God of Qi Refining

The Wolf King charging toward them was practically solidifying its demonic aura, its ferocity overwhelming.

For an ordinary modern person facing a Wolf King charging at full speed, being able to keep their legs from trembling already made them a hero among men. At least, Chen Qiu found his breathing growing rapid beyond his control.

His body trembled slightly.

An indescribable terror surged into his heart. His mind became exceptionally hazy, and everything around him seemed to slow down.

Just then—

"ROAR!!!"

With a howl, the Wolf King burst from the forest, carrying astonishing momentum as it charged straight at Chen Qiu. Perhaps because Chen Qiu had killed too many wolf demons, the Wolf King had locked directly onto him.

"Freeze!"

Fat Dragon pulled a talisman from his robes. As spiritual energy flowed into it, the talisman instantly ignited and shot into the Wolf King's body. The Wolf King's movements visibly slowed.

"Sever!"

Fat Dragon drew another talisman. Once it ignited, a blade of spiritual energy appeared out of thin air and slashed straight at the Wolf King. As blood sprayed, a horrific wound deep enough to expose bone opened across the Wolf King's back, blood gushing from it without end.

Without giving the Wolf King much time to react, Fat Dragon roared to bolster himself, raised the longsword in his hand, and charged forward, driving it deep into the wound. The intense pain made the Wolf King howl and struggle wildly.

Fortunately, it was only a Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm demon beast.

Other than its body being stronger than theirs,

it knew no spells.

Its fighting style was still that of a beast, relying on the strength of its body to fight desperately.

Chen Qiu did not remain idle either. He immediately circled around to the other side, and he and Fat Dragon attacked from two directions, trapping the Wolf King between them in a mobile siege. The heavily wounded Wolf King had already begun to think of retreating, but it was too late!

Neither of them attacked with full force.

They conserved their strength. Whichever one the Wolf King attacked would immediately pull away, never giving it a chance to touch them, while the other took the opportunity to close in and harass it.

Several breaths later.

"Rip!"

When the Wolf King finally began moving slower and slower from excessive blood loss, Fat Dragon pulled back and signaled for Chen Qiu to advance. Chen Qiu did not waste any time. He strode to the Wolf King's side and brought his firewood-chopping blade down with all his strength, chopping directly into the Wolf King's neck.

Even after suffering such a fatal blow,

the Wolf King did not die on the spot. Instead, as though returning to life for one last flash, it struggled even more violently.

The blade was lodged in its neck and could not be pulled free for the moment. Chen Qiu simply threw his whole body onto the Wolf King, focused all his strength on the handle, and drove the blade deeper into its neck.

Finally,

the Wolf King's body gradually stiffened. It stopped struggling completely and ceased breathing.

A Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm demon beast had perished just like that!

"Damn."

Once the battle ended, Fat Dragon, who had been full of vigor moments ago, suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion rise from the depths of his heart. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. Looking at the blood all over his clothes, he stared dazedly at the Wolf King's corpse before him.

The Wolf King's silver-white fur had now been completely dyed red.

The demonic aura around its body was slowly dissipating.

Its pupils had begun to lose focus. Every sign showed that this Wolf King, which had been so imposing just moments ago, was truly dead—and they had killed it.

"Am I really that amazing?"

Fat Dragon lowered his head in a daze and looked at his hands. He had never imagined that he could personally kill a Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm demon beast. At the same cultivation realm, demon beasts were often stronger than cultivators, especially since he had neither cultivation techniques nor magical treasures. His strength should have been slightly inferior.

But now, it seemed—

he needed to reevaluate his own strength.

A Sixth Level of the Qi Refining Realm demon beast was nothing much after all!

Chen Qiu was also panting heavily as he dropped onto the grass. The firewood-chopping blade that had accompanied him for over thirty days was still embedded in the Wolf King's neck, and he had not pulled it out. He checked his body. He had quite a few injuries, but none were serious.

Most of them were bruises.

Only his abdomen bore the mark of a wolf's claw, blood seeping from it continuously with a faint sting.

After reaching the Second Level of the Qi Refining Realm, among the three random traits, he had chosen the Green Trait "Delayed Foundation Establishment." The first two traits had not been very useful to him. He had no plans to refine pills, so he did not need that alchemy trait.

Though he actually quite liked the trait "Seize the Initiative," since it meant that when he entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in the future, he could act ahead of time. Whether setting traps or snatching rewards first, it would be extremely useful.

But in comparison, he still felt that "Delayed Foundation Establishment" suited him better. It was equivalent to giving him two additional traits, while also increasing his chances of succeeding in Foundation Establishment. Not bad.

Just then—

A faint ball of light floated from the Wolf King's corpse and merged into Chen Qiu's body. He immediately felt warmth spread through him, and even the pain eased considerably. When he looked inward once more, just as expected!

A text panel shrouded in clouds and mist appeared within his body again.

"Your cultivation has greatly increased. You have officially entered the Third Level of the Qi Refining Realm."

"Due to the trait 'Rise at Every Step,' this cultivation breakthrough allows you to obtain another trait."

"Please choose from the three random traits below within ten breaths."

1:

"Trait Name": God of Qi Refining.

"Trait Grade": Gray.

"Trait Effect": You will permanently be unable to succeed in Foundation Establishment, but your lifespan will be extended by 500 years.

2:

"Trait Name": Yama's Personal Edict.

"Trait Grade": Gray.

"Trait Effect": You are certain to die one year from now, but for that one year, you possess Absolute Immortality.

3:

"Trait Name": Vengeful Spirit Summoning.

"Trait Grade": Green.

"Trait Effect": Creatures killed by you will become Wraiths and attach themselves to the surface of your body. You may summon them at any time to fight for you. They will possess the strength they had at their peak in life, but once summoned, they can only exist for one hour. After one hour, they will disperse between heaven and earth.

-

"..."

Chen Qiu looked at the three random traits before him. After pondering briefly, he chose the third trait, "Vengeful Spirit Summoning." There did not seem to be much to consider. The drawbacks of the first two were simply too great.

Only the third trait was a combat trait he desperately needed right now.

And it was even a skill-type trait.

So far, aside from this trait, the other random traits he had received were basically support-type or passive-type. Only this one could be actively activated.

"Fat Dragon."

After resting for a moment on the ground, Chen Qiu turned his head toward Fat Dragon beside him and said softly, "Thanks."

Honestly, that plate of pig head meat had been well worth it. Fat Dragon had helped him kill monsters, given him the Wolf King's final blow, and used up two of his only talismans. To be honest, Chen Qiu felt a little embarrassed. Without Fat Dragon, there was no way he could have reached the Third Level of the Qi Refining Realm so quickly.

"It's nothing."

Remembering the two talismans he had painstakingly saved up, Fat Dragon felt a pang of heartache, but still shook his head and forced himself to act generous. "At least our coordination was unexpectedly seamless. That's good. In this dangerous and unfamiliar world, having a teammate like you is a good thing."

What he had not told Chen Qiu was that before meeting him, he had also found several other fellow transmigrators. Those people had all risen to high positions as well. When he went over to try and get close to them, every time his warm face met a cold backside, and he was mocked mercilessly.

It was humiliating.

It was better to stay with someone whose cultivation was lower than his. At least he would not be mocked.