Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Purple Mist Saber Technique, Entering the Hall

After breaking through to the next Realm, Su Bai felt his strength surge once more, his entire body brimming with inexhaustible energy.

Of course, Su Bai knew this was just an illusion, a side effect of his breakthrough.

With a kip-up, Su Bai leaped from his bed!

He moved about the room, throwing a flurry of unrhythmic punches and running back and forth.

Only then did he stop, satisfied.

’Compared to the Body Cultivation First Layer, my strength and speed have increased significantly. I’m now strong enough to take down any common street thug.’

Of course, he could only handle ordinary thugs and criminals who had no Cultivation.

He currently only possessed brute strength without any specific Martial Arts Skills, so he was no match for a Martial Artist who trained properly.

He reckoned that among all Martial Artists at the Body Cultivation Second Layer, he was probably one of the weakest.

Of course, he wasn’t in a hurry to obtain Martial Arts Skills.

’There are plenty of Martial Artists with profound Cultivation in the prison. Even Uncle Da has the Cultivation of a Tongxuan Ninth Layer expert!’

The Great Xia Prison housed countless criminals. If the veteran Prison Guards didn’t possess powerful Martial Arts, how could they possibly control them?

’According to Uncle Da, he once swept through all enemies of the same realm with his formidable Iron Sand Palm!’

’I should find a chance to learn a few moves from Uncle Da.’

An idea struck Su Bai, and he smiled.

Though Li Da was probably boasting a little.

But it was clear Li Da was extremely confident in his Iron Sand Palm. He had to have some real skill.

Su Bai checked his status and saw that breaking through to the Body Cultivation Third Layer required three hundred Experience Points.

’At my current rate, I’ll only need thirty hours at most to gather three hundred Experience Points.’

And if the pattern held—an additional one hundred Experience Points for each new layer in the Body Cultivation Realm...

Su Bai did a quick calculation. To break through to the Body Cultivation Ninth Layer, it would take just over half a month, all told.

After that, he could start preparing to break through to the Tongxuan Realm.

That cultivation speed was astonishingly fast.

’Looks like... I’ll need to learn a technique to conceal my aura in the future.’

Su Bai’s head cleared. He didn’t let his rapid cultivation speed go to his head.

His Martial Dao aptitude was known to be poor. If he didn’t conceal his progress, such an abnormally fast cultivation rate would surely arouse suspicion if exposed.

People would assume he was practicing some strange Demon Skill, or that his body had been possessed by a Demon Fiend.

Even the Great Xia Demon-slaying Bureau might come to apprehend him!

If the Demon-slaying Bureau captured him and sliced him up for research, it would be too late for regrets.

’Lay low! I have to lay low!’

Su Bai took a deep breath, reminding himself over and over.

In his past life, he had loved playing MOBA games on his phone, often as the marksman, so he knew the importance of staying safe and farming.

An abysmal 0/10 record back then had deeply stung Su Ye, teaching him that staying safe to farm was the absolute top priority.

Having gotten a clear grasp of his new strength, Su Bai found himself with some time on his hands.

He got up, left his room, and began to patrol the C Prison Area.

After seeing that Lin Hu was in decent condition, Su Bai nodded. He turned a deaf ear to the man’s incessant pleas and walked on.

He then arrived at the cell of Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, and peered inside.

Li Mu was curled up in a corner, his expression vacant and his aura faint. He was in terrible shape.

Su Bai didn’t do anything. For now, all that mattered was that Li Mu didn’t die.

’Once my Realm is higher, this little bag of Experience Points can be discarded at any time.’

The days passed as placidly as water, slipping through his fingers in an instant.

「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Over those ten days, Su Bai’s gains weren’t huge, but they weren’t small either. Everything was proceeding as expected.

On the seventh day, a new criminal had arrived at the prison.

He was said to have been a high-ranking scholar, a man of considerable learning.

However, he had openly defied Emperor Xia, was prone to pontificating, and had a habit of refuting his colleagues and disparaging wealthy and powerful nobles.

His rank was demoted time and again until he was finally thrown into prison.

Su Bai personally locked him in his cell, and naturally, the Purification Tripod registered him.

But the man’s Martial Arts Cultivation was only at the Body Cultivation Fourth Layer, even lower than Su Bai’s current level.

The rewards he provided were minuscule.

After ten days of ’AFK’ cultivation, Su Bai’s Martial Arts Cultivation had successfully broken through to the Body Cultivation Seventh Layer!

He wasn’t far from the Body Cultivation Eighth Layer.

Moreover, the man’s Sin Level was very low—not even One-Star—and the Experience Points reward was a paltry three points per hour.

Of course, even with sufficient Experience Points, Su Bai had no intention of advancing to the Tongxuan Realm anytime soon.

Cultivation at the Body Cultivation Realm didn’t attract much attention, but the Tongxuan Realm was a different story and would likely draw unwanted notice.

It wouldn’t be too late to break through after he learned a Qi Concealing Technique.

"Li Mu, food’s here!"

Early in the morning, Su Bai arrived at the cell of Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, carrying a wooden bucket that reeked of a sharp, sour stench. He called out into the cell.

Li Mu was sprawled on the floor, motionless as a pile of sludge, completely unresponsive to Su Bai’s call.

Su Bai’s heart sank.

’Don’t tell me he’s dead?’

Su Bai frowned.

"Heh heh! Hey, young Prison Guard!"

"I’d say that fellow is most likely dead!"

"Why not give his portion to me instead!"

The inmate in the adjacent cell stuck his filthy, stinking head out, grinning sinisterly at Su Bai.

He held a broken bowl, and his smile was chilling.

Su Bai’s expression faltered.

He immediately checked the Purification Tripod in his mind.

Sure enough, the image of Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, was slowly fading away.

He quickly pulled the keys from his robes, unlocked the cell door, and went inside to check on Li Mu’s body.

Only then did he find that the man’s body was already growing stiff.

Clearly, he had been dead for some time.

’He must have died late last night.’

Su Bai frowned and sighed to himself.

Before he went to sleep last night, he had seen that Li Mu was still providing him with Experience Points.

He hadn’t expected the man to be dead by morning.

’It’s a shame to lose an ’experience mob.’ What a waste; I didn’t get to use him to his full potential!’

Su Bai locked the cell door and went to inform Li Da about the matter.

Li Da wasn’t surprised when he heard the news.

In fact, many criminals in the prison never even made it to their execution date, dying during their confinement instead.

And Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, had been tormented time and time again over the past ten days.

For some reason, however, the man had refused to break and reveal any of his secrets.

It was a shame that he died.

Li Da then instructed Su Bai to clean out Li Mu’s former cell.

Delivering the meals and cleaning the cell took Su Bai about two hours.

Once his work was done, Su Bai returned to his quarters and checked the Purification Tripod in his mind.

’Huh? What’s this?’

After the image of Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, had vanished, Su Bai assumed he would receive no more rewards from him.

He never expected that a faint, white speck of starlight would be left behind where Li Mu’s image had been.

After he tapped the point of light, a prompt appeared before his eyes.

"Randomly obtain one Cultivation Technique practiced by Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, during his lifetime. Use?"

’I didn’t expect this! What a pleasant surprise!’

’Use!’

A look of delight crossed Su Bai’s face as he quickly chose to proceed.

Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, had been a Martial Artist at the Ninth Level of Tongxuan Realm. His Cultivation was formidable, and he must have practiced numerous Cultivation Techniques. Su Bai, of course, coveted them.

After he made his choice, a total of seven spheres of light, varying in size and color, appeared on the Purification Tripod.

Su Bai randomly received a purple sphere of light, which then shot into his body.

"Congratulations, Tripod Master, for obtaining a Third-Grade Martial Arts: Purple Mist Saber Technique!"

RUMBLE!

The next moment, countless scenes of practice flooded Su Bai’s mind.

In the visions,

He saw himself standing on a mountaintop, training diligently, practicing the saber day and night...

A moment later, the visions faded.

Afterward, on Su Bai’s personal status, a new entry appeared under the Martial Arts section.

[Cultivation Technique: Purple Mist Saber Technique (Third Grade Saber Skill)]

[Realm: Entering the Hall! (2500/3000)]