Hunting Map, Acting Alone

An off-road vehicle and two heavy trucks swept past the high walls.

Beyond the walls lay the encampment of the Military Department martial artists, stationed there to fend off the beast hordes that could attack the city at any moment.

As Jiang Li looked at those Military Department martial artists, he could not help frowning.

Compared with the peace and comfort of Earth, this world was practically a battlefield in troubled times.

"Young man, you're Jiang Li, right?" The driver was a kind old fellow, and he asked with a cheerful smile.

"Mm." Jiang Li nodded lightly.

"Don't blame them. Hunting squads were a line of work where people risked their lives. A student like you, who had never taken part in a hunt before, suddenly joining the squad—they were bound to feel some resentment."

"After all, one more person meant one more mouth dipping into the same bowl, and they would have to look after you too."

Jiang Li replied blandly, "Look after me? They should just make sure they don't hold me back."

The driver uncle was stunned by Jiang Li's words, then burst into laughter.

"Being young is wonderful!"

The two chatted for a while. The driver was called Wang Hai. Though he had little talent for martial arts, he had joined hunting squads in his youth and was fairly experienced.

He gave Jiang Li a map marked with the ranges where beasts ran rampant.

"Once you leave Beihe City by the official road, you'll be in the wilderness."

"The outskirts of Beihe City are divided into three regions: low-level, intermediate, and dangerous."

"The beasts in the low-level and intermediate regions have all strayed out from the dangerous regions, so they're generally easier to deal with."

"Never go near a dangerous region. Even the Military Department can't clear them out. An ordinary hunting squad going in would be no different from marching to its death."

Knowing Jiang Li was a newcomer, Wang Hai explained everything with great care.

"According to Military Department reports, the closest dangerous region to Beihe City is Tianhe Town. There's a Fifth Grade Grandmaster-level Beast King inside."

"The other dangerous region is farther away—Langjun Mountain, over three hundred kilometers out. It's said there are two Fifth Grade Grandmaster-level Beast Kings there."

"Who knows when the Military Department will be able to wipe out those two dangerous regions? Then Beihe City wouldn't have to worry about beasts attacking the city anymore."

A Fifth Grade Beast King!?

Jiang Li's expression tightened. Beast Kings were not ranked by grade; they were usually extraordinarily powerful packs or individuals.

A Beast King's strength might not match the demons Yun Fei had described, but it far surpassed ordinary beasts. Moreover, Beast Kings lived far longer than ordinary beasts.

As they chatted, the off-road vehicle ahead suddenly stopped, and Wang Hai hit the brakes as well.

"Nanhe Town is up ahead, a low-level region. Old Wang, Old Han, same as always—you two wait here."

"This time, we might move closer to the intermediate region and hunt some Eighth Grade beasts. We'll contact you once we've got a haul."

Captain Chu Dongyang got out of the vehicle and spoke to the two drivers from the transport team.

"Got it!"

They had long since formed a smooth partnership. At that moment, Jiang Li took the map Wang Hai had given him and jumped out of the vehicle.

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 over to cling to their thighs.

Jiang Li did not spare the four of them a glance either. He simply stepped forward and headed toward Nanhe Town first.

"Captain!"

One of the women, whose face bore a scar, frowned. "The direction he's heading seems to be Nanhe Town!"

"Let him go. In the wilderness, everyone was responsible for their own life and death." The man beside her, holding a spear, said coldly, "If he wants to court death, what can we do?"

"Better if he dies. That's one less person to split the money with."

"It may be difficult to explain things to the director," said the last man, who was somewhat older.

Chu Dongyang remained indifferent, with no intention of calling Jiang Li back. "People came out here to risk their lives. Who did they need to explain themselves to?"

"It won't be long before he comes back on his own. The most annoying ones are those self-righteous fools."

Meanwhile, Jiang Li had already begun moving at high speed.

The place where they had parked was not far from Nanyang Town. There had once been towering buildings here, but now it had become a field of ruins.

Modern civilization had reverted to the primitive. Forests, vines, moss, and animal skeletons stretched out beyond Nanyang Town.

Before long, Jiang Li encountered his first beast.

It was a Ninth Grade beast, wandering outside Nanyang Town. It was not as massive as the ones he had seen at the Beast Fighting Arena.

The beasts in the Beast Fighting Arena had been specially selected for their visually shocking effect.

In truth, wild beasts came in all shapes and sizes. Some were large, some small; they could not be lumped together.

The Ninth Grade beast before him was a Tusk Dog. Its fangs jutted outward, it loved feeding on carrion and corpses, and it was agile with a keen sense of smell.

The knowledge from his textbooks quickly surfaced in his mind. Sure enough, the Tusk Dog's nose twitched, and it suddenly looked toward Jiang Li, letting out low growls.

Drool dripped incessantly beneath its fangs.

The next instant, the Tusk Dog lunged straight at Jiang Li. A distance of over twenty meters was no more than a few breaths away.

Pfft!

Jiang Li brought his saber down and cleanly severed the Tusk Dog's head.

Not a drop of blood stained the Black Horizontal Saber.

[Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 9]

"This Lifespan is far too little. Oh well, better than nothing." Jiang Li was somewhat dissatisfied. He raised a hand, cut open the Tusk Dog's chest, and removed a dark-red crystal the size of a walnut.

It was a Beast Core. This one was worth roughly five thousand to ten thousand.

Jiang Li set off again toward Nanyang Town.

Suddenly, Jiang Li frowned as he noticed that more than one beast had appeared ahead.

They were all Tusk Dogs, around twelve of them, as if they had caught some scent.

So that was it. They smelled the blood and came over?

Jiang Li looked at the twelve Tusk Dogs closing in around him and understood after a moment's thought.

He could consume Lifespan to improve his cultivation methods and martial arts, but he lacked combat experience, especially experience fighting beasts.

Fortunately, his usual strength was that of an Eighth Grade martial artist. If an ordinary Ninth Grade martial artist faced these twelve Tusk Dogs, they might not even be able to escape.

Unless one's martial arts had reached great mastery, a beast's speed and stamina surpassed those of a martial artist at the same level.

Yet, facing the encirclement of those twelve Tusk Dogs, Jiang Li's lips curved into a faint smile.

"Perfect timing!"

As his voice fell, the twelve Tusk Dogs were still staring at Jiang Li when he charged straight at them.

The Tusk Dogs all seemed to freeze for a moment, as though it was their first time seeing a human this bold.

A tearing whistle rang through the air, like a streak of lightning flashing past the twelve Tusk Dogs.

When Jiang Li appeared again, all twelve Tusk Dogs were already lying on the ground.

Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber!

After taking out the Beast Cores, Jiang Li still did not deal with the bloodstains and headed straight for Nanyang Town.

Before him, lines of text appeared once more in the Yellow Book.

[Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 10]

[Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 9]

[Beast slain. Lifespan gained: 11]

...

[Cultivatable Lifespan]: 707