Near the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Qingshan Town
Xiao Li carried the Thunder Scale Spear, lightning gathered into its shaft, and wore a cautious expression.
Most people in Qingshan Town wore armor and carried long sabers at their waists. Countless others had long spears or heavy swords strapped to their backs, so Xiao Li's getup didn't stand out.
Only his slightly youthful face drew some attention.
"Boss, that kid..."
A shifty-eyed man pointed at Xiao Li, signaling to his companion to look.
The man they called Boss turned his head. He eyed the Thunder Scale Spear on Xiao Li's back and narrowed his eyes.
"That purple-black spear looks pretty good. My weapon broke the last time I went into the mountains, too."
The shifty-eyed man chuckled. "Then we..."
"Take him out!"
Hearing footsteps behind him, Xiao Li's expression sharpened. He glanced at the goods on a nearby vendor's stall.
Among the wares, a bronze mirror reflected the scene behind him.
Two sneaky-looking men held merchandise in their hands, but their eyes were fixed on him.
Xiao Li pretended not to notice. After walking a few steps, he turned into a narrow alley.
At the end of the dark alley, Xiao Li turned to face the men following him.
"You two have been following me. What do you want?" Xiao Li said coldly.
The two men seemed surprised he had noticed them, but they didn't ask any questions. Their sneers only grew wider.
"You knew we were following you, yet you still walked into this alley. Should I call you brave or stupid?" the man in the lead sneered.
Hearing this, Xiao Li remained calm. "Do you really think I'd come in here without making any preparations?"
A strange smile appeared on Xiao Li's face. Before the two men could react, he shouted, "Attack!"
The two men were startled and hurriedly looked around. Had they run into someone trying to rob them instead?!
The instant Xiao Li shouted, the spear on his back was already sweeping out. Dazzling lightning streaked across the pitch-black alley, and the sky above flashed purple.
The only Dou Technique Xiao Li knew was a high Yellow-Tier Dou Technique: Lightning Flash Strike.
The Xiao Clan's highest-tier Lightning Attribute Dou Qi technique, renowned for its speed.
Looking at the two bodies sprawled on the ground, Xiao Li took the coins from their pockets and gave a cold snort.
"Two fools. You're only Three- or Four-Star Dou Zhe, yet you think you can rob people? There was no ambush. I was bluffing."
Seeing the charred lightning marks on the bodies, Xiao Li frowned. His cultivation method and Dou Technique were both only high Yellow Tier. That was fine in a small place like Qingshan Town, but they'd be pretty useless later. It seemed he'd have to start looking for better Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills.
It wasn't that Xiao Zhan didn't want to give him better Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills. It was just that Xiao Li possessed the rare Lightning Attribute Dou Qi, and the highest-tier techniques the Xiao Clan had to match it were high Yellow Tier.
The Thunder Derivation Art for cultivation, and Lightning Flash Strike for combat. That was it. Pathetic, really.
The only thing Xiao Li could think of for now was the Earth Tier Cultivation Method and Dou Technique Xiao Li had obtained in the Black-Corner Region in the original story. But going after them now was obviously unrealistic; he'd have to take things one step at a time. If all else failed, he'd just have to hint to his third younger brother to get them from Yao Lao.
After straightening his clothes, Xiao Li walked out of the alley as if nothing had happened and headed toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He was only one step away from advancing to Dou Master, and now he wanted to search the range for resources.
If he was lucky, finding a high-tier herb might be enough to advance immediately.
Watching from the shadows as Xiao Li easily noticed and dealt with the men following him, Xiao Zhan breathed a sigh of relief.
His son was out training, after all, and Xiao Zhan couldn't help worrying. He had planned to follow him for a few days.
This wasn't like the original story, where Xiao Yan said he was going out with his teacher. Xiao Li was alone now.
Xiao Zhan had handed the clan's affairs to the Great Elder and followed him. Qingshan Town was only a day or two from Wutan City, so the trip back and forth was easy. He could keep an eye on Xiao Li for a couple of days.
Seeing Xiao Li head toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Zhan cursed under his breath. Even he didn't dare venture far into that place, yet the brat was bold enough to go.
Without hesitation, Xiao Zhan hurried after him.
At the entrance to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Li ignored the mercenary groups recruiting members and walked in alone.
The strongest person in Qingshan Town was only a Dou Master. The members of these groups were all Dou Zhe, so they were weak. Traveling in a large group would only make them more likely to attract powerful magical beasts.
Xiao Li wanted to check out the cave Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian had visited, but since he didn't know its exact location, he had to give up.
The plants in the Magical Beast Mountain Range grew thick and lush. Hidden in a tree, Xiao Zhan silently dropped the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures from his hand.
The thick book landed right in front of Xiao Li. He instinctively looked up, his spear already raised in a defensive stance.
"Your vigilance isn't good enough, Li'er, and you lack experience. In this kind of situation, you should first leave your position and change locations, not foolishly look up to see who's ambushing you."
Xiao Zhan dropped down from the tree, feigning surprise. "What a coincidence, Li'er. What brings you to the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"
Xiao Li put away his spear, looking a little exasperated, but didn't expose Xiao Zhan's well-intentioned lie.
"What a coincidence, Father," Xiao Li replied flatly.
Xiao Zhan gave a light cough, picked up the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures, and handed it to Xiao Li.
"Our Xiao Clan used to be a prominent clan in the Jia Ma Empire, after all. The book's knowledge of heavenly treasures is quite comprehensive. Take it. You should find it useful," Xiao Zhan said.
A father's love needed no words. Xiao Zhan didn't say much, but he had thoughtfully prepared everything Xiao Li might need.
Xiao Li didn't thank him. He silently accepted the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures.
"Okay."
Xiao Zhan's eyes were smiling, though his face remained expressionless. "I have things to do, so I'll head back to the clan. If you get tired out here, come home. You won't starve to death."
"Mm, sure." Xiao Li tightened his grip on the spear.
Go back?
Impossible!
Seeing Xiao Zhan here in the Magical Beast Mountain Range because he was worried about him, Xiao Li thought of his clan members, who had lived alongside him for over a decade.
Until he had the strength to stand against Yun Leng and Protector Wu when they attacked the Xiao Clan in the future, Xiao Li would never let this little danger scare him.
Xiao Zhan left. He had already followed Xiao Li for two days, the limit of what he could manage. If the Jia Lie and other clan learned that the Xiao Clan had no Da Dou Shi guarding it, they would surely seize the chance to attack. That was also why he had chosen to meet Xiao Li in person. It was enough to know his son wasn't some clueless fool.
Meanwhile, Xiao Li continued onward, searching for heavenly treasures that might be useful to him.
Amid the dense forest, Xiao Li hid in the bushes and studied the magical beast guarding the medicinal herb.
A first-tier magical beast, a Pillow Wood Marten.
Xiao Li moved around the area, checking for any other possible complications to prevent anything going wrong when he made his move.
After getting a sense of the situation, Xiao Li licked his dry lips and stared at the herb guarded by the Pillow Wood Marten, swallowing hard.
He hadn't gotten close enough to examine it, so he couldn't identify it with the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures. But the rich energy fluctuations coming from it couldn't be faked. It was definitely something good.
Suppressing his aura, he slowly crept closer to the Pillow Wood Marten. His eyes gradually turned cold.
The Pillow Wood Marten twitched its nose twice and opened its eyes in confusion, as if it had sensed something unusual.
Seeing this, Xiao Li swept his spear through the air, his full aura erupting as a purple-black light flashed.
Lightning Flash Strike!
The fierce spear shot across the dozen or so meters like a bolt of lightning.
The Pillow Wood Marten was startled, but the distance was too short for it to dodge, so it could only meet the attack head-on.
But the Pillow Wood Marten, with strength equivalent to roughly a Five-Star Dou Zhe, had no chance of stopping Xiao Li at full force and caught off guard.
The spear thrust through its soft belly, and the Pillow Wood Marten was impaled on the spearhead.
Seeing that the Pillow Wood Marten was still alive, Xiao Li swung his spear, tearing a huge gash across its belly. Its intestines and organs spilled across the ground.
After flicking the blood from the Thunder Scale Spear, Xiao Li was delighted. No wonder it was a weapon left behind by the old clan leader. Against opponents of the same tier, it was like cutting melons and chopping vegetables.
Both the two robbers from earlier and the Pillow Wood Marten had been weaker than Xiao Li. But without the Thunder Scale Spear, he would still have had to struggle to finish them off.