Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

41: Unexpectedly obtained Earth Spirit RatLin Jingyu’s fingertips unconsciously traced the surface of the cold bronze box.

The chilling Evil Qi emanating from the pale bone nail licked at his nerves like a viper’s tongue.

It can threaten a Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivator?

The destructive power contained within this item probably far exceeds that of the three thunder fiend talismans!

I must acquire it!

”What is the price?”

His throat moved slightly, but his voice was steady and calm. Only his eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, were fixed intently on the Cultivator hidden in the shadows before him.

Under the cloak, two fingers, withered like rotten wood, slowly lifted.

The knuckles were gnarled, glowing with a deathly gray color under the dim phosphorescent light.

Two hundred Spirit Stones?

Lin Jingyu’s heart suddenly sank into the abyss.

Gong Changshou had estimated that the Immortal Residence token was worth over 140 pieces in the black market.

The dozens of Spirit Stones in his possession were almost the same amount.

But he had to bargain, fight for better terms, and gamble! He had to take a chance!

Anyway, this black market operates in the dark, and the inflated value of the various goods sold here is to be expected.

In a flash of lightning, his mind was made up.

Without hesitation, he reached into his robe and solemnly pulled out the warm, translucent green jade token, which contained Spiritual light, from his innermost pocket.

A faint, clear radiance emanated from the jade token.

”I’ll use this as payment,” Lin Jingyu said, his wrist steady as a rock, as he handed the jade token toward the shadow. ”But your goods don’t seem to be worth this price.”

The cloaked person’s body trembled almost imperceptibly!

A terrifying gleam burst forth from the cloudy eyes deep within the hood—greed made manifest!

The withered claw was faster than lightning, snatching the jade token tightly into its palm with a ”swoosh”!

A faint yet chilling wisp of investigative Spiritual light flowed from the withered finger and instantly sank into the depths of the jade token.

”Immortal Residence... VIP Token?!” The raspy voice suddenly rose, filled with unbelievable ecstasy. ”With this, I can enjoy a day of pure Spiritual Qi in the VIP room... Worth it! Deal! I’ll make up the difference for you!”

His withered figure seemed to sway slightly from excitement, and he abruptly pulled out a small, verdigris-covered bronze box from under his tattered cloak.

He casually placed the bane bone soul-chasing nail, wreathed in Evil Qi, inside it.

”Clang,” the box lightly struck as it was tossed to Lin Jingyu.

”The bone nail has heavy Evil Qi; your body can’t handle it. Keep it in the bronze box and only take it out when you use it.

The method of use is also simple: inject Spiritual power and aim at the enemy.”

Immediately afterward, he conjured, as if by magic, a plump, gray, furry little mouse, only two inches long, whose eyes hadn’t fully opened, from deep within his sleeve cuff.

”A juvenile Earth Spirit Rat,” the cloaked person said, his tone showing a hint of pain. ”Adding this means you’ve hit the jackpot, kid! These two items combined are worth much more than your token. If it weren’t for me...”

Before he could finish, he abruptly rolled up the indiscernible piece of tattered cloth beneath his feet.

His figure instantly faded and vanished, as if swallowed by the deeper darkness of the cave.

Lin Jingyu held the slightly cool bronze box and looked at the bewildered, shrinking gray-furred young mouse in his palm, which was making faint ”squeaking” sounds. He blinked.

It... it really worked?

Could Old Man Gong’s intelligence have such a massive error?

Or was it just that the person in front of him needed it urgently, which is why he was willing to pay such a huge premium?

For him, this trip had achieved Perfection, and he naturally did not want to linger in this black market, which was permeated with unseen danger.

He stuffed the bronze box and the young mouse back into the depths of his basket, turned without hesitation, and hurried through the labyrinthine passage.

The back passage was like the intestines of a giant beast, with countless forks, and only those marked with arrows at specific locations allowed passage.

This was the natural talisman for every Cultivator leaving the black market.

Even if someone was tracking him, choosing a few random forks would shake them off.

After traversing the dark and winding path for an unknown amount of time, the long-absent light of day finally shone through ahead.

A narrow exit, obscured by thick vines and barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways, appeared.

Lin Jingyu cautiously parted the vines, and the dazzling sunlight made him instinctively squint.

Outside was the depths of a vast mountain forest, filled with crisp birdsong.

The killing intent that Lin Jingyu had suppressed for a long time ignited with a ”boom,” like dry firewood thrown into a spark!

Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle... your death date has arrived!

He no longer hesitated, summoning the flowing cloud kite and leaping onto it.

The kite gave a clear cry, turning into a dim stream of light that shot through the air toward the southwestern mountains indicated by the intelligence.

The fierce wind whipped against his face, feeling like knife cuts.

The flame in Lin Jingyu’s heart burned hotter and hotter, scorching his internal organs, almost bursting out of his chest!

In the first month after his Transmigration to this world, he was dazed, thinking that by diligently cultivating the Evergreen Art, he could wait until the clouds parted and the moon shone brightly.

How naive and ridiculous!

In this Cultivation World where the strong prey on the weak, where is the Heavenly Dao rewarding diligence?

Resources, Opportunity, a path to survival... which one isn’t fought over, drenched in blood, and seized by stepping over the corpses of others?

In the past few days, the malicious calculations of Third Elder Lin Chengyuan, the relentless pressure from the Black Wind Stockade, and the overwhelming coercion of the Grand Elder... every time he was forced to bow his head, every time he endured against his will, it felt like poisoned needles plunged deep into his Divine Soul!

He had had enough!

Having Transmigrated and holding a Golden Finger, was he meant to be someone’s slave, to be manipulated by others?

Kill! Kill when necessary!

The dense, almost solid killing intent and the pent-up, monstrous rage surged and collided within his body, blending into the most fiery and violent elixir.

It agitated him so much that his fingertips trembled slightly, and his Bloodline swelled!

Today, he would use the blood of his enemies to wash away the humiliation in his heart!

The target was clear—Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle, the remnant of the Black Wind Stockade!

The secret hiding place mentioned in the intelligence was imprinted clearly in his mind.

After flying for a moment, the landmark huge jujube tree in the Lin Family territory was already passing below.

Lin Jingyu’s thoughts raced, precisely calculating the direction and distance.

Controlling the kite, he quietly landed on the edge of a remote dense forest thirty *li* away.

Putting away the Magical Artifact, he crouched low like a Spirit Cat, instantly blending into the dense bushes and tall grass.

The Evergreen Art circulated to its limit, and his five senses were heightened to the extreme.

The freshness of the vegetation, the faint musk of the soil, the distant, indistinct roars of beasts, the chirping of insects nearby... even an extremely faint, almost imperceptible metallic scent of blood mixed in the wind... all became exceptionally clear.

He became part of the mountain forest, his aura harmonizing with the rhythm of nature.

Every step was as light as a feather, landing silently, barely disturbing the grass blades.

His breathing was long and fine, almost nonexistent.

If nothing unexpected happened, Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle, was recuperating in a nearby cave.

After about a quarter of an hour, his gaze sharpened. He noticed a broken branch, the break still fresh, indicating that not much time had passed since it was stepped on.

As he observed more closely.

He could find a trace every few *zhang*.

Either a subtle footprint, or trampled green grass, or broken branches.

Finally, a very secluded mountain hollow appeared ahead. A cave entrance, half-hidden by vines, was faintly visible nearby, and the humid air carried a very faint scent of blood and medicine.

He held his breath and concentrated, like the most patient hunter, crawling behind a boulder above the cave entrance, peering down through a gap.