“I know you— the centre of attention among thousands. You’re powerful, unyielding against great factions— I really admire you,” the clear-faced youth said, his face showing a trace of reverence, his gaze at Lin Xiao burning with intensity.
“To have such cultivation at your age, your talent’s not bad either,” Lin Xiao remarked, noting the youth’s sincerity.
The youth was genuine, showing no hostility. Lin Xiao wasn’t a cold, arrogant sort— he treated friends with courtesy and foes without mercy.
At seventh-tier Heavenly Martial, the youth was just one tier below him— clearly talented.
“Making it this far, I’m confident in my talent, but compared to Brother Lin Xiao’s strength and spirit, I wouldn’t dare measure up,” the youth said candidly.
“Circumstances forced my hand,” Lin Xiao sighed lightly, not dwelling on it. He then asked the youth a few simple questions.
The youth, named Yu Jingge, explained that after entering the stone gate with the crowd, they faced a trial of breaking a spiritual shield to reach here.
According to Yu Jingge, the shield wasn’t hard to crack— requiring either a special attack skill, the strength to defeat an average peer, or persistent strikes until it shattered.
Thus, these hundred-odd people had reached here relatively easily.
In their palace group, there were Martial Kings and the Tiger Legion’s young commander, but the rules there stated Martial Kings needed one more trial, and Martial Venerables two— so only these lower-tier folks arrived, no Martial Kings or Venerables.
Lin Xiao quietly sighed in relief.
No Martial Kings or Venerables meant he had time to seek opportunities here.
“Oh, that’s a small jade sword,” Hu Yue said, spotting a thin, emerald-green jade sword beneath a corpse a metre away. She cautiously stepped forward, picked it up, and examined it.
“Oh, nice jade sword— light, sharp, perfect for me,” Hu Yue said with delight, stowing it away.
Seeing this, the crowd’s eyes lit up. Though this was a mass graveyard, it likely held plenty of opportunities.
These corpses surely carried items— with so many, some must have valuables.
“Move!” The group sprang into action, spreading out to search.
“Brother Lin, I’ll hunt for opportunities too. The Martial Kings and Venerables might arrive soon— take care,” Yu Jingge said, clasping his fists in farewell.
“Thanks for the heads-up, Brother Yu,” Lin Xiao nodded. They were mere acquaintances— not close like Hu Yue— so he couldn’t trust him fully.
Seeking opportunities was every man for himself. Yu Jingge naturally wouldn’t team up with Lin Xiao— any finds would likely go to him.
Yu Jingge departed, heading elsewhere. The others moved too, wary of each other to avoid fights over loot.
“Be careful!” Lin Xiao stepped forward, cautioning Hu Yue— this place might not be so simple.
Hu Yue nodded, eyes gleaming, scouring the area. She even flipped corpses over.
She was like a little treasure fiend— Lin Xiao was speechless.
Still, he kept searching, staying close to Hu Yue for support.
“Hmm?” After a while, Lin Xiao’s eyes brightened, locking onto a fist-sized stone beside a corpse.
It looked ordinary but exuded a peculiar aura.
“Heaven’s Turn Stone!” With a flick of spiritual power, Lin Xiao levitated it into his hand.
Heaven’s Turn Stone— a strange material that converts energy. Martial King essence pills were made by refining spirit beast cores with it. One jin could produce ten pills.
Weighing it, Lin Xiao confirmed it was about a jin— enough for ten Martial King essence pills.
He already had plenty, but he’d never scoff at more of this hard currency. Once his spiritual power rose a tier, he might try refining them himself.
A decent haul.
With a flip, he stowed the stone.
“Oh?” Looking down, he spotted a thumb-sized talisman ahead of the stone.
His eyes gleamed— this corpse must’ve been wealthy.
With a surge of spiritual power, he pulled the talisman to his hand, scanning it quickly. It read “Light Kill Talisman.”
“Hmm?” Lin Xiao paused. He hadn’t seen one, but in the Swallowing Heaven Spirit Emperor’s memories, such things existed— crafted by supreme experts, embedding their power for juniors to use against foes.
The Light Kill Talisman was one type— possibly a unique trick from some powerhouse. Even the Swallowing Heaven Spirit Emperor hadn’t encountered it.
“Fourth-tier low-level,” he noted on the back, slightly disappointed. It could only handle a low-tier Martial King— why not fifth or sixth-tier?
Still, he chided himself for greed— these weren’t easy to make, and with these corpses long dead, finding a fourth-tier talisman was lucky.
“Hu Yue, keep this Light Kill Talisman,” Lin Xiao called to her as she rummaged nearby.
A fourth-tier talisman could tackle a low-tier Martial King— less useful to him. He could escape one if needed, but Hu Yue, with her lower cultivation, might face danger here— this gave her a trump card.
Hu Yue’s eyes lit up, darting over to snatch it, inspecting it with surprise, “Oh, what’s this?”
“Fourth-tier low-level Light Kill Talisman— can deal with a low-tier Martial King. In danger, face it forward, pour vital qi in, and it’ll activate,” Lin Xiao explained.
“Brilliant!” Hu Yue beamed, pocketing it.
“Call me next time you find something good!” She grinned at Lin Xiao, then hurried off to dig through more loot.
Lin Xiao was speechless.
Hu Yue moved ahead, using her jade sword like a stick to prod corpses.
As she neared one, Lin Xiao’s gaze caught a thumb-sized black insect crawling from its body.
“Wait— back off!” he shouted urgently.
