"Oh, for heaven's sake! Why is my life so hard!"
Lam Minh screamed internally. He looked at the Thuan Thien sword hovering before him, radiating a majestic glow like a guardian deity, and felt an urge to kick it.
"Who needed you to protect me? Get lost and let me die! I was about to have enough points to reach Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!" He "scolded" the sword with his thoughts.
The Thuan Thien sword vibrated slightly, humming as if it felt wronged. It didn't seem to understand why its master was angry when it had just saved his life.
On the opposite side, the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment creature had completely lost its will to fight. It stared at the sword with eyes full of utter terror.
"Dragon... Dragon qi... This is a divine weapon of the Dragon race!" it stammered through a psychic wave, its voice trembling. "Why... why is it here? Could it be... the Dragon race has returned?"
In the inherited memories of the Madakaros race, the Dragon race was one of the most ancient and powerful races in the universe, their natural nemesis. The fear was ingrained in the very bones of every Madakaros member.
Without a shred of hesitation, it turned and fled with all its might. Facing a divine weapon of the Dragon race, it didn't have a single glimmer of hope.
"Hey, where are you going?" Lam Minh cried out in alarm. "Stop! Kill me first, then you can go!"
He tried to get up and give chase. But the Thuan Thien sword was faster. It transformed into a streak of green light, tore through the air, and pursued the creature.
SWOOSH!
A sword strike so fast the naked eye couldn't see it clearly.
The fleeing Mid-stage Foundation Establishment creature suddenly froze. It looked down at its chest, where a small hole had appeared. Its life force was drained in an instant. It collapsed to the ground, dying without even a chance to cry out.
[Received 4000 Immortality Points.]
The Thuan Thien sword flew a celebratory loop in the air, then returned and happily plunged itself into the ground in front of Lam Minh, like a puppy waiting for its master's praise.
Lam Minh looked at the sword, then at the notification panel.
[Total Immortality Points: 23,850/40,000] (previous points + 2200 + 2300 + 4000)
He was so angry he wanted to cough up blood.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE?" he yelled, pointing at the sword. "If I had let it kill me, I would have gotten at least 6000, 7000 points! You killed it, and I only got 4000! Do you know how much you just cost me? You prodigal son of a weapon!"
The Thuan Thien sword vibrated again, seeming even more aggrieved.
Lam Minh let out a long, long sigh and plopped down on the ground. His perfect point-farming plan had crumbled at the last minute. He really had the worst luck.
He looked at the corpses littered around him, then at his own "severely injured" body. He knew he couldn't stay here much longer. The train was about to arrive, and the base's reinforcement team was probably on its way too.
He needed to quickly create a plausible scenario.
He picked up the Thuan Thien sword, sheathed it, and put it back in the instrument case. Then, he dragged his "heavily wounded" body next to the corpse of the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment creature, collapsed, and pretended to be unconscious.
He decided to blame everything on the "black-cloaked master" once again. The script would be: he fought bravely, took down two Early-stage Foundation Establishment creatures but was also gravely wounded. Just as he was about to be finished off by the commander, the mysterious master appeared, killed the boss, and saved his life. A perfect script, not a single flaw.
As he lay there "waiting for death," his spiritual sense suddenly detected an extremely powerful, yet very familiar, aura approaching at a terrifying speed.
This aura did not belong to a Madakaros. It carried the majesty of the Dragon race.
"Could it be... Senior Kim Quy?" Lam Minh was surprised. "Can he leave Hoan Kiem Lake?"
But no. This aura, while similar, was much more domineering and... youthful.
A figure descended from the sky, landing as lightly as a leaf.
It was a man. A tall man, dressed in a black battle robe designed in an ancient style but made from modern materials. He had long, platinum-blond hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck, a handsome, majestic face that, despite a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, could not hide his dashing appearance. Most notably, he had a pair of golden eyes, as sharp as a dragon's, that seemed to see through all things.
The aura emanating from him was so powerful that it made Lam Minh, even in his Foundation Establishment Realm, feel immense pressure.
Nascent Soul... Late-stage!
Lam Minh was shaken. This was the first Nascent Soul cultivator he had met in this life.
The man glanced at the battlefield, then his gaze fell on the Thuan Thien sword in Lam Minh's slightly ajar instrument case. His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
Finally, he looked at Lam Minh, who was lying "unconscious" on the ground, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile full of amusement and... teasing.
"Hey, kid," he spoke, his voice deep and powerful, yet carrying a not-so-subtle mockery. "Nice acting. But the ground is dirty, shouldn't you get up?"
Lam Minh, who was playing dead, went completely stiff.
Dammit! I've been discovered!