Love Bitstream: Chapter 7 - Refreshed and Clear-Headed
Chapter 7: Refreshed and Clear-Headed
[Endless Time burned through a ton of wood, dried out all his meat, and still couldn’t lure the monster out. You got it to spawn in two minutes???]
[It’s over, it’s over. You stole Endless Time’s monster. Just wait for him to put you on his kill-on-sight list.]
[No, but seriously, what kind of luck does this streamer have?]
With a clean side roll, Light Boat Has Passed dodged Zhēng’s attack and pulled out his weapon to counter with a strike. The injured Zhēng roared in fury and closed the distance, slashing down with a claw.
Light Boat Has Passed raised his weapon to block. At some point, the weapon in his hands had already been switched to a Fusang Wood Branch, with much higher attack and defense.
Zhēng’s level was far above the monsters around Wing Marsh, so Light Boat Has Passed didn’t dare relax. After only a few exchanges, a portion of his HP bar had already dropped.
Endless Time, who had been watching from the side the whole time, suddenly stood up and silently walked toward Light Boat Has Passed’s campfire, even using the Kunwu Blade to poke at the fire.
It was the posture of someone inspecting something.
Light Boat Has Passed fell silent…
Only after using a big skill to immobilize Zhēng for three seconds did he finally get the chance to type an explanation.
[Nearby] Light Boat Has Passed: I didn’t use any special materials. Maybe because today’s daily quest is this monster, it was easier to lure out.
Endless Time withdrew the Kunwu Blade and turned the roasted meat over with his hand.
Still inspecting.
[Nearby] Endless Time: I’ve taken this daily before too.
[Nearby] Endless Time: Couldn’t lure it out in the end. Failed the quest.
[Nearby] Light Boat Has Passed: …
[Stop chatting already, you’re gonna get beaten to death by the monster!]
[Watch the monster, not Endless Time, please.]
[Endless Time actually went to inspect someone else’s campfire and roast meat after they spawned the monster. How is this any different from rummaging through somebody’s trash?]
[Help, I can picture it too clearly!]
Chi Zhen sighed helplessly. “Don’t say nonsense. I’ve been watching the monster the whole time, okay? Aren’t I fighting it right now? The problem is it’s hard to fight.”
Chi Zhen spared a glance at the chat, but the comment about Endless Time digging through trash refused to leave his mind.
Ah… help…
Endless Time kept observing from the side. Probably noticing that Light Boat Has Passed was struggling to fight alone, he tossed over a party invitation.
[Nearby] Endless Time: Party up?
[Nearby] Endless Time: I only need Zhēng’s horn. I don’t want anything else. If it drops, I can buy it from you. Name your price.
Endless Time was worried that Light Boat Has Passed wouldn’t be able to handle Zhēng and that the monster he’d finally managed to lure out would escape.
Zhēng only appeared once per day. If another player had already spawned Zhēng that day, then no one else on the server would have another chance to see it until the next day.
And Zhēng didn’t even appear every day. Some players had once kept statistics and found that the server had gone twenty-five consecutive days without a single Zhēng spawning.
Everyone sharply commented that Zhēng’s appearance rate depended entirely on the game planner’s mood.
Since Light Boat Has Passed was the one who spawned the monster, the system designated him as the primary aggro target. Even if someone else came over, stole the fight, and killed the monster, all the loot would still belong entirely to him.
At this point, no matter who Light Boat Has Passed partied with, the loot distribution rights were still his. Nobody could steal them away.
Having someone volunteer to help fight meant he lost nothing.
Light Boat Has Passed immediately accepted Endless Time’s party request.
Endless Time instantly drew the Kunwu Blade. Sword intent surged sharply outward, and the party’s fighting spirit immediately increased by 20%.
This was the buff added by Sword Cultivators: Golden Scales Unfurl.
Comfortable. So incredibly comfortable.
Light Boat Has Passed burst into tears of gratitude as he swung the Fusang Wood Branch. Around Endless Time appeared a glowing special effect of green leaves swirling in circles.
Defense increased by 30%.
This was the Spirit Cultivator sect’s exclusive buff: Spring Shadows in Empty Green. It could only be cast on one person, but the defense increase was much higher than group buffs.
During dungeon raids, under the commander’s instructions, it was usually given to the player responsible for tanking the boss’s big attacks.
But outside of raids, in 99% of situations, Spirit Cultivators cast this buff on themselves.
After all, nothing was more important than staying alive.
Giving it to Endless Time now, Light Boat Has Passed didn’t think too much about it. He was simply returning kindness with kindness.
[Holy shit, it’s the Spirit Cultivator’s Green Light.]
[There are only two situations where a Spirit Cultivator gives Green Light to someone else. Either that person is their cultivation partner… or that person is their side piece. That’s why people call it the Green Light.]
[Xiao Chi, pick one.]
Chi Zhen nearly coughed up blood, but he had no time to argue with the viewers. One lapse in concentration and Zhēng might slap him to death.
He backflipped to widen the distance, immediately following up with a spell attack.
Spirit Cultivator offensive skill — Cold Qi Condensation. Upon hitting the target, it dealt damage and had a chance to inflict a Weakness debuff lasting two seconds.
Chi Zhen’s luck was usually pretty good, and the Weakness effect triggered as expected.
But it only lasted two seconds, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, by the time a ranged class finished channeling a spell attack, the debuff would already be gone.
It could only rely on teamwork, awareness, and prediction.
And then, in that very instant—
The moment Light Boat Has Passed cast Cold Qi Condensation, before the stream viewers could even confirm whether the Weakness debuff had triggered, Endless Time had already leapt into the air, bringing his blade crashing down with explosive force.
Zhēng failed to dodge in time and was smashed unconscious onto the ground, one-third of its HP disappearing instantly.
Such terrifying DPS!
Light Boat Has Passed had struggled bitterly for ages just to shave off one-tenth of Zhēng’s HP bar, yet Endless Time cut down a third of it with a single strike.
Was this the terrifying power of a divine weapon?!
[I’m crying]
[Endless Time, you’re amazing. I apologize for saying you were digging through trash earlier.]
[With DPS like that, one slash would probably delete the streamer’s life bar too. Good thing he didn’t put the streamer on his kill-on-sight list.]
[If Xiao Chi hadn’t applied Weakness, that much HP wouldn’t have disappeared.]
[Holy shit, anyone who didn’t know better would think you two had been married for ten years. You can’t develop this kind of coordination without ten years together!]
[Why are you two so in sync? You’re more coordinated than the fixed teammate I’ve fought three hundred battlefield matches with. I’m kicking him out when I get back, thanks.]
Chi Zhen no longer had the spare attention to read chat. The instant Zhēng lost control and collapsed, he immediately swung the Fusang Wood Branch and chained another five-second stun onto it.
Five seconds. Endless Time and Light Boat Has Passed circled around Zhēng and unleashed a frenzy of attacks, instantly cutting its HP bar in half.
Just as Chi Zhen thought the mini-boss fight was about to go smoothly, more than a dozen figures suddenly leapt up from the cliffside and charged straight toward him.
[Nearby] Crystal Heart: Light Boat Has Passed! If you don’t honestly explain yourself today, our Dominating the Firmament guild will make sure you never leave Mount Guguan alive!
[Nearby] Ink Glass: Xinxin, don’t waste words on him. He’s definitely a spy from Way of Heaven! Look at him, partying with Endless Time to fight a field boss!
Chi Zhen frowned. “Why do these two IDs look so familiar…”
[?]
[Did a meteor hit you? You lost your memory? These are Crystal Heart and Ink Glass, the ones who made you the target of the forums’ witch hunt!]
[The two people who used alternate accounts to gossip about Misty Autumn Rain and then got doxxed!]
[This is getting spicy, family. More drama incoming. Somebody throw the streamer a fruit bomb~]
Chi Zhen remembered now, but he was too busy dodging Zhēng’s attacks to type out I’m not, I didn’t.
The other Dominating the Firmament members saw Endless Time partying with Light Boat Has Passed and immediately took it as proof that Light Boat Has Passed was Way of Heaven’s spy, convinced that Misty Autumn Rain had staged everything himself for attention.
Several people instantly surrounded them. Instead of attacking right away, they started taking screenshots and recording videos one after another.
[Nearby] Love You: Solid proof at last. Let’s see how Way of Heaven tries to argue their way out of this now!
[Nearby] I’ll Protect Your Remaining Years: Brothers, everyone got the evidence saved? Good. Then let’s go!
[Nearby] Dark Desire: Wait.
The moment Dark Desire spoke, the dozen-plus Dominating the Firmament members all stopped moving.
Very quickly, an ethereal-looking Daoist stepped out from the crowd. The Daoist wore the premium cash-shop 886 outfit, his entire body shimmering with flowing gold and silver light. His long golden hair floated elegantly, paired with pale skin and golden eyes, giving off the transcendent aura unique to the Infinite Dao Sect. Half western fantasy, half cultivation aesthetic. Anyone seeing him would sigh and say: what a flamboyant scene kid.
In the middle of all the chaos, Chi Zhen glanced at Dark Desire and muttered, “If I were Misty Autumn Rain, I’d reject Dark Desire, too. That eye-searing scene-kid look! Endless Time is way better—black hair, black clothes, black blade. Cool and handsome.”
[Hey hey, Xiao Chi, you accidentally said your inner thoughts out loud.]
[I think I just watched episode one of a thousand-episode drama series.]
[The gears of fate have begun to turn…]
[Nearby] Dark Desire: Endless Time, what exactly is the meaning of this?
[Nearby] Endless Time: ?
Chi Zhen muttered again, “You guys are the ones who came over here yourselves, and now you’re asking him what he means?”
[Please, stop using voice chat.]
[Why does this sound so clingy?]
[Why am I getting trophy-wife vibes?]
[Nearby] Dark Desire: I originally didn’t want to believe this Light Boat Has Passed knew you.
[Nearby] Endless Time: I really don’t know him.
[Nearby] Dark Desire: Don’t know him? Then what a coincidence, partying up to fight a boss together? Endless Time, get on YY. I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. I don’t want to misunderstand a former good brother of mine. Why did you smear my cultivation partner?!
[Nearby] Endless Time: No time.
The Dominating the Firmament members were furious, feeling that Endless Time was unbelievably arrogant. Dark Desire had already been patient enough to invite him onto YY to explain himself, yet he replied with a blunt “No time”!
The crowd instantly erupted with outrage.
[Nearby] Dark Desire: Endless Time! Since you’re heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless!
Dark Desire whipped out his horsetail whisk and directly unleashed a killing move at Endless Time. Everyone else immediately followed suit.
The scene became absolute chaos. Anyone passing by without context would think a full raid group had assembled to fight a field boss. Endless Time and Light Boat Has Passed were fighting the boss, while an entire outer ring of players attacked Endless Time and Light Boat Has Passed.
For a moment, the two of them were overwhelmed—fighting the boss while simultaneously dodging and countering everyone else’s AoE attacks, scrambling frantically to keep up.
Only someone at Endless Time’s level, combined with Chi Zhen’s fairly decent mechanics, kept them from being instantly wiped out by more than a dozen players.
The greatest characteristic of the Spirit Cultivator class was its huge number of support skills. Its direct damage wasn’t especially high, but it possessed all kinds of buffs increasing defense, attack, and critical hit rate, along with countless debuffs inflicted on enemies—stuns, weakness, bleeding, poison, and more.
Usually, Chi Zhen played alone, so he never felt much about it. Spirit Cultivators had flexible and unpredictable skill sets and elusive movement techniques, making them excellent for quests, dungeons, and PvP alike. But when it came to the exhilaration of overwhelming brute force, a solo Spirit Cultivator could never truly experience it. Even when randomly teaming up with someone on the battlefield, teammates often weren’t familiar enough with the complexity of Spirit Cultivator skills, forcing him to constantly remind them over voice chat.
But once words were spoken aloud, sometimes that single moment of delay was already too late.
Like the two-second Weakness effect, gone in an instant.
Other people would only complain that the skill itself was useless.
But now—
Fighting a field boss alongside Endless Time while dodging and counterattacking the siege of more than ten people, he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration and clarity.
It was as though Endless Time understood every buff attached to every Spirit Cultivator support skill. He knew the angle of every move Chi Zhen used, knew which skills targeted which classes. Without needing reminders, he could immediately follow up with a slash and finish the target off.
Holy shit, partying with Endless Time felt incredible.
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