Our hero, Chu Liang
The Faced Goblin walked away in peace.
...
Chu Liang never intended things to go this way.
They had all been following behind Fang Ting, lagging a short distance. When they saw Fang Ting struck down by a giant tree branch, Lin Bei cried out, “Ah! It seems even Senior Brother Fang can’t catch that monster! Our mission is going to fail.”
Chu Liang could only sigh inwardly and replied calmly, “If Senior Brother Fang can’t do it, I suppose I must give it a try.”
“Hm?” Lin Bei tilted his head at Chu Liang’s words, sensing something odd.
Then Chu Liang drew a talisman.
Indeed, if Fang Ting had managed to catch up with the Faced Goblin, Chu Liang would never have used the only talisman he had obtained from the White Tower.
The Spirit Cat Leaping Talisman!
It was said to greatly enhance agility.
Chu Liang pinched the talisman between two fingers and tossed it into the air. A flame appeared from nowhere, burning the talisman to ash with a loud pop.
Boom.
The moment the talisman activated, Chu Liang felt a feline spirit awaken within him, and his body was compelled to move in a straight line. With a slight exertion, he leaped several yards, landing lightly and effortlessly.
The Spirit Cat Leaping Talisman was indeed formidable!
Its effect was unexpectedly superb.
If the White Tower offered after-sales service, he would surely give this talisman a five-star review.
After quickly adapting to the power, he unleashed his full speed to pursue the Faced Goblin. From above, one could see a black shadow and a white shadow racing at astonishing speed, the distance between them closing rapidly.
Gradually, as he drew closer behind the Faced Goblin, Chu Liang felt a rush of excitement. He realized it was the cat spirit within him thrilled by the exhilaration of the hunt.
Fortunately, the talisman’s effect lasted only a quarter of an hour. If it lasted longer, he might truly be affected in undesirable ways.
But—
When the Faced Goblin turned and saw him, terror flashed across its large face. In that instant, Chu Liang couldn’t suppress his excitement; he instinctively licked his palm.
He wouldn’t know how much damage that gentle lick inflicted upon the young Faced Goblin’s psyche.
The Faced Goblin sensed something was terribly wrong with this man. It spun around, wishing for extra legs, and sprang forward.
But could it escape?
Hardly.
Chu Liang suppressed the urge to toy with it further, dashed forward, and wielded his sword. Three feet of sword light swept forth!
The Faced Goblin, sensing danger, instantly blurred and turned transparent, narrowly evading the close-range strike!
---
This creature was incredibly agile, but not particularly powerful. Its only innate ability was that brief phase of intangibility; with that, it had just slipped through Fang Ting’s sword aura prison.
Unfortunately, the intangibility lasted only a moment.
For opponents who could keep up with its speed, it mattered little.
As its form solidified again, Chu Liang’s left hand had already lifted. A crimson light shot from his sleeve.
The Demon-Binding Rope!
The distance was too close to dodge.
The Faced Goblin was humanoid, and in a blink, the turtle-shell binding was completed.
In that instant, its mind was filled with stampeding thoughts, and a voice screamed within—
Damn!
I knew this guy was a freak!
Indeed!
Living in the demon-infested Southland Mountains, every monster knew death could come at any time.
But—
It could accept death, yet struggled to accept dying in such humiliating fashion.
But life is like this; many things are unacceptable yet happen anyway. Just as autumn winds wither all flowers, great rivers flow eastward, the departed are gone, and the heavens are vast—what can one do?
Before the curtain fell, its eyes were filled with sword light.
Controlled and executed.
Hiss.
...
When Chu Liang returned to the group, holding the Faced Goblin’s Jade Essence Flower, the others were momentarily stunned.
None of them could have imagined that, at the moment when the mission seemed doomed, it would be he who stepped forward and turned the tide!
Fang Ting frowned and asked, “Junior Brother Chu... how did you do it?”
Xu Ziqing asked with delight, “Brother Chu, you’re so amazing! Why didn’t you say so before?”
Lin Bei, full of admiration, asked, “Brother Chu, your technique is so professional—can you teach me?”
Xu Ziqing looked at him, puzzled. “Hm? What technique?”
The young girl hadn’t noticed anything peculiar about the Demon-Binding Rope.
“Oh, I meant movement technique!” Lin Bei hastily corrected himself.
“It’s nothing...” Chu Liang smiled lightly. “I just used a rather powerful talisman. Now that it’s gone, I’m quite distressed.”
---
“So that’s how,” the group realized.
This matched their suspicions. With Chu Liang only at the early stage of Divine Intent, it was unlikely he possessed such movement techniques. If he’d had such abilities all along, there’d have been no reason to hide them.
Most likely, he’d used some treasured pill or talisman.
As for the talisman’s origin, no one asked. In the world of cultivation, it was taboo to inquire about others’ magical tools, talismans, pills, or abilities...
The reason was simple: cultivation is visible, unless the gap is vast, it’s hard to hide. These items, however, can be concealed and used to make up for differences at crucial moments.
Everyone has their secrets—some even life-saving—and naturally wouldn’t want others to know. Sometimes, a single detail is the difference between life and death.
As for origins, sects like Mount Shu are stricter, but many wild cultivators have not a single item that was acquired cleanly.
But no matter the setting, asking outright is considered socially inept.
Moreover, as the sole disciple of Silver Sword Peak, Chu Liang received all his master’s resources—being bestowed treasures was hardly surprising.
What they were thinking now was that, to allow Chu Liang, at the early stage of the third realm, to surpass Fang Ting of the fourth realm in speed, the talisman must have been immensely valuable.
Perhaps it was even his life-preserving item.
The sword coins earned from this mission would certainly not suffice to replace such a talisman.
And he had used it, for the sake of the team’s success, despite the personal cost! Unhesitating!
After this short journey, the group’s initial hostility toward him, due to his Silver Sword Peak origin, had transformed into immense respect.
This was charisma.
If Mount Shu were to select a model disciple now, they would, without hesitation, vote for Chu Liang!
The thoughtful Xu Ziqing smiled and said, “Brother Chu, since you used such a precious talisman, I’ll give you my share of the reward for this mission, to make up for your loss.”
She truly cared nothing for the reward; with her master and brother’s support, her purpose for joining missions was more for experience.
Chu Liang smiled and replied, “Isn’t that a bit much...”
Fang Ting heard her and added, “Indeed, you sacrificed so much for our mission’s success—we can’t let you take all the loss. I’ll give you my share as well.”
He had come mainly to accompany Xu Ziqing, so he cared little for the reward. Besides, when the Faced Goblin had taken the Jade Essence Flower, he’d nearly lost face. Chu Liang’s timely action had saved him, and his gratitude was indescribable.
Chu Liang was about to decline when Lin Bei shouted, “Brother Chu, don’t refuse! We all saw how much you gave! You’re our hero—how could we let you feel disappointed? I’ll give you Lu Ren’s share too. If you don’t accept, you’re treating us as outsiders!”
“This...” Chu Liang smiled again, having no choice but to say, “Such generosity makes me feel embarrassed.”
Lu Ren opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after a couple of ahs, suddenly felt something odd... perhaps there was no need to say anything?
“Hm?”