Chapter 33: A True Ace, an Urgent Situation

Fu Chen remained indifferent to such teasing, wanting only to complete the skill book exchange as quickly as possible so he could learn new abilities.

Leading "Yorong Naida" to the side of the teleportation array to avoid the crowd, he directly sent her a "Trade" request. Once the interface opened, he placed [Hardened Armor Rune] and [Feather Shield] into his trading slot. Since this was a barter, no currency was involved, so no money transfer was necessary. He waited for her to place two copies of [Swift Cloud Step] into her slot. Both parties confirmed the items were correct, selected "Lock," and finally confirmed "Trade" to conclude the transaction.

This was not Blue Star; there was no need to fear deception or fraud during the exchange. Throughout the process, both parties shared the interface; everything was clear, intuitive, and beyond doubt. Furthermore, until the final "Trade" button was confirmed, both sides could terminate the process at any time.

With the skill books in hand, Fu Chen turned to leave, only to be called back by Yorong Naida. "Banlian Hongchen, if you come across any other Feather Elf skill books in the future, remember to contact me first."

Fu Chen nodded and replied, "Likewise. If you find any other martial artist skill books, remember to contact me first as well." Both understood that this verbal agreement was merely a courtesy for future cooperation, holding no actual binding power.

Returning to the teleportation array to reunite with Qin Yumuo, Fu Chen smiled and said, "Now we only need two [Flowing Water] books. Let’s head back to Sword Immortal City."

Upon arriving at the Sword Immortal City teleportation array, Fu Chen walked directly toward the nearby cliff. Someone was waiting there in advance—it was [Yixiao Tucheng], who had been shouting in the world chat earlier. He had been the first to message Fu Chen privately to propose a trade, possessing one copy of [Flowing Water]. At the time, Fu Chen had also seen Yorong Naida's message and faced two choices. Considering the importance and quantity of the skills, he had chosen to go to Plume City first, asking him to wait.

Now, at the cliffside by the teleportation array, Fu Chen saw one of the powerhouses from his previous life: Yixiao Tucheng. He was tall and thin, a head taller than Fu Chen, yet possessed the frail air of an ancient scholar. Despite waiting at Sword Immortal City for so long, there was not a hint of impatience or irritation on his face.

Fu Chen offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Yixiao Tucheng simply shook his head with a faint smile, remaining silent. Seeing this, Fu Chen thought to himself, "It seems this one is not a fan of conversation." He went straight to business: "Do you want to trade [Flowing Water] for [Ice Arrow] or [Wing Shield]?"

"I want both," Yixiao Tucheng said, his tone flat and natural, as if it were only logical.

Fu Chen didn't care if the man would become a peak powerhouse in the Perfect World just like in his past life. At least for now, both were just newcomers starting out, and he had a confidence that others lacked. Just as he was about to refuse, he heard the other add: "I brought an extra [Flowing Water]."

Fu Chen was almost amused by this unexpected turn of events. Suppressing a laugh, he asked, "Tucheng, do you always speak with such long pauses? I was just about to refuse you, and then you drop this?"

Yixiao Tucheng looked bashful. "Sorry, it's a habit." He paused, then added, "My way of speaking."

Fu Chen didn't want to discuss someone else’s speech habits and went straight to the point: "A misunderstanding then. Let's trade."

The two quickly completed the exchange, both satisfied. Before leaving, Yixiao Tucheng initiated: "Let's add each other as friends, Banlian Hongchen. You are very strong."

"Sure." Fu Chen nodded, and they added each other without him asking how the other had perceived his strength. After adding him, he habitually checked the other's profile: Yixiao Tucheng, Archer, Level 12.

Fu Chen was shocked: "Damn! Level 12, higher than me? How did a newcomer manage that?" Even as an Archer, who primarily used long-range physical attacks, one could not avoid being countered by monsters at close range. It was only the third day; most newcomers struggled to endure the pain of monster counterattacks for long. Fu Chen was an exception only because his three years of experience as a martial artist in his past life had long since accustomed him to such pain.

Yet this Yixiao Tucheng was higher in level than him, meaning he had spent even more time fighting monsters. Either he was born with mental fortitude far beyond the average person, or he had special real-world experiences unimaginable to others. Regardless, it meant he was no simple character—no wonder he had been a top powerhouse in the previous life.

In that instant, Fu Chen's mind raced, filled with an unprecedented sense of urgency. Originally, he had been leveling up just to keep pace with Yang Siyao and stall for time. Now, realizing that people like Yixiao Tucheng were already running ahead, he warned himself: "To become a peak powerhouse, I must not slack off just because I am currently slightly in the lead."

He said to Qin Yumuo, "Yu, here are your skill books. Let’s learn them and go level up."

After receiving the books, Qin Yumuo summoned her mount and took Fu Chen to the Martial Arts Master in the south of the city to learn the skills.

[Swift Cloud Step: Level 1]
[Wind at your feet, increasing movement speed by 55% for 30 seconds.]
[Skill Type: Active Buff]
[Mana Cost: 15]
[Casting Time: Instant; Cooldown: 60 seconds.]
[Weapon Restriction: Melee Weapon]
[Cultivation Requirement: Foundation Building]

[Flowing Water: Level 1]
[A fierce strike dealing base physical damage plus 150 points, generating significant aggro. Requires 30 Chi to cast.]
[Skill Type: Active Attack]
[Casting Range: Melee]
[Mana Cost: 13]
[Preparation Time: 0.2 seconds; Casting Time: 1 second; Cooldown: 3 seconds.]
[Weapon Restriction: Melee Weapon]
[Cultivation Requirement: Foundation Building]

The first skill, [Swift Cloud Step], was easy to understand: an instant boost to movement speed. It was an essential auxiliary skill for any martial artist, useful for attacking, defending, chasing, or fleeing.

As for the [Flowing Water] skill, Qin Yumuo was confused by the requirement of 30 Chi. She turned to Fu Chen: "Hongchen, do you know what that Chi is? Where can I see it?"

Fu Chen nodded. "On your basic character sheet, the bar where your name is represents Chi. Chi is energy; you need it to perform certain skills, like this Flowing Water. I’m not entirely sure about the details either, but we’ll understand it as we go."

Qin Yumuo looked only half-convinced and teased with a smile, "You seem to have explained it, yet it feels like you explained nothing at all."

At Sifang Village, Fu Chen led Qin Yumuo through the village, accepting every quest he could find. Following the order of the tasks, they began hunting the target monsters one by one. The first on the list was the Iron-Tail Lynx in the wilderness northwest of the village.

This time, Fu Chen and Qin Yumuo fought side-by-side but engaged monsters separately. For every monster Qin Yumuo killed, Fu Chen could kill three or four. The goal was to increase efficiency and gain cultivation experience as quickly as possible.

After the wake-up call from Yixiao Tucheng, Fu Chen felt a sense of urgency but also came to a realization. If others, without the advantage of reincarnation or past-life knowledge, could still lead the way or even surpass him, what was he worrying about? Worrying that others would suspect him? Ridiculous!

Increasing his own strength was the only thing that mattered; there was no need to consider the opinions of others. Having reached this conclusion, Fu Chen decided to raise his level as fast as possible. The quickest method was constant combat.