Xiao Nanchu gripped the longsword emitting a purple glow tightly and opened his status window once more.
[Status Window]
ID: Xiao Nanchu (Switchable)
Level: 6
HP: 950 (650+300)
MP: 800 (600+200)
Mental Power: 30 (25+5)
Qi Attack: 870 (650+220)
Qi Defense: 760 (650+110)
Available Attribute Points: 0
Skill: One Who Stands Alone
Equipped Gear: **Longyuan Empire Imperial Standard Longsword (Purple)**
His attributes had indeed received a massive boost!
Xiao Nanchu had not expected to gain so much from this trip. Although this equipment could not be transferred to his other account, the attribute bonuses from the equipment were perfectly inherited. This was equivalent to having an extra set of equipment compared to everyone else, giving him a massive advantage in attributes once again.
Standing to the side, Li Xunxian was stunned to see Xiao Nanchu so happy over obtaining a single weapon. Although the longsword she had given him was of decent quality, it was ultimately just an ordinary weapon. Aside from being a bit sharper and more durable, it had no other merits. Compared to a Magical Artifact that could provide additional effects, it was not even worth mentioning.
“Is it really worth being that happy?” she asked curiously, looking at the excitement written all over Xiao Nanchu’s face.
“Of course! You’re really giving me such a good thing just like that? Should I give it back to you?”
“No need. It is not exactly a treasure. Just keep it.”
Li Xunxian waved her hand dismissively, rejecting Xiao Nanchu’s offer to return the standard longsword. She had as many of these weapons forged from mundane iron as she wanted. She wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of regret even if she threw one away after every use.
“Then I won’t be polite!”
Xiao Nanchu excitedly stowed the purple-glowing longsword away and smiled at Li Xunxian.
“Yes, let’s keep moving.”
After saying that, Li Xunxian took the lead and continued walking toward the mountain peak.
10,000 steps, 11,000 steps, 12,000 steps…
The two moved quickly and wasted no time on the Demonic Beasts. Any beast blocking their path was killed in a single strike. The only issue was the time wasted climbing the stairs.
Xiao Nanchu had asked why the Celestial Ladder was so long and why the Demonic Beasts couldn’t just be placed right in front of them. However, all he received was a roll of the eyes from Li Xunxian.
“An Immortal naturally has an Immortal’s reasons. Do you think everyone is like you and can’t feel any pressure!?”
Li Xunxian had made a discovery. They were nearly at 15,000 steps, and even with her talent, she was now feeling considerable pressure while walking. Even her movements had slowed down quite a bit. At 14,000 steps, she had almost failed to land a fatal blow in one hit against those two Demonic Beasts.
Yet, she noticed that the guy in front of her didn’t seem to feel a thing!
His movements were no different than before. She was starting to suspect if he was playing with her. The guy was clearly only at Level 3 of Qi Refining, but he had just taken out two beasts of the same level in a single strike!
‘Is that so?’
Xiao Nanchu feigned a look of confusion, pretending not to understand. In reality, he could guess that his status as a Player was playing a role.
For some reason, the monster levels and HP here were lower than those in the Novice Village. A Level 2 monster only had 100 HP, and a Level 6 monster only had 300 HP. This meant that with his damage output, these monsters would be killed instantly even if he just grazed them. He didn’t feel any pressure at all.
“Are you all right? Should we take a rest?”
Xiao Nanchu noticed that Li Xunxian, who was walking ahead of him, had slowed her pace. Her body began to sway, and as he moved a bit closer, he could see from her profile that her complexion was not looking good.
“No need!”
Li Xunxian gritted her teeth, and under Xiao Nanchu’s inquiring gaze, she quickened her pace. She refused to give in!
She was the prestigious Sixth Princess of Longyuan Empire, the absolute prodigy among the imperial family. How could she lose in such a small matter to a guy who liked to lie and didn’t even recognize her! She had said earlier that she would lead him! How could she delay his progress because of herself?
‘I can do it!’
Xiao Nanchu sighed. Even though she was an NPC, she acted so realistically in these matters. This stubborn appearance was just like a certain idiot. He decided to help her for the sake of the purple longsword.
After walking for a while longer, Xiao Nanchu spoke again to the swaying Li Xunxian. “I’m tired. Can we rest for a bit…”
“You… you’re tired?” Li Xunxian’s voice was intermittent, but she still pushed through, trying her best to act as if nothing was wrong.
“Yeah. I’m tired and hungry. I can’t walk anymore. Let’s rest for a little while.”
What Xiao Nanchu said was not entirely a lie. Although he didn’t feel hunger or thirst, he did feel a little bit tired.
“Then let’s rest where we are!”
Li Xunxian finished speaking and watched as Xiao Nanchu sat on the steps. Only then did she sit down as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Finally, she could rest! Li Xunxian was on the verge of fainting from exhaustion. The reason Xiao Nanchu had seen her earlier was because she had been resting. Although the pressure from the Celestial Ladder wasn’t overwhelming, climbing for several hours while constantly resisting that pressure was grueling.
On this Celestial Ladder where Spiritual Power could not be used to recover the body, even a Level 5 of Qi Refining like her couldn’t hold out! She had barely managed to keep up appearances in front of Xiao Nanchu, but once she relaxed, the facade crumbled.
“Hey, didn’t you bring anything to eat?”
As she spoke, Li Xunxian took a yellow square out of her Storage Space and tossed it to Xiao Nanchu.
“Forget it. I can tell you didn’t bring anything. Take this and eat.” She then tossed a flask of water over.
“Thanks.”
Even though Xiao Nanchu wasn’t hungry, he wasn’t going to turn down an NPC’s items for nothing. Even if he tried to be polite, the system would likely force it on him anyway. He caught the yellow square and inspected it. It looked a bit like the compressed biscuits he had seen in short videos — square and symmetrical, with a faint scent of wheat.
“What is this?” Xiao Nanchu asked Li Xunxian.
“Military Rations,” Li Xunxian replied succinctly, then added, “Don’t worry, I won’t poison you.”
“I didn’t think you would. After all, I can’t beat you anyway. If you really wanted to kill me, you could just do it directly.”
Xiao Nanchu was only asking out of curiosity; he hadn’t thought about it that way at all. However, as for whether he could beat this NPC…
Xiao Nanchu felt it wouldn’t be much of a problem. Aside from skill mechanics, he didn’t feel that his attributes were inferior to the NPC in front of him. He was confident that he could end her with a single sword swing.
Of course, he wouldn’t actually do it. After all, she was an NPC who likely held a hidden quest. If he really killed her, he wouldn’t know where else to go looking for one.