Sprays of blood burst into the air alongside a horrifying damage number.
The wraith beast did not even have time to react. Its health bar was emptied almost instantly. Its front claws had only just lifted when its enormous body collapsed heavily onto the ground.
It worked!
Excitement flashed across Yin Huaichen’s face as he stepped forward and pulled the sword from the creature’s skull.
Of course.
Since 《Eternal Universe》 was a fully immersive game centered around realism, its combat logic should naturally follow the laws of reality as well.
To bring a martial art to true perfection, one required more than bodily control alone. It also demanded coordination with a specific internal qi circulation method.
That principle was exactly the same as in his original world.
A 90% completion rate…
And the damage amplification was actually this terrifying.
Even Yin Huaichen found it somewhat unbelievable.
He opened his combat history panel.
Yin Huaichen could clearly sense that Hidden Azure Dragon had undergone a certain transformation when paired with the circulation of the Formless Impermanence Heart Method.
A 260% skill damage multiplier, combined with the 150% critical bonus from a vital strike,
With his current pathetic stats, he had somehow managed to deal nearly four hundred damage.
And from the looks of it, 90% completion seemed to be a threshold.
Only after reaching that level did the additional skill damage multiplier appear.
In truth, according to 《Eternal Universe》’s design philosophy, martial artists were intended to be a class with an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor.
Completion rate was a unique mechanic exclusive to martial artists.
With the help of the system’s assisted casting, ordinary players could drastically reduce the difficulty of mastering martial techniques. As long as they learned a skill, they could easily use it in actual combat.
However, if players wished to achieve higher completion rates, they needed to repeatedly use those skills to accumulate proficiency.
As skill usage frequency increased, alongside player level progression and the enhancement of certain special items, skill completion rates would gradually rise as well.
The manifestation of this mechanic was that the system assisted casting would slowly help players guide their internal qi along the correct circulation paths.
Theoretically, ordinary players could also reach completion rates above 90%.
But the process was extremely long and arduous.
Moreover, players had limited energy and time. Even in the late game, most martial artists only possessed a handful of skills capable of reaching 90% completion.
From a certain perspective, however, Yin Huaichen’s Formless Impermanence Heart Method had completely bypassed the game’s “proficiency requirement” system.
He did not need the assisted casting system to circulate his qi for him.
He simply did it himself.
At this moment, Yin Huaichen still had not realized that he had essentially accomplished something equivalent to exploiting a game breaking bug.
Instead, he felt somewhat dissatisfied.
Hidden Azure Dragon was not considered a particularly profound martial technique. One could even say it was a fairly basic martial art.
Yin Huaichen possessed the inheritance of the Impermanence Palace. In his previous life, he had been hailed by countless people as a heaven blessed genius.
He knew many techniques far superior to the Vast Abyss Sword Manual.
Even so…
He could only achieve a 90% completion rate?
As expected, just as his teacher once said,
No matter how simple a technique might seem, reaching its ultimate peak was never something accomplished overnight.
Yin Huaichen let out a long, leisurely sigh but his attention was quickly drawn toward the items dropped by the wraith beast.
【Wraith Beast Fang】: Quest Item.
【Savage Wraith Gloves (Green): Core Attribute +2, Critical Rate +3. Equipment Requirement: Level 2.】
The Wraith Beast Fang was the quest item required by Gu Xingxiu, while the gloves were a piece of green grade equipment. Since the server had only just opened, green quality equipment was still fairly rare.
As for the attributes…
Core Attribute was a universal stat tied directly to the base attack power of every class.
Critical Rate, meanwhile, increased the chance of landing critical hits. For most classes, it was considered an extremely valuable stat but for Yin Huaichen, it was somewhat mediocre.
Martial Artists were melee classes. As long as they struck a vital point, they could guarantee a critical hit. With Yin Huaichen’s skill level, landing attacks on vital areas was hardly difficult, so a Critical Rate bonus was more or less optional to him.
Compared to that, the “Critical Damage” stat would provide far greater improvement for Yin Huaichen. Unfortunately, Critical Damage was a rare affix, something one could only encounter by chance.
Even so, these Savage Wraith Gloves were still infinitely better than the tattered junk he currently had equipped.
As long as he had something to wear, he was satisfied. He was not picky.
The wraith beasts were Level 3 monsters and granted substantial experience. After killing the second one, Yin Huaichen’s level rose from 1 to 2.
【Player: Yin Wuchang
Sect: Vast Abyss Sword Sect
Level: 2 (Unranked)
HP: 310/310, Internal Qi: 8/25
Core Attribute: 12 (Affects Base Attack Power)
Critical Rate: 8 (Affects Critical Hit Chance)
Critical Damage: 150%
Qi Sea: 2 (Affects Internal Energy Limit)
Focus: 2 (Affects Skill Cooldown and Casting Speed)
Armor Break: 3 (Ignores Percentage of Defense)
Force Dissolution: 2 (Damage Reduction)】
After reaching Level 2, all of his attributes had improved slightly.
Most importantly, his internal qi limit had increased from 20 to 25.
Right now, Yin Huaichen’s greatest issue was the severe lack of internal qi. He could barely use his skills a few times before running dry. Every additional point of internal qi was tremendously important to him.
Gu Xingxiu’s quest required collecting ten Wraith Beast Fangs.
Yin Huaichen had only gathered one so far.
Still far from enough.
At present, there were relatively few players in this region but once the main player population leveled up, this area would inevitably become a popular grinding zone. By then, even lone monsters would be difficult to compete for.
Yin Huaichen naturally did not intend to waste time.
After briefly meditating to restore his internal qi, he immediately set his sights on the next monster.
“Captain, maybe we should just go back to Crescent Marsh to level…”
A five player party entered the valley. One of the Soul Contract players glanced nervously at the surrounding monsters and instinctively shrank his neck.
“These are all Level 3 monsters. Can we really handle this?”
“What are you scared of?”
The team captain was an Iron Guardian. Hearing his teammate’s concerns, he thumped his chest confidently.
“The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Don’t you understand that? Crescent Marsh is packed with people already. You’ve gotta fight over every single mob there. At that rate, how long are we supposed to wait before leveling?”
Then his gaze shifted toward the distance.
“Besides… these monsters don’t look that hard to deal with. Look over there.”
The other teammates froze before following the captain’s line of sight.
In the distance stood a tall, slender figure.
It appeared to be a Martial Artist player holding an iron longsword, currently locked in battle against two wraith beasts at once.
The distance was too great to make out his face clearly but his movements were impossibly eye catching.
His footwork flowed freely and gracefully like a roaming dragon.
They watched as he stepped forward and flicked his sword upward to meet a wraith beast’s claws. With a crisp metallic clang, he borrowed the recoil force to flip backward through the air. Mid flip, his sword flashed once, leaving a wound at the back of the creature’s skull.
The moment he landed, he twisted back around, pressing down with one arm as his sword swept outward in a beautifully fluid arc…
It was utterly effortless.
“That’s… a Martial Artist?”
The teammate stared in fascination for quite a while before finally recovering his senses.
“Wasn’t everyone saying Martial Artists are weak?”
The forums were filled to the brim with Martial Artist players complaining endlessly. They couldn’t solo monsters properly, couldn’t find parties and were generally pitied by everyone else.
Although their own team did not include a Martial Artist, they had certainly heard about the class’s miserable situation.
“Players are always like that.”
The captain waved dismissively.
“Doesn’t matter if the class is actually strong or weak. People complain first regardless. If enough people cry about it, maybe the devs will buff it someday.”
“That… actually makes sense.”
The others thought about it and found the logic strangely convincing.
“Are wraith beasts really this squishy?”
One teammate noticed the Martial Artist’s absurd damage output in the distance.
After only two or three sword strikes, the tall and savage wraith beast collapsed straight to the ground.
“Why does it feel like these Level 3 monsters are easier than Level 1 monsters?”
“They’re probably the type with low HP but high attack power,” the captain guessed.
“Stop staring already. We need to level too.”
Originally, the captain had still felt somewhat uncertain.
But after witnessing the performance of that Martial Artist player, his confidence instantly soared. Secretly delighted at having discovered what he believed was a hidden grinding paradise, he stepped forward without overthinking things.
Soon, he selected a wraith beast and slammed forward with a shield strike to initiate combat.
“Hah!”
Sword and shield collided together in his hands as he decisively activated Charge. Under the assistance of the system’s casting aid, he rushed toward the wraith beast at tremendous speed.
His body automatically shifted into combat posture as he launched a fierce assault.
Bang!
A heavy muffled sound rang out.
The wraith beast did not move even slightly.
Instead, the captain himself was knocked backward two steps.
Before he could even react,
The wraith beast’s claw smashed directly into him.
His HP instantly plummeted to near empty.
Holy shit!
The captain’s face turned pale with horror.
Wasn’t it supposed to be easier than Level 1 monsters?!
Why does this feel completely wrong?!
“Heal heal heal!”
Three seconds after pulling the monster, he had already begun screaming for help.
The nearby Spirit Nexus healer was so startled that she panicked, wildly throwing healing skills everywhere in complete chaos before barely managing to stabilize the captain’s HP.
“DPS! DPS already!”
“The attack’s way too high, I can’t tank this! Pull the aggro off me!”
“Healer save me! Save me!”
“Why’s its defense so high too?! We can’t even damage it, Captain!”
“Oh no, Captain exploded again! Help help help!”
“…”
The entire party descended into utter chaos.
The scene was a complete disaster.
…
Naturally, Yin Huaichen had noticed the arrival of the nearby party as well but he paid them little attention.
After finishing off the two wraith beasts in front of him, he merely glanced toward them from afar before leaving.
Ever since discovering the function of the Formless Impermanence Heart Method within the game, his monster killing efficiency had become astonishingly fast.
The damage amplification granted by extremely high skill completion rates was downright terrifying.
Combined with his growing familiarity with the wraith beasts’ attack patterns, killing them became increasingly easy.
With a successful sneak attack opener, he could kill a wraith beast in as little as fifteen seconds.
At first, Yin Huaichen only dared target isolated monsters.
Later on, he could even handle two wraith beasts attacking him simultaneously without falling behind.
Originally, he had intended to test whether he could challenge three at once.
But the difficulty of facing three wraith beasts simultaneously was simply too high.
After attempting it once, he nearly overturned completely. In the end, he barely managed to escape the battlefield alive by relying on the superiority of his movement techniques.
Otherwise, he probably would have died there.
Although death penalties before Level 10 were relatively minor, every death forced players to wait six hours before re entering the game.
That severely affected leveling efficiency.
Still too difficult.
The wraith beasts attacked quickly and hit incredibly hard. Even Iron Guardians, who specialized in defense, struggled greatly when facing them.
For a fragile class like Martial Artist, the margin for error was practically nonexistent.
As expected…
His internal qi was still too low.
Yin Huaichen thought silently to himself.
After all, the Formless Impermanence Heart Method was something from outside the game itself. It could not be reflected within the game panel.
It seemed that if he wanted to increase his internal qi limit further, he would need to search for other methods.
The freedom within 《Eternal Universe》 was unbelievably high.
Aside from player settings, it was nearly indistinguishable from the real world itself. Every NPC possessed independent behavioral logic as well.
As long as a player was clever enough, or lucky enough, they might trigger some unexpected encounter.
Perhaps something straight out of a novel.
Like jumping off a cliff and obtaining a peerless secret manual.
…
After collecting the ten fangs required for the quest, Yin Huaichen’s level also rose to 3.
Without the bonus experience from fighting higher level monsters, the experience granted by wraith beasts was no longer particularly impressive.
Not wanting to waste any time, he rested briefly on the spot before returning to Heavenly Mechanism City to submit the quest.
“So quickly?”
Inside the Vast Abyss Sword Sect, Gu Xingxiu wore a slightly surprised expression. Clearly, Yin Huaichen’s speed in completing the quest had exceeded his expectations.
“I truly did not misjudge you. The Vast Abyss Sword Sect is in desperate need of talented individuals like you.”
His gaze toward Yin Huaichen was filled with satisfaction.
Then he picked up the quest fangs Yin Huaichen had submitted and examined them carefully.
Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly.
“This is…”
He muttered softly under his breath.
“How could it be the aura of the Purification Sect…”
Yin Huaichen stood nearby with his arms crossed, silently watching the performance unfold.
Purification Sect?
Never heard that name before…
A moment later, Gu Xingxiu adjusted his expression, his gaze becoming noticeably more serious.
“It seems the recent rumors surrounding Thousand Mechanism City are not entirely baseless. I have an important matter I need you to handle.”
【Quest Triggered: “Gu Xingxiu’s Worries.” Accept?】
【From the Wraith Beast Fangs, Gu Xingxiu has sensed an unusual aura seemingly connected to the rumored Purification Sect. In order to investigate the truth, Gu Xingxiu requests that you deliver a confidential letter to a Vast Abyss Sword Sect disciple outside the city.】
At this point, there was no reason not to continue the quest chain.
Yin Huaichen cooperated perfectly with Gu Xingxiu’s dramatic performance, accepting the secret letter with a solemn expression.
“To serve the sect is my unquestionable duty.”
Gu Xingxiu smiled in satisfaction.
【Gu Xingxiu’s Favorability Toward You +30】
…
After accepting the quest and leaving the sword sect, Yin Huaichen was still savoring the line he had just delivered.
In a deserted corner, he lightly coughed, switched to a more tragic and heroic expression, then loudly declared:
“To serve the sect is my unquestionable duty!”
Wow. That sounded ridiculously chuuni.
Yin Huaichen was thoroughly embarrassed by his own dramatic intonation.
The moment he turned his head,
He locked eyes with another player.
The other player appeared to merely be passing by.
Dressed in a Warlock outfit with a tall figure, the person slowly sized Yin Huaichen up from head to toe.
Their expression was… difficult to describe.
Yin Huaichen: “……”
“I’m not…”
Yin Huaichen opened his mouth in a futile attempt to explain himself but the Warlock player in front of him had already turned around and deliberately taken a detour away from him. At the same time, the other player opened his communicator and began rambling to a friend.
“Hello? Yeah, I’ll be there soon. I’m just about to turn in a quest. Oh right, let me tell you, this game seriously has all kinds of weird people. I just ran into some guy in the city who’s completely lost himself in roleplay. Dude was literally doing cosplay in the middle of the street…”
Yin Huaichen: “?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Remember to keep a positive moodChapter 2 · Have fun playing the gameChapter 3 · Skill completion rateChapter 4 · Strange and malevolent creatures roam outside the cityChapter 5 · 90% complete!Chapter 6 · Serving the sect is my dutyChapter 7 · First meetingChapter 8 · Fang LecangChapter 9 · A prestigious and righteous sect!Chapter 10 · Kill Chi BantuChapter 11 · Spoils of warChapter 12 · We’ve made a fortune!Chapter 13 · Thunder and fire extinguish goldChapter 14 · You found it?Chapter 15 · The so called degree of freedomChapter 16 · The secrets of life and deathChapter 17 · A minor leader of the first rank.Chapter 18 · What kind of luck do you have?Chapter 19 · Let’s Do itChapter 20 · The BOSS escapedChapter 21 · “A wound to the heart is also a wound.”Chapter 22 · Good people are always blessed.Chapter 23 · The Old Man of the Valley of BonesChapter 24 · It’s me, young master!Chapter 25 · Take it slow and steadyChapter 26 · The older they get, the stingier they becomeChapter 27 · You know this person tooChapter 28 · I saw Wei Wanzhou againChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · “Password lock” crackedChapter 31 · We’ve come to punish you!Chapter 32 · A boorish country bumpkin who knows no manners.Chapter 33 · You have crossed the lineChapter 34 · Now that we’re here, do you think we can leave?Chapter 35 · A trivial skillChapter 36 · Actually, I was just kiddingChapter 37 · Upgrade mission complete, rating: SSS!Chapter 38 · AwardChapter 39 · I have always been law-abiding and law-abidingChapter 40 · Are you coming back for dinner tonight?Chapter 41 · Purple Lightning Square Seal.Chapter 42 · A money-grubberChapter 43 · BetChapter 44 · Four Continents Chamber of CommerceChapter 45 · This was my third meeting with Wei WanzhouChapter 46 · Oh, you want to hit on me.Chapter 47 · The angry drizzle has stoppedChapter 48 · Thunder SpearChapter 49 · “Are you a devil?”Chapter 50 · The Impermanent Lord!?Chapter 51 · Loot everywhere..Chapter 52 · His identity remains a mystery.Chapter 53 · Why not show yourself?Chapter 54 · He confronted Li Mingrui.Chapter 55 · Auction