My Crazy Upgrade System

"Ahem, Lian, could you introduce us? Who is this young hero?"

Wu Liquan and the others walked over. When they saw Lian still buried in Yi Tianyun’s embrace, a faint smile appeared on their faces. They had all witnessed Yi Tianyun’s performance just now. He had helped them get their revenge, so he was definitely a good person.

"Ah..." Liu Menglian hurriedly pushed herself out of Yi Tianyun’s arms, her pretty face beet red. She had completely let her guard down and fallen into his embrace. Now that they had been seen, she was mortified.

"This... This is the Young Master. The Young Master of Merak Palace," Liu Menglian hastily explained.

"The Young Master of Merak Palace?" Their expressions were blank. They didn’t know much about such matters. It was simply too far away, and besides farming here, they didn’t do anything else, so they were clueless about the outside world.

They were also unaware of what factions existed out there. At most, they knew that Treasure Dragon Stronghold was here and controlled the local villages.

"I remember now! That’s the place Lian joined! I can’t believe Merak Palace sent someone to help!" Wang Decuan slapped his thigh in excitement and walked right up. "Brother, you were incredible just now! Can you teach me? If I were that strong, no one would dare bully Yunluo Village anymore!"

"Decuan, what are you thinking? Do you think cultivation is that easy? Besides, the Young Master’s Martial Arts can’t just be taught to anyone!" Liu Menglian shot him a glare.

Wang Decuan gave an embarrassed smile, scratching his head. "I was just saying. We don’t really understand the rules over where you are..."

"It’s fine. I’ll teach you a few things later, but you have to train diligently. You can’t give up halfway," Yi Tianyun said with a smile.

"R-Really?!" Wang Decuan was stunned.

"Of course. Do you think I’m lying?" Yi Tianyun chuckled.

"Of course not! You’re our savior! If you hadn’t shown up, Lian would’ve been taken away by that beast!" Wang Decuan said with a grin.

Just then, however, it suddenly dawned on Wu Liquan. He said urgently, "Young hero, I urge you to leave quickly! If the people from Treasure Dragon Stronghold come, you won’t be able to escape! We’re preparing to evacuate as well. We can’t stay here any longer."

The other villagers’ joyful expressions immediately soured, replaced with worry. They were unwilling to leave their homes. After all, they had little money, and traveling would be extremely difficult.

Most importantly, their sons had been taken to Treasure Dragon Stronghold. Unsure if they were dead or alive, the villagers were reluctant to leave. They all hoped the Stronghold would release their sons, which was why they had been waiting here all this time.

Who would have known that several years had passed, and not a single person had been released. Instead, the Stronghold just kept taking people, never returning anyone.

"Why leave? It’s just Treasure Dragon Stronghold. I’ll just uproot them completely. And while I’m at it, I can rescue your people," Yi Tianyun said with a calm smile.

His words left them stunned speechless for a long moment. They had no concept of cultivation levels. All they knew was that Treasure Dragon Stronghold was very strong. Cloud Celestial Saint was just one of its members; there were many more people at the stronghold. How could one person possibly defeat them all?

"Th-This... young hero, I advise against it. Treasure Dragon Stronghold is just too powerful. I’ve heard they have some expert from who knows where, someone much stronger than that Cloud Celestial Saint." Wu Liquan shook his head and sighed. "You may be powerful, young hero, but can you defeat a whole group of them? You’ve already done enough by saving us. We can’t let you go to your death for our sake!"

The other villagers nodded in agreement. They didn’t think Yi Tianyun was *that* powerful, and they certainly didn’t want him to throw his life away.

Yi Tianyun turned to Liu Menglian and asked with a faint smile, "Lian, are the people of this Treasure Dragon Stronghold very strong?"

Liu Menglian thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I’m not entirely sure, but... Young Master, are you really willing to help us get rid of Treasure Dragon Stronghold?"

"That’s right. Since I’m here, your business, Lian, is my business. Once I’ve completely wiped out Treasure Dragon Stronghold, you’ll never have to worry again." Yi Tianyun stated calmly, "This is me, enacting justice for the heavens. Since they have committed so many evil deeds, I will purge them on behalf of the heavens!"

"Ding! Successfully accepted the quest ’Eradicate Treasure Dragon Stronghold’. Completion rewards: 150,000 Experience Points, 10,000 Madness Value, and 100 Character Value!"

A brand new side quest had appeared, and it was precisely the quest to eradicate Treasure Dragon Stronghold. Not only would it increase his Madness Value, but it would also grant a hundred Character Value! The previous quests he’d accepted only gave him ten-odd points of Character Value. This time, the increase was massive.

’It’s clear that doing more good deeds rewards me with Character Value, which I really like. After all, the effects of increased Character Value are numerous. As long as the number is high enough, my luck will be explosive even without activating the Luck Aura!’

The village chief and the others exchanged glances. While it would be wonderful if he could help them deal with Treasure Dragon Stronghold, they would feel terribly guilty if he lost his life for it.

"Alright then. I’ll go with the Young Master!" Liu Menglian said with a nod after a moment of silence.

"I’ll go too! I’ll chop those bastards to pieces!"

"I’m going too! My son was captured!"

"I’ve only got one life to lose! I’ll fight them to the death!"

The other villagers immediately grew agitated. It wasn’t that they weren’t afraid of death, but thinking of their sons who had been captive for so long, they had long wanted to storm the stronghold. They just never had a leader.

"There’s no need for that. I’ll just take Lian with me. The rest of you wait here for news." Yi Tianyun smiled calmly. "Everything will go smoothly. No matter how strong this Treasure Dragon Stronghold is, I doubt it’s stronger than the Three Great Factions, right?"

Liu Menglian’s delicate frame trembled, and she said excitedly, "Yes! It’s definitely not as strong as the Three Great Factions!"

Yi Tianyun had slaughtered all three of the Great Factions, let alone a mere Treasure Dragon Stronghold.

"Then what’s there to worry about? The two of us are more than enough," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile. "Of course, the main reason I’m bringing you is to help rescue the captives, and more importantly, for you to witness me destroy Treasure Dragon Stronghold!"

’He didn’t even need to scout for information to know that Treasure Dragon Stronghold wasn’t that strong. If it were more powerful than the Three Great Factions, it would have been famous long ago. At most, it would have one or two decent Cultivators. It couldn’t possibly be *that* strong.’

"Mhm!" Liu Menglian’s eyes lit up. Remembering Yi Tianyun’s figure from before, she nodded firmly, her eyes filled with adoration.

’To think that the once-suppressed Yi Tianyun had now become so incredibly powerful... it was truly gratifying.’

Seeing how confident the two of them were, Wu Liquan and the others could only look at each other, at a loss for words.

"Lian, will you two really be alright?" Old Liu walked over, leaning on his cane, his face etched with worry.

"Father, we’ll be fine! He’s the Young Master of our Merak Palace! He’s incredibly powerful and will definitely help us eradicate Treasure Dragon Stronghold, bringing everlasting peace to our home!" Liu Menglian’s tone was firm and resounding, exceptionally convincing.

With Liu Menglian’s assurance, they finally nodded, but a sliver of worry remained in their eyes. After all, Treasure Dragon Stronghold had always been an immensely powerful presence, an image deeply seared into their memories.