Since We're Already Here

Night was hushed, all sounds stilled. Only a crescent moon hung in the sky, scattering its pale radiance.

At a certain moment, a blurred figure emerged from the darkness. Like a ghost, he slipped through the checkpoint at the foot of the slope and silently set foot on South Slope.

"They actually set up two checkpoints, one in the open and one in the shadows. That Skinny Monkey is indeed a clear-minded fellow, but trying to stop me is impossible."

Glancing at the guards on patrol, Zhao Er continued upward. At this moment, he was increasingly certain that something was hidden on South Slope. He had a feeling that this time, he would reap an unexpected harvest.

"Snow Without Trace."

Pushing his movement technique to its limit, Zhao Er accelerated.

At the same time, inside the residence on South Slope, Jiang Chen could not help but frown as he looked at the six Blood-Coagulating Stones before him.

Over these past days, he had been trying to find a way to eliminate the lingering will within the blood qi. To that end, he had conducted many experiments, using three methods in succession to treat the blood qi. The first was to scour it with pure killing intent. The second was to use the Mystic Slaying Finger and manifest the divine intent of martial arts. The third was to combine his soul ability with Eye Killing to purify the blood qi.

In theory, all three methods should have some effect on the blood qi. Yet how effective they were, and whether they could eliminate the will completely, remained unknown. The wills contained within the blood qi of wild beasts were simply too faint—even he found them difficult to detect.

"To clearly capture the fragmented wills within this beast blood qi, I'm afraid I can only wait until my soul grows stronger. But that is far too difficult."

"The soul-training method I developed in my previous life still works in this world, but its efficiency is not high, and it has limits. Once I recover to my peak, it will likely stagnate. If I want to break through again, perhaps I truly can only rely on the tempering of life and death."

Thinking of his soul ability, Jiang Chen's brows furrowed even more deeply.

In his previous life, he had endured a hundred trials and a thousand hardships before his soul fundamentally surpassed that of ordinary people. If an ordinary person's soul was first rank, then his was second rank. It was precisely because of this that, after crossing over, he had been able to easily devour Jiang Wang's remnant soul and seize this body.

It was also because of this that although his currently manifested soul was first rank in both quantity and quality, it retained a trace of second-rank essence. Under such circumstances, his soul had grown much faster than it had in his previous life.

However, this was only temporary. Once he returned to a complete second rank, the growth of his soul would inevitably stagnate, because the road ahead was shrouded in mist.

"So far, every person I've encountered has only had a first-rank soul. Even those martial artists merely possess firmer wills and tougher souls. They are still far from undergoing a qualitative transformation."

"However, this world has immortals. If immortals can truly live forever, then secret arts for elevating the soul must exist. In the future, I need to pay closer attention to such information. It may help me perfect my soul-refining method and further unearth the potential of my soul ability."

"As for now, I can only experiment step by step and roughly determine the effects of this blood qi through the reactions of test rats. Still, there are differences between humans and rats..."

As his thoughts turned, Jiang Chen considered his next plan. At that moment, sensing something, he turned his gaze toward the room's exterior.

At the same time, outside the residence, a figure arrived draped in moonlight.

"This is the place!"

Standing beyond the courtyard wall, Zhao Er's gaze was dark and deep.

"You cultivated vegetable plots and built rat houses. Let me see what exactly you're trying to do."

With a burst of strength from his legs, Zhao Er leaped onto the wall.

Though he knew Jiang Chen was no weakling, Zhao Er had confidence in his movement technique and breath-concealing art. Even if he were discovered, he was certain he could escape safely.

Jiang Chen's actions were simply too strange. The more Zhao Er learned, the more uneasy he became. If he did not get to the bottom of it, he would never be able to let it go. For that, taking some risks was worthwhile.

"Seems like there's nothing here."

Standing atop the wall, Zhao Er carefully surveyed the courtyard by moonlight, yet discovered no major abnormalities.

"The only thing out of place in this courtyard is that empty wooden cage. I wonder what Jiang Chen uses it for. Is he planning to imprison something?"

His gaze swept over the wooden cage, and a trace of doubt surfaced in Zhao Er's heart.

But at that moment, a chill ran down his spine. He suddenly sensed danger. At the same time, a blurred figure sprang from the darkness and lunged at him.

"Not good!"

Realizing something was wrong, Zhao Er reacted immediately. Relying on the agility of his movement technique, he flashed aside and narrowly avoided the shadow's pounce at the last moment.

Only then did he clearly see the shadow's appearance. It was a rat—a rat the size of a fat cat. Its fur was blackish-red, its teeth sharp, and a trace of scarlet glimmered in its eyes. Beneath the moonlight, it looked exceptionally ferocious.

"A rat?"

Seeing such an enormous rat, Zhao Er could not help but feel a flicker of astonishment. He had never imagined that such a thing would be the one attacking him.

On the other side, after its ambush failed, Rat Prodigy's fur immediately bristled.

With a strange growl, the viciousness in its bones erupted, and Rat Prodigy pounced on Zhao Er again.

Seeing this, Zhao Er also struck. After that brief astonishment, he had already regained his composure.

"Iron Wire Fist!"

Their figures crossed. Seizing the opening Rat Prodigy revealed, Zhao Er sent it flying with a single punch.

After doing so, Zhao Er did not spare Rat Prodigy another glance. He directly leaped down from the wall, intending to leave. The disturbance from their brief exchange had not been great, but it might already have alerted Jiang Chen. Staying any longer was truly not a wise choice.

But at that moment, accompanied by a strange shriek, Rat Prodigy appeared again. Yet unlike before, it had grown much larger. Every strand of fur stood on end, making it seem like both demon and fiend.

"A demon?"

Zhao Er's pupils contracted, and a chill surged through his heart. At this moment, he truly regretted coming to South Slope, because the secret hidden here might be far greater than he had anticipated.

"This place cannot be lingered in!"

Having guessed at a certain possibility, Zhao Er became even more determined to leave. Just then, Rat Prodigy, now like a small calf, charged at him again. It was much, much faster than before, kicking up a howling gale.

Unable to evade, Zhao Er could only thrust out his palm.

The next instant, immense force erupted, and Zhao Er was sent flying.

"If my guess is true, then this is troublesome. I must tell my foster father sooner..."

A sweet, bloody taste rose in his throat, and blood trickled from the corner of Zhao Er's mouth. He had indeed been injured in that clash. Yet correspondingly, he had used the opportunity to widen the distance between himself and Rat Prodigy. At this moment, he had no intention whatsoever of continuing to tangle with it.

But just as he prepared to flee with the momentum, a figure silently appeared at some unknown moment, blocking his path.

"Jiang Wang..."

Looking at the man before him, draped in moonlight and seeming unlike any mortal, the chill in Zhao Er's heart deepened. He knew that his earlier, seemingly absurd guess had very likely come true.