The next day.
Pure Black's rented room.
In the clean and tidy room, Pure Black sat in his gaming chair with a VR helmet on, leaning back slightly. Sunlight streamed through the latticed window, casting neat square patches of light on the floor.
Dust motes floated in the beams.
On his old computer, the backend content of his livestream was playing, with scattered bullet comments drifting by:
'Brother Pure Black is so early!'
'Good morning, everyone.'
'I stayed up all night at the internet cafe. After I finish these steamed buns, I'm going back to sleep.'
'I won't say anything else, but Pure Black is truly dedicated. He always arrives so early. I've made it a habit to slack off every morning watching him.'
'...'
'Morning, everyone.'
Pure Black emerged from the dilapidated temple, greeting the viewers in his livestream with a bright smile.
Then, he teleported from in front of the Guardian Ape in the main city, embarking on a new day of blacksmithing.
Clang clang clang!!
Dong dong dong—!!
Before long, the rhythmic sound of blacksmithing could be heard, with sparks flying everywhere, large and small.
Pure Black found that after arriving in the main city, both the soldiers and the rats seemed capable of trading a few blows with him.
Moreover, due to the open environment of the city, he had far fewer opportunities for stealth kills.
Facing the guards, he could only engage them head-on, and then he discovered the difference from the新手村 (Xīnshǒu Cūn - Novice Village).
Truly, everyone in Ashina Castle was a sword saint.
There were fewer bizarre creatures, and soldiers with swords were everywhere.
But even the most insignificant grunt could trade a couple of blows with Pure Black.
You must understand,
He had specifically cultivated 剑心通明 (Jiàn Xīn Tōng Míng - Clear Heart of the Sword), and his combat experience alone was no less than that of a sword master with twenty to thirty years of experience. Yet, in his clashes with the grunts, he couldn't gain any advantage.
Can you believe that?
The most absurd thing was that once these grunts ganged up on him, in large numbers, he even had the experience of being counter-killed.
When the stark word "菜" (Cài - Noob) appeared, his face burned with shame.
It was too humiliating!
He actually lost to the grunts!
In addition to the grunts who were all sword saints, Ashina Castle also had some ranged soldiers wielding bows and arrows with eight-times zoom scopes.
With the cover of these archers, the grunts were even more at ease.
A mere few streets took Pure Black more than half an hour to pass.
And this was before encountering any elite monsters!
'This is killing me.'
'These guys are a bit too strong. This reminds me of a saying: whatever strength you possess, your circle will be filled with people of similar caliber.'
'It seems the designer has no mercy. As the player gets stronger, the difficulty of all the monsters they encounter increases by a dimension, making it as if no one has actually gotten stronger.'
Pure Black revived at the Guardian Ape and analyzed while complaining. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the NPCs close to him contracted Dragonrot again.
'I can't hold back anymore!'
Pure Black still had a plan. He had previously executed an elite monster and obtained a skill book. He hadn't paid much attention to it then, planning to learn it when he encountered an insurmountable strong enemy.
Now, it seemed it was time to use it. With a thought, the skill book in his inventory leaped out:
[Floating Passage: A technique that allows for combo attacks as if dancing, overwhelming the enemy with fluid movements and numerous strikes.
Note: The woman who used this technique arrived in Ashina by light boat, named 'Bà'.]
'Combos...'
'Floating Passage... The name of this technique is quite poetic. It feels like a string connecting several basic skills, seamlessly integrating them into a powerful ability for continuous damage.'
After practicing it once, Pure Black carefully savored the excellent use of the new skill.
Swish swish swish!!!
He swung his sword several times in the air, and the sharp sword intent directly carved several deep marks into the surrounding rocks.
'Amazing, amazing. This move is great. It's a pretty practical major combo, and it's quite easy to pick up.'
After practicing a few more times and gradually increasing his proficiency, Pure Black was overjoyed.
Then, he went to spar with other elite monsters, and the results were remarkable!
Previously, against elite monsters, he would suffer some minor losses after a few rounds. Now, he completely suppressed the elite monsters!
Even the Ashina Seven Spears, who had been dominating him, were defeated by Floating Passage!
'Hahaha!'
'As expected of Ashina Castle, even the drops are treasures.'
Floating Passage was so powerful that it filled Pure Black with anticipation for Ashina Castle, and his pace quickened.
As he passed a small bridge, an old woman dressed as a shaman knelt in the middle of the bridge, praying towards the river: "Thank you... thank you..."
"What are you worshipping?" he asked curiously.
"Hmm...?"
The shaman turned her head in surprise. "Sir, don't you know about Senpou Temple? It's in Senpou Temple on Mount Kongo—"
She raised her voice a few decibels: "There is a distinguished figure there."
"Here, sir, you pray too. Thank you... thank you..."
Upon hearing this, Pure Black bowed as the shaman had done.
"That's right, that's right... that's how you pray." The shaman praised, "You have a kind heart. I'll give this to you, sir."
Kind heart?
Pure Black almost burst out laughing. He had killed so many people since arriving in Ashina Castle; he wouldn't even believe himself if he said he had a kind heart.
[Acquired: Mòhù Candy
A Buddha candy that grants Mòhù, which can temporarily reduce the damage taken by HP from physical attacks.]
'Not bad, good stuff. It reduces physical attack damage. It can be very useful at critical moments. I'll try bowing again.'
*Clack!*
Pure Black clasped his hands together and bowed again.
"Mmm, yes... sincere prayer." The shaman's voice was a bit weak, but she still produced a gift: "You truly have a kind heart. I'll give this to you, sir."
[Acquired: Āgōng Candy
A Buddha candy made by Senpou Temple, blessed by Āgōng, which can temporarily increase attack power and damage to posture.]
Hiss!
Good stuff!
Pure Black's eyes lit up, and he eagerly bowed one more time.
"Yes, yes... very devout." The shaman, already worn out from being 'fleeced', tremblingly extended her hand. "I'll give you this last one."
[Acquired: Dancing Divine Paper
A piece of dancing paper with the effect of removing the protection of vengeful spirits.
If the source water is used when making the paper, the power of the divine can be infused into it.
By being within dancing paper imbued with divine power, one can receive protection, allowing attacks to be effective against vengeful spirits.]
"Awesome!"
The items the shaman gave were all good. Pure Black wished he could pray all day, but unfortunately, the shaman had nothing left to give.
"If only someone like you could stay by the Prince's side..." The shaman looked deeply at Wolf. "Those monks... drove me out... *sob sob*... Oh, Prince..."
Prince, Senpou Temple, this shaman had revealed quite a few secrets.
Pure Black lingered for a moment, but since there was nothing more to 'fleeces', he left and headed straight for the city center.
As he walked, a ninja, completely wrapped up, blocked his path.
"Hmph... that guy called me a useless wolf... seems that's not the case... I've always wanted to witness firsthand those who perish due to their own incompetence yet continue to live in humiliation... it seems that won't be possible."
The ninja stood with his back to Wolf, the katana on his back being very striking. His words, however, were somewhat cryptic. "But if he truly is immortal, then there should be opportunities in the future..."
"Lone Shadow, Katana Foot... what a strange name. Never mind, let's just take him down first."
Pure Black said nothing more, drawing his Purple Cloud Sword and slashing at him!
...