Having discovered the Black Eagle chick, Ling Xiao did not stop searching.
With only one kind of herb and one type of Monster Beasts found thus far, it clearly wasn't enough.
"Heavenly Star Flower, one of the ingredients for crafting Breakthrough Pills!"
"Dual-winged Snake, its Snake Gallbladder is an important component for crafting Heart-protecting Pills. When mature, it is a peak First-level Demonic Beast with deadly poison!"
"Qi Transformation Fruit, the main ingredient for crafting Breakthrough Pills!"
"Vajra Wolf, its bones can be used to craft Vajra Pills. When mature, it's a normal Third-level Demonic Beast!"
...
While searching for herbs and Monster Beasts, Ling Xiao also began to practice two intermediate-level Body Movement Techniques simultaneously. After three days, he had achieved Great Perfection in these two techniques.
Ling Xiao directly initiated the second step of Soaring Cloud Step.
Then he continued to practice.
Having achieved the second step, Ling Xiao's speed with Soaring Cloud Step now far surpassed that of martial artists of the same level, and even the speed of those at the Martial Meridian Third Layer Peak.
If he were to use Bursting Qi Technique, he could easily escape even when facing a martial artist with Martial Vein Quadruple Layer.
As for Hundred Steps Flying Sword Technique, it was often used in hunting the Monster Beasts, so during these three days, he almost perfected the use of Hundred Steps Flying Sword Technique.
He could control it effortlessly, and his accuracy when locking onto a target had also greatly improved.
If he encountered that Black Eagle again, he definitely wouldn't experience the issue of failing to hit a vital spot like the first time; he could assuredly kill it with a single strike.
For three consecutive days, he continually practiced the Body Movement Technique and Hundred Steps Flying Sword Technique. Since he had to circulate the Crimson Sun Technique each time, his progress in this technique was rapid, reaching the Ninth Layer and nearing Great Perfection.
Of course, besides the increase in strength, there were other gains as well.
Apart from hunting Monster Beasts that could be worth twenty to thirty thousand Silver, his Mountain and River Map now contained ten varieties of plant medicinal ingredients and three different Monster Beast cubs.
Had it not been for the limited number of farmers and herders, making it impossible to manage everything, he would have chosen to stay a few more days.
But now was the time to go back. He had almost collected all the needed materials, so next, he should go and concoct the pills.
After all, the key was to enhance his strength to Martial Veins Third Layer, which was very important for the annual competition that was just a few days away.
The only regret was that during these days, he hadn't come across a single Third-Level Peak Demonic Beast.
He couldn't dare venture deep into the Fulong Mountain Range alone because it was far too dangerous. If he lost his life in the process, it would truly be a terrible bargain.
"Awooooo—!"
Just as Ling Xiao was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a huge red dot appearing on his Mountain and River Map.
Then a howl came, capable of causing his blood to churn.
"Fourth Level Demonic Beast—Howling Moon Wolf!"
Ling Xiao clicked on the large red dot to check and was startled.
Better to get out quickly. He could cope with a Third-Level Peak demonic beast, but a Fourth Level Demonic Beast was out of the question; definitely not something he, a martial artist at Martial Veins Second Layer Peak, could handle.
"Scram! We lured this Howling Moon Wolf out from the mountains!"
Just as he thought of leaving, a group of youths surrounded him. There were about twelve or thirteen of them, all fairly strong.
The strongest among them seemed to be on par with Ling Yixue—a Martial Meridian Third Layer Peak martial artist.
"Scram? I wasn't planning to compete for this trash anyway. Can you even speak properly?"
Ling Xiao frowned and said.
"I am Li Xingyun. I apologize for my junior brother's rudeness, and I hope you'll excuse him. May I ask how to address you, sir?"
Not bad, this attitude from Li Xingyun, huh? Li Xingyun? That's right, isn't this the prodigious disciple from the Li Clan of Tianfeng City?
"I am Ling Xiao! It's fine, I was about to leave anyway."
Initially, Ling Xiao was somewhat irritated, but since Li Xingyun was quite polite, he decided not to make an issue of it.
"So you are a member of the Ling Family. It's fate that we met. Since this Howling Moon Wolf is quite powerful, why don't we tackle it together? Naturally, you will have a share of the loot," Li Xingyun said with a smile.
"No thanks, I'm afraid of death!"
Ling Xiao waved his hand and turned to walk away, showing no signs of reluctance.
"Humph, what a coward!"
"Never even heard of the name Ling Xiao before, probably just an average disciple. Senior Brother Cloud Collins, you're really wasting your words on him. If it were Ling Feng, Ling Tieshou, or Ling Yixue offering help, that would be something."
"Enough, stop talking, the Howling Moon Wolf is coming. Hurry up and set the trap, prepare to attack!"
Li Xingyun waved his hand, and although he was clearly only fifteen or sixteen years old, he had already assumed the air of a master.
About two or three hundred meters after Ling Xiao left, he stopped. He was quite interested to see how the Li Clan, one of the Four Great Families of Tianfeng City, intended to deal with the Howling Moon Wolf.
A Fourth Level Demonic Beast was equivalent to a martial artist with a Martial Vein Quadruple Layer, and was already capable of using Gang Qi.
The disciples of the Li Clan had set up the trap, leaving only Li Xingyun as bait. The rest hid, ready to attack together once the Howling Moon Wolf fell into the trap.
However, they clearly underestimated the strength of the Howling Moon Wolf.
"Aoow!"
As the Howling Moon Wolf charged forward, it howled and a blade-shaped Gang Qi burst from its mouth, shredding the ground and destroying all the traps that had been set.
"It's no good, this thing is too strong, and it's extremely cunning too; we're no match, retreat!"
Originally, Li Xingyun just wanted to test how he would fare against a Fourth Level Demonic Beast with his Third-Level Peak cultivation, but he obviously didn't expect the demonic beast to be so powerful.
It was completely unexpected.
He was the only one able to hold off for a few moments. Anyone else would have been killed instantly by the blade-shaped Gang Qi.
"Ah—!"
No sooner had he spoken than someone had been cut in half at the waist.
The individual was a martial artist at the Second Layer Peak, hiding behind a large tree. Who would have thought that after cutting down the tree, the blade also slayed him.
This threw the disciples of the Li Clan into a panic as they scattered in all directions. Some even accidentally tripped over tree roots.
"This is the terror of a Fourth Level Demonic Beast!"
Hidden in the darkness, Ling Xiao had no intention of ridiculing the Li Clan disciples. Facing a beast of this level, he too would have to flee, just as embarrassingly.
"Everyone, don't panic, I will hold it off. You all retreat!"
In the critical moment, Li Xingyun proved his mettle. Instead of turning to run, he flicked his long sword, aiming it at the Howling Moon Wolf.
The blade-shaped Gang Qi that had attacked him was all deflected by his sword.
This also made clear to him the gap between himself and a Fourth Level Demonic Beast.
Victory was impossible!
But perhaps he could hold on for a while!
Indeed, Ling Xiao felt a measure of admiration for Li Xingyun. Such a person was far more capable than Ling Fei, Ling Chong, or Ling Feng.
Perhaps only Ling Yixue could be considered his equal.
"Wild Wind Sword!"
Li Xingyun bellowed, kicking off the ground as he soared out, his long sword pointed straight at the throat of the Howling Moon Wolf.
The throat is always the weakest part of any monstrous beast, and Li Xingyun was well aware of this.
Wild Wind Sword?
That must be a high-level sword technique. Li Xingyun, the Li Clan's genius, was indeed worthy of obtaining such a skill, and it seemed he was being groomed as a key figure.
"Go Senior Brother Cloud Collins!"
"Kill that monster!"
Seeing Li Xingyun attacking, those originally panicking members of the Li Family actually stopped in their tracks, starting to shout encouragement.
"What a bunch of idiots, now's not the time to stop—run! Li Xingyun will be infuriated by you to death!"
Ling Xiao watched, speechless.
He knew very well that although Li Xingyun was formidable, he could only delay the Howling Moon Wolf's attacks, so that the other disciples of the Li Clan could escape.
And these fools were just standing there like a bunch of pigheaded imbeciles.