An off-road vehicle and two heavy trucks sped past the high wall.
Outside the wall stood an encampment of Military Department martial artists, stationed there to defend against Mutant Beasts that could attack the city at any moment.
Jiang Li frowned as he looked at them.
Compared with the peace of Earth, this world was a battlefield in an age of chaos.
"Young man, you're Jiang Li, right?" the driver asked with a friendly smile.
"Yeah." Jiang Li nodded.
"Don't blame them. Hunting teams put their lives on the line. When a student who's never been on a hunt suddenly joins their team, of course they'll resent it."
"After all, that's one more person to split the spoils with, and they'll have to look after you too."
"Look after me?" Jiang Li said flatly. "They'd better not hold me back."
The driver stared at him, then burst out laughing.
"Ah, to be young!"
They chatted for a while. The driver's name was Wang Hai. He had little talent for martial arts, but he had joined hunting teams when he was young and had plenty of experience.
He gave Jiang Li a map marking the areas where Mutant Beasts roamed.
"Once you leave Beihe City by the official road, you're in the wilderness."
"The outskirts of Beihe City are divided into three zones: low-level, intermediate, and dangerous."
"The Mutant Beasts in the low-level and intermediate zones have wandered out of the dangerous zones, so they're generally easier to deal with."
"Whatever you do, don't go near a dangerous zone. Even the Military Department can't clear them out. An ordinary hunting team going in would be as good as dead."
Knowing Jiang Li was new to this, Wang Hai explained everything carefully.
"According to Military Department reports, the nearest dangerous zone to Beihe City is Tianhe Town. A Fifth Grade, Grandmaster-level Beast King lives there."
"The other dangerous zone is farther away, at Langjun Mountain, over three hundred kilometers from here. They say there are two Fifth Grade, Grandmaster-level Beast Kings there."
"Who knows when the Military Department will clear those two zones? Once they do, Beihe City won't have to worry about Mutant Beasts attacking."
A Fifth Grade Beast King!?
Jiang Li's expression tightened. Beast King was not a rank; the title usually referred to an exceptionally powerful group or individual.
A Beast King might not be as strong as the monsters Yun Fei had spoken of, but it was far stronger than an ordinary Mutant Beast. Beast Kings also lived much longer.
As they talked, the off-road vehicle ahead stopped. Wang Hai stepped on the brakes too.
"Nanhe Town is just ahead. It's a low-level zone. Wang Hai, Old Han, wait here as usual."
"We might head toward the intermediate zone this time to kill some Eighth Grade Mutant Beasts. We'll contact you when we're ready to bring back the haul."
The team captain, Chu Dongyang, got out and spoke to the two transport drivers.
"You got it!"
They had worked together often enough to know the routine. Just then, Jiang Li jumped down from the truck with the map Wang Hai had given him.
Chu Dongyang and the other three glanced at Jiang Li but paid him no mind.
In their eyes, a newcomer like him would soon come running to them for help.
Jiang Li ignored all four of them. He strode straight toward Nanhe Town, taking the lead.
"Captain!"
One of the team members, a woman with a scar on her face, frowned. "It looks like he's heading into Nanhe Town!"
"Let him. In the wilderness, everyone's responsible for their own life." Another member, a man holding a spear, spoke coldly. "If he wants to get himself killed, what can we do?"
"Better if he does. One less person to split the money with."
"The director might not be too happy about that," said the last member, who was somewhat older.
Chu Dongyang's expression remained indifferent. He made no move to call Jiang Li back. "We're out here risking our lives. Who do we owe an explanation to?"
"He'll come back on his own soon enough. I can't stand people who think they know everything."
By then, Jiang Li had already picked up speed.
The place where they had parked was not far from Nanyang Town. High-rises had once stood here, but now the area was in ruins.
The modern town had been swallowed by wilderness. Trees, vines, moss, and the bones of wild animals lay outside Nanyang Town.
Before long, Jiang Li encountered his first Mutant Beast.
It was a Ninth Grade Mutant Beast wandering outside Nanyang Town, though it was nowhere near as large as the beasts he had seen in the Beast Fighting Arena.
The beasts in the Beast Fighting Arena had been specially chosen for their imposing appearance.
In reality, Mutant Beasts came in all shapes and sizes.
This one was a Tusk Dog. Its tusks curved outward, and it fed on carrion and corpses. It was agile and had a keen sense of smell.
Facts from his textbooks surfaced in Jiang Li's mind. Sure enough, the Tusk Dog's nose twitched. It whipped its head toward him and let out a low growl.
Saliva dripped from beneath its tusks.
The next instant, the Tusk Dog lunged at Jiang Li. It covered the twenty-odd meters between them in just a few breaths.
Slash!
Jiang Li brought his saber down and severed the Tusk Dog's head.
Not a drop of blood clung to the Black Horizontal Saber.
[Mutant Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 9]
"That's hardly any Lifespan. Oh well, better than nothing." Slightly dissatisfied, Jiang Li cut open the Tusk Dog's chest and took out a dark red crystal the size of a walnut.
It was a Beast Core, worth roughly five to ten thousand.
Jiang Li set off toward Nanyang Town again.
Suddenly, he frowned. More than one Mutant Beast had appeared ahead.
They were all Tusk Dogs, about twelve of them. They seemed to have caught a scent.
I see. They smelled the blood and came looking?
Jiang Li looked at the twelve Tusk Dogs closing in and quickly understood.
He could spend Lifespan to improve his cultivation techniques and martial arts, but he lacked combat experience, especially experience fighting Mutant Beasts.
Fortunately, his usual strength was at the Eighth Grade. An ordinary Ninth-Rank Martial Artist facing twelve Tusk Dogs might not even be able to escape.
Unless a martial artist had mastered a technique, a Mutant Beast of the same rank would be faster and have greater stamina.
But as the twelve Tusk Dogs surrounded Jiang Li, the corners of his mouth lifted.
"Perfect timing!"
Before the words had faded, Jiang Li charged at the twelve Tusk Dogs still watching him.
The dogs seemed to pause, as though they had never seen a human so bold.
A sharp sound cut through the air. A streak of lightning seemed to flash past the twelve Tusk Dogs.
When Jiang Li appeared again, all twelve lay on the ground.
Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber!
Jiang Li collected their Beast Cores but left the blood untouched, then headed straight for Nanyang Town.
Lines of text appeared on the Yellow Book before his eyes.
[Mutant Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 10] [Mutant Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 9] [Mutant Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 11] ... [Cultivatable Lifespan]: 707
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