RBCT Chapter 42 Post-Battle Settlement, Experience Acquired
Chapter 42 Post-Battle Settlement, Experience Acquired
The master thief, who goes by the alias Dai Xianyong, is a formidable opponent whose skill level is comparable to a level 3 Qigong master in the online game. For a novice player like Lin Zhuo, he is an extremely difficult opponent to deal with.
In proper dungeon guides, it is recommended that players level up to level 2 and master a full set of white-quality skills before challenging this thief, which will greatly increase their chances of winning.
The speedrun guide offers a four-word mantra that can save a player's life: shout "Qingde, save me!" This true disciple of the White Egret Sword Sect is no less powerful than Ye Toufeng and can basically exchange pieces in battle.
Lin Zhuo chose a more aggressive approach. He ordered his strongest fighter, Qingde, to work with Cao Youdao, Shu Yuliu, and other heroes to deal with the bandits of Haoyi Manor first, while he and Liu Cang would hold off Dai Xianyong.
In this way, although players will face immense pressure, their allies will suffer significantly fewer casualties. This is extremely beneficial for increasing the reputation of Liquan Town. It also prevents completing the quest only to find one's companions perishing in misery, turning a lively event into a complete mess.
"You bastard, prepare to die!"
Dai Xianyong had tolerated Lin Zhuo for a long time. This guy's tone of voice was not as vivid as a storyteller's, but every word he said was extremely poisonous. In a short period of time, he destroyed the identity and business he had painstakingly built up over many years, and even brought about his death. How could such deep hatred not make people blush?
Such martial arts masters have already opened up their Qi Sea within their bodies, and even extended their Divine Meridians from the Qi Sea, giving them immense power in every move they make.
The Qi Sea, also known as the Hun Tian Yi Qiao, is the best place to store primordial essence, allowing excess life force produced by the body to be retained instead of spontaneously dissipating. Over time, it accumulates from droplets into a vast ocean, resulting in profound skill and immense mental energy, naturally manifesting as a powerful and awe-inspiring presence in every gesture.
The Divine Meridian, also known as the Zhou Tian Knot or Immortal Finger, is an invisible energy channel extending from the Qi Sea acupoint. It can circulate throughout the entire body, allowing the Qi to circulate continuously. Firstly, it can be used to cultivate advanced techniques, and secondly, it can be used to defend oneself with Qi. External forces can be triggered at the slightest touch, and even the lightest feather cannot be touched, and mosquitoes and flies cannot land.
Dai Xianyong came from humble beginnings, so the kung fu he practiced was naturally from minor schools and unorthodox methods. Apart from a self-created hidden weapon technique and a fragment of a stolen lifting and leaping technique that reached the white quality, the rest were all gray and inferior.
If we were to say that players in the online game have any advantage over the martial artists in these dungeons, it would be that they are already far superior in terms of the strength of their skills and the rationality of their equipment combinations.
On one side lies the infinite, boundless, and countless lineages of powerful beings from the multiverse, the essence condensed after the great waves of change. On the other side is a mere corner of a plane, a small haven where fish and turtles fight amongst themselves in shallow waters.
The cultivation techniques may be of the same quality, but their effects can be vastly different. This difference becomes the key to bridging the gap in numerical values and cultivation levels between the two sides.
Moreover, Lin Zhuo didn't expect to win; he just wanted to stall for time.
Faced with Dai Xianyong's angry palm strike, he immediately used the "Finger Flicking Escape Technique," transforming into a fleeting afterimage. Instead of retreating, he advanced, pretending to fight back, but at the crucial moment, he dodged aside, causing Dai Xianyong's powerful strike to miss its mark.
The powerful palm strike brushed past him, and Lin Zhuo felt as if the air around him was howling like a wounded bull. The residual force of the dissipated energy was quite strong, and it directly caused him to stagger. Half of his body felt like it was being scraped by an iron knife, and his skin was painful and his muscles and bones were numb.
If one attack fails, there is still a backup plan. Dai Xianyong mustered his strength and unleashed a series of attacks, forcing Lin Zhuo to struggle like a bird in a net, unable to escape.
The martial artist Liu Cang swung his iron cudgel at Dai Xianyong. This blow was enough to shatter trees and split rocks, and a fierce wind howled wherever it passed.
The master thief Ye Toufeng merely took a step forward, avoiding the back of his head, and used his protective technique to take the blow with his back. The iron rod struck his body with a loud thud, like a thin whip striking cowhide. Although the sound was loud, the injury was not serious.
Dai Xianyong was knocked off balance and Lin Zhuo finally had a chance to catch his breath. He had already spotted a weakness that he could exploit and was secretly waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Shu Yuliu took out a waist drum and hung it on his side at some point. He also had a pair of drumsticks in his hands. The ends of the drumsticks were inlaid with iron spikes and connected with white silk ribbons, so one end could be used to beat the drum and the other end could be used to kill people.
She didn't have the courage to kill, but she danced and beat the drum in the arena. Her movements were like flowing wind and swirling snow. The sound of the drum was like a continuous rain in an instant. Everyone who heard it felt their hearts tremble, and their feet felt itchy as if they wanted to dance along with the drum.
This is clearly also a sonic martial art.
When Shu Yuliu used his profound inner energy, he did so vividly and captivatingly, especially effective against weak-willed bandits. Upon seeing such a beautiful woman, they felt as if she were a celestial maiden, with shimmering eyes and an incomparably beautiful smile. Even in the midst of a life-or-death struggle, they couldn't help but steal a glance at her.
But these few moments of distraction were seized upon by the heroes, who either severely injured them or killed them on the spot.
Dai Xianyong could ignore Liu Cang's iron rod, but when he realized the trouble this woman was causing, his alarm bells immediately went off. He thought to himself that something was wrong, and quickly channeled his Xuanji True Qi, opened his mouth and roared, interrupting Shu Yuliu's drum rhythm.
Lin Zhuo, who was struggling against Dai Xianyong, immediately noticed the change. Dai Xianyong's palm force suddenly dropped significantly. This was the disadvantage of ordinary martial artists who did not master the Qi control technique. They had to deal with the four types of true Qi at the same time and could not take care of them all at the same time, so they could usually only use one technique to fight the enemy.
He was waiting for this opening in the transformation of true energy.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Zhuo immediately activated "Star Ball Wrathful Throw," raising his hand into a claw shape, deceiving Dai Xianyong's block, and suddenly grabbing at his eyes.
This move was something Lin Zhuo learned from that armored warrior. It was a technique calculated by artificial intelligence, and its ingenuity was truly boundless. Even though he only grasped three-tenths of its essence, it was still incredibly effective.
Dai Xianyong saw a flash of dark light before him, and then a heavy, explosive force of true energy struck his eyes. His eyes were in excruciating pain, and he let out a wail. He went berserk and punched wildly in all directions, forcing Lin Zhuo and Liu Cang back.
"Brother, are you injured?" The expressions of the surrounding heroes changed drastically.
Many people who were fighting glanced over and saw Dai Xianyong staggering, his eyes tightly closed, his face contorted with a hideous expression, and blood gushing from the corners of his eyes, mixed with clear semen, pooling on his cheeks and dripping down his chin, creating a terrifyingly grotesque mask.
"He's blind!" Cao Youdao exclaimed excitedly.
Qingde swung his sword and severed the throats of two ruthless bandits, exclaiming in admiration, "Young Master Lin, what superb skill!"
Liu Cang laughed bitterly, "You've finally met your match! I'll cut off your head and rip out your heart and liver to offer as a sacrifice to the spirits of my wife and sister in heaven!"
This fellow had been down on his luck for years, traveling to many places, tracking the trail of the notorious thief Ye Toufeng. Now that revenge was in sight, how could he not be filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy? But Lin Zhuo spoke up loudly at this moment to stop Liu Cang from pressing his advantage.
"Everyone lie down! This thief is going to use a hidden weapon!"
Just as Dai Xianyong shoved his hand into his pocket to hold the pouch of hidden weapons, he heard a series of whooshing sounds around him. The group of righteous heroes were running like rabbits, which made him roar in anger.
Hidden weapons are most effective when used unexpectedly; straightforward hidden weapons are rare, unless they are moves of the caliber of Li Xunhuan's Flying Dagger.
Despite his still surging inner energy, Dai Xianyong, who had lost his sight, was far less threatening than before. He had practiced blind fighting in order to launch surprise attacks at night, but he was ultimately no match for a group of sighted martial artists. He was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Lin Zhuo and the others, unable to escape or catch up, and was so disgusted that his face turned ashen and he felt like vomiting.
When Qing De finally managed to subdue the thief, he shattered its Qi Hai acupoints, severed its tendons in its hands and feet, and broke its limbs, rendering it powerless to harm anyone.
"Kill me if you want, but don't expect to get a single word out of me! Liu Cang, didn't you want to sacrifice me to the heavens? Then do it!"
Qingde tried to stop the furious Liu Cang, reasoning that the man needed to confess to the crimes he had committed over the years, and that it was necessary to interrogate him to find out if he was involved with other gangs.
Lin Zhuo stepped forward and said, "Ask me whatever you want to know. This guy is useless."
Qingde had great respect for these mysterious and unpredictable players on the online game platform, and after a moment's hesitation, he agreed.
Liu Cang, like a hungry tiger carrying a corpse, dragged the bandit away in the night, stealing into the depths of Haoyi Manor. Not long after, a scream pierced the sky, then fell and dissipated. Only startled birds circled in the sky, and crows cawed loudly.
In this battle, the friendly forces suffered only one serious injury and several minor injuries, almost completely annihilating the notorious bandit gang, Night Thief. Only a few desperate bandits fled on horseback when they saw the situation was not good.
The righteous men laughed heartily, and the onlookers were also satisfied, praising them with admiration. The Righteous Hall needed to sort through the stolen goods and return them to their rightful owners as much as possible; there would be plenty of follow-up work to do.
After Lin Zhuo and Shu Yuliu received their reward, they split it equally among themselves and the cat. As they walked out of the Zhengqi Hall, the two gatekeepers praised them, their tone full of admiration.
It was dusk, the setting sun was beautiful, the clouds were like blood, and the white walls and green tiles of Liquan Town were bathed in golden light, creating a hazy and dreamlike scene.
They were preparing to go to the Yue Lai Inn in the east of the town to meet their captain, Zhu Baixuan, as agreed, when they saw a boy wearing a panda headgear leading several bruised and battered bandits down the street. It turned out that they were escapees from Hao Yi Manor who had slipped through the net and were easily captured.
"Captain!" Lin Zhuo raised his hand and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Boss! We've completed the first mission!" Shu Yuliu waved excitedly.
"Meow!" Jin Xiaohu stood up and raised his paws, indicating that he had gained a lot from this trip.
Zhu Baixuan chuckled softly, "I saw it. Who among you is luckier?"
Although the mission is shared and each player receives the same amount of Disaster Coins and experience points, the loot dropped at the end of the mission differs, making it somewhat reliant on luck.
Lin Zhuo also looked at the information board.
[Network notification: Mission completed - Capture Night Thief (Hard)]
[Quest Rewards: 160 Disaster Coins, 950 Universal Experience, Tiger Bone Traumatic Injury Wine (Gray), Wind Stealer (White), Carved Heart Mirror (White)]
[The clearance conditions have been met, and the teleportation channel can be activated at any time.]
His luck was neither good nor bad; he didn't get any blue-quality treasures. His only skill book, "Wind Stealer," was Dai Xianyong's specialty, a technique for both theft and concealed weapons, but its practical value to players on the online platform was negligible.
The white-quality breastplate is pretty good. Before the equipment dropped in the dungeon is extracted, it will be adapted to the player's body type to avoid serious size differences that make it unwearable.
Lin Zhuo valued general experience the most, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Finally, I can upgrade.