Chapter 28: The Blazing Sun Saber Technique Advances Rapidly

The Ancient Tomb Valley covers a considerable area. Beyond the small plain at its entrance, there is vast space within the valley itself.

Gu Chenghu had no intention of staying with Gu Lao Si. Once the wager was settled, he led Lin Yi straight into the deeper reaches of the valley.

"Qingshan, I originally intended to lure out the corpse monsters and cripple them for you to finish off. But seeing your performance just now, you are already handling them with ease, so..."

Lin Yi understood exactly what Gu Chenghu meant, but he quickly replied, "Captain, to kill those monsters earlier, I had to use the Blazing Sun Blade technique twice in a row, which drained my blood energy. If you really left the killing to me, I doubt we'd be able to take down more than a few today."

"You brought me here to level up, and we should prioritize efficiency. I think it’s better to stick with your original plan."

Gu Chenghu nodded, agreeing with the logic, and said no more.

Along the way, the two did not encounter any corpse monsters; even living animals were a rare sight. They continued forward, exploring cautiously.

Suddenly, Lin Yi saw a small squirrel foraging ahead get snatched by a sharp claw reaching out from the soil. A corpse monster climbed out immediately, tearing the creature apart and devouring it raw.

Lin Yi realized then why the valley was lush with vegetation but devoid of animals: the corpse monsters were the apex predators here.

"This place was once occupied by spectral spirits, so the local demonic beasts rarely come near," Gu Chenghu explained. "Over time, it has become the domain of the corpse monsters."

"I may find them easy to deal with, but if more than five appear at once, we run without looking back. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Captain."

"Good. Keep that in mind."

No sooner had he spoken than Gu Chenghu, wielding his Dragon-Song Blade, charged forward like a blur. The monster, still chewing on the squirrel, was bisected by a single strike. Its two halves fell to the ground, writhing frantically.

"It should still have a breath left. Finish it."

Lin Yi did not hesitate; he stepped forward and struck several times. He could kill a healthy monster, let alone one severed in two. Moments later, he had successfully slain it, gaining another 25 experience points. As usual, the only loot was corpse oil.

"Captain, is this oil valuable? How much blood-food can it be traded for?" Lin Yi asked, considering that if they spent all their time farming here, he would end up with a significant stockpile.

"Corpse oil is a raw material for crafting Spirit-Flame Candles," Gu Chenghu replied. "We will need quite a few of those when we head to Tianshui City. Keep it for now; it will be very useful later."

"Understood, I'll store it all."

Lin Yi nodded and followed Gu Chenghu in search of more targets. According to Gu, they were still on the periphery, where monsters were mostly solitary and only level five. In the core, however, they traveled in packs, with varying levels—some reaching level ten. Those were the "Corpse Kings," possessing the strength of a militia captain and high intelligence; even Gu Chenghu might struggle against them. Given the risks, he had no intention of taking Lin Yi into the heart of the valley.

As time passed, two hours later, they had found twelve level-five corpse monsters, each left near death for Lin Yi to finish off.

These twelve kills yielded twelve pieces of white-tier corpse oil and nothing else—no manuals, no martial arts techniques. Lin Yi realized that while monsters could drop techniques, the probability was extremely low. The "Swift Footwork" manual Gu Lao Si had produced earlier must have been truly precious. He recalled Wang Zilong saying it took them over three days of grinding to get it, which now seemed entirely plausible.

Although the loot was underwhelming, the twelve monsters had contributed 300 experience points. Lin Yi was now eligible to reach level four, but he wasn't in a hurry. At lower levels, there was a slight bonus to experience gain, so he planned to accumulate more before leveling up and allocating his points.

He had logged in early, and his six-hour limit for the day was running thin. After killing two more monsters and seeing his Blazing Sun Blade technique reach level four, he suggested they return to the village. Gu Chenghu, feeling a bit weary, gathered some edible wild fruit before heading back.

By the time Lin Yi logged out, it was past one in the afternoon. Outside the window, the sky remained overcast and heavy with dark clouds, though the rain had stopped. After a quick meal, he went to the gym for a workout, followed by a session at the archery range.

Although he had traded his bow for a blade, he still felt a fondness for archery. If he hadn't drawn the purple-tier "Bladesman" talent, he likely would have stuck with the bow. Still, he needed ranged options, so he didn't plan to give up archery entirely; it was just that training with the blade was currently more efficient.

Unlike the Star-Heaven Archery, the Blazing Sun Blade technique relied heavily on "blade momentum." As long as one gained insight into the technique, proficiency would increase. A half-day of practice was often enough to level up the skill.

Leaving the archery range, Lin Yi bought a wooden toy sword at the mall to practice with in his dorm. Even if the weight was light, he found that his proficiency in the Blazing Sun Blade continued to climb whenever he checked his data panel in the Apocalypse world. At this rate, he would likely master the technique to its level-ten cap in just a few days.

The purple-tier talent was truly incredible, transforming him from an ordinary person into a genius with the blade. He could only imagine how powerful a golden or red-tier talent would be. Only now did he realize how vital the golden activation code left by Liu Hong was. If it were revealed that he had used such a code to enter the Apocalypse, he would become a target for official, private, and rogue factions alike. After all, if a player died, the activation code would drop.

He had to grow stronger, and quickly, to face the crises that lay ahead.

...

The next day, Lin Yi logged in early. His Blazing Sun Blade technique was nearly level five.

[Blazing Sun Blade Technique (White) - LV4 (1320/1400): Infusing at least 10 points of blood energy into the blade increases blade momentum damage by 32%. Doubling the blood energy infusion doubles the damage.]

He estimated he would reach level five today, and if he practiced diligently in the real world, level six was well within reach. He had also ordered a real metal Longquan blade online, which should arrive today. Training with a real sword would surely accelerate his progress.

It was the Second Squad's patrol day, so Gu Chenghu couldn't take him out to hunt. They spent the time searching for stray demonic beasts near the city walls, but by the time Lin Yi’s login limit expired, they hadn't found a single one.

Lin Yi wondered how one could increase their time in the Apocalypse world—six hours a day was simply too short. Neither the foreign forums he followed nor the players in Gutang Village knew the answer. There were rumors on the forums that once one reached a professional level, the time limit would be lifted, but he wasn't sure if that was true, given how much misinformation circulated among the diverse and chaotic user base.

As the patrol neared its end, Gu Chenghu approached him. "I don't have patrol duties for the next week. Prepare plenty of supplies; we’re heading to the Ancient Tomb Valley and won't be back for a week."

"Not coming back?" Lin Yi asked, surprised. "Captain, you aren't doing this just for me, are you?"

"It has something to do with you, but not much," Gu Chenghu replied. "The village isn't satisfied with the training methods of the Fifth Militia Squad and wants me to oversee things. I'll be swapping shifts with Gu Lao Si to help train them."

"I see." Lin Yi understood. He suspected Gu Chenghu had been "reporting" to the higher-ups; otherwise, the village wouldn't have dispatched him, given the scarcity of level-ten fighters.

Checking his remaining time—only twenty minutes left—Lin Yi quickly bought food and water, packed his bag, and followed Gu Chenghu to the valley.

When they arrived, the Fifth Squad's members were already setting up camp. Night in the wilderness was treacherous, requiring defense against both nocturnal demonic beasts and wandering spectral spirits. Gu Lao Si had his men dig trenches, set traps, and hang bells, finishing by spreading the sap of a Sun Tree to ward off spirits.

When Gu Lao Si looked up and saw Gu Chenghu and Lin Yi with their packs, he frowned. "Why are you two here?"

"The village chief was worried you couldn't handle it alone, so he sent me to share the burden..."

Before Gu Chenghu could finish, Gu Lao Si’s expression soured. "Bullshit! Gu Chenghu, you backstabbing bastard! A dog never changes its spots; you've been this way since we were kids..."

Gu Chenghu picked at his ear, unfazed. "Stop whining. I’m mostly here to level up Qingshan. As for the Fifth Squad, take them or leave them, it makes no difference to me." He added, "Oh, and I took the Divine Water you left at home. It’s mine now anyway."

Seeing Gu Chenghu’s shamelessness, Gu Lao Si was too tired to curse further. He snorted, "I have no room for you here."

"Don't worry about it. I brought my own tent."

For safety, Gu Chenghu set up their tent near the edge of the camp. Before logging out, Lin Yi asked, "Captain, will you be alright staying here alone tonight?"

"Don't worry," Gu Chenghu replied. "I've slept in the wilderness plenty of times. If there's real danger, Gu Lao Si and the others are right there. We'll be fine."