This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable Chapter 4: Cultivation Technique (Part 2)

Leveraging the element of surprise from his preparedness against their utter lack thereof, Lu Qingshan could have swiftly dispatched two low-rank cultivators who were completely off-guard.

However, this hinged on possessing a reliable weapon—or at minimum, some sort of sharp edge if nothing better was available.

Topple two cultivators in a blink using only bare fists? What, do you figure he's Tyson?

The real snag hit home—Lu Qingshan wasn't simply without arms, but from the icy prickles covering his skin, he was evidently stark naked as well.

True bare-start.

Forget all else, this corpse fluid feels insanely frigid.

Lu Qingshan muttered inwardly.

...

Facing these circumstances, Lu Qingshan had to meticulously devise his assault plan.

Evidently, Lu Qingshan couldn't waste time pondering; immediate action was imperative.

Cultivators in Qi Refining lacked mastery of "Divine Sense Perception," letting Lu Qingshan continue feigning as a corpse. Yet his heartbeat and body heat couldn't be concealed.

The moment those two touched his form, even totally off-guard, they'd instantly sense Lu Qingshan was no longer among the dead.

...

Song Qing and Jie Shi began hauling corpses sequentially from the Corpse Pool toward the cave's mouth.

They remained oblivious to the sly veteran lurking in the pool, eyeing them with predatory intent.

The pair staggered their corpse transports, leaving gaps when just one stayed inside the cave near the pool.

Lu Qingshan recognized this as his prime chance to launch an ambush.

Dealing with them individually would prove far simpler than confronting both simultaneously.

Lu Qingshan mentally locked onto Song Qing as his initial prey.

The logic behind it was straightforward.

Via the Heavenly Eye Technique's effects, Lu Qingshan detected Song Qing's occupation: Talisman Mage[First Grade](Sub).

The cultivation realm encompasses a hundred arts, and "Nine Heavens" offers, alongside its six core combat professions, a vast array of sub-professions.

Examples include Alchemist, Array Master, Artifact Refiner, and more, with Talisman Mage ranking among them.

Talisman Mages inscribe spells on spirit talismans, hurling them rapidly to unleash diverse magics against foes in combat.

In his prior life, affluent players often snapped up stacks of premium spirit talismans from Talisman Mages to slay beasts beyond their level.

With sufficient coin tossed their way, their power gains skyrocketed.

Therefore, if Song Qing carried a stockpile of talismans, wiping out this wildcard fast became essential—his danger might even outstrip Jie Shi, a Qi Refining third-stage cultivator.

...

After mentally rehearsing various tactics and deeming them viable, Lu Qingshan composed himself, biding time for the perfect strike.

As the duo extracted corpses one after another from the pool, their hauling chore inched them ever closer to Lu Qingshan's position.

Song Qing stooped low, laboring to drag a body right beside Lu Qingshan from the pool.

Right then, Jie Shi had freshly departed the cave lugging yet another corpse.

Though ignorant of the bodies' destination, Lu Qingshan had timed that Jie Shi required no less than thirty breaths to return.

This marked the instant!

Hesitation forsaken, a pair of ghostly pale hands shot from the shadowy depths, clamping Song Qing's skull and hauling him under the surface.

"Down you go!"

Song Qing, midway through shifting a body in the pool and wholly defenseless, got blindsided by Lu Qingshan's abrupt assault, sending him crashing headfirst into the water.

A Qi refining cultivator remained firmly mortal, incapable even of grain fasting.

Instinct for any mortal hit sudden submersion? Thrash wildly and breach the surface, despite scant harm from brief breathlessness.

Song Qing proved no outlier.

He promptly grasped the ambush, fumbling toward his waist storage bag for a spirit talisman to strike back.

Yet it was far too late.

Ten years immersed in gaming, endless skirmishes, and myriad deaths had forged Lu Qingshan's fighting savvy to heights others couldn't fathom.

Having dragged Song Qing beneath, Lu Qingshan seized optimal leverage in a flash. Hands gripping both sides of Song Qing's head, he wrenched clockwise with brutal force. Crack! Song Qing's neck shattered under Lu Qingshan's twist.

Lightning-fast, merciless!

Combat stats flickered into Lu Qingshan's view:

"A fatal attack was launched—you inflicted 11 damage on Song Qing (Lv2)!"

"Target eliminated; you have slain Song Qing (Lv2), exceeding your level in the kill, receiving XP bonus. 20 (Base Experience) x 2 (Multiplier) = 40 experience points!"

...

With Lu Qingshan's beginner stats, taking down Song Qing who had 11 HP would usually demand a long fight.

Yet Lu Qingshan's precise strike hit Song Qing's weak point straight on, dealing damage that matched the foe's full health.

As a result, Song Qing dropped dead right away, unable even to scream for aid.

Lu Qingshan, merely a rankless level 0 mortal, reaped huge experience gains from slaying a Qi Refining second stage cultivator, a feat way above his station.

In "Nine Heavens," experience rewards work this way: base coefficient starts at 1, doubling endlessly for each rank difference against the enemy.

Song Qing held the weakest Qi Refining level among cultivators, but since Lu Qingshan remained a mere mortal, the multiplier hit x2 for that kill.

Should he have taken down a Foundation Establishment cultivator then, crossing two ranks, the multiplier would jump to 1x2x2=4, continuing onward.

...

Moments passed.

Jie Shi completed his chore and came back to the Corpse Pool cave.

Upon stepping inside, Jie Shi spotted Song Qing sprawled lifeless at the doorway, leaving him shocked.

"Song Qing?! What's going on?!"

Jie Shi's pulse raced, prompting him to drop low and inspect Song Qing for any vital signs.

Meanwhile, Jie Shi stayed on high alert, eyes darting warily across the area for suspicious motions.

Clearly, his junior brother likely suffered an assault, though Jie Shi couldn't fathom how the intruder slipped past their master's array barriers.

Jie Shi remained utterly vigilant.

Abruptly, an icy sensation grazed his throat.

Jie Shi's eyes bulged in shock, fixed on the dagger now flush against his neck.

...

An ancient ploy, yet highly potent, since folks tend to relax vigilance near corpses.

Short blade firm at Jie Shi's neck, Lu Qingshan gradually stood up from the floor.

Right after felling Song Qing, Lu Qingshan swiftly yanked off the man's garments and donned them.

Next, he dumped Song Qing's corpse into the Corpse Pool to conceal it, then hurriedly lay at the cave mouth face down to mask his features, faking an attack right there.

Truth be told, Lu Qingshan's ruse was rough and full of holes.

For starters, pressed by time, Lu Qingshan just peeled away Song Qing's robe and threw it on loosely.

A sharp-eyed Jie Shi could've spotted the mismatch in Lu Qingshan's clothing easily.

Plus, Lu Qingshan's frame differed sharply from Song Qing's.

Song Qing stayed slender, but Lu Qingshan, though wiry, towered at six foot two (roughly 1.88 meters), far taller than Song Qing.

Sadly, Jie Shi lacked keen observation.

"Who are you? Where's my junior brother?" Jie Shi's teeth chattered faintly.

"Give me the 'Qi Drawing Technique' Cultivation Method." Lu Qingshan gripped the dagger seized from Song Qing, sliding it to and fro over Jie Shi's neck.

The blade's cold edge caused Jie Shi's face to spasm uncontrollably.

Seeming to grasp a clue, Jie Shi clenched his jaw and declared, "You're no cultivator, just a mortal!"

The 'Qi Drawing Technique' ranks as the simplest Qi Refinement cultivation art, widely accessible, so this fellow demanding it screamed non-cultivator.

"Does it matter me being a mortal? You ended up captured by this mortal anyway, right?" Lu Qingshan spoke evenly.

"How did you slip past the Mist Formation to enter?" Jie Shi couldn't wrap his head around a mortal evading the Mist Formation to sneak into their Corpse Refining Cave undetected.

Naturally, Jie Shi never dreamed the intruder before him crawled out from a Corpse Pool cadaver.

Ignoring Jie Shi's query, Lu Qingshan pressed his wrist gently.

The keen dagger sliced lightly into Jie Shi's neck skin, blood drops soon trickling forth.

"Don't try my patience," Lu Qingshan warned coldly.

Jie Shi's gaze wavered as he begged shakily, "Hold on, hold on, I'll hand over the technique."

Jie Shi's right hand reached toward the storage bag hanging from his waist.

Lu Qingshan's eyes fixed sharply on Jie Shi's right hand.

"Even an instant Spirit Talisman needs a short instant to channel Spiritual Power before activating; if you draw a Spirit Talisman, the sword in my grip will slice your neck clean off right away.

I can't say if I'll survive, but you're dead for sure, so I suggest you avoid such a risky move," Lu Qingshan declared in an icy tone.

Jie Shi's face twitched faintly; he never imagined Lu Qingshan knew so much about the ways of cultivators.

With no alternative, Jie Shi reluctantly drew out a Jade Slip from his storage bag.

Storage bags could only be wielded by cultivators, which explained why Lu Qingshan hadn't slain Jie Shi outright but gambled on taking him hostage to compel the handover of the cultivation method.

Lu Qingshan had no idea about the cave's vastness or the number of foes lurking within.

Securing the cultivation method and stepping into cultivation was the sole path for Lu Qingshan to boldly flee the cavern.

In standard game launches, every fresh player hunts for a cultivation method first, cultivates to become a cultivator, then selects their core class.

This step stays fairly simple as it falls in the beginner quest stage, designed mainly to acquaint players with the game mechanics without harsh trials.

Regrettably, Lu Qingshan's plight wasn't a routine launch but more like a chaotic plot-driven start, turning the acquisition of a cultivation method into a tough ordeal.

Thankfully, a hurdle like this couldn't baffle a standout champion among billions of players such as Lu Qingshan.

Lu Qingshan seized the Cultivation Technique Jade Slip straight from Jie Shi's palm.

"Detected Qi Refinement Cultivation Method 'Qi Drawing Technique.' Would you like to spend 10 experience points to learn it?"

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'Qi Drawing Technique' (Qi Refinement)

Level: Mortal Level

Learning Conditions: None

Description: Exhale three inches to the heels, densely sealed as if in a bottle, allowing the Qi mechanism to sweep through the organs, and open the pores to connect with the heavens. A basic Qi Refinement technique, maximum 10 levels.

Cultivation Effect: Each level increase raises the Spiritual Power Value limit by 10 points, with a special effect upon reaching max level: +50 to the Spiritual Power Value limit.

Remarks: Though quite common, it is nonetheless very practical.

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In the 'Nine Heavens,' cultivation method levels divide into four tiers, from lowest to highest: Mortal Level, Spirit Level, Heavenly Level, Taoist Level.

Higher-ranked cultivation methods naturally deliver far more potent effects.

Qi Drawing Technique ranks as the basest Mortal Level method, yet amid the dire straits, Lu Qingshan lacked means to pursue anything superior; Qi Drawing Technique stood as his lone choice.

Thank goodness it's just an entry-level Qi Refinement technique, so the repercussions remain slight.

Provided he escaped this peril unscathed, Lu Qingshan brimmed with certainty that his mastery of 'Nine Heavens' would ensure top-notch cultivation methods for every future stage.