Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 30: Under Surveillance

A dizzying sensation left Lu Renjia, sitting on the toilet, feeling utterly drained; he didn’t even bother to notice the foul stench permeating the bathroom. He struggled to pull a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, but even the acrid smoke of the “Da Qianmen” brand couldn’t dispel the foul stench in the bathroom. “Damn it… This is the prelude to my death. I’ve been going for a full three hours—the effects of this ‘Marrow-Cleansing Pill’ are way too intense…” Lu Renjia muttered to himself. Only after he felt there was nothing left in his stomach to expel did Lu Renjia stagger to his feet. He laboriously pulled off his T-shirt, which had long since become damp with cold sweat. Staring at his bare skin—as soft as a baby’s—reflected in the mirror, Lu Renjia, on the verge of collapse, froze in surprise. “Damn… Is this really a ‘Marrow-Cleansing Pill’ or a ‘Beauty Pill’? It’s even changed my skin…” As he spoke, Lu Renjia reached up and peeled it off his face; a flash of silver light appeared as the “Performer’s Mask,” cool as jade, came off. Looking at the face in the mirror, Lu Renjia couldn’t help but be astonished. Although the person in the mirror was still himself, the sharp features and extraordinary aura made him seem like a completely different person. “Cleansing the bones and transforming the marrow… a complete metamorphosis… how wondrous…” Lu Renjia murmured as he slowly closed his eyes. He could feel that, though his inner energy—that of a second-rate martial artist—hadn’t increased by a single iota, the Twelve Main Meridians had widened by more than fifty times. “My meridians have widened by about fifty times. That means I’ll be able to hold more inner energy in the future… I wonder if my cultivation speed will increase as well?” To test his hypothesis, Lu Renjia opened the refrigerator, quickly ate some canned beef, sausages, and other ready-to-eat foods to replenish his energy, then sat cross-legged to begin cultivating the *Nine Yang Divine Art*. Having experienced the worlds of the film adaptations of *The Deer and the Cauldron* and *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: The Demon Cult Leader* in succession,Lu Renjia had gained a glimmer of insight into the path of martial arts: while exquisitely refined techniques could yield a surprise victory against an opponent of equal strength, as a martial artist, what one ultimately needed to hone was one’s own body and inner energy, tempered through relentless training. With the level of cultivation Lu Renjia possessed in the world of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: The Master of the Demon Cult*, he could have easily defeated even Linghu Chong, who had mastered the *Dugu Nine Swords*. The reason is simple: once the *Nine Yang Divine Art* is perfected, the protective aura formed by the convergence of Nine Yang True Qi alone renders one impervious to ordinary weapons—let alone the fact that Lu Renjia had also cultivated the Shaolin *Vajra Invincible Body Divine Art*, reaching the realm of Vajra Invincibility. Even if he stood there allowing Linghu Chong to strike him, he would not sustain a single scratch. Time flew by, and the skies over Shendu were shrouded in night, with colorful neon lights dotting every corner of the city. Late at night, Lu Renjia, sitting cross-legged in meditation, slowly opened his eyes. A fleeting gleam of brilliance receded as he glanced at the time displayed on his phone. A broader smile spread across Lu Renjia’s face. “It really is a fifty-fold increase in cultivation speed. It seems those four thousand Sin Coins weren’t spent in vain…” Lu Renjia said with delight. Although he no longer had the “Enlightenment” from the Fire-Worker Monk—a先天 martial artist who had forcibly channeled the Nine Yang True Qi into his body—Lu Renjia, who had once cultivated the *Nine Yang Divine Art* to the ninth level, the “Nine Yang in Heaven” realm, was now well-versed in the practice. Coupled with the effects of the “Marrow-Cleansing Pill,” Lu Renjia now possessed a cultivation speed fifty times faster than that of other martial artists. In just a few hours, he had already advanced the *Nine Yang Divine Art* to the second level, the “Nine Yang Circulation” realm. As a martial art rated E+ by the “Evil God System,” the *Nine Yang Divine Art* was naturally incomparable to Feng Xifan’s self-created *Six Harmonies Divine Art*. As the Twelve Main Meridians were cleansed by the Nine Yang True Qi, the internal energy originally condensed through the *Six Harmonies Divine Art* had been completely transformed into Nine Yang True Qi. Although Lu Renjia was still at the mid-second-tier level, he could sense that his cultivation was now more than three times stronger than before. “Phew… The *Nine Yang Divine Art*, which works from the inside out, is truly formidable! As long as I take one more step to reach the realm of Nine Yang Reverse Flow, I’ll be able to fully unblock all twelve main meridians. By then, I’ll have attained the peak of the second-tier realm…” Lu Renjia mused. The clear difference between E+ and E-level martial arts lies in the fact that the former offers the opportunity to advance to the Innate Realm, while the latter, even if practiced until death, will never exceed the peak of the First-Tier realm. Just as Lu Renjia was reflecting on this, the laptop on his desk—which had been in standby mode—suddenly lit up, and a video popped up on the screen. Lu Renjia’s first thought was that the laptop he’d purchased had been hacked. But when he saw the content of the video, his expression darkened. The video showed footage of Lu Renjia’s robberies—the ones he had committed before entering the world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*. Several robberies, each lasting less than a minute, had been edited by the other party into a short film. At the end, detailed information about Lu Renjia’s entire life—from childhood to adulthood—appeared in the video: a cute elementary school group photo of him wearing a red scarf, his middle school graduation photo with acne on his face, and even some yellowed old photos that Lu Renjia himself couldn’t remember. Staring at the phone number flashing at the bottom of the video, Lu Renjia frowned thoughtfully, his expression somber. “I let my guard down… I thought those security cameras in the secluded alleys were just for show, but I never expected someone would spot me… Hmph, who could it be? Do they plan to use these videos to blackmail me? No… This person actually managed to dig up every detail of my life from childhood onward—they’re definitely no ordinary hacker…” Lu Renjia muttered to himself. Now that his parents were dead and his stepfather had started a new family, Lu Renjia felt not the slightest attachment to that cold and unfamiliar household. Moreover, after his mother’s passing, his stepfather had done nothing but beat and berate him—a child with whom he shared not a shred of blood—which was precisely why Lu Renjia had stayed in Shendu. Even if it meant living like a vagrant, he refused to return to his hometown. What’s more, Lu Renjia was now a qualified user of the “Evil God System.” Having gone through the two “small thousand worlds”—the film adaptation of *The Deer and the Cauldron* and *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*—his mindset had changed after having the blood of a thousand people on his hands. Lu Renjia couldn’t help but recall the information from the jade slip that Master Xuan Kui had given him back then. He knew just how miserable those unlucky eligible users had been during the Three-Star Bad Luck Period, and he certainly didn’t want to end up like that. With a cold glint in his eyes, Lu Renjia’s heart was already filled with murderous intent. Although he was now a mid-tier second-class martial artist, in the eyes of a computer, he—a graduate of a third-rate vocational technical college—was limited to playing online games and watching Japanese adult films; he certainly didn’t possess any anti-tracking hacking skills. “Whoever you are, you think you can blackmail me? Hmph… I’ll just take care of you and flee overseas…” Lu Renjia sneered coldly as he picked up his phone and dialed the number flashing beneath the video. “Beep, beep, beep, beep…” After a series of busy tones, a middle-aged man’s voice came through on the other end. “What do you want?” Lu Renjia asked coldly. The man didn’t answer Lu Renjia’s question directly; instead, he chuckled. “Robbery and assault… tsk, tsk, tsk… Even though those were all pickpockets, this video only shows you committing the robbery and assault, Mr. Lu Renjia… Tell me, if I hand this video over to the police, how long do you think you’ll be sentenced to? Three years or five?” “Oh? Three years or five years—it doesn’t matter. All I know is that if you wanted to be a good citizen who stands up for what’s right, you wouldn’t have sent this to me…” Lu Renjia sneered. “Hahahaha… Talking to a smart person sure saves effort. With Mr. Lu Renjia’s skills, how could you possibly be content with an ordinary life? What a waste. And how much money can you really make from a single heist? Three thousand or five thousand? I’m a legitimate businessman—or rather, a legitimate broker. I often have clients who pay top dollar to hire highly skilled individuals like Mr. Lu Renjia to resolve certain troubles… I wonder if Mr. Lu Renjia might be interested?” Having gone through two “Small Thousand Worlds,” Lu Renjia—as a qualified user of the “Evil God System”—was no longer the naive young man full of hope for life, with ambitions as high as the sky but a fate as fragile as paper. He immediately understood what the other man meant by that “profession.” “Assassin?” “Oh my… How can you use such a crude term to describe this profession dedicated to helping others? It should be called ‘social sanitation workers’! This is a time-honored and noble profession. Throughout the history of our ‘social sanitation workers,’ countless great figures have emerged—for instance, the well-known Jing Ke was a pioneer in our field! In modern society, what matters most? Service! Service is what matters most! ‘Social Cleaners’ are the professional elite at the forefront of the service industry! With Mr. Lu Renjia’s skills, a little training is all it would take for him to excel in this role. Plus, the commissions in our line of work are quite substantial… at least six figures, and in U. S. dollars, no less…Of course, if I were fortunate enough to become Mr. Lu Renjia’s agent, I would charge a certain percentage as commission whenever you take on an assignment…” To be able to paint the assassin’s trade in such unparalleled, unprecedented terms—the man on the other end of the line was quite the talent. If Lu Renjia hadn’t known the other party had ulterior motives, he probably would have agreed. After all, the other man’s smooth, flowery sales pitch was nothing short of painting a picture of a bright future for Lu Renjia. Just then, the cold voice of the “Evil God System”—which had been in a thirty-day cooldown period—echoed in Lu Renjia’s mind. “Real-world mission: Eligible candidate Lu Renjia has acquired the new profession ‘Social Cleaner.’ Reward for completing the mission: one physical journey through the Small Thousand Worlds without accumulating Sin Points. Mission failure: annihilation.” Lu Renjia was taken aback. After completing the *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Leader of the Demon Cult* mission, his Sin Level had already risen to two stars; to physically traverse a Minor Thousand Worlds, he needed to reach three stars. He hadn’t expected the “Evil God System,” which was still in its cooldown period, to issue a mandatory mission in the real world. Thinking of the benefits that physical travel to the Lesser Thousand Worlds could bring, Lu Renjia said without hesitation to the person on the other end of the line, “What you’re saying is really tempting… Time… Location!”