Lǐ Xián sat on the ground and rested for a moment. He had unleashed his full power in that sword strike just now, leaving his limbs numb and about 70% of his spiritual energy depleted. Fortunately, slaughtering the late-stage Spirit Gathering wolf demon was a huge profit, earning him 4500 Qi and Blood points.
[You injected 200 Qi and Blood points to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Condensing Origin Art. You circulated the art for twenty-six cycles, fully restoring your spiritual energy. You recalled the sword strike that killed the wolf demon and gained some insights.]
[You continued to inject 500 Qi and Blood points to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Condensing Origin Art. You circulated the art for seventy-two cycles and touched the threshold of the perfect level. You wished to break through in one go, but it ended abruptly, and you were so dejected you almost spat blood.]
[You continued to inject 500 Qi and Blood points to cultivate. When the Dragon Elephant Condensing Origin Art reached thirty-six cycles, you finally broke through to the perfect level. You were overjoyed and continued to increase your efforts, solidifying the perfect level realm.]
[Current remaining Qi and Blood: 3300 points]
The Dragon Elephant Condensing Origin Art had reached the perfect level, but he hadn't broken through to the late stage of the Spirit Gathering realm. The spiritual energy required for that breakthrough likely wouldn't be condensed in a short amount of time.
However, Lǐ Xián's late-stage Spirit Gathering realm had become more stable, his spiritual energy was more potent, and it flowed through his meridians like a torrent.
The 70% spiritual energy he had consumed was fully restored.
As long as he expended more Qi and Blood to cultivate, his meridians would widen twofold and his spiritual energy would double, allowing him to step into the perfect realm of Spirit Gathering.
But Lǐ Xián worried about an unstable foundation. He had only entered the late-stage Spirit Gathering realm today. If he were to rush for the perfect realm now, although he might succeed, it would be detrimental to future advancements.
He hadn't fully adapted to the strength of the late-stage Spirit Gathering realm yet and needed more time to hone and adjust.
Taking solid steps one by one was the most stable path.
Lǐ Xián stood up and slowly walked down the mountain. He didn't go through the village but bypassed it entirely, heading over the other side of the mountain.
Lǐ Xián soon returned to Fengyang City. His trip outside the city today was not in vain; he had achieved exactly what he wanted.
Lǐ Xián walked through secluded streets, avoiding encounters with the casino boss. While his current strength meant he no longer feared Brother Leopard, the people behind him still made Lǐ Xián wary. If a conflict arose, his late-stage Spirit Gathering realm strength might not be enough to handle it completely.
As the saying goes, a good man can't fight with his bare fists, and bare fists are no match for four hands.
Lǐ Xián walked on, lost in thought.
"Stop!"
A stern voice suddenly reached Lǐ Xián's ears. He turned to see Brother Leopard leading over a dozen men, rushing towards him from a side street.
The quiet street instantly erupted into chaos with the arrival of these men. Pedestrians quickly moved aside, watching the formidable group with surprise and unease.
Lǐ Xián stopped. Since these people were here to intercept him, they wouldn't back down easily.
"Lǐ Xián, you brat! You dare to leave the city? You haven't paid me back, and you think you can escape by leaving Fengyang City?" Brother Leopard said.
Brother Leopard waved his hand, and his dozen subordinates surrounded Lǐ Xián.
"You stinking brat, 500 taels of silver have already become 600 taels. Debts must be paid. How long do you intend to delay?" Brother Leopard stared at Lǐ Xián with a fake smile.
Lǐ Xián frowned and said, "Brother Leopard, your casino deliberately cheated, causing me to fall into your trap and incur a huge debt of 500 taels. Do you really think I'm going to pay it back?"
"Brat, you're saying our casino cheated? Do you have any proof? If you can provide proof, I can let you off the hook. Otherwise, you're deliberately slandering us and damaging the reputation of my casino. Brother Leopard will break both your legs today as a warning to others! See who dares to speak to me like this again!" Brother Leopard roared angrily.
Lǐ Xián calmly replied, "I have no proof. The vast amount of money I lost is proof in itself!"
Brother Leopard burst into laughter out of anger. "Good! You yourself are the proof, and you dare not repay your debt? Today, Brother Leopard will tear this proof to shreds!"
"Go! Break both his legs and drag him back to the Tang Family to collect the debt! If the Tang Family refuses to intervene, chop him up and feed him to the dogs!"
"Yes!" the dozen lackeys shouted in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized. They rubbed their hands together and charged at Lǐ Xián, each striking fiercely, afraid of being too slow.
Lǐ Xián's sword remained unsheathed as he quickly swept it towards these men, his powerful force sending them flying one by one.
Bang! Bang! Bang...
A dozen men instantly fell to the ground, screaming. Their limbs were broken, and they writhed in pain.
Brother Leopard gasped. In just one day, this brat had become so powerful? Was this still the Lǐ Xián they had beaten half to death yesterday morning?
Brother Leopard paid no mind to the fate of his subordinates. He clapped his hands and said with a fake smile, "Impressive! Truly impressive! I didn't expect you, as the Tang Family's live-in son-in-law, to actually be useful. Did you rely on the Tang Family's resources to forcibly break through to the early stage of the Spirit Gathering realm? No wonder you don't take Brother Leopard's words seriously, and no wonder you dare to default on your debt. You have enough confidence to deal with me, Brother Leopard?"
"But, haven't you heard others talk about my true cultivation? For Brother Leopard to kill you is as easy as slapping you!"
As he spoke, Brother Leopard ignored the iron sword in Lǐ Xián's hand and slapped out. The palm strike was powerful, as fast as lightning, unleashing the strength of the mid-stage Spirit Gathering realm.
This Brother Leopard's favorite pastime was boasting to gamblers at the casino about his profound cultivation, boasting that he had achieved the mid-stage Spirit Gathering realm and had become a martial arts expert.
The original owner had heard him boast many times and felt nothing but envy and jealousy.
Now that Lǐ Xián himself was in the late-stage Spirit Gathering realm, there was nothing to envy or be jealous of.
Indeed, the gap between ordinary people and cultivators was immense. Ordinary people's lives were in the hands of cultivators when facing them.
Lǐ Xián's unsheathed iron sword met the incoming palm strike. "Bang!"
The powerful surge of energy forced Brother Leopard back more than ten steps. He looked at Lǐ Xián with surprise. His palm strike had been blocked? The opponent's strength was not weaker than his own?
This was absolutely impossible! He had beaten the kid half to death yesterday, and today he had the strength to deal with him? This was simply unbelievable!
Moreover, it was impossible for someone to jump from being an ordinary person to the mid-stage Spirit Gathering realm overnight. Only prodigies from major families in the capital could achieve such a feat. Lǐ Xián was already seventeen or eighteen years old, with no background or resources, and his aptitude seemed ordinary. How could he achieve this?
Brother Leopard stared at Lǐ Xián and sneered, "Brat, you've become so powerful? I truly didn't expect it! How did you manage to become a mid-stage Spirit Gathering realm cultivator overnight from being an ordinary person?"
Brother Leopard wanted to know Lǐ Xián's secret. If this guy had stumbled upon a stroke of luck and found some rare treasure, it was possible he could directly advance to the mid-stage Spirit Gathering realm.
"Why should I tell you?" Lǐ Xián asked calmly.
Brother Leopard became even more convinced that Lǐ Xián had obtained some rare treasure; otherwise, he couldn't have become so powerful overnight. One must realize that breaking through from an ordinary person to the early stage of the Spirit Gathering realm was like crossing an insurmountable chasm. For every ten thousand ordinary people, one achieving this would be incredibly lucky.
Brother Leopard himself had been lucky, being noticed by someone from a family, who bestowed him some precious medicine and a cultivation technique. He had cultivated for more than ten years to reach his current mid-stage Spirit Gathering realm cultivation. During this time, he had endured countless hardships to become who he was today.
"As long as you tell me your secret, I can waive your 500 taels of silver!" Brother Leopard said.
"Who said I was going to repay this silver? I never intended to pay it back!" Lǐ Xián retorted.
Brother Leopard's face instantly froze.