Scum Of The Demonic Sect

Chapter Ten: First Murder

Lin Haoming naturally knew what a life-and-death contract was. Once signed in the presence of witnesses, even killing the other party in the arena wouldn't violate sect rules.

In his memory, the previous Lin Haoming was forced to participate in continuous battles. To save his life, he repeatedly took out the valuables given to him by the ancestor. Finally, having nothing left to give, he was kicked out of the inner sect.

Now, most of those who had stolen his things had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Revenge wouldn't be so easy.

Situ Ping took out a refined scroll and tossed it to Lin Haoming. Although Lin Haoming had no choice but to sign his name, Guo Xin on the other side hadn't expected things to become so serious. But it had come to this point; he couldn't turn back, and he didn't believe he would lose.

Watching the two sign the life-and-death contract, Zhou Zhiye smiled and said, "Alright, since that's the case, Junior Brother has a bottle of mid-grade Qi Harmony Pills here, twenty in total, worth two hundred spirit stones!"

Qi Harmony Pills are generally used by cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining or the Great Perfection stage. One pill costs three spirit stones, but a mid-grade Qi Harmony Pill is more than three times that price, ten spirit stones each, so twenty pills are indeed worth two hundred spirit stones.

Among outer sect disciples, unless someone is trying to break through a bottleneck in Qi Refining, they wouldn't buy one or two. Otherwise, no one would waste so many spirit stones. Therefore, although Lin Haoming knew it was a valuable item, he didn't buy any.

Situ Ping, on the other hand, didn't take anything. He directly took out two hundred spirit stones as a wager and said to Lin Haoming, "If you win, not only will you get your bet, but I, as your senior brother, will also reward you with a mid-grade Qi Harmony Pill."

Upon hearing this, Lin Haoming knew that Situ Ping was encouraging him.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhiwei retorted without backing down, "Guo Xin, if you win, besides winning the thirty spirit stones wager, your senior brother will also award you another thirty spirit stones."

Thirty spirit stones were more valuable than a mid-grade Qi-Harmony Pill, giving him an edge over Situ Ping. However, everyone understood that to claim this benefit, one had to risk their life.

After agreeing on the wager, both sides stepped back. According to the rules, the winner was decided as soon as one side conceded or lost their fighting ability.

The competition was hosted by Steward Ma, an old man who acted as a neutral party. He usually took one spirit stone as a fee for each competition, but even though the wager was high this time, he only took one spirit stone.

The two men stood ten zhang apart. Guo Xin looked at Lin Haoming and sneered, "Kid, beg for mercy now and you might live, otherwise...hehe!"

Lin Haoming was unfazed by his threat. He simply looked at Manager Ma, who, seeing that it was Lin Haoming's first time competing, had briefly explained the rules.

In fact, Lin Haoming already knew the rules from Niu Wu; he was just hearing them again.

After he finished speaking, Manager Ma specifically asked, "Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Lin Haoming replied.

Seeing Lin Haoming nod, Manager Ma said directly, "If you understand, let's begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Haoming threw out a talisman, then spat out a mouthful of blood essence into it to help activate its power.

On the other side, Guo Xin pulled a half-foot-long throwing knife from his robes, tossed it casually, and then cast a spell. The knife instantly glowed blue and shot towards Lin Haoming.

"A mid-grade magic weapon!" Everyone exclaimed upon seeing the throwing knife. Clearly, they hadn't expected Guo Xin to possess such a valuable item. With a mid-grade magic weapon in hand and a cultivation level higher than Lin Haoming's, what was the point of competing? No wonder Zhou Zhiye had placed such a large bet.

However, just as everyone was thinking this, a talisman thrown by Lin Haoming flashed with a blue light. Then, within the blue light, thick wind blades suddenly burst forth, raining down on Guo Xin like a storm.

"Ah!" Guo Xin hadn't expected his opponent to casually toss out a low-grade high-level talisman. This was far beyond his ability to withstand. With a scream, he was sliced ​​into pieces by the wind blades; without close inspection, it was impossible to recognize him as a human.

On the other side, Lin Haoming took out another talisman and slapped it against his forehead. A golden light shield appeared around him. The throwing knife that had been shot earlier struck the shield, causing ripples. However, after Guo Xin's scream, the knife, no longer under its master's control, instantly became lifeless and fell to the ground.

Lin Haoming looked at Guo Xin, who had just threatened him, now reduced to pieces of minced meat. Although he dealt with corpses every day, this was the first time he had actually killed someone, and Lin Haoming's expression was still grim.

This was his first time killing, his first time ending a life. Although this person held a grudge against him, and he had considered taking his life himself, actually killing him brought a very different feeling. However, he felt no regret, nor fear, because he understood that if his methods had been weaker, he would have been the one to die.

Just then, Lin Haoming felt a slight reaction from the Merit Bead. He realized then that killing this man had actually earned him a little merit. He wondered who was grateful to him.

Lin Haoming thought about it. He had won the competition, helped Situ Ping win the pills, and even gained face. It was normal for him to be grateful. However, he felt it was more likely that the other managers would be grateful, because his victory was equivalent to winning half of the Great Moon Competition. Not only did he not have to spend money, but he also gained something, even if it was only a spirit stone. It was better than nothing.

Lin Haoming only just came to his senses, removing the Vajra Talisman. He noticed that just one strike from the flying knife had depleted a third of its spiritual power. A mid-grade magic weapon was indeed formidable; if Guo Xin had possessed the ninth level of cultivation, the Vajra Talisman would likely have withstood at least two hits.

After carefully storing the Vajra Talisman, Lin Haoming immediately picked up the flying knife from the ground and went directly to Situ Ping, smiling, "Senior Brother Situ, this is a mid-grade magic weapon!"

"This flying knife is quite good. I might find it useful. Here, I have five Qi-Harmony Pills; consider it a purchase!" Situ Ping grabbed the Qi-Harmony Pills he had won, poured five into Lin Haoming's hand, and then put the flying knife away.

"Senior Brother Situ, we signed a life-or-death contract. The winner gets everything the loser possesses after killing the opponent. This throwing knife is at least a mid-grade magic weapon; I think it should be worth a hundred spirit stones. Senior Brother, you're really generous. That kid used two talismans earlier, which must have cost at least fifty spirit stones, right?" Zhou Zhiye, the loser, sneered.

Situ Ping, of course, knew the value of the throwing knife. In fact, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage, and the Qi Harmony Pill was of little use to him. Giving it away wasn't a big deal, but Zhou Zhiye's words made him retort, "Even a mere steward can afford a mid-grade magic weapon, Junior Brother Zhou. Did you give it to him? You can always get it back after using it!"

Situ Ping was absolutely right; the throwing knife was indeed given to him by Zhou Zhiye. Now that he had lost, it was as if he had lost another mid-grade magic weapon. He retorted, dissatisfied, "This talisman of your subordinate, is it his own?"

Lin Haoming knew that killing Guo Xin had thoroughly offended Zhou Zhiye, and now he had no choice but to go all the way. He then said, "This was left to me by my ancestor for self-preservation!"

Lin Haoming's statement was reasonable, since everyone here knew that he was a descendant of his ancestor.

Situ Ping was quite satisfied with Lin Haoming's answer, a rare smile appearing on his face. "Did you hear that? Do you think everyone is as shameless as you?"

As Situ Ping said this, Lin Haoming felt as if he had gained something from his Merit Beads. He hadn't expected Situ Ping to be grateful to him.

"You!" Zhou Zhiye couldn't retort immediately, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at Lin Haoming.

Seeing that look, Lin Haoming knew he had been thoroughly resented by this inner disciple.

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