Nom Nom

Xuan hummed in satisfaction as he strolled through the streets, zigzagging to make sure they would have trouble finding him.

He had left behind a petty gift as well, which he hoped they received with open arms.

"Heh..."

I wish I could see the look on their faces...

Even so, Xuan took one more turn and arrived in a secluded alley.

It was just barely big enough to fit the drake, so he stashed it there and decided to take a look at his loot.
—
<Steel Sword>
<Grade: Spirit>
<Physical Strength Required: 5,000>
<Mental Strength Required: 5,500>
<Sharpness: 2,000>
<Description: Sharpness x2 when using any swordsmanship or infusing the blade with Qi.>
—
<Mediocre Chainmail Chestplate>
<Grade: Spirit>
<Physical Strength Required: 2,000>
<Description: Increases Physical Defense by 4,000>
—

The rest of the armor pieces were pretty much the same, and so were the weapons.

This seemed like just some basic batch of gear that was likely mass-produced, but even so, he put on whatever he could, and soon, his stats increased by a fair amount.

Name: Xiao Xuan
Cultivation: Fifth Level Spirit Warrior
(Qi: 342,800,000 / 409,600,000)
<Void Qi | 678,111 / 1,000,000>
|
Legacy: None
Bloodline: None
Physique: Boundless Void Physique
Physical Strength: 16,700
Mental Strength: 11,800
Physical Defense: 11,670 → 31,670
Mental Defense: 11,700
<Xiao Yuelan - Ninth Level Spirit Apprentice>

He put on the basic pieces such as the helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots.

They weren't heavy, but they looked pretty awkward on his rather muscular body.

As that thought emerged, so did a convenient pop-up.

<Do you wish to hide your armor and accessories? Yes / No>

He pressed 'Yes' and the armor vanished, replaced by his casual clothes.

And to his surprise, the stats still remained.

By his estimates, he was pretty durable now, and because of his physique, even more so.

Still...

What do I do with this giant fucking drake? Why did I even take it with me to begin with?

At first, he thought it would be delicious to cook, but now that the impulsive idea had come to light, he was kind of lost.

But maybe I can use its scales. I could create armor for myself, or maybe even a fist weapon. That would increase my strength by a lot, Xuan thought, when all of a sudden, footsteps resounded in the distance.

He grabbed the tail of the drake and leaped into the air, jumping from building to building until he eventually reached the very top.

His movement was much lighter than before, thanks to his new movement passive skill.

When he glanced down from the building, he spotted a few men running into the alley.

They crouched down, inspecting the ground.

And that was when they finally glanced up.

Yet Xuan was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the drake.

Instead, he was several blocks away, on a high-rise building he managed to climb within seconds.

"Hmm... should I deal with them?" Xuan mumbled.

They're going to keep tracking me if I leave them be.

As those thoughts fell, he locked eyes with one of the people tracking him.

Even if they were kilometers apart, Xuan could tell the strength of that person was no joke.

So with that in mind, he sharpened his gaze and pulled out a sword from the sack.

Xuan took a deep breath, then with all his strength, tossed the sword straight at the man.

The sword created a sonic boom as it neared the man, yet just as it was about to pierce him, the man unsheathed his sword and held it out.

Both the tips of the swords connected, and then, the two swords shattered, leaving the man completely unscathed.

"Oho? Did I just find someone interesting?"

Before he could make any more moves, the scouting party finally caught up with the man.

They spoke some words Xuan couldn't hear, and then, they simply walked back, acting as if nothing happened.

But from what Xuan could gather, the man he had just tested was a low-level scout, at least on the surface.

Yet behind that facade, he was a lion, waiting for its prey to falter.

I respect it. And he didn't seem like a snitch either, so he's likely hiding his identity.

It was nice.

Nice knowing that not only he and Yuelan were strong in this new world.

Some people were granted the same gifts, which made the entire situation that much more fun.

Xuan hummed in satisfaction as he grabbed the drake and jumped off the roof, heading toward the mountainside where Yuelan was.

.
.
.

"Interesting..." Jin Tianlei muttered.

He was certain that was the person they were looking for, but he didn't expect him to be so strong.

It almost seemed like he was stronger than Jin, but without fighting head-on, he would never know.

But our time will come... Jin grinned, glancing at the backs of his scouting party.

They were nothing but cannon fodder of the Snow Lotus organization.

Even so, the only reason Jin stayed with them was because by climbing the ranks and reaching the top brass, he could challenge the Heavenly Swordsman.

He was the leader of the Snow Lotus, and the members of the organization were forced to call him the young master to fluff his ego.

Jin's grip tightened on his bladeless sword as he shot a glance toward one of the distant buildings where the man had been.

But after I'm done with the Heavenly Swordsman... you're next.

.
.
.

Xuan was practically drooling as he carried the drake inside the cave and tossed it to the side, making sure not to disturb Yuelan.

But he was starting to grow a bit concerned.

Five months and she hadn't moved an inch.

She had grown a bit thinner, and her lips were parched.

Because of that, he poured water over her head every now and again so she didn't turn into a mummy.

Xuan used one of the swords to chop off the drake's foot, then he ripped off its scales and separated it into tiny pieces.

He swiftly lit a fire, placed the drake meat into a pot, and began boiling.

Xuan couldn't help it, he really wanted to try drake meat.

But when the pleasant aroma filled the cave, he heard a sniffing sound.

Turning to the side, he was met with a wide-eyed Yuelan, drooling from the mouth.

"F-Food..." she mumbled, her voice like sandpaper as her stomach suddenly rumbled like thunder.

"G-Give me food..."