Instant Annihilation, Opportunity (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Above Small Stone Island, two clusters of crimson firelight rose. The flames were like living tentacles, endlessly twisting, strangling, and entwining. Terrifying heat burst forth, destroying everything within.

From within the flames came two brief, shrill cries of monster beasts.

In but a moment, the crimson flames receded. Qi Chan'er saw two charred Monster Corpses fall to the ground with a thud, lying there silently. Their outlines still revealed them to be Water Cloud Crocodiles, but all life had already left them. They were dead beyond dead.

"So this is the terrifying power of the Perfected Stage Fireball Technique? No wonder it is such a formidable method even among Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators."

Watching the four Water Cloud Crocodiles that had driven her into a desperate corner only moments ago lose two of their number to two Fireball Techniques in the blink of an eye, Qi Chan'er was filled with emotion.

She knew that the Fireball Technique was particularly effective against Water Cloud Crocodiles.

But her own Entry Stage Fireball Technique had not been of much use against Tier 1 Mid-grade Water Cloud Crocodiles, so she had never used it.

Only if her Fireball Technique reached the Minor Accomplishment Stage would it have been of great use against the siege of four Water Cloud Crocodiles.

Yet the Perfected Stage Fireball Technique before her had shocked her even more with its sheer power.

"Two of the four Water Cloud Crocodiles have been dealt with. The remaining two are nothing to fear."

Suppressing the astonishment in her heart, Qi Chan'er looked toward the two remaining Water Cloud Crocodiles and smiled faintly.

Previously, four Water Cloud Crocodiles could force her into a dead end, but two of them naturally could not do the same.

At once, she activated her spell power.

Buzz.

Before her, the Golden Ring unleashed an incomparably condensed beam of Spiritual Energy Golden Light. With a slight tremble, it pierced through the air. This time, no accident occurred; it struck one Water Cloud Crocodile's neck without the slightest deviation.

Then she saw the Water Cloud Crocodile's body stiffen before it slowly collapsed to the ground. It was clearly dead.

In a one-on-one fight, her High-grade Magic Tool, the Golden Ring, could naturally kill a Tier 1 Mid-grade Water Cloud Crocodile with ease once it shifted into an offensive stance.

Whoosh.

Pfft.

At the same time, Qi Chan'er saw the final Water Cloud Crocodile in another direction send its massive head soaring high into the air. Blood gushed from the crocodile demon's mirror-smooth neck like a fountain waterfall.

In the air, a small Grey Shadow flashed past at astonishing speed, then silently returned to a fair palm.

Qi Chan'er followed it with her gaze and, as expected, saw a handsome Young Man. He wore the Wind Moon Sect's Inner Sect Disciple Robes and looked at her with a slight smile, idly playing with a gray Dagger Magic Tool in his hand.

"It really was you. Thank you for saving me."

Upon seeing that familiar young face, Qi Chan'er showed little surprise. She merely thanked him sincerely, her expression deeply moved.

When she had abruptly heard someone sigh earlier, her first reaction had naturally been utter shock. With her life in danger, she had no way of knowing whether the person who appeared then would be friend or foe.

However, after seeing those two Perfected Stage Fireball Techniques, she had vaguely begun to suspect something.

Though the Cloud Rising Mountains were generally quite safe, high-level Xiu Xian cultivators would not come here. Let alone Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, even Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators were rarely seen.

And within the Qi Refining Realm, those who possessed a Perfected Stage Fireball Technique were few and far between.

What was more, the owner of that Perfected Stage Fireball Technique had subsequently stepped in to save her. Even before seeing who had come, Qi Chan'er had already more or less settled on one figure in her heart.

Now that she saw that familiar young face, her guess had clearly been correct.

"No need to thank me. We both come from the Qi Family. Under normal circumstances, we should naturally help each other when we are outside."

Idly playing with the High-grade Magic Tool Flying Ash in his palm, Qi Chuan shook his head slightly and spoke without concern.

When he had seen Qi Chan'er in danger earlier, he had hesitated for a moment over whether to save her.

But since she was also from the Qi Family, there was no reason to stand by and watch her die.

Thus, after that brief hesitation, Qi Chuan acted at once, leading to the scene just now.

"However, I'll take the teeth of these four Water Cloud Crocodiles. No objections, right?"

Qi Chuan looked at the corpses of the four Water Cloud Crocodiles in the clearing.

The Water Cloud Crocodile he had killed with Flying Ash, as well as those Qi Chan'er had killed, still had relatively intact bodies.

As for the two Water Cloud Crocodiles he had killed with two Perfected Fireball Techniques, he had deliberately controlled their power. Their Monster Corpses were only charred black, while their teeth remained unaffected.

"Of course."

Hearing this, Qi Chan'er hurriedly shook her head.

He had saved her life. How could she possibly have any objection?

Upon hearing her reply, Qi Chuan no longer held back. With a flick of his hand, the gray dagger flew up and darted through the air, immediately harvesting the teeth of the four Water Cloud Crocodiles.

Soon, four sets of Water Cloud Crocodile Teeth were in his possession.

"Four sets of Water Cloud Crocodile Teeth, three points of Inner Sect Contribution per set. Added to the previous three sets, that makes twenty-one contribution points in total. One point of Inner Sect Contribution is roughly equivalent to ten Low-grade Spirit Stones, which means that my gains from this outing have now reached two hundred and ten Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Even if I buy Gathering Yuan Pills, I can purchase twenty-one of them. Taking one each month, I won't have to worry about elixirs for nearly two years."

Qi Chuan felt rather pleased as well.

"I came to this Black Swamp to hunt Water Cloud Crocodiles too. But before this, I had only seen a few scattered ones. I didn't expect you had drawn them all here." After collecting the Water Cloud Crocodile Teeth, Qi Chuan had some free time and spoke to Qi Chan'er.

"That isn't the case." Yet Qi Chan'er shook her head and said, "Water Cloud Crocodiles are Pack Monster Beasts. Their original numbers were far greater than this."

"Even these four Water Cloud Crocodiles count as scattered compared to how densely they originally lived together."

"Why is that?" Qi Chuan was somewhat surprised.

There were so few Water Cloud Crocodiles in this Black Swamp. Even if the Inner Sect issued more Water Cloud Crocodile hunting missions in the future, would completing them not become much more difficult?

If that were the case, then it would be impossible to keep earning Sect Contribution through Water Cloud Crocodiles.

"I don't know either. Perhaps Water Cloud Crocodiles have been hunted for many years, causing their numbers to dwindle? Or perhaps some change occurred in the Cloud Rising Mountains not long ago?" Qi Chan'er shook her head, equally puzzled.

She said, "In any case, I have come to this Black Swamp several times over the past few months and have never seen many Water Cloud Crocodiles. I only encountered danger this time because I was careless."

Then Qi Chan'er took out a stalk of Black Spirit Grass and waved it at Qi Chuan. "I came this time for this. There is a purchase mission for it in the Outer Sect."

Since Qi Chuan had told her why he had come to the Cloud Rising Mountains, she felt that she should be equally frank.

"Black Profound Grass."

Qi Chuan looked at the Black Spirit Grass and nodded. He did not covet it. After all, he had already taken several sets of Water Cloud Crocodile Teeth, so he had to leave her some gains.

The two chatted briefly, exchanging information and discussing some matters concerning the Wind Moon Sect and the Cloud Rising Mountains. This was also a different kind of gain. Their horizons broadened, and Qi Chuan learned some things about the Outer Sect, discovering that competition there was just as brutal.

There were even some Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators in the Outer Sect who, for various reasons, were not qualified to enter the Inner Sect and had not become Stewards within the sect.

But the Black Swamp was not a place to linger. Thus, after chatting for a while, Qi Chuan glanced around Small Stone Island once more and waved his hand.

"With these Water Cloud Crocodile Teeth, my mission is more or less complete. I'm preparing to return and settle it. Let us part ways here," Qi Chuan said.

"All right." Qi Chan'er nodded at his words.

She lowered her head to look at the Black Profound Grass in her hand. Qi Chuan had saved her life; a few words of thanks and several sets of Water Cloud Crocodile Teeth were naturally not enough to repay him.

But the Black Profound Grass in her hand was not worth much either.

Under normal circumstances, she could only remember this kindness in her heart and wait for a future chance to repay it.

With a wave of his hand, Qi Chuan turned around. His body rose into the air as he prepared to leave.

Watching Qi Chuan's retreating back, Qi Chan'er hesitated. In the end, she gritted her teeth and decided to speak.

"Qi Chuan!"

"What is it?"

Hearing her, Qi Chuan turned back and looked at Qi Chan'er in confusion.

Qi Chan'er said seriously, "Would you be interested in exploring an opportunity with me?"