A streak of escape light tore through the air.
Li Yu looked back at the small town behind him and sighed inwardly.
This time, aside from killing people, it seemed he had gained nothing. He had only collected some Source Stones from the Source Ore mine, their value nowhere near that of the Undying Elixir he had traded for the Earth Life Fruit. He had really come out at a loss.
But... Little Tingting really was adorable!
"Ahem!"
Li Yu coughed dryly a few times and hurriedly snuffed out a certain thought that had just arisen in his mind.
Lolis had three great qualities... Pah! Pah! Little Tingting was only a few years old! I had definitely helped her because I pitied her. That was absolutely it. Lolis, raising them into adulthood—I had absolutely never thought about that. Absolutely not.
Besides... he could only stay in this world for one year. What the hell could he raise in a year? Fine, that was the real issue.
Amid Li Yu's frustration, the escape light descended before the hall at the foot of the volcano.
He looked around, then let out a long breath. "Fine. I should just honestly train Zhou Yi."
He stepped into the hall, placed a meditation cushion on the ground, and sat down cross-legged.
Aside from selling systems and training Zhou Yi, Li Yu had originally planned to use this year to plunder more resources. But he could not go anywhere too far away, and spending all his time traveling was simply not worthwhile.
The nearby places with valuable treasures were all perilous areas like forbidden zones of life. Though he had the system, if he went to such places, a moment of carelessness could get him killed without even knowing why. Not even the system could guarantee his safety.
He had already packed up and taken away the Azure Emperor's Tomb. No matter how one looked at it, he had made a huge profit this trip, so he should not be greedily unsatisfied. A wealthy man did not sit beneath a crumbling wall. With the system in hand, getting rich was only a matter of time. It was better not to take too many risks.
"Forget it, forget it. Safety first."
Li Yu shook his head with a bitter smile. "I should honestly be a mastermind behind the scenes. Let Zhou Yi handle charging into battle. Otherwise, why did I give him a system? Was it really out of selfless devotion?"
"System, connect to the Supreme Heavenly Book. Let's see what that kid Zhou Yi is doing."
Zhou Yi's figure instantly appeared in his mind.
Within a dense forest, Zhou Yi was covered from head to toe in mud, lying motionless amid a pile of dead branches and fallen leaves.
Not far ahead, a bear-like monster stood like a small mountain, stretching out its neck and constantly sniffing the air as though searching for Zhou Yi.
"Ha? That kid Zhou Yi is really giving it his all!"
Seeing Zhou Yi's bedraggled state, covered in mud from head to toe, Li Yu could not help laughing aloud.
After sniffing for a while without discovering Zhou Yi, the bear monster lowered its head and looked at the ground before it.
A huge honeycomb had been placed on the ground. Golden honey seeped from its cracks, and an enticing sweet fragrance filled the air. The captivating scent and intoxicating sweetness made saliva stream from the bear monster's mouth.
It was too sweet! Too irresistible! After struggling for a moment, the bear monster could no longer hold back. With a roar, it swallowed the entire honeycomb in one bite.
Golden honey trickled from the corners of its mouth. The intoxicating fragrance made the bear monster grunt contentedly, as though it were thoroughly enjoying itself.
"Not bad! Not bad!"
Li Yu nodded in praise at the sight. "That kid Zhou Yi is quite clever! This bear monster is finished."
Sure enough.
The moment Li Yu finished speaking, the enormous bear monster suddenly clutched its belly and let out a miserable howl, rolling incessantly across the ground in agony.
Zhou Yi remained lying in the pile of leaves without moving. Even when the bear monster's struggling and rolling sent stones and clumps of earth flying into him, Zhou Yi endured it stubbornly and remained completely still.
"Boom!"
The bear monster finally could not hold on any longer. Staggering, it crashed headfirst onto the ground. Its enormous body struck the earth with a thunderous crash.
"Hahaha!"
Zhou Yi climbed to his feet, looked at the massive bear monster sprawled before him, and laughed loudly. "A beast is still a beast. No matter how strong it is, a little poison is enough to bring it down!"
"Heavenly Book Spirit, recover the bear monster's corpse."
"By your command!"
An invisible ripple swept past, and the enormous bear monster's corpse vanished.
"Heavenly Book Spirit, how many resources do I have now?"
After collecting the bear monster, Zhou Yi questioned the Heavenly Book Spirit.
"Your Majesty, today you have harvested eight Sea of Bitterness Realm demon beast corpses, one Spirit Bridge Realm bear monster corpse, and twenty-five spiritual herbs of various kinds."
"Good! Good! With these things, my strength can increase dramatically."
Zhou Yi smiled delightedly and turned to look toward the volcano crater. "That will do for today. I'll return first and digest these gains. Seeing my progress, Patriarch must surely be very pleased."
"Haha. Of course Patriarch is pleased!"
Seeing this, Li Yu smiled and nodded. "At this rate, that kid Zhou Yi will grow up very quickly. Soon, he'll be able to charge into battle for me. I won't need to personally handle so many matters."
Not long afterward, Zhou Yi returned to the hall where he was staying.
"Greetings, Patriarch."
Entering the hall, Zhou Yi saw Li Yu sitting cross-legged within it and hurried over to pay his respects.
"No need for formalities."
Li Yu nodded at Zhou Yi. "How were today's gains?"
"Reporting to Patriarch, this disciple gained greatly. I hunted eight vicious beasts, one beast that had become a demon, and gathered twenty-five spiritual herbs..."
"That is not what I am asking."
Before Zhou Yi could finish, Li Yu interrupted him.
"For cultivators, resources are indeed important. But..."
Li Yu looked at Zhou Yi and slowly shook his head. "But how could someone determined to become a Great Emperor set his sights on such things?"
"Please enlighten me, Patriarch."
Zhou Yi's expression turned solemn as he bowed deeply.
"On the path of cultivation, dangers are countless. Experience in facing danger and experience in battle—these are all incomparably precious."
The greatest failing of man was his love of instructing others. Li Yu seemed to have truly gotten into character and had begun lecturing out of habit.
In Zhou Yi's eyes, Li Yu was an unparalleled master. Naturally, he trusted every word Li Yu said without question and never considered whether he might be led into a pit.
In truth, Li Yu's words were not exactly a trap. After all, anyone could spout a string of grand principles that sounded very convincing.
"Beyond such experience, the greater gain lies in tempering your character. You came from an ordinary background and have never experienced slaughter. Courage, fighting spirit, and the will to claim victory—these are all your gains."
"The Path of the Great Emperor is paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Without courage and fighting spirit, how can you rise above the rest? How can you become invincible beneath heaven?"
"Yes! Thank you for your instruction, Patriarch."
Li Yu's words deeply moved Zhou Yi. He felt that he truly had been too shortsighted.
What were resources? With sufficient strength, what resources could he not seize? Combat experience and the tempering of one's character were what mattered most.
Patriarch has favored me and taught me so earnestly. How can I waste such a peerless opportunity? I must achieve something worthy of repaying Patriarch for his guidance.
Zhou Yi clenched his fists tightly, and fervent fighting spirit rose in his heart.