Chapter 66: The Strongest Trio!

“Repay?” Shen Yuan and the high-level martial artist shuddered, exchanging a bitter glance. They were truly frightened now.

This man was a madman.

The poisonous miasma of the Toxic Swamp was enough to terrify even martial artists of the General rank, yet this young man before them had dragged them straight in without a hint of hesitation.

They had both lost consciousness from the poison, but he had emerged unscathed.

They had no idea when he’d pulled them out. As for “repaying a life-saving debt,” what utter nonsense! If he hadn’t dragged them in, they would never have come near the Toxic Swamp in their entire lives and wouldn’t have needed saving.

But a man must bow his head when under another’s roof.

The two of them forced delighted smiles and said, “Really? You’re giving us a chance to repay you? You’re truly a good person!”

“Of course! I consider myself kind-hearted as well,” Fang Qingyun replied with a bright smile. “As your savior, now that someone wants to kill me, tell me, what should you do?”

Kill you?

That’s exactly right! Get rid of this scourge and peace returns to the world!

Shen Yuan and the high-level martial artist exchanged another glance. They knew the pursuers had arrived. Was Fang Qingyun trying to recruit helpers because he couldn’t win alone?

“What do you want us to do?”

“What else?” Fang Qingyun’s face darkened in annoyance. “I’m your savior. Someone’s coming to kill me, of course you should help me deal with them.”

“What?” Shen Yuan and Du Lin were stunned.

They were from the Research Institute, and now that the Institute’s pursuers were here, he wanted them to fight against their own people?

How could anyone’s mind work like this?

“What’s the matter?” Fang Qingyun’s face grew longer. “You disagree?”

“We agree, we agree!” They nodded frantically.

Seeing this, Fang Qingyun lowered his raised sniper rifle and said, “I knew it, you’re both good men who know how to repay kindness, unlike those horned ones who talk with orchid fingers.”

“Here, take these.” He handed each of them a pill.

“What are these…” The two looked at the pills with trembling hearts.

Fang Qingyun grinned, “You’re both weak from your injuries, so here’s some tonic for your health.”

Nonsense!

Their hearts sank to rock bottom.

Poison, without a doubt!

No surprise there—Fang Qingyun wanted them to help fight the Research Institute. Of course he wouldn’t be careless.

In that moment, they recalled how Fang Qingyun had entered the Toxic Swamp without fear and looked completely unaffected by the poison now.

Was he a poison expert?

With trembling lips, they swallowed the pills, faces ashen.

Fang Qingyun only smiled more broadly. “Soon, when we’re all back to our peak, we’ll begin. We’re the strongest trio—surely we’ll defeat those evil forces from the Research Institute, right?”

“Right…” They forced smiles uglier than tears.

They didn’t want to deal with this lunatic. They only wanted to ask the heavens: what could they do to survive?

All they wished was to live!

“Here, detoxification pills,” Fang Qingyun said.

Ever since learning how to activate the system, he had pored over pharmacology, all in pursuit of suicide. He was now familiar with various poisons, natural toxic herbs, and antidotes.

The miasma of the Toxic Swamp, however, was beyond his skill—if the Research Institute couldn’t neutralize it, neither could he.

But concocting a few mild antidotes from local herbs was no problem.

Shen Yuan and Du Lin were both high-level martial artists, highly resistant to poison, and only lightly afflicted. With a little help from the antidotes, they quickly began to recover.

Not long after, they were nearly back to their best. Exchanging another glance and sighing softly, they asked, “Sir, what should we do next?”

“Attack me,” Fang Qingyun replied.

“What?”

“Attack me!” Fang Qingyun looked at them. “I need battle experience and to adapt to this body. Come, don’t hold back—attack me with everything you’ve got!”

The second half of his words was unclear to them, but fighting was fine—it was what he’d asked for.

They had long awaited this opportunity!

Fueled by pent-up rage, the two launched an all-out assault on Fang Qingyun.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

They clashed fiercely.

Fang Qingyun faced the two of them without falling behind in the least. His power was overwhelming, each blow like a mountain.

Even Shen Yuan, who had reached the peak of a seventh-rank martial artist, was forced back repeatedly when he met Fang Qingyun’s strength head-on.

As for Du Lin, he was almost sent flying by a single punch.

But Fang Qingyun wasn’t fighting to win—he was using this to become more familiar with his body before adding attribute points.

So whenever he saw the two on the verge of collapse, he’d ease his attacks, letting them hold out a while longer.

Even so, after over half an hour, the two were panting and collapsed on the ground, unwilling to move another muscle.

Fang Qingyun shook his head. “A man shouldn’t admit defeat so easily.”

Du Lin stared at him in horror. “Sir, have you really only just become a martial artist? Just how much spirit energy do you possess?”

Though they were not yet at their absolute peak, together they should have equaled a high-level martial artist. Yet in Fang Qingyun’s hands, they were like children!

A thought crossed Fang Qingyun’s mind. “When you became martial artists, how much spiritual power did you have? And how much spirit energy?”

“This…” Both were stunned.

This genius was asking about basic knowledge?

Shen Yuan replied, “I became a martial artist at 21 spiritual power.”

Du Lin said, “I became one at 17.”

“And after becoming martial artists, how much spirit energy did you have?”

This time, they were truly confused. “Sir, we don’t quite understand—doesn’t the conversion from spiritual power to spirit energy always fluctuate around three to one?”

Three to one…

Fang Qingyun memorized this figure.

He was different!

His was two to one.

Moreover, his spirit energy’s endurance, explosiveness, and recovery were all exceptionally strong.

Perhaps it was related to his spiritual power reaching 100 points.

That was when he’d gained the body of a mountain and a soul as sharp as an arrow.

Seeing Fang Qingyun lost in thought, Shen Yuan tentatively asked, “Sir, are you not three to one?”

Fang Qingyun looked at him. “Have you rested enough? Continue!”

“No!” Shen Yuan answered in terror. “Sir, my spirit energy hasn’t recovered at all—how can we fight now?”

“Exactly!” Du Lin echoed helplessly. “Why do you still have spirit energy left?”

Because I damn well haven’t used any!

With each increase in attribute points, his body had long since started to protest.

Fortunately, becoming a martial artist had balanced out the negative effects of all those increases.

Now, with more attribute boosts, his body was starting to protest again—like a baby given an adult’s body.

So, Fang Qingyun was still in a training phase, rarely using spirit energy in the process—mainly to hide his true strength.

He wanted Shen Yuan and Du Lin to think he was using spirit energy, just like they were.

The result?

He’d finally gotten two punching bags, and they couldn’t take much of a beating.

Fang Qingyun looked at them with open distaste.

“Sir!” Shen Yuan blurted out, “Didn’t you say pursuers were coming? Don’t we need to be at our best?”

Du Lin was taken aback.

Was that really something you should say?

But in the next instant, he understood.

They had fallen into Fang Qingyun’s hands and swallowed his poison—if something happened to Fang Qingyun, could they expect any mercy?

They might as well help Fang Qingyun deal with the pursuers first.