Chapter 190 Marching Stone (Third Update)
So this one is just as cautious! Wu Youren nodded slightly. "I wanted to go to Tianjing to find you, but unfortunately someone stopped me."
"There are still people trying to stop you from returning home," Scops Owl replied dismissively. "Would you listen?"
"You have to take things one step at a time," the boy replied nonchalantly, already used to the other person's criticism.
He might even dare to offer a few words of explanation, but he would never do so when facing Instructor Hong. "I am still very weak."
"What does it mean to be powerful enough to become Nation-Guarding Knight?" Scops Owl was very dismissive of his words.
"Do what you're supposed to do in your assigned position. Did you cause the Weird Qi disturbances here yesterday?"
Wu Youren was taken aback, "Why would you think that, senior?"
"Looks like it really was you," Chen Quanxu. He was quite familiar with the boy's habits; everything about him was fine, except he was overly cautious.
The other party neither denied it nor asked what the unusual activity was, so there's no need to say anything else.
"How did you get that? It feels like you've acquired some incredible, strange object."
Wu Youren didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Does the senior need any strange objects?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Chen Quanxu replied without hesitation, "Last time, when I tortured that bastard, I even used your crystallization."
"I meant strange creatures, not crystals. You see them more often when fighting Weird Transformation creatures."
"Of course I need that. I am Ability User, but not all strange creatures are useful to me, and you know that."
"What would you like to order?" Wu Youren asked seriously. "I can give you a targeted treatment."
"Have I... fallen so low?" Scops Owl muttered, sounding quite resentful.
He paused for a moment before speaking again, "Have you ever killed Weird Transformation Exploding Spider?"
"Uh," Wu Youren was speechless for a moment, "Senior, is that a kind of spider?"
"I'm not talking to you anymore," the Scops Owl said, its round eyes seeming to shrink, as if it was quite disappointed.
"Did you get your hands on some special strange object, or do you want something?"
"I wanted to ask about a..." Wu Youren recalled the piece of iron that Instructor Ke Li had taken away, so he described it.
Ke Li spoke with righteous indignation, and naturally, he didn't hesitate at all when he brought up the matter.
"It should be an enhancement-type ability," Chen Quanxu understood immediately, "Enhancing the ability to forge weapons or using supernatural powers."
"So it was all based on guesswork after all," Wu Youren laughed. "It wasn't easy being a senior like you."
"You think I have a lot of resources?" Scops Owl's eyes widened. "When they decided to send me to Liang, all the information was cut off!"
Chen Quanxu is indeed not easy. According to him, no more than five people in Jin Garden know that he is a Ability User Apprentice.
He was a spy planted by the Jin, tasked with saving the Seventeenth Prince at a critical moment.
However, the frustrating thing is that there weren't many advanced resources prepared for him, and the key issue was the lack of information on the knowledge system of Ability User.
The Jin did indeed possess more knowledge about Ability User than the Liang, and this practice was likely to prevent leaks.
He spoke calmly, but only heaven knows what he truly felt about this experience.
He was actually quite pleased. "How can you be so sure I was just guessing?"
"I got some information on Ability User," Wu Youren said without hiding anything, explaining how Hong Da had lent him the information.
The Scops Owl's large, round eyes dimmed somewhat, and it took it a long time before it said, "This treatment... why don't you just become a traitor?"
"What are you saying!" Wu Youren shook his head, both laughing and crying. "I earned this through my own abilities. It's just a transaction!"
"I feel so resentful," Chen Quanxu muttered to himself, "With your luck... next time you run into Hong Yan, I'll let her off the hook."
"No need, you should just do it!" Wu Youren replied solemnly, "Your safety is the most important thing!"
"And you don't need to test me anymore, okay?"
"You're so calculating!" The Scops Owl even rolled its eyes. "Hmm, what did those documents say?"
The two of them spent most of the day looking at each other's watches.
The materials provided by Instructor Hong were indeed very basic, mostly things that Chen Quanxu wouldn't consider acceptable.
"You didn't even know these things? Hmm... that's really impressive."
With my status, what high-class goods could I possibly expect from others? Wu Youren was speechless.
Fortunately, he had also carefully studied a book on the cultivation of Ability User and had some related insights.
"That gives me some ideas," Chen Quanxu. He had a keen sense of things and could detect subtle differences.
"Although it's not entirely accurate, it does offer some ideas."
When he learned that the boy had killed a Ability User Apprentice to obtain it, he was speechless for a full half minute.
Upon further inquiry into the details of the battle... well, the Ability User was also Knight, and had two Knight assistants.
Wu Youren wasn't showing off; he just wanted to know what the last dark shadow that emerged from Ershan's body was.
"Your jumpy thinking," Chen Quanxu, his conversation abruptly reversed, leaving him speechless with frustration.
"What they said was either extremely basic or extremely rare..."
"The shadowy figure is definitely related to the Fallen System, but I don't know much more."
Despite his admiration, there's no doubt that his understanding of the superpower system far surpasses Wu Youren's.
He emphasized that some of the content was his own opinion, not an authoritative statement, but it was still quite insightful.
The two said they were comparing watches, but in reality, he was mainly making statements and providing answers.
Gradually, Wu Youren asked more and more about ghosts, Chen Quanxu said that he didn't know much about this kind of thing either.
"The most complete collection is in the Hall of Extraordinary Masters. This is how it is in Jin, Liang is following suit... unified management."
"I see," the boy nodded, then muttered, "The others were being so mysterious, not telling me where to find it."
" Liang is indeed very strict," Chen Quanxu said, adding that it's not surprising.
His assessment was that while the Jin merely kept secrets, the Liang went a step further, establishing an information monopoly.
The website address for this novel is. ".". The website owner has only one website; other websites may be discontinued at any time.
"Having become the exclusive domain of the Liang's upper class, do you think that the only ones who are considering the tax exemption you proposed are the Knight?"
Holy crap... Wu Youren was utterly speechless. No wonder the experience points kept coming in waves.
The two chatted until the afternoon, Chen Quanxu finally remembered what happened last night and pressed for more details.
Wu Youren hesitated for a moment before replying that it was an item that could attract Weird Qi.
The Scops Owl already knew him quite well. "If it's inconvenient to say, then so be it. You've been asking me about strange creatures because you want to know their origins, right?"
"I've also stockpiled some strange items. Once you awaken, we'll see which ones are suitable for you to use."
Upon hearing this, the boy suddenly remembered something, "There's a strange object, light blue and honeycomb-shaped, that can hold and store objects..."
"I really don't have any extras!" the Scops Owl stated bluntly. " Marching Stone, a portable object, a crucial military weapon."
Wu Youren tentatively asked, "So... it happened before?"
"It's never happened before," Chen Quanxu replied dejectedly. "I didn't even know that fighting some kind of Weird Transformation creature could drop that stuff."
Wu Youren thought for a moment and replied, "I know, Storage Eagle!"
This time he really didn't keep him in suspense. The other party had done him a favor, and he only talked about how much the battle to assassinate Salim changed his situation.
Storage Eagle is not common in Liang; revealing this news will give him one more competitor.
So what? Everyone should just rely on their own abilities.
It doesn't make sense that the monopolistic elite of Liang would know all this, yet he'd be keeping it a secret from his benefactor, right?
"What the hell?" Scops Owl was speechless again. You're actually willing to share this kind of news?
However, he then added with some regret, "This news came a little late... Don't tell people so easily in the future."
"Are you so terminally ill?" Wu Youren didn't press further. Such important news was of no use to you now?
However, Chen Quanxu thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you have it?"
" The Instructor Hong needs one," Wu Youren replied casually, "Let me keep an eye out!"
"If they didn't deny it, then it must be true!" Chen Quanxu knew exactly how to grasp the key point. "Don't worry, I won't force you to buy or sell; I can't afford to lose face like that."
"I'm hiding in the Red Pine," the young man said straightforwardly, not denying it, "Anyway, you can't get in. By the way, um..."
"Don't ask!" The Scops Owl's eyes widened instantly. "Don't even mention it!"
"This..." Wu Youren was slightly taken aback, "You know what I'm going to ask?"
"Of course," Chen Quanxu replied without hesitation, "That's not something we can discuss... uh, you didn't get involved in that too, did you?"
"I just... I wanted to do some research, didn't I?" The boy coughed awkwardly twice, "Ahem, I climbed over the wall twice too many times!"
"You!" The Scops Owl spread its wings, obscuring its eyes, and after a long while sighed, "What a... waste!"
Wu Youren felt a little wronged, "You should have told me in advance."
"I wouldn't even dare mention it," the Scops Owl lowered its wings, its eyes widening even more. "I never imagined you could be so troublesome!"
Wu Youren pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "I have a rough idea; it might be what it is."
"Let's talk about something else," Chen Quanxu cautiously. "I know a place where there are many Storage Eagle (a type of mythical creature)."
"You can go by yourself, senior. You don't need to tell me," the young man shook his head, determined to see the favor through. "I can't leave."
"Hmm," the Scops Owl hummed softly, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"That's all!" The young man thought for a moment, then finally said, "I hope that one day I can fight alongside you, senior, to vanquish monsters!"
"Isn't that simple?" The Scops Owl flapped its wings. "We can do it tonight. You can attract the Weird Qi, and we'll go to the mountains to kill them!"
"All the strange objects are yours. I'll help you find high-value targets!"
It must be admitted that fellow villagers are indeed fellow villagers. Although they are not fighting, their words "All the monsters are yours" are truly heartwarming!
"Senior, wait a minute," Wu Youren thought, not wanting to implicate his own people, "This strange creature of mine is a bit inexplicable."
"It might attract the powerful abilities of the Weird Race."
"How strong can he be..." Chen Quanxu's words trailed off as he realized that this child couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
So he changed his tune, "Let me take a look and give you my opinion."
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Chapter 191 Considerate (Fourth Update)
Having said all that, Wu Youren steeled his resolve, took out the small leather pouch, and opened a small opening.
"This isn't... um?" The Scops Owl, who had been rather casual, suddenly widened its eyes in surprise. "Can I take a closer look?"
Since the other party was so particular, the young man decided to take a gamble and go all in!
He opened the leather pouch, revealing an oval-shaped object, though it was slightly elongated and had a pointed tip.
"What's this?" The Scops Owl looked suspiciously at the baby bird on the boy's shoulder.
The very strange thing you mentioned, it's just this one puddle... Who isn't a bird? I can puddle too!
"Wait a minute!" The Scops Owl's pupils contracted. "Alright, put it away. What is this thing?"
"I don't know," Wu Youren shook his head, emphasizing, "I'm asking you, senior, to take a look!"
The Scops Owl glanced sideways at the little snow harrier. "Was it the one that pulled it?"
Wu Youren remained silent. At this moment, he was quite conflicted. Although he had decided to take the gamble, he still couldn't help but feel reluctant.
Chen Quanxu understood. "You really believe me? Five years ago, I would have definitely stolen your bird."
The boy remained silent. There was nothing he could do; heartache was heartache, and there was no need to hide it.
The Scops Owl remained silent for a while before asking, "Does it poop like this often?"
"Then you're returning it?" The boy, who was struggling with his decision, was amused. "Just this once... the first time!"
"This stuff is comparable to Weird Lure, the key is..." Chen Quanxu hesitated for a moment, then confirmed one more point, "It was brought out from Bellflower Mountain?"
Wu Youren sighed softly, "I knew it, you were thinking of what the Hall of Extraordinary Masters was searching for..."
"It shouldn't be that!" the Scops Owl declared without hesitation. "Even if it is, it absolutely must not be, understand?"
The boy nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and then asked, "What exactly is the Hall of Extraordinary Masters looking for?"
" Weird Qi Refinement and Analysis Pearl, or Refinement and Analysis Stone," Chen Quanxu replied without hesitation.
"It was generated by the Weird Domain itself; when the time is right, it can upgrade the Weird Domain's level."
Although his answer was straightforward, Wu Youren had already figured out some of this man's language habits.
"That's just one possibility, right?"
"Of course," the Scops Owl replied matter-of-factly, "Humanity's research on the Weird Domain is still very superficial, and I don't know much about it either."
The boy glanced at the little snow hawk on his shoulder, and the little creature immediately opened its mouth wide upon seeing it.
"I'm hungry again," he shook his head speechlessly, took out two strips of meat and handed them over, "Don't pee or poop on the ground, understand?"
"As I've said before, its cultivation system follows your path," Scops Owl continued.
"So you think it's the strange object the Hall of Extraordinary Masters is looking for? That's theoretically impossible; the energy field is wrong!"
"That's good," Wu Youren nodded.
Although he was disappointed that he didn't manage to steal the strange artifact that the Hall of Extraordinary Masters had been longing for, the thing that Little Ha produced was quite suitable for his use.
"The most suitable is the best." My concern is that if it attracts Divine Might Rank monster, that would be terrible.
The Suspended Bell Mountain Weird Domain is at least at the Divine Might Rank. What level of ghost creature could allow it to advance to that level?
"This?" The Scops Owl hesitated, clearly. "The chances aren't high, but... there's no need to risk going into the mountains."
"Hmm," the boy nodded, the key issue being that if the scenario came true, he wouldn't be able to handle the situation at all.
"Let's go to the wilderness tonight," Chen Quanxu, sounding somewhat listless. "We'll take whatever we can get, however little we can."
Wu Youren's plan also included the step of killing the ghost, but it shouldn't have been rushed.
Little Ha made a big one, which was unexpected. In principle, plans should be adjusted at any time.
At the same time, he was also looking forward to cooperating with Chen Quanxu; however, a problem objectively existed—insufficient reserves of supplies.
After Wu Youren revealed the details, Chen Quanxu said that the matter was easy to resolve and that he could procure a batch of supplies.
However, the actual battle should still be left to the boy, since his true form cannot come.
He added, "The area outside the mountain is just for practice; first, we need to figure out what... what exactly this lump is."
Wu Youren rested for a while, woke up in the evening, and quietly went to the wilderness outside the mountains.
Scops Owl flew silently over his head.
There were far more people here than in the Rust Zone, but fortunately, he found a deserted spot in the early hours of the morning.
The first step is still to set up mechanisms, but this time they're not for defense; they're for eliminating the Weird Qi.
Half an hour later, with all the traps laid, the Scops Owl grabbed the small, open leather pouch and flapped its wings, flying into the depths of the night.
Just over an hour later, it flew back, followed by a dense, eerie Weird Qi filling the sky.
The Scops Owl used its other claw to tug at the end of the rope, locking the opening of the leather bag shut.
Then it flew away into the distance, saying, "It's up to you now, less than ten Knight Weird!"
"Holy crap..." Wu Youren grinned.
Although he had experienced many fierce battles, such a dark and dense area was still quite unsettling.
Even without that lump—let's call it an orange seed—the intense, Weird Qi still rushed in with its inertia.
Immediately afterwards, the Weird Qi began to spread in all directions, rushing and crashing about, trying to find the aura of the treasure from before.
Chen Quanxu's advance calculations were just right; after the Weird Qi began to spread, the center gradually moved to the location of the boy.
"How thoughtful!" Wu Youren sighed softly, drew his long sword, and channeled his inner energy into the blade.
This was the first time he had faced the strange, Weird Qi directly, and he vaguely felt a sense of "trial."
The long sword slashed out, carrying a faint light, its blade energy constantly pulsating, its length ranging from three to five meters.
The next moment, cries of agony rang out; those Weird Race below the rank of Knight Apprentice were no match for his blade.
Even a slight brush against it will cause it to vanish into nothingness.
With a casual slash, the youth unleashed a torrent of sword energy that easily slain three to five Weird Race.
Those scattered Weird Qi vanished without a trace, like snowflakes melted in hot water.
Wu Youren wielded his knife with measured speed and deliberation, yet the harvest was remarkably effective.
In other words, the ubiquitous wailing could have some effect on him; otherwise, he would have been completely unaffected.
However, soon enough, a more intelligent Weird Race took notice of his existence.
They were furious at losing the scent of their "treasure" when they suddenly discovered a delicious mass of "blood."
What is utterly intolerable is that, in the pitch-black night, the Blood Eaters dared to rebel!
The Weird Race surged forward wave after wave, intending to teach this guy a lesson.
However, they soon discovered that this script... seemed a little off!
Since this blood sacrifice is still struggling in its death throes, let something more capable deal with it.
Before long, four or five Knight Weird surrounded them; these guys were much more cunning.
They usually don't charge in head-on; instead, they wander around observing first, occasionally pushing one or two scapegoats forward to see the other party's reaction.
If I can seize the opportunity, I will try to intrude.
This disturbance lasted so long that even the sleeping snow hawk was awakened.
Two kilometers away, three figures stood there, emitting their senses to perceive what was happening.
"Whose subordinate is this?" someone remarked. "In the middle of the night, they dare to stand up like this?"
Another person spoke up, "You're in trouble. Is the other side carrying some kind of treasure?"
They had just detected an Weird Qi approaching and were discussing using the camp as a place to defend themselves.
Unexpectedly, just as the Weird Qi drew closer, it suddenly changed direction and quickly left.
These teams that hunt monsters outside the mountains are not necessarily good at fighting tough battles, but they are quite adept at taking advantage of unexpected situations.
They immediately deduced that something must have happened to cause such a significant shift in the Weird Qi.
As for whether it's a good thing or a bad thing... we'll find out soon enough.
They didn't dare get too close, but just followed from a distance.
Before long, they discovered that the Weird Qi had merged with even more Weird Qi and continued to move.
The Weird Qi gathered more and more, and when it finally stopped, a martial artist's attack appeared within the massive Weird Qi.
In this situation, there is a high probability that the other party possesses a very valuable mysterious object.
This Weird Qi, temporarily formed from countless Weird Qi, is indeed enormous, but it may not be particularly powerful.
"Let's observe first," one person suggested. "We'll move in when the time is right."
In the wilderness, there's no order of precedence when hunting monsters; the struggle for these creatures mostly comes down to who's fastest.
Back then, Instructor Hong dared to snatch the strange object right in front of the Ability User. If it weren't for the military's Great Knight also wanting a share, she would have succeeded.
Wu Youren and the Knight Weird for more than ten minutes. Suddenly, the blade energy, which was three to five meters long, surged to seven or eight meters.
This unexpected outburst, with just five or six strikes, eliminated three Knight Weird and severely injured two others.
It also caused chaos in the Weird Qi.
After he killed three more Knight Weird, this large mass of Weird Qi finally lost its initial frenzy.
Retreat was impossible; countless low-level Weird Race were still besieging them, but the few remaining Knight Weird dared not approach rashly.
Seven or eight minutes later, two more Knight Weird were killed, and the boy could now move freely within the Weird Qi.
This basically guarantees that he will be invincible, and the rest of the time will be wasted, during which he can take whatever he wants.
Throughout the battle, Wu Youren has acquired three strange objects so far, two of which are crystals.
The other is a golden-yellow strange object, which is also quite common and favored by elemental Ability User, commanding a higher price than Resentment Qi Crystal.
Wu Youren fought as usual while collecting strange objects, appearing completely at ease.
Nighttime battles make cleaning up the battlefield very difficult, and the strange creatures can easily be snatched up by other Weird Race, so getting them as quickly as possible is the priority.
He sensed that there seemed to be people watching the commotion outside, but he didn't really care.
As long as no Great Knight appears, it doesn't matter.
Under his continuous attacks, the Weird Qi energy visibly thinned, showing faint signs of collapse.
But at the same time, the boy's figure, hidden within the Weird Qi, could no longer be concealed and gradually became visible.
(Another 4 chapters, 12,000 words. Please support with subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes.)