Chapter 20: Killing

Chu Huaixu had indeed opened his second aperture.

He had spent the entire morning bitterly cultivating.

His body was telling him that he could only run his technique three cycles a day at most, otherwise it would be overexerted.

And that was even after he had gained 1 point in 【Physique】.

Once his cultivation method had finally accumulated enough experience points, Chu Huaixu spent a full five minutes mentally preparing himself, then gritted his teeth and said, “System, level me up!”

Even though he was fully prepared, he still nearly fainted from the pain.

It was obvious that among the three realms of “enduring pain,” “getting used to pain,” and “enjoying pain,” he was still in the most superficial realm.

During the first breakthrough, he felt as if someone was riding a motorcycle back and forth over his body.

During the second breakthrough, he suspected that there was someone riding pillion on the motorcycle too—and it was a dead fat pig.

It could actually hurt even more...

But despite the fox-faced appearance—standard for a fox type—he was, at heart, a werewolf, ruthless even toward himself.

The more this damn cultivation method tortured him, the more stubborn and unyielding he became.

“Bestow the scripture! Give me the most painful one!”

“I’ll train you to death, you damn thing!”

“Training three times a day is my physical limit, not the limit of my will.”

“If you’ve got the guts, then kill me with pain!”

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“He’s indeed just like me—a cultivation genius,” Han Shuangjiang stood outside the door, thinking in her heart.

After everything that had happened, even if she were stupid, she should have realized by now that her cultivation talent was exceptional.

The two of them sat down at the stone table outside the house, and Han Shuangjiang began to speak of her money-saving plan.

“You can cook?” Chu Huaixu asked in surprise.

“A little bit,” Han Shuangjiang nodded modestly.

Upon hearing this, the fox-faced man, who wasn’t picky with food or taste, immediately concealed his own astonishing cooking skills.

The road of cultivation was already hard enough—if he could slack off on the daily chores, he would.

As for those things like “The Gorgeous Foodie Fell in Love with Me”—just get lost.

As for why Han Shuangjiang knew how to cook, it was naturally something trained in the brothel.

Some elder sisters would prepare small dishes themselves before their patrons arrived, allowing those unhappy at home to feel the warmth of a home outside.

“Cooking ourselves—this is good,” Chu Huaixu agreed immediately.

A single man and woman eating out was called a date.

Eating at home every day was called life.

Han Shuangjiang was pleased to hear his agreement, but her tone remained as cold as ever, devoid of any emotion, as if she were speaking purely with reason:

“I’ve calculated it. Based on our cultivation speeds, the silver we have should be enough.”

“You sure?” Chu Huaixu smiled.

Han Shuangjiang looked at him with a confused expression and said nothing.

The fox-faced man began to explain: “You should know that once a registered disciple opens all nine apertures, they can go to the outer sect’s scripture pavilion to obtain the First Realm cultivation methods.”

The cold-faced girl gave a slight nod.

“Whether it’s cultivation methods or techniques, they’re divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow ranks. You know that too, right?”

She nodded again.

“Then, do you know how to get the higher-ranked ones?” Chu Huaixu looked at her.

Han Shuangjiang replied, “It’s written in the registered disciple’s manual.”

She was hinting at him to get to the point.

On the first floor of the outer sect’s scripture pavilion, it was divided into four zones—the outermost area had the lowest Yellow-ranked techniques, and the innermost had the Heaven-ranked ones.

Each area was protected by a formation.

Registered disciples had to forcibly break through them to enter.

Put simply, it was a test.

“For us in the Qi-Opening Stage, our bodies can’t retain spiritual energy. Each breakthrough mainly strengthens our physical bodies,” Chu Huaixu got to the main point.

“Therefore, to break these formations, we need to... break them with strength!”

“Like you, with your Body of Profound Yin and an innate top-tier Spirit Embryo—it will help you absorb the 【Qi-Opening Pill】, strengthening your physique, and no medicinal power will go to waste.”

“So, purely through cultivation, your body’s various functions will improve more than ordinary people’s.”

“That’s your advantage.”

Chu Huaixu clapped his palms together, then spread them apart and said, “Now, here comes the problem.”

“You, with your natural advantage, do you know... how to throw a punch?”

“Like this? Or like this?” He waved in the air a couple times. “Which way produces the most power?”

Upon hearing that, Han Shuangjiang immediately understood. “You mean, we have to train, to learn.”

“What else?” Chu Huaixu smiled.

They needed to learn some simple moves.

Grumpy girl, big brother is taking you to learn 【Skills】.

The cold and aloof girl wasn’t dumb. She had caught on and asked, “Does it cost silver?”

“What else?” Chu Huaixu repeated those same three words.

Han Shuangjiang now understood why “wealth” came first in the cultivation principles of Wealth, Law, Companion, and Land.

However, she soon had another question.

“If that’s the case, then those on the Body Training path have an advantage in this setup?” she said.

“Of course,” Chu Huaixu said.

Strictly speaking, the “evil technique” he was cultivating—《Sword Refining Art》—was kind of both internal and external, somewhat covering the Body Training path too.

Plus, he had added 1 point to his 【Physique】 attribute, giving him much better physical strength than others.

But he was an odd case.

Chu Huaixu explained aloud, “Do you know how slow Body Training progresses? How painful the process is?”

“With your innate Body of Profound Yin and Spirit Embryo, you can fully absorb the medicinal effects of the Qi-Opening Pill.”

“The improvement from just that alone is something an ordinary Body Training cultivator couldn’t reach even with a year of hard work.”

“If there is effort, there should be reward, right?” Chu Huaixu said, “Breaking the formations in the Scripture Pavilion—that’s the reward.”

Han Shuangjiang was convinced.

But soon, like a problematic teenager, she raised another doubt: “Then what if we use other pills, or rely on medicinal baths to enhance the body?”

“That’s certainly a shortcut,” Chu Huaixu nodded.

“But I have two things to tell you.”

“First, the Qi-Opening Pill was created by the Dao Ancestor.”

“It’s currently the most compatible body-strengthening spiritual pill available—no one surpasses the Dao Ancestor in pill refinement.”

“In this situation, taking other pills or soaking in medicinal baths during the Qi-Opening Stage can only provide limited enhancement.”

“Of course, no matter how limited, there’s still some effect.”

“So now I’ll tell you the second point.”

He propped his face up with one fist and tilted his head to look at her, asking a soul-piercing question:

“Do you have money?”

Han Shuangjiang fell silent, this time completely.

Whether pills or medicinal baths, neither was affordable for the two of them in their current financial state.

After leaving the Joyous Sect, she had drifted around in hardship—the problem of being broke had followed her like a shadow.

She hadn’t expected it to be the same even after entering the Dao Gate.

As for this, Chu Huaixu’s mindset was surprisingly calm.

This world never had absolute fairness to begin with.

The wealthy had their own paths, while geniuses could use their talent to compensate.

The ones to be pitied the most were the mediocre.

And the mediocre were the majority.

They spent their whole lives struggling, only to come to terms with and accept their own mediocrity.

A heavenly daughter like Han Shuangjiang, born with the Body of Profound Yin, wasn’t just favored by heaven—she was being spoon-fed by heaven.

“Let’s go hire someone and learn a few moves,” Chu Huaixu stood up first. “This bit of silver won’t last us long.”

Han Shuangjiang followed behind him, feeling somewhat gloomy.

Not only because of the inescapable poverty, but also because she felt like she’d just been lectured.

But the cold-faced girl quickly adjusted her mindset and muttered to herself in her heart:

“See! I told you we should buy groceries and cook ourselves!”

...

...

Along the way, Chu Huaixu walked in front, while Han Shuangjiang followed with her long, slender jade legs—not falling behind at all.

She had a naturally curvy hip-line, and walked with a swaying elegance.

“We don’t have to learn a lot—just spending some silver to pick up a move or two is enough,” the fox-faced man said.

Time to learn 【Skills】—he was quite excited, as it would drastically boost his fighting ability.

He looked back and asked curiously, “By the way, have you ever been in a fight?”

Han Shuangjiang looked at him and responded with silence once again.

Fighting?

What kind of fights could one get into at 【Red Sleeves Beckon】? Pulling hair and slapping faces with the elder sisters?

She had only ever been beaten by the “Mama.”

As for when she joined the 【Joyous Sect】 later—that didn’t even need mentioning.

The most popular “combat” there happened in bed—fighting until exhaustion.

Either the man surrendered, or the woman went limp.

Then Chu Huaixu asked another question.

“Have you ever killed anyone?” he asked.

Han Shuangjiang looked at his back ahead of her, frowned in speechless exasperation, and said, “Of course not. Don’t tell me you have?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw Chu Huaixu, three steps ahead, stop in his tracks.

It happened so suddenly that she didn’t even stop in time and soon came shoulder to shoulder with him.

And at that moment, Chu Huaixu turned to look at Han Shuangjiang.

The midday sunlight fell on his shoulder and that fox-like face.

“I have,” he said.

...