Cultivation Nerd

Chapter 49: Let’s Put A Mask On That Face

My chubby friend, Yong Cho, smiled as he tightened his grip on the other guy's wrist and tugged forward. With the same momentum, he delivered a punch to the guy's face, and a nasty crunching sound rang out as the disciple who had attacked first fell to the ground with a bloodied mug.

But I couldn't let my friend stand alone, so I walked by his side, keeping an eye out for any sneak attacks.

"Where did you even learn such a technique?" I asked.

"My grandfather discovered it when he was younger. There has never been a cultivator in our family until me, and we've guarded this technique with our lives," he said, his smile seeming unfamiliar. Gone was the chubby figure I was used to; now he had a square jaw that looked out of place. The glint in his eyes, however, remained the same. "We might be a family of farmers, and this might be just a Mortal Grade Technique. But I will use it to honor all my ancestors who lived in fear of someone discovering they possessed a cultivator's technique hidden in the attic."

"It's a pretty effective technique," I commented.

He didn't need to divulge his entire backstory here; someone could target his family. But we were going to eliminate everyone here, and I would ensure he had no need to worry about such threats from our enemies.

As my eyes scanned the field for the strongest opponents, Yong Cho whispered, "I'm not used to using this technique. Since it takes so long to build up fat stores, I've only used it twice before and can't quite integrate it with other techniques."

"Then you'll handle the raffle and lead, protecting the rest of the team. I'll deal with any troublesome ones," I decided.

We both understood our strengths and weaknesses. I knew I was the only one who could punch above my weight class if necessary.

Scanning the opponents, I looked for leadersthose standing at the back of the group, not looking scared, with calculating looks. But I found no one fitting those descriptions.

Suddenly, someone shot forward and yelled, "Everyone! Attack!"

The guy leading the charge was a lanky young man who looked undernourished. There wasn't much else remarkable about his appearance.

It was hard to determine if he was the true leader or just a figurehead meant to divert my attention. Regardless, there wasn't much time to think as I met his charge head-on.

No one else on the team could react in time, so I went all out and unleashed the Piercing Fang Fist. He was slightly faster than me, but compared to people like Song Song, he was dreadfully slow. With some maneuvering and utilizing the Rushing Bull Step to zigzag, I slipped under his fist.

The guy's eyes widened as I landed a punch straight to his chin, sending him sprawling. A Piercing Fang Fist punch powered by Rushing Bull Steps would have caved in the skull of any nine-star Body Tempering disciple.

However, he flew away like a ragdoll and smashed against a tree. Although it seemed like I had won that exchange, as I examined my fist, there was nothing but a bruised knuckle.

"Huh, this is quite interesting," I muttered, examining my fist for broken bones.

That hadn't felt like hitting flesh and was more like hitting steel.

"That was quite a hit. Anyone else and they would have died. You're really going for the kill here," remarked the other guy as he emerged from the tree he had smashed into, brushing debris off his shoulders. "Sadly for you, unlike most others out there, I have an Earth Grade Technique. I'm an investment from one of the inner elders."

There was no sign of injury on him, and despite appearances, I was the only one injured in that exchange.

This time, I didn't hesitate and rushed at the guy. He stood in place, a frozen smile on his face. But as I approached, I slowed down to avoid injuring my fist in the next attack. However, despite my reduced speed, the guy remained frozen in place, with ample opportunity to react.

Observing this, I halted my charge and jumped back, keeping my eyes on him. It took another whole second before he could move.

"What are you waiting for? Did you get too scared when you heard 'Earth Grade Technique'?" He mocked.

His provocative words had no effect on me. Instead, I smiled and responded, "I think I understand how your technique works. You have to use Qi to make your body stronger temporarily. I doubt there is any outer disciple who can get through your defenses. However, to use it, you have to stay immobile."

This weakness likely stemmed from the need to gather Qi. There was a way to beat him by outmaneuvering him, but that was next to impossible for me. Perhaps if there had been two people attacking him, it would have been easier.

Still, channeling nature Qi into his own body was risky. There was a chance he could destroy his cultivation if a Qi Gathering Cultivator attacked him. The Qi in nature was highly volatile and sought to return to its natural state. Just a little prick would be enough to break the dam, I knew that better than anyone else.

"You're right..." he admitted, gritting his teeth. "But no matter what you do, by the end of it, the only thing getting hurt will be your fist."

He was quite arrogant for someone on the back foot. No doubt, he believed that none of us possessed an Earth Grade Technique. But using my Earth Grade Technique for such an event would be a waste.

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After all, revealing such cards was dangerous as it could put me in a difficult position if one of my teammates decided to spill the beans.

I charged and struck him with a palm strike in the stomach; as expected, it felt like hitting metal. But this attack wasn't meant to cause damage; I just pushed him away.

Then, I gave chase like a mad dog.

"Hiya!" yelled one of the disciples, appearing ready to intervene in the battle.

But before he could do so, my now ripped friend grabbed him by the back of the head and smashed him face-first into the ground.

I nodded in thanks and continued my pursuit.

Despite his seemingly unbreakable defense, I was not discouraged. Quite the opposite, actually. His defensive technique, which made him essentially invincible under certain circumstances, somewhat resembled my Turtle Shell Body, albeit in a looser sense. People below a certain caliber of strength couldn't harm me in any way.

I knew my own weaknesses best.

Despite his seemingly invincible technique, this guy was one puddle of water away from drowning. Literally, as I just had to shove his face in there and he would be finished.

When I charged him again, he froze up and activated his defensive technique. But once within arm's length of him, instead of going for a punch, I went for a slap straight to his ear with all the power I could muster.

A resounding slapping sound rang out when my attack met his ear.

I took a step back and waited for him to react. The guy's expression remained unchanged, but soon enough, blood trickled from the ear I had struck.

In my previous world, there was a boxing match between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, and that was where I got this idea from. I remember in one of those fights, Wilder had his eardrum burst due to a punch, and he lost the fight immediately after. Even though he continued fighting due to sheer willpower, he lost his footing and no longer resembled a professional boxer. The announcer had explained why that was happening, and I remembered it vividly.

As his technique wore off, my opponent tried to step back and create distance between us. But he was in for a nasty surprise when he slipped on the grass and lost his balance.

"Huh?" He looked confused, his eyes widening. It was usually next to impossible for a cultivator to lose balance.

This was the difference between active and passive defense techniques. The guy's eardrums would have been reinforced if his technique had been exactly like my Turtle Shell Body.

The eardrums in the human body aren't just for hearing but also help the body maintain balance.

Straightening my form, I used the guy's confusion against him and sent a punch toward his throat. This time with Sonic Fang Fist, his eyes widened as the shockwave passed through his body.

Normally, Qi would have defended against something like a shockwave, but he no longer had that advantage.

Blood burst out of his nose violently, and bloody tears streamed down his face as he slumped to the ground. Afterward, I raised my foot and violently stomped on his head, crushing it like a watermelon, ensuring he was dead.

The rest of the disciples stopped fighting when they saw I had killed one of their own. My friend took advantage of the moment, leading the team as they began overpowering the remaining opponents. This left no chance for the opponents to recover; those who attempted to resist were swiftly killed.

After killing that guy, the rest of the opponents lost morale, and with our help, we slaughtered them all. Some pleaded or attempted to make deals to spare their lives, but we showed no mercy.

No doubt they would have done the same to us if their masters had ordered it. I wasn't powerful enough to afford mercy at times like these.

Once we finished off our enemies, Yong Cho turned toward me, "What now?"

My previously chubby friend bore some injuries, and his hands were covered in blood up to the elbows. Some members of our group had died, despite my best efforts. Others were critically injured and unfit to continue fighting.

As I surveyed their forms, some couldn't even stand up to greet me, and a handful were unconscious. Despite our battered appearance, we had emerged victorious against overwhelming odds. This victory, with so few casualties, was considered good.

However, I couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in victory. While I had resolved to kill our opponents, I had also tried to protect my allies, yet some had fallen in battle. We could no longer afford to remain in the forest as a team, or we would become easy targets for other groups.

Setting my backpack down, I rummaged through it and pulled out a wooden mask. Then, I handed over the backpack to my previously chubby friend.

"Take care of my turtle in there, his name is Speedy, and he likes to sleep a lot," I instructed Yong Cho.

Yong Cho was already familiar with Speedy, having seen me bring the little guy around. Nonetheless, he still appeared somewhat puzzled about why I was entrusting him with my belongings.

I continued to explain, "I still have some matters to attend to here. But you need to take care of the injured and deceased from our side and head to the outer elder on the beach. If possible, clean off the blood before meeting him. Otherwise, if he inquires, say that you acted under Song Song's directives. However, divulge as little as possible, as Song Song will manage this situation more effectively herself."

From what I had observed thus far, the outer elder awaiting at the beach likely catered to Song Song. He was probably an underling of her teacher from the inner sect. Yet, it would be unwise to place too much trust in someone of that nature.

Individuals who acted fawningly and sought favor from their superiors lacked integrity. They performed actions solely for personal gain, not out of genuine regard. I understood this because I had been one of them in my previous life, someone who would grin at my insufferable managers even when I wished they would tumble headfirst into a pile of shit.

Yong Cho seemed poised to inquire about my intentions, but in the presence of others, he remained silent. With a determined gaze, he nodded at me while shouldering my backpack. "I trust in your judgment, and I know you're not foolish. But exercise caution out there."

With that, he instructed the others to gather the fallen and injured comrades as they withdrew from view, leaving me alone amidst the scattered corpses of our adversaries. Despite my earlier resolve, I couldn't bring myself to look at the individuals I had slain and walked away from the scene of carnage.

Though necessary, it didn't mean I found pleasure in what I had done.

Securing the wooden mask over my face, I ensured it was snug so that no enemies of Song Song would recognize me.

Now, I only needed to assist my cousins from the Liu Clan in passing and find a promising candidate for my teacher.

It sounded straightforward... Who was I kidding? It sounded like a tremendous hassle. But I owed it to those who had aided me. My cousins had placed themselves at risk by assisting me in dealing with the inner disciple, and the librarian had been instrumental in nearly everything.

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