Outside Qingyun Town.
“That’s about enough.”
Qi Yuan led Qi Yao to a secluded mountain hollow, then stopped, wiped the “bloodstains” from the corner of his mouth, and looked expressionlessly in the direction behind him.
This brain-dead System is really absurd!
In fact, apart from the additional task of killing Li Hu, the mission objectives included two key points.
One was to help Qi Yao escape Qingyun Town, and the other was to survive the Black Tiger Gang’s pursuit.
This meant that if the Black Tiger Gang didn’t pursue him, the mission would surely fail.
And even if the Black Tiger Gang’s leader, a Qi Refining fifth-level Cultivator, was an idiot, he wouldn’t pursue a Golden Core Cultivator. To achieve his goal, there was only one option left: mislead his opponent.
Under his performance, the misleading plan just now could be said to be very successful. Putting aside other things, even if it was just to obtain a mid-grade Magical Artifact, the Black Tiger Gang’s leader, Li Hu, would never let him escape.
Greed is always the best driving force.
He just didn’t expect that even at Golden Core Perfection, he could still experience being chased by Mortals.
If his Master knew about this, he would probably be unable to resist coming to clean house…
Thinking of this, Qi Yuan couldn't help but feel a chill.
This dog System had better be truly useful, otherwise, this Daoist will suffer a huge loss!
Seeing his unusual expression, Qi Yao asked with concern,
“Brother Qi, how—how are you?”
Qi Yuan came back to his senses and chuckled,
“It’s nothing. We’ll just wait here now. Those idiots behind us will come running to their deaths.”
To prevent the Black Tiger Gang from losing track, he had thoughtfully left many traces along the way, so even a dumb pig could follow the clues to find this place.
“Ah?”
Hearing this, Qi Yao was a bit bewildered, momentarily unable to understand the situation.
Didn't they just run away? Why are they now stopping here to wait for enemies?
“Found them! Let’s see where you can run this time!”
Before she could think further, a loud roar suddenly came from the forest behind them. Dozens of burly men holding long blades rushed over, surrounding the two of them.
Li Hu, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, chuckled, about to deliver his victory speech, when he saw a vast and surging Spiritual Pressure erupt from the man in front of him, a powerful aura filling the heavens and earth.
“This, this—”
Li Hu was instantly stunned, his arrogant expression frozen on his face, looking quite comical.
The next moment.
Boom!!!
Accompanied by a deafening roar, violent Spiritual Pressure swept out in all directions. The Black Tiger Gang members didn’t even have time to scream before instantly turning into a mist of blood, splattering everywhere.
“Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission 【Path to Survival】, rewarding one hundred Counterattack Points, five High Grade Gathering Qi Pills, and two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.”
“The Epiphany function has now been activated. The host can spend a certain amount of Counterattack Points to gain Epiphany on Cultivation Techniques, thereby achieving progress in Cultivation Techniques.”
“The Black Tiger Gang leader, Li Hu, is now dead. The host has completed the additional mission, rewarding one Opportunity to strengthen the Spiritual Root…”
“Congratulations to the host for acquiring the talent 【Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger】 (The host can actively hide his cultivation and Spiritual Root Aptitude. Unless the cultivation level surpasses the host by three major Realms, it cannot be seen through).”
As the System’s voice fell, Qi Yuan felt that the already active Spiritual Qi around him became even more vibrant. The entire world seemed to have unveiled another layer for him, and the true essence within his body became even purer, responding to his will as if it were his own arm.
This feeling, like a sudden enlightenment, made him feel utterly refreshed. Upon introspection, the High Grade Golden Core in his Qi Sea became even more crystalline and transparent, brimming with the essence of the Dao.
Every moment, it was exhaling the old and inhaling the new, connecting with heaven and earth, seemingly capable of breaking the Core and forming an Infant, undergoing a complete transformation, at any time.
“This time’s reward actually has such a miraculous effect!”
After regaining his senses, Qi Yuan quickly realized how great a fortune he had received, and a look of joy appeared on his face.
His Heavenly Spiritual Root Aptitude was originally top-tier in this world. Now, with the System’s help, it had ascended another level. Even if it couldn’t compare to the legendary Immortal Spiritual Root, it probably wasn’t far off. The effect was simply Heaven-Defying.
The enhancement of his Spiritual Root was, for him, an immense Opportunity.
After all, the Spiritual Root is the foundation of the Great Dao; no one would dislike their Cultivation Aptitude being too high.
Not only Cultivation Aptitude, but the 【Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger】 talent is also very practical. It is not only an essential Sharp Weapon for showing off and slapping faces, but also can be used to paralyze enemies, feign weakness, and then give the opponent a surprise at an opportune moment…
At this moment, whether the System was idiotic or not was no longer important to him. Just the rewards from this mission were enough to make him look forward to the upcoming tasks.
“As expected of the Counterattack System. Although it’s deaf and blind, the benefits it gives are real.”
Qi Yuan thought gleefully. Before he could continue to experience the benefits brought by the Spiritual Root’s transformation, the ethereal System panel reappeared, displaying a new mission—【Counterattack: Starting as a Utility Disciple】.
Qi Yuan: “???”
After seeing the specific content of the mission clearly, Qi Yuan’s mouth twitched slightly, and he silently withdrew his positive review of the System.
Just as Qi Yuan’s face was filled with black lines, Qi Yao also recovered from her previous shock, looking at him with admiration and softly saying,
“Brother Qi, you are truly a great person.”
“Not only are you highly capable, but most importantly, you possess a benevolent heart.”
Originally, Qi Yao had been somewhat puzzled by Qi Yuan’s series of actions just now. Now, after some thought, she finally understood the “good intentions” of the man before her.
Brother Qi, as a high and mighty Cultivator, not only saved her life but also annihilated the group of scoundrels from the Black Tiger Gang, avenging her deceased elder brother. No matter how one looked at it, he was her great benefactor.
Even more commendable was that Brother Qi, in order to avoid harming the innocent, had specifically put on a show to lure the Black Tiger Gang members outside the town to deal with them. This chivalrous and benevolent heart was truly admirable.
After all, the power of that strike just now was too terrifying. If it had been unleashed within the town, who knows how many innocent commoners would have been harmed.
And Brother Qi specifically set the battlefield in this remote, unpopulated wilderness—what else could that be but kindness!
Me?
A great person?
Qi Yuan, who had inexplicably been given a “good person” card, was a bit bewildered, but he didn’t bother to dwell on it, saying calmly,
“It’s nothing, I just found them unpleasant to look at.”
As he spoke, his face blurred for a moment, then instantly returned to its original appearance.
Because the tasks given by the System were too abstract, Qi Yuan subconsciously didn’t want to be recognized. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had slightly altered his appearance before coming here.
After all, his Master, the Sect Leader, usually valued his reputation the most. If he knew that his personal Disciple had been chased for dozens of miles by a group of Mortals outside, he probably wouldn’t have a good time when he returned.
Qi Yuan’s original appearance was also quite striking, causing the young girl beside him to light up with a strange glint in her eyes, staring at him curiously without stopping.
Qi Yao came from a Cultivator Family. Although she was deemed to have no Cultivation Aptitude from a young age and was completely disregarded, she still knew a little about some common knowledge of the Cultivation World.
She knew that many Cultivators possessed methods of concealing their aura and changing their appearance, so she was not surprised by the change in Qi Yuan’s looks.
Just then, from the distant sky, clouds suddenly surged, and a magnificent flying boat, radiating colorful light, swiftly approached.