Talent: Immunity to All Poisons, Battle-Hardened Body
With just one glance, Li Daoqiang fixed his gaze on the system's talent line.
Immunity to All Poisons went without saying, but Battle-Hardened Body was clearly new. Immediately afterward, naturally, he understood a great deal of information.
A faint smile appeared.
With his breakthrough to the Xiantian realm, the Big Bandit System had essentially upgraded. Its various functions were clearer and more distinct. The three major ways to earn bandit points—career, money, and women—he now understood much more thoroughly.
Setting those three avenues aside for now.
Battle-Hardened Body, like Immunity to All Poisons and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art, was something the Big Bandit System had granted him upon breaking through to the Xiantian realm. Its function was extremely powerful, possessing an extraordinary combat talent.
For anyone, true strength consists of two main aspects: one's own cultivation realm and how well one leverages it. The cultivation realm itself is the foundation, needless to say. Leveraging, on the other hand, is about how much of that cultivation realm's power one can actually unleash. It's determined by many factors: martial arts, environment, mental state, experience, and so on.
And an extraordinary combat talent could undoubtedly solve many problems in that leveraging process. Under the same conditions in other aspects, such talent could utterly dominate the other side. Even defeating a stronger opponent with a weaker one wouldn't be surprising.
Just pondering the effects of Battle-Hardened Body for a moment, Li Daoqiang grew somewhat excited, itching to test it out immediately.
Without hesitation, he shifted his focus to the Crushing Stone Palm and Cicada-Chasing Step, circulating his true qi. Suddenly, a feeling he'd never experienced before arose. When channeling true qi through these martial arts, it was smoother, more effortless. It felt as if he had used them in countless battles, able to stop or unleash them at will. Moreover, he inexplicably sensed various subtle applications within them, adaptable to different situations.
Every organ in his body and everything he had learned seemed to have become a weapon—a killing tool that could perfectly coordinate with each other. This wasn't experience; it was an innate talent. Those with this talent understood it naturally; those without it would never grasp it no matter how much they were told.
The more he experienced it, the more Li Daoqiang felt its power and mystery. A surge of even stronger joy rose in his heart.
With Battle-Hardened Body, his true strength had instantly increased by a large margin. And this boost was permanent, growing more formidable as his own cultivation advanced.
He didn't continue experiencing it further. Instead, he turned his focus back to the Big Bandit System to see what else had changed with the upgrade.
The next moment, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
The sixth level of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art actually required twenty thousand bandit points! That was directly four times the fifth level. The increase was too steep. Maybe it wasn't a big deal now, but if this rate continued, the numbers later on would be unimaginable.
Frowning, he thought for a moment, then set it aside for now.
Over the past two years, he had learned one thing deeply: recognizing reality. The Big Bandit System set this price, and he couldn't change it. Dwelling on it was pointless. It would probably only make him more frustrated, and he didn't want to seek out suffering. Recognizing reality, staying grounded, and not chasing impractical things—that was the survival foundation of a bandit.
He looked over the Big Bandit System's panel again. Finding no other changed functions, he turned all his attention to the three ways to earn bandit points: career, money, and beautiful women.
Career was the same as before—the stronger his enterprise, the more bandit points he got. Money was likewise, no cheating: one tael of silver equaled one bandit point, one tael of gold equaled twenty taels of silver or twenty bandit points. Other valuables like jewelry didn't count; they had to be converted into silver or gold first to earn points.
As for the women aspect...
Li Daoqiang blinked, carefully pondering the now clearer meaning compared to before. Women of higher status and strength, who were more beautiful—that was easy to understand. But there was another point: special women!
What kind of women were special? Heroines? But in this chaotic, messy world, would there even be so-called protagonists or heroines? Or...?
Frowning slightly, he thought it over briefly. In a short time, many possibilities came to mind, but without real examples to reference, he couldn't be sure—only guess. He didn't dwell on it further and set it aside for now.
Women—the more beautiful, the more troublesome, especially those with strength. They were harder to deal with than career or money. He'd handle it when the chance came later.
He withdrew his focus from the Big Bandit System, feeling the unprecedented power throughout his body, and a surge of boldness arose. Having broken through to the Xiantian realm, it was time to act. A faint, stirring ambition ignited.
Make money. Build a career. And if the chance came, pursue women.
Ignoring the already wrecked room, he strode out, his aura noticeably stronger than before.
Two days later.
Outside the Assembly Hall of Black Dragon Stronghold.
Over two hundred able-bodied men gathered, loosely divided into five groups, standing in somewhat orderly formation. Pairs of eyes fixed on the sturdy figure ahead, emotions ranging from fear to dread.
Li Daoqiang made no effort to hide his aura. A fierce, domineering presence surged like a rolling river, charging forward with immense pressure. His entire being exuded something called strength, mixed with a chilling air. It inspired fear and toughness at a glance. Especially his eyes, devoid of any emotion—when they swept over someone, that person's heart trembled, and they averted their gaze, not daring to meet it.
"Brothers—"
A deep, slightly low voice slowly rang out. Instantly, everyone's attention sharpened, listening intently.
"The stronghold-wide martial competition has concluded successfully, and I am very satisfied. From now on, this is the rule of Black Dragon Stronghold: the strong rise, the weak fall; only the strong hold high positions. Those brothers who failed, don't be discouraged. The competition will be held every year, and the strong will take their place. So each of you still has a chance in the future—it depends on whether you work hard and seize it."
The commanding, unquestioning voice rang clearly in everyone's ears. Instantly, some faces changed, showing displeasure and discomfort. Clearly, they hadn't expected Li Daoqiang to say such things. This meant their positions weren't so secure anymore, and they could be replaced by their subordinates. Though unhappy, no one dared to object, but their vigilance increased greatly.
Most people, however, were both surprised and delighted, their motivation soaring.
Li Daoqiang paused only briefly before continuing, "The martial academy is also open. Brothers can learn martial arts according to the rules. I look forward to your performance."
"Long live the Chief!"
Suddenly, one man at the front shouted loudly. Immediately, everyone joined in unison.
After they chanted several times, Li Daoqiang showed a slight smile and raised his hand to signal them to stop. They cooperated and fell silent.
In a breath, his face suddenly turned cold.
"Brothers, after the good news, let's talk about the bad."
In his heavy voice, the coldness deepened. Those who knew something about what was coming lowered their heads, bodies tense. Li Daoqiang's gaze, almost tangible, swept over some people as he spoke slowly:
"Recently, many major events have happened in Black Dragon Stronghold. This is the time for us to unite and build our future together. But there are always some ungrateful wretches who betray me, betray Black Dragon Stronghold from within. Brothers, tell me—what should we do with these people?"
A cold wind seemed to blow across the square, making many shiver, their eyes full of fear.
"Kill!"
Suddenly, one of the men at the front, Xu Zhi, raised his arm and shouted, his wide eyes filled with killing intent. Instantly, the cry spread to everyone, and the next moment, all raised their arms and shouted.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Amid the shouts, Li Daoqiang glanced at Xu Zhi with some approval. Not bad—worthy of someone who had once earned Lin Sanlong's trust and favor.
He raised his hand again to quiet them, then said coldly, "Brothers are right. Every state has its laws, every stronghold its rules. These disloyal traitors deserve death. Li Si, bring them out."
As he spoke, over a dozen people emerged from the Assembly Hall behind him. Li Si led the group, with about ten men escorting several tightly bound prisoners. A stir ran through the crowd, because they recognized those bound men. Two of them had been prominent leaders and big shots in Black Dragon Stronghold just days ago. Now, this situation and what they could guess was coming made it impossible not to be shaken.
"Chief."
Li Si didn't look at the crowd, only bowed respectfully.
"Chief, I never meant to betray you! Chief, please spare my life!"
"Chief, have mercy! Have mercy! I was wrong! I'll be loyal to you to the death from now on!"
...
Pleading voices rose and fell, all filled with fear.
Li Daoqiang remained expressionless, only glancing at them coldly. "Anyone who does wrong must be punished. Cut out their tongues, break their limbs, and throw them into the back mountain to feed the wolves."
Instantly, the temperature seemed to drop to winter. Many in the crowd trembled, overcome with fear. The bound men looked as if struck by a heavy blow, their faces ashen. After a moment of shock, some twisted their faces with hatred, ready to curse. But Li Si and his men didn't give them the chance. After acknowledging the order, they hardened their expressions, pulled out daggers, and stabbed them into the men's mouths.
...