Lin Shu silently calculated the number of Sin Coins being consumed.
From the entry-level Moonlight Claw Technique to the Sixth Grade Perfection Gloomy Moon Bone Splitting Hand, it had only cost a total of eighteen Sin Coins.
But after that, just raising it by a single grade had consumed thirteen coins.
The number consumed now had already far exceeded the last time.
[Consumed twenty-one Sin Coins. Evil Immortal not yet formed. Magic Technique has transformed.]
[Qi Cultivation Fourth Grade. Gloomy Moon Bone Splitting Hand: Perfection]
Finally, two prompts leaped into Lin Shu’s vision.
At the same time, his consciousness was violently dragged by an invisible hand into the Moonlit Lone Wolf Painting.
The Full Moon, so enormous it inspired dread, was already gloomy and strange.
Now, Black Mist began to spread from its edges, flowing down to the mountain peak and gradually enveloping the lone wolf’s body.
Before Lin Shu could even feel pleased, he was surprised to find that the transformation hadn’t stopped.
The Sin Coins in his palm were still vanishing rapidly.
In the prompt, the name of the Immortal Technique began to distort.
"Wait."
Seeing this familiar scene, Lin Shu’s expression shifted as a realization suddenly struck him.
’I do want a more powerful technique, but this consumption of Sin Coins is a bit too much.’
’Did Tian Jingyuan even know his worthless life was this valuable?’
A Fifth Grade Gloomy Moon Bone Splitting Hand, whenever used in a fight, would easily consume nearly ten wisps of Lin Shu’s Spiritual Power.
Now, not only had it become Fourth Grade, but it was also showing faint signs of transforming completely and breaking through to the Upper Three Grades.
’If it really does break through, with my meager Spiritual Power, it’ll be too strenuous to use.’
’More importantly...’
Lin Shu abruptly clutched his chest, his breathing labored. He could feel all the Spiritual Power in his body starting to run rampant.
’I am a little curious what this Cultivation Technique will evolve into...’
’But the suppressive effect of the Cyan Bird Qi-Introducing Formulas is about to fail.’
At this thought, Lin Shu clenched his hand around the nearly twenty remaining Sin Coins, directly stopping the "feeding."
At the same time, the bedding in the corner of the bed trembled slightly twice.
A soft cry of someone startled awake by a sudden palpitation rang out, followed by a childish, fearful voice.
"You robber, what kind of demonic thing are you doing!"
"Your murderous intent is throwing your spirit into chaos! You’re going to die from Spiritual Qi Rushing Meridian! I already gave you my Life Essence Blood, and you still want to get me killed!"
"Stop cultivating—"
The porcelain doll-like cub still had her eyes closed, but her delicate face was twitching slightly, as if she were lost and helpless.
Soon, a warmth was transmitted through the Essence Blood into the young man’s body.
"Hm?"
Lin Shu paused, though he didn’t know why the cub had suddenly woken up.
But judging by the changes in his body, plus the meaning behind her words...
’If something happens to me, it seems she’ll die too. Is that why she’s trying to resolve this agitation?’
’If that’s the case...’
Lin Shu felt the agitation in his chest being quickly suppressed by the warm current.
He pondered for a moment, then tried feeding it one more Sin Coin, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. "I’m going to keep going."
"I told you to stop!"
The baleful aura that rose again from the young man’s body clearly startled the cub, her childish voice growing more tense and shrill.
As she spoke, another warm current was immediately sent into Lin Shu’s body.
"Still going."
"Stop!"
After this repeated a few times, Lin Shu finally calmed his mind and returned to the Moonlit Lone Wolf Painting.
The Black Mist flowing down from the Full Moon grew denser, even spreading beyond the lone mountain peak.
It drifted and swirled, forming into humanoid shapes that filled the air with wails, emanating a thick, resentful aura.
CRACK! CRACK!
Just then, a continuous series of crisp cracks began to sound from within the Black Mist, sending an inexplicable chill down one’s spine.
The next moment, gleaming white, sharp finger bones abruptly shot out from below.
Pairs upon pairs of white bone claws swayed upwards, covering the entire mountaintop.
They pierced through the Black Mist, seemingly filled with infinite rage, and ferociously tore apart the clamoring Wandering Souls that covered the ground!
[Consumed forty-seven Sin Coins. Evil Immortal not yet formed. Magic Technique has transformed.]
[Qi Cultivation Fourth Grade. White Bone Burial Soul]
The Immortal Technique’s name in the prompt had changed completely, and its proficiency level had vanished along with it.
Lin Shu’s consciousness slowly withdrew from the painting.
He looked up with a complex gaze, staring at the four soul-stirring words. He knew exactly why this had happened.
Because White Bone Burial Soul was a genuine Upper Three Grades Technique.
It was just that he lacked enough Sin Coins, so he could only give it a nascent form. It couldn’t be called a complete Immortal Technique.
Thus, there was no proficiency to speak of.
’Terrifying.’
Lin Shu recalled the image of the ghastly white bones in his mind. It had clearly transcended the scope of fists and palms, fitting more closely with his understanding of a "technique."
’Now this is the kind of power a Cultivator should wield!’
That man Tian was just a Cultivator who had recently entered the Mid-stage of Qi Cultivation. If others were to learn that his life could be exchanged for half of an Upper Three Grades Immortal Technique...
...that fatty probably wouldn’t even make it onto the street before being hacked to pieces.
"Hoo."
Lin Shu retracted his gaze, satisfied.
For him, this was already the best possible outcome.
Any stronger and he might not have been able to use it due to insufficient Spiritual Power. It was perfectly at his limit.
’These Sin Coins were spent... tsk tsk, with real skill.’
"So, why did you wake up?"
This question wasn’t meant to be answered, so Lin Shu didn’t look toward the corner of the bed. Instead, he directly immersed his consciousness into the Essence Blood within his body.
He used it to investigate the cub’s condition.
After a long and careful examination, he finally understood what was going on.
When an Immortal Descendant was in slumber, it was akin to being in an egg.
It needed to accumulate enough energy for its body to grow to the point where it could hatch.
The cub hadn’t fully developed yet but had been forcibly awakened. This was equivalent to hatching prematurely, so her Physique was indeed much weaker than others of her kind.
But once out, she was out. There was no going back.
Her falling asleep from exhaustion was completely different from her initial slumber. She was simply tired.
"You... robber..."
The porcelain doll weakly forced her eyelids open. She had painstakingly saved up a small reserve over the past two days, only for it to be completely devoured again.
’At this rate, I’ll never get to grow up in this lifetime!’
Lin Shu savored the lingering warmth and had no intention of refuting her.
He didn’t actually have a habit of bullying the old or the young.
’Too bad the cub isn’t old.’
’Since she can restore my Spiritual Power, suppress the agitation, and now that she’s awake, even provide a lot of information about the Immortal Sects...’
’...there’s no need to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.’
Thinking this, Lin Shu casually picked up the cub and gave her a flick on the forehead.
He raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "I let it slide when you called me a robber before. But now that I have your Essence Blood, what should you be calling me?"
"Huh?"
The cub’s eyes widened in disbelief, and her little legs began to struggle.
She was indeed afraid of death, but had this person never heard the principle that one can be killed but not humiliated?!
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
In the midst of her struggles, she received another seven or eight flicks on the forehead.
Her cries now had a hint of a sob in them.
"Call me Master Lin."
"Ma-Master!"
The two voices sounded at the same time.
Lin Shu frowned, looking at the humanoid creature in his hands with a slightly strange expression.
The cub’s expression also froze. ’So that’s... that’s what he meant?’
"You catch on quick."
Looking at the Immortal Descendant who had suddenly shut her eyes and started playing dead, Lin Shu casually tossed her back onto the bed.
’Since the Essence Blood can truly control her, there’s no need to deliberately scare her.’
He stood up and looked out the window.
「Dawn was breaking. Another night had passed.」
’Is it time I went to see that Sifang Street of mine?’

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