WHOOSH...
RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...
Gusts of wind occasionally swept across the wilderness, causing the surrounding wild grass to sway and rustle. Nourished by the free-floating Spiritual Energy in the air, the grass grew at least as tall as a person.
In a bustling, peaceful city, the sound of rustling plants would hardly make anyone think twice.
But here in the treacherous wilderness, the noise from a sudden gust of wind would make one instinctively tense up.
Having entered the wilderness alone, Lin Li avoided the areas where vegetation grew thickest, instead choosing to slowly make his way through the relatively open and flat terrain.
As this was his first trip into the wilderness, Lin Li had set a strict operational range for himself: a one-kilometer radius. For now, he wouldn't consider going any farther.
And one shouldn't think that a one-kilometer radius was small.
Within this area alone, there were already plenty of Mutant Beasts on the move.
After stepping into the wilderness, Lin Li had only walked a slow hundred meters or so when he encountered the first Mutant Beast of his life.
This Mutant Beast was a meter tall, with long ears, crimson eyes, sharp buck teeth, and razor-sharp claws... What a ferocious and terrifying rabbit-type Mutant Beast.
Rabbits were usually synonymous with gentleness, but the one Lin Li faced had nothing to do with being gentle.
Its meter-tall frame, its crimson eyes glaring viciously at him, and its undisguised malice completely upended Lin Li's preconceived notions about rabbits.
'Damn... this rabbit Mutant Beast is so fierce! I have no idea how strong it is. But according to the newbie guide I read on the Exotic Beast Hunter app, the strongest Mutant Beasts within a one-kilometer radius are only at the Tier One Middle Stage. I should be able to kill this one pretty easily.'
Right then, Lin Li was scared to death, his right hand, which gripped the Spiritual Longsword, trembling slightly.
He finally understood why, on the discussion boards of the Exotic Beast Hunter app yesterday, he had seen so many Tier One Peak Exotic Beast Hunters looking to team up with Hunters at Tier Two or above.
Once a Cultivator broke through to Tier Two, their Spiritual Power would undergo a qualitative change, granting them a Perception Ability. This ability allowed them to judge an opponent's strength by the Spiritual Energy Waves they emitted.
Just then, a faint golden Spiritual Light bloomed in the eyes of the rabbit Mutant Beast facing Lin Li. It was already mobilizing the Spiritual Energy within its body.
If Lin Li had reached the Tier Two Initial Stage, he would be able to use his Perception Ability.
He could have used the Spiritual Energy Waves it emitted to gauge its strength, instead of being completely in the dark and feeling so uncertain.
This rabbit Mutant Beast, which was at the Tier One Middle Stage, could sense that the human before it was a little afraid.
This made it think the human was weaker than itself, so it took the initiative and attacked Lin Li.
'Huh? This rabbit Mutant Beast isn't very fast!'
As the rabbit Mutant Beast, its eyes glowing with a faint golden Spiritual Light, charged toward him, Lin Li instantly pushed off the ground and dodged to the right, easily avoiding its attack.
Seeing its attack hit nothing but air, the rabbit Mutant Beast immediately changed direction and charged at Lin Li again.
'Dodge... and dodge again...'
Lin Li easily dodged the rabbit Mutant Beast's lunges time after time, while the beast stubbornly persisted in its assault.
Having evaded its attacks so many times, Lin Li's confidence surged. By now, even an idiot could see that this rabbit Mutant Beast was far weaker than him.
'Die.'
Sidestepping to dodge the rabbit Mutant Beast's lunge, Lin Li acted in the very instant they passed each other.
He immediately mobilized the Spiritual Energy in his body, channeling it into the Spiritual Longsword in his hand.
A faint golden Spiritual Light flared to life. With a powerful swing of his right hand, he thrust the sharp Spiritual Longsword swiftly toward the rabbit Mutant Beast's neck.
SQUELCH.
Although the Spiritual Longsword Lin Li had bought was a discounted item, it was still a Spiritual Artifact forged from Spiritual Materials. Its blade was far sharper than any ordinary weapon.
And now, infused with Spiritual Energy, its sharpness was on another level entirely.
The sword tip, glowing with a faint golden Spiritual Light, pierced the rabbit Mutant Beast's neck as easily as slicing through tofu.
THUD.
Its neck grievously wounded, the rabbit Mutant Beast collapsed heavily onto the grass. It struggled, trying to get back up.
But the Spiritual Longsword had left a huge gash in its neck. Blood gushed from the wound, and its strength rapidly faded with the loss. It had barely scrambled to its feet before it collapsed again.
Barely a minute passed before the rabbit Mutant Beast, stabbed in the neck by Lin Li, was dead.
Phew...
Having achieved the first kill of his life, Lin Li let out a long breath. His tension vanished completely, replaced by a heart full of excitement and elation.
'So this is all a Mutant Beast amounts to!' Lin Li muttered smugly, a joyful smile spreading across his face, then quickly walked over to it.
'I've finally gotten my hands on the flesh and blood of a Mutant Beast, less than an hour old.'
Lin Li squatted down and grabbed one of the rabbit Mutant Beast's ears.
Then, with a mere thought, a Spiritual Light flashed around him. He vanished from the spot, along with the rabbit Mutant Beast he held in his hand.
...
On the Mysterious Small Island, Lin Li tossed the rabbit Mutant Beast he was holding at the base of the Magical Little Tree in the island's center.
He then stared intently at the Magical Little Tree, waiting to see how it would handle the rabbit's carcass.
Five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds...
The Magical Little Tree showed no signs of movement. Just as Lin Li was on the verge of complaining out loud, the corpse of the rabbit Mutant Beast at its base began to change.
A white mist began to drift out from the rabbit's body. As time passed, more and more mist floated out, and simultaneously, the corpse started to decay.
In less than ten seconds, the meter-long, robust rabbit Mutant Beast had decayed completely, not leaving even a speck of bone behind.
The white mist that had risen from the corpse gathered in mid-air, forming a round, white ball of fog.
This ball of white fog was only about the size of a pigeon's egg. Just as Lin Li was about to reach out and poke it, the ball shot toward the Magical Little Tree with a SWOOSH and merged into its trunk.
...