Bai Yixin

The Vast Mountain Range is home to towering peaks and forests of colossal trees.

The mountains are infested with fierce beasts: giant wings that cast vast shadows, the terrifying roars of Forest-Howling Beasts that shake the heavens, and unknown venomous insects the thickness of a human forearm lurking within the shadows of the leaves...

"Little kitty, be a good boy and become my lunch!"

A child in rags, looking as if he had just escaped from a refugee camp with his black hair disheveled, stared with bright, piercing eyes at a leopard-like beast only five or six meters away, licking his lips as he spoke.

The beast looked much like a leopard, but strangely, it possessed a single horn on its head that pointed toward the sky, with black light faintly flickering at its tip.

"Roar!" The beast glared at the child with fierce, bloodthirsty eyes. The several bleeding wounds on its body did not distract it in the slightest; its claws dug deep into the grass, and one could clearly see its terrifying muscles bulging. A shocking amount of power was coiled within its car-sized frame.

A breeze stirred, picking up fallen leaves. The leaves began to swirl around the short sword in the child's hand, and an invisible current of air seemed to faintly surround the blade.

"Gale!"

A flash of light suddenly crossed the child's eyes as he stared at the Single-Horned Leopard. He swung his short sword in a phantom strike toward the beast; the leaves shattered, and a tornado roared outward.

The wind vortex moved with incredible speed, reaching the Single-Horned Leopard in the blink of an eye. Carrying leaves and gravel along its path, it had expanded to nearly ten meters in size.

"ROAR!!!"

The Single-Horned Leopard let out a roar, and a black beam shot from the horn on its head, heading straight for the oncoming vortex.

The black ray was as dark as ink; unassuming as it appeared, it pierced directly through the vortex, tearing it apart. The gale scattered, and the leaves drifted away.

The Single-Horned Leopard dodged a piece of rubble thrown by the wind and was just about to face the human who had flipped the script from prey to hunter, only to find that the child had already vanished.

Just then, a wind blade emerged silently from the canopy above the leopard's head, whistling through the air as it slashed toward the beast's skull.

The head fell to the ground, and blood sprayed ten meters away.

[Gale Sword Technique Proficiency +1]

[Experience +10]

[Money +6]

Shaking the non-existent blood off his sword, the youth sheathed it and curled his lips into a smile upon hearing the sounds in his ears.

The youth's eyes flickered slightly, and with a thought, a panel with black text on a white background appeared before him.

[Name]: Bai Yixin.

[Age]: 6/22. (6 represents current age, 22 refers to the age before rejuvenation.)

[Realm]: Qi Refining Stage 6 (399/600).

[Cultivation Method]: Wind and Rain Summoning Art Level 2 (52/100)

[Skills]: Gale Sword Technique - Minor Success (96/100), Wind Manipulation - Gale (9/10), Minor Rain-Calling Art - Entry (5/10), Breath Concealment Art - Minor Success (86/100), Minor Fireball Art - Entry (8/10).

[Experience]: 114

[Money]: 1856

[Talent]: Dao of Grinding. The Liver Emperor is all liver; when entering the "grind" state, efficiency increases exponentially over time.

"It'll probably take another two or three days of grinding to reach Qi Refining Stage 7. Once I hit Stage 7, I should be able to try sword flight. I wonder how long it will take to grind to the Foundation Establishment stage? Only after reaching Foundation Establishment and opening my sea of qi can I truly say I've stepped onto the path of immortality. Right now, I really have no sense of security!"

Bai Yixin gave a bitter laugh.

It had been a month since he arrived in this mountain range. The exotic beasts and fierce birds here were simply too powerful and terrifying; every search for food was a life-or-death challenge.

Only in the last few days had he finally been able to turn the tables slightly, improving his position in the food chain so he no longer had to tremble in fear and could hunt some of the weaker beasts.

"Where on earth did I transmigrate to?! I'd thought about transmigration before, but that was just a passing fancy. Drinking soda and playing games at home was much more comfortable than this."

Bai Yixin never expected that his habit of pulling all-nighters to read novels and grind games would actually send him to heaven, and even lead to a transmigration where his body was rejuvenated to the age of six—this "Little One" appearance.

It was truly an eye-opener!

But fortunately, like the transmigrators in novels, Bai Yixin had a golden finger.

Namely, this game panel before him.

Yes, a game panel.

Bai Yixin felt as if he were playing a VR cultivation game; personal info, inventory, shop, quests, and other functions were all present.

The Wind and Rain Summoning Art, Gale Sword Technique, and Minor Rain-Calling Art were all rewards from the beginner tutorial quests.

"Minor Rain-Calling Art."

As Bai Yixin muttered a few words, a small, delicate black cloud appeared before him.

It wasn't large, only about a meter square, dripping with a light, drizzling rain.

Expertly using the rain to clean the Single-Horned Leopard, Bai Yixin placed it over a fire he had built.

"After I finish this meal, I'll continue heading east. I need to figure out where this place is and leave as soon as possible. It would be best to find a place with people."

Bai Yixin shuddered as he recalled a night a few days ago when he was jolted awake by a pillar of black light stretching to the heavens, accompanied by a roar that left behind a basin-like crater in the earth.

Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar shook the mountains and valleys, as if a massive earthquake had struck the depths of the forest!

Bai Yixin looked up in horror, instinctively stowing the nearly-cooked leopard meat into his inventory. In an instant, he hid himself within the dense canopy above, peeking out with his large, dark, rolling eyes to observe the surroundings.

"What happened??"

Ten thousand beasts stampeded, and all the birds of prey in the surrounding mountain forests soared into the sky to flee. Were they running for their lives, or were they flocking toward something?

"I have to go take a look." After a moment of thought, Bai Yixin decided to head in the direction of the roar.

As the saying goes, wealth is found in the midst of danger.

Although it was highly probable that this roar came from some ferocious beast, making it extremely dangerous to approach, there was another way to look at it.

Perhaps someone was hunting it, and it was only letting out such a heaven-shaking roar because it was on the verge of death?

That possibility was not small.

Having spent a month crawling and struggling through this forest of unknown boundaries, Bai Yixin had learned a few animal instincts.

For instance, judging the condition of prey by its sound; although this roar was terrifying, it lacked vigor, giving Bai Yixin the impression that the creature did not have long to live.

While the accuracy was not guaranteed, it was still worth the risk for Bai Yixin to go and see.

Recently, Bai Yixin had felt a vague sense of impending doom, and this feeling of crisis had not dissipated with time; instead, it had only grown more intense.

No, he had to figure out what this place was quickly; he hoped it wasn't some kind of forbidden zone for humans.

Hiss...

He hadn't encountered a single person in a month; could this really be some forbidden land of gods and demons?!

Bai Yixin shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it further, and went to check the situation first.

"If I guessed wrong, it doesn't matter; my safety is still guaranteed." Bai Yixin glanced at the Ten Thousand Mile Trace-Free Talisman buried among the clutter in his backpack, took a deep breath, activated his Breath Concealment Art, and moved with the wind, his body light as he stepped across the leaves toward the source of the roar.