Am I too Lucky?

After a full day of traveling with Lei Ying, we encountered nothing but more beasts. Unfortunately, none of them suited my taste, nor were they on the same level as Lei Ying. Being the kind person I am, I let them go after they submitted to me.

I've never understood the point of being ruthless to creatures like these. All of them rely on their instincts to survive and fight for food. In their eyes, we're just another kind of creature- something they must face to live another day.

I sighed. "Lei Ying, are we both just unlucky? I can't help but feel it'll be a while before we find anything good. Did my luck finally run out after you?"

Although he understood my words, Lei Ying had no way of replying. He simply kept walking... and walking.

"You seriously have no idea where any treasures might be? Like a sacred pill, fountain, herb, or even a tomb?" I said pressing him.

Lei Ying hesitated for a moment before suddenly bolting at full speed in a different direction. 

I clung to him for dear life. "Lei Ying! Warn me before you do this- aahhh!"

…

After what felt like forever, I slid off Lei Ying and leaned against a tree, gasping for air. "Man... all I did was hold on, yet here I am, out of breath. You're not even a little tired?"

Lei Ying began walking ahead, and I followed. Soon, we came across a cave, or rather, a hidden entrance. The small door in the ground was perfectly camouflaged with leaves and grass. If Lei Ying hadn't pointed it out, I would've missed it.

Brushing away the foliage, I uncovered a latch. I pulled it, and the door creaked open, revealing a staircase descending deep into the ground.

After descending nearly a li, I reached a solid surface. Suddenly, the space lit up, revealing a grand tomb at the center of a vast chamber.

I mumbled, "I feel like I've seen this scene before.... oh yea, isn't this where you find a secret dungeon boss? Like a Lich?"

I turned towards Lei Ying. "Let's run... I don't think I'm ready to deal with a hidden dungeon boss of a forbidden land..."

I started running up the steps before Lei Ying pulled me back down. 

"Let me go, Lei Ying!" I shouted.

He pointed toward the tomb, insisting I approach it.

Although creeped out, I took a deep breath. "Lei Ying... let me just say this. If you're fooling me, I won't leave you alone even in the afterlife. I'll forever haunt you until your death, and then I'll haunt your descendants..."

Lei Ying shook his ahead and indicated for me to go. I decided to take his word for it, and walked cautiously toward the tomb. I came so close that I could open the tomb myself If I made the choice to. 

"Isn't this immoral? Robbing someone's grave. Truth be told though, I've never really been a moral guy ever since I got here. Things such as morals definitely don't exist here, unlike how they did on Earth until slightly before my passing. If there is a chance to get stronger, I will do whatever it takes..."

I slowly lowered my hand down to the coffin and opened it. Suddenly, dense Qi surged out, activating an array that sealed the chamber. Despite the eerie atmosphere, the bones inside remained still. Next to the remains lay a bottle of unknown pills and a manual.

"Haha, it seems my luck truly has yet to run out." I grabbed the pills and stored them in my ring. As I reached for the manual, golden characters shot out, bypassing my defenses and entering my mind.

A torrent of foreign knowledge flooded my brain; memories that weren't mine yet felt like they had always been there.

"Heavenly Body Sect? Celestial Body Tempering technique? What is all this?" I mumbled, struggling to process it all.

A random sense of exhaustion overwhelmed me, and I blacked out. When I woke, an entire week had passed. The dense Qi in the chamber had gathered in my dantian, pushing me from the fifth stage to the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment. I was one breakthrough away from Core Formation.

Although I still lacked full clarity, I could tell whatever went in my mind was some type of high-level technique. It was called the Celestial Body Tempering technique, created by an unknown sect called the Heavenly Body sect. 

Although I couldn't fully comprehend the technique, I understood enough to begin. The first level focused on perfecting the body- enhancing and adjusting bone structure, developing muscles, and forging a physique suited for both regular and body cultivation.

I got up and began walking towards the exit. I'll figure out more about this technique and start practicing at the academy. I hope Instructor Jianfeng or the Instructors that were accompanying me haven't left yet.

I kicked Lei Ying, startling him as he woke up. "Time to get going Lei Ying."

Lei Ying's eyes widened when he saw me. His shock was justified. My sudden improvement wasn't possible without the dense Qi and the array that trapped it.

As I opened the door and emerged into the sunlight, I heard chatter. My eyes adjusted to see a crowd of about a hundred people, all staring at me. Their sinister grins revealed their intent. They were demonic cultivators. I am not sure how they found this place, much less coordinated in this mountain to come find me. 

I shouted in a demanding tone, "Who are you people? What do you want with me?"

One man stepped forward, smirking. "Hey kid, hand over the treasure you found, and we'll let you go. A treasure for a weak, scrawny kid like you isn't appropriate- you'd die, so let us take that burden off of ya."

I gauged his strength, and it was around the seventh stage of the Foundation Establishment. Handling him would have been no problem, but that would be if it was only him. The rest of the cultivators were in the Foundation Establishment first to third stages. It was impossible for me to deal with them all at my current stage unless I had a wide-area ranged one shot move. 

Feigning ignorance, I asked, "Treasure? What treasure are you referring to?"

He chuckled, "Don't play us as if you're dumb, kid. Everyone saw it- a large, bright light in the middle of the mountain. Anyone could see it even through the thick fog. When we tried to open the door, we couldn't even open it as we all pulled together. It was clearly a sacred treasure left by a master. Now hurry up and hand it over. Even if you're some genius at a level above us, you can't handle us all."

Tsk... nothing good ever comes without trouble. But the person inside the tomb thought this would be funny? Or maybe they thought someone stronger than me perhaps would find it...

Apparently I had been dozing off and ignoring him, as he decided to throw a punch in a fit of rage. I was not paying attention, but I still had somehow reacted, as if it were instinctual. 

I spoke, "Huh? How did that jus..." another punch came, and although I was still lost in thought, I had managed to dodge it again. My body had began to move on its own. By the third, I countered, grabbing his arm and delivering a flying knee to his elbow. The snap was audible. I swept his legs and stomped his face into the dirt.

His face had been messed up, teeth had been missing, and a large footprint had been left on his face. He had been screaming in pain. Through all of that, no one had came after me. The crowd stared in shock. Then, realizing their advantage in numbers, they surged toward me. My body shifted into a seemingly natural fighting stance with nothing but my fist ready.

Before the battle began, several overwhelming auras descended, freezing everyone in place. I looked up to see the instructors from the academy, led by Instructor Jianfeng.

"Don't move," Jianfeng commanded, his voice icy. "Anyone who so much as twitches will die."

He approached me, his gaze sharp. "Shi Xingyun, what was that? From what I know, you've never been taught fist techniques. We'll discuss this later I suppose. For now, I apologize for being late."

I bowed. "No need, Instructor. I'm shocked myself. I'll need your guidance at the academy."

Jianfeng nodded. "Of course. Now..." His gaze shifted to the demonic cultivators. "Let's see what valuables they've stolen. Instructors, let's be righteous and confiscate their loot."

The instructors cracked their knuckles, grinning wickedly.

What followed was nothing but screaming and cries for mercy.