Ning Zhuo's plain and repressed life started to become more colorful.
As the thefts increased, Sun Lingtong was very satisfied with Ning Zhuo's progress, "Little Zhuo, you learn everything so quickly, you truly have talent."
"Why don't you join me in the Bukong Sect, then?"
Ning Zhuo showed a troubled expression, "Although the Bukong Sect is your sect, Brother Sun, its reputation isn't very good."
"I just want to steal from the rich, give to the poor, punish the wicked, and promote good, I don't want to truly become a thief."
"Ah, this...Brother Sun, I wasn't talking about you. You are different from the others, really!"
"Alright, alright." Sun Lingtong waved his hand repeatedly, "I was just saying that, if you don't agree, that's fine."
"You said you want to steal from the rich and give to the poor, then let's play something more exciting. Hehe!"
Ning Zhuo was curious, "What's more exciting?"
"Robbery!" Sun Lingtong's eyes sparkled.
In the alley.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong suddenly jumped out from the front and back, surrounding a brutish man.
"Robbery!" Sun Lingtong shouted.
"Mm-hmm." Ning Zhuo nodded, feeling a bit nervous during his first robbery.
The brutish man was initially startled, then burst out laughing, "You two kids want to rob me?"
Sun Lingtong became angry, "Dare to underestimate me? Little Zhuo, get him!"
"Mm!" Ning Zhuo charged forward.
He was a Qi Refining Cultivator, his cultivation was only at the first level, while the brutish man was a Martial Artist mastering Inner Qi.
The fight was evenly matched, but in the stalemate, Sun Lingtong struck the back of the brutish man's head with a brick, knocking him unconscious.
Ning Zhuo was shocked, "He-he won't die, will he?"
Sun Lingtong proudly dusted off his hand, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Though Ning Zhuo successfully committed the robbery, he didn't feel elated; he often lost focus, feeling anxious and insecure.
Sun Lingtong noticed and laughed, grabbing his hand, "Come, let's go back."
"Why go back?"
Sun Lingtong led Ning Zhuo back along the same path, making Ning Zhuo witness the brutish man waking up with his own eyes.
The brutish man found his belongings completely gone, became furious, and cursed loudly. He returned to his gang's base and extorted the small vendors along the way to make up for his loss.
Ning Zhuo followed him all the way, clenching his fists in anger, "Let's rob him again."
Sun Lingtong's eyes flashed with a sharp light; he suddenly said, "Little Zhuo, did you ever think that by robbing him, he would retaliate even more viciously against other poor people?"
"There's a better way; why don't we just kill him and make him disappear from this world?"
Ning Zhuo was startled, his face full of shock, stuttering as he said, "Ki-kill him? That's not right."
He had never thought of killing anyone before.
Sun Lingtong smiled slightly, patted Ning Zhuo's shoulder, "If you don't want to, then forget it. I was just suggesting."
Ning Zhuo's face turned pale, "Let's just teach him a lesson, make a deep impression on him, and ensure he receives severe punishment!"
As Ning Zhuo committed more thefts and robberies, he quickly grew in practical experience and was no longer as immature as before.
"Your mindset still isn't stable; you need training. Follow me." Sun Lingtong pulled Ning Zhuo out, sticking talismans on both of them, transforming them into two middle-aged men.
He took Ning Zhuo to a commoners' gambling den, gambling heavily with both wins and losses along the way.
The intense atmosphere of the casino opened Ning Zhuo's eyes.
After several hours of gambling, Sun Lingtong took Ning Zhuo home, asking how he felt.
Ning Zhuo said he was enlightened, "So that's how these people think!"
"Brother Sun, you are amazing, like you have a Mind Reading Technique."
"You transmitted your thoughts to me, continuously analyzing the gamblers' mindsets. From the changes in their expressions, you could infer the size of the cards in their hands. It's as magical as a spell!"
Sun Lingtong asked the crucial question, "How do you feel about gambling?"
Ning Zhuo shook his head, "I don't like gambling, I prefer to follow procedures, accumulate step by step, and achieve success."
"As long as you enter the gambling arena, there's always a chance of losing. But if you become the one who runs the casino, you're the master. I prefer to be the master."
"However, I also know that sometimes you can't avoid gambling!"
Sun Lingtong smacked his lips, "You don't like the feeling of gambling? You're just like my master."
Every time he gambled, Sun Lingtong won more than he lost.
Occasionally, he took Ning Zhuo to an upper-class restaurant, ordering a large table of delicious food to nourish Ning Zhuo's body.
"Come, little brother, let me treat you to a drink," Sun Lingtong pushed the wine cup to Ning Zhuo.
Both of them wore transformation talismans, appearing as adult men.
Ning Zhuo took a sip and coughed repeatedly, "Too spicy, it's hard to drink!"
Sun Lingtong shook his head, "You just don't understand; wine is a good thing."
He originally didn't like drinking, but over the years, he frequently went into caves, waiting endlessly for his master, gradually starting to drown his sorrows in alcohol and realizing its benefits.
"I have a way." Sun Lingtong called for sweet wine.
This time, Ning Zhuo could drink it down; the wine was sweet and not spicy on the throat at all.
Then, he got drunk, his eyes glazed and his face flushed red.
Sun Lingtong helped him out of the restaurant.
On the way home, Ning Zhuo saw someone calling them, "You two gentlemen, come and play."
He curiously pointed to the sign of Yanhong Tower, "Brother Sun, this must be a very fun place."
"Every time we've passed by, people are going in and out, and you can hear people playing and singing inside."
"It's the liveliest at night!"
"Let's go in and have some fun, it must be fun."
But this time, Sun Lingtong's face darkened, "No, we're not going!"
"Little brother, you're too young. This place is still too early for you."
"Let's go home; I'll take you home!"
...
The Soul Search continued.
In Sun Lingtong's home, he became a prisoner.
The soul was separated from the body and held in the hands of the judgement officer.
"The judgement officer is one of the four great ghost judges."
"I used the Treasure Seal to summon the god, even if it's just an avatar, it's not something a Foundation Establishment Peak like Sun Lingtong can resist."
"The Heart Seal may be strong, but it can't withstand such intense and continuous Soul Search!"
The blind judge Qi Bai wore a cold expression.
Despite Sun Lingtong's soul constantly enduring the excruciating pain from the Soul Search, Qi Bai didn't obtain any results after half a day.
"How can this be?"
Qi Bai was surprised; he snorted coldly and used his upper-class talent.
Insight into the Netherworld!
In an instant, he was able to see again.
What appeared in his vision was a dark, gray world.
Only ghostly beings emitted green, blue, and other eerie glows.
Qi Bai saw the judgement officer and Sun Lingtong's soul.
The judgement officer's avatar radiated a grand blue light, very stable, like a shining gem.
Sun Lingtong's soul emitted a green light, quivering like water waves. This indicated that his soul was suffering severe damage, and his emotions were in turmoil.
Whenever a wave seemed ready to break out, a seal would appear deep within Sun Lingtong's soul.
The seal was weak but resilient; the waves dissipated instantly upon encountering it.
Seeing this, Qi Bai immediately understood, "The judgement officer's divine power is astounding; Sun Lingtong can't stop the Soul Search interrogation."
"But the information obtained is all rendered blank by the Heart Seal."
"An ordinary outer disciple absolutely couldn't achieve this."
"Unexpectedly, even though Sun Lingtong didn't practice the Bukong Sect's orthodox cultivation technique, he had such a deep understanding of the sect's principles."
"What a pity he dedicated himself to the Youthful Emperor's Technique. If he practiced the Bukong Sect's orthodox technique, his achievements would be astounding!"
After just a glance, Qi Bai immediately stopped using his talent.
Although the Insight into the Netherworld talent was immensely powerful, it required a significant drawback.
Every time he used it, it consumed his eyesight. Over time, his vision would not only worsen, but his eyes would also completely fail.
Qi Bai had used the talent too much, leading to blindness that was almost impossible to cure.
Many powerful treatment methods could restore his vision but would damage his talent.
When both eyes were blind, every use of Insight into the Netherworld would decrease his remaining lifespan.
Thus, each usage decreased his lifespan by a portion, a high cost.
"Using it once is enough." Qi Bai returned Sun Lingtong's soul to his body.
Qi Bai let out a cold laugh, "Next, Sun Lingtong, scream to your heart's content."
"My soul punishment in the entire sect is one of a kind."
Qi Bai wielded a spell and summoned various small ghosts that crawled onto Sun Lingtong, pinning him down.
His body surged with yin energy, surrounded by chilling winds.
He took out coffin nails and fiercely nailed them into Sun Lingtong's hands.
Thunk, thunk.
With two light sounds, Sun Lingtong's hands were nailed to the pillar, his small body hanging off the ground, feet suspended.
Sun Lingtong's eyes widened with rage, making choking sounds, his furious gaze fixed on Qi Bai.
Qi Bai felt puzzled, "Why don't you scream?"
"It doesn't make sense."
"I deliberately brought your soul into your body to use physical punishment to affect your soul, doubling your pain."
"Under my soul punishment, and you don't utter a sound?"
"Are you using some special spell to block the pain?"
"No, that's not right. If you had, my talent would have detected it!"
Qi Bai was suspicious and summoned the Triangular Eyes and Hawk Nose into the room.
He cast spells on both of them, one using coffin nails and the other using soul punishment. The Triangular Eyes screamed in agony, and Hawk Nose rolled his eyes, foaming at the mouth, passing out after just a few breaths.
"This is how it should be." Qi Bai felt relieved, turning to Sun Lingtong with a cold and sinister expression, "I didn't expect such a small body to possess such a tough spirit!"
"Heh heh, let's see how long you can hold on!"
Sun Lingtong had aroused Qi Bai's competitive spirit.
He started torturing Sun Lingtong, using all sorts of severe punishments. He wanted to see Sun Lingtong's tears and hear his screams and cries!