Cultivation: I Have a Skill Level Panel

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: One-Strike Kill

The next moment, a deafening BOOM erupted!

Shards of stone went WHIZZING in all directions, covering a radius of over ten zhang. The houses on both sides were instantly riddled with holes.

Those closer to the battlefield were riddled with holes like sieves, falling to the ground in terror. They died with their eyes wide open.

Bloodman Slaughter rapidly swung the blood-red Palm Seal, smashing it down toward Gu Yun.

Gu Yun’s expression remained unchanged as Bloodman Slaughter’s Palm Seal struck him.

Bloodman Slaughter roared with laughter. "Hahaha... No one can stop a man I’ve marked for death!"

The blood-red Palm Seal passed through Gu Yun. ’This... This is an afterimage.’ Bloodman Slaughter instantly broke out in a cold sweat. By the time he reacted, it was too late.

A flash of a blade streaked across his neck. Before his eyes, Gu Yun, clad in a pale cyan robe, flashed past him at near-teleportation speed.

PSSSH!

A spurt of fresh blood erupted from Bloodman Slaughter’s neck.

"So fast!" As Bloodman Slaughter uttered these two words, a torrent of blood gushed from his neck.

Standing three paces away with his back to Bloodman Slaughter, Gu Yun sheathed his blade and said coolly, "I was hoping to chat a little longer. What a pity."

CHHH!

A self-mocking look flashed in Bloodman Slaughter’s eyes. His head tilted to one side and fell from his neck. His body collapsed moments later, blood staining the stone slabs red.

Turning around, Gu Yun gently shook his head.

’Bloodman Slaughter Li Gang was cautious his entire life, yet he let his guard down at the very end. Otherwise, it would have taken me at least two moves to kill him.’

’Because no matter how cautious one is, in the face of absolute power, all efforts are futile.’

In the distance, some Cultivators who had yet to leave stood with their mouths agape, completely dumbfounded.

All they saw was a flash of Gu Yun’s figure, his blade drawn, and then Bloodman Slaughter’s head fell.

The blade is drawn, a head falls! What a clean kill!

"This man... he’s terrifying!" a Cultivator in the distance said with a grim expression.

Gu Yun didn’t hear the Cultivators’ comments.

Gu Yun began the ritual of looting the body, patting down Bloodman Slaughter’s corpse inch by inch.

Gu Yun’s eyes lit up. He pulled a Storage Ring from inside Bloodman Slaughter’s robes and, without a second glance, tossed it into his own Storage Ring.

Gu Yun then went to search Wang Teng’s corpse, where he found another Storage Ring.

All done!

Gu Yun glanced at Bloodman Slaughter’s severed head. Its features were twisted in a ferocious snarl, its eyes wide open, glaring fixedly at Gu Yun.

Then, Gu Yun took a white cloth from his Storage Ring. With a tug of his Spiritual Power, Bloodman Slaughter’s head levitated onto the cloth. He wrapped it up and placed it in his Storage Bag.

With it, Gu Yun could collect his reward from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Gu Yun was about to leave.

A few Cultivators surrounded him.

"Sir, what impressive skills! Bloodman Slaughter was a mass murderer. Many tried to kill him, only to be killed themselves. With him dead today, I don’t know how many people will be thanking you from the bottom of their hearts."

It was as the saying goes: you don’t turn away a smiling face. Gu Yun replied, "You all flatter me. Even if I hadn’t killed him today, given Bloodman Slaughter’s crimes, someone else would have eventually."

"May we know your name, sir? We wish to know who it is we admire," someone said, cupping their fist.

Gu Yun hadn’t planned on revealing his name, but then a thought occurred to him. ’Sometimes, even if you don’t care about fame, others will still fear you because of it.’

’In the end, it all comes back to reputation. Might as well be straightforward about it.’

"I am Gu Yun, a disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect."

Upon hearing "Profound Celestial Sect," everyone looked shocked.

"So you’re a disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect! No wonder you’re so powerful."

"I am Su Talai of the Thunderbolt Hand!"

"I am Feng Baoguo of the Primordial Intent Tai Chi Sect!"

"I’ve been cultivating for two and a half years! I’m Cai Kun!"

...

One by one, the Cultivators all announced their names, each believing their own title held some weight.

If they could build a connection with a disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect, their own reputations would soar, and they would be held in higher regard wherever they went.

By the time Gu Yun managed to get away from the crowd, it was already afternoon.

Mounting his Black-maned Horse, Gu Yun galloped away. Once on a deserted road, he took out Bloodman Slaughter’s Storage Ring and probed it with a sliver of his Soul Power.

’The space inside is about a zhang square. There’s some mundane Gold and silver, and a dozen or so Spirit Stones. What a windfall! Besides the Spirit Stones, there are a few manuals for Cultivation and Martial Techniques in the corner.’

He opened one. "Slaughter Origin Blood Palm, Human Tier Upper Grade. A Cultivator must absorb the rare Blood Evil Gang Qi from the world. The denser the Blood Evil Gang Qi, the greater its power."

Gu Yun shook his head gently. ’Although this Martial Technique is powerful, it’s not suitable for my Cultivation. It might fetch a good price in Spirit Stones at an auction, though.’

Gu Yun picked up the second book and found that it was actually a Technique manual.

"Earth-Bursting Heaven-Shaking, Human Tier Top Grade. The Cultivator must channel the Spiritual Qi of their entire body into the soles of their feet, then release it as a special shockwave. The wave travels to a designated point and erupts. It is divided into three layers:"

"1st Layer: Use Spiritual Qi to blast enemies away. The direction is controllable, allowing for a 360-degree, omnidirectional blast."

"2nd Layer: The Spiritual Qi travels underground and erupts at a designated location."

"3rd Layer: The Spiritual Qi lies dormant underground, allowing for a massive, long-range, controlled detonation. This layer consumes an extreme amount of Spiritual Qi."

(Note: The difficulty of cultivating this Technique is comparable to a Profound Tier Low Grade technique. Only those with extraordinary talent should attempt to learn it!)

’Damn it! Bloodman Slaughter actually had a Technique like this? The cultivation difficulty is comparable to the Profound Tier. No wonder I never saw him use it.’

’If he had mastered this technique, it would have taken me at least three moves to kill him!’

’With this Technique manual in hand, I have to cultivate it to the Perfection realm and make it one of my trump cards!’ Gu Yun resolved to himself.

Afterward, Gu Yun opened Wang Teng’s Storage Ring, finding only a few Spirit Stones and some miscellaneous items inside.

Gu Yun was in a great mood. Thanks to Bloodman Slaughter’s Storage Ring, the trip had already been more than worthwhile.

The Black-maned Horse galloped wildly, covering a hundred meters in the blink of an eye as the scenery whizzed by.

...

The moon was bright, the stars were few, and magpies flew south. Thick, dark clouds rolled slowly across the horizon, blanketing the sky.

’Looks like it’s about to rain. I’d better find a place to rest,’ Gu Yun thought, riding along the dim path.

After riding for a while longer, the faint glow of lights appeared in the distance.

It was a small village.

Moments later, Gu Yun arrived at the village entrance.

Dismounting, Gu Yun led his horse by the reins and walked into the village.

The thunderous clopping of hooves had already woken many people.

Lights flickered on in several houses, and soon, doors flew open as a group of people rushed out.

"Who are you, and why have you come to Luoshan Village?" the burly man in the lead asked cautiously.

Gu Yun gave a wry smile. "I’ve come here hoping to find lodging for the night. I’ll leave tomorrow."

Then, Gu Yun sent a palm strike through the air toward a large tree not far away. A moment later, an invisible Palm Seal slammed into the tree, sending it crashing to the ground.

The burly leader stared at the splintered tree and swallowed hard. "You... you’re really just here for lodging?" he asked gingerly.

Gu Yun nodded.

The burly man let out a sigh of relief and announced loudly, "Alright, everyone go back inside! This man is an honored guest!"

Hearing this, the surrounding villagers returned to their homes. The burly man turned to Gu Yun and said respectfully, "I have a few spare rooms in my house. You’re welcome to stay with us."

By the next morning, the heavy rain had stopped.

Gu Yun was preparing to leave but was pulled back by the burly man and his wife, who insisted he stay for breakfast. Their hospitality was hard to refuse, so Gu Yun sat down to eat with them.

They had a little daughter, around six or seven years old. She wore simple little clothes, had big, bright eyes, and spoke with a sweet, childlike voice.

"So adorable. If I punched her, I bet she’d cry for a long time."

As Gu Yun watched her, the thought suddenly flashed through his mind.