To other people, the amount of Qi they could absorb was crucial.
After all, it determined whether they could use more powerful Immortal Methods in battle—and how many times they could use them.
But to Lin Shu, it was even more important than that.
Other people could replenish their Spiritual Power after using it up. If he used up his, he would lose his life. Naturally, the more he stored, the better.
"At any rate, one major problem is finally taken care of."
Lin Shu slowly opened his eyes, feeling rather moved.
It seemed his luck was still pretty good.
One wisp of Spiritual Power was equivalent to a third of the White Wolf's mist from before.
Now that he had ten wisps, he could replenish what he spent through breathing exercises.
At last, he didn't have to be so strapped for Spiritual Power.
Even if he used the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand at full strength, he could manage seven or eight uses.
That might not sound like much.
But the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand was a Sixth Rank Immortal Method, one of the Middle Three Ranks. It was supposed to be used by a Mid-Stage Qi Condensation Cultivator.
No wonder using it once had nearly cost him his life.
"..."
Lin Shu toyed with an Evil Coin, then lowered his gaze to his chest.
A strange glint flashed in his eyes.
This White Wolf phantom seemed a little unusual.
Even something as mysterious as Virtue Coins and Evil Coins hadn't managed to directly form the Blue Bird Immortal Body. All they had given him was an Inner Method.
Yet the White Wolf phantom had been parasitizing the body of his previous self, a mere mortal.
And with his heart cut out, it was as if someone had left a nest for it.
Lin Shu couldn't believe that hadn't been done deliberately.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
He had a way to prolong his life now, and plenty of time. He would eventually get to the bottom of things, find a way to restore his heart, and put this problem to rest for good.
"I have enough Spiritual Power for now. Let's see how you perform."
Perhaps because the Blue Bird was so stingy, Lin Shu now found even this pup rather pleasing to look at.
A whole twenty Virtue Coins had only bought him a Qi Cultivation Eighth Grade Immortal Method, and it had only raised it to Minor Accomplishment.
The pup had swallowed eight Evil Coins and spat out a Sixth Rank Immortal Method. Not only had it reached Minor Accomplishment, it had even gotten a new name.
Just look at the difference!
Lin Shu grabbed a handful of Evil Coins and pressed them down without hesitation.
Sure enough, the White Wolf phantom didn't disappoint him.
It was as generous as ever.
After just five Evil Coins, the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand broke through to Great Accomplishment. By the time it had digested the tenth coin, a second notification popped up.
[Qi Condensation Sixth Stage. Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand: Perfection]
From beginning to end, the whole process went off without a hitch.
It went so smoothly that Lin Shu froze for a moment. But soon, that familiar restlessness surged into his heart.
It came on fiercely, difficult to resist.
Lin Shu's eye twitched. Blood vessels began to spread across his once-clear black-and-white eyes.
He thrust out a palm. Black mist hissed to life at his fingertips, then spread at a visible speed, winding around his forearm like a venomous snake.
A ghostly light shimmered within it, as if it were about to tear apart everything before him.
Compared to when he had slaughtered those disciples from the Good Fortune Martial Hall, its might had more than doubled!
"Hold it back!"
Lin Shu gritted his teeth, the veins in his forearm bulging.
Slowly, he curled his fingers inward until his hand clenched into a fist, snuffing out the black mist between them.
Such a tiny movement had left his forehead beaded with sweat.
The White Wolf phantom continued devouring Evil Coins.
Its originally snow-white fur was turning gray at a visible speed. Its body beneath the fur seemed to be growing much stronger, and as its muscles rippled, waves of Killing Intent rolled off it!
Fortunately, the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand didn't keep advancing.
After it reached Perfection, the White Wolf phantom swallowed another eight or nine Evil Coins before spitting out a second Immortal Method.
[Qi Cultivation Seventh Grade. Bright Moon Eye Technique: Beginner]
Once again, the advancement was as unstoppable as a breaking wave, far outpacing the gradual improvements brought by Virtue Coins.
Only the final ten of the twenty-nine Evil Coins remained, and they were consumed in an instant as well.
In return, the Seventh Rank Immortal Method broke through three stages in a row!
[Qi Cultivation Seventh Grade. Bright Moon Eye Technique: Great Accomplishment]
Lin Shu hadn't even figured out what kind of technique it was before a vast flood of information filled his mind!
"Hah! Hah!"
His throat bobbed rapidly as he gasped for breath.
He slumped against the chair as if completely drained. The restlessness he'd barely suppressed had risen up again!
Just then, a clear bird's chirp rang beside Lin Shu's ear.
The next moment, warm currents of Spiritual Power flowed through his body and surged toward his mind.
"You damned mutt... trying to kill me, are you?"
Lin Shu's taut nerves finally eased. He straightened up a little and stared at the sleeping White Wolf phantom over his heart, his expression complicated.
The sudden turn of events had made him realize something.
The new technique also had Bright Moon in its name, which meant it belonged to the same system as the claw technique he'd learned earlier.
But the restlessness had come from the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand. That might not be an Immortal Method the White Wolf had innately possessed.
In other words, perhaps it wasn't the White Wolf that was so generous... but the Evil Coins.
"..."
Lin Shu fell silent for a long while, then let out a rueful laugh.
That made sense.
After all, killing was easy, but doing good was hard. It was much easier to be a villain than a good person, and the same probably held true for Immortal Methods.
He was wary of the inexplicable agitation that had seized him just now.
But he couldn't give up on the rapidly advancing Evil Coins—not for now.
To put it bluntly, in a place like Blackwater City, without this evil method, how could he have earned so many Virtue Coins today?
Having made up his mind, he slowly got to his feet and pushed open the door. In an irritated voice, he called out:
"It's been all night. Where's the bathwater you were supposed to heat? Did you boil it dry?"
"..."
Downstairs, the women exchanged glances, not daring to say a word. They could only sneak looks at the grim-faced, dual-blade-wielding Stone Pillar by the stairwell.
Old Yang sprang up from the ground in a panic and sheepishly scratched his bedhead. "I'll do it, I'll do it! I'll heat it right now!"
He limped toward the back courtyard.
Once he reached a spot where no one could see him,
Old Yang recalled how strong Lin Shu's voice had sounded. He grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and tossed aside the cleaver in his hand.
So last night had just been a false alarm.
What a relief!
Toward evening.
West City, Good Fortune Martial Hall.
It should have been the noisiest place on the street, but today its entrance was deserted.
Inside the main hall, the words "Uphold the strong and aid the weak" still hung on the wall.
But only a handful of people remained.
People said martial halls had money, power, and manpower, and that the Good Fortune Martial Hall had all three. In truth, it couldn't compete with the wealthy gentry in either money or influence.
It had plenty of people, but most had paid to learn martial arts.
Those willing to kill for the martial hall, like Qin Yunhai and Zhao Peng, were the result of years of careful cultivation by Zhang Zhongping.
They were the rarest of the rare.
After constables brought nine mangled corpses into the main hall, most of the disciples made excuses to leave. They would return once things had blown over.
The gruesome deaths of their senior brothers was one reason.
Another was that the secret killings had been exposed and made public knowledge—which meant the Good Fortune Martial Hall had completely offended the Blackwater Gang.
Lord Fox... was a lord too!
Zhang Zhongping sat dazedly beneath the calligraphy, his gaze wandering but never falling.
That was because the ground not far from his feet held,
neatly placed, the head of Qin Yunhai, frozen in terror, his eyes open in death.
His most trusted disciples were all dead, and his only son's coffin sat in the middle of the hall.
In just one night, the Great Martial Master seemed to have aged by at least ten years.
He couldn't understand it. His son had only been a little too mischievous, so why had he suffered such a brutal death, taking all those beloved disciples down with him?
At the slightest conflict, they resorted to such cruel methods.
Blackwater Gang, what a fearsome show of power!
"Well, what happened here?"
A mocking voice rang out as a corpulent figure ambled into the martial hall.
"Did you come to laugh at me?" Zhang Zhongping turned a cold sidelong glance toward Tian Jingyuan, resentment rising in his eyes.
He had spent so much silver, only to get false information in return.
Some nobody from an Opera Troupe? Look at all these mangled corpses. The man was clearly a cultivator!
"I know you resent me, brother."
Tian Jingyuan made his way to the table and sat down. He was still picking at his nails, but now wore a faint smile. "I was chatting with a few people in the hall today, and I heard something that should be very good news for you."
"Some... good news about that Fox."
Before you continue