Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 115: Strategy

The inscriptions on the curtains isolated sound and prevented the occasionally bumpy road from affecting the carriage’s insides.

That added some necessary privacy, as well as welcome silence. Liam generally preferred nature’s noises due to his upbringing, but falling asleep had never been among his problems.

A single round of that restorative process failed to compensate for how deeply Liam had abused himself in the previous two weeks. Yet, the trip gave him nothing but time, which he spent sleeping, smoking, and practicing the circulation technique.

Joel and Maxwell also minded their own business, mainly spending the trip cross-legged on the carriage’s seats, completely immersed in their meditation.

Still, the time for words arrived once the destination drew near.

"Junior Brother," Joel’s voice resounded in the carriage, immediately awakening Liam, who stretched his limbs to leave the corner where he had curled himself.

Liam also peeked past the curtains, the morning sunlight blowing warmth on his face. His hunger levels even provided additional details, telling him that the three days were almost up.

"The battle strategy will go as follows," Maxwell announced once both Joel and Liam looked at him. "The Battlefield’s outermost areas are scarcer in magical beasts, so we’ll rush to the innermost zones and focus our hunts there."

The jade had given Liam a vague idea of the Mutated Battlefield’s fauna. His hunting experience had also mostly completed that picture. The innermost areas were richer in Qi and more populated, but they featured stronger magical beasts, too.

"Does Senior Brother want to use the higher danger as a shield?" Liam guessed, earning himself a long look from Maxwell and a satisfied nod from Joel.

The innermost areas were more dangerous, especially for a foundation expert. Maxwell had half-expected Liam to question how that issue aligned with keeping him safe.

Yet, it seemed Liam had instantly understood the strategy. That greater danger was something the other teams also had to respect, hopefully preventing them from attempting to kill Liam.

"Correct," Maxwell confirmed. "We’ll use those stronger creatures both as protection and as a higher source of points."

The plan was solid, but Liam also saw flaws. His role would shrink even further in those more dangerous areas, and the hunting difficulty would also increase.

After all, the team would worsen its position instead of using traps and strategies to facilitate the hunts. Liam and the others might fall prey to the same feature they hoped to use as a shield, failing to gather points as quickly as those who had remained in safer areas.

Still, Liam knew better than to question Maxwell. He had to believe the Sect’s Head Disciple would consider those problems, meaning he was confident he could overcome them.

"Senior Brother," Liam called, following that train of thought. "Can you kill level three magical beasts?"

Since the competition gave creatures at that level a value, Liam guessed that killing them was possible despite the teams only having rooting experts at best.

Liam obviously couldn’t be sure, but he wanted an answer to solve his long-standing doubt about the ruins’ snake.

Also, Liam knew that starting his cultivation journey at the peak of the foundation stage had left him with vast gaps in his knowledge, which only questions could solve until he experienced the growth through a stage himself.

"Depends," Maxwell responded. "No magical beast is equal, but there is no such thing as a weak level three creature, either."

Maxwell was obviously talking about the innate differences among species, which Liam realized since he could compare the level one wolf to the ruins’ rats.

"However, cultivators are superior," Maxwell continued. "In a favorable environment and against a favorable opponent, I might be able to win."

Liam couldn’t express how reassuring he found the matter. Sure, Maxwell was the literal Head Disciple, a peak rooting expert with the very Sect Leader as his Master. It was also unclear how many magical items he had at his disposal, and the same went for the number of martial arts he knew.

Yet, Liam found the matter reassuring nonetheless. He only needed to know that it was possible. Everything else would be up to his talent, hard work, and resource accumulation.

’I need to enter the rooting stage as soon as possible,’ Liam reaffirmed his resolve.

"We shall avoid level three magical beasts unless it’s necessary," Maxwell made sure to warn. "I’ll lead the way, so, Brothers, stick with me. We’ll adjust the strategy once we see what we are up against."

Joel had no complaints. He actually looked quite eager to get some action. Instead, Liam took care of his slight hunger before considering another issue.

Revealing the pipe to Joel and Maxwell had been a planned move, but Liam could push it a bit further. The jade had informed him about the joint gathering before the actual mission, which he could use to show his smoking habit to the other teams.

’Poison masters are feared in the cultivation world,’ Liam recalled the Disciplinary Elder’s words, considering his option. Revealing his dantian’s nature could create another layer of protection, making the teams even more hesitant to launch wanton attacks.

Learning alchemy had also mostly removed the intrinsic danger of exposing that information. Liam made his own nutrients now, and that would continue in the future. No one could really tamper with them anymore. The best enemies could try to do would be depriving him of ingredients.

’Maybe the surprise effect is still better,’ Liam eventually decided, drawing his pipe now to avoid doing it later.

Things would have been different if Liam were a rooting expert, but his cultivation’s weakness would still take priority in his enemies’ minds now. No one even knew how good his poisons were. Liam realized he would have to become more infamous before relying on such ploys.

Once another hour passed, the carriage stopped, and the trio jumped off, completing the remainder of the journey on foot. Maxwell led his companions toward a nearby forest, and Liam’s nape tingled even before spotting the various figures gathered there.

Robes of different colors arranged in groups of three were already waiting for the Pale Moon Sect’s team, but the strongest figure in the area didn’t belong to those Sects. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Strangely enough, a lonely branching expert, a cultivator at the same level as the Elders, stood among that gathering, wearing the Church of the Man’s white robes.