Just as Sima Hui was about to touch flame to wick, Sima Ming's hand shot out, staying his own.
"Are you a fool? If we enter with a light, we're simply announcing our arrival."
A sinister smile touched Sima Ming's lips. "On the contrary, that whelp went in with a torch. He is in the light while we are in the dark. A surprise attack will conserve our strength."
Sima Hui tapped his head and extinguished the candle. "You're right. Let's go."
One after the other, they stepped into the tomb. Though either of them could individually overwhelm Jiang Fenghuo, they moved with caution, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.
Halfway through, Sima Ming froze. His foot had pressed down on something.
*Click!*
Before he could utter a warning, a dull thud echoed from behind. He whirled around just in time to see a dark mass descend upon Sima Hui.
Even as cultivators in the Middle-stage of the second level of Qi Condensation, they lacked the ability to see in the dark. In the pitch-blackness, it was impossible to discern the nature of the object.
Sima Hui drew his sword. "Quick, light the lamp!" As he spoke, he unleashed a flurry of strikes, His sword stabbed into that thing, and a sensation of piercing through flesh and skin came with it.
Sima Ming lit the lamp and cried out in shock, "Is that a person?!"
Sima Hui was also stunned. If it was a person, why was there no reaction to being stabbed?
He saw now that the "man" was bound by ropes—a trap sprung by Sima Ming's misstep. A crackle of electricity filled the air, and Sima Hui was suddenly enveloped in a sheath of lightning!
His body was paralyzed. His eyes widened in terror as a single word escaped his throat, "Brother…"
As the lightning faded, half a blade burst from Sima Hui's chest, aimed straight for Sima Ming.
Sima Ming scrambled back, his hands rapidly forming a seal.
"Fire Spell, go!"
He hurled a ball of fire and immediately turned to flee.
But the figure behind Sima Hui used his dying body as a shield. The flames struck Sima Hui, extinguishing the last spark of his life, and he was pushed aside, collapsing limply to the ground.
As Sima Ming ran, he reached for a jade Slip hanging around his neck. Suddenly, a wave of intense heat washed over him from behind. He spun around, thrusting his hands forward and channeling all his Qi to defend against the incoming Fire Spell.
The fire dissipated, but Sima Ming's forehead was beaded with sweat. Wasn't that whelp Jiang Fenghuo just a piece of trash at the first level of Qi Condensation? How could his Fire Spell be so powerful?!
And that Thunder Spell just now… how could a spell from the first level of Qi Condensation paralyze Sima Hui?
"Take this!"
Jiang Fenghuo's voice drifted like a phantom's whisper as a blade appeared before Sima Ming. He deflected it with all his might, only to see another sword thrusting towards him!
Only as the cold steel pierced his chest did he understand. The sword that had flown at him was Sima Hui's own. This one—this was the blade Jiang Fenghuo had driven home with his own hands. A fatal miscalculation…
Jiang Fenghuo channeled his Qi through the blade and gave it a sharp upward twist. The energy surged into Sima Ming's body. He spat out a mouthful of blood, uttered no further word, and fell to the ground.
"Hah…" Jiang Fenghuo let out a breath, relit a lamp, and retreated deeper into the corridor.
He needed to observe whether the two were feigning death.
After a short wait, he confirmed they were truly and thoroughly dead. Only then did he drag both bodies into the burial chamber.
He looted from them two ordinary Qi Nourishing Pills, one Realm-Breaking Pill for the Early-stage of Qi Condensation—used for breaking through from the first to the third level—a low-grade medicinal cauldron, and a Yellow-rank, mid-grade cultivation method manual: *The Sword Nurturing Art*.
（The manuals are divided into four grades: Tian, Di, Xuan, and Huang, in descending order of quality—with Tian being the highest and Huang the lowest. Each of these grades is further subdivided into three sub - grades: upper, middle, and lower.）
The Realm-Breaking Pill was a treasure coveted by countless outer sect disciples. As for *The Sword Nurturing Art*, Jiang Fenghuo was unsure if it suited him, but any cultivation method was valuable.
There were also various medicinal herbs and beast bones, likely the spoils of their murderous exploits.
He also found a jade slip on Sima Ming's body and sensed something within it. After careful consideration, however, he refrained from probing it immediately.
He feared that a cultivator stronger than himself might have left a spiritual sense imprint on the Slip; his own probing would be instantly detected.
If he exposed the fact that he had killed them, or worse, attracted the attention of some old monster, it would be disastrous.
Jiang Fenghuo decided at once to toss the jade slip into the satchel granted by the Golden Light Sutra, severing its connection to the outside world.
The small satchel was now nearly full. After a moment's thought, Jiang Fenghuo took out the *Human Refining Demon Art* and set it ablaze.
He had already memorized its contents and had no intention of selling it for spirit stones.
If others learned this art, he would lose his irreplaceability. Jiang Fenghuo understood such things clearly.
The voice of the Golden Light Sutra resounded:
"Book Burning—the sorcery manual *The Human Refining Demon Art*. The legacy of a supreme demonic art has been severed. Nine wisps of the Golden Light of Merit have been condensed!"
Jiang Fenghuo's eyes lit up, not only because he learned that the art was a supreme legacy, but because he had gained nine wisps of the Golden Light of Merit at once!
He closed his eyes, using his will to direct the Golden Light of Merit to upgrade *The Human Refining Demon Art*. Of the ten wisps he now possessed, six were automatically consumed.
Four wisps remain. That should be enough for self-defense, as long as I remain cautious.
Without further hesitation, he initiated the upgrade.
He felt his understanding of *The Human Refining Demon Art* deepen immensely. He could now consciously accelerate the refining process and increase its conversion rate.
There was no time to waste. He quickly concealed the tomb's entrance with grass and leaves, then returned to the burial chamber. He brought out the newly acquired low-grade medicinal cauldron; its finish seemed to have improved, and the craftsman had even adorned it with simple engravings.
He only had time to refine three bodies. Jiang Fenghuo searched the coffins.
In the end, alongside the Sima brothers, a pitiful cultivator at the Early-stage of the second level of Qi Condensation was tossed into the cauldron.
Set the cauldron, light the fire, refine the men.
In four hours, the three bodies were rendered down into a single, large Benevolence Pill.
Jiang Fenghuo excitedly began to refine the pill, but stopped after only a moment.
Something is wrong. If I continue absorbing it like this, my vital energy and Qi will become unstable and superficial.
It must be because my cultivation base has risen too much in a short time.
He had no choice but to store the large Benevolence Pill in his satchel. He consumed both Qi Nourishing Pills, not to increase his true Qi, but to solidify his foundation and make his energy more condensed.
When Jiang Fenghuo stood up, his footing felt slightly unsteady.
He walked out of the tomb. In the far distance, a bell chimed. It was a sect deacon, sounding the bell to remind the new disciples that it was time to leave and to guide them toward the secret realm's exit.
Jiang Fenghuo quickened his pace towards the exit.
Outside the secret realm, many new disciples had already gathered, all at the first or second level of Qi Condensation.
This secret realm was only accessible to cultivators at the third level or below, though none of the current new disciples had yet broken through to the third level of Qi Condensation.
"Senior Brother, your aura seems much more refined!"
A sweet, pleasant voice reached him. Jiang Fenghuo turned to see that his fellow disciple and Junior Sister, Hong Yao, had emerged.
During the sect entrance exam, which involved climbing a high mountain of the Righteous Heart Sect, Jiang Fenghuo had accidentally fallen into a trap set by a predecessor. Hong Yao, who was also struggling, had clumsily extended a hand and pulled him up.
Supporting each other, they made it up the mountain and passed the assessment, allowing Jiang Fenghuo to finally step onto the path of cultivation.
Afterward, Hong Yao and Jiang Fenghuo entered the Righteous Heart Sect together and, by chance, were accepted by the same master, the Senior Cultivator Sanyun.
Once, long ago, when Jiang Fenghuo was bedridden with illness, Hong Yao had secretly gone to the kitchens to cook him medicinal porridge, blowing on each spoonful to cool it before feeding it to him.
"You must have had a great harvest in there, Senior Brother?" Hong Yao looked up at Jiang Fenghuo, a smile on her face.
Jiang Fenghuo nodded. "It was quite good. I happened to find the herbs needed to refine Qi Nourishing Pills. I made two and took them both inside."
"Wow, Senior Brother, you're amazing."
Hong Yao was filled with envy. She then took something from her pack. "I found something good too, Senior Brother, look…"
With swift hands, Jiang Fenghuo pushed the third-rank tool refinement material she was about to reveal back into the fish-shaped cloth pouch at her waist.
With a look of disdain, he scoffed loudly, "It's just a low-grade second-rank beast bone. Your Senior Brother here obtained three second-rank Crimson Serpent Grasses and refined them all into medicine."
"And you, with such a meager harvest, are still so pleased with yourself. Be careful you don't get kicked out of the sect!"
Though confused at first, Hong Yao caught the hint in Jiang Fenghuo's eyes. Sensing the curious glances from those around them, she instantly understood and shot him a look of gratitude.
"Senior Brother, you must have broken through to a new level, haven't you? You're sure to shine in the new disciples' competition in a few days!" Hong Yao whispered.
Jiang Fenghuo's heart sank. In his past life, his master had set him up as a pawn: "You, go and eliminate Lin Zhen of the Pure Sword Peak."
He was to be a sacrificial piece, sent to fight their rival's elite—Lin Zhen, who had just broken through to the third level of Qi Condensation.
The power gap between the second and third levels of Qi Condensation was immense, not to mention Jiang Fenghuo had only been at the first level in his past life.
Deaths were common in sect competitions. A genius like Lin Zhen needed to prove his Dao through killing. If he couldn't slay a first-level cultivator in a single strike, what kind of genius would he be?
As for whether Jiang Fenghuo lived or died, absolutely no one cared.
No, perhaps Hong Yao would have cared.
He had been forced to surrender all his possessions to buy back his life. He never expected that the pawn who replaced him would be none other than Hong Yao.
Remembering the state of her body in his past life, he felt a pang of pity.
Then, a bold idea was born in his mind:
What if, in this life, I go and eliminate Lin Zhen?