17: The art of survival and second-tier ferocious beasts!

In the early morning, the sky turned a faint shade of blue.

It was around five o'clock in the morning.

Li Qing's consciousness returned.

A strong sense of emptiness came from his stomach, as if a bottomless pit was churning inside.

"Gurgle~"

The sound was quite noticeable in the quiet room.

Li Qing pressed his stomach and gave a bitter smile.

With his Clone's strength skyrocketing and the extraction of ferocious beast essence blood, his main body's physical fitness had risen accordingly; the side effect was that his appetite had also grown exponentially.

His metabolism was incredibly fast.

Yesterday in the city, those three bowls of noodles, twenty buns, and a pot of river snails had only lasted him through the night.

The rations in the martial arts hall's dining hall—green vegetables and brown rice—were now to him...

...really just a taste, like feeding a cat; the more he ate, the hungrier he became.

This life was half seawater and half flame.

A hunter in the Great River by night, a hungry ghost in the martial arts hall by day.

He stood up, his movements light and slow.

Li Qing performed his chores as an attendant even more discreetly today.

Fetching water, sweeping floors, running errands—he completed them all in silence.

He kept his head down and his thoughts to himself like a transparent person, never saying a single word of nonsense to anyone and minimizing eye contact as much as possible.

Lay low!

He had to be thorough about it; reducing his presence was the top priority.

However, his eyes and ears were not idle.

That deacon had a short temper.

Which Disciple was on good terms with whom.

When the kitchen had the fewest people.

The patterns of the martial arts hall's patrols.

The location of the Library... all this information quietly flowed into his mind.

Only by knowing himself and others could he stay safe and sound.

On the way to the dining hall, he ran into Hou San.

When Hou San saw Li Qing, he paused for a moment, his eyes filled with complexity.

Before, he had only taken him for a lucky country boy who had managed to latch onto a female Disciple.

But that move in the cafeteria yesterday—clean, decisive, and effortless—had tripped someone up and left them with nowhere to vent their anger.

This kid looked honest and simple, but deep down, he was likely a slippery and tough nut to crack.

"Brother Li Qing, going to eat?"

Hou San took the initiative to greet him, his tone a bit probing.

"Morning, Third Brother." Li Qing nodded, his expression normal, and didn't stop walking.

"Hey, that Ah Fu from yesterday is one of Senior Brother Zhang's men from the inner sect. He's used to being overbearing, so you..."

Hou San caught up a couple of steps and lowered his voice.

Li Qing gave a faint smile.

"Thanks for the warning, Third Brother. I'm just a worker; I don't want to cause trouble."

His tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

Hou San smacked his lips; this kid was airtight.

He didn't ask further, only feeling as if Li Qing was shrouded in a layer of mist, making him hard to read.

He decided to keep a respectful distance and changed the subject with a laugh.

"True, for us workers, living peacefully is what matters most."

"Let's go, time to eat."

Li Qing looked at Hou San's back, understanding everything in his heart.

He knew how to handle the boundaries.

In the dining hall, it was still those pitiful rations.

Li Qing finished it in a few bites, but his hunger didn't diminish at all; instead, it was only whetted.

He silently put down his tray and turned to leave; no one noticed how much an attendant ate.

In the morning, Chen Meng was practicing palm techniques in the courtyard.

Carrying a bucket, Li Qing was scrubbing a stone bench in the corner of the courtyard. While appearing focused on his work, his peripheral vision and perception were locked onto Chen Meng.

Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall's "Fierce Wind Palm" emphasized speed and ferocity.

Chen Meng's movements were agile, and her palms struck with the sound of wind, making Li Qing's eyes burn with intensity.

But without a Secret Manual or a master to guide him...

...Li Qing could only see the surface.

He wanted to imitate her, but the movements he had just seen slipped from his mind.

Never mind.

Li Qing withdrew his gaze and continued wiping the stone bench, as if he had seen nothing.

Chen Meng was dripping with sweat from her practice and seemed satisfied when she finished her routine; naturally, she didn't notice anything unusual about the silent attendant in the corner.

In the afternoon, it was the same old routine.

He went and spent another two hundred wen.

Only then did the hunger in his stomach fade.

A day passed.

Night fell once again, and his roommates' snoring was like thunder.

Li Qing closed his eyes and switched his consciousness.

Splash.

The cool, dark water enveloped his body. The hunger and sense of restraint vanished instantly, replaced by abundant strength and freedom.

[evolution value: 338.16/500]

The numbers were clear, and the goal was definite.

Only a little over a hundred and sixty points away from the next evolution!

Tonight, the final sprint!

The Spirit Turtle Clone paddled its thick limbs and slid familiarly into the Great River, heading straight for the Jumble of Rocks Shoal downstream.

With last night's experience and the illustrations in his mind, Li Qing felt at ease when facing those Iron Pincer Crabs and Stone-Patterned Pythons again.

With a thought, the [Water Control] talent created whirlpools and undercurrents that instantly disrupted the Vicious Beasts' balance.

[Great Strength] erupted, and the turtle's head struck like lightning, targeting weaknesses such as joints and bellies.

The spirit runes of [Armor Defense] flickered; the opponents' attacks hitting the turtle shell were like mere scratches.

A basin-sized Iron Pincer Crab had just waved its giant claws when it was yanked off-balance by the current.

Li Qing's beak had already crushed its joint. With a crack, the giant claw fell off.

A Stone-Patterned Python hidden in a rock crevice had just poked half its body out when Li Qing bit its vital spot.

With a violent shake, its spine snapped.

Hunting became efficient and simple.

[Killed a first-order Vicious Beast, Iron Pincer Crab. evolution value +16]

[Devoured... evolution value +6]

[Killed a first-order Vicious Beast, Stone-Patterned Python. evolution value +13]

[Devoured... evolution value +5]

...The evolution value rose steadily, soon breaking past 400 points.

But Li Qing was not satisfied.

The density of Vicious Beasts and the amount of Spiritual Plants in this area were not enough to support his evolution tonight.

He looked deeper.

According to the descriptions in the "Jinling Waterway Map," further down from the Jumble of Rocks Shoal...

...there was a deep-water reef area with even more complex terrain.

The current was swifter there and the light was dimmer; it was marked with "Abundant aquatic life, dangerous undercurrents."

Fortune favors the bold. With the map in hand, he didn't feel anxious.

Li Qing hugged the riverbed and cautiously dove toward that reef area.

The deeper he went, the greater the water pressure and the lower the temperature.

The light had almost completely vanished; he relied entirely on the Spirit Turtle's night vision and keen perception.

The surrounding reefs were strangely shaped, like lurking giant beasts.

The current surged between the reefs, making a low whimpering sound.

The auras also became mixed and chaotic.

Li Qing slowed down, his perception fully open.

In a crevice at the bottom of a massive, hill-like reef, he sensed an aura significantly more powerful than that of an ordinary Iron Pincer Crab.

He approached quietly.

Deep inside the crevice lay a giant crab the size of a small round table!

Its shell was a metallic ink-black, shimmering with a faint light.

Its right claw was noticeably larger than the left, covered in hideous protrusions and emitting a dangerous aura.

[Mutant Iron Pincer Crab (First-Order Peak Vicious Beast)]

[A variant among Iron Pincer Crabs. It has a harder shell, greater strength, and its right claw can easily crush reefs.]

"Good heavens!"

Li Qing was delighted.

First-order Peak meant more evolution value!

He didn't rush in blindly; the crevice was narrow, making it difficult to dodge.

[Water Control]!

An undercurrent flowed silently into the crevice, stirring up silt and mimicking the vibrations of passing prey.

As expected, the Mutant Iron Pincer Crab was disturbed.

Two red lights lit up as it waved its massive right claw.

It scurried sideways out of the crevice, searching vigilantly.

Now!

Li Qing suddenly accelerated, while the water around him reversed, creating a powerful thrust.

Just as the Mutant Iron Pincer Crab emerged from the cave, it saw a dark shadow larger than itself lunging forward, accompanied by turbulent currents.

Its ferocity instantly flared up; it raised its terrifying right claw high and clamped down hard!

Li Qing didn't dodge or evade.

[Armor Defense] was fully activated, and the pale blue light shield became incredibly solid.

At the same time, the turtle's head tilted, avoiding the direct hit of the giant claw.

Infusing [Great Strength], he bit down hard on the joint at the base of the giant claw!

"Clang! Crack!"

The sound of metal clashing and bone cracking rang out almost simultaneously.

The giant claw clamped onto the light shield; the shield shuddered violently but did not break.

Meanwhile, Li Qing's beak successfully crushed that incredibly hard joint!

The intense pain drove the Mutant Iron Pincer Crab mad, and it tried to retreat.

But how could Li Qing give it a chance? He bit down firmly on the wound and tore at it with all his might!

"Rip!"

The entire massive right claw was torn off!

Having lost its strongest weapon and being severely injured, this first-order Peak Vicious Beast no longer had the strength to resist and was soon finished off by Li Qing.

[Killed a first-order Peak Vicious Beast, Mutant Iron Pincer Crab. evolution value +25]

[Obtained ferocious beast essence blood x1]

[Devoured... providing a total of +10 evolution value]

Refreshing!

A single one contributed 35 evolution points and two drops of essence blood!

"Extract essence blood!"

A warm current erupted simultaneously, and the Clone's body expanded once again.

Its body length was nearly 1.7 meters, and its strength had increased significantly.

The spirit runes on its shell became clearer and brighter.

Without any delay, Li Qing crawled into the crevice where the Mutant Iron Pincer Crab had been hiding.

Sure enough, at the very back on the reef wall, there was a small patch of aquatic grass emitting a faint blue light, with Spiritual Qi even denser than what he had found last night.

A total of five stalks!

[deep water orchid (Low-grade Spiritual Plant)]

I'm rich!

Li Qing swallowed them in one gulp.

[Devoured deep water orchid. evolution value +11]

[Devoured deep water orchid. evolution value +12]

[Devoured deep water orchid. evolution value +11]

...The five deep water orchids provided a total of nearly 60 evolution points!

Combining the gains from hunting several other ordinary Vicious Beasts and this mutant crab, Li Qing looked at the panel.

[evolution value: 495.52/500]

Just a tiny bit more!

With victory in sight, Li Qing's spirits were high. He prepared to find a few more large fish or an ordinary Vicious Beast to reach his goal.

He backed out of the crevice and was about to swim toward a nearby reef.

Suddenly!

A massive aura, far exceeding a first-order Vicious Beast and carrying a sense of coldness and violence...

...rapidly surged from the deeper, darker waters of the reef area!

The surrounding water instantly fluctuated violently; some gargantuan creature was fast approaching!

Li Qing felt a chill run through him.

Danger!

The pressure from this aura reminded him of that third-order Iron-Toothed Crocodile.

Although it wasn't quite as terrifying, it was definitely far beyond that Mutant Iron Pincer Crab from before!

A second-order Vicious Beast!

Li Qing's reaction was incredibly fast; only one word was in his mind.

Lay low!

He didn't hesitate for a second and immediately suppressed his entire aura.

His [Water Control] talent activated instantly.

It wasn't for an attack, but to gently smooth out the water currents around him.

He disrupted his own lingering scent and energy fluctuations.

At the same time, his body sank rapidly, pressing tightly against the shadow of a massive reef.

He withdrew his limbs, head, and tail into his shell, remaining motionless and holding his breath.

He turned himself into a lifeless rock.

He couldn't run; in the water...

...when facing a higher-order Vicious Beast, the current fluctuations caused by running were no different from a torch in the dark night.

Stillness—only absolute stillness gave him a chance to avoid the Vicious Beast's attention.

In the darkness, a massive shadow four or five meters long, accompanied by a rapid current, slowly cruised past not far away.

Li Qing's nerves were taut; he didn't even dare to blink, reducing his life fluctuations to the absolute minimum.

Go away, go away!

You didn't see me, I'm just a rock!

The dark shadow was foraging at a slow pace and swam past the reef where Li Qing was hiding.

Just as Li Qing was about to breathe a tiny sigh of relief...

...suddenly, the shadow that had swum past came to a dead stop!

The current swirled.

The gargantuan body actually began to turn around slowly.

In the darkness, a pair of cold, massive, ghostly green eyes locked onto the Spirit Turtle Clone in the shadow of the reef.

It had found him!

Li Qing's heart instantly sank to the bottom.