Black Rye Grassland.
Yang Yu was busy clearing the battlefield.
He had just put up the nine pieces of common equipment he acquired at the Auction House.
Although some of these items had one or two more attribute points than his own gear, the difference was minimal, and Yang Yu couldn't be bothered to switch them out.
Suddenly, the communication bell rang.
Yang Yu opened it to see that it was a call from Yue Yao.
"Could it be she's noticed how fast I'm leveling up and wants to buy potions?"
With this thought, Yang Yu answered the call.
"Kuangge!"
Yue Yao's voice was urgent: "I'll keep it short. I've received news that Aoshi Kuangfu has blocked off the Black Rye Grassland, planning to ambush you at the valley entrance. Be careful!"
"Aoshi Kuangfu?"
"Ambush me?"
Yang Yu was puzzled: "I've never even heard of this guy before. I don't think I've provoked him."
"You might not know, but Aoshi's people are notoriously overbearing, and Aoshi Kuangfu is the most typical bandit among them. He's after the bronze giant axe you put up at the Auction House!"
When mentioning the Aoshi Guild, a rare hint of disdain crept into Yue Yao's voice.
"Oh, I see."
Yang Yu mused, then asked, "How strong is he?"
"He's a Legion Commander in Aoshi, not particularly strong, but the Aoshi Guild has nearly a thousand members in this Novice Village."
"He brought five hundred people to trap you this time!"
"Got it, thanks for the heads-up," Yang Yu replied gratefully.
"Be careful. My sister and I are doing quests in the Southern Marsh and can't get there in time, but if needed, I can send someone to the valley entrance to assist you!"
Yue Yao's sincere tone warmed Yang Yu's heart.
"Thank you, Yue Yao. I can handle this myself. Let your people focus on leveling up."
Seeing Yang Yu's calm demeanor, Yue Yao didn't insist, only reminding him, "Message me anytime if you need help!"
"Okay."
With that, they ended the call.
"Trying to ambush me? They must have picked the wrong target."
Yang Yu murmured, glancing at his attribute panel after reaching level 6.
[Zongjiu Kuangge] (Unclassed)
Level: 6 (0/4800)
Health: 767
Mana: 340
Attack: 80 (37*2+6)
Magic Defense: 40 (34+6)
Speed: 68 (66+2)
Prestige: 0
Fortune: Hidden
Talent: [Bloodfiend Poison Body]: Deals 398 true damage per second to the target, lasting 10 seconds.
He allocated all 5 free attribute points from leveling up to agility.
Now, Yang Yu's speed had reached a staggering 68 points!
No matter how many people came, even if he couldn't win, he could still retreat with ease.
But Yang Yu knew that with someone like Aoshi Kuangfu, merely avoiding him wouldn't work.
He had to make him fear!
Surveying the area, Yang Yu found a secluded spot, took out a glass bottle, and loosened his belt.
The sound of flowing water echoed...
Soon enough, Yang Yu had a bottle of pale yellow toxic potion, capable of draining 398 health points per second!
Players below level 4 could hardly withstand even a second!
Only players who had reached level 4 and had health-boosting equipment might survive to the second second.
Perhaps because Yang Yu had relieved himself not long ago, the quantity this time was noticeably less.
Following his usual practice of dividing it into about 100 drops per bottle, Yang Yu distributed it into three glass bottles.
Including the three remaining bottles of "Orange-Yellow Potion" from before, Yang Yu now had six bottles of such "potions" in his backpack.
Three bottles dealt 198 damage per second, while the other three dealt 398 damage per second.
In addition, Yang Yu's backpack contained a bottle of Poison Blood.
He had collected it while exploring the map, around 200 drops in total.
It could cause 278 damage per second!
After pondering for a moment, Yang Yu cut open his left wrist, collecting 300 drops of fresh blood, and poured it into the [Void Quiver].
He then gulped down an [Intermediate Health Potion], and as soon as the potion's cooldown ended, he took another.
With Yang Yu's natural health regeneration now at 1 point per second, his lost health was fully restored in just two minutes.
"Not quite enough, let's make another 300 arrows!"
After some thought, Yang Yu resumed his self-harming.
He didn't cut for the full 600 health points at once, naturally worried about the risk of sudden danger with low health.
Even though there was no one or monster nearby in the Black Rye Grassland that could threaten him, Yang Yu remained cautious.
Once his health was fully restored, Yang Yu checked his inventory and the [Void Quiver].
He had 38 bottles of Intermediate Health Potion left, and a total of 652 Poisoned Arrows, some of which were leftovers with varying toxic effects.
But for the current players, they were all extremely lethal!
He also had six bottles of "Orange-Yellow Potion" and one bottle of Poison Blood.
His ammunition was more than sufficient!
With everything ready, Yang Yu set off towards the valley entrance!
...
As he headed to the valley entrance, Yang Yu casually opened the remote auction system.
The nine pieces of common equipment he had just put up at the Auction House had all sold, though the average price had dropped to about fifteen thousand.
After deducting the system fees, he was left with 110,000, which had already been transferred to Yang Yu's bank card.
Yang Yu's bank card balance now stood at over 760,000!
The bidding price for the [Greenridge Ghosthead Axe] had reached 370,000.
There weren't many bidders left, primarily Wang Batian and Huangfu Xiong taking turns to outbid each other.
There were still 14 minutes left until the scheduled end of the auction.
In other words, Yang Yu had leveled up from level 4 with zero experience to level 6 in just over ten minutes.
And that was with Yang Yu spending most of his time exploring the map.
No wonder other players were reacting so intensely.
Yang Yu had just considered whether to use other methods to deal with Aoshi Kuangfu.
For instance, climbing over the steep mountains surrounding the Black Rye Grassland to explore the map further out.
Or canceling the auction and setting a fixed price for the [Greenridge Ghosthead Axe].
With its high attack power, Yang Yu believed that even if he set the price at 400,000, someone would surely buy it without hesitation.
But these methods would only address the symptoms, not the root cause.
Even if he suddenly sold the [Greenridge Ghosthead Axe] now, Yang Yu couldn't guarantee that Aoshi Kuangfu wouldn't attack him when he left the valley.
Since this man was a notorious bandit, it was time for him to experience what it's like to be robbed.
Having made up his mind, Yang Yu quickened his pace!
Three minutes later, Yang Yu arrived at the valley entrance.
From a distance, he could see the area was crowded with people.
There were sentinels from the Batian Guild, as well as players who had come to watch the spectacle.
Leading the charge was a group of players under the "Aoshi" banner.
At the forefront was a short, black-faced burly man with a full beard, wielding a pair of black axes.
His ID was prominently displayed—Aoshi Kuangfu.
The armor he wore was quite thick, with a bronze sheen, seemingly also a piece of Bronze Equipment.
Hundreds of people formed a line, blocking the valley entrance tightly.
If Yang Yu tried to leave the valley from this direction, he would have to pass through here.
This group's strength was clearly superior to that of the Batian Guild.
Besides Aoshi Kuangfu, who had reached level 4, there were five others at level 4 beside him.
These five were likely the Squad Captains of these hundred-man teams.
Seeing this scene, Yang Yu understood and strode forward confidently.