Deep in the city ruins, near the center of the ruins.
Li Ziyu's muscles trembled all over as he gripped the long blade in both hands, his eyes fixed intensely on the direction ahead.
Fifty or sixty meters ahead of him stood a tiger-like fierce beast, coldly watching him.
The fierce beast's hide was golden, smooth as silk.
Under the sunlight, it gave Li Ziyu the feeling of golden wheat waves swaying in the wind.
What drew Li Ziyu's attention most was the pair of two-meter-long arm blades beside the mouth of this fierce beast, which was even slightly larger than a polar bear. They looked like mammoth tusks.
"Level 1 peak fierce beast, Arm-Blade Tiger!"
Li Ziyu's muscles trembled all over as he stared fixedly at the Arm-Blade Tiger before him.
But it wasn't fear. It was excitement!
"Th-this thing must be worth a fortune!!"
The Arm-Blade Tiger looked at Li Ziyu with utter disdain.
Ever since this human had seen him, his body had been trembling nonstop. He was probably frightened by the Arm-Blade Tiger's imposing might.
After fierce beasts descended upon Blue Star, humans were no longer its rulers. In the eyes of some powerful fierce beasts, humans were nothing more than crispy rations that went crack-crunch.
Without a word, the Arm-Blade Tiger pushed off with all four limbs and pounced straight at Li Ziyu with terrifying speed, roaring as it came!
Li Ziyu could even clearly see the human flesh stuck between the Arm-Blade Tiger's teeth.
Li Ziyu advanced instead of retreating, completely unafraid of the Arm-Blade Tiger's oppressive aura.
When the Arm-Blade Tiger drew within three meters, the power of his vital energy and blood surged through his entire body, gathering in both hands before being transmitted into the long blade.
"Gale Slash!"
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Just as the Arm-Blade Tiger was excited that it was about to feast on fresh meat again,
with a splurt, it felt its neck tighten. Its tiger eyes went black, and it lost consciousness.
The huge tiger's body surged forward more than a dozen meters under the force of inertia. Only after crashing through several walls did it come to a thunderous stop.
"My current strength is enough that Level 1 fierce beasts no longer pose a threat to me."
"Even against a Level 1 peak fierce beast like the Arm-Blade Tiger, I can kill it beneath my blade with three Gale Slashes!"
"Strong! It's only been three days since the vital energy and blood test, yet I've already grown to this level. System, you're really something!"
Name: Li Ziyu Realm: Advanced Level 1 (+) Combat Skills: Gale Blade Technique (+), Basic Mighty Ox Body Tempering Method (+), Intermediate Blade Technique (+), Basic Movement Technique (+). System: Martial God System. Function: Can absorb all things and increase vital energy and blood. The remaining functions await the host's independent exploration.
"I can level up!"
After hunting these fierce beasts, a plus sign had finally appeared on the system again.
However, this time, Li Ziyu looked at the pile of plus signs on the system panel and felt somewhat conflicted.
"Realm, Body Tempering Method, and Gale Slash can all be upgraded."
"Tsk, every single one would massively increase my strength. This is a tough choice!"
A conflicted look flashed through Li Ziyu's eyes.
If he upgraded his realm, he could only accumulate vital energy and blood to upgrade the Body Tempering Method and Gale Slash afterward.
However, one of these two, the Body Tempering Method, would comprehensively strengthen his physical attributes, while the other, Gale Slash, would increase his attack power. Both would help him immensely.
After thinking for a moment longer, Li Ziyu's eyes suddenly lit up.
He smacked his forehead.
"Damn! I'm such an idiot. The system determines that only killing fierce beasts at my level or higher gives me a large amount of vital energy and blood."
"If I raise my realm, wouldn't I have to keep searching for and hunting even higher-level fierce beasts?"
"The higher a fierce beast's level, the stronger it is. If I only have vital energy and blood but lack the corresponding combat power, wouldn't my efficiency at hunting high-level fierce beasts be terribly low?"
"The correct approach should be to compress my Combat Skills to the limit before every realm advancement, and only then raise my realm. That's the right choice!"
"That way, I'll be invincible in battles against those of the same level, and perhaps even able to fight above my level. Only then will it be easier to increase my vital energy and blood by hunting fierce beasts!"
"System, add it to the Mighty Ox Body Tempering Method!"
As he thought this, Li Ziyu no longer hesitated and spoke directly in his mind.
As his thought settled,
Li Ziyu instantly felt a powerful electric current appear in all four limbs and hundreds of bones, darting wildly throughout his body.
His entire body trembled like he had been electrocuted, and the muscles all over him began to shake uncontrollably.
His muscles felt as if they were being torn apart. This sensation lasted a full half hour. When it ended, Li Ziyu looked as though he had been hauled out of water.
But what covered him wasn't water. It was layer upon layer of thick filth.
The grime wrapped around Li Ziyu from head to toe, making his appearance impossible to discern.
Yet his eyes shone with terrifying brightness.
Uncontainable joy and excitement filled his gaze.
Name: Li Ziyu. Realm: Level 1 Advanced Martial Artist. Combat Skills: Intermediate Mighty Ox Body Tempering Method, Basic Gale Blade Technique, Intermediate Blade Technique, Basic Movement Technique. System: Martial God System. Function: Can absorb all things and increase vital energy and blood. The remaining functions await the host's independent exploration.
"My decision was correct! The Intermediate Body Tempering Method is at least twice as strong as the Basic one!"
"My current strength, speed, and stamina completely overwhelm my pre-upgrade self!"
Li Ziyu looked at his hands, his expression excited.
Then he turned his palm into a fist and slammed it viciously into the one-meter-tall granite boulder before him.
With a thunderous boom,
the enormous stone that had stood there for who knew how long, its surface etched with the marks of wind and frost and its body seemingly indestructible,
was directly smashed into four or five pieces by Li Ziyu's punch!
Li Ziyu then drew the long blade from his back and tested it by using Gale Slash.
At last, he sheathed the blade with satisfaction.
After conducting his tests,
he could confirm that if he encountered a Level 1 peak Fierce Arm Blade Tiger again, he was confident he could kill it with a single blade strike, without needing three.
Just as Li Ziyu was preparing to test himself a little more, a burst of footsteps sounded not far away.
Li Ziyu's gaze sharpened. He instinctively gripped the long blade with both hands and shouted coldly toward the direction of the footsteps:
"Who is it! Come out!"
Before you continue