CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 25: FIRST HUNT

Li Xing closed her eyes, and the talismans on the rune plate appeared in her mind as if they were copied and pasted, stripping away unrelated lines like peeling silk, revealing the ones that needed repair. With the powerful Divine Sense of a Golden Core Stage cultivator, completing this level of modeling was as simple as eating or drinking.

After pondering for a moment, Li Xing had a plan in mind.

The Eternal Green Technique activated, and the energy balls in the air rushed into her body. The pale golden energy and multicolored energy automatically separated, with the Chaotic Power being absorbed and stored by her body. The pure Elemental Power (Spiritual Energy) was deliberately guided by Li Xing to seep out from the tip of her index finger, transforming into spiritual energy needles finer than a strand of hair, to engrave on the rune plate.

If any talisman master saw Li Xing inscribing talismans so effortlessly, they would probably drop their jaws in shock.

Talisman masters are graded based on their ability. Levels one to four are Spirit Rank talisman masters, levels five to eight are Profound Rank, levels nine to twelve are Earth Rank, and level thirteen and above are Heaven Rank. Only a talisman master of level nine or above is considered to have entered the threshold of an advanced talisman master.

Ordinary talisman masters need the assistance of energy stones and various tools to inscribe talismans, and even a slightly complex talisman can take days to complete. Inscribing by hand, as Li Xing did, is an advanced talisman master’s skill. But even for an advanced talisman master, a single hand-inscribed talisman often exhausts all their Elemental Power, unlike Li Xing, who does it with such ease.

Ten minutes later, the rune plate glowed with an icy blue light, a layer of frost as thin as cicada wings condensed on its surface, and then it returned to normal in an instant. Li Xing knew this meant the talisman had been successfully inscribed.

Stretching lazily, Li Xing saw that it was still early. She planned to mail the rune plate back first, and then head to the Star Beast Forest.

Riding her beloved tricycle, Li Xing soon reached the outskirts of the city. Unlike the forests on Blue Star, the trees on the outskirts of the Star Beast Forest were of a single species, arranged so neatly as if they were carved from a mold, with similar height and crown width. This left the ground lacking sunlight, and aside from shade-tolerant mosses and lichens, there were few green plants.

Because of this, the Star Beasts in the outer forests were of low rank, small in size, and weak in attack. Here, Li Xing could easily obtain the low-level Crystal Stones she needed, but she lacked actual combat experience, so after capturing a large number of small Star Beasts like Red-bellied Forest Frogs, Twin-tailed Squirrels, and Spiked Porcupine Mice, she plunged into the depths of the forest.

Li Xing originally wasn’t allowed by Li Yi and Anna to go hunting in the Star Beast Forest, but after Li Xing repeatedly promised only to operate in the outskirts, Li Yi reluctantly agreed.

Li Xing’s smart brain had real-time positioning, and if she crossed the boundary, it would automatically send a notification to her guardians, who wouldn’t spare her a scolding. But such a small matter couldn’t stump Li Xing; if she could inscribe talismans, modifying a program was simple.

Leaving the outskirts, the trees began to vary in arrangement, allowing sunlight to penetrate, and the variety of plants gradually increased.

Upon entering the deep forest, Li Xing was attacked several times, all from Spirit Plants. There were carnivorous vines that could coil around people, thorns that could shoot spikes, and mushrooms that released toxic spores...

Were it not for Li Xing’s basic understanding of Spirit Plant habits, combined with her family’s movement technique, the Green Smoke Step—swift and elusive—she might not have witnessed the power of mid-level or high-level Star Beasts before perishing.

A Dan Cultivator who plays with Spirit Plants would be quite ironic if eaten by mere flowers and grass.

Li Xing dared not be careless, cautiously stalking through the forest while observing the surrounding plants. Under her Divine Sense, these plants were enveloped in Spiritual Energy. Though Li Xing didn’t recognize any, she was certain they were excellent ingredients for medicine.

Some looked familiar to Li Xing, resembling the Immortal Herbs recorded in her ancestor’s notes, but not entirely the same. She couldn’t figure out whether the Spirit Plants of the Qianyuan Continent had mutated, or if they were simply two different species.

It was well known that differences among Spirit Plants were minute. Two seemingly similar ones might be as different as a miraculous medicine that regrows bone and an immediate poison. Being careless could lead to grave errors.

As an excellent Dan Cultivator, hesitating in identifying Spirit Plants frustrated Li Xing greatly. If all these were new species and required testing each for medicinal properties, she would be busy in the future.

Just as Li Xing was squatting to observe a Purple Monkey Flower, a pair of green vertical pupils in the bushes behind her were staring at her greedily.

Without a sound, a large flower-patterned snake as thick as a barrel slowly poked its head from the shadows, coiling its body and springing towards her slender back, its jaw opening to almost a hundred and eighty degrees, ready to swallow the girl whole.

Sensing the sinister wind behind her, Li Xing rolled to the side to dodge. The flower-patterned snake bit down on dirt, its enormous body piling up due to inertia as if a spring was released, temporarily immobilizing it and giving Li Xing a perfect chance to counterattack.

Li Xing punched the connection between the upper and lower jaws of the snake. Her body, tempered by the Eternal Green Technique, was harder than refined steel, and the strike shattered the snake’s jawbone. The snake twisted in pain, thrashing its massive body wildly, creating chaos among the surrounding plants.

Li Xing clicked her tongue. She had marked a few Spirit Plants for later research, but they were destroyed by the snake. She had to kill it! Forming her fingers into a blade, she thrust them into the snake’s skull with a muffled "squelch," turned her fingers to grasp its Crystal Stone, and pulled it out. The once thrashing snake suddenly went limp as if its battery had been removed—dead.

Flicking off the snake blood, Li Xing glanced at the translucent Crystal Stone in her hand. It was of mid-rank—not bad. She wondered if Uncle Guan could exchange it for a large quantity of low-level Crystal Stones.

After putting away the snake’s body, Li Xing continued her exploration deeper into the forest. Perhaps due to the blood scent on her, she faced continuous attacks from Star Beasts along the way. Li Xing welcomed more Star Beasts, as her cultivation resources were entirely reliant on them.

It wasn’t until the sun began to set and the light dimmed that Li Xing realized she had spent the whole day in the forest. Swiftly, she swapped out a high-grade Spirit Stone in her tricycle and zoomed home at maximum speed.

Thanks to sufficient energy, the tricycle finally showcased its luxurious quality, moving so fast that it caused a sonic boom. In just fifteen minutes, Li Xing entered the airspace of Datang City, arriving home before Li Yi returned from work.

Seeing Li Xing’s bounty for the day—Red-bellied Forest Frogs, Twin-tailed Chipmunks, Spiked Porcupine Mice, Three-eared Rabbits, Toothed Mountain Sparrows...—with seven or eight of each type of Star Beast, ranging from large to small, looking like she had emptied entire nests, Li Yi was deep in thought.

"Is this what you gained in a day?"

Li Xing flashed her small tiger teeth: "Hehe, is it okay?"

"Okay? It’s more than okay, it’s incredible!"

If Li Yi knew she had twenty or so mid-level Star Beasts stored in her space, who knows what he’d think.

Handing a bag of Crystal Stones to Anna, Li Xing said, "Aunt Anna, this is my income for today, for household use!"

Though Crystal Stones are essential resources for her cultivation, this was her first time hunting Star Beasts and it held special meaning. Moreover, after receiving care from the Li Family for so long, she felt it was only right to give back.

Seeing Li Xing’s sweaty little face, Anna couldn’t bear to take her Crystal Stones at all.

"Xiao Xing, keep the Crystal Stones for yourself; you don’t need to contribute to the household."

Li Yi nodded in agreement: "I’ll start working at Datang Academy soon, with much better pay and benefits, so we don’t lack money." After a pause, Li Yi awkwardly added, "If you want to contribute to the family, then this holiday, you’re in charge of the household’s meat supply."

This kid eats so much! Without the help of a cafeteria, the pressure for three meals falls entirely on Li Yi, overwhelming him. It would be better to let her be self-sufficient since she’s so capable.

Indeed, Li Xing agreed without hesitation and prepared a feast for dinner with the Three-eared Rabbits and Toothed Mountain Sparrows, leaving the whole family with oily mouths and bursting with laughter and joy echoing through the small house.