99: Chapter 99 Apopo Helps You Fly

In the end, since the custody of the [Drunken Immortal Gourd] fell to Su Wan, Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui had no say in what kind of liquid was inside. This right naturally belonged to her, and the two could only wait every day for Su Wan's "blind box" beverage service to suit their tastes.

"What is it today?" Hu Jinsi asked, leaning in.

"Iced lemon tea." Su Wan shook the gourd, then poured herself a cup. The brown tea flowed from the mouth of the gourd, carrying a fresh scent of lemon. She took a sip and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

"What about mine?"

"I'll let you know when I feel like changing flavors."

Hu Jinsi pursed his lips, while Lin Rui expressionlessly pulled his own canteen from his backpack, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. His expression said it all; this water was clearly better than the iced lemon tea in Su Wan's hands.

Without wasting any more time, the three stood together, holding hands, closed their eyes, and silently recited their intent to proceed to the next stage. When they opened their eyes again, the three had appeared outside a Japanese-style building.

Before they even had time to carefully observe their surroundings, the three discovered they had been surrounded by a group of sword-wielding Japanese samurai.

These samurai wore deep blue dō-maru armor and jingasa helmets, gripping gleaming katanas whose blades reflected blinding light in the sun. They emitted low shouts and approached the three with synchronized steps, like a pack of trained hunting dogs.

Clearly, when facing these Japanese samurai armed with katanas, Lin Rui was better at handling them than Hu Jinsi. After all, one couldn't expect Hu Jinsi to meet a katana with his bare palms.

At least, he hadn't unlocked the "Catch Blades with Bare Hands 100%" skill yet. Looking at those cold, gleaming blades, Hu Jinsi subconsciously took a half-step back and pulled his iron-wood wrapped iron staff from his back.

Hu Jinsi, having drawn his iron-wood wrapped iron staff to engage, quickly discovered that this group of Japanese samurai was only intimidating in numbers. Their actual skill level was on par with Lin Rui when he had just awakened last year.

This wasn't to mock Lin Rui, but rather because Lin Rui had indeed spent less than a month practicing long-blade techniques last year, and the three team members would have simple sparring sessions during their free time. Therefore, Hu Jinsi had a general idea of how to defend against these long-blade weapons.

The samurai before them had only mastered two skills: downward slashes and thrusts. Even for the downward slashes, these samurai had only mastered the most basic "men-uchi" (head strike). Honestly, their skill level was truly nothing to write home about.

Their blade paths were straight, with no variations or follow-ups. Every strike looked like it was delivered with full force, but the openings were wide enough for Hu Jinsi to slip through and have a cup of tea.

But since they outnumbered the three and their katanas were sharp weapons, Hu Jinsi had to stay focused.

Getting slashed wasn't a joke. Although these "white-tier" katanas had no stats, their sharpness was the real deal. Hu Jinsi didn't want to leave a few scars on his body and be mocked by Su Wan when they got back.

At this moment, Hu Jinsi suddenly remembered that he also knew [Sweeping Leg], but he seemed to have never used it in combat before. He recalled the dungeons they had recently run and quickly found the reason.

Hmm... the thighs of enemies like Orcs, Minotaurs, and Cyclops seemed thicker than his own, so there was really no need to use [Sweeping Leg]. As for the Harpy, they were simply in the air, and he couldn't reach them.

So, Hu Jinsi simply made a conclusion to himself: it wasn't his fault, it was all because the dungeon didn't feature suitable enemies.

Having successfully rationalized it, Hu Jinsi quickly found a few Japanese samurai standing close together. They were standing side by side, the three of them huddled together, their katanas raised high, preparing to slash down simultaneously.

Hu Jinsi sneered, his figure flashed, and he rushed in front of them with a [Sweeping Leg], his toes sweeping across the three men's ankles like a whip.

The three samurai lost their balance simultaneously and fell to the ground in unison like felled tree stumps, making a dull thud. The katanas in their hands flew out of their grips, clattering onto the gravel ground.

Hu Jinsi wasn't in a hurry to finish off these fallen enemies; instead, he used his staff to flick their weapons away one by one.

With a gentle tap of the iron-wood wrapped iron staff against the hilts, those katanas slid several meters away, their blades scraping white marks onto the stone slabs. He had directly turned this group of armed enemies into bare-handed street ruffians.

The three samurai struggled to get up, but Hu Jinsi's long staff was already pressed against their chests, throats, and temples, dispatching them one by one.

After finishing off these three enemies, Hu Jinsi returned to Su Wan's side. At this moment, Su Wan was chanting [Marching Song II], using the speed bonus provided by her singing to dodge the attacks from the samurai.

Her figure wove through the flashes of blades, every dodge perfectly timed, and combined with her singing, it was as if she were dancing.

Hu Jinsi came to Su Wan's side and used his long staff to Block several downward slashes from the samurai. The iron-wood wrapped iron staff collided with the katanas, producing crisp clanging sounds. Then he said to Su Wan, "Don't just try to dodge; try to counterattack with your hand crossbow while evading."

"These guys are really weak, don't be intimidated by the weapons in their hands. Anyway, I can heal you if you get hurt, and even if you're left with a scar, don't you still have that scar-removal artifact contributed by the Hydra!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, Su Wan almost tripped over the gravel under her feet. She whipped her head around, eyes staring at Hu Jinsi, her cheeks flushed bright red: "What do you mean 'still have that scar-removal artifact dropped by the Hydra'? That kind of thing is worth more than gold to a girl; how can it be used in such a situation? Do you think this is just a tickle fight?"

Her voice rose an octave in anger, and her singing almost missed a beat. Hu Jinsi was startled by her reaction, and he nearly dropped the staff in his hand.

He hadn't expected a joke to make Su Wan so furious, so he quickly took a half-step back and raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, I was wrong, I was wrong. Don't be angry, focus on the fight, focus on the fight."

Seeing that Su Wan was ignoring him, Hu Jinsi could only attack with full force. He rushed in two or three strides to the samurai surrounding Su Wan, swept his long staff, shattered one samurai's knee, and then struck backhand, the tip of the staff slamming into another samurai's chest.

Confirming there were no other enemies around Su Wan, he left her side to go help Lin Rui deal with the remaining samurai.

The situation on Lin Rui's side was much easier than on Su Wan's. He held up his [SWAT Heavy Riot Shield], like a moving wall; the katanas striking the shield only made dull sounds, not even leaving a mark. He occasionally counterattacked with his [Sigon's Saber], each strike accurately hitting a vital point, his movements concise and efficient, with no unnecessary flair.

Soon, they had finished off this batch of enemies. Before the next batch arrived, the three picked up the loot on the ground and observed their surroundings.

As for drops, there were a few white-tier katanas, a few deep blue ronin hakama, and two pairs of geta sandals; there was nothing else. Originally, given the skill level of these samurai, one wouldn't expect them to drop any skills, but the fact that these katanas didn't even have a single stat was a bit too disappointing.

Hu Jinsi picked up a katana, weighed it on his finger, then shook his head and casually tossed it into his backpack.

As for the surrounding environment, beneath the three was a neatly polished Japanese-style gravel stone floor, with moss growing in the crevices, making it a bit slippery to walk on.

Slender emerald bamboo grew in clusters by the walls, the leaves swaying gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound. Several stone lanterns were scattered throughout the courtyard; there was no fire inside the lanterns, but the paper surfaces emitted a faint fluorescence.

In the distance, the outline of the eaves of a multi-story Japanese-style building could be seen, with layers of black roof tiles, the upturned eaves rising like birds spreading their wings.

The three checked the strategy guide in their hands, then looked at the Japanese-style building in the distance. Unsurprisingly, that was where the third-stage boss was located. But the three's plan for today did not include entering the interior of that building.

They only planned to advance to the door of that building today; clearing the first mini-boss would be considered a complete success.

Because it was said that the building was filled with traps, and for these traps, the three currently had no good way to break through, so they could only do what others did: observe to summarize the attack patterns of these traps and then avoid them.

Actually, other students had thought about just setting this Japanese-style building on fire.

But no matter how they tried to start a fire, they found they couldn't ignite the building. Therefore, this whimsical tactic died in the cradle. Hu Jinsi even suspected that this building might not be made of wood at all, but only looked like wood.

---

On the way to that Japanese-style building, the types of enemies the three faced began to diversify. From the initial samurai holding katanas, some ninjas who could throw shuriken were gradually added.

These ninjas would not only appear in the middle of the road like the samurai, but could also fly over from nearby walls, or even suddenly rush out from hidden compartments in the side walls. They were wrapped in ninja outfits of various colors, revealing only their eyes, holding shuriken and short blades, their movements as fast as a black shadow.

Such harassment tactics made it impossible for the three to increase their speed of travel. Hu Jinsi even walked along while tapping the surrounding stone walls with his long staff, wanting to confirm if their interiors were hollow.

He tapped several places, and the sounds were solid, but he didn't know where a ninja might suddenly pop out from. The long staff tapping on the stone made a crisp clanging sound, like some kind of ominous knocking.

Further along the road, the three met Abobo again.

The moment they saw Abobo, the three raised their guard. After all, on the first day of class this semester, they had already seen the video of Teacher Fan demonstrating Abobo's skills for the third stage.

Due to the constant ambushes by the ninjas, during the battle, Lin Rui never dared to get too far from Su Wan. Therefore, dealing with Abobo became Hu Jinsi's task. He took a deep breath, gripped his long staff, and walked toward Abobo.

The start of the battle was quite normal. Relying on his agile figure, Hu Jinsi consistently dealt damage to Abobo with his long staff. The iron-wood staff struck Abobo's massive body, producing dull thumping sounds.

Abobo swung his fists, attempting to Block Hu Jinsi's attacks. But Hu Jinsi was faster; he deliberately kept his distance from Abobo, always maintaining a range of two body lengths away.

It had been mentioned in the school analysis before that Abobo was very good at grappling skills, so Hu Jinsi didn't dare to get too close. He was like a wolf circling its prey, constantly looking for opportunities, then attacking quickly, and then retreating rapidly.

But during one round of combat, facing Abobo's top-down [Super Heavy Hammer Smash], Hu Jinsi instinctively jumped diagonally to dodge, twisting his body in the air, attempting to circle around to the flank to counterattack. But it was this choice that made him pay the price.

This was exactly what Abobo was waiting for. The moment Hu Jinsi jumped, his massive figure pressed over like a mountain. His two large, fan-like hands suddenly grabbed Hu Jinsi's ankles, his fingers tightening like iron pincers. Then, he took a deep breath, exerted strength in his arms, lifted Hu Jinsi upside down, and began to spin.

[Giant Spin].

Hu Jinsi only felt the world spinning. The surrounding scenery turned into a blurred circle of colors, the wind whistled in his ears, and it felt like countless hands were tearing at his clothes.

His blood rushed to his head due to the centrifugal force, his face flushed red, and his ears were buzzing. But fortunately, because he used [Spinning Crane Kick] a lot, and plus he had indeed chosen the [Crane Shadow Zen] specialization to prevent dizziness, during Abobo's [Giant Spin], he was not spun into unconsciousness.

His consciousness and eyes remained clear; although his vision was spinning, his brain could still process information.

After three spins, Abobo shook his arms and threw Hu Jinsi away with all his might. Hu Jinsi's body flew out like a cannonball, tracing an arc in the air, flying toward a stone wall over ten meters away.

If he hit the wall at this speed and angle, the two layers of [Golden Trauma Medicine] specialization would likely all be triggered; a bloody head would be the least of his worries, and a concussion was even possible.

But the moment he was thrown by Abobo, Hu Jinsi immediately activated [Water Bird Steps]. His body twisted in the air in an incredible way, like a leaf blown off course by the wind, shifting the direction of his flight.

The trajectory that was originally going to crash straight into the wall was forcibly bent at an angle, and he brushed past the wall. His shoulder almost touched the surface of the stone wall, and he could feel the cold touch of the stone; then his body folded, and he landed in the grass by the wall.

At that time in the battle, the moment Lin Rui and Su Wan in the distance saw Hu Jinsi grabbed by the ankles by Abobo, they prepared to go to his rescue. They dropped the enemies in their hands and rushed toward Abobo's direction.

But fortunately, they noticed that Hu Jinsi, being spun around by his ankles by Abobo, did not forget to gesture and wave to the two while spinning. His arms struggled to swing in the high-speed rotation, making a "don't come over" motion.

The two then remembered that compared to Abobo's [Giant Spin], Hu Jinsi kicked countless times in [Spinning Crane Kick] every dungeon run; this level of rotation was already a piece of cake for him. The two stopped, looked at each other, and then helplessly shrugged.

After escaping from Abobo's clutches, Hu Jinsi quickly became cautious again. He patted the grass clippings and dirt off his body, stood up from the grass, and worked out his ankles, which had been numbed by the grip.

This time, he was just lucky; after being grabbed by Abobo, he only used [Giant Spin]. If he were unlucky and caught by Abobo's ultimate move, the consequences would be unimaginable. Hu Jinsi felt he might even be instantly killed.

After Hu Jinsi got serious, the speed at which Abobo's health dropped was indeed much faster. Especially since Hu Jinsi could now activate [Flurry of Blows] through his long staff, he no longer held back in the fight.

The long staff in his hands was like a frenzied viper, jabbing, sweeping, and thrusting; every strike landed precisely on Abobo's joints and vital points. The tip of the iron-wood staff, reinforced with iron, left a trail of wounds on Abobo's massive body. Beads of blood seeped from the cuts, staining his blue overalls red.

Su Wan was not idle either. While chanting [Marching Song II] to provide Hu Jinsi with a speed buff, she used her hand crossbow to fire shots from a distance.

Although the crossbow bolts caused limited damage to Abobo, each shot distracted him, preventing him from focusing entirely on dealing with Hu Jinsi. Lin Rui stood guard nearby, preventing those ninjas from seizing the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Finally, after the third stage of Hu Jinsi's [Flurry of Blows], Abobo's massive body swayed, then crashed to the ground like a collapsing hill. The ground trembled slightly, kicking up a cloud of dust. Abobo's body began to dissipate into points of light, a look of lingering unwillingness still etched on his face.

While cleaning up the battlefield after the fight, in addition to the ninja stars and various ninja outfits scattered everywhere, Hu Jinsi actually found a Skill Stone on the ground.

It was a dull, grey stone, but inside it was sealed the phantom image of some skill, constantly rotating on the surface of the stone. He picked it up, took a look, showed surprise, and then casually tossed it to Lin Rui.

"Catch, aren't I lucky?" Hu Jinsi patted Lin Rui on the shoulder, looking smug. "See how loyal I am? I used myself as bait to lure Abobo into using this skill, and I even helped you beat it out of him. This kind of favor isn't something you can repay with just one or two meals."

Lin Rui caught it and carefully examined the attributes of the Skill Stone.

[Skill Stone: Giant Spiral]

[Effect: After use, learn the skill - Giant Spiral. Requirements: Strength 18+, Stamina 17+.]

[Giant Spiral: This skill is divided into three stages: Preparation - Execution - Conclusion, and can be terminated at the end of any stage. Preparation — You must first successfully control a creature no larger than 1.5 times your size with an action. Execution — You grab the creature's body (usually the legs or waist), lift it off the ground, and then spin violently using yourself as the axis. During the rotation, for every turn you make, the target takes 1-6 points of bludgeoning damage (up to three turns), and all other creatures within your reach along your path take 1-4 points of bludgeoning damage and are knocked back 1.5 meters. Conclusion — After the rotation ends, you throw the target with full force in a direction of your choice. The target is thrown 10 meters and takes an additional 1-6 points of falling damage upon landing. If the target hits a solid surface (wall, tree, etc.), it takes an additional 1-4 points of impact damage.] [Restriction: This skill can only be used once every 3 minutes, and you yourself must endure the dizziness during the rotation.]

Su Wan leaned over to look at the skill description, making "wow" sounds continuously. Her eyes lit up as if she had seen a treasure. Then, imitating Hu Jinsi's actions, she patted Lin Rui on the shoulder and said excitedly, "Lin Rui, look, this skill can also be used as an AOE skill! You grab an enemy and spin among them; it's not much different from the Barbarian's Whirlwind!"

Lin Rui gritted his teeth and said "Thank you" to the two of them. It wasn't that he didn't feel their good intentions, but he also felt their overflowing malicious sense of humor. His mouth twitched, and a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes. He wasn't stupid; he could see that last line of small print. Back when the three of them were fighting Murlocs by the lake in [Goldshire], he had tried spinning three times like Hu Jinsi, and after he finished, he was no better off than Hu Jinsi. It felt as if his internal organs had been thrown up into his throat, his stomach churning violently, and it took him a full half-hour to recover. It had taken Hu Jinsi half a year to finally adapt to the dizziness, and now the retribution had fallen on him.

Hu Jinsi's voice came from behind Lin Rui, carrying a gloating smile: "Lin Rui, I still have some tutorials I collected earlier about dance spinning. Do you want me to share them with you? The crash course is very useful; as long as you spin a few hundred times a day, you can get rid of the dizziness in half a year."

Su Wan hadn't stopped laughing on the side. Ever since Hu Jinsi had dry-heaved after spinning last year, this year it was Lin Rui's turn to dry-heave after spinning. She laughed until she squatted down, hugging her knees, with tears almost coming out. She said while laughing, "Lin Rui, don't worry, I'll record the whole process for you! I'll make it into a compilation."

Being a Bard really is the best, Su Wan sighed silently in her heart. Even if she was the shortest among spellcasters, she didn't have to be like those two, who not only had to expend a lot of physical strength in battle but also had to pay the price of dry-heaving. She only needed to stand in the back, sing songs, and occasionally fire a few arrows to get an equal share of the loot. This job was simply too comfortable.

The three of them arrived at the multi-story wooden building amidst their noisy joking. The mini-boss guarding the door was only one person, a ninja. The information listed his name as Yagyu Ranzou. His fighting style was proficient in high-speed sword slashes, sliding kicks, flying kicks, and long-range shuriken throwing; he was clearly a highly mobile class. But high mobility often meant being fragile. When dealing with a ninja, Hu Jinsi wouldn't bother offering him 1 minute of solo time. This type of enemy was fast and had a high attack frequency, but couldn't withstand many hits, so focusing fire was the most cost-effective approach.

The battle began with Su Wan's unadorned [Crown of Madness]. She found a flat stone slab to sit on, cleared her throat, and began to chant. Her singing echoed in the courtyard, the melody melodious and ethereal, like a breeze blowing from a valley. The power of magic drifted toward Yagyu Ranzou. Yagyu Ranzou was attempting a sneak attack from the shadows; the moment he moved, he was entangled by those musical notes. His body suddenly lost control, his gaze became confused, and then he uncontrollably turned around and charged toward Lin Rui.

For some reason, Hu Jinsi felt extra motivated when his fists hit the ninja. Perhaps it was because the ninja's body was relatively light, and every punch allowed him to feel the vibration of bones under his fist. Perhaps it was because they had been ambushed by those ninjas all along the way, and he was full of pent-up anger. In any case, when Hu Jinsi rushed up, his strikes were a few points heavier than usual. Long staff, fists, knees—he used everything he could, and every strike landed precisely on Yagyu Ranzou's vital points.

Lin Rui was not idle either, raising his shield to Block Yagyu Ranzou's chaotic attacks, then hacking away with his saber, one slash after another. Su Wan maintained the effect of [Crown of Madness] from a distance, her singing becoming increasingly rapid, like thunder before a storm.

... The crowd-pleasing gang-up activity was over. This mini-boss was the fastest to die so far; obviously, as a ninja, his constitution was much worse compared to those pure martial artists from before. His body only lasted less than two minutes under the pincer attack of Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui before dissipating into points of light.

After eliminating this ninja, since there was still some time to wait for the equipment to drop, the three of them were not in a hurry. By this time, it had already grown dark, and the afterglow of the sunset spilled down from the tops of the bamboo forest, dyeing the entire courtyard a dark red. The three of them built a campfire right in front of the building and set up temporary tents for camping.

It wasn't until Hu Jinsi had already started boiling water that Su Wan noticed they hadn't picked up the mini-boss's loot. She patted her forehead, stood up from beside the campfire, and walked to the place where they had fought earlier. Other than a few worthless ninja darts, there was only a stone-like object lying quietly in the cracks of the stone slab, glowing faintly in the sunset.

Su Wan recognized this thing. Half a year ago, at the beginning of their rise to fortune, they had relied on this very thing. Her heart jumped violently, her breath hitched, and she screamed in excitement, the sound echoing through the courtyard, startling a few birds resting in the bamboo forest.

Lin Rui, thinking something had gone wrong, hurried to Su Wan's side. Hu Jinsi followed closely behind. Su Wan grabbed Hu Jinsi by his collar and shook him hard, her face flushed red, and her eyes flashing with excitement: "It's an Awakening Stone! Look, it's an Awakening Stone! We're going to be rich again!"

Lin Rui was much calmer than Su Wan. While walking slowly toward the Awakening Stone, he said to Su Wan, "Not all Awakening Stones are valuable. If it happens to be a random Awakening Stone, or an Awakening Stone for a life profession, its value would be completely wasted. Don't get happy too soon."

Walking closer, Lin Rui picked up the Awakening Stone and held it in his hand to feel its weight and temperature. Then he looked at the two of them with a complicated expression: "It's an Awakening Stone for the Ninja class."

"Ninja class?" Su Wan was a bit confused after hearing this. She wasn't very clear about the value of these niche classes, but she thought about the difficulty of dealing with this ninja earlier today. That guy was indeed fast and had flashy attacks, but he died after taking only a few hits. She frowned and asked doubtfully, "Is it valuable? This class doesn't look very strong, does it?"

Hu Jinsi took the Awakening Stone from Lin Rui's hand, weighed it, and said, "That's really hard to say. You can understand the Ninja class as an alternative type of Monk. It's also agility-based and an unarmored class. Just like Drunken Fist, it is both a school of Monk and a combat style for Warriors and martial artists. To some extent, this Ninja is both a separate class and a variant of the Monk class."

He paused and continued, "But unlike traditional Monks, this class is not a Lawful class. Or in most senses, this class is generally leaning towards Evil. Because experience acquisition for this class is mainly through gathering intelligence, assassination, and poisoning; it doesn't emphasize frontal combat, and in fact, you can't even gain experience from frontal combat."

"Therefore, from the perspective of running dungeons, for a conventional team, it doesn't belong to the mainstream choices. Even for a unique team like ours, it's hard to bring out its corresponding power. But under the influence of certain interested parties, this class might be able to play some roles that can't be brought into the light."

Su Wan didn't understand after hearing Hu Jinsi say so much. She scratched her head and asked, "Then is this thing actually valuable or not?"

Hu Jinsi said, "If you list it on the Class Marketplace, you might not know how long it will take to find someone who needs it. Give it to Lin Rui, ask him to check his father's channels; perhaps the military will want it. After all, as a scout, a Ninja is still a decent scout. But the price is hard to say."

After listening, Su Wan directly snatched the [Awakening Stone: Ninja] from Hu Jinsi's hand and shoved it into Lin Rui's hands. Her movements were very fast, as if she were afraid Hu Jinsi would change his mind. Then she said with a serious face, "Lin Rui, then I'll leave it to you to go home and ask your father. It doesn't have to be too expensive, as long as we can each get 10,000 credit points. After all, everyone has a responsibility for national defense; handing it over to the state is everyone's duty, just let us break even."

Looking at Su Wan's somewhat mercenary appearance, Lin Rui nodded with a smile. After all, the interests of the three of them still had to be guaranteed. He put the Awakening Stone into his backpack and patted it: "I'll go back and ask."

Hu Jinsi watched Su Wan's operation and didn't say anything. He had already said what needed to be said. But there were some things he intended to keep in his heart. The moment he received this [Awakening Stone: Ninja], Hu Jinsi realized he could see additional information. Those two lines of small text were only visible to him, as if written in some kind of transparent ink, glowing faintly in the sunset. The first line: He could unconditionally change his class from Monk to Ninja. The second line: This [Awakening Stone: Ninja], just like that [Drunken Fist Manual · Cheng Fu's Autographed Illustration] from before, could be used as a sacrifice the next time he obtained a school to help him lock in a Ninja school from a multiverse.

Hu Jinsi didn't want to choose either of these two things. Although he complained every day that the Monk class had many shortcomings, such as lacking Qi, skills not forming a system, and not being strong enough in melee combat, the fact that the class had to be Lawful was something Hu Jinsi liked very much. As someone who lived in a country under the rule of law in his previous life, being Lawful was the most basic requirement for being a person in Hu Jinsi's view. He had watched too many films and television works in his previous life and knew deeply that the Ninja class was dark and unscrupulous in the vast majority of works. Assassination, poisoning, gathering intelligence—these methods might be useful in some situations, but they didn't align with his values. At least for now, Hu Jinsi felt that he still wanted to be a good person, so he would unhesitatingly give up options that could easily affect his moral standards. Even if it could bring powerful strength, even if it could allow him to obtain a complete Ninja school system, he didn't intend to touch it. Some things are more important than power.

Hu Jinsi shifted his gaze away from the Awakening Stone and looked at the distant sunset. The dark red sunlight spilled onto the bamboo forest, dyeing every bamboo leaf gold. The wind blew, and the bamboo leaves rustled, like some kind of ancient whisper. He took a deep breath, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart, turned around, and walked toward the campfire.