Green Mountain Town

Near the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Green Mountain Town.

Xiao Li carried the Thunder Scale Spear, its lightning energy retracted into the shaft, his expression cautious.

Most people in Green Mountain Town wore armor, with long blades strapped to their waists and countless others carrying long spears or heavy swords on their backs; Xiao Li's attire was hardly eye-catching.

It was only Xiao Li's slightly youthful face that drew some attention.

"Big Brother, that kid..."

A man with a shifty, rat-like appearance pointed at Xiao Li, signaling his companion to look.

The man addressed as Big Brother turned his head, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the Thunder Scale Spear on Xiao Li's back.

"That purple-black spear looks pretty good. It just so happens my weapon broke the last time we went into the mountains."

The rat-faced man gave a sly grin. "Then should we..."

"Take him!"

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Xiao Li's expression turned sharp, and he glanced at the goods of a nearby street vendor.

Among the items, a bronze mirror reflected the scene behind him.

Two sneaky men were holding merchandise, but their eyes were fixed firmly on him.

Pretending not to notice, Xiao Li walked a few steps further before turning into a small alleyway.

At the end of the dark alley, Xiao Li turned to face those following him.

"The two of you have been tailing me—may I ask why?" Xiao Li asked coldly.

The two men behind him seemed surprised that Xiao Li had noticed, but they didn't ask questions, their sneers only deepening.

"You knew we were following you and still dared to enter this alley? Should I call you brave, or just stupid?" the leader sneered.

Hearing this, Xiao Li remained calm. "Do you two really think I would enter this place without any preparation?"

A strange smile appeared on Xiao Li's face. Before the two could react, he shouted, "Do it!"

The two were startled, hurriedly scanning their surroundings. Could it be a trap?

The moment he shouted, the long spear on Xiao Li's back was already swung out. A blinding bolt of lightning streaked across the dark alley, casting a flash of purple light against the sky above.

It was the only battle skill Xiao Li knew: the High-tier Yellow-grade battle skill, Lightning Flash Strike.

As the highest-tier lightning-attribute battle skill of the Xiao Clan, it was renowned for its speed.

Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Xiao Li swiped the coins from their bodies and snorted.

"Two idiots. Only three or four stars in the Dou Zhe realm and you dare to rob people? There was no ambush—I lied to you."

Looking at the charred lightning marks on the bodies, Xiao Li frowned. His cultivation technique and battle skill were only High-tier Yellow-grade. That was fine for a small place like Green Mountain Town, but it would be a hindrance in the future. It seemed he needed to prioritize finding better techniques.

It wasn't that Xiao Zhan didn't want to give him better ones, but as a rare lightning-attribute Dou Qi user, the highest-tier technique the Xiao Clan possessed was merely High-tier Yellow-grade.

The Thunder Derivation Art technique and the Lightning Flash Strike skill—that was it. It was truly pathetic.

The only thing Xiao Li could think of were the Earth-grade techniques and skills Xiao Li obtained in the Black-Corner Region in the original story, but it wasn't realistic to go after those now. He would have to take it one step at a time; if all else failed, he would have to hint for his third brother to get them from Yao Lao.

Straightening his clothes, he 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 the Dou Shi realm, and he needed to find resources.

If he was lucky, finding a single high-tier herb would be enough to trigger a breakthrough.

Hidden in the shadows, Xiao Zhan breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Xiao Li easily detect and dispose of his pursuers.

After all, this was his son's first time out for training; Xiao Zhan couldn't truly rest easy, so he had decided 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 currently all on his own.

Xiao Zhan had handed his duties over to the First Elder and followed him out. Green Mountain Town was only a day or two away from Wutan City, making the trip easy enough to look after Xiao Li for a couple of days.

Seeing Xiao Li head toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Zhan cursed under his breath. He didn't even dare to venture deep into that place, yet this kid was bold enough to do it.

Without hesitation, Xiao Zhan hurried to follow.

At the entrance of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Li ignored the mercenary groups recruiting members and walked in alone.

The strongest in Green Mountain Town were only at the Dou Shi level, and the members of these groups were mostly Dou Zhe with meager strength; having too many people only made it easier to attract powerful magical beasts.

Xiao Li wanted to check out the cave that Xiao Yan and the Little Fairy Doctor had visited, but he didn't know the exact location, so he had to give up on that idea.

The vegetation in the Magical Beast Mountain Range was extremely lush. Xiao Zhan, hiding in a large tree, silently tossed down the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures he was holding.

The thick book landed right in front of Xiao Li. Xiao Li instinctively looked up, his long spear already poised in a defensive stance.

"Your vigilance is lacking, Li'er, and your experience is insufficient. In a situation like this, you should leave the spot and change your position, not stand there like a fool looking up to see who is ambushing you."

Xiao Zhan dropped from the tree, feigning surprise in his eyes. "What a coincidence, Li'er. Why have you come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"

Xiao Li put away his spear, feeling somewhat speechless, but he didn't call out Xiao Zhan's well-intentioned lie.

"What a coincidence, Father," Xiao Li replied dryly.

Xiao Zhan coughed twice, picked up the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures from the ground, and handed it to Xiao Li.

"After all, our Xiao Clan was once a prominent family in the Gama Empire, and the knowledge of the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures recorded within is quite comprehensive. Take it; you should find it useful," Xiao Zhan said.

A father's love is silent. Though Xiao Zhan did not say much, he had thoughtfully prepared many things for Xiao Li.

Without saying thank you, Xiao Li silently took the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures.

"Good."

Xiao Zhan's eyes held a smile, though his face remained stoic. "I have matters to attend to, so I am returning to the clan first. If you get tired out there, just go back; you won't starve to death."

"Mm, alright." Xiao Li gripped the long spear in his hand tightly.

Go back?

Impossible!

Seeing Xiao Zhan, who had come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range out of concern for him, and thinking of the clansmen he had spent over a decade with, he felt a surge of resolve.

Until he had the strength to withstand the attacks of Yun Leng and Protector Wu against the Xiao Clan in the future, Xiao Li would never be intimidated by the dangers before him.

Xiao Zhan departed. Following Xiao Li for two days was the limit of what he could manage; once the Jia Lie Clan discovered that the Xiao Clan lacked a Great Dou Shi to hold the fort, they would surely seize the opportunity to launch an attack. This was also the reason he had taken the initiative to see Xiao Li—it was enough to know that his son was not some naive fool who understood nothing.

Meanwhile, Xiao Li continued forward, searching for the heavenly treasures he could put to use.

Deep within the dense jungle, Xiao Li hid in the shrubbery, observing the magical beast guarding the medicinal herbs.

A Rank One magical beast, a Pillow Wood Marten.

Xiao Li prowled the perimeter, scouting for any other potential variables to prevent any accidents during the upcoming operation.

Once he had a general grasp of the situation, Xiao Li licked his dry lips and swallowed hard as he stared at the herbs guarded by the Pillow Wood Marten.

Although he hadn't gotten close enough to identify them using the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures, the rich fluctuations of energy emanating from them could not be faked; they were definitely high-quality goods.

Suppressing his aura, he slowly crept closer to the Pillow Wood Marten, his gaze gradually turning icy.

The Pillow Wood Marten twitched its nose twice and opened its eyes in confusion, seemingly having sensed an unusual presence.

Seeing this, Xiao Li's long spear cut through the air, his full momentum erupting as a purple-black light flashed.

Lightning Flash Strike!

The swift long spear crossed the dozen-meter distance like a bolt of lightning.

The Pillow Wood Marten was startled, but the distance was too short to dodge, leaving it no choice but to face the blow head-on.

However, how could a Pillow Wood Marten, equivalent to only a five-star Dou Zhe, withstand a full-force strike from Xiao Li in its panicked state?

As the spear thrust forward, the Pillow Wood Marten's soft underbelly was pierced through by the Thunder Scale Spear, leaving it dangling from the spearhead.

Seeing that the Pillow Wood Marten still had a breath of life left, Xiao Li gave his spear a flick, tearing a massive gash in the beast's abdomen and spilling its intestines and organs all over the ground.

Flicking the blood off the Thunder Scale Spear, Xiao Li felt a surge of pleasant surprise. It was truly worthy of being a weapon left behind by the old clan leader; dealing with opponents of the same rank was as easy as slicing vegetables.

Whether it was the pair of highwaymen from before or this Pillow Wood Marten, although their strength was inferior to Xiao Li's, without this Thunder Scale Spear, Xiao Li would have had to expend quite a bit of effort to finish them off.