A Chance Encounter, You Say?!

"The wind sure was noisy today!"

Lazing in its nest, it sensed an unusual gust howling past. It seemed it was time for the Mottled Viper to head out and hunt again.

The Mottled Viper poked its head out from beneath a dead tree trunk and straightened up, preparing to patrol its territory first. In this outermost part of the forest, where it had few natural enemies, who wouldn't step forward and offer the Mottled Viper a cigarette when they saw it?

Thud, thud, thud!

Suddenly, the sound of something charging wildly drew closer from afar. It sounded like a big one. The Mottled Viper's heart sank. Hopefully, it wasn't something driven out from deeper in the forest to seize territory.

When the other party came into view, the Mottled Viper inwardly cursed. This hulking creature had nearly twenty thousand years of cultivation. Under normal circumstances, it would definitely avoid it.

But it was in a foul mood today. This thing had barged into its territory so recklessly—was it really supposed to avoid its edge?

"I'll blow you... Huh?"

The Mottled Viper had already prepared for a fierce battle, but who would have thought that the other party had no intention of taking the challenge? It merely kept its head down and ran for its life, as though some monstrous calamity were chasing it.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

Before the Mottled Viper could make sense of the situation, it looked more closely and saw a human figure faintly flicker behind the hulking creature.

"Please, Treasure, Turn Around!"

"Please, Treasure, Turn Around!"

The Mottled Viper: "?"

The man chanted with great solemnity, filling the Mottled Viper's tiny head with enormous question marks. What kind of nonsense was this?

The hulking creature and Gu Zhi swept past the Mottled Viper one after another. When Gu Zhi glanced at it, even a cold-blooded creature like it shuddered.

Only after Gu Zhi finished chanting the "spell" ten times did he turn back in satisfaction and flash the Mottled Viper an eerie smile...

"No, what kind of normal person has to chant a spell and chase Soul Beasts just to find treasure chests?"

"Is there something seriously wrong with this system? Shouldn't the chests just sit there waiting for Gu Zhi to open them? Why does he have to drive them off first, then chase after them while chanting?"

"Say what you want, but this is pretty funny! I nearly died laughing when Gu Zhi got chased around by several thirty-thousand-year Soul Beasts earlier!"

"The poor play with cars, the rich play with watches, and the filthy rich play Gu Zhi, Run! This Purple Chest belongs to Gu Zhi!"

"I'm dying! Half the outer region is full of victims now! Gu Zhi really isn't afraid of the victims' alliance coming after him!"

"This snake still has no idea what it's about to face! I'll bet a pack of spicy strips that Gu Zhi chases it for ten kilometers!"

"You're still watching? He's coming for you!"

Watching the scrolling comments, Liu Erlong, who had been waiting along this necessary route, could not help rubbing her forehead with a wry smile. She had thought she and Gu Zhi simply weren't fated to meet. Who knew his process of obtaining treasure chests would be so bizarre?

Hisss!

"Please, Treasure, Turn Around!"

Just as Liu Erlong changed to another spot to wait, a strange snake-like sound and a clear male voice suddenly came from ahead. Immediately afterward, she saw a man and a snake engaged in an unconventional chase.

Gu Zhi followed far behind the Mottled Viper. Every step carried him a hundred meters in a flash, while bizarre and varied attacks forced the viper to keep dodging.

Although the Mottled Viper could not speak human language, one look into its eyes was enough to tell that it was cursing up a storm inside!

At last, a Purple Chest visible only to Gu Zhi dropped from the Mottled Viper, drawing Gu Zhi's attention and bringing this absurd chase to an end.

"Another Purple Chest! Looks like ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts are guaranteed to drop Purple Chests!"

"Look more carefully! Not every ten-thousand-year Soul Beast has a chest! Gu Zhi searched more than half the outer region and only found two Purple Chests!"

"He spent ages earlier just to get four or five Blue Chests! Everything that came out was basic stats +1! It almost put me to sleep!"

"Come on! Those are permanent +1 boosts, okay? They include, but aren't limited to, attack power, speed, endurance, mental strength, physical strength, physique, and more. Even if it's only one point at a time, it's terrifying once it adds up!"

"Exactly! You can look at that long string of +1s and feel nothing? If it were me, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams!"

"Quit arguing! Let's see what's inside this Purple Chest first! It can't still be +1, can it?"

Before Liu Erlong could reveal herself, the scrolling comments had already begun reporting Gu Zhi's gains from the past half day. Thinking it over carefully, Gu Zhi had been in the Star Dou Great Forest for less than a day, yet the increase in his combat strength was already enough to equal half a month of hard cultivation!

And this was only the outermost region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts neither traveled in groups nor were they particularly numerous, which affected both the speed and quality of Gu Zhi's chest hunting.

Once Gu Zhi entered the middle region later, or took a trip around the edge of the core, his strength would probably rise by another level!

[Opened Purple Chest x2. Obtained rewards: Attack Power +10, Speed +10, Endurance +10, Mental Strength +10, Physical Strength +10, Physique +10, Skill Proficiency +10, Soul Ring Age +10, Soul Skill Damage +10, Spirit Bone Age +10, Level-Four Soul Tool +2, One-Time Spiritual Talisman +2, One-Time Formation +2, Basic Pills +2.]

Sure enough, just as the scrolling comments had said, anyone looking at that long string of basic stat increases would be left dizzy.

Furthermore, the Purple Chest's rewards really were more generous than those of the Blue Chest. Starting from Soul Ring Age, every reward afterward was appearing for the first time.

"Level-Four Soul Tools aren't much use to Gu Zhi, right? Their damage isn't even as high as one of Gu Zhi's normal attacks!"

"He can give them to other people! If only my Baby Zhuqing were here! These two Soul Tools would be perfect for her protection!"

"What? Are you addicted to mooching? You want everything saved for your Baby Zhuqing, huh?"

"Exactly! These are rewards Gu Zhi got! Even if he throws them away, he shouldn't give them to you!"

"What are you arguing about? The items belong to Gu Zhi. He can deal with them however he wants! Why are you all worrying about it?"

"Is no one paying attention to that woman over there? Hasn't she been staring at Gu Zhi for a while?"

"Huh? Isn't that Liu Erlong? Why is she here? This wasn't in the original story!"

"Gu Zhi wasn't in the original story either! Is there something wrong with you, bringing up the original plot here?"

"Do you have to argue? It really is strange that Liu Erlong is here! Could she be trying to sponge off Gu Zhi's system rewards?"

"The thing is, Gu Zhi opened the chest right in front of her. Why didn't she get any rewards?"

"Does she need to form a team with Gu Zhi? Still, after seeing Gu Zhi chase Soul Beasts around, could Liu Erlong possibly see him as a normal person?"

Having finally found what she wanted to know in the scrolling comments, Liu Erlong thought for a moment before a plan formed in her mind.

"Who's there?"

Gu Zhi had not yet recovered from the joy of the chest rewards when he suddenly sensed Liu Erlong's presence. He instantly became alert.

"A four-ring Soul Master chasing a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast around? Young friend, you certainly have some nerve!"

Liu Erlong did not bother hiding any longer. She gracefully descended from her hiding place and landed before Gu Zhi. Her black fitted outfit emphasized her fiery figure, and her mature charm practically rushed at him!

Her opening words were equally direct, giving the impression that she had taken a liking to Gu Zhi's strength and courage, which was why she had stepped forward to befriend him.