Chapter Thirty-six: You’re Setting Big Brother Up for Ruin

Qin Chuan gazed at the once radiant Cold Iron Spear lying on the ground, and, for the first time ever, did something unusual—he gave it a proper burial. He dug a pit and laid the shattered spear to rest. No matter what, the Cold Iron Spear was a worthy adversary, deserving of respect.

"Farewell. May you find freedom where you go, free from oppression."

His feelings were complicated. In truth, Qin Chuan felt a certain gratitude toward the Cold Iron Spear—for its warning. That warning prompted him to plan for the long term, a decision that would profoundly shape his future.

On the ground, the Cold Jade Bead glimmered faintly, emanating a chilling aura.

"Devour the essence!"

The Black Iron Sword trembled lightly. An invisible force enveloped the bead, and its pure essence, accompanied by a wave of bitter cold, made Qin Chuan’s consciousness shudder.

"Damn! No wonder it’s called the Cold Jade Bead—this cold is truly relentless!"

"Ding! Cold Jade Bead devoured successfully. Gained an extra 10% slow effect and 5% freeze chance."

He checked his attribute panel and found the new information added under additional properties.

"This Cold Jade Bead is really something. My basic attacks will feel smoother than ever from now on."

Qin Chuan left the mine and walked over to Sleepybug. At that moment, Sleepybug had devoured a pile of refined Cold Iron Stones, its entire body encrusted with frost, resembling an icy popsicle.

"Damn! You really go all out with your feasting!"

"But judging by your state, you’re about to evolve again!"

"I must admit, you’re one remarkable little bug!"

He sighed with admiration and activated his own devouring skill.

"Ding! Cold Iron Stone devoured successfully. Gained 10 evolution points and increased freeze chance by 0.1%."

...

"Ding! Devouring successful. Gained 10 evolution points. Current freeze chance has reached the maximum for this level."

"Hmm? What’s going on?"

Upon hearing the system alert, Qin Chuan quickly stopped and checked his attribute panel.

[Host]: Qin Chuan
[Species]: Mutant Black Iron Sword (1)
[Tier]: Second Grade Supreme (additional sharpness +10%)
[Quality]: Rare (additional all attributes +5%)
[Level]: 14
[Attributes]
Sharpness: 200 + 90 (45%) + 10 (5%)
Resilience: 170 + 34 (20%)
Speed: 174 + 34.8 (20%)
Evolution Points: 135,975 / 204,800
Experience: 969,400 / 1,638,400

Rage: 30 / 100
Innate Abilities: Essence Devour, Basic Mimicry
[Skills]
Flow Strike: Stage One Flow Strike Level 3, Stage Two Glide Level 1 (five meters)
Blink: Stage One Blink Level 3, Stage Two Immunity Level 1 (0.3 seconds)
Enhance: Stage One Enhance Level 3, Stage Two Freeze Level 1 (slow effect 5%, freeze chance 10%)
Falling Sky Flow Strike: Level 2
[Chakra Abilities]
First Layer Root Chakra: All attributes +10
First Layer Sacral Chakra: Permanently increases quality upgrade chance by 5%
[Additional Attributes]
Critical Strike 10%
Burst 3%
Slow 10%
Freeze 5%

"Damn, so Level 1 only grants a 10% freeze chance."

Compared to the pitiful 1% freeze chance before, this full 15% is worlds apart.

"Not bad, not bad. With just a few basic attacks, there’s a real chance to freeze—this is absolutely perfect!"

His mood soared, delight bubbling up within him.

"Ding! Second Grade Supreme Mutant Sleepybug detected. Exceptional quality, Level 15."

"Damn, it’s mutated and leveled up again—this guy is getting out of hand!"

Sleepybug opened its adorable eyes, filled with excitement. The icy crust had vanished, replaced by a chilly aura.

"Big brother, I... I’ve evolved again!"

Qin Chuan was genuinely pleased with his little companion’s progress: "Well done, little brother! Any surprises this time?"

"No surprises, but now I can spit Cold Iron Liquid. Anything it touches solidifies instantly."

"Ah, that’s a useful ability indeed."

Qin Chuan noticed some leftover refined Cold Iron Stones on the ground. They were now useless to him, but tossing them felt wasteful.

"Little brother, there are still some Cold Iron Stones here—do you need them?"

"Yes! My mutation skill requires storing Cold Iron Liquid in advance."

Hearing this, a mischievous grin appeared on Qin Chuan’s consciousness. "Haha, you need to stock up? That’s pretty logical. Take them all—store as much as you can, don’t waste anything."

"Mhm mhm!"

Sleepybug hurried over, gobbling them up with gusto.

"Ah, what a greedy little fellow."

Qin Chuan’s consciousness shook its head in resignation and began pondering how to wrap things up.

A sword and a bug stirring up such chaos in Wind Spirit Valley would surely attract the attention and suspicion of Black Wind Cliff. The robbery would never remain hidden. Black Wind Cliff was a formidable force; Qin Chuan wouldn’t be foolish enough to confront them head-on. The best strategy now was to stay hidden, eliminate incoming enemies during movement, and grow stronger at the same time.

"Haha! Grandpa Mao, I truly adore you."

Yes, Qin Chuan was ready to embrace guerrilla tactics.

Black Wind Cliff was a giant? Then he’d be the ant gnawing at the elephant.

Sleepybug returned after finishing his feast, clutching his long-cherished Spirit Iron Stone.

"Big brother, who is Grandpa Mao?"

"Ah, that’s a great figure—you don’t need to know. Little brother, let’s discuss something, shall we?"

Qin Chuan’s gaze lingered on the Spirit Iron Stone.

Sleepybug blinked his cute eyes warily, shuffling backward. "Big brother, what do you want to discuss?"

Whenever Qin Chuan wanted to discuss something, it usually meant he had his eye on something. By now, Sleepybug was quite shrewd.

Seeing Sleepybug’s reaction, Qin Chuan couldn’t help but laugh. "Damn, this bug is getting clever."

"Little brother, here’s the thing. We’ve offended Black Wind Cliff, and soon our identities won’t stay hidden."

"To reduce the risk of being hunted, I’ve come up with a plan."

Sleepybug’s adorable eyes nearly teared up with anxiety at the mention of being chased by Black Wind Cliff. "Big brother, what’s your plan? Please tell me quickly!"

Qin Chuan was secretly amused at Sleepybug’s anxiousness.

"The plan is simple. Do you remember when we stole the Spirit Ore?"

Sleepybug’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Of course! That was my first big job with you, big brother. I’ll never forget it."

"Exactly, little brother—I won’t either. But don’t you think the treasure vault’s door was rather odd?"

Sleepybug blinked and replied timidly, "Big brother, I was too excited then, but I forgot to tell you—the door was custom-made by Purple Spirit Manor, and the ore belonged to them as well."

"Purple Spirit Manor? Damn, little brother, you’re really setting me up here!"

Qin Chuan feigned outrage, making the Black Iron Sword buzz.

Sleepybug hurriedly explained, "Big brother, don’t be angry! We pulled off the Purple Spirit Manor job cleanly—they’ll never know it was us."

In truth, Sleepybug both respected and feared Qin Chuan.

"You’re right about that. But what about Black Wind Cliff? You know everyone in Wind Spirit Valley knows there are two bandits here."

Sleepybug was nearly in tears. "Big brother, you know my spirit core isn’t too bright—I’m not good at coming up with plans."

"Wait, didn’t you say you had a plan just now? Whatever you say, I’ll follow!"

"You said it yourself."

"Mhm mhm."

After teasing him for a while, Qin Chuan was nearly doubled over with laughter.