Starting with warding off evil and disaster, one can ascend to immortality after countless tribulati

Jiang Ming drew a dagger from the guard's waist, held the sharp blade, and swiftly cut off one of Chen Meng's fingers to open the barrier outside the cave.

Fearing that his face would be recognized and implicate him, she stomped on his face several more times.

After a series of careful operations, Chen Meng's once fairly proper features were now as smooth and sticky as minced meat.

Jiang Ming casually tossed the blood-stained dagger aside, then nimbly jumped into the crystal-clear fish pond with a net in hand.

Perhaps it has already been fished out once, there are not many fish left in the pond now, most of them are finger-sized fry. Endure the disappointment and search patiently for a while.

Jiang Ming swiftly scooped up a net and caught a palm-sized treasure fish. The little guy was bright red all over, round and plump, covered with tiny fleshy bumps, making it look somewhat ugly...

He caught two more fish in succession, carefully took off his clothes to wrap them up, and saw that apart from the fry, there were no more normal-sized treasure fish in the pond. Jiang Ming forcefully threw the net into the bushes.

Immediately afterwards, he dragged Chen Meng's corpse into the Treasure Fish Pool without a second thought, and spat on it before leaving.

……

The outer gate of the Wanfa Sect, inside the stone chamber where Chen Meng resided.

Looking at the piles of spirit stones, Jiang Ming couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

After counting the items, I silently calculated my gains in my mind.

The three treasure fish, calculated at the lowest market price of five spirit stones, totaled fifteen spirit stones, plus Chen Meng's inheritance of a full eighty spirit stones.

The apparent gains amounted to nearly a hundred spirit stones.

Without the right opportunity, relying solely on honest and diligent accumulation would have taken Jiang Ming a full ten years.

Sure enough, this godforsaken place, the outer sect, won't get you ahead by enduring hardship; you'll only get ahead by devouring people!

With a sigh, Jiang Ming turned his gaze to the painting in the corner. After seeing the woman's face clearly, he was taken aback for a moment, then walked over and carefully picked it up.

"It really is her. It seems that the evil spirit that is haunting me was born from this thing. I just didn't expect that the female corpse could be put into the painting."

After examining the painting closely for a moment, Jiang Ming felt as if the woman in the painting was smiling at him!

The more he looked at it, the stranger it seemed. Although he was very interested in this treasure whose uses were unknown, he dared not touch it. After thinking for a long time, he silently put it away and set it aside.

Besides the spirit stones and treasures, Chen Meng also left behind a diary.

The document clearly records some trivial matters, including the entire process of framing Jiang Ming.

"That bastard, after discovering that my physical features are similar to his, started to have evil intentions."

They imparted the "One Qi Returns to Origin Scripture" to me, only waiting for the opportune moment to plunder my cultivation and use it for their own purposes.

"No wonder Chen Meng knew the location of the Treasure Fish Pond. It turns out he was engaged to Miss Xu, but unfortunately his family has fallen on hard times and now they don't care about him at all."

That damned simp! He gave most of the spirit stones he got by swindling his fellow disciples to that wretched woman! That money should have been mine, my money!

Furious, Jiang Ming pounded his thigh a few times and secretly resolved that if he ever had the chance, he would definitely take back the spirit stone that belonged to him from that woman named Xu Youwei.

After packing up all of Chen Meng's belongings, Jiang Ming quietly returned to his cave under the cover of night.

After killing the fish, throw it all into a pot and stew it with water.

This thing, after all, came from an illegitimate source. Selling it rashly could easily lead to unnecessary trouble. Rather than creating unnecessary problems for myself, I'd rather refine it on the spot to improve my strength.

A short while later.

The fish were cooked, and the three fish filled a large bowl.

It is truly a rare and precious ingredient. Compared to the fish we usually eat, its quality is worlds apart. Not only does it have no small bones, but its flesh is also more delicate and succulent.

Even without any added seasonings, it still has a natural sweetness when you take a bite.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Wiping the large beads of sweat from his forehead, Jiang Ming's skin instantly turned a rosy hue as his spiritual energy surged.

His whole body seemed to be burning, his strong arms as red as a cooked crab.

Not daring to waste any time or the essence of the precious fish, Jiang Ming sat cross-legged on the ground, concentrating all his mental energy to circulate the "Eternal Life Scripture," using his powerful physical body to frantically absorb the pure spiritual energy flowing within him.

"This is truly a wonderful thing, its effects are several times stronger than spirit stones! If I can consume this every day, my physical body will soon reach the next level."

After a moment of reflection, taking advantage of his excellent condition, Jiang Ming took out ten spirit stones and tried his best to refine them.

Even though his innate talent was poor and his absorption efficiency was average, Jiang Ming still reaped a great harvest that night thanks to the large accumulation of spirit stones.

Perhaps it was because his spiritual energy was at an unprecedented high, but despite not sleeping all night, he did not feel tired at all. His eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and his solid body was filled with the power of a wild beast.

"The past few months of training couldn't compare to the pleasure of this one night."

Clenching his fists and stretching his body with a refreshed feeling, Jiang Ming carefully hid the remaining spirit stones and ancient paintings before leaving the stone chamber and heading to the blacksmith's workshop to start work.

It was early morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Diligent disciples have already arrived and are engaged in hard work. Their enthusiasm is not due to the high monthly salary, but rather because they are afraid of being punished by Steward Zhou.

As one of the three managers of Furnace Peak, Zhou Yi was in charge of all the scheduling of the blacksmith's workshop. He lost his wife in middle age and his son in old age, and his life was full of misfortunes.

He always wore a cold expression and would scold and beat his disciples if he was slightly displeased.

Most importantly, this person has extraordinary energy. He sleeps at 9 PM and gets up at 5 AM, and he does this for decades, regardless of the harsh winter or scorching summer.

With such a superior, the blacksmiths at Furnace Peak naturally had a hard time.

"Huh, Zhou Bapi didn't come today, that's really strange."

"Yeah, Senior Brother Chen Meng is late too. I remember he used to be the first one there. Jiang Ming, you're close to Brother Meng, do you know what happened?"

He lit the bellows, shook his head blankly, and said innocently, "I don't know. Brother Meng said yesterday that he was going out to make money, but he also said it was a bit dangerous and told me not to go with him."

"They're probably on their way back now. Let's get to work, brothers. Stop whispering amongst ourselves, or we'll be in big trouble if Manager Zhou catches us red-handed."

Upon hearing Jiang Ming's explanation, the unsuspecting disciples naturally didn't react.

Wang Yousheng, who usually obeyed Chen Meng's every word, suddenly changed his expression, his eyes filled with deep apprehension.

It's understandable that he panicked, since according to the original plan, Jiang Ming should be dead by now.

"Nonsense, Brother Meng clearly told you to go with him."

Why are you the only one who came back? Tell the truth now, or don't blame me for being impolite! Relying on his breakthrough to the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm a few days ago and his mastery of the technique "Fierce Tiger Overlord Mountain Fist".

Although Wang Yousheng was somewhat wary, he spoke with a firm tone, coldly stepping forward and staring at Jiang Ming, clearly indicating that he would not give up easily.

"The plan has changed. Chen Meng really didn't let me come along. Don't get excited, get back to work."

Although Steward Zhou didn't come, Madam Zhou was in the attic. If we displeased her, it might implicate the brothers.

Jiang Ming glanced at Wang Yousheng calmly, realizing that this man probably knew the whole story, but he didn't panic.

He handled it perfectly, leaving no room for error.

Even if Wang Yousheng guessed the truth, he couldn't produce any evidence. If he knew what was good for him, he could be spared. If he remained obstinate and continued to pester him, it wouldn't be difficult to find an opportunity to kill him.

After making a few perfunctory remarks, Jiang Ming silently began forging iron.

next second.

But then Wang Yousheng stormed over, grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go, and said in a cold voice, "Stop pretending. Are you trying to tell me what to do? Meng-ge isn't here, and it's not your place to boss him around!"

Explain yourself clearly now, or you'll taste the power of the Fierce Tiger Mountain-Dominating Fist.

With a wave of his hand, he shook off Wang Yousheng's attempt to pull him away.

Upon hearing the words "Fierce Tiger Overlord Mountain Fist," Jiang Ming immediately realized that this person had also broken through to the fourth level of the Qi Absorption Realm and cultivated an entry-level technique. No wonder he had the confidence to entangle him.

"Even within the same realm, there are differences. If you dare to lay a hand on me again, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Bah, enough talk, take this!" Ignoring Jiang Ming's warning, Wang Yousheng suddenly launched an attack, his powerful fist aimed straight at Jiang Ming's chest.

Standing in front of him without flinching or dodging, Jiang Ming retaliated, striking Wang Yousheng in the chest with a palm strike, as if giving him an eye for an eye.

Relying on his strong physique, Jiang Ming withstood the opponent's punch head-on, only taking one step back.

Wang Yousheng stood still for a long time, and only when the crowd came to help him did he fall to his knees with a thud, spitting out a mouthful of blood in a disheveled state.

Looking at Jiang Ming, who was calm and unharmed, the blacksmith disciples were filled with shock. They looked at each other in disbelief, their hearts filled with turbulent emotions.

"I only used three-tenths of my strength, he won't die, everyone disperse."

"Just do your own thing, I won't hold you back, and don't bother me..."

Jiang Ming coldly swept his gaze over Wang Yousheng, then stopped short of giving him a lesson before calmly returning to the anvil.

Just as they were about to heat the iron billet until it was red-hot, they began today's forging.

Upstairs, a beautiful woman with light makeup suddenly pushed open the window, her brows furrowed in displeasure. "Who was making such a racket here? Was that you? Come here..."

Upon seeing Madam Zhou's expression, everyone's faces changed.

Their gazes toward Jiang Ming were filled with pity, and they all lowered their heads, secretly offering their advice.

"Brother Jiang, be humble and admit your mistake later. Madam Zhou hates it when people talk back to her."

"Don't mess with her, or if the manager gets angry, we're finished this month..."

Listening to the blacksmith's disciples' discussion, Jiang Ming nodded and hurried over quickly, but he was not flustered.

There were no warnings of disaster, so it seems like nothing serious has happened.

My name is Jiang Ming. By the time you see this, I will be plagued by misfortune and my life will soon end...