Versatile Sword Cultivator

Chapter 28 – Extreme Job

Even without sword techniques, every move Lin Jichen made was difficult for Zhou Shen to parry.

The scorn Zhou Shen originally had was long gone.

This kid, weak as an ant.

Not only forced him to use his trump card spirit skill, but also continuously improved himself during the fight.

Such a person was too terrifying.

Zhou Shen speculated that this man must be an important disciple of the Tianyan Sword Sect.

He must not let him go, or there would be endless trouble.

Time passed gradually.

Five minutes quickly ended, and Lin Jichen felt his strength sharply diminish.

It was like after a man had paid his dues, feeling hollowed out, as if the whole world turned soft.

Lin Jichen knew the effects of the medicine had worn off.

But Lin Jichen did not panic, Zhou Shen's health bar was also down to four or five hundred.

The state of both was almost the same.

He was waiting for an opportunity.

Zhou Shen was also waiting for an opportunity, the moment he saw the change in Lin Jichen's strength when he struck, he knew the other's medicine had worn off.

Zhou Shen decisively seized this opportunity, unleashing the long-suppressed Xuezhao Blade with a fierce swing, the blade light exploding into view!

"Soul Chase!"

Accompanied by a sonic boom, the Xuezhao Blade struck like lightning, aiming for Lin Jichen's head!

At the critical moment.

Lin Jichen executed 'Phantom Step', his figure flickering out of existence, leaving a residual image in his place.

The Xuezhao Blade struck nothing but air!

But Lin Jichen didn't use Phantom Step to dodge backward.

Instead, he used the acceleration to close in on Zhou Shen.

Taking advantage of the moment Zhou Shen couldn't retract his blade, Lin Jichen delivered a throat slash!

Pfft!

The Crimson Cloud Sword sliced across Zhou Shen's throat, leaving a bloody gash.

Blood surged as the sword passed!

"Throat Cut! Critical Damage! -466!"

Zhou Shen stood frozen in place, blood spurting from his throat.

Then, his body lost consciousness and he fell heavily to the ground.

Lin Jichen successfully turned the tables and killed his opponent!

Phew!

After the battle, Lin Jichen collapsed to the ground, quickly taking out the Qi-replenishing pills Sister Nangong Yue had given him to heal and recover.

This mission, even for a cultivator in the later stages of Qi Refining, would be a life-and-death struggle, because the opponent had a brother in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Lin Jichen was merely at the initial stage of Qi Refining, making the difficulty of this mission far beyond hellish.

He really hadn't expected to encounter an opponent in the Foundation Establishment Realm in a Qi Refining mission.

Logically, a Qi Refining mission shouldn't involve an opponent in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but he had run into one by chance.

And it was two against one.

Lin Jichen felt a bit of regret thinking about it. If given another chance, he definitely wouldn't have been so rash.

Fortunately, he succeeded.

After taking the medicine, it didn't take many minutes for Lin Jichen's injuries to heal.

His clothes were torn but it didn't matter; he could just get a new set from the sect.

This battle greatly improved the proficiency of Lin Jichen's two skills. Defeating opponents above one's level was one of the fastest ways to improve skill proficiency.

Plus, with Lin Jichen's sword technique aptitude already at 10%, his skill proficiency increased even faster.

After recovering, Lin Jichen's first action was to look for the spoils of war.

The first place he went to was Zhou Shen's Soul Burial Mound, which glowed with blue light, clearly containing many good items.

[Spirit Grade·Xuezhao Blade]: Strength +12, Critical Hit +6, comes with the skill [Soul Chase] that can condense blade energy to unleash a powerful attack dealing 200% damage, catching the opponent off guard.

Requirement: Exclusive to blade cultivator players, other players cannot trigger skill damage.

...

[Spirit Grade·Hundred Refinement Ring]: Strength +8, Vitality +300, Fire-type skill resistance +5.

Requirement: None.

...

[Spirit Grade·Rhinoceros Belt]: Defense +10, Evasion +1%, automatically recovers 10 points of vitality per second.

Requirement: None.

...

Lin Jichen didn't expect that all three of Zhou Shen's Spirit Grade equipment would drop.

In fact, whether NPCs or monsters are killed, the equipment drop is random.

If not, players would all go after NPCs, who would bother grinding monsters.

The drop rate for NPC equipment is as low as for monsters, mainly depending on luck.

Lin Jichen's great luck stat made him unmatched in equipment drops.

Besides these three pieces of equipment, Lin Jichen also found a skill book, the very [Hundred Fierce Flame Slash] that had almost instantly killed him.

[Spirit Grade Spirit Skill·Hundred Fierce Flame Slash]: Swings a giant blade forward, dealing 1000 points of base damage to enemies within a 30-meter radius and inflicting them with 'Armor Break' effect for 5 seconds, mana cost: 500 points, cooldown: 60 minutes.

Requirement: Blade technique aptitude above 40, only cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm who use blades can practice.

Unfortunately, this ultimate technique was for blade cultivators, and Lin Jichen couldn't learn it.

But he still kept it, perhaps it could sell for a good price later.

There were a few Ordinary Grade items as well, which Lin Jichen glanced at and found of little value, so he tossed them all into his Storage Ring to sell later.

Next, he checked Zhou Hao's Soul Burial Mound.

Zhou Hao was much poorer, with only one Spirit Grade item.

[Spirit Grade Movement Technique·Mist Piercing Charge]: Increases speed by 20 points for 15 seconds, and if hit by binding, slowing, stunning, or other control skills at the moment of activation, it can instantly break free, mana cost: 120 points, cooldown: 60 seconds.

Requirement: None.

Lin Jichen was initially disinterested when he began reading, thinking it was just an ordinary movement technique.

But after seeing the note at the end, Lin Jichen's thoughts suddenly changed.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly ordinary movement technique had such a strong hidden effect.

Breaking free from control!

This skill was too practical.

Whether in combat or grinding, it was of great combat value.

Such a good movement technique, yet Zhou Hao only used it to flee, truly a waste.

Lin Jichen immediately learned the technique, making it his second movement skill.

Unfortunately, so far, he hadn't acquired any skills related to sword techniques.

Besides this movement skill book, Zhou Hao also had a sheepskin scroll.

[Unknown Secret Technique: A lost secret technique of the Tianyan Sword Sect, becomes invalid upon opening.]

Now, Lin Jichen faced two choices.

The first was to open it and claim it for himself.

But by doing so, the mission would not be considered complete, and he wouldn't receive the mission rewards.

If lucky enough, he might obtain a skill book far superior to the mission rewards, perhaps several times or even dozens of times better.

The second was to take it back and complete the mission.

Lin Jichen felt he had great luck on his side and might actually obtain a powerful skill if he opened the scroll.

But he chose not to do so, instead keeping the scroll and not looking at it again.

Because doing so would lose the trust of the sect's higher-ups.

In fact, the sect was aware of any choice you made in such missions.

But they wouldn't tell you, nor would they punish you.

It was just that they had a scale in their hearts, and whether you added to or subtracted from your weight on that scale depended on your choices.

This was a hidden metric in sect missions, affecting future sect assessments and promotions.

If you were someone who often took advantage of the sect, selfish and deceitful, the sect's higher-ups naturally wouldn't like you, would be biased against you, and your promotion would naturally be more difficult.

Conversely, if you were capable, always considered the sect, and were honest and upright, your path to promotion would be much easier.

This was something players discovered only in the mid-stage of the game.

Many powerful players who wanted to apply for sect positions and gain more sect benefits and power, despite meeting the conditions, kept failing in their applications.

Later, it was discovered that it was due to the tricks in sect missions.

As a reborn individual, Lin Jichen knew of this hidden standard, so he had no interest in the sheepskin scroll.

The gains from this mission were already huge for him: three Spirit Grade pieces of equipment, one Spirit Grade spirit skill, and one Spirit Grade movement technique.

Plus a few Ordinary Grade pieces of equipment and over fifty low-grade Spirit Stones, among other wealth.

If he returned and completed the mission, Lin Jichen would receive a large wave of sect rewards, the thought alone made him happy.

Why gamble on a scroll when he had no idea what it might contain.