Raed entered the forest, preparing to test his skills and assess his power level. As he walked, he noticed a wild boar on his right. It was a first-level boar in the late stage, equivalent to the seventh to ninth level of Qi Gathering in humans.
However, this wild boar appeared to be at the beginning of the late stage, or the seventh level of Qi Refinement, but it had a very strong body, enabling it to fight and even kill those at the eighth level. Raed noticed the boar staring at him, with a glowing green flower next to it.
His eyes lit up instantly. This was a second-level herb, the basic ingredient for refining the Explosive Pill.
This pill grants immense strength for a period, but its side effects place a burden on the body for some time. The stronger one's body, the lesser the side effects.
"...It's good that this wild boar is suitable for measuring my strength and body,"
Raed thought.He approached the wild boar, but it attacked before he could strike. Raed countered the attack with his fist, and both stepped back two steps simultaneously.
Raed smiled and used the Mountain-Crushing Fist, attacking again. The boar rushed towards him.
Raed's fist hit the boar, but it didn't move. The boar flew back ten steps, its head bleeding. Then, Raed used the Shadow Steps technique, appearing beside the boar's right. The boar saw only Raed's shadow, just an illusion.
Raed delivered another punch, piercing the boar's belly. Blood splattered, and the boar fell to the ground, dead.
Raed then drew a knife, stabbed the boar's heart, and extracted the monster core—a small black crystal containing demonic beast energy.
This energy accumulates over years of a beast's cultivation. Humans use these cores in alchemy refinement.
However, humans cannot absorb this energy; doing so would corrupt their minds and make them berserk.
But there are special techniques practiced by the demonic path that allow one to absorb demonic energy, rapidly increasing their strength. However, this evil energy affects their minds.
Thus, they are all villains, using the blood of innocent people, even children, to grow their power. This often leads to wars between the righteous path and the evil path.
After collecting all the useful parts of the wild boar—its skin, hooves, and other valuable items—Raed burned the rest, finding the boar disgusting and not good to eat as it fed on the filthiest foods. Then he picked up the flower and ventured deeper into the forest.
.....
Meanwhile, at the border of the Demonic Forest, a group of people, looking like bandits, gathered. On a platform in the center, a man sat on a chair, holding a cup of wine, his feet resting on a table in front of him, appearing carefree.
Before him knelt a middle-aged man wearing the same clothes as everyone around him.
Yes, it was the man who had tried to provoke Raed. Now, he knelt before this man, with slap marks on his face, looking somewhat distressed.
"... Please forgive me, leader. I didn't mean to deceive you, but that bastard made me kneel, which is an insult to the Venomous Snake Mercenaries and to you..."
"... Enough. Do you think I don't know what happened? But that boy is the illegitimate son of the Najjar family. Wasn't he unable to cultivate and had no spiritual roots? How is he able to cultivate now?"
"I'm sure he received a significant opportunity, hehehe... I'm very interested. Let's gather everyone and capture this boy to discover his secret. If we get it first, we could rise to the heavens..."
....
In another part of the Falcons State, in one of the great families, the Hijazi family, the arch-enemy of the Najjar family, the patriarch, Sami, sat in the leader's seat, with several elders seated below him. He looked around and said,
"..... I heard what happened in the Demonic Forest. It seems that trash can cultivate now and appears strong. We all remember the strength of his mother, so he poses a hidden danger that must be eliminated..."
".... Sir, I believe this could provoke the Najjar family to wage a direct war against us. There is no need for this..."
said one of the elders, an old man, the first elder.But another elder said,
".... It's a good opportunity to lure that old man to the border. That's what we want, and that person as well..."
This was the fourth elder, a cunning-looking man. No one else spoke, indicating they agreed with him. The fourth elder smiled and continued,
"...But we must kill him with clean hands. I think this method is the only way..."
The patriarch of the Hijazi family smiled and held up a red card stained with blood, with the word "Kill" written in blood. He said,
".... The Underworld Assassination Wing.... hehehe ... this boy will die..."
"...."Everyone was shocked by the token and exclaimed,
"The Underworld Assassination Wing?!!!! Is this boy worth it? ...He's just a child, after all!"
The fourth elder and the patriarch listened to the discussion with smiles. Then the patriarch said,
"You don't know how terrifying his mother was. If she hadn't left, no one would have dared think of touching him. She definitely left something for him, so this child could become a tremendous threat...."
The fourth elder nodded and said,
"We won't deal with this ourselves. We've chosen this method because these assassins are madmen who don't stop until their target is dead..."