"The night is falling, and Ryujin is slipping out unnoticed, as he often does. He quietly descends the stairs, which are approximately 125 meters away from his home in the Frost Dragon Sect, and then hurriedly dons a mask, melding into the shadows before emerging from the Dragon Frost Sect.
"Alright, let's head to Vensha City," Ryujin says. A few days ago, while hunting beasts on the border between Vensha City and the Frost Dragon Sect, in the Vensha Forest, he discovered that he has a MAP on the window system panel.
"Sigh, I'm lucky I realized the map feature on the system. No need to check paper maps manually," Ryujin says, grateful for the understanding the system provides, even though it took him a while to discover this feature.
"Swosh! Wosh!" Ryujin runs through the shadows, avoiding the surface of the ground. He possesses sufficient status to reach Vensha City using the Malevolent Visage Mask skill, which requires a constant supply of Qi to sustain the active skill within the shadows.
Soon, Ryujin reaches his destination and stands not far from the gates of Vensha City. "Woah, so this is Vensha City. It's really a big city, just like the Dragon Forest Sect," he exclaims with excitement. As he admires the sight, he notices on the System Map that Rian is nearby.
"Rian is not far," Ryujin mutters to himself. He silently re-enters the shadows, bypasses the gate, and heads toward Rian, whose icon is displayed on the map. After about 10 minutes, Ryujin finds Rian in a room and suddenly appears behind him.
"Rian, how are the preparations?" Ryujin asks, tapping Rian on the shoulder.
"WOAH! A GHOST!" Rian exclaims, leaping and rolling over a table in front of him.
"...How can a warrior be afraid of a ghost in the cultivation world?" Ryujin wonders.
"Senior!! You scared me so much," Rian says, clutching his chest. "I almost died on the spot because of you."
"Anyway, how are the preparations?" Ryujin asks as he sits down.
"Everything is ready, Senior," Rian replies, handing over a storage ring.
"This is..." Ryujin is amazed as he accepts the ring.
"Ah, it's a Dimensional Ring, Senior. The one you used before was an old-dimensional storage pouch, which has more space and is cheaper than the Dimensional Ring. But the ring has more uses, like a seal to prevent unauthorized access," Rian explains.
Ryujin examines the black ring and asks, "How do I seal it?"
"Well, you can put a drop of your blood on it, so the ring recognizes you," Rian answers.
"I see!" Ryujin says. He uses his left index finger to cut his skin around the ring, allowing a drop of blood to touch it. The ring emits a faintly glowing rune symbol before dimming, indicating that Ryujin is now its owner.
"Sorry, it's only a Spiritual Tier ring. It's somewhat challenging to find a higher-tier one in this city," Rian apologizes. He continues, "All your belongings are inside the ring. You can access them with your mind."
"No, it's enough. And here's the Spiritual Beast material I hunted for the last three days," Ryujin says, handing over a pouch.
"WHAT THE...!" Rian is shocked by the quantity of Spiritual Beasts Ryujin has acquired. There are nearly a thousand, with some of them being of higher quality.
"Well, I've killed enough beasts to stock our store. Anyway, I need to go now. It's almost time. I'll send you more beasts after dealing with some bandits."
"Thank you, Senior."
"Alright, see you."
"Be careful, Senior."
Nodding, Ryujin re-enters the shadows and runs toward the marked location where the bandit branch is located. During his recent beast hunts, Ryujin discovered 150 locations within 50 kilometers from the sect and Vensha City. This surprising revelation included the presence of a Demon Sect branch. Ryujin is unsure of their authority or power hierarchy, but he is determined to find out and eliminate them.
Ryujin tightened his grip on the Hitless Sword, his determination evident in his eyes. "In these past four days," he began, "I've diligently honed my control over the Hitless Sword. As long as I maintain my Qi's firm embrace around the sword's volatile energy, I should be able to prevent any unwarranted outbursts." With this newfound confidence, he set forth, navigating the shrouded veil of darkness.
During this period, Ryujin had discovered that, although the sword granted him unparalleled strength, it also harbored a perilous potential—a volatile Qi surge that could wreak havoc if unleashed. He had been diligently working to find a solution to this predicament, yet the sword's inherent restriction level stubbornly lingered at [Restricted - 55/10000].
A heavy sigh escaped his lips, laden with reluctance. "It appears," he mused, "that I may have no choice but to extinguish lives to weaken the seal." The prospect of taking another's life weighed heavily on his conscience. However, when confronted with the ruthless bandits and the merciless demon sect, who showed utter disdain for human life, he made a solemn decision. In his heart, he labeled them as beasts, determined not to let their malevolent actions tarnish his moral compass.
"Here!" he exclaims as he stops, surveying the surroundings. He checks the map and sees several people nearby, but he can't determine their levels. There are more than a hundred of them here. Concerned about revealing his mask too early, he decides to change it into a blindfold.
"Hmm, there are no prisoners, and their cultivations seem to be at the Foundation Establishment Realm... Wait, three of them are at the Golden Core level," Ryujin mutters to himself, pondering the situation. "It's kind of dangerous if I have to change my mask when I need it to inspect the enemy. What should I do to solve this problem?" he wonders. "Did the system limit how many items I can use?" With that thought, he takes out the mask and puts it on his face. Immediately, the system responds.
"[Congratulations]" the message appeared, recognizing Ryujin's achievement.
"[INTELLIGENCE +20]"
The system provides a clear explanation to Ryujin, the host:
"[Host, equipped with 2 items. The attributes will combine, but only one active skill can be active at a time.]"
This is a straightforward reminder of the unique ability granted by the system.
"[Host can instruct the active equipment to change its active skills.]"
The additional information had indeed sparked Ryujin's curiosity. With this newfound knowledge, the possibilities felt limitless. Ryujin considered the potential benefits of combining his equipment's attributes and the strategic advantage of switching between active skills as the situation demanded. It was a power he intended to use carefully and precisely as he ventured into the yet-unrevealed uncertainty.
"Awesome, I can use both of the items even though I can only activate one skill on each item. But I don't think it's a problem; let's try it now," Ryujin exclaimed as he activated the Concealment and Enemy Detection skill and swiftly swapped it for Shadow Veil, which allowed him to meld into the shadows. However, it took a brief moment, about 2-3 seconds, to complete the transition.
"Hmm, the Concealment and Enemy Detection Skill becomes inactive when I switch to Shadow Veil, and there's a delay of around 2-3 seconds," Ryujin pondered.
Ryujin contemplated the situation. While this delay might be considered a weakness, it also held its advantages. He realized that he no longer needed to remove his mask and blindfold to switch skills, a process that could be tricky if observed by others. Instead, he could seamlessly equip and unquip the items. Additionally, both items continued to provide him with their attribute points and passive effects.
"Status," Ryujin requested, eager to assess his current condition and gauge the impact of his recent actions.
"Status"
_______________________________________________
[Status]
[NAME: Ryujin]
[LEVEL: 94 ] - [[HIDE]]
EXP : 5700 / 94000
[STRENGTH : 137 (+100(???) ] [ENDURANCE:31(+50)] [DEXTERITY : 34 (+33)]
[AGILTY: 69 (+117)] [INTELLIGENCE : 58 (+1000) ]
[SENSE:31(+ 1000)] [QI: 420 (??) (x2)]
[STATUS POINT: 1750]
[SKILL POINT : 9]
________________________________________________
Ryujin meticulously examined his mask, well aware that it had reached its maximum potential through the countless beasts he had slain over the past several days. Being a Spiritual item, it naturally came with certain limitations, though its Active Skill had significantly improved his efficiency when entering the shadows.
As he weighed his choices, Ryujin understood that there was little to lose by investing 100 Attribute points into both Strength and Agility.
However, upon equipping the Hitless Sword, he noticed that there was no immediate change in his condition. The sword's potential remained locked behind the lingering restriction.
Determination welled up within him, and he declared, "I should focus on lifting the sword's restriction first." Ryujin recognized that unleashing the sword's full power would be a good help.
Ryujin's Blindfold skill activated once more, sharpening his senses to detect every living being nearby. He counted 120 figures, but only three possessed the coveted golden cores, signifying a higher level of cultivation. The rest were mere mortals at the Below Foundation Establishment level.
Determination coursed through Ryujin as he decided to put an end to this swiftly. He burst from the shadows, standing before a group of bandits, all at the 10th stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"What the hell are you doing here?" one of the bandits barked, his voice tinged with arrogance.
"Go back to your caves before we spill your guts!" another taunted.
Ryujin remained silent, his body tense as he inched closer. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword, and he began to channel Qi into it, the air around him vibrating with power. This was different from his usual combat style; this time, he intended to end it in a single, decisive strike.
"Elemental Blade Slash," Ryujin muttered, and his sword blurred into action. A deadly combination of white and black energy surged from the blade. The white energy was a result of his pure Qi infusion, while the black energy resonated from the sword's innate power. Ryujin hadn't yet discovered his Elemental Qi characteristic, so he relied on raw, unrestrained force.
"SLASH!"
Realization dawned on the bandits too late. Panic gripped them as they attempted to scatter, but the unleashed power was relentless. Ryujin's sword obliterated everything in its path, leaving nothing but a trail of devastation in its wake. In an instant, the once defiant bandits were silenced, and the area fell eerily quiet, save for the echoing tremors of Ryujin's fearsome strike.
[Congratulations! You Have Defeated a Golden Core Realm Enemy]
[Congratulations! You Have Leveled Up to Advanced]
Ryujin let out a heavy sigh while seiing his Notification pop out , his breath still labored from the immense power he had just unleashed. He surveyed the aftermath of the devastation he had caused, realizing that the force had been even greater than he had expected.
"The power is stronger than I thought," he muttered to himself. "Let's take their precious belongings and move on to the next location."
With determined steps, Ryujin walked through the wreckage, searching for anything valuable that had survived the onslaught. Due to the sheer force of his attack, most of the bandits' possessions lay in ruins. However, he managed to find a few Spatial Rings, some of which still had fingers attached to them.
With the loot swiftly gathered in his possession, Ryujin understood the value these treasures could bring to his ongoing journey. Without wasting a moment, he broke into a run, fueled by his determination to reach the next bandit stronghold and advance his quest. This time, he didn't resort to the shadows; instead, he relied on his Wind Steps skill to cover ground quickly.
"It seems like I need a better movement skill," Ryujin said as he sped through the terrain while moving to next Target.
Five minutes before Ryujin decimated the Bandit Branch, it was a place that managed three different bandit branches. Three individuals were engaged in a discussion about the killer of Durak Marauders.
"Do we have found the killer?" Malachi Bloodshadow exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.
"No, we haven't found anything yet, but it's likely the work of the Frost Dragons Sect," Elira Demonfrost replied.
"What should we do, it has been four days since they asked us?" Verrick Darkflame inquired.
"According to our spy in the Frost Dragon Sect, they deny any involvement," Malachi Blood Shadow said.
"I heard that the killer has been assisting the villagers we captured!" Verik Darkflame interjected.
"Damn it! We'll be dead in seven days if we don't find the killer of the Durak Marauders!" Elira Demonfrost exclaimed.
"The higher-ups will be coming here soon. Order all the bandits to destroy every village to lure out the enemy!" commanded Malachi BloodShadow.
"Yeah, we don't have much time. In the past four days, we haven't found anything," Elira Demon Frost added.
"Let's execute the pl..." Verik Darkflame began but was abruptly cut off by the shouts of bandits outside.
"Run!"
BOOM!
That marked the end of the three Bandit Higher members, none of them comprehending how they had met their fate.