"Choking, choking, going is bound to lose, I’m dying of anxiety."
"Bro upstairs, don’t freaking misdirect when he clearly can’t do it. Does the Eagle-Headed Demon even have hands? Choking? Why don’t you suggest sliding in for an uppercut?"
"Peck at its neck; based on my observation, it’s a weak spot and hitting it can score a critical hit!"
Under the remote command of livestream viewers, Lu Xing tangled with Qi Die on the ground and rolled around.
This was Lu Xing’s third challenge against Qi Die.
Encountering other players who promptly fled, Qi Die would look panicked, but upon seeing him, its gaze shifted from terror to arrogant condescension, its lofty head almost having "I’m very strong" written on it.
This made Lu Xing furious.
Qi Die’s attitude towards other players was completely different from its behavior towards him; it clearly regarded him as someone it could bully at will.
Holding onto a desire to erase his previous humiliation, Lu Xing initiated the attack.
But the result remained unchanged.
He discovered that players in the stream were all boasting; before the fight, they claimed they would provide off-field strategic guidance, some even mentioned they knew Ancient Boxing, Combat Skill, Genetic Warrior Fighting Technique... but none of these combat techniques were of any use against the Eagle-Headed Demon’s form.
Facing the humiliation from Qi Die, his resistance was weak.
He couldn’t even inflict substantial damage on Qi Die. Calling it a fight was more like passively taking a beating.
Soon after, Lu Xing was exhausted to the point of collapsing, powerless to continue the fight.
Qi Die lifted its limb and half-buried Lu Xing’s head in the dirt, spreading its wings, looking down at him from above in a commanding pose with an eye full of mockery, as if to say, "You’re so weak!"
"Stupid bird, don’t get cocky. Grandpa will slaughter you sooner or later. You bully a Scenery Faction Player; what kind of skill is that? Have the balls to try the Ancient Battlefield."
Lu Xing said weakly, having given up resisting.
Although Qi Die didn’t understand Lu Xing’s words, it detected some emotion from his tone and repeatedly beat its wings on Lu Xing’s head, dazzling him with stars.
But compared to the physical pain, the humiliation in his heart was more torturous. Lu Xing vowed in his heart to eventually slaughter this cowardly bird that only bullied the weak and feared the strong.
The final blow from Qi Die came, and the screen was shrouded in darkness.
hour and 30 minutes later.
Lu Xing returned to Stormwave Lagoon, this time armed with a War Blade bought with 70 units of sacrificial power.
Since his bare hands were not enough, he decided to fight with a weapon, in human form.
For his return, Qi Die flashed a hint of confusion in its eyes, seemingly unable to comprehend the concept of resurrection, but its excitement quickly overshadowed this as it welcomed him by flapping its wings eagerly.
Without the attribute enhancement of the Eagle-Headed Demon, Lu Xing’s fighting attempt ended with him throwing up the food he had eaten on the way.
Lu Xing was beaten black and blue, his rolling on the ground causing the viewers in the livestream to grimace, feeling sorry for him, yet in the livestream, they provided emotional support:
"Brother Explorer, you’ve clearly improved your combat skills this time. Don’t fear failure; you’ll win next time for sure!"
"Brother Explorer’s slash was just a hair away from hitting Qi Die, it’s just that Qi Die’s luck was too good, what a pity, what a pity."
"Explorer, keep it up, failure only makes you stronger, believe that you can win."
Amid the encouraging cheers from the livestream audience, Lu Xing was ultimately grabbed by Qi Die and flown high into the sky, ending the round with a bout of free-falling.
After successive defeats, Lu Xing completely shut down.
He realized that he couldn’t possibly defeat Qi Die unless he had a large amount of sacrificial power to boost his strength, level up his Body Refining Level and Star Vein Level, and then fight Qi Die with the attributes of various Monster Forms.
After resurrecting yet again, Lu Xing no longer heeded the persuasions of the livestream viewers, unwilling to return to Stormwave Lagoon.
Although tips were enticing, the dual tortures of physical and mental suffering were unbearable.
He didn’t have much desire for money, and he didn’t have any worries about food, clothing, shelter, or transportation in real life.
But this was not giving up.
The frustration in his heart had not been released yet; he just wanted to increase the Eagle-Headed Demon’s level before challenging Qi Die, instead of knowingly heading for a beating.
Although leveling up might make Qi Die unwilling to fight him, in Lu Xing’s eyes, Qi Die’s fleeing behavior was akin to surrendering, and he had won.
Summoning the chat channel, he began to look for a monster-hunting team to start his path to self-improvement.
After 48 hours of relentless monster hunting without sleep, Lu Xing raised the Eagle-Headed Demon’s level to 11.
Compared to level 7, the shape of the Eagle-Headed Demon’s wings became fuller, a glowing red feather grew on its forehead, and even its aura had changed.
The significant attribute boost gave Lu Xing the courage to fight Qi Die once more.
He reopened the streaming room, which had been inactive for two days, and changed the title to "Round Two with the Dumb Bird" before setting off towards Stormwave Lagoon.
The return of the live stream quickly attracted a large audience.
Many players couldn’t help but lament, saying that the challenge probably wouldn’t start, as the coward butterfly would surely flee on sight.
Eventually, Lu Xing arrived at his destination, Stormwave Lagoon, under the watchful eyes of the streaming room audience.
Looking across to the thicket on the opposite shore, familiar eerie green eyes were staring straight at him.
Seeing that Qi Die was still there, a smile appeared on Lu Xing’s face as he gestured provocatively at Qi Die.
His body twisted and changed, switching to the Eagle-Headed Demon form.
Facing the provocation, Qi Die leaped out of the bushes but didn’t fly away; instead, it proudly raised its head looking at Lu Xing.
And just like that, the smile on Lu Xing’s face came to an abrupt halt.
He noticed that Qi Die had changed its appearance; its vibrant wings covering its body had become even more vivid.
Activating analysis, he found the answer.
[Qi Die (Fourth Generation Source)]:
Guidance Analysis: A Fourth-Generation Primordial Monster that controls the power of wind control, it has developed basic intelligence and can manipulate the wind element for flight, combat, or to greatly enhance its speed.
Personality Analysis: Bullying the weak, fearing the strong, lazy.
"Guidance, how did Qi Die’s hunting level increase?"
In response to the question, the floating Guidance lazily said:
[This is a Primordial Monster, their strength can be enhanced through certain specific means. I guess that Qi Die’s way of increasing strength has to do with its personality, that is, by bullying the weak and fearing the strong, it has gained the power of the Monster World’s rules to bolster its strength.]
[As to why it’s level 13, I’m not sure; in theory, the growth potential of a Fourth-Generation Source should be much higher than that of a First-Generation Source, so it’s reasonable for it to grow faster.]
[Fight like a warrior, or cower like a coward and wait to be beaten until Qi Die has had its fun and delivers a fatal blow, then I’ll carry your corpse back to the nest.]
Watching Qi Die flapping its wings and diving down, Lu Xing could even see the arrogance in its eyes.
This scene also made the melon-eating crowds in the live stream room laugh and cry.
A comment from one player was rapidly liked and pinned to the top:
By looking at the title of the streaming room I thought you had found a surefire way to win, but it turns out it’s just to watch you take a beating. Are you addicted to getting beaten up or what?