120 Another Ruthless Blow

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Yang Tang remained preoccupied with the constant process of converting his vital energy and internal power into physical constitution and magical strength. Having just swallowed the ten-thousand-year He Shou Wu, he was ready to give it a try.

"To efficiently convert, please open the character status panel!" the system prompted.

Following the instruction, Yang Tang opened his status panel and noticed a hexagram above the Baihui acupoint on his humanoid figure—identical to the golden hexagram shrouded in mist, but scaled down immensely. Nested within this miniature hexagram was an even smaller irregular hexagon, seemingly representing his six-dimensional attributes, also shrunk proportionally.

"Please sit in the pose shown on the humanoid figure and silently chant 'convert vital energy.' Conversion will begin immediately. Silence the chant to stop the process. The same applies for internal power conversion. Serious warning: vital energy and internal power conversions can only occur one at a time, never simultaneously. Each two-hour period allows conversion of up to one thousand points of vital energy or internal power. Monitor your values carefully and halt immediately to avoid negative values, which will have dire consequences."

After absorbing this lengthy warning, Yang Tang summarized the key points, committed them to memory through repetition, and began the conversion attempt. As he silently intoned "convert vital energy," he observed his vital energy value steadily decrease at a rate of one point every 7.2 seconds. His body felt neither pain nor discomfort, yet the small hexagram showed no visible change even after over ten minutes.

Wait—that hexagram was essentially a boundary; it shouldn't change. The focus should be on the irregular hexagon inside it.

Alas, the tiny irregular hexagon remained utterly static.

Could the conversion be ineffective after all?

Yet, as time passed and barely a full two-hour cycle elapsed, Yang Tang noticed one vertex of the irregular hexagon subtly expand outward.

Wow—that tiny change represented a thousand points of vital energy?

No, wait—it meant ten points of constitution.

Ah, right—I had forgotten the conversion rate was one percent!

"Reminder: the maximum vital energy convertible in the seventh dream is 9,999."

What?! Why is that?

No response from the system for a long moment.

Frustrated, Yang Tang was about to lose heart, but then he reflected: the protagonist in the game "Hero of Wuxia" capped at four nines for vital energy and internal power. That realization balanced his mood.

The system’s meaning was simple: just cultivate your vital energy and internal power up to twenty thousand; convert ten thousand, keep the rest to clear the stage—be content with that.

With that thought, Yang Tang spent another two-hour cycle converting a thousand points of internal power. Afterward, both his vital energy and internal power hovered slightly above fourteen hundred points. His third-level Golden Wild Goose Skill added over one hundred points to both, along with modest increases to attack and defense. Still, his offensive and defensive stats barely reached twenty points, rendering him vulnerable to a one-hit knockout in direct combat.

That afternoon, Yang Tang bought a new sack and returned to the hunting grounds. Near the spot where he had buried the old beggar, he dug a fresh grave in another forest clearing. Though unsure if the unnamed young hero from the game would appear, he felt it prudent to prepare a resting place in advance.

Since he was already at the hunting grounds, Yang Tang hunted a bit. While gathering tiger penises and snake gallbladders, he accidentally overturned a black bear and obtained its gallbladder. Swallowing it raw boosted his vital energy and internal power by fifteen points each.

Also, after killing many poisonous snakes, Yang Tang collected their venom sacs to use for poisoning his arrows.

Before dinner, Yang Tang strolled around the village again but saw no strangers.

The next day, after breakfast, he made his usual village rounds. After covering most of the village without encountering anyone new, he was about to return to cultivating the Golden Wild Goose Skill when he noticed a monk sitting under a tree outside the village, gnawing on a chicken leg.

A monk indulging in wine and meat? Impossible!

Yang Tang’s eyes gleamed sharply as he headed toward the village chief’s house near the southwest entrance. He knew the chief was in Luoyang selling wine and would not be home—a perfect opportunity.

Yang Tang casually entered the chief’s courtyard and confirmed no one was there. He immediately climbed over the back wall onto the roof, crawling behind the ridge. From his unnamed finger ring, he quietly produced the sack and drew out the yellow birch bow lent by Old He.

"Activate Enhancement Mode 2!"

Clamping four arrows between his fingers, Yang Tang slowly nocked and drew the bow without making a sound. His retinas locked onto four vital points on the monk’s body: head, neck, chest, and lumbar spine.

"Whoosh!"

Four arrows flew simultaneously.

The monk, mid-bite on a chicken bone, sensed danger instantly. He slapped the ground and leapt up, releasing his internal energy as a protective aura capable of deflecting projectiles.

Damn, how could I forget his internal power! Damn it! Switch to Enhancement Mode 3!

Sure enough, all four arrows were shattered by the monk’s skill. The monk roared wildly, "Who dares to ambush old Peng?!"

Before he finished, a stabbing pain erupted in his back. Suddenly, an arrow pierced through his chest and exploded outward.

"Phut!"

The monk’s body trembled violently as he spat a mouthful of blood, staggering in place. He muttered, "Coward! If you have guts, face me one-on-one!"

One-on-one? If dueling decided all, then why did so many martial masters perish under gunfire in late Qing Dynasty China?

Recalling this humiliating history, Yang Tang activated his eagle eyes and confirmed the monk was dead. He then climbed down from the roof and searched the corpse thoroughly. Aside from three tattered manuals and some scattered coins and half a pouch of wine, there was little else.

"Great Strength Vajra Fist, Shaolin Nine Yang Skill, Diamond Sutra—nice haul!" Yang Tang glanced over the books and secured them. Following Old He’s method, he buried the monk’s body in the new tree pit.

That night, Yang Tang planned to cultivate the Shaolin Nine Yang Skill, but the system reminded him that since he hadn’t fully entered the nurturing scene, to cultivate multiple internal skills simultaneously, his magical power must exceed three thousand.

So, I haven’t completely entered the dream game’s main plot yet?

The system added that only with a profound foundation could multiple internal skills be cultivated simultaneously.

Yang Tang understood immediately. It was akin to mastering the fusion of the Nine Yin and Nine Yang classics before training other lower-tier internal skills. This approach prevents internal contradictions that lead to backlash or spiritual deviation.

"Sigh, whatever. Shaolin Nine Yang Skill can’t be brought outside anyway—whether I train early or late makes no difference."

Therefore, Yang Tang focused solely on the Golden Wild Goose Skill, practicing until the fifth level before resting. His vital energy and internal power rose by another hundred points, and his attack and defense improved to roughly twenty-four points.

The following morning, after finishing noodles at the shop, Yang Tang left through the village’s southwest gate. Near the newly dug grave where the monk lay, he spotted a weary young man in blue robes approaching.

A flash of insight struck Yang Tang. He slipped behind a thick tree trunk and began scraping bark with a short shovel, making a moderate noise.

As expected, the young man noticed him immediately and approached, clasping his fists respectfully.

"Brother, my name is Dongfang Weiming. I wish to travel to Luoyang. Could you please guide me?"

Yang Tang scrutinized Dongfang Weiming, then pointed toward Dukang Village.

"Pass through the village, exit from the east gate, then follow the main road northeast for about ten miles—you'll reach Luoyang."

"Thank you, brother!" Dongfang Weiming bowed again and headed toward Dukang Village but stumbled after a few steps, clutching his neck in agony before collapsing.

"These wounds are severe. I wonder if they can seriously injure the Dragon King Heavenly King!" Yang Tang stood a dozen paces away, watching until Dongfang Weiming’s body ceased twitching. Confirming his death with eagle eyes, Yang Tang approached to search him but found only a few hundred copper coins.

"Hmph, such a pauper! Brother, you’re supposed to be the protagonist—shouldn’t you at least carry some peerless internal skill manuals?"

He buried Dongfang Weiming’s body securely in the forest grave, then returned to the village to order another bowl of noodles. Just as he finished eating, the Xu brothers arrived, pretending to be storytellers.

At last, the opening storyline unfolds!

Excited, Yang Tang circled back to Old He’s place, packed the snake gallbladders, tiger penises, and two bear gallbladders he had acquired over the past days into a large bag within the second storage slot of his unnamed finger ring, left Old He ten coins, and returned to the village.

The Xu brothers' storytelling was lively, drawing cheers from many villagers and passersby. Yang Tang quietly stood in a corner and noticed among the crowd a person dressed as a Japanese, who was in fact one of the later female protagonists, Feng Chuanxue, disguised as a man.

Should I make a move on this girl? Her internal skill methods seem impressive.

After some hesitation, Yang Tang abandoned the malicious thought.

Two reasons: first, the mere presence of internal skill manuals on the dead monk doesn’t guarantee Feng Chuanxue carries them. As an assassin from Destiny City, her organization surely has strict safeguards against skill leakage, unlike the monk, who was a Shaolin disciple cast out, with his manuals unrecovered due to his master’s seniority.

Second, the main plot was about to begin, and time was tight. The Xu brothers were present—one wielding the Supreme Solitude skill, the other the Overlord Qin Divine Technique—both top-tier experts. If they intervened, the assassination plan would be complicated and risk spoiling their reputation. If denied access to the Free and Easy Valley or other major sects, they would lose far more than they gained.

Just as Yang Tang dismissed the idea, another unfamiliar woodcutter came in carrying a load, shouting, "From the northwest gate, the Thirteen Wild Geese of Shaanbei are attacking!"

Dukang Village had three exits: northwest gate (Yang Tang’s entrance), east gate leading to Luoyang, and southwest gate toward Wudang.

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