Book 2: Chapter 37: Killing

Vol 2 Chapter 37: Killing "Disciple... I just need one pine cone..." "A pine cone?!" "You dare ask for a pine cone just to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill? What’s next? When you refine a Nascent Soul Pill, will you ask for my tree heart?" Although pine cones were something it had in abundance, Senior Pine was outraged by Lin Jing’s audacity in targeting its body. "Unbelievable! I haven’t even asked for your Longevity Blood, yet you’re already scheming for my fruits!" "Senior..." "Heh." Senior Pine chuckled coldly. "Getting a pine cone isn’t impossible. You just need to do one thing." "Oh? Please tell me, Senior!" Lin Jing's eyes brightened. As long as there was room for negotiation, everything else could be worked out! "You’ve cultivated all this time, but you’ve never killed anyone." "You're still at the Qi Refinement stage, yet you’ve been in closed-door cultivation for three years. And what’s worse, your cultivation hasn’t improved one bit! I can’t even imagine how long you’ll isolate yourself when you reach the Foundation Establishment stage!" "I foresee that the next hundred years will pass in the blink of an eye. Before I leave, I need to ensure you can stand on your own. Only then will I feel at ease and consider myself worthy of repaying the Second Sect Master’s life-saving grace. So… I want you to kill and temper yourself!" "Killing your own kind is entirely different from hunting demonic beasts. You must kill at least with your own hands, and then I will grant you a pine cone to assist in your Foundation Establishment!" Senior Pine’s demand left Lin Jing in stunned silence. Kill one hundred people… "Oh, and it has to be cultivators! You must kill them with your own hands; you can’t let your pet beasts do the job," Senior Pine added. "Killing people…" The conditions for obtaining the pine cone made Lin Jing's head spin. In all his previous encounters, no matter what kind of duel or conflict, Lin Jing had never harbored killing intent toward other humans. Even when facing foreign Snow Plains cultivators, he merely incapacitated them, leaving Xu Zhizhi to deliver the final blow. Now, Senior Pine wanted him to personally kill one hundred people. This made Lin Jing feel conflicted. Yet, he couldn’t deny his strong desire for the pine cone. "The Beast Taming Sect’s Mission Hall often has tasks to eliminate mountain bandits. If they’re the type to plunder and murder, or if they’re demonic cultivators like those from the Yin Corpse Sect who engage in human trafficking, killing them shouldn’t weigh on my conscience." "But the Ancient Domain is said to be the most well-governed of the Nine Domains of the Ancient Kingdom. Under the shadow of the imperial capital, where would I even find mountain bandits or demonic cultivators to eliminate?" "Unless I take up Gao Sheng’s suggestion and join a cross-domain task force to eradicate a demonic cultivator base?" Lin Jing murmured to himself as he wandered through the academy. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up. Lin Jing rose into the air using his spiritual energy and flew to Gao Sheng’s cave abode. When he arrived, he saw Gao Sheng feeding a Rising Dragon Pill to a Dragon Horse. "Eat it! Come on, eat!" Gao Sheng coaxed as he struggled to get the reluctant Dragon Horse to consume the pill. "Huh?" Gao Sheng noticed Lin Jing’s sudden arrival. He quickly tidied his clothes, wiped the drool off his hands, and greeted him enthusiastically, "Brother Lin? What brings you here? We just parted ways, and now you’ve come chasing after me again." He grew wary. "Wait, don’t tell me you’re still eyeing my Dragon Horse!" Lin Jing remained silent. While the bloodline of Gao Sheng’s Dragon Horn Horse wasn’t bad and had the potential to form a Monster Core, Lin Jing no longer cared for it since he now had the Dragon Carp with Kirin bloodline. "Brother Gao, have you ever killed anyone?" Lin Jing asked bluntly. Gao Sheng was momentarily taken aback. Then he recalled, "Of course. When I was six, my father, determined to make me an excellent demon hunter, had me execute a Qi Refinement criminal on death row." "Perfect!" Lin Jing took a deep breath and continued, "Brother Gao, do you have any connections that could get me a job at a mortal courthouse or the Demon-Slaying Bureau as an executioner for heinous criminals?" "Huh?" Gao Sheng was dumbfounded. "Are you crazy?!" "Why would you want to take on such dirty and exhausting work?" He grew suspicious and began analyzing. "No, something’s off. Did you stumble upon some demonic technique that uses murderous energy as its core?" Lin Jing rolled his eyes. "How could that be? I have the Ice Soul Gu. Why would I even bother with such low-level demonic techniques?" "True," Gao Sheng agreed. "Demonic cultivators who focus on murderous energy or resentment typically come from third-rate sects." "And those third-rate demonic sects that could be completely wiped out by the Ancient Kingdom can’t compare to the grand path of Gu cultivation." "At least the founder of the Gu God Sect was at the Dao Seeking stage. If not for the severed immortal path, they might have ascended." "It has nothing to do with demonic techniques," Lin Jing clarified. "It’s just that an elder of mine thinks my cultivation path has been too smooth and wants me to toughen up by killing." Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gao Sheng frowned. "Killing? That’s not the same as hunting demonic beasts. It’s easy to become entangled with murderous energy and resentment, which can disrupt your mental state and hinder your cultivation." "Still… if it’s only a shallow attempt and you use special pills afterward to cleanse the murderous energy, it should be fine." After some thought, he said, "Let me think about it. Give me a few days, and I’ll get back to you." "Thank you." Lin Jing trusted Gao Sheng’s reliability. Having connections truly made a difference when facing challenges. Senior Pine’s seemingly impossible task was already halfway resolved. At that moment, the Dragon Horse suddenly spoke up. "That pill you gave me earlier—do you have more? I thought you were trying to poison me, but it turned out to be a treasure! My bloodline purity has improved significantly!" "I told you it was a treasure!" Gao Sheng shot the Dragon Horse a resentful glance. "Do you think I can’t tell the difference between treasure and poison?" "Exactly. I was worried you couldn’t," the Dragon Horse retorted. "Heh…" Lin Jing chuckled from the side. "Brother Gao, to show my gratitude, you can have an unlimited supply of Rising Dragon Pills in the future. As long as you provide the main ingredient—‘dragon blood’—I’ll prepare the other materials and refine them for you free of charge." "Seriously?!" Gao Sheng was overjoyed. "Will the Dragon Horse’s blood do?" The Dragon Horse: ? "It’s a bit weak… I need blood from a Monster Core-stage creature." Gao Sheng sighed in disappointment but quickly regained his enthusiasm. "No problem, I’ll take care of it. Just relax and wait. I’ll have it sorted within seven days!" With Gao Sheng’s assistance, Lin Jing returned to his cave abode and resumed refining Rising Dragon Pills with the Dragon Carp. He focused on improving his alchemical skills to lay the groundwork for crafting the Longevity Foundation Pill. Several days later. Thanks to Xu Zhizhi’s flair for spreading gossip, most of Hidden Dragon City had heard about the battle between Wang Xiao, the possessor of the Heavenly God Physique, and Lin Jing’s Dragon Carp. In a teahouse, several cultivators sat sipping tea and listening to music while chatting. "Have you heard? The Wang family’s Kirin child, who was expected to make it onto the Genius Rankings, actually lost to a Qi Refinement ninth-stage Dragon Carp!" "How is that possible? Are you drunk? Isn’t the Heavenly God Physique already at the Foundation Establishment stage?" "The battle was fought with suppressed cultivation levels! That Dragon Carp may not have high cultivation, but its bloodline is terrifying—it’s at the ‘royal’ level. And it’s not just any ordinary demon king bloodline; it’s pure royal dragon blood. Even a Heavenly God Physique can’t withstand it!" "A royal dragon cub?! Is it a pet raised by one of the academy’s instructors?" "No, no! Don’t you remember Lin Jing from the Beast Taming Sect? This Dragon Carp was cultivated by him over three years using special pills and the Hidden Dragon Arts. It’s said that he poured all the fortune accumulated from the Hidden Dragon Arts into raising the Dragon Carp, planning to contract it after reaching Foundation Establishment." "I’ve also heard that since the Beast Taming Sect was sealed, Lin Jing plans to establish a new Dragon Taming Sect and is recruiting within the academy, proclaiming himself as the sect master."