Chapter Sixteen: A Dreamlike Beginning

"Black Sword, be careful—don’t get too close," Sleepy Bug called out in a rare moment of conscience, kindly reminding Qin Chuan to stay safe. But the very next moment left him utterly dumbfounded.

"Falling Sky Strike!"

Qin Chuan opened with a powerful ultimate, unleashing it right at the densest cluster. Green light flashed, and a hundred sword shadows rained down from above, dealing explosive damage.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Ahhh!"

The Spirit Iron Axe Guards had no time to react before they were cut down on the spot.

"Ding! You have slain a level 12 Spirit Iron Axe, gained 550 experience points. Over-level kill: bonus 100% experience. Congratulations, host, you have gained 1,100 experience points."

...

A rapid succession of system notifications chimed in his mind, filling Qin Chuan with a rush of satisfaction.

"Intruder! There’s a black iron sword ahead—alert the Lord at once!"

The Spirit Iron Axe Guards who survived the initial onslaught immediately shouted the warning, showing little panic—more like disciplined soldiers than startled guards.

All the nearby Spirit Iron Axe Guards began to surround Qin Chuan in an orderly fashion.

Watching their organized approach, Qin Chuan was secretly delighted. "Excellent, I love it when you line up to be slaughtered."

The valley’s open terrain was perfect for group battles, normally a huge advantage for the Spirit Iron Axe Guards with their numbers.

However, this numerical advantage became a liability before Qin Chuan.

The open ground gave him ample room to maneuver and attack freely. The moment he entered the battlefield, Qin Chuan began his uncanny dance of movement and attacks.

With each step and strike, he felled his foes.

"Ahhh!"

Even the disciplined Spirit Iron Axe Guards became nothing but training dummies before his unpredictable movements, unable to muster any effective counterattack.

A string of kills left the remaining guards terrified, their bodies trembling and voices buzzing as they retreated in fear.

Qin Chuan’s black iron sword dominated the field like a king, controlling the fate of those before it.

One against ten—no, even one against a hundred!

Such was the terror the black iron sword inspired in the Spirit Iron Axe Guards; fear was taking root in their hearts, spreading rapidly.

"Please, brother, spare us!"

"If you let us go, all the Spirit Iron Ore is yours!"

...

The last few Spirit Iron Axe Guards began pleading for mercy.

"Heh, if I kill you, the ore is mine anyway—why would I let you go?"

Qin Chuan showed no pity. Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

"Ahhh!"

With their final screams, the remaining guards fell beneath his sword.

"Devour Essence!"

"Ding! Essence devoured successfully. Gained 120 evolution points."

...

In this round, Qin Chuan had slain thirty-six Spirit Iron Axe Guards, his experience and essence soaring.

Evolution Points: 13,580/25,600

Experience: 62,700/204,800

Rage: 90/100

"Damn! Black Sword is just too strong! Every step, every kill, clean and decisive—this is a dream start!"

At this point, Sleepy Bug had completely forgotten about his important mission to steal ore.

Suddenly, a furious shout echoed from the cave entrance, and a massive axe swung at Qin Chuan with immense power and speed.

"Die!"

"Ding! Detected: Second-Tier Superior Mutant Spirit Iron Axe Lord. Quality: Excellent. Level 13."

"Damn! A proper Lord, resorting to an ambush—how disgraceful!"

Qin Chuan taunted deliberately, blinking away from his previous position just in time.

Boom!

The axe crashed down, sending earth flying in all directions.

"So close! Missed by a hair—how does that feel, huh?"

Qin Chuan kept up his usual antics to provoke the Lord, but this time, he might have miscalculated.

"You insolent whelp, you don’t know how close you are to death!"

The Spirit Iron Axe Lord’s voice was booming, but rather than anger, it carried a calm and confident tone.

"Strange... after losing so many subordinates, he isn’t even furious. Such composure—this Lord won’t be easy to deal with." Qin Chuan’s consciousness furrowed its brow. Calm and confidence were the marks of a true powerhouse, while anger rarely led to victory.

"We’ll see who’s really doomed here!"

The Spirit Iron Axe Lord snorted twice, wasting no more words, angling his blade and preparing for battle.

For a moment, silence fell, so still you could hear a leaf drop.

"Looks like Black Sword has met his match. Heh, but this is my chance!" Sleepy Bug’s eyes gleamed as he slunk toward the cave entrance, sneaking away in silence.

Just then, a falling leaf drifted between the two combatants, serving as the spark that ignited the battle.

"Crescent Slash!"

The skill carved a crescent arc through the air, accompanied by a razor-sharp aura.

The Spirit Iron Axe Lord was a pure offensive fighter, further empowered by several mutations and evolutions—his attacks were swift, fierce, and relentless.

Qin Chuan narrowed his eyes, realizing he needed to react with absolute precision or be caught in a storm of attacks.

The Lord was level 13—two levels above Qin Chuan—his skills likely boasted two additional phases, unleashing even more advanced techniques.

When faced with overwhelming strength, skill variations made little difference, but in a close contest, they could tip the scales entirely.

So Qin Chuan immediately used Swift Strike, targeting the ground ten meters away to create space.

Sure enough, the moment his black iron sword vanished, the Lord unleashed the second phase of Crescent Slash—a three-meter spinning sweep.

"Damn! If I hadn’t dodged just now, I’d have been hit for sure."

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Chuan didn’t trigger the second phase of his Swift Strike, but instead blinked back to his original position and struck with a basic attack.

The Lord reacted instantly, blocking the blow.

Clang!

Sparks flew as both were knocked back, each recognizing the other’s strength.

"Damn, even his resilience is that high!"

The first clash proved evenly matched, and the Spirit Iron Axe Lord was shocked. Despite his two-level advantage, he’d gained no ground.

Both sides had revealed a fraction of their power, though Qin Chuan had hidden a bit more.

Each wielded four skills; Qin Chuan had three actives and one passive. With Swift Strike on cooldown, only his blink and ultimate remained.

The Lord’s four skills were formidable:

Level 4 Crescent Slash (Active): Crescent-shaped area attack with a second-phase spinning sweep.

Level 3 Frenzy (Passive): Increases sharpness by 30%.

Level 4 Rapid Triple Slash (Active): Three strikes in one second; if all hit, triggers second-phase Shattering Slash, boosting sharpness by 50%.

Level 2 Divine Axe Descent (Ultimate, Active): Summons a three-meter spectral axe, adding 150% base sharpness for a single attack. After use, all attributes drop by 50% for 30 seconds.

This post-ultimate weakness was the Lord’s only flaw; unless he was certain of a one-hit kill, he would never use it lightly.

Qin Chuan didn’t know all the Lord’s abilities, only the Crescent Slash he’d just witnessed.

His own ultimate was an area attack—hitting the Lord with every strike might not even inflict much harm. In terms of skill combat, Qin Chuan was at a disadvantage, and he knew it.

What he could rely on were his bonus attributes—Critical Strike and Lethal Hit—but both were highly random, dependent entirely on luck.

The two now stood close, locked in melee. The fight quickly grew intense.

Qin Chuan used his unpredictable, agile movement to seek openings for basic attacks, but inflicted little damage. Meanwhile, the Lord’s attacks grew wilder and more ferocious.

After a bout of fierce fighting, neither used further skills, and the battle reset to its starting point.

As Qin Chuan prepared to kite his opponent for a drawn-out battle of attrition, a crash echoed from the cave.

The sound made the Lord anxious.

A sly smile curled at the edges of Qin Chuan’s consciousness. "Ha! Sleepy Bug has done me a great favor. Here’s my chance to defeat the Spirit Iron Axe Lord."

Qin Chuan gave up on offense, focusing entirely on entangling the Lord, preventing him from entering the cave.

Whenever the Lord tried to advance, the black iron sword would strike from an impossible angle, blocking his path.

"You’re not getting in while I’m here!"

"Hmph!" At last, the Lord’s fury began to blaze. After several failed attempts, he was at the brink of rage.

"This batch of Spirit Iron Ore must not be lost—or I’ll be finished forever!"