Chapter 14 - Material Gathering

As the warm blood splashed onto Li Lang's face, he quickly reached into his robes to keep his trump card close. However, before he could use it, the man above him, who was still being bitten by the Leopard, suddenly shone like a lamp in the dark.Li Lang didn't even have time to process the scene before the light exploded outward violently, sending the Qi beast flying."Run! That beast is at least in the middle stage of Energy Gathering!" the leader of the group yelled out as he fetched out two different pills, one red and one yellow. He swallowed them at once, and his wound immediately stopped bleeding, as it magically began to close."What is a mid-stage Energy Gathering Qi beast doing in the outskirts of the forest?""Who cares? Get moving already!"Having heard the urgency of the group, Li Lang wasted no time as well and jumped to his feet. He had his hand tightly grasping his trump card the entire time, as he silently followed the retreating party.They didn't make it far before the surrounding leaves rustled once more."The beast will be attracted to me who has the highest level of Qi! Gather around!" The leader yelled.Hearing his words, Li Lang discreetly distanced himself from the leader instead.An abrupt yell soon sounded out from the center of the formation."Not this time, you damn beast!"It all happened so fast that by the time Li Lang could make out what happened, the beast had already been repelled and was growling at the group from a short distance.These beasts are so fast that my eyes can't catch up…Who knows if it'll suddenly change to an easier target like me? Now isn't the time to be holding back.As the leopard circled around the group, carefully scanning for any opportunities, a sudden gush of Qi bellowed out nearby. The powerful Qi caused the beast's fur to stand on its end as a shiver ran through its body. The leopard's survival instincts screamed at maximum intensity, causing it to turn tail and disappear into the forest."It…it ran?""Hurray! That dumb beast must've been scared off by our big brother's mightiness!""...That's…right! Hurray for our big brother!"The leader of the group could only awkwardly clear his throat in an attempt to draw their attention but to no avail. The men soon all cheered his name, and it was too late for him to correct their misconception, so he could only nod his head at them.He quickly urged his men to retreat and carefully scanned the surroundings, including the skies above. He suspected that either another strong Qi beast was nearby or an expert had saved him.No matter how much he strained his eyes, he couldn't find any clues, and he soon gave up. He knew there was no way for him to detect an expert that didn't want to be found. The results of getting out of that encounter with such a powerful Qi beast without harm had already satisfied him.It was only when he calmed down that he began looking around for the brat they were dealing with earlier."Hey, where's that brat with the big head?""The brat? I haven't seen him. Hey you guys! Anyone seen the brat?"All the men briefly searched the area and came up empty. The leader could only sigh and hope the child had safely gotten away.While the group had been searching for him, Li Lang had been rushing through the forest, searching for any useful plants. Having seen how dangerous this place could be, he didn't dare dawdle lest the effect of his talisman expire.The talisman Li Lang had brought the other day, using a good chunk of his wealth, was what had caused the Qi beast to shriek away in fear. It was a beast-warding talisman that released the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to keep them at bay. It had been tweaked so that it only worked against beasts to avoid misuse, which was why no one had noticed Li Lang using the talisman.It only worked for as long as it took to burn through a large incense stick, which he calculated out to be approximately two hours.It was unaffordable to most sectless cultivators because it costs as much as what material gatherers made in several weeks, so none of them had even considered making use of such a luxury item for their work. Such talismans were normally reserved only for the offspring of the wealthy.With the talisman only effective for a short duration, Li Lang rushed into the forest in a frenzy the moment he had used it. He wanted to get a few samples of as many herbs as he could, in hopes of gathering all the required materials to recreate the pill he had thrown into the auto-analyzer.Without having to worry about being interrupted by any beasts, Li Lang single-mindedly tried to replicate the actions he had seen of the material gatherers. He knew his technique was rough, so he could only pray as he clumsily gathered the herbs.When he felt like a good amount of time had passed, he checked the timer he had started in his artifact space. When there was just a quarter of it left, he decisively retreated toward the city.Li Lang had never been a fighter, having holed up in his lab more than he had gone to the gym. Hand-to-hand combat wasn't even common in his day and age. With much more technologically advanced means at their service, melee combat skills were only popular in very niche groups.Even now that he had become a cultivator, he hadn't practiced a single skill yet. As he rushed out of the forest, he couldn't help but contemplate the idea of finding techniques that aided him in retreating from danger.I'll have to take things one step at a time. That guy talked about cultivation techniques as something really valuable, so I don't think I'll get the luxury to pick and choose anytime soon. I have to count and spend my coins carefully right now, lest I lose the roof over my head.As Li Lang grumbled to himself, the city of Xiang Yang soon came into view. He suddenly slowed down his pace and cursed.How did I forget about the entrance toll…How much is it even? Damn, please don't be too much.He prayed and cursed as he waited in line for half an hour until it was his turn."Next!"He nervously walked up at the calls of the gate guard, hoping it was the same man who had accompanied him before, and that he would recognize him. His prayers weren't answered as the guard coldly yelled out to him."Toll! Two silvers!"Li Lang restlessly glanced around in search of a guard who may recognize him but to no avail.His antics made the guard give him a second look."Brat—are those herbs that you gathered on your back?""Yes…Is there an additional fee to bring them in?""No, but if you are a member of the Material Gatherers Guild, then you do not need to pay the toll.""Oh, I am a member!" Li Lang quickly fumbled for the wooden badge he had received and presented it to the guard. "Here's my badge."The guard glanced down skeptically at Li Lang before he grabbed the wooden badge from his hands and examined it briefly before returning it."You may pass. Next!"Thanking his luck, Li Lang hurried into the city and returned to his inn. He stowed his harvest before having a meal on the first floor.He always ate at one of the tables in the middle, where he could easily listen in on the other patron's conversation because it was one of his few forms of entertainment he had and was good for information gathering.Today, the same gossip was circulating as it did this past week. Even with no particular new information, Li Lang enjoyed listening to how each different person explained what the upcoming event entailed."I heard even more sects will be coming this year to recruit new disciples!""It's not surprising since Xiang Yang always had a large population.""Who cares about any of that? None of you have any kids, so it has nothing to do with us.""Hey now! Sometimes when the sects don't recruit enough talents to fill their quota, they'll start opening up recruitment to the older age groups! Isn't that what you've always wanted? Joining a proper sect with vast resources?""Hmph, I'm not blind enough to believe it'll be my turn to be picked. I'm already twenty-nine and I am still in the sixth stage of Energy Gathering."Once Li Lang had finished his meal, he returned to his room and resumed his cultivation routine.He began gathering Qi into his body and directly melded it into his body. Having become a first-stage cultivator of the Energy Gathering realm, he noticed he could take in a bit more Qi into his body now. Still, the difference wasn't large.Time passed when no new things entered his life, and soon a week had passed. On this day, he excitedly entered Ruby's artifact space."Master! The analysis on the Recovery Pill is complete!"