Tianyu's return home was accompanied by a newfound sense of accomplishment. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest, and the pain that had been plaguing his body was now receding.

He had been away from home for several hours, and the thought of his alchemy avatar finishing its first recovery pill brought a smile to his face. Relief was on the horizon.

"Mother? Are you home?" Tianyu called out as he entered the courtyard.

Immediately, his mother's reassuring voice responded, "Yes, I'm here, Tianyu. I'm in the kitchen."

Excitement bubbling inside him, he announced, "I have a surprise for you!"

However, as he walked into the kitchen, his mother's expression twisted into one of horror.

"Son?! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!" she panicked, her eyes locked onto something that Tianyu hadn't noticed.

Confused, Tianyu looked down and finally saw what had his mother horrified. "Oh! I didn't notice how dirty I got," he exclaimed, realizing the bloodstains on his clothes. "I killed some rabbits and vermin earlier. I brought back the rabbits for us for dinner, so we can have some fresh meat."

Relief washed over his mother as she comprehended the situation. "I'll go wash up and change my clothes. Would you mind washing these rabbits in the meantime, and I will skin them afterward?" he asked politely.

Qin Li Mei nodded and added, "Since you're offering, it's a deal. But don't put those blood-stained clothes in the washing basket. Leave them in a bucket of water so I can get the stain out."

Tianyu agreed and chuckled, "I've never learned how to skin a rabbit before, but there's a first time for everything, right? Better I do the bloody and gruesome work. But I'll leave the cooking to you!"

After a refreshing bath and a change of clothes, Tianyu received the notification he had been eagerly awaiting.

[Produced: 1x recovery pill]

"Finally!" he exclaimed with relief as he retrieved the pill from his system space, quickly tossing it into his mouth and swallowing.

A soothing sensation washed over him, spreading through his entire body. Muscles relaxed, the pain faded away, blisters and cuts on his hands healed, and he felt as if he had boundless energy once more.

"Amazing! This feels great!" Tianyu exclaimed, moving his body around to savor the newfound vitality.

As he checked on his mother, who was diligently cleaning the rabbits, Tianyu's thoughts turned to the events that had unfolded earlier. He had killed a man, not an animal. It was a life he had taken, a living, breathing human being.

He expected to be overwhelmed by guilt or remorse, but he found himself strangely unfazed. Perhaps it was because the person he had killed was a bad individual, or maybe it was because death was a common occurrence in the era he now lived in. Regardless, he felt no remorse.

However, he recognized that he had acted impulsively and recklessly. If he hadn't caught the guard off guard, he wouldn't have stood a chance in a fair fight. He had been lucky, not just to win but also because there had been no witnesses.

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If a similar situation were to arise again, there was no telling who might be around and what trouble it could bring to him and his mother.

"Sophia," he called out, addressing the system. "Is there any technique available in the shop that could help me kill someone unnoticed?"

Sophia responded promptly, [Yes, host. There are several techniques that can assist in silent and untraceable assassinations.]

She proceeded to list the available techniques:

[Shadow Assassination Technique: This skill allows the user to meld with the shadows, becoming virtually invisible in dimly lit or nighttime environments. They can silently approach their target, strike with deadly precision, and retreat without ever being seen or heard.]

[Soul Severing Palm: Practitioners of this technique can strike their enemy's spiritual core, disrupting the flow of their qi and rendering them powerless. This technique leaves no external marks, making it difficult for others to determine the cause of death.]

[Illusionary Mirage Blade: Users of this technique can create illusions so convincing that they can make their enemy perceive a completely different reality. They might make their target believe they are safe, only to strike them down without them ever realizing the true danger.]

[Soundless Wind Step: This skill enables the practitioner to move at incredible speeds without making a sound. They can silently approach their target and strike before the victim even registers their presence, making it seem like a natural death.]

[Venomous Needle Technique: A master of this technique can launch poisoned needles from a distance with pinpoint accuracy. These needles are coated with a deadly toxin that kills swiftly but quietly, leaving no trace of foul play.]

[Void Silence Technique: This advanced ability allows the user to create a pocket of silence around their target. Within this silence, no sound can escape, and the victim's cries for help go unheard by anyone beyond the field. It's a truly silent and untraceable method of assassination.]

Tianyu was intrigued by the options and inquired, "Can I purchase any of these techniques with my current exp points?"

Sophia replied, [The host can purchase the Venomous Needle Technique for 100 exp points.]

A smile alights Tianyu's face

[Host, please note that with the Venomous Needle Technique, the potency of the poison at your current level will be limited. The higher the realm, the more potent the poison] she explains.

This brought a little bit of a dampener to his current mood.

"If I was to use this technique as I am now, what would be the effect?" he questions.

[If the host were to use the Venomous Needle Technique as you are on another regular human who has no cultivation, the host would surely kill his target.]

[If the host was to use this technique on a martial artist below level 3, this would cause the martial artist to faint, and become very sick.]

[If the host were to use this on a martial artist above level 3, they would have reactions ranging from becoming mildly sick, to having some numbness.]

[If the host was to use this technique in a cultivator in the foundation realm or above, this technique would have no effect] she explains.

Martial Artists and Cultivators are different. A martial artist tempers their body and ranges from level 1 to level 9. A level 1 martial artist isn't much different from a normal person. Levels 2 and 3 are stronger, these are what make up the majority of soldiers in an army. There is a huge qualitative jump between levels 3 and 4. A single level 4 martial artist could fight 10 level 3 and win quite easily. There is another jump from levels 6-7, and once a person reaches level 9, they are the peak form of a human. It's at this level where you find the powerhouses behind empires and nations.

Cultivators are much different. Cultivators not only train their body, but their main focus is on training their spirit. Due to this, they gain amazing abilities. Legend has it that after you train your soul to a certain extent you can fly through the air and walk on water. A flip of your palm can overturn mountains.

Of course, this is just legends. There are cultivators in society, these people are treated as kings in the mortal world. However, they usually stick to their own sects and rarely interact with the world below.

The most powerful cultivator that Tianyu has any knowledge of is the leader of the White Crane Sect, and he is a cultivator at the Spirit Embryo Realm. As for the realms above this, the only reason that Tianyu even knows they exist is because Sophia had told him. Powerhouses above the Spirit Embryo Realm don't exist in reality, as far as Tianyu knows.

Tianyu's face lit up with anticipation. "I'd like to purchase the Venomous Needle Technique, please," he requested.

[Congratulations, Host, for learning the Venomous Needle Technique!] The system chimed in.

In his system space, Tianyu found two items. The first was a technique book, which he had the system absorb immediately. The second item was a pouch that could be attached to the inside of his robe's sleeve.

Opening the pouch, Tianyu discovered it was filled with sharp silver needles. He wondered how many there were.

"Sophia, how many needles are in this pouch?" he inquired.

[Host, as the pouch is a product of the system, you will have an infinite number of needles for as long as the host has use for them,] she explained.

Tianyu was taken aback by this revelation. He had a never-ending supply of needles at his disposal.

"Are they already coated with poison?" he asked.

[Host, the needles will automatically adjust for the host's needs,] Sophia explained. [You only need to have a thought in your mind when using them, and the system will adjust accordingly.]

Tianyu was delighted by this newfound tool. "Amazing!" he exclaimed.

[Indeed, Host. You now possess a powerful technique at your disposal,] Sophia confirmed.