How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?-Chapter 55 - 54: Blue Crystal
As he cursed, he repeated Lin Ye’s incorrect movements before demonstrating again with the proper application of force.
The difference between the two was instantly clear.
Another half an hour passed.
Chen Meng pointed out every problem Lin Ye displayed, then personally guided him through the motions, helping him feel the movements and power-generating techniques.
Lin Ye’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.
With it, his understanding deepened.
"Alright, that’s enough for today."
"Get out of here and rest. Let it all sink in. We’ll train again tomorrow."
Panting, Lin Ye wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve.
He didn’t move.
"Teacher."
His voice was hoarse with extreme exhaustion.
"But... don’t we still have the Body Technique sparring to do today?"
Chen Meng froze. He turned to look at Lin Ye’s eyes, which still blazed with fire despite his exhaustion.
There wasn’t a hint of retreat in them, only an almost obsessive desire.
A hunger for power.
Chen Meng suddenly broke into an exasperated laugh.
’This kid... he’s a martial arts fanatic.’
’Even crazier than I was back in the day.’
"Good!"
"Since you’re itching for a beating, I’ll be more than happy to oblige!"
For Lin Ye, the next hour was hell.
As if deliberately trying to torture him, Chen Meng moved like a phantom, unleashing a torrential storm of attacks on Lin Ye.
Lin Ye gave his all to dodge and parry.
But Chen Meng’s angles of attack were viciously clever. He always managed to land a heavy blow at the most unexpected moments, striking at the weakest points in Lin Ye’s defense.
BAM!
A knife-hand strike slammed into Lin Ye’s left shoulder, and his entire arm instantly went numb.
SMACK!
A vicious kick to the back sent him staggering, nearly toppling him over.
Chen Meng’s strikes were incredibly heavy. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Every blow made Lin Ye feel as if his bones were about to shatter.
And yet, Chen Meng’s attacks were perfectly measured.
He left Lin Ye black and blue without ever causing any real damage to his bones or sinews.
Lin Ye gritted his teeth, not uttering a single sound.
He knew Chen Meng was using this most primitive and painful method to force his body to memorize and adapt to the rhythm of a real battle.
The three-month deadline hung over his head like a death sentence.
Neither he nor his teacher had time to do things by the book.
They had to take shortcuts, whether it was advisable or not!
"BAM!"
With a final, heavy roundhouse kick, Lin Ye could no longer stand. He was sent flying sideways, crashing heavily onto the ground.
The sparring session was over.
Chen Meng stood where he was, his chest rising and falling slightly. He looked at Lin Ye, who lay on the ground without the strength to even lift a finger.
A pang of pity shot through him.
He took a small, white porcelain bottle from his pocket and tossed it over.
"When you get back, apply a hot compress first to break up the clotted blood, then put on the medicine."
With that, he turned and walked away.
But in the instant he turned, he subconsciously put a hand to his lower back. The movement was minuscule, but Lin Ye still caught it.
’Teacher’s old injury is acting up again.’
Lin Ye lay on the cold ground, watching Chen Meng’s slightly unsteady retreat, a mix of complex emotions welling up inside him.
He silently tucked the bottle of medicine into his clothes.
...
The night grew darker.
By the time he stepped into the ruined city again, the pain from his injuries had long since vanished.
This time, Lin Ye was more cautious than ever.
Even though he knew others had set foot here, Lin Ye had no other choice. If he wanted to get stronger, he had to press on.
He could only be cautious, then more cautious, paying attention to every detail and avoiding making any loud noises.
He even did an extra sweep of the ruined city’s outskirts today, only entering after confirming there were no fresh tracks from anyone else.
The ruined city was nearly half the size of Dongjiang City.
Based on his explorations, Lin Ye had divided it into five concentric ring-like zones.
The outermost ring, the fifth zone, was his first Leveling Area.
It was the largest in area, but it had relatively few types of mutated beasts.
Their levels were low as well.
The fourth zone was where he had been spending most of his time recently.
The mutated beasts here were diverse, ranging from LV5 to LV8, and even included special individuals like the mutated black panther and the coded pangolin.
He glanced at his status panel.
[Level: LV9 (2849/3000)]
Just a sliver of experience away from leveling up.
Once he reached LV10, the entire fourth zone would no longer pose a threat to him.
It was time to explore deeper.
His gaze fell upon the northeastern part of the ruined city.
That was the third zone.
It was also the rumored location of the chemical plant that had caused the cataclysm a century ago.
A little over ten minutes later, as he smashed the skull of an LV7 mutated hound with his staff, a crisp system notification finally chimed in his mind.
[Your level has increased to LV10!]
[You have gained 1 free attribute point!]
[You have gained 1 skill point!]
Lin Ye opened his attribute panel. He took the point he just gained, the one from reaching LV9, and the daily rewards he had accumulated over the past few days, for a total of four free attribute points, and allocated them all to Spirit.
A cool sensation spread out from his Sea of Consciousness, and the entire world seemed to grow clearer and more three-dimensional in his perception.
He was feeling the benefits of the Spirit attribute more and more.
His reactions were faster, and his perception of danger was sharper. This heightened awareness also made it easier for him to move covertly through the ruined city.
Most importantly, when cultivating the Five Qi Guiding Formulas, he should be able to control a much larger volume of the five qi simultaneously.
After allocating his points, Lin Ye’s figure melted into the darkness, and he crept toward the northeast, toward the unknown, forbidden zone.
The deeper he went, the thicker the strange, cloying smell of rust and chemicals became.
The surrounding buildings grew taller, but they were also more severely decayed.
Before long, the massive ruin of a factory appeared at the edge of his vision, lying prone in the darkness like a great iron beast.
He had reached the chemical plant.
Lin Ye stopped, hiding atop a residential building like the most patient of hunters, carefully observing everything in the new zone.
He soon reached a conclusion.
First, there were probably no people around.
Second, the mutated beasts here were generally between LV9 and LV11.
This was definitely the third zone’s territory.
’This is the perfect place to level up.’
Lin Ye took a deep breath and went on high alert.
He moved slowly, his footsteps as light as a cat’s. His gaze was like a radar, sweeping over every possible corner that might conceal danger.
Whenever he came across a closed door or a narrow passageway, he would pick up a pebble and toss it ahead to test the waters.
The various "surprises" he’d found behind doors during his first few days in the ruined city had taught him that lesson well.
Half an hour later, Lin Ye had passed through the outer factory grounds without incident and arrived at the main plant, the core of the chemical factory.
It was then that he noticed something strange.
It was too quiet here.
Eerily quiet.
He hadn’t seen a single mutated beast on his way here.
It was as if this place was a dead zone, completely devoid of life.
’Something this strange can’t be good.’
Lin Ye held the alloy staff horizontally across his chest, inching his way, step by agonizing step, into the main factory building that loomed like the mouth of a great beast.
The inside of the factory was enormous, filled with rust-stained pipes and overturned machinery.
Moonlight streamed through holes in the vaulted ceiling, casting dappled shadows across the floor.
Just as he reached the center of the factory, he froze.
Ahead of him, a faint blue light was scattered across the floor.
The glow was faint, but in the dead silence and darkness, it was extraordinarily conspicuous.
It wasn’t an electric light, nor was it a flame.
They were irregularly shaped, faint blue crystals scattered across the ground!
The instant he got a clear look at the crystals, a sudden wave of heart palpitations and intense vertigo slammed into his mind like a sledgehammer!
The world spun!
