Although it was already August, the weather had yet to cool down. Even in the early morning, the air was filled with a dry heat.
Ji Qing sat beneath a large locust tree, practicing his Cultivation of the Rising Sun Skill as the morning sun rose.
Half a Two-hour later, Ji Qing slowly opened his eyes.
It had been about ten days since he left the ruined temple. Over the past ten days, he had consistently practiced the Rising Sun Skill every morning. His Inner Power had improved significantly, but compared to using Source Points to upgrade, it was still far too slow.
Ji Qing: Third-class Martial Artist
Jade Skill: Perfection (Inner Power outburst, thirty percent amplification)
Rising Sun Skill: Entry Level
Thirteen Paths of Swift Saber: Perfection (Ultimate Technique Heavenly Line)
Cao Shangfei: Small Success
Source Point: 0
Ji Qing opened the Demon Monster Record to check his current status.
The Rising Sun Skill was still at the entry level. To reach "Small Success" at his current pace, he would need at least a few years of arduous training.
He thought, "If I had Source Points, the Rising Sun Skill could rapidly reach Great Success or even Perfection. But Source Points can only be obtained by killing Demon Monsters. Where can I find any?"
It had been a long time since Ji Qing escaped from Liang City, yet he hadn't encountered a single Demon Monster. Naturally, he hadn't earned any Source Points.
"Ji Qing, are you done with your Cultivation?" A small head poked out from the bamboo backpack behind him.
"Yes. Let's eat some dry rations and set off early."
Ji Qing calculated the distance; it would take about another ten days to reach Anyang City. The two of them washed down some dry rations with cold water and then got up. Ji Qing continued to stick to the country dirt paths, strictly avoiding the official roads. The rural paths were flanked by fields of golden rice. It was the autumn harvest season. Judging by the appearance of the crops, they would be ready for harvesting in about ten days.
"Hmm?" After walking a few miles, Ji Qing suddenly noticed many farmers rushing to harvest rice in the fields ahead. The crops were clearly not fully ripe. Harvesting them now would affect both the quality and the yield.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Cut it all down quickly, or else those mice will ruin the grain again tonight," one farmer urged.
"A few days ago, all the grain in Old Wang's three acres of land was destroyed by the mice," another chimed in. "His entire family depended on those crops to survive. Now that the grain is gone, they have no choice but to sell their children."
"Our Dahua Village has never had a rat plague before," a third farmer said. "Why are we suffering from one this year? I heard there's a massive rat among them. Someone saw it—its size and build were practically like a small calf!"
"You're just talking nonsense," a fourth scoffed. "If there really was a rat as big as a calf, wouldn't that mean it had become a monster?"
"Don't be so skeptical, it really is a rat that's become a monster!" the third farmer retorted. "Haven't you seen the 'Rat Extermination' notices posted by Landlord Jin? He is spending a fortune to recruit Martial World Experts to get rid of it. If it wasn't a monster, would Landlord Jin need to hire Martial World Experts?"
The farmers chatted while hurriedly harvesting their crops. Ji Qing caught snippets of their conversation as he walked past.
"A rat becoming a monster?" Ji Qing's heart stirred. If it really was a rat as big as a calf, it was definitely a Mouse Demon! He had just been worrying about not encountering any Demon Monsters to earn Source Points. Now, an opportunity had presented itself! However, the farmers were only going off hearsay. Ji Qing needed to investigate whether it was truly a Mouse Demon.
"Excuse me, where are the 'Rat Extermination' notices posted by Landlord Jin?" Ji Qing asked the farmers.
"Young man, are you also a Martial Artist?"
"Yes."
"You certainly look the part." The farmer looked Ji Qing up and down carefully. "Landlord Jin's notices are posted on the courtyard wall about three miles ahead. Just tear one down and go straight into the courtyard to find him. But young man, rat extermination is no joke. That giant rat is fierce. I heard an experienced Hunter went to kill it before and ended up losing his life."
The farmer was honest and kind-hearted, not forgetting to warn Ji Qing about the danger.
"Thank you for the warning." Seeing that the sun was growing increasingly blazing and knowing the hardships of the farmers' lives, Ji Qing tossed a piece of broken silver to the man as a token of gratitude.
Ji Qing followed the dirt path for three miles and indeed saw a grand courtyard. He approached the outer wall and saw a "Rat Extermination" notice. He immediately tore it down and walked to the courtyard gate.
"You tore down the extermination notice?"
Ji Qing nodded.
"Then please follow me."
A servant led Ji Qing into the courtyard and brought him to the main hall. At the head of the hall sat a slightly plump middle-aged man in a silk robe—this was likely Landlord Jin. Along both sides of the hall sat quite a few people dressed as Martial Artists from the Martial World, presumably all here for the extermination.
Landlord Jin asked with a smile, "Young Hero, how may I address you?"
"Li Mu," Ji Qing replied, using an alias.
"Which Sect are you from, Young Hero Li?"
"I am just a Loose Man of the Martial World. I belong to no Sect."
Before Landlord Jin could speak, the Martial Artists in the hall burst into laughter. One of them spoke up, "Friend, we've already discussed this earlier and weeded out those who were just making up the numbers. Everyone left here is a Martial Artist with some renown in the Martial World. Since you are just a Loose Man with no Sect, please leave at once."
Ji Qing frowned. His gaze swept over the Martial Artists in the hall one by one as he asked calmly, "And which Sects are you all from?"
"This is Young Hero Jiang from the Quicksand Sword Sect. This is Hero Wang from the Martial Hero Sect. This is Hero Zhao from the Swallow Sect..."
These people indeed had established names and hailed from recognized Sects in the Martial World.
Ji Qing's gaze eventually settled on a Martial Artist wearing a bamboo hat and holding a long saber. He stood up, walked over to the man, and asked, "Who are you?"
"Tiger Saber Sect, Zhao Yi. What, must I compare sabers with you?"
Ji Qing nodded.
Zhao Yi's expression turned somewhat ugly. With so many Martial Artists in the hall, "Li Mu" hadn't approached anyone else, choosing to target him of all people. Didn't this mean Li Mu thought he was an easy target, a pushover? A trace of anger surfaced on Zhao Yi's face. The other Martial Artists didn't intervene; instead, they watched the scene with great interest. Since they were all from the Martial World, background and reputation could sometimes be useful, but when it came to truly settling a dispute, they still had to let their martial skills do the talking. Zhao Yi was not someone to be trifled with; he was a top-tier Expert within the Tiger Saber Sect. "Li Mu" picking a fight with Zhao Yi was just asking for trouble!
"It's too cramped in here to fight. Let's go to..."
Before Zhao Yi could finish his sentence, a crisp sound echoed in his ears.
CLANG.
It was the sound of a saber being drawn!
Zhao Yi's heart was filled with absolute horror. The moment he heard the sound of the draw, his vision was entirely consumed by a dazzling Blade Light. The sharp edge of the blade instantly enveloped him, making him feel as though he had been plunged into an icy cavern. His hand subconsciously gripped the hilt of his own saber. But before he could even draw it...
The next moment, the white light vanished, and the fierce edge of the blade dissipated. Ji Qing had already sheathed his saber.
CRACK.
The bamboo hat on Zhao Yi's head was split down the middle and burst apart.
Seeing this, although Zhao Yi was completely unharmed, he still broke out in a cold sweat from sheer terror. But immediately after, his face flushed bright red. How humiliating! It was far too humiliating! As a proud disciple of the Tiger Saber Sect who had practiced the saber for nearly twenty years, he didn't even get the chance to draw his weapon? He hadn't even seen clearly whether "Li Mu"'s saber had left its sheath! Just how fast was that strike?
Silence!
The entire hall suddenly fell into a deathly stillness.
"I wonder, does Li have the qualifications to exterminate the rat?" Ji Qing asked calmly, his gaze shifting to Landlord Jin.