A Bountiful Haul

From Yin Muhua's memories, Lin Qing knew these Golden Needles were razor-sharp, capable of piercing ordinary iron with ease.

The needles carried a potent poison that amplified pain. They were first-rate concealed weapons.

Unfortunately, Yin Muhua knew no concealed-weapon techniques. She had only used the Golden Needles to interrogate prisoners. A few needles were usually enough to break a prisoner's will.

With these Golden Needles, my ability to kill from medium and long range will soar, Lin Qing thought.

The Darts he had used before were made at a nearby smithy from ordinary iron. Their killing power was limited, nowhere near that of the Bone-Piercing Golden Needles.

Lin Qing tried flicking out a Golden Needle. A streak of gold shot forward, drawing a golden line through the air before striking a stone wall. More than half the needle sank into it.

Faster than a Dart, and it penetrates deeper. Lin Qing stepped forward, pulled out the needle, and put it back in its wooden case. Then his gaze swept across the many pills beside it.

"This haul is enormous. I won't have to worry about supplements for a long time."

"I've gathered more than half the silver needed to advance the Rebirth Record to the third tier, too."

Advancing from the second tier to the third required over five hundred taels of silver. If he had to save it himself, who knew how many years it would take?

"A horse won't grow fat without midnight grass, and a man won't grow rich without a windfall. The old saying speaks true."

For a moment, Lin Qing was delighted, full of confidence and anticipation for the future.

Then a wealth of information appeared before him.

[Please copy one martial art, skill, or Talent]

1. Ghost Shadow Step (Minor Mastery)

Created by the Yinyuan Sect, a heretical sect in southern Shu Region, in imitation of wandering ghosts. Paired with a specific breathing method, it makes the body light and one's movements silent and unpredictable.

At Minor Mastery, it allows rapid changes of direction or short bursts of movement through complex terrain such as forests and burial grounds. It is particularly suited to close-quarters combat.

2. Blood Soul Hand (Perfect Mastery)

A Bright Force body-training art of the Yinyuan Sect. At Perfect Mastery, it can unleash Blood Soul Force, burning the user's vital blood and soul power to draw out their potential. Strength, speed, and endurance all increase dramatically for a short time.

3. Heretical Medicine Refining (Proficient)

An unorthodox pharmacological art passed down through generations of the Yinyuan Sect. It often uses bones, poisonous insects, and grave soil to make medicines. Learning it allows one to produce several Forbidden Drugs and illicit medicines, such as hallucinogenic Soul-Bewildering Incense, flesh-corroding Corpse-Dissolving Water, and meridian-eroding Yin Marrow Powder.

4. Heart-Eroding Resilience (Excellent)

The body and will gain greatly increased resistance to pain, hallucinations, mental weakness, and other adverse effects caused by heretical arts and sorcery.

Lin Qing was torn. The martial arts and skills left in Yin Muhua's memories were all excellent. He wanted every one of them, but he could choose only one.

"Copy Blood Soul Hand." Lin Qing quickly made his decision.

A training art at Perfect Mastery could transform his physique and greatly increase his combat power. It was undoubtedly the most valuable.

The other arts were excellent too, but he would have to place them in an equipment slot to use them.

He placed Blood Soul Hand in an equipment slot. Buzz! In an instant, his body shook and his blood surged. A flood of information appeared in his mind.

"Pain! It hurts too much!"

Lin Qing gritted his teeth. Blood Soul Hand immediately triggered violent changes in his body, even fiercer than those brought on by Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand. Tearing pain spread through every part of him.

Lin Qing knew his body was being remade and strengthened. Clenching his teeth, he rose and began practicing the eighteen forms of Blood Soul Hand in the woodshed.

As he practiced, he absorbed the constant flood of knowledge and techniques in his mind while silently sensing the changes in his body.

He could clearly feel his blood being drawn toward a crucial acupoint in his lower abdomen, striking it again and again. Each impact consumed some of his vital blood.

After several such impacts, Lin Qing felt ravenously hungry. Dizziness followed, his vision blurred, and his steps turned unsteady—all signs that his vital blood was depleted.

He had felt weak when he equipped Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand before, but not nearly this weak.

In the end, Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand was simply of far lower quality than Blood Soul Hand.

The higher the quality of a martial art, the greater the changes to the body and the more obvious the improvement—but the more vital blood it consumed as well.

Lin Qing hurriedly popped a Life-Nourishing Pill into his mouth. Before long, its medicinal power took effect, and his weakness rapidly faded.

But the pill lasted less than fifteen minutes before the weakness returned. He had no choice but to swallow another.

After he had swallowed three pills in succession, a crisp crack finally sounded. The acupoint broke open, and a force surged forth. It flowed swiftly through his body with his blood, nourishing his flesh, sinews, and bones.

The weakness vanished at once, and the pain swiftly receded. In its place came an intense sense of pleasure. His physique was growing stronger; his life was evolving.

It was an improvement in every respect, including endurance, strength, and speed.

Anyone watching could have plainly seen Lin Qing's presence rising by leaps and bounds.

Lin Qing closed his eyes and quietly felt the changes. He did not know how much time passed before everything settled.

He opened his eyes and slowly breathed out a cloud of clear air. Then he rose, stretched his limbs, and felt that his strength had increased tremendously once more.

He reached out and seized a stone. With a crisp crack, it crumbled into powder in his hand.

"My strength in one arm has grown enormously again. I wonder if it's reached ten thousand catties."

Lin Qing felt that even if it had not, it could not be far off.

"An ordinary Martial Artist at Bright Force Perfection has only about a thousand catties of strength in one arm. I'm approaching ten thousand—far beyond an ordinary Hidden Strength Martial Artist."

From what Lin Qing had heard, Hidden Strength Martial Artists had only three to five thousand catties of strength.

"If I faced Jiang Baihe now, victory would be all but certain."

Lin Qing's confidence soared. He did not know about other places, but at least in this county, no one had ever brought multiple training arts to Perfect Mastery while still at the Bright Force stage.

In other words, he was the strongest Bright Force Martial Artist in Jiangyin County's history.

"For an ordinary person, bringing one Bright Force training art to Perfect Mastery takes ten years of hard work, if not longer.

"After reaching Bright Force, the next step is Hidden Strength. No one would willingly spend more time mastering a second Bright Force art unless they had no other choice."

But Lin Qing had the Rebirth Record. Time and effort were no concern to him.

Even without higher-level martial arts, he could keep evolving his physique by copying lower-level ones.

Before long, I'll be among the very strongest Martial Artists in this county, Lin Qing thought.

He pushed open the door and returned to the courtyard. It was empty. The ten Corpse Collector Constables who had lain unconscious there earlier were nowhere to be seen.

There was no blood on the ground. They had probably woken up, or someone else had taken them away.

Lin Qing listened carefully. The sounds of fighting around him had died away. Clearly, the turmoil was over.

He saw the pale light of dawn spreading across the horizon and realized the sky was about to brighten.

"I didn't expect equipping Blood Soul Hand and transforming my body to take a full two hours."

Lin Qing murmured to himself. It had taken longer than he had imagined.

Still, two hours had accomplished what would take others over a decade of hard work. There was no doubting the Rebirth Record's power.

"Back to the Soul-Calming Office first."

Three days passed.

A piece of news spread from the Soul-Calming Office headquarters. Like a huge stone dropped into a lake, it stirred up towering waves.