Cloud Crystal. They fought fiercely, and Ling Yun was severely injured by several disciples who ganged up on him. By the time Zhou Qing rescued him, he was already on his last breath. Thus, Zhou Qing legitimately became the sect leader of the Refining Sect, albeit a leader with no followers.

He thought he had stumbled upon a great fortune like countless protagonists in wish-fulfillment novels, becoming unrivaled from then on. Little did he know he still had to tread carefully.

The night was as cool as water, and a bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a soft, pale green glow. It was already midnight. On the balcony, Zhou Qing took out a few pieces of crystal-clear jade. He formed a few hand seals to set up a small concealment array, preventing his aura from leaking out during cultivation. Ever since he started cultivating, Zhou Qing had made up his mind: he would absolutely not reveal himself until his strength was formidable, lest he end up like that old ghost Ling Yun.

Zhou Qing sat cross-legged within the array, with his five senses directed towards the heavens. A beam of moonlight shone upon his head and disappeared. Wisps of cool energy flowed through his meridians towards his Dantian. Zhou Qing immersed himself in this watery moonlight, using the spiritual energy of the moon to temper his physical body, expand his meridians, and increase his True Essence.

Qi Induction is the first step for cultivators. They first cultivate their own breath of True Essence. Ordinary people practicing Qi take five years to sense Qi and ten years to circulate it through their entire body. However, drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body to temper the physical form requires decades of arduous effort.

Zhou Qing could be considered a prodigy. In just five years, relying on the Refining Sect's second-rate cultivation technique, he had forcefully broken through all the meridians in his body and reached the realm of Qi Induction. While the Refining Sect's Qi cultivation technique was second-rate, their array formations were first-rate. Refining artifacts was built upon the foundation of array formations. Unfortunately, the methods, array formations, alchemy, talisman crafting, and sword forging techniques recorded in the Refining Compendium were extremely advanced methods for crafting magical artifacts. However, even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients. To craft even a slightly better flying sword, one would need tons of steel, iron, and copper.

Zhou Qing was helpless. After graduating from university, he used his knowledge of artifact refining to dabble in the antique and jade business. Firstly, it was to earn money; in this day and age, nothing could be done without money. Secondly, he hoped to find some treasures passed down by immortal predecessors among the antiques. After all, the Refining Sect was pitifully weak in every generation, but their skill in appraising treasures was unmatched by other sects.

After years of struggle, Zhou Qing had amassed several million yuan. While not a tycoon in modern times, he was free from worries about food and clothing. However, to craft a decent magical artifact, besides rare heavenly treasures, jade was an excellent material for storing True Essence and carving array formations. A piece of top-quality jade could easily cost over ten million yuan. Over the years, Zhou Qing had only collected a few small pieces of Lantian jade, enough to set up a few low-power arrays.

Awakening from his meditation, Zhou Qing felt his True Essence had become a little more substantial. "Hmm! The path of cultivation is long and arduous. I will attain the Great Dao someday!" He intertwined his fingers. "Haste!" The flying sword shot out from the crown of his head, transforming into a yellow light and circling around him. "The materials are not good, but it's passable to refine it to this extent. My power is still insufficient. If only I could unleash the Samadhi True Fire to refine away the impurities, then it would probably be able to carry a person!" Zhou Qing mused. Imagining himself soaring through the clouds, riding a flying sword and traveling through famous mountains and rivers, Zhou Qing yearned for it.

"Huh! There's a slight fluctuation in the elemental energy, someone is using a spell!" Being able to draw the elemental energy of heaven and earth into his body, he naturally understood it well. Even though it was just a subtle fluctuation, Zhou Qing still felt it.

In modern society, cultivators, demons, monsters, and ghosts have all integrated into the urban landscape, maintaining a delicate balance. Several major sects even have their own businesses in the human world. After all, resources are not as abundant as in ancient times. In ancient times, cultivators could find their own iron ore and collect the essence of various metals and jade to refine a flying sword. Modern mineral resources all belong to the state. Want them? Fine, pay money to buy them. Truly, without money, even an immortal cannot be a god. And the top-tier heavenly treasures have long been plundered by the major sects over thousands of years. Cultivation is extremely cost-ineffective. Often, a spiritual herb that has grown for thousands of years can be consumed by a cultivator in just a few bites. There are far more monks than rice. When one occasionally appears, fights and struggles are inevitable, just like how Ling Yun lost his life.

Adjusting the cinnabar, he drew a concealment talisman on his chest to hide his aura. He then affixed a Swift Travel Talisman to his leg and quietly headed towards the location of the fluctuation.

"You junior, you've gone too far!" The python spirit was furious. For a 500-year-old mature ginseng, it had been chased for over a thousand miles by two fourth-generation disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect. It was originally a white python from the deep mountains, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. After over two hundred years of cultivation, it finally shed its original form and transformed into human shape. It discovered this mature ginseng in the Tianshan Mountains and had just picked it up, preparing to consume it, when it encountered two Shu Mountain disciples trying to snatch it. Although its cultivation was more than double theirs, their magical artifact flying swords were too powerful. The male and female disciples were both around twenty years old. The man wielded a green flying sword, and when its light pulsed, it reached several dozen feet long. The woman's sword was similar, but its light was purple. The two streams of purple and azure light intertwined, shattering the demonic energy.

"Heavenly spiritual medicine, how can it fall into the hands of demons and monsters!" The young woman was slender, with delicate eyebrows and a pretty face. Her attire was also very fashionable, looking like a beautiful modern girl!

"Junior sister, why waste words with him? Just kill him, and it'll count as slaying a demon and eliminating evil," the young man said impatiently, his face full of arrogance.

"Ha! Ha! Well said, righteous sect! You can even justify murder and robbery with such grand words!" The python spirit laughed in extreme anger.

"Seeking death!" The young man roared. "Twin Swords Combine!" Both the man and woman shouted simultaneously. Instantly! The power of the purple and azure lights increased dramatically, swirling towards the python spirit. A piercing shriek echoed in the air, creating ripples as if space itself was being torn apart. The python spirit's expression became extremely solemn. With a "Hmph!" sound, it spat out an egg-sized, emerald green orb from its mouth – its hard-earned Demon Core!

Boom! Sword and core collided! A massive explosion of True Essence erupted, sending the three figures flying back over ten feet. The python spirit's face was as white as paper. Its lower body, which had been two human legs, now transformed into a massive white snake tail! Its cultivation had regressed by at least half! The python spirit gave a bitter smile! Looking at the unconscious young woman on the other side, and the young man leaning on his sword, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Both sides were heavily injured. With a flick of its tail, a gust of demonic wind carried the python spirit away! The python spirit was not a benevolent being. It had intended to step forward and kill them, but it feared the young man's dying counterattack. Moreover, fighting in the city, even in the suburbs, might attract the attention of cultivators. After a moment's thought, it was not worth it! It fled!

Seeing the python spirit flee, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. He put away the flying sword that had been knocked away by the Demon Core and went to check on the young woman's injuries. "Fortunately, she was just knocked unconscious. Damn python spirit, it actually managed to injure both my junior sister and me. Once our injuries heal, I'll gather a few more senior brothers and if I don't skin that beast, I, Zhao Liang, am no man!" Just as he was plotting, a sharp pain shot through his chest. Zhao Liang looked down and saw a yellow flying sword with black spots piercing through his chest. He struggled to breathe! Zhao Liang turned his head with great difficulty and vaguely saw a masked figure in black before being engulfed by darkness.

Originally, Zhou Qing's strength was far inferior to Zhao Liang's. However, Zhao Liang was heavily injured after the fierce battle, and Zhou Qing had deliberately concealed his aura. It was also a surprise attack, and he succeeded. He quickly collected both flying swords.

Searching their bodies, he found two wallets, a secret manual, and a few pieces of jade. Everything was taken in less than a minute! Someone was coming! He affixed two Swift Travel Talismans to his legs and Zhou Qing successfully escaped.

He quickly used an array to seal the spiritual energy of the two flying swords. Zhou Qing took a long detour, went to an internet cafe in the city, and browsed the internet for a while, ensuring no one was following him. When it was bright daylight, he left the internet cafe and returned home.

Murder and robbery, one had to be careful when doing such things! If their sect found out, he would probably be beaten into dust! Back at his residence, Zhou Qing was ecstatic! The gains were considerable! After a moment of excitement, he calmed down. Zhou Qing began to think: his current identity was that of an ordinary person, so they probably wouldn't suspect him. As for the items, there was no rush to use them; he would wait until the heat died down. He packed away his usual talismans and cinnabar.

For the next month, Zhou Qing did nothing else. He didn't even practice cultivation. He just ran around the antique market every day, doing business. Eating, sleeping, living like an ordinary person. "Caution makes the ship sail for ten thousand years," Zhou Qing thought. Soon, a month passed without incident. In the second month, Zhou Qing cautiously practiced his cultivation at night. After a month of practice, there were still no incidents, and he finally felt at ease.

Indoors, Zhou Qing picked up a sword that shone with azure light, as long as two feet, and examined it carefully. "What a good sword! It's made entirely of Prime Gold Essence, and even the hilt is made of hundred-year-old rosewood heart!" Zhou Qing sighed. One should know that rosewood heart has a great restraining effect on vengeful spirits and ghosts. Made into wooden swords or talismans, it's even better than hundred-year-old peach wood. That's not all; Prime Gold Essence is a rare item. One gram of it can be refined from five hundred catties of top-quality steel using Samadhi True Fire. Normally, adding just an ounce to a flying sword would double its quality. These two two-foot-long swords combined probably weigh over ten catties. How much steel would that require! Especially since Samadhi True Fire can only be unleashed by a master of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation.

The Daoist cultivation is divided into four stages: Qi Induction, Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation, Spirit Refining and Returning to Emptiness, and Spirit Refining and Merging with the Dao. Finally, one achieves the status of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, indestructible and eternally immortal.

The difference between each stage is enormous. Cultivators in the Qi Induction stage draw upon the elemental energy of heaven and earth to temper their physical bodies, becoming as agile as swallows and capable of cracking stones. In the later stages, they can wield flying swords and travel a thousand miles in a day.

Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation is different. It uses one's own divine sense as a guide, with the physical body as a medium, to drive various energies in the universe without any magical artifacts. With every gesture, one can unleash lightning and fire, and Samadhi True Fire.

Spirit Refining and Returning to Emptiness allows one to achieve immortality and escape the cycle of reincarnation. Spirit Refining and Merging with the Dao enables one to move mountains and fill seas, and travel to all corners of the world with a flick of a finger. Breaking through each stage is probably no less difficult than Jingwei filling the sea or Yu Gong moving mountains.

"The Shu Mountain Sword Sect is truly wealthy beyond compare! Their plundering over thousands of years is not for nothing. Even their imitation Purple and Azure Twin Swords are incredibly powerful. If they were the real Violet Firmament Sword and Azure Lock Sword, they could probably contend with masters of Spirit Refining and Returning to Emptiness! No wonder even the Myriad Year Blood Demon met his end under the combined might of the twin swords. Do Shu Mountain disciples all use such powerful flying swords when they travel the world? It seems Daoist Ling Yun's death was not in vain. Hmph! I've obtained two top-quality flying swords and a secret manual, my strength has greatly increased, and I've avenged old Ling Yun." At this point, Zhou Qing was mistaken. Although these were imitations, there were only a few of them in the Shu Mountain Sect. After all, Prime Gold Essence was not easy to obtain, and their thousand years of accumulation only amounted to a few dozen catties. Only disciples with extremely outstanding cultivation could obtain them. Furthermore, Zhao Liang and his junior sister's parents had significant influence and financial power in the human world. The elders of Shu Mountain also doted on them, which is why they were bestowed with these two swords. Otherwise, with their mid-Qi Induction cultivation, how could they have heavily injured a White Python with two hundred years of cultivation? Forming a Demon Core already represented the strength of late Qi Induction, a difference of more than three times in cultivation.

Soaring Sword Qi Art Opening this old-fashioned thread-bound book, even with Zhou Qing's excellent composure, he was still startled. This was a profound cultivation technique for sword immortals! It used the sword as a medium to communicate with heaven and earth, absorbing energy. The better the sword, the faster the absorption, much faster than through the physical body. No wonder sword immortals were rampant in ancient times! "No wonder those two brats reached mid-Qi Induction in just over a decade!"

A stream of airflow surged, and the Azure Lock Sword was absorbed into his body. The Violet Firmament Sword was for women, and Zhou Qing was not foolish enough to absorb it as well. Although he adhered to the principle of not wasting anything, with his current cultivation, he had no way to erase the array formations on it and reforge it. He had no choice but to set it aside.

For the next few days, Zhou Qing did not leave his residence. He stayed at home and peacefully cultivated the Soaring Sword Qi Art with the Azure Lock Sword. The materials from his impure flying sword were refined into a square seal, four inches on each side. Among the ancient treasures recorded in the Refining Compendium, Zhou Qing was most interested in the Grand Saint Guangchengzi of Mount Kongtong's Heaven Flipping Seal, which could be large or small. When large, it could cover an area of a thousand miles; when small, it was like a mustard seed. With a single strike, even an immortal-level master of Spirit Refining and Returning to Emptiness would be destroyed by the seal, truly possessing world-destroying power. This seal, named Lesser Heaven Flipping Seal, not to mention the material issues, with Zhou Qing's early Qi Induction cultivation, a large portion of the True Essence converted from the elemental energy of heaven and earth was used to temper his physical body. The remaining small portion was barely enough to carve a Sumeru Mustard Array, allowing the seal to change size. However, even with Zhou Qing's full effort, it could only expand from four inches square to one meter. It was nowhere near covering a thousand-mile radius. The few pieces of jade he had snatched were also good quality. Among them, a piece from the junior sister was actually Ink Jade, an excellent material for refining invisibility talismans. Zhou Qing naturally would not waste it.

The river breeze blew gently, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast golden reflections on the river surface. Zhou Qing was filled with emotion. Recalling his five years of cultivation, every step had been taken with extreme caution, as if walking on thin ice. Zhou Qing knew deeply that this world of cultivators was one where strength reigned supreme. Secular laws were no better than waste paper in the eyes of cultivators. Moreover, powerful individuals could kill people on the street at the slightest disagreement. After all, they appeared and disappeared without a trace, how could the police investigate?

"Hmph!! My desires are my own. However, without immense strength, everything is just empty talk. From now on, I will plunder everything to increase my power. To hell with morality, righteousness, and the Great Dao! As long as my power is strong enough, I will be the Dao. I will be heaven. Why is heaven and earth so powerful? Because it is not benevolent; it treats all things as straw dogs! What are gods, demons, immortals, and Buddhas? They are all illusory things. Only eternal power is fundamental!!" Zhou Qing's thoughts churned like a tsunami, roaring. Yet, his expression remained very natural.

Strolling along the riverbank, he eventually arrived at the antique street. This was City C's largest trading center for antiques, jade, and porcelain, and it was also quite famous in Province H. As dusk deepened, pedestrians gradually returned home. Shop owners began to pull down their shutters, and street vendors carefully packed away their goods. Zhou Qing quickly walked to a shop facing the street. "He Zibo, when did you get back?"

"Mm, I went to XZ and returned home yesterday. I picked up some trinkets and was just about to call you tonight to appraise them. Look, you're here. Come in quickly, I'm closing up."

He Zibo was Zhou Qing's university classmate. He had aspired to be a collector since childhood. After graduation, he and his girlfriend opened this antique shop, unlike Zhou Qing who was always on the move.

"Where's Yang Jing?" Zhou Qing entered the shop, looked around, and asked. "She? She went shopping with some friends. She won't be back until after nine tonight. Come and see, I brought back some good stuff from XZ this trip."

A dark blue prayer wheel, densely carved with Sanskrit scriptures. It was a ritual object used by Tibetan Buddhist monks for blessings. Among them, some highly cultivated individuals would imbue it with Buddhist power, turning it into a magical artifact for subduing demons and warding off evil. Zhou Qing scanned it with his divine sense but found no fluctuations of magical power, so he knew it was just an ordinary item. It was old, and its craftsmanship was very exquisite, making it a superior piece of folk art. Several small, exquisite Tibetan knives, and some antique ornaments with a strong Tibetan flavor.

He casually picked out a few items, including the dark blue prayer wheel, and pushed them aside. He said to He Zibo, "Sell these to me. How much?"

"Damn! You do this every time, don't you have a nickname like Zhou Bapi?" He Zibo cursed with a laugh. "But you always manage to sell them for a good price. Damn it, you sell them for much more than I do. I really don't know how you find those suckers. How about this, at cost price, 2300."

"Okay! I'll take them. I'll give you the money tomorrow!"

"Don't rush, let's have a couple of drinks first. I happen to have a few bottles of beer here."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing quickly shook his head. "I'm not drinking with you. Yang Jing will skin you alive when she gets back." He Zibo had a very low alcohol tolerance but loved drinking as if it were his life. Because of this, his wife had scolded him countless times. Thinking of Yang Jing's terror, Zhou Qing couldn't help but shiver. He grabbed his things and bolted out the door, leaving behind, "Brother, you're courting disaster!" He Zibo was instantly depressed.

After several months of cultivation, the Soaring Sword Qi Art had achieved some success. The True Essence in his Dantian was abundant, and his physical body had more than doubled in strength. In just a few months, his progress was comparable to five years of arduous cultivation. Zhou Qing marveled at the importance of cultivation techniques. However, Zhou Qing was not entirely satisfied.

"Old man Ling Yun said that although the Shu Mountain Sword Sect is a major sect, its ranking is still below Kunlun, Tianshi, and Mao Mountain. This method of cultivating Qi through the sword progresses rapidly, but it's ultimately a side path, and the foundation is unstable. There's no other way. If I were to cultivate on my own, it would probably take decades to reach mid-Qi Induction! Hmm, I should go out and about, find some low-level Kunlun disciples and snatch some cultivation techniques. It's not like I haven't done this before. They are a sect passed down from ancient Daoist traditions. They must have good things."

Ding! Ding! Ding! The prayer wheel emitted a pleasant sound as Zhou Qing slowly turned it. A sense of tranquil Zen flowed through his heart. Strange... I've found a treasure, Zhou Qing thought.

'It calms the mind and suppresses Qi, eliminating inner demons. It's a Buddhist treasure! How can I not sense any fluctuations of magical power? Especially since it seems to be inscribed with lost ancient Sanskrit! It's truly extremely strange!'

He couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. Zhou Qing was eccentric by nature, but not an impulsive person. Knowing that this prayer wheel was no ordinary item, after trying thirty-six different methods of refining magical artifacts without any reaction, he couldn't help but sigh. His mind once again sank into the Soaring Sword Qi Art, and drop by drop, the elemental energy of heaven and earth merged into Zhou Qing's Dantian