Chapter 23: Digesting the Gains, Further Increasing Strength

Chapter 23: Consolidating Gains, Increasing Strength

There really was an unexpected harvest! Seeing the system notification for completing a hidden task, Zhang Fang could not help but reveal an excited smile.

However, beyond the 10,000-point reward, Zhang Fang felt his greater gain was grasping some of the patterns behind triggering the system’s hidden tasks.

Take, for instance, his accusation that Shan Zheng had plotted to orchestrate the Heroes' Gathering at Juxian Manor, using the heroes of the Central Plains as cannon fodder. Logically speaking, Zhang Fang’s deduction was sound, and judging by Shan Zheng’s series of reactions, that was indeed the case. But to call it "irrefutable evidence" was complete nonsense.

In the end, Shan Zheng’s primary "sin" was his underlying motive. Unless he were idiotic enough to write his entire plan down on paper—and that paper somehow ended up in Zhang Fang’s hands to be made public—finding conclusive, ironclad evidence for such subjective matters was a pipe dream.

In reality, the "evidence" Zhang Fang presented was merely a biased letter Shan Zheng had written to You Ji. As Doctor Xue had pointed out earlier, determining the nature of that letter was entirely subjective. One could argue he had malicious intent, but it was equally plausible to claim he was simply stating facts through a colored lens. In a court of law, this would barely count as supporting evidence, let alone "irrefutable proof."

Yet, the system still ruled that Zhang Fang had successfully identified the mastermind and completed the hidden task. What was the standard for this judgment? The Reincarnation Tower’s prompt had provided the answer: he had gained the "widespread recognition of the heroes present."

Zhang Fang concluded that in the Reincarnation Tower's hidden task assessments, the nature of the specific instance world carries immense weight. In a detective-themed world, one would indeed need ironclad proof, but "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is a wuxia-themed world. Therefore, the standard only needed to align with wuxia tropes. In the world of martial arts, where "the chivalrous use force to defy prohibitions," one does not dwell on tedious legal evidence. If one can convince enough people, or the right people, that a person is the villain, the accusation is considered successful.

At that moment, the hundreds of heroes present were the arbiters of Shan Zheng’s guilt. After Zhang Fang’s clever manipulation, over ninety percent of them either believed his narrative or were more than willing to do so. Here and now, that was far more effective than any "irrefutable evidence."

The Reincarnation Tower simply went with the flow, accepting his accusation as meeting the criteria for the hidden task.

Meanwhile, Shan Zheng and his sons stood there with ashen faces. Unable to offer a rebuttal that the crowd would find convincing, they looked like six frantic, molting sheep, pulling at their hair in desperation. Facing these six "molting sheep," Zhang Fang felt he could still squeeze a bit more value out of them. But before that, he decided to consolidate his gains and convert his points into raw power. Only then could he "shear" them with even greater force.

Ignoring the surrounding clamor against Shan Zheng, Zhang Fang silently pulled up his attribute panel. Seeing the 17,000 points remaining, he did not hesitate to dump nearly 10,000 into his unique technique, "Sacred Qi of Longevity: Yang," raising it from Level 1 to Level 2.

Sacred Qi of Longevity: Yang (Level 2)
Proficiency: 0/20,000
Strength +20, Physique +20, Agility +20, Spirit +40
Special Effect: Innate Vitality

As the points were invested, Zhang Fang felt a familiar warm current rise from his Shenque acupoint, circulate through his meridians, and finally settle into his Dantian. The sensory stimulation was less intense than the initial awakening, but the increase in power was tangible. If the first awakening was the satisfaction of creating something from nothing, this was a steady climb from one to two. His base attributes doubled, and his total internal energy reserves increased by more than double.

Elated, Zhang Fang used his remaining points to raise "Subduing the Dragon with Regret" to Level 4.

Subduing the Dragon with Regret (Level 4)
Proficiency: 0/5,000
Strength +12, Physique +8, Agility +4, Spirit +4

Unsurprisingly, upgrading this technique to Level 4 did not unlock a new special effect like "Innate Vitality" or "Aerial Shield." However, the two consecutive upgrades brought a flash of martial insight, deepening his understanding and significantly increasing the technique's power and effective range. While he could not yet match Qiao Feng’s ability to strike a target several yards away, he could now land a heavy blow within a few feet.

After these upgrades, Zhang Fang had only 596 points left. He was nearly 1,000 points short of reaching Level 9 in the "Thirty-Six Tiangang Shield Techniques," so he had to reluctantly put that plan aside.

With over 16,000 points spent, his strength had skyrocketed. His updated attributes were:

Novice Player (Unnamed)
Plot Identity: You Tanzhi
Strength: 50
Physique: 54
Agility: 42
Spirit: 62
Techniques: Sacred Qi of Longevity: Yang (Level 2)
Moves: Thirty-Six Tiangang Shield Techniques (Level 8), Subduing the Dragon with Regret (Level 4)

These attributes should be more than enough to do some shearing!