“Hmph, let you lot stew in fear for a while. Soon, I’ll storm back to Sha Family Fort, and when I do, it’ll be tooth for tooth, eye for eye, repaid a hundredfold!”
With a cold snort, Ling Xiao stretched and glided into the distance.
The ancient warrior’s cave was a chance encounter, but his goal remained unchanged: rigorous training.
To him, Exquisite Fairy, Cold Face Warrior, and their crew were his final trial before returning to his sect.
He was sure those two wouldn’t flee.
Exquisite Fairy was too proud to slink away in defeat.
Upon landing, Ling Xiao retrieved the array refining stone from his Mountains and Rivers World, strapping it back on.
Earlier, circumstances forced him to remove it, but now, his harsh training resumed.
…
In the damp, musty jungle, Ling Xiao sat atop a golden, bull-shaped beast he’d just slain.
He munched on roasted beef, pondering his next move.
This was his third day alone in the depths of the Fulong Mountains.
He hadn’t rushed, instead travelling by day, seeking battles with beasts.
At night, he cultivated, accelerating his progress.
In three days, he’d encountered beasts over twenty times, managing to defeat only six.
The rest were too terrifying to face head-on, so he either fled or hid.
Combat honed his strength and skills.
Fleeing and hiding sharpened his survival instincts.
No warrior could be invincible, so evasion and concealment were often key. Mastering survival might outweigh raw combat gains.
“Hm?”
While eating, several black-furred giant bears appeared nearby.
Drawn by the meat’s aroma, no doubt.
Five bears, towering seven or eight metres, their steps thundering, shaking the ground.
That didn’t faze Ling Xiao.
He’d seen larger beasts.
The issue was, four were mere Level One beasts, but one was a peak Level Four beast.
Such a creature was stronger than a Mortal Realm Fourth Layer warrior.
“Beating this thing with the array refining stone on will be tough, but it’s the first Level Four beast in three days. Letting it go would be a shame.”
Ling Xiao tossed the beef aside, standing warily.
A Level Four beast’s core was a key ingredient for the Century Nine Dragon Quenching Pill.
With it, he could refine the pill, find a safe spot, and consume it to boost his cultivation.
He wasn’t sure how far one pill would take him, but Mortal Realm Fourth Layer seemed achievable.
These past days, he’d depleted his true essence repeatedly, then restored it with low-grade true essence pills, alongside relentless training, pushing his cultivation to late Mortal Realm Third Layer.
If a Century Nine Dragon Quenching Pill couldn’t get him to Fourth Layer, it’d be worthless.
Hardly worthy of Master Yuan Zun’s recommendation.
“Come on!” Ling Xiao, dragging his heavy body, approached the bear step by step.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The bear and Ling Xiao struck simultaneously.
Ling Xiao’s fist bore three air swords, about three inches long, a fruit of his three-day training.
Sharp as claws.
The bear swung its massive paw, its razor claws like foot-long blades.
*Clang!*
*Thud!*
Both hit their mark.
Ling Xiao didn’t dodge, knowing he couldn’t with the array refining stone’s weight. Dodging wasn’t an option.
He chose to tank it!
The bear’s claws raked his body, sparking brightly but failing to tear him.
In toughness, Ling Xiao believed no one in the Mortal Realm matched him.
His air swords sliced the bear’s skin, suddenly lengthening, piercing through the wound.
“Roar~~”
The bear bellowed in agony.
Too late. The air sword extended inside, piercing its soft heart.
Even a beast of this level couldn’t survive a shattered heart.
Brains-wise, the bear was no match for Ling Xiao’s cunning.
This victory owed much to the air sword’s versatility.
Its attack power was modest, but its adaptability shone. With enough wit and creativity, Ling Xiao could devise countless killing methods.
He withdrew the air sword, stepping back.
The other bears attacked frantically, but he ignored them.
If a peak Level Four bear couldn’t breach his body, what could Level One bears do?
The peak Level Four beast thrashed, seeking vengeance before death, but its wounds were too grave. After staggering, it collapsed, twitching.
The other four bears roared and fled.
Ling Xiao drew his Flying Snow Sword, cutting along the wound to extract a grey-white orb.
“Heh, Level Four beast core secured!”
Grinning at the core, Ling Xiao beamed.
Three days of hunting, and only now had he found a core. The other slain beasts lacked them.
Not every beast had a core, and those that did were typically twice as strong as those without.
Ignoring the bear’s corpse, Ling Xiao left swiftly.
Killing a peak Level Four beast could draw trouble. He had to move, or he’d be stuck.
After sprinting for about fifteen minutes, he stopped beneath a cliff rich in spiritual energy.
Halfway up was a cave, ordinary, not an ancient warrior’s lair.
Perfect for refining his pill and training in seclusion. The steep, complex terrain made it hard to find.
Entering, Ling Xiao transplanted the array from the ancient warrior’s cave to the entrance.
The array was simple, and he had the materials.
Having copied it with the array refining stone, setting it up was quick and easy.
