My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 8: Cultivating Spiritual Energy

“Fan Jie, stop staring and pass the ball.”

“Focus on the ball, not on me!”

“Practice makes perfect. Do the same action a million times, and you’ll instinctively know how to control the ball with your eyes closed.”

“From now on, we’re a team. When we fight one person, all eleven of us fight. If we face a group, it’s still all eleven of us together. This is about building our coordination…”

---

Inside the cave, the rest of the group stood aside, leaving the center open for the freshly formed Fun Seekers Club to train.

Fan Jie, Liu Guangsheng, and the others passed a ball around in a circle, their expressions conflicted.

After all, it was unsettling to kick something around with their feet when it resembled the head of a fellow teammate…

“Focus!” Li Ye’s voice echoed throughout the cave. “Train hard now, bleed less later. This is our unique training method. The more in sync we are, the faster spiritual energy will improve.”

They already knew Li Ye was unconventional, but this method seemed almost absurd.

The idea that such training could actually enhance spiritual energy defied all reason.

“Li Ye, do people in the Galactic Federation train like this?” Fan Jie couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course not.” Li Ye chuckled. “I’m a star bandit. I cultivate an unorthodox technique, taking shortcuts. Legitimate methods would never improve spiritual energy this quickly. If you don’t like it, you can leave. Plenty of others would jump at the chance.”

“No, no! I was just curious,” Fan Jie quickly replied, plastering a smile on his face and passing the ball hard to Yu Fei.

Only a fool would refuse!

In just this short time, not only had his spiritual energy improved, but his internal force had also surged dramatically. It was more effective than consuming rare treasures. If this path could make him a Grandmaster, he didn’t care if he turned into a villain to get there.

“To succeed, you have to go a little crazy,” Li Ye continued. “Besides training, there’s an even faster way to boost spiritual energy: building reputation. The greater our renown, the faster spiritual energy improves. The more famous our club becomes, the faster we’ll grow.”

The spectators were stunned. This entirely upended their understanding of cultivation.

“Don’t use your primitive mindset to judge advanced civilizations,” Li Ye said, noticing their bewildered looks. “Our methods align with universal truths, drawing upon the energy between heaven and earth.

“Do you know why immortals need incense offerings? Incense represents belief and faith. The more followers and influence an immortal has, the stronger their power. We work the same way. Relying solely on personal cultivation would take eons to move mountains or overturn seas.

“Why do you think I stay on the Galactic Federation’s wanted list, hunted by everyone? Because I need fame! That’s why I became a star bandit.”

Realization dawned on the group. Of course, Li Ye needed to dominate this planet. Only by doing so could he recover from his injuries. On this primitive world, where only internal force was practiced, how else could he heal?

---

“Ambushing Shi Xiang will be our first real battle,” Li Ye said, intercepting their pass with ease, juggling the ball a few times before sending it back. “Tomorrow, I’ll reorganize the club and ensure everyone plays to their strengths.”

---

After finalizing the club’s name, Li Ye experienced another significant improvement in his constitution. Sensing he was on the right path, he began integrating the soccer badge’s characteristics into the group’s training.

His goals were threefold:

Strengthen the team to deal with the monster that could appear at any moment.

Trigger derived skills, which were essential for a Demon Hunter’s survival in combat.

Build his own force to investigate the nature of the monster that had landed in this world. Knowing the enemy would allow him to act decisively, whether attacking or defending.

---

Unity, perseverance, progress, glory, soccer, reputation...

Li Ye worked to maximize the badge’s effects. Only by understanding his demon artifact could he use it to its full potential.

The Demon Hunting Bureau had only been developing demon artifacts for two years. Their prohibitions were not absolute truths. Blindly adhering to their taboos would only lead to harm.

Out of over 200 Temporal Walkers, only eight had survived. This alone proved that the Bureau’s rules weren’t entirely suitable for Temporal Walkers. The Bureau was still experimenting, and their guidelines were constantly revised.

To survive, Li Ye had to rely on his own judgment. The path ahead was his to forge.

As for losing himself to the demonic energy, that wasn’t a concern for now. Compared to these natives, who easily succumbed to temptation, Li Ye believed his willpower was far stronger. At least, he still knew what he needed to do.

---

At midnight, under the bright moonlight, Li Ye and his group lay in ambush along a path near Pine Ridge, waiting for Shi Xiang.

The demonic energy heightened their senses, making the night as clear as day.

Liu Guangsheng and the others, standing behind Li Ye, watched the forest trail intently, brimming with confidence.

Even those injured were brought out to act as spectators, stationed along the path to cheer during the battle.

The task Li Ye assigned them was so humiliating that the seasoned martial artists, each with some renown, felt deeply embarrassed.

But when they remembered Li Ye’s promises and the potential rewards, they swallowed their pride.

True hardship brings eventual success.

If chanting slogans would let them cultivate spiritual energy, what was the harm? Didn’t Liu Guangsheng even kick around heads earlier?

They had to adapt to the cultivation methods of advanced civilizations.

---

Back in the cave, the injured gathered around the fire after Li Ye and the others had left. A heavy silence hung in the air.

“Old Hu, do you think Li Ye is reliable?” asked a disfigured swordsman, his voice muffled and gloomy.

“What does it matter if he’s reliable or not?” Old Hu, the injured beggar, snorted. “He’s got everyone under his thumb. Besides, that spiritual energy is undeniably strange.”

“Old Hu, what if he angers a Grandmaster? What will we do then?” the swordsman asked worriedly. “Even if what he says is true, he’s still injured. Forget Grandmasters—even an innate expert could probably take him down. And given how erratic he is, do you really think he’ll heal our injuries?”

Silence fell again.

After a while, a man clutching his groin rasped bitterly, “Honestly, I don’t trust him. He’s made it clear that we’re only useful if we serve him well. But how can we compete with others in our state? Even if we sell ourselves, he wouldn’t bother…”

“I thought the same. I only played along to stay alive,” another man sighed. “Liu Guangsheng and the others have gone mad, completely under his control.”

“So what do we do?” Old Hu asked. “We’re all injured. Even if we try to escape, we won’t get far. If he catches us, we’re as good as dead.”

The swordsman fell silent, then scanned the group. “I think we should play along for now. Watch how he treats his followers. If he’s worth it, we can stick with him. If not, we’ll find a way to escape and spread the word. We owe it to ourselves to seek revenge. Let’s put our heads together and figure out a plan.”