SWNOVELXO Chapter 145: True Nature
As Zhao Li absorbed the contents of the Sheepskin Scroll, the first thing he thought of was a story he had once read.
Of course, Zhao Li had no intention of delving into its origins. He was far more curious about the rules of this forced exchange – why could burning lifespan be traded for power?
If he could figure out the underlying principle, combine it with his existing knowledge, and make some minor improvements, perhaps he could even create his own system of enlightenment.
As Zhao Li pondered, Shangguan Yan had already taken the Sheepskin Scroll.
He couldn't wait, opening it right there and reading it carefully.
Soon, his eyes lit up, and his heart was filled with excitement:
"If what this Cultivation Technique says is true, I might soon break through the barrier of the Great Dou Master and advance to Dou Spirit. By then, I'll have a voice throughout the entire Great Qian."
Naturally, he wasn't foolish enough to start cultivating it directly. He chose to verify its authenticity on the spot. His method was simple and direct. He immediately called out a man:
"Flame Guard Ninety-Nine, step forward. You look at it first and see if you can cultivate it successfully and what the effects are."
The Flame Guards were the most loyal guards he had cultivated. Of course, they were also death warriors. There weren't many of them, only ninety-nine, but the weakest were at the Dou Disciple level, and the first few were even powerful Dou Masters. Combined with certain Combat Techniques, they and the soldiers under their command were enough to contend with an ordinary army of ten thousand.
As his voice fell, a young man in black armor stepped forward, his face expressionless.
After Flame Guard Ninety-Nine took the Sheepskin Scroll, he read it carefully. After a while, he respectfully returned it to Shangguan Yan.
Then, he sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate.
The Blood Burning Realm Breaking Technique didn't have a high cultivation threshold, but achieving results wasn't something that could be done in a short time. Shangguan Yan dismissed him.
Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the Village Chief. He naturally didn't think this old man had the guts to lie to him. He was thinking about whether to take this opportunity to eliminate them, to avoid leaving future trouble.
For a moment, everyone's expressions became tense, fearing that Shangguan Yan would wave his hand, give the order to capture them, and the dark mass of soldiers not far away would flatten the place.
Shangguan Yan pondered for a long time. In the end, he didn't pay attention to these small characters and said indifferently:
"You are also smart people. You naturally know what should be said and what shouldn't. I'll say this first: if anyone else hears any rumors, regardless of whether you spread them or not, you will no longer have a reason to exist. Take care of yourselves."
After speaking, he mounted his horse, waved his large sleeve, and the army uniformly put away their spears, stepped forward, and turned around, all in one smooth, coordinated movement. Even the mountains and forests trembled slightly.
Over there, the Village Chief watched Shangguan Yan's departing back, his eyes flickering. He subtly glanced at Zhao Li and the other person, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes:
"You can only blame yourselves for your bad luck."
Although there was a hint of reluctance, he knew that the best secret keepers in the world were dead people. Moreover, he was originally a mountain bandit, and killing and taking lives in his youth was second nature to him. Naturally, he wouldn't leave himself a huge hidden danger because of a little reluctance.
"Everyone, you've been startled. Let's continue. Play the music, continue the dance!"
He offered a word of comfort, and the wedding continued. However, compared to the previous joy, everyone's mood was clearly much lower.
Time passed, and the wedding proceeded in an orderly manner. Zhao Yannian wanted to leave, but there were always a few young men watching him intentionally or unintentionally. It would be quite difficult to force his way out, so he stayed.
As for Zhao Li, he didn't care about any of this. He simply used this opportunity to investigate everyone in the village and got a rough idea of the actual effects of the Blood Burning Realm Breaking Technique.
During his investigation, he also discovered that the cultivators in the village were mostly the older generation. Those younger descendants, especially the children, were indeed no different from people in ordinary villages.
"Perhaps this is also their redemption."
Zhao Li sighed slightly in his heart. Perhaps this was the choice this group of mountain bandits had made during twenty years of stable life.
The Golden Crow set in the west, and the Jade Rabbit rose in the east. After the banquet, Zhao Yannian stumbled back to his room and closed the door.
The originally drunk him suddenly became alert. He didn't even bother with Zhao Li. He even suspected that Zhao Li was connected to this village and was colluding with them to trick outsiders like him.
"Thankfully, I was prepared early. I brought Detoxification Pills, Sobriety Pills, and other things with me. Otherwise, I might have been stuck here."
He was now certain that this village was not benevolent, at least not the older generation. As for the others, perhaps they had never lived like mountain bandits and were much kinder.
"Hmm, I must seize this opportunity to leave this place, otherwise it will be difficult."
He had taken the Pills early. Those villagers didn't know much about them and didn't dare to be careless. Naturally, they wanted to take the opportunity to knock him out and have more control. He also went along with the plan, using this opportunity to show off his 'drinking capacity'. He forced several people who posed a threat to him to drink a lot. When he felt the time was right, he pretended to be drunk and got away.
"If I were a bandit, even if I had doubts, I wouldn't miss this opportunity. Someone is likely to sneak in tonight. I need to make some arrangements, like this and like that..."
Zhao Yannian thought about the possible situations he might face and took out many strange things from his Storage Ring. He armed everything from the door to the window to the roof.
After half an hour, he clapped his hands, extremely satisfied:
"Hmph, if you have a change of heart and don't come looking for me, then consider yourselves lucky. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless and eliminating harm for the people."
He faked his position on the bed, chose a convenient place to leave, and leaped up, hiding on the beam of the house.
Zhao Yannian huddled on the beam, not daring to make any movements, feeling very uncomfortable:
"Tsk~ The guy who wrote that story definitely hasn't climbed onto a beam. 'Gentleman on the Beam' sounds nice, but this posture is really stifling."
He complained in his heart while also paying attention to the movements around him. Although he had only been out for a little over a day, he had already witnessed the dangers of the Jianghu (Martial World), and his vigilance had greatly increased.
Beside him, Zhao Li saw this and shook his head slightly:
"This kid, using anti-aircraft guns to swat a mosquito, what a waste."
Zhao Yannian's arrangements, let alone this small Huang Family Village, even if Shangguan Yan led his team, they would likely never return.
Of course, although Zhao Li was complaining, he was still somewhat satisfied with Zhao Yannian's performance. No matter what, life came first, and everything else was external. Moreover, knowing how to use one's own advantages was always a good thing.
Then, he stopped paying attention to Zhao Yannian and continued to think about the Blood Burning Realm Breaking Technique. He had a strong intuition that the universal Cultivation Technique he envisioned was definitely closely related to the Blood Burning Technique.
"Do I really have to rely on tricking them?"
After a long time of contemplation, Zhao Li had no clue. The mode of enlightenment teaching kept popping up in his mind, but he chose not to do it.
One reason is the low conversion rate of the Blood Burning Realm Breaking Technique, and the other is the influence of the overall environment. If things don't change, even if they all become Dou Disciples, they'll still be exploited. It won't be much better than now; in fact, because of their abilities, it might even be worse.
He always felt that true strength was fundamentally based on a powerful mind and spirit.
After a long time, Zhao Li sighed and pulled his thoughts back. He wasn't in a hurry; he had plenty of time to study it slowly later.
He waved his hand lightly, and the few nobodies outside the house lost the ability to move. Then, he looked at Zhao Yannian beside him.
Several villagers there had already fallen into Zhao Yannian's hands, lying motionless in the room, their fate unknown.
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