The Taiyuan Auxiliary System had actually activated at this moment!
But what the hell were this automatic protection mechanism and overclocked synchronization mode? No one had told him about these functions during his classes at the Blue Star base.
And what had happened when he dodged just now? He had not made that movement himself, and the pain in his shoulder and arm seemed to have inexplicably vanished.
His mind was perfectly clear, yet he had lost all control over and sensation in his body. It was as though another "self" was controlling his limbs, just like when he had first entered this other world through a dream.
"...Scanning host's self-defense weapons...One low-quality steel saber, four chi and three cun long...Searching for saber techniques...No relevant techniques found in host...Blue Star Alliance Great Arsenal located...Arsenal incomplete...Practical Weapon Killing Techniques, seventeenth edition: 'Draw-Cutting Art' located. Meets host's current requirements...Loading Draw-Cutting Art..."
Listening to the string of voices in his head, Wang Yu was utterly bewildered. Before he could think any further, however, his body tucked the saber against the left side of his waist. His right hand gripped the hilt, his left pressed against the back of the blade, and he strode toward the White-Clad Youth. His pace quickened with every step until he broke into a run.
"Something's not right."
Seeing Wang Yu, who had clearly been half-dead a moment ago, suddenly spring back to life and charge at him with such murderous momentum, the White-Clad Youth looked startled. After muttering those words, he began chanting. A strange pattern in the center of his fan glowed white, growing brighter and brighter. Just then, "Wang Yu" closed to within two zhang in a few bounding strides.
"Go!"
The White-Clad Youth barked the command and swept his silver folding fan fiercely toward "Wang Yu."
Whoosh!
A yellowish gale surged from the silver fan and engulfed "Wang Yu." Within several zhang, sand flew and stones tumbled, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open and look straight ahead.
With his other hand, the White-Clad Youth slapped his waist and drew a gleaming silver rapier. It was about three chi long, slender as a cord. A flick of his wrist produced a dense swarm of sword shadows that descended upon the figure flickering in and out of sight within the wind.
A flat, mechanical voice echoed in Wang Yu's head:
"...The seventeenth edition of 'Draw-Cutting Art' contains 125 drawing angles. Angle 54 is optimal. Probability of injuring enemy in one strike: 89.5 percent. Probability of sustaining injury: 100 percent...Doubling adrenaline levels for three seconds. Both legs beginning to gather force. Force accumulation: 85 percent. Right-hand strength entering maximum burst. Burst output: 120 percent..."
"Slash!"
An emotionless voice emerged from the wind. A hazy figure sprang upward, and a brilliant white streak abruptly flashed through the gale. As it vanished, the dense sword shadows burst like bubbles and disappeared. "Wang Yu" appeared behind the White-Clad Youth like a phantom.
"Impossible, you..."
Disbelief filled the White-Clad Youth's face. He abruptly dropped both his fan and silver sword, clamping his hands over his throat. A moment later, however, a line of blood appeared across his neck. His head rolled to the ground, and his headless body swayed before collapsing into a pool of blood.
"Wang Yu" stood ramrod straight. The saber tucked at his waist had been drawn at some point, and he held it in a reverse grip with its edge facing upward. The skin and flesh of all five fingers gripping the hilt had split from the excessive force, and three or four shallow, narrow cuts marked his chest.
"...Threat eliminated...Restoring normal adrenaline levels. Heart rate returning to normal. Neural suppression lifted...Host advised to seek treatment promptly...Disengaging overclocked synchronization mode...Disengaging system self-protection mechanism...Beep...Beep...Insufficient energy...System automatically entering sleep mode..."
Wang Yu's legs buckled, and he dropped onto his backside. Only then did he realize that he had regained control of his body. But every wound burned with searing pain again, his head felt unbearably heavy, and his thoughts crawled. Even thinking had become difficult. These were clearly the signs of excessive mental expenditure, bordering on exhaustion, that Daoist Chongyun had described.
He rested there for quite some time before barely recovering the ability to move. With no time to dwell on anything, he first forced himself to put several more cuts into each masked man's corpse, ensuring they were truly dead. Only then did he cut a few clean strips of cloth from their bodies and hastily bandage the wounds on his body and fingers. If he kept losing blood, his life really would be forfeit.
Only now did he have time to search the enemy corpses for their belongings.
The four masked men's bodies yielded only a few taels of loose silver and some copper coins, with nothing else of value.
Searching the White-Clad Youth's headless body proved much more fruitful. Besides two small, gleaming gold ingots, he found three identical yellow talismans and a suit of close-fitting soft armor.
Identical patterns covered the yellow talismans. They looked simple, but a closer examination actually left him dizzy. Knowing they must belong to an Immortal Cultivator, he naturally put them away.
The soft armor was a simple suit of ring mail, made from numerous yellow metal rings threaded together with silver wire.
He struck the armor hard with his saber. The blade bounced away, leaving only a shallow mark where it had hit.
Recognizing a good item, Wang Yu immediately donned the soft armor over his underclothes. He silently counted himself fortunate that his controlled body had struck the White-Clad Youth's neck. Had it targeted any other part of his body, it might not have killed him in one blow.
Next, he picked up the silver folding fan and the rapier.
The silver fan's edges were exceptionally sharp, and its surface bore a strange, uneven pattern. The rapier was only as thick as a finger, yet remarkably tough and flexible. Even after being bent into a circle, it sprang straight again as soon as he let go.
He noticed that the White-Clad Youth's belt was made of leather, with a flat slit through its center that could accommodate the rapier perfectly.
Wang Yu pulled the belt off the corpse, slipped the rapier inside, and wrapped it around his own waist. The sword's tip and hilt clasped together neatly, leaving nothing unusual visible from outside.
The silver folding fan had conjured a gale earlier. Something so miraculous must be one of the Immortal Cultivators' magical artifacts Daoist Chongyun had mentioned, making it even more valuable. He carefully tucked it inside his robes as well.
Afterward, Wang Yu dared not linger, nor did he dare return to the Daoist temple. Carrying his saber, he jogged down the mountain, planning to find somewhere safe and hide for a while. Once enough time passed, his consciousness would return to Blue Star anyway.
But when he reached the foot of the mountain in one stretch and was considering where to go, a whistle sounded overhead. A Daoist descended straight from the sky and landed steadily before him.
"Master, you're all right! Wonderful!"
Once Wang Yu got a clear look, he cried out in delight.
The newcomer was none other than Daoist Chongyun. Only, more than half of his formerly clean robes were charred black, and a large patch of clotted blood stained his chest. His face was exceptionally pale, but wisps of white cloud swirled around his body, making him look wondrous indeed.
"Whatever you have to say can wait until we've left. I used a Sky-Dancing Talisman to find you so quickly. Hold tight to my arm." Without further explanation, Daoist Chongyun seized Wang Yu by the collar at his chest. He chanted, the white clouds around him began to revolve, and he rose into the air again.
Startled, Wang Yu threw away his saber and clung tightly to the Daoist's arm with both hands. Once they reached seven or eight zhang above the ground, the two shot off in a certain direction.
Even with the Daoist's body shielding him in front, wind roared in both his ears. Their speed was astonishing.
"M-Master, Dongyue and I...split up when we fled. He should...be somewhere nearby too." Suddenly remembering, Wang Yu spoke in broken phrases against the wind pouring into his mouth.
"Dongyue is only an ordinary man, and his family has some influence in Yellowstone City. He'll be fine," Daoist Chongyun replied calmly.
Only then did Wang Yu relax, and he said nothing more.
They flew for more than two full shichen. When the white clouds around the Daoist had faded almost to nothing, they finally landed on a small hill near a town.
The Daoist led Wang Yu straight to a rock face. After feeling along its surface for a moment, a rumbling sounded, and the rock slowly split apart, revealing an opening large enough for a person to pass through.
Wang Yu followed the Daoist inside in astonishment. Before long, the rock face restored itself, leaving no sign of anything unusual from outside.
Beyond a dim passage some ten paces long lay a vast natural cavern. Several small holes in its roof let in faint white light. In the center stood a bronze cauldron half a person's height, giving off a strong smell of oil.
As Wang Yu wondered what the bronze cauldron was for, the Daoist walked over to it and took out something resembling a fire striker. He waved it through the air, igniting it, then tossed it straight into the cauldron.
Whoosh!
Flames leaped high from the bronze cauldron, blazing fiercely and instantly illuminating the entire cavern as brightly as day.
Only then did Wang Yu notice a relief as tall as an adult engraved on each of the cavern's four walls.
These were...
Wang Yu instinctively approached for a closer look. The four reliefs depicted a wolf, a tiger, a bear, and an ape, each in a different pose. They were so lifelike they seemed alive.
"I didn't build this place. It's a hidden site I discovered by chance. This Four Beast Diagram was already here when I found it. There's something quite profound about it, and it should contain some sort of cultivation method. Its original owner was probably an Immortal Cultivator as well. Unfortunately, I studied it for a long time without gaining anything. All I could discern was that cultivation should begin with that Wolf-Running Diagram. If you have time, you can try comprehending it. I've also stored some dry rations here, enough to last a while. There's a stream not far outside where we can fetch drinking water. That way, neither of us will need to leave this place for some time," Daoist Chongyun told Wang Yu calmly. He then retrieved a large bundle of rock-hard dry rations from a corner of the cavern. Before he could open it, however, he retched and spat a large mouthful of foul blood onto the ground. Black strands ran through it, and its bloody stench assailed their nostrils.
"Master, you're injured!" Alarmed, Wang Yu hurried over to support him.
"I was badly poisoned during this outing. Although I took medicine to suppress it at the time, several powerful enemies then joined forces to besiege me. Not only did I get Qingfeng killed, but my own oil has run dry and my lamp is spent. I'm afraid I don't have long to live." Daoist Chongyun's words sent a chill through Wang Yu's heart, and he hurriedly asked:
"Master, your cultivation is profound, and you know spells. Isn't there any way you can save yourself?"
"Of course there is. But unless an expert at Foundation Establishment or above intervenes, or I obtain one of those miraculous spirit medicines from the tales, it's already sheer luck that I've lasted this long." The Daoist shook his head and pushed Wang Yu away. He staggered to another corner of the cavern and lightly tapped the ground with his toe.
With a boom, dust flew, revealing a small pit in the ground.
The Daoist bent down, lifted a bundle from inside, and opened it on the spot. It contained four things: a thick Black Leather Booklet, a rectangular iron box, an emerald-green gourd, and a white jade pendant.
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