The Programmer Cultivator

The vine shot out and wrapped around a distant branch. Zhang Deming quickly secured the fruit to his body.

Let’s roll!

"WHOOSH...!"

Zhang Deming gripped the vine and swung rapidly away.

In mid-air, another vine shot from his hand while the previous one dissolved into motes of light and vanished.

In just a few swings, Zhang Deming had crossed the clearing and was back in the forest.

Bye-bye now!

Zhang Deming glanced back and saw the Fox Monkey Demon Group had already gone berserk.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Light Wings materialized at his heels. They vibrated faintly, and in just a few leaps, he was speeding off into the distance.

The Fox Monkeys and the Wine-Seeking Bear, now frenzied, gave chase, relentlessly pursuing Zhang Deming.

After being pursued for more than ten minutes, Zhang Deming frowned.

’This won’t do. They probably won’t catch me, but this is the back mountain. Letting this pack of demons chase me around is asking for trouble—big trouble.’

Zhang Deming mulled it over for a moment before taking down one of the fruits. A sharp thorn sprouted from a vine in his hand.

The fruit, though peculiar and possessing a spirit-sealing effect, wasn’t very hard.

The thorn on Zhang Deming’s vine instantly pierced several holes in it.

A vine coiled around the fruit and whipped it around, spilling about half of its contents. Zhang Deming then hung the rest back on his person.

The blood-red Spirit Wine rapidly evaporated and diffused into the air.

The air was instantly filled with the potent aroma of Blood Emotion Wine. After taking a moment to appreciate it, Zhang Deming smiled faintly.

’I wonder if that Wine-Seeking Bear is about to get "handled" by the pack of frenzied, lust-crazed Fox Monkeys.

Steal enough wine, and you’re bound to have some wild encounters, right?

Er, am I contributing to biodiversity by doing this?’

After indulging in that dark thought for a moment, Zhang Deming sensed the Demon Beasts closing in fast from behind. A jolt went through him, and he turned and vanished into the woods.

"SCREECH... SCREECH..."

"ROAR... ROAR???"

After moving on for a short while, a sudden cacophony of chaotic, frenzied roars erupted behind him. Sensing the presence that had been locked onto him disappear, the corners of Zhang Deming’s mouth curled upward.

Without pausing in the slightest, he sped away. ’Enjoy this rare treatment!’

He traveled for the better part of the afternoon, finally stopping as evening drew near.

The long chase had depleted his Spiritual Power, leaving him with only sixty percent.

Being alone in the back mountain with such low Spiritual Power reserves was not a safe situation.

Zhang Deming found a safe spot and immediately began meditating to replenish his qi.

By the time Zhang Deming recovered, the sky had already begun to turn red with the evening sunset.

He glanced at the sky, found a clearing, and took out a palm-sized tent. After infusing it with a bit of Spiritual Power, he tossed it onto the ground.

The tent began to expand rapidly, soon becoming a normal, single-person tent.

Don’t be fooled by its lack of Spirituality; this thing wasn’t cheap, costing a full five Spirit Stones.

It was supposedly made from a material that had incredible elasticity and flexibility in response to Spiritual Power.

Although it wasn’t a Magical Artifact, it was considered a pretty good item for the Apprentice Level; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so expensive.

Zhang Deming finished securing the enlarged tent and took out an Array Card. Before he could activate it, however, he frowned.

Before he could even react, he felt the ground tremble.

A moment later, a frenzied presence entered the range of his Perception.

Without a second thought, Zhang Deming packed away the tent, turned, and fled.

But after running for a short while, he discovered that the frenzied presence had actually drawn much closer.

Zhang Deming changed direction and continued to flee.

The frenzied presence behind him changed direction as well, and Zhang Deming’s frown deepened.

Before he could change direction again, a blood-red streak of light rapidly closed in from behind.

In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.

The Moving Technique the other party was using wasn’t the basic Agility Technique; after the forced burst of speed, his movements seemed unsteady.

Zhang Deming glanced over and saw a middle-aged man. He was a Peak Apprentice and, by the looks of it, also an Outer Disciple.

His dark White Cloud Cyan Shirt was in tatters, like a beggar’s rags, and his body was covered in wounds. It looked like he had been through a major battle.

"Junior Brother! Please, Junior Brother, save me!"

he cried out as soon as he got near Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming gave the man an indifferent glance, showing no intention of slowing down.

’If you decide to enter the back mountain to chase a slim opportunity, you should be prepared for this kind of outcome.’

’Never mind that the frenzied presence behind him is clearly powerful—even if it were a simple matter, I wouldn’t necessarily intervene.’

After the brief speed boost from the blood-red light, the man’s speed seemed to drop, or perhaps his condition had simply worsened.

In any case, Zhang Deming didn’t slow down, and the gap the man had just closed was visibly widening again.

"I have a Yin Yang Rejuvenation Crystal! It’s the highest-grade primary ingredient for advancing in the Yin Yang Technique Path!" the man shouted hastily.

Every major Path had one or more such top-tier primary ingredients.

Their most notable characteristic was that a single top-tier ingredient could be used as a substitute for the several different primary ingredients required by a given formula.

They were not only versatile, but one could also replace several others.

For example, the top-tier primary ingredient for the Summoning System was Fetal Jade. A single piece could replace both the Soul Jade and the Innate Fetal Stone in the Demon Soul Summoning formula Zhang Deming had been studying. In fact, if not for the unique nature of the Demon Soul, the Fetal Jade could have substituted for it as well.

Therefore, the top-tier primary ingredients for any path were not only expensive but also exceedingly rare—items one could only hope to stumble upon by chance.

Zhang Deming’s pace faltered for only an instant, but he gave no indication that he intended to stop.

Seeing this, the man gritted his teeth. Forcing his heavily injured body, his hands flew through a series of spell signs, and an illusory chessboard appeared in his hands.