Morning, Chu Yi left the inn where he was staying, heading towards the wilderness outside the city, greeted by the rising sun. His goal was to try hunting some bronze-level exotic beasts. While thinking this, he also reminisced about the previous night's "Fierce Fang Rabbit Meat Porridge." This journey wasn't just about testing his spells, but also a chance to earn some spiritual currency through hunting exotic beasts, which would support his living expenses for the foreseeable future. With this thought, Chu Yi felt an extra rush of excitement.
After leaving the city, Chu Yi walked along a small path leading into the dense forest. The surroundings gradually became more desolate. Looking up, he noticed that the sun appeared particularly inviting that day, perhaps because it had been a long time since he had felt in such high spirits. The city behind him slowly disappeared from view, replaced by vast fields and forests. The occasional low growl of exotic beasts echoed through the woods. Though danger lurked, Chu Yi felt a thrill. "Finally, I've found you," he thought to himself.
Not long after, Chu Yi spotted a bronze-level exotic beast— a small gray rabbit with two sharp fangs, the Fierce Fang Rabbit. It was moving through the grass, gnawing on the remains of another beast, letting out a low growl. Chu Yi took a deep breath, quickly hid behind a tree, and pulled out the Thunderstorm Talisman he had prepared.
"It's time." He thought.
He gently pressed the Thunderstorm Talisman against his palm, then, following the instructions from the book, rapidly activated the talisman by channeling his chakra. In an instant, faint electric currents flickered on the talisman, and the lightning spread outward. His heart tightened as he quickly hurled the talisman at the Fierce Fang Rabbit. The talisman crackled loudly in the air, and almost instantly, it collided with the rabbit. There was a loud explosion, and dust and dirt filled the air.
Before Chu Yi could see what had happened, he suddenly heard a roar. The sound was alarmingly close. In less than two seconds, the Fierce Fang Rabbit, emerging from the dust, leaped toward him. Chu Yi had no time to prepare. All he could do was grab the rabbit by its neck to prevent its sharp fangs from injuring him. But this effort only lasted a few seconds, and soon, Chu Yi could feel that his strength was no match for the rabbit. Remembering what the book had said, a bronze-level exotic beast was comparable to a first-tier spirit master.
Without thinking too much, Chu Yi mustered all his strength and hurled the rabbit toward a large tree. The Fierce Fang Rabbit crashed into the tree and fell to the ground. It took about three seconds to climb back up. Chu Yi used this time to activate two more Thunderstorm Talismans and two Red Fire Talismans, throwing them toward the rabbit.
The Fierce Fang Rabbit, just as it got up, was directly hit by the four talismans.
"Roar... Roar..." The rabbit let out an authoritative growl, but this only lasted for a few seconds. The roar lost its power, turning into sharp, frantic cries. Eventually, the sounds ceased, and the rabbit lay motionless on the grass, its body emitting a faint smell of burning.
Chu Yi exhaled deeply, staring at the fallen beast, feeling utterly exhausted as he lay down on the grass. Though he was panting heavily, a strong sense of achievement surged within him. The talismans had worked even better than he had imagined. Even with his weak chakra, he was able to hunt a bronze-level exotic beast through the power of the inscription spells. This was his first step toward greater goals.
After resting for about an hour, Chu Yi got up to collect the remains of the Fierce Fang Rabbit, planning to take it back to the city in exchange for spiritual currency. Just as he was packing up the carcass, he suddenly heard the sounds of a fierce battle nearby. He quickly raised his head, furrowing his brow in confusion. This area shouldn't have any strong exotic beasts; why was there such intense fighting?
Chu Yi decided to investigate. He moved quietly and stealthily toward the source of the noise, hiding behind a tree and peeking out. The sight before him made his heart skip a beat: A young girl was engaged in a fierce battle with a silver-tier exotic beast— the Double-Headed Venomous Serpent. Over 15 meters long, its body was covered in shimmering scales. This giant serpent clearly possessed immense strength, with both of its heads spitting venom and toxic gas, forcing the girl to retreat step by step. In her right hand, she held a spirit sword, while her left arm, slightly darkened with a purple hue, had clearly been affected by the venom. Though she was resisting with all her might, it was obvious that she was nearing her limits.
Chu Yi immediately assessed that this girl was no ordinary person. He remembered reading in the book that the venom from a Double-Headed Venomous Serpent could instantly numb an enemy's senses and create an intense burning pain. But this girl remained calm, indicating that her chakra was far superior to his. However, even with her impressive strength, she was still struggling against this silver-tier beast.
Chu Yi quickly made a decision. Though he knew that facing a silver-tier exotic beast was far beyond his capabilities, he also understood that if he didn't step in to help, the girl would likely fall into dire straits. Moreover, he still had a few unused talismans left, so he figured he might as well give it a try.
"Let's go all in," Chu Yi muttered through clenched teeth, quickly pulling out the remaining talismans from his pouch. He activated them all at once and hurled them toward the two-headed poisonous snake. The double-headed venomous snake noticed his attack and quickly jerked its body to the side, dodging most of the talismans. Fortunately, one of the Thunderstorm Talismans streaked through the air, lightning crackling, and hit the snake's tail. In an instant, a surge of lightning erupted, making the snake twitch in pain. The talismans didn't have much of an effect on the Silver-class beast, but they still managed to stun it for a few seconds.
Seizing this brief moment of opportunity, the girl immediately gathered her strength and swung her spirit sword at the snake's neck, where the two heads met. Her attack was swift, not giving the snake any chance to retaliate. She poured every bit of her remaining spiritual energy into the final strike. Together, they managed to bring down the double-headed venomous snake. It let out one last, shrill hiss before its massive body grew stiff and collapsed.
Chu Yi let out a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the ground and panting heavily. His heart raced, still pounding from the intense battle. He looked toward the girl, who, though drenched in sweat, had a look of intense determination in her eyes.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, the girl slowly walked toward Chu Yi, her gaze filled with both gratitude and curiosity. "Thanks," she said, her voice carrying an air of arrogance, as if the gratitude itself was beneath her.
"Don't mention it," Chu Yi interrupted, waving his hand in an attempt to appear casual. However, seeing her cold and haughty expression made it difficult to completely suppress his own nervousness. "My name is Qing Wan," the girl introduced herself, her eyes still wary. "You saved me, and I won't let you go without reward." She held out a ring, tossing it toward him. "Here's 10,000 spirit coins."
"No need," Chu Yi replied indifferently, shaking his head. He refused the ring and gave her a steady look. "I only did what I could."
"I have my own path to follow. Goodbye." Chu Yi gave a polite nod and turned to leave.
Qing Wan stared at him in surprise, clearly not expecting him to refuse such a generous offer. In her view, no one would refuse greater power and wealth, especially someone like Chu Yi with such weak spiritual power. But Chu Yi had his own principles.
"You're interesting," Qing Wan muttered, though her tone still carried that aloofness. Chu Yi watched her walk away, her figure disappearing into the dense forest, but his resolve remained unshaken. He knew that the path he had chosen might be difficult, but he was not willing to be swayed by worldly temptations.
He took a deep breath, gathering himself, and began to pack up the remains of the Fierce Tooth Rabbit. With a sense of calm, he turned and made his way back toward the city.