Greed

If those men had been able to maintain their previous momentum, they might have caused Lu Bai no small amount of trouble.

Although he could use the Vitality Module to top himself off, Lu Bai's exhaustion was real and absolute.

Unfortunately, not everyone was a battle-crazed existence like Lu Bai.

Combat is a thing that requires the consideration of multi-faceted factors, and mental state is an extremely important element.

No one can maintain a state of highly concentrated focus or nerves stretched taut like a bowstring indefinitely.

Although Lu Bai held on longer, it was only a matter of time.

The moment the opponents' momentum faltered, their minds fell into chaos, and all sorts of distracting thoughts took root.

Thoughts such as fleeing, the fear of death, or the punishments they might face for failing their mission.

Their focus was no longer entirely on the battle, and the strength they could exert dropped significantly.

Victory was already assured at this point.

Young Master Luo watched all of this, feeling as though his own blood were surging and leaping with excitement.

This was an undoubtedly hearty and magnificent victory!

Yet, Lu Bai seemed somewhat dissatisfied; he watched the two figures riding away into the distance and sighed in his heart.

He still had a long way to go.

He had failed to wipe out the entire enemy force, letting two of them escape after all.

He tucked away the other Vitality Module in his hand, having no intention of using it.

Given his constitution, using the Blood Burning Technique twice in such a short time—even with a Vitality Module as the primary fuel—was pushing his limits.

If he were to use it a third time, it might cause some irreversible damage.

It simply wasn't worth it for the sake of two men who had already been scared out of their wits.

Lu Bai extracted the modules from the corpses and began to examine the various types.

He had to admit, this group had significantly enriched the variety of modules in his possession.

For instance, two [Spear] modules had appeared, though they were of different categories: one was an Elemental Module and the other a Projection Module. Beyond those, there were also [Blade] and [Sword] Projection Modules.

The Elemental Modules included [Silent], and the Operation Modules included [Will-Driven], among others.

The rest were basic ones like [Internal Energy], [Meridians], and [Acupoints].

"Still, some were lost," Lu Bai noted, standing before a corpse after waiting for a long time without a module manifesting.

Clearly, this man had not been killed directly by Lu Bai, but had died from his severe wounds.

If Lu Bai had been right there at the time, perhaps a module might have manifested immediately.

But Lu Bai had been busy fighting, and the window of opportunity for the module to condense had already passed.

Conversely, those he had smashed to death with his spear earlier had yielded modules.

"Is module extraction determined by causal links? Are there other hidden conditions, such as time?"

"And then there is this." A golden module appeared in Lu Bai's hand.

This was the Elemental Module condensed by Uncle Zhong.

Energy Elemental Module [Resentment], resentment. Note: Birth, old age, sickness, death, the resentment of hatred, the pain of parting from loved ones, the agony of unfulfilled desires, the five aggregates of suffering; resentment toward the madman blocking the path, resentment toward the Young Master for causing trouble, resentment toward the Luo Family for their betrayal, resentment toward his own powerlessness, resentment toward Hundred Flower Grave for treating him like a joke, resentment toward Lianwu Mountain for slaughtering his entire family.

Clutching this module, the resentment within it was so potent that it even caused hallucinations to flicker before Lu Bai's eyes.

In the vision, the young man's entire family was wiped out. He had narrowly escaped with his life and sought refuge with Hundred Flower Grave, only to be rejected and branded a stray dog.

He could only drift until he sold himself to the Luo Family, becoming a servant and relying on the fire in his heart to eventually become the family steward.

It was on that day that he was given his name.

"Your past is no longer important. You must let go of the resentment in your heart; from now on, the Luo Family is your everything. I name you Zhong!"

"But I cannot let it go!"

"Resentment is something that only grows thicker as it brews over time, until it seeps into the marrow."

At this point, the hallucination vanished.

Lu Bai tucked the [Resentment] module away, feeling it was an unexpected surprise.

"An Energy Elemental Module? A new category?"

From what he could see, this cube possessed the inherent properties of an energy module, while also having the ability to imbue other objects with corresponding qualities.

Even if the resentment within it were exhausted, it could be replenished through other means.

It wouldn't simply vanish into nothingness once the energy was spent, like a standard energy module.

"And Uncle Zhong committed suicide; I didn't lay a hand on him from start to finish. Is it only through such voluntary means that this special module can be condensed, or are there secrets I'm not yet aware of?"

Lu Bai pondered these questions. The [Resentment] module was excellent, but he couldn't use it.

Energy like resentment could likely only be utilized by those following ghost-related systems or other bizarre energy paths.

Lu Bai's current foundation was almost entirely rooted in the martial path.

Unless one possesses a martial path that matches the nature of Resentment, it is difficult to make use of such a thing.

"However, this thing is also a form of wealth; perhaps I can trade it later for the things I need."

"Mr. Lu Bai!" At that very moment, Young Master Luo knelt before Lu Bai once again, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

"Oh, you haven't left yet? You are already safe." Lu Bai did not care much about Young Master Luo.

"This one wishes to take Mr. Lu Bai as his master." Young Master Luo did not mind Lu Bai's tone; his spirit was currently in a state of intense agitation.

In such a state, a drastic change in personality was a perfectly normal occurrence.

"My deal with that person was merely to protect your safety this one time." Lu Bai looked at the other party, though his eyes held a hint of inquiry.

It was clear that Uncle Zhong was not truly loyal; his attempt to use suicide as coercion was not simply to force Young Master Luo to submit, but had a deeper purpose.

"Then this shall be another deal," Young Master Luo said. "It involves the secrets of Lianwu Mountain, the Luo Family, the Holy Land, and the Hundred Flower Grave."

"Sir should be quite interested in this, shouldn't you?"

Lu Bai raised an eyebrow; the secrets this fellow was involved in were quite significant.

"You likely cannot learn my methods." Lu Bai's own path was not suitable for others.

"A master does not necessarily have to teach martial arts." The youth was like a different person compared to before.

"Fine then, I will teach you some things that will allow you to grow stronger more quickly." Lu Bai nodded; as for the status of master and disciple, he did not care.

It was merely a transaction, and it would not be tainted by any emotions simply because of a change in status.

The so-called Greedy One refers to a person whose own desires are exceptionally intense; the focus here is on the self, as the purpose of these desires is to satisfy oneself.

And emotions are nothing more than a type of desire.

Lu Bai's emotions would no longer be wasted on anyone else.