Chapter 65: System Upgrade Process 50%, The Hunter and the Prey

After waking from his sleep, Yu Liang felt unusually refreshed. The fatigue that had accumulated over the past few weeks seemed to have disappeared completely, leaving his mind clear and his body light. He stretched lazily before remembering the reason he had entered seclusion in the first place.

Curious about his current condition, Yu Liang immediately pulled out his system panel.

[ System Status ]

Name: Yu Liang

Cultivation: Qi Condensation Fifth Layer

Physique: Iron Marrow Body

MovementTechnique: Misty Steps — Perfection

CombatTechnique: Flowing Water Technique: Ripple, Stream and Waterfall — Perfection

SystemUpgrade Process: 50%...

Yu Liang stared at the panel for several seconds.

Then he blinked.

"Perfection?"

He read it again just to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood.

Both techniques had reached the Perfection Realm.

This surprised him more than his cultivation breakthrough. Reaching Perfection wasn’t simply a matter of practicing a technique until one became familiar with it. It meant completely understanding every movement, every change in spiritual energy, and every principle contained within the technique. At that level, there was practically nothing left for the practitioner to learn from the technique itself.

For a technique created by another cultivator, reaching Perfection meant that one’s understanding had reached the same level as the person who created it. In some cases, a practitioner could even discover small flaws or possibilities that the original creator had never considered.

That was precisely why achieving Perfection was so difficult.

Most cultivators spent years practicing a technique and remained stuck at the level of mastery. Even those with decent talent might spend decades trying to understand the deeper principles behind a technique. Talent, comprehension, experience, and countless hours of practice were all required.

Yet Yu Liang had somehow reached it.

And he hadn’t even realized it was happening.

A moment later, an uncontrollable laugh escaped his mouth.

"Hahahahaha!"

Yu Liang covered his face with one hand, but the laughter continued.

"Perfection..."

He looked at the system panel again, unable to hide his excitement.

"So I’ve actually mastered them completely?"

He had once been an ordinary person who knew nothing about cultivation. Now, not only had he stepped onto the path of cultivation, but techniques that ordinary cultivators could spend years struggling with had somehow reached their absolute limit in his hands.

Yu Liang leaned back and laughed again.

"System, you’re seriously changing my life."

He looked toward the ceiling with a grin.

"Thank you."

With the system, cultivation that once seemed impossible had become something he could actually pursue. Every improvement reminded him just how different his life had become.

After enjoying the feeling for a while, Yu Liang finally calmed down.

He glanced at the panel one last time.

A satisfied smile remained on his face.

"Perfection, huh?"

He was already looking forward to seeing what these techniques could do now.

With his excitement finally settling down, Yu Liang decided there was no point staying in his cave any longer. He had spent enough time in seclusion, and he was already eager to return to the restaurant and see how things had been going while he was away.

Yet as he walked through the streets, his footsteps gradually slowed.

The familiar streets of the city passed by him one after another. Vendors shouted about their goods, cultivators walked in groups, and carriages moved along the main roads.

But Yu Liang barely paid attention to any of it.

He simply kept walking.

One street became another.

Then another.

At some point, even Yu Liang wasn’t sure where he was going anymore.

His mind felt strangely empty.

There was no particular thought occupying him, and yet he didn’t feel tired. His feet simply carried him forward as though they already knew where to go.

By the time he finally stopped, the sounds of the city had disappeared.

Yu Liang looked around.

Trees surrounded him on all sides.

The city walls were nowhere in sight.

He stood at the edge of a forest, staring at the unfamiliar surroundings with a blank expression.

"...How did I get here?"

He genuinely couldn’t remember.

He looked back.

The road behind him stretched between the trees, completely empty.

Yu Liang frowned. He had been heading toward the restaurant.

He was sure of that.

So how had he somehow ended up outside the city?

Before he could think any further—

"Hehehehe..."

A low laugh echoed through the forest.

Yu Liang’s expression changed.

The strange emptiness in his mind disappeared instantly.

His eyes became clear and he slowly turned his head.

Four figures stepped out from behind the trees.

Three of them were young men carrying weapons, and the pressure they released was overwhelming.

Foundation Establishment Realm Early stage.

The man walking in front of them was different.

His cultivation was stronger, reaching the mid stage of Foundation Establishment Realm.

The four stopped several meters away from Yu Liang.

The leader looked at him for a moment before laughing.

"Finally."

One of the men behind him grinned. "We’ve gone through quite a lot of trouble to find you."

In response Yu Liang remained silent.

The leader folded his arms. "Do you know how annoying you’ve been?"

"We searched everywhere."

"We investigated everything. Yet somehow, we couldn’t find a single useful piece of information about who you were or where you lived."

His smile widened. "But fortunately, luck was on our side."

One of the other men chuckled. "That idiot who sold him the property practically handed us the answer."

"Indeed."

The leader nodded. "We happened to see that man eating at a restaurant known as Heaven’s Table during our investigation. After receiving some... nice treatment from my brothers outside his house, he quickly agreed to tell us the identity of the restaurant’s owner. We waited for some time, and then we happened to see you standing on the balcony. That guy quickly sold you out once we showed him who we were looking for."

The man sneered. "And as you can guess, our target was the owner of Heaven’s Table. Which, unfortunately for you, happens to be you."

He looked at Yu Liang as though he had already won. "And from there, finding where you lived wasn’t difficult."

Yu Liang’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’So that was how they found me.’

He hadn’t expected them to investigate that far.

The leader took a step forward.

"Of course, finding your residence was only the first problem. You rarely leave, and when you do, you’re surrounded by people. We couldn’t simply attack you inside the city, it attracts too much attention."

The man raised his hand.

A faint spiritual fluctuation spread through the forest. "Fortunately, we found something useful."

Yu Liang glanced around.

The leader laughed. "This forest isn’t ordinary. Someone once found a piece of a formation here that affects the senses. With a little modification, it can create subtle hallucinations and You didn’t notice it."

"The leader laughed. "We knew we couldn’t affect you from here while you were still inside the city."

One of them said, "So we needed another method."

He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a small, dark green incense burner. A faint, almost invisible wisp of smoke was still rising from it.

"This is a Soul Drifting Incense. Its smoke doesn’t affect the body. Once inhaled, it gradually interferes with the mind and spiritual senses, making the target slightly disoriented and more susceptible to suggestion. The effect is subtle enough that you wouldn’t notice anything was wrong at first."

He smiled smugly.

"We had someone carry it near you while you were in the city. By the time you reached the outskirts, the effect had already taken hold. After that, all we needed to do was guide you in the right direction."

He pointed toward Yu Liang.

"The moment the incense’s effect reached its strongest point, your perception began changing. You thought you were walking toward your restaurant, but you were actually following the path we prepared."

The leader’s smile widened.

"By the time you realized something was wrong, you were already here."

He pointed toward Yu Liang.

"The moment you entered the affected area, your perception began changing even more. You thought you were walking toward your restaurant, but you were actually following the path we prepared."

One of the thugs laughed. "You wandered all the way here like an idiot. Honestly, I thought you would notice, but you didn’t."

The others laughed along with him.

The leader looked pleased. "At least now you understand what’s happening before you die."

Yu Liang remained still.

His gaze swept across the four men.

The leader mistook his silence for fear. "Scared?"

He smiled. "You should be. We’re not interested in asking questions. Our employer only gave us one instruction."

His smile disappeared. "Kill you."

The three early stage cultivators slowly spread out, blocking every possible direction so he can’t escape.

The leader cracked his neck.

"You’ve made quite a name for yourself lately. Your restaurant is growing too quickly, and someone doesn’t like that."

Yu Liang finally spoke. "So you’re the ones behind this."

Leader asked. "Does it matter?"

Before Yu Liang could speak, he interrupted. "It doesn’t."

As they pulled out their weapons Yu Liang smiled.

It wasn’t the nervous smile of someone cornered or the calm smile of someone confident in his strength. It was something far more unsettling.

The leader’s brows furrowed. "What are you smiling about?"

Yu Liang lowered his head slightly and a quiet laugh escaped his lips.

"You really think..."

He slowly raised his eyes.

"...that you lured me here?"

The four men froze.

Yu Liang’s smile widened. "Did you ever stop to wonder... whether I was really under the hallucination?"

The leader’s expression changed.

Yu Liang took one step forward. "If not then why I followed the path you prepared without resisting?"

With another step his smile became colder.

"Or why I stopped exactly where you wanted me to?"

The leader stared at him.

For the first time since they appeared, uncertainty flashed across his face.

Yu Liang looked at the four cultivators in front of him.

Then he smiled again.

"Tell me."

"Who exactly..."

"...is hunting whom?"