12: A great harvest

In a swamp only a few miles from the battle site, a massive Mountain Drilling Beast lay dead in the mud.

After an unknown amount of time, a pair of blood-stained arms reached out from the Mountain Drilling Beast's gaping maw.

Su Ling slowly crawled out from the Mountain Drilling Beast's corpse.

Ignoring the mud everywhere, Su Ling lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

After a good while, he returned to the swamp and dragged the corpse of the Mountain Drilling Beast, which was over four meters long, out of the mire.

Several hours ago, Su Ling had fled the battlefield and quickly reached this swamp.

He threw the corpses of Qian Zheng and Lu Can into the swamp.

At the same time, he took out the largest Mountain Drilling Beast corpse and crawled directly into its belly.

He wasn't sure if the Elders responsible for guarding the Sect entrance would sense the fluctuations from that battle and come out to investigate.

The Yao Beast Compendium issued by the Sect recorded that the scales of a Mountain Drilling Beast possessed a certain ability to shield against Divine Sense probes.

Combined with the breath concealment talismans he found in the two men's Storage Pouches and a bit of the Turtle Breath Technique he had learned in his previous life...

Su Ling dared to take a gamble.

He gambled that even if a Sect Elder came out and even if their Divine Sense detected him, they would only mistake him for a corpse.

After all, there were the corpses of Qian Zheng, Lu Can, and the Mountain Drilling Beast, plus himself, who had clearly been swallowed into its belly.

They would just seem like a few unlucky bastards who had perished together.

Sure enough, before long, a powerful Divine Sense swept past.

After a long while, there was still no movement.

After holding out for a few more hours, Su Ling was finally certain the crisis had truly passed.

"It seems I'll have to practice this Turtle Breath Technique more in the future."

Taking a bucket of fresh water from his Storage Pouch to give himself a simple wash, Su Ling couldn't help but sigh softly.

As a top-tier assassin in his previous life, Su Ling had learned a type of Turtle Breath Technique from a Senior, in addition to combat and assassination.

The effect of the Turtle Breath Technique was to lower the heart rate, pulse, and breathing frequency, causing a person to fall into a state of suspended animation.

Furthermore, once activated, one's reactions to external stimuli would become very dull.

After releasing the Turtle Breath Technique, there would also be a brief period of physical weakness.

Previously, he had only used this breathing method to help with stability during sniper kills.

He had never used it in a deep-seated way.

After his Transmigration, he had tried it twice, but after seeing the effects of the breath concealment talisman, he had discarded it like old shoes.

Before, he was just acting on the idea of treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

He never expected that after Transmigrating to this world, the Turtle Breath Technique would actually have such a miraculous effect.

Not only was the consequence of physical weakness gone, but it could even conceal his own Spiritual Qi and have a certain effect of rapidly restoring physical strength and injuries.

Once he finished recuperating and confirmed the surroundings were temporarily safe, Su Ling began to inspect the three Storage Pouches he had obtained earlier.

Indeed, on Qian Zheng's body, he had also found Chen Ping's Storage Pouch, which contained many hidden weapons from the secular world.

Chen Ping came from a martial arts family and was skilled in using hidden weapons; even his Magical Artifact was a set of Willow Leaf Flying Daggers.

As far as Su Ling knew, Chen Ping had spent a large amount of Spirit Stones specifically to have the Artifact Refining Hall custom-make this set of flying daggers.

With Chen Ping's Metal and Fire dual Spiritual Root Aptitude, and his work as a handyman in the Artifact Refining Hall, the Spirit Stones he earned normally weren't fewer than Su Ling's.

Yet he had only barely reached the Early Stage of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, which was more than just a little bit worse than Qian Lin's Eighth Layer of Qi Refining Peak.

The main reason was that he spent a massive amount of Spirit Stones on the flying dagger Magical Artifact, leaving very few Medicinal Pills to aid his cultivation.

"A bit of putting the cart before the horse..."

Magical Artifacts are ultimately external things; only when one's own strength is sufficient can Magical Artifacts and Magic Treasures exert their maximum power.

Su Ling secretly cautioned himself. In that Dharma-ending age of his previous life, relying on firearms for long-range sniping was safe and efficient.

Relying on and using weapons was beyond reproach.

But now, even if he were given a set of the most top-tier Magical Artifacts or Magic Treasures...

Forget facing Core Formation, he wouldn't even be able to win against a single Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

[Rock Plate Shield, Low Grade defensive Magical Artifact, moderately damaged]

[Vajra Bracers, Low Grade defensive Magical Artifact, moderately damaged]

Previously, Su Ling had activated all the offensive Talismans in his inventory and blasted them at Qian Zheng and Lu Can.

Although the two had managed to withstand it with their Magical Artifacts and only suffered minor injuries...

These two Low Grade defensive Magical Artifacts had still taken significant damage.

However, Qian Zheng's spiked Magical Artifact gave Su Ling a bit of a pleasant surprise.

[dark bone thorn, mid-grade magical artifact]

"So it's a mid-grade magical artifact. No wonder a single swift strike shattered Zhao Yan's damaged blazing iron shield."

Originally, Su Ling felt a bit of heartache over that blazing iron shield.

But now it was fine; not only had he obtained two defensive Magical Artifacts, but he even had a mid-grade offensive Magical Artifact.

The other items were unremarkable, just some Medicinal Pills and Talismans, along with a few manuals on Artifact Refining and Spells.

There was Lu Can's Wind Blade technique, as well as the Wood-type Dark Poison Vine Spell that Qian Zheng hadn't had time to release.

As for Chen Ping, his Spirit Stones and contribution points had all been spent on those flying daggers; he hadn't even exchanged for or learned any Spells.

[fiend soul flying dagger, mid-grade magical artifact; using them as a set provides a soul-shocking effect.]

Looking at the nine Willow Leaf Flying Daggers in his hand, which were pitch black as ink with wisps of black mist lingering on the surface...

A look of surprise flickered in Su Ling's eyes.

The identification information from the eye pattern on his palm usually didn't specifically note effects.

For example, with the previous Magical Artifacts and Medicinal Pills, it only briefly introduced the name and grade.

This set of flying daggers actually had an additional special effect.

"No wonder Chen Ping would rather slow down his cultivation speed to spend a massive amount of Spirit Stones to get this; it really is worth the price."

Su Ling stroked the ice-cold flying daggers, somewhat unable to put them down. "Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Qian Zheng and Lu Can made a move on you!"

Stowing the flying daggers, Su Ling organized the Storage Pouches and then shot off toward the Sect... He entered the Sect with a calm expression and headed straight for the Mission Hall.

Su Ling first accepted the quest for the dark molten flower, then went to the other side of the hall and laid out all the materials before the Foundation Establishment Deacon.

"One thousand Mountain Drilling Beast scales, reward of one hundred contribution points."

"Seven dark molten flowers, a total reward of one hundred and twenty contribution points."

"Four ink jade spirit mushrooms."

The Foundation Establishment Deacon glanced at Su Ling with a hint of surprise.

With his strength at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining, it would be normal to luckily obtain one.

But to be able to pluck so many ink jade spirit mushrooms from the mouth of a Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Bloodfang Ghost Bat...

That wasn't something that could be explained by luck alone.

This kid is not simple!

"Two with fifty years of medicinal potency, and one each of eighty and a hundred years. I'll count it as seven hundred contribution points in total for you,"

The Foundation Establishment Deacon said in a businesslike tone.

"That many?"

Su Ling couldn't help but be surprised upon hearing this. An ink jade spirit mushroom started at one hundred contribution points.

But he really hadn't expected that the four of them would add up to six hundred contribution points.

"Normally, an ink jade spirit mushroom with thirty years of medicinal potency is worth one hundred contribution points, but fifty years is worth one hundred and twenty, eighty years is one hundred and fifty, and a hundred-year one is quite rare, worth a full three hundred contribution points."

The Foundation Establishment Deacon explained with quite a bit of patience, "The extra ten points are a reward from the Sect. Advance to Foundation Establishment as soon as possible!"

"Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle!"

Su Ling hurriedly bowed in thanks.

However, he couldn't help but feel suspicious in his heart. Since when were the deacons of the Xuanming Sect so enthusiastic?

"Advance to Foundation Establishment as soon as possible"... He had also heard these words while he was waiting nearby.

It seemed that something big was indeed about to happen in the Sect.

It was highly likely that a large number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators would be needed for it.

"Three missions, a total reward of nine hundred and twenty contribution points."

The Foundation Establishment Deacon returned the identity token to Su Ling and began to close his eyes to rest.

Su Ling thanked him once more. Seeing that the other party didn't respond, he turned and left with a trace of doubt.