Immortality by Merit and Sin Coins

Chapter 48: Chapter 46: So Embarrassing

The moment he surpassed the thirty-wisp limit, Lin Shu broke through to Mid-stage Qi Cultivation.

And as his Inner Technique reached Perfection, that limit was suddenly raised to a hundred wisps!

This massive increase was like widening a pond several times over without enough water to fill it.

A feeling of profound weakness washed over him.

Fortunately, the Merit Coins didn’t just upgrade his Inner Technique; they also drew in the ambient Spiritual Qi from the world.

A dense white mist whistled in, refilling his parched spiritual pool.

Wisps of white qi rapidly condensed until the count reached one hundred, at which point the changes gradually ceased.

”Hoo!”

Lin Shu felt the immense changes in his body, but there was none of the heart-pounding terror he’d experienced while upgrading the Evil Technique.

A warmth washed over his body, soothing his mind.

He exhaled a stream of air and, surprisingly, felt a wave of drowsiness.

It wasn’t due to exhaustion. Rather, for the first time since arriving in Black Water City, Lin Shu had let his tightly-wound guard down and felt a sense of genuine relaxation.

’Ah, this feels great...’

He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, intending to savor it a little longer.

But as the last White Jade coin vanished, the comfortable feeling was abruptly snatched away. It was as if he had plummeted from the clouds back to the earth.

’Come on, dude. I can accept that you upgrade slowly, but does it have to be this abrupt?’

Lin Shu opened his eyes, speechless, and couldn’t help but grumble to himself.

He sighed and silently calculated the cost.

Getting a Cultivation Technique to Sixth-Grade Perfection took about twenty Sin Coins. In contrast, it took nearly fifty Merit Coins, and that was with the help of Yu Sheng’s Essence Blood.

It was indeed much slower. The Sin Coins were more than three times as efficient.

Following that same ratio, getting the Inner Technique to the Upper Three Grades would require at least three hundred White Jade coins.

’Where am I supposed to find that many people on the brink of death?’

Lin Shu shook his head. If he only saved ordinary people, saving three hundred lives would be a major incident in Black Water City.

But if he saved Cultivators, he might only need a few to get enough.

Wait a minute...

Lin Shu suddenly realized something was wrong and slowly furrowed his brow.

He raised his palm and looked at the pile of Sin Coins suspended in mid-air.

’When did I start crudely measuring a person’s life by its price?’

Lin Shu fell silent for a long time, taken aback by his own thoughts.

’If I let external objects control my Heart Thought, then am I the one cultivating, or am I just working for this pile of coins?’

’I save people because I want to, and I kill people because they deserve it.’

’I’ve already died once. If I still can’t act according to my own conscience, then I’ve truly wasted two lifetimes.’

Lin Shu gathered his thoughts and returned his focus to Cultivation.

Although Merit Coins were a bit slow, they actually had additional uses.

For one, they saved him money.

This round alone saved him nearly a hundred Qi Replenishing Pills.

’I guess each has its own advantages.’

’Inner Techniques of the Lower Three Grades, from Ninth to Seventh Grade, allow for ten to thirty wisps of Qi Absorption when cultivated to Perfection.’

’Based on this, if a Sixth-Grade Inner Technique at Perfection can boost my capacity to a hundred wisps, doesn’t that mean the best Fourth-Grade Inner Technique from the Middle Three Grades could allow for three hundred wisps?’

Even among Mid-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators, the gap between the upper and lower limits of power is immense.

Lin Shu pondered for a moment.

’With the skills I have now, I can’t say I’d be able to crush other cultivators at my level.’

Let alone those Cultivators in the White Tiger Hall who had a shot at Foundation Establishment.

’My power is still not enough.’

With that thought, he disregarded the risk of the White Wolf’s phantom awakening and pressed down on all ninety-one Sin Coins.

’I don’t know when it’s going to wake up anyway, so what’s a few more bites? At least the Immortal Technique I get out of it is mine.’

He used nearly a hundred Sin Coins, intending to fully complete the White Bone Burial Soul Immortal Technique and break through the barrier to the Upper Three Grades!

The black light intensified!

The young wolf was fed again, its body growing stronger. Its fur became dark and glossy, a stark contrast to its original snow-white appearance.

Black Mist swirled between its hairs, causing its body to gradually transform.

The Lone Wolf Howling at the Moon Painting slowly unfurled. It was the same chilly mountain peak wreathed in Black Mist, but the lone wolf’s flesh had been corroded away to a skeleton, and the bone claws covering the mountainside seemed even more terrifying.

But this time, under the protection of the Spiritual Sparrow Qi Eating Technique, Lin Shu actually managed to steady his mind.

He merely felt a slight agitation.

He felt the Immortal Technique in his mind gradually becoming whole, and the system prompts became complete.

The proficiency meter, which had vanished, reappeared.

Dozens of Sin Coins activated at once, finally breaking through the most difficult barrier in the Qi Cultivation stage!

[Qi Cultivation Third Grade. White Bone Burial Soul: Perfection]

Now that the Immortal Technique had reached the Upper Three Grades, even the terrifying efficiency of the Sin Coins began to strain.

Sensing that further progress was hopeless, Lin Shu looked at the dozen or so Sin Coins he had left and invested them in the other Wolf Fang.

He had already experienced firsthand the usefulness of a Pupil Technique.

’Often, to defeat an opponent, you first need to understand what moves they’re using.’

Without the Red Moon Dharma Eye, Liu Zhen’s move to split into three clones would have been more than enough to overwhelm him.

Besides, the Pupil Technique itself possessed some offensive power.

’It’s still worth the investment.’

Just like with the Gloomy Moon Bone Splitting Hand, a dozen or so Sin Coins were enough to successfully raise the Pupil Technique by one grade.

[Qi Cultivation Fifth Grade. Red Moon Dharma Eye: Perfection]

Having used up all his Merit and Sin Coins.

Lin Shu leaned back into his chair. His Cultivation and power had taken a qualitative leap from before he’d arrived at the gambling den.

If nothing else, should he encounter Liu Zhen again, he was confident the man wouldn’t even have a chance to draw his saber.

And he certainly wouldn’t be left as weak as he was last time after killing him.

But Lin Shu didn’t get up immediately. Instead, he rubbed his brow wearily.

He continued to maintain his sickly appearance.

As if to tell anyone watching.

’Sigh, I’m completely spent again.’

...

「It was morning.」

Sifang Street had lost its nighttime tranquility and was once again bustling with noise.

For the common folk, the hours when both the Evil Constable and the Fierce Wolf were resting were the best part of their day.

Everything on the street seemed to be a repeat of the day before.

Hawkers still cried out their wares. Servants and maids, after a long bout of work, took a moment’s rest, sitting by the roadside to whisper amongst themselves. The shopkeepers of the various stores were as jovial and chatty as ever.

But the subject of their idle chatter had changed.

It all revolved around yesterday’s Fierce Wolf.

”I reckon things will go on as usual.”

The shopkeepers shook their heads. Chief Liu’s actions on the street yesterday, and his move against the Zhao Family, all seemed like a warning to them.

A warning to make them recognize who was master of this street.

And the Fierce Wolf’s response had been so calm—cowardly, even—that the outcome was obvious.

”I heard my master say we should stay off the streets for a while,” a servant boy at a courtyard gate said, smacking his lips and lowering his voice. ”That wolf couldn’t get his meal, so he’s starving. I reckon he’s about to start eating people!”

If he can’t get meat, he’ll have to settle for gnawing on bones.

And the small families with no connections? They’re the pork bone that’s already been chewed on four or five times but is about to be ground into dust.

”...”

Chang Yi, his Treasure Saber at his hip, supported a pregnant woman with a haggard, vacant expression as they walked carefully down the long street. ”Ma’am, take it slow.”

He heard the gossip from the roadside but couldn’t find any words to defend Lin Shu.

After all, in their eyes, the Black Water Gang was synonymous with brutality and greed.

Who would believe that this Master Lin had joined the Black Water Gang less than half a month ago, had never once preyed on the common folk, yet was already branded the Fierce Wolf?

”Thank you.”

The pregnant woman’s voice was as faint as a gnat’s buzz, her face pale and bloodless. She was clearly still lost in the grief of watching her husband get beaten to death the day before.

She didn’t plead with Xiaochang for anything more. She knew how much effort this naive Lord Official had already expended just to get her out of jail.

Revenge was not something common folk like them could ever hope for.

”I...” Chang Yi’s mouth was dry, his eyes filled with self-reproach and shame. ”I will clear the Zhao Family’s name!”

He knew the injustice Mrs. Zhao had suffered. Now that Brother Zhao was dead, comforting words seemed meaningless.

”My husband... he aspired to things we weren’t fated to have. You’re still young, don’t be rash. The innocent need no defense. Our family doesn’t need some empty reputation...”

The pregnant woman clutched Chang Yi’s arm, her voice a soft warning.

She didn’t care about innocence, only about her husband’s life. There was no need to put this good constable in danger for something so Illusory and Vague.

As for her own desire for revenge, this young man couldn’t grant it, and few in all of Black Water City could.

’Perhaps only the heavens can deliver it?’

As she thought this, the pregnant woman looked up, her gaze numb. Then, her pupils rapidly dilated.

THUD!

Accompanied by an overwhelming stench of blood, a heavy body plummeted from the second floor.

It crashed to the ground not far in front of them, kicking up clouds of dust.

Gore that had yet to dry splattered across the ground.

It made the corpse—which had only half its flesh remaining, its stark white bones and organs visible beneath—look all the more ghastly!

A wave of silence washed over the entire street, spreading from the scene outward until all was quiet.

All eyes were subconsciously drawn to the spot.

The dead man’s face was torn beyond recognition.

But his Chief Constable’s uniform and the Purple Flood Dragon emblem on its tattered collar were unmistakable.

Whether shopkeepers or street-side servants, their faces were quickly consumed by terror, their limbs beginning to tremble like leaves in the wind.

The dead man... was Liu Zhen!!

”AHHH—”

A deafening scream pierced the street. An account book fell from above, landing on Chang Yi.

He stopped his instinctive reach for his saber and, confused, flipped through a few pages.

Upon seeing what was written inside.

Chang Yi’s expression changed drastically. He snapped his head up toward the second floor, but caught no glimpse of anyone. He then quickly scanned his surroundings.

While everyone else was panicking, one quiet figure stood out.

At an inconspicuous stall on a distant street corner.

A handsome young man had been sitting at a low table for quite some time.

Before him sat a bowl of steaming soy milk. He was unhurriedly tearing pieces from a crispy fried dough stick.

Aside from a bit of grease on his fingertips, his hands were fair and clean, like those of a delicate scholar who had never known a day of manual labor.

Chang Yi stared intently at those hands.

Then he lowered his head to look at the hideous, mangled corpse at his feet. His eyelids began to twitch violently, as if in a spasm.