Qin Shujian almost did not manage to react to the extensive string of notifications.
His expression turned dark when he saw the last few notifications.
He couldn't freely leave the Liangshan Stronghold's sphere of influence.
That meant that he was imprisoned in the small piece of land that was the Liangshan Stronghold.
After he became the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain, the surrounding terrain of the Liangshan Stronghold welled up in Qin Shujian's mind.
The 50-mile area around Liangshan was considered the territory of the Liangshan Stronghold.
However, the area outside this territory belonged to other factions.
There were no buffer zones between factions.
This meant that Qin Shujian would have immediately stepped into another faction's territory the moment he left the Liangshan Stronghold's sphere of influence.
However, if he did that, it might be seen as a declaration of war if he was unlucky.
Qin Shujian did not dare to take that risk before understanding the factions around him.
Thus…That was what frustrated Qin Shujian the most.
Unknowingly, he had been sabotaged once again.
If he knew that he would have to pay such a price to become the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain, he might not have acted so rashly.
However, what was done was done. It was too late for regrets.
Qin Shujian knew that there was no turning back the moment he became the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain.
An opening for the Stronghold Chieftain would be presented the moment the old Chieftain died.
However, if he wanted to hand the identity over to some other Mountain Bandits.
Apologies!
The Mountain Bandits and thieves followed a principle where the strongest would lead the faction. They did not believe in letting someone else have the title.
Thus, Qin Shujian had no choice but to accept this reality.
That was…He had suddenly transformed from a fodder NPC to a mini Boss that had the identity of the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain.
At this moment, Qin Shujian did not forget that he still had to choose a reward.
"You have become the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain and can now choose between two special rewards: the ninth-grade lethal weapon Tiger Head Blade or the ninth-grade armor Tiger Hide Clothing Set!"
It was not a difficult choice.
He had already obtained the Tiger Head Sword from Wu Sheng. There was no need for him to obtain another one. Thus, there was only one choice left.
"I wish to obtain the ninth-grade armor Tiger Hide Clothing Set!"
…
After he tidied up the Zhongyi Hall, Qin Shujian put on the Tiger Hide Coat and sat down on the main seat, unrestrained.
He had long discarded the large, chipped blade he had used in the past. He placed the Tiger Head Blade beside him.
At this moment, his attributes had also changed slightly.
Name: Qin Shujian
Identity: Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain
Affiliation: Liangshan Stronghold
Stage: Martial Entry-Level Five (You are within the Liangshan Stronghold's territory, Stage +1)
Cultivated Techniques: Bodyforge Manual Level Four (Five Levels in Total) (Mortal Tier Low-Grade), Black Tiger Blade Technique (+) (Beginner) (Mortal Tier Mid-Grade)
Life Value: 18
Equipment: Ninth-grade Lethal Weapon Tiger Head Blade, Ninth-grade Armor Tiger Hide Clothing Set (Tiger Hide Coat, Tiger Hide Trousers, Tiger Hide Belt, Tiger Hide Boots)
His identity had been converted from an ordinary Mountain Bandit to the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain. His stage had also been pushed from Martial Entry-Level Four to Martial Entry-Level Five from the boost he got from his identity.
Now that his stage had been enhanced to Martial Entry-Level Five, Qin Shujian noticed that his body seemed to have undergone an unexplainable change.
The change was not noticeable, but there was a difference.
However, he knew for certain that his strength and the other aspects of his body had been enhanced from when he was Martial Entry-Level Four.
"When I saw Wu Sheng, his stage had been Martial Entry-Level Four, and that was under the boost he got from being in Liangshan," Qin Shujian thought.
"If we disregard the boost, Wu Sheng's actual abilities were only at Martial Entry-Level Three."
"Martial Entry-Level Three should be equivalent to Bodyforge Manual Level Three. Wu Sheng had been the Stronghold Chieftain for many years and was quite notorious in this area. He must have killed many people."
"If that was the case, Wu Sheng should have obtained a considerable amount of Life Value."
"However, he remained at Martial Entry-Level Three…"
Qin Shujian slipped into deliberation. He tapped on his chin gently with his fingers.
All this while, he thought that the Life Value was a function that every NPC in this world had.
However, he now realized that that conjecture might have been wrong.
Perhaps he was the only one who had the special ability to enhance a technique's level with Life Value.
Qin Shujian's thoughts became active. However, he did not intend to dwell on this problem for too long.
"Men!"
Soon, two people who looked more intelligent than the rest of the Mountain Bandits walked in.
"Stronghold Chieftain, what are your orders?"
Qin Shujian's expression softened a little when he saw the two of them.
He only realized that not all of the Mountain Bandits lacked intelligence after he took control of the Liangshan Stronghold.
A minority of the Mountain Bandits had stronger abilities than the other Mountain Bandits and were also relatively smarter.
These Mountain Bandits could be called leaders.
One of the two people in front of him was called Zhang Tieniu. He was a leader at Martial Entry-Level Two and was originally Wu Sheng's right-hand man. Now, he had become Qin Shujian's subordinate.
The other person was called Wang Tiezhu. He was also a Martial Entry-Level Two leader, but he had another identity. He was also a carpenter.
Qin Shujian only realized something when he saw Wang Tiezhu--Wang Tiezhu made most of the Liangshan Stronghold items.
Qin Shujian was elated that there were two normal people among all of the other unintelligent Mountain Bandits on in the mountain.
At the very least, Qin Shujian could have a conversation with them. He did not have to hold his words until he went insane.
After a few moments of deliberation, Qin Shujian looked at the two of them and asked with a deep voice, "Both of you are leaders of the Liangshan Stronghold and must be quite familiar with the factions around the Liangshan Stronghold."
"So let me ask you, which factions have territories that are connected to the Liangshan Stronghold?"
Zhang Tieniu replied respectfully, "Replying to your question, the territories that are connected to the Liangshan Stronghold are the Liger Plain in the north, the Messy Stone Forest in the east, the Unending Mountain Range in the south, the Xining Rebellion in the west, and the Undying Plain in the southeast."
"Out of these factions, the Liger Plain, Messy Stone Forest, Unending Mountain Range, and Undying Plains are controlled by rather strong factions. However, we do not know about the specifics."
The Liger Plain, Messy Stone Forest, Unending Mountain Range, Xining Rebellion, and Undying Plains.
Qin Shujian recited the names in his heart once over.
"What about the Xining Rebellion?"
"The area that the Xining Rebellion is occupying now was originally called the Xining Plain. However, after the rebel forces occupied the area, many people gradually forgot about the name and only remembered that rebel forces existed there."
"As time passed, the name 'Xining Rebellion' replaced the original name of the area."
"What is the overall strength of these areas? How powerful is the most powerful person in these areas?"
"The most powerful of them all should be the Xining Rebellion."
Zhang Tieniu looked like he was struggling with a thought. He hesitated when he made his report, "I heard that those people are rebel forces of a country who have lost in battle. They pillaged and burned the land. It is rumored that the leader of the group is powerful and has surpassed Martial Entry-Level Five."
The rest of the areas also had powerful fighters who were Martial Entry-Level Five.
His subordinates did not know much about the Unending Mountain Range. However, it sounded like there wouldn't be much of a threat if they did not actively enter their territory.
Hearing this, Qin Shujian gained a faint understanding of those factions.
In simpler terms, the Liangshan Stronghold was the weakest of the factions that existed in this area.
The original Stronghold Chieftain, Wu Sheng, was only a hooligan who had reached Martial Entry-Level Three. He only barely reached Martial Entry-Level Four with the boost he got in the territory.
The rest of the factions were guarded by fighters who were at least Martial Entry-Level Five.
Qin Shujian looked at Zhang Tieniu's look of uncertainty.
The factions in these areas might even be more powerful than he had been told.
He had taken over the Liangshan Stronghold and only had Martial Entry-Level Five abilities if he stayed within the territory. His level would turn back to normal the moment he left the territory.
For now, though, Qin Shujian didn't know whether or not the other factions really had people at Martial Entry-Level Five.
However, there was one thing that he could be sure of: No matter if the other party was at Martial Entry-Level Five or not, it was not likely that Qin Shujian would be able to defeat them if he left Liangshan.
"How did the Liangshan Stronghold survive in the past?" Qin Shujian changed the topic and asked another question.
He had just taken over the Liangshan Stronghold and had many things that he did not know.
Since he had already taken over the entire Liangshan Stronghold, he had to manage the area well.