Immortal Arts in the Fragmented Jade Bag

In the heat of the fight, no one expected Zhang Laosan to pick up a stool and smash it heavily against Li Sanshun.

With that one strike.

Li Sanshun breathed his last.

Although the three of them were local thugs, none had ever killed a man before.

Now, having committed murder for half a bag of money, they were truly panicked and distraught.

Just as they were at a loss, Chen Laowu, not wanting to go to prison or pay with his life for this, suggested they destroy the evidence.

None of them wanted to go to jail, so they made up their minds and threw Li Sanshun into the sewer of a stinking ditch.

Then, to avoid any complications, they took a few pieces of fragmented jade from the cloth bag and gave them to the Old Rascal in the temple who had raised Li Sanshun.

They lied, claiming that a certain Daoist priest had taken a liking to Li Sanshun and had taken him away to wander the world and cultivate immortality.

Upon hearing this, the Old Rascal merely fell silent and did not press for details.

The three of them left, each still shaken by the event.

Originally, the matter should have ended there.

But after Wang Laoliu split the money, he felt uneasy and feared something might go wrong, so he wandered back to the stinking ditch under the cover of darkness, driven by a strange impulse.

Who would have thought that upon arriving, he would see Li Sanshun, covered in sewage and with disheveled hair, crawling out of the sewer under the moonlight with a deathly pale face.

He was so terrified that he nearly lost his wits.

"Help, a ghost! It's a ghost!"

Wang Laoliu wailed, scrambling away as fast as his legs could carry him.

Seeing him leave, Li Sanshun's heart skipped a beat.

This is bad!

If Wang Laoliu leaves, he will surely tell Zhang Laosan and Chen Laowu about this.

Wang Laoliu is a coward, but Zhang Laosan and Chen Laowu are different.

If they find out, they will likely come over immediately to investigate.

If they discover I am not dead, a fierce battle will be inevitable!

What should I do?

Li Sanshun knitted his brows.

The stinking ditch is only three miles from the village; they will arrive in ten minutes at most. This time is nowhere near enough for me to recover!

Besides, even if I could recover using the Breathing Recovery Method.

Who can guarantee I can fight three against one and survive against those three vicious thugs?

Then, should I run?

Hmm...

As the saying goes, "While the green hills remain, one need not worry about firewood." I should run first!

Li Sanshun made up his mind to flee the area.

Just as he turned to leave, his eyes caught a glimmer of green jade shining in the moonlight.

"That is!"

Li Sanshun hurried toward the green jade.

Soon, right next to the jade, he discovered the Fragmented Jade Bag that held a few pieces of broken jade!

It must be that Wang Laoliu left the jade behind in his haste to escape.

With this money, I won't have to worry about food and shelter.

As Li Sanshun thought this, his nose twitched slightly, as if he smelled something unusual.

"This Fragmented Jade Bag... it smells so good!"

His eyes lit up. He took the Fragmented Jade Bag and took a deep breath.

Instantly, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

[You have performed one deep breath and gained a wisp of ethereal immortal energy.]

[Air Quality: Excellent]

[You have gained 10 Life Energy.]

[--Current Status--]

[Status: Lightly Injured]

[Life Energy: 25.35/100]

Holy crap!

Li Sanshun's eyes narrowed as he stared at the Fragmented Jade Bag, as if he had found a priceless treasure!

Could this unassuming bag be some kind of immortal artifact?

He held the bag to his nose and inhaled again, then again.

The fragrance, carrying a wisp of immortal energy, was so intoxicating it made him lose himself!

Fortunately, there was no one else around, or they might have mistaken him for some kind of pervert.

After breathing in a dozen times.

Li Sanshun's complexion turned much ruddier, and he felt his entire body brimming with strength.

The exhaustion from his previous severe injuries had all but vanished!

He opened his status bar to take a look.

[--Current Status--]

[Status: Good]

[Life Energy: 125.35/100]

His Life Energy had actually broken through the limit, reaching 125 points!

What kind of treasure is this Fragmented Jade Bag?

How is it so powerful?

Li Sanshun poured out all the fragmented jade and opened the bag to inspect it, only to discover a pattern of a crane riding the clouds drawn on the inside.

Tearing the bag open completely, he saw some annotated text around the pattern.

"Primordial Origin Art: Gather the essence of heaven and earth, discard one's own vital energy, and condense the Qi pulse and Dantian. With this as a foundation, one may step onto the path of immortality!"

This was actually a cultivation mental technique?

Li Sanshun recited the mantra silently, feeling a warmth stir in his abdomen.

"Discard one's own vital energy... could it be that I must use Life Energy as a foundation to condense the Dantian?"

After thinking this over, Li Sanshun looked at the cultivation technique in his hand and walked to a large tree nearby to begin gathering Qi.

The moment he sat cross-legged, he felt all the excess Life Energy in his body rush into his Dantian.

In an instant, a mysterious, profound energy appeared in his previously empty Dantian.

This must be the immortal energy of a cultivator, which also meant that Li Sanshun had officially left the ranks of ordinary people, stepped into the Qi Refining Stage, and become a cultivator!

One must know that for an ordinary person to cultivate, even with the guidance of a master, it would take one or two years of deep practice to enter the Qi Refining Stage.

Yet, Li Sanshun had spontaneously become a cultivator in just a few breaths.

There was no need to wonder; this was surely the benefit brought to him by his golden finger.

He opened his status bar again, and his attribute panel had changed slightly.

[--Current Status--]

[Name: Li Sanshun]

[Status: Good]

[Longevity: 22/85]

[Realm: Qi Refining Stage Level 1 (0/200)]

[Mental Technique: Primordial Origin Art Beginner (1/100)]

[Skill: Hunyuan Heaven and Earth (Basic: 1/100)]

[Life Energy: 200/200]

[Immortal Art Power: 10/10]

200 points of Life Energy were enough to give Li Sanshun physical strength far exceeding that of an ordinary person.

He stood up and clenched his fist, feeling the power surging through him.

Even if he faced ten burly men, he would have the strength to fight them!

And the Hunyuan Heaven and Earth skill learned from the Primordial Origin Art gave him the ability to command the Five Spirits Immortal Art.

In that case...

There was no need to run from those three thugs anymore.

Li Sanshun curled his lips into a smile, a plan already forming in his mind.

About ten minutes later.

Just as he had anticipated, Zhang Laosan and Chen Laowu, having learned of the "ghost" from Wang Laoliu, arrived immediately with clubs and sharp weapons.

As soon as they reached the stinking ditch, they saw Li Sanshun standing at the entrance of the cave with his hair disheveled.

Even Zhang Laosan, who prided himself on being bold, shuddered at the sight.

"Damn, it really is a ghost!"

"Oh, mother!"

Wang Laoliu wailed in terror, and if Chen Laowu hadn't held him back, he would have fled long ago.

Chen Laowu let out a cold snort, gripping his axe tightly, his eyes filled with a sliver of ruthlessness.

"I don't care if you're human or ghost! If I could kill you once, I can kill you a second time! Li Gouza, pay with your life!"

"Li Gouza, pay with your life!"

Chen Laowu swung his axe violently at Li Sanshun.

But just as he reached Li Sanshun and brought the axe down, the disheveled figure turned into a wisp of black smoke in the moonlight and was cleaved in two.

Chen Laowu's eyes widened, a chill running down his spine, and he couldn't help but gasp.

How did he suddenly disappear?

Could it be... that he really is some kind of vengeful ghost?

While he was still thinking, a stone struck him squarely in the forehead.