Chapter 17: Unexpected Encounter~
After recovering from his cramp, Ning continued his training.
In the wilderness, Ning relentlessly fired arrow after arrow toward a wooden board adorned with a circular target. He was fully focused on honing his archery skills.
With just one day remaining before the blessing expired, Ning wisely decided to make the most of his remaining time and further enhance his archery abilities.
In particular, he wanted to achieve a higher level of proficiency in his "Eyes of the Hawk" technique. This technique utilized Qi to enhance his eyesight, to see over a long distance.
It was a very simple martial art, one that would have been easily buried under the flashy martial arts, but its practicality was very high.
Similarly, during this period Ning also observed the changes in his body due to the advancement. The most basic benefit of advancing his larger pool of Qi and a slight improvement in physical ability.
Besides that due to the advancement in his cultivation technique, Ning noticed that his Qi was pure and lasted much longer, and even the attacks coated with that Qi were much stronger. With his pure Qi, the power behind his arrows had increased significantly, and he believed that, with full strength, they might even pierce through the sturdy wooden board.
Of course, poison remained Ning's primary method of attack. Why engage in a grueling battle when he could dispatch his opponents swiftly with deadly toxins?
Truly a wonderful way of fighting if he says so himself.
Moreover, Ning wished to hunt stronger beasts to acquire more spirit stones. His previous experiments and cultivation had depleted most of his resources, leaving him practically penniless.
While he didn't mind using spirit stones to advance, being broke was far from ideal. Additionally, without a concealment talisman, he couldn't test out other scriptures.
The concealment talisman was a one-time use item that cost 500 spirit stones. Given the strange scenes his previous experiment had produced, Ning couldn't afford to conduct further tests.
Lately, it seemed like he couldn't conduct experiments even if he wanted to—a truly disheartening situation.
Therefore, Ning intended to use the remaining time to strengthen himself only then could he earn more.
...
*Woosh*
Ning unleashed a relentless barrage of arrows, finally toppling a formidable beast—a saw-tooth tiger.
The Black Snake Forest, as its name implied, boasted an abundance of snakes, but the tiger population was not insignificant. In particular, this saw-tooth tiger could be considered a spirit beast on par with a fifth-stage cultivator.
Normally, such a beast would have been nearly impossible for Ning to overcome. Even with caution and the use of poison, the tiger's impressive recuperative abilities and raw strength would have overwhelmed him.
After all, the gap between a fifth-stage and a second-stage cultivator should not be underestimated. While Ning had successfully hunted third-stage and even some weaker fourth-stage beasts, the idea of confronting a fifth-stage beast was out of the question.
Of course, there was always a but.
Over the past month, Ning had diligently sharpened his skills. His proficiency in archery had greatly improved, and he had managed to acquire a larger assortment of poisons. Consecutively hunting several third-stage beasts had not only bolstered his confidence but he could already purchase a concealment talisman.
During his stay in the forest, he stumbled upon a fierce battle between the saw-tooth tiger and the giant horned python, resulting in the tiger suffering severe poisoning.
Their battle left several traces, and Ning who was the most familiar with this forest, laid out a plan to kill this injured beast. Since it was severely injured, Ning can at least run if he still could not kill it.
For the past few days, Ning had further poisoned the already ailing tiger, going so far as to taint the cave the tiger resided with a potent gaseous poison of his own creation.
As a result, when the tiger's strength reached an all-time low, Ning finally delivered the fatal blow, killing the beast once and for all.
"Recently, my luck has been quite good," Ning muttered as he skinned the tiger and began collecting his loot. He first delicately employed his newly acquired dagger, crafted from the claw of the green tiger, to extract the beast's prized possession—the demon core.
This core was the most valuable treasure within the creature's body. With utmost care, he skillfully removed the monster core and proceeded to gather any usable parts. His caution was particularly heightened due to the lingering poison left by the snake.
Once he had thoroughly looted the tiger's remains, Ning swiftly erased any trace of his presence with precise movements, as if he had executed the same procedure countless times before.
...
"Junior Brother! It seems your hunt went quite well today as well," the disciple remarked. He was the same person who had once attempted to deceive Ning with faulty incense. He gazed at the stall brimming with various monster parts and cores, his words tinged with envy.
However, his envy was devoid of any malicious intent.
After all, this junior brother of his consistently managed to successfully hunt spirit beasts. Such a formidable character was clearly not one to be trifled with. Of course, their good relationship also played a part.
"I just got lucky, Brother Ge," Ning replied with a modest smile as he meticulously arranged his loot on the stall. Several monster parts adorned his display, the fruits of his recent hunt.
Of course, these were only a fraction of his total spoils, but some of the materials, even at the third stage, still attracted attention.
Over the next few hours, Ning managed to sell a substantial portion of his loot. He had already accumulated enough spirit stones to purchase the talisman, but there was no harm in earning more.
Similarly, due to the inflexibility of the exchange hall's rates, Ning had also established his own stall in the outer sect market. This way, he not only gained more spirit stones but could also indulge in the occasional purchase of intriguing items.
Today started as an ordinary day of earning until an unexpected buyer caught Ning's attention.
"How much for all of the beast cores in your stall?" The voice sounded oddly familiar, and the underlying air of dominance reminded Ning of that massacre.
"Well, hello there."
...
Thanks for reading~
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