Being entangled by Qingbo's palm and the tough silk threads, the demon fox found it difficult to break free in a short time. Utilizing this opportunity, Zhuge Xiang activated his Blood Thunder Slash with the support of the Blood Refining Knife and the Bloodthirsty Technique. A scarlet sword glow, propelled by his swift thrust, sliced toward the neck of the one-star middle-grade monster.
A shrill scream pierced the air, blood spurted, and Zhuge Xiang's Blood Refining Knife cleaved into the demon fox's neck. The sensation under his hand informed Zhuge Xiang that he had completely severed the cervical spine of the demon fox, leaving only a layer of flesh and blood.
The demon fox fell to the ground, emitting a few sobbing sounds, and its limbs twitched. The one-star mid-level demon fox had ceased to move. As the demon fox breathed its last, Lu Yuling quickly retrieved a small jade bottle, then, with a dagger, she carefully opened the demon fox's chest and collected a small vial of still-warm blood essence from its heart vein. She stored it away and heaved a sigh of relief before turning her attention to the tough silk threads entwining the demon fox's body.
Zhuge Xiang paid no heed to Lu Yuling's actions. For him, the demon fox's demise signaled the time to reap his rewards, and the sound of the system's notifications arrived as promised.
"Ding, by defeating a one-star mid-grade demon fox, you've gained 450 experience points, obtained the skill book 'Riot Step,' and acquired a super spiritual energy secret medicine."
The system's announcement left Lin Xi secretly amazed. A one-star mid-level demon fox had granted him a substantial 450 experience points. This confirmed Zhuge Xiang's earlier speculation—defeating monsters above his current level yielded significantly more experience.
It was equivalent to a third-level Qi-Nurturing Realm demon fox, which would typically grant just over 100 experience points. In contrast, a fifth-level Qi-Nurturing Realm demon fox had awarded over 400 points. However, this outcome was also expected, given the combination of Lu Yuling's assistance and Zhuge Xiang's own bloodthirsty art, Blood Refining Knife, and Elixir of Defense.
Tearing his coarse clothes, Zhuge Xiang fashioned a makeshift belt to secure the Blood Refining Knife on his back. Now, he finally had the opportunity to inspect the skill book and elixirs in his possession. These items were equivalent to the spoils obtained from a fifth-level demon fox in the cultivation state, which was clearly superior.
However, Zhuge Xiang couldn't use the Riot Steps skill book at the moment. It required him to reach the third level of Qi Cultivation Realm to learn it. Zhuge Xiang stowed it away and turned his attention to the super spiritual energy secret medicine, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration.
Super Spiritual Energy Secret Medicine: Requires the first level of Qi Nurturing Realm for use. It provides a significant power boost when consumed. All system skills have no cooldown, no energy consumption, and last for 30 seconds.
On the surface, this elixir was remarkably potent, as it removed cooldowns and energy consumption for system skills, allowing them to be used continuously for 30 seconds. However it was limited greatly by only working on system skills.
Stowing the Riot Step skill book and the super spiritual energy medicine, Zhuge Xiang suddenly felt an unprecedented weakness wash over him. The side effects of the Bloodthirsty Technique had taken hold, and his body had entered a state of exhaustion.
"Your strength is remarkable. It looks like you'll make quite an impact in the big competition five days from now." Lu Yuling came over to Zhuge Xiang's side after collecting the monster's blood and silk threads. She gazed at Zhuge Xiang with wonder in her eyes and spoke with sincerity. Her words held true; within half a month of breaking through to the Qi Cultivation state, Zhuge Xiang's combat prowess had surged, and he was bound to surprise everyone in the upcoming tournament.
"Don't flatter me. Bloodthirsty Art is my trump card. As for the physical defense earlier, it was due to a pill I happened to obtain. That's all." Zhuge Xiang shook his head in response to Lu Yuling's praise, maintaining humility. He then retrieved a hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, tore off a portion, approximately 30%, and handed the rest to Lu Yuling.
Accepting the Ganoderma lucidum offered by Zhuge Xiang, Lu Yuling casually tore off a portion and passed it back to him. A hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum was nearly half the size of a person. When Zhuge Xiang questioned her with his gaze, Lu Yuling explained, "You contributed as much as I did this time, so it's only fair to split it evenly. There's no need to decline."
"Okay." Zhuge Xiang was straightforward, and Lu Yuling's reasoning made sense. Without hesitation, he accepted the Ganoderma lucidum, noting that Lu Yuling had taken an equal portion. A hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum was nearly half the size of a person, but Zhuge Xiang wasn't concerned about it. Instead, he reviewed the information about Ganoderma lucidum that appeared in his eyes.
Hundred-Year-Old Ganoderma Lucidum (Remnant): A relatively rare elixir that can be used for alchemical purposes. When consumed directly, it grants 500 experience points.
Taking a moment to consider it, Zhuge Xiang was satisfied with the 500 experience points that half of the century-old Ganoderma lucidum would provide. However, he regretted that it could only benefit individuals at or above the first level of Qi Nurturing Realm. Sharing some with Niu Geng would likely have helped him attain Qi comprehension.
While storing it away might have increased its value for future alchemy, for Zhuge Xiang, 500 experience points were currently more valuable. Without hesitation, he swallowed the Ganoderma lucidum in his hand.
Originally, Zhuge Xiang had earned 100 experience points from the various ferocious beasts he had encountered. Defeating a one-star low-rank fox had granted him more than 100 experience points, and the mid-level fox had provided 450 points. Adding this 500 experience points brought Zhuge Xiang's total to 1200 points. He needed only 800 points to reach the next level. With the Ganoderma lucidum's efficacy, Zhuge Xiang felt the energy within him surge. It was as though a layer of window paper had been pierced, and his progress became undeniable. The system's prompt confirmed his breakthrough to the second level of Qi Cultivation Realm, accompanied by a gain of nearly 400 experience points.
Zhuge Xiang, male, 14 years old, at the second level of Qi Cultivation Realm, with 1 remaining skill point, HP 120/120, current experience 380/2000.
Examining his character page, Zhuge Xiang realized he needed a full 2000 points of experience to advance to the third level of the Qi-Nourishing Realm. This situation left him feeling helpless. With only five days remaining, he wondered if he could successfully reach the third level of the Qi-Nourishing Realm. However, as his level increased, Zhuge Xiang noticed that the sense of weakness brought on by the Bloodthirsty Technique had completely vanished.
"Breakthrough?" Lu Yuling was naturally aware of Zhuge Xiang's breakthrough due to the energy fluctuations. Despite using half of a hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum and having only realized his energy in about ten days, he had managed to break through once again. His rapid growth was truly astonishing. It appeared that the legend was true—a fighting genius who could surpass other geniuses through life-and-death battles. Lu Yuling contemplated Zhuge Xiang's breakthrough.
"Alright, let's head back." Their situations had improved significantly, all trophies were secured, and the state of weakness had instantly dissipated with the level up. Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling had no intention of lingering and promptly turned to leave.
After fighting for an extended period, the sky had darkened. Although a half-moon hung in the night sky, the forest remained shrouded in darkness.
However, at that moment, faint cries could be heard. Following the sound, a young fox crawled out of the den where the low-grade demon fox had previously lain. It was adorable.
"Is this a young fox?" Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling finally understood when they saw the cub emerge from the den. If left unattended, it would surely become prey for other beasts.
"Senior Sister Lu, would you like to adopt this young fox? Born from a monster, it likely possesses good potential." Zhuge Xiang inquired, concerned about the fate of this cute creature, but he lacked the time and inclination to raise it himself.
"Well, it's a good idea." Seeing the little fox's endearing appearance, Lu Yuling clearly had a fondness for it as well. She nodded and approached to pick up the young fox. In the moonlight, the two of them departed. As for the two demon foxes, in the vast forest of this mountain range, other ferocious beasts would soon feast upon them.