Lǐ Xián was wandering on a deserted street, hoping to encounter a monster in the Early Spirit Gathering Realm.
The roads in Fengyang City were numerous and well-developed, with many secluded areas. Lǐ Xián walked through five or six deserted paths but found no monsters. He encountered a few stray cats, but no notification appeared on his panel.
Lǐ Xián frowned slightly. Fortunately, his injuries had also healed when he leveled up earlier, and the pain had disappeared. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to walk this far.
Lǐ Xián started walking towards the city gate. Since there were no monsters inside the city, he decided to check outside.
However, as soon as he reached the gate, he was stopped by the guards.
"Kid, there are demons outside. It's very dangerous to go out at this hour. Are you tired of living?" a middle-aged guard said.
Lǐ Xián glanced at the sky. It was gradually getting dark. Monsters should be more active at night. If he encountered one in the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm or above, it would indeed be quite dangerous.
Moreover, the city gates would close in a while, and he wouldn't be able to get back in.
Lǐ Xián hesitated for a moment, then turned back. He decided to search inside the city first. If he couldn't find anything, he would go outside tomorrow.
Lǐ Xián continued walking on the deserted streets. For some reason, the cat demon from before managed to appear inside the city, but now it was difficult to find such a monster?
Lǐ Xián finished walking down a deserted street and planned to return. It was almost completely dark, and he might not be able to see the way back soon.
Just then, a gust of wind blew, and Lǐ Xián felt a chilling sensation that made his hair stand on end.
He looked forward and saw a stray dog. Its pair of blood-red eyes were staring at Lǐ Xián.
Lǐ Xián glanced at his panel.
[Current Monster: Dog Demon (Mid Spirit Gathering Realm)]
[Killing the Dog Demon will grant Vital Energy: 1900 Cards]
Lǐ Xián gasped. He had encountered a monster in the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm. What kind of luck was this?
Lǐ Xián then noticed that the surroundings seemed too quiet, with no barking dogs. Clearly, the dogs kept by the nearby residents had sensed the dog demon walking outside and were so frightened that they dared not make a sound. Powerful demonic beasts naturally possessed a deterrent effect on ordinary beasts.
Lǐ Xián's forehead was sweating slightly. He subtly gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand. Facing a dog demon in the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm, he was not confident that he could kill it.
According to the memories of the original owner, monsters liked to drink human blood and gnaw on human bones. Although Fengyang City had cultivators from the four great families and government constables who hunted demons, monsters would often break into Fengyang City and kill people before fleeing. The government's demon-hunting squad couldn't always catch them.
"Woof!" The dog demon barked and shot towards Lǐ Xián like an arrow. The dog demon's goal was to bite off Lǐ Xián's neck.
Lǐ Xián quickly drew his sword and thrust it at the dog demon. The dog demon twisted its body, miraculously avoiding the sword, and continued to charge at Lǐ Xián. Its speed was so fast that Lǐ Xián almost couldn't react.
Lǐ Xián hurriedly counter-attacked, and with a move from his Minor Accomplishment level Lǐ Family Swordplay, he struck directly at the dog's body, cutting a bloody gash.
"Woof, woof!" The dog demon barked ferociously, like a wolf's howl. The wound on its body pained it, but it also ignited its ferocity, and it continued to pounce on Lǐ Xián, its speed even faster than before.
Lǐ Xián quickly blocked with his sword in front of him. The dog's fangs happened to bite down on the sword body, making a loud crunching sound. Lǐ Xián seized the opportunity to twist with all his might, directly mangling the dog demon's mouth. The dog demon, howling in pain, went into a frenzy and continued to lunge.
Slash!
Lǐ Xián swung his sword with all his might, finally severing the dog's head. Dog blood gushed out. Lǐ Xián quickly dodged and leaned against a wall, unable to help himself.
Lǐ Xián felt his arms go numb and his body powerless. After a while, he recovered.
At this moment, dog barks erupted from the surroundings, fierce and loud, as if they had sensed that the dog demon was dead.
Lǐ Xián quickly left the area and headed towards the Tang Family. His objective had been achieved, and it was more important to return and improve his strength.
If he encountered a more powerful monster and couldn't resist, he might be the one to die.
[Current Vital Energy: 1950 Cards]
The panel indeed showed an increase in Vital Energy. With so much Vital Energy, his strength should be able to improve further.
Lǐ Xián took a roundabout route and, in the time it took to brew a cup of tea, returned to the Tang Family's side courtyard.
This side courtyard was rarely visited, so no one cared what he did. Lǐ Xián was content to enjoy his leisure and freedom here.
Upon entering the house, he saw a food container on the table, clearly sent over by the servants at Táng Shīyǐng's request.
Lǐ Xián felt a warmth spread through him and his stomach rumbled. He sat down and ate two steamed buns and half a roasted chicken. While the food wasn't as good as in his previous life, it was still edible.
Afterward, Lǐ Xián sat on the bed, brought up his panel, and consumed the acquired Vital Energy.
[You infused 150 Cards of Vital Energy to cultivate Lǐ Family Swordplay. You comprehended for half an hour, but gained nothing.]
[You continued to infuse 300 Cards of Vital Energy to cultivate Lǐ Family Swordplay. You practiced three hundred and fifty moves of the swordplay, gaining a vague understanding, and also reviewed the process of killing the dog demon. You benefited greatly.]
[You continued to infuse 600 Cards of Vital Energy to cultivate Lǐ Family Swordplay. You practiced five hundred and sixty moves consecutively. As you performed the final move, you finally grasped the essence of it. Your Lǐ Family Swordplay reached the Great Accomplishment realm, and your Cultivation also broke through to the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm in one go.]
[Remaining Vital Energy: 900 Cards]
Lǐ Xián felt as if his bones and muscles had undergone a transformation, with his flesh and bones containing even greater power. This was due to his advancement to the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm.
He hadn't expected that consuming 1050 Cards of Vital Energy would allow him to reach the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm. Lǐ Xián had thought he would need to consume all of it to advance.
Lǐ Xián quickly understood. It was because he had the accumulated Vital Energy from the cat demon, and the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm was not a particularly difficult stage, so the advancement was rapid.
After adjusting to the changes of the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm, Lǐ Xián began to continue improving his strength.
[You infused 300 Cards of Vital Energy to continue cultivating Lǐ Family Swordplay. You practiced three hundred moves and felt the power of the Great Accomplishment realm swordplay, but your swordplay did not improve at all.]
[You continued to infuse 600 Cards of Vital Energy into Lǐ Family Swordplay. You practiced seven hundred moves in one continuous flow, barely touching the threshold of the Perfected realm before stopping abruptly. You felt unwilling, but the lack of Vital Energy was somewhat helpless.]
[Remaining Vital Energy: 0 Cards]
Lǐ Xián felt a bit helpless. Insufficient Vital Energy meant he couldn't continue improving, and he was stuck at the threshold of the Perfected level.
At this stage, Lǐ Family Swordplay required more Vital Energy than the Great Accomplishment level.
Lǐ Xián felt the strength in his body. His strength in the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm had indeed increased somewhat, and his ability to circulate spiritual energy was also faster than before, but it was far from enough to break through to the Late stage.
He still needed to kill monsters and obtain more Vital Energy.
It was already dark outside, and Lǐ Xián was also somewhat tired, so he lay down to sleep.
Now that his Cultivation had reached the Mid Spirit Gathering Realm, he didn't have to worry about the casino owner coming to collect his debt. However, such casinos usually had backing forces, otherwise, they couldn't establish themselves in Fengyang City.
Therefore, Lǐ Xián's only worry was whether the backing forces of the casino owner would retaliate if he dealt with the owner. If that were the case, his current strength might not be enough to resist.