[You have eliminated an Early Spirit Gathering Realm monster, gaining 5000 Vital Energy.]
[Current Vital Energy: 6000 Cai]
Lǐ Xián glanced at it, surprised that he could gain so much Vital Energy from patrolling. He was even thinking of going outside the city to hunt monsters during his days off tomorrow and the day after.
Originally, there were no system prompts after killing monsters, but now there was one. Could it be that the system disdained to prompt for monsters with less than 5000 Vital Energy?
Táng Kūnshān hurried out and kicked the dog demon's corpse, which was as imposing as a small mountain. He asked Lǐ Xián, "How did you discover it was a monster?"
Lǐ Xián replied, "I sensed something unusual about this black dog's aura and decided to test it out. I never expected to be right. It was a dog demon that had shrunk its body and was deliberately approaching the Tang Family to gather information."
Táng Kūnshān's expression turned grim. He nodded and said, "Fortunately, you found it. Otherwise, if this dog demon had entered the Tang Family residence to kill people, we might all have been kept in the dark. This incident might have been deliberately orchestrated, and we must report it to the Patriarch."
"By the way, what is your Cultivation/Level?"
Lǐ Xián lowered his voice, "I'd like to conceal my strength. Just say I'm in the Late Spirit Gathering Realm."
Táng Kūnshān glanced at the other three and said, "Alright, I understand what you mean."
"Hey! Come over here and help deal with the dog demon's corpse," Táng Kūnshān called to the other three.
At this moment, the five members of another patrol team happened to arrive and, seeing the scene, quickly came over to inquire.
"Lǐ Xián discovered this monster and attacked, killing the dog demon. This dog demon's strength had probably reached the Late Spirit Gathering Realm or even Peak Spirit Gathering Realm."
"Lǐ Xián's foresight is truly remarkable. We all thought this black dog was an ordinary hound and almost overlooked it, but he noticed its unusual nature."
"Indeed! Lǐ Xián killed it with a single strike. His Cultivation/Level must be in the Late Spirit Gathering Realm or Peak Spirit Gathering Realm, right?"
"Who would have thought! Lǐ Xián, you've been hiding your strength."
The other three added fuel to the fire with their descriptions, which left the five members of the other team stunned. They looked at Lǐ Xián as if they were meeting him for the first time.
Táng Kūnshān said, "Lǐ Xián's Cultivation/Level is in the Late Spirit Gathering Realm. From now on, you don't need to worry about him holding us back."
As the captain, Táng Kūnshān's words were always trusted by everyone, so no one doubted the authenticity of Lǐ Xián's Cultivation/Level.
"Lǐ Xián, wasn't your Cultivation/Level in the Early Spirit Gathering Realm? How did it suddenly become Late?" someone asked.
"I never said my Cultivation/Level was in the Early Spirit Gathering Realm; you just assumed it was," Lǐ Xián replied.
On second thought, everyone realized that Lǐ Xián rarely spoke. He had only recently joined and hadn't truly mingled with them. Moreover, he was the youngest among the ten, only seventeen years old, so they had subconsciously assumed he was in the Early Spirit Gathering Realm.
Táng Kūnshān said, "It was my misunderstanding of Lǐ Xián that led to everyone else's misunderstanding. It's fine now. With his strength, he can even kill a Peak Spirit Gathering Realm dog demon, making our patrols much safer from now on."
Táng Kūnshān felt that perhaps he had misheard something in the Hall of Stewards, and Lǐ Xián's young age made it easy for people to misunderstand.
After all, for someone his age, breaking through to the Early Spirit Gathering Realm was already quite good. Only the prodigies of great families, with the cultivation of various resources, could potentially reach the Peak Spirit Gathering Realm or even beyond the Condensing Nguyên Realm at this age.
"This was a Peak Spirit Gathering Realm dog demon?" the crowd was shocked again.
"Yes. However, Lǐ Xián only managed to kill it through a sneak attack. From now on, if you discover such a powerful monster, you must assess your own strength. If you cannot kill it, it's best to inform everyone so we can act together, to avoid getting hurt."
Everyone nodded, but a chill ran down their spines. Lǐ Xián was truly audacious. A Peak Spirit Gathering Realm monster wasn't easy to kill; only Condensing Nguyên Realm experts could do it with ease. The fact that he managed it made him seem formidable.
Lǐ Xián, however, felt that Táng Kūnshān's words had backfired. He was too inflexible and had described the monster as belonging to the Late Spirit Gathering Realm. This way, his Late Spirit Gathering Realm Cultivation/Level could kill a Late Spirit Gathering Realm monster. Killing a Peak Spirit Gathering Realm monster with a Late Spirit Gathering Realm Cultivation/Level was simply too astonishing and was definitely overdoing the display of prowess.
Unfortunately, since Táng Kūnshān had already spoken, it was difficult to backtrack and correct the story.
A few people carried the dog demon's corpse back to the Hall of Stewards. It was still late at night, but they woke up the people of the Hall of Stewards.
Táng Kūnshān stayed to liaise with the Hall of Stewards, while the others continued their patrol. Although the dog demon had been eliminated, there was no guarantee that other monsters or criminals wouldn't appear.
The Hall of Stewards was brightly lit, and the stewards did not dare to delay. They quickly summoned the Tang Family's Old Ancestor, Táng Chūnqiū, to discuss the matter.
"Old Ancestor, a Peak Spirit Gathering Realm dog demon disguised as an ordinary black dog entered our Tang Family's territory. It was definitely trying to investigate our Tang Family's secrets. Fortunately, Lǐ Xián discovered it in time and killed it," Táng Kūnshān said respectfully.
"Tell me the details of this incident," Táng Chūnqiū said with a solemn expression.
Táng Kūnshān recounted the incident in detail.
"This Lǐ Xián is the son-in-law recruited by Táng Shīyǐng?" Táng Chūnqiū asked after a moment's thought. Among the collateral descendants, he had the deepest impression of Táng Shīyǐng.
"Yes, Old Ancestor!" Táng Kūnshān replied.
"I didn't expect Táng Shīyǐng to have such good judgment. The son-in-law she recruited has such good Cultivation/Level at such a young age. Given time, he might become a mighty general for our Tang Family."
"Our Tang Family must not treat such a genius poorly. Kūnshān, teach him the Primal Chaos Returning to Truth Formula as well."
"Yes, Old Ancestor!" Táng Kūnshān was also somewhat surprised. The Primal Chaos Returning to Truth Formula was generally practiced by core members of the Tang Family, and a live-in son-in-law usually had no right to practice it. He never expected the Old Ancestor to grant Lǐ Xián special permission to practice it, indicating that the Old Ancestor valued him greatly.
Táng Kūnshān himself practiced this cultivation technique.
Of course, the Tang Family also had some core cultivation techniques that only core members could practice. Collateral descendants, unless they were exceptionally outstanding and favored by the Old Ancestor, were not qualified to practice them.
After discussing this matter, Táng Chūnqiū paced back and forth, appearing deep in thought.
After a while, Táng Chūnqiū said, "The fact that this dog demon dared to enter this area indicates it was driven by someone. Currently, the other three great families are coveting our Tang Family. It's possible that people from the three families are cooperating with monsters, intending to annex our Tang Family."
"In the future, more monsters may come. Kūnshān, you must increase surveillance during patrols. Once any wild beasts or livestock appear in the Tang Family's territory, regardless of whether they are monsters or not, capture them first to prevent any from slipping through the net."
Táng Kūnshān's expression became serious. "Yes, I will strictly follow the Old Ancestor's instructions!"
Táng Kūnshān discussed the matter for a while longer before leaving the Hall of Stewards. He found Lǐ Xián and the others who were on patrol and relayed the Old Ancestor's reward to Lǐ Xián, additionally granting him three hundred taels of silver.
Hearing this, the other three members of his group were envious. Especially the Tang Family's secret art, which was a priceless treasure that outsiders could not learn, only Tang Family members could.
Lǐ Xián was also lucky to have married into the Tang Family and, by making such a great contribution by killing the dog demon this time, he was bestowed with the Tang Family's secret art.