35: Lesson 1: Don’t trust your fellow man

“Brother…”

The burly man was about to speak again, but Li Canglan had already reached the front of the line.

Watching Li Canglan step out of the city gate alone, the burly man's face turned ashen, and he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the ground.

“That brat is clearly a greenhorn. I wonder if he’ll regret it when it’s too late!”

The Demonic Beasts and foreign races outside the city wouldn’t speak nicely to him!

After leaving the city gate, Li Canglan felt his vision instantly broaden.

As far as the eye could see, there was a vibrant expanse of giant trees that blotted out the sky.

On the tree trunks, various large bird Demonic Beasts resided.

In the bushes, various small Demonic Beasts played.

It looked like a vibrant natural landscape.

But Li Canglan knew that infinite dangers were hidden within!

For example, that mole standing upright looked endearing.

But once it reached adulthood, it was equivalent to a Late Stage One-Star Martial Artist!

Every Demonic Beast could be fatal!

Not far from the city gate, there was a simple shed.

Martial Artists from the Martial Arts Association sat inside, responsible for tallying the Martial Artists' gains.

Li Canglan noticed that the Martial Artists all carried bags that were constantly dripping blood.

During the tally, the staff took out the iconic parts of the Demonic Beasts as records.

For example, the ears of rabbit-type Demonic Beasts, the claws of moles, and so on.

Next to the shed, there was also a sign erected.

Qi Blood Realm and Body Tempering Realm Demonic Beasts, one hundred shen xia currency each.

Elementary One-Star Demonic Beast, one thousand shen xia currency and one merit point each.

Intermediate One-Star Demonic Beast, three thousand shen xia currency and three merit points each.

Late Stage One-Star Demonic Beast, five thousand shen xia currency and ten merit points each.

…

Note: After killing a Demonic Beast, be sure to leave a recognizable part of the Demonic Beast as proof. Other corpses and parts do not need to be submitted.

The rules were simple and direct.

For example, the powerful scales of some Demonic Beasts could be kept after killing them, to be used for crafting equipment or for other purposes.

The shen xia currency awarded for hunting Demonic Beasts was actually not much.

As a Martial Artist, one would not lack these few thousand shen xia currency.

What was more valuable was merit!

Officially certified merit could only be obtained by making contributions during wormhole disasters and when facing Demonic Beasts.

For example, the Corroder Li Canglan killed before had not yet entered the One-Star Demonic Beast level.

However, given Li Canglan's weak strength, the officials rewarded him with one merit point!

As long as one had merit, it meant being protected by the officials.

This was also Li Canglan's confidence at the time, that if he showed his merit certificate, Wang Hong would not dare to kill him in broad daylight.

Outside the city, there was no need to queue.

After Li Canglan understood the rules, he walked alone towards the distance.

However, a few Martial Artists with gentle expressions walked up to him.

“Little brother, coming along? How about we split the rewards from hunting Demonic Beasts equally?”

Li Canglan sneered inwardly; the other party was clearly a group of Martial Artists.

They intended to split the rewards equally without knowing his specific strength.

He knew without thinking that there must be something fishy!

However, he didn't show it on his face, merely calmly refusing their invitation.

“That brat looks like a rookie, how about it? Let's take him for a ride?”

After Li Canglan left, these few people began to whisper among themselves.

“Looking at the aura he emits, he definitely hasn’t taken a life before. He probably just Breakthrough to the Martial Artist Realm not long ago.”

“Daring to come to the wilderness alone at such a young age, he’s probably a Genius. His family background must be solid. If we kill him, we might get a lot of good stuff.”

After discussing, the few of them quietly trailed him.

Li Canglan walked through the forest, his expression vigilant.

He was not only guarding against Demonic Beasts that might appear at any time but also against other Martial Artists.

Uncle He had said that in the wild, the most terrifying things were not Demonic Beasts, but fellow humans!

You never knew what thoughts were hidden beneath someone's seemingly righteous exterior.

After walking for a while, Li Canglan suddenly stopped beside a large tree.

The faint footsteps behind him also stopped.

“What, do I have to invite you out?”

Hearing this, the few Martial Artists from before walked out.

They formed a circle, surrounding Li Canglan in the middle.

The bald man leading them no longer had his previous amiable demeanor; he looked at Li Canglan with ill intent.

“Kid, didn’t your teacher teach you in school not to casually refuse a Martial Artist’s good intentions?”

Li Canglan's lips curled in a sneer, “My teacher only said that strangers who actively invite you to travel with them are likely to try and harm you.”

The bald man scrutinized Li Canglan for a moment, looking at his handsome but slightly naive appearance, and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

“Since you know we’re going to attack you, why are you still here?”

“I find it hard to imagine, you’re only one person. Who gave you the courage, Liang Jingru?”

Any Martial Artist who had killed many people and Demonic Beasts could not hide the killing Qi on them.

In the bald man's eyes, this young man's gaze was outstandingly clear and foolish.

He must be a greenhorn who had just left the ivory tower and wanted to gain experience.

“Because just a few of you aren’t worth me running away.”

The bald man's face darkened, but the next moment he laughed.

“Do you think pretending to be confident can scare us away?”

The bald man wiped his slightly worn battle saber.

“I’ll give you a chance: leave your battle saber and all your resources, and we’ll let you go!”

He looked at the long saber strapped to Li Canglan's back, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Li Canglan felt even more confident.

If these people were strong enough, they would have acted long ago; why would they waste time chattering with him?

As for the demand that he leave his battle saber.

Besides coveting the brand-new battle saber, they probably wanted to weaken his combat power.

Without his battle saber, he would be entrusting his life to their mercy!

He knew with just a thought that they were even less likely to let him go!

“Go ahead, I want to see what the other Martial Artists are capable of.”

As his voice fell, Li Canglan stomped his right foot hard on the ground.

With a powerful force hitting the ground, Li Canglan's body shot out like a cannonball.

At the same time, a gentle breeze swept past.

The Raging Wind Thunder Eagle's wind elemental power came into play, causing Li Canglan's speed to soar again!

“Good kid, you actually dare to…”

The bald man's expression changed slightly.

He had never expected that the enemy, under their heavy encirclement.

Not only did he not lay down his weapons and surrender, but he actually initiated an attack on them!

In this situation, he had no time to dodge and was severely struck in the chest by Li Canglan.

That terrifying force caused a cracking sound in the bald man's chest!

The bald man only felt an excruciating pain in his chest; several ribs were probably broken!

Not only that, but fine currents passed from Li Canglan's shoulder to the bald man's body.

A tingling sensation made the bald man's body stiffen, and his mouth twitched.

And his body was sent flying more than ten meters away by Li Canglan's impact.

At this moment, the other four were dumbfounded!