Getting Something for Nothing—Don't Wander Off Alone, or You Might Get Beaten Up

In the Tianzhi Mountain Range, the surroundings were a complete mess. Lu Xingshi was dissecting a bizarre creature. It was likely either a mutant wolf or simply a wolf born crippled, with tiny forelegs that meant it could only move by clinging to the Wolf King.

This was a bei, and a mutant one at that.

Bei possessed highly developed brains. Working together with another mutant wolf, they could control a wolf pack and raise its intelligence to a certain degree.

It was weak, but smart.

However, before Lu Xingshi, both the Mutant Wolf King and its pack had died terribly.

"Found it. This thing was pretty good at hiding." Lu Xingshi held up the bei's skull.

When he had dissected the wolf earlier, its skull had possessed attributes as well.

Eating the Bei Bone increased Comprehension by 1 point, while eating the Wolf Bone increased Physical Constitution by 1 point.

Like the Bearman's Bear Gallbladder, it only worked when the relevant stat was below 15 points, and only once.

"How are you supposed to eat that?" Murong Xuan's expression turned utterly incredulous. That was a skull—an mutant skull, at that. It was hard as hell.

Not everyone was like Lu Xingshi, for whom killing mutants was about as easy as stepping on ants.

"You just put it in your mouth, chew it up, and swallow it... Oh, right. You probably can't chew it." Lu Xingshi realized that not everyone was as strong as he was.

"Then how about making soup with it?" Lu Xingshi looked at his Cooking skill, which was as high as 1000. Though he had never actually practiced cooking, he possessed extensive theoretical knowledge. Making food that could increase attributes should be possible... probably.

"Perfect. I'll stew the Bear Gallbladder in the same pot for you. You can try the flavor."

Lu Xingshi figured that while it was a little dark, it was fine as long as it increased attributes.

"Are you sure it's edible?" Murong Xuan's expression shifted slightly. Just hearing the name made it sound hard to swallow. "And didn't we agree to trade it for inheritances? Why are you eating it?"

"It's fine. I can use the Golden Crow Hand Cannon to blast open their mountain gate, then hang every disciple in the sect upside down in their Main Hall. By then, forget asking for their inheritances—even if I asked for their crotches, they'd have to obediently take them off." Lu Xingshi said he had other ways to obtain them.

"If you asked for their crotches, they'd definitely give them to you. But asking for their inheritances is no different from asking for their lives..." Murong Xuan had no idea what Lu Xingshi wanted the various sects' crotches for, but he knew that if they obtained inheritances through force, there would be problems even if they got them.

"Is it that serious?" Lu Xingshi had considered robbing them, but not killing anyone. They had no grudges against each other. He was already in the wrong for going to demand things from them, and killing them would be even worse.

"But you could challenge their schools." Murong Xuan stroked his chin as he thought of something. "We can put the Jade Library's inheritances up as stakes. If they lose, they let you read all their martial arts manuals except their sect-defining techniques."

As for if they lost? They would simply copy out all of the Jade Library's martial arts other than its sect-defining techniques for them. But Murong Xuan did not think Lu Xingshi could possibly lose.

Besides, they did not want the sect-defining techniques. Giving away the rest was no great matter.

"You can do that? Have you tried it, Master?" Lu Xingshi thought about it. Wasn't that just gambling?

"No. The last person who tried it has grass three meters high growing over his grave."

"You're strong, so it doesn't matter. No one can beat you." Murong Xuan said with a smile.

Doing this would not only force the other side to hand over martial arts, but also cost them face. It was equivalent to making a name for oneself by stepping on those sects.

Without sufficient strength, one would die horribly.

There were very few people in the martial world who could rise by stepping on various sects. Even those who did could not possibly stomp through all of them; most only challenged small and mid-sized sects.

"Master, did you consider yourself when you said that?" Lu Xingshi spotted a blind spot. "It's true that they can't beat me, but you're different. If you ever end up alone, what if they put a sack over your head and beat you half to death? Wouldn't that be awkward?"

With Lu Xingshi beside him, they certainly would not dare make a move. But who knew when the two might be separated.

Murong Xuan fell silent upon hearing that. Lu Xingshi made a lot of sense.

They definitely would not dare kill him, but they would dare beat him up.

"Then how about this? You can conceal your identity when challenging them. Change your appearance and identity after every fight..." Murong Xuan offered another suggestion.

Becoming Number One Under Heaven did not necessarily require stepping on every sect. At worst, he would have to work a little harder laying the groundwork. That would also be safer.

"If you walk night roads long enough, you'll eventually meet a ghost." Lu Xingshi felt that would be far too obvious.

"Besides, we're not in a hurry. Let's first dig up Grandmaster's Treasury, then I'll finish refining my Golden Crow..."

Before Lu Xingshi could finish, Murong Xuan picked up the thought. "Then you won't need to challenge the other sects. Just blow up Imperial Awakening Palace first, then wipe out True Martial Sect and Zen Heart Sect. You can unite the martial world in one go."

Murong Xuan had witnessed the power of Lu Xingshi's Hand Cannon. As for this so-called Golden Crow, Lu Xingshi was probably the only person who could use it. No one else should even dream of it. Just the Hand Cannon alone would likely require an expert who had mastered External Refinement to wield it, let alone a full set of equipment.

"That's not impossible. After uniting the martial world, I'll blow up Great Song too and become emperor." Lu Xingshi said bluntly.

Murong Xuan was utterly dumbfounded. "Don't say such treasonous things. If anyone finds out, both of us will die."

Unlike Lu Xingshi, a modern man who had no reverence for imperial power whatsoever, Murong Xuan, as a man of this era, feared it deeply—especially with the Imperial Court being so powerful.

"Fine, I won't say it." Lu Xingshi did not care much. He had only been talking big. Being emperor sounded exhausting.

Neither conquering the realm nor ruling it was easy.

He wanted more to uncover the truth of this world. On the surface, it had always seemed to be Low Martial, yet he constantly felt that the world was not so simple. Both the mutants and his three attributes' maximum limit of 100 points suggested that there was something wrong with this world.

The premise was that he had to raise his own strength first.

"The Tianzhi Mountain Range is so vast. There should be more than one mutant, right?" Lu Xingshi suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm not familiar with Saibei." Murong Xuan was active in the Central Plains. If Lu Xingshi had not encountered the wolf and bei, he would not have known there was such a peculiar pair of mutants here.

"You're not thinking of looking for more, are you? Didn't you say you were in a hurry to open Grandmaster's Treasury?" Murong Xuan asked curiously.

"You're right. We can come back next time if we get the chance. Prince of Liao looks like he doesn't have much time left. He might not live much longer." Lu Xingshi made his judgment.

"Uh..." Murong Xuan did not know what to say for a moment. The man controlled all of Saibei—how was he supposedly short-lived?