He turned his head to look and saw a Tier 1 green-colored viper.
Gazing closely, he noticed a blue floral pattern in the serpent's pupils.
Looking at the viper before him, he felt somewhat undecided.
The blue-eyed floral viper possessed venom within its beast core, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to refine.
Xie Guannan had no desire to try his luck with it casually.
However, it could be sold to poison-refining cultivators—they would certainly love it—or to the Pill Pavilion for consignment, as such beast cores could be used to refine special medicinal pills.
The main issue was that Tier 1 beasts might not even possess a beast core; what he was hesitating about was whether to strike or not.
The speed of the blue-eyed floral viper was many times that of the wolf demon, and the serpent gradually faded out of sight.
Yet this blue-eyed floral viper was extremely rare; even in his past life, Xie Guannan had rarely seen them.
He picked up his bow and arrows, as if having made a firm decision.
He was still very weak now, and therefore he would not let slip any opportunity to acquire resources.
Even the smallest mosquito is still meat.
Even a single gold coin had to be claimed! He couldn't keep relying on the family!
Now that he was older, he had to know how to bring things back to the family!
As luck would have it, the viper had not noticed him.
This was truly heaven helping Xie Guannan.
It was nighttime, after all, and this was merely a Tier 1 beast.
No matter how the viper slithered, it could not escape Xie Guannan's discerning eyes.
That Tier 2 wolf demon's exquisite dodging had been an exception.
The Black Abyss Divine Scripture operated automatically in the dark.
Double the attributes, affecting not only damage but also spiritual power.
As of now, he was at Early-stage Layer 4 Qi Condensation.
The power of this arrow was sufficient to kill a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.
For him, hunting the viper right before his eyes was effortless.
The next instant, a piercing whistle suddenly sounded.
The distance was somewhat far, and though the viper reacted,
because the arrow came from behind, it failed to react fully before being pinned to a tree trunk by the shaft.
The life force within its body suddenly dissipated.
Xie Guannan did not draw his short blade, as he was quite cautious.
He did not check whether there was a beast core inside, because the blue-eyed floral viper was highly venomous; extracting it directly might result in being contaminated by the poison.
He simply tossed both the snake and the arrow together into his storage ring,
and then departed.
He had arrived here in the dead of night, and with the moonlight appearing hazy and ethereal, very few cultivators were about.
Remaining here at night boded no good, as some beasts hunted nocturnally.
For cultivators, this could be fatal.
Not so for Xie Guannan, who could move freely through the dark.
Moreover, he could assimilate a portion of his aura with the night, achieving a certain level of concealment.
This was what had allowed him to survive in such perilous lands during his past life.
In this darkness, his vision remained exceptionally clear.
Suddenly, he came to a halt.
Was there something down below?
Xie Guannan spotted a rat demon; these creatures were generally nocturnal and, furthermore, lived in colonies!
About half the size of a person, they foraged at night for the beast carcasses discarded here by cultivators.
As rodent beasts, they ate anything, and the spiritual power in their beast cores was rather mixed, but to Xie Guannan, this mattered little.
A Tier 1 beast was certainly unlikely to have condensed one.
Then again, obtaining a Tier 1 beast core was always a matter of probability.
Yet to Xie Guannan, whether one existed or not, both outcomes were treasures.
He pulled his bow to a full moon, primed and ready, took aim, and loosed the arrow!
"Whoosh—"
The next instant, the head of the Tier 1 rat demon was pierced right through.
With a sharp crunch,
the beast core inside was shattered as well. Was it Xie Guannan's beast core that had shattered? No, it was Xie Guannan's heart breaking.
Yet just as he went down to retrieve the shattered core,
several more rat demons emerged around the dead one, causing the corners of Xie Guannan's mouth to curve upward.
This was pure joy—weren't these just delivery boys bearing gifts?
He looked around, as if searching for something.
A cave entrance two meters wide!
A rat nest!!
Wasn't this precisely what he was looking for—a place to farm experience?
Aside from the small chance of yielding beast cores, ordinary rat demons
had little use on their own, but for cultivators of the Beast Taming Sect who kept powerful beasts,
these were all good things. He could collect them and sell them to beast tamers.
He had brought plenty of arrows with him.
The family servants had stocked his storage ring to the brim.
Thus, he had not a single scruple left.
Arrow after arrow pierced the bodies of those low-tier rat demons, leaving them no chance to scurry about.
They directly turned into corpses upon the ground.
Attacking vital points yielded obvious results; conspicuous holes marked the skulls of every single rat demon.
One, two, three.
Until Xie Guannan stopped counting.
Until, deep in the night, a much larger rat demon poked its head out of the cave entrance, staring in shock at the countless rat carcasses littering the ground.
Its eyes revealed sheer terror, a sight that did not escape Xie Guannan's notice.
He knew that Tier 2 beasts possessed the rudiments of sentience; after this, these rat demons would not come out again.
He would no longer be able to farm monsters for experience. Fortunately, there were dozens of rat demon carcasses on the ground.
Having caused such massive carnage, though his strength might not match that of that Tier 2 rat demon,
he had successfully intimidated the rat colony, and for now, they dared not emerge.
He leaped down to the tree base and swiftly and cleanly extracted the beast cores from all the rat demons.
Those without cores were simply tossed straight into his storage space.
Familiar sword techniques from the past.
When he first began fleeing in his previous life, lacking sect backing or resources,
he had been forced to kill beasts in forests like this just to raise his cultivation realm. He had no idea how many beasts he had slain in his past life.
To him back then, every single beast core was immensely precious! For a very long time, he hadn't even had beast cores to aid in his cultivation.
He had been forced to cultivate using the meager spiritual qi in the surrounding air!
Ever since he gained a shred of cultivation, Xie Guannan had never stopped killing beasts!
Extracting cores had long since become second nature to him.
From dozens of rat demons, he had obtained a mere four beast cores.
"The smell of blood here is too heavy; it's bound to attract other high-tier beasts. This place is not somewhere to linger."
He turned and walked away.
A true man never looks back at his crime scene.
During the night, Xie Guannan had no need for rest.
In this dark environment, his stamina recovered quite rapidly.
He found a large tree fork and sat cross-legged.
Just as he was in the midst of refining and absorbing the rat demon cores,
the tree trunk beneath him began to shake violently.
Xie Guannan looked down and saw a high-tier Tier 2 boar, comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Xie Guannan was unsure whether the boar beneath him had discovered his presence.
Yet just as he intended to leave, the boar itself departed.
Xie Guannan looked on in puzzlement, wondering what the boar had been doing here.
He looked down further and saw that the bark of the tree had been worn completely smooth, swaying unsteadily as if about to topple over.
Well, what do you know—it had just been scratching an itch.
In his nocturnal state, his agility was far beyond what this boar could match, and Xie Guannan wore a wicked smile.
He muttered under his breath: "Since you've disturbed me, don't even think about leaving!"
Xie Guannan drew his bow from his storage ring and fired an initial casual arrow without infusing a shred of spiritual power.
Like an ordinary shot, the arrow struck the boar, causing it merely to give a light shake and adopt an air of enjoyment.
The arrow inflicted no substantial damage upon the boar before him.
This couldn't help but startle Xie Guannan, who thought to himself, "Is its hide thicker than my face?!"
In turn, the boar noticed Xie Guannan and charged at him in a fury.
Unfortunately for it, pigs couldn't climb trees.
With a resounding "boom," the entire tree crashed to the ground.
Such impact redefined Xie Guannan's understanding of Tier 2 beasts.
Were they really this savage?
He seemed to have forgotten that his own cultivation was only at Early-stage Layer 4 Qi Condensation.
Doubtless, the boar only dared act this way because his cultivation was low; had Xie Guannan been at the Foundation Establishment Stage, this boar would have had to think twice.
Fortunately, Xie Guannan was human, and this forest was entirely advantageous to him.
He could easily engage in a war of attrition.
For the boar, however, the trees were countless obstacles, and stamping its hooves in frustration at failing to reach Xie Guannan, it could only vent its anger on the trees.
Tree after tree crashed down under its trampling, while Xie Guannan darted back and forth among the canopy.
Amidst his darting movements, Xie Guannan pulled his bow to the limit.
With a "whoosh,"
the arrow plunged straight into the boar's body. Yet the beast was so massive that the tiny arrow
seemed merely like a cup of water poured into the ocean, failing to cause any major ripples.
Since the attack failed to yield results, he pulled the bow to the limit once more.
This time, he infused spiritual power.
Augmented by his cultivation method, it still only caused the Tier 2 boar minor irritation.
As luck would have it, one of the arrows struck the boar right in the eye!
This shot was agonizing indeed; not only did it lose most of its vision, but the boar was struck by a piercing pain.
Enraged, it went on a wild, indiscriminate rampage, crashing into the surrounding trees.
Yet unable to reach Xie Guannan in the tree, it could only work itself into a frenzy of impotent rage.
Under his continuous attacks, the boar gradually lost its ability to resist.
Thus, the high-tier Tier 2 boar was slowly worn to death by Xie Guannan.
Its body was riddled with a thousand holes. Had it been daytime, taking down this boar would likely have cost him considerable effort.
In the nocturnal state, however, he was truly the darling of the heavens.
Xie Guannan drew his short blade, carefully carved open the boar's skull, and extracted its beast core. The core was the size of a fist, almost too heavy to hold comfortably in his hand.
He pulled out his fired arrows one by one, returning them to his storage ring—one had to cherish resources—and tossed the boar's carcass into another storage space.
Storage spaces weren't as vast as one might imagine; a low-tier storage vessel ultimately could not hold an excessive amount of items.
After simply cleaning up the blood on the ground,
he set off.
In the outer zone of the Jianghai City Beast Forest,
Xie Guannan leaped through the forest canopy.
Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves to dapple the soil below with mottled shadows.
The aura about him was even more solid: Early-stage Qi Condensation, peak Layer 4.
After slaying the boar yesterday, he had found an uninhabited spot and refined and absorbed the four rat demon cores.
His internal aura had grown substantially thicker.
Xie Guannan's tranquility was broken by a clamor of voices.
Xie Guannan looked toward the sound.
"Little beauty, why don't you come back and warm my bed instead? How about it? That way you'll save yourself from suffering in this beast forest," said an utterly vile man with a smirk.
Those beside the man gasped in admiration, as if laying eyes upon an unprecedented delicacy,
their gazes filled with greed.
By the side of a tree lay an elderly man in luxurious garments who clearly came from an extraordinary background; multiple bloodstains marked his body, his lips were cyan, and he possessed not a shred of cultivation.
Standing beside him was a young woman.
"Why do these two look somewhat familiar? I can't quite put my finger on it!" Xie Guannan muttered to himself, as if trying to recall something.
The young woman wielded a Xuan Sword, its tip pointing straight at the ravenous crowd before her.
She possessed a tall figure and wore an elegant long dress that perfectly highlighted her curvaceous and graceful physique.
However, there were numerous tears in the dress, likely left from a previous battle.
Her cold and striking face gave one a sense of distance—she was someone to be admired from afar, not profaned.
Though the woman was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, she bore numerous wounds and her aura was exceptionally unstable,
failing even to match that of an early-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.
Though the mob before her were merely at the early-stage Qi Condensation,
it was precisely because her aura was so unstable that they dared harbor malicious intentions.
At this moment, her cold face was filled with displeasure, and traces of blood stained the corners of her mouth.
Clenching her teeth, she spoke in a stern voice: "Whoever dares take another step forward, even if I must risk my life today, I will surely leave your bodies headless and scattered!"
The lewd man licked his lips, his eyes filled with greed.
He chuckled: "Yo! Who would have thought the little beauty has such a fiery temper? I like it! Brothers, take her down for me. Once I've had my taste, the rewards for you brothers certainly won't be lacking."
"As you command, boss."
The crowd gradually closed in around the woman, their eyes filled with mockery,
as if this peerless beauty were already their plaything.
In contrast, the stunning woman's hands trembled as she held her sword, and trace tears welled up in her cold, clear eyes.
"I cannot show weakness, but what else can I do?!" Despair filled the woman's heart.
The best outcome would be to exhaust all her spiritual power to drag one enemy down with her, and then take her own life.
The worst outcome would be to suffer unspeakable humiliation at the hands of the mob before her, and finally be tortured to death!
A certain resolve settled within her.
An aura of withered desolation emanated all around her.
"The intent behind this sword technique... it seems somewhat familiar."
－013 The Ci Family Sword Technique
Fallen leaves danced through the air as the spiritual qi within her body rapidly converged toward the Xuan Sword in her hand.
She was channeling her spiritual power to execute her strongest strike.
"Withered Leaves Depart a Thousand Hues!"
"Withered Leaf Slash!"
This slash carried the desolate beauty of falling leaves; the sword light bore a sorrowful intent as it slashed toward the nearest man.
"Crap, that's the Withering Ci Sword Technique! Someone from the Ci family!" Recognizing the technique, Xie Guannan wore a look of shock. The Ci family was a major power spanning the Southern Heaven Domain—how could they be here?
In his past life, Xie Guannan had been fortunate enough to spar with Ci Cangchen, a proud prodigy of the Ci family, and he had coveted this Withering Ci Sword technique for a long time.
If he could establish a connection with the Ci family here, he could resolve many problems without the slightest effort!
Yet right now, the stunning woman's spiritual qi was nearly depleted, making it seem impossible for her to execute the subtleties of this sword technique.
Seeing the sword beam hurtle toward him, the foremost man hurriedly channeled his spiritual power and raised his sword to parry.
The spiritual qi of the Withered Leaf Slash scattered, and the man targeted merely lost an arm.
Seeing that her spiritual power had bottomed out, the surrounding crowd pressed in step by step.
The stunning woman pressed her blade against her own neck, the light in her eyes fading as she prepared to take her own life.
Just as despair consumed her,
a pebble came flying through the air.
"Clang———"
The crisp sound of stone striking metal rang clearly in everyone's ears.
The Xuan Sword in the cold, stunning woman's hand flew from her grip with a clatter.
Immediately, her beautiful eyes trembled and slowly opened.
"Could there be someone else?"
She looked in the direction from which the pebble had flown, but her clear eyes revealed an expression of utmost disgust.
It was that lewd man!
"I figured you'd try to kill yourself. We haven't even enjoyed ourselves yet—how could we let this swan that landed in our hands fly away!" The lewd man immediately put on the smug face of a villain who had won.
The woman's eyes grew even dimmer, resembling cold ashes.
She turned to look at the old man beside the tree and knelt down by his side.
Her voice choked with sobs: "Grandfather, I've failed you. I shouldn't have been so willful... It's all... it's all because of me..."
The old man seemed to sense something and struggled to raise his hand, but he lacked the strength to support it; his eyes were filled with blank confusion, and his body was tainted with substantial amounts of venom.
The woman hurriedly grasped the old man's hand tightly.
Only she could feel that the old man's hand had almost no strength left to lift.
"Sob, sob—" The stunning woman could hold on no longer, weeping uncontrollably.
"Ahem, haha, little beauty, seeing you like this actually makes my heart ache a little!" the lewd man feigned sympathy.
With utter disgust, the woman glared at the lewd man.
Everything was said without words.
Then she slowly closed her eyes and slumped over the old man's body, as if savoring the final quiet moments between grandfather and granddaughter.
"Daring to look at me like that? Drag her over here! I'm going to break her in properly, let's see if she dares act like this again!" the lewd man commanded viciously.
The cold and striking woman's body trembled imperceptibly as tears streamed down her face.
As the lewd man finished speaking,
his subordinates grew even more eager to try.
Just as the foremost man was about to grab the woman's garments,
a cold gleam flashed, and that foremost man rapidly retreated backward.
Xie Guannan had pierced his heart with an arrow, dropping him into a pool of blood and extinguishing all his life force.
"Who is it? Get out here!" Seeing his subordinate inexplicably shot and killed, the lewd man burned with fury.
Someone picked up the fallen Xuan Sword from the ground and murmured softly, "This Xuan Sword isn't half bad! I'll use it!"
Xie Guannan had wrestled with his thoughts for a long time: should he save them or not? Saving them might plunge him into danger, but ignoring them when he had run right into it was another matter!
Though he disliked meddling in other people's business,
regretting walking away out of impotence and feeling remorse for having the power to act yet doing nothing were two entirely different things.
Thus, he chose to step forward!
Hearing the commotion, the lewd man looked over and saw that Xie Guannan was merely an early-stage Layer 4 Qi Condensation brat.
He immediately scoffed with disdain: "So it's just an early-stage Layer 4 Qi Condensation brat! I thought it was some big shot!"
"Pipsqueak, you probably haven't even been weaned yet, and you're already out playing the hero saving the damsel in distress? I advise you not to lose your mind!"
Faced with this ruthless mockery, Xie Guannan remained utterly indifferent.
He said calmly, "With me here, you won't succeed!"
Hearing the commotion, the cold and striking woman slowly opened her closed eyes, which still held the faint flush of a setting sun.
Wiping the crystals from the corners of her eyes, her vision somewhat blurred, she saw only a youth standing before her.
The morning sun's glow and the descending golden light were blocked by Xie Guannan.
Surrounded by a pale golden halo, he looked like a savior in her world.
An indescribable feeling arose in her heart—was it bitter or sweet? Yet she noticed the youth's cultivation was merely Early-stage Layer 4 Qi Condensation.
There were a handful of early-stage Qi Condensation thugs right before them; how could he possibly withstand them!
She hurriedly urged him: "You should leave quickly. It's not worth putting yourself in such perilous danger because of me." Her tone carried a trace of urgency and desolation.
Xie Guannan flashed a grin, swung the sword in his hand a few times through the air, and said evenly, "Just give me a bit more in rewards once it's done!"
Seeing that Xie Guannan had ruined his good deed, the lewd man flew into a rage and barked: "If I let you leave this forest alive, I'll become a pig!"