I Just Wanted to Live, but I Somehow Became Better Than the Main Character

The setting sun sank in the west as Ye Yong strolled amidst the woods, listening to the chirping of insects and birds, feeling very content.

Suddenly, he understood why so many ancient poets chose to become recluses. Being far from bustling cities, away from politics, and surrounded by such an environment, many worries in their hearts would indeed lessen greatly, and it was as if they had merged into nature itself.

Ye Yong walked slowly, unafraid of being caught up to, because the gathering places for picking herbs in Peaknet Forest and the Azure Lodge Village where the Black Armored Bull roamed were in different directions- one was in the east, and the other was in the north.

He was heading north, while those who thought he was going to Peaknet Forest would be going east. Ye Yong was even cautious enough to use scent concealment agents to prevent detection by spirit pets with tracking capabilities.

Apart from the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators whose divine senses extended several kilometers and had locked on to him from the start, no one else, including Crystallization or Golden Core Realm cultivators, would be able to catch him.

At least, that’s what Ye Yong thought.

“What kind of movement technique is this guy cultivating? How can he be so fast? He almost exhausted me.” In the sky, Liang Xiao Rou, who kept a distance from Ye Yong, sat on her flying artifact, breathing heavily.

Indeed, she had been outside the Mission Department, intending to quietly follow Ye Yong to see what commission he had accepted. If it was something difficult, she planned to reluctantly step in to help when he encountered danger, and at the same time, persuade him to leave the Music and Art Hall and join the more combat-effective Sword Pavilion Hall. However, Ye Yong used some unknown level of movement technique right after leaving the Missions Department and ran incredibly fast.

Luckily, her father had given her a flying artifact with sufficient speed, allowing her to just barely keep up with him, but it also caused her to consume a lot of spiritual energy. 𝒻𝓻𝘦𝑒𝓌𝑒𝓫𝓷𝑜𝓋𝘦𝓵.𝓬𝘰𝓂

“As expected of Junior Brother Ye.” In the sky above, a distance away from Liang Xiao Rou, Yi Bai also sat on her flying apparatus, breathing somewhat heavily. Even though she was at the 9th layer of the Golden Core Realm, she nearly exhausting all her strength to pursue someone at the Foundation Establishment Realm. However, as an art cultivator, speed wasn’t one of her strengths, so this was entirely normal. Fortunately, her cultivation was high enough that she managed to keep up.

“Liang Xiao Rou of the Sword Pavilion Hall… She must be planning to lend a hand when Junior Brother Ye runs into trouble and take the opportunity to poach him. Fortunately, I followed along or you would have succeeded.” Yi Bai’s cultivation way surpassed Liang Xiao Rou’s cultivation, so it was simple for her to avoid detection.

In addition to Liang Xiao Rou and Yi Bai, there were many Golden Core Realm cultivators nearby, both male and female, whose reasons for following were essentially the same. Although they weren’t as strained as Liang Xiao Rou and Yi Bai, they were genuinely surprised by Ye Yong’s speed. Some who specialized in studying movement techniques even recognized Ye Yong’s technique to be Swimming Dragon Steps, one of the higher ranked Earth grade movement techniques, and he had at least reached the Small Success stage of proficiency.

Learning movement techniques took more work than learning martial or spiritual arts. If any other cultivator at the 10th layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm showed that kind of proficiency for an Earth-grade movement technique, it would undoubtedly astound others. However, for Ye Yong, the prodigy of the East Forest Continent, this was quite reasonable. Rather, if he didn’t show any talent, then it would only make others feel strange.

…

While enjoying the scenery along the way and restoring his spiritual energy, Ye Yong’s heightened perception due to his Chaotic Origin Divine Physique made him aware that someone was watching him. Did someone still manage to follow me?

He had already done his best by using an Earth-grade movement technique and concealing his presence.

“Well, whatever. With a 7-colored foundation and exceptional musical talent, it’s normal for a powerful figure like the Sect Master to see me as a promising disciple and send someone to protect me in secret. Besides, having protection is good. Heavenly Luo Sect isn’t without spies from demonic sects. If I am to venture out alone, it will stir interest among the demonic sects, and they will try to poach me or kill me before I can grow.” Ye Yong had used the diversion tactic in the Missions Department to avoid being tracked by the demonic sects.

He had only recently joined the Heavenly Luo Sect. Even though, as a reader, he knew who the spies were, he couldn’t do anything about them with just a few words because the spies had power and status. After all, evidence was needed for everything. If he failed to bring down the spies, he would become targeted by the spies. Well, then it would become a typical case of trying to steal a chicken just to end up losing some grain. Ye Yong wasn’t that stupid.

So, why did he venture out despite knowing the dangers? Well, it was because Ye Yong couldn’t stay inside the Heavenly Luo Sect forever. Flowers nurtured in a greenhouse would eventually experience the storms outside. Besides, he needed to prepare a gift for Mu Qing Yin.

A heroine like Mu Qing Yin valued affection more than the monetary value of a gift. If she knew Ye Yong had gone so far just to find a gift for her, her favorability would surely rise.

When Ye Yong acted, he usually had more than one goal in mind, attempting to accomplish everything efficiently.

Testing his strength, experiencing the world, and preparing a gift for Mu Qingyin- killing multiple birds with one arrow was the most effective approach.

But now that he realized someone was following him, Ye Yong couldn’t afford to test his strength freely anymore.

Originally, he planned to restrain his power appropriately, using all 38 Mystery-grade techniques against the Black Armored Bull for practice, but now, he would have to resort to real combat after just a few moves.

Killing a Crystallization Realm 1st layer specter beast while at the 10th stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm wasn’t particularly astonishing- many geniuses could achieve that. Geniuses were called such because their various conditions surpassed those of ordinary cultivators; it was normal for them to fight opponents of much higher levels- it just depended on how many levels higher.

The Foundation Establishment Realm and the Crystallization Realm were a major realm apart, so the difficulty was higher. However, Ye Yong had a 7-colored foundational, so successfully defeating a 1st layer Crystallization Realm specter beast wouldn’t surprise anyone- it would only prove him to be a genuine genius.

…

With his spiritual energy almost restored, Ye Yong mounted his magic carpet, looked at the map, and hummed “All the Way North” as he traveled northward, arriving at Azure Lodge Village hundreds of kilometers away from Tianluo Sect.

Azure Lodge Village had a population of about a thousand people and was quite lively.

Ye Yong arrived in the evening. Many farmers were returning home from their farms when they saw a magic carpet in the sky with a figure seated on top of it, and they immediately knelt down.

“It’s an immortal!”

“An immortal has come!”

Even though a cultivator at the 1st layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm would be considered an immortal to ordinary people. After all, to mortals, cultivators were incredibly mysterious and powerful beings.

As Ye Yong descended at the village entrance, everyone had their heads bowed down. Some were curious to see what an immortal looked like but were stunned when they saw Ye Yong’s appearance and demeanor.

Could he be a real immortal?

The village chief, an old man at the 8th layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, rushed over upon hearing the news and was also taken aback by Ye Yong’s appearance. As a martial cultivator, the village chief had more knowledge than the other villagers. During his youth, he had visited nearby cities and had seen family cultivators and all kinds of rogue cultivators.

Someone like Ye Yong, who clearly seemed formidable, was either a young master of a big family or a powerful being who had lived for thousands of years!

“Esteemed immortal, are you passing through or…?” The village chief greeted respectfully, gesturing for the villagers who were still in awe to lower their heads and not offend the immortal.

“Is there a specter beast around here nearby?”

“Yes yes yes! Three days ago, our strong young man went to pick fruits and found an orchard completely pushed over. When I investigated, I sensed residual demonic energy, and I immediately reported it to the city guards. A day ago, an immortal from Heavenly Luo Sect came over to inspect and said it was a Black Armored Bull at the small specter realm. They said someone would come to deal with it later and set up a formation before leaving. May I ask…?”

“That’s right, it’s me.”