A Wrong Turn into Mist Canyon

The joy of breaking through to half-step Saint-level did not linger in Hillman's heart for long. He sat cross-legged in the center of the cave, feeling the Battle Qi surging through his body. The smile at the corners of his mouth gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

Half-step Saint-level and true Saint-level seemed only a step apart, but in reality, a vast gulf separated them. The former merely pushed ninth-level peak power to its limits, making Battle Qi more condensed and refined; the latter touched upon the Laws of the World, allowing one to guide power with intent and make Battle Qi resonate with the world. Their strength was worlds apart.

[Ding! System detected host status: Battle Qi abundant, mind stable. You now possess the foundation required to challenge a half-step Saint-level magical beast.]

[Main quest updated: Challenge a half-step Saint-level magical beast and forge a Saint-level foundation. Countdown initiated: ten days. Quest requirement: Defeat a half-step Saint-level magical beast head-on, rather than merely hunting one down. Failure penalty: Battle Qi cultivation drops by one level.]

The cold notifications rang out in his mind, and Hillman frowned slightly. Ten days was already a tight deadline, and changing the requirement from "hunt down" to "defeat head-on" sharply increased the difficulty-hunting allowed him to exploit terrain and traps, but a head-on victory demanded a direct clash of strength, leaving no room for lucky shortcuts.

He slowly stood up. As he stretched, his bones crackled, the sound more powerful than before. After his breakthrough to half-step Saint-level, his physical strength had risen another notch. Combined with his intermediate earth affinity talent, it gave him the strength to put up a fight even against a half-step Saint-level magical beast.

Hillman placed the Berserk Bear's magic core, the Earth's Heart, and the Rock Armor Giant Rhino's horn into his storage space. After extinguishing the campfire and sealing the cave, he headed deeper into the Magical Beast Forest. According to the system's notification, half-step Saint-level magical beasts mostly occupied the middle region, where the denser natural energy suited the cultivation of high-level magical beasts.

He activated his earth affinity talent, pressing his palm to the ground to sense every movement within two hundred meters. Along the way, level eight and level nine magical beasts trembled at the pressure emanating from him, not daring to stir. After four hours of traveling deeper, the fog among the trees grew thicker, reducing visibility to less than ten meters. A strange, sickly-sweet, rank scent filled the air. The sensing range of his earth affinity talent abruptly shrank to fifty meters, and the images became indistinct.

[Ding! Warning! Abnormal spatial fluctuations detected. Host has entered Mist Canyon!]

[Mist Canyon: One of the forbidden grounds in the middle region of the Magical Beast Forest. Shrouded year-round in chaos mist, with distorted space and disrupted magnetic fields, making it extremely easy to lose one's way. Numerous populations of high-level magical beasts inhabit the canyon, including Winged Bird Dragons, Green-Striped Giant Pythons, and Earth Dragons. Danger level: extremely high!]

[Key information: The canyon's overlord is the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, a ninth-level peak dragon-type magical beast recorded in the original work, with half-step Saint-level combat strength! Its entire body is covered in dark-gold scales, and sharp spines grow along its back. It possesses both dark and earth elemental energies. Its scales are impenetrable, and its claws can split mountains and shatter stone. It once fought a Saint-level Purple-Striped Black Bear to their mutual deaths. It is the undisputed king of this forbidden ground!]

[Tip: The fog inside Mist Canyon can block spiritual power and talent-based perception. Host is advised to activate Earth Shield immediately and proceed with caution!]

Hillman was deeply shaken. He had long known of the fearsome reputations of Mist Canyon and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon from the Dragonblood Secret Manual-in the original work, when Linley and Bebe wandered into this place, they too had been deeply wary of this overlord. It was only after witnessing its death match with the Purple-Striped Black Bear that they obtained dragon blood to awaken the bloodline. He had never imagined that he, too, would enter this perilous place.

Not daring to be careless, Hillman drew on thirty points of Battle Qi to form a pale earthen-yellow Earth Shield, keeping the strange fog outside. His gaze swept across the slippery cliff face, and he spotted several herbs in the cracks, their leaves glowing blue and edged with fine serrations-they were precisely the Blue Heart Grass recorded in the Dragonblood Secret Manual, a key ingredient for awakening the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline that had all but vanished from the outside world.

Just as he held his breath and reached out to pick them, a piercing cry came from the fog. The half-step Saint-level pressure it carried sent the mist churning violently. The sound of beating wings rushed through the air toward him, and the stirring currents sent the surrounding leaves flying.

[Ding! Half-step Saint-level magical beast detected-Winged Bird Dragon approaching!]

[Winged Bird Dragon: A lesser branch of dragonkind, a flying magical beast, and a vassal population of the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon. Its wingspan can reach five meters. It has sharp claws and a beak capable of tearing through rock. Speed increases by 30% in the fog! Weaknesses: Thin scales at the wing joints; vulnerable to heavy earth elemental strikes!]

[Tip: This magical beast meets the main quest's challenge requirements. Select it as the challenge target?]

Hillman's gaze sharpened. He tightened his grip on the Fine Iron Longsword and circulated his Battle Qi to its limit. "You're the one!"

The moment he spoke, a Winged Bird Dragon with a wingspan of nearly five meters burst out of the mist. Its gray-black scales gleamed coldly in the fog, and its sharp claws whistled toward Hillman's head. The strike was fast and vicious, carrying winds that nearly knocked him over.

"Bring it on!"

Hillman gave a low shout. His Earth Shield abruptly shifted across to block in front of him, while Battle Qi erupted beneath his feet. His body dropped sharply, avoiding the claws as his longsword slashed fiercely at the Winged Bird Dragon's wing joint.

Bang!

The Winged Bird Dragon's claws slammed into the Earth Shield with a shrill metallic clang. The tremendous force drove Hillman back two steps, fine cracks spreading across the ground beneath his feet. His longsword struck the wing joint with equal precision, but left only a shallow bloody mark, failing to sever the wing.

[Ding! Earth Shield sustained an attack from a half-step Saint-level magical beast. Remaining durability: 42/100!]

[Winged Bird Dragon's scale defenses detected to be strong. Ordinary earth Battle Qi will struggle to inflict serious damage!]

Having failed to land its attack, the Winged Bird Dragon let out an angry cry. It circled on beating wings, then abruptly dove, thrusting its sharp beak straight at Hillman's chest. At the same time, its long tail lashed toward his waist with a rush of wind, its assault swift and treacherous.

Hillman's pupils contracted. He threw himself sideways into a roll to evade the stabbing beak, then drove his longsword into the ground. Battle Qi poured from his body through the blade into the earth. "Earth Spike!"

Rumble!

The ground beneath the Winged Bird Dragon suddenly heaved, and three thick earth spikes burst upward, striking precisely toward its belly. The Winged Bird Dragon reacted extremely quickly, beating its wings hard to gain height, but one spike still grazed its wing, leaving a wound deep enough to expose bone. Black blood dripped onto the ground with a sizzling hiss.

The pain drove the Winged Bird Dragon into an even greater frenzy. After circling twice overhead, it suddenly spat out a Wind Blade straight at Hillman's face. The Wind Blade sliced through the air with a piercing shriek, cutting every tree in its path in half.

Hillman did not dare block it head-on. He dodged with the agility of a wildcat, then used the momentum of his evasion to push off hard and leap into the air. He poured all his remaining Battle Qi into his longsword, an earthen-yellow glow gathering at its tip. "Mountain-Shaking Art · Armor-Piercing Slash!"

His body traced an arc through the air, avoiding the Wind Blades that followed, his longsword aimed straight at the weak point at the Winged Bird Dragon's wing joint. At the sight, the Winged Bird Dragon shrieked in terror and tried to flap away, but its injured wing slowed its movements by half a beat.

Shlk!

The sharp longsword imbued with earth Battle Qi pierced the Winged Bird Dragon's wing joint without resistance. Hillman followed through with a forceful twist, completely tearing apart the scales and muscles at the joint. The Winged Bird Dragon let out a piercing wail, lost its balance, and plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily into the ground in a cloud of dust.

Hillman did not pause after landing. He closed in and unleashed several earthen-yellow Battle Qi slashes in succession, all striking the Winged Bird Dragon's wound. The Winged Bird Dragon struggled to rise, but unable to exert force through its wing, it could only roll helplessly on the ground. At last, after one mournful cry, its life faded completely.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating a half-step Saint-level magical beast head-on-Winged Bird Dragon!]

[Main quest "Challenge a half-step Saint-level magical beast and forge a Saint-level foundation" completed!]

[Received 25,000 experience points. Battle Qi permanently increased by 10 points!]

[Loot obtained: Winged Bird Dragon magic core (half-step Saint-level, wind element), dragon scales (can be forged into defensive half-Saint artifacts), Mist Pearl (maintains one's sense of direction inside Mist Canyon)!]

[Quest rewards issued: Saint-level breakthrough success rate increased by 40%. New skill unlocked: Earth Roar!]

[Earth Roar: Consumes 80 points of Battle Qi to draw upon the power of the earth and unleash a roar, stunning targets below Saint-level. Duration depends on the target's strength!]

Hillman leaned on his longsword, gasping for breath, his back already soaked in cold sweat. Defeating this Winged Bird Dragon head-on had nearly exhausted his Battle Qi, and more Winged Bird Dragon cries came from the distant mist. Clearly, others from its population were rushing over.

Just then, a long, savage dragon roar suddenly thundered from the depths of Mist Canyon!

The roar carried an overbearing pressure that looked down upon the world, making the canyon tremble slightly. The mist churned even more violently, and even the earth beneath his feet gave a low rumble.

[Ding! Highest-level warning! Spined Iron-Armored Dragon detected approaching, 600 meters from host! It has sensed the death of its vassal, and its rage has surged to its peak. Host is advised to abandon all unnecessary loot immediately and retreat at full speed!]

Hillman's expression changed drastically. The Spined Iron-Armored Dragon was an existence even Saint-level powerhouses had to fear. He was absolutely no match for it now!

Not daring to delay, he quickly put the Winged Bird Dragon's magic core, the Mist Pearl, and the Blue Heart Grass into his storage space, without even having time to gather the dragon scales. The instant he gripped the Mist Pearl, a cool sensation flowed into his mind. His blurred perception of the surroundings immediately cleared, and his sense of direction became firmly fixed.

Suppressing his entire presence, Hillman activated his earth affinity talent to blend into the ground, slipping swiftly toward the canyon's outskirts like an agile cheetah. The dragon roars behind him drew ever closer, carrying boundless fury that made his blood and Qi churn. A flight for his life had begun.