Were They Really NPCs After All?
After hearing your self-introduction, the Sword Cultivator sneered.
"Bring you along? If things really come to a fight, who'll help whom?"
[Wuming flicked the Wooden Prayer Beads in his hand.]
He looked at you intently.
"Meeting is fate. Fellow Daoist Li, let's go together."
The Sword Cultivator frowned.
"Master, this man's background is unclear; bringing him along will only cause trouble."
Wuming shook his head.
"More people, more eyes. Besides, Fellow Daoist Li is Alchemist; he'll surely come in handy."
[Wuming the opposition, Wu Ming managed to get you into the team.]
[Following behind the three, sensing this peculiar atmosphere, you find yourself strangely caught up in a fleeting, carefree feeling.]
[I used to pretend because everyone around me was better than me, so I had to be careful and meticulously plan every step.]
[Now, you look at your three teammates ahead of you, who seem to be facing a formidable enemy, while you feel like a max-level veteran who's somehow stumbled into a newbie village.]
This feeling is quite novel.
A sense of enlightenment arises within you.
[Cultivating immortality, cultivating the mind.]
[After advancing to the Nascent Soul, every action seems to be a form of cultivation.]
[The four stepped into the cave, and a wave of fire-elemental Spiritual Qi washed over them.]
[You follow Wuming, strictly playing the role of a weak Alchemist.]
[Even his breathing while walking was deliberately made to be somewhat rapid.]
[The group of four had only walked a hundred feet when a piercing hiss echoed from the depths of the cave.]
[The flock of Fire Crows swooped down from the cave ceiling like a burning red cloud.]
[The lead crow, twice its size, hovered behind, methodically directing the flock.]
[The Sword Cultivator his sword, Sword Light opened up the cave passage.]
[The staff-wielding cultivator swung his iron staff, smashing the heads of two Fire Crows.]
[Wuming summoned a golden bowl, and golden light created a barrier, blocking most of the fire feathers.]
However, the Fire Crows were too numerous and moved with great restraint.
[Within a quarter of an hour, both the Sword Cultivator and the staff user were injured.]
[The Sword Cultivator to your side, panting heavily.]
"Aren't you Alchemist? Where's the medicine?!"
[You frantically rummage through your Storage Ring.]
You've encountered a very real problem.
[The worst Pills you have right now is still of high quality.]
[You take out two bottles of top-grade Rejuvenation Pills and slip them into the hands of the two people.]
"Fellow Daoists, please make do with this."
[The Sword Cultivator uncorked the bottle, glanced at it, and his hand trembled slightly.]
[The quality of this Pills, its rich medicinal aroma.]
[Top grade?]
[A Rogue Cultivator dressed like a beggar casually pulled out two bottles of high-grade Rejuvenation Pills?]
[The staff-wielding cultivator didn't stand on ceremony and directly poured out one and swallowed it.]
[The potent medicinal power exploded within his body, and his wounds, which had been deep enough to expose bone, began to heal at a visible speed.]
[Even the depleted Spiritual Power has been restored by 30%.]
"Good medicine!"
[The staff-wielder roared, and the Gang Qi on his iron staff surged to twice its normal strength, smashing through a corner of the crow formation.]
[The Sword Cultivator also took the Pills, and his Sword Qi surged once more.]
[However, the way the two looked at you changed from disdain to shock and fervor.]
[With your Pills as a backup, the three of them managed to withstand the swarm of Fire Crows and then launched a counterattack.]
[Seeing the situation was dire, the lead crow began to organize the remaining Fire Crows to retreat.]
[Just then, clapping sounds came from deep within the cave.]
A middle-aged man with a pale face walked out.
[Five fire rings adorned his finger bones, radiating the aura of Foundation Establishment Perfection.]
The raven landed back on his shoulder and nuzzled affectionately against his cheek.
[The middle-aged man scanned the four of you.]
"We were originally short four Foundation Establishment flesh and blood, but we collected them all today."
[Wuming put away the golden bowl and held it protectively in front of him.]
"You raise demons to eat people, aren't you afraid of being besieged and killed by the sects?"
The middle-aged man laughed.
"Sect-based encirclement and suppression? The Greenwood Sect, a debt collection agency, dares to challenge me?"
[You sighed. So you really are an NPC? You've memorized this whole line.]
[The middle-aged man began to recount his grand ambitions and ambitions.]
[Blood-Congealing Five-Elements Pill, False Core, Transformation into Demon Race Cultivation.]
"That lord has promised that once I reach the False Core, I can use the Bloodline Reversal Great Art."
He raised his hand, and the light on the ring of fire grew brighter and brighter.
"That's all, time to put it in the furnace."
[Wuming shouted loudly and charged forward, brandishing the golden bowl.]
The Sword Cultivator and the staff cultivator exchanged a glance, then gritted their teeth and followed.
The middle-aged man snorted coldly, and the five fire rings exploded simultaneously.
[The raging crimson flames transformed into rings of fire, shaking the entire cave.]
[Wuming charged at the forefront, absorbing the main firepower.]
[His golden alms bowl was blown away by the flames, and he crashed into the stone wall, losing consciousness.]
The Sword Cultivator and the staff cultivator didn't even have time to scream before they crashed into the stone wall and passed out.
[Only the raging firelight remained inside the cave.]
[A wave of fire sweeps towards you.]
[You didn't move, you didn't even activate your Protective Gang Qi.]
The flames licked at your robe, but not even a patch of it caught fire.
The middle-aged man's sinister smile froze.
He looked at you as if he'd seen a ghost.
"You... how come you're alright?"
You ignored him, even seeming somewhat listless.
You brushed the dust off your clothes.
[The aura emanating from you progresses from the Foundation Establishment Early Stage to the Golden Core stage, and then to the Nascent Soul.]
[The immense pressure from the Nascent Soul cultivator instantly filled the entire cave.]
The remaining Fire Crows, which had been circling in mid-air, exploded in mid-air, turning into a bloody mist.
The lead crow perched on the middle-aged man's shoulder, trembling.
[The middle-aged man had just opened his mouth,]
["S-senpai..."]
[You raise your hand, fingers spread, the middle-aged man's words stuck in his throat.]
[He spun ninety degrees in mid-air, then flew horizontally towards you.]
[You place your palm on the top of his head.]
[Soul Searching Technique, activated.]
[With your cultivation at the Nascent Soul Early Stage and your Divine Sense far surpassing others of your level, your Soul Searching Technique on a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator yielded information that was no longer just fragmented memories.]
[Even his childhood experiences of bedwetting, peeping at widows bathing, listening to music in brothels, and various other bizarre hobbies and morbid curiosity were not omitted.]
[This is a bit too much for my eyes.]
[So, is this why the Soul Searching Technique, a practical Cultivation Method, isn't practiced by many?]
[Salty Fish, in effect.]
Your heart is as still as water, like someone who's watched a terrible movie.
You've found what you're looking for.
[Information regarding the next contact between the middle-aged man and "the Lord of the South".]
[Your Golden Crow Demon Emperor, how have you been?]
[You withdrew your hand and casually unleashed a Fire-Separation Finger.]
[The crimson flames engulfed the middle-aged man, burning him and the raven crow to ashes.]
[After you've dealt with the middle-aged man and the Fire Crow, only three unconscious bodies remain in the cave.]
[Options pop up.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: After feeding the three medicines and reviving them, he put his hands behind his back, looked up at the cave ceiling at a 45-degree angle, and said, "I'm not pretending anymore. I am a Nascent Soul cultivator. That Devil Cultivator has already been easily swept away by me."]
[B: How can someone as weak as you just stand there like nothing happened? So, you fainted too...]
[C: Before the three wake up, strip the Sword Cultivator and the staff cultivator naked and make them hug each other tightly. Take out the Recording Stone and take pictures from all angles, then sell them for a good price in the Black Market of Baodi City.]