29: Perfect, that's me too.
Southern Commandery City, Outer City.
Although it couldn't compare to the abundance of Spiritual Qi in the Inner City, for mortals, it was already extremely prosperous.
Shops lined both sides of the street, and the cries of vendors were mixed with the shimmering spiritual light of various low-grade Magical Artifacts.
Lin Que found a deserted dead-end alley, changed into an inconspicuous grey cloth robe, and stuffed that eye-catching Heavenly Demon Ferret into his chest pocket, leaving only its small head out for air.
He found a corner and took stock of the Storage Pouch of that unlucky guard from earlier.
"Forty-three Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a copy of the 'Basic Qi Absorption Art', and two overnight vouchers for 'Spring Breeze Pavilion' that haven't even cooled down yet..."
I, Lin Que, am an Immortal Master; how could I want such things?
Lin Que was about to toss the overnight vouchers into the trash pile, but after a thought, he still tucked them away.
There's nothing wrong with a bit of "critical study."
Next, he turned his gaze to the forty-three Spirit Stones in his hand.
For a small Cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage, these Spirit Stones might be a windfall. But for Lin Que, who wanted to Breakthrough from Marrow Cleansing Realm Perfection to the true Origin Opening Realm, this bit of resources wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
In the cultivation world, transitioning from the Martial Path to the Immortal Path not only requires comprehending the Heaven and Earth's Origin Qi but also a massive amount of energy to reshape the Dantian.
According to what Lin Que knew, based on market prices, a single "Origin Gathering Pill" that could assist in breaking through the realm would cost at least a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
"Robbery?"
Lin Que glanced at the Cultivators patrolling the street and shook his head.
Southern Commandery was not Qingzhou; it was full of experts. If he accidentally provoked some old monster "fishing" for trouble, he wouldn't even know how he died.
"I need to find a resource that is low cost, high volume, has strong side effects, and no one is competing with me for it..."
Lin Que's gaze drifted across the bustling streets, eventually passing those glamorous Medicinal Pill shops and landing on the district at the very edge of the city, shrouded in a grey mist.
That place was—the Black Alley... In the Black Alley, the air was filled with a burnt smell and the sour stench of fermented medicinal dregs.
This was the place where the Southern Commandery's Pill Tower dumped its waste.
Both sides of the street were filled with dilapidated stalls. Most of the stall owners were sallow and emaciated, but their eyes were as fierce as wolves.
Lin Que strolled through, his gaze scanning the stalls one by one.
Fragmented Magical Artifacts, unknown beast bones, and... Lin Que's footsteps stopped in front of a stall in a corner.
The stall owner was a one-legged old man, his whole body emitting a strong medicinal smell, shooing away flies with hands covered in black mud.
On the ragged cloth in front of him, a mountain-like pile of blackish pills was dumped like trash.
Although these pills had pitted surfaces and some even emitted black smoke, Lin Que keenly perceived that they contained an extremely violent yet massive surge of spiritual energy!
"What are these?"
Lin Que crouched down and picked up a black pill that was still slightly hot.
"Heh, a newcomer?"
The lame old man raised his cloudy eyelids and grinned, revealing a set of broken yellow teeth:
"These are good stuff, 'Fire Origin Pills' that those big shots at the Pill Tower failed to refine. Even though they're failures, the fire spiritual energy inside is definitely substantial!"
"It's just that..." The old man chuckled and pointed at the black mist swirling around the pill:
"The Fire Poison is a bit heavy. Eat one, and your intestines will rot; eat two, and even the gods can't save you. But for feeding fire-attribute Yao Beasts or making poisonous smoke, they're top-grade!"
Waste pills.
Products of failed Alchemy.
Because the Impurities and Fire Baleful Qi in the medicinal ingredients cannot be removed, these pills are like sugar-coated lethal arsenic for practitioners.
"How much?" Lin Que asked.
"One Spirit Stone for ten," the old man demanded an exorbitant price.
Lin Que didn't speak, just looked at him quietly, then stood up to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't go!"
The old man got anxious. This stuff was just trash at the Pill Tower; they even had to pay people to dispose of it. Him smuggling it out was a business with zero cost.
"One Spirit Stone for half a kilogram! Can't go any lower!"
Lin Que stopped, turned around, pulled out a ten-tael gold ingot from his chest, and tossed it in his hand.
"I don't have Spirit Stones. But I have gold."
"Gold?" The old man was stunned, looking a bit disdainful. "This mundane yellow-and-white stuff isn't worth much around here..."
"A hundred taels of gold to take this entire stall."
Lin Que cut him off directly, throwing a heavy bag of gold onto the stall.
The old man's eyes instantly went wide.
Although gold wasn't as hard a currency as Spirit Stones, exchanging a hundred taels for a pile of unwanted poisonous trash was definitely a massive profit! Is this silly kid trying to commit suicide?
"Deal! Whoever backs out is a grandson!"
Fearing Lin Que would change his mind, the old man nimbly grabbed a tattered sack and stuffed the pile of over a hundred 'Fire Poison Waste Pills' into it, handing it to Lin Que.
Carrying the sack and feeling the rolling heat waves coming from inside, the corners of Lin Que's mouth curled into a satisfied arc.
To others, this was poison.
For him, who possessed the karma transfer system, this was highly pure, low-cost... experience points... After buying the 'goods', Lin Que didn't stay in the Black Alley, turning into an even more remote dead-end alley with the sack.
He needed to verify the effects.
However, the moment he walked deep into the alley.
Rustle, rustle... The footsteps behind him were no longer concealed. Three men in black with sinister eyes blocked the entrance of the alley in a triangular formation.
"Kid, you're quite wealthy."
The leader was a bald man with a scar across his face, playing with a cold, glinting dagger in his hand.
He was a well-known 'Hyena' in this area, specifically targeting new faces who just entered the Black Alley and didn't know the rules.
Lin Que's casual toss of a hundred taels of gold had long since caught their attention.
"Hand over the Storage Pouch on you, and that sack."
The bald man licked his lips, staring greedily at Lin Que:
"I don't know why you bought a pile of poison, but since you spent money on it, it must be a treasure. If you cooperate, I'll leave you an intact corpse."
[Dangerous malice detected!]
[Target locked: Black Alley Robber Cultivator Trio.]
[Malice value: 85% (Murder and robbery).]
[Binding successful: Black Alley Robber Cultivator Trio.]
Lin Que stopped and placed the sack on the ground.
He turned around and looked at these three 'targets' who had come to his door. There was no fear in his eyes; instead, there was a hint of... relief?
He was just worrying about who would share this Fire Poison, and here came three volunteers.
"Gentlemen, what's in this bag is extremely poisonous."
Lin Que's tone was sincere as he pointed to the sack on the ground:
"Eating it will kill you. Are you sure you want it?"
"Less talk!"
A Robber Cultivator who looked like a skinny monkey on the left sneered: "Poison? I think you want to hog some Body Refining secret medicine for yourself! Who are you kidding? Get out of the way!"
In their view, anything that required money must have value. The more Lin Que said it was poison, the more they felt it was a treasure.
"Alright then."
Lin Que sighed, somewhat helplessly untying the mouth of the sack.
He didn't hand the sack over.
Instead, in front of the three Robber Cultivators, he reached in and grabbed a handful of the blackish, smoking waste pills.
There were at least fifteen or sixteen of them.
"Since you don't believe me..."
Lin Que opened his mouth and, like eating candy, stuffed that handful of Fire Poison Waste Pills—enough to poison an elephant—directly into his mouth!
Crunch! Crunch!
The crisp sound of chewing echoed in the deathly silent alley.
The three Robber Cultivators were stunned.
The bald man's hand holding the dagger froze in mid-air, his eyes nearly popping out.
This kid... really ate them?!
And he ate over a dozen in one go?!
*Gulp.*
Lin Que's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the pill liquid, a mixture of violent Fire Poison and pure medicinal power, into his stomach.
Boom!
In an instant, a terrifying heat wave exploded within his body!
It wasn't warmth; it was incineration!
The violent Fire Baleful Qi instantly rushed into his internal organs, like molten iron being poured onto delicate intestines and stomach. His skin instantly turned red as a boiled shrimp, white smoke billowed from his head, and even his breath carried sparks!
[Warning! Lethal-grade Fire Poison detected in the body!]
[Side effect determination: Internal organ incineration, carbonization of Meridians, Fire Baleful Qi attacking the heart!]
[Target locked: Black Alley Robber Cultivator Trio.]
[Malice value: 85% (Murder and robbery).]
[Transfer? Yes/No]
Lin Que endured the burnt bitterness in his mouth and gave a bright smile to the three dumbfounded people in front of him.
"The taste... is a bit spicy."
[Yes]
Buzz!
The next second.
While the bald man was still in a daze, he suddenly felt as if someone had shoved a piece of red-hot charcoal into his stomach!
"Argh!!"
He suddenly clutched his stomach and let out a shrill scream.
That burning sensation wasn't just in his stomach; it instantly spread through his entire body along his blood vessels!
"Hot! It's burning me to death!!"
"Water! I want water!!"
The other two Robber Cultivators were also hit at the same time.
The monkey-like Robber Cultivator looked at his hands in horror, only to see his skin turning black and cracking at a visible speed, just like dry wood thrown into a furnace!
Whoosh—!
It wasn't an illusion.
From their seven orifices, black-red flames actually spurted out!
"My hands... are on fire! Help!!"
The three of them rolled frantically on the ground, black smoke puffing from their mouths, and the stench of burnt meat wafted from their bodies.
On the other hand, Lin Que.
As the side effects were completely transferred, the violent Fire Poison was stripped away, leaving only the purest and most majestic spiritual energy, which surged into his Dantian like a river entering the sea.
The cultivation barrier that had already reached Marrow Cleansing Realm Perfection emitted a cracking sound under the impact of this massive medicinal power.
On the other hand, Lin Que.
He was still eating.
Handful after handful.
As the side effects were completely transferred, the violent Fire Poison was stripped away, leaving only the purest and most majestic spiritual energy, which surged into his Dantian like a river entering the sea.
The nearly indestructible 'mortal barrier' emitted an overburdened cracking sound under the impact of this near-cheating, massive medicinal power.
Crack!
Crack!
Lin Que's whole body shook, his pores opened, and a fine layer of grey Impurities was expelled.
Within the Dantian, the originally gaseous inner strength compressed and collapsed frantically, finally transforming into a drop of golden liquid—True Essence!
Boom—!
A powerful airwave expanded outward with Lin Que as the center, directly causing cracks to appear in the walls on both sides of the alley.
Lin Que slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light bursting from his pupils, with two faint flames flickering within.
He raised his hand and gently clenched it.
Pop!
The air in his palm was instantly squeezed into an explosion.
Origin Opening Realm, achieved!
"A hundred taels of gold not only bought an experience pack but also came with three 'talents' as a bonus."
Lin Que walked over to the bald man, who was no longer moving and was as charred as coal.
He leaned over, using that familiar motion.
Reached out, a light brush.
Three Storage Pouches, all taken.
"Thank you three for the treat."
Lin Que picked up the sack, which still contained more than half a bag of waste pills, glanced at the three smoking corpses on the ground, and turned to leave with a calm expression.
"The Black Alley is indeed a good place."
"I hope to encounter more 'great philanthropists' like this."