Of course.
Going to find Wang Nian meant that he might not necessarily allow him to move freely during the day. But if he didn't go, it would be absolutely impossible.
Many times, opportunities were fought for; many times, chances were only gained by breaking the rules.
This was also why people often said that honest children rarely achieved great things.
The next day.
Wen Jiu followed the others back to the burial grounds. Before Wang Nian arrived, he witnessed a scene that left him speechless.
Among the corpse buriers, quite a few were actively gathering around those three men, their words filled with flattery.
From their self-aggrandizing boasts, Wen Jiu learned that the three had slightly better spiritual roots than the rest—but not by much. They only had lower-grade spiritual roots. However, even just a slight advantage made a world of difference in the path of cultivation.
Their rate of absorbing spiritual energy was 50% faster!
Cultivation was an incredibly long process, and a 50% difference in absorption speed meant that after a year, one would be half a year ahead of the other.
After ten years, the gap would be five years.
"Even becoming a mere apprentice disciple requires maneuvering like this?" Wen Jiu couldn't help but glance toward Dead Man's Peak.
It was clear—
Dead Man's Peak had extremely strict disciple selection.
Watching more and more people flock toward the three men, Wen Jiu remained still, standing silently to the side as if he hadn't noticed anything.
Before long—
Wang Nian arrived.
Only then did the crowd disperse.
Sweeping his gaze across the area, Wang Nian nodded thoughtfully and said in a deep voice, "The yin energy is much thinner than yesterday. It won't harm you... What are you all standing around for? Get moving!"
The corpse buriers quickly grabbed their carts and headed toward the death zone. But Wen Jiu didn't move, which drew Wang Nian's displeasure.
"Are you deaf, kid?"
Wen Jiu spoke up, "Senior, I'd like to discuss something with you—I want to make another deal."
Wang Nian frowned slightly. "Do you think that just because you made one deal with me, you're now under my wing?"
Wen Jiu had already prepared his reasoning and responded without hesitation, "Last night, when I came to the death zone to cultivate corpses, I encountered a yin spirit. According to the Yin Province Corpse Cultivation Manual, yin spirits are drawn to life force and will always attack the living upon contact. While they usually hide during the day, if we were to run into one, even if you came to our aid in time, we'd either be dead or bedridden for ten days to half a month."
"Nonsense. If you had really encountered a yin spirit, would you still be alive?" Wang Nian didn't believe a single word.
For an ordinary person, encountering even a newly-formed yin spirit meant certain death.
Wen Jiu spoke again, though even he felt uncertain in his heart. But there was no turning back now—he could only pray for some divine favor. "Senior, to be honest, I was saved by the white stiff I've been cultivating."
"A white stiff?"
Wang Nian's expression turned skeptical.
That was even more unbelievable.
It was more absurd than surviving an encounter with a yin spirit.
Wen Jiu had only been here for less than a month.
And he had already cultivated a white stiff capable of devouring yin spirits?
"Senior, please come with me." Wen Jiu quickly led the way toward the hidden corpse cultivation site.
Wang Nian followed, half-believing, half-doubting. "If you're playing games with me… don't blame me for not giving your sister any face."
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Wen Jiu remained silent.
Upon reaching the corpse cultivation site, where yin energy swirled thickly, he stomped his foot.
The white stiff immediately let out two roars, releasing a surge of powerful corpse energy.
Wang Nian was stunned.
His face froze on the spot.
Then, he stepped closer and carefully examined it with his spiritual sense.
Upon closer inspection, his expression became even more intriguing.
"The corpse energy is this strong…? This thing is almost a black stiff already, isn't it?" Though Wang Nian had never practiced unorthodox arts himself, Dead Man's Peak certainly had practitioners of such methods. He had enough knowledge to judge. "You, kid…"
For a moment, Wang Nian didn't know what to say.
The more he looked at Wen Jiu, the more satisfied he felt.
"Didn't expect you to have such talent in unorthodox cultivation… Speak. What kind of deal do you want?"
Hearing this, Wen Jiu was overjoyed.
He then bowed deeply and said, "Senior, yin spirits are a great supplement for white stiffs. May I have some time during the day to search for them in the death zone? Yin spirits are weakest during the day—it's the perfect opportunity."
"Fine."
Wang Nian agreed without hesitation.
This both surprised and delighted Wen Jiu.
Wang Nian continued, "Yin spirits are indeed a nuisance, and I don't want to waste my energy and talismans on them. If you can deal with them, then I'll leave it to you… But you still have to spend three hours a day moving corpses."
"Many thanks, Senior!"
Three hours of free movement during the day.
That was enough!
He wasn't greedy.
After expressing his gratitude once more, Wen Jiu bowed deeply.
This time, it was sincere.
Not just an act.
Having lived two lives, he understood how rare it was to encounter someone who could truly help him.
After Wang Nian finished giving his instructions, Wen Jiu began searching for heavily yin-infused remains in the corpse-nurturing grounds. He continued like this for three whole hours. As Wen Jiu dragged out one corpse after another, each exuding dense yin energy, Wang Nian's expression showed deep satisfaction.
"With this kid helping, I'll be saving a lot of talismans." Wang Nian chuckled contentedly.
However, the other corpse buriers were visibly shocked. Feeling the intense yin energy radiating from those remains, they instinctively shuddered and backed away several feet.
"If someone were to be so deeply eroded by such strong yin energy, wouldn't they fall seriously ill for days? If this goes on, their foundation will be completely ruined."
"What did Wen Jiu do to offend Manager Wang?" someone murmured in amazement.
The others joined in the hushed discussion.
"What else? He's practicing an unorthodox cultivation method, obviously."
"That explains it."
"Instead of following the proper path of Qi refinement, he chose shortcuts through an unorthodox path. No wonder he's being targeted."
"He thought he was being clever, assuming he could rely on tricks to place in the top three in cultivation rankings next year. And now? He's stuck hauling the most yin-infested corpses. In ten days, maybe half a month, his foundation will be ruined."
For a moment, the corpse buriers sneered and scoffed at Wen Jiu.
Wen Jiu heard them.
But he acted as if he hadn't.
...
Three hours later, after burying the last cartload of corpses, Wen Jiu immediately summoned the white ghoul and ventured deeper into the land of the dead, searching for wandering spirits.
The further in he went, the colder it became.
Though it was broad daylight, a thin layer of frost had formed on the ground, crunching beneath his feet with every step. Even the scattered remains around him were coated in white frost, giving the entire place an eerie atmosphere.
But the white ghoul was thrilled, bouncing forward eagerly.
"Find the spirits on your own," Wen Jiu instructed, following behind.
Newborn spirits were weak in daylight.
They moved slowly.
As long as the white ghoul found them and locked on, they wouldn't escape.
However, Wen Jiu didn't dare let the white ghoul stray too far. The further in they went, the stronger the yin energy became.
He feared encountering a true spirit.
Right now, the white ghoul wasn't strong enough to handle a real wandering soul.
If they ran into one, while the white ghoul wouldn't be torn apart, it would almost certainly be injured.
After advancing about a hundred feet, Wen Jiu remained on high alert, scanning his surroundings when he suddenly noticed the white ghoul stopping abruptly. Its excitement grew visibly stronger, behaving unusually as it hopped around a pile of remains in a frenzy.
"What is it?"
Wen Jiu quickly approached.
His first thought was that there was a wandering spirit.
But if that were the case, the white ghoul would have pounced already.
Frowning in doubt, Wen Jiu turned his gaze to the remains on the ground. It was nothing but broken arms and severed legs. One by one, he picked them up, but the white ghoul shook its body each time, signaling that none of them were what excited it.
After checking every piece, Wen Jiu realized that whatever had stirred the white ghoul was beneath the ground.
Without hesitation, he started digging.
Two hours passed.
He had dug about three feet deep.
Still, there was nothing.
But the white ghoul was getting even more excited.
Wen Jiu hurriedly sped up his digging. Finally, after another fifteen minutes, his hoe struck something unusually hard.
Clearing away the packed earth around it, he saw a hand—a hand buried in the soil yet completely spotless. It even emitted a faint glow.
Once he dug out the entire body, he found that the glow covered it entirely.
That glow concealed every trace of its presence, revealing only an overwhelming aura of yin energy.
Through the glow, Wen Jiu noticed that the clothing and accessories on the corpse were vastly different from those of the other remains scattered aboveground.
As he was studying it, a message appeared before his eyes:
[Unnamed Male Corpse]
[Bone Age: Fifty-six. Cultivation Before Death: Qi Refinement Perfection, Body Refining Stage Seven.]
[Mutate?]
[Mutation Failed!]
[No Available Mutation Slots!]
"A complete corpse of a Qi Refinement Perfection cultivator!" Wen Jiu was overjoyed. He couldn't help but glance at the white ghoul, still frantically bouncing at the edge of the pit.
Good brother!
You've found me a real treasure.
A cultivator of this level would have been among the strongest even on the main peak of Dead Man's Summit.
If this corpse were to mutate into a ghoul in the future, how strong would it start?
How high would its potential reach?
How terrifying would its power be?
Just as Wen Jiu was marveling at his find, the white ghoul suddenly leapt down, nearly crashing into him.
It had stopped its wild hopping, but now, it repeatedly pointed at the chest of the Qi Refinement Perfection cultivator's corpse.