Lin Shu silently calculated how many Evil Coins he had spent.
From the entry-level Bright Moon Claw Technique to the perfected Sixth Rank Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand, he had spent only eighteen Evil Coins in total.
But after that, just raising it by one rank had cost him thirteen more coins.
The amount he had spent now had already far exceeded last time.
[Consumed 21 Evil Coins, Evil Immortal not yet formed, technique has changed]
[Fourth Qi Condensation Stage. Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand: Perfection]
At last, two notifications appeared before Lin Shu's eyes.
At the same time, an invisible hand yanked his mind into the Ghost Moon Lone Wolf Painting.
The enormous full moon, so vast it inspired fear, had always been dark and eerie.
Now, black mist spread from its edges, streaming toward the mountaintop and gradually enveloping the lone wolf.
"..."
Before Lin Shu could feel any joy, he was astonished to find the transformation hadn't stopped.
The Evil Coins in his palm were still vanishing rapidly.
On the notification, the name of the Immortal Method began to twist.
"Wait."
Seeing this familiar scene, Lin Shu suddenly realized what was happening. His expression changed.
He did want a more powerful method, but the Evil Coins were going a bit too far.
Did Tian Jingyuan know his worthless life was worth that much?
The Fifth Rank Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand could easily consume nearly ten strands of Lin Shu's Spiritual Power in a single spell duel.
Now it had become Fourth Rank, and it seemed to be changing beyond recognition, on the verge of breaking into the upper three ranks.
If it really made it that far, his meager Spiritual Power would make it far too difficult to use.
More importantly...
Lin Shu pressed a hand against his chest. His breathing grew labored, and he could feel the Spiritual Power throughout his body starting to run wild.
He was a little curious about what this technique would turn into.
But the suppressive effect of the Blue Bird Qi-Guiding Art was already about to fail.
With that in mind, Lin Shu clutched the nearly twenty Evil Coins he had left and stopped feeding them in.
At the same time, the bedding in the corner of the bed trembled twice.
A soft gasp rang out as someone woke with a sudden start, followed by a childish, fearful voice.
"You bandit, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Your murderous intent is disrupting your mind. Your spiritual energy will surge through your meridians and kill you! I even gave you my Essence Blood, and you still want to get me killed!"
"Stop practicing—"
The Porcelain Doll-like little one still had her eyes closed, but the delicate skin on her face twitched slightly, as if she were at a loss.
Soon, a warm feeling flowed along the Essence Blood and into the young man's body.
"Hm?"
Lin Shu froze for a moment. He had no idea why the little one had suddenly woken up.
But considering the changes in his body and what she had said...
If something happened to him, it seemed she would die too. Was she trying to find a way to suppress this restlessness?
If that was the case...
Lin Shu felt the warmth quickly suppress the restlessness in his chest.
After a moment's thought, he tried feeding in another Evil Coin, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. "I'm practicing."
"I told you to stop!"
The Killing Intent rising from the young man again clearly startled the little one. Her childish voice grew even more tense and shrill.
As she spoke, another warm current immediately flowed into Lin Shu's body.
"I'm practicing."
"Stop!"
After several rounds of this, Lin Shu finally calmed himself and returned to the Ghost Moon Lone Wolf Painting.
The black mist flowing down from the full moon grew denser, spreading beyond the peak of the lonely mountain.
It drifted and swirled, taking human form. Wails filled the air, and a thick resentment radiated from it.
Crack, crack!
Just then, a ceaseless series of brittle snaps rang out from within the black mist, sending a chill down one's spine.
In the next instant, stark-white, pointed finger bones suddenly burst up from below.
One bony claw after another swayed into view, covering the entire mountaintop.
They pierced through the black mist, seemingly filled with boundless fury, and ruthlessly tore apart the wailing spirits covering the ground!
[Consumed 47 Evil Coins, Evil Immortal not yet formed, technique has changed]
[Fourth Qi Condensation Stage. White Bone Soul Burial]
The Immortal Method's name had changed into something entirely new, and its mastery level had vanished as well.
Lin Shu's mind slowly withdrew from the painting.
His gaze was complicated as he looked up at those soul-stirring words, knowing exactly why this had happened.
White Bone Soul Burial was a genuine upper-three-rank technique.
But he hadn't spent enough Evil Coins. It had only taken rudimentary shape, not enough to be called a complete Immortal Method.
So it had no mastery level.
Terrifying.
Lin Shu recalled the scene of those stark white bones in his mind. This had clearly gone beyond the realm of fists and palms; it was much closer to what he understood as a "spell."
This was the kind of method a cultivator ought to use!
Tian was merely a cultivator who had just entered the Mid Qi Condensation stage. If other people learned they could trade his life for half of an upper-three-rank Immortal Method, that fatso probably wouldn't even make it onto the street before people hacked him to pieces.
"Whew."
Lin Shu drew back his gaze, satisfied.
This was already the best outcome for him.
Anything stronger might be unusable for lack of Spiritual Power. It was perfectly balanced at his limit.
What a way to spend those Evil Coins. Tsk, tsk. That was money well spent.
"So, why did you wake up?"
He wasn't waiting for an answer, so Lin Shu didn't look toward the corner of the bed. Instead, he sank his awareness directly into the drop of Essence Blood inside his body.
He used it to investigate the little one's condition.
After sensing it carefully for a long while, he finally figured out what had happened.
When Immortal Scions slept, they were like eggs.
They needed to accumulate enough energy for their bodies to grow to the point where they could break out of their shells.
The little one had not yet grown up, but she had forced herself awake. It was like hatching too early, so her body was indeed much weaker than others of her kind.
But once she was out, she was out. There was no going back.
Her falling asleep from exhaustion was completely different from the deep slumber she had been in at first. She had simply worn herself out.
"You... bandit..."
The Porcelain Doll weakly pried open her eyelids. She had finally managed to save up a little over the past two days, and now it had all been eaten up again.
At this rate, she'd never grow up in her whole life!
"..."
Lin Shu savored the warmth from earlier, but didn't argue.
He didn't actually make a habit of bullying the old or the young.
Unfortunately, the little one wasn't old.
Since she could restore his spiritual energy, suppress the restlessness, and now that she was awake, provide plenty of information about the Immortal Sect, there was no need to drain her dry.
With that thought, Lin Shu casually lifted the little one over and flicked her on the forehead.
He raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "You used to call me a bandit, and that was fine. But now your Essence Blood is in my possession. What should you call me?"
"Huh?"
The little one stared at him in disbelief, her short legs suddenly kicking and thrashing.
She was afraid of dying, sure, but had he never heard that a scholar would rather die than be humiliated?!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
While she struggled, she got another seven or eight flicks to the forehead.
Her cries took on an even more tearful edge.
"Call me Master Lin."
"Ma-master!"
The two voices rang out at the same time.
Lin Shu frowned and looked at the human-shaped creature in his hand, his eyes tinged with oddness.
The little one's expression also stiffened. So that was... what he meant?
"You catch on quick."
Lin Shu casually tossed the Immortal Scion, who had suddenly shut her eyes and started playing dead, back onto the bed.
Since the Essence Blood really could restrain her, there was no need to deliberately frighten her.
He stood up and looked out the window.
Dawn had just broken. Another night had passed.
Wasn't it time to go check out the Four Directions Street that belonged to him?
Before you continue