Chapter 26: Even if you know in the afterlife, there's no need to come thank me!

Su Ping arrived after it but struck first, appearing behind that wisp of black mist.

Following this, the surrounding air inevitably began to fluctuate.

That wisp of black mist stopped abruptly outside the window, seemingly having sensed something, and the blurred human face attempted to turn toward its rear.

But!

Su Ping had already thoroughly studied the combat essence of master martial artists from the practical school.

Never talk nonsense, never waste time.

Once he caught the black mist, he threw out six Thunder Fire Beads with both hands! The face beneath the black mist had turned at most halfway...

Boom, boom, boom! The Thunder Fire Beads had already exploded upon it! It seemed he was afraid the power of the Thunder Fire Beads would be weakened by the black mist, failing to kill it in one strike.

At the moment of throwing, Su Ping had already drawn his Red Flame Wood Sword and unleashed a full-strength strike bolstered by his Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation! A beam of sword light descended from the sky, slicing through nearly half the night sky and stunning the surrounding patrol squads as well as the City Lord, who was unable to sleep in a high tower and was drinking with his wife.

The City Lord widened his eyes, watching the fierce afterimage of the sword light, and set down his wine bottle with a trembling hand: "Are Immortal Masters at the third layer of Qi Refining in the Immortal Sect already this strong now? In the past, this sword strike would have required at least Mid-stage Qi Refining to execute!"

"Or could it be that the Inspector actually broke through his bottleneck here in Jinque City?"

In the backyard, outside the guest room.

With the help of Spirit Mouse Xiaohui's perception, Su Ping confirmed that the black mist no longer had any aura, and only then did he slowly land.

Afterward, he did not step forward, but first directed Xiaohui to leap over and investigate.

Beneath the smoke and dust of the explosion, the black mist had been dispersed, revealing a tattered corpse of a little old man that could barely be identified as human.

Su Ping let out a long sigh of relief; it seemed the power of the Thunder Fire Beads was not something these low-level Cultivators could withstand!

Yet, in his heart, he felt a faint trace of surprise.

As the black mist was dispersed, Spirit Mouse Xiaohui approached and discovered that something seemed to be hidden inside the body of this tattered little old man.

At the same time, was that not a Storage Bag resting on his chest?

Thinking of this, and confirming once more that this fellow was thoroughly dead.

Su Ping reached out to grab the corpse and looked at the crowd who had opened their doors and run out due to the loud noise, saying:

"A mere evil cultivator wanted to cause trouble, so I killed him while I was passing by."

"I will check to see if there is anything unusual about him; you all go back to sleep, and remember not to go outside!"

Leveraging the momentum of killing the evil cultivator and the loud noise from just a moment ago.

Su Ping's words added a few points of persuasiveness, causing those who were watching the excitement to quickly hide back into their rooms.

Immediately, Su Ping ignored the arriving City Lord Mansion guards and carried the corpse back to his quiet room.

Inside the quiet room.

Su Ping first sat in meditation to recover the Dharma Power consumed by that sword strike just now.

Then he looked at the remains.

He began his first time looting a corpse as a Cultivator.

There was no help for it; Su Ping's cultivation over the past twenty years had been truly too low, and as a Qi Refining early-stage practitioner, he had no confidence in going to the Merit Hall to accept combat missions.

He first fished out the Storage Bag; hmm... it was the same model as his own.

That meant he could skip any process of breaking the seal.

This kind of Storage Bag was just like a wallet; whoever got their hands on it could open it.

"Only two Spirit Stones? Poorer than me!"

"Hmm? 'Essential Books for Immortal Cultivation: Qi Refining Volume'?"

Su Ping took out a wooden box and looked at the cover on the box in astonishment.

This was one of the best-selling books in the Market of the Immortal Sect's Hundred Arts Pavilion.

It was just a bit expensive, and Su Ping hadn't been willing to buy it.

Moreover, relying only on reading books rather than Jade Slips to learn was inefficient and difficult, requiring a higher threshold of talent.

Opening the wooden box, Su Ping saw the scrolls inside: "Common Questions and Answers for Qi Refining from Early to Late Stage"

"Self-Sufficiency: Talisman Volume"

"How to Identify Common Spirit Herbs and Spirit Objects", "Self-Sufficiency: Artifact Refining Volume"

Su Ping looked at these four books, and after a slight start, he suddenly began to re-examine the remains.

"The identity of this corpse is problematic!"

"An evil cultivator among Loose Cultivators could never be this wealthy!"

Although this statement of Su Ping's was heart-wrenching, it was the reality of this region.

Those with good Spirit Roots basically went to the Immortal Sect, and the ones who slipped through the net would be picked up by various immortal cultivation families.

Those who could only be Loose Cultivators each had their own flaws and hardships.

With cultivation no higher than the first or second layer of Qi Refining, they were already being squeezed to their limits.

Even if they went to be evil cultivators, they wouldn't earn enough Spirit Stones to buy these books! "So, the truth is here!"

"This person, in all likelihood, was also an Outer Sect Disciple like me!"

"I just don't know what they encountered to end up in this state, and even attempted to ambush those qualified disciples!"

Su Ping's eyes couldn't help but look at this person's wrists.

Well, this person no longer had the forearms or hands, so the Immortal Sect Mark could not be seen.

Su Ping continued to search and found a Jade Slip hidden deep within the person's clothing.

This Jade Slip was entwined with a wisp of black energy that could only be detected through the vision of the Spirit Mouse.

It made Su Ping feel vigilant, and without hesitation, he put it back into the newly acquired Storage Bag.

For the time being, Su Ping would not be messing with this Jade Slip.

Afterward, Su Ping sighed and performed a Daoist salute with both hands toward the corpse: "I don't know who you really are, or why you ended up like this."

"Considering we might have been fellow sect members, I shall recite a Rebirth Incantation for you!"

Su Ping chanted in a low voice.

Xiaobai followed Su Ping's instructions, took out a bottle of Nether Fire Art, opened it, and poured the liquid onto the corpse.

Then, with a *poof*, it ignited! The high-temperature flames, capable of melting steel, instantly turned the corpse into charcoal, and finally into a small pile of non-combustible matter.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth; now, Daoist, you don't have to worry about your body being used for evil deeds."

"And no one will know that you were once an evil Cultivator."

"Consider this a favor in return for the books I obtained from you, Daoist; if you are aware in the afterlife, there is no need to come and thank me specifically."

Su Ping was already quite satisfied with the gains from this operation, and after seeing the unknown Daoist off, he opened the books and began to read.

It was different from reading those miscellaneous books and mortal martial arts.

Books involving the knowledge of Cultivators needed to be read and understood word by word.

Because the characters on the scrolls were not ordinary text, but a form of Dharma script.

As one slowly looked at each character, a vivid comic strip would form in the observer's mind.

It was just that reading for a long time would consume Essence Spirit and Qi; a normal early-stage Qi Refining Cultivator could not read for long before needing to rest and adjust their state.

This was also one reason why it could not compare to a Jade Slip.

Yet Su Ping chose to directly rely on external help!

Life Spirit Medicine in his left hand, Mana Spirit Medicine in his right.

Exhausted of Essence Spirit and Qi and unable to continue reading? That didn't exist; with Su Ping's current Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation, even if he were drained dry, he would only need one milliliter to be fully restored! He could even take advantage of the effect's duration to read at full efficiency!

"My reading efficiency can be ten times that of others."

"But this talent..."

"There is always a state where my brain understands, but my hands protest and say I don't."

"However, the content of the Qi Refining chapter is still within the scope of understanding; in that case, I will read it a few more times and try more often in the future."

"Perhaps, I can also learn a few crafts and achieve self-sufficiency, providing for my own needs!"

(End of chapter)