Chapter 24: I Am Also the “Try-Harder Knight”!

Stepping out of the realm of ordinary people meant that this set of rules could no longer effectively protect her.

If the authorities didn’t impose traffic control and some rule restrictions targeting the major factions, the entire Xiaoya Bay would become an unordered zone.

The scale of the hunt would be at least ten times what it was now.

Yang Liuqing felt grateful for that.

The game’s difficulty had been lowered so much, naturally increasing her chances of survival.

But that was only relative.

A Junior facing a group of Senior Veterans in a hunt was undoubtedly fraught with danger.

Especially at this stage, when friend and foe were indistinguishable, the situation was far from good.

“Master doesn’t need to be anxious. The situation hasn’t deteriorated to that point yet. At least daytime should be a bit easier.”

Ke Ling believed tonight would be the key.

“So at night, the difficulty doubles?”

Yang Liuqing found it somewhat amusing.

This mini game was giving far too much time.

Those who hadn’t managed to strike last night still had a chance during the day.

Thus, tonight would definitely be harder than last night.

Even with some control from the authorities.

There would still be plenty of hunters slipping in.

The only thing Yang Liuqing could be thankful for was that most hunters wanted to capture her alive, not kill her.

But it wasn’t impossible that some would aim to kill.

If they couldn’t have her, they’d destroy her.

That was a reasonable assumption.

“Master, time works in both parties’ favor. See, we also have time to study countermeasures.”

Ke Ling suggested staying optimistic.

“Xiao Qingqing, with your talent right now, as long as you take some time to polish it, you’ll definitely be much better than before.”

Ke Li had quite high regard for Yang Liuqing’s aptitude.

Whether it was the first time she struck out and killed Zhurou Rong, or when she faced off against Chise Liequan and quickly grasped the Hound Body Movement, she displayed unparalleled talent.

Before, there was no time to dig into it, but now, with a bit of learning, she already understood control of Spirit Particles—practically monstrous.

“The problem is, I can’t do much more here, can I?”

Yang Liuqing surveyed this remote alleyway, feeling a bit helpless.

The space was too small; she couldn’t really open up.

If she ran around recklessly, she might even get caught during the day.

The risk was enormous.

“Master, don’t overcomplicate it. What we need now isn’t to hone combat skills. It’s control over your aura. Feel your own aura, and you’ll know where the biggest problem lies.”

Ke Ling pointed out the priority.

Yang Liuqing did as told and discovered that a massive aura enveloped her body.

Silver-gray, mixed and swirling like smoke.

“Damn! No wonder they could find me so fast!”

“Right now, Xiao Qingqing is like a firefly in the pitch-black night.”

Ke Li covered her mouth with a giggle.

Throughout the journey, they had considered teaching Yang Liuqing aura control, but they’d set it aside because it required a quiet place and some time.

Now, with favorable time, place, and people, they had to prioritize solving this huge hidden danger first.

“Have I been like this all along?”

Yang Liuqing raised her right hand, watching the silver-gray aura slowly drift.

“Not to that extent. When Master is still, it’s relatively calm and not so exposed.”

Ke Ling gently shook her head.

“This is a special situation. It’s active observation.”

“You scared me.”

Yang Liuqing let out a light sigh.

If she had been this conspicuous the whole time, wasn’t she practically a hundred-watt light bulb?

“To those with strong perception, Xiao Qingqing is far too noticeable. They can pick you out from a crowd instantly.”

At this point, Ke Li paused for a second.

“If you don’t get your aura under control, tonight will be especially tough.”

After all, most of those participating in the hunt were experts.

Their perception wouldn’t be lacking.

“Then teach me how to control it!”

Yang Liuqing grew a bit anxious.

This problem was much more troublesome than expected.

Last night, most Senior Veterans didn’t know her exact location, so tracking her down took considerable time.

Now, the area had shrunk and the number of people had increased, so the difficulty would naturally drop a lot.

In other words, if she didn’t learn aura control during the day, a group of Senior Veterans would come knocking tonight.

The danger was self-evident.

“The key points are: withdraw, seal, hide.”

Ke Ling gave the hint directly.

“Withdraw means pulling the aura back into your body. Seal means closing off the aura’s exit. Hide means suppressing the aura so it’s as hard to perceive as possible.”

“How do I withdraw?”

Yang Liuqing tried, but found the silver-gray aura unresponsive.

“Xiao Qingqing, you have to treat them as part of your body, like your arms or fingers, then you can gradually take control.”

Ke Li revealed the trick.

“Part of my body…”

Yang Liuqing concentrated, visualizing.

She tried to command the silver-gray aura.

No reaction.

The silver-gray aura drifted calmly, ignoring her.

“So hard. Isn’t this my aura? Why won’t it listen at all?”

“Master just hasn’t found the knack. Please calm down and carefully sense how it operates.”

Ke Ling patiently guided her through the basics.

“Yeah.”

Yang Liuqing nodded slightly and kept trying.

Once didn’t work.

Twice didn’t work.

Three times didn’t work…

She didn’t get discouraged; she pressed on.

Completely immersed in her own world of perception.

At first, the silver-gray aura treated her as if she were transparent, drifting with a steady rhythm.

But after repeated contact, the first wisp of silver-gray aura was pulled, drifting back toward Yang Liuqing’s body.

With that first success, the rest became much simpler.

Just remember the feeling and repeat.

Even so, it was exhausting.

When Yang Liuqing snapped back to reality, an hour had passed.

The sky was fully bright.

“Hah… so hard.”

“Master, everything is hard at the start, harder in the middle, and hardest at the end.”

Ke Ling wasn’t sure if she was encouraging or discouraging.

“Xiao Qingqing, time waits for no one. You need to step it up.”

Ke Li sounded like a taskmaster.

Getting started in an hour was impressively talented.

But that was far from enough.

Because time truly wasn’t on their side.

At night—no, even now—it was still killing hour.

“I’ll step it up.”

Yang Liuqing understood as well.

If she didn’t work hard now, she wouldn’t have the chance later.

Ke Ling was in charge of watching her.

Ke Li stood guard around them.

The two little ones were doing their jobs thoroughly.

Perhaps due to her high talent or the pressure, Yang Liuqing found her control over the aura becoming more and more fluid.

The silver-gray aura seemed exuberant, returning to her body one after another.

Gradually, two very faint silver rings appeared in Yang Liuqing’s black pupils.

She felt full of energy, as if an inexhaustible strength was surging forth.

‘No, I can’t let them surge out. Next, I have to seal them away.’

With a thought, she involuntarily moved to the next stage.

She had to seal the aura she’d pulled in, into an imaginary pool.

At that moment, spiritual light flickered, and the silver-gray aura turned into droplets of liquid, falling into it.

Ke Ling’s eyes widened, shocked by Yang Liuqing’s transformation.

Her own master was truly monstrous.

She’d even liquefied the aura!