Chapter 3

Since the first seal was broken by killing the pangolin beasts, Lin Haoming naturally wouldn’t miss any opportunity to kill them. However, apart from Li Shun Tian, no one else would deliberately give him the chance to kill the pangolin beasts, so Lin Haoming could kill at most four pangolin beasts a day.

Every time he killed a pangolin beast, Lin Haoming would say a few words. After killing them for five or six consecutive days, he sometimes felt the merit bead react, but it still didn’t break the second seal of the spirit-gathering bead.

However, on the seventh day, while slaughtering the second pangolin beast, the merit bead finally reacted again, and the second seal of the spirit-gathering bead was broken.

After the seal was broken, Lin Haoming immediately sped up his actions. After finishing his work, he quickly ran back to the stone room.

Li Hai Ying watched as Lin Haoming activated the array again, a cold look passing through his eyes.

Beside him, his follower Bao Wen Liang immediately flattered, "Senior Brother Li, I think Lin Haoming is afraid of you. He’s worried about being ambushed when he’s alone, so he activates the array."

"I understand that, but I’m worried about the spirit stones he’s using to activate the array. The array consumes one spirit stone every ten days, three per month. One spirit stone can be exchanged for three qi-moving pills or one qi-gathering pill. That’s three qi-gathering pills gone every month!" Li Hai Ying said unhappily.

Li Hai Ying had already considered Lin Haoming’s things as his own, while Lin Haoming continued to absorb spiritual energy diligently. Indeed, after the second seal was broken, Lin Haoming felt that the spiritual energy contained in the spirit-gathering bead had increased significantly.

From the moment he entered the stone room until the next day when someone called him to work, it took seven or eight hours, but the spiritual energy in the spirit-gathering bead was not depleted. Lin Haoming knew that he now had an endless supply of spirit stones for cultivation, with the only drawback being that these spirit stones couldn’t be taken out and used.

Of course, even so, Lin Haoming was very satisfied. His current goal was to quickly advance his cultivation to the seventh layer of the Qi Condensation stage. Only by reaching the seventh layer, the later stage of Qi Condensation, would he have some self-preservation ability against Li Hai Ying.

In the following days, Lin Haoming would immediately return to cultivate after completing his work. Although he still talked to the pangolin beasts every day, the merit bead never reacted again.

Although the seal of the merit bead was not broken again, Lin Haoming successfully advanced to the seventh layer of the Qi Condensation stage three days before the end of the month, making him a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.

Although Lin Haoming’s cultivation had improved, he didn’t want others to know. The old ancestor had taught him many cultivation techniques, including one to conceal his aura. Although this technique wasn’t very good and could be seen through by even a Foundation Establishment cultivator or a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, he believed that his fellow workers in the slaughterhouse wouldn’t notice.

Of course, the slaughterhouse was a name Lin Haoming gave it. The actual name was the Floating Pagoda Cave, which didn’t just slaughter pangolin beasts. Lin Haoming and his twenty-odd colleagues were responsible for slaughtering pangolin beasts, while hundreds of others were responsible for slaughtering other spirit beasts.

In these days, Lin Haoming didn’t just focus on cultivation. He secretly gave some qi-moving pills to Li Shun Tian, asking him to find out about Hai Fu Tong and Li Hai Ying.

The qi-moving pills were still useful when Lin Haoming was at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, but they were of little use at the seventh layer, so he didn’t feel bad about using them.

Li Shun Tian, having received the benefit, worked hard and soon found out that Hai Fu Tong had left because his cultivation was about to break through to the late-stage Qi Condensation. He was only in his early thirties and wanted to try to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

As for Li Hai Ying, he took over from Hai Fu Tong because he had secretly given benefits to Kong Xiang Ming, the overseer of the Floating Pagoda Cave.

Kong Xiang Ming was a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator. To get a Foundation Establishment cultivator to speak, it would cost at least several dozen spirit stones.

Lin Haoming thought that even if Li Hai Ying took over the position, it would take him two or three years to recoup the cost of several dozen spirit stones, and that was if he didn’t cultivate. If he had that many spirit stones, he could use them to cultivate and might have a chance to reach the late-stage Qi Condensation in one or two years, rather than suffer here.

After much thought, he believed that Li Hai Ying might have gone through someone close to Kong Xiang Ming.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know many people, and what Li Shun Tian had found out was already quite good. He probably wouldn’t know more.

Before long, it was time to distribute the monthly stipend. Over twenty cultivators stood together.

Facing them were Hai Fu Tong and Li Hai Ying, and a tall, thin man stood between them, indicating his special status.

"Everyone, this is Senior Kong’s disciple, Situ Ping, Senior Brother Situ. Today, Senior Brother Situ has an announcement to make!" Hai Fu Tong introduced him to everyone.

When Lin Haoming saw Situ Ping, he paid more attention to the inner disciple’s clothing and the storage bag at his waist.

The inner disciple’s clothing was a low-grade magical tool with an array inside, providing warmth in winter and coolness in summer, as well as some protective effect. Ordinary weapons couldn’t cut through it. As for the storage bag, it alone cost at least thirty to fifty spirit stones, not to mention the accompanying flying magical tool.

All the equipment together cost at least a hundred spirit stones, making inner disciples much better off than outer disciples.

In fact, for the Blood Refinement Sect, outer disciples were just called disciples in name. In reality, they were just laborers, so all outer disciples wanted to become inner disciples. However, only a few out of ten could make the transition.

When the old ancestor was alive, he had this equipment, but after the old ancestor died, he was quickly kicked out of the inner disciples for some reason. To re-enter the inner disciples, he would either need to be taken in by a powerful senior or cultivate to the late-stage Qi Condensation within sixty years, as there was still a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage within that time. After sixty years, even a cultivator’s body would start to weaken, making the Foundation Establishment stage almost impossible.

Situ Ping’s small eyes scanned the crowd, and he said indifferently, "Your former overseer, Hai Fu Tong, Senior Brother Hai, has decided to enter seclusion to break through to the late-stage Qi Condensation. The overseer’s position will be taken over by Li Hai Ying. Do you have any objections?"

Hearing this, many people looked at Lin Haoming, but he didn’t speak.

Situ Ping’s eyes also swept over Lin Haoming but remained indifferent. "Since there are no objections, this matter is settled. Overseer Li, please distribute the stipend!"

Hearing Situ Ping’s words, Li Hai Ying smiled and took a cloth bag thrown from Situ Ping’s storage bag.

When the bag was opened, it contained a pile of spirit stones and a jade bottle.

This month was a big month for the Blood Refinement Sect’s cultivators because they received spirit stones, even though it was only one, it was extremely precious.

At this moment, Lin Haoming was the first to step forward, smiling and extending his hand, "Overseer Li!"

Li Hai Ying looked at Lin Haoming, who was the first to come forward, clearly trying to challenge him. His eyes flashed with a fierce look.

However, with Situ Ping still there, he didn’t dare to do anything to Lin Haoming. Instead, he smiled and handed him a spirit stone and three qi-gathering pills, though the meaning behind his smile was clear.

After receiving the items, Lin Haoming immediately ran to Hai Fu Tong and handed the spirit stone he had just received to him, saying, "Senior Brother Hai, thank you for your care. Please accept this small token of my gratitude!"

PS: Early update, continue to support, votes, and collections. Readers, your support is the greatest motivation for me!

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