My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

The fight had been brief, but he had already consumed a third of his Mana. Most of it went to powering the Sky-Breaking Saber, while a small amount was used to counter the force of the Sharp Arrow Talisman.

Zhao Zuo took out a Spirit Revitalizing Pill and swallowed it, then pushed off with his legs, lunging toward the masked woman. ’Among the Tribulation Cultivators... her Cultivation is also at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer. I can kill her!’

No one could have expected the unassuming Zhao Zuo to slay an experienced Tribulation Cultivator of the same Realm in just a few breaths. Perhaps it was that very experience that had cost the man his life.

Zhao Zuo lunged abruptly toward the masked Female Cultivator, his body faintly radiating a Golden Light. His exposed muscles trembled slightly, as if they had been lacquered with a layer of gold.

The masked Female Cultivator spun around. Seeing the corpse on the ground not far off, she immediately understood what had happened. ’If this enemy could kill my partner in seconds, then he can definitely kill me in seconds, too.’

"Boss Mo, this one’s trouble! Retreat!"

With that said, she fled into the distance without a second thought. The lives of her companions were of no concern to her. This was the norm for most Cultivators: deception, sabotage, betrayal... they would use any means necessary, all for the sake of immortality.

The masked Female Cultivator simultaneously slapped two Light Body Talismans onto herself, increasing her speed.

She was fast, but Zhao Zuo was no slower. With Mana gathered in his legs, each of his strides covered five to six meters. For a time, the masked Female Cultivator found she was unable to shake him.

Elsewhere, the other two saw how easily their teammate had been dispatched.

They immediately assumed Zhao Zuo was a powerful ally Shen Yunjiao had found, lying in wait for them to walk into a trap. ’As for his Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Cultivation, that must be a disguise.’

They decided to scatter and flee, but Shen Yunjiao, wielding a longsword, kept them tightly engaged.

"WHOOSH—!"

Zhao Zuo aimed at the masked woman five meters away and hurled the Sky-Breaking Saber. A streak of dark light shot toward the spot over her heart with incredible speed. Given the Sky-Breaking Saber’s velocity... it collided with a golden barrier in less than a second.

"CRACK, CRACK."

The golden barrier was instantly covered in a web of cracks that spread rapidly.

At the critical moment, the masked woman dove forward, rolling twice across the ground. Though she looked pathetic, covered in dirt, she had saved her own life. The Sky-Breaking Saber slammed into the earth beside her, blasting out a crater half a meter deep and roughly two meters in diameter.

Just as she was about to scramble up and continue her escape, Zhao Zuo was upon her. He landed heavily, his feet kicking up stones and a cloud of dust.

Zhao Zuo’s body was awash with a Golden Light. He bent slightly at the waist, putting power into his right arm as his muscles swelled and veins bulged.

The power originated in the soles of his feet, traveled up through his Meridians, was amplified by his waist and abdomen, and finally concentrated in his fist—the entire force of his body focused on a single point.

This heavy, powerful punch struck the masked Female Cultivator’s head, sending her to the ground once more. Blood trickled from her eyes and ears, the blow leaving her dazed and disoriented. The masked woman struggled several times to rise and flee, only to collapse back to the ground.

"No, don’t..."

"SWISH."

Zhao Zuo activated the sword-shaped Magical Artifact from a hidden clasp on his waist, which pierced through her chest and shredded her heart.

Low-level Cultivators had limited techniques, and their bodies were extremely fragile. Life and death were often decided in an instant. Another factor was that their Mana reserves were simply insufficient to sustain a prolonged battle.

Zhao Zuo had taken less than thirty seconds to dispatch the two of them, but he had already consumed over eighty percent of his Mana. As he was now, he couldn’t handle another fight.

Gazing at the nearby corpses and the blood slowly staining the earth, a tidal wave of emotions crashed through Zhao Zuo.

’Fear? Excitement? Or revulsion?’

’But there was absolutely no regret. He didn’t regret striking, and he didn’t regret his choice.’

Zhao Zuo stepped forward and retrieved his Sky-Breaking Saber and the sword-shaped Magical Artifact, securing them in the hidden clasp at his waist. He then took out another Spirit Revitalizing Pill and swallowed it. The Pill Medicine took effect instantly. Pure Spiritual Power radiated from his stomach, refilling his empty Dantian without even needing to be refined.

The fight elsewhere was still raging. Zhao Zuo forced down the roiling emotions inside him and turned toward the other side of the battlefield. He moved faster and faster, returning to the fray within a few breaths.

"Taoist Friend Zhao, just stand guard for me! I can handle these two!"

When Shen Yunjiao saw Zhao Zuo arrive to help, she felt a mix of annoyance and joy. ’I started faking my injury fifteen days ago, pretending to be sick for so long, coughing all day and choking down bitter pills, all just to lure out these vipers. And now he’s snatched half of the resources I was about to get!’

’I really can’t figure it out. He’s usually so timid. Why didn’t he run away today?’

’But I’m also glad... when danger came, Zhao Zuo didn’t choose to abandon me. It makes me feel a little warm inside.’

"Alright. Be careful, Taoist Friend Shen."

Zhao Zuo paused. The energy fluctuations from their battle were completely unconcealed. ’Someone could be hiding in the shadows,’ he thought, ’waiting to swoop in and claim the spoils.’

Zhao Zuo remained vigilant of his surroundings while taking the opportunity to loot the two dead Tribulation Cultivators. Unfortunately, they were quite poor—though it was possible they’d left their valuables at home. All he found were five Spirit Stones, three Vajra Talismans, three Light Body Talismans, and a handful of Cleaning Talismans.

He also collected two usable Magical Artifacts and the pierced Spirit Iron plate from the burly man’s chest. It weighed roughly ten pounds and was stained with blood and bone fragments, which Zhao Zuo tidied up with a Cleaning Talisman. The rich, metallic scent of blood was rather unpleasant.

As he did all this, Zhao Zuo kept part of his attention on Shen Yunjiao. Her movements were like a dancing flame, keeping the two enemies firmly suppressed. Her fight looked perilous, but she always managed to turn a dangerous situation to her advantage.

’Once or twice could be a coincidence, but after seeing it happen so many times...’ Zhao Zuo realized what was going on. Shen Yunjiao was deliberately making the fight look harder than it was, hoping to draw out any other enemies who might be lurking nearby.

’She’s fishing. In fact, the four who attacked today were the fish she was trying to catch all along.’

Once Zhao Zuo understood the full picture, he felt no resentment. After all, he had been the one who insisted on following her home, and she had given him the chance to leave.

’Perhaps this is the true face of the Cultivation Realm,’ he mused. ’Cultivation is a constant struggle, a struggle for resources. Some choose to acquire them through the Hundred Skills of Cultivation. Some choose to risk their lives fighting Demon Beasts. And others... others simply decide to prey on their fellow Cultivators.’

’Shen Yunjiao set a trap, feigning injury to attract the greedy, then killing them in turn to seize their resources.’

’I was just an unexpected piece swept into her game. If Shen Yunjiao had been a little more ruthless, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of here alive today. I can’t expect the mastermind to be kind next time, can I?’

This was a real world, and the price of failure was death. Take these Tribulation Cultivators, for example. Their attacks were never spontaneous. They would have to identify a target, observe and assess them, and make plans for both success and failure—just like how the masked Female Cultivator had chosen to retreat the instant she saw the situation was unwinnable.

Zhao Zuo’s way of thinking was becoming more and more like that of a true Cultivator. Much of this growth came from observing Shen Yunjiao. She was an excellent teacher, and Zhao Zuo was learning many useful things.

「...」

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