Chapter 3: Merit Points, Level Up!

Looking at the bandit sheathing his sword and walking toward him, Chen Shicheng collapsed onto the ground, clutching his abdomen tightly, his gaze sweeping over the eyes of an old man and a little girl peeking through the crack of the broken temple window beside him.

He gave a bitter laugh and, with a hoarse voice, said, "Why didn't the two of you tell me this bandit is so strong?!"

Unfortunately, the moment their eyes met, the old man and the little girl hastily crouched back, fearing the Wuhun Mountain Bandit would spot them.

At the same time, both felt doubtful; they had gone out full of confidence, even holding a finely crafted sword, yet it ended just like that—in an instant?

"Damn it, did they really think I was a soft persimmon?"

Chen Shicheng ignored the old man and the little girl, focusing all his attention on his interface.

【Basic Sword Technique (Beginner)+】

Seeing the plus sign after the skill, he hastily tapped it without a thought, not caring how much Merit Points would be consumed.

Below his talent, the Merit Points number began to change rapidly.

574,431—in less than a second, his Merit Points dropped to just 31, while the "Basic Sword Technique" in the skill column upgraded at lightning speed.

【Your relentless night-and-day practice of Basic Sword Technique broke through to the Proficiency level in the sixth year.】

【Your persistent continued practice broke through to the Mastery level in the thirteenth year.】

【In the twenty-sixth year, your Basic Sword Technique reached the state of perfection, achieving the Perfection realm; you have thus attained the pinnacle of Basic Sword Technique, yet you faintly feel this is not the end—will you continue to contemplate?】

【Basic Sword Technique (Perfection)+】

【Passive Effect: When using bladed weapons, damage increases by 300%, precision by 500%, and stamina consumption decreases by 40%.】

【Introduction: Your mastery of bladed weapons has reached the peak; when wielding such weapons, they feel like an extension of your limbs, allowing you to handle them with ease.】

Chen Shicheng lay limp on the ground, his right hand gripping the Tang Sword tightly, paying no heed to the system prompt that he could still add points, his entire focus on the changes in his body.

It felt wonderful; countless memories of arduous sword practice surged in his mind, as if he were recalling a forgotten chapter of his life—both real and absurd.

But as the memories were smoothly absorbed, the sensation from the Tang Sword in his hand gradually changed, feeling like an extension of his body, unusually familiar and intimate, as if he had devoted the first half of his life to that sword.

At the same time, a visible transformation was occurring on his body; one Merit Point's worth of a year's training honed not only his sword technique but also his physique.

Day after day of high-intensity exercise had already pushed his body far beyond that of an ordinary person, and the effects manifested in his physique were astonishing.

A warm current of unknown origin spread through Chen Shicheng's body, instantly easing his abdominal pain to a tolerable level, making his body feel extraordinarily light, as if he had inexhaustible strength.

Moreover, his eyesight and hearing were noticeably enhanced; looking up at the distant bandit approaching, he could see the dark, rough wrinkles on the bandit's skin as they appeared while walking, crystal clear! Lowering his gaze, the muscles on his arms and calves had visibly strengthened, and the abdomen, trained into a unified whole, had deteriorated into a six-pack, making Chen Shicheng somewhat regretful as he tried to push himself up from the ground, discovering that his abdominal injury no longer hindered his movements; following the memory in his mind, he flicked a sword flourish, the Tang Sword pressed against his body moving so fast it left an afterimage, the "whoosh-whoosh" of tearing air causing him no harm at all.

"This talent is invincible—it can even enhance attributes! I feel I've become terrifyingly strong!"

Chen Shicheng delighted, ran his hands over his new body up and down, and as the bandit drew near, he revealed a sinister smile—this wild monster was already doomed! These events seemed to have taken a long time, but in fact only about a second had passed.

The bandit saw Chen Shicheng's physique change, and even after taking a kick from him he could still stand up without any change in expression, just as before, woodenly holding his sword and advancing steadily. But this time, Chen Shicheng was no longer the Xiao Kalami who almost knelt from a single strike earlier.

He calmly watched the great blade descending from above his head; at the moment before contact, he shifted his footing, barely dodging, and in the next instant a slash of silver swept upward from below, chilling and piercing to the eyes.

Ignoring the effect of that blow, Chen Shicheng turned his body, driving the Tang Sword to carve a perfect arc; the blade, borrowing force, flashed across the bandit's neck.

Sheathed the sword.

Stood firm.

Chen Shicheng stood behind the bandit, holding the Tang Sword at an angle; its silvery blade reflected a cold light, without a trace of blood, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

But in the very next moment, accompanied by a "hiss-hiss" spraying sound, the bandit's arm and head slowly slid off, exposing the smooth flesh within, as scalding hot blood gushed out, splattering Chen Shicheng's face.

The blood lent his handsome features a touch of ferocity; combined with the blood mist drifting in the air, it gave the illusion of a peerless swordsman from an ancient tale stepping into the world.

Of course, all of this was merely appearance.

Not even two seconds of self-satisfaction had passed when, as the bandit's corpse fell, Chen Shicheng's abdomen twitched; he braced his hands on his knees and lowered his head.

"Ugh"

Unfortunately, besides saliva, he brought up nothing.

After a moment, he rose, wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, and felt utterly speechless.

According to the memories imparted by the skill, countless days and nights of monotonous sword swinging ought to have made his spirit as tough as steel.

Yet he never expected that, while his mind adapted to this killing motion and almost became instinctive, allowing him to swing without hesitation, his own body directly fell short.

The hyper-realistic yet unreal game visuals sent his adrenaline soaring; moreover, every wound on the corpse resembled that of a real person, with muscles and blood vessels exposed to the air, faintly twitching, making him feel as if he had truly killed someone.

Nervous, the adrenaline surge caused his stomach to cramp; unable to hold back, he dry-retched, completely ruining his image.

That said, the impact sensation is indeed incredibly satisfying—so much so that even the feedback from the blade cutting different body parts varies, truly maximizing the experience.

"This is what a real game is—what's the deal with spitting green blood after getting hurt? Do you have a gynecological disease?"

Just as Chen Shicheng was still recovering from the violent trembling of his hands and feet due to the adrenaline rush, the Wuhun Mountain Bandit's corpse on the ground gradually turned into a wisp of green smoke and returned to heaven and earth.

The bloodstains splattered on him also vanished bit by bit, sparing him the trouble of cleaning up.

【Slaying Lv. 1 Wuhun Mountain Bandit, cross-level kill doubles experience, gaining 4 Experience Points and 3 copper coins. (No skill manual obtained, cannot level up; experience points have been stored in the experience pool.)】

【Slaying Lv. 1 Wuhun Mountain Bandit, the Stealing Heaven Pendant's effect triggers—extract 1 Merit Point this time? (Remaining uses: 3/3)】

(End of Chapter)