My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 4: Flaunting Authority

The cave settled into a brief peace.

The short-bearded man and the elder cautiously approached Li Ye while the rest busied themselves aiding the injured. Broken bones and torn muscles could be treated, but those hit by Li Ye’s infamous groin kicks were effectively crippled, sprawled on the ground as they gritted their teeth and channeled energy to disperse the internal damage. Occasionally, they glanced at Li Ye with undisguised hatred.

Li Ye ignored their stares entirely. Survival was paramount, and when conflicts arose, the law of the jungle prevailed. Sacrificing himself to accommodate others? Absurd.

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The short-bearded man stood before Li Ye, his tone careful. “Young hero, what do you mean by ‘civilization structure’?”

They don’t even know what civilization structure means? This world is primitive.

Li Ye glanced at the man and sighed inwardly. Still, backward civilizations were easier to survive in. Despite his unlucky start, perhaps luck hadn’t abandoned him entirely.

Frowning slightly, Li Ye displayed a hint of disdain for their ignorance. “Civilization structure refers to the combination of all aspects of your world: knowledge, material development, societal systems, ecology, culture—everything.

In simple terms, it’s the current state of your world, the path of its development, and the ultimate achievements that path might lead to. That is civilization.”

The short-bearded man exchanged a confused look with the elder, who seemed equally lost. Around them, the eavesdropping martial artists wore similarly baffled expressions.

Exactly what I wanted. Their confusion highlights my superiority.

If they weren’t impressed, why else would he bring up something as advanced as “civilization structure” in what was clearly a martial arts world?

Li Ye’s gaze swept over the group, filled with the condescension of someone observing uncultured primitives. He shook his head and asked, “Civilization is a broad topic. Let’s simplify: what’s the most powerful person or weapon in your world? Can they achieve the third cosmic velocity?”

The short-bearded man was dumbfounded. “Young hero, the most powerful individuals in our world are the Four Grandmasters. But may I ask, what is the third cosmic velocity?”

“You don’t even know the third cosmic velocity? How primitive!” Li Ye exclaimed, shaking his head.

He picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it into the air, letting it fall back down as he explained. “Why does the stone fall? Because our planet exerts a strong gravitational pull. That’s why, no matter how good your lightness skills are, you’ll always return to the ground.”

Gravitational pull?

The short-bearded man’s mouth fell slightly open, his thoughts swirling. A new door seemed to crack open in his mind.

“Judging from your expressions, you focus on individual growth. There’s a saying, ‘In martial arts, speed is invincible, and strength conquers all.’

The first cosmic velocity is the orbital velocity—achieving it allows a person to float indefinitely in the air. The second cosmic velocity is escape velocity—this lets you break free from your planet’s gravitational pull and enter the stars.

The third cosmic velocity, also called escape velocity, lets you not only leave the planet but also the sun’s gravitational pull, allowing free travel across the cosmos.”

The short-bearded man swallowed hard, glancing at the elder. At this moment, he genuinely believed Li Ye wasn’t of their world. A lunatic couldn’t possibly have such logical and meticulous thoughts.

The mention of these velocities carried an air of unfathomable mystery.

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Watching their awestruck faces, Li Ye smiled faintly. “You mentioned Grandmasters. How powerful are they?”

After some hesitation, the short-bearded man replied, “Young hero, we’ve never seen a Grandmaster in action, but it’s said they can divide rivers and split mountains, traveling a thousand miles in a day. But I’ve never heard of one being able to fly indefinitely. I suppose they can’t reach the first cosmic velocity.”

Divide rivers and split mountains?

Li Ye froze for a moment. Damn, high-level martial arts! Survival here just got harder.

While alarm bells rang in his mind, he maintained his composure, tearing off his fake wig with a frustrated and irritable gesture. “Damn it! The strongest individual power here only divides rivers and mountains? They can’t even shatter a star? What rotten luck—to be stuck on such a primitive planet!

How am I supposed to heal here? Will it take me until the end of time? A mighty interstellar bandit like me, trapped on this backward rock? This is complete bullsh*t!”

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Feigning authority was a skill Li Ye had honed during his three months of training with the Demon Capture Office. Beyond wilderness survival, his training focused heavily on psychology and acting. Under the guidance of top-tier instructors, Li Ye could effortlessly perform any desired emotional state without slipping up.

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Shattering stars, primitive planet, interstellar bandit, healing…

These alien terms sparked endless speculation among the crowd.

“Young hero, may I ask where you’re from?” The elder cautiously broke the silence.

“I’m from the Galactic Federation,” Li Ye snapped, exasperated. “A place you primitive folks will never reach in your lifetimes.”

“Is everyone in the Galactic Federation like you? Have you reached the third cosmic velocity?” The short-bearded man mustered his courage to probe further.

“Third cosmic velocity? That’s child’s play. At my peak, I could perform spatial jumps with my body alone!” Li Ye scoffed. “If it weren’t for falling into the Federation police’s trap and encountering spatial turbulence during my jump, I wouldn’t have ended up in this backward place!”

The short-bearded man hesitated. “Young hero, what is a spatial jump?”

“Spatial jumping folds space, creating the shortest route from point A to point B.”

Li Ye picked up his discarded wig, pulled out a strand of hair, and held it taut. “Imagine this hair is a road. Normally, you’d travel from one end to the other.”

He folded the hair, bringing the ends together. “With spatial jumping, you skip the middle distance and move directly from one end to the other. Understand?”

Watching the group’s stunned faces, Li Ye sighed impatiently, tossing the strand aside. “Your civilization is too primitive to grasp this properly. It’s pointless to explain.”

“That sounds like the legendary ‘shrinking the earth into inches’ technique,” a young man in his twenties suddenly blurted out.

“More or less,” Li Ye replied, eyes lighting up. “But spatial jumping spans galaxies, far beyond what ‘shrinking the earth into inches’ could achieve. Do you know about celestial arts?”

“I read about them in storybooks,” the young man admitted sheepishly, looking at Li Ye with awe. “You… you really are an immortal?”

“In terms of civilization, I’m from a Level Four civilization. You haven’t even reached the first cosmic velocity, so you barely qualify as Level One. Calling me an immortal isn’t entirely inaccurate.”

Li Ye smirked. “At my peak, I visited many Level One civilizations. The fools there worshipped me as a deity.”

“What do Level One and Level Four civilizations represent?” the young man asked, bewildered.

The short-bearded man and the elder were also intrigued.

Li Ye scanned the crowd, noting their expressions with satisfaction. Smirking, he said, “I haven’t even asked about your civilization yet, and you’re already interrogating me. Interesting.”

Pointing at the young man, he asked, “What’s your name?”

“Huaguo Wu’s Yu Fei,” the young man replied, bowing.

“And you?” Li Ye turned to the short-bearded man.

“He Fengshan’s Fan Jie,” came the reply.

Before Li Ye could ask, the elder preemptively answered, “Snow Pine Sect’s Liu Guangsheng.”

Li Ye chuckled. “You lot don’t seem very impressive. Might as well follow me! Since I’ll be stuck here recovering, I’ll lead you to prosperity. First, tell me what fun or useful things exist on this planet. When we’re done, I’ll enlighten you about the universe.”

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Li Ye knew they didn’t fully trust him. Their probing questions were an obvious attempt to test him, and more would likely follow. But that was exactly what he wanted.

As long as he kept dangling hooks, their curiosity would keep them on his side. By the time he’d fully harnessed the badge’s potential, his lies would transform into truths.

For now, the persona of an interstellar bandit couldn’t waver. Someone in a position of power wouldn’t answer every question—they’d assert dominance when necessary.