Star Crystal

"Whew."

Li Pin let out a long breath.

The phantom of the ferocious beast he had visualized in his mind faded away.

The blood and qi boiling like fire within him gradually settled.

In an instant, an unprecedented weakness surged into his heart.

It was as though several days of high fever had drained every last bit of strength from his body. Even his spine seemed unable to resist the planet's gravity anymore; all he wanted was to lie on a bed in the most comfortable position and remain utterly still.

But...

Li Pin forcibly suppressed that bone-deep, agonizing weakness.

He raised his left hand and wiped the blood from his face.

Just a small wound.

Not enough to ruin his looks.

Then, after catching his breath, he lifted his foot.

His shoes needed replacing. He had stomped too hard and cracked them.

However...

Fortunately, he had made up for that kick in time.

The blow he had delivered with Eight Fiends True Fire Strength was no weaker than a Dan Jin martial artist's full-power burst. It could have smashed through the walls of a house.

Yet even two successive bursts of force had failed to kill the Cat Demon on the spot.

The true fatal blow had been that crushing stomp that descended from above.

Whether in muscle toughness or bone density, that ferocious beast surpassed him in every respect.

Even ordinary handgun bullets probably would not have been able to pierce its body.

Even if it took seven or eight shots out of ten, as long as none struck a vital point, it could still kill with savage ferocity.

Moreover...

Ferocious beasts were also species that had evolved by Bathing in Starlight. They were Star Refiners among beasts.

One could see as much from the fact that a Cat Demon could walk upright like a "human."

It was not imitating humans, but that great Star God.

Trying to shoot such a creature dead would most likely result in the gun exploding the moment it was fired.

"Hmm?"

As he moved his foot away, Li Pin seemed to notice something. He quickly found a crystal the size of a fingernail amid the mangled flesh and blood.

"This is... a Star Crystal!?"

When ferocious beasts or Demonic Beasts died, there was a chance they would leave behind Star Crystals.

They were the primary material used to forge star artifacts.

The stronger the ferocious beast or Demonic Beast, the greater the chance it would leave behind a Star Crystal, and the higher its quality would be.

For an ordinary ferocious beast like a Cat Demon, the possibility of finding a Star Crystal was infinitely close to zero.

Unless...

After evolving, this Cat Demon had consumed the Star Crystal of another relatively powerful ferocious beast, failed to digest it, and left it behind in its body.

Considering the value of a Star Crystal, and to avoid unnecessary trouble from flaunting his wealth, Li Pin quietly put it away.

"It's dead! It's dead! The Cat Demon is dead!"

Just then, a burst of startled cries suddenly erupted from the bus.

Those cries brimmed with the joy of having escaped death by a hair's breadth.

Li Pin's clash with the Cat Demon had determined life and death in an instant. The entire process had taken no more than three seconds.

Only now did the people on the bus, who had been terrified beyond measure, awaken as if from a dream and react.

"It's all right now, it's all right now. The Cat Demon is dead. We're safe."

"Wuu... That's wonderful, that's wonderful..."

The passengers were overwhelmed with both shock and joy.

Two of them even burst into tears of joy after surviving the brush with death.

Li Yunyao suddenly snapped awake at that moment as well.

"Brother!"

She screamed, sprang to her feet, and threw herself toward the window.

Li Pin waved at her.

Then he walked around the front of the bus, kept his right hand behind his back, and unhurriedly boarded again through the door.

"Thank you, Martial Artist sir. Thank you. Thank you for saving us."

The driver was the first to stand, his face full of gratitude.

The others on the bus were the same.

"No need to be so polite."

Li Pin said, "Report this to the local garrison office."

Then he added, "I used a secret technique to stimulate my blood and qi. The expenditure was considerable, and I need to rest. If you truly want to thank me, just get to Sanshun Station as soon as possible."

"Yes, yes, yes. We'll be on time, definitely on time."

The driver nodded repeatedly.

"Let's take Martial Artist sir home first, so he can rest as soon as possible. He's our benefactor."

The others echoed the sentiment one after another.

Li Pin did not insist further. Getting back earlier really was a good thing.

"Brother..."

Li Yunyao looked at Li Pin, her face filled with excitement, worry, and disbelief. "You... killed the Cat Demon!?"

"Yes, the Cat Demon is dead. So you see, practicing martial arts is still somewhat useful."

Li Pin said.

"But... but doesn't it say in the books... that every ferocious beast is incomparably terrifying? They're like those powerful Star Refiners..."

"They aren't the same."

Li Pin said, "Ferocious beasts and Demonic Beasts are inherently inferior to Star Refiners. An ordinary Cat Demon like this can be killed by a Gang Jin grandmaster, and quite a few ordinary ferocious creatures have died at the hands of Dan Jin martial artists. I caught that Cat Demon off guard, which was why I managed to kill it. All right, the bus is about to move. Go back to your seat."

"Is that so?"

Li Yunyao knew that things were far from as simple as Li Pin made them sound.

But through this incident, she had deeply realized just how formidable her brother was.

Listening to the other passengers' heartfelt thanks, her gaze toward him was full of pride.

In truth, using martial arts to fight ferocious beasts was far more dangerous than Li Pin had described.

There were indeed many ordinary ferocious beasts that had died at the hands of Dan Jin martial artists.

But even more Dan Jin martial artists had died at the hands of ferocious beasts.

Even though Cat Demons were relatively weak among ordinary ferocious beasts, they were not something any Level 2 Martial Artist—or even a Level 3 Martial Artist—could fight unprepared.

It was simply that...

The situation just now had not allowed Li Pin time to think or hesitate.

Other than gathering all the essence and energy in his body, bursting forth with his sharpest edge, and throwing himself forward in a punch without turning back, he had no other choice.

Fortunately, taking advantage of the terrain, he had erupted with two bursts of Dan Jin in an instant and won.

Li Pin sat in the seat before theirs and turned his head to glance at Lin Xiaolu behind him. "Did that scare you? But it's all right now. The Cat Demon is dead."

Lin Xiaolu shook her head vigorously, then immediately nodded just as vigorously.

Her pale little face was written all over with lingering terror.

Li Pin did not comfort her much further. He closed his eyes to rest and began circulating the Innate Qi Nourishing Technique.

In this world, every city, even a county town, had at least two or three Star Refiners stationed there.

Just as Demonic Beasts could sense Star Refiners from over a dozen li away, human Star Refiners, though somewhat inferior in perception, would still sense a powerful Demonic Beast approaching within several li of a city, allowing them to engage it or call for aid.

Thus, the safety of cities was basically guaranteed.

But towns and villages were different.

There were no Star Refiners stationed in towns and villages, only garrison action squads. Once a ferocious beast or Demonic Beast appeared, requesting aid from the county town would delay things by at least half an hour.

No one knew what might happen in half an hour.

Yet gathering everyone in the cities was unrealistic as well.

Without people growing grain, vegetables, and fruit, there was no way to supply the enormous consumption of the cities.

Under such circumstances, many ordinary people wanted to settle in the cities, only to be driven out by exorbitant housing prices and staggering living costs. They had no choice but to return to county towns and villages.

Moreover, while developing county towns on one hand, the various nations incorporated one town and village after another into the county towns on the other, promoting the integration of towns, villages, and county towns. This created the illusion that ordinary people had put down roots in county towns rather than villages, giving them at least some psychological comfort.

After having someone call the Liuchuan County garrison office to report the situation, the driver soon started the bus.

He cast a reverent glance at Li Pin, who was resting with his eyes closed, then focused on keeping the vehicle at a steady speed as he drove smoothly onward.

Fortunately, the place where the Cat Demon had appeared was not far from Sanshun Town. Only a few kilometers remained.

In less than ten minutes, the bus arrived directly outside the courtyard of Li Pin's home.

Once Li Pin got off, everyone on the bus followed him down and bowed to him in heartfelt gratitude.

They all knew that if Li Pin had not happened to be on the bus this time, more than half of the dozen or so passengers would have perished.

Li Pin waved his hand, signaling for them to leave.

Watching the still-shaken crowd board the bus and depart, he somewhat understood why martial artists held such status in this world.

Why the martial path flourished throughout the nations of Gaia.

When firearms were terribly inefficient, and becoming a Star Refiner depended entirely on "talent" and was a one-in-ten-thousand chance...

Practicing martial arts...

Naturally became their only straw to clutch for self-rescue and self-preservation.