Spirit Jade, Innate Spiritual Body!!

This brutal clash even took the Smiling Old Man in midair by surprise. It had all happened in no more than an instant. Though neither man's strength amounted to much in his eyes, the sheer ferocity of their fight startled even him. What surprised him even more was Ren Jie's ruthlessness. From beginning to end, Ren Jie had shown none of the terror of someone fighting for life and death for the first time. In the end, he had been even more vicious than his opponent.

Yan Zhenfei's decision to abandon his sword at the start, then blast True Qi into Ren Jie's body later, had both been the moves of an experienced veteran—playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses. Yet in the end, he had not even managed to drag Ren Jie down with him, while Ren Jie had endured to the very last and used his final breakthrough to kill Yan Zhenfei in one stroke. The ruthless, savage drive that had carried him through the entire battle had played a major role in that.

"Damn it, he really broke through!" Even the Smiling Old Man was speechless. This guy had actually broken through. Where was the justice in that?

It was only the Body Refining Realm, but how long had it been? Only a few days.

Last time, he had told Ren Jie to cultivate Battle Eight Directions Annihilation, and Ren Jie improved overnight. Today, it was the same again. Before, he had thought the boy was talking nonsense, but now...

Looking at Yan Zhenfei, whom Ren Jie had sent flying with his killing blow, the Smiling Old Man wondered what Yan Zhenfei would have thought if he had known Ren Jie had only been at the Body Refining Realm Fourth Layer just moments ago. The gap between the Body Refining Realm and the True Qi Realm was enormous. Usually, it was already impressive if three or four Body Refining Realm Great Perfection cultivators could handle one True Qi Realm cultivator. On rare occasions, freakishly talented people could challenge across a major realm, but they were generally at least at the Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer or Great Perfection.

Such people usually had deep reserves. Though they were only at the Body Refining Realm Ninth Layer or Great Perfection, they were certainly several times stronger than ordinary Body Refining Realm cultivators. They had also learned Mid-Grade or High-Grade martial arts, or possessed spirit artifacts. Only then could they fight above their level.

Yet even after breaking through, Ren Jie's true strength was only at the Body Refining Realm Fifth Layer. And he had faced a True Qi Realm cultivator without the slightest fear, ultimately killing him. What kind of Hedonistic Young Master was that? Even a battle-hardened general might not be any better.

The most infuriating part was that this had not been an assassination or ambush. It had been a head-on kill. Damn his grandfather's egg, why had he run into such a monster? How was he supposed to teach him? What could he possibly teach him?

He had originally wanted to use this incident to show Ren Jie the cruelty of this world, to let him witness what real killing looked like. But now...

"Pfft..." Having finally killed Yan Zhenfei, Ren Jie spat out the mouthful of blood he had been suppressing. His face changed several times in an instant. Killing a True Qi Realm cultivator across a major realm was no joke. He had only held on because one unwavering conviction filled him: he absolutely could not retreat.

Fortunately, now that his strength had been released, the powerful force of the fifth layer of the Jade Emperor Art Body Refining Chapter circulated through him several times, stabilizing his internal injuries. Even the wounds elsewhere on his body eased considerably.

Ren Jie walked over, grabbed Yan Zhenfei's corpse, and strode toward Sun Zhu, who sat on the steps by the doorway, using his broken sword to prop himself up while cradling the crying baby.

"Passing by. Thud..." As Ren Jie spoke, he tossed Yan Zhenfei's corpse before Sun Zhu. The moment he opened his mouth, blood seeped from the corner of his lips again, and he raised a hand to wipe it away. From the moment he had come to this world, he had known it was no longer a law-governed society like Earth. Everything depended on fists and strength. But today, he had personally experienced this world's cruelty.

Ren Jie could already tell that Sun Zhu would not last. He was taking in more air than he exhaled, barely holding on through sheer will.

"Ha... hahaha... cough..." Sun Zhu laughed, and the breath that had been supporting him began to scatter. Yet in the end, he looked at Ren Jie with gratitude. "Th... thank you. At least... you let... me know that my Sun Family... spent our lives doing good... so it wasn't all for nothing... cough..."

"Th-this... this is what he wanted... I found it by chance before... I... realized she was unusual... but I never knew... it would bring disaster. Otherwise... I would never have kept it... No matter how good it was... I didn't want it. I only wanted my family... to live peacefully... I don't want it, I truly don't. This... isn't something... ordinary families like ours can... possess. I give it to you... Thank you for avenging... my Sun Family... Sun Rui... the child... I entrust her to you. She's very spec—" In the hand holding his granddaughter Sun Rui, Sun Zhu clutched a round pearl the size of an infant's fist. It was incomparably translucent, and something seemed to be visible inside, though not clearly.

He opened his hand toward Ren Jie, wanting to give him the pearl and entrust the child to him, wanting to say something more. But before he could finish, his eyes slowly closed. Still maintaining that posture, he died sitting there.

Sun Rui, held in Sun Zhu's arms, still had her eyes wide open. She clung desperately to Sun Zhu's arm, her body trembling without stop, trembling.

The courtyard was full of corpses. The night was pitch-black. Ren Jie stood there for a long time, unable to calm himself.

"Clang..." At that moment, the pearl slipped from Sun Zhu's hand and fell to the ground.

Looking at Sun Rui, who still clung tightly to dead Sun Zhu's arm, Ren Jie did not know what to do for a moment. He could charge fearlessly at Yan Zhenfei, who was far stronger than him and had slaughtered over a hundred people. But now, faced with this little girl of seven or eight, dressed in a nightgown splattered with blood from Sun Zhu and Yan Zhenfei's battle, with no trace of rustic village air about her and an ethereal liveliness in her features, Ren Jie had a terrible headache.

"Hmm..." Ren Jie was racking his brains over how to speak to the little girl and had paid no attention to the fallen pearl. But as soon as it fell from Sun Zhu's hand, the Smiling Old Man in the air suddenly froze. The next moment, he dropped sharply to the ground, landing beside the pearl and staring at it without moving.

"Th-this is impossible. Spirit... Spirit Jade Essence..." The Smiling Old Man's voice trembled as he stared at the pearl in disbelief.

"What Spirit Jade Essence?" Ren Jie was startled when he saw the Smiling Old Man descend and react with such shock. He had yet to probe the depths of this Smiling Old Man, but the man was clearly extraordinary. Anything capable of shocking him like this could not be ordinary.

As he spoke, Ren Jie bent down and picked up the pearl, examining it closely. Other than feeling exceptionally comfortable in his hand, he could find nothing special about it.

"What could you possibly understand? Someone refined and condensed Spirit Jade Essence into this outer layer. If you could see through it, that would be a ghost story." With a lift of his hand, the Smiling Old Man took the sphere directly from Ren Jie's hand and examined it with extreme care and excitement.

"You've been talking forever. What exactly is going on?" Seeing that the Smiling Old Man had talked at length without getting to the point, Ren Jie could not help asking again.

Holding the pearl, the Smiling Old Man said, "Even ordinary people know that once one enters the True Qi Realm, one can cultivate with Low-Grade Spirit Jade. Upon entering the Divine Power Realm, Mid-Grade Spirit Jade is best. High-Grade Spirit Jade is incomparably precious; only supreme experts of the Yin Yang Realm are qualified to possess and use it, and it is extraordinarily rare. Above High-Grade Spirit Jade is Top-Grade Spirit Jade. One piece of Top-Grade Spirit Jade equals one thousand pieces of High-Grade Spirit Jade. Converted into Jade Coin, one piece of Top-Grade Spirit Jade is worth one hundred million Jade Coins—and that is only in theory. In truth, no amount of Jade Coin can buy Top-Grade Spirit Jade. Most people know that much. But above Top-Grade Spirit Jade is Spirit Jade Essence, the essence of jade itself. Its value is impossible to measure. This pearl was formed by someone compressing and condensing Spirit Jade Essence."

Ren Jie was not someone like Yan Zhenfei, but neither was he a saint. Sun Zhu had clearly handed him this pearl at the end partly because he wanted to entrust the child to him. But hearing that it was even more precious than Top-Grade Spirit Jade, Ren Jie's first thought was, Damn, then this must be able to keep the videos running for a very long time.

"Hmph, don't start thinking you've struck it rich..." As the Smiling Old Man carefully probed the situation within, he said, "Spirit Jade Essence is not something mortals can possess. Even this king only knows how to use it, but cannot refine, condense, or compress it anew. Below the Yin Yang Realm, even if I gave you Spirit Jade Essence, you could not use it. Just as those below the True Qi Realm cannot use Spirit Jade, you simply cannot stir the immense power within. As for this Spirit Jade Essence Pearl that has been re-condensed and compressed, even this king cannot determine what is inside. Still, it is strange. How could that brat, with his trash True Qi Realm cultivation, recognize this Spirit Jade Essence Pearl? Oh, this is..."

Naturally, the Smiling Old Man meant why Yan Zhenfei had been able to recognize it. Generally, even those at the peak of the Divine Power Realm, or Yin Yang Realm cultivators who had condensed Yin Souls, might not recognize Spirit Jade Essence. That was why he examined it so carefully. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly. He had spotted a faintly visible trace on its surface. It was pale; if one did not pay attention, one might think it was merely a patch of black mist. But the Smiling Old Man was stunned.

Then he crouched down and swiftly began searching Yan Zhenfei's body.

Seeing the Smiling Old Man's actions, Ren Jie knew something must be going on. Yet regarding the old man's claim that he could not use Spirit Jade Essence, Ren Jie was quite confident. He was not in the True Qi Realm, yet he had previously used the videos in the laptop within his Sea of Consciousness to absorb energy and draw upon its power. Surely Spirit Jade Essence would work as well. The thought flashed through his mind, and Ren Jie suddenly noticed that Sun Rui's eyes were still fixed intently on Yan Zhenfei, whom he had killed.

"Your grandfather is dead, and your Sun Family's vengeance has been taken. Come with me first." Even Ren Jie, an outsider who had only arrived afterward, could not stand this blood and slaughter. Let alone a little girl of seven or eight who had witnessed it all with her own eyes. Ren Jie took Sun Rui's hand to lead her away. He had originally thought that if she struggled violently, he would find a way to make her sleep first and take her back afterward. Unexpectedly, the little girl directly placed her hand in Ren Jie's, then reluctantly released Sun Zhu with her other hand.

Hmm! Ren Jie was stunned. Then he noticed that this little girl, so strikingly spirited despite her nightgown and trembling body, kept her eyes locked on Yan Zhenfei.

"Just as I thought. How could a worthless True Qi Realm piece of trash like him recognize Spirit Jade Essence? So he really was one of the Remnant Soul's people. There is an imprint left by one of the Remnant Soul's former experts on it. To leave a mark on Spirit Jade Essence, this person must at least have condensed a Yang Soul and wielded a High-Grade spirit artifact or better. Still, it looks as though it was done in great haste." The Smiling Old Man found a unique black token shaped like swirling clouds on Yan Zhenfei's body. He rose to his feet and muttered to himself.

As he spoke, the Smiling Old Man's heart churned with countless emotions.

Had it been anyone else, he would likely have already been tempted to seize it. Spirit Jade Essence was precious enough to move him. Ordinary wealth meant nothing to him; only treasures like this were of use to him.

But it had fallen into the hands of that brat Ren Jie. Too damn infuriating. Damn his grandfather's egg.

On a whim, he had swept the surrounding area with his divine sense and discovered a fight here. In his eyes, it was an extremely low-level slaughter, but perfect for letting Ren Jie see blood—a massacre that had wiped out an entire family. The Smiling Old Man had decided that even if Ren Jie refused to go down, he would throw him down there. Ren Jie had been so arrogant and clamorous before, and after failing twice, the Smiling Old Man had planned to use this chance to train him.

Yet Ren Jie had actually rushed down of his own accord, killed that man, and obtained a Spirit Jade Essence Pearl. Heavens, was there any justice left in this world?!

Spirit Jade Essence! Back then, he had fought and killed others in ancient ruins over a single piece of Spirit Jade Essence, trapped in one place for years without escape. Yet this was a pearl condensed from Spirit Jade Essence, and something even seemed to be sealed inside it. If this Spirit Jade Essence was merely a box, the Smiling Old Man hardly dared imagine what might be sealed within.

Depressing. Too damn depressing.

Infuriating. It was enough to make someone explode with rage.

If this continued, that brat would surely anger him to death.

He had participated in thousands of fights and killed countless people. How had he never encountered anything like this? Damn his grandfather's egg. Was he destined to be eaten alive by that father-and-son pair for the rest of his life? How could he keep running into things like this?

"Keep it safe, but do not casually try anything with this Spirit Jade Essence. It is not that simple. There seems to be something inside. And whatever you do, do not expose it. Otherwise, even the Ren Family will not be able to protect you. Anything the Remnant Soul has set its sights on must be returned, even by the Emperor. Hide it carefully. Do not let anyone see it, understand? I truly don't know what I owed you father and son in my previous life, to actually... Damn it, take it... you... you..." The Smiling Old Man was about to hand the Spirit Jade Essence Pearl to Ren Jie when, for the first time, he truly looked directly at Sun Rui—the girl holding Ren Jie's hand, radiating an ethereal liveliness while staring fixedly at Yan Zhenfei's corpse.

"What's wrong with you now, old man? Did someone step on your tail?" Ren Jie had originally wanted to say, "Did you see a ghost?" But seeing that the old man was looking at Sun Rui, he did not say it. Still, Ren Jie found the Smiling Old Man's repeated lapses today extremely strange. Could he really be acting like this because he could not bear to part with the Spirit Jade Essence? The Smiling Old Man abruptly shoved the Spirit Jade Essence Pearl into Ren Jie's hand, then crouched down and stared at Sun Rui. She wore a nightgown, blood still staining her body, her trembling unceasing, her gaze vacant as she looked at Yan Zhenfei's corpse.

"Innate... Spiritual... Body... Heavens, it truly is an Innate Spiritual Body! This legendary physique actually exists! Hahaha, and this king actually encountered one! Not only is she an Innate Spiritual Body, there is also a trace of a Wisdom Mark between her brows. Could this... be the legendary Innate Wisdom Mark? Th-this... How could a child like this exist in a small town...?" The Smiling Old Man stared at little Sun Rui in shock a hundred times greater than when he had seen the Spirit Jade Essence.