Chapter 46 - 50

Chapter 46: Silly Girl

"What did you say? You got Scarlet Punishment again?"

Night Demon's voice was extremely shrill, as if his throat had been pinched by a door..

A gaze filled with anger and confusion was directed at Su Chen from underneath a black veil. His voice was rough, "What did you do?"

"It was nothing, really. I just beat Su Qian a little."

"Was it severe?"

Su Chen tilted his head and thought for a moment, then replied, "It wasn't really that bad. I just broke the bridge of his nose, knocked out two of his teeth, ripped his left ear into shreds, poked his eyes so that they swell – he won't be able to see for about three days – and then I broke his right shoulder... I was very proper with my actions. They are all things that are easy to take care of."

Night Demon inhaled sharply. She 1 could imagine Su Qian's appearance and the Su Clan members' anger.

Of course, they all swallowed their anger in astonishment when they heard Su Chen say "I choose the Scarlet Punishment."

On that day, everyone in the Su Clan looked at Su Chen as if they were looking at a crazy man.

They had no way of imagining it, nor did they understand it.

"Why did you do this?" Night Demon asked.

"Because I want to break through. I want to get the Cloud Bat Bloodline, I want to become stronger, and I wanted to unrestrainedly beat the people I want to beat," Su Chen replied.

In some sense, the words that he spoke were all genuine.

Night Demon was left speechless.

After a moment, she said with some difficulty, "For you to return from the Scarlet Mountain Range once does not mean that you will be able to return twice. Do you know what kind of people die the fastest in the Scarlet Mountain Range?"

"Weak people?" Su Chen asked.

"No," Night Demon shook her head. "Weak people know that they are weak. Thus, they never do things that they feel uncomfortable doing. They act carefully, and treat survival as their number one goal, and they will not go to dangerous areas easily. The people that die the fastest are those who have a certain amount of strength and who have a certain level of experience surviving in the mountain range. Having successfully exited the Scarlet Mountain Range before, they feel as if they are already used to the dangers hidden in that place. In addition, because they are stronger than before, they believe that they can go to more dangerous areas. Because they have more confidence, they look down on the danger hidden in those mountains... The moment that they let down their guard is the moment when their death is imminent."

Su Chen shivered.

Night Demon could be pretty silly sometimes, but her words just then were very accurate.

Su Chen was exactly the type of person she had described. After experiencing Scarlet Punishment once and safely returning, he had instinctively underestimated the dangers of the Scarlet Mountain Range. He had already decided that this time he would go deeper into the mountain range and encounter even more Vicious Beasts, saving himself even more time.

This was a very frightening and life-threatening way of thinking. It indicated that he might run into even greater danger.

Perhaps he could escape time after time from many dangers, but as long as he failed once... there would not be any more attempts in the future!

Upon thinking to this point, Su Chen bowed respectfully to Night Demon. "You're right to rebuke me. I looked down on the dangers of the Scarlet Mountain Range and overestimated my own abilities."

Night Demon obviously did not expect Su Chen to listen so carefully to her. She felt pleased with herself. "You're not too bad; at least you are teachable."

She was clearly very proud of her wisdom.

Su Chen secretly laughed.

Night Demon said, "Since it's like this, you don't need to go anymore, right?"

Su Chen shook his head. "I still need to go. After all, I already beat the person, so I back down anyways. What I meant was that my attitude has been adjusted. I will need to prepare myself more and be more careful and prudent, but that doesn't mean that I will give up so easily. Originally, I was only intending on borrowing the Black Streak Battle Blade and the Amethyst Battle Armor, but now it seems that I should still borrow all four of them. Also, you should probably give me more medicines and a few more Cracked Soul Magic Pearls.

Night Demon angrily huffed, "I said so much out of compassion just to change your mind so you'd extort us a little more?"

"Hey, what do you mean, extort, that sounds so ugly. Let's call it mutually benefiting. After all, I am not just taking your items without giving them back; didn't I return everything to you last time?" Su Chen playfully defended himself.

"You haven't returned the consumables yet."

"Hmph, is it not enough that I'll use my own Origin Stones this time? Can't you just calculate the cost of the medicines and Cracked Soul Magic Pearls and treat it as if I had bought them? Of course, they are all poor quality, so they should be cheaper. Last time, when I bought those techniques from you, no matter what I still helped you do business. Now, I really don't have much money anymore."

"This..." Night Demon rubbed her chin. "It's not impossible, but I need to go back and ask first."

The second night, Night Demon reappeared as usual.

She got straight to the point. "The leaders agreed to lend you the four Origin Tools after some discussion as well as give you the medicines and the Cracked Soul Magic Pearls for free. Don't worry, this time they are all good medicines, and you don't need to pay anything for them."

"That good? This can't be true." Su Chen didn't believe that meat pies would fall from the sky like that.

"It's fine as long as you help us take care of something," Night Demon said.

"What thing?"

"Was there a shipment of goods that came to the Su Clan a while ago via the Han River?"

Su Chen laughed, "Are you talking about the shipment of wood that the Shengxing Company just received? Yes, my third uncle Su Feihu was in charge of sending that shipment. What? Does your group have designs on this wood shipment?"

"Of course not, we just want you to help us smuggle some things."

"Smuggle?" Su Chen somewhat understood. "Contraband items?"

"No, just some items we just don't want a few of our opponents to know about."

"If it doesn't conflict with the interest of my uncle's company, I can consider it. However, if the only benefits you have to offer me are some defective tools and medicines on the cheap, it is not enough to convince me."

"What do you want?"

"When I purchased those techniques last time, I had borrowed money from the clan's businesses. Although it wasn't too much, I am still somewhat nervous about the turnover."

"We'll give you three hundred Origin Stones."

"A thousand."

"Hey, we're only asking you to help us carry some things with you!" Night Demon's eyes once again went wide.

Su Chen lazily said, "If you want to pull a clan's Young Master over to your side, you'll have to spend some capital."

Night Demon was stunned for a moment before laughing mockingly, "So you saw through it."

For them to ask Su Chen to carry some goods for no apparent reason, did it really have to be someone from the Su Clan who helped them?

Su Chen didn't believe that.

Why was it that after he had experienced the Scarlet Mountain Range, this mysterious organization would still enthusiastically help him? And why were they willing to even sell an extremely rare Origin Skill like the Soul Eye to him at such a low price?

Obviously, it was to rope him to their side!

When he thought back to Lin Xie, who he had killed, he knew that this organization was roping in people from all over the place.

Some of these people could be Origin Qi Scholars with deep cultivation bases, others could be high-ranking officials, and of course still others could be the Young Masters of clans and sects.

If even Lin Xie, a minor relative of the Lin Clan, had enough value to be roped in, how could Su Chen not have even more value?

In addition, if they won him over, the chance of any information leaking would become lower.

Since someone knew about their secret, and they couldn't kill that person without ruining their plans, then it was best to turn that person into one of their own.

This was also a pretty good path to take.

At the same time, Su Chen had no reason to refuse this kind of roping in.

As he gradually continued to cut ties with the Su Clan, he would temporarily be a youth who could not continue progressing on his own. He truly needed a new backer, even if that organization might potentially bring him problems in the future.

Thus, when he had initially proposed the matter of buying techniques, he had been giving the other party a way out. The other party had very clearly understood and accepted his intentions. Not only had they sent him many valuable techniques, but they had given him a very favorable price. Thus, they were able to continue doing business with each other.

And so, things had quickly progressed to the stage where they tested out the waters while winning him over.

Luring someone in was a step by step process, after all.

"If the bait is large enough, one would swallow it even knowing that it was bait," Su Chen lazily said. His entire attitude was one of 'I'm not worried about being bought out, I'm just worried about whether the price is large enough'.

"Okay then, a thousand Origin Stones. May our cooperation be fruitful!"

"May our cooperation be fruitful," Su Chen similarly replied.

Then he said, "Since we're already friends, you don't have to change your voice when you speak. Let me hear what you normally sound like."

"This..." Night Demon hesitated for a moment.

"Aren't you a woman, was it worth hiding it until now?"

Night Demon opened her eyes wide. "You knew I was a woman?"

Su Chen's reply made her angry.

"Only if you were a woman would anyone be able to tolerate such a stupid guest."

1. Okay, so this probably deserves an explanation. As some of you might have guessed already, Night Demon is a girl. I don't know why the author decided to suddenly reveal this here, but her name is probably more accurately translated as Night Charm (but I felt it would give it away too much). In any case, I don't think a strong female character is a bad thing. In any case, I've translated everything up until this point as "he", but from here on out Night Demon is a GIRL.

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Page 2

Chapter 47: Once More Unto the Scarlet Mountain Range

The day of his departure, the entire clan was there to send him off.

The only difference from last time was that Su Keji could no longer conceal the hatred in his heart. He didn't even bother with basic courtesy anymore. Whenever he looked at Su Chen, his gaze was filled with poison and viciousness. If the clan elder was not present, he most likely would have already rushed forward to teach Su Chen a lesson.

Su Changche's expression was complicated as he stared at this grandson of his.

He spoke after a long while, "I will ask you one more time. Are you absolutely sure you want to choose Scarlet Punishment? You still have the opportunity to back out; if you change your mind, I can arrange another method of punishment for you."

Su Chen shook his head. "Right now, my only desire is to go there."

"Okay." The elder let out a sigh. "Since you have chosen the Scarlet Punishment, let everything be done by the rules. It will not be so easy this time, I can no longer take care of you. I decree a hundred days of Scarlet Punishment. You also need to go to the Eastern Blackpeak mountain and pick a Scarlet Blood Lotus from its peak. It must be the one that opens at dawn, it must have six petals, and its fragrance must be exotic. Seal it in this jade box and bring it back. Then, go to the Hundred Mountain Peak and harvest one log of Ironbirch Wood, no more. Only retrieve the section between the head and the tail of the plant. The roots must have branches with thorns on them. The tree must also not be more than thirty years of age."

The real Scarlet Punishment included a few special assignments in addition to exile. By including these tasks, the offender would have a predetermined route, preventing them from finding a place to turtle up in after entering the forest.

Last time, Su Changche had taken Su Chen's blindness into consideration, as well as the fact that he had voluntarily chosen Scarlet Punishment. In addition, Su Chen's crime was no more than beating a disrespectful underling. Thus, Su Changche had not made any of these requests, implying that it was enough for Su Chen to just survive for a hundred days.

But now that Su Chen had beaten Su Qian and once again chosen Scarlet Punishment, the circumstances had changed.

Even though Su Chen was blind, Su Changche could not possibly give him a way out again.

For a blind person to find a location and harvest certain items, as well as doing so in an extremely treacherous environment, was no easy task. Su Changche wanted Su Chen to know that the Scarlet Mountain Range was not his backyard. It was not a place where he could come and go as he pleased, and it was definitely not a "protective talisman" that he could use after wantonly flying into a rage.

Unfortunately, Su Chen had decisively chosen this "protective talisman" anyways!

"Grandson will remember this."

Su Chen replied with calm confidence, then turned around and left.

As he gazed at Su Chen's departing back, Su Changeche had an inexplicable feeling that the Su Clan was missing something.

It was impossible for him to get rid of this feeling, and his heart became jittery and unsettled, causing his mood to worsen quite a bit.

——————————————

Because this time he had additional tasks that he needed to complete, Su Chen did not choose the path that he had previously taken. Instead, not long after he entered the mountain range, Su Chen began heading in the direction of the Eastern Blackpeak.

The Eastern Blackpeak and the Hundred Mountain Peak were both relatively well-known peaks in the Scarlet Mountain Range and were not difficult to find. However, they were very far from each other, and to go from one to the other required traversing through a large amount of forest. Thus, even if Su Chen wanted to avoid danger, he would not be able to, so instead he advanced bravely, choosing not to worry about encountering danger and preparing himself for any battles that might happen.

His first day in the Scarlet Mountain Range passed by without incident. Because he had moved very quickly, Su Chen encountered a Vicious Beast on the second day. However, this beast was mid-tier, and its strength was similar to the upper limit of the Qi Drawing Realm. Su Chen was forced to immediately flee. Thankfully, the Vicious Beast was not particularly fast, and Su Chen was able to escape.

His opening encounter was unsuccessful, dealing Su Chen's confidence a heavy blow. Once again, he was reminded of what Night Demon had said before.

Su Chen became even more careful.

In his heart, he couldn't help but sigh that his eyes had not yet developed long-range vision. This way, if any dangers appeared, he would be able to see them from afar.

But as he thought about it, he realized that this would make him someone who only bullied the weak and feared the strong. In the future, he would encounter many more dangers, and in order to grow strong, he needed to take them head on as a way to progress.

No matter how one put it, his main goal was still to increase his strength.

In the end, Su Chen did not encounter any other exceptions like that mid-tier Vicious Beast. The fourth day that Su Chen arrived in the Scarlet Mountain Range, he encountered his first low-tier Vicious Beast on this trip – a Mountain Armored Beast.

Using his four Origin Tools, Su Chen easily killed this Mountain Armored Beast.

The blood aura cut sliced the Vicious Beast in two, and the beast's blood drenched the ground beneath his feet.

Upon exercising his Dartfrog Absorption Technique, Su Chen began absorbing the Origin Energy motes that were floating around in the air.

As Su Chen had expected, his rate of assimilation of those Origin Energy motes had greatly increased. Of the thousand or so Origin Energy motes, Su Chen was originally able to absorb roughly thirteen to fourteen. However, with the Dartfrog Absorption Technique, he was able to absorb roughly twenty or so. This implied that every Vicious Beast he killed would raise his strength by two White Stairs, or 0.2 of a Yellow Star. The peak of the Qi Drawing Realm was a hundred Yellow Stars, so as long as he killed roughly five hundred low-tier Vicious Beasts, he would be able to break through.

Of course, this calculation didn't really mean all that much. There would always be loss when assimilating energy, and different Vicious Beasts possessed different amounts of Origin Energy. Even so, Su Chen's cultivation base had greatly increased.

Upon confirming the value of the Dartfrog Absorption Technique to himself, Su Chen no longer hesitated. He continued to head deeper into the Scarlet Mountain Range.

Because he continued to go deeper, Su Chen began to encounter many more Vicious Beasts.

At first, he would only encounter one every two or three days, but very quickly he began to run into different kinds of Vicious Beasts every day.

Since Su Chen was now an official Origin Qi Scholar and possessed four Origin Tools. He was very well-equipped. Not many in the entire Scarlet Mountain Range could compare with him. In one-on-one situations, low-tier Vicious Beasts were basically not his opponent. Encountering Su Chen was the same as sending themselves to their deaths.

However, as Su Chen began to encounter more and more Vicious Beasts, other unforeseen situations also began to pop up.

Su Chen would also occasionally run into a few mid-tier Vicious Beasts or hordes of Vicious Beasts on the prowl.

Whenever Su Chen encountered these kinds of situations, he couldn't help but flee in a sorry state. The Cloud-Stepping Battle Boots were thus his most commonly used Origin Tool.

Night Demon was absolutely correct. The more one's' strength and self-confidence increased, the greater the dangers one would encounter.

The last time he went to the Scarlet Mountain Range, Su Chen had to run away a total of four times. This time, in less than ten days Su Chen had already fled from three different groups, leaving him with a sour feeling.

Perhaps this was also a truth of human life. No matter how one's strength increases, there is always a higher heaven, an insurmountable obstacle ahead.

When faced with these circumstances, some chose to give up, while others chose to continue on without stopping.

Su Chen naturally belonged to the latter group of people.

These unanticipated encounters caused Su Chen to be more careful and prudent, but despite being in the dangerous forest, he would not forget his goal of honing his combat prowess and Origin Skills.

Perhaps it was because these life-and-death battles were drawing out his full potential, but just half a month of experiencing these difficulties caused Su Chen to experience a significant breakthrough in his usage of the Soul Eye. Now, he could use it normally, without enormous amounts of preparation. However, because the Soul Eye was still extremely complex, it would take some time before he could use it as he wished.

This was a unique attribute of soul-type Origin Skills, which was that even if one could cultivate them to perfection, they were very difficult to activate multiple times in a row.

In any case, the progression of his Soul Eye caused Su Chen's strength to once again increase. As long as the Vicious Beast wasn't too powerful, Su Chen could handle them even if two came at him at once.

As his strength increased, he could also choose to fight more often. Correspondingly, the unanticipated encounters that left him fleeing also began to decrease in numbers.

As these unanticipated encounters decreased, the danger would also decrease, and the time that he could utilize would increase. This in turn would boost Su Chen's cultivation base and overall strength, resulting in a positive cycle.

A month after arriving at the Scarlet Mountain Range, Su Chen had already finished the two tasks that Su Changche had left for him. He had also killed twenty four low-tier Vicious Beasts, and he had risen another layer in the Qi Drawing Realm, as well as going from twelve Yellow Stars to seventeen. At the same time, he had also become more and more familiar with the Soul Eye technique.

What made him distinct from other people was that while Su Chen was not in combat, he could focus all his attention on cultivating his Origin Skills, causing his battle prowess to increase in leaps and bounds.

Today, Su Chen found a mountain to climb, and just as he always did, he stood at the peak, scanning his surroundings for any Vicious Beasts that he could hunt.

Just as he was searching, he found that there was a person hurriedly rushing over in the distance. Behind that person were two Rainbow Twin-Tailed Tigers.

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Page 3

Chapter 48: Zhang Yuanliao

The more time one spent in the forest, the more difficult it was to avoid running into others.

During his previous sentence, Su Chen had also encountered a few other people. They would even occasionally exchange provisions and information.

Most people in the Scarlet forests were common hunters. Their strength was not great, but they often had an abundance of survival experience and knew how to avoid danger. They could sense the arrival of Vicious Beasts from very far away and retreat very quickly. Su Chen had learned a method to discover Vicious Beasts from an old hunter. He could find Vicious Beasts using his sense of smell. Otherwise, if he were only to rely on the hit-or-miss method of using his eyes, his success rate would be low and the danger would be great.

There were also a few Origin Qi Scholars like him who were adventuring in the forest and targeting Vicious Beasts.

The young man that was being chased by two Rainbow Twin-Tailed Tigers was an Origin Scholar. Regular hunters were not qualified to be chased down by Vicious Beasts, they would have died before they even knew what happened.

Rainbow Twin-Tailed Tigers were quite valuable because of their hides. Naturally, Su Chen didn't want to let go of the opportunity. Instead of rushing over, however, Su Chen hid in a tree that was in the path of the person who was running away.

The young male furiously ran. As he passed by below the tree, he didn't even notice that there was a person above him. Just as the two Rainbow Tigers were rushing past Su Chen, Su Chen had already dived downwards, landing on the back of the Rainbow Tiger that was trailing. That Rainbow Tiger let out a roar of rage, its twin iron tails smashing towards Su Chen. The Amethyst Battle Armor that Su Chen was wearing began to shine, and the barrier on his back blocked this strike. At the same time, his right hand unleashed a savage attack at the tiger's throat.

The throat was one of the Rainbow Tiger's vital spots. With one attack, that Rainbow Tiger had lost all of its strength, and Su Chen had bound up the tiger. He was actually competing with the Rainbow Tiger in terms of strength. Because he had cultivated the Flowing Wind Body Technique, his strength had greatly increased, allowing him to challenge this Vicious Beast on the basis of brute strength.

When the Rainbow Tiger chasing the other person heard the commotion and turned around it saw Su Chen dominating the other tiger. It instantly gave up chasing the other person and turned around to charge at Su Chen.

"Stop him!" Su Chen yelled, at the same time preparing himself to release the Soul Eye.

Su Chen's eyes released a beam of light, which slammed directly into the eyes of the Rainbow Tiger. The tiger's figure trembled, before it stopped in its tracks, dazed.

At the same time, the person who was running away had also reacted. He hurriedly turned around and struck out with a blade on the Rainbow Tiger's head before it could regain consciousness.

Su Chen's heart ached as he looked on: another good tiger hide had been wasted.

However, his hands exerted even more force, furiously garroting the fierce tiger below him in an effort to choke it out.

The Rainbow Tiger also went all-out. With an enraged roar, it jumped up, and Su Chen and the tiger both were tangled up with each other and began to roll. They continued rolling until they disappeared from sight. The young male who had tried to escape was very anxious, unsure as to who had won.

After a brief moment, the forest once again moved.

A youth walked out from the forest, holding a massive tiger corpse in his hand.

The youth had won.

The young male's heart relaxed.

Su Chen tossed the tiger corpse next to a tree, then began to divide the tiger's corpse. "Have you not finished it off yet? Do you need me to make a move? But if that's the case, then half of that Vicious Beast will be mine."

The young male said loudly, "There's no need, I can take care of it."

As he spoke, his Azure Scale Blade had already let out many streaks of light, causing blood to spurt out from all over the tiger. Su Chen could only shake his head in dismay.

Having been slashed so many times, that skin could be considered completely useless.

After a brief moment, the young male had finally killed the Rainbow Tiger. He sat down instantly, exhausted, then said as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead, "Many thanks. I say, you clearly have a knife. Why didn't you use it? Why use your fists to kill it instead?"

He pointed at the Black Streak Battle Blade on Su Chen's back as he spoke.

"Tiger hides are precious. It's a pity if they get damaged."

The young male laughed, "As someone who can afford to use Origin Tools, you still care about this matter?"

He had seen very clearly that when Su Chen was battling with that Rainbow Tiger, if it weren't for the protection of his Origin Tool armor, Su Chen would not have been able to kill that Rainbow Tiger despite launching a sneak attack on it. Even more, his battle blade and those boots were also strangely shaped. Most likely, they were also Origin Tools

To possess at least three Origin Tools, this was very rarely seen in the entire Scarlet Mountain Range.

Su Chen also laughed, "It seems that even a person without any Origin Tools does not care much for making a small profit."

The young male's face reddened. "It's not that I don't care, I just didn't have confidence that I could finish it off barehanded."

"I am the complete opposite of you. I have the confidence that I can do it. Thus, what determines the style of battle that we have is not our background but rather our self-confidence, right?"

The young male was startled, but afterwards he began to laugh, "What you said is right. My name is Zhang Yuanliao, and I come from the Zhang Clan of Westridge."

"Su Chen, Su Clan of Northface," Su Chen replied as he continued to focus on skinning the tiger.

Westridge was not far away from Northface. They were all considered one region of the Scarlet Mountain Range. However, Westridge was obviously much stronger than Northface. Su Chen had heard of the Zhang Clan of Westridge before. They were an ancient clan that was much stronger than the Su Clan.

"Su Chen? The Su Chen of the Su Clan of Northface?" Zhang Yuanliao was also shocked.

"You've heard of me before?" Su Chen was also slightly shocked. He was not some kind of great figure, yet the other party had heard of him before.

"I have a few friends in Northface and I have heard about your situation. Aren't you supposed to be blind?"

"I didn't say that I could see," Su Chen replied unhurriedly. "Some things can be done even without sight."

Whoosh! As the last tendon was severed by the bone-picking knife, Su Chen lifted his hands, revealing a gorgeous and complete tiger hide that he had meticulously obtained.

Zhang Yuanliao was stunned.

Su Chen had already begun breaking apart the tiger skeleton. He reached his hand inside the tiger corpse. He followed the joints until he found the end, then began to slowly but surely pull it out.

The tiger's spine was the most valuable bone on the Rainbow Tiger's body. It could be used to refine a bloodline medicine or to ferment wine to strengthen one's body. The Rainbow Tiger was still a low-tier Vicious Beast, so using it to refine a bloodline medicine was regarding it too highly, but using it to ferment wine could create extremely high-quality products. Its price was second only to a complete, intact tiger hide.

Zhang Yuanliao shook his hand in front of Su Chen, but Su Chen appeared as if he did not see it at all, as if only the tiger could capture his attention.

"He really can't see... no wonder he had launched an aerial attack earlier. To a blind person, this is truly the best way to do battle," Zhang Yuanliao muttered to himself.

Zhang Yuanliao automatically came up with a new excuse for Su Chen.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yuanliao said, "Our meeting is by fate. In this Scarlet Mountain Range, dangers are everywhere and every step can be fatal. If one loses their concentration for even a moment in this damned place while gaining experience, it's all over. I say, are you interested in working together? That way, if we encounter any Vicious Beasts that have paired up, we won't need to run anymore.

Su Chen shook his head. "I am used to traveling alone."

Being able to see Origin Energy lights was his greatest secret. He did not want others to discover it.

However, Zhang Yuanliao had clearly misunderstood. He glanced at Su Chen's Origin Tools then said, "I know that you have Origin Tools on you and that your combat ability is higher than mine. How about this, you get sixty percent and I get forty percent?"

"It's not a matter of how the spoils are divided." Su Chen shook his head. He had already completely taken out the tiger's entire spine, along with its tail. Next, he slowly began to grope for the tiger's penis1 . This was the Rainbow Tiger's only remaining body part that had any value.

"What if you get seventy percent and I get thirty percent? This should be fine, right?" Zhang Yuanliao did not give up. "Su Chen, I have already given you quite a bit of face. Your eyes cannot see, so if I act as your eyes you will definitely be safer and more relaxed. I'm only doing this to repay your act of saving me."

Su Chen shook his head. "I already said, it's not a matter of how the spoils are divided."

Whoosh! Light flashed off of the blade, and the tiger's penis was cut off.

Su Chen stowed the tiger penis away and said, "If you really want to thank me, help me start a fire and cook the meat. Once we finish eating, we can part ways."

1. Eating the penis of an animal is supposedly able to improve fertility and can also serve as an aphrodisiac. Don't worry, Su Chen's not supplying any weird fetishes xD

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Page 4

Chapter 49: Hiding One's Weak Points

The tree branch that skewered the tiger meat sat rotating over the fire. Sparks flew from time to time as grease dripped into the fire, releasing a tempting fragrance.

The meat of the Rainbow Tiger was extremely fragrant, but it was also quite tough and did not have a great texture. Biting into it was like biting into meat that had been smoked for a long time. Thankfully, Origin Qi Scholars had good teeth. To them, the quality of meat was irrelevant. More important was the amount of Origin Energy that the Vicious Beast contained. Eating it could increase one's ability to absorb, rotate, and utilize Origin Energy. It was a great supplement.

Because heat had ruinous effects on the nutritious value of beast meat, a few Origin Qi Scholars would even choose to eat Vicious Beasts raw.

Su Chen and Zhang Yuanliao could not do such savage things, but they still began to eat as soon as the tiger meat was cooked.

Origin Qi Scholars had very large appetites. They could eat an entire tiger, bear, leopard, etc. in one sitting. This was mostly because they could exercise an absorption technique to help them absorb anything that was nutritious for them quickly. They did not need to wait for their waste to be discharged before they could continue eating. When there was not much food to be had, they could temporarily hibernate, instead absorbing trace amounts of Origin Energy from the air.

This caused them to be very efficient in using resources, and every time they successfully hunted something, they would have a sumptuous meal.

"Here!" Zhang Yuanliao retrieved a piece of meat from the grill that had just finished cooking and gave it to Su Chen.

"Thank you." Su Chen received it and bit into it. His mouth filled with oil, and the fragrance spread very rapidly.

"That's right, why has the Su Clan's Fourth Young Master run into the Scarlet Mountain Range?" Zhang Yuanliao asked.

"Scarlet Punishment," Su Chen indifferently replied.

"Scarlet Punishment?" Zhang Yuanliao was stunned. "What did you do to force your clan to give you Scarlet Punishment?"

"Lots of things... I crippled an underling, beat up an Aunt, and made it so that a cousin of mine couldn't get out of bed for ten days."

Zhang Yuanliao let out a low whistle. "I didn't expect that a blind man would be able to act so viciously."

"It's precisely because I'm blind that I need to act so viciously... Grab their vital points and don't let go!" Su Chen lightly smiled.

Zhao Yuanliao was startled for a moment before laughing loudly, "Good, well said. I brought some wine with me, as brothers we should drink some together."

As he spoke, he pulled out a flagon and two cups from within his sack.

He poured a cup for Su Chen, then poured one for himself. Zhang Yuanliao said, "Come, let us have a toast to commemorate our meeting. Meeting each other in this kind of wasteland was fated!"

Su Chen gently took a sip.

The alcohol was very strong. It burned like fire going down his throat.

"How is it, pretty strong, right?" Zhang Yuanliao laughed, downing the wine in his cup in one gulp, then filling it to the brim.

"I am not used to drinking strong wine." Su Chen shook his head, then lowered the cup of wine. "That's right, why is Senior Brother Zhang here in the Scarlet Mountain Range?"

"Some people discovered starsilver ore in the Halcyon Gorge. They believe that there may be a vein of starsilver nearby. I came to see if I could encounter some good fortune," Zhang Yuanliao replied nonchalantly.

"A Starsilver mine?" Su Chen was also shocked.

Starsilver was a rare metal that Origin Qi Scholars commonly used. It was a first-rate Origin Energy conductor that could be used to construct Origin Tools and refine Origin-related items. It could even be used to supplement one's cultivation.

Starsilver was normally not found in isolated quantities. If some had been found, most likely there would be a mineable vein nearby.

Based on what Zhang Yuanliao said, the person who discovered the starsilver in the Halcyon Gorge was a common hunter. He didn't understand the true value of starsilver; he only thought that it looked pretty, so he brought it with him. Thus, he had not kept it a secret. Once the rumors spread, many people quickly discovered that there could possibly be a starsilver vein in the Halcyon Gorge. Thus, they all went out in search of an opportunity to strike it rich.

Zhang Yuanliao did the same. Once he received notice, he hurriedly entered the Scarlet Mountain Range, hoping that he could obtain his first substantial sum of money in his life.

Although cultivators never lacked money because they could produce their own Origin Stones, from another aspect a cultivator's great need made it so that they lacked money more than anyone else. In addition, producing Origin Stones would affect one's cultivation. A year of hard work would only produce three or four hundred Origin Stones, which was not enough to use. Naturally, Origin Qi Scholars, who were always in need of more wealth, would want to seize any opportunity they possibly could.

The starsilver vein in the Halcyon Gorge was clearly a great, rare opportunity.

"This is also why I wanted to tell you. Although the Halcyon Gorge does not have any master, and anyone who wants to go there can, because of this there is no order or restriction, and there are a lot of disputes. Rules and ethical restrictions do not exist there. Even if one were to do evil things, there most likely would not be any consequences. The evil in one's heart will become enlarged, and the weak will become prey to the strong there. This is why I want to work together with you. If we combine our efforts, we should be able to establish a place for ourselves there," Zhang Yuanliao pleaded. He had not given up on his goal of allying himself with Su Chen.

Su Chen didn't really care. He only responded with an "oh", then continued to eat meat.

"You're not interested?" Zhang Yuanliao was somewhat surprised. "We're talking about starsilver here! A small piece of starsilver is worth tens or even hundreds of Origin Stones!"

"But you need to go there to mine it, right?" Su Chen replied. "I would rather stay here in this forest and battle Vicious Beasts, consuming their flesh and blood, and skinning them for their hides. In addition, I can continue to temper my body and accumulate experience rather than depending on luck while mining."

"That's too slow!" Zhang Yuanliao sighed, "People don't get rich without a windfall!"

"Is that your life's principle?" Su Chen laughed. "Then I cannot agree blindly. Oh right, where is the spice jar? Can you help me grab it? I want to put some more on this piece of meat."

Zhang Yuanliao turned his head around to look, muttering, "Strange, it was just here a moment ago. Where could I have put it?"

Zhang Yuanliao looked around, unable to find it.

"If you can't find it that's fine. In any case, I am pretty much full."

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, let's toast one more time, then we can split up." Zhang Yuanliao lifted the cup in his hand.

Su Chen was not polite either. He similarly forcefully bumped his cup with Zhang Yuanliao's. The two of them simultaneously gulped down the wine in the cup.

Upon drinking the wine in his cup, Zhang Yuanliao threw down his cup and said, "Su Chen, you are a real character. Although you are physically disabled, your will is strong. Even though you can't see, you still dare to come into the Scarlet Mountain Range on your own. I respect you very much."

Su Chen quietly listened to him talk, not continuing the conversation.

Zhang Yuanliao continued, "But unfortunately, although you have ambition and willpower, you are only a youth in the end and are still too naive. You don't have enough experience yet."

Su Chen's expression was calm. "What do Senior Brother Zhang's words mean?"

Zhang Yuanliao darkly laughed. "Do you want to try and see if you can still circulate your Origin Energy?"

Su Chen lowered his head, his blind eyes gazing at his cup. "You drugged the wine? Why?"

"What other reason could it be?" Zhang Yuanliao spread his hands out. "Of course it's because of your Origin Tools. Those are extremely valuable, and yet you as a blind person could safely walk in the Scarlet Mountain Range. How could I not be tempted?"

"So you took action against me? Against your savior?"

Zhang Yuanliao raised his head and laughed loudly, lifting the Azure Scales Blade at the same time. "You're right, you did save me, but so what? After I kill you, who will find out? I reminded you earlier that no man gets rich without a windfall. In these no man's lands, there are no rules or moral restrictions. The evil in man's hearts will also be multiplied. But you were too unskilled and didn't understand what I meant, so how can you blame me?"

As Zhang Yuanliao spoke, his expression revealed a thick killing intent. "A blind person wielding Origin Tools is like a little kid walking in a busy marketplace while holding onto gold. They do not understand how to hide their weaknesses, so how could they not invite disaster on their own head? Since you are going to die sooner or later and others will profit, why shouldn't I be the one that profits!"

As he spoke, he chopped downwards onto Su Chen's head.

This blade strike was both vicious and ferocious. He did not leave any mercy with this strike.

However, he had just taken a step when he discovered that he had no way of controlling his Origin Energy. His entire body felt empty and weak.

"Qi Obstructing Powder?" Zhang Yuanliao was scared stiff.

How did the Qi Obstructing Powder that should have been in Su Chen's stomach end up being ingested by him?

At the same time, Su Chen struck out with a fist. A powerful fist strike laced with Origin Energy slammed onto Zhang Yuanliao's face, sending him flying.

"You weren't poisoned... You switched our wine!" Zhang Yuanliao began to yell fearfully.

Su Chen walked over step by step. It was as if he had walked into Zhang Yuanliao's heart; Zhang Yuanliao felt an immense pressure wash over him.

"I conveniently switched them out when I told you to look for the spices."

"You were on guard against me?" Zhang Yuanliao was extremely shocked.

"To tell the truth, I didn't trust you from the very beginning," Su Chen faintly replied.

"Why not? I don't understand." Zhang Yuanliao lay on the ground, appearing as if he had completely given up, but his eyes were still whirling around.

Su Chen pretended not to see as he continued to reply, "Because you didn't understand gratitude. After I returned from killing that Rainbow Tiger, I said to you that if you needed my help, half of that tiger of yours would belong to me. Do you remember what your reply was?"

"'There's no need'," Zhang Yuanliao said, dazed.

"That's right, 'there's no need'," Su Chen laughed. "Do you not think that you are quite greedy? After all, I had just saved your life, but you weren't even willing to split half of a Rainbow Tiger with me. If the person I had saved had any conscience, their response probably would have been: you saved me, everything here is yours – these kinds of words, right?"

Zhang Yuanliao was stunned. He could not speak.

However, three purplish-black darts silently appeared in his left hand. One glance and it was apparent that those were poisonous darts.

"Of course, what I cared about wasn't a tiger, but rather what this matter implied. This lack of gratitude meant that no matter what that person did, it would not be surprising."

"So it was like that," Zhang Yuanliao bitterly laughed. "I truly am a scoundrel, and I truly did not feel any gratitude. No wonder I was seen through by a blind person. However..."

Zhang Yuanliao dragged out his words. His tone suddenly became violent. "This doesn't mean that you've won!"

Whoosh!

Three poisonous darts flew towards Su Chen, headed for various locations on Su Chen's body.

This attack was extremely fast, and the angle it was shot from was strange. Evidently, Zhang Yuanliao had spent a lot of time bitterly practicing this technique.

Just as the poisonous darts flew into the air, the Cloud-Stepping Battle Boots on Su Chen's feet flashed with light. He flew into the air like smoke, avoiding one of them, then twisted in midair to avoid another one. The remaining one he could not dodge, but Su Chen suddenly did a 180 in midair, his back facing the dart. The Amethyst Battle Armor shone, and the last poisonous dart landed directly on the barrier, falling to the ground with a 'ping'.

Zhang Yuanliao's heart sank into despair. This definitely was not something that a blind person could do.

He suddenly realized the truth and began to shout with surprise and fear, "You aren't blind! You aren't blind!"

The corner of Su Chen's mouth quirked upwards in a contemptuous smile as he gazed coldly at Zhang Yuanliao.

"Four years ago, I encountered an old man. He said that I had a sharp mind, but that I didn't know how to hide my weak points nor keep a low profile. Thus, he exchanged my eyes, allowing me to see more. At the same time, he helped me to see the world's true nature. Thus, from that time on, I began to learn what it means to hide my weak points, and what it means to keep a low profile... Have a good journey!"

"NO!!!" 1

As Zhang Yuanliao screamed in despair, the blade fell.

1. Three exclamation points! Whoa.

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Page 5

Chapter 50: Li Shu

Zhang Yuanliao had died.

Felled by the blade of Su Chen.

Because Zhang Yuanliao had been poisoned by the Qi Obstructing Powder, killing him had not used too much of Su Chen's energy. However, Su Chen still felt uncomfortable about murdering another man.

This wasn't his first time killing someone, but when he killed Lin Xie, all of his attention had been focused on escaping. He had no time to contemplate what he had done.

Although his opponent had been a scoundrel, and although there was no one who would know about his actions, Su Chen's still felt extremely uncomfortable in his heart.

"You'll get used to it," Su Chen muttered to himself as he held onto a tree.

He stared at the corpse for no reason other than to force himself to get used to the scene of a person drenched with blood.

After a long while, the glistening red of the blood was no longer as piercing to Su Chen as it was before. Su Chen then walked over, and pulled a ring off of Zhang Yuanliao's hand.

Upon retrieving the ring, Su Chen first tried infusing a strand of Origin Energy into it, only to see that there was no response. Upon further inspection, Su Chen noticed a small mechanism on the face of the ring, and pressed it. A separate, independent space appeared before his eyes, confirming his suspicions; this was indeed a spatial ring.

The area the ring connected to was not large, totalling about three cubic meters. Inside were a few changes of clothes, some bottles of wine, a little bit of pure gold and some medicinal vials. One of them Su Chen had seen before; it was the Qi Obstructing Powder that Zhang Yuanliao had given to him. Finally, the last item was a demonic face mask.

Indeed, it was a spatial storage ring. However, it was just a regular spatial ring with no Origin Energy storage capabilities. Su Chen sighed.

The first time he had met Zhang Yuanliao, he discovered that he did not carry a bag with him. Thus, Su Chen suspected that he had a spatial storage ring. When drinking wine, Zhang Yuanliao had taken the Qi Obstructing Powder directly out from his spatial ring to poison Su Chen, which had verified his guesses.

Unfortunately, it was just a ring without Origin Energy storage capabilities.

A ring lacking Origin Energy storage capabilities was generally produced using the lowest-quality ingredients. It could only store regular goods, and could not contain anything with Origin Energy. If anything with Origin Energy was placed inside, such as Origin Tools, Origin Stones, or even other Origin-related ingredients, they would all affect the stability of the vacant space, causing it to fall apart. These rings were known colloquially as storage rings, to differentiate them from the higher quality spatial rings that could store Origin Energy Tools and ingredients. Su Chen's act of infusing a small quantity of Origin Energy was already a risky tactic, but thankfully the amount that he infused was very low, and he had done it to get rid of the seal, so nothing bad happened.

Because of this, this kind of storage ring could not be sealed. Anybody could open it directly by pressing the mechanism on its face.

However, even this kind of ring, where the space was small, there were many limitations to what could be stored, and there was no protection was still quite valuable. Based on what Su Chen knew, they sold for no less than six hundred Origin Stones.

In the past, Su Chen had wanted to buy one, but after careful consideration he felt that having six hundred Origin Stones was more important to him. Buying a flashy ring was not worth using the money for instead of to increase his strength. Although it was slightly inconvenient to carry a large sack everywhere, it was better than lacking an Origin Skill in a critical moment. When he had saved enough money, then he would consider the matter of buying one once more.

In the end, he hadn't even saved up much money before a storage ring appeared in his hands.

Su Chen inspected the ring for a moment to confirm that there were no hidden traces of Zhang Yuanliao's imprint remaining. In reality, this kind of product that would constantly change hands was not great for leaving behind any imprints. Thus, he received it.

It just so happened that he had obtained quite a few beast hides over the past few days. He placed them all inside, and suddenly felt much less encumbered.

Of course, Su Chen didn't put everything in there. He kept his most commonly used items in the sack he carried, but the formerly large sack had become a small sack. People glancing at him would believe that he was not likely to have a storage ring, and they would not be covetous of him. Su Chen then camouflaged the Black Streak Battle Blade and covered the Amethyst Battle Armor with some clothing, then left. Only the Cloud-Stepping Battle Boots were slightly problematic. The Origin Skill of these boots did not allow anything to cover it up. Otherwise, the circulation of Origin Qi would be disturbed, so Su Chen could only leave the item as it originally was.

Upon finishing these tasks, Su Chen put on the demonic face mask, then headed for the Halcyon Gorge.

On this trip to the Halcyon Gorge, there would be many people and many eyes. Su Chen did not have the confidence that he could pretend to be a blind person the entire time. To prevent others from discovering that Su Chen was not blind, the best method was to hide his identity.

This mask would be quite useful.

————————————

The Halcyon Gorge was located in the eastern forests of the Scarlet Mountain Range. It was about a three-day journey from the Scarlet Grand Canyon.

The Scarlet Grand Canyon was the dividing line between the human race and the beast race. South of the canyon was the territory of the human race, while north of the canyon belonged to the beast race.

Since humans settled here, Origin Qi Scholars only conducted activities in the southern area of the Scarlet Mountain Range. The Vicious Beasts that they hunted were also ones that had gone through the canyon.

No one dared to go to the north. That place was the heaven for the beasts, but hell for humans.

For it to be three days away from the Scarlet Grand Canyon meant that the Halcyon Gorge was in the middle of the eastern side of the Scarlet Mountain Range.

That place had more Vicious Beasts, and their levels would also be higher.

After walking for two days, Su Chen finally arrived at the Halcyon Gorge.

The gorge was covered in a verdant, dark green. The entire mountain was covered in dense, bluish-green birch trees. No wonder it was called the Halcyon Gorge.

A small green river snaked out from a faraway forest, forming a long stream.

The stream and the beauty of the gorge formed a union, creating the beautiful scene of water flowing down a mountain.

However, a certain life-form ruined this natural beauty and harmonious scenery.

Humans.

Inside the gorge, humans traveled back and forth everywhere. As far as the eye could see, there were hundreds of people hustling and bustling in the small gorge.

They slowly fumbled around the river. Some had setup sieves, incessantly digging up large amounts of river silt, searching through it. Some held shovels and would begin digging as soon as they found an exposed piece of earth. Still others climbed into a mountain cave, searching for any starsilver that might be there. In hopes of striking it rich, their entire bodies had become covered with mud and earth.

Of these people, there were Origin Qi Scholars, Martial Artists, common hunters, and even regular people.

Upon seeing this scene, Su Chen was somewhat amazed.

"Motherfucker, how did the news spread to this point already?" cursed a big bearded man who was standing not too far away from Su Chen.

Obviously, he had also just arrived at the Halcyon Gorge with dreams of making it big here. However, what he saw was the disappointing scene of a huge group of people all trying to do the same thing.

Countless people were here farming, doing business, not doing business, etc. They had all come to try their luck in quenching their thirst for riches. Some were sifting river silt, some were mining near the mountain, some were mining in caves, each displaying their ability; it just depended on whose luck was best. Occasionally, some would yell out "found some", causing a large group to flock to them. The situation was very chaotic. Even more people would remain silent if they found any, pretending as if they hadn't discovered anything.

"Hey, isn't this starsilver supposed to be a mineable vein? Why are there people sieving silt from the river?" someone asked, confused.

"That's because it isn't high-grade starsilver ore; it's low-grade starsilver ore," someone else said.

Everyone followed the voice, only to see that the person speaking was a shriveled middle-aged man with a few wispy beard hairs on his chin and a pair of wily eyes. He was not very tall, and paired with his beard and expression, the impression he gave others was like that of a rat.

"High-grade ore? Low-grade ore? Is there any difference?" the big bearded martial artist asked.

That person ignored him, however, instead looking at Su Chen and laughing, "High-grade starsilver ore is usually quite large and are found in the mountain ranges, which requires mining. Low-grade starsilver ore exist in much smaller chunks, some perhaps only the size of a fingernail. This place was originally a depository of low-grade starsilver ore, and a few hundred years ago there was an earthquake, causing a lot of the mountain to fragment. Large amounts of mountain rock landed in the river, so both the mountains and the river have ore. The mountain has low ore but it's all close to each other, while the water has lots of ore but it's fragmented. Thus, no matter where you go you can obtain starsilver. It just depends on your personal preferences."

"Hey, you motherfucker, I'm asking you a question. Why are you talking to him!" The big bearded martial artist flew into a rage upon seeing that he had been ignored. He reached his hand out to grab the male that had just spoken.

The male hid behind Su Chen and pointed at the martial artist, saying, "You dare to make a move in front of an Origin Qi Scholar? Aren't you a little too brave?"

Origin Qi Scholar.

The big bearded man froze.

In the next instant, he had flown into the air. He flew over a hundred feet before crashing into the ground.

The bystanders only glanced at what had happened before lowering their heads and going about their own business. They paid no attention to it.

In this kind of place, where people were fighting for riches, scenes like what had just happened occurred daily and were not surprising. As long as nobody was killed, people usually wouldn't pay much attention.

That was especially if the one making a move was an Origin Qi Scholar.

Regardless of where one was, Origin Qi Scholars were all high-status existences.

Having shaken off that unaware martial artist, Su Chen asked with some curiosity, "How did you know I was an Origin Qi Scholar?"

The male laughed. "Who else but Origin Qi Scholars can enter the Halcyon Gorge alone? Your boots also gave you away."

Indeed, it was still his boots that had given away. Su Chen was not surprised. However, this person was quite perceptive. He had been able to notice him, discover the nature of the boots, and confirm that he was an Origin Qi Scholar in such a short period of time.

"Who are you, and what did you come here to do?" Su Chen asked.

"Aren't you also here to mine some starsilver? This little one's name is Li Shu. I have been in the Halcyon Gorge for a few days, and I am quite familiar with everything that happens here. For only one Origin Stone, this little one is willing to serve you for five days.