Qingshan Town

After pushing aside the wooden stump, sunlight streamed in through the cave entrance, making Ling Li squint.

The morning scenery of the Monster Beast Mountain Range was quite pleasant. The air was fresh, the vegetation lush and green, and tiny dewdrops still clung to the tips of tender leaves. Yet beneath this refreshing scenery, no one knew how much bloodshed lay hidden.

Ling Li took a deep breath and stretched lazily. His black robe had become somewhat stiff from not being washed for so long, while a messy lock of hair stained with blood and dust hung in front of his eyes, getting in the way.

Perhaps because he possessed a dark attribute, Ling Li instinctively disliked such glaring light. Yet he very much wished to enjoy the warmth of sunlight shining upon his body.

"I need to find a town near the Monster Beast Mountain Range." Ling Li rubbed his chin, where a faint layer of stubble seemed to have grown, and spoke softly.

He was neither a savage nor some lunatic martial arts fanatic. When he had mindlessly practiced his blade techniques, he truly had been unable to feel time passing, just as others described. But cultivating alone in a cave for who knew how long had already left him mentally exhausted.

After walking out of the cave, Ling Li's senses easily began to pick up the movements around him.

Ling Li had practiced his blade techniques in darkness during this period. In such an environment, he could feel an inexplicable sense of security. Darkness could block one's vision, but accordingly, a person's other senses would be enhanced within it.

He had not taken more than a few steps when he caught a faint rustling sound above him. His steps halted, and Dark Night flicked upward in his hand. A pale little snake dropping from a tree branch seemed to ram itself straight onto the blade and was cut into two.

The attacking monster beast was called a Crimson Ice Snake, a common Rank One monster beast in the Monster Beast Mountain Range. It liked to hang from tree branches and wait for living creatures to pass by before launching sudden attacks. Its body contained cold poison; anyone poisoned would have their blood freeze and die within twelve hours.

"As expected, the Monster Beast Mountain Range is dangerous everywhere. How terrifying. If this had happened last time, you probably would've succeeded!" Ling Li looked at the little snake, which had been cut in two but was still writhing on the ground, and a smile rose at the corner of his lips.

With Dark Night's sharpness, even without Dou Qi enhancement, he could easily kill a Rank One monster beast. With his beginner blade techniques and keen senses, Ling Li's strength had undergone a qualitative improvement compared to before. At the very least, he now had the ability to protect himself in this area.

Ling Li stepped on the snake head, used Dark Night to cut off the section behind its neck, then split the snake head in two. After finding no trace of a magic core inside, he left somewhat disappointed.

A Rank One magic core could provide one hundred points of energy, and energy was tied to the speed at which he could grow stronger!

After traveling through this place, which resembled a primeval forest, for a long time, Ling Li did not see the slightest trace of human activity. He did encounter several groups of monster beasts, but fortunately, his sharp senses allowed him to detect their tracks in advance and avoid disaster. Unfortunately, he did not obtain a single magic core.

"The terrain of this Monster Beast Mountain Range is so bizarre! I almost ended up without even a corpse left behind!" Ling Li stood at the edge of a cliff and spoke warily.

This cliff was at least a hundred zhang high. If he fell, he probably would not even leave behind an intact body. He certainly did not believe that treasure was waiting for him halfway down this cliff; such things were rare, after all.

The terrain of the Monster Beast Mountain Range was quite complex. It was not the endless flatland dotted with trees one might imagine. Instead, mountains of varying sizes were interwoven throughout a vast primeval forest, with countless cliffs and precipices. What had been a flat road one moment could become a bottomless abyss with the next step. Coupled with the cover of dense vegetation, many people had fallen to their deaths from cliffs. It was precisely because of this complicated environment that the Monster Beast Mountain Range contained an exceptionally rich variety of monster beasts.

"Huh, this is... a patch of ground that someone dug up with a hoe!" Ling Li's eyes lit up as he looked at a patch of earth not far below his feet.

The ground, as though draped in a green coat and completely covered in moss, had one exposed patch that stood out conspicuously. There were traces of hoeing around it, and chunks of overturned soil were scattered all around.

"Many precious medicinal herbs grow on cliffs and precipices. It seems someone has gathered herbs here. If I search carefully, I should be able to find a way out of the Monster Beast Mountain Range," Ling Li analyzed inwardly.

Sure enough, after searching around the area, Ling Li found a path trampled out by people without much effort. Following it for another half hour or so, Ling Li arrived at a small town.

Qingshan Town was also known as Monster Beast Town due to its proximity to the Monster Beast Mountain Range. By passing through this place, one could enter the Tagor Desert relatively safely along a route skirting the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Qingshan Town was not large, but its various trades were quite well developed. There were many shops on both sides of the streets, and thanks to the favorable location, business was exceptionally booming. The main customers of these shops were naturally the mercenaries who made their living off the mountains. These mercenaries spent their lives licking blood from their blades and hunting monster beasts for a living, so naturally they were all crude and barbaric, their mouths full of vulgarities.

This was Ling Li's first time coming into contact with people of this world, and he was curious about everything around him. Unfortunately, he was currently penniless. Otherwise, he would certainly have enjoyed himself here and experienced the various customs of another world.

The purpose of increasing one's strength was to enjoy life better. Those who pursued strength without reason were not strong; they were slaves to power.

Wasn't living all about making one's own life better?

"What a pity I have no money. Without money, everything is difficult!" Ling Li sighed helplessly.

Having spent quite some time in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, Ling Li did not look very presentable now. His hair was messy, he had dark circles and bags under his eyes from practicing swordsmanship with day and night reversed, and dried bloodstains mixed with fresh blood splashed on him from recently killing monster beasts had turned his black robe into a brown one. Looking like this, he would definitely have been mistaken for a refugee in any other city!

However, no one found Ling Li's appearance strange as he walked down the street. Even sparing him a glance felt unnecessary. In Qingshan Town, mercenaries who had just returned from the Monster Beast Mountain Range mostly looked like this. Those in worse condition might be missing arms or legs, and that was nothing unusual either.

On the contrary, those who were cleanly dressed and brightly attired stood out in a place like this like a black dot on white paper, making them more likely to attract the mercenaries' attention.

Such people were often rookies who had only just entered the Monster Beast Mountain Range. Many mercenaries would kindly guide these newly initiated rookies, making them pay some "tuition" to earn extra money. Some slightly more ruthless mercenaries, however, made their living specifically by hunting such rookies, killing them and taking their possessions!

After making a round of Qingshan Town, Ling Li left the town and took out the monster beasts he had killed along the way from System Space, intending to sell them for some Gold Coins. He could then rest and recover here for a while, while also preparing supplies for another journey into the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Magic cores were valuable, but that did not mean other parts of monster beasts had no value. Monster beast hides could be made into leather armor, while the fur of some small monster beasts could be used as raw materials for luxury goods and was not cheap either. Claws and fangs could also be used to make weapons and arrowheads. Only monster beast meat with good texture had no market here, since this place was so close to the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Just as Ling Li returned to the entrance of Qingshan Town, the mercenaries around him suddenly stirred. An excited shout rang out: "Myriad Medicine Pavilion is entering the Monster Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs! Little Doctor Fairy will be accompanying them! There are only fifty spots, and you must be at least a Two-Star Dou Zhe! This is a rare opportunity—first come, first served!"

The shout caused the noisy entrance of Qingshan Town to fall silent for a moment. After a brief pause, the crowd looked at one another. The mercenaries who believed they met the requirements immediately rushed toward the middle-aged man wearing Myriad Medicine Pavilion clothing.

Ling Li looked at the suddenly surging sea of people and halted. A stormy sea rose in his heart. After sighing, he continued carrying the monster beast corpse toward Qingshan Town.

Myriad Medicine Pavilion?! Little Doctor Fairy?!

Could this be Qingshan Town?!