Cultivation Nerd

Hu Jin navigated the shadow-draped corridors of the ancient tomb, his footsteps echoing ominously through the oppressive silence. Each turn seemed to promise discovery, but as he rounded yet another corner, he faced yet another dead end. Encrusted with age and secrets, the walls loomed over him as if mocking his efforts.

"Tch, this place is like a maze!" Hu Jin grumbled under his breath.

"The immortal is likely controlling this place and doesn't want you to find anything," his master said.

Damn it! That was unfair! Why was the guy discriminating against him?

Hu Jin clenched his fists; he had gone through so much just for some annoying immortal to get in his way!

Hu Jin wasn't originally supposed to be here since he was not one of the top candidates within the inner sect. But Zun Gon had found him a spot, and he had hidden his identity since not many would be pleased with a newcomer with no significant accomplishments in the group. He had even gone through the effort to create this flesh mask and everything.

"I sense something," his master said, with a weird tone that meant he was thinking up some scheme. "We might not be able to get anything, but we could steal from others. Cultivators deserve only what they get with their hands, and if they can't keep it, it's their fault."

That immediately piqued Hu Jin's interest. He looked around until he made sure no one was around and asked. "Really? Where is it? I can't sense anything."

"Though my senses are dulled here due to this area's limitations on cultivators at a higher level than Qi Gathering. My senses are still better than any other Qi Gathering Cultivator's," his master said before urging him, "Follow my lead, and we need to move fast."

Hu Jin pressed forward through the labyrinthine tunnels, his movements guided by the whispered directions of his master. Each step carried him deeper into a network of increasingly unfamiliar passageways. The air was thick with the musk of damp earth, and the faint echoes of his own footsteps seemed to taunt him, suggesting a shifting maze that rearranged itself just out of sight.

But ultimately, their twisting journey through the shadowy corridors led them back to where it all began—the empty, dark room with the solitary coffin at its center. This time, however, the ghost was no longer here, leaving behind an eerie silence that hung heavily in the space. Once aglow with a ghostly light, the translucent pillars that supported the roof now seemed dimmer.

Hu Jin's gaze wandered toward the coffin, and temptation gnawed at his heart. He wasn't used to going on a harrowing journey and getting nothing out of it. Not even a measly Earth Grade Technique!

But as Hu Jin stood there, the memory of the previous attempt to approach the coffin came to the front of his mind. The first man who had dared draw near had been met with a horrific end. An invisible force had struck with such sudden ferocity that it obliterated him, reducing his entire body to nothing more than a gruesome splatter of red sludge on the cold stone floor. The invisible attack had been so powerful that it was impossible to distinguish between flesh, blood, and bones; everything had merged into a thick, coagulated red liquid in a mere instant.

"Enter the second door to the wall there," said his master. "Make sure to use the Thousand Phantom Steps Technique, and use the aspect of the technique that hides your presence."

Hu Jin broke out of his thoughts and followed his master's guidance. They ended up in a dark tunnel again. However, this one was a bit wider, and he could spread out his arms without touching the edges of the passage. In the distance, though Hu Jin couldn't see well, he sensed the presence his master was talking about.

"Master, isn't that the guy who you said we shouldn't approach?" Hu Jin asked, using the Earth and Wind Ghostly Words Technique; it was a voice-muffling Earth Grade Technique.

His master stayed quiet momentarily as they watched the man form a square barrier around some kind of golden fruit, causing its presence to completely disappear.

“He hasn’t sensed us, and his soul is fixed,” his master mumbled. “This guy… is he really an incarnated immortal? Even weakened and in a Qi Gathering Cultivator’s body, immortals should be overwhelming. He hasn’t shown that kind of power. So he’s either an otherworlder or, more likely, part of a failed ritual—either as a victim or born this way.”

Hu Jin smiled, sensing that his master was deep in thought. A cultivator should take only what they could keep.

Liu Feng wasn’t as bad as the rumors suggested. But Hu Jin wouldn’t let him keep a Yang Fruit that could help heal the damage from when his cultivation had been broken. He had stolen from much more dangerous people than Liu Feng—Sects, Clans, and even Demonic Cultivators.

With his mask on, Liu Feng shouldn’t recognize him. Perhaps Hu Jin would give him some pills later to make up for this. After all, it wasn’t like Liu Feng could defend something as valuable as a Yang Fruit. It was better that Hu Jin took it before someone else did.

“What do you think we should do, Master?” Hu Jin asked. Despite his temptations, he would listen to his master since he had never led him astray.

“If he were an incarnated immortal, he would have sensed us by now,” his master said. “Go and take the Yang Fruit. If he seems weak, check his storage ring too. It looks like he’s stumbled upon some treasures. The only thing that even hints he’s more than he appears is that he knew not to put the Yang Fruit in a storage ring…”

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“But even then, that’s not reason enough to miss an opportunity like this,” Hu Jin finished his master’s sentence, his smile widening.

Nothing more needed to be said as Hu Jin shot forward like an arrow.

He wasn’t unjust, so he wouldn’t kill Liu Feng despite what his master might have suggested. Hu Jin still remembered the entrance exam; Liu Feng was one of the kindest people there and didn’t partake in wanton killing. Murdering someone like that after stealing his possessions didn’t sit well with him. Hu Jin needed the Yang Fruit but wasn’t a murderous monster.

As he approached Liu Feng, the latter encased himself in jade-like armor.

Huh? He had sensed him? No, perhaps it was just the shifting air. Could someone with treasure right before them still keep such a high guard?

Liu Feng instinctively moved to protect himself. It would have been the right decision if Hu Jin had been going for a sneak attack. Instead, now that Liu Feng was defending himself, Hu Jin simply imbued the soft array around the golden apple with Qi, crushed it, grabbed the Yang Fruit, and shot off ahead.

However, not even a full second after stealing the fruit, Hu Jin felt a powerful attack slicing through the air toward him with devastating force. He was about to use a defensive technique to resist the attack, though he knew it would slow him down and allow Liu Feng to catch up.

"Keep moving. We're not stopping to steal more things from him," his master ordered.

A Qi mist emanated from the coin in Hu Jin's pocket. With a wave of his hand, his master shot out a pulse of Qi that detonated Liu Feng's techniques before they reached him. Hu Jin used the momentum created by the explosion to propel himself forward.

Hu Jin next heard the sound of cutting air behind him like the hushed wind. He hurriedly turned around, realizing that his master couldn't remain active for long in this tomb, and drew a wide broadsword from his storage ring to clash with Liu Feng's translucent green daggers.

Liu Feng was usually a chill guy, all smiles around the camp—the friendly one that even the crazy people liked.

But what Hu Jin saw now sent a chill down his spine. The man before him was no longer the friendly jokester or the nice guy who offered advice without getting involved in complex matters.

Instead, he saw a cold-faced Liu Feng with a blank gaze. His movements were sharp and precise, his slashes against the broadsword strong enough to push Hu Jin back slightly.

Sure, Liu Feng was a star higher in cultivation, but Hu Jin had eaten a Yang Fruit before—those things strengthened the body enormously.

Before Hu Jin could counterattack, the green daggers in Liu Feng's hands dissolved into a bright mist, and their form changed as the weapons fused and transformed into a jade spear.

Hu Jin prepared to block the attack with his broadsword, but his other hand was occupied holding the golden apple. Just as the spear was about to clash with the broadsword, it turned into a greenish mist, slithering past the sword like a snake, and aimed for Hu Jin's throat.

Shit!—Hu Jin cursed under his breath as he barely managed to move his neck out of the way, though he was left with a small scratch on the left side of his throat.

"Careful, it seems running away is no longer an option. He's mastered his movement technique far better than you," his master warned. "I can't manifest blatantly in here, or the immortal presence will crush me. Throw the apple into the tunnel behind you—you can't fight him with one hand occupied. If he's distracted for even a split second by the treasure, take the chance and kill him. He's clearly not hesitating to kill you."

Hu Jin did as his master instructed and threw the golden apple away, using the Earth Shattering Palm Technique to strike when Liu Feng got distracted. But to Hu Jin's dismay, Liu Feng's cold eyes remained glued to him, as if he hadn't even noticed the golden apple being thrown away.

However, Hu Jin still unleashed the palm attack on Liu Feng. His heartbeat pounded like a drum in his ears, and he felt truly on edge for the first time. Usually, he had his master to rely on, and no matter how badly he failed, his master would pick up the slack. But this wasn’t a good place for his master to manifest too often, or his soul could be permanently crushed.

Hu Jin’s concentration peaked. The Earth Shattering Palm was one of the techniques he had practiced the longest, diligently refining it daily. It held sentimental value as the first technique his master had given him.

Time seemed to slow, and the dead look in Liu Feng’s calculating gaze shifted slightly. It was as if he knew what would happen next, even before Hu Jin did.

A perfectly executed technique, and a once-in-a-thousand chance…

Oh, I’m about to hit a Trace—Hu Jin thought, feeling strangely calm.

A translucent stone palm, covering the entire hallway, appeared before Hu Jin and shot forward. The attack wasn’t fast, but it carried such immense weight that it caused the winds in the hallway to howl. It generated the force like a mountain had been hurled toward the opponent.

Greenish strings, almost invisible, wrapped around Liu Feng, forming a leafy cocoon. With the space so narrow, he had no chance to dodge. When the translucent stone palm collided with the green cocoon, Hu Jin expected a clash. However, the cocoon flew away like a ball, absorbing the momentum as if it were made of rubber.

Despite the hallway shaking from the impact, it didn’t break, proving that this place was truly crafted by an immortal—nothing a Qi Gathering disciple could throw around would affect it.

“Don’t let your guard down! That kid executed the best possible counter in a situation like that!” his master warned. “He’s barely taken any damage.”

The cocoon unfolded like a ball of strings, revealing Liu Feng. He was bleeding slightly from his nose, but there was no other visible damage. And he still had that eerie, emotionless look in his eyes.

“C’mon, want another one of those?” Hu Jin taunted, but it seemed pointless—Liu Feng didn’t respond.

Hu Jin stored his sword in his storage ring, preparing for a fistfight. This was his specialty, and he could incapacitate Liu Feng with his strengthened body.

Yet, Liu Feng no longer charged. Instead, he made a strange hand sign and whispered, “Thousand Lightning Array.”

“Hu Jin! Run away, now!” his master’s voice rang out.

But it was too late—a blue array barrier formed impossibly fast around them.

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