Running down the skeleton, Hui ducked into his cave. Breath still ragged, he leaned against the cave wall. The bone cooled his heated forehead. He pressed a hand against his forehead and released the ghoul skin, gulping a breath. Grabbing at his robes, he wiped his face. Damn, I’m such a virgin.

“You.”

Hui startled, eyes wide. He stared around the cave.

The reaper girl faded into view. She tossed the red gem at him. “It still has karmic ties to you.”

“Ah… thank you, elder sister,” he said breathlessly. Distractedly, he stored the gem into his ring.

She crossed her arms. “What are you up to? You…”

“Nothing,” he said, a little too quickly.

Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t mean right now. I could care less about mortal dalliances. Your cultivation, however, is…”

“Elder sister, does it have to be now?” Hui said impatiently, giving her a slightly distracted grin.

A firm and disappointed expression crossed the reaper’s face. “Yes. I don’t have long. Tell me, what is your goal?”

Frustrated, Hui took a deep breath. He settled his breathing, focusing inward, then stood upright. With some effort, he gave her a smile. “My goal? To live a good, easy life, eat good food, have fun, and be surrounded by beauties.”

“Is that so? Then why cultivate that blood-soaked method?”

Hui furrowed his brows at her. “Blood-soaked? Elder sister, how dare you accuse me! I’ve only killed one being in my small life.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s true… How?”

He harrumphed and turned away, crossing his arms. Did you come here to taunt this small cultivator? At this time? Honestly, elder sister, this is harassment, just harassment.

“You dare?”

Hui sighed. He turned around and bowed low to the reaper, a hint of exasperated sarcasm in his pose. “Magnificent senior, please forgive me. This small cultivator now realizes how lofty and beautiful senior is. I simply felt disappointment in having no answer for senior.”

“I see I’m not wanted. I suppose I’ll leave. I was going to impart a technique to you, but…”

Hui dropped into a full kowtow. “Senior! Forgive this small cultivator’s impatience! Ah, I see it now, when you arrived, the air itself transforms into bountiful qi. Indeed, this bone cave has become more lustrous with your presence. Your every word overflows with wisdom. Ah… to think I overlooked it earlier. Senior, truly, I—”

“Enough, enough. It was an idle threat. Zhu Diyu told me to impart the technique as thanks for showing him the gem. I couldn’t go back without imparting it.” Sighing, the reaper reached down and pressed her fingertips against his forehead.

Information flowed into Hui’s mind. A mnemonic branded itself on his mind, transforming into the shapes of a technique. The technique hovered, just out of his reach, the forms foggy. Still, a sense of extreme power flowed into him, the certainty that this technique could unleash power beyond his limits!

“Meditate on that for a time. It’s up to you if you achieve enlightenment or not. My Master has nothing to do with your fate with the technique.”

Hui stood, gaze distant as he committed the technique to memory. “Thank you, senior.”

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She scoffed. “Then, I’ll leave you to your… whatever it is you were going to do.”

“Wait, senior,” Hui called.

Half-transparent, the reaper turned. “What now? I thought you wanted me to go.”

“I can’t keep calling you ‘the reaper.’ What’s your name?”

She snorted. “You can call me Mamian.” She faded away into a whisp of black smoke, which dissipated on a wind Hui couldn’t feel.

Exhausted, Hui wiped his forehead and sagged down the wall of his cave. Senior Mamian really has the best timing. And I dare not refuse her or turn her away…

Mmm, I guess I can’t bring girls back to my cave. Ah! Not that I was going to. Who would come back with me, anyways? Fa Chuyou? Bai Xue?

…Bai Xue would come.

Some time later, Hui sat in the lotus pose. The technique circulated in his mind. Like the spell in the artifact, it refused to clarify, but the mnemonic stood out clearly in his mind.

Turn back blood, reverse the flow. Against the tides, stand as a singular pillar. The world flows but the pillar remains.

Slowly, images clarified in his mind. A figure stood in the air before the ocean. Waves crashed at their feet. They lifted their hand, and the waves receded. Hui felt the flow of their qi, the way it moved through their arms and hands, rushing out, then suddenly pulling back.

His awareness suddenly expanded outward. In sync with the figure, the ocean’s qi pulled back, rushing away from the shore. As it drew back, it built up, a calamitous power gathering in the ocean’s depths.

The figure dropped their arms. The ocean roared toward the shore, slamming into the earth. Where it passed, it carved out a massive crater in the beach, eating away the sand. It drew back again, and again, and again. On the second crash, it smashed through the shore. On the third, it rushed past the shore and slammed into a mountain, reducing it to rubble.

Hui opened his eyes, understanding glimmering deep inside. This technique can move oceans and crush mountains. Its potential is unlimited. I won’t be able to fully utilize it until the fifth realm! Truly, this is a technique worthy of being imparted by the King of Hell.

He stood and stretched, then pushed his sleeves back and held out his arms. Focusing, he circulated his qi according to the technique.

The air trembled around him. Hui grit his teeth. All his qi accumulated in his arms, pouring out of his dantian. It takes—so much! I can’t—

He tried to draw back, but the technique trembled, and his arms trembled in sync. If I cancel the technique, I’ll destroy the qi passages in my arms! Gasping, Hui poured all the qi he had into the technique. Go! Activate already! Please!

At last, the technique blasted out of him. A great wave of force flew from his arms and slammed into the bone wall. The vertebra trembled, barely able to resist his attack. The whole bone keened, crying out as if in pain.

Hui stared at the wall, then at his hands. Whoa. This… this is a technique!

If I could make it a talisman, how powerful would that talisman be? As it is, I can barely use the technique once. If I could have one, two, ten talismans pre-stocked with the qi and ready to go—! Hui’s eyes lit up. He breathed raggedly, unable to contain his excitement. Drawing out his paper and ink, he lifted his brush.

“Xie Hao! Come out!” Dai Dagao howled.

Annoyed, Hui glared at the entrance to his cave. “Go away. I’m busy!”

“I formally challenge you! You can’t refuse!”

Hui stood abruptly. Flicking his sleeve, he gathered all his materials into his storage ring and marched out of the vertebra.

Dai Dagao loomed over him, a bold grin on his face. “Face me, Xie Hao. Take my hammer!” He slammed a golden hammer at Hui, this one twice as long as the one Hui had stolen.

Circulating his death qi dantian, Hui reached up and caught the hammer’s head one-handed.

Dai Dagao stared. His brows furrowed. “You… in a month?”

Hui closed his hand. The hammer crumbled, head destroyed. Ignoring Dai Dagao, he marched into the dark field.

“Where are you going? Come back here!”

He stepped into Elder Jing’s house and bowed to the old man. Eyes still closed, Elder Jing showed no signs of having noticed him. “Senior, I’ve progressed in my cultivation.”

Elder Jing gestured. The bone token flew out of Hui’s storage ring, and a different bone talisman flew into his hand.

This bone talisman was darker, a pale gray instead of pure white. Hui sent a strand of qi into it, and a number flowed into his head: 60.

“Many thanks, Elder Jing.” Hui bowed low, then retreated.

Dai Dagao stood outside of Elder Jing’s building, staring. “You…”

“Excuse me, Junior Brother, but I don’t believe you have the authority to challenge me for Vertebra 60,” Hui said, flashing his new bone token.

Dai Dagao glowered. “Don’t think this settles the grudge between us!”

“Does Junior Brother wish to fight?” Hui asked simply, pulling a talisman out of his robes.

Dai Dagao visibly flinched back. He narrowed his eyes. “Just wait. I’ll catch up in no time.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Hui said, bowing. Please, forget about me. I’d be quite happy if you worked long and hard for a long time and forgot all about this small cultivator!