64: Chapter 64 Battle Against Monsters

As the sun began to tilt westward, he had already ventured deep into an area he had never set foot in before.

The trees here were taller, blotting out the sky and leaving the area in dim light.

There was a faint, fishy scent in the air, distinct from the smell of vegetation.

Li Changsheng stopped in his tracks, alertly scanning his surroundings.

A fishy scent... it was the aura of a Yao Beast.

He gripped the iron sword in his hand as spiritual energy quietly circulated, expanding his perception to its maximum range.

A moment later, he determined the direction.

The fishy scent was coming from a mountain hollow to his front left, where the faint sound of flowing water could be heard.

Holding his breath and focusing his mind, he cautiously drew closer.

The mountain hollow wasn't large; a small stream flowed down from the cliff face, gathering into a shallow pool.

By the pool sat a massive green rock, and behind it was a dark, cavernous opening.

Beside the cave entrance grew a small tree, half a person tall and about as thick as a chopstick.

Li Changsheng recognized what it was at a glance.

A Spirit Tea Tree!

Moreover, it was a sapling with shallow roots that could be transplanted!

But he didn't move.

Because inside the cave entrance, a beast was lying prone.

The creature was the size of a calf, its entire body covered in grayish-brown scales. It had thick limbs and a single horn growing from its head; at this moment, it was fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Its aura...

Rank 1 Early Stage Yao Beast!

Equivalent to roughly the human Qi Refining Level 2.

However, Yao Beasts were thick-skinned and hardy with solid endurance. They were almost constantly fighting, and weak Yao Beasts would never survive to adulthood.

Therefore, the actual combat strength of a Yao Beast was often one minor Realm higher than that of a human.

This Yao Beast was even more unusual; it was at the Peak of the Rank 1 Early Stage, faintly approaching the Middle Stage of Rank 1.

Its combat strength was roughly on par with a human at Qi Refining Level 4, slightly higher than Li Changsheng's.

“One-Horned Rock-Armor Beast.”

Information he had read in ancient texts flashed through Li Changsheng's mind.

This kind of Yao Beast was thick-skinned with extremely strong defense, but it was slow and had simple attack patterns, mainly relying on charging and biting.

If he faced it, he had a thirty percent chance of victory.

But the tea tree was right there.

Li Changsheng stared at the sleeping beast, then looked at the emerald-green tea sapling, his mind racing with calculations.

Forcibly trying to dig it up would definitely wake the beast.

In a direct confrontation, his chances of winning weren't high.

But if he gave up... this tea sapling might be the only one within dozens of miles.

He took a deep breath, thrust his iron sword into the ground, and took out the clear heart liquid from his robes.

A single drop of the liquid could make his body's control more flexible.

By clearing his mind of distractions and remaining calm, he might be able to unleash greater combat power during the fight.

He uncorked the bottle and let a drop of the liquid fall into his mouth.

A warm current instantly spread through him. His perception sharpened immediately, and his control over the spiritual energy in his Dantian became more refined!

He felt his strength, speed, and reactions all increase significantly for a short duration!

Now!

He pulled up the iron sword, took a step forward, and charged toward the tea sapling!

The gravel beneath his feet splashed as he stepped, startling the sleeping beast!

The One-Horned Rock-Armor Beast snapped its eyes open.

When it saw a human approaching its territory, it immediately let out a roar of fury.

Its limbs suddenly exerted force, and like a war chariot, it charged toward Li Changsheng!

Li Changsheng didn't take the hit head-on.

He shifted his footing, sidestepping the charge while simultaneously thrusting his sword toward the beast's flank!

Clang!

The tip of the sword struck the scales, leaving only a faint white mark!

The defense of this Yao Beast was even stronger than he had imagined!

Pained, the beast roared and turned, its single horn goring toward him!

Li Changsheng rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding it.

He knew he couldn't win by force; he had to find a weakness.

According to the ancient texts, the weaknesses of a One-Horned Rock-Armor Beast were its eyes and its belly.

But its belly was also covered in scales.

While thinner than the scales on its back, it still wasn't something the current Li Changsheng could easily breach.

In reality, for Li Changsheng, the only vulnerable spot on this Rock-Armor Beast was its eyes!

He observed while dodging.

Although the beast's charge was fierce, its turning speed was slow. Every time it charged past, there would be a momentary pause.

That was the moment!

After another charge missed, the beast stopped and was about to turn around.

Li Changsheng moved!

He stepped onto the nearby green rock, using the momentum to leap up. Gripping the sword with both hands, he stabbed viciously toward the beast's right eye!

Puchi!

The iron sword pierced the eyeball, and blood splattered!

The beast let out a shrill scream of agony, thrashing its head wildly and flinging Li Changsheng away!

He slammed heavily against a tree, his chest erupting in pain as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

But he still held the sword tightly in his hand!

Blinded in one eye, the beast became even more frenzied, charging and roaring madly in place.

But having lost its vision, its charges were chaotic. It crashed into trees and rocks several times, leaving itself bloodied and battered.

Li Changsheng endured the pain and struggled to his feet.

Holding his blood-stained iron sword, he stared at the gradually exhausting beast.

Finally, the beast crashed into a giant boulder once more and collapsed with a thud, unable to get back up.

Li Changsheng didn't step forward to deliver a finishing blow.

He stood where he was, panting heavily.

The deathbed counterattack of such a Yao Beast could be exceptionally terrifying.

Only after confirming that the beast was truly dead did Li Changsheng slowly sit down on the ground.

The spiritual energy in his body was nearly exhausted due to the energy from that drop of clear heart liquid.

The place where his chest had been struck throbbed with pain; he suspected several ribs were broken.

But it was worth it.

He rested for a moment, then struggled to stand up and walk over to the tea sapling.

The emerald-green leaves swayed gently in the dim light, and the soil at the roots still carried a moist scent.

He carefully used an iron shovel to dig up the tea sapling with its root ball and placed it into a prepared wet cloth bag.

Then, he walked over to the corpse of the Yao Beast.

A One-Horned Rock-Armor Beast was a treasure from head to toe.

Its scales could be used for Artifact Refining, its horn for medicine, and its flesh contained spiritual energy that could be eaten or exchanged for Spirit Stones.

Right now, in his weakened state, Li Changsheng didn't have the strength to process all of it.

But he couldn't let it go to waste!

“This place isn't safe to stay for long!”

After another short rest, Li Changsheng immediately began processing the carcass.

He first hacked off the most valuable part, the single horn.

Then, with great effort, he carved off the scales from the Rock-Armor Beast's body and bound them together with vines.

Finally, he cut several pieces of the choice meat, wrapped them in leaves, and stuffed them into another bag.

Having finished all this, he shouldered the two bags and, leaning on his iron sword, limped his way out of the mountains.

As the sky grew dark, the cries of various wild beasts echoed through the forest.

He walked slowly, but steadily.

By the time the moon rose, he finally emerged from the forest and saw the few points of dim yellow light from the direction of the Hundred Herb Garden.

It was already late at night when he returned to Section C Field No. 7.

Li Changsheng carefully planted the tea sapling in a pre-dug hole by the field ridge, filled it with the original soil he had brought back from the mountain, and watered it with Spiritual Spring Water.

When he was done, he used the “Foundation Nurturing Method” from the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture to infuse a wisp of spiritual energy into the roots.

The tea tree's leaves swayed slightly, as if in response.

He squatted beside the tea tree, watching it.

Suddenly, he thought of the old tree on the back mountain of the Lingtai Sect in the simulated world, and the words Uncle-Master Fang had once said:

“Cultivation is like planting a tree; only with deep roots can the leaves be lush.”

Under the moonlight, this half-person-tall tea sapling swayed gently, its leaves shimmering with a faint silver light.

He sat on the field ridge, looking at this newly planted tea tree, a trace of a smile appearing on his lips.

In the simulated world, the Spirit Tea Tree planted by Uncle-Master Fang had stayed with him for five hundred years.

This one would also stay with him for a very, very long time.

He took out the piece of horn from his robes and examined it under the moonlight.

This thing should be exchangeable for quite a few Spirit Stones.

And those scales were also excellent Artifact Refining Materials.

As for those pieces of Yao Beast meat, he could roast them tomorrow and send some over to Xiao Cao and the others.

He stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and walked back to the tool storehouse.

The lamp flame flickered, reflecting his pale face and the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

He took the healing Medicinal Pill he had bought from the market, drank a bottle of clear heart liquid, and sat cross-legged to begin regulating his breathing.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

The tea sapling swayed gently in the night breeze, the dew on its leaves reflecting tiny points of light.

He closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became steady.

Within his Dantian, that wisp of pale green spiritual energy circulated slowly, repairing the injuries from the day.

“Take it slow,” he whispered. “No rush.”

Everything was slowly getting better.