Wei Yi soon returned to the forest outside the city.
Although he had killed thousands of creatures over the past few days, the wild beasts and demonic beasts still had not learned their lesson. They kept appearing before him, one after another, only to die beneath his Qinggang Sword.
The Qinggang Sword truly lived up to its origins as a system product. Its quality was guaranteed.
Any other treasured sword would probably have lost its edge after so much use, but the Qinggang Sword remained incomparably sharp, slaughtering those wild beasts and demonic beasts as easily as chickens and dogs.
Ding! Player Wei Yi has slain one first-stage demonic beast, a forest wolf. Cultivation EXP +83. Storm Sword Technique proficiency +72. Ding! Player Wei Yi's ninth-stage martial apprentice cultivation EXP is full. Automatically advancing to tenth-stage martial apprentice. Ding! Player Wei Yi has reached tenth-stage martial apprentice, triggering [Breakthrough Quest]. Quest requirement: kill five red-named individuals with evil points. Time limit: within one day. Quest reward: successfully break through to first-stage martial master.
A string of system notifications sounded, but Wei Yi felt a little troubled.
He was not surprised that reaching tenth-stage martial apprentice would trigger a breakthrough quest, since it had been the same in the game.
But killing five red-named people with evil points within a single day was rather difficult.
After all, this was the real world, not a game. In a game, killing people however he pleased did not matter. Whether players or NPCs, they could revive after death, and fighting and killing one another was perfectly normal.
But killing indiscriminately in the real world could easily stir up a hornet's nest. Kill the young, and the grown-ups would come; kill the grown-ups, and the elders would follow. His current strength could not possibly hold them off.
"They even have to be red-named people with evil points."
"Where am I supposed to find five red-named people with evil points in just one day?"
Wei Yi looked thoroughly vexed.
Just then, a sudden scream caught his attention.
In the direction of a nearby gorge, two young women were fleeing for their lives, with six vicious-looking burly men chasing them at full speed, jeering and catcalling as they ran.
"Zhu Ling'er?"
"Yang Qingqing?"
"What are those two doing here?"
Once he got a clear look at their faces, memories about the two immediately surfaced in Wei Yi's mind.
They were also students at the True Martial Academy and, like Wei Yi, were both in their second year.
Zhu Ling'er was even one of the True Martial Academy's most famous beauties.
Although Yang Qingqing fell slightly short of her, she was still a rare beauty. At the very least, she could easily rank among the top twenty in the entire True Martial Academy.
Even as they fled their pursuers in panic and disarray, their lovely, captivating looks were impossible to hide. But if they had not been so beautiful, those men probably would not have pursued them so relentlessly.
"Is this what they call a beautiful face bringing disaster?"
"But aren't there five red-named people with evil points right here for the taking?"
What truly interested Wei Yi was not the two beauties, but the vicious-looking burly men chasing them. Every one of them wore a savage, ferocious expression. One glance was enough to tell they were no good, undoubtedly making them the best choice for completing his quest.
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?"
"Bullying two girls in broad daylight-what kind of men does that make you?"
Standing on a high slope, Wei Yi rebuked them loudly, brimming with righteousness.
Suddenly hearing someone speak, Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing both looked up. The sight of Wei Yi filled them with delight.
In fact, neither of them recognized Wei Yi. For one thing, his bearing had changed too much lately. For another, neither had imagined that Wei Yi would dare venture into these dangerous, demonic beast-infested woods.
"Young master, please save us! We would be endlessly grateful! We're both students at the True Martial Academy!"
"They're all Blackwater Bandits! Young master, hurry and stop them!"
Both women called out.
Blackwater Bandits?
The Blackwater Bandits were notorious outlaws entrenched around Blackwater, infamous for committing every kind of evil.
Hearing this, Wei Yi could not help rejoicing. He was not afraid of them being bad people; on the contrary, he was afraid they might not be bad enough.
"Come over here! I'll deal with them."
Wei Yi immediately jumped down.
"Brat, don't go looking for death."
"Don't waste words on him. Cut him down first! Trying to play the hero saving beauties without even weighing his own worth? I hate pretty boys like him more than anything!"
"That's right! Kill the man first, then rape those two women before killing them. They're too tired to run anymore."
The Blackwater Bandits laughed arrogantly and charged at Wei Yi together as they spoke.
Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing went pale with fright.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
Since he was playing the hero saving beauties, he naturally had to go all the way with showing off.
Wei Yi smiled coldly, immediately drew the Qinggang Sword, and charged out in an instant. Without hesitation, he unleashed the Storm Sword Technique, bringing his blade viciously down at the head of the leading Blackwater Bandit.
The bandit in front sneered, disdain in his eyes, and immediately raised his saber to block. But when the two weapons met, the result was completely beyond his expectations. His iron saber snapped cleanly with a crack.
The clean cut was a horrifying sight to him.
The arrogant laughter on his face froze instantly.
But he no longer had any chance to regret it. A dazzling flash of sword light swept past, and his head flew high into the air.
Ding! Player Wei Yi has killed one Blackwater Bandit. Cultivation EXP +93. Storm Sword Technique proficiency +78. Ding! Player Wei Yi's breakthrough quest completion +1. Current progress: 1/5.
He really was a red-named person with evil points.
Wei Yi's mind was set at ease.
Before the others could react, he stepped on the Blackwater Bandit's corpse and surged forward, swinging the Qinggang Sword again. This time, he went straight for a finishing move from the Storm Sword Technique.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Like a raging gale and torrential rain.
Three consecutive strikes, each blindingly fast.
Three more Blackwater Bandits were caught off guard. They had never imagined Wei Yi's swordsmanship would be so fast and ruthless.
With his tenth-stage martial apprentice strength combined with a Storm Sword Technique as high as LV9, these Blackwater Bandits could not resist at all. The sharp blade quickly slit their vulnerable throats. Blood sprayed, and all three clutched their throats and collapsed one after another.
Every pair of eyes brimmed with intense unwillingness.
System notifications sounded, and his breakthrough quest progress increased by another three. With only one more to go, Wei Yi would successfully complete the breakthrough quest.
And there were still two Blackwater Bandits left.
Wei Yi stared coldly at the pair, like a wolf that had starved for days eyeing fragrant lambs. His eyes almost gleamed green, while the two beauties he had rescued were completely forgotten.
The two remaining Blackwater Bandits could not help swallowing, their faces filled with fear.
Another glance at their four companions lying on the ground made them retreat again and again.
"Y-you... who exactly are you...?"
"You dare offend us Blackwater Bandits? Our boss will never let you off!"
The two blustered, fierce on the outside but fainthearted within.
Even their voices could not stop trembling, making their terror plain.
Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing, however, felt the exact opposite.
They had come into the mountains together to gather medicinal herbs and encountered these Blackwater Bandits. They had thought there would be no escaping disaster this time, only to be lucky enough to meet Wei Yi and be rescued. Moreover, the strength Wei Yi displayed far exceeded their expectations.
He did not look much older than they were, yet his strength was shockingly formidable.
They exchanged a glance, their pretty faces flushing as admiration shone in their eyes.
"Qingqing, don't you think this young master looks a little familiar? As if we've seen him somewhere before..."
Zhu Ling'er blinked and suddenly asked.
"You feel that way too?"
"I was just about to say that. He does look a little familiar. Could he be a student at our True Martial Academy too...?" Yang Qingqing immediately nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
"Who could he be?"
The two lowered their heads in thought, then suddenly looked up at the same time and exchanged a glance, both their eyes filling with unimaginable shock.
Immediately afterward, they both uttered the same name.
"Wei Yi..."
"How could it be him?"