Chapter 1

Beneath the Abyss, There is Only Light

Shiyang County.

As night falls, the streetlights dimly illuminate the end of the street.

A man and a woman stand facing each other.

The two were about eighteen or nineteen years old. The girl was wearing a light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her delicate face held a faint smile. She was carrying a box of osmanthus cakes.

The man's name was Gu Lin, and he was expressionless at the moment.

Li Qingwu handed over the pastries, her voice soft and sweet as she said:

"Gu Lin, I queued for two hours at Shixiang Pavilion to buy one box, and I'm giving it to you."

Gu Lin didn't answer, but asked directly:

"What is it?"

Seeing his attitude, the woman's smile faded, but her tone remained gentle, tinged with caution:

Give me another hundred taels of silver.

Gu Lin sneered, threw the pastries on the ground, and retorted:

  

"You want 100 taels for something that costs 15 coins? Even the top courtesan in a brothel earns money faster than you!"

"You..." Li Qingwu's face was covered with frost. She raised her finger and pointed at the other person, unable to speak for a long time, her eyes filled with turbulent emotions.

Since a few days ago, her former suitor, who used to fawn over her, has changed drastically. In the past, as long as she kept a straight face, he would have to smile and give her money. If she waved her hand, Gu Lin would follow her like a dog.

Now they're even using foul language on her!!

Li Qingwu suppressed her discomfort and, in order to test whether she was playing hard to get, bent down and took off her phoenix-embroidered shoes, revealing her fair skin that was as white as snow.

"Look at this! I injured my ankle while practicing that secret technique."

"I strive to cultivate myself and work hard so that I can stand in front of you and protect you in the future. You are powerless and others may bully you, but you will always have me."

"If I don't have enough money to buy elixirs, my cultivation will progress slowly..."

The girl looked pitiful.

Unexpectedly, Gu Lin felt a chill run down his spine and interrupted him directly:

"Shut up!!"

He loathed the woman before him!

Two days ago, I transmigrated to this world and discovered that my predecessor was truly foolish and despicable, manipulated by this scoundrel.

Over three years, he swindled nearly a thousand taels of silver!

The Gu family was once a well-off and happy family. They owned a two-courtyard house and two shops, but now they have nothing and can only rent a dilapidated house!

The previous incarnation was so immersed in the beautiful dream woven by a scoundrel that she couldn't extricate herself, and even wanted to be tethered to her like a dog. It was truly pathetic and hateful!

Upon hearing the word "shut up," Li Qingwu was instantly enraged and retorted:

"Gu, do you think you're some kind of manly hero now? You're nineteen and haven't even opened your meridians to try and transform your internal energy. Besides me, who would even give you a second glance? You think you've studied hard enough to become a literary master? You've studied so much that your eyesight is failing, and you have to strain to turn the pages of a book by leaning over the edge. You even have to feel your way along the wall when walking at night, afraid of tripping. Don't you think you're just a parasite wasting food?"

She didn't mince words, her voice extremely shrill:

"You poor rat in the gutter, I've taken care of you and become close to you, you should be grateful! Slap yourself and apologize immediately, and I'll forgive you for insulting me!!"

"Count to three!"

"one!"

"two!!"

Gu Lin stared at her with extremely cold eyes for a long time before turning around and walking away.

He did not say that he would pay back the thousand taels of silver.

It's not that he didn't want to.

He wished he could slice that bastard to pieces right now.

But he was incompetent.

Forget about paying with one's life for murder; he's as vulnerable as an ant in front of this vile woman.

Grand pronouncements without substance are pale and powerless!

"Very good!" Li Qingwu shouted, her anger uncontrollable.

This dog dares to defy her to her face?

Has he lost his mind?

Shouldn't I have offered the money with both hands just to win a smile from her?

Watching the receding figure, Li Qingwu felt increasingly embarrassed, her anger mixed with humiliation. This dog didn't even wag its tail, yet dared to bark at her.

It took Li Qingwu a full incense stick's time to slowly process her humiliation.

I was just about to leave.

Suddenly.

Without warning, a pungent fragrance wafted over.

She looked up, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

A woman with disheveled hair and brightly colored clothes was seen running from the rooftop in the distance. Blood stained the hem of her skirt, and her breath was faint.

In Li Qingwu's understanding of cultivation, this person must have gone astray and become possessed by demons!

Danger! !

She suppressed her fear and quickly left, pretending nothing was wrong.

"Stop there." The woman's voice was hoarse as she leaped down from the eaves, her movements swift and fast, blocking the way in an instant.

Li Qingwu felt as if struck by lightning, her spine chilled, and her legs trembled. The overwhelming fragrance seemed like a tangible killing intent, about to engulf her.

"Spare me..." She instantly prostrated herself on the ground, trembling like a leaf.

The beautiful woman did not make a move, but said in a chilling tone:

"Find a man whose virginity has not yet been depleted and offer him to me for sexual sustenance, or I will kill you with one blow!"

Her aura became increasingly erratic; if she couldn't find a cauldron to replenish her yin and yang energy, she would be devoured by the poisonous gas within her body.

Li Qingwu was in despair, her best years were about to be wasted, but upon hearing this order, a spark of hope ignited in her heart.

She wiped away her tears, and almost without hesitation, her voice trembling:

"Senior, come with me, there's someone perfect for this!"

That's right, it's Gu Lin, the lackey who left 25 minutes ago!

The woman from the Hehuan Sect couldn't wait any longer and said fiercely:

"Anyone found lying will be executed by slow slicing!"

Li Qingwu quickly led the way, noticing the other person's increasingly chaotic aura, and the fear deep in her heart gradually faded away.

She was not a novice in cultivation; on the contrary, she had considerable talent in cultivation. She vaguely guessed that the woman was currently on the verge of death and probably dared not mobilize her dantian energy anymore. She had only managed to jump off the roof by relying on her physical strength.

If I only had physical strength, I might still have the ability to escape.

The reasons for their obedience were twofold: firstly, they dared not gamble with their lives; and secondly, they could use the woman to eliminate Gu Lin.

"Since you dared to defy and insult me, it seems you've come to your senses and are no longer willing to support me. Besides, your family has been drained dry. To prevent you from tarnishing my reputation with your nonsense at Shiyang Academy, you'd better leave as soon as possible!"

"To be one of my followers is the greatest honor of your mediocre life!"

A cold glint flashed in Li Qingwu's eyes.

If that guy surnamed Gu really tries to spread rumors and gain sympathy, he will be despised. His reputation is more important than his worthless life!

......

At the beginning of Hai hour, the night was deep.

Gu Lin carried a lantern as he walked through the familiar alley, only three miles from home.

He suddenly stopped and smelled a rich fragrance.

bang bang bang-

I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

Gu Lin turned his head and saw a woman covered in blood.

He gradually regressed.

The woman quickly approached, kicked the lamppost, and plunged the alley into darkness.

"You..." Gu Lin felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his face turning deathly pale.

The woman gripped Gu Lin's neck with one hand and placed the other on his lower abdomen, near his navel. A slight smile appeared on her beautiful, cold face as she said with relief:

"His virginity hasn't been depleted, and he has no cultivation. That little girl has found an excellent candidate!!"

After saying that, she took out a bottle of pills from her sleeve, took out one pill, and forcibly stuffed it into Gu Lin's mouth.

In the past, she would have only needed to use the charm techniques of the Hehuan Sect, but now she needs the aphrodisiac to help her.

Gu Lin's face was contorted, unable to resist, his back pressed tightly against the wall, his eyes filled with utter despair.

I was only allowed to live for three days after transmigrating? In this cruel world, are the lives of ants so worthless?

"Lie down quickly!" The beautiful woman stared intently at the furnace, her face contorted in agony, her internal organs writhing in pain, her eyes yearning for divine favor.

He knew his own dire situation best; even if he drained the furnace dry, he would only have a 50% chance of surviving this half-hour.

Yes, there is only a 50% chance of survival.

Without a furnace to save him, he'd have at most a 20% chance!

It all depends on your luck.

Gu Lin remained motionless, his desperate gaze slowly becoming unfocused. He realized what was about to happen, but he didn't want to lie down; he wanted to hold onto his last shred of dignity.

tear-

The woman forcibly pushed Gu Lin down and tore off his outer robe.

.....

......

Gu Lin looked up at the dark sky. The physical pain was far less than the humiliation in his heart. A true man stands tall and upright, yet he had fallen to this state. His death was so ridiculous and pathetic.

Gradually, he felt weak and dizzy, so weak that even closing his eyes was difficult, but his body was beyond his control, and the woman's voice echoed in the alley.

After an unknown amount of time, the woman suddenly stood up, flustered and panicked.

Rumbling--

A thunderous explosion erupted from his dantian, and his true energy surged back, transforming into blades that swept across his entire body.

She immediately sat cross-legged and forcefully activated her cultivation technique, attempting to calm the violent energy that had gone mad from practicing qi cultivation.

After circulating through one small cycle, the woman bled from all seven orifices, her heart ruptured, and fresh blood gushed from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears like a spring, which was extremely gruesome.

She ultimately didn't have good luck.

She had no chance of surviving even if she had half the chance.

The surroundings were completely silent. Gu Lin was weak and powerless. It took him half an incense stick's time to get up and look at the corpse in the pool of blood.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. He didn't know what had happened; he only knew that he was alive, while the woman who had insulted him was dead.

suddenly!

My mind spun, and specks of golden light appeared before my eyes, gradually coalescing into the three characters "Book of Merit".

"A book of merit?" Gu Lin's emotions were churning, a mixture of doubt, surprise, and a hint of anger.

Is this my own cheat code?

He had been in the world for three days, yearning for a cheat system to arrive so that he could make a name for himself in this cruel world. It really came, but why did it have to happen after he was humiliated?

But in an instant, his anger vanished.

Lines of golden words appeared in my mind.

[Indirectly eliminating the wicked woman, who belongs to the "Bing Jiu Xing" evil category, earns 500 merit points and rewards her with the max-level Xuanming Divine Palm]

[Martial Arts: 500/1000, Breakthrough to the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening]

Confucianism and Taoism: 0/1000

[Skill Level: 0/1000]

[Witchcraft Path: 0/1000]

In an instant, Gu Lin's meridians slowly expanded, and indescribable energy forcefully compressed them, causing his blood and qi to surge, with each acupoint containing abundant power.

He opened his eyes and looked out, and could see a toad motionless in the far corner of the wall.

You should know that he is severely nearsighted, and he couldn't even see the wicked woman's face clearly from beginning to end.

But now, how can he see so clearly?

Gu Linxi couldn't help himself; he subconsciously threw a punch into the air, his fist creating a gust of wind and a terrifying force!

"Meridian Opening Realm! I've reached the fifth level of the Meridian Opening Realm?!"

Gu Lin was thrilled inside, and a bright smile appeared on his handsome face.

Not only that, but the Xuanming Divine Palm technique flashed through his mind. He had practiced it countless times, so much so that it seemed to be at full power every time he used it!

"A book of merit—does accumulating merit bring generous rewards?"

"Besides martial arts, will it also involve Confucianism, Taoism, sorcery, and witchcraft?"

Having transmigrated to this world, Gu Lin learned about the cultivation system of the Feathered Divine Continent. Most people cultivate martial arts, while many scholars open literary palaces and embark on the path of Confucianism and Taoism, cultivating the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

Those who cultivate both Confucianism and martial arts are one in ten thousand!

A person's energy and time are limited. Even the most gifted genius cannot have both; they must always choose one over the other.

And do I have the opportunity to advance on both fronts?

As for the arts of magic, those are even more noble!

The art of magic, the realm of spiritual power, involves low-level magicians refining pills and creating formations, while high-level magicians manipulate the flow of fortune to seek good luck and avoid misfortune—it is mysterious and terrifying!

The path of witchcraft involves raising Gu worms to kill people remotely without leaving a trace. There are all sorts of strange Gu worms in the world, and the methods of masters in this path are endless. It is said that the grandmaster of witchcraft can also use the legendary curse technique to manipulate others from thousands of miles away!

"The Book of Merit is too overpowered, calm down... calm down..."

Gu Lin slowly suppressed his agitated emotions. He glanced at the corpse on the ground, fearing that staying any longer would attract attention, so he picked up his robes and fled out of the dark alley.

......

On his way home, Gu Lin did three things along the way.

Carrying an old woman across the bridge.

I bought a bowl of clear soup noodles for the beggar.

They guarded the little girl who was licking a candied hawthorn by herself, to prevent her from being abducted by human traffickers.

To his disappointment, the "Book of Merit" did not respond.

It seems that merit is limited to eradicating evil!

Back at his small house on Kang Le Street, his parents had not yet returned home. Gu Lin could not contain his excitement. He washed up early and lay in bed, carefully feeling the hidden strength within his body and the visible strength between his fists and palms.