After that, Lin Qing traveled alone for nearly six days.
During those six days, he crossed the wilderness on the outskirts of the Ancient Baleful Battlefield alone, traveling by day, lying low at night, hunting Baleful Fiends, and tempering his body.
With no companions beside him, he felt freer. He could go or stop whenever he pleased. Every decision was his.
He moved much faster, and his efforts grew more efficient.
In just six days, he had pushed nearly five thousand li into the outer region.
During that time, he killed three lone Mid Baleful Fiends and twenty-two Lower Baleful Fiends.
Every battle tempered him.
When he encountered the first Mid Baleful Fiend, he had to circle it for a long time before finding an opening for a killing blow.
By the second, his blade had grown faster, and he had become more familiar with the ways Mid Baleful Fiends attacked.
By the third, the creature could not even last fifteen minutes before he sent its head flying with a slash.
His talent for combat was steadily being drawn out.
After every fight with a Baleful Fiend, he reviewed each detail, considered where he had fallen short, and studied the patterns behind its attacks.
He discovered that although Mid Baleful Fiends were far stronger than Lower Baleful Fiends, their attacks left traces to follow. Before each strike, their bodies gave some sign: a slight twitch of the shoulder or a red glow coursing through the dark crimson markings on their skin.
For a human Martial Saint, such tiny movements might be deliberate feints. For Baleful Fiends, they were instincts carved into their bones, impossible to change.
Once he grasped those patterns, his combat efficiency rose sharply.
He could even tell which part of his body a Baleful Fiend would target