44: I tried my hand at it, and who noticed me?

After receiving his mission token, Li Dong didn't even return to his dorm; he immediately left the Demon Suppression Division outpost and headed for the Blackwood Forest in the eastern suburbs of the Prefecture.

He couldn't be bothered with Executive Chen's sour face or the snide remarks from Lin Fan and his group. 'You're right, but I don't understand.' The little old me just wants to make money now—oh no, earn Merit Points.

Not far outside the Prefecture city were continuous mountain forests. This Blackwood Forest, as its name suggested, contained mostly dark-colored trees with gnarled branches that grew in a menacing, claw-like fashion. The forest was vast, and the deeper one went, the darker the light became. The air carried a scent of decaying leaves mixed with a faint, gamey smell—this was undoubtedly Demonic Qi.

Compared to the Demonic Qi in Mu Shi County, the Demonic Qi here was more solidified and… more active? It seemed the 'ecological environment' around the Prefecture was indeed different.

Li Dong unleashed his Spirituality, scanning his surroundings like a radar. After Foundation Establishment, his perception range and accuracy had greatly improved; he could detect almost any disturbance within a hundred-meter radius if he wished.

He chose the outer area, targeting Body Tempering Realm Blackwood Wolves. These Yao Beasts weren't strong, but they were numerous, perfect for a newcomer like him in the 'initial accumulation of Merit Points' stage. Of course, it was mainly suitable for a newcomer who wanted to keep a low profile (but whose strength wouldn't allow it).

About a quarter of an hour after entering the forest, the bushes ahead stirred.

They're here!

Li Dong's steps halted. In his perception, over twenty malicious Auras were converging from all directions. They were fast, carrying the ferocity characteristic of Body Tempering Realm Yao Beasts.

It was Blackwood Wolves.

The next second, accompanied by low growls and rustling footsteps, Blackwood Wolves, each comparable in size to an adult mastiff, covered in black, coarse fur, with exposed fangs and glowing green eyes, emerged from the shadows.

Twenty-three of them, all high-tier Body Tempering. In Mu Shi County, this force would be enough to give a small team a headache.

But in Li Dong's eyes… well, they were just twenty-three walking Merit Points.

He didn't even bother to draw his Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler.

"Awoo!" The leading Blackwood Wolf let out a howl and pounced first, a foul wind assaulting Li Dong.

The other Blackwood Wolves followed closely, attacking from different directions with practiced coordination, clearly seasoned predators.

Li Dong didn't dodge; the spiritual power of his Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase circulated explosively within him.

Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal!

This time, he held nothing back. Dark golden spiritual power surged from his body, carrying an invisible yet mountain-heavy Concept of suppression, instantly spreading out.

The Blackwood Wolf charging at the front, before even reaching within three meters of Li Dong, was like it had slammed into an invisible wall. Its pouncing momentum abruptly stalled, and then, as if struck by a ten-thousand-pound boulder, its entire body hit with a muffled 'thud,' bones audibly shattering, and it was directly crushed into a puddle of flesh by that domineering suppressive force!

Instant kill!

He didn't even form a proper hand seal; just the suppressive Concept accompanying his spiritual power release easily crushed a high-tier Body Tempering Yao Wolf!

This was the Foundation Establishment Realm, the absolute power that completely overwhelmed the Body Tempering Realm!

Li Dong himself was momentarily stunned. 'Holy crap, that fierce?' Previously, fighting Body Tempering Realm opponents in Mu Shi County was easy, but it wasn't this exaggerated. Was it the qualitative change brought by Foundation Establishment, or was the Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal itself just that overbearing?

Who cares, as long as it feels good!

His figure moved, ghost-like, into the pack of wolves.

There were no fancy Moves, just simple, direct palm strikes. Each palm strike contained that chilling suppressive force, the dark golden spiritual power like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

"Bang!" "Pfft!" "Awoo…"

Screams, bone-cracking sounds, and the squelching of flesh and blood were incessant.

Those ferocious Blackwood Wolves were as fragile as paper in front of Li Dong. Their claw attacks and bites couldn't even trigger the automatic defense of his Black Scale Armor, while a casual palm strike from Li Dong could shatter their bones and rupture their internal organs.

The entire process, rather than a battle, was a one-sided slaughter.

Efficiency? It couldn't be higher!

In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all twenty-three Blackwood Wolves were annihilated!

Wolf corpses lay scattered across the ground, and the thick scent of blood permeated the air, adding an eerie touch to the already gloomy Blackwood Forest.

Li Dong stood amidst the corpses, taking a slight breath. Not from exhaustion, but from excitement. This feeling of cutting through enemies like melons was intoxicating!

Just then, the System notification sounded.

"Ding! Killed 23 high-tier Body Tempering Blackwood Wolves, gained 2300 experience points, 230 Merit Points (10 points per wolf)."

Not bad, not bad, a good start. 230 Merit Points in hand, enough to exchange for some basic Medicinal Pills or see if there were any cheap talismans.

However, the commotion of the battle had clearly disturbed something deeper within the forest.

"Awooo—!!!"

A wolf howl, far louder, angrier, and more brutal than those of the previous Blackwood Wolves, came from deep within the forest.

Immediately after, a powerful Aura swept over like a gale!

Body Tempering Realm Great Perfection!

Li Dong raised an eyebrow. Finally, something decent had arrived.

A giant wolf, nearly twice the size of a regular Blackwood Wolf, with fur blacker and shinier, even faintly shimmering with a metallic luster, burst out from the dense woods. Its eyes were blood-red, filled with bloodthirsty madness, staring intently at Li Dong—clearly the leader of this pack of Blackwood Wolves, the Wolf King!

The Aura of this Wolf King was infinitely close to the Foundation Establishment Realm, exerting even more pressure than the giant python from Black Wind Ridge back then.

"Perfect, let's test the limits of my current defense and strength." Li Dong was not surprised but rather pleased. The Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler instantly appeared in his hand.

The Wolf King pushed off with its four limbs, transforming into a black lightning bolt, rushing towards Li Dong with a foul wind. Its gleaming sharp claws were capable of tearing steel!

Li Dong advanced instead of retreating, forming a hand seal with his left hand and holding the ruler with his right.

The Black Scale Armor automatically activated, a layer of fine black scales instantly covering his entire body.

"Clang!"

The wolf's claw slammed heavily onto Li Dong's chest, emitting a crisp, metallic clang! Sparks flew!

Li Dong only felt a tremendous force, his body swayed slightly, and his chest felt a bit tight, but that was all! The Black Scale Armor's defense, bolstered by Foundation Establishment spiritual power, was already strong enough to withstand a full-power attack from a Body Tempering Great Perfection Yao Beast!

Good! Defense is solid!

The Wolf King clearly hadn't expected this seemingly weak human to be so tough; a trace of surprise flashed in its blood-red eyes.

Now is the time!

Li Dong seized this fleeting opportunity, and the dark golden spiritual power within him surged frantically into the Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler!

Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal! Suppressive Concept! Fusion!

Buzz!

The Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler glowed with dazzling dark golden light, and an even more terrifying suppressive force condensed upon it, as if the weight of the entire space was pressing down!

"Get down!" Li Dong roared, his arm muscles bulging, and with all his might, he slammed the ruler down onto the Wolf King's head!

This ruler strike was powerful and heavy, as fast as lightning, carrying an irresistible suppressive might!

The Wolf King felt a fatal threat and tried to dodge, but under the influence of that terrifying suppressive Concept, its movements became incredibly sluggish, as if it had fallen into a quagmire!

It could only watch helplessly as the black ruler, carrying an aura of destruction, grew larger and larger in its terrified eyes!

"Bang!!!"

A dull, ultimate thud!

The Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler squarely struck the Wolf King's skull!

Crack!

A teeth-grinding sound of bone shattering rang out!

The Wolf King's incredibly hard skull burst open like a watermelon! Red and white matter splattered everywhere!

Its massive body twitched twice, then crashed to the ground, completely lifeless.

"Ding! Killed 1 Body Tempering Great Perfection Blackwood Wolf King, gained 1000 experience points, 100 Merit Points."

Done!

Li Dong shook his slightly numb arm, looking at the Wolf King's corpse on the ground, and nodded in satisfaction. His Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase strength, combined with the Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal and the Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler, made killing a Body Tempering Great Perfection opponent an overwhelming victory.

This efficiency was outstanding! Earning several thousand Merit Points in a single day wasn't a dream!

He quickly began clearing the battlefield, mainly collecting wolf fangs, claws, and pelts, all of which could be exchanged for Merit Points. As for the wolf meat… he decided against it. Yao Beast meat generally had a gamey smell, wasn't tasty, and took up space.

The System space was truly a good thing; it could hold any amount of Materials.

Just as Li Dong was engrossed in collecting Materials, a faint sense of alarm suddenly rose in his heart.

It felt like… someone was watching him?

He abruptly looked up, his Spirituality instantly expanding to its limit, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

The forest was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. Within his perception range, there was no abnormality.

Was it a hallucination?

No! That feeling of being spied upon was very clear, though fleeting, it was definitely not a hallucination!

Someone was observing him in secret! And the other party's concealment methods were extremely clever, managing to evade his Spirituality!

Who could it be? Someone from the Demon Suppression Division? Spies from other forces? Or… were they targeting him?

Li Dong's heart tightened. The Prefecture was indeed a deep pool; he had just come out to perform the lowest-level mission and was already being targeted? Was it because he had performed too conspicuously just now?

He sped up his battlefield cleanup, putting all valuable Materials into his System space, then without further delay, he quickly left the area.

On the way back, the feeling of being watched did not reappear, but Li Dong's vigilance was at its highest.

I have trypophobia; this Prefecture place, with unseen eyes and hidden intentions everywhere, is truly unsettling.

Returning to the Demon Suppression Division outpost, Li Dong headed straight for the mission handover point.

The person responsible for registration was still the same Executive as last time, but not that idiot Executive Chen. This Executive seemed more normal, conducting business professionally.

When Li Dong poured out a large pile of Blackwood Wolf Materials from his Storage Pouch (for disguise), the Executive was visibly stunned.

"These… did you complete all of these alone?" The Executive picked up a large Wolf King fang, examined it carefully, and then flipped through the other Materials.

"Yes," Li Dong nodded.

The Executive looked up at Li Dong, his gaze carrying a mix of surprise and scrutiny. He had been responsible for registering new recruit missions for a long time, and it was extremely rare for someone like Li Dong to complete their first mission alone, and to hunt so many high-tier Body Tempering Yao Beasts, plus a Great Perfection Wolf King, in such a short time.

This efficiency was a bit frightening.

Especially since the other party was only a Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase, and came from… Mu Shi County?

The Executive didn't ask any more questions, quickly tallying the items.

"Twenty-three sets of high-tier Body Tempering Blackwood Wolf Materials, verified for 230 Merit Points. One set of Body Tempering Great Perfection Blackwood Wolf King Materials, verified for 100 Merit Points. Totaling 330 Merit Points. Identity token."

Li Dong handed over his token.

The Executive performed some operations, transferring the Merit Points.

"Done."

Li Dong took his token back and turned to leave without any hesitation.

He could feel that the Executive behind him had looked at him a few more times.

It seemed that being completely inconspicuous was impossible. In a place like the Prefecture, even a slightly outstanding performance would immediately attract attention.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

Li Dong pondered as he walked towards the New Recruit Camp. Being noticed meant potential trouble, but it could also bring opportunities.

The key was still strength.

If one's strength was sufficient, attention was a stepping stone; if not, attention was a death warrant.

He had to seize the time to Cultivate, increase his strength as quickly as possible, and earn more Merit Points!

He pushed open the door to Dormitory C-3.