Unfortunate Transmigrator

Chapter 6: Short-Term Planning

Chapter 6: Short-Term Planning

6

Short-Term Planning

I

Hao Zhen, Tian Jin, and Duo Lan spent about an hour discussing their options, and they ultimately came to the conclusion that for the time being, the best plan of action would be to keep Ke Lis attempt to assassinate Tian Jin under Du Qings orders a secret. Theyd return to the sect, claim that they had gotten ambushed by a monstera creature with magical powersand that Ke Li was eaten by it.

Tian Jin, who knew Du Qing best, was certain that if they did this, Du Qing would first try to find out what actually happened in the mission, sounding them out before making any moves. This would give them timemore specifically, Tian Jin and Duo Lanto grow stronger, as Tian Jin and Duo Lan were both confident that theyd be able to take on Du Qing soon enough.

It wasnt as good a plan as Hao Zhen had hoped, but it was the only one they had managed to come up with, and it also solved another problem: what to do with Ke Lis corpse. If Ke Li had died, theyd be expected to return with his corpsesomething they couldnt do, considering doing so would reveal that Ke Li had died after being stabbed through the chest by a sword. If they said that a monster had swallowed Ke Li, however, then theyd have an explanation for why they didnt have the corpse.

Now, they only needed to come up with a reason why, after eating Ke Li, the monster had left them alone. Saying that they had killed the monster wasnt an option. If they went with that explanation, then the elders would question why they hadnt brought the corpse of the monster back. Not to mention they'd have to place Ke Lis corpse inside the imaginary monster's stomach for their story to make sense, which defeated the purpose of having a monster eat it.

Maybe we can just say that it got satisfied after eating Ke Li, then left us alone because it wasnt hungry anymore? Tian Jin said, though judging by his expression, he didnt seem to put much stock in his suggestion.

I dont think theyd buy that. Too convenient. Hao Zhen furrowed his brow. I cant think of anything better, though.

If they couldnt figure this last bit out, then everything they had done so far would be for nothing. He didnt think theyd be able to come up with a perfect lie, but they at least had to make sure there werent any glaring problems with their version of the events.

Hmm. Duo Lan, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly looked up. What if we say that Ke Li killed the monster after being swallowed? We can say that after the monster ate him, it suddenly exploded, and we assumed that Ke Li had used an explosion talisman to take it out with him, destroying both of their bodies in the process.

That That could work, Hao Zhen said, looking at her with surprise. He hadnt really been expecting a good idea from her. So far, she had contributed little to the discussion, and she didnt particularly strike him as the thinking type. I think there might be a problem, though. The elders couldand probably willask for proof. Ive never used an explosion talisman before, but I dont think one would be able to completely obliterate a monster to the point of leaving nothing behind.

He hadnt even known explosion talismans were a thing, but he wasnt really surprised they existed, either, considering he had a fireball talisman in his pocket.

I know, Duo Lan said, nodding her head. I have something I think we can use. What we need is a third-level red-grade monster big enough to swallow a man whole, right? Her spatial ring flashed, and a horn appeared in her hand. Here. The horn of a radiant sun tiger.

Duo Lan held up the horn for them to see. It was bright red, roughly the length of a forearm, and unless Hao Zhen was seeing things, it was giving off a soft red glow, even though he wasnt using Spiritual Sight.

Hao Zhen stared at it blankly, then looked back at Duo Lan. He didnt really know what to think. What Duo Lan did just now had caught him completely off-guard and raised a couple of questions. How How exactly did you get your hands on that?

A third-level red-grade monster was strong enough to fight a group of third-level redsouls. This wasnt the kind of material an outer disciple could get her hands oneven if it was someone like Duo Lan, who was second only to Tian Jin.

Through my connections in the Alchemy Division, Duo Lan said, shrugging. She would have been more convincing if she wasnt trying to avoid eye contact. Its an ingredient of one of the pills Ive been trying to concoct.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Skill seed? Hao Zhen asked.

Besides cultivating, cultivators also sought to deepen their comprehension of the heavenly laws: the laws that governed reality. If a cultivators comprehension of a heavenly law reached a high enough level, they would be able to derive a spiritual skill from itor at least that was what Hao Zhen had heard. He didnt have a spiritual skill, nor had he ever tried to comprehend a heavenly law with the purpose of acquiring one. That wasnt exactly the kind of thing outer disciples usually bothered with, as most of their time was already taken up by trying to grasp their cultivation method.

Hao Zhen knew even less about skill seeds, only that they were supposedly the materialization of spiritual skills. Everything Hao Zhen knew about spiritual skills and skill seeds had been told to him by other outer disciples, and those that he had talked with hadnt known all that much, either.

You dont know? Duo Lan raised an eyebrow.

Tian Jin looked up, turning to Hao Zhen. When a cultivator with a spiritual skill dies, their skill seed leaves their soul, manifesting outside their body as a skill seed, he said, taking it upon himself to offer an explanation. He then pushed Ke Lis corpse to the side slightly, displacing it. Something red rolled down from underneath the corpse, and Tian Jin swiftly grabbed it.

Tian Jin stood up and held out the red object for Hao Zhen to see. It was a small red orb. This is a skill seed. If you assimilate it into your crux, youll get Ke Lis spiritual skill, Ethereal String Puppetry. And unlike spatial rings, skill seeds are pretty fragile, so we can claim it was destroyed in the explosion.

Hao Zhen narrowed his eyes at the small orb. A spiritual skill that could definitely come in handy. However, the one who had killed Ke Li was Tian Jin, so it technically belonged to him. Just like the spatial ring in his pocket.

As if he had read his thoughts, Tian Jin tossed him the skill seed. You can have it, Tian Jin said, shrugging. I already have one, after all.

I Hao Zhen looked at the skill seed, then at Tian Jin. Is it safe, though? Couldnt the elders notice that I suddenly gained a spiritual skillthe same one as Ke Li, at that?

Only if you use it, Tian Jin assured him. It doesnt matter how powerful you areyou cant see inside another cultivators crux with Spiritual Sight.

That explained why Tian Jin had managed to keep his spiritual skill a secret so far. It was also extremely convenient, but he wasnt about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ke Lis spiritual skill was Ethereal String Puppetry, right? Duo Lan suddenly interjected, to which Tian Jin nodded. Turning to Hao Zhen, she said, Thats one of the three signature skills of the Blazing Light Sect, the other two being Blazing Sun Aura and Radiant Light Field. Ethereal String Puppetry doesnt have the defensive properties of Radiant Light Field, nor the offensive power of Blazing Sun Aura, but I think its a very useful spiritual skill. Its particularly suitable for those who arent all that good at fighting.

Shes right, Tian Jin said. I think you should take it. Skill seeds arent easy to come by, and considering we dont know what Du Qing will do, the more powerful you are, the better you can protect yourself. Just bear in mind that as a redsoul, you can only have one spiritual skill, and after you assimilate a skill seed, theres no going back. The only way to get rid of it would be to destroy your crux and start cultivating all over again. Youll also have to keep the fact that you have a spiritual skill a secret until you can come up with an excuse for having it.

Hao Zhen silently listened to their advice, all the while staring at the small red orb in his hand in contemplation. Only inner disciples could exchange contribution points for spiritual skills and read skill scriptures, so Hao Zhen didnt think hed have another opportunity like this anytime soon.

Ethereal String Puppetry seemed to work best against enemies who were either at the same level as the user or lower, so it was hardly the ideal skill, but Hao Zhen reckoned that it was better than nothing. Considering that theyd still have to deal with Du Qing further down the line, hed need all the power he could get, just like Tian Jin had said. He couldnt afford to be picky right now.

He also couldnt help but think of yesterdayhow Ke Li had almost managed to kill Tian Jin using his spiritual skill, the same spiritual skill he now held in his hands in the form of a skill seed.

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Finally, he came to a decision.

Ill assimilate it.