Wei Yi swiftly returned to the forest beyond the city.
Though he had already slain thousands of beasts in recent days, the wild creatures showed no sign of learning. They continued to surge forth like waves, only to be cut down one after another beneath the blade of his Qinggang Sword.
Indeed, the Qinggang Sword lived up to its reputation as a product of the system—its quality beyond reproach.
Any ordinary blade would have dulled long ago under such constant use, but the Qinggang Sword remained impossibly sharp, slicing through feral beasts as effortlessly as one might slaughter chickens or swine.
"Ding! Player Wei Yi has slain a Tier-One demonic beast: Forest Wolf. Cultivation EXP +83, Storm Sword Technique proficiency +72."
"Ding! Player Wei Yi's cultivation as a Ninth-Stage Martial Disciple is now full. Automatically advancing to Tenth-Stage Martial Disciple."
"Ding! Player Wei Yi has reached the Tenth Stage. Breakthrough quest activated."
"Quest Objective: Eliminate five red-named targets with high Sin Value."
"Time Limit: Within one day."
"Reward: Successful breakthrough to First-Stage Martial Warrior."
A series of system notifications echoed in his mind, yet instead of joy, Wei Yi frowned with unease.
He wasn't surprised by the appearance of a breakthrough quest—it was consistent with game logic.
But to slay five red-named sinners within a single day? That would be far from easy.
After all, this was the real world, not a game. In a game, killing was trivial—players or NPCs could always respawn. Slaughter was routine, unbound by consequence.
But here, reckless killing could invite disaster. Cut down a small fry and you'd provoke a stronger foe; kill the strong, and the true monsters would come for you. With his current power, Wei Yi knew he couldn't survive that.
"And they must be red-named sinners..."
"Where on earth am I supposed to find five of them in a single day?"
He clutched his head in frustration.
Just then, a piercing scream caught his attention.
From the direction of a nearby gorge, two young women were fleeing desperately, their garments torn by the wind. Behind them, six burly thugs gave chase, shouting vile taunts and howls of lust.
"Zhu Ling'er?"
"Yang Qingqing?"
Wei Yi's eyes narrowed as memories surged forth.
Both girls were students at Zhenwu Academy, just like him—second-year students, in fact.
Zhu Ling'er was widely hailed as one of the Academy's most beautiful women.
Yang Qingqing, though slightly less famed, was still a rare beauty—easily ranked among the top twenty in appearance within the entire academy.
Even now, panicked and disheveled, their allure remained undiminished. Perhaps it was precisely their beauty that had drawn such relentless pursuit.
"Ah... femme fatale, indeed."
"But five red-named criminals… looks like they've come to me."
What truly caught Wei Yi's interest weren't the fleeing women, but the feral men chasing them—each with a leering face, twisted in cruelty. Clearly villains, and the perfect targets for his quest.
"Hey, you bastards!"
"Bullying women in broad daylight? Have you no shame?"
Wei Yi shouted from atop a slope, voice brimming with righteous indignation.
Startled by his voice, Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing looked up. Their eyes lit up with joy upon seeing him.
In truth, neither of them recognized him. Wei Yi's entire bearing had changed recently—and they never expected to see him in such a dangerous place, where demonic beasts roamed.
"Good sir, please help us! We're students from Zhenwu Academy!"
"They're Blackwater Bandits! Stop them!"
Blackwater Bandits.
A notorious gang of brigands dwelling near the Blackwater region, infamous for their depravity.
Wei Yi's heart surged with delight. The worse they were, the better.
"Come here quickly. I'll deal with them."
He leapt down without hesitation.
"Boy, you're courting death!"
"Enough talk—kill him first! Another wannabe hero, ugh, I hate pretty boys like this the most!"
"Yeah! Kill that runt, then we'll have our fun with those two bitches!"
The bandits charged at him, laughing maniacally.
Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing turned pale with terror.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
If one's to play the hero, one must do it with flair.
With a cold smile, Wei Yi drew his Qinggang Sword and dashed forward. Without hesitation, he unleashed the Storm Sword Technique, bringing the blade down on the lead bandit in a vicious arc.
The bandit sneered and raised his saber—but the moment their weapons clashed, his blade shattered like glass.
The clean break stunned him.
Before regret could even form in his mind, a flash of swordlight cleaved through the air—his head soared skyward.
"Ding! Player Wei Yi has slain a Blackwater Bandit. Cultivation EXP +93, Storm Sword Technique proficiency +78."
"Ding! Breakthrough quest progress: 1/5."
Red-named confirmed.
Relief settled in Wei Yi's heart.
Without giving the others time to react, he kicked off from the corpse and surged forward. His sword danced—this time unleashing the signature move of the Storm Sword Technique.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Like a tempest, three strikes in an instant.
The nearest three bandits had no time to guard. They hadn't anticipated the sheer speed and ferocity of Wei Yi's attacks.
Empowered by his tenth-stage cultivation and a level-nine sword technique, Wei Yi tore through their defenses like paper. His blade sliced their throats with merciless precision—blood sprayed, and three men crumpled in silence, their eyes filled with disbelief.
System messages chimed. Quest progress rose by three more. One left.
Two bandits remained.
Wei Yi stared them down like a starving wolf eyeing tender lambs. His eyes glinted with a predatory light—the rescued beauties were already forgotten.
The remaining two shivered. Seeing the corpses of their comrades, they instinctively retreated.
"W-Who the hell are you...?"
"You dare cross the Blackwater Bandits? Our boss will make you regret it!"
Their voices trembled, their threats hollow.
Meanwhile, Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing felt the exact opposite.
They had ventured here together in search of herbs—only to run into the infamous bandits. Certain of their doom, they'd never imagined salvation would come so suddenly… and from Wei Yi, no less.
What's more, his strength was overwhelming.
He didn't look much older than they were, yet his power was terrifying.
They exchanged glances, cheeks flushed, eyes gleaming with admiration.
"Qingqing... doesn't he look a little familiar?" Zhu Ling'er blinked, puzzled.
"You too?" Yang Qingqing nodded quickly. "I was just thinking the same. Could he be a student from Zhenwu too?"
"But who...?"
They both fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the same time. Shock burst in their eyes.
Then, in unison, they whispered a name:
"Wei Yi..."
"How could it be him?"