Chapter 21: The King of Picking Up Scraps—Betting on the Eighteen-Year-Old Body Cultivator to Win

Facing each other, the eighteen-year-old body cultivator naturally greeted Lian Mu.

“You’re a body cultivator too…?”

He walked toward her, but as soon as he saw the Art of Tool Refining in her hands, his interest immediately faded.

Oh, she was a tool refiner.

Boring.

Lian Mu had no idea why he had suddenly approached her. Before she could answer, he spoke again: “People like you… are hunting demons too?”

“I’d advise you to go home. One careless mistake, and you’ll lose your life. You guys are too fragile—this isn’t the place for you.”

With that, he turned and left.

Lian Mu looked around. “……?”

“Who do you mean by ‘you people’?”

However, upon hearing those words, Lian Mu inexplicably thought of Xu Xianxing, who always had “fragile” on the tip of his tongue.

If nothing unexpected happened, the other party had probably mistaken her for an artificer.

Lian Mu couldn’t be bothered to clarify and turned to the black-clad guard by the wall to borrow a sword.

The black-clad guard clearly misunderstood as well. “Aren’t you an artificer?”

He had just seen her reading a book on artifact refining.

“I’m a sword cultivator,” Lian Mu said with a straight face.

The black-clad guard: “…Alright then.”

He had never seen a sword cultivator who needed to borrow a sword before.

Out of professional courtesy, the black-clad guard didn’t expose her and handed over his own sword. It was a standard-issue weapon from the Star Plucking Tower, of low grade and not worth much.

“The person who accepted bounty order number 181, please enter the Transmission Mirror!”

Lian Mu packed up her things and saw the eighteen-year-old body cultivator stride into the Transmission Mirror without hesitation. She followed right behind him.

Before she stepped in, a large crowd had already gathered around, some furious, some excited, and someone even shouted at her:

“Cultivation is just money grab! I’m rooting for you! Beat that big-mouthed Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old!”

“You must be a hidden expert. Otherwise, how would you dare to compete with him for the bounty? If you don’t win, I, ‘Sweet Potato with Radish,’ will look down on you for life!”

“I want to place a bet! Cultivation is just money grab—you have to win!”

The name Cultivation is Just Money Grab was unfamiliar to most people, and they didn’t know how strong she was. They just wanted someone to step up and ruthlessly teach that Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old a lesson.

This was proof of how sharp his tongue was. In just one month, he had managed to offend a huge number of people.

As Lian Mu stepped into the portal, she suddenly heard a keyword and pulled back. She quietly asked the black-clothed man beside her, “Can we place bets?”

The black-clothed man replied, “When multiple people compete for the same bounty, bets can be placed.”

“Place one for me,” Lian Mu said, handing over a Spatial Pouch. “Bet on Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old to win.”

A person can lose, but money must be earned.

The black-clothed man: “……”

After entering the Legacy Mirror, Lian Mu was transported to a dense forest. Based on the surroundings, it seemed to be the same one as before.

However, this time, she wasn’t directly teleported in front of a demonic beast.

She glanced at her bracelet, where the red cinnabar at its center indicated that the demonic beast was still in a pending state, yet to be slain. Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old hadn’t been transported directly in front of the beast either. Otherwise, given his combat strength, he would have finished it off in one move.

Lian Mu felt unlucky. She had only wanted to accept a bounty mission to earn some money and collect materials from the demonic beast. Instead, she had immediately encountered a formidable opponent. This situation was completely unplayable.

Given her current cultivation and physique, she was in no condition to fight someone like Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old.

If she were back at the Gui Xian Sect, she could at least be sure that Murong Yi wouldn’t go for the kill when they fought. But with Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old, she had no idea what was on his mind.

She could only take things one step at a time and play it safe.

Lian Mu wandered around the area but didn’t sense any demonic beasts.

Since she had reforged her spiritual roots, her senses were different from before. In certain situations, she could vaguely perceive things—especially the sinister and violent aura that demonic beasts exuded.

She continued walking eastward and entered a shadowy grove. The ground was covered in bioluminescent blue fungi, emitting a faint glow in the darkness.

She finally sensed traces of a demonic beast’s aura nearby, but she wasn’t sure if it was the one she was looking for.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps breaking branches echoed from a distance. Someone emerged from the shadows—it was Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old.

He looked at her in surprise. “You found this place at the same time as me?”

Lian Mu didn’t want a direct confrontation and was about to negotiate. But before she could speak, Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old had already taken the initiative.

“Forget the demonic beast for now. Let me test your strength—you’re the first Artificer to ever compete with me for a bounty.”

In the blink of an eye, he charged toward her. Lian Mu’s eyelids twitched. As he swung his fist, she quickly raised her sword to block.

The moment the scabbard collided with his fist, golden sparks burst forth.

Lian Mu entered battle mode. After blocking his first strike, she immediately unsheathed her sword.

Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old retreated a few steps, keeping a safe distance. Seeing her draw her sword, he was once again surprised. “A Sword Cultivator?”

Or… was she just using a sword as a defensive artifact?

“……”

A few moves would tell.

Excited by the challenge, Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old lunged at her again. His attacks were swift and precise—one punch aimed straight for her head.

Lian Mu tilted her head to dodge, feeling the wind from his fist scrape across her cheek, sharper than a blade. She had no time to think. Her sword moved instinctively, blocking his attacks.

His speed was incredible—every move completed in the blink of an eye. She didn’t dare to blink. Her body reacted faster than her mind, deflecting every strike on pure instinct.

Compared to Murong Yi, Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old was slightly slower.

But he was ruthless and efficient, disregarding whether his opponent lived or died. Every move was clean and lethal. And since he fought in close quarters, he maximized the advantages of a Body Cultivator.

Lian Mu’s strikes were slightly faster than his. If she couldn’t even outpace him in speed, then she had endured Murong Yi’s beatings for nothing.

Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old remained on the offensive, aiming to finish the fight quickly.

But after ten moves, he frowned.

“……”

This Cultivation is Just Money Grab—from the start, she had only been retreating. Several times, she had opportunities to counterattack using her speed advantage.

But she didn’t. She kept backing away, as if she was trying to avoid the fight.

What was she planning?

Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old was puzzled. He decided to test her. Slowing down slightly, he threw a punch at her abdomen.

As expected, she blocked it with her sword but didn’t attack—she just took another step back.

She was clearly trying to escape.

“Are you looking down on me?”

He asked while resuming his assault.

Now, he was convinced she was a Sword Cultivator. Artificers could forge swords and understand them well, but only Sword Cultivators could use them to this extent—so fast that he could barely keep up.

At first, he had thought he could finish the fight in just two moves. But now, he realized they were evenly matched. He couldn’t land a hit on her, and she wasn’t counterattacking, only defending.

She must be holding back.

Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old had never been underestimated like this before—but he enjoyed fighting strong opponents.

Lian Mu had no idea what he was imagining. She was only retreating because she didn’t want to fight him head-on.

From what she had seen at the bounty arena, Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old was easily provoked. If she went all out, it would only fuel his competitive spirit.

If she kept dodging, he would think she was a coward and lose interest.

Fighting wasted spiritual energy—especially against a powerful opponent like him. She could already feel her reserves draining fast.

She should have taken more energy-replenishing pills before coming in.

She didn’t want to waste spiritual energy on a pointless fight. Fighting him wouldn’t earn her much money. Her target was the demonic beast, not him.

While blocking another strike, Lian Mu was thinking of an escape plan when Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old suddenly stopped attacking.

The next moment, he raised his leg and kicked at her.

Lian Mu jumped back just in time. His foot struck a tree behind her, making a thunderous crash as the tree collapsed, leaving a massive crater in the ground.

Lian Mu: “!”

If that kick had landed on her, she would have been crippled.

Wait—why was he getting more excited?

“You’re strong. I misjudged you before—I apologize,” Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old said. “Maybe we should have a proper match.”

Lian Mu: Thanks, but no thanks.

Just as he was about to attack again, the ground trembled. A massive, crimson scorpion burst out of the earth, its five black venomous tails raised.

Earth-type beasts usually didn’t attack unprovoked. They mostly stayed underground. But his earlier kick had been so powerful that it woke the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion.

The beast entered a frenzy and charged at them.

“How annoying.”

Body Cultivator Eighteen Years Old frowned, then struck from a distance. A punch infused with spiritual energy blasted straight into the scorpion.

A powerful shockwave erupted, centered on the scorpion.

In an instant, the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion collapsed, motionless.

“Congratulations to ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ for successfully hunting an eighth-rank Earth Beast. Please return to the Star-Plucking Tower to claim your bounty.”

Lian Mu: “?”

No wonder they could kill 180 demonic beasts in just one hour. Such strength was enough to make her envious, jealous, and resentful.

‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ withdrew their hand as a group of men in black from the Star-Plucking Tower arrived via teleportation to retrieve the demonic beast. They moved swiftly, cutting out the venom gland of the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion before leaving.

‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ turned to Lian Mu and said, “This one doesn’t count. We’ll fight again next time. Cultivation is just money grab. I remember you now. We should get to know each other.”

“How do we get to know each other?” Lian Mu didn’t want to fight him, but she was open to making acquaintances. After all, who wouldn’t want to know such a powerful person?

‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ walked over and exchanged a wisp of spiritual energy with her. Both their bracelets lit up, establishing a connection.

Lian Mu thought, This bracelet is quite high-tech.

After establishing contact, Lian Mu went to do something more important—recovering the corpse of the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion. ‘Body Cultivator, Eighteen Years Old’ clearly had no interest in handling the remains and left without a second glance, leaving her to enjoy the full benefits.

Before coming here, she had spent a hefty sum on an oversized Spatial Pouch, specifically so she could take the Five-Tailed Red Scorpion back and study its usable materials.

Lian Mu wasted no time and immediately began processing the scorpion’s corpse.

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