The slender Cultivator, entangled by the Wandering Bee Blade in the distance, looked on with eyes wide in fury and despair as his hands flew through a frantic series of seals. "Flower Stone Shield! Rise!"

But it was too late. The second Fireball had already torn through the sky, whistling toward him with terrifying power...

"BOOM—!!!"

After the explosion, all that remained were two charred and fragmented corpses, along with the blackened, shattered pieces of a shield strewn across the ground.

Lin Changheng’s expression was calm. He raised a hand to recall the Wandering Bee Blade and the Jade Bamboo Whip, which darted into his sleeve like a pair of fish.

And with that, all three Tribulation Cultivators were dead.

After more than ten years, Lin Changheng had once again engaged in Magical Combat and reaped a great harvest, effortlessly taking down and slaughtering all three opponents by himself.

Next, of course, was the time to collect his spoils.

Lin Changheng first walked over to where the Sinking Sand Bag had fallen, picked it up, and dusted it off.

This Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact was rather special, and its power was truly impressive. If he hadn’t used his Earth Escape Technique to get away, he would have had to rely on his Middle Grade Defensive Magical Artifact, the Cyan Flood Dragon Banner, to block it directly. It was hard to say how things would have turned out then.

After a satisfied smile, he walked over to the smoldering remains of the burly Male Cultivator with the highest Cultivation and pulled out a Storage Bag.

He then quickly looted the Storage Bags from the other two bodies and picked up the Iron Sword Spiritual Artifact. The shattered Magical Artifact Shield, however, made his heart ache a little.

’That’s Spirit Stones right there.’

Even if he couldn’t use it himself, he could have sold it. After all, in the eleven years before he became a Pill Master, he had lived a hard, frugal life...

’Still, for it to shatter so completely, the Magical Artifact Shield must have already had old cracks and damage. Its value was probably limited anyway.’

Thinking this way made him feel a bit better.

Lin Changheng did a quick sweep of the battlefield to clean up any traces. He then noticed the trees, which had caught fire and were now burning fiercely. Soon, the entire mountaintop could be ablaze.

He immediately pointed a finger. With a "PUFF," the flames were instantly extinguished!

This was the Fire Extinguishing Technique!

’It’s a shame those three Tribulation Cultivators weren’t Fire Cultivators, or I could have really tested this out on them.’

Lin Changheng nodded with satisfaction, though a hint of regret remained. Clutching the three Storage Bags to his chest, he left without any further delay.

As for the three mangled corpses, he had disposed of them cleanly as well.

If they had been intact, he wouldn’t have needed to put in the extra effort.

After all, in the Cultivation Realm, the corpses of Cultivators are valuable.

Their uses were diverse, including Corpse Refinement, harvesting for materials, creating Blood Planting Medicine, and so on.

Any passing Cultivator would have excitedly picked them up.

They would be seen as a gift from nature.

It was worth noting that before disposing of them, Lin Changheng had tried to extract their Essence Blood, but his Primordial Cauldron rejected it, so he had to give up on the idea.

...

「Inside the Ruins Immortal Inn.」

Despite having just gone through a session of Magical Combat, Lin Changheng wasn’t particularly tired. He sat down at a table and poured himself a cup of Spirit Tea.

He took a slow, leisurely sip.

So refreshing!

The rest of the journey back had been fast and smooth, with no stops and no further incidents.

’Finally, I can check out the spoils of war.’

The three Storage Bags were laid out on the table.

He casually picked one up and opened it, his eyes filling with disappointment.

Aside from some Spirit Stones, Elixirs, and Talismans, it just contained common clothes and gear. There was nothing rare or precious.

He put it down and opened another. It was the same story.

They were dirt poor, not very wealthy at all.

Lin Changheng’s excitement, like he was opening a blind box, had mostly vanished. He reached out and opened the last one, which, if he wasn’t mistaken, belonged to the Cultivator at the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

There weren’t many Spirit Stones—about one hundred and twenty of them—but it was much better than the other two bags. They formed a small pile.

However, a pile of half-empty Elixir bottles revealed where his Spirit Stones had gone.

He must have spent them all on Elixirs.

It made sense. Tribulation Cultivators would certainly convert any plundered Spirit Stones and Treasures into resources to strengthen themselves or enhance their Magical Combat abilities.

After all, the life of a Tribulation Cultivator was one of constantly dancing on the edge of a blade. Every bit of extra strength increased their chances of victory and survival.

But what truly caught Lin Changheng’s attention was a large Wooden Box tucked into a corner of the Storage Bag. It was crafted from heavy Sinking Wood, which had the effect of blocking Spiritual Power from leaking out.

The three Spirit Locking Talismans stuck to it further confirmed this fact.

It was most likely something precious.

Slightly excited, he immediately took it out and placed it on the ground.

He tore off the Talismans and opened the lid in one smooth motion. A thick, bloody stench immediately assaulted his senses.

"Hiss..."

It was all Demon Beast Essence Blood!

A deep red glow filled the room. The box was packed to the brim with nearly four hundred bottles!

"Earth Fire Lizard Essence Blood?"

Lin Changheng found the metallic stench somewhat familiar and couldn’t help but mutter to himself in surprise.

He then took out a bottle, a strange light flashing in his eyes as he immediately used his Spirit Detecting Skill to inspect it closely.

"Just as I thought!"

Lin Changheng was suddenly thrilled. He had thought he wouldn’t be able to bring his Earth Fire Lizard Treasure Species to the full Fifth Layer on this trip, but now, just when he’d lost hope, a new opportunity had appeared.

What he didn’t know was that the three Tribulation Cultivators had just been congratulating themselves for not selling this Essence Blood to that red-robed elder, which would have cut into their profits.

And as a result, Lin Changheng had obtained all this Essence Blood without spending a single Spirit Stone!

It just goes to show, the ways of the world are unpredictable, yet often full of pleasant surprises.

"Sweet."

Lin Changheng chuckled softly, his earlier frustration completely washed away. He planned to begin the Spirit Stealing process as soon as he finished taking inventory.

He tallied up the Spirit Stones, which came to a total of just over two hundred.

The various scattered bottles and jars of Elixirs were mostly Tier One Lower Grade, with a few exceptions of Middle Grade.

Furthermore, most of the Middle Grade Elixirs were found in the Storage Bag of the Sixth Layer Qi Cultivation Cultivator.

’So there are clear class distinctions even among Tribulation Cultivators? The wealth gap is quite obvious...’

A strange expression appeared on Lin Changheng’s face as he tutted inwardly.

He did a rough count; the value of the existing Elixirs was around one hundred Spirit Stones.

If all those bottles and jars had been full, the value would easily have been two or three times higher.

’What a pity.’

Adding in the Talismans, various tools, and other miscellaneous items, the total value came to about three hundred thirty Spirit Stones.

Of course, this didn’t include the box of Demon Beast Essence Blood or the several Magical Artifacts.

Among them, there was only one Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact: the Sinking Sand Bag that spewed yellow sand.

The artifact was now ownerless. Lin Changheng washed it with his Magical Power for a moment, easily wiping away the burly Male Cultivator’s mark. He then began to refine it, impressing his own Magical Power Mark upon it.

As he did, he let out a sound of surprise. "Eh?"

’This Magical Artifact is actually a masterpiece among Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts!’

’No wonder its power is so remarkable. It’s likely worth more than three hundred Spirit Stones.’

It could trap enemies in sand, confuse their five senses, and its offensive power wasn’t bad either, capable of breaking through the blockade of two Middle Grade Cold Wind Talismans in a short time.

’Not bad. This is the most valuable item from the three Storage Bags.’

Lin Changheng turned his attention to the Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

There were four of them as well.

The burly Male Cultivator’s Storage Bag also contained a short sword Magical Artifact. Because he was focusing all his Energy on controlling the Sinking Sand Bag, he never had a chance to use it, and it was still collecting dust when he died.

The short Male Cultivator’s Iron Sword Spiritual Artifact and Defensive Jade Pendant were both slightly damaged but still usable. They could be sold for a decent, if not high, price.

As for the slender Male Cultivator, his Flower Stone Shield Magical Artifact had been shattered, but his set of offensive Silver Mo Needles was still intact.