In the main hall, the tables and chairs were shattered. The ground was a mess.
Wu Sheng laid horizontally on the ground, covered in blood. He still had a furious stare, but his chest no longer moved.
He was dead!
The Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain was dead!
Qin Shujian took a few deep breaths.
He had only managed to kill Wu Sheng this easily because the other party was not on guard against him.
Furthermore, it was clear that Wu Sheng did not expect a puny Mountain Bandit to have such strong abilities.
Wu Sheng had lost the initiative right from the start. It was natural that he lost.
In that instant, Qin Shujian seemed to have come to his senses after he took a few deep breaths.
He picked up the large blade that Wu Sheng dropped onto the ground.
The blade felt heavy in his hand.
A system notification also appeared in his mind.
"You received a ninth-grade lethal weapon, the Tiger Head Blade!"
"Indeed…" Qin Shujian murmured to himself when the system notification appeared.
Since this was a game, it was expected that loot would drop after he defeated an enemy.
As for the Mountain Bandits that he killed previously, on the one hand, they did not carry anything valuable. On the other hand, Qin Shujian had also not thought about this problem during that time.
However, the Tiger Head Blade that Wu Sheng dropped was not something that could be compared to the chipped large blades wielded by the ordinary Mountain Bandits.
After he placed the Tiger Head Blade aside, Qin Shujian turned to look at Wu Sheng's corpse. There was a glimmer in his eyes.
…
After searching the body for a moment, Wu Sheng's corpse suddenly disappeared. It was as if it had never been there.
The traces of blood on the ground had also vanished without a trace.
Only the shattered tables and chairs remained how they were after the battle.
Two crumpled books and a metal, pitch-black token had appeared in Qin Shujian's hands.
The first book was a Mortal Tier Low-Grade "Bodyforge Manual."
The second was a Mortal Tier Mid-Grade "Black Tiger Blade Technique."
There was a simple word carved onto the surface of the metal token.
Liangshan!
Through a hint from the system, Qin Shujian knew that this was the Chieftain Token of the Liangshan Stronghold.
He would replace Wu Sheng's position and become the new Stronghold Chieftain of the Liangshan Stronghold if he used the token.
However, Qin Shujian did not focus his attention on the token for the time being. Instead, he paid more attention to the two manuals in his hands.
When he was about to flip open the Bodyforge Manual, a corresponding hint appeared in his mind.
"Do you wish to use the Bodyforge Manual?"
Qin Shujian disregarded it. Instead, he flipped open the cover of the Bodyforge Manual.
Then, he saw the Bodyforge Manual transform into a bolt of white light and disappear. A series of familiar memories once again appeared in his mind.
These memories were everything that was recorded within the Bodyforge Manual.
It was no different from the Bodyforge Manual that he had learned.
This meant that he had just wasted the manual.
Qin Shujian didn't feel too much pity when he wasted the Bodyforge Manual. Instead, he directed his attention toward the other manual for the Black Tiger Blade Technique.
Similarly, a hint from the system appeared immediately when he placed his palm on the manual's cover.
This time, Qin Shujian did not flip open the manual. Instead, he silently agreed to the prompt he received.
The Black Tiger Blade Technique turned into a bolt of white light that was more radiant than the one just now and vanished.
At the same time, Qin Shujian obtained everything regarding the Black Tiger Blade Technique.
Mortal Tier Mid-Grade Black Tiger Blade Technique.
It consisted of a total of three strokes and 18 forms.
The three strokes were the Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain, Shocking a Hundred-Mile Radius, and Fierce Tiger Looking Back.
Every stroke came with six slight variations.
Qin Shujian only understood how powerful the technique was after he completely internalized the Black Tiger Blade Technique. He also realized that it was luck that he managed to kill Wu Sheng.
Because…
Throughout the battle, the other party had not had the opportunity to unleash the Black Tiger Blade Technique.
Habitually, Qin Shujian checked his attributes once again.
Name: Qin Shujian
Identity: Ordinary Mountain Bandit
Affiliation: Liangshan Stronghold
Stage: Martial-Entry Level Four
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, Large, Chipped Blade, Tattered Shirt, Tattered Trousers, Tattered Straw Sandals
The Black Tiger Blade Technique had been added to the tab for cultivated techniques.
The original two points in his Life Value had turned into 18 points. Wu Sheng must have contributed to the 16-point increase.
"Ordinary Mountain Bandits only give one point of Life Value, while Wu Sheng gave 16 points. It looked like different people would give different amounts of Life Value, and the amount that they gave was directly related to their strength," he thought.
"The stronger the monster, the more points of Life Value they would give."
Qin Shujian gained a preliminary understanding of the Life Value.
The Black Tiger Blade Technique was a little different from the Bodyforge Manual.
There was no level limit behind the Black Tiger Blade Technique. Instead, it was stated that he was a "Beginner."
Qin Shujian knew that he could enhance the Black Tiger Blade Technique with Life Value like he could with the Bodyforge Manual when he saw the Black Tiger Blade Technique's plus sign.
However, he did not enhance the Black Tiger Blade Technique immediately. Instead, his line of sight finally landed on the token.
The Chieftain Token of the Liangshan Stronghold.
This was not a simple object.
He would immediately become the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain and replace Wu Sheng's position if he used the token.
That meant that he might have to manage all of the Mountain Bandits in the Liangshan Stronghold.
According to his calculations, he should not be able to enhance his Bodyforge Manual to Level Five even if he defeated all of the Mountain Bandits in the Liangshan Stronghold.
Since that was the case, he might as well take over the Liangshan Stronghold.
Qin Shujian had a glimmer in his eyes.
"The Players will come to this world before too long. If I cannot increase my level within a short time, then taking over the entire Liangshan Stronghold might not be too bad of an idea."
If he did not want to become a fodder NPC, then other than becoming more powerful himself, having plenty of underlings could also guarantee his safety.
If he thought about the situation that way, there were no disadvantages to becoming the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain.
Qin Shujian did not hesitate any longer when he thought to this point.
"Use!"
He silently recited the word. The token immediately transformed into a current of light and disappeared.
A string of system notifications appeared in his mind.
"You have used the Chieftain Token of the Liangshan Stronghold!"
"You have become the new Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain!"
"All of the dead Mountain Bandits in the Liangshan Stronghold would be received. There are now a total of 70 Mountain Bandits!"
"You have become the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain and inherited all of the wealth of the Liangshan Stronghold."
"You have received 50 silver taels!"
"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!"
"You have become the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain and will receive an attribute boost within the territory of the Liangshan Stronghold. The level of your stage would be increased by one (Note: You cannot exceed a major stage)."
"The 50-mile radius with Liangshan at the center is within the Liangshan's sphere of influence!"
"After becoming the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain, you cannot freely leave the Liangshan's sphere of influence. You will have entered the territory of another faction once you step out of Liangshan. There is a high probability that the other factions would detect you."
"Note: Stepping into someone else's territory without permission would be seen as an act of war the moment you are detected. Please be cautious!"
"Note: You can consider establishing a connection with the other factions, and you might obtain permission to travel to their territory!"