Chapter Four: The Useless Golden Cheat

With a crisp snap, Zhou Yu flicked his lighter to light a cigarette for the old man, then lit one for himself. The first drag filled his lungs with a satisfying rush; he really ought to quit, Zhou Yu thought, glancing at the pack that held only five cigarettes left.

“Master, why aren’t there any birds in this forest? Or any other small animals?” Zhou Yu had been observant; since his arrival, several days had passed, and apart from the half-devoured demon tiger, he hadn’t seen a single creature. Something was off—when things defy reason, something sinister is afoot.

“Hah! That’s because all the little critters have been eaten,” the old man replied, exhaling a plume of smoke.

“Master, are there any other big beasts in this forest besides the demon tiger?”

“Hah! I think I’d better just teach you how to wield the iron sword,” the old man dodged the question.

Zhou Yu didn’t press further; with the old man’s strength and strange temper, if he didn’t want to talk, there was nothing to be done.

“Please instruct me, Master.” Zhou Yu gripped the rusty iron sword with both hands, holding it level at his chest, drew in a deep breath, and shouted, “Hup!” He brought the sword crashing down on a giant tree.

There was no technique to this swing, just brute force. In that instant, Zhou Yu’s thin body erupted with surprising strength. With a sharp crack, the sword bit into the trunk, but only halfway before it stopped.

“Hah! The momentum’s not bad, but your strength is sorely lacking!” the old man shook his head after watching.

“Please guide me, Master. I used every ounce of my strength and could only cut halfway through. Doesn’t our Iron Sword Sect have any sword forms, breathing techniques, or secret tips?” Zhou Yu asked as he struggled to pull the sword from the tree.

“Hah! A hasty cat never catches a mouse! When you can cleave ten trees in a row, I’ll teach you,” the old man replied.

Zhou Yu knew he was being brushed off. Even with ten years of the old man’s cultivation bestowed upon him, could he not even learn the most basic sword forms?

“Master is right! I’ll work hard to chop trees,” he replied earnestly.

The old man stretched lazily on his tree branch, glanced at the setting sun, took a swig of wine, and said, “Disciple, I have matters to attend to tonight. Stay here and keep watch. If you light a fire after dark, no wild beasts will come.”

After wrenching the sword free with all his might, Zhou Yu replied, “Understood, Master,” then threw himself back into chopping trees.

Only when dusk fell did Zhou Yu finally stop, his clothes soaked with sweat, a fine crust of white salt clinging to his neck—the residue of minerals left behind as his sweat evaporated.

He set the iron sword aside and looked at his hands, raw and bleeding. Exhausted, he dragged himself to gather wood and build a fire. The pain in his palms was searing, but he gritted his teeth, tossing branches and chips onto the flames, then turned the spit of tiger meat. The fire crackled and sparked, and as he recalled the old man’s departure at sunset, Zhou Yu’s suspicions deepened.

Over the past few days, Zhou Yu had learned that he was deep within a mountain called Lost Mountain. According to the old man and his own observations, it would take at least a month on foot to escape. Earlier that afternoon, the old man had dodged his questions about other beasts in the forest, which only fueled Zhou Yu’s doubts. The old man was definitely hiding something.

Tearing into the juicy tiger meat, Zhou Yu summoned Baidu Genie: “Scan the forest and tell me what else is alive here.”

“What range?”

“How long would it take you to scan a five-kilometer radius?” Zhou Yu asked, setting down his meat.

“About a minute.”

“Make it ten kilometers, then.” Zhou Yu chewed thoughtfully, then asked, “How much do you know about this world? Or tell me about it.”

“Sorry, there’s no data about this world in my database. This world was created by your predecessor. Entry is extremely difficult—one must possess SSS-level power, and it takes five S-class experts working together to teleport someone here,” the digital assistant explained.

“Then how did I get here? By your logic, I’m only an F-class weakling. How did I cross over?” Zhou Yu immediately caught the inconsistency.

“Respected King, Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthus used their divine essence on you. Then, with the combined power of the five elders, they sent you here.”

“What exactly is this divine essence you’re talking about?” Zhou Yu stopped eating.

“Respected King, they transformed their divine essence into white light and infused it into your body.”

“First, explain to me—what is a divine essence?”

“Respected King, the great Asura race, like the gods, possess divine essence. Divine essence is the core of power, like marrow in humans, which produces blood; divine essence absorbs faith and generates power.”

“Then why don’t I feel anything?” Zhou Yu asked.

“Their divine essence split into three strands within you. One was used up bringing you to this world; otherwise you would not have survived the journey. The other two now protect your life, activating only if you’re in mortal danger.”

“So you mean, if I’m ever in danger, I’ll gain godlike power?”

“No. It will merely prevent you from dying—think of it as three immunity shields.”

Damn it, what a useless cheat code! Zhou Yu cursed inwardly. If I meet a master, he kills me in one blow, I resurrect, he kills me again, and so on—won’t I be dead for good after three times?

After a moment’s silence, Zhou Yu asked, “Minos and the others gave me their divine essence—what will happen to them?”

“Respected King, Minos and the others each retain half their divine essence. They won’t lose their godhood, but if they are defeated, they can never be reborn.”

A heavy, invisible burden settled on Zhou Yu’s shoulders. He could tell himself that they acted of their own accord, but it didn’t sit right—others had given up such vital power solely to protect his safety.

“Respected King, the scan is complete. Within ten kilometers, there is only a single fox spirit. No other living creatures.”

A fox spirit? So that was the old man’s target. But strangely, the scan hadn’t picked up the old man at all. Where had he gone?

“You didn’t detect the old man?” Zhou Yu asked.

Far beyond the ten-kilometer range, the old man collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath as the strange green wave that had appeared before him finally stopped advancing.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he grumbled, “Damn it! I knew there was something odd about that kid! What on earth was that green wave he sent out? Made me run nonstop—almost killed me with exhaustion.”

As the green wave faded, the old man scrambled up and dashed back into the woods, cursing as he went, “Brat! If you get bewitched by the fox spirit, don’t blame me! I only wanted to use you to lure it out. Who told you to send out that strange light and make me run so far!”