Chapter 51: The Path of Self-Improvement

"Chokehold, go for the chokehold! Fighting like this, you'll definitely lose; I'm dying of anxiety!"

"Brother upstairs, stop giving blind advice! Does the Eagle-Headed Monster even have hands? Chokehold? Why don't you suggest sliding over and uppercutting it?"

"Peck its neck! Based on my observations, that's a weak point; a hit there will crit!"

Under the remote command of the players in the livestream, Lu Xing and the Strange Butterfly wrestled together, rolling across the ground.

This was Lu Xing's third challenge against the Strange Butterfly.

Having seen other players flee decisively, the Strange Butterfly's eyes shifted from terror to arrogant condescension upon encountering him; its raised head might as well have had the words "I am strong" written on it.

This made Lu Xing furious.

The Strange Butterfly's attitude toward other players was the complete opposite of its attitude toward him; clearly, it had marked him as a weakling it could bully at will.

Driven by the desire to wipe away his past humiliation, Lu Xing took the initiative to attack.

But the result remained unchanged.

He realized the players in the livestream were all blowing smoke; before the fight, they had all claimed they would provide off-site combat coaching, with some even saying they had learned Ancient Fist Style, Killing Arts, Gene Warrior Combat Techniques... yet none of these fighting skills were of any use against the Eagle-Headed Monster form.

Facing the Strange Butterfly's humiliation, his resistance was utterly powerless.

He hadn't even managed to inflict substantial damage on the Strange Butterfly; what was called a fight looked more like passively taking a beating.

Before long, Lu Xing was exhausted, collapsing on the ground with no strength left to fight.

The Strange Butterfly simply lifted its lower limbs, pressing Lu Xing's head halfway into the dirt, then spread its wings and looked down on him from above, its slightly mocking gaze seeming to tell him: You are weak!

"Don't get cocky, you stupid bird; Grandpa will kill you sooner or later! Bullying a scenery-focused player like me is no feat; if you have guts, go try the Ancient Battlefield."

Lu Xing said weakly, having already given up resistance.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Although the Strange Butterfly couldn't understand Lu Xing's words, it detected a certain emotion in his tone; it repeatedly flapped its wings, striking Lu Xing on the head until he saw stars.

But compared to the physical pain, the humiliation in his heart was far more tormenting; Lu Xing swore in his heart that he would definitely kill this bullying, cowardly stupid bird.

The Strange Butterfly's final strike came at that moment, and the screen was engulfed by darkness.

One hour and thirty minutes later.

Lu Xing arrived at Fengbo Tan again; this time, he brought a Battle Blade purchased for 70 points of Sacrificial Power.

Since his bare hands and feet were no match, he decided to use a weapon and fight in his human form.

At his return, a flicker of confusion passed through the Strange Butterfly's eyes, as if it couldn't comprehend the concept of death and resurrection, but this was quickly covered by excitement as it flapped its wings in enthusiastic welcome.

Without the attribute bonuses of the Eagle-Headed Monster, Lu Xing was beaten so badly in this exchange that he vomited up the food he had eaten while traveling.

Beaten black and blue, Lu Xing's posture of rolling on the ground made the livestream players grimace and silently mourn him in their hearts, yet they still offered emotional encouragement in the chat:

"Explorer Brother's combat skills have obviously improved this time; don't fear failure, you'll definitely win next time!"

"Explorer Brother's slash nearly hit the Strange Butterfly; one can only say the Strange Butterfly was too lucky, what a pity, what a pity."

"Go, Explorer! Failure will only make you stronger; believe in yourself that you can definitely win."

Amid the encouragement of the onlookers in the livestream, Lu Xing was ultimately grabbed by the Strange Butterfly, flown high into the sky, and subjected to a free fall, ending this round of challenges.

After consecutive defeats, Lu Xing completely shut down.

He realized it was impossible for him to defeat the Strange Butterfly unless he possessed a large amount of Sacrificial Power to boost his strength, raising his Body Tempering level and Star Vein level, and then engaging the Strange Butterfly with the attribute bonuses of multiple monster forms.

After resurrecting again, Lu Xing ignored the players' persuasion in the livestream and refused to go to Fengbo Tan.

Donations were certainly appealing, but the dual torment of body and spirit was unbearable.

He had never had much desire for money to begin with, nor did he Iron Face any troubles regarding food, clothing, shelter, or transportation in real life.

But this was not surrender.

The frustration in his heart had not yet been released; he simply wanted to raise his Eagle-Headed Monster level before challenging the Strange Butterfly again, rather than knowingly going to get beaten in a certain defeat.

Although leveling up might cause the Strange Butterfly to refuse to fight him, in Lu Xing's eyes, the Strange Butterfly's act of fleeing would be equivalent to surrender, meaning he had won.

Summoning the chat channel, he began searching for a team to grind monsters and level up, embarking on his path of self-improvement.

Two days later.

After 48 hours of non-stop monster grinding and leveling, Lu Xing raised the Eagle-Headed Monster's level to 11.

Compared to level 7, the Eagle-Headed Monster form now had fuller wings, a glowing fire-red feather had grown on its forehead, and even the aura surrounding it had changed.

The massive increase in attributes gave Lu Xing the courage to fight the Strange Butterfly again.

Opening the livestream that had been dormant for two days, he changed the title to "Fighting the Stupid Bird Again" and then set off toward Fengbo Tan.

Lu Xing, having restarted the livestream, quickly attracted a large number of players to watch.

Many players couldn't help but sigh, stating that this challenge probably wouldn't even start; the cowardly butterfly would definitely run as soon as it saw him.

After a long while, Lu Xing arrived at his destination for this trip, Fengbo Tan, under the gaze of the livestream players.

Gazing at the bushes on the opposite bank, familiar dark green eyes were staring straight at him.

Discovering the Strange Butterfly was still there, a smile floated onto Lu Xing's Iron Face as he waved provocatively at it.

His body twisted and transformed accordingly, switching into the Eagle-Headed Monster form.

Facing the provocation, the Strange Butterfly leaped out of the bushes, but instead of spreading its wings to flee, it simply looked at Lu Xing and proudly raised its head.

The smile on Lu Xing's Iron Face also came to an abrupt halt.

He noticed that the Strange Butterfly's appearance had changed; the brilliant wings covering its body had become even more vivid.

Activating Analysis, he found the answer.

[Strange Butterfly (Fourth-Generation Primordial)]:

Hunting Level: 13

Guidance Analysis: A fourth-generation primordial monster that controls the power of wind; it has spawned primary intelligence and can manipulate wind elements to fly, fight, or greatly increase movement speed.

Personality Analysis: Bullies the weak and fears the strong; lazy.

Eh?

Hunting Level 13?!

"Guidance, how did the Strange Butterfly's Hunting Level increase?"

Facing the inquiry, the Guidance hovering beside Lu Xing said in a lazy tone:

[This is a Primordial Monster; their strength can be increased through certain specific methods. I speculate that the method by which the Strange Butterfly increased its strength is related to its personality, namely bullying the weak and fearing the strong; it obtained the blessing of the Monster World's rule power by humiliating you, thus its strength increased.]

[As for why it is level 13, I am not clear; theoretically, the growth potential of a Fourth-Generation Primordial is far higher than that of a First-Generation Primordial, so a fast rate of strength increase is quite reasonable.]

"What do we do now?"

[Fight like a warrior, or cower like a coward and take the beating, waiting for the Strange Butterfly to finish having its fun before delivering your fatal blow, after which I will carry your corpse back to the nest.]

Looking at the Strange Butterfly flapping its wings and diving toward him, Lu Xing could even see the arrogance in its eyes.

This scene also left the onlookers in the livestream torn between laughter and tears.

A comment sent by a certain player was quickly upvoted and pinned to the top:

Seeing the livestream title, I thought you kid had found a sure-win method, but unexpectedly it's just watching you get beaten again; could it be that you've gotten addicted to being beaten?

(End of Chapter)