Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

The air seemed to freeze.

In this corner of the market, all the noise quietly faded away after Lin Xuan said, "If you're so capable, come and take it yourself," leaving only the howling of the cold wind sweeping across the valley and the faint breathing of both sides.

The three men with scars were clearly taken aback by the fact that this seemingly frail boy, whose cultivation level appeared to be lower than theirs, dared to resist so fiercely. After a brief moment of astonishment, the anger provoked them instantly overwhelmed their meager rationality.

"court death!"

Scarface roared, his eyes flashing with ferocity. He didn't use any magic—perhaps he didn't know any at all—but instead stepped forward, his right hand forming a claw with a faint spiritual glow, aiming straight for Lin Xuan's throat! This claw was ruthless and swift, clearly the style of someone who often fought, aiming to subdue Lin Xuan in one fell swoop.

His two companions behind him also spread out to the left and right in unison, blocking Lin Xuan's possible escape route, with a mocking smile on their faces like a cat playing with a mouse.

In their view, the three of them working together would be able to easily defeat a kid who had just entered the first level of Qi Refining.

However, the Lin Xuan they faced possessed a soul that had been tempered by the information explosion era and had struggled on the brink of life and death. More importantly, the moment he decided to rebel, Lin Xuan's heart had turned as cold as iron.

Just as the scarred man's claws were about to touch his throat, Lin Xuan moved!

He neither retreated nor parried, but instead made a move that surprised everyone—he suddenly took half a step forward, his body turning to the side at an extremely subtle angle, narrowly avoiding the sharp claw wind that grazed his neck. At the same time, he pointed his right hand like a sword, and the wisp of stellar spiritual energy in his dantian circulated wildly at an unprecedented speed, gathering entirely at his fingertips!

A tiny, almost imperceptible silver glint suddenly lit up at his fingertips!

"laugh!"

A faint, almost inaudible whooshing sound.

Lin Xuan's fingertips, arriving before the enemy, struck with unparalleled precision, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, landing precisely on the "Shenmen" acupoint on the scarred man's wrist! This strike not only contained all the spiritual power of his first-level Qi Refining stage, but also some rudimentary knowledge of the human body he had learned in his previous life, making his acupoint location extremely accurate!

"what!"

Scarface felt a piercing pain in his wrist, and his entire right arm instantly went numb and powerless, his gathered spiritual energy suddenly dissipating! He screamed in agony, his forward momentum abruptly halted, his face filled with disbelief and horror.

He had no idea what had happened; he only felt that the other party's seemingly light finger contained such a strange and powerful destructive force!

But this is just the beginning!

Once Lin Xuan makes a move, he shows no mercy! To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself! This principle was already deeply ingrained in him through the original owner's memories and his own near-death experience.

In the instant that Scarface was momentarily distracted by the excruciating pain, Lin Xuan clenched his left fist, a sharp-edged piece of silver hidden between his fingers—one of all the valuables he had prepared to buy food! Though the stellar spiritual energy was weak, it was enough to imbue this piece of silver with a sharp edge!

"puff!"

The fist, dripping with silver, slammed hard into Scarface's temple!

The force may not have been great, but the location was too fatal! The edge of the broken silver even embedded itself shallowly into the flesh with the help of spiritual power!

Scarface's screams abruptly ceased. His eyes bulged, bloodshot, and his body convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground like a broken log, kicking up a cloud of dust. Blood mixed with brain matter gushed from the wound on his temple; he was clearly beyond saving.

quiet!

Deathly silence!

In every corner of the market, you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned by this lightning-fast reversal. From the moment Scarface made his move to his death, only two or three breaths had passed! A cultivator at around the second level of Qi Refining was instantly killed by a seemingly only first-level Qi Refining youth in such a ruthless, decisive, and even bizarre manner!

The mocking smiles on the faces of the two cultivators who had blocked Lin Xuan's retreat completely froze, replaced by boundless fear and disbelief. They looked at the scarred-face man lying motionless on the ground, then at Lin Xuan standing there, his eyes icy cold, a trace of blood still clinging to his fingertips. A chill ran from their feet to the top of their heads!

This kid... isn't a fat sheep, he's a jinx!

Lin Xuan slowly raised his head, his deep black eyes sweeping over the remaining two. His breathing was slightly rapid; it was the first time he had killed someone with his own hands, and his stomach churned with discomfort, but more than anything, he felt a chilling and resolute determination, as if shackles had been severed. The original owner's resentment seemed to dissipate slightly the moment the scarred man fell.

He knew that he must not show the slightest weakness at this moment.

"Do you still want my things?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a murderous aura that seemed to have crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. His gaze was as if it were tangible, piercing the two men.

The two cultivators trembled, instinctively taking two steps back, their faces filled with fear. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the other's intention to retreat. It wasn't worth risking their lives for a broken cauldron of uncertain value!

"Kid...you...you just wait!" One of them said fiercely, but his voice betrayed his fear. The two of them dared not linger any longer. Like stray dogs, they turned and pushed through the crowd, fleeing in panic, not even caring about their companion's corpse.

Lin Xuan didn't give chase. He knew his own limitations. He had gained the advantage of surprise and precision in killing Scarface earlier, but if the remaining two attacked recklessly, he might not fare well. Forcing them back was the best outcome.

Only after the two figures disappeared at the entrance of the market did the stagnant air around them seem to begin to flow again.

All eyes turned to Lin Xuan once more, their expressions completely changed. The previous pity and indifference had transformed into awe, apprehension, and even a deeply hidden greed—this kid must have a secret to instantly kill a second-level Qi Refining cultivator!

Lin Xuan ignored the stares. He took a deep breath, suppressing the slight trembling in his body and the turmoil in his heart, and squatted down, expressionlessly rummaging through the scarred man's corpse.

Murder and plunder. This is the most blatant law of the cultivation world. Having embarked on this path, he must abide by this law.

He quickly pulled a small, ordinary gray cloth bag from Scarface's pocket. This was the lowest-grade "storage bag" in the cultivation world; it wasn't large, but it was enough to make countless mortals envious. Besides it, there were several glittering crystals, about the size of a fingernail—the "low-grade spirit stones" he had observed earlier, about seven or eight of them.

He quickly put away the storage bag and spirit stones, without even glancing at the still-warm corpse on the ground, stood up, and coldly scanned the area.

Anyone whose gaze fell upon him would involuntarily look away, not daring to meet his eyes.

Strength speaks louder than words.

He didn't linger for another second, and strode towards the edge of the market. This time, the crowd parted automatically to make way, and no one dared to stop him.

Leaving the market town and entering a relatively remote wilderness, Lin Xuan slowed his pace slightly, found a secluded spot behind a rock, and eagerly focused his mind on the gray storage bag.

The storage bag had a volume of about one cubic meter, and it contained a variety of miscellaneous items: several sets of coarse cloth clothes for changing; a small bag of rice grains weighing about ten kilograms and emitting a faint spiritual aura (it should be low-grade "spirit rice"); two thin books with blurry covers; and a few scattered low-grade spirit stones and some gold and silver.

One of the books was a cultivation technique called "Gengjin Jue," which could only be cultivated to the third level of Qi Refining. It was crude and far less refined than the stellar spiritual energy he absorbed using the black token. The other book was "Detailed Explanation of Basic Spells," which recorded several basic minor spells, such as "Object Manipulation Spell," "Dust Purification Spell," "Flame Spell," and "Wind Control Spell."

Lin Xuan's gaze first fell on "Detailed Explanation of Basic Spells," especially the "Wind Control Spell." He urgently needed to improve his ability to survive.

He tried to mobilize the stellar spiritual energy within his dantian according to the methods described in the book. Perhaps it was because the stellar spiritual energy was of extremely high quality, or perhaps it was because he had decent talent, but after only a few failures, a faint current of energy surged beneath his feet, his body suddenly felt lighter, and his speed increased several times over!

Although they cannot truly fly on the wind yet, using the "Wind Riding Technique" to travel is far faster than simply running by physical strength!

He felt somewhat relieved; with this skill, he would have an extra layer of protection whether he was traveling or fleeing for his life.

Then, he focused his attention again on the two items in his arms—the mysterious black token and the broken small cauldron he had just acquired.

He first took the small cauldron in his hands and examined it carefully. He still couldn't discern anything special about it. He then tried to infuse it with a wisp of stellar spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy surged into the small cauldron, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea—it didn't elicit any reaction. The small cauldron remained lifeless, covered in rust and cracks.

Lin Xuan frowned slightly and took out the black token again. When the token approached the small cauldron, that faint resonance reappeared.

A thought struck him, and he tried gently touching the small cauldron with the token.

At the very moment the two made contact—

hum!

The twisted and complex patterns on the black token suddenly lit up with a faint starlight! At the same time, the broken cauldron seemed to be activated, and some extremely ancient and mysterious runes appeared beneath the seemingly messy rust on its body, flashing by in an instant!

Although it was only for a moment, Lin Xuan clearly felt that something inside the small cauldron seemed to have been touched. A wisp of extremely subtle yet incredibly pure and profound aura leaked out, but quickly subsided.

"As expected!" A glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. This broken cauldron was no ordinary object; it simply seemed to be severely damaged, or perhaps sealed by some kind of power. And this black token seemed to be one of the "keys" to unlocking it!

However, at present, his strength is too low and his spiritual power is too weak, so he is not able to truly drive these two things.

Undeterred, he carefully and discreetly kept the token and the small cauldron close to his body. These were the foundation for his future.

After doing all this, he stood up and looked towards the direction of the Qingyun Sect, where the majestic mountain silhouette was faintly visible and shrouded in clouds and mist.

His experience in the marketplace was like a baptism of blood. It made him fully understand the rules of this world—survival of the fittest, strength reigns supreme. There is no logic, no law, only a naked power struggle.

Kindness and weakness will only make you a corpse under someone else's feet.

To survive and to take control of your own destiny, you must become stronger, stronger than everyone else!

His gaze grew increasingly deep and resolute.

"Resources... I need more resources." He muttered to himself, and once again used his Wind Control Technique to make his body light and nimble as he sped towards the refugee settlement.

He needs to find a safe place to process his gains, learn spells, and improve his strength. Then, he needs to acquire more resources for his cultivation.