Chapter 40: Rank 3 Steel Tusk Boar
The next day.
The sun started to rise up from the east, gradually coloring the beautiful dark sky with a vibrant light orange as the sun continued to rise up even further, illuminating everything beneath it.
At these moments, the rays of the luminous sun pierced through the cracks of the small wooden house Shi Li crafted within the Forest of Ruin. Coincidentally, these rays were exactly aimed at Shi Li and Moddy's eyes, forcing them to get up.
Bit by bit, Shi Li opened his eyes as he tried to get accustomed to the light. After getting somewhat accustomed, he sat up as he shook Moddy's body that was beside him.
"Hey Moddy, wake up," Shi Li said in a sleepy tone. He only had a few hours of rest since it was already past midnight when he came to the clearing he made, who could blame him if he wanted more sleep?
"Nngh...nyaa..." Moddy started to mumble some incoherent words as it gradually opened its eyes. Just like Shi Li, it gradually got accustomed to the sun's rays before standing up on all fours.
"Nyaa..." Moddy yawned as its jaw opened wide before looking at Shi Li, who was also sleepy. "Good mornying."
"Good morning Moddy," Shi Li scratched his head as he wiped off the dust stuck on his robe. Although it had been days since he changed robes, thanks to him becoming more and more proficient in fighting in these past few days, only the lower part of the robe showed wear and tear.
He then stood up as he started to do some light stretching. Moddy saw this and started to do some light stretching as well. Although the both of them didn't talk about it, they knew the mission they had to fulfill in this day.
Kill a Rank 3 Beast.
After doing some light stretches, they ate a bit of food to satiate their hunger and went towards a nearby stream to wash their bodies and replenish their thirst. After that...
They started to search.
At first, they started to search within a one kilometer radius around the clearing Shi Li made, only to find Rank 2 Beasts at most. Since Shi Li also needed to kill Rank 2 Beasts in order to complete the challenge his father gave him, he grabbed Sundering Flame from his back and used his half mastered Flame Slash which allowed him to kill the Rank 2 Beasts in one attack.
With Moddy also killing Rank 2 Beasts while Shi Li was focused on another one, they were able to kill at an efficiency that was incomparable to Shi Li's previous rate. Then again, it was a time when Shi Li had to be on guard against ambushes. Now that he had Moddy who was proficient in world energy manipulation, he could kill without worry.
...
Huang clan, Huang clan patriarch's hall.
"Only one week remains before the Seal Breaker Pill goes on sale for every cultivator inside Verdant Breeze Town," an attendant said as he kneeled in front of a magnanimous man that was currently seated on a throne.
This magnanimous man was exactly Huang Tiankong, the patriarch of the Huang clan that was at the same level of the patriarchs of the Shi and Leng clan.
Huang Tiankong nodded at the attendant's words before asking, "The message I asked you to relay before, were they followed?"
The attendant bowed respectfully before replying, "Yes Patriarch. The elders in charge of the treasury made sure that the half of the clan's assets have been saved for the buying of the Seal Breaker Pill. Not only that, they also maintained peace and order in terms of resources the clan members get as well."
Huang Tiankong couldn't help but nod as he lightly smiled. "That's great, I can finally rest easy for once. We just have to wait for the Red Dawn Pavillion to sell that item."
"Uh that..." Hearing the patriarch's reply, the attendant wanted to say something but it might ruin the patriarch's mood so he stopped.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Since he was a patriarch, Huang Tiankong easily noticed the conflicting emotions shown by the attendant in front of him.
"Well Patriarch..."
"Shi Li has broken through the 2nd Martial Novice realm and is currently in the Forest of Ruin."
"What?! No wait..."
"How the hell is that related to the Seal Breaker Pill?!"
...
Forest of Ruin.
The sun had already passed the peak of its revolution and was now in the midst of setting to the west. During that time, Shi Li and Moddy were frantically killing Rank 2 Beasts like they were pieces of tofu.
"Take this! [Flame Slash]!"
Bang!
"Eat this nya! [Neko Slash]!"
Swoosh!
At an unprecedented speed, they were able to kill 20 Rank 2 Beasts, fulfilling the one requirement of Shi Li's challenge to kill 30 Rank 2 Beasts. Shi Li removed the important parts of the beasts he killed and hurriedly placed it inside the pit he dug within the wooden house he made. As he double checked the amount of monsters he killed, he let out a sigh of relief and went outside...only to see Moddy gnawing on the piled bodies of the Rank 2 Bodies in front of the wooden house.
"Uh..." Shi Li was in a daze. "Moddy, I know you're hungry and all that, but isn't it better to eat that cooked?"
"Ngh? (Nya?)" Moddy looked back at Shi Li with chunks of beast meat hanging on its jaw through loose tendons and sinew. It then started to chew on the beast meat it had as it replied, "Well nya, eating raw beast meat allows me to gain part of the strength the beast had. This is how beasts evolve to higher ranks."
"I see..." Shi Li then understood. Although beasts also have intelligence and can cultivate to grow stronger, they'd prefer faster results of gaining strength, one way being eating the bodies of the beasts they killed.
"Grahhhrrr..." All of a sudden, a low roar could be heard a few meters away from Shi Li's clearing. Shi Li and Moddy picked up this roar and easily prepared themselves for a fight.
Not long after, the origin of the low roar revealed itself to the two.
It was a boar that held a decent amount of intelligence. Its two protruding tusks glistened under the rays of the sun as it was in the color of metallic silver while the rough fur covering its body was also metallic in color as well. If one only took a glance at the boar, they would say that the boar was made out of metal.
As for Shi Li who used Tian Zhenfei's memories to easily identify the beast in front of him, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Fuck. This is going to be a tough one."
"Nya?" Moddy looked at Shi Li with a questioning gaze as it tilted its head.
Shi Li looked back at Moddy as he gripped on Sundering Flame tightly. He then looked back at the boar before saying, "Moddy, better prepare your support or attacks."
"We're going to face one of the hardest Rank 3 Beasts to kill, a Steel Tusk Boar."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
TrueDawn
TrueDawn I apologize for not being able to update lately. Anyways, this chapter is a prelude to the showcasing of Moddy and Shi Li's synergistic fighting style.
If you like the chapter, please do vote for it as it is highly appreciated.