《Rise of the Myriad Emperor》 Prologue Prologue Soaring Sword was the most popular Virtual-Reality Massively Multiplayer Martial Arts Online Game ¡ª VRMMMAOG ¡ª on Earth, exceeding one billion players, and has been awarded as ? the best game in the world ? in 2061. There was not even a single person who didn¡¯t know Searing Sword. If there was one, then that person was, without a doubt, living under a rock. Unfortunately, Soarin Sword has been the target of a terrible and mysterious phenomenon on the 1st January 2062 ¡ª all the people who played once to Soaring Sword, those who stopped the game included ¡ª were transported into the game without the possibility to disconnect or leave it. In addition, those who had died inside the game were also dead in the real world as well. Such a strange phenomenon was a mystery to most of the people, but for those who had heard or read fantasy novels called, it was a term that they obviously knew and had dreamed to experience it if they had the chance, which was the popular ? transported into a death game ? genre, which was a common setting on a fantasy novel. Thus, since then, the world had tried every solution available to wake up the players from their sleeping slate, but none of the countless methods they had found had succeeded until now. And from that moment, the desperate people who had lost their patience and were too worried about their family member had to choose whether to patiently wait for a new method from the researchers to find a new method to wake them or enter the game to on their own and save them with the thought that completing the game was the solution ¡ª and most of them had chosen the latter option, which not only had increased the number of victims but also gave the researchers more pressure and more stress as they were at a loss of methods. Many years later, Soaring Sword who was known as ? the best game in the world ? has been, later on, awarded with another title: ? the biggest catastrophe of humanity ? and this title was even more outstanding compared to the former one ¡ª this one had been recorded in the archive of history and will remain forever there.
Three years after ? the biggest catastrophe of humanity ?, the 5th March 2065, on Searing Sword. The Dark Mountain was the highest mountain within Searing Sword. Measuring at least seven thousand meters on its base and three thousand meters above the sea, the locals living at the foot the mountain called it ? God¡¯s Mountain ?. And on the summit of this mountain, was two men were facing against each other. ¡°Master, why did you...killed her?¡± The young attractive-looking man who was wearing a simple traditional sapphire blue dress, Min Li asked, staring at the man in front of him whose equipment was an impressive full-plate obsidian armor set with glittering golden threads, embellishing the armor to another magnitude, his eyes filled with intense resentment. Although it was almost imperceptible, there was a slight glim of admiration in his eyes, but it was totally overshadowed by an immeasurable hatred. ¡°Mighty Spear¡­why did you kill her?¡± He asked once again, but this time, his voice was colder than before. And in the same coldness as the tone of his voice, his icy eyes could chill someone to the bone; at this moment, the already cold air of the mountain was below zero degree due to the glacial atmosphere he was releasing. He seemed like an unmoved experienced cold-blooded butcher, ready to chop a piece of meat with his knife; he was only waiting for the green light, which was the answer, to process into the next step. ¡°...¡± Mighty Spear remained unperturbable by Min Li¡¯s frightening stare. His eyes were as calm as an unwavering fish swimming in a turbulent water stream. And after a long moment of silence, he then slowly opened his mouth as his calm expression suddenly changed onto a heavy-hearted one. ¡°I have already told you. I didn¡¯t kill her. She died on the hand of th¡ª ¡± Interrupting Mighty Spear, Min Li declared loudly, ¡°I have enough of your lie!¡± his voice was powerful enough to reverberate through the whole mountain. Then, after a pause, he revealed, ¡°To tell you the truth, I saw you killing her that day,¡± as he closed his eyes, remembering that moment, before quickly opening them again, and said in a mocking tone, ¡° You won¡¯t deceive me with such nonsense. I¡¯m not as credulous as the other members.¡± The heavy-hearted expression on Mighty Spear¡¯s face was no longer there, instead of that one, it has changed into a remorseful one, and with a sigh, he muttered, ¡°I see... so you know the truth.¡± admitting Min Li¡¯s declaration in an indifferent tone as if he wasn¡¯t concerned at all, closing his eyes as he remembered about what had happened that day, resolving himself to what awaited him, and after opening them, he calmly narrated, ¡°That day, I went under Loving Tree with Little Snow and had confessed my feelings to her.¡± with a grieving expression in his eyes. Following with a self-mocking smile, a few breaths of time after the end of his sentence, he then asked, ¡°And do you know what was Little Snow¡¯s answer?¡± Little Snow was a member of ? The Soaring Lance ?, a guild whose glory was well-known for its powerful spear-wielders, each of them was hundred times stronger than other high-leveled and distinguished expert spear-wielder, it was a guild that everyone on Soaring Sword couldn¡¯t help but respect, especially those who had witnessed their might, a guild whose leader and creator was Mighty Spear. And in this well-known guild, Little Snow was a ? Grandmaster Spearwoman ?, a rank only given to the high-ranked, powerful, and most influential women within ? The Soaring Lance ?. Including herself, each of these three ? Grandmaster Spearwoman ? women was powerful and beautiful enough to be included in ? The Soaring Sword¡¯s Deities ?, a high-ranking and world-known ladder for the most outstanding women on Soaring Sword; any of them could leave a deep impression on the any man¡¯s heart on the spot whether it was for the woman¡¯s beauty, influence, and strength. Although Little Snow was only fifth-ranked on the ? The Soaring Sword¡¯s Deities ? ladder due to her world-renowned and one-of-a-kind eccentric and unique behavior, it was nonetheless, the reason as for why both, Mighty Spear and Min Li, had fallen in love with her; love was indeed something that could not be understood by reasoning. Min Li had been silent since then as he attempted to figure out what kind of reply Little Snow could have answered, but the more he pondered about it, the less organized his thoughts were ¡ª to find what kind of reply she could have answered once you come to understand her unconventional mannerism was like trying to find a needle in a haystack ¡ª and since he could not come to a satisfying conclusion from his imagination, he could only look back at Mighty Spear, waiting for him to provide him the answer. Looking at Min Li¡¯s disoriented state, he knew that he did not find out Little Snow¡¯s answer. With a bitter smile as if he understood his feelings, he seriously stated, ¡°She told me: ? I already have someone I¡¯m in love with¡­ and you should know who I¡¯m talking about right; Fiery Spear. ? ¡± word by word without omitting a single one as he looked at him indignantly, gritting his teeth; he could not understand why she had chosen Min Li, instead of him. Min Li¡¯s body was slightly shaken by Mighty Spear¡¯s answer but he was not surprised by this revelation. The reason was simple: he had previously heard Little Snow¡¯s confession many times ago, from her own mouth. In the past, Little Snow had always been teasing Min Li when they were together, and from time to time, she would jokingly confess her feelings to him, giggling like a little child whose little trick had been successful, but he was used to this childish side of her, and had constantly considered these confessions as pranks. Unfortunately, since she was no longer alive, he will never know if her feelings were genuine or not. ¡°... And you killed her for this stupid reason? Because you were jealous of me? You should know her as much as I know that she might be jo¡ª¡± Mighty Spear stopped Min Li from finishing his sentence as he seriously said, ¡°She was serious. Totally serious. At least, that¡¯s what I believe when I saw her determined eyes.¡± the jealousy in his heart could no longer be restrained. He did not want to hear the words he was going to say; he wanted to believe that he was right. No, he believed that he was right. This was the only truth to him no matter what other people might say. He had seen the seriousness emitted by Little Snow¡¯s eyes that day, and with his own eyes, it meant to convey to him that there was only Mini Li, and no matter what will happen to herself or to him, it will not change her feelings in the slightest. And since then, every time he thought about her, about the smile she had made, his heart could no longer remain as unyielding and as fearless as it normally was, and even now, he was trying his best to refrain the surging flame within his body as he looked at Min Li, the disciple he once considered as his own blood. Staring at the infuriated Mighty Spear, Min Li quickly said, ¡°Even if what she had said, was the truth, and that she was serious, since you didn¡¯t deny what I¡¯ve said, then it means that I was correct, about you being jealous, right? You... killed her...purely out of¡­. jealousy.¡± as he emphatically slowed down the end of his sentence and emphasized each of his every last word, while forcefully restraining his rage to kill him on impulse. He was waiting for his answer, because in the depth of his heart, he had sincerely wanted to think that this was only a misunderstanding from his part, to clear his conscience, he wanted him to say that it was another reason, which led him to kill her, though it will not make him reconsider his decision, at least, it could lessen the pain he felt in his heart. ¡°...¡± ¡ªbut Mighty Spear did not try to deny his words, and rather than denying him, he calmly repositioned his natural posture onto a battle stance, showing a determined expression on his face; you are right ¡ª I killed her for this reason. There is nothing to talk. From Mighty Spear¡¯s behavior, Min Li couldn¡¯t help but furiously curse: ¡°You... fucking¡­ bastard. If I don¡¯t... kill you today, then I¡¯m no longer called Min Li!¡± Mighty Spear has triggered the green light. There was no need to restrain himself. Right now, it was either Mighty Spear¡¯s death or his death; both of them could no longer live in the same world. Neither Min Li nor Mighty Spear could allow it. Oblivious to the expected outcome, Mighty Spear harrumphed and arrogantly said, ¡°Who did learn you Spearmanship? Do you think you can kill me? Your master and the clan leader of ? The Soaring Lance ? ?¡± while looking at him with disdain. There was no longer the need to hide his true feelings towards him. It was an unavoidable battle between the master and its disciple. It was a fight for the one they deep fall in love with ¡ª one due to his intense jealousy, the other due to his immense hatred.
*cough* *cough* *cough* *pant* *pant* *pant* A mouthful of blood came out from Min Li¡¯s mouth. On one of his shoulder, a severe injury, blood could not stop from leaking out, the upper part of his blue dress was not almost painted with his own blood. In addition to his wound and due to the never-ending fight, he was breathing heavily; his complexion was darker than a few minutes ago. Facing him, Mighty Spear too, was in the same exhausted condition as Min Li, trying his best to catch as much air as possible, breathing heavily and painstakingly. Even though he did not have suffered from a severe wound unlike his opponent, the countless minor injuries on his body were not insignificant either. His equipment, the impressive and magnificent full-plate black-armored gear was filled with small cracks, even filled with little holes, which were seemingly the results of a sharp and long weapon piercing the armor over and over again, reducing it into a miserable state.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The exhaustion of both, Min Li and Mighty Spear were obviously the effects of the three continuous days of fighting. They had not even stopped fighting since they had started. A few minutes ago, the climax of the fight between them was on its climax, and right now, this was one of the rare opportunities they had to halt the fight, after having distanced themselves from a protected range. ¡®He is tougher than I had expected.¡¯ Mighty Spear thought as he kept breathing profoundly. ¡®But the injury he had received from me is fatal. As long as I can deal another similar wound to him, then he¡¯ll be finished.¡¯ He could see the denouement of the battle in his brain as he smiled viciously. It reflected the wicked personality he had while fighting, but it was also his true nature, normally hidden from others. Staring at his vicious smile, Min Li suddenly evoked that day, alone with Little Snow on their favorite place, The Calming Valley, warning him seriously, ¡°Fiery Spear, stay on your guard when you are with Mighty Spear. He had never shown you his true personality, but I¡¯ve already seen it more than once.¡± as she gazed at him with worried eyes. He could clearly remember these words, even now, because she had said them in an overly serious tone, which was rare from her who was always childish and playful. And at that time, he did not know its meaning, because he had always considered Mighty Spear as his respected master, but at this instant, he could finally understand them. ¡°So this is your true personality.¡± Min Li said as he sneered at him. The admiration and respect he once had for him were gone since this day, the day when he had seen him killing Little Snow. Here and now, not even a speck of it remained in his heart. Harrumphing, Mighty Spear coldly said, ¡°Are those your last words?¡± as he spontaneously dashed towards Min Li, while activating one of his Martial Art Active Skill ? Divine Step ?. ? Divine Step ? was a Martial Art Active Skill, which granted the user a 200% boost in Movement Speed. It was one of the most popular types of Martial Art Active Skill used by the high-leveled experts from Soaring Sword when it came to movement¡¯s speed acceleration. ¡®He is definitely up to something¡¯ Min Li muttered in his heart as he hardened the grip of his spear and entered into a battle stance¡ªholding firmly his spear, his mental perception reaching its limit. Mighty Spear¡¯s ? Divine Step ? had granted him the required Movement Speed to close the distance between them, and was now close enough to reach him with his spear. Followed by a roar, he shouted, ¡°Fiery Spear!¡± as he sliced his spear vertically at Min Li, using all of his strength. The trajectory was perfect, the distance of the tip of the spear was exactly at the expected range to strike him, and if he successfully hit him, splitting his whole body into two parts was an easy task, considering the massive Strength attribute he had. He moved quickly, yet, the speed of the spear was too slow. Min Li dodged it without any problem. He could also have blocked the strike with his spear, but he wanted to conserve as much energy as possible. At the current state of the fight, the one who more energy than the other was the winner. They both had depleted a tremendous amount of strength, qi, and health during these past three days. Such a decision from him was a wise and logic choice. ¡°Strength is meaningless if you don¡¯t hit your target.¡± Min Li sneered at Mighty Spear. Unlike him who had mainly focused on Strength and Stamina attributes, Min Li had chosen to balance his stats between Strength, Agility, and Stamina. Thus, not only he was faster in term of speed, but he was also more accurate when attacking even if his attacks were not as strong as him. *swoosh* *swoosh* *swoosh* Right after dodging Mighty Spear¡¯s strike, Min Li took the opportunity to swiftly move his spear, stabbing him as much as he could. The strength of the attack was weak, but at least, each of the attacks had hit him without missing once. Min Li¡¯s health was currently at 15% of his total health. And even though Mighty Spear¡¯s total health was at 15% as well, the difference between both 15% was, beyond comparison. Because in truth, if one was to take into account these percentage as numbers, then Mighty Spear¡¯s 15% of health was nearby six times Min Li¡¯s 15% of health. This was a huge difference. Yet, regardless of such an immense difference in health, the advantage was, considering one¡¯s point of view when looking at the battle, at Min Li¡¯s side. The reason for such analysis was obviously evident ¡ª as Min Li had mentioned previously, as long as Mighty Spear¡¯s attack could not reach him, then Min Li would beyond any doubt, become the winner of the battle. Hence, the scene where Min Li overwhelmed Mighty Spear had lasted for more than an hour and a half...and right now, Mighty Spear¡¯s remaining health was below 2% of his total health. This was due to Min Li¡¯s attacks being all accurate and fast enough, not letting him the option to dodge them. Similarly to him, Min Li¡¯s health had also decreased and was currently at 5%. It was due to the severe wound he had, which slowly had decreased his health during the fight. In addition, he had failed to dodge one of Mighty Spear¡¯s attack, decreasing his health by 5% from a single attack. ¡®Throughout the fight we had until now, I¡¯m still haven¡¯t figured out his thinking¡­¡¯ Despite the fact that both of them were at a critical state regarding their health, Min Li couldn¡¯t help but think about Mighty Spear¡¯s vicious smile, even if he currently has the upper hand of the battle. ¡®I have a bad presentiment¡­¡¯ He believed that Mighty Spear must have a hidden card, which he had not revealed up to now; the lack of information during a battle could cost one¡¯s life, and right now, was the moment for him to find it out ¡ª and he was right on-the-spot. A vicious smile appeared on Mighty Spear face as a sudden burst of qi was being released from his entire body. Perceiving the startled expression on Min Li, inquiring him concerning the unexpected burst of qi, he honestly said, ¡°I have to admit that you were way stronger than I had expected,¡± with a proud grin as his lips slightly curled up. After all, he was his master, and to be able to train him to such extent, such was the feeling of a master. Following his grin, he then nonchalantly replied, ¡°A few days ago, I had founded a Celestial Divine-Grade Martial Art Passive Skill.¡± ignoring the ugly face of the latter upon learning this revelation, he continued his narration, ¡° ? Yan Shi¡¯s resolution ? not only allow me to restore half of my total amount of qi when my life is below 5%, but this Martial Art Passive Skill also had a second effect,¡± at the middle of his explanation, he slowly walked towards him, and stated the second effect of the skill, ¡°Once the passive skill is activated. All nearby enemies are restricted from their movements until they received an attack.¡± once he saw his shocking on him upon learning the second effect of the skill, he could not help but laugh as he said, ¡°Hahaha¡­ I had already told you many times, to always keep a hidden card on your sleeves.¡± in a mocking tone. Min had tried to move since the moment Mighty Spear started to walk towards him, but he could not move. His body did not allow him to move nor allow him to dodge the incoming spear aiming at his heart. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Min Li¡¯s loud pained scream sounded into Mighty Spear¡¯s ears. At his chest, the spear pierced his heart and a considerable amount of blood overflowed from that location. After dealing the finishing blow to Min Li, Mighty Spear arrogantly revealed what he had thought since he had confessed to Little Snow, which had been hidden in his heart: ¡°Do not deserve Little Snow. That¡¯s such a shame. Although she had told me to spare you, you do not deserve to live.¡± This wound was fatal and such attack was the end of Min Li¡¯s life. Disregarding such oblivious and undeniable fact, the latter, rather than showing a desperate appearance, ? the one who did not want to die ? kind of expression, was smiling instead, which bothered Mighty Spear, him whose heart was always calm and serene. ¡ªand the bad presentiment Mighty Spear had was confirmed. Min Li surprisingly dropped his spear and tightly held Mighty Spear¡¯s spear on one of his hand. From this unforeseen movement, in addition to the insanity reflected in his eyes, a thought automatically came into his mind as he said, ¡°Bastard¡­ don¡¯t tell me...you...¡± the tone of his voice was shaking; he had realized what Min Li had intended to accomplish. Trying to move his spear, the monstrous strength from Min Li prevented Mighty Spear to pull back his spear. He could only furiously glare at him and started to curse him with all of his might. He then immediately tried to drop the spear but he then noticed that he could not drop it either. His mind was totally in a mess, he could not help but ask, ¡°You¡­ what did you do? How can¡¯t I¡­.¡± the slight fear in his eyes was gradually surfacing on his face, becoming more and more noticeable. Each step from Min Li as he approached Mighty Spear seemed like an eternity to him, it was as if the slow-motion that was currently happening was telling him his last moments, death was approaching. Slowly but surely. The smile on Min Li¡¯s face did not disappear as he calmly said, ¡° ? Martial Art Active Skill: Unstealable ? ¡± without halting his step, approaching the already terrified Mighty Spear. Though he did not know why he mentioned this skill, figuring out its hidden ability was not hard. The fact that he could not drop his weapon was an evident clue, which was clear enough, and upon learning this, his fear changed into another degree, at this moment, he was totally petrified by him; a demon from hell was coming for his life. As a matter of fact, Min Li had expected that he might not be able to defeat Mighty Spear even though he was certain that he was stronger than him. It was not because of his over-confidence to defeat him through a fight nor because he was underestimating and he might lose due to that reason; he wanted to make sure to kill him even if the chance of him getting defeated was close to 0%, because such possibility was not zero, meaning that it may be possible for him to lose, which was the reason as for why he had been looking for a method in case he failed to achieve his goal. And the result Min Li had founded after thinking carefully was the Martial Art Active Skill ? Unstealable ?. ? Unstealable ? was a Martial Art Active Skill, which prevented people from stealing the weapon of the user. ? Unstealable ? was a simple skill and no one excepted the few people who, including himself, had noticed the second hidden utility of such basic, yet unbelievable skill, which was that not only the effect of the skill was active on any items, equipment or weapons worn by the user, but this effect was also activated to any of the items, equipment or weapons the user touched, whether they belonged to them or not. For most of the players within Soaring Sword, including Mighty Spear, such skill was useful and was even regarded as useless. If one was ignorant of the hidden ability of the skill, then it was indeed the truth, since only a fool could lose the grip of his weapon during a fight. And even though it prevented the thieves from stealing, which was a rare occurrence on Soaring Sword due to the consequence of stealing, the chance of getting his weapon or the equipment one was currently wearing stolen by was as low as encountering a Celestial Divine-Grade item after killing a monster, which was nearly below 1%. ¡°RELEASE ME, YOU... SON OF A BITCH!¡± Mighty Spear shouted loudly as he cursed Min Li. Here and now, fear and desperation were the only feelings that were submerging his heart. He was horrified by Min Li¡¯s resolution to kill him, which allowed him to remain alive despite the hole on his heart ¡ª this man is the reincarnation Satan. If not, how could he be still alive after his heart had been shattered? Taking out a dagger from his spatial ring with the only hand that was free to use, Min Li stabbed Mighty Spear¡¯s heart as he shouted, ¡°You are coming to Hell with me, Mighty Spear! HAHAHAHA¡± in his eyes, only madness could be seen. The remaining human emotions had departed at the same time as his heart had been pierced. ¡°It... was... truly... a pleasure... to have... met... you.¡± Mighty Spear smiled as he used the remaining his remaining life force to speak. The smile on his face was, rather than what Min Li could have expected, even in his wildest dream, after learning his true nature, an honest one without any hidden meaning behind it. This kind of smile from him was quite a shocking one, even Mighty Spear himself, who had not expected to show his true feelings before his death. Min Li did not know the reason why he would say this sentence as his dying message, but if he was to say that he did not feel anything from it, then this was, by all means, a blatant lie from him. In any case, how Mighty Spear felt before his death or how Min Li felt after learning his true feelings, all of that did not matter to him. Looking at the blue sky, which not even a single cloud was present at the moment, Min Li closed his eyes and spoke, ¡°Little Snow, did you see? I succeeded to avenge you.¡± as if the mentioned ? Little Snow ? was right in front of him. When Min Li was about to open his mouth once again, all of his strength suddenly left his body, of course, it was totally predictable once you thought about the hole on his heart, but oblivious regarding him falling backward on the ground, he strenuously used his remaining life force as he opened his mouth once again, and said, ¡°I.. am¡­ sor... ry¡­ but¡­ I¡­ can¡­ not¡­ ful¡­ fill¡­ the¡­ pro¡­ mise¡­ we¡­ ha¡­ ve¡­ ma¡­ de¡­ th¡­ at¡­ day...¡± as the pulse of his heart weakened little by little as he spoke, limiting him from simply articulating. Along with the end of his sentence, which was extremely low and totally inaudible to the ears, his heart abruptly stopped from pulsing. 18th March 2065, on Soaring Sword, a traveler had founded two corpses lying on the summit of The Dark Mountain. After bringing the corpses in a city for a detailed autopsy to identify the two men, the names of Mighty Spear and Fiery Spear was, later on, written on ? The Historic Stone ? where all the players who had died on Soaring Sword were recorded. At that day, all the players who knew the name of Mighty Spear and Fiery Spear had come in front of ? The Historic Stone ? and had paid their respect in front of the memorial. For whatever reason, that had caused them to fight against each other, no one genuinely cared about it. There was only one thought on their mind ¡ª the two strongest and important spear-wielders from ? The Soaring Lance ? had died, one was the leader and the other was its disciple, and after losing them, ? The Soaring Lance ? long glory was finally and slowly coming into an end. It was a matter of time before they become a part of ? The Soaring Sword¡¯s History ?. Arc I - Chapter 1 Chapter 1 - Zhao Li Min Li was standing in the summit of a valley, looking at the back of a girl. There were many mixed feelings swelling inside his heart as he looked at her. ¡°Fiery Spear, do¡­ you hate this world?¡± Min Li discerned the faint quiver from her body ¡ª she was reluctant to ask the question, but at the same time, she wanted to know the answer. Her action caused him to reconsider the importance of his answer as he fell into deep thought. ¡°To be honest, I hate this world.¡± Min Li replied, his eyes fixed on her back. He couldn¡¯t see her expression, but for a strange reason, he was certain that she was a little depressed after hearing his answer. ¡°But I don¡¯t hate this world as much as I used to.¡± He said, revealing a pleasant smile as he remembered about the adventures he had since arriving on Soaring Sword. ¡°I¡¯ve encountered a lot of dangers, escaped death a lot of time, but I¡¯ve also made a lot of friends and had a lot of good times too.¡± It was his true feelings. He had hesitated to confess his love, saying, ¡°This world allowed me to meet you which was the reason why I don¡¯t hate this world anymore.¡± but he had refrained his feelings ¡ª he was afraid of ending the relation he had with her because of that. Turning her head towards Min Li, tears were flowing out from her delicate eyes, falling on her pure snow-like cheeks. The smile on her face was like a beautiful painting mesmerizing him. ¡°I¡ª¡° The moment she was about to open her thin delicate red lips, Min Li¡¯s surroundings suddenly started to shatter into pieces like a mirror that broke upon falling into the ground ¡ª the world was collapsing in front of him. ¡°Little Snow!¡± Seeing the girl, Little Snow falling into the darkness, Min Li tried to grab his hand ¡ª but it was too late. The moment he succeeded to move his body, Little Snow already had disappeared into the darkness. ¡°Uh?¡± It was only at this moment that he found himself lying on a bed, looking at a ceiling. Everything that had happened a few minutes ago was only a dream Min Liu had. Rising his upper body, he looked at the surroundings. ¡°Where is this place?¡± The room felt unfamiliar to him. It was not his bedroom on Earth, but it was not somewhere he was familiar on Soaring Sword either. Min Li couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°I should explore this place. Staying there won¡¯t get me the answer.¡± After giving some thought, Min Li had made up his mind. He decided to look for the owner of the house to grasp the reason why he was there. If the latter had saved him, then he needed to thank him. ¡°Your Highness! You are finally awake!¡± Leaving the room, a well-dressed middle-aged man ran towards Min Li with a relieved expression. The man then politely saluted and said, ¡°Your Highness, please come with me. I need your signature for taxation¡¯s reform.¡± hurrying Min Li to follow him. But Min Li Stood still. He was looking at the middle-aged man with a dazzled look. He was going to ask him if he was the owner of the house but before he could open his mouth, he heard an unusual word ¡ª Your Highness. ¡°Aren¡¯t you mistaken me for someone else? Why are you calling me ¡®Your Highness¡¯?¡± Min Li asked, but this time, it was the middle-aged man who was staring at him with a confused look. They were now both looking at each other with a strange atmosphere around them. The man then suddenly thought about something and asked, ¡°Your Highness, do your head still hurt you?¡± in a concerned tone. He then stated, ¡°Worry not, your Highness. We have beheaded the hooligan who threw at you the stone.¡± exposing his infuriated feeling as he emphasized the word ¡®hooligan¡¯. Even though the prince he had been appointed to was an incompetent scoundrel, he was still the one whose fate was the same as him. To throw a stone at the prince was the same as throwing a stone at him. Min Li wasn¡¯t listening to what the middle-aged man said. At the moment, he was looking at an empty space lost in his thought. His brain was in the process of recollecting the someone else¡¯s memories. It was a weird sensation, like watching a film in fast motion. The brain had a lot of data to convert, thus, it automatically rearranged the information and only twenty percent of the information had been read while the rest information was moderately updating. And from the little information, Min Li had obtained, the essential had given him a slightly better understanding of the situation he was in.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. This world was called The Ancient Realm and Min Li had transmigrated into the body of the 12th prince of The Myriad Empire, Zhao Li. He was currently in Flowing River City, a town on the northern border of The Myriad Empire¡¯s territory. He had been assigned as the lord of the town by his father, the actual emperor, and the mission he had, was to improve the city. Unfortunately, the remaining data were vague and apart from the names or the faces of the other princes, he didn¡¯t know anything else about Zhao Li such as his personality, his attitude, nor the way he behaved. Seeing the prince who was always frivolous and easy-going with such a serious face stunned the middle-aged man. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Your Highness, is there something that is bothering you?¡± attempting to expose Min Li¡¯s thought. ¡°Uncle Jingyi, can you lead me to my office?¡± Instead of answering to Jingyi, the middle-aged man, Min Li asked as he politely smiled. Although he didn¡¯t know how Zhao Li behaved when he was talking to Jingyi, from his memory, this person was one of the pupils of the emperor¡¯s minister of finance. And even if he wasn¡¯t, Min Li had always been respectful to the elderly. Jingyi¡¯s mouth twitched as his mouth was slightly opened from the shocking words he just heard. He hadn¡¯t even noticed Min Li¡¯s polite way of talking which demonstrated how shocked he was. This prince who was so much unwilling to approach his own office was asking him to lead him towards it. If this was not shocking, then what could be more shocking than this? After a few seconds, Jingyi suddenly regained his sense, and quickly said, ¡°Y¡ªYes! I¡¯ll gladly lead you the way, your Highness. Please follow me.¡± as he hurried towards the office, worried that Min Li might reconsider his decision at any moment. Entering the office, Min Li¡¯s eyes slightly widened. The office was spacious and finely furnished. The typical office of a noble, but it wasn¡¯t how extravagant the room was which surprised him, but the massive amount of paperwork accumulated on the desk. ¡®This is going to take me the whole day¡­¡¯ Min Li thought as he sighed in depression. However, he had to read all of these documents and thoughtfully explored them, it was the only way to understand the situation of Flowing River City without overlooking any information. Sitting on the desk as he took a pile of documents, Min Li asked, ¡°Uncle Jingyi, can you please tell me in detail everything that happened since my arrival to Flowing River City please?¡± as he bitterly smiled at him. Seeing the incomprehension of the request showing on Jingyi¡¯s face, he then calmly explained, ¡°Due to the blow I received on the head, I had forgotten every bit of the memory I had before arriving there.¡± as he gave him an apologetic look. A sudden revelation struck into Jingyi¡¯s mind as he had figured out the reason why Min Li had performed such a strange behavior after waking up. Although Jingyi already knew about Min Li¡¯s identity before he came into Flowing River City, the latter didn¡¯t know him until they had met after his arrival. Since he had lost his memories, it was totally normal for him to react in such a way. Nodding his head, Jingyi reported to Min Li everything that happened since his arrival. But the more he listened to it, the more unpleasant his expression became as he ascertained how alarming the actual situation Min Li and Flowing River City were. If everything he had heard from Jingyi was true which was most likely the case, then Zhao Li¡¯s absurd level of stupidity was questionable. Not only did this fellow worsened the financial affairs of Flowing River City to an unimaginable state, but on top of that, he had also managed to decrease the population by more than fifty percent. Since arriving in Flowing River City, Zhao Li had increased the taxes by ten folds for the only reason because of his lack of pocket money. In addition, he had spent most of it in the brothel within the city, enjoying a lustful life, soliciting every desired woman within the town, either they were married or not. His conduct had caused a depopulation of the city and the enmity of the population, providing the lord of the neighboring town who had been anticipating, the opportunity to prepare for an offensive onto Flowing River City which had been given to him by Zhao Li. Under such circumstances, how in the world Min Li could accomplish the emperor¡¯s request to improve the city? The only experience he had regarding economics was from The Dream World as the lord of The Immortal City, but even with his knowledge, it was impossible no matter how talented one might be. Scratching his head as he completed a pile of documents, Min Li moaned in displeasure as he muttered, ¡°Why do I even need to clean his mess in the first place?¡± in a low voice. But it was obvious that he could only blame himself for his own personality, being overly generous and diligent ¡ª since Zhao Li had provided him a new life either he was willing or not, it was his obligation to repay the favor he had towards him by cleaning the horrible mess he had left behind him. To always repay his debt, it was one of the principles he had been following and will always follow for the rest of his life. It was already late once Min Li finished the majority of the important documents. There were still a lot of them to finish, but it only required a stamp and his signature. It could be quickly done another day. Stretching his body to release the revitalize himself, Min Li then noticed Jingyi who was still standing there, next to the door, waiting for him to finish his work. He felt a warmth on his heart as the impression he had for him instantly elevated into one of a genuine uncle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you wait, uncle Jingyi. Let¡¯s have dinner before going to bed.¡± Min Li said with an affectionate smile on his face. Jingyi shook his head and said, ¡°Not at all, your Highness. I should be the one to apologize that I cannot share your burden. The one to blame here should be none other than me.¡± in a dejected tone. One could see without a doubt that he felt wrong not being able to help Min Li. This was his true feelings. If it was the former procrastinating and good-for-nothing Zhao Li, then Jingyi didn¡¯t care at all to make him fill these documents. And it was only if he actually managed to compel him which was fundamentally unrealistic. But he had changed and for the better! If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, he honestly couldn¡¯t have believed it, but he had observed him the whole day and had witnessed it with his own eyes ¡ª ¡®This is a blessing from Heaven!¡¯ He had thought. He had even wanted to thank the hooligan who had thrown the stone at Zhao Li and had even thought to kneel in front of him. It was how much he was delighted by the changes Zhao Li had. Even though Flowering River City was done for good, as long as the prince of his didn¡¯t return from his former behavior, he believed there was still a sliver of hope for him to inherit the throne as long as he survived from the conflict! After all, who among the other princes were even going to give a thought about such the good-for-nothing Zhao Li? As long as he could keephim remain low-key, he believed that he could successfully attain him the emperor¡¯s throne ¡ª He was going to show to the emperor, no¡­ to the world that he had the qualification to succeed. And if his plan was to work, then he was going to have the same or even more influence than the emperor himself! Chapter 2 The Dream World After having dinner in the dining room, Min Li returned to his bedroom and laid down on his bed. But he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. He was blankly looking into the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t because the bed wasn¡¯t comfortable enough or due to the transmigration, but the dream he¡¯d dreamed before he¡¯d woken up ¡ª yes, the only thing that filled his mind was Little Snow. He couldn¡¯t stop but think about her the whole day as he¡¯d filled the paperwork. Min Li shook his head, muttering, ¡°Little Snow had died. She¡¯ll never forgive me if I keep being depressed.¡± as he tried to console and prevent himself from reminiscing about her. ¡°By the way, I wonder if I can check my ¡®Character Info¡¯.¡±Min Li thought. He hadn¡¯t tried it after waking up, but the unthinkable happened ¡ª a game window opened in front of his sight.
Character Information
Name: Zhao Li
Level: 1
Title: None
Class: None
Faction: The Myriad Empire
Cultivation Rank: Low-Earth
Attributes
Attribute Points: 0
Health: 140 Qi: 540
Health Regen / Sec: 2,4 Qi Regen / Sec: 1,12
Strength: 23 Agility: 23
Stamina: 22 Armor: 0
Intellect: 22 Fighting Spirit: 23
Enhancements
Critical Strike: 0% Haste: 0%
Expertise: 0% Mastery: 0%
Multistrike: 0% Leech: 0%
Versatility: 0% Stun Chance: 0%
Physical Combat
Weapon Damage: no weapon equipped Hit: 100%
Attack Power: 50 Weapon Speed: no weapon equipped
Ranged Attack Power: no weapon equipped Armour Penetration: 0
Martial Art Skill CombatThe author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Martial Art Skill Power: 0 Martial Art Skill Hit Chance: 100%
Martial Art Skill Crit Chance: 0% Summoning Power: 0%
Martial Art Skill Cooldown Reduction: 0% Martial Art Skill Penetration: 0%
Defense
Defense: 0 Bonus Armor: 0
Magic Defense: 0 Dodge Chance: 25%
Block: 0 Block Chance: 0%
Block Factor: 0 Resistance: 0%
Weapon Mastery
Spear Mastery (level 0): Increases the damage dealtwhen using asword by 0%
Sword Mastery (level 0): Increases the damage dealtwhen using a spear by 0%
Axe Mastery (level 0): Increases the damage dealtwhen using an axe by 0%
Bow Mastery (level 0): Increases the damage dealtwhen using a bow by 0%
Martial Arts Active Skills
Martial Arts Passive Skills
Calming Heart (level 1): Increases the Fighting Spirit attribute by 5.
After a close look, Min Li excitedly said, ¡°Even though I¡¯m only level 1, I¡¯d at least have the chance to become stronger.¡± as he thought about the level cap which was 250. If he could reach this level, then he¡¯ll probably become the strongest cultivator within The Ancient Realm. And even if he didn¡¯t, he¡¯ll be able to defend himself regardless of the danger. Delighted by the gift given by the Heaven, an assumption came from his mouth as he jokingly muttered, ¡°Then I should be able to enter The Dream World right?¡± but never in his wildest dream, he¡¯d thought that a game message was going to appear right after the end of his sentence.
Game Notification: Do you wish to enter The Dream World? Yes/No
And of course, Min Li tapped on the ¡®Yes¡¯ button with his index. A magical green portal immediately appeared on his sight. It was the same portal back on Searing Sword which allowed him to enter The Dream World. Min Li didn¡¯t hesitate, entering the portal. Once he passed through the other side of the portal, he arrived in a familiar place. Beyond any doubt, it was needless to say, was a location within The Dream World from Soaring Sword, The Savage Plains. Looking at the surroundings, he¡¯d recalled his first time arriving in this place. But he wasn¡¯t there to reminiscence about the past. Shaking his head to put aside his past memories, Min Li said, ¡°I need to go to my city to see whether or not it¡¯d been reset.¡± as he prayed for the better.
The Dream World was another dimension on Soaring Sword. It was a personal place for the players and the place they considered as their home. Since one couldn¡¯t own his house on Soaring Sword, this was the only place where one could sleep apart from the inn. Immortal City was the only and largest city within The Dream World. Most of the players would rename its name, but Min Li didn¡¯t. He¡¯d thought that the name was cool. It was a city managed by the player himself. And as indicated in its name, Immortal City had been existing for more than millennia. The city was surrounded by a high 10-meter wall and looked like an imposing fortress from the outside. There were a total of fourth entrances in the city, The Northern Gate, The Eastern Gate, The Southern Gate, and The Western Gate. Each gate was heavily guarded by hundreds of archers on the top of the walls, and an entire garrison at its entrance. Located at the north of Immortal City, The Twilight Forest was a place where most of the non-living, commonly referred to as undead, lived. It was an extremely dangerous place and for such reason, The Nothern Gate of Immortal City¡¯s security was higher than the other entrances. Between The Twilight Forest and The Northern Gate of Immortal City, was The Savage Plains. It was an immense extended flat ground, covering a total area of 52 km2 ( 20,15 sq mi). The locals of Immortal City had labeled this gigantic battleground ¡®The Corrupted Land¡¯ due to the countless battles held there against the undead¡¯s invasion coming from The Twilight Forest. In front of The Northern Gate, two patrols were standing at the entrance. One of them suggested to the other one, ¡°Big brother Tao, my son had caught a Saint Deer by chance yesterday, do you want to have dinner with us tonight?¡±as he grinned proudly as if he was the one who had hunted the animal. Old Tao wasn¡¯t stupid, he¡¯d guessed his buddy¡¯s purpose. As the son of a 100-man commander, he had quite a good reputation within the army. But his father wasn¡¯t something who one could easily corrupt. The fact that he was only a simple gate¡¯s patroller was the proof of it. Shaking his head at his outrageous colleague, he rebuked, ¡°Xuegang, you should already know my father¡¯s temper. Saint Deer or not, you won¡¯t gain anything by trying to entice me.¡± looking at him coldly as he sneered. Xuegang laughed and jokingly said, ¡°Who the heck do you take me for? Do you think that I, Xuegang, am the kind of bastard who takes advantage of a big brother?¡± in an angry tone. Of course, he wasn¡¯t angry at all and it was indeed one of his aims, but in fact, he¡¯d come to like this proud big brother of his after the long time they¡¯d spent together, not because of his standing, but as a real big brother of him. Seeing how shameless his colleague was, he couldn¡¯t help but dumbly stare at him. He didn¡¯t know if he was courageous or simply stupid. But Xuegang was the only one who¡¯d the courage to openly talk with him. After a sigh, he nodded his head, saying ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to convince my father to join us, but don¡¯t expect too much.¡± convinced by his honest feelings. Both of them laughed and were casually talking about everything and anything such as their superior¡¯s new wife orthe interesting conversations they''d heard in the inn, and so on. The serenity had filled the air around Immortal City like any other day. It was the everyday''s routine of the patrols ¡ª or so they thought. Until the appearance of a faint silhouette appearing from afar, coming from The Savage Plains.
¡°Stay there!¡± Mi Lin heard the shout from the soldier in front of the entrance as he approached. He was slightly taken aback by the sudden order, but he naturally maintained his composure and stood still. Approaching Min Li, the patrol asked, ¡°Who are you and tell me the reason why you want to enter Immortal City.¡± in a serious tone as he meticulously inspected every part of his body. Min Li was shocked by the soldier¡¯s performance, but he didn¡¯t show it on his face. Maybe it was due to the ? Calming Heart ? Passive Skill which affected him, but he was able to remain as calm like a fish swimming in water. He¡¯d perceived them as NPCs since they were NPCs back on Soaring Sword, but he immediately changed this thinking of his. After a short silence, he boldly stated, ¡°I¡¯m the city lord of Immortal City and I¡¯ve come back!¡± as he took out a jade-like token from his inventory. It was a quest item he¡¯d obtained after completing the beginner¡¯s quest to unlock Immortal City back on Soaring Sword. He¡¯d noticed he had it on his inventory when he was on his way to Immortal City. Xuegang had never seen what the city lord¡¯s token looked like as he displayed a troubled expression after he saw the jade-like token from the man. But he was one of the most shameless men within Immortal City, and said, ¡°Hah, do you take I, Xuegang, for a fool? As if this scrap could be the city lord¡¯s token.¡± in a mocking tone, not believing Min Li, sneering at him. ¡®Let¡¯s see how mighty you can act, now that I, Xuegang, exposed your lies!¡¯ Xuegang behaved majestically in front of Min Li as if he was some kind of influential individual to makehim confess his falsification of identity. ¡®This is getting complicated¡­¡¯ Min Li thought as his heartbeat accelerated, not knowing what to say. The token was the only proof he¡¯d as the city lord of Immortal City. If it was not working, how could he enter the town now? When Min Li was still thinking about how to persuade the man in front of him, his colleague, Tao who¡¯d noticed the jade-like token quickly approached towards them. He didn¡¯t know how the city¡¯s lord token looked like, but his father might have seen it. He was going to politely request the man to wait until they¡¯d identified the token, but when he¡¯d caught Xuegang¡¯s words, his lips twitched as he nearly fainted on the spot. ¡°What is going on?¡± When the tense atmosphere was going to reach its climax, a loud voice resounded in everyone¡¯s ears, startling them. Coming out of The Northern Gate, a full plate white-armored man walked towards them. Recognizing the man, both of the soldiers shouted, ¡°Captain Cai!¡± as they respectfully saluted him. One could see the respect and the fear they had towards him. Even Tao¡¯s father himself had to be respectful in front of him, needless to say, his son, Tao let alone Xuegang. He was shameless, but not stupid. ¡°This individual is claiming to be the city lord. From what he¡¯d said, this is the city lord¡¯s token. But since we didn¡¯t know if it was the real deal or not...¡± Tao reported everything that happened to the captain Cai. After a quick glance at the jade-like token, he respectfully said to Min Li, ¡°Please forgive my soldiers for their rudeness, city lord Zhao Li. It has been more than an eternity since an outsider had appeared in Immortal City.¡± as he lowered his head, fearing to anger him. Both of the soldiers were dumbfounded by the captain Cai''s sudden changes. Though Tao managed to calm himself a few seconds later, his mind still couldn''t follow what he''d seen. He could only mutter repeatedly, "He is the real city lord..." over and over. And Xuegang wasn''t even in a better state.The sweats on his forehead couldn''t stop appearing as he was praying for the Heaven to not having angered the city lord. Every high-graded local from Immortal City could recognize the city lord¡¯s token. It has a unique aura which allowed them to distinguish the fake ones to the real one. And without any doubt, this token was indeed the city lord¡¯s token. After more than a millennia, the city lord has come back to Immortal City! A huge storm was about to surface on The Dream World. And the one who was the reason for the disturbance was obviously none than Min Li, he who has yet to realize it. Chapter 3 Fang Yujin''s inheritance ¡°This is alright. I just want to enter the town. There are a few things I need to do in my mansion.¡± Although Min Li was a bit dissatisfied by how Xuegang had treated him, he didn¡¯t blame him. After all, Immortal City was the unique and biggest city within The Dream World, it wasn¡¯t weird to them to thoughtfully investigate anyone who wanted to enter the city. Learning that Min Li wasn¡¯t offended by them, the captain and the two others sighed in relief. Cai then suggested to Min Li, ¡°It has been a long time since my lord has returned to Immortal City. If my lord doesn¡¯t mind, this little one can show you around.¡± before he sent at a serious look at his subordinate, Tao, hoping that he¡¯d understood what he meant. Tao was smart enough to notice the captain¡¯s hidden message. He then nodded his head, expressing that he had understood the instruction and with a respectful salute, he returned to the city¡¯s entrance. Min Li has obviously noticed their secretive behavior but he didn¡¯t care as he looked at the leaving Tao. For him, as long as he could check his storehouse, it wasn¡¯t his problem. With an ¡°I¡¯ll gladly accept the offer.¡± as his reply to the captain¡¯s suggestion, he then followed him inside the city. When the captain Cai was guiding Min Li towards his mansion, he couldn¡¯t help but suddenly ask, ¡°Is there a special event today?¡± as he scanned from left to right his surroundings. The alleyway was bustling with people ¡ª the residents were actively shopping and the merchants were loudly promoting their products. He could see on each of these people a bright smile on their face. They were definitely happy to live in this town. He had assumed that the reason for the lively atmosphere was due to an incoming celebration. The captain smiled and casually explained, ¡°Not at all. This is a common sight in Immortal City. After all, this is the only city within The Dream World. And since my lord had been determined to support the other races apart from humans to coexist, the population had exceeded 20 millions of residents after my lord¡¯s decree. Since then, everyone is having a good life there and it¡¯s thanks to you, my lord.¡± as he kept walking towards through the bustling crowd while praising Min Li. Min Li was embarrassed but he didn¡¯t particularly felt pleased by the praising. In fact, he felt uncomfortable to receive these praises. Back then, he¡¯d treated them as NPCs which was normal and had acted only for his own benefits. When he thought about his attitude towards them in the past, he couldn¡¯t think of himself as a good city lord. After half an hour of walking through the city, the captain stopped in front of a gate and said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at your mansion, my lord.¡± in a worried tone as he pointed at the large gate¡¯s entrance. Seeing the immense garden through the gate, Min Li¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you guys redesigned my mansion?¡± without diverting his eyes, completely captivated by the magnificent view in front of him. The magnificent landscape of the front yard was filled with blooming and beautiful multi-colored flowers. In the middle of the never-ending stone path which probably led to the mansion, was a majestic and grand fountain. This was breathtaking, but it wasn¡¯t the mansion he¡¯d used to remember at all. Noticing Min Li¡¯s startled expression, the captain¡¯s body tensed and a nervous sensation appeared on his face as he hurriedly explained, ¡°The members of the City Government couldn¡¯t accept how plain-featured the city lord¡¯s mansion was and had ordered to renovate the mansion a long time ago.¡± in a trembling tone. Even if he wasn¡¯t involved in the city lord¡¯s renovation, he didn¡¯t know Min Li¡¯s temper and was worried that he might discharge his resentment on him who was the only one next to him. And compared to his modest status as a captain of The Northern Entrance¡¯s garrison, the city lord¡¯s authority was beyond Heaven and was viewed as a Legend within Immortal City ¡ª his wrath was definitely not something he alone could handle. Min Li who¡¯d noticed the sudden development of attitude in the captain sent him a perplexed look. He didn¡¯t know that he was the reason; he ignored his strange and abrupt change of attitude and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be staying in my mansion for a while. You can return to your duty.¡± as he tried to behave like a leader who was ordering his subordinate. Seeing that Min Li wasn¡¯t angry, the captain sighed in relief and continuously nodded his head. He then politely saluted before saying ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±, before he quickly left the area to resume his everyday activity. He had intended to go to the Immortal City¡¯s governmental office, but since he had been ordered to return to his duty, he didn¡¯t dare to oppose the city lord¡¯s order ¡ª who in his right mind could? Min Li laughed at the captain¡¯s unique personality as he muttered, ¡°What a strange guy.¡± before opening the gate with a pleasant smile on his face. He then directed towards his mansion, looking for his storehouse to figure out whether it had been altered or not after he¡¯d transmigrated into this world. On Searing Sword, the storehouse of the city lord¡¯s mansion was similar to one¡¯s personal bank, allowing the players to store their items in a safe place. Since the inventory was limited to a certain weight, it was the place where one could keep their most precious items such as equipment, armors, magic scrolls, potions, elixirs, pills, skill books, and cultivation technique books. Min Li¡¯s objective to visit the storehouse was obviously to know if the items he¡¯d store were still there or not. It was crucial for him since he¡¯d discovered that he could become stronger now that he¡¯d transmigrated into this other world. Either it was back on Soaring Sword, on this world or even on Earth, one¡¯s life was what mattered the most. Money could be earned, reputation could be gained, levels could be improved, but all of this is meaningless if one didn¡¯t have the strength to protect himself. And to obtain enough strength to protect himself and the one he cared for, he needed to learn a strong cultivation technique. Cultivation technique was the essence of one¡¯s growth. The better the cultivation technique, the more stats one could obtain after leveling. On top of the extra attributes, having a good starting cultivation technique was also primordial for one¡¯s cultivation rank. The cultivation rank was divided into four stages: Earth, Heaven, Legend, and God. Each of these stages was split into four levels: Low, Intermediate, High, and Expert. The higher one¡¯s cultivation rank, the stronger the martial art skill one could learn. In the past, Min Li didn¡¯t have a high cultivation rank. The best he¡¯d reached was the High-Legend rank which was already good compared to the average players. But in this unknown world, he didn¡¯t know the strength of these cultivators and didn¡¯t want to underestimate them. This time, his aim was the Exper-God rank. After thoughtfully searching for the storehouse, Min Li had finally found the entrance which was hidden by tall grass, located behind the mansion. He¡¯d easily identified the storehouse¡¯s entrance because of its distinct obsidian-colored surface. Taking out the storehouse¡¯s key which was inside his inventory, he opened the basement bulkhead¡¯s door and entered. After he went down the stairs, his eyes scanned the surroundings. Then, a smile surfaced on his face as his anxiousness evaporated in the air. Sorting the stuff one by one, Min Li muttered, ¡°This should be around here somewhere¡­¡± as he stopped on every item while reminiscing about the past. All the stuff he had inside the storehouse were the painstakingly blood and sweats he¡¯d spent during the game. Although he didn¡¯t know why his level had been reset or the reason why his storehouse had remained the same as when he was on Soaring Sword, he truly felt blessed that they were brought there along with him. Noticing a small purple book with foreign characters on its cover on the corner of his eyes, Min Li shouted, ¡°Ah, finally found it!¡± as he grabbed the book. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. The title of the book was translated through the system and its name was ? Fang Yijun¡¯s inheritance ?. The name didn¡¯t seem like a cultivation technique book, but it was classified as such. But the reason why Min Li wanted to learn this book and none other was for only one reason ¡ª because of its grade. Equipment, armors, potions, elixirs, pills, martial art skills, and cultivation techniques were classified into seven categories: Common, Rare, Epic, Unique, Mythical, and Celestial. And each of them was split into ten levels: Low-Grade, Average-Grade, High-Grade, Mortal-Grade, Expert-Grade, Legend-Grade, Heaven-Grade, God-Grade, and Divine-Grade. And this book, ? Fang Yijun¡¯s inheritance ? was a Celestial Divine-Grade cultivation technique. It was the best among the best that he could learn within his storehouse. Compared to the other books, they were definitely worse than trash. ¡°Learn ? Fang Yijun¡¯s inheritance ?.¡± Min Li couldn¡¯t wait to see extra stats he was going to gain and the new passive martial skills that he was going to obtain and he hastily said.
Game Notification: You can only learn one cultivation technique at your current level. Are you certain to learn ? Fang Yijun¡¯s inheritance ? cultivation technique? Yes/No
¡°Yes!¡± Min Li said without hesitation.
Game Notification: You have learned ? Fang Yijun¡¯s inheritance ? cultivation technique. But due to the exceptional Bonus Growth and Martial Art Active/Passive Skills obtained by ? Fang Yijun¡¯s inheritance ?, the experience you gained from exploring new areas, completing quests, defeating monsters, or completing dungeons is reduced by 400%. Bonus Growth: +5 Strength per level +3 Stamina per level +2 Agility per level +1 Fighting Spirit per level You have learned a new Martial Art Passive Skill: Fang Yijun¡¯s Art of the Spear (level maxed): Passive: Increases the damage dealt when using a spear by 250% and its critical damage by 100%. If your level is below 125, the effects are reduced by half. You have learned a new Martial Art Passive Skill: Fang Yijun¡¯s last breath (level maxed): Passive: When health is below 25%, increases Strength and the damage dealt by 200% and regenerates 2% of total health per second. Lasts for 20 seconds. Can only be activated twice in combat. If your level is below 125, the effects and the duration are reduced by half. Cooldown: 10 minutes. You have learned a new Martial Art Active Skill: Sky Thundering Thurst (level maxed): Active (consume 3% of qi): Thurst your spear with a massive strike in a single concentrated location, penetrating your target¡¯s armor (+100% armor penetration), dealing (300% of your Attack Power) Thunder damage. If your level is below 125, the effects are reduced by half. Cooldown: 15 seconds.
¡°If only I could¡¯ve found this book when I first started the game.¡± Min Li sighed as he remembered when he¡¯d started Soaring Sword. But it was obvious that obtaining such powerful cultivation technique at the beginning of the game was simply impossible. The book could only be obtained after completing a Celestial-Difficulty quest which required one to be level 250. ¡°I should learn the Martial Arts Skill that doesn¡¯t require a cultivation rank and leave the books there.¡± Martial Arts Skill books and Cultivation Technique books were the most precious items on Soaring Sword. The reason as for why they were so precious was because they weren¡¯t an only one-time useable item ¡ª as long as one had the required Cultivation Rank and the required level to use them, anyone could learn them ¡ª which is the reason why joining a strong guild with precious Cultivation Techniques books was essential for one¡¯s player growth. ¡°That¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t relearn all the Celestial Divine-Grade Martial Art Skill books inside the ? The Soaring Spear ? guild¡¯s storehouse.¡± Min Li sighed, depressed. These overpowered Martial Art Skills he once had were enough for him to overwhelm a large army alone. Compared to the precious Martial Art Skill books he had on his storehouse, it was like comparing Heaven and Earth. ¡°Nonetheless, it¡¯s still better than nothing.¡± Min Li faintly smiled as he started to learn all the Martial Art Skill books that he could which didn¡¯t require any Cultivation Rank nor level restriction.
Game Notification: You have learned a new Martial Art Active Skill: ? Heaven Strengthening Technique (level 1) ? Active (consume 5% of qi): Strengthen every part of the body, increasing Strength and Agility by 1%. In addition, increases Movement Speed by 1%. Lasts for 25 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. You have learned a new Martial Art Passive Skill: ? Heaven Movement Technique (level 1) ? Passive: Permanently increases your Movement Speed and Dodge Chance by 1%. You have learned a new Martial Art Passive Skill: ? Celestial Body (level 1) ? Passive: Permanently increases your Strength, Agility, and Stamina by 1%. In addition, your Critical Strike, Haste, and Attack Power are permanently increased by 0.25%. You have learned a new Martial Art Passive Skill: ? Celestial Wisdom (level 1) ? Passive: Permanently increases your Intellect and Fighting Spirit by 1%. In addition, your Martial Art Skill Hit Chance, Martial Art Skill Power, Martial Art Skill Crit Chance, Martial Art Skill Cooldown Reduction, and Summoning Power are permanently increased by 0.25%.]
These Martial Art Skills were all Celestial Divine-Grade items, but they were only powerful once the skill¡¯s level was maxed. It was the reason why these Martial Art Skill books didn¡¯t give any negative effects unlike ? Fang Yijun¡¯s inheritance ? despite the unbelievable game-changing increase in power. After learning them, Min Li then equipped himself with full gear equipment without level restriction, took out a spatial ring, and a few useful items such as magic scrolls, pills, potions, and elixirs within his spatial ring before leaving the storehouse. Once he exited the storehouse, he returned to his mansion¡¯s entrance and was about to enter it, but he then noticed a group of people standing in front of his mansion¡¯s entrance. They seemed to be waiting for him. ¡°My lord, we apologize for not greeting you after your arrival.¡± When they saw Min Li appearing from the side of the mansion, all of them saluted as one of them ¡ª the one who was standing at the front who appeared to be the representative of the group, spoke. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Min Li said. Following the end of his sentence, he continued, asking, ¡°And what is the matter of your presence?¡± with a questioning look. ¡°A large army of undead has appeared on The Savage Plains and is slowly approaching. We normally would have launched an offensive army to eliminate them, but now that my lord is back, we need your authorization before initiating the assault. We beseech my lord to forgive us, but the situation is serious. We need you to make your decision.¡± The man who had spoken was out of breath as he had hurriedly explained the situation. From his complex expression and the tone of his voice, Min Li could see that he was trying to urge him. And with a calm voice, Min Li said to the man, ¡°Lead me to The Northern Gate.¡± with a serious expression on his face as he walked towards him. The end of the long tranquillity within The Dream World has finally come into an end ¡ª a storm has come with the return of Min Li on The Dream World, and it was only the beginning. Chapter 4 The Army of Undead Arriving at the top of the city walls of The Northern Gate, the soldiers assigned there respectfully saluted Min Li who was accompanied by the manager of the City Council of Immortal City. ¡°You were right. The situation is more severe than I thought.¡± Looking at the slowly incoming army of undead, Min Li¡¯s calm voice caught everyone¡¯s ears. It was a matter of minutes until the legion of skeletons arrived in front of The Northern Gate¡¯s entrance. The numbers of them were uncountable ¡ª they were filling The Savage Plains¡¯ landscape. It was a frightening sight that sent to the people who looked at them a chill on their back. ¡°How many soldiers did we send to the battlefield?¡± Seeing the long endless lined-up queues of soldiers leaving The Northern Gate¡¯s large entrance, Min Li curiously asked. He had expected a considerable amount, but the sight in front of him has already exceeded his expectation. ¡°We have sent 80% of our total force, numbering to a total amount of 4¡¯320¡¯932 soldiers, including the commanders leading them. As for the remaining 20%, they are evacuating the citizens of Immortal City to the defensive fortress my lord has created. ¡± Du Ming, the representative and manager of the City Council nonchalantly replied without noticing Min Li¡¯s surprised expression. Even though Immortal City had more than twenty millions of inhabitants, to have 20% of the total populace as a fighting force was without a doubt amazing. ¡°You! Come here and tell me your name!¡± Calling out a soldier as he pointed his finger towards him, the soldier quickly came towards Min Li and respectfully saluted him as he hurriedly said, ¡°My name is Jiahao, my lord.¡± with a worried expression on his face. He seemed to be visibly stressed just by standing in front of the city lord. ¡°Lead me to the army and introduce me to the strongest commander in the army.¡± ¡°But, my lord¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s no but. I¡¯ve already made up my mind. As for you, you can join the other City Council officials to the defensive fortress.¡± Hearing the city lord¡¯s command, Du Ming couldn¡¯t help but try to change Min Li¡¯s mind. He knew that he was going to join the battlefield and he couldn¡¯t allow his city lord to endanger himself. However, Min Li immediately interrupted him. Although he felt bad for Du Ming who was worried about him, it was an opportunity for him to farm experience points and there was no way he could miss it. ¡°City lord? Sir, what are you doing here?¡± Seeing the city lord walking towards him accompanied by a soldier, the grand monarch, Kang Jian couldn¡¯t help but ask with a surprised expression. ¡°Grand monarch Jian, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m the city lord of Immortal City, Zhao Li. I come here to join the battlefield.¡± After introducing himself with a faint smile, Min Li said. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°This is my wish. Worry not, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Kiang Jian wanted to retort but was Min Li immediately stopped him. Kiang Jian could only make a discouraged sigh after looking at his city lord¡¯s pressing eyes. The city lord¡¯s words couldn¡¯t be denied; he was the authority within Immortal City. Even if he was to ask someone to die, then no one could oppose him. Knowing that it was inevitable for Min Li to not join the battlefront, Kiang Jang suggested: ¡°Then please allow this one to stay by your side.¡± ¡°Alright. This was selfish of me to ask for such a request, I can at least accept this condition.¡± Min Li felt dejected to push them to accept his selfish request to join the confrontation between Immortal City and the army of undead, but he knew that it was because they were concerned about his safety. But Min Li had to become stronger. He wanted to be strong enough to protect his loved ones. He didn¡¯t want to make the same mistakes and see the people he loved dying in front of his eyes. It was something he couldn¡¯t allow himself to repeat. And right now, he was too weak to protect them which was the reason why he absolutely needed to level up as quickly as possible.
The army of skeletons was approaching as they shrieked loudly when they saw the opposite army on their sight. It was the same for Immortal City¡¯s army. The commanders of each squad were shouting their order and were encouraging their troops before the incoming battle. Then both armies charged against each other ¡ª the clash has started. The battle had begun and the agonized screams of the soldiers could be heard as blood started to paint the ground. ¡°Aim at their head!¡± One of the commanders yelled. And the soldiers followed the order. They aimed at the head of the skeletons. Both sides were having heavy casualties. But the Immortal City¡¯s army was slowly retreating backward as they kept fighting them. The problem was the overwhelming amount the skeletons ¡ª they were ten folds larger than Immortal City¡¯s army. *swoosh* *swoosh* *swoosh* Countless arrows were falling from the sky like a violent rain during a torrential wheater. It was the other reason as for why their retreat ¡ª they were following the plan they had prepared. Once the waves of arrows stopped, they started to advance once again. Going forward, then backward; they keep repeating the process, killing countless skeletons using this strategy. But even with such maneuvering, it didn¡¯t mean that the casualties they received didn¡¯t decrease either. It was a long battle that was awaiting them.
Somewhere on the battlefield, a white-dressed young man was elegantly killing the enemies in front of him with his spear. With consecutive rapid strikes aiming at their head with his lance, dozens of skeletons were dying in an instant. And from time to time, his lance would glow a red light on its tip, sending a wave of flames, reducing them into ashes. There was a 2000-man army who was behind him, on the depth of the enemies¡¯ army, but they desperately resisted against the surroundings skeletons. The white-dressed young man was obviously Min Li. And behind him, was the grand monarch of Immortal City¡¯s army, Kang Jian followed by his troops. Kang Jian¡¯s troops had formed a defensive circle formation behind Min LI and Kang Jian, it was to allow both in the front line to retreat in case of an emergency which was the grand monarch¡¯s idea. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Nonetheless, Min Li didn¡¯t actually need this emergency as he kept advancing forward instead, sweeping through his enemies like a paladin punishing the evils with its light ¡ª He mercilessly killed as much as enemies as possible as he dodged most of the attacks of the undead. Such a sight stunned Kang Jian and his troops as they couldn¡¯t help but frighten when looking at him. Currently, Min Li was using an EXP potion and as the name said, was a potion which granted the one who drank it a boost of 200% of experience points and could remain for a whole day. But the downside of such a magical potion was that he couldn¡¯t use any other potion as long as the EXP potion was still active. However, since Min Li didn¡¯t intend to use any other potion anyway, the before-mentioned inconvenience didn¡¯t matter much to him. ¡°The legend had said the city lord to have a mighty power which couldn¡¯t be fathomed, I had thought that it was exaggerated, but¡­¡± Kang Jian who was at Min Li¡¯s side couldn¡¯t help but mutter as he looked at him totally dumbfounded. He had to admit that he had truly underestimated him. In fact, he even felt embarrassed to have requested to escort him. ¡°Our city lord is trying his best to defend the city, and look at us, staying there like weaklings¡­aren¡¯t we losing face?¡± Along with the fact that they should be the one to protect him and not the other way, the grand monarch couldn¡¯t help but encourage his troops to follow Min Li. On the other hand, what these people weren¡¯t aware was the original reason as for why Min Li¡¯s could easily this kind of accomplishment, which was in truth, due to the game system, something called the level-scaling. The level-scaling was a configuration on Soaring Sword to maintain an overall average level of difficulty. Per example, if a level 1 player was to fight a monster in an area where the monsters were level 20, the level-scaling of this area was going to automatically change these monsters to the level 1 to match to the player¡¯s level. The same could be said on the opposite; if the player was level 250, then even if the area was normally for level 1 players, then it will automatically match the level of the player. Thus, since Min Li was only level 1, all of the skeletons in front of them matched his level. At this moment, Min Li has reached level 5 despite the experience points reduced by 200%, still, the level-scaling didn¡¯t change much due to the slight difference, allowing him to keep one-shooting the skeletons. Furthermore, leaving aside the level-scaling, the equipment and especially the weapon Min LI was wearing both strengthen him a lot as well. The equipment and the spear Min Li actually have was, in addition to being Divine-Grade, were Unique equipment. Unique items weren¡¯t as good as Mythical or Celestial items, but the only advantage that they had compared to them, was the no-restriction on top of the level-scaling configuration which meant that as long as he became stronger, then his gear was becoming stronger too.
Name: Bloody Vampire Lance Rarety: Unique Level Required: None Weapon Level: 5 Type: Two-Handed Spear Weapon Damage: 20-34 (+10) Speed: 3,6 (15 damage per second) +10 (+10) Strength +5 (+10) Agility +5% (+20%) Critical Strike +5% (+10%) Haste +100 (+100) Attack Power Passive: Permanently increases Strength, Agility, and Attack Power by 1 point and per Weapon Level. In addition, permanently increases Critical Strike and Haste by 1 point per Weapon Level. Passive: Bloody Vampire Lance absorbs the blood of the living being killed by the spear which gives the weapon 10 experience points and increases the Weapon Damage (+10), Strength (+10), Agility (+10), Critical Strike (+20%), Haste (+10%), and Attack Power (+100) every 100 living beings killed. The additional stats cannot exceed the following limit: (+100 Weapon Damage, +100 Strength, +100 Agility, +40% Critical Strike, +25% Haste). Magic Scroll Enchant (Burning Wave) Passive: Landing a Critical Strike on your target has a 5% chance of activating Burning Wave in front of you dealing (+100% Attack Power) Fire damage, and burns them for 5 seconds, dealing (+25% Attack Power) Fire damage every second. Can only trigger once every twenty seconds.
After killing more than hundreds of skeletons killed by Min Li using the ? Bloody Vampire Lance ? as his weapon, the boost in stats he obtained from it was seriously not a joke. The equipment he was wearing were level-scaling as well:
Name: Magical Cultivator Item Set Rarity: Unique Level Required: None Armor Level: 5 Type: Cloth Location: Head, Shoulders, Chest, Hands, Wrists, Waist, Legs, Feet Armor (All Equipment): 140 +40 (+40) Strength +20 (+40) Agility +5% (+20%) Haste +5% (+10%) Critical Strike Passive: Armor Level is automatically level-scaling to match your level. Each Armor Level permanently increases your Strength and Agility by 1 point. In the same way, each Armor Level also permanently increases your Haste (0.5%) and Critical Strike (0.25%). (2) Set: Regenerates 2% of your qi every 5 seconds in combat. (4) Set: Your basic attack has a 5% chance of stunning your target for 1 second. (6) Set: After using a Martial Art Skill, increases your Attack Power and Critical Strike by 20%. Lasts 5 seconds. Can only trigger once every minute. (8) Set: When your health is below 25%, increases your Dodge Chance by 100%. Lasts 2 seconds. Can only trigger once every 30 minutes.
Without any doubt, this full-gear Unique Divine-Grade equipment on top of the ? Bloody Vampire Lance ? has enhanced Min Li¡¯s fighting ability to a tremendous extent. With his current additional stats from leveling to level 5, on top of the full-gear, and excluding the Attributes Points he had obtained but had yet to add, his Attack Power had already exceeded 1000, to be more accurate, it was at 1016 Attack Power. At level 5, including the 125% increased damage and 50% Critical Strike bonus from his ? Fang Yijun¡¯s Art of the Spear ? cultivation technique, his damage could deal more than 2000 points of damage without landing a critical strike, and more than 5000 points of damage which were more than insane. And of course, without mentioning the fact that he has a 90% chance of landing a critical strike. However, for an unknown reason, maybe due to his level being too low, the maximum damage he had dealt on the skeletons until now didn¡¯t break the 500 points of damage threshold. Likewise, he had also noticed that his critical strike only activated one every four hits, indicating him the limit of his current strength. But for the better, the skeletons¡¯ health was only at 250 at level 5, so even though his stats were limited, it wasn¡¯t hard for him to effortlessly kill them. In any case, he wasn¡¯t dejected by this limitation and nor was depressed on the contrary to his expectation, instead, It had encouraged and had induced him to get stronger ¡ª for the sake of his loved ones. It was an extremely simple reason, but this simple reason was like a never-ending burning flame overcoming a raging rainstorm. Even if the limitation of his strength may be due to the game system as the reason, Min Lin had also believed in the depths of his heart, that he might not be worthy to grasp such power at the moment. ¡®But this is a matter of time.¡¯ he believed. ¡°He has finally shown up.¡± Absorbed in his thought as he was slaughtering the undead in an automatic mode, a huge 3-meter skeleton equipped with a massive round shield and a frightening saber on his other hand appeared ¡ª he was the one leading the army of living bones; The Commander Skeleton Warrior has appeared on the battlefield. Yet, what truly shocked Min Li wasn''t his horrific size nor the equipment he was wearing and neither the deadly aura he released, but it was his level ¡ª he was an elite boss level 20. Chapter 5 Little Black Rose *BOOM* The overwhelming large saber from the massive commander skeleton warrior fell down, hitting the ground where Min Li was located. Having predicted the trajectory of the saber, Min Li effortlessly dodged the slow-motioned attack; but he had underestimated the shockwave from the attack, violently sending him flying in the air.If it wasn¡¯t forhis exceptional flexibility to reposition himself mid-air, the cost from severely crashing on the ground could have easily fractured his bones. Alas, the soldiers close by where Min Li was positioned weren¡¯t as quick-witted as him, receiving the saber¡¯s full blow even though they¡¯d seen it coming, turning them into lifeless bodies as blood spilled on the area. *roar* Although Min Li was used to the atrocious and cruel truth behind a life-and-death struggle for one¡¯s survival during warfare, the powerlessness to not being able to reduce the fatalities by himself was still deep-rooted in his heart as he revived Little Snow¡¯s death in his consciousness. The commander skeleton warrior has yet to lift his saber back from the ground that Min LI was already charging towards him, closing the previously small gap between them as he prepared to thrust ? Bloody Vampire Lance ? towards him. *clang*
Battle Logs: Your critical basic attack has successfully hit the Commander Skeleton Warrior, dealing -100 physical damage.
The spear successfully entered in contact with the skeleton¡¯s ankle, creating a small crack on the bone, causing the collision to resonate through the battlefield. This move from Min LI happened in less than a breath of time, inducing the people who heard it to avert their eyes; the sound of the impact was powerful enough to startle them. But Min Li didn¡¯t end there. *swoosh* *swoosh* *swoosh* Using the martial art skill ? Heaven Strengthening Technique ?, Min Li stuck continuously and with swiftness and accuracy on the same spot he¡¯d hit earlier. Each thrust was as strong as the former one, only, since none of them were critical strikes, it didn¡¯t deal much damage, yet, each of them efficiently spread the small crack into a slightly bigger one. *roar* A deafening pained roar came out from the imposing undead¡¯s skeletal mouth as one of his legs feel on the ground. This action awakened the surroundings people from their dazzled state as one of them, the grand monarch Kang Jian, shouted, ¡°What are you all doing? Don¡¯t waste the opportunity our city lord has created!¡± in a loud voice to revive the burning flame on their heart. ¡°Protect our city lord! Don¡¯t let any of these skeleton soldiers interrupt our city lord¡¯s fight!¡± The fighting spirit came back at its climax once again ¡ª the soldiers near Min Li helped him and attacked the Commander Skeleton Warrior. The ones who were too far from him made a circle to prevent the other skeletons soldiers from passing ¡ª and the determination to protect Immortal City reappeared on everyone¡¯s face. ¡°This is now or never!¡± Min Li exerted a high jump using all of his strength on his feet and started to escalate on the Commander Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body as he ran as fast as he could towards the most vulnerable part of a skeleton; his head. As long as he used his strongest move, the martial art skill ? Sky Thundering Thrust ? on the elite Commander Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head, he believed that he could finish him off with this single blow ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t as simple as he had thought. Following by another heaven-piercing roar from the skeleton, thick and sharp spikes suddenly appeared on every part of his body. And one of them pierced Min Li¡¯s stomach due to the lack of his awareness from being focused on his objective. It was a clean hit, depleting his health to a critical state as blood gushed out of his stomach. ¡°Ugh!¡± At the same time as Min Li¡¯s stomach had been pierced, he¡¯d started to spurt blood from his mouth due to the sudden pain as his vision gradually became blurry. By chance, the activation of the martial art passive skill ? Fang Yujin¡¯s last breath ?, in addition to a large amount of health he had, somehow managed to barely save him from death¡¯s door as the remaining health he has was less than 5%. ¡®Only one blow from him and I¡¯m already at such state¡­ the difference in level is not a joke.¡¯ Min Li thought as he took out a Health Regeneration Pill from his spatial ring and swallowed it. He then slashed his ? Bloody Vampire Lance ? horizontally as he tried to destroy the spiky bone that was currently penetrating his body. *boom!* The spiky bone shattered into pieces due to the 100% Strength and damage increased from ? Fang Yujin¡¯s last breath ? whose effect was still on duration. And without wasting time, to not let the effect disappearing, Min Li resumed his assault to the skeleton¡¯s head. The position of the skeleton¡¯s head was only a few meters from Min Li. He was stopped by the undead¡¯s defensive ability while he was on his shoulder, thus, in a fraction of seconds, was close enough to reach it with his spear.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. With a high jump, Min Li successfully arrived on the top of the skeleton¡¯s head due to momentum from the speed he used to close the gap. He then held his spear vertically with both of his hand, the tip targeted on the ground, and applied all of his strength, shouting: ¡°Take this! ? Sky Thundering Thrust ?!¡± The tip of Min Li¡¯s spear started to glow right after his shout, following by the apparition of lightning that was gradually covering the entire spear as if the mighty soul of the weapon has been awakened. From the perspective of the people watching Min Li from below, he seemed like an enraged god of thunder that was going to release his wrath in front of them as the lightning not only embraced the spear but his entire body as well ¡ª and the god of thunder¡¯s rage has been released. The spear easily penetrated the giant skeleton¡¯s skull as if it was a knife cutting butter; The skeleton didn¡¯t have the time to let out his pained scream as his whole skeletal body was instantly reduced into shattered pieces of bones, splitting all over the place. The moment Min Li landed on the ground, the spear pressed against the ground, the Commander Skeleton Warrior which frightened them with its impressive size and its terrifying appearance no longer remained, not even a single trace of him; It was as if what he had never existed in the first place. The silence has filled the battleground ¡ª it was too much breathtaking for the people who had witnessed the scene that they didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. None of them believed what they had seen. They looked at each other with the same stunned expression, but they still couldn¡¯t accept the reality that had occurred in front of their eyes. Wiping out the sweats on his forehead due to the long battle he had done, Min Li soared the spear on his hand high above his head, shouting: ¡°We have defeated the commander of the undead! We have succeeded to protect our land!¡± in a loud and majestic tone. ¡°Hail the city lord! Hail Immortal City!¡± Min Li¡¯s triumphing speech made his surroundings realize that they have won the battle as they lifted their arms high on the sky and started to cheer ¡ª they have survived from the undead¡¯s invasion. It was definitely worth celebrating! The remaining skeletons turned into ashes right after the Commander Skeleton Warrior¡¯s life had ended. It was a normal phenomenon from the game that was still active even after Min Li¡¯s transmigration into the other world. From the moment he was defeated, the battle has ended as well.
After a never-ending victory¡¯s celebration on the battlefield, the remaining less than 2 million soldiers started to clean the dead bodies. More than half of the soldiers in the army died on the fight, it wasn''t a small amount, but on the contrary to one''s point of view, to the people living in Immortal City, surviving against an invasion¡ª the first invasion since millennia ¡ª was definitely better than getting exterminated. One of the reason was to properly deliver the dead body back to the deceased¡¯s family while the other reason was to purge the dead body with holy water before it turned into an undead; it was a well-known tradition that after fighting against the demonic beings called undead, the dead ones have to be washed with holy water before getting affected by its deadly curse. Once the procedure of cleaning the battlefield was done, the sun was already starting to set, indicating the current time. The battle started at midday and ended after the sunset; it was a short-term battle compared to what one might have expected, but the faster a battle ended, the better. Compared to one that could last for a few days or even a whole month, they were fortunate to have defeated the enemy¡¯s leader quickly enough.
¡°I¡¯ll leave the city¡¯s administration on your hand. Just operate as you were normally doing before my arrival. I¡¯ll be leaving Immortal City soon.¡± The next morning after the undead¡¯s invasion, Min Li had told them his situation; he only told them that he was transported into another world and could enter and leave The Dream World. It wasn¡¯t necessary for him to tell them about Soaring Sword or the world he came from; Earth. And since a day had already passed since he was there, he told them that he had to return into the other world. ¡°But, my lord, from what we have learned, you still don¡¯t really know much about this world. We definitely can¡¯t let you return alone.¡± One of the City Council officials stated with a worried expression. Hearing him, the others also nodded their head in agreement. Even if they were interested in the other unknown world Min Li had mentioned to them, they could definitely not allow the city lord to explore it on his own; They didn¡¯t know what kind of dangers he could encounter and now that he had returned, they were trying to convince him to stay in Immortal City. ¡°We can send a company on the other world to investigate it! There is no need for my lord to carry out this dangerous task.¡± Another City Council official suggested. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea indeed!¡± Another one agreed. Noticing the stubbornness of the people in front of him as they tried to convince him to stay in Immortal City, Min Li shook his head, thinking on how to convince them, after all, he couldn¡¯t just selfishly tell them to let him return to the other world; he knew that they were concerned about his safety and it warmed his heart. He had already considered them as his own family even though he hadn¡¯t realized it yet. ¡°No, only I can accomplish this task. In addition, we don¡¯t really know if I can bring people with me or if they can enter the portal and arrive safely on the other side.¡± Min Li calmly denied the idea. ¡°Then allow me to come with you, master. I believe they should have a clear conscience if I¡¯m the one who comes with you.¡± Right after Min Li had ended his sentence, a soft and faint feminine voice rang in everyone¡¯s ears. Hearing the beautiful voice, everyone without exception directed their eyes towards the entrance of the conference room which was where the voice came from. Standing there, was a young black-clothed woman whose mouth was hidden by a black mask, her keen-edged black eyes directed at Min Li¡¯s one. Her slender and well-formed body could attract anyone¡¯s attention, especially her curvaceous and rounded little mountain on the upper part of her body. And Min Li was definitely stupefied as he looked at her. He was looking at her as if he was looking at aghost who had revived from the underworld; He couldn''t believe what he was seeing. His lips couldn¡¯t help but quiver as he had eventually managed to return into reality as heslowly articulated his stiffening mouth, asking, ¡°Is that ¡ª really ¡ª you? Little Black Rose?¡± in a staggering tone, his eyes filled with complex emotion. Little Black Rose was the last support characters that Min Li had created on Soaring Sword and the last one due to her tragic death. He had vowed to himself to not create another support character after her because, at that time, he had suffered from her death and had considered her as his own child ¡ª it had isolated him from the other support characters he had created since then. And right now, in front of him, was the Little Black Rose who had died that day. She was alive and standing in front of him; The pain on his heart slightly lessened. This painful feeling which was constantly haunting him since witnessing his loved ones dying in front of him one after another. ¡°It has been a long time, master.¡± Little Black Rose softly said with a faint smile on her face. She who had rarely smiled during her whole life was smiling. If Min Li could have seen her smile, he would probably be even more shocked, but since her mouth was covered by the black mask, he couldn¡¯t see the bright smile of her face. A charming smile that could even undoubtedly seduce a deity. Chapter 6 Returning to Flowing River City After quickly regaining his natural attitude perhaps due to his martial art passive skill ? Calming Heart ?, Min Li shooked his head and said, ¡°As I¡¯ve said, we still don¡¯t know if my ability can allow others to travel to the other world.¡± as stared at Little Black Rose without diverting his eyes. It was still hard for him to believe that she was still alive even though she was currently standing in front of him. He was afraid that she might disappear all of sudden. ¡°I don¡¯t mind taking the risk.¡± Seeing Little Black Rose¡¯s determined eyes, Min Li sighed and said, ¡°Alright¡­ You are still as stubborn as ever.¡± as he gave up the idea to convince her. Even if Min Li was Little Black Rose¡¯s master and the one who had created her, changing her stubbornness was simply impossible; It was like finding a fish swimming in the sea. And in fact, the support character¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t determined by the player himself. Apart from one distinctiveness of oneself such as one¡¯s timidity, one¡¯s obstinacy, one¡¯s tenacity, and so on. Thus, Little Black Rose¡¯s shyness, facial expression, and body corpulence were given by Min Li but the other aspects such as her stubbornness or her diligence wasn¡¯t a characteristic that he had chosen; it was randomly generated by the game system. When one of the City Council officials was about to insist on the matter of assigning more people to protect Min Li, the latter then unexpectedly declared, ¡°It¡¯s decided then. Little Black Flower is going to accompany me to the other world. Her alone should be enough.¡± as he left the conference room followed by Little Black Rose, without leaving them the chance to speak. The room then became silent as no one could oppose the city lord¡¯s decision. His authority was above anyone else on Immortal City and no ones dare to overstep this boundary. But it doesn¡¯t mean that these people couldn¡¯t think on their own; they were all lost in thought as they were looking for a good idea. But then, a surprising plan came into the manager of the City Council, Du Ming once he recollected Min Li¡¯s narration as he muttered, ¡°He did say that his duty on The Ancient Realm was to improve the condition of the city. Doesn¡¯t this mean that our city lord needs someone who¡¯s skilled in city management? In addition, ¡®improve¡¯ also meant that he needs to defend the city, so we can also justify the pretext of sending a troop of soldiers with him.¡± in a loud tone enough for the other City Council officials to hear his approach. The assistant city manager, Wu Guanyu clapped his hands and suggested, ¡°Yeah, right! What a good idea! Manager Du Ming, you should take your son and convince him. You are our representative and it¡¯s should be your task. As for Du Yang, I believed that he is qualified enough to help our city lord. During this time, we¡¯ll select our first-rate soldiers to accompany him.¡± as he looked into Du Ming¡¯s eyes. He was indicating to him that it was a big opportunity to let his son win the city lord¡¯s support. Of course, Du Ming wasn¡¯t stupid as he had guessed Wu Guanyu¡¯s thought. After all, he was the one who formed him from A to Z since he was still new on the City Council. And with a nod, he replied, ¡°Thanks everyone for your trust. I¡¯ll try my best to convince our city lord.¡± with an appreciative smile as he looked back at Wu Guanyu. Clueless to the discussion between the City Council officials, Min Li left the City Council¡¯s building and asked to Little Black Flower, ¡°Little Bla¡ª Xiao Hua, do...you know where are the other support characters?¡± but he stopped his sentence halfway once he suddenly remembered how he used to call her after arriving Soaring Sword became a death game. Little Black Rose also known as Xiao Hua shook her head, showing a dejected expression and said: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master, but I don¡¯t know the whereabouts of the other support characters.¡± Min LI nodded his head as he thought about his other support characters; Celestial Light, known as Tian Guang, Celestial Sword, known as Tian Jian, and Celestial Sage, known as Tian Shen. They were the four support characters, including Little Black Rose, known as Xiao Hua who accompanied him during his life on Soaring Sword until Xiao Hua¡¯s death. After her death, he had separated from them and the last order he had told them was to defend Immortal City. Since then, he had never met them again and had never intended to meet them until he was going to leave Soaring Sword. The reason for such behavior from Min Li was because of the intense loyalty they had towards him to the point of willingly sacrifice themselves for his life; He didn¡¯t want them to end to lose their life by protecting him. Xiao Hua had died because of this reason and he didn¡¯t want to suffer from this again. ¡°Maybe this is for the best.¡± Min Li muttered as he smiled mockingly when thinking about his actual strength; he couldn¡¯t allow himself to be a burden to them. This was one of his principles and it¡¯ll always remain as one of them. In reality, if he had a way to convince Xiao Hua to stay in Immortal City, then he won¡¯t even hesitate once. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly go to your pet house before we go to the other world.¡± Xiao Hua¡¯s pet house was the place where she kept her magical beasts. It was one of her hobbies to take care of them and since she could also create a blood contract, Min Li intended to borrow one of her magical beasts for himself as they not only could help him in a dangerous situation, but they could also help him to grind experience points and scout an area as well. He had thought that it was a good idea to make a bloody contract with one of them since the advantage was that he could summon and recall them as much as he wanted. After having chosen the magical beast and having completed the bloody contract, Min Li said, ¡°Thank you, Xiao Hua, for lending me one of your magical beasts.¡± with a sorry look in his eyes. ¡°Everything that is mine, is yours as well, master.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Xiao Hua seriously said. This made him realize once again how much loyalty she had towards him as the heavy pressure to become stronger fell into his shoulders. It was one of his obligations as his master to their shield when they are in danger, but this was what he couldn¡¯t accomplish with his current strength. Observing the self-blaming Min Li, Xiao Hua couldn¡¯t help but sigh as she muttered, ¡°Carrying on your shoulders all the burden of the people you care for is a facet of your personality that hadn¡¯t changed at all.¡± in a low tone barely audible so that Min Li couldn¡¯t hear what she¡¯d said. Oblivious to Xiao Hua¡¯s current thought or the words she¡¯d said, Min Li summoned the portal and ordered, ¡°Allow me and Huo Ying to enter first. You go after he returned there.¡± in a serious tone. ¡°My lord, please wait a moment!¡± Following Xiao Hua¡¯s nod, Min Li was about to enter but the voice of an old man stopped his movement. Looking at the direction of the voice, Du Ming and a young man were running towards him. Noticing the young man behind Du Ming, Min Li¡¯s eyebrows frown as he stated, ¡°I already told you that only Xiao Hua is enough.¡± as he emphasized the word ¡°only¡± in a strict tone. Du Ming and the young man knelt on the ground. Du Ming then looked at Min Li with a determined expression and hurriedly said, ¡°I¡ªI know that my lord is unwilling to bring others with him, but I beg you to listen to my explanation.¡± before lowering his head into the ground. His head was low enough to inhale the dirt from his nostrils. Watching Du Ming¡¯s shivering body, Min Li felt wronged. He seemed like a tyrant who was mistreating a poor elder. His serious look turned into a more sympathetic one. Without any choice, he sighed while blaming his good-hearted attitude and said, ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± as he started to reconsider his arrangement to relieve the man¡¯s uneasiness. ¡°My lord, from what we¡¯ve heard regarding your circumstances, we¡¯ve decided to appoint you the qualified candidates to fulfill your task more efficiently. This one is my son, Du Yang and one of them. I believe his experience in the City Council can greatly help my lord.¡± Hearing the word ¡°candidates¡± in the plural, Min Li probed: ¡°Excepted him, there are other people as well?¡± ¡°Yes! Since improving a city not only require city management but also defensive operation, we¡¯ve selected 35 qualified candidates including a blacksmith, an alchemist, an enchanter, two scouts, and a small group of soldiers.¡± Du Ming panicked once he ended his sentence. Especially when he thought about the soldiers as he had guessed that Min Li was worried about Immortal City¡¯s defense being weakened due to them. But it was only 30 soldiers including the commander which was the reason why he especially accentuated the sentence ¡°a small group of soldiers¡± during his explanation. After a long and careful reflection, Min Li finally broke the silence and said, ¡°Alright. Once they arrived, we¡¯ll depart.¡± as he had considered of having more helping hands. Although it helped him to have more helping hands, the other factor which influenced Min Li was, in fact, that he hadn¡¯t acted a good city lord until now. When Soaring Sword became a death game, he had to admit that he had considered the city and the people living there as NPCs even though he had realized afterward from the support characters he had created that they were humans with their own thoughts. Accepting the request of the City Council was a means for him to atone to his crimes to disregard them as human beings back on Soaring Sword. ¡°We won¡¯t change what I¡¯ve mentioned to Xiao Hua. I¡¯ll go first with Huo Yang and once he returned, then you can enter.¡± Everyone respectfully nodded their head after hearing Min Li¡¯s explanation as an anticipated expression could be seen on their eyes. Henceforth, he summoned the portal and entered with Huo Yang, his magical beast. And soon after passing to the other side of the portal, he saw Huo Yang¡¯s body leaving the portal. Yet, right after leaving the portal, the magical bast immediately returned to the portal, and a few seconds later, returned once again with the people he had decided to bring with him. From this point, he had already concluded that it was possible for the people from The Dream World to come over this world. Staring through the window inside his bedroom, the brilliant moon reflected in Min Li¡¯s eyes. But instead of admiring this beautiful night sky on his sight, he was worried about something ¡ª Is this night was still the night after he had entered The Dream World or the one after the day he left it? Sweats started to appear on Min Li¡¯s forehead as he thought about the second hypothesis; If this was truly the case, then how could he explain his absence the entire day? How could he explain the arrival of these people? And finally, how was he going to explain his unexpected increase in strength? Min Li shook his head to clear the bad feeling he had as well as his current thoughts. ¡°There is no point in thinking. I can only get the answer tomorrow.¡± Only a few seconds had passed but Min Li¡¯s mind was already as calm as the river¡¯s water following its course. Instantly calming one¡¯s mind; it was one the advantage as well as the disadvantage of his martial art passive skill ? Calming Heart ?. But he was totally unaware that this was the reason why he could calm himself in any circumstances. After thinking for a long time, Min Li ordered to Xiao Hua, ¡°Bring these people outside the city without anyone within Flowing River City noticing you. Once you find a good location to camp, sleep for the night and come back tomorrow during the daytime. When you come, try to convince the patrols in front of the city¡¯s entrance that you have important business with me. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± as he meticulously explained his plan. Xiao Hua nodded his head once Min Li finished his explanation. And in less than a breath of time, the people in front of him disappeared from his sight; This was one of Xiao Hua¡¯s skill. As a specialist in camouflage and assassination, her occupation was one of the most feared and the most admired one ¡ª a ninja. Now that Xiao Hua departed from his bedroom, Min Li¡¯s eyes indicated him how tired he was. Considering that he didn¡¯t sleep since he had transmigrated on Zhao Li¡¯s body, in addition to the exhausting day whether it was on The Ancient Realm or The Dream World, it won¡¯t even take him less than a few seconds to sleep. Unknowing of the incoming terrifying and spectacular development caused by the people Min Li had brought with him, the concerned slow-witted young man slowly moved towards his bed as he lied down on the bed and closed his eyes.
Somewhere on The Ancient Realm, a well-dressed young woman was looking at the shooting star that had suddenly appeared on the sky. After she had made her wish, the young woman looked into empty space as if she was absorbed by something. Then, a startling expression appeared on her clear and delicate white face, and followed by a pleasant smile, she faintly muttered, ¡°Even in my wildest dreams, I had never expected once for you to appear in this world, Fiery Spear.¡± as the many pleasant memories inside her mind started to resurface. ¡°Big sister, did something good happened? Hearing the familiar high-pitched lady-like voice next to her, the white-dressed young woman shookher head as she erased the face of the man she once deeply loved. ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t worry.¡± Resuming her walk, the well-dressed young woman left her little sister behind her. The never-ending path in front of her gave her the same impression as her current goal ¡ª an eternal trial on her journey to unveil the mysteries left by the deities.