Chapter 62: A Lucky Start

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: A Lucky Start

Li Ye was very lucky on his second jump.

He neither appeared in a densely populated area nor a completely desolate, uninhabited one.

However, he had still lost most of the items he was carrying. All he had left on him was some gold and silver, and about ten high-density Energy Bars...

Li Ye wore the watch on his wrist. It was perfectly still, no different from a dead object. The hour and minute hands were frozen at 10:10, unmoving.

Since his arrival, it hadn’t communicated with him at all.

According to the few Demon Hunters who had used the watch before, its main function was to control time within a certain range.

It could make time stop, jump forward, or go backward...

The three abilities sounded incredibly powerful, but in reality, they were quite useless.

First, the range it controlled was very small, limited to about fifty meters with the watch as the center.

Second, the time it could alter was very short. Whether stopping, jumping, or reversing, each use only lasted for one second.

Furthermore, it required a long time to recover after each use.

Most importantly, when it was used, the user was also within its range of control.

For example, with Time Stop, everyone within the effective range would be frozen in time, including the user. No one could escape it.

After being locked by time, any attacks from the outside would also be frozen as soon as they entered the Time Stop’s range.

Once the Time Stop ended, everyone would return to normal and continue what they were doing. The only potential variable was that an external attack would suddenly appear, but one second was too short. Even with an incoming attack, it wouldn’t have much of an effect and might even accidentally injure the user.

The so-called scenario where a Demon Hunter could move freely while everyone else was frozen after a Time Stop simply didn’t exist.

Finally, while using it, the feedback of Demon Qi to the user’s own body was extremely weak, so weak it was negligible.

Because of these points, the watch went from being highly sought after by most Demon Hunters to gathering dust on a shelf, almost completely ignored.

Now, the most popular demonic object at the Demon Hunting Bureau was the Team Emblem Li Ye had once used.

It could provide the wearer with a large amount of Demon Qi through external stimulation and could also grant Demon Qi to teammates. At the Demon Hunting Bureau, its status had already been elevated to that of a Divine Artifact.

The watch and the Team Emblem were also used differently. The Team Emblem affected its user through external factors, but the watch required the user to actively operate it. In fact, most demonic objects required their wearers to actively control them.

...

After putting on the watch, a faint, almost imperceptible thread of Demon Qi connected it to Li Ye. He could use this thread of Demon Qi to control whether time moved forward or backward.

However, Li Ye didn’t plan to test this ability until he understood the world he had jumped to. ’What if I use it and the Demon Qi hasn’t recovered at a critical moment?’

He possessed immense Inner Strength in his body. Even in just one second, he could accomplish a lot, so Time Stop was probably useless to him.

But reversing time by one second could be a lifesaver in a critical situation.

...

In the last world, the Demon Qi in Li Ye’s body had largely dissipated when the Team Emblem was taken back.

Now, only a small amount of Demon Qi remained in his body to power his three Derived Skills. His sensory range had also degenerated from a fifty-*li* radius to about a five-*li* radius.

Li Ye had run experiments at the Demon Hunting Bureau.

Without the Team Emblem, the Derived Skills remained, but their effects were significantly weakened.

*Pain for My Teammates*: Originally, his various Attributes would increase severalfold. Now, the increase was less than a third of what it used to be, and the combat power boost it gave to teammates was even lower, having degenerated to only about a one-fifth increase.

*Pulling People Down* seemed to have been completely crippled.

When he wore the Team Emblem, his specialty was playing soccer, but now Li Ye had no idea what his Domain was. If he didn’t even know what he was good at, how could he possibly use Pulling People Down?

Li Ye hadn’t tested *Teammate Sacrifice*.

But based on the extrapolation from *Pain for My Teammates*, the power that used to be boosted without limit would now most likely have a cap.

This was a good thing.

After all, the debuff following *Teammate Sacrifice* was too punishing. With the skill weakened, the debuff would surely be reduced accordingly.

The current unknown was whether the Demon Qi from the watch could enhance his original Derived Skills.

...

Li Ye’s current location was a desolate mountain.

He was certain this wasn’t an uninhabited region because he could sense a densely populated gathering place about two kilometers away.

But he didn’t rush toward the settlement to investigate the world’s situation. Instead, he sat down cross-legged and quietly began to circulate the *Five Elements Mutual Production Technique*.

This was the most effective way to test whether the world he had traveled to possessed Spiritual Qi.

The moment he sat down and began the Circulation, Li Ye immediately noticed that his Cultivation Technique operated at least ten times faster in this world than on Earth.

Joy bloomed in Li Ye’s heart. ’The presence of Spiritual Qi proves that this world is very likely one with Cultivators.’

’If Cultivators exist, dealing with Demon Qi will be easier.’

Moreover, he would have a path forward for his Cultivation Technique.

...

Soon.

Li Ye became certain that the world he was in was truly a world of cultivation.

Because a Sword Immortal had just flown over his head, landing precisely in the densely populated area he had sensed.

Li Ye fiddled with his watch, then leaped up and rushed toward the Sword Immortal’s landing spot.

In a cultivation world, obtaining a Cultivation Technique was extremely difficult.

First, you had to find a cultivation Sect or a family that possessed a Cultivation Technique. In worlds like this, there were basically no "wild" techniques just scattered about.

Second, after finding a cultivation Sect, you still had to figure out a way to join it.

This was the most difficult step.

Cultivation Sects investigate the origins and check the cultivation aptitude of prospective disciples. It wasn’t as simple as just signing up. Sometimes, if you missed their recruitment period, you couldn’t even get past the Mountain Gate...

Furthermore, Cultivators trained for decades or even centuries at a time, advancing step by step.

A Time Traveler could only stay in this world for one year. In a single year, you couldn’t accomplish jack squat.

This was also why, after more than three years, the best Secret Manual the Demon Hunting Bureau had was the *Five Elements Mutual Production Technique*, which could only take someone to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

To obtain a more advanced Cultivation Technique, one had to take unconventional risks. Following the proper procedures was simply impossible...

So, upon seeing the Sword Immortal land ahead, Li Ye pursued without a moment’s hesitation.

Although it was risky, this was his fastest opportunity to get close to the world of cultivation.

...

As he neared the populated area, Li Ye slowed his pace. He realized he didn’t need to rush to find that Sword Immortal anymore.

Before him was a marketplace.

The people setting up stalls and doing business in the market were all handsome men and beautiful women dressed in ancient-style clothing.

The few middle-aged or elderly people he saw were all hale and hearty, with white hair and youthful complexions.

Most importantly, after these people finished their shopping and left the market, most of them simply flew up into the sky and departed. Very few left on foot.

The currency they used for trade wasn’t gold or silver, but rather shiny, multicolored Spirit Stones.

Even from a distance, Li Ye could feel the immense energy contained within the Spirit Stones.

’A marketplace for Cultivators?’

Li Ye murmured to himself.

Inside the market, whether they were selling or buying, everyone looked more powerful than him.

After observing quietly from the outside for a moment, Li Ye steeled himself and walked in.

Communication wouldn’t be a problem. His clothes were similar enough, and after spending a year in a Martial World, he now had real hair, so he didn’t have to worry about being seen as an outcast.

Most importantly, Li Ye saw that the people in the market were all calm. There was only haggling, not even a single argument. There were also some disciples in blue robes from some unknown Sect maintaining order.

In a market like this, there probably wasn’t much danger, even if he went inside.

And a bustling market where people came and went, talking freely, was also the best channel for him to learn about this world...