My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 6: Establishing His Divine Identity

“After acquiring the Dragon Emperor Technique, Shi Xiang has been traveling day and night. He should pass through Pine Ridge at midnight tonight,” Fan Jie said. “As for our original plan, it’s no longer viable after so many injuries. But with Li Ye joining us, capturing Shi Xiang shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How skilled is Shi Xiang?” Li Ye asked.

“Shi Xiang is the last disciple of Grandmaster Huai Yi. Although he hasn’t reached the innate level, he is still one of the top fighters in the martial world,” Fan Jie explained.

“How skilled, exactly?” Li Ye pressed. “How does he compare to me?”

“…” Fan Jie’s lips twitched involuntarily as he recalled Li Ye’s underhanded moves, which barely counted as martial arts. “It’s hard to compare. It’s said that Shi Xiang has mastered three layers of Huai Yi’s Sevenfold Force technique. His internal energy is fully controlled, and his moves are incredibly refined.”

“Fully controlled? That’s such a vague description!” Li Ye smirked and gave Fan Jie a sidelong glance. “You couldn’t even handle me, and you still dared to provoke a Grandmaster’s disciple?”

Fan Jie chuckled. “He hasn’t reached the innate level. No matter how skilled he is, we can exhaust his internal energy with sheer numbers. We have enough people to wear him down.”

“If he’s a Grandmaster’s disciple, aren’t you afraid of retaliation after killing him?” Li Ye asked again.

“Shi Xiang is just a disciple, not a Grandmaster himself,” Fan Jie replied. “Grandmasters hold a lofty status and rarely intervene. When they do, it often triggers other Grandmasters to act, plunging the martial world into chaos. Besides, we plan to offer the Dragon Emperor Technique to the Heavenly Dao Alliance. They’ll provide protection.”

“You’re stealing a martial manual just to hand it over to the Heavenly Dao Alliance?” Li Ye asked in surprise.

Fan Jie hesitated, then spoke self-deprecatingly. “Everyone’s aptitude and understanding differ. Each person has their own most suitable martial technique. A profound technique like the Dragon Emperor Technique might ruin us if we try to learn it. It’s better to offer it to the Alliance and exchange it for something we can master.”

He paused, then smiled and advised, “Li Ye, you’re skilled and mysterious in origin. Why not join the Heavenly Dao Alliance? With the merit of presenting the Dragon Emperor Technique, you could secure an excellent position.”

Heh!

If his transmigration hadn’t been exposed, this would indeed be a prudent path. However, joining the Heavenly Dao Alliance now would likely lead to captivity and interrogation.

Li Ye trusted no one. He preferred to form his own team.

“Old Fan, you don’t believe me!” Li Ye shook his head at Fan Jie. “Fine. I’ll show you how advanced civilizations operate. Pick ten people.”

Fan Jie, though uncertain of Li Ye’s intentions, complied and selected ten people, including himself.

The soccer team badge granted a team-wide boost. Eleven people achieved the optimal effect when united. This conclusion came from those who had used the badge before.

It was Li Ye’s first time using the badge, and he intended to test it on this group.

The ten selected men, apart from Fan Jie and Liu Guangsheng, showed varying degrees of resistance—mockery, sullenness, or outright disdain.

Standing before them, Li Ye swept his gaze across their faces. “Gentlemen, you heard what I said to Old Fan. I know you don’t believe me, and you’re resentful because I injured your comrades. Some of you probably want me dead.

“But now, we share a common goal. If you’re dissatisfied, suck it up. If you hate me, set it aside. Your lives are in my hands. The only reason I’m keeping you alive is because I’m unfamiliar with this place and need manpower. Otherwise, a bunch of misfits like you wouldn’t even catch my attention.”

The group stirred uneasily. As martial artists with fiery tempers, someone immediately tried to argue, only to be silenced by Fan Jie’s glare.

“Do you know why I only chose ten of you?” Li Ye asked with a smirk. “It’s because I’m severely injured, and my spiritual energy can only cover ten people. A bunch of backwater first-level primitives getting to experience spiritual energy enhancement? Your ancestors must’ve blessed you.”

Feigning deep authority, Li Ye caught Fan Jie’s curiosity. “Li Ye, what’s spiritual energy?”

Scanning the group, Li Ye explained, “Spiritual energy is a higher-grade energy surpassing mana, magic, divine energy, and your internal force. Internal force, frankly, is the lowest-level energy.”

He extended his hand, palm down. “Talking won’t convince you. Place your hands on mine, and I’ll let you experience the wonders of spiritual energy firsthand. Old Fan, you go first.”

Fan Jie hesitated but eventually placed his hand on Li Ye’s. A surge of demonic energy from the badge flowed into Fan Jie, who stared in wide-eyed shock. “This… this…”

As Fan Jie absorbed the energy, a faint connection formed between him and Li Ye through the demonic energy.

Li Ye smiled and looked at Liu Guangsheng. “Old Liu, your turn. The more people in our team, the greater the impact of spiritual energy.”

The elder followed suit, placing his hand on top. His reaction mirrored Fan Jie’s: astonishment. “What… what’s happening?”

“This is spiritual energy,” Li Ye said, gesturing for the others. “Everyone else, join in.”

Encouraged by Fan Jie and Liu Guangsheng’s reactions, the rest hesitantly placed their hands atop the stack. The effect was immediate. Eleven hands, layered together, caused the demonic energy to transform qualitatively.

Li Ye felt a sharp increase in his power and heightened senses. The pitch-black night outside the cave grew clearer, revealing individual blades of grass and leaves. Even the chirping of insects became distinct.

If this was the effect of demonic energy, who could resist its allure?

Li Ye sighed inwardly. Lacking any tools to measure the extent of demonic energy’s corruption, he felt the struggle of being a Temporal Walker. Still, for now, he could freely absorb the energy. No Temporal Walker had ever lost their mind immediately after crossing worlds.

The badge activated the soccer team’s group attribute, benefiting everyone involved.

Even Deng Wei, who had been hostile toward Li Ye, exclaimed, “Why is my internal force flowing so quickly?”

Yu Fei from Huaguo Valley blurted, “I can see so clearly now!”

“My hearing improved, too.”

“It feels like my strength increased…”

“Is this spiritual energy?”

The group erupted into excited chatter, each marveling at their transformation. Their attitude toward Li Ye shifted dramatically.

It was real!

He really was a celestial being…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Their hearts raced uncontrollably.

Outside the group, those not chosen to participate crowded closer, curiosity piqued.

“Deng Wei, what’s going on?”

“What happened?”

“What did you experience?”

“Is spiritual energy real?”

The cave bustled like a marketplace, but the ten “blessed” men ignored the commotion, lost in their transformation. Whatever doubts or biases they had about Li Ye vanished.

“Do you believe me now?” Li Ye asked, smiling.

“Y-Yes, we believe,” Fan Jie stammered, his face flushed with excitement.

“Li Ye, from now on, I’m your subordinate. I’ll follow your orders without question,” Liu Guangsheng, ever pragmatic, declared smoothly, his mind already racing with thoughts of immortality.

“Me too.”

“Count me in.”

“From this moment on, I’ll follow you, Li Ye,” Yu Fei added fervently. If spiritual energy was real, so was Li Ye’s divine identity. Advanced civilizations were beyond his understanding, but this was like encountering a deity from a tale.

A celestial being fallen to the mortal realm—who cared about the Heavenly Dao Alliance anymore?