Tomb robbing: I was Buried alive in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, I Get Stronger by Looting Corpses

Chapter 11: Looting a Martial Technique!

“You—how is this possible?”

The middle-aged man’s expression twisted in disbelief as he sensed the sudden surge in Yang Yi’s power. His earlier arrogance crumbled, replaced by fear. He had thought he was powerful, yet now, he could barely measure up to the man standing before him. Dark Jin, mid-stage—an insurmountable gap. Yang Yi, now calm and composed due to his massive power boost, held up the bloodstained bone in his hand and raised an eyebrow. “You wanted this? What’s it for?”

For him, the bone was just a system reward, but judging by the man’s reaction, it clearly held some deeper significance. He couldn’t understand why anyone would fight over a bone, let alone try to take it by force. Do they think it can be grafted onto their own body? That kind of technique surely doesn’t exist in this world. Does it?

The middle-aged man’s face twitched, his fear evident. “No… it’s useless. I don’t need it. You can go.” He tried to sound indifferent as if he had lost interest, but his body language betrayed him.

“Go?” Yang Yi’s lips curled into a cruel smirk. “That’s unfortunate.” His eyes flashed coldly as he suddenly moved forward.

With Dark Jin energy coursing through his veins, his entire body transformed into a force of destruction. His blood energy surged like roaring dragons, circulating violently through his limbs, enhancing his speed and strength to terrifying levels. His foot stamped against the ground, propelling him forward like a hunting beast.

Boom!

The middle-aged man barely had time to react. He had only just raised his hands to assume a defensive stance when Yang Yi’s fist struck him like a battering ram.

Crack!

His chest collapsed inward, ribs snapping like dry branches. The sheer force of the impact sent him flying several meters, his body smashing into the stone ground before falling limp. Dead.

“Kill him!”

The remaining four men hesitated for a brief second before their instincts kicked in. Their leader had just been crushed like an insect, but they refused to run. Fueled by rage and desperation, they rushed toward Yang Yi, screaming as they charged.

Yang Yi laughed. “Perfect.”

Their movements were wild and uncoordinated, full of glaring weaknesses. These men were not true martial artists. They had likely been commoners, recruited under the middle-aged man to act as mere muscle. They lacked skill, discipline, or any semblance of battle experience.

With Dark Jin coursing through him, Yang Yi was unstoppable. He dodged effortlessly, their clumsy strikes moving in slow motion before his sharpened senses. One punch. One kill. Each attack was precise and devastating. Bones shattered. Bodies collapsed. Death was instant. By the time he was finished, all four men lay lifeless on the ground.

Their deaths were so swift and brutal that the watching survivors panicked. Terror spread through them as they realized that Yang Yi was no ordinary man. No one dared look him in the eye. The moment he turned his gaze toward them, they scattered like frightened animals, desperate to flee before he decided to kill them too.

……………………………………………………………………………

Yang Yi glanced at the corpses, his expression contemplative. Raw power alone wasn’t enough. Though his speed and strength had overpowered them, he had noticed something troubling—when the middle-aged man had assumed a defensive stance, it had given him pause. His lack of formal martial techniques was a major weakness. If his opponent had been stronger, the fight wouldn’t have been so one-sided.

“I need to start learning real martial techniques,” he thought. “No matter how strong I get, I won’t always be able to overpower my enemies. Skill is just as important as raw strength.” With that in mind, he crouched down and began looting the corpses.

As expected, the loot was substantial. The middle-aged man had been well-off before falling into misfortune. Aside from food rations, fruits, meats, and cloth, the system awarded him ten taels of gold just for the dry flatbread he looted. The rewards were generous—but what really excited him were the unusual items.

Ding!

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained a full set of ceramic bowls.]

Ding!

[Congratulations, host! You have acquired ten jin of coarse salt and a large water vat.].

Yang Yi’s eyes gleamed. Salt. Without it, even the best food could only sustain him for so long. Long-term survival required proper nutrition, and salt was a necessity. Additionally, the water vat meant he could now bathe properly—something that, as a martial artist, was essential to maintaining control over his body’s energy flow. As if the system had read his thoughts, another notification popped up.

Ding!

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained a secret martial technique—War Halberd Unrivaled!].

Ding! 

[Congratulations, host! You have acquired a War Halberd.].

Ding!

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained three years of condensed cultivation and twenty additional years of lifespan.].

Yang Yi couldn’t suppress his excitement. A martial technique at last!

The middle-aged man had indeed been a martial artist, but he had fallen from grace. Perhaps he had once come from a noble family, only to lose his status and wealth, eventually ending up buried alive in the underground tomb. Still, this was Yang Yi’s gain.

With a War Halberd and a technique specifically designed for it, he could train his weapon mastery to perfection. Once he spent enough cultivation time, combined with his growing Dark Jin power, he could become unstoppable in close combat.

Keeping his excitement in check, he searched the remaining four bodies. As expected, their loot was inferior, but he still gained an additional four years of condensed cultivation and forty more years of lifespan.

Looking at his total gains, he chuckled. “Martial artists are worth more than ordinary people.” Even a single warrior provided more rewards than a dozen commoners. Just the middle-aged man alone had given him three years of cultivation time—an immense boost to his growth.

……………………………………………………………………………

“Let’s go back,” Yang Yi said, wiping the blood off his hands using one of the corpses’ clothes before turning to Meng Jiangnv.

She had been staring at him in shock, still processing everything she had just witnessed. “Oh—” she stammered before hesitating. “Young Master… should we take their clothes?”

Yang Yi shook his head. “No need. We have plenty.” Without another word, he turned and walked away, knowing that no one would dare look at him the wrong way anymore. His display of strength had silenced even the most ruthless survivors. The once-predatory gazes had vanished, replaced by pure fear.

As they made their way back, Yang Yi made a decision. “System, extract condensed cultivation time—train War Halberd Unrivaled.” He had reached a new stage in his path to dominance, and he wasn’t about to waste a single moment.