I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

“Buzz!” The Ice Soul Star Sword plunged into the false Qiongqi’s body, which quickly succumbed to frost, splitting apart.

For an ordinary creature, it would have been dead beyond recovery, but as an energy amalgamation, the malevolent spirit could not simply dissipate without a significant energy drain or purification.

From the shattered ice, dark mist billowed forth, reassembling into the false Qiongqi, which opened its gaping maw, greedily lunging for Qin Shidream… only to be met with a chorus of anguished wails.

If the false Qiongqi could speak, Ye Yong imagined it would lament, “Youngster, you lack martial ethics, resorting to ambush.”

Gasping for breath, Qin Shidream struggled to steady her sword, her body swaying precariously. Ye Yong swiftly stepped in, supporting her and guiding her out of the formation.

“I truly am too weak. To think I could defeat it is sheer folly,” Qin Shidream said, looking at Ye Yong with a self-deprecating smile. “I must have disappointed you.”

“How could that be? For a crystallization to stand against a Golden Core and achieve this much is remarkable. Especially that last strike—if it had been a spirit beast, it would have been finished long ago.” Seeing her shame despite her impressive performance, Ye Yong pondered for a moment before reaching out to pat her head. “You did well, exceeding my expectations.”

It was the first time Qin Shidream had been patted on the head like a little girl. She momentarily froze, then averted her gaze, feeling the warmth radiating from where Ye Yong had touched her. In fact, her entire body began to heat up. “Is… is that so? I feel I can do even better.”

“Then take a moment to rest, recover your spiritual energy, and we’ll continue shortly.” Ye Yong handed her a vial of spiritual liquid, accepting the relic she offered, then turned his attention back to the false Qiongqi.

36 No Experience

As a malevolent spirit, the Pseudo-Qiongqi harbored a fierce desire to invade and consume the living. Yet, when it saw Ye Yong calmly step into the formation, it hesitated, refraining from launching an immediate attack.

One must understand that under the influence of the suppressor, Ye Yong’s displayed cultivation was merely at the tenth level of Foundation Establishment, significantly weaker than the fourth level of crystallization exhibited by Qin Shidream. However, the Pseudo-Qiongqi sensed an oppressive aura and a sense of crisis emanating from him—something Qin Shidream lacked.

In truth, the Pseudo-Qiongqi found it perplexing. Just a moment ago, Ye Yong had freed it from its bindings, and it had anticipated a glorious rampage. Yet, in the next heartbeat, it found itself ensnared within a formation. It was akin to shedding the ropes that bound it, only to be thrown into a cage before it could even revel in its newfound freedom. It could not take a single step. As if that were not enough, the experience of battle was utterly dismal; the opponent could strike at it, while any attempt it made to retaliate would only result in being harmed by the radiance of the Buddha. Was this not worse than being bound?

Watching Ye Yong draw a mysterious-grade black iron sword from his storage ring, slowly unsheathing it, the Pseudo-Qiongqi braced itself for yet another experience-less battle. Trapped here, it had no choice but to confront the challenge. Even with its limited intellect, a thought flickered in its mind.

When the Buddha’s light fades, that will be the moment when you two feeble beings feel true fear.

The Pseudo-Qiongqi tentatively unleashed a wave of malevolent energy, eager to avoid close contact at all costs.

Just as Qin Shidream’s earlier attack had barely grazed it, only to be drained by the emerging Buddha light, it found itself losing a significant amount of its dark energy. A few more such encounters, and it would be purified entirely.

Seeing the Pseudo-Qiongqi’s lackluster attack, Ye Yong sidestepped slightly, the dark energy dissipating against the formation’s edge without even a wisp of smoke.

“Can you take this seriously?” Ye Yong yearned for a punching bag that would fight back, craving the immersive experience he had with Qin Shidream, where he could lose himself in the thrill of battle.

It was his turn to take the stage, yet the Pseudo-Qiongqi’s lack of enthusiasm left him feeling deflated.

The Pseudo-Qiongqi might not comprehend human speech, but it could read the dissatisfaction etched on Ye Yong’s face.

“If our roles were reversed, I would show you what true cruelty is.” The dim purple light in the Pseudo-Qiongqi’s eyes narrowed and brightened, as if it were squinting, signaling that it was about to get serious.

“Come on!” Ye Yong had traversed through so many troubles to arrive here, and the opportunities to fight with his own hands were few and far between. He longed for a battle that would leave him breathless. All the effort spent on enhancing his cultivation through pills—what was it for? Beyond self-preservation, was it not also to relish the joy of showing off and fighting?

With his sword stance set, ready to attack or defend, Ye Yong prepared himself. The Pseudo-Qiongqi, too, made its move, swinging its claws to unleash an even more half-hearted wave of dark energy.

It is not foolish, regardless of your willingness to fight or not.

Ye Yong immediately felt displeased; fine, just wait.

Wind-pressing Sword, Cloud-slicing Blade Technique… Ye Yong unleashed a series of profound techniques. These techniques were quite common, yet modified by the elders of the Ye family, infused with their unique characteristics, enhancing both fluidity and damage. If any other crystallization cultivator, even a Golden Core cultivator, were to wield them, they would find it impossible to harm the malevolent spirit.

Yet Ye Yong’s techniques were different; though still profound, they were of the “mastery” level. With increased proficiency, their power surged significantly.

An energy body can be dispersed and reformed, but this relies on the premise that it does not suffer excessive energy loss. Once the attack is too strong, the energy body can perish.

The pseudo-Qiongqi distinctly felt its dark energy gradually dissipating. If this continued, it would be left with nothing, physically purified.

This human must be toxic, right?

The pseudo-Qiongqi hurriedly dodged, its large form scattering into clusters of dark energy, darting about chaotically.

“Would you rather flee than fight me? Very well!” Ye Yong directly manipulated the formation, shrinking it further and further.

As soon as the scattered dark energy touched the formation’s edge, it began to smoke, and with the dispersion, the overall dark energy weakened, making it easier for the formation’s Buddhist light to purify it. Helpless, the pseudo-Qiongqi reverted to its original form, hovering before Ye Yong, afraid to make any move, its eyes’ eerie purple light softening, taking on a hint of a pleading demeanor.

Qin Shidream observed everything. Though she knew that a Golden Core-level malevolent spirit posed no challenge to Ye Yong, she never expected him to suppress such a dim-witted spirit to the point of begging for mercy. Especially with his mastery of different systems and his ability to manipulate formations with ease… Qin Shidream did not believe there could be another crystallization cultivator as exceptional as him in the world.

Ye Yong sheathed his sword with a cold snort, restoring the formation to its original size. He turned and stepped outside, striking down several dark energy stones growing from the cave walls with his cold iron palm, bringing them back to replenish the pseudo-Qiongqi’s energy.

These dark energy stones were produced when the dark energy overflowed. When it lacked dark energy, it could naturally absorb these stones to recover, akin to a cow drinking its own milk, self-sustaining.

Once replenished, the pseudo-Qiongqi regained its vigor, feeling capable once more. After all, it was merely a brainless energy conglomerate; the amount of energy determined its arrogance.

Ye Yong wished for it to become arrogant; if it appeared as a submissive sycophant, he would find it difficult to strike.

However, having experienced the previous events, the pseudo-Qiongqi was not entirely forgetful. It refrained from attacking Ye Yong, instead sizing him up, searching for any weaknesses, hoping for a chance to deliver a fatal blow; otherwise, this was truly unbearable.

Seeing it not attack, Ye Yong took the initiative.

It was simple; faced with the threat of its body’s dark energy being dispelled, it would naturally retaliate.

The pseudo-Qiongqi realized that rather than standing there to be beaten, it was better to weaken Ye Yong’s spiritual power as much as possible, waiting for him to tire before seeking an opportunity to kill him, gradually regaining its fighting spirit, its attacks growing fiercer.

Unfortunately, while the idea was good, reality was cruel. That large spiritual stone in Ye Yong’s dantian was no mere decoration, and those eight spiritual veins were not for show. After half an hour of fierce battle, he remained spirited, not only wielding his sword but also pulling out a pitch-black staff, seizing every opportunity to strike with deadly force. Gradually, he began to connect techniques from different systems, alternating between sword and staff with increasing fluidity.

37 How Do You Know