I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Impure."

"..."

Qi Yue froze, turning to look behind him. He saw Shao Qiu looking up, staring straight at him. There wasn’t much disappointment or pain in his eyes—instead, they held an unshakable resolve, and even a hint of... smugness.

He was stunned, unsure of what to say.

Shao Qiu’s expression was completely different from what he’d imagined.

He’d thought Shao Qiu would have a breakdown. After all, he had endured so much pain for so long, and it had all been for nothing. When people realize all their efforts have been in vain, it’s easy for them to fall into self-doubt or even have a complete mental collapse.

He’d expected Shao Qiu to be the same.

But to his surprise, there wasn’t a trace of pain or sadness in Shao Qiu’s eyes. Instead, he looked excited and even smug.

’Did the mental collapse drive him mad?’

Before he could speak, Shao Qiu muttered to himself, "Using a Martial King Pill to break through to Ninety-nine Percent Body Tempering, and then using the Yunling Pavilion’s Max Level Building Effect to reach Tenfold Body Tempering... that kind of Tenfold Body Tempering Martial King is impure."

"..."

Qi Yue paused. He didn’t expect Shao Qiu to think this way. He wasn’t usually one to explain things, but today he really felt the need to.

"They’re exactly the same."

"A Tenfold Body Tempering Martial King made through the Yunling Pavilion’s Max Level Building Effect is identical to a Tenfold Body Tempering Martial King like us. There’s no difference at all."

"A Tenfold Body Tempering Martial King is a Tenfold Body Tempering Martial King, no matter how you get there. What difference could there be?"

"No, no, no, no, no, you don’t understand."

Shao Qiu stood up from the altar, his expression serious. "In terms of power and effect, maybe they’re the same."

"But the method of obtaining it is different, so the test of one’s character is also different. In the future, the Mortal Realm will definitely have more Tenfold Body Tempering Martial Kings, but they will have all reached it through the Yunling Pavilion’s Max Level Building Effect. Their character definitely won’t be as good as ours."

"Besides, aren’t we a limited edition now? In the entire Mortal Realm, we’re the only two who became Tenfold Body Tempering Martial Kings on our own. Isn’t that a great honor?"

"..."

Qi Yue stood silently, not speaking for a long time. He really hadn’t expected Shao Qiu to think about it from this angle, but he did have a point. As long as Shao Qiu could come to terms with it himself, it was fine. He was mainly afraid that Shao Qiu would get stuck in a dead end.

"You don’t feel any pain at all? If you had broken through later, you wouldn’t have had to suffer all this physical agony."

"What’s a little physical agony?" Shao Qiu waved his hand dismissively and cleared his throat. "Want to hear about my past? I can tell you all about it."

"No."

Qi Yue refused quickly and decisively. After confirming Shao Qiu was fine, he turned and left the Yunling Pavilion.

This news was not announced to the official members of the Mortal Realm.

After all, there weren’t many people in the Mortal Realm who needed to break through to Martial King right now. It wouldn’t be too late to announce the news when someone was on the verge of breaking through.

The Mortal Realm had a fair number of people now. If the news were to leak, it would be troublesome.

...

"So refreshing!"

Shao Qiu had mostly recovered by now. He watched Qi Yue’s retreating back, stretched lazily, and sat up from the altar.

He was now officially a Tenfold Body Tempering Martial King.

He was a special Cultivator, a Living Dead.

Upon ascending to Tenfold Body Tempering Martial King, a suitable Martial Art once again appeared in his mind, automatically mastered to the Great Perfection Realm.

On paper, his combat power was now higher than Qi Yue’s, but he couldn’t quite figure Qi Yue out. If they really fought, he didn’t know if he could beat him.

This was the specialty of the Living Dead.

He never needed to practice any Martial Arts or cultivate any Mental Methods; he only needed to break through his Cultivation.

Every time he broke through a Cultivation Realm, a Martial Art or Mental Method would automatically appear in his mind, already mastered to the Great Perfection Realm.

This time, what appeared in his mind was a Yellow Level Stealth Martial Technique.

Shao Qiu got up, stepped out of the altar, and staggered toward the exit of the Yunling Pavilion.

"Pavilion Master Qiu."

Just then, Zhao Shengping walked into the camp and blocked his path, his face wreathed in smiles. "The Domain Lord had me forge the Stealth Suits and Special Weapons for your Dark Pavilion. They’re all done. Want to come take a look?"

"Of course."

A glint flashed in Shao Qiu’s eyes. Full of anticipation, he followed Zhao Shengping toward the Celestial Artifact Pavilion outside the City Wall.

He hadn’t forgotten about this.

Last time, they had dug up so much Earth Gold it had almost dumbfounded him. He once had a dagger forged from just a small piece of Earth Gold that possessed unfathomable power, but it was confiscated by the damned Slaughter Immortal Holy Land in the end.

Now, he had long been waiting to see the power of a whole dagger and Night Traveling Clothes forged from so much Earth Gold.

...

「Inside the Mortal Realm’s Celestial Artifact Pavilion.」

Zhao Shengping, face full of pride, presented a jet-black dagger wrapped in red cloth. "Try it."

Although he made delicious braised dishes, that wasn’t his job—just his hobby. His profession was an Artifact Refiner, and he was naturally very confident in his craft.

"Let me see."

Shao Qiu took the dagger with a look of anticipation. The dagger he once treasured was merely a Green Level Spirit Treasure, after all, as it had been forged with only a tiny bit of Earth Gold. This new dagger, however, was made of nearly ninety percent Earth Gold, supplemented with other materials. Its power would be far greater than his old one.

"Light."