Bountiful Harvest!

Seeing that the Rock-Eating Rat on the ground was barely moving, Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan still did not approach it immediately.

The two took out some items from Xiao Yang's storage space and threw them at the Rock-Eating Rat.

There were even several weapons among them.

Only after confirming that the Rock-Eating Rat truly had no strength left did the two slowly approach it.

Both remained extremely cautious.

Xiao Yang took out the spear Xiao Yan had been holding earlier.

He thrust it straight into the Rock-Eating Rat's mouth.

Although the Rock-Eating Rat's hide possessed formidable defense, its mouth was nowhere near as tough.

"Pfft!"

As Xiao Yang's spear pierced the Rock-Eating Rat's mouth, a great deal of blood immediately poured out.

Xiao Yang then stabbed toward its eye.

"Pfft!"

The next moment, a system notification sounded in his mind.

"Congratulations, Host, for killing the first-rank magical beast Rock-Eating Rat across ranks!"

"Detected that this is the Host's first first-rank kill. Reward: one hundred Origin Points!"

Hearing the system notifications, Xiao Yang's eyes filled with delight.

A hundred Origin Points!

He had not expected the first-kill reward and the cross-rank reward to stack!

Thinking of this, Xiao Yang decided that whenever possible in the future, he would obtain first-kill rewards by challenging enemies above his rank.

That was the only way to maximize his gains.

After all, under normal circumstances, killing a first-rank magical beast would only yield 1 Origin Point.

However, a first kill multiplied it tenfold, and challenging one rank above multiplied it tenfold again.

That was why Xiao Yang had received 100 Origin Points in one go!

His Origin Points had now reached 183.

Seeing that the Rock-Eating Rat was dead, Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan slowly stepped forward as well.

Because Xiao Yang still had an injury on his hand, Xiao Yan collected the materials from the Rock-Eating Rat.

The Rock-Eating Rat's fur, teeth, and claws were all valuable materials.

Together, they could sell for several hundred gold coins!

The Rock-Eating Rat could be considered a relatively valuable first-rank magical beast.

Just then, Xiao Yan suddenly let out a delighted cry.

"Brother Yang, this Rock-Eating Rat actually has a Magic Core!"

Xiao Yan held an earthy yellow Magic Core in his hand, his face full of excitement.

Generally speaking, first-rank magical beasts had a fairly low chance of possessing a Magic Core.

Only magical beasts of the third rank or higher were guaranteed to have Magic Cores.

Just as humans condensed Dou Crystals after breaking through to Da Dou Shi.

Once magical beasts broke through to the third rank, they would certainly condense Magic Cores as well.

"Not bad luck!"

"Alright, hurry up and collect the materials from the Rock-Eating Rat, then let's leave this place."

As he spoke, Xiao Yang vigilantly surveyed their surroundings.

After the Rock-Eating Rat's death, the scent of blood it released might attract other magical beasts.

Although this place could barely even be considered the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

The appearance of a Rock-Eating Rat here meant that other first-rank magical beasts could appear as well.

That was why Xiao Yang was being so careful.

Hearing Xiao Yang's words, Xiao Yan's movements sped up considerably.

Before long, he had collected all the materials from the Rock-Eating Rat.

The two brothers did not hesitate in the slightest and quickly left the area.

Several hours soon passed, and Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan finally arrived at the mountain marked on the map.

This mountain was also the tallest one they had seen in the past few days.

Xiao Yang estimated that it stood over a thousand meters above sea level.

Upon arriving here, both of them became even more cautious.

As they ventured deeper, the chances of encountering first-rank magical beasts became very high.

Thus, neither dared let down his guard in the slightest.

After all, Yao Lao would not act unless it was a critical moment.

Xiao Yang took out the map and checked it again.

The terrain around them did indeed closely match what was recorded on the map.

After roughly determining the direction, Xiao Yang glanced at Xiao Yan.

"Let's go."

Then, he took the lead in climbing the mountain.

The bloody scratches the Rock-Eating Rat had left on his hand had already scabbed over and were gradually fading.

After all, the medicinal powder he had applied back then had been refined by Yao Lao.

There were fewer trees on this mountain than on the previous ones.

However, there were many rocks here, making the climb anything but easy.

Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan had to put in considerable effort before they finally climbed up the mountain.

Perhaps their earlier bad luck had already run out.

During their climb, they did not encounter a single magical beast!

Forget magical beasts—even wild animals were nowhere to be seen!

This allowed the two to breathe a sigh of relief.

After arriving near the summit, Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan began searching around the area.

According to the map, the tomb of that Dou Emperor expert should have been somewhere near this mountaintop.

Before long, they spotted a concealed cave between several large rocks.

The moment they saw the cave, both their eyes lit up.

However, Xiao Yang remained extremely cautious.

He picked up several nearby stones and threw them into the cave first.

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

At that moment, a red figure shot out of the cave at lightning speed.

Before Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan could react, Yao Lao swiftly appeared in front of them.

Yao Lao casually swung a palm toward the front.

"Smack!"

That crimson figure was sent crashing to the ground with a single slap from Yao Lao.

Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan finally saw what the figure was.

It was actually a third-rank Crimson Flame Snake!

Seeing the Crimson Flame Snake, Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan could not help feeling lingering fear.

If it had only been the two of them, they would already have died!

They had never imagined that a third-rank magical beast would be present so close to the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range!

Yao Lao looked at the two, who were still somewhat shaken, and instructed them.

"See? During training, anything can happen."

"It's perfectly normal to encounter enemies several levels stronger than yourselves."

"If not for me, you two would already be dead."

"So no matter how careful you are during training, it can never be too much."

"Only by staying alive can you continue to grow stronger."

As he spoke, Yao Lao's tone shifted, and he said with a smile.

"Still, dealing with an opponent of this level is indeed a little too difficult for you at your current strength."

"You have already done exceptionally well in this training."

"When you encountered the Rock-Eating Rat earlier, I thought I would have to intervene."

"I never expected you two to ultimately kill it together."

"Go on. Dig out the Red-Refining Snake's Magic Core, then we'll go inside and take a look."

"I've already probed the interior with my soul power. There are no other magical beasts inside."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan obediently stepped forward and dug out the Red-Refining Snake's Magic Core.

As a third-rank magical beast, the Red-Refining Snake was guaranteed to possess a Magic Core.

While dissecting the Red-Refining Snake, Xiao Yan looked curiously at Yao Lao.

"Teacher, what realm are you actually in?"

"You killed a third-rank magical beast in a single move!"

Yao Lao gave Xiao Yan an indifferent glance.

"Anyway, even if a Dou Emperor came, I could guarantee that I could get you two out alive."

Hearing Yao Lao's words, Xiao Yan's eyes immediately lit up.