Reaching into his robe, Bubai discreetly pulled out a quality sheathed sword, as if he had originally concealed it there.
Tying the scabbard to his waist, Bubai unsheathed the sword slightly, checking its sharpness, nodding in satisfaction. In a city of cultivators, this modest sword wouldn't serve as much of a deterrent, regardless of its sharp appearance. However, out in the wild, it could prove fairly useful.
"With this, I'll feel a bit more confident dealing with ferocious beasts on the journey."
Although there were roads in the forest, it didn't mean they were completely safe. There were no guards stationed to keep beasts away, and at most, there was an occasional sweep by the mortal army or the country would hire cultivators to hunt the dangerous beasts.
Despite his strengthened physique, Bubai wasn't certain he could beat or escape from these creatures if encountered. However, with a sword, he could at least intimidate the weaker beasts and deter bandits or other cultivators seeking to exploit unwary travelers.
And with the sword as a disguise, just when they assumed he was a sword cultivator, they would be taken aback when faced with his fists. Having learned some martial arts basics during his eight years in the Cloud Sword Sect, Bubai felt confident he could put his new strength to good use.
"And with my current strength... hehe." Perhaps, in an encounter with bandits, they might be the ones delivering food to him instead. And Bubai certainly wouldn't refuse money delivered to his doorstep.
Of course, Bubai preferred stability and caution, avoiding fights whenever possible. He had to be careful, considering the possibility of stumbling upon a noble son of a cultivator.
The loot will definitely make him happy, but accidentally killing them could lead to trouble, with their father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and even their ancestors seeking revenge. He could easily find himself trapped in the protagonist's trope of being hunted and running for his life.
However, he wasn't the protagonist, and with his current strength, he might not even survive the first tribulation, most likely perishing to the wrath of the enraged father.
With his golden finger, Bubai envisioned growing strong enough to not worry about such concerns in the future. However, for now, his goal was to keep a low profile, not playing big like the other Fang Bubai.
So, despite following the road, Bubai stuck to the forest. This increased the risk of encountering beasts but decreased the likelihood of untimely encounters with others - except for those who shared the same idea of traveling through the forest.
"Well, I can't be that unlucky, right?" Bubai remarked, glancing at the dimly lit forest around him and the canopy filled with thick branches above. "Um, at least there are trees to hide behind and on top of."
Calmly meandering through the forest, his steps steady, Bubai also took the opportunity to gauge his new strength, something he hadn't had the time for before.
From punching trees to leaping up to them from the ground up and even attempting to run up them, anyone observing might think Bubai resembled a crazy monkey.
Yet, he felt no shame. He was merely fulfilling his childish heart's dream.
After all, as an avid anime fan, who didn't wish to be a ninja capable of walking up trees someday? Even as a cultivator, he believed he could have a sub-profession as a ninja.
Alas, he quickly realized he was a long way from that dream, his tree-climbing efforts usually resulting in him tumbling over repeatedly.
Fortunately, he discovered that his body had a remarkable resilience and didn't bruise despite the numerous falls. While he still experienced pain, it paled in comparison to the mental torture he had endured over the years in this world.
"Not only toughness, but there's also an overall improvement in my muscle strength. My overall explosive power has been raised, allowing me to jump higher, sprint faster, and hit harder. Now, my natural strength and speed won't lose to a late-stage Qi-refiner like Manager Qin; it may even exceed it!"
Best of all, despite these physical enhancements geared towards strength and muscles, Bubai felt no decrement in his flexibility. His arms, legs, and body remained as lean as before. Outsiders observing him would definitely not expect his formidable physical strength hidden within this body.
"But this is typical for an immortal cultivator. No one can be underestimated, regardless of their appearance, even if it is a child."
That is why Qi sensing techniques are important, not only to detect cultivation-related items, but also to roughly gauge the non-hidden strength of other cultivators.
Fortunately, Bubai hadn't encountered those heaven-defying child geniuses with inborn strength and with personalities comparable to a bear child.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have met his first formidable opponent.
Groink! Groink! The grunting sound of a beast resonated nearby.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Turning over, Bubai's gaze met the ferocious beady eyes of a large boar, its height almost reaching his shoulder and its length taller than him. Its menacing long tusks pointed towards Bubai as it rubbed its hoof, clearly ready to charge.
Shing! With a practiced motion, Bubai unsheathed his sword effortlessly, confidently pointing it at the boar. "Be gone, pig! Or fall under my sword that has won a hundred battles!"
As if provoked by Bubai's challenge, the boar's beady eyes turned bloodshot, squealing as it charged forward. "Buhiii!"
Bubai's eyes sharpened, his mind calculating the boar's trajectory.
In a matter of moments, the boar arrived, and Bubai cleanly sidestepped out of its charging path, twirling his body and leveraging the momentum to fluidly drive his sword towards the side of the passing boar, attempting to stab through its skin and into what he presumed was the location of its heart!
Clang. However, Bubai's eyes narrowed in shock when his sword clashed against the boar's skin, failing to cut through!
Not only that, the sword even bent unnaturally, as if made from the same flimsy metal used in the swords of street performers! "That old shopkeeper! I knew he wasn't a good thing!"
Screech! The bent sword drew a trail across the boar's skin as it passed by, creating a horrid screeching noise but failing to draw blood.
Fortunately, the sword didn't snap in half, probably due to the formation engraved on it that enhanced its durability. But even if it didn't break, it was essentially useless for this fight.
Holding his straightened sword with a wry smile, Bubai rolled his eyes, staring at the boar that had slowed its charging momentum after knocking down a tree, slowly turning around as it shook its head, its hoof pawing the ground once more.
"Er... Big Brother Boar... how about we go our separate ways... end this on a friendly note?"
"Buhiii!" Seeing the big boar charging at him again, Bubai swiftly turned around, sheathing his sword, and ran away!
In the forest, a cacophony of screams blended with the intermittent crashes of trees toppling over.
"Dirty pig, quit following me!"
"Go away, fat pig! Or I’ll eat you!"
"Brother Pig, if you let me off, I’ll find you a female pig!"
After a while, Bubai, with bloodshot eyes, glared back at the boar that relentlessly pursued him, seeming desperate for its own version of reincarnation.
"I swear! Grandpa Fang lets you off, and you don’t appreciate it! Do you really think Grandpa Fang doesn’t have a temper?" Screeching to a halt, Bubai turned around, both arms raised as if preparing to face the oncoming pig.
Seeing this, the boar charged over with even more excitement, happy its prey had stopped running.
However, just as the boar was about to collide with Bubai, he gritted his teeth, sidestepping out of the way once more. This time, he clenched his fists and, with a twist of his body, slammed his fists toward the boar's head from the side. "Go to hell!"
Sitting by the campfire next to the substantial carcass of the boar he had killed, Bubai serenely turned the chunk of boar meat roasting over the flames, watching the sizzling fat drip down below. “Hey, I warned you Brother Pig. Why didn’t you listen? Must you be so noble to sacrifice yourself like so? Grandpa Fang almost can’t bear to eat you...”
Alas, the drool Bubai wiped away with his sleeve certainly spoke volumes of Bubai’s true emotions towards the victim.
Once satisfied with the cooking progress, Bubai settled back on a log, his gaze shifting to his slightly bruised knuckles.
"Holy, my body is even more useful than a sword... am I going to become a body cultivator now?"
It seems his golden finger could inherently upgrade his strength as he continued to grow?
Of course, Bubai didn’t let this small victory get to his head. Despite his stronger body, he was well aware that his current strength wasn't enough to confront the mysterious methods of cultivators head-on.
Even dealing with the boar, he had to punch it so many times before he managed to take it down. The result of the fight was his bloodied, bruised hands.
But now… Observing his knuckles, which had already recovered from the bad scrapes and bruises incurred during the boar encounter, leaving only faint bruises.
This… was actually not his body’s self-recovery ability.
After slaying the boar, Bubai had wanted to activate the Qi Sensing Eye technique to check if the boar had a beast core. This was a rare, valuable loot originating from strong beasts, usually with cultivation qualifications or special bloodlines. The chances were slim with this boar, but what if he lucked out?
Well, he confirmed once again… he didn’t have the protagonist’s luck. Instead, he confirmed something else.
After deactivating his Qi Sensing Eyes, just like his green wisp, the remnant green strand of Qi he allocated for the attempt did not dissipate into the atmosphere, but was absorbed by his body.
Thus, at that moment, he discovered the mystical properties of this green Qi strand for the first time.
After a couple more tests, he realized his mysterious strand of energy turned out to possess potent healing properties, visibly mending his superficial wounds! This was akin to an upgraded version of his green wisps of Qi, with an effect many times stronger!
Of course, healing superficial wounds wasn’t a big deal in the world of cultivation. But with his growth, this healing effect will probably become more and more potent...
“Hey, another reason to hide it.” Realizing the latent value of this ability, Bubai couldn't help but sigh, acknowledging that he had another secret to keep hidden to avoid unwanted disaster.
If his ability is discovered, perhaps he would be captured and locked up to serve as a living blood bank for others.
Shifting his focus from his hand, Bubai's eyes settled on the nearly finished roasted boar meat. Wiping a bit of drool from his mouth, he eagerly reached for the stick, sinking his teeth into the succulent, cooked flesh on the slightly cooler side.
"Yum! I haven’t had meat in such a long time!" Bubai closed his eyes in bliss, savoring the taste of the long-awaited delicacy.
Suddenly, Bubai heard a faint hum coming from above. Opening his eyes, he narrowed them when he saw the shadow obscuring his vicinity. Looking up, he identified a familiar flying ship gliding across the clouds above him.
"Sun Furnace Sect?" Bubai murmured as he took another bite of his meat, nonchalantly chewing and enjoying the flavor as he watched the ship glide past him, seemingly uninterested. "Well, nothing to do with me. It’s just passing by."
However, just as Bubai looked down, preparing to continue his meal, his senses tingled.
But before he could react, an invisible force wrapped around his body, squeezing him from all sides, freezing him in place. His eyes widened in horror, and moments later, he felt his entire body being forcefully lifted from the ground, swiftly ascending into the sky.
Due to the abrupt ascension force, he could feel the greasy stick slip out from his hand, and he could only helplessly watch his boar meat fly away, gone with the wind.
My meat! Bubai wailed inwardly, wanting to struggle...
Alas, struggling proved futile as he couldn’t even move his body, let alone break free from the unseen hand that had seized him!
Watching the campfire grow smaller and smaller beneath him, the rest of his meat getting further and further away, Bubai helplessly rolled his eyes, gazing up at the sight of the quickly approaching wooden ship. "No way! Why?!"