My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 5: Murder and Treasure—The Martial Arts Routine

Li Ye’s instincts were spot-on.

These seasoned martial artists were no fools. If a few boastful words from a young, hairless-faced upstart could fool them, they might as well go home, wash their hands, and settle down to farm with their wives and kids.

At best, they were skeptical of Li Ye’s claims. Terms like "spatial jump" sounded sophisticated, but his reliance on underhanded techniques made it hard to take his supposed celestial origins seriously.

Neither Fan Jie, the short-bearded man, nor Liu Guangsheng, the elder, truly believed him. They were merely pretending to cooperate, hoping to probe his identity and exploit him.

---

Shifting the conversation, Li Ye quickly extracted key details about this world’s structure from the group.

This was indeed a martial arts world—or more accurately, a feudal society reminiscent of Earth’s ancient dynasties.

The central kingdom, Chu, was surrounded by various barbarian nations. Its greatest threat was the Western Regions, with whom it had been clashing for decades.

Unlike Earth’s feudal dynasties, this world gave considerable power to martial sects. These sects were so influential that even the royal court had to consider their opinions in governance. The court and the martial world functioned like two parallel systems, seamlessly intertwined to maintain stability.

The martial world was a tangle of alliances and rivalries. The two dominant forces in the central plains were the Heavenly Dao Alliance, comprised of several top-tier sects, and the Scarlet Flame Sect, the leading faction of the demonic path. The two factions split the region’s power almost evenly.

Martial artists were crudely divided into innate experts and acquired experts. Only innate experts had the potential to reach the rank of Grandmaster.

While innate experts were relatively common, Grandmasters were exceedingly rare. Currently, only four were recognized:

Murong Kaixin, the Heavenly Master of Chu.

Fu Wenbo, the National Master of the Western Regions.

Yu Hai, the leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance.

Huai Yi, the Grand Elder of the Scarlet Flame Sect.

These four Grandmasters each held sway over their respective domains, balancing the powers of the court and the martial world.

---

After gaining a rough understanding of this world’s factions, Li Ye glanced at Fan Jie and the others. “Do any of you qualify as innate experts?”

His question brought an awkward silence.

After a pause, someone muttered from the crowd, “If we had innate experts, would we be afraid of you?”

Fan Jie chuckled wryly. “We’re just minor figures in the Jiangnan region. We’re far from reaching that level.”

Liu Guangsheng added flatly, “Becoming an innate expert requires exceptional talent and insight. Out of a thousand martial artists, producing even one innate expert is considered fortunate.”

---

As the sky darkened, Li Ye glanced toward the cave’s entrance. “What are you all doing here?”

Fan Jie raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Oh, nothing much. Just a simple martial arts gathering to exchange skills with like-minded individuals.”

“A martial arts gathering? In a cave, in the middle of nowhere? Do your gatherings always look this shady?” Li Ye sneered, rising smoothly and planting his foot on the unlucky corpse’s head. “Fan Jie, have you forgotten who’s in charge here? If you won’t talk, someone else will. I’ve got plenty of time.”

Fan Jie’s expression darkened, but Liu Guangsheng quickly coughed, signaling him with a glance. “Master Fan, there’s no need to hide the truth at this point. We’ve lost too many people already. If we want our plan to succeed, we’ll need the young hero’s help.”

Fan Jie hesitated before catching on. He sighed and cupped his fists apologetically. “Young hero, the fault is mine. I only withheld the truth because you’re new here, and I didn’t want to drag you into martial world disputes. But Master Liu is right—we’ve lost many of our men. To succeed in our mission, we need your assistance.”

Li Ye smirked but remained silent, waiting for Fan Jie to elaborate.

Clearing his throat, Fan Jie explained, “We recently received word that Shi Xiang, the Hall Master of the Scarlet Flame Sect’s Azure Dragon Hall, has come into possession of the Dragon Emperor Technique, a martial manual once wielded by the legendary lone swordsman Xie Yue. Shi intends to offer it to the Scarlet Flame Sect. He’ll be passing through Pine Ridge in the next couple of days. Our plan is to ambush him and seize the manual.”

---

Dragon Emperor Technique?

Li Ye couldn’t help but chuckle. Martial arts novels had it right—wherever there was a martial world, murder and treasure hunting were inevitable. A single martial manual was enough to unleash a bloodbath.

Flipping the football club badge in his palm, Li Ye considered his options.

As a temporal walker, his mission was to collect this world’s resources. In this case, martial manuals like the Dragon Emperor Technique were clearly the target.

Still, as a rookie, Li Ye’s primary goal was survival. With only a rough understanding of this world, diving into its conflicts prematurely would increase his risk of death.

For all he knew, Fan Jie and Liu Guangsheng could be lying.

The safest course of action was to kill everyone in the cave and leave. That way, his presence and identity would remain a secret, giving him time to integrate into this world and grow stronger.

Most temporal walkers would take this approach—spending a month or two learning the world’s rules before devising a growth plan based on their demon artifact.

But Li Ye’s circumstances were far from ideal.

Three months ago, he was an ordinary man. While he had no qualms about fighting for survival, the idea of slaughtering an entire group now felt excessive. Besides, there was no guarantee he could eliminate them all—if even a few escaped, it would cause trouble.

Moreover, the Demon Capture Office’s guidelines discouraged excessive use of killing-based artifacts, as the act of killing heightened negative emotions, accelerating demonic corruption.

Li Ye had chosen the football club badge, a team-based artifact. Killing his way through this situation would defeat its purpose.

If he wanted to grow stronger without succumbing to demonic corruption, obtaining the world’s top martial techniques was essential. The Dragon Emperor Technique was now a necessary goal.

Sometimes, plans had to adapt. For a demon hunter, flexibility was key.

---

Having weighed the pros and cons, Li Ye laughed heartily and waved his hand. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I’m an interstellar bandit—I rob land, sea, and air! Asking me for help is the right call.

Didn’t I tell you? Stick with me, and I’ll lead you to riches and glory. First, we’ll take the Dragon Emperor Technique. After that, we’ll loot the Scarlet Flame Sect and the Heavenly Dao Alliance!”

Fan Jie and the others stared, stunned.

After a moment, Fan Jie awkwardly interjected, “Young hero, let’s just focus on the Dragon Emperor Technique. There’s no need to take on the Scarlet Flame Sect and Heavenly Dao Alliance.”

“Relax, Fan Jie,” Li Ye said with a grin. “I’m from a Level Four civilization. Even at one ten-thousandth of my power, crushing your so-called top factions is child’s play. Once my strength returns, conquering this planet will be effortless. You’ll all be my trusted generals, living in luxury under my rule.”

From the crowd, a voice scoffed. “Big talk. With your skills, you’re barely a match for us. Forget Grandmasters—a single innate expert could crush you.”

Li Ye shot a sharp glance at the speaker, but before he could reply, Fan Jie turned and barked, “Deng Wei, shut up!”

Turning back, Fan Jie plastered on a smile. “Young hero, pay no mind to him. He’s just a coarse fellow. We’ll follow your lead. If your strength recovers, we’d love for you to take us to the Galactic Federation.”

“Master Fan speaks wisely,” Liu Guangsheng added with a nod.

---

Two sly foxes, trying to exploit me for free labor.

Li Ye saw through their ploy instantly but chose not to expose them. After all, he was using them too. This was simply a battle of wits to see who outmaneuvered whom.

Laughing heartily, Li Ye declared, “Stay loyal, and I’ll show you wonders someday. You’ll find I’m quite easy to get along with.

Back in the bandit world, they called me ‘Rainmaker Li’—a man of loyalty who always lent a hand to those in need. Why else would everyone respectfully call me ‘Lord Li’ in my early twenties?”

“Lord Li?” Fan Jie seized the opportunity to flatter. “We’re fortunate to have your guidance.”

“Indeed,” Li Ye replied, grinning. “Now, when exactly is this Shi Xiang arriving? Walk me through your plan.”