Chapter Fifty-Four: No Glory in Secret! Grand Shopping Spree!

Lin Yi instructed the mermaid demon to continue singing.

The mermaid demon felt a mixture of disappointment, anger, and above all, sorrow. This man before her was utterly inhuman—demanding a horse to run without feeding it, forcing her to sing while wounded, never allowing her a moment’s rest. Truly, he had no conscience! If ever there was a chance, she would surely see him dead!

But she dared not disobey Lin Yi and could only open her mouth to sing again. The longer she sang, however, the more her voice turned hoarse, until finally she had nothing left.

Lin Yi noticed that his own spiritual strength was being honed. No matter how enchanting the song, even without the help of the Divine Severance Sutra, it could not harm his spirit in the slightest. Instead, his spirit rose steadily—his soul’s consciousness now able to leave his body further than ever before. Previously, his spirit would only emerge just above his head; now, it could rise nearly half a meter above his physical form.

And that was not all—he could truly look inward now! By focusing his mind, he could swiftly perceive the various conditions within his Upper Dantian, much as if he’d entered the internal space of the Divine Severance Sutra to observe it directly. It was as if a third eye had opened between his brows, able to gaze both inward and outward.

Yet something left Lin Yi dissatisfied: after an hour, the mermaid demon could sing no longer. Her voice had degenerated into a cacophony, more like the squawking of chickens and ducks than anything beautiful. Enraged, Lin Yi pummeled her for a good while. This time, carrying with him a trace of the pure yang and pure energy from the True Great Cavern Scripture, he left the mermaid demon half-crippled. At least she began to sing with effort once more.

But after another hour, her song grew worse than ever, and Lin Yi couldn’t help but beat her again. In the end, the mermaid demon was truly unable to sing at all. Her voice was completely ruined.

She drew a deep breath—only to cough up blood and froth when she tried to sing.

Lin Yi decided to leave, giving her the night to recover some strength. He’d return tomorrow. He couldn’t let the mermaid demon die; she needed time to catch her breath, so she could continue.

If the mermaid demon could have heard Lin Yi’s inner thoughts, she might very well have ended herself on the spot.

Before departing, Lin Yi carefully checked the chains binding the mermaid demon. These chains were newly replaced, capable of restraining A-class monsters and demons. If not for the fact that she was still of some use to Lin Yi and worth studying, she would have been sent to the second level of the demon prison long ago.

“In truth,” Lin Yi mused, “the monsters and demons here are rather well-fed. Their food is the flesh and blood of their slain brethren. Sometimes, they’re even fed things infused with ominous energy. For instance, those little boxes that are thrown into the Ominous Well to absorb that energy are sometimes handed back to the wardens, who then release a measured amount for the imprisoned creatures to consume.”

Lin Yi shook his head. He didn’t think it should be this way; the monsters should be starved instead.

In his view, the demon prison was less a penitentiary and more a factory for monsters and demons, not unlike an integrated livestock and slaughterhouse facility.

For now, his daily task was complete. Lin Yi glanced at his badge and saw the number had changed from one to two. His upgrade points now stood at 100.03.

But upon returning, he’d need to study his badge. If he couldn’t turn it off, he should at least put it away to prevent it from recording everything. He’d heard from those in the know that when not in use, it was best to wrap it in a copper box.

This little-known tip came from the middle-aged man who’d helped move the mermaid demon earlier—he’d come along with Bai Zhanting.

“Ha ha ha… Little Lin Yi, you’re truly something. On your very first day, you battered the lower half of an A-class mermaid demon and withstood her demonic song. I have to hand it to you! So let me share a little secret…

“We’re all men here. You know, at certain times, you don’t want to be recorded. But even if you cover this badge with your clothes or put it in a suitcase, it still records. The best way is to wrap it in a copper box.

“After all, you can’t just leave it behind; if you kill some other demon, even on your way home, you can still earn points. Trust me—unless you’re a lifelong bachelor. Wait, bachelors collect even more… so best to keep it in a copper box.”

Meanwhile, everything Lin Yi experienced in the demon prison was promptly reported, sparking lively debate. Everyone now understood that Lin Yi shone like a star wherever he went!

Only his adversaries, waiting for news, cursed him in secret—why hadn’t the bizarre denizens of the demon prison killed him yet?

Night fell. After patrolling the grounds a few more times and finding nothing unusual, Lin Yi prepared to clock out.

He deliberately exited through the main gate, passing the abattoir and breathing in the pungent scent of blood. Oddly, the air felt especially fresh. Leaving by the main entrance, he didn’t run into any familiar test personnel, nor did he see An Miaoyi, Mu Yuqing, or the others. Instead, he was greeted by many of the demon prison’s staff—mostly from other departments, as there were few wardens among them.

Lin Yi didn’t know them, but he returned their greetings with polite warmth.

Once he’d walked a little further and was alone, Lin Yi felt a pang of hunger. He decided he’d find a place like Fat Lin’s Porridge Shop to feast and perhaps pick up some supplies.

He’d gained much today, and a smile crept onto his face as he thought about his newfound wealth and treasures. Just as he was imagining all the delicacies he’d enjoy, Lin Yi slapped himself.

“Lin Yi, you shameless wretch! You’ve forgotten your own parents now that things are going well?”

He took out his phone and called his mother.

In the slaughterhouse’s backyard, cold wind whipped around him. Lin Yi felt a chill, glancing around, but saw nothing unusual. This was a slaughterhouse, after all—too many dead animals, and with it being a demon prison, all manner of monsters and demons were constantly transported in and out, so the atmosphere was thick with ominous energy, lending the place a sinister air.

A few paces more and the feeling faded.

The sun was already sinking, the western sky awash in dusk. One by one, the streetlights flickered to life.

After a few “beep beep beep” tones, the call was answered.

A middle-aged woman’s voice came through, “Hello, Xiao Yi? What is it, missing your mother?”

Hearing his mother’s voice, Lin Yi’s heart warmed.

A son’s journey brings a mother’s worry. Lin Yi laughed, “Mom, there’s something I want to tell you. You know what Grandpa did for a living. Now that the world is changing, a mysterious organization found me and awakened my potential. I’ve joined them.

“It’s a proper civil service job! Ha, the pay’s great—tens of thousands a month—and a senior even gave me a house, weapons, and introduced me to girlfriends. I just couldn’t wait to share it with you.”

Speaking with his mother, Lin Yi’s youthful exuberance shone through.

On the other end, his mother burst out laughing.

“Xiao Yi, stop joking around with your mother. Your grandpa was just lucky, that was all—he never had any real skills. Enough with the tall tales. Like you young people say, stop daydreaming and get back to your studies. Try to dream a bit less in the future.

“Are you short of money? Fine, I’ll transfer you some later. That’s it, I have to go cook for your father. I’m hanging up now.”

The line went dead with a string of busy tones.

A chilly breeze blew past, and Lin Yi could only laugh wryly—his mother hadn’t given him an ounce of face. He’d wanted to boast a little, but she’d shut him down completely!

Feeling a bit miffed, Lin Yi vowed to one day return home in glory.

“Fine, I won’t ask for money now. Just you wait, Mom—I’ll make sure you’re amazed. That shabby old house will get a proper renovation, or maybe I’ll just buy a new one…”

Lin Yi already had it all planned out—he’d show up in a sports car, all neat and dapper, and his mother’s eyes would surely pop out of her head.

His honest, hard-working father would probably be just as stunned!

As for his aunts and cousins, they’d all be left speechless!

“No one will dare pressure me to marry again. One day, I’ll bring An Miaoyi and Mu Yuqing home—let them see! Beautiful women may slow my cultivation, but I’ll become a grandmaster first, then consider the rest!”

Feeling delighted at the thought, the chilly breeze swirling around seemed like nothing more than the cool air from an air conditioner—refreshing and pleasant.

The sun dipped lower, finally disappearing into the western sky. The streetlights shone brighter than before as Lin Yi walked a long way, crossed a bustling avenue, and finally hailed a taxi on a side street.

This only reinforced his resolve to buy a car.

Lin Yi took the cab straight to Antique Street.

Upon arrival, he first feasted at Fat Lin’s Porridge Shop, then wandered through several nearby pill pavilions. After much deliberation, he decided not to buy any finished elixirs, opting instead for raw medicinal herbs.

The pills on offer failed to impress him—even the best of them were only on par with Tiger Burst Pills, yet each cost over a million! Lin Yi’s entire fortune amounted to just over ten million—barely enough for a handful of pills. It hardly seemed worth it.

Besides, the Spirit Well was brimming with spiritual liquid, enough to temper his body or be used in myriad ways.

Clearly, he didn’t need to buy any pills; he had more than enough resources for cultivation.

But it never hurt to stock up on food—should danger arise, he’d never have to worry about running out.

In the end, Lin Yi set his sights on Polygonum multiflorum, ginseng, black crystal goji berries, and other such herbs. He even bought several inexpensive herb seedlings.

Spending a full seven million pained him greatly. The quantity was large, but the individual herbs were costly.

Still, he had a plan—watering these herbs with spiritual water might make them thrive even more. He could experiment, and perhaps, if all else failed, take up farming as his new trade.