I Don't Have Any Talents In Cultivation

As the sword qi gushed into his head, Luo Hong's sight turned blank and blurry.

A moment later, a keen energy moved rapidly inside his body, stinging every inch of him.

He grunted in pain, but he realized that his mind was clearer than ever. He could even feel the trajectory of the rapid intense energy within his body.

Kakroom!

Energy vortices slowly formed around the study and they were swirling around Luo Hong. Bits and pieces of energy were seeping into his body, expanding his meridians.

He was so distracted that he did not notice that the human skin manual on the table was glowing and floating in the air as though it had turned into a conductor that guided the energy into his body.

…

In the backyard, Butler Chen's eyes looked stern and clear as he was surrounded by snow-white sword qi.

The servants, who were working in the backyard, were sent away because he could not afford to be disturbed.

As the white sword qi grew denser and swirled quicker in the air, it formed the diagram of a human body, more specifically, its meridian paths.

"Master Luo, you once said that you want your son to live a normal life, but he has already stepped on the path of cultivation. Since he has already started, he can't afford to be slower than others."

As Butler Chen took a deep breath, his green robe was fluttering while the sword qi grew stronger. "Today, I will help the young lord activate his meridians remotely!"

Butler Chen put his hands together, and the countless swords qi converged and turned into a long white snake.

As the snake hissed, its mighty presence swept across the sky, and after an unknown amount of time, the white sword qi slowly faded.

The backyard returned to normal, only to be filled with Butler Chen's coughs.

"Cough, cough. His meridian path is really powerful and dominating, as expected of Master Luo's son. The young lord is really a genius. Activating the meridian path remotely is really demanding. It almost depleted my energy…"

His grumbles sounded like he was complaining, but at the same time, anticipating.

…

Luo Hong felt like he was being fried in a boiling pot of oil. The excruciating pain almost knocked him out cold.

After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes and saw that the sky was already covered in glittering stars while the eastern sky was growing brighter. 

He had perspired heavily, but the sweat had dried up after so long, causing his clothes to stick to his body. His clothes were also tainted by the blood that oozed out from his follicles. He looked as dishevelled as when he had crawled back from the mass grave.

Luo Hong looked at the Sword Qi Manual on the table only to find out that it had disintegrated into dust.

A thought entered his mind, and he quickly took the human skin manual out. He flipped it to the character statistics and noticed that there were some changes.

Character: Luo Hong

Level: 1

Sin Level: -29

Title: Little B*stard

Race: Man (Mortal)

Cultivated Arts: Phantom Shadow (Incomplete), Sword Qi Secret.

State: Ninth Rank (Jusha), Ninth Rank (Sword Qi)

Luo Hong stared at the changes and gasped deeply. He did not even care about the negative Sin Level anymore.

"The Sword Qi Secret has been added to my Cultivated Arts, and a new Ninth Rank Sword Qi has appeared under my state…This must be the Sword Cultivation category!"

The addition meant that Luo Hong had become a sword cultivator.

He recalled the excruciating pain that had tortured him for the whole night. His meridians had felt like they were being torn apart, and it had frightened him quite a bit.

On the contrary, he did not feel any pain when he cultivated the Demon Cultivation Arts.

"The righteous Sword Cultivation is too much for me. It's torture. I think I should concentrate on being an antagonist and increase my Sin Level for the special prize. I'll be able to get everything that I want then."

Luo Hong leaned back on the chair as he pondered.

Rumour had it that a genius cultivator could cultivate with ease. It would be as easy as eating and drinking, yet Luo Hong had gone through hell and felt like he had been deep-fried.

"Maybe I really don't have any talent in cultivating." He shook his head. "If that's the case…"

He could rely on the evil Demon Cultivation Arts to become stronger without pain and suffering, so why must he put himself through that much pain?

…

Outside Anping County, in the Heiyun Stockade of Mount Heiyun.

The entire stockade was lit up with torches and braziers, becoming a beacon of light in the night.

Zhao Donghan was moving forward slowly in the bushes, making his way to the stockade.

The stockade was noisy and lively, and around the giant bonfire in the center were men drinking with one another, causing the place to reek of alcohol.

When Zhao Donghan squinted his eyes, the scar on his face made him look ferocious in the dark. He got up and nimbly snuck into the stockade.

His young lord only wanted him to find out where the bandits were, but he did not leave even after having located the entire stockade. He ought to find out how strong the bandits in Heiyun Stockade were.

Zhao Donghan hid in a dark corner inside the stockade and his eyes were locked on the bonfire. He noticed that beside the main seat at the bonfire was a woman in revealing attire. Her long, fair legs were crossed as she smiled and drank with the leader of the bandits.

The alcohol trickled down her snow-white chin and then her collarbones, complimenting her sexy and charming features. The other bandits' eyes widened at her attractive body and they drooled over her.

Zhao Donghan did not look at the woman because he was concentrating on the bandit leader instead.

"Eighth Rank Steel Bone!" It was just a glance, but Zhao Donghan's blood was boiling. He did not expect the leader of Heiyun Stockade to be this strong.

At the same time, he also sensed several other cultivator's presence among the stockade. There were obviously several other Ninth Rank Copper Skins around.

Zhao Donghan looked dismal as he concluded his observation. He did not linger and chose to leave quietly.

However, little did he know that the coquettish woman in the revealing attire was staring at the spot where he had been standing when he left.

…

When Zhao Donghan went back to the Luo Residence, Luo Hong was having breakfast in the living hall. He was stuffing fried bread dough into his mouth. 

Luo Hong bolted up happily when he saw Zhao Donghan.

Travel-worn, Zhao Donghan's eyes seemed energetic when he finally came back. He bowed with cupped fists in front of Luo Hong and said, "My young lord, I've located where Heiyun Stockade is as ordered."

"You really found it?" Luo Hong asked in excitement.

Zhao Donghan nodded vigorously.

"Nicely done!" Luo Hong grinned happily. Since he now had the location of the bandits, he could carry out the next part of his evil plan.

He brought Zhao Donghan to the study and even pulled a chair out for the man himself.

While Zhao Donghan was flattered, Luo Hong was not concerned about his reaction. He sat in the chair and started thinking.

It had been three days since he exchanged for the consolation prize, hence the Prize Pool would be updated in another two days. He strongly believed he must do something significant to bring his Sin Level back to a positive number. Therefore, he had to join the bandits as soon as possible.

He laid a piece of paper on the table. After he dipped the brush into the ink, he started writing a letter.

The contents of the letter were simple. He simply wrote down his intention to join the bandits.

"Zhao, the next mission that I am about to give you is even more difficult than locating them. I need you to hand this letter to the chief of the bandits in Heiyun Stockade," Luo Hong said. "Tell him that I want to join him in Heiyun Stockade."

Before Zhao Donghan could enjoy sitting down on the chair that his young lord pulled for him, the words entered his ears and he bolted up right away, as if he was sitting on a bed of needles.

"My young lord, what are you talking about? No, no! This can't happen!" As Zhao Donghan grew anxious, the scar on his face twitched.

Luo Hong reacted with a gloomy look. "I'm giving you this task because I trust you. I have my own reason. All you need to do is follow my orders."

Zhao Donghan's mind spun rapidly after he heard Luo Hong's explanation. 'Is the young lord trying to infiltrate the stockade by joining them and seizing the opportunity to take revenge from the inside? But those bandits are ruthless men! They've killed and plundered many. He's throwing himself in harm's way!

'More importantly, the chief bandit is a martial cultivator with Eighth Rank Steel Bone! If something goes wrong, ten young lords might not even be enough to take down the chief!'

Even though he knew what his young lord was trying to do, he could not help but feel anxious.

Then, he suddenly remembered the manual that Butler Chen had told him to hand to the young lord. His eyes gleamed and he quickly understood the situation.

'The Sword Qi Secret was written by Lord Chen himself and is one of the best cultivation manuals that has ever existed. If the young lord is this confident, it must only mean one thing: he has mastered the Sword Qi Secrets!

Gasp!

'Did the young lord activate his meridians and cultivate the way of the sword overnight? He really is a genius!'