Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi-Chapter 56: What a Good Person

When Yang Chan struck, he never wasted his efforts.

"Sleeve Arrows can’t hurt me. Even these wounds are useless."

Zhao Qiyang shook off the Flying Claw and its rope, then pulled two small arrows from his chest. The Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow fired six darts, but the other four hadn’t even pierced his skin, leaving only red marks.

This was the power of External Refining Copper Skin. After taking a Blood Burst Pill, his skin had become even tougher, nearly on par with an expert at the third level of the External Refining Realm. It was a technique bought at the cost of his own life force.

"It doesn’t matter how many of these Sleeve Arrows you have. They can’t kill me."

A mocking sneer appeared on Zhao Qiyang’s face as he gripped his Long Sword and slashed toward Yang Chan’s position.

Every time Yang Chan spoke, his position became clearer to Zhao Qiyang. Even without using his eyes, he had already pinpointed Yang Chan’s location.

"I know you’re an expert with External Refining Copper Skin, so of course I know the Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow couldn’t hurt you."

"Then tell me, don’t you feel a sharp pain inside you? Isn’t your body slowly growing weak, and your breathing becoming difficult?"

Yang Chan easily turned and took two steps back, speaking with a smile.

He knew perfectly well that a Hidden Weapon like the Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow couldn’t kill an expert with External Refining Copper Skin. That was why he’d coated the arrows with Five Poison Powder long ago—a preparation made specifically for External Refining masters.

Once the poison entered the body, it would begin to attack the Five Viscera and Six Viscera. Unless one was an Inner Refining Expert, they were sure to be afflicted.

’Without the antidote, all you can do is wait for death!’

What Yang Chan liked even more was how quickly it took effect.

’Lethal upon contact with blood. Good stuff.’

"I’m not—" PFFT!

Before the smile could even fade from Zhao Qiyang’s face, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood. His body collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

A moment later, he stopped breathing.

’The material for this Flying Claw is too weak. Next time, I should spend more money and have one custom-forged at the Artifact Refining Hall.’

The Flying Claw Yang Chan had purchased from Shi Gaoshun was made of ordinary materials. While effective against those who had cultivated Power, it was clearly inadequate against an External Refining Expert.

When used against Zhao Qiyang just now, it hadn’t held up for long at all.

’The Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow is a similar story. After I get back to the Cyan Yuan Sect, I need to get new ones—something that can at least pierce through Copper Skin.’

The other disciples in the T-shaped Room saw this and could hardly believe it. The same Zhao Qiyang who had just been swaggering about, threatening to kill them all to accompany him in death, was now dead just like that.

The disciples had naturally seen the transformation of Zhao Qiyang’s skin, and they knew he was an External Refining Expert comparable to an Elite Disciple of the Cyan Yuan Sect. And not just a newly promoted one, but a rather powerful Elite Disciple at that.

They had thought it would take the deaths of many of them to even have a chance at killing Zhao Qiyang.

They never expected that Zhao Qiyang would be finished in the blink of an eye.

They had all just watched Yang Chan take him down with incredible ease; his clothes weren’t even disheveled, let alone torn.

The outcome was something no one in the T-shaped Room could have ever anticipated.

"Senior Brother Yang, this is what I found on Zhao Qiyang. It’s all here."

Sun Qi Wu, having just finished looting Zhao Qiyang’s corpse, handed over a book and a money pouch he had taken from the body.

The Cyan Yuan Sect had very generous benefits for those who went to war, and its rules were skewed in their favor. For instance, the spoils of war—anything found on a slain enemy—belonged entirely to the one who landed the killing blow.

Since Yang Chan had killed Zhao Qiyang, all the spoils from his body belonged to him. This was how Shi Gaoshun had managed to bring back so many things before; it was all loot from his kills.

As for the Ten Refinements Long Sword, it was left behind. It was a weapon issued by the Sect and naturally could not be taken as a spoil of war.

Yang Chan accepted the items and glanced at Zhao Qiyang’s body, his expression unchanging.

This was the first person he had ever killed, but he felt no revulsion. When he first descended the mountain, he had forced himself to watch the other Cyan Yuan Sect Disciples slay bandits. In the Medicine Hall at Hanlin Mansion, he had also personally witnessed injured disciples die.

Besides, he hadn’t killed Zhao Qiyang with a blade, so his emotions remained stable. He was also simply getting used to the sight of death.

These were things one didn’t experience within the Cyan Yuan Sect, but he had grown accustomed to them quickly after coming down the mountain. It was a kind of metamorphosis, one experienced not only by him but by most of the Official Disciples of the Cyan Yuan Sect.

Just as Yang Chan had seen a great change in Shi Gaoshun upon his return to the Cyan Yuan Sect, this too was a form of growth.

Yang Chan opened the money pouch. There was a considerable amount of money inside—not just silver coins, but silver notes as well. Zhao Qiyang had become a Pharmacist before him and had accumulated a good deal of wealth.

Moreover, since he was a spy from Lingyu Palace, he likely received rewards from them as well. He was playing both sides, so it was no surprise he’d amassed a small fortune.

Now, however, it all belonged to Yang Chan.

He then opened the book. It wasn’t a powerful Cultivation Method, but the manual for the agile footwork Zhao Qiyang had used earlier—a Body Technique.

The Wind-Stepping Technique.

A Body Technique designed to increase one’s agility and speed.

Yang Chan wasn’t sure if it was a Body Technique from the Cyan Yuan Sect or one Zhao Qiyang had acquired on his own, but either way, it was somewhat useful to him.

After breaking through to the External Refining Realm, a cultivator could practice various types of techniques: Body Techniques to increase speed, and combat arts like Swordsmanship or Saber Technique to enhance their killing power.

However, to obtain these Cultivation Techniques, the first one was free. Any subsequent ones had to be purchased with Contribution Points.

Contribution Points were accumulated by completing various missions and were tallied up with the other mission rewards upon completion.

For instance, when Yang Chan worked as a Pharmacist’s Assistant in the Cyan Yuan Sect, he had accumulated Contribution Points.

Going down the mountain to fight and treating injured disciples also earned Contribution Points. However, these points could typically only be spent after one broke through to the External Refining Realm and became an Elite Disciple.

This was another reason so many disciples strived to become Elite Disciples. It was like gaining access to a second wallet, one that had been filling up for a long time.

But the benefits Zhao Qiyang brought to Yang Chan didn’t stop there. Even his corpse was a meritorious deed, worth Contribution Points, and would also come with extra rewards like silver coins and medicine packets.

This was the reason so many disciples from the Cyan Yuan Sect had come down the mountain; it was as if rewards could be found everywhere.

As long as one was strong enough, they could rise quickly and break through to the External Refining Realm much sooner.

In Martial Arts Cultivation, Talent was important, but Cultivation Resources were even more so.

Without Cultivation Resources, even the greatest Talent would struggle to advance their Cultivation quickly.

Thus, aside from causing a tiny bit of trouble, Zhao Qiyang’s arrival had brought Yang Chan nothing but benefits, providing a great boon to his Cultivation.

’Especially the Potential Points. With money on hand, I can continue brewing medicines and break my daily harvest limit again.’

’Zhao Qiyang, what a great guy!’

"Junior Brother Sun, it should be safe outside now. Take a few men and go scout out the situation."

Yang Chan said, looking at Sun Qi Wu.

He needed to confirm the situation outside before he could truly be at ease.