Chapter 27: Slaying the Corpse Fiends Unscathed, Astonishing Everyone

Watching the situation on the field, Wang Zilong couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Incredible! Brother Feng truly lives up to his reputation as the second-best fighter in our team."

Lin Yi, standing behind him, asked with curiosity, "If he's the second-best in your team, then who is the first?"

To everyone's surprise, Wang Zilong replied with extreme narcissism, "The first is naturally the future me. Once I level up, I'll be the best."

Lin Yi shook his head with a smile and asked again, "Then what level is Fatty at in your team?"

"Oh, you mean Brother Qian? He’s third. When our Fifth Team was first formed, he was already level five. But even though the rest of us have each gained a level, he’s still stuck at five. Old Four Gu keeps scolding him for being a coward, afraid to go out and kill monsters..."

Qian Duoduo suddenly walked over, his expression displeased. "Wang Zilong, lower your voice. I’m not deaf!"

Wang Zilong quickly apologized, "Sorry, Brother Qian, I’ll be more careful next time."

Qian Duoduo didn't dwell on it, but he glared at Lin Yi. "And you, stop calling me 'Fatty.' It’s offensive. My name is Qian Duoduo."

"Understood, Fatty."

Qian Duoduo...

On the other side, as time passed, Dugu Feng, who was locked in combat with the corpse monster, seemed to be running out of stamina.

Seeing the monster launch another claw attack, Dugu Feng suddenly felt a green light flash under his feet. His entire body twisted at an incredible angle, moving half a meter to appear directly behind the monster.

"Die!"

Taking advantage of the monster's forward momentum, Dugu Feng struck three consecutive blows at the back of its neck, finally severing the head completely.

The "Born" of the Fifth Team cheered.

"He won! That was amazing, Dugu Feng!"

"Brother Feng, you’re a beast! To take down a corpse monster one-on-one!"

Seeing this, Old Four Gu looked smug. He walked over to Gu Chenghu and said, "Well? Your team member has changed under my guidance, hasn't he?"

"He certainly has some skill," Gu Chenghu nodded, then added, "But that just shows my team member had high potential to begin with. You got lucky!"

"Enough, quit the trash talk. Let that guy named Qingshan go next. I want to see what he’s capable of."

Gu Chenghu then approached Lin Yi and asked, "Do you want a shield?"

It had to be said that pairing a shield with a long blade was an excellent combat style. With a shield in hand, Lin Yi, who was at a disadvantage in attributes, would have more room to maneuver.

"No need, Captain. One blade is enough for me."

Lin Yi wasn't being arrogant. The feeling of holding a blade was marvelous; it felt as though his range of attack and defense extended to wherever the blade reached. Furthermore, his health pool was substantial, so even if he were swiped by the corpse monster, it wouldn't be a major issue. He had observed the monster’s attack patterns earlier—it relied mainly on lunging bites and dual-claw tearing. As long as he utilized his sword techniques well, the monster wouldn't be able to hurt him.

Seeing Lin Yi’s confidence, Gu Chenghu said nothing more. He was equally confident in Lin Yi, knowing that the "Blazing Sun Blade Technique" Lin Yi had just learned was highly effective against corpse monsters. Since corpse monsters were born from some sort of malevolent spirit, the Blazing Sun technique, which could damage such spirits, would naturally provide an additional damage bonus.

"If you don't want the shield, then stop wasting time. Get on the field."

At Old Four Gu's command, another tethered corpse monster was released and charged forward.

In the observing group, Wang Zilong handed a healing potion to Dugu Feng and asked curiously, "Brother Feng, you and Brother Qingshan were on the same team before. What weapons does he usually use?"

"He uses a bow. He should be like me, using long-range tactics to wear down the monster..."

Before Dugu Feng could finish his sentence, he noticed that Lin Yi on the field hadn't taken out a bow. Instead, he gripped a simple long blade and charged straight at the corpse monster.

He widened his eyes, the scratches on his own body seemingly forgotten in that instant.

"Damn, is brother Qingshan really that reckless..."

On the battlefield, Lin Yi actively engaged the charging monster. As the foul-smelling claws swung down, Lin Yi remained calm, using the back of his blade to block the attack.

*Clang!*

A massive force traveled through the blade, and Lin Yi’s figure stalled, feeling the strain.

The next moment, a flash of light flickered from his blade. The edge slipped past the monster's arms and landed on the relatively soft back of its neck. The strike carved out a large chunk of rotting flesh but failed to cut the bone.

"Damn, tougher than I thought."

After the strike, Lin Yi quickly retreated, using the flat of his blade to deflect the monster's claw attacks.

*Clang! Clang!*

The monster's successive attacks were all parried by Lin Yi's blade. Not only were the spectators amazed by Lin Yi's skillful bladework, but the monster itself roared in fury and surged forward again. However, Lin Yi’s blade moved with such density that he blocked every single strike from the monster's claws.

Old Four Gu expressed his admiration: "What skillful bladework that kid has!"

"Incredible, brother Qingshan!" Dugu Feng exclaimed, feeling a sense of impending defeat.

On the field, Lin Yi was dealing with the relentless lunges of the corpse monster with ease, using only his blade. However, he realized his strength attribute was ultimately inferior to Dugu Feng's, making it difficult to decapitate the monster in a short time.

*Since that's the case, let’s test the power of the Blazing Sun Blade Technique.*

Lin Yi glanced at his attribute panel and noticed his proficiency in the Blazing Sun Blade Technique had increased by over a hundred points. *Good lord, the proficiency really does go up just by breathing.* Unless he encountered an even more powerful talent later, he would not be replacing the "Natural Swordsman" purple talent.

*Swish!*

For this strike, Lin Yi poured in all his strength and ten points of Blood Qi, slashing toward the monster's head.

The simple long blade emitted a faint golden glow. With a crackling sound, the monster's head seemed to tilt, and where the blade touched the rotting flesh, it hissed and smoked. Under the assault of the Blazing Sun Blade Technique, the monster’s movements became stiff, its reaction delayed by half a beat.

Old Four Gu was shocked once more: "The Blazing Sun Blade Technique!"

He glared at Gu Chenghu: "Good one, Gu Chenghu! If I had known this kid had already learned the Blazing Sun Blade Technique, there’s no way I would have made a bet with you."

"You were the one who proposed the bet. Don't blame me! Old Four Gu, don't try to welch on the deal."

"Hmph, the kid's level is so low. Let's see how many strikes he can pull off. That one hit won't kill the monster."

Gu Chenghu knew that Lin Yi had been eating blood-food every day, which had significantly increased his Blood Qi. "One strike isn't enough, but two will certainly do."

As he spoke, Lin Yi on the field gathered his strength for a second strike. This blow condensed all of his remaining Blood Qi, making it even more powerful than the first.

*Crack!*

With a crisp sound, the corpse monster before Lin Yi collapsed instantly, its entire head flying off.

"Ding! You have killed a Level 5 Corpse Monster and gained 25 experience points!"

The monster's remains dissipated, leaving a single loot item on the ground.

Lin Yi stepped forward to pick it up, only to find it was a rather trashy item.

[Corpse Oil (White): The essence of the grease from a corpse monster. It can be used to fuel candles, and the scent it releases can repel certain monsters with sensitive noses.]

The lump of corpse oil was the size of a fist and creamy white. Even holding it, Lin Yi could smell the foul odor radiating from it. Though it was disgusting, Lin Yi threw it into his backpack. In the Apocalypse World, even the trashiest loot had its value.

Seeing Lin Yi walk back unscathed, Gu Chenghu exclaimed, "Good lad, you didn't let me down."

Before the bet, he had estimated that with Lin Yi’s skillful bladework and the fact that the monster feared the Blazing Sun technique, he had a 70% to 80% chance of winning. But he hadn't expected Lin Yi to win so easily, seemingly without a single scratch. Lin Yi was truly a rare combat genius in Gu Tan Village in hundreds of years. As long as he was nurtured properly, reaching level ten was a certainty.

At this point, Old Four Gu changed his tune toward Lin Yi. He walked over and said, "Qingshan, right? Come to our Fourth Militia Team. I’ll give you the position of vice-captain. When I retire, you’ll be the captain."

Lin Yi shook his head. "Sorry, I’m with the Second Team. I have no intention of switching teams right now."

Gu Chenghu quickly interjected, "Qingshan, don't listen to this guy. Old Four Gu doesn't have an honest bone in his body. Even if you went to the Fourth Team, you’d just be working for him."

Lin Yi looked at him and said, "Don't worry, Captain. Both the brothers in the Second Team and you have treated me very well. I will stay in the Second Team, unless the Second Team doesn't want me."

This heartfelt statement moved Gu Chenghu, who beamed with joy and patted his chest in assurance. "Good, good! As long as I’m alive, you’ll always be part of the Second Team."

Seeing the two of them putting on a show, Old Four Gu winced, muttered, "Boring," and tossed the [High-Speed Footwork] manual to Lin Yi.

Gu Chenghu raised an eyebrow. "Old Four Gu, where is my Divine Water?"

"Do you think I carry that stuff around with me? I'll give it to you when we get back to the village. You'll get what's yours."

With that, Old Four Gu ignored Lin Yi and Gu Chenghu, walking straight up to Dugu Feng. "Dugu Feng, you lost. So, all the stakes for today’s bet are on your head."

"Captain Old Four, this... I..." Dugu Feng felt incredibly wronged. He hadn't wanted to bet in the first place; Old Four Gu had forced him into it. Now that he had lost, he was being blamed for everything.

"Don't look like your parents just died. As long as you listen and level up diligently, paying off my gambling debts will be easy."

After finishing with Dugu Feng, Old Four Gu addressed the rest of the "Born" present: "And you bunch of rookies, too! Give me your best effort. If I catch you slacking off again, I’ll really throw you into the corpse pit."

Everyone present could see that Old Four Gu didn't truly care about the Divine Water or the bet; he was merely using this method to temper the "Born" of the Fifth Team. However, none of the "Born" felt any gratitude toward him, simply because Old Four Gu’s mouth was too foul—he not only insulted them but frequently cursed their families. Many of the Fifth Team "Born" held a grudge, thinking, *Just wait until I hit level ten, and I’ll show you what's what.*

Old Four Gu knew what they were thinking, but he couldn't care less. The village chief had sent him to lead this batch of "Born" to play the role of the bad cop and the whetstone. If he wasn't strict, how could these "Born" grow up in such a short time?