The man put away his sword, then glanced at the food Xuan was bringing with him.
"That's a lot of food for one person. Are you traveling with a group?" the man asked. "Because if not, what do you say to joining us? We're not the strongest bunch of people, but we take care of our own."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to refuse," Xuan turned him down. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head back home."
With that, Xuan turned around and prepared to walk away. But just as expected, the man slowly unsheathed his sword and began running at Xuan.
He slashed at Xuan's neck, but just as the attack was about to land, Xuan used Swift Step to dash 5 meters forward, dodging the attack.
Xuan turned back to the man with a wide smile.
"Did you forget something?" Xuan asked. "Or is this how you conduct all your recruitments?"
The man scoffed, and instead of replying, sprinted at Xuan, prepared to kill him.
So he chose death... Xuan thought with a not-so-heavy heart.
As much as he hated to admit it, he had killed people before. Whether it was for money or a lingering grudge, his kill count was easily in the double digits. Granted, he never killed innocents, only those who were complete trash.
But in this new world, justifying murder was the least of his concerns.
As the sword neared him, Xuan turned his head, then grabbed the man's wrist. He twisted it with ease, making the man let go of his sword.
"W-Wait," the man pleaded. "I was just kidding. A joke! I swear."
Xuan scoffed as he caught the sword midair, and without hesitation, thrust it straight through the man's neck.
And just like that, he was dead.
<+3 Void Qi | 7 / 5,000>
Xuan wiped the blood off his hands and took out the sword, stashing it around his waist.
And of course, he inspected the pop-up. This was the highest Void Qi he had gotten from a single kill.
That's pretty neat... but I guess there's one more thing to do, Xuan thought, glancing back.
Since he didn't want the remaining two people to take revenge for this man, Xuan decided to make his way back.
When he arrived, he noticed they were still looting the store, wide grins on their faces as they chatted.
—Lu Zheng really caught a big fish this time. But why did he want the food? We have plenty here.
—Zheng likes collecting stuff. Did you see the pocket watch that kid had? If this was still the world before, we'd be able to sell that thing for thousands!
Xuan sighed. So the only reason they came for me was because of this little thing?
He picked up the pocket watch which was slightly hanging out of his right pants pocket.
It was the last gift he had ever gotten from his parents, so he naturally cherished it.
And now they attacked me because of it... I guess trash is everywhere.
He stepped up, arriving in front of the store the two were looting. He tapped on what was left of the broken glass, getting their attention.
"Heya, did you miss me?" Xuan said with a wide grin, and as the two men were about to unsheathe their swords and attack, he held onto his own sword and used the Basic Sword Slash skill.
A pale blue energy enveloped it, and in the very next moment, he slashed his sword at the two men.
They had their swords up, guarding, but it didn't matter as his sword sliced through theirs as though it were tofu.
And with that, their heads flew in the air, their expressions filled with shock.
<+2 Void Qi | 9 / 5,000>
<+3 Void Qi | 12 / 5,000>
Xuan didn't bat an eye as he approached and picked up their swords, then stashed them in the shopping cart.
Now that he was done, he made his way back to his apartment.
No monsters interrupted him this time, so he got back safely, shopping cart in hand.
He placed it in the kitchen and realized Yuelan had finally finished calculating and was now resting on the couch, trying to get her phone to work.
And when he checked his status, he noticed she had ranked up.
"Congrats," Xuan said with a smile. "Hungry?"
"Nope." Yuelan shook her head. "I ate the leftovers... but hey, how long do you think we should stay here?"
He tilted his head. "What? Are you growing tired of home?"
Yuelan's brows twitched. "I just mean, what's the point in staying here forever? Sure, it's a safe haven, but how long until someone comes and destroys it? Let's go kill monsters, grow stronger, and survive this weird world ascension in 178 days, okay?"
"You're being too hasty, but I understand," Xuan replied with a sigh. "But before we head out, let's reach the next stage, okay? I'm sure Spirit Apprentice isn't all there is to this cultivation stuff."
Sure, they were pretty strong now, but not invincible. If they recklessly went out while they had a safe place to get stronger, then it would just be foolish.
Yuelan was eager, but she wasn't stupid either, so with a reluctant nod, she agreed.
She glanced toward the shopping cart. "Big brother, can I take two swords? Please?"
"You can take all three if you want," Xuan replied with a chuckle. "I don't really like swords. Hand-to-hand combat works the best for me."
A faint smile appeared on Yuelan's face as she grabbed all three swords, and with a wave, headed inside her room.
Like yesterday, he sat down in a lotus position on the sofa and began cultivating.
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640,000 / 640,000
1,280,000 / 1,280,000
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