The Forsaken-Grade Cultivator
Chapter 35: Earthworm

Chapter 35: Earthworm

"I was beginning to wonder if you would show up. You know, being the forefront mastermind behind all this and whatnot. But to think you actually came...Truly, deserving of the title ’Xian Dragon’."

Ying taunted the ex-master with a smirk. In response, the wary expert narrowed his eyes at his soon-to-be opponent.

Suddenly, his brow shot up.... Then came right back down. He said calmly,

"You managed to rise by two Cultivation Levels in the span of a few hours? How monstrous... It is a shame that you will be dying soon, truly."

Qing Lo’s countenance was the complete opposite of Xian Shan’s. Calm and composed.

He spoke leisurely, but only a fool would mistake his calmness for Laxity. Fortunately for him, Ying was not one such fool. He raised his blade, and set his senses on high alert.

He could have activated his Title right about now, but he wanted to have a conversation with the former expert first....

"Huh? What do you mean? I simply gathered the amount of Qi I was told... Anyways, you said that I’ll be dying soon. Perhaps I’m a bit slow, but if I may ask, who exactly is going to kill me...? You...?" Ying asked, his tone jovial.

"Unfortunately, the Zhao Family’s Patriarch requires you alive so he can torture you to death himself. So I will not be doing the honours of taking your life... But, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind his plaything lacking a limb or two,"

Qing Lo threatened and raised his own blade.

Similar to Ying’s, it was a long sword.

"But before I put you down, I’d like to ask... How? How did you find out?"

"Hmm? Is the great master so curious about me? Oh, I’m so very honoured... Well, there were a few others, but the most glaring giveaway was undoubtedly the fact that Lady Shan over there, failed to recognize a line which she herself had ’supposedly’ highlighted in that book of yours."

"...You read the book?"

"Of course. It was quite the interesting read, all things considered. Especially since a certain someone already highlighted all the main details. Though I’m a bit confused...Since when did mere earthworms start dreaming of performing Alchemy?"

Of course, Ying already knew the answer to this. Simply put, the old man sought a way to restore his destroyed Qi meridians.

At this statement, Qing Lo’s brows twitched, and his gaze sharply flashed a hint of murderous intent.

But somehow, he displayed the professionalism of a true expert, and held himself back. He required the answer to one more question.

"I see. Well then how did you find out about this location then?"

When Ying heard this, he chuckled, then pointed at a silver tray at the side, saying,

"Yet another mistake made by the great dragon. Those plates didn’t bring themselves here now did they? Although it was a bit difficult, one of them managed to tattle at the end. As for the pattern, I had to torture one of the guards outside."

"...!!?"

"....Those maids.... I will make sure to give them a stern talking to when we are finished here. But first, I’ll have to put you down." Qing Lo said simply, and assumed a stance.

His stance was flawless, evident of years upon years of tireless tempering. The old man may have lost his entire Cultivation, and was nowhere as strong as even the faintest shadow of his former self, but his countless hours of toiling did not forsake him.....

He might have been a Mortal, possessing no hope of ever wielding Qi ever again, but his body was far superior to anything that a Mortal body could ever hope to be.

It had grown vastly weaker in comparison to his original, as per the side effects of losing one’s Cultivation, as well as the natural tolls of the ageing process. Nevertheless, someone like Ying was not in his breath.

In this game, humanoid NPCs did not display any stats, unlike with monsters, naturally making them much more deadly as enemies. But although he couldn’t see it, he could very much feel it in his bones...

If Qing Lo’s stats were displayed, they would probably look similar to this:

Strength: 70~90

Agility: 70~80

Vitality: 30

Durability: 60~70

Of course, these were mere speculations, so they might not have been right. However, Ying had a feeling that he wasn’t too far away from the truth.

’Fwoo~~ Now that I’m actually about to go through with it.... What the hell was I thinking?! Coming here without a plan.... am I an idiot?!’

He had come here to face Qing Lo without any sort of preparations.

But

What other choice did he have?

He couldn’t leave the mansion under any circumstances, lest he’d have risked raising suspicions.

He thought of trying poison, but it simply wasn’t possible due to a cascade of reasons. One being that the aged expert would not fall for such a surface-level trick. Even then.... How would he have gone through with it?

Ying steeled himself, gripping his sword’s tightly—

He had come here with no plans, no conspiracies, and no contingencies. There were no back-ups, no hidden tricks, no nothing. This was going to be a not-so-fair fight to the death, this would be...

’Redemption.’

"Haaa-!"

Faced with the odds being stacked against him, Ying recalled a statement that his former mentor had told him, once... A long time ago, he had said to Vincent:

’And remember kid, when you’re nervous, or don’t know what to do—perhaps you’re up against an opponent that you aren’t sure you can beat, just smile.... Scare the bastard stiff, and look extra cool while doing so,’

"It doesn’t have to be the most beautiful one... Heck, it doesn’t even have to be genuine. But if nothing else, let it be the scariest one you can muster."

Sigh...

Ying thought his old habits had been drowned by life at this point, but they seemed to still linger in the very depths of his being.

Well, not like It made much of a difference, at this point. He already had way to many bad habits to care....

What’s one more to the list?

Perhaps that was why,

Why he simply couldn’t stop beaming!

Ying had two choices: flight, or fight. Both of which were stupid in their own unique ways. And yet, despite that, he chose the third option.

The option which was even more idiotic and retarded than the previous two choices combined. He chose—

Spite.

"Hehe! Put me down? Perhaps you could. After all, you are far more powerful than me. But being that you are already an earthworm and all... I seriously doubt it gets any lowlier than this."

Choosing insanity over self preservation, Ying taunted the previous expert.

Perhaps he was planning to get the old man agitated, so he could be exploit his future mistakes, but Ying knew that such tricks only worked on shallow minded buffoons.

To a master like Qing Lo, such things only served to improve the chances of his own death.

"Cough! Cough! Cough! Ugh...!"

Fortunately or not, he turned out to be right, as Qing Lo unleashed his choking bloodlust. A special kind of aura, which could only be achieved after having reaped a truly staggering number of lives.

Qing Lo’s ghastly intent filled up Ying’s lungs like a cancer, and placed a terrible strain on his breathing, and his senses. In the end, Ying had no choice but to use his Title.

’Pain is all in the mind, if I can conquer my mind, then I can conquer pain... Besides, the current me fighting against Qing Lo is already a fool’s errand. Holding back despite this glaring disadvantage, and expecting to win is nothing but mere conceit.’

Ying grit his teeth, and initiated the Blessed by ’???’ title.

In an instant, all the pain and emotions were temporarily dispelled from his mind.

His already sharp self achieved even more Clarity, which allowed him to notice some flaws in Qing Lo’s defences, as thought they were clear as day.

Some were miniscule and irrelevant. Most of which wouldn’t even amount to anything, but he would exploit it nonetheless.

Ying stretched out his hand and summoned the blade which Captain had used.

It was an Earth Grade long sword, but as it was made by a no name blacksmith, the sword similarly didn’t have a name.

A bright flash of light erupted in mid air as the weapon materialized, it was already assuming the form of a sword. Qing Lo wouldn’t let that slide, however, as he charged forward with momentum that shook the very walls!

CLANG!

A ferocious crash of metal resounded across the dimly lit room. Qing Lo’s blade met Ying’s Rising Feather, and the two locked in a power struggle.

....That is, of course, until Captain’s sword finally appeared.

Ying grabbed the long blade’s hilt, and then jumped backwards. Qing Lo gave chase, but as soon as he was within arms length, Ying suddenly ducked underneath his sword’s path. Then, performing a rather quick roll, he sprang up to his feet— all the while activating his skill.

Tidal Sword Slash!

His blade flashed with a speed and power that were simply incomparable to merely a few hours ago, when Qing Lo had watched him practice, and then descended upon the opposition’s silver.

CLANG!

A fierce noise rung out once more as Qing Lo raised to block, but not before an unsuspecting flicker could reach his shoulder. Ying’s strike rung true and blood drizzled out of the shallow, nearly inconsequential wound.

To assess the damage, Qing Lo quickly disengaged. His eyes fell upon the injury he’d been dealt, causing him to click his tongue.

"Tsk,"

Perhaps it was nothing more than a mere fluke, or maybe it was a rendition of actual skill and technique? All that could not be discerned... At least not yet.

In any case, despite the opinions which any one might have, there was but a single truth.

Ying had just drawn first blood.

Whether or not he could replicate this feat remained to be seen, but there was only one thing that was for certain...

Drizzle

The vibrant drop of crimson that barely stained the dark stone floor was the first of many, many more to come. A short silence.... Broken by a system message, of course, Ying didn’t hear it.

He had already entered [Battle Phase] after all.

Ding!

[Your Talent trembles greatly! There is a High Chance of an Awakening!]

Ying couldn’t even spare it a glance. But perhaps that was for the best... Because as soon as the system’s voice died out, all hell broke loose.