Chapter Three: Slicing Through the Jade Cage, the Radiant Phoenix Soars

Bang!

Crack!

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

...

In the Yu family’s little dark room.

Yu Chuan gripped a rat in each hand, and with a slight squeeze, their skulls burst open, instantly producing a new item.

The items from over a dozen rats were neatly arranged before him.

To avoid being disturbed, he had braced the door from within with a wooden stick pried off the window.

This suited Yu Chuan perfectly; he’d been fretting over how to strengthen himself, unwilling to die in the trial grounds.

Now, it was time to tally his spoils.

Three bottles of Marrow Cleansing Pills, with two pills in one bottle.

Five bottles of Spirit Gathering Pills, each containing a single pill.

A manual named Thunder Surge Art, which grew more formidable with the body’s increasing strength.

One bottle of Vitality Pill, containing a single pill.

A coldly gleaming dagger, far sharper than ordinary weapons.

And finally, a ghastly, sinister mask shaped like a ghost’s face.

Marrow Cleansing Pills were excellent treasures, and to think he now had six of them!

Yu Chuan had no habit of keeping good things unused. Whatever could be eaten and digested, he would consume without hesitation.

At that moment, he was skinning and cleaning a rat before popping it into his mouth, crunching away noisily.

He understood all too well why no one was bringing him food or water.

Once everything was dealt with, it would be time to leave the Yu family.

And those accounts—he would settle them all.

Killing a few servants was nothing; the Yu family would hardly hunt him down for it.

He swallowed a Marrow Cleansing Pill, feeling a feverish wave surge through him again, washing upward through his organs, limbs, and bones.

After a full day and night, the six Marrow Cleansing Pills were all consumed.

His body became not only sturdier but also smooth and lustrous like jade.

Seven Marrow Cleansing Pills—even the grandest clans would never lavish such resources on a single clansman, no matter how gifted.

Beyond resource constraints, there were also internal factional struggles and countless voices of dissent.

With the cleansing and reforging complete, it was time to continue cultivating the Qi Condensation Sutra.

He took a Spirit Gathering Pill, feeling a refreshing coolness in his belly, then quietly began circulating the sutra, moving on to deeper refinement.

---

Two days later, all the Spirit Gathering Pills were gone, and his cultivation finally reached the first level of Qi Condensation.

The changes brought by his advancement were obvious. Everything within a thirty-foot radius inside and outside the small dark room fell within his perception.

Whether it was a rat burrowing or servants moving about, nothing escaped his notice.

His senses of smell, hearing, and sight were all greatly enhanced, as if he had been reborn.

Yet, he still couldn’t sense the presence of any spiritual energy, as though it simply didn’t exist between heaven and earth.

“What on earth is going on?”

He couldn’t figure it out, nor did he try to. Since killing rats yielded mountains of pills, the absence of spiritual energy didn’t hinder his cultivation.

He even looked forward to seeing what killing a person might yield.

After all, people were far superior to rats; surely, they would produce even greater treasures.

Not one to waste, he promptly swallowed the Vitality Pill as well.

It didn’t bring much change, only making his energy more vibrant and instantly sweeping away his previous fatigue.

Now, it was time to practice the Thunder Surge Art.

This technique worked internally, aiming to temporarily amplify strength for devastating attacks.

Yu Chuan wasn’t unfamiliar with such things, though not especially well-versed either.

The Yu family was a clan of cultivators, with many records about Daoist arts and techniques.

Techniques, after all, were methods of using spiritual power to kill after reaching Qi Condensation.

Having read the entire Thunder Surge Art, Yu Chuan nodded with satisfaction; this art was more subtle and would not easily reveal his cultivation level.

Otherwise, he would surely draw the attention of the county office.

Even unaffiliated cultivators had to register with the authorities, though the process was complicated.

Yu Chuan cared little for such matters. In this wretched world, what difference was there between inside and outside the county office?

To him, it was all the same—only the law of the jungle.

Thunder Surge Art was not especially difficult; as long as he followed the manual, a few days’ practice would suffice for proficiency.

Two days later, in the small dark room.

Yu Chuan faced a rear wall. Ordinarily, he could never have budged it.

But now, with a punch like a thunderclap, he smashed straight through!

A fist-sized hole appeared in the wall, even warping the surrounding bricks.

“As expected, the power is immense!”

Yu Chuan chuckled lightly, quite satisfied with his current self.

Now, nine days had already passed. Tomorrow would be the tenth day.

He didn’t intend to wait any longer; he was ready to act tonight.

---

With his mind set, he calmed himself and began studying the incantation for the second layer of the Qi Condensation Sutra.

Whether or not he could enter the county office, rapidly improving his strength was the true path.

Even if he couldn’t join the authorities, powerful unaffiliated cultivators were always sought after by sects and noble clans.

Of course, only if one was strong enough—otherwise, one would become nothing but fodder for the strong.

He no longer believed in any justice in this world; such things were just tales to deceive fools.

True justice lay only in one’s fists—only if your fists were hard enough could you claim justice.

Deep into the night, Yu Chuan opened his eyes, donned the ghastly mask, and gripped the dagger glowing with spiritual light.

With one slash, the dagger sliced through the wooden door, its iron lock, and chain as if they were nothing—sharper than the finest sword.

He kicked the door open, startling the two servants standing guard nearby.

Groggily, they opened their eyes, seeing in the darkness a pair of beastly, glowing eyes.

Before they could see more clearly, an icy wind swept past.

A flash before their eyes, a chill at their necks, and the world began to spin.

Warm blood splattered the ghastly mask, and before Yu Chuan’s expectant gaze, their bodies burst apart!

A dazzling shower of spiritual light erupted, making Yu Chuan’s eyes widen in amazement.

He picked up a small cloth pouch from the remains, unsure what it was made of, but it contained a space about a meter square inside.

Yu Chuan was overjoyed.

This was a storage pouch, something only the young masters of great clans possessed.

He had once seen such a pouch on a direct cousin and had coveted it for a long time.

Whatever was produced from those two bodies, Yu Chuan would give it a once-over, then store it in the pouch.

There were five bottles of Foundation Establishment Pills, two bottles of Vitality Pills, and three bottles of Spirit Gathering Pills.

Without exception, each little bottle contained two or three pills.

In the outside world, this would be enough to drive anyone mad with greed.

Each pill was priceless, worth its weight in gold.

Having packed up, Yu Chuan tied the storage pouch to his waist and gave it a satisfied pat.

Then, he strode quickly toward the residence of Li Da.

Tonight, they would all die!