Chapter 3: Beast Tide Incoming? I'm

"System, use all my Slacking Points to upgrade my cultivation base!"

Lin Xuan shouted frantically in his heart.

[Ding! Consumed all Slacking Points!]

Boom—!

Spiritual power, even more vast and majestic than when he broke through to Foundation Establishment earlier, surged and roared through his meridians—which had widened several times over—like a bursting galaxy! The cultivation base that would normally have required painstaking effort to accumulate was now skyrocketing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Foundation Establishment Level One!

Foundation Establishment Level Two!

Foundation Establishment Level Three!

In the blink of an eye, his cultivation base stabilized at the peak of Foundation Establishment Level Three! He was only one opportunity away from stepping into the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!

An unprecedented sense of immense power flooded his entire body, and his five senses became incredibly sharp; he could even clearly hear the roars of demonic beasts and the screams of people coming from the direction of the West City Gate in the distance.

"Power... this is the feeling of power!" Lin Xuan clenched his fists, his knuckles popping, a hint of intoxication flashing in his eyes. But this intoxication was quickly replaced by excitement. "A beast tide? A crisis? This is simply a paradise for farming points!"

He glanced at the chaotic martial arts arena. Li Wanshan had already led the Li family's elites toward the West Gate, and Lei Bao and the other young disciples were following behind, howling. Li Yanran, protected by several guards, was looking anxiously toward the West Gate.

No one paid any more attention to Lin Xuan, who was standing on the arena.

"The opportunity is here!" Lin Xuan curled his lips, his figure flickering as he vanished from the arena like a ghost. He did not charge directly toward the most dangerous main battlefield at the West Gate, but instead chose the residential area near the West Gate, which had already fallen into complete chaos.

The West City District had become a living hell.

Dozens of Iron-Backed Demonic Wolves, as sturdy as oxen, with fur like iron and chilling fangs, had broken through the fragile city defenses and were wreaking havoc in the narrow streets. They were immensely strong and as fast as the wind; the ordinary city guards could hardly resist them and were torn to shreds in an instant. Houses collapsed, fires broke out everywhere, and the commoners fled in tears, with people being pounced on by the wolves from time to time, letting out shrill screams.

"Hold the line! Hold the line for me!" A city guard captain, his eyes splitting with rage, swung his long saber at a demonic wolf, but only sparked a string of embers on its back before being swatted away by the wolf's claw, falling to the ground while vomiting blood.

"Help! Someone save my child!" A woman clutching her toddler sat slumped beside the ruins of a collapsed house, watching in despair as a demonic wolf, dripping with saliva, approached step by step.

Despair and fear spread like a plague.

Just then, a purple figure charged into this bloody battlefield with a gait that looked stumbling but was actually as fast as lightning.

It was none other than Lin Xuan!

"Oh my! How terrifying! So many big doggies!" Lin Xuan shouted in an exaggerated tone while running, his face perfectly matching his expression of "terror."

His appearance immediately attracted the attention of several demonic wolves. One of the wolves, closest to the woman, let out a low growl, abandoned the "little snack" before it, and pounced toward Lin Xuan! Its blood-red maw, carrying a foul stench, reached Lin Xuan in an instant!

The woman was so scared she closed her eyes.

The city guards and some commoners who hadn't managed to escape also saw this "suicidal" scene. Some even foresaw the tragic sight of Lin Xuan being torn to pieces.

However—

"Mommy! Don't bite me!"

Lin Xuan let out a terrified cry, but his feet seemed to trip over something, and his body performed an extremely awkward, formless "stumble," narrowly avoiding the wolf's pounce.

In the moment his body rotated and lost balance, his arm seemed to wave wildly and unconsciously.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound!

His seemingly weak and wildly flailing fist happened to land exactly on the most vulnerable spot of that demonic wolf's waist!

"Copper head, iron bones, tofu waist"—this was a common weakness of wolf-type demonic beasts.

With a teeth-grinding "crack" of bone, that ferocious Iron-Backed Demonic Wolf let out a shrill, miserable howl. Its massive body was sent flying over ten meters as if struck by a giant hammer, crashing through a ruined wall before twitching a few times and moving no more.

One punch, instant kill of a Tier 2 demonic beast!

Silence!

A deathly silence spread across this small area.

The woman, who had been in despair, opened her eyes and stared blankly at the wolf's corpse on the ground and at Lin Xuan, who was standing there patting his chest with a "scared to death" look on his face.

Several city guards who were struggling in battle also froze, nearly getting injured by the wolves in front of them.

[Ding! Detected extreme shock and bewilderment from City Guards A/B/C, Emotion Points +333!]

[Ding! Detected disbelief and confusion from the surviving commoners, Emotion Points +266!]

[Ding! Detected frustration and unwillingness from the Iron-Backed Demonic Wolf (deceased), Emotion Points +100! (From the surrounding wolf pack)]

"Luck! It must be luck!" a city guard muttered.

As if to verify his words, two more demonic wolves, enraged by their companion's death, pounced on Lin Xuan from the left and right with scarlet eyes! Their offensive was even fiercer, sealing off all his escape routes!

"Oh my! Two of them! It's over, it's over! I'm dead for sure this time!"

Lin Xuan screamed even louder, the "fear" on his face even more realistic. He stood in place as if scared silly, dancing and waving his arms, eyes closed, throwing punches and kicks wildly.

"Turtle punches! Take that! And that!"

His movements were devoid of any grace and full of openings, like a street thug in a brawl.

Yet, the bizarre happened again.

The punch he threw wildly with his eyes closed had timing and an angle that were extremely tricky, meeting the wide-open maw of a demonic wolf exactly!

"Pfft!"

His fist, carrying the powerful spiritual energy of Foundation Establishment Level Three, drove directly into the wolf's throat, instantly shattering its neck bone!

At the same time, the foot he kicked out wildly—which looked like he had tripped over a stone while trying to run—had a heel that seemed to have eyes, precisely and fiercely kicking the other wolf's jaw!

"Crack!"

The hair-raising sound of bone cracking rang out again! That demonic wolf couldn't even let out a scream; its head twisted at a bizarre angle, and its massive body flew backward, smashing through a fence.

In the blink of an eye, two ferocious Tier 2 demonic beasts were "accidentally" killed instantly again!

This time, everyone saw it clearly!

This damn well wasn't luck!

What lucky person could close their eyes and kill two Iron-Backed Demonic Wolves—known for their speed and ferocity—with wild, random punches and kicks?!

This guy... is he playing the pig to eat the tiger?! But he looks so much like a pig, damn it!

[Ding! Detected that the worldviews of everyone present have suffered a devastating second blow, collectively falling into a stupor, Emotion Points +3888!]

[Ding! Detected the collapse of the city guard captain's values, Emotion Points +555!]

"Eh? How did they bump into my fist and die?" Lin Xuan "cautiously" opened his eyes, looked at the wolf corpses on the ground, patted his chest, and let out a long sigh of relief. "Scared me to death, looks like I'm quite lucky today."

Everyone: "..." You call this luck?!

Just then, an anxious, sharp cry and the roar of a demonic beast came from not far away.

Lin Xuan looked up and saw Li Yanran and her guards surrounded by three exceptionally sturdy demonic wolves (one of which seemed to be the alpha) amidst some broken walls, their situation precarious. One guard had already had his arm torn off and had fallen to the ground, screaming.

Li Yanran swung her long sword; although her sword light was sharp, she was clearly inexperienced. Under the cunning attacks of the alpha wolf, she was struggling, drenched in sweat, and her proud face was now filled with panic.

"Oh! Young Lady Li is in danger!" Lin Xuan shouted as if he had just noticed.

The next moment, he made a move that left everyone dumbfounded.

He didn't charge up like a hero; instead, he turned and ran! While running, he shouted in a voice filled with tears:

"Brother Wolf! Grandpa Wolf! Don't chase me! I don't taste good! Over there! That one in red with the tender skin, she's much tastier! Go eat her!"

The direction he pointed was exactly where Li Yanran was!

Hearing this, Li Yanran was so angry she nearly spat blood, her sword technique falling into disarray: "Lin Xuan! You shameless bastard!! I won't let you go even as a ghost!"

Those demonic wolves, especially the slightly more intelligent alpha, seemed to have their attention partially diverted by Lin Xuan's clumsy "diverting the disaster" performance, and their offensive slowed slightly.

And in this split second, Lin Xuan, who appeared to be fleeing in a panic, "happened" to kick a stone.

The stone seemed to have eyes, tracing a bizarre arc, bypassing the broken walls, and with a "pfft," it shot with absolute precision into the... anus of the alpha wolf that was about to pounce on Li Yanran!

"Awoooo—!!!"

A shrill, distorted howl, filled with extreme pain and humiliation, erupted from the alpha wolf! It was as if struck by lightning; its massive body stiffened, and then, tail tucked, it began to jump and spin frantically in place, completely losing its combat effectiveness.

This sudden, extremely tricky and underhanded attack left the other two demonic wolves stunned.

Li Yanran and her guards were also bewildered.

Opportunity!

Li Yanran was, after all, a member of a great family; she reacted instantly, suppressing her disgust and the weirdness of the situation, and let out a sharp cry. Her sword light surged, and she took the opportunity to slay the other two wolves, who were distracted by their leader's injury!

The crisis was temporarily averted.

The scene was a mess, and the surviving city guards and commoners began to mop up the remaining scattered wolves.

Li Yanran leaned on her sword, panting slightly, her mood complex to the extreme. She looked at Lin Xuan, who was currently squatting in the distance, pointing at his head and peeking through his fingers, and a nameless fire mixed with an indescribable sense of absurdity surged in her heart.

It was this bastard who used the most shameless method to alert the beasts, and it was this bastard who used the most vulgar method to take down the strongest alpha, indirectly saving her.

Thank him? Li Yanran felt she couldn't bring herself to say it. Scold him? She seemed to lack the... confidence?

Just then, Li Wanshan, Lei Bao, and others who had cleared most of the beasts from the main West Gate battlefield arrived in the area. Seeing the wolf corpses and the unharmed Li Yanran, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yanran, are you alright?" Li Wanshan asked with concern.

"Father, I'm fine." Li Yanran shook her head, glancing at Lin Xuan with complex eyes.

Lei Bao followed her gaze and saw Lin Xuan, his brow immediately furrowing: "Lin Xuan? Why are you here? What happened here just now?" He saw the alpha wolf still twitching in an extremely indecent posture, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Before Lin Xuan could answer, the woman who had been saved, filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster, pointed at Lin Xuan and said loudly: "It's Young Master Lin! It's Young Master Lin who saved us! He... although he acts very strangely, he killed three demonic beasts! And... and he used a magical method to help Young Lady Li take down the biggest one!"

The city guard captain also added with a strange expression: "Reporting to the City Lord, Head of the Li family... Young Master Lin... his combat power is extraordinary, it's just that... his way of doing things is quite... unique."

Unique? That word was too euphemistic! He's simply a freak!

Everyone focused their gaze on Lin Xuan.

Only then did Lin Xuan "timidly" stand up, pat the dust off his body, and say with a look of "lingering fear": "It, it's nothing, it's all luck, they accidentally bumped into me and died... As for that big one, maybe it had a hemorrhoid flare-up..."

Everyone: "..." God damn hemorrhoid flare-up!

Li Wanshan looked at Lin Xuan with deep eyes. This playboy he had completely looked down upon in the past had shown such strength and such an unfathomable style of behavior today, setting off alarm bells in his heart. This boy is definitely not simple!

Lei Bao's face was even gloomier; he felt that he, the "winner" who had just stolen the spotlight at the martial arts competition, had been completely overshadowed by this guy who had "conceded."

[Ding! Detected Li Wanshan’s wariness and scrutiny, emotion points +666!]

[Ding! Detected Lei Bao’s jealousy and displeasure, emotion points +777!]

[Ding! Detected Li Yanran’s complexity and frustration, emotion points +699!]

[Ding! Detected the collective speechlessness and shock of everyone present, emotion points +5210!]

Listening to the constant notification sounds in his mind, Lin Xuan was overjoyed, yet his face wore the cowardly expression of "I want to go home."

He cupped his hands toward the crowd and said cautiously, "Um... since everything is fine now and the demonic beasts are finished off, I... I’ll head back to 'reflect on my mistakes' first? My father doesn't let me stay out too long..."

After speaking, without waiting for anyone to react, he once again utilized that strange movement technique and vanished in a flash at the end of the chaotic street.

He left behind a crowd of people with varied expressions and complex moods.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone upon the dilapidated Xicheng, and also upon the faces of everyone filled with question marks.

Everything that happened today was destined to become the most talked-about legendary (or rather, bizarre) topic for the residents of Qingyun City for a long time to come.

At this moment, Lin Xuan, who had already slipped back to his small courtyard, looked at the surging slack-off points on the system panel and contentedly lay back down in his grandmaster chair.

"The beast tide dungeon is cleared, and the harvest is quite bountiful."

"Next, I should think about how to deal with that protagonist who has started to doubt his life, and that 'fiancée' (as he unilaterally considers her) whose gaze toward me is becoming increasingly strange..."

"Life is truly becoming more and more interesting."

(End of Chapter 3)