Capítulo 4: Chapter 4: Cultivation Technique (Part 2)
With the tactical advantage of a prepared mind against the unprepared, Lu Qingshan could have easily taken care of two lower-grade cultivators caught off guard.
But the prerequisite was having a handy weapon—or at least a sharp blade, if not a handy one.
To knock down two cultivators in an instant with bare hands? What do you think he is, Tyson?
Now, the problem arose—Lu Qingshan's situation was that he was not just unarmed but, judging from the chilly sensation all over his skin, apparently also unclothed.
True·bare-start.
Not to mention anything else, but this corpse fluid is damn cold.
Lu Qingshan grumbled to himself.
...
In such a situation, Lu Qingshan needed to carefully plan his mode of attack.
Obviously, Lu Qingshan could not afford to take too long to think; he had to act quickly.
Qi refining cultivators had not yet mastered the "Divine Sense Perception," so Lu Qingshan could still pretend to be a corpse. However, he could not hide his heartbeat and body temperature.
As soon as the two cultivators made contact with his body, even if they were completely unguarded, they would discover that Lu Qingshan was no longer a dead body.
...
Song Qing and Jie Shi started moving, carrying corpses one by one out of the Corpse Pool and toward the cave entrance.
They had no idea that in the pool, an old schemer was eyeing them both covetously.
The two were transporting bodies at different times, creating intervals where only one person was inside the cave with the pool.
Lu Qingshan understood that this was his opportunity to strike.
Taking them on one-by-one would certainly be easier than facing both at once.
The first target Lu Qingshan planned to attack, in his mind, was Song Qing.
The reason was simple.
Under the skill effects of the Heavenly Eye Technique, Lu Qingshan noticed Song Qing's profession: Talisman Mage[First Grade](Sub).
In the cultivation world, there are a hundred arts, and in "Nine Heavens," besides the six main battle professions, there is also an extremely rich setting of sub-professions.
Such as Alchemist, Array Master, Artifact Refiner, among others, and Talisman Mage is one of these many professions.
Talisman Mages can engrave spells onto spirit talismans to swiftly throw out various spells to combat enemies when needed.
In the previous life, some wealthy players used to buy a bunch of high-level spirit talismans from Talisman Mages to kill monsters above their level.
As long as they spent money, their leveling speed was incredibly fast.
Hence, it was crucial to eliminate this unknown variable as soon as possible should Song Qing have enough talismans saved up. His threat could even exceed that of Jie Shi, a Qi Refinement third stage cultivator.
...
After simulating several approaches mentally and confirming the feasibility, Lu Qingshan calmed down and waited for the moment to strike.
As the corpses were moved one by one from the pool by the two, their transport task brought them gradually closer to the area where Lu Qingshan was located.
Song Qing bent down and strained to move a body next to Lu Qingshan out of the pool.
At that moment, Jie Shi had just left the cave with another corpse.
Although Lu Qingshan did not know where they were moving these bodies, he had observed that it would take at least thirty breaths for Jie Shi to return.
This was the moment!
Without hesitation, two somewhat pale hands emerged from the dark water like specters, seizing Song Qing's head and yanking him into the pool.
"Down you go!"
Song Qing, who was in the middle of moving a body within the pool and completely unguarded, was taken by surprise by Lu Qingshan's sudden attack, causing him to plunge headlong into the pool.
A Qi refining cultivator hadn't yet exited the category of mortals and couldn't even fast from grain.
A mortal's first instinct after suddenly submerging in water was to flail around and pop their head back above water, even though a momentary lack of air wouldn't affect them much.
Song Qing was no exception.
He quickly realized he was under attack, reaching for the storage bag at his waist to fetch a spirit talisman for a counter-attack.
But it was already too late.
Ten years of gaming experience, countless battles, and countless deaths had enriched Lu Qingshan's combat experience to levels unimaginable to others.
After pulling Song Qing into the pool, Lu Qingshan quickly found the right position to apply force. Placing his hands on both sides of Song Qing's head, he twisted clockwise sharply. With a crack, Song Qing's neck was abruptly broken by Lu Qingshan.
Swift, decisive!
A series of data appeared before Lu Qingshan:
"A fatal attack was launched—you inflicted 11 damage on Song Qing (Lv2)!"
"Target is dead; you have killed Song Qing (Lv2), killing beyond your level, earning XP reward. Total of 20 (Base Experience) x 2 (Multiplier) = 40 points of experience!"
...
For someone with Lu Qingshan's novice attributes, normally killing Song Qing with 11 health points would take a considerable amount of time.
But Lu Qingshan's expert move targeted Song Qing's vital spot directly, and the fatal attack damage equaled the target's maximum health.
Thus, Song Qing fell instantly, not even managing to utter a cry for help.
And Lu Qingshan, a level 0 mortal with no rank, gained significant experience rewards by killing a second stage Qi refining cultivator, also considered beyond his current level.
The experience reward mechanism in "Nine Heavens" is calculated like this: first, the base experience coefficient is 1, then for every rank gap with the opponent, the experience coefficient doubles infinitely.
Although Song Qing's Qi refining rank was the lowest among cultivators, regrettably, Lu Qingshan was just a mortal, so the experience coefficient was x2 when killing Song Qing.
If at this moment he had killed a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, that would be considered killing across two ranks, and thus the experience coefficient would become 1x2x2=4, and so on.
...
A moment later.
Jie Shi finished his task and returned to the cave at the Corpse Pool.
As soon as he entered the cave, Jie Shi saw Song Qing lying unmoving at the entrance, stunned.
"Song Qing?! What happened?!"
Jie Shi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately crouched down to check if there were any signs of life in Song Qing.
At the same time, Jie Shi was highly alert, his gaze scanning around cautiously for any movement in the surroundings.
It was very likely that his junior brother had been attacked, although he had no idea how the enemy had managed to bypass their master's formations to infiltrate the area.
Jie Shi was extremely cautious.
Suddenly, a chilling touch came from his neck.
Jie Shi's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the short blade pressed against his neck.
...
A very old trick, but still very effective, as people often let down their guards around dead bodies.
With the short blade still against Jie Shi's neck, Lu Qingshan slowly rose from the ground.
After killing Song Qing, Lu Qingshan had quickly stripped off Song Qing's clothes and put them on himself.
Then, he threw Song Qing's body into the Corpse Pool, hiding it and quickly lying down at the cave entrance with his back up to hide his face, creating the illusion that Song Qing had been attacked at the entrance.
In fact, Lu Qingshan's disguise was quite crude and had many flaws.
Firstly, due to the urgency of time, Lu Qingshan had only stripped off Song Qing's robe and casually put it on himself.
If Jie Shi had been observant, it would have been easy for him to realize that something was off with Lu Qingshan's attire.
Moreover, Lu Qingshan's build was quite different from Song Qing's.
Song Qing was slim, while Lu Qingshan was also lean but stood at a tall six foot two inches (about 1.88 meters), making him significantly taller than Song Qing.
Unfortunately, Jie Shi was not a very attentive person.
"Who are you? Where is my junior brother?" Jie Shi's teeth were somewhat trembling.
"Hand over the 'Qi Drawing Technique' Cultivation Method." Lu Qingshan, holding the short blade he had taken from Song Qing, rubbed it back and forth across Jie Shi's neck.
The chill from the blade made Jie Shi's face twitch involuntarily.
As if realizing something, Jie Shi gritted his teeth and said deliberately, "You are not a cultivator, you are just a mortal!"
The 'Qi Drawing Technique' is merely the most basic Qi Refinement stage cultivation method, commonly available, yet this man in front wanted it, making it highly unlikely for him to be a cultivator.
"What does it matter if I am a mortal? You still fell into the hands of this mortal, didn't you?" Lu Qingshan's tone was calm.
"How did you bypass the Mist Formation and get in here?" Jie Shi did not understand how a mortal could have bypassed the Mist Formation and silently entered their Corpse Refining Cave.
Obviously, Jie Shi could not possibly imagine that the man before him had emerged from a dead body in the Corpse Pool.
Lu Qingshan did not answer Jie Shi's question but lightly exerted pressure with his wrist.
The sharp short blade easily cut through the superficial skin of Jie Shi's neck, with a few drops of blood beginning to seep out.
"Don't test my patience," Lu Qingshan said sternly.
Jie Shi's eyes flickered slightly as he pleaded tremulously, "Stop, stop, I'll give you the technique."
Jie Shi's right hand moved to the storage bag at his waist.
Lu Qingshan's gaze intently followed Jie Shi's right hand.
"Even an instant Spirit Talisman requires a brief moment to inject Spiritual Power for activation; if you pull out a Spirit Talisman, I will sever your neck with the blade in my hand immediately.
I don't know if I will die, but you certainly will, so I advise you not to make such a dangerous attempt," Lu Qingshan said coldly.
Jie Shi's expression slightly changed; he had not expected Lu Qingshan to be so knowledgeable about a cultivator's methods.
Helplessly, Jie Shi had no choice but to obediently retrieve a Jade Slip from his storage bag.
Only cultivators can use storage bags, which is why Lu Qingshan had not killed Jie Shi immediately but had instead risked holding him hostage to force him to hand over the cultivation method.
Lu Qingshan was unclear how large the cave was or how many people were inside.
Only by acquiring the cultivation method and becoming a cultivator would Lu Qingshan feel confident enough to escape from the cave.
Normally in game startups, the first thing every newcomer does is to find a cultivation method, cultivate to become a cultivator, and then choose their main profession.
This process is not too difficult since it is part of the newbie task phase, primarily focusing on familiarizing players with the game and not meant to be hard on players.
Unfortunately, Lu Qingshan's situation was clearly not a normal startup, but rather seemed like a random storyline startup, so obtaining the cultivation method proved to be a significant challenge.
Fortunately, such a test could not confuse someone who had stood out amongst hundreds of millions of players like Lu Qingshan.
Lu Qingshan took the Cultivation Technique Jade Slip from Jie Shi's hand.
"Detected Qi Refinement Cultivation Method 'Qi Drawing Technique.' Would you like to spend 10 experience points to learn it?"
————————
'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.
——————
In the 'Nine Heavens,' cultivation method levels are divided into four categories, from low to high: Mortal Level, Spirit Level, Heavenly Level, Taoist Level.
The higher the level of the cultivation method, the more powerful its accompanying effects naturally are.
Qi Drawing Technique is only the lowest Mortal Level technique, but given the current situation, Lu Qingshan had no way to look for a higher-level technique; Qi Drawing Technique was his only option.
Fortunately, it's only a newbie stage Qi Refinement technique, so the impact is minimal.
As long as he could smoothly escape the current crisis, Lu Qingshan was confident that, with his knowledge of 'Nine Heavens,' the cultivation methods he would practice at every rank in the future would definitely be superior.
Capítulo 5: Chapter 5: Becoming a Sword Cultivator
"Yes!" Lu Qingshan did not hesitate and chose to learn the Cultivation Technique. The freshly earned 40 experience points instantly decreased by 10.
"Experience -10, currently learning [Qi Drawing Technique]!"
A torrent of data flooded into Lu Qingshan's mind.
Unlike the simple act of selecting skills in a game, this data transformed into related knowledge of the Cultivation Technique once it entered Lu Qingshan's mind.
How to sense the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth, how to draw in Qi, the circulation paths of Spiritual Power within the body...
It was as if he had been spiritually initiated, allowing Lu Qingshan to truly and completely grasp this Cultivation Technique in an instant.
Meanwhile, in his own empty Dantian, Lu Qingshan once again felt a faint, mist-like Spiritual Power (+10 Spiritual Power).
"Learning success! You have mastered [Qi Drawing Technique], your Rank has been raised to Qi Refinement!"
"Advancement successful, conditions for class selection met, please choose one of the following six classes as your main profession: Sword Cultivator, Body Cultivation, Beast Cultivator, Spiritual Cultivator, Dharma Cultivation, Nether Cultivator. Note, once the main profession is determined, it cannot be changed!"
"Choose Sword Cultivator!"
"Class transfer successful, you have obtained the main profession [Sword Cultivator]!"
"You have gained the professional talent [Specialization]: Without specialization, one cannot succeed. Sword Cultivators who specialize in the Sword Dao cannot transfer to any secondary profession!"
"You have gained the professional talent [Trapped in Formation]: The resolve to be trapped in formation is to face death without surrender. All damage dealt by Sword Cultivators is increased by: Rank x5%. As a balance, Sword Cultivators will not receive any bonus to Stamina attribute!"
"You have gained the professional talent [Sword Technique Affinity] (Primary Level): The experience required for Sword Cultivators to learn and upgrade sword techniques is reduced by 10%, and the experience required to learn and upgrade skills other than sword techniques is increased by 10%; sword technique damage is increased by 5%!"
——————
That is the Sword Cultivator, one of the most distinctive classes in Nine Heavens.
In the eyes of Sword Cultivators, everything in the world hinges on a single sword.
Immortal Cultivation Techniques, or the various arts of cultivation, are not what Sword Cultivators pursue. In their view, what problems cannot be solved by a straightforward sword strike? Why bother with other techniques?
Sword Cultivators have the thinnest health and the most fragile bodies among the main professions in Nine Heavens.
They are the only one of the six main professions that do not receive Stamina attribute bonuses as their Rank increases.
Before class transfer, the conversion ratio between Stamina and Health Points for every player is fixed: 1 Stamina = 10 Health Points.
But, except for Sword Cultivators, after class transfer, other professions receive a 1 point increase in the Stamina to Health Points ratio for every Rank advancement (1 Stamina = 11 Health Points).
For Body Cultivators, who regard Stamina as their main attribute, this increase is even 2 points. It might not seem like much in the beginning, but as the Rank goes up, the bonuses become increasingly significant.
If one reaches the Fifth Rank of Void Refinement in Nine Heavens, at that point, for Body Cultivators, 1 Stamina = 20 (10+2×5) Health Points, while the same Rank Sword Cultivator would still be at 1 Stamina = 10 Health Points, which is double the difference.
That means starting from the Void Refining Realm, each point of Stamina for Body Cultivators is equivalent to two points for Sword Cultivators.
Of course, as compensation for their meager HP, Sword Cultivators receive a significant buff to their attack power.
Sword Cultivators are an extreme class that trades high health for explosive damage, and under the bonus of [Trapped in Formation], they possess unmatched damage output in Nine Heavens. Even the most resilient Body Cultivators cannot withstand the continuous attacks of a Sword Cultivator.
This is a class with very apparent strengths and weaknesses.
Sword Cultivator players are colloquially known as "brutes" or "mad dogs" in Nine Heavens.
The officials of Nine Heavens once conducted a survey to vote for the most popular class in the game; Sword Cultivators won by a wide margin with fifty percent of the vote.
However, it is worth noting that in a survey of the most disliked class by players, Sword Cultivators again claimed the top spot with an overwhelming ninety percent of the vote.
The mechanics of the Sword Cultivator class are very popular among players, simply put, they stand for "flashiness." However, the reason for the dislike by many players is often due to this "flashiness," which can often leave themselves and their teammates utterly frustrated.
Anemic and explosive in damage, these two labels combined on the same class lead to the consequence that in every battle, Sword Cultivators seem to operate under a max-level taunt aura, always becoming the primary target for the enemies—no one dares let a Sword Cultivator freely deal damage.
Sword Cultivators are a class with an incredibly high ceiling but terrifyingly low floor. The gap between high-skill and average players is enormous.
In the hands of a skilled player, a Sword Cultivator often moves through a crowd of enemies untouched, their sword striking fear into gods and men alike, and they are hailed as Sword Immortals!
In the hands of a novice, a Sword Cultivator is like death blowing in the wind, an ever-present companion, a one-way journey from which there is no return. Once they step onto the battlefield, they vanish without a trace—true death without the possibility of life, earning them the nickname "The Orphans."
But whether they are called Sword Immortals or Orphans, Sword Cultivator players can all enjoy the unique joys that come with their path.
What do players seek in a game?
Is it not simply to find joy?
...
After changing his class to Sword Cultivator, Lu Qingshan saw significant changes in his previously empty personal attribute panel:
Lu Qingshan (Human Race)
Profession: Sword Cultivator
Cultivation Technique: [Qi Drawing Technique] Lv1 (0/100) —— [Spiritual Power +10]
Rank: Qi Refinement
Experience Points: 30
Free Attribute Points: 0
Personal Attributes: Strength 1, Agility 1, Mana 1, Divine Soul 1, Charm 1, Stamina 1
Health Points: 20/20
Spiritual Power Value: 10/10
Talents: [Innate Swordseed] (Legendary), [Thick-skinned], [Specialist], [Trapped in Formation], [Sword Technique Affinity] (Primary Level)
Skills: [Heavenly Eye Technique]
__________
In just an instant, Lu Qingshan went from an ordinary person to a Qi Refining Cultivator.
However, to Jie Shi standing nearby, there was no sign of any anomaly; all the changes had occurred in utter silence.
Having become a Qi Refining Cultivator and acquired spiritual power, Lu Qingshan could now use a storage bag.
"What exactly is the situation in the Corpse Refining Cave, how many people are there, and what are their cultivation levels? Give me all the details," Lu Qingshan asked Jie Shi for specific information about the Corpse Refining Cave while playing with Jie Shi's storage bag taken from his waist.
Jie Shi watched Lu Qingshan fiddle with his own storage bag, a shadow flickering in the depths of his eyes, although he answered Lu Qingshan's questions very cooperatively.
According to Jie Shi's account, the scale of the Corpse Refining Cave was much greater than what Lu Qingshan had anticipated.
The master of the Corpse Refining Cave, the [Blood Corpse True Man], who was also the master of Jie Shi and Song Qing, was not the Qi Refining Cultivator that Lu Qingshan had previously imagined, but was instead a veteran Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The reason why the Corpse Pool where Lu Qingshan was located used First Grade strengthening corpse fluid was that the Corpse Refining Cave had a total of three Corpse Pools.
Two were for refining First Grade Corpse Puppets, of which Lu Qingshan's was one, and there was another one for refining Second Grade Corpse Puppets.
A Second Grade Corpse Puppet corresponds to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can refine them.
Knowing the specifics of the Corpse Refining Cave, a sense of relief couldn't help but arise in Lu Qingshan's heart.
Fortunately, the [Blood Corpse True Man] was not at home; otherwise, the chances of escaping from this place would have been slim to none.
To a large extent, Qi Refining Cultivators still belong to the category of mortals; if well-planned, it is not impossible for mortals to kill Qi Refining Cultivators. However, Foundation Establishment Cultivators are a completely different story.
In the world of cultivators, overcoming gaps between ranks is as difficult as climbing to the heavens. The skills that Foundation Establishment Cultivators master, both in number and level, far exceed those of Qi Refining Cultivators.
Furthermore, with the ability to sense others with their [Divine Sense], a Foundation Establishment Cultivator can easily overpower a Qi Refining Cultivator in terms of combat power.
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