Chương 25: Got Beaten Up By Dogs

When Ren Qingquan and the others are full and blissfully resting, I sense something through Ren Qingquan's [Scan]. I focused my senses and found a few creatures rushing toward Ren Qingquan's location. Those creatures most likely went towards his direction after smelling the food that Fatty Zhang cooked. [Host, get ready, several ferocious beasts are running toward your direction.] Ren Qingquan checked the map and immediately shouted, "Everyone, get ready! There's enemies nearby."

After shouting, he looked at the system map. Through [Anchor], I can hear his thought.

'There are five beast equal to Martial Grandmaster and twelve beasts equal to Martial Master.'

'Should I say as expected of the infamous Endless Mountain, there are monsters everywhere.'

'My team can handle that kind of line up though, so I don't think I need to make a move. After all, there's four Martial Grandmaster, Fifteen Martial Master, and a Martial Lord in my group.' Although he thinks so, Ren Qingquan still killed and refined the corpse of a dangerous-looking insect.

'If things got dangerous, I'll use this insect to handle the beasts.' While Ren Qingquan is thinking, the nearby bushes rustled, and several menacing figures came into view. Looking at the nearby enemy, Ren Qingquan and Xiao Cai looked at Fatty Zhang with strange expressions. Xiao Cai is the first one to ask, "Fatty, are you sure you didn't add some wolf lure into the food you cooked? This is the second time a wolf group attacked us after you cooked." Fatty didn't sulk after being suspected.

Instead, he actually answered Xiao Cai's question with a proud smile.

"Of course not. Wolves have stronger sense of smell than most beasts. They should've smelled my delicious food and came running immediately. Furthermore, they're pretty quick on their feet. so, it's normal for them to arrive at our location quickly." While the guards and mercenaries are fighting against the wolves, my attention is focused on one of the Grandmaster-level wolves that hasn't joined the fray. That wolf seems familiar, especially the trace of a large wound on its back.

I am pretty sure it's the wolf that escaped from Xiao Cai's massacre the last time Ren Qingquan went hunting. When I thought it was waiting for the suitable time to join, it actually ran away directly and ditched the other wolves. Should I say that the wolf is a coward or extremely smart? After all, with Xiao Cai around, the only result for this wolf pack is utter annihilation. Not long after it fled, I heard Ren Qingquan say, 'I am kinda bored. Perhaps I should join the battle.'

[Host, I don't think it's a good idea.] I tried to stop him, but Ren Qingquan ignored my advice, 'I want to try my strength. After all I've never fought ever since I got reincarnated to this world.' I still don't think having Ren Qingquan embroiled in the fight is a good idea. But his argument is pretty sound. So, I let him be. Because Ren Qingquan wanted to test his strength, he didn't use the insect he had just refined. Instead, he took a sword among the supplies they brought and hacked at the nearest wolf.

With a slash, he easily severed the body of a Martial Master level wolf. Then, he moved to a Martial Grandmaster level wolf that's busy fighting against a Martial Grandmaster mercenary. Ren Qingquan slashed at the wolf, but this time the wolf successfully blocked his attack with a claw swipe. Due to the sheer strength used by both parties, two of the wolf's claws got snapped while the sword in Ren Qingquan's hand chipped.

Although Ren Qingquan has advanced to the Qi Refining stage, his martial arts realm is still equal to a peak Martial Grandmaster. That means, his physical strength isn't much different from a Martial Grandmaster, perhaps only slightly stronger because his body is also slowly being nurtured by qi from his Qi Refining cultivation. From what I learned. Unlike martial artists who spent all stats to strength, a cultivator's strength is mainly shown by their cultivation technique.

That means, without spending spirit qi to utilize their technique, most cultivators can be beaten by martial artists of the same level. That's just my theory, though. After all, I've never seen martial artists and cultivators fight. As for why I suddenly thought of this right now, it's because after the wolf blocks Ren Qingquan's sword slash, he slashed his sword once again, which the wolf easily parried with another claw swipe.

This time, the wolf's claw barely chipped while the sword in Ren Qingquan's hand snapped. While holding the broken sword in his hand, Ren Qingquan got beaten senseless by the wolf. If Xiao Cai hadn't suddenly appeared and killed the wolf with a single sword slash, I fear I would've lost the only person through whom I can use all my cheat abilities. Although I already lent [Scan] to Ren Shiluo and Ren Xuan, I only lent them 1 or 2 skills. More importantly, I can't use the most important [Anchor] skill through them.

After testing and rereading the description of my abilities, I have a feeling that the creature I have lent the [Anchor] ability to is on a different level of importance compared to those who don't have the [Anchor] ability. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Sigh, who am I even explaining all these things for? It seems I've developed a strange habit after being stuck in this dark space for a long time.

While sighing and pitying myself, I observed Ren Qingquan's situation. After Ren Qingquan was saved by Xiao Cai, I could see him still trembling in pain, especially when Xiao Cai bandaged his wound and applied some sort of medicinal paste. The moment that paste came into contact with his wound, Ren Qingquan released a shrill scream that could rival a banshee. Through [Anchor], I can hear him constantly screaming, 'Fuck, it hurts' every time he tries to move. Those spam messages are simply unbearable.

I recalled the healing technique Xiao Cai had used a long time ago and tried to search the library for a similar one. After a minute, I couldn't find the healing technique, but I did find a cultivation technique that could speed up recovery. [Host, maybe you want to learn the Blood Nurturing Technique to increase your recovery speed.]'Yes. Quickly help me learn it!' [Do you wish to learn the Blood Nurturing Technique for 10 points? Yes/No]'Yes!'

After Ren Qingquan agreed, I sent him another screen containing the technique. [Here is the technique. Please read the technique while the System will guide you to comprehend it.] Ren Qingquan read the technique before him while frowning in pain. Meanwhile, I manipulated his [Calculate] to follow the thought process when I learned that technique. By the time he finished reading the technique, Ren Qingquan had comprehended it.

Through [Scan], I can see Ren Qingquan quickly circulating his spirit qi as taught by the technique. As spirit qi circulated through his meridians, I saw some spirit qi transformed into a special state and seeped into his flesh and blood. With the help of his blood, the special spirit qi circulated throughout his body. Every time the special spirit qi passes by an injured area, it seeps into the wound and increases the regeneration speed in that area.

By the time Ren Qingquan's body ran out of those special spirit qi, his wounds were already mostly healed, with only a few bruises remaining in some areas. Of course, such an exaggerated healing speed isn't free. By the time Ren Qingquan is healed, more than half of the refined spirit qi he gained from the Martial Saint level tiger he previously met has been consumed. But it's definitely worth it because Ren Qingquan finally stopped screaming in his mind.

With his body mostly healed, Ren Qingquan watched the battle between the guard and the mercenary against the wolf pack. He also occasionally went towards a dead wolf to use [Devour] and the Soul Swallowing Technique. Soon, only four wolves remained. Among them, three are at the Martial Grandmaster realm, while one is at the peak Martial Master realm. Meanwhile, on Ren Qingquan's team, only a few people were injured, with no casualties. Seeing their disadvantageous situation, the remaining wolves prepared to flee.

But the guards and mercenaries intensified their attack. Still, the strongest wolf successfully escaped from the encirclement. That's when Xiao Cai suddenly appeared and slashed her sword to behead the fleeing wolf. Once the battle concluded, Ren Qingquan walked towards the corpses. I used [Devour] on their soul as usual, while Ren Qingquan used the Soul Swallowing Technique and regained some of the refined spirit qi he consumed to heal himself. In total, Ren Qingquan and I gained 2 points each from those corpses.

Although it's not as many points as those gained from killing the Martial Saint level tiger, the points are still equal to half a day of Ren Qingquan's effort in the fish market. After he finished using the Soul Swallowing Technique on those wolves, Ren Qingquan opened his status panel. [Name: Ren Qingquan Point: 114 Cultivation realm: First Stage Qi Refining. Cultivation method: Body Tempering Method. Cultivation Technique: Soul Swallowing Technique, Blood Nurturing Technique. Martial arts technique: Iron Palm (Beginner). System function: Devour, Scan, Calculate, Map, Mission, Skill Learning, Selective Devour.] After upgrading the range of [Scan] and purchasing the Blood Nurturing Technique, Ren Qingquan's points has decreased by half. From more than two hundred to slightly more than a hundred. Seeing his remaining points, Ren Qingquan sighed, 'Guess I'll need to farm points more diligently.'

While Ren Qingquan has resolved himself to slave away for points, I am also opening a status screen I've just created to check my own progress. [Name: System Points: 720 [Scan] Range: 100 meters [Calculate] Calculation power: 0 [Devour] Selective Devour: 500 points [Anchor] All Abilities Anchor: Ren Qingquan 2 Abilities Anchor: Ren Xuan (Scan, Devour) 1 Ability Anchor: Ren Shiluo (Scan) Ren Wangzhen (Scan)] Unknowingly, I've gone from having only 10 points of energy to 720.

Because I have sensed that my next ability will be unlocked upon collecting 1. 000 points, after including 100 additional points in case of emergency, that means I only need to collect 380 more points before I can see what kind of ability it actually is. I hope this ability will help me to leave this accursed dark space.

After killing the wolf pack, the team quickly gathered their gear and left the area. With the area reeking of blood, it won't be long before more ferocious beasts gather in the area. While the others pack their gear, Ren Qingquan, Xiao Cai, and Fatty Zhang snack and sip tea in leisure. Watching this scene, I got curious about something. [Host, with Xiao Cai around, why do you even hire those mercenaries and guards? They're much weaker than Xiao Cai and will only become a burden.]'To be honest, I never expect them to be that much weaker compared to Xiao Cai.' Ren Qingquan then looked at the busy guards and mercenaries, 'But at least they're pretty useful at running small errands, which helps Xiao Cai retain her stamina.' Soon, everyone had packed their things, and they continued traveling through the forest. This time, the team didn't find any strong ferocious beasts. The strongest they met is only a lone beast at the Martial Grandmaster realm.

When evening arrives, they quickly look for a suitable place to pitch their tents. With my Map, Ren Qingquan became a living radar, easily helping them find a suitable place to camp.