Chapter Seventy-Three: The Essence of the Player

"The quality of your cultivation techniques is lacking," Liu Yang remarked as he memorized a fragmentary earth-grade technique from the message board. He pretended to browse for a while longer, then revealed a look of disdain and tossed the booklet aside.

"Lacking quality?" The welcoming attendant's smile froze at his words. If the cultivation techniques offered by the Duobao Merchant Guild were considered trash, then there would be nothing worth reading in the entire city of Piaoyang.

Glancing at the attendant and seeing she was intimidated by him, Liu Yang said nothing more. He quickly stood up and strode out, exhilarated by the thrill of getting something for nothing.

"I should go into seclusion in the cave where I found the herbs," he thought. Leaving the small town, he set off immediately for his retreat.

Upon arriving at the cave, he camouflaged the entrance, then entered and sat cross-legged in its deepest recess. He retrieved three boxes of Qi-infusing ointment from his storage bracelet and applied them to his body as instructed.

The ointment soon took effect. Liu Yang felt all his pores open, and streams of profound energy poured in through them. Within moments, he sensed a loosening at his bottleneck. Without hesitation, he began to circulate his internal energy according to the earth-grade technique he'd memorized, gathering the scattered energy and forming a rotating cycle.

The instant this cycle was established, his veins seemed to tremble, and an invisible force enveloped him. Now he could direct his profound energy to any part of his body at will. This was the hallmark of the second stage.

"Finally, I've reached the second tier!" Joy flashed in Liu Yang's eyes. Breaking through meant he could once again claim the title of genius.

"Yan Li, just wait! I will make you regret what you did." Muttering his vow, Liu Yang immediately left the cave. With his newfound strength, he needed to seek opponents to familiarize himself with his realm and hone his abilities.

He did not relax in the slightest, knowing full well that, with the vast resources of the Xuanqing Sect, Yan Li's progress would far outpace that of ordinary people. Only by reaching the third tier could he truly rival her.

"I saw in the messages that there's a stone ape nearby with early second-tier strength—perfect for practice," he recalled.

Liu Yang soon arrived atop a rocky outcrop, pondering as he surveyed the area. Suddenly sensing danger, he dodged just in time as a massive boulder shot past him from behind.

A roar echoed, drawing his gaze to a giant gray-furred ape, easily twice the size of a grown man. The beast, frustrated by its missed attack, beat its chest and let out two thunderous roars before charging straight for Liu Yang, grabbing a huge log to wield as a weapon along the way.

Liu Yang's pupils contracted at the sight—none of the messages mentioned the creature could use tools.

With a crash, the ape swung the log, forcing Liu Yang to dodge in a hurry. Seeing the shattered rock where he'd stood moments before, he dared not lose focus, meeting the crisis head-on.

Another thunderous attack forced him to evade once more.

[Its weakness is its back.]
[After attacking, it suffers severe lag—strike during that interval.]

Reading the messages, Liu Yang wasted no time. Seizing the opening after the ape's attack, he stepped to its left flank and unleashed a punch.

"Triple Wave!"

He employed the power technique from the earth-grade method, dividing his force into three waves—each amplifying the last, overwhelming any defense.

With a heavy thud, the ape staggered back several steps, then collapsed to its knees. Its left flank was deeply sunken, and it failed repeatedly to rise.

Not daring to be careless, Liu Yang unleashed his full strength and struck its temple, ending the beast's life.

[Stone ape tendons are worth fifty gold.]
[Teeth, one gold each.]
[Pristine pelt, seventy-five gold; damaged, twenty.]
...

Following the messages, Liu Yang swiftly harvested valuable materials from the creature and stored them in his jade bracelet.

"Help!" As he was halfway through collecting, a man's cry for help echoed from nearby.

Liu Yang glanced over but ignored it. He had grown accustomed to such scenes in the Xuan Beast Mountains, where accidents claimed lives daily. One could not save everyone—and trying might put oneself in danger.

"Help! Sob, sob..." The plea came again, this time from a girl, her voice sounding young.

...

Liu Yang quickly stood up.

"Out in the wild, everyone faces hardship. Since I encountered this, I can't turn a blind eye!" Declaring righteously, he set aside his work and dashed toward the cries for help.

He soon reached the edge of a low valley, where three people were besieged by a pack of wolves—two men and a woman. The men, drenched in blood, were clearly gravely wounded.

From the messages, Liu Yang immediately learned their identities: members of a small mercenary team. Uninterested in mercenaries, he turned his gaze to the woman they sheltered.

She was dressed neatly, her face covered by a thin veil. Despite the mask, Liu Yang could tell from her exposed features that she was exceptionally beautiful.

[Meng Yao, eighteen, single, a personal pharmacist, often active in... likes... dislikes... gentle personality, but marred by scars on her face.]
[White...]
[Blue-furred wolf, high first-tier, can be rescued stylishly with a profound-grade technique or higher.]
[Hired mercenaries to gather herbs, not a scam.]
...

After reviewing the messages and confirming no danger, Liu Yang leapt between the three and the wolves. With a single punch, he shattered an attacking blue-furred wolf. Then, unleashing his power, the aura of a second-tier cultivator swept over the pack.

In an instant, the once-fierce wolves tucked their tails and fled into the surrounding forest.

The three, who had been despairing, now saw Liu Yang's back as towering and heroic.

Meng Yao gazed at Liu Yang's silhouette in a daze, hope flickering in her eyes. But as if recalling something, her expression quickly dimmed.

She was not worthy...

ps: Today I received news—the book was reported, alas...