CHAPTER 123: WHEN CULTIVATORS STEP IN

The Martial Palace Guild seemed to be having the easiest challenge among all the participating guilds.

At the forefront were the players—or rather, otherworlders, as the inhabitants of this world referred to them.

After watching how they threw their lives away, even the natives had no choice but to call them madmen!

They were reckless and charged into fights without much thought. Only madmen fought like that!

A player turned to his nearby teammate and laughed, "Man, I love this game!"

"Everything is so visceral!"

Behind them, the members of the Martial Palace fought any monsters that slipped past the players, maintaining a defensive wall and minimizing casualties.

"These otherworlders are very useful!"

"Hahahaha, the best part is they don’t care about dying!"

The Martial Palace warriors joked amongst themselves as they took down beast after beast with their martial skills.

Just then, a loud crash echoed through the plains.

THUUUUUD!!

From the nearby forest, a massive ogre broke through the trees, dragging a spiked club nearly twice its size.

[Mountain Ogre – LV. 70 (Berserk State)]

Its eyes were bloodshot, and its body radiated a crimson aura. The moment it saw movement, it charged forward like a rogue tank.

A group of players cheered, unaware of what they were dealing with.

"Oh! A boss-class monster!" shouted one.

"Let’s pull it and farm some rare drops!"

They didn’t get the chance.

WHAM!

The ogre’s club slammed down, crushing three players instantly. Their bodies vanished in a burst of light, returning to respawn.

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!" one player shouted, jumping back in fright.

"It’s not just strong—it’s fast!" another cried as he barely dodged a sweeping strike.

Suddenly, all the laughter stopped. The players scattered, and chaos erupted on the battlefield.

"We’ve got a boss-level monster!" someone from the Martial Palace yelled. "Form up! Prepare defense formation B!"

But before the order could be completed, the ogre charged again, breaking through the ranks and heading straight for the main group.

Atop the edge of the valley, Liang’s eyes flashed. Without hesitation, he leaped off the cliff, his body descending like a divine missile.

BOOOOOM!

He landed with a thunderous shockwave that cracked the ground beneath his feet.

The moment his boots touched the earth, a pulse of Spirit Qi rippled outward like an invisible storm, sending dust, wind, and debris flying in every direction.

Even the raging ogre paused momentarily, as if its bestial instincts warned it of something far more dangerous.

"Get back," Liang said calmly, raising one hand toward his guildmates behind him.

The Martial Palace warriors, along with the players, instantly retreated without question, forming a wide arc behind him.

The Berserk Mountain Ogre bellowed in fury and charged, slamming its club toward the lone cultivator.

But Liang didn’t flinch.

Instead, he pressed one palm forward.

"Heaven-Shattering Palm."

A pulse of white-gold Spirit Qi erupted from his hand, blasting forward like a cannon.

CRAAAACK!

The ogre’s club exploded into wooden splinters mid-swing. The impact didn’t stop there—it sent the ogre flying back ten meters, crashing through trees and leaving a trench in the earth.

BOOM!

"Holy shit..." one of the players gasped.

"He just deleted that ogre’s weapon," another whispered, completely stunned.

But Liang wasn’t done.

In the next instant, he activated a movement-type skill, and his body seemed to blur out of existence.

He appeared directly above the falling ogre, Spirit Qi swirling around his leg.

"Skyfall Kick!"

His heel came crashing down like a divine meteor.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The ground cracked, split, and then collapsed, forming a mini crater beneath the boss monster. The Mountain Ogre let out a distorted howl—before being slammed into unconsciousness by pure physical force.

It didn’t even get to attack a second time.

The players watching from afar just stood there, wide-eyed, unable to process what they had just seen.

"...That was a Level 70 monster."

"And he just... soloed it in two moves?!"

"Is that even fair?"

"Dammit, this guy—he might be even stronger than Sir Broken!"

"Might? He’s definitely stronger than Sir Broken!"

The Martial Palace warriors were used to this, of course. They just laughed and resumed formation.

"Vice Leader Liang’s warmed up now," one said casually. "Guess it’s time to pick up the pace."

---

[Forum Chat]

Epic samurai: BROOOOOO who is that??? He just annihilated a level 70 boss like it was a chicken!

SpeedRusher92: Liang. Martial Palace Vice Leader. A cultivator. Confirmed Hero-Ranked NPC in the open world.

CrimsonPixel: Wait wait wait—are cultivators actually that broken?? That wasn’t even a full fight. He just blinked, punched, and cratered the guy!

ViiValentine: That Spirit Qi stuff is just unfair!

SparkleQueen: Can someone please tell me how to join the Martial Palace!? I need THAT on my side!!

---

In the studio, Noel stared at Brambleton with a cocky look on her face.

"Do you still think your Broken Heaven is the most powerful?"

Doodle didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he rewound the replay of Liang’s Skyfall Kick, then watched again as the Mountain Ogre was cratered like a ragdoll under divine judgment.

The screen zoomed in on Liang’s calm expression—no trace of effort, no scratches, not even a scuff on his dragon-scale armor.

"I must admit he’s strong. But let’s not forget, Liang is already a Level 100 NPC. Doing something like this is normal for him," Doodle said.

Noel smirked and countered, "It was berserk, and we all know that when monsters are berserk, they’re several times more powerful than their initial level."

Doodle crossed his arms and glanced at the feed showing Gabriel casually talking to his party, completely unaware of the showdown Liang had just delivered.

"Cerberus was tougher," he turned his gaze to Noel and argued. "And Sir Broken was under-leveled! Don’t forget that!"

"You’re just biased."

"Am not, it was literally just a 5-level difference! And he easily dealt with it while being Level 46. On the other hand, Liang of the Martial Palace is Level 100!"

"Hmpf, that’s not even it. Who do you think would win if the two were to run into each other?" Noel suddenly asked.

***

Don’t forgot to support Extraction Talent!!!