Xiao Yi Xian

Returning to Courtyard A-3, Lu Ze locked the door behind him and swallowed three high-grade doses of Qi Recovery Powder.

As the medicine dissolved, he began circulating the Jia Lie Family's basic cultivation technique, filling his parched meridians with pure Dou Qi.

As the Dou Qi gradually condensed into a vortex in his dantian, Lu Ze slowly felt the surging power within him.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"Break!"

Lu Ze gave a low shout. A muffled rumble came from within his body as the barrier of Two-Star Dou Zhe shattered in an instant. His presence climbed steadily before finally settling at Three-Star Dou Zhe.

"Three-Star Dou Zhe, along with the Grass Character Sword Art and the Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger. Even against a Dou Shi, I could probably put up a fight."

Lu Ze opened his eyes and picked up the Emerald Water Sword from the table. His fingertip brushed the blade, where a rice-grain-sized chip remained from slaying the Tier 2 Iron-Armored Earth Dragon yesterday.

As a high-grade Yellow Tier longsword, the Emerald Water Sword naturally struggled to withstand the Grass Character Sword Art's ultimate sharpness. It would probably break after only a few more uses.

And if he forcibly unleashed the Tier 2 sword art now, the sword would most likely shatter on the spot.

He would not receive Ya Fei's Mysterious Tier sword blank until a month later.

Until then, he needed to explore the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range and rack up Deduction Points first.

He then sheathed his sword, pushed open the door, and left.

North of Wutan City, on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Ancient trees towered into the sky in the primeval forest, and miasma hung thick. The rank odor of magical beasts mingled with the musty stench of rotting fluids in the air, enough to make one's chest feel heavy.

This was the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a true forbidden zone of death on the Dou Qi Continent.

Ferocious magical beasts, complex terrain, poisonous insects, and miasma lurked here. Even experienced Da Dou Shi mercenaries dared not let down their guard after venturing deep inside.

For most mercenaries, however, the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range were their best destination.

Lu Ze threaded through the bushes without stirring a single fallen leaf beneath his feet. This could be called a benefit of the Grass Character Sword Art.

It was in keeping with the mysteries of the Grass Character Sword Art itself: silent and soundless, killing without a trace!

A Green-Scaled Python lunged down from the canopy, its venomous fangs aimed straight at his throat.

Peak Tier 1 magical beasts, they were incredibly fast, with sharp teeth carrying deadly venom.

Without even raising his head, Lu Ze drew half a foot of the Emerald Water Sword and flicked it upward in a backhand stroke.

As a cold gleam flashed past, the Green-Scaled Python's tough scales split instantly an inch down its body.

Before its lunge had lost momentum, its body was already in two pieces. One half crashed into the fallen leaves, while the tail half remained coiled around the branch.

Its venomous fangs were only half a foot from his throat, yet they could advance no farther.

Lu Ze sheathed his sword and headed toward the next area.

[Slayed a peak Tier 1 Green-Scaled Python. Absorbed dispersed Dou Qi. Deduction Points +2]

"This is still far too inefficient. Nearly half a day, and not even twenty-one Deduction Points."

Lu Ze frowned and muttered to himself,

"Tier 1 magical beasts give far too little.

"But Tier 2 magical beasts are hard to come across. I need to find magical beasts that live in groups, like the Iron-Armored Rock Rats.

"If that really doesn't work, I'll have to venture farther into the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

He glanced at the sky and decided to advance toward the boundary between the outskirts and the central region.

Groups of peak Tier 1 and early Tier 2 magical beasts were densely scattered there.

For ordinary Three- or Four-Star Dou Zhe, the danger was endless.

At the same time, however, the rewards there multiplied.

Two hours later, in Thorny Gorge.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Explosions mingled with screams as Lu Ze stood on a distant rock overlooking the gorge.

More than a dozen Steel-Armored Rock Boars were running berserk.

Early Tier 2 earth-type magical beasts, they had thick hides and tough flesh. Ordinary blades did nothing when they struck them.

Opposite them, several gray-clad mercenaries resisted in formation.

"Damn it, the information was wrong! Why are there so many Tier 2 Rock Spiders here? Retreat!" Scarface slashed a Rock Spider back and roared hoarsely.

This was the Wolf Head Mercenary Group!

One of several mercenary groups on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Lu Ze had not intended to interfere, but Tier 2 Rock Spiders were Deduction Points delivered right to his door.

"Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger!"

He pressed his index and middle fingers together and pointed toward the center of the gorge. A hum rang out.

The air froze. A translucent phantom of a giant finger condensed out of thin air, and a gravitational field enveloped the battlefield. The Iron-Armored Rock Spiders' movements stalled, their limbs pinned to the ground, unable even to lift their heads.

Although the mercenaries were outside the Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger, its overwhelming force still crushed them to their knees. Their bones cracked under the unbearable weight.

"What kind of monster is that?" Scarface cried out.

The giant finger descended.

"Squelch!"

The sounds of bones and flesh shattering rose one after another.

More than a dozen Iron-Armored Rock Spiders and those mercenaries were crushed into pulp pressed flat against the ground.

Only an enormous finger-shaped crater several zhang deep and a pungent, bloody stench remained in the gorge.

Lu Ze leaped down from the boulder and gathered the spoils.

[Slayed Tier 2 Iron-Armored Rock Boars ×15. Absorbed dispersed earth-attribute Dou Qi. Deduction Points +30]

[Slayed Three-Star Dou Zhe ×3 and Two-Star Dou Zhe ×5. Absorbed dispersed Dou Qi. Deduction Points +12]

He had gained 42 Deduction Points, bringing his total to 62 with what he had earned earlier.

Lu Ze immediately took out medicine and hurried to replenish his Dou Qi.

Although the Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger consumed a great deal of Dou Qi, its efficiency made up for it.

He only needed to ensure that no one caught him while he was replenishing his Dou Qi.

He was about to leave and search for new prey when his nose caught a peculiar sweet fragrance mingled with the earthy odor of the soil.

One light sniff actually made the Dou Qi inside him stir faintly.

"What an overpowering medicinal fragrance. It even seems to carry a cold, sinister Poison Qi."

Lu Ze's gaze sharpened.

In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, such a peculiar fragrance signified either something extremely poisonous or some precious medicinal herb, and there was a very high chance of an accompanying magical beast.

He reined in his presence and slipped deeper into the gorge, following the fragrance.

"I still need to be extremely careful and avoid going too deep if possible."

After he passed through the gorge, a steep rock face lay ahead. Several small purple herbs grew along the cliff's edge, giving off a rich fragrance.

At the edge of the cliff, a white-clad girl sat collapsed on the ground.

She looked about fifteen or sixteen, with skin fairer than snow and features as lovely as a painting, possessing an ethereal air untouched by the mortal world.

At that moment, however, her face was pale, a trickle of black blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and her clear eyes were filled with pain and struggle.

Three blood-covered remnants of the Wolf Head mercenaries were slowly approaching with weapons in hand.

They were not the group from the gorge earlier, but their clothes were of the same design.

"Little beauty, run! Why aren't you running anymore?"

The one-eyed man licked his lips, sweeping his gaze over the girl's figure beneath her loose white clothes.

"That Purple-Leaf Companion Demon Grass belonged to us. You actually picked it, and now you're poisoned. Why not come back with us obediently? We might even spare your life."

The girl bit her lower lip hard, her hands clutching the dirt.

She was Xiao Yi Xian, an herb gatherer from Ten Thousand Demons House. Today, she had discovered an extremely rare stalk of Purple-Leaf Companion Demon Grass beside the cliff.

But just as she picked it, she inhaled a breath of the escaping Poison Qi.

The Poison Qi triggered the strange toxins lurking within her body, actually sealing off her Dou Qi and ravenously devouring her vitality.

To think she would die here today!

The girl closed her eyes in despair:

"Y-you... stay away!"

Xiao Yi Xian's voice trembled as she picked up a stone and held it in front of her chest.

"Refusing the offered wine, only to drink the wine of punishment! Brothers, tie her up for me."

The one-eyed man gave a lecherous laugh and reached for her shoulder.

A soft sound like tearing silk rang out.

The one-eyed man's hand remained suspended in midair.

But the line of blood across his neck had already burst open completely. He toppled stiffly, his eyes wide, as though time had slowed.

He saw himself spinning through the air, sky and earth whirling around him. In the end, all he saw was a sideways world.