Lin Shu immediately looted the corpses, taking whatever he could—bags, weapons, anything of value. His hands moved with cold efficiency, stripping the dead of their possessions before he turned his attention to Tan Bo's body.
The first thing he took was the blade—a weapon strong enough to endure high-tier techniques. Useless to him, but worth something.
Then, his eyes landed on Tan Bo's ring. He had seen him pull something from it before, which piqued his interest. Lin Shu slid it onto his own finger, channeling his Qi into it.
To his surprise, he could sense the space inside. A 20 cubic meters of storage— not massive, but still a rare and valuable item. It wasn't even full.
Inside, he found:
Pills—for healing, Qi restoration, and other effects.
Weapons—including some spare blades.
Clothes—not particularly valuable, but useful.
Rations—enough to last a while.
Gold. A significant amount.
Documents and manuscripts. He didn't check them yet, but they could be battle skills or cultivation techniques.
Satisfied, he turned back to the other corpses and quickly stored everything into the ring. Once done, he moved to the carriage.
Nothing much. Mostly food. Not disappointing, but not what he truly wanted.
A bitter thought crossed his mind—he didn't have time to break someone like Tan Bo and torture him for his battle skills and techniques. That was a loss, but he had no choice.
The stench of blood was thick in the air. It would draw beasts before long.
That was why he had left those who ran.
Their deaths were certain. More importantly, they would serve as bait. Any beasts drawn to the massacre would chase them first, giving him time to escape.
With no reason to stay, Lin Shu disappeared into the night.
He needed to clean himself. Right now, he reeked of blood and burnt flesh. Any beast would smell him from miles away.
His Qi was drained.
He could only form his basic bone armor, not his Ivory Monolith. Until he recovered, he had to rely on speed and caution.
So he ran—swift, silent, a shadow slipping through the trees.
After returning to his hideout, Lin Shu wasted no time. He had barely managed to escape several pursuing beasts—not the fastest kind, thankfully—but he didn't let his guard down until he was safe.
Once inside, he immediately began sorting through his new storage ring.
The first thing he did was count the gold.
Tan Bo's gold + the other cultivators': 967 gold coins.
His previous amount: 86 gold coins.
Total: 1,053 gold coins.
A grin stretched across his face. "Now this is wealth worthy of a cultivator."
Still, he frowned slightly. Shouldn't that guy have had more? Tan Bo had been at the peak of rank 1, yet his wealth wasn't as vast as expected.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Gold was gold.
Next, Lin Shu checked the documents in Tan Bo's ring.
Among them, he found only one martial art— a rank 1 mid-tier battle skill: Lightning Steps.
No cultivation techniques, no high-tier battle skills.
Disappointing, but still valuable. A speed-enhancing skill would be useful.
He made a decision.
He would spend one more week training in it. Even if he couldn't fully master it, he needed to improve before the competition.
One Week Later
His progress wasn't great, but it was enough.
Lightning now flickered around his body when he used the technique, though it wasn't as strong as when Tan Bo had used it. At best, he could utilize half of its power.
Still, that was plenty for now.
With that, he turned his gaze toward Greenwood Hollow.
The competition awaited.
Lin Shu traveled by morning and hid at night, making sure to stay cautious. With everything stored in his ring, he moved swiftly and lightly.
Two days later, he arrived.
Greenwood Hollow stood before him.
He had been far. Much farther than he had realized.
Upon reaching Greenwood Hollow, Lin Shu immediately noticed a difference.
The town was **bustling with activity—**far more crowded than before. Cultivators, once a rare sight, were everywhere.
He walked through the streets, taking in the changes. With so many powerful individuals gathered, the atmosphere felt tense.
No one dared to approach or bother him. Unlike before, when people might have been curious or wary, now everyone was cautious.
It wasn't just him. No one wanted to risk offending the wrong person.
Lin Shu made his way to an inn.
He booked a room, then ordered food to be delivered.
Even though his storage ring held enough rations for an entire week, he chose to eat fresh food for now.
The next few days, he spent scouting.
He moved through the town, observing and listening, hoping to pick up useful information.
But unfortunately, no one was foolish enough to train in the open.
Most cultivators were either gathering in groups, chatting, or trying to sell their belongings.
This reminded him—he had a lot of things to sell.
Lin Shu checked the items in his ring, specifically the clothes taken from his dead victims.
His expression darkened.
The characters for "Tan Clan" were embroidered on them.
"I can't sell these."
He had been so focused on training his new battle skill that he hadn't even paid attention to the clothes before. If he sold them and someone recognized the emblem, it could lead back to him.
He had no interest in dealing with a vengeful clan.
That night, he burned the clothes and anything else that could trace back to the Tan Clan.
Once that was dealt with, he went to various shops to start selling the weapons he had looted.
At the first weapon shop, he quickly learned something new—
Weapons have ranks.
Lin Shu carefully examined the weapons he had taken before stepping into the shop. He had no interest in carrying around useless burdens, especially ones that might bring trouble. With a keen eye, he searched for any identifying marks—symbols of martial institutes, family emblems, or engravings that might link them to their previous owners. Once he was sure there were no traces that could lead back to him, he confidently stepped forward to make the sale.
The shopkeeper, a grizzled man with sharp eyes, took his time inspecting the weapons. His fingers ran over the blades, testing their weight and balance, occasionally nodding in approval. When he reached Tan Bo's sword, his brows lifted slightly. "High-tier tempered weapon," he muttered. "You don't see these often in a place like Greenwood Hollow."
Lin Shu remained silent, only watching as the man continued his appraisal.
Eventually, the shopkeeper finished his assessment and laid out the ranks clearly for Lin Shu: Tempered weapons were the most common among cultivators, but they had their own tiers—low, mid, and high. Ascendant weapons were far rarer, and not something a small town's shop would easily carry. As for spirit-forged weapons, they were nearly mythical in comparison, found only in sects or within the vaults of powerful clans. The wealth needed to craft a spirit-forged weapon was beyond imagination for most.
Hearing this, Lin Shu realized that battle skills and weapons weren't acquired at the same pace as cultivation. A cultivator might reach a high rank, but that didn't mean they had access to battle skills or weapons of the same level. Stronger gear required wealth, connections, and the right opportunities.
After finalizing the sale, Lin Shu walked away with 1500 gold coins, a significant gain. Tan Bo's sword alone had made up the bulk of it—it was the highest-quality weapon among them. It seemed the fool had invested well in his blade, but in the end, unfortunately for him that wealth had only served to make Lin Shu richer.
With a faint smirk, he left the shop, blending back into the bustling streets of Greenwood Hollow.
The day of the competition finally arrived. Lin Shu ensured he reached the Stone Path Hall early, but he was not the only one. Many cultivators were already gathered outside, waiting. As time passed, the number grew to over 50 people.
Once the gates opened, they were led inside. The institute was vast, with several houses scattered across the grounds. Lin Shu assumed they belonged to resident cultivators, but he had no time to observe further as they were swiftly guided toward a large arena.
Standing at the center of the arena was a man who appeared to be in his forties. His presence alone carried immense authority. This was Lu Zhenhai, the dean of the Stone Path Hall, a middle-stage Rank 2 cultivator.