Chapter 16 Star Crystal_1

"Whew."

Li Pin let out a long breath.

The monstrous beast he had been visualizing in his mind faded away.

The surging fire-like Qi and Blood within his body gradually calmed.

In an instant, an unprecedented weakness washed over him.

It felt as if he had been fighting off a high fever for several days, draining every ounce of his strength, his spine seemingly unable to withstand the planet's gravity, longing to lie down in the most comfortable position on his bed, motionless.

But...

Li Pin forcefully suppressed this bone-aching weakness.

He lifted his left hand and wiped the blood off his face.

A minor wound.

It wasn't disfiguring.

Then he caught his breath and got up on his feet.

He needed to change his shoes; he had been stepping so hard that they had cracked.

But...

Thankfully, he had timely been able to land that foot down.

The blow he dealt using the power of the Eight Fierce Beasts' True Fire Power, was no less than that of a full-out Elixir Energy Martial Master. It could even shatter house walls.

But two successive applications of such strength hadn't been able to kill this Cat Demon on the spot.

The true killing blow had come from the crushing force falling from the sky.

This Beast Monster, whether in terms of muscle toughness or bone density, was far superior to him.

He estimated that even a common handgun bullet might not be able to penetrate its body.

Getting hit by ten to eight bullets, as long as they don't hit its vital areas, it could still ferociously kill.

And also...

Beast Monsters, being species that evolved under the influence of Starlight Bathing, belong to the beast category of Star Refiners.

This could be inferred from the fact that the Cat Demon, despite being a beast, walked upright just like a "human".

What it was imitating wasn't humans, but the magnificent Star God.

To gun down such a creature, there's a high probability that the gun would burst as soon as it was fired.

"Hm?"

As Li Pin moved his foot, he seemed to sense something, and quickly found a crystal the size of a fingernail amidst a pool of blood and flesh.

"Is this... a Star Crystal!?"

When Beast Monsters or Demonic Beasts die, there's a chance they will leave behind a Star Crystal.

This is the primary material for forging Star Artifacts.

The stronger the Beast Monster or Demonic Beast, the greater the possibility and the better quality of the Star Crystals they leave behind.

For ordinary Beast Monsters like the Cat Demon, the chance of leaving behind a Star Crystal is almost none.

Unless...

This Cat Demon had consumed the Star Crystal of a relatively stronger Beast Monster after evolving, couldn't digest it, and left it in its body.

Considering the rarity and value of Star Crystals, Li Pin discreetly pocketed the crystal to avoid unnecessary trouble that might arise from showing off his wealth.

"It's dead! It's dead! The Cat Demon is dead!"

Just at this moment, cries of astonishment erupted from inside the car.

The cries were filled with joy akin to narrowly escaping death.

The battle between Li Pin and the Cat Demon, which determined life and death in a matter of moments, did not exceed three seconds.

Only by this time did the extremely frightened passengers in the car come out of their stupor and react.

"It's safe now. It's safe now. The Cat Demon is dead. We're safe."

"Whew… That's great. It's so good."

One by one, the passengers were filled with a mixture of amazement and joy.

Two of them were even crying for joy as they had escaped death.

Li Yunyao also came to her senses at this time.

"Brother!"

She screamed, jumping to her feet and rushing to the window.

Li Pin gestured at her with his hand.

Then, he walked around to the front of the car, his right hand behind his back, and casually got back into the vehicle with a leisurely pace.

"Thank you, martial master, thank you. Thank you for saving us."

The driver was the first to stand up, his face full of gratitude.

The others in the car responded in the same way.

"No need to be polite."

Li Pin said, "Report this to the local Defense Bureau."

Then, he added, "I've consumed a lot by using my secret technique to stimulate my Qi and blood. I need to rest. If you really want to thank me, go straight to Sanshun Station."

"Yes, yes, certainly; we'll be there on time."

The driver nodded repeatedly.

"Take Mr. Martial Artist home first and let him rest as soon as possible. He's the one who saved us."

The others also agreed in unison.

To this, Li Pin didn't insist further; indeed, going home early was a good thing.

"Brother..."

Li Yunyao looked at Li Pin, her face filled with excitement, worry, and disbelief: "You...you killed the Cat Demon!?"

"Yes, the Cat Demon is indeed dead. Hence, practicing martial arts is indeed useful," Li Pin said.

"But... didn't it say in the books that... isn't each Beast Monster terribly frightening? They're like those powerful Star Refiners..."

"No, they're not the same."

Li Pin said, "Beast Monsters and Demonic Beasts are far less powerful than Star Refiners. Common cat demons can be killed by Astral Energy Grandmasters, and plenty of them have been killed by Elixir Energy Martial Masters. I took the Cat Demon by surprise. Now go back to your seat; the car is about to leave."

"Is that so?"

Although Li Yunyao knew that things were not as simple as Li Pin had described.

However, she had deeply realized through this incident how formidable her brother was.

Listening to the sincere gratitude from the other passengers and watching the pride in their eyes filled her with a sense of admiration.

In reality, facing Beast Monsters was far more dangerous for the average martial artist than what Li Pin described.

While it's true that many common Beast Monsters have been killed by Elixir Energy Martial Masters, even more of these martial masters have been killed by the Beast Monsters.

Even a Cat Demon, considered weak among common Beast Monsters, cannot be defeated by any second- or third-level martial artist without proper preparation.

But...

Li Pin had no time to consider or hesitate in the situation just before.

Other than gathering all his spirit and Qi to strike with full determination, he had no other choice.

Luckily, using local advantages and momentarily bursting with two Elixir Energies, he won the battle.

Li Pin sat at a seat in front of them, tilted his head and glanced at Lin Xiaolu, "Were you scared? But it's okay now. The Cat Demon is dead."

Lin Xiaolu shook her head vigorously, and then she nodded just as eagerly.

The petite face was filled with lingering fear.

Li Pin didn't offer any more comfort; he closed his eyes to rest and began practicing the Innate Qi Nourishing Art.

In this world, even county towns have at least two or three Star Refiners protecting them.

Just like Demonic Beasts can sense Star Refiners from tens of miles away, human Star Refiners can also sense if powerful Demonic Beasts approach within a few miles from the city, fight against it, or ask for help.

So, cities are generally safe.

However, villages are different.

There are no Star Refiners stationed in villages, only defense squads. If a Beast Monster or Demonic Beast appears, it will take at least half an hour to ask for help from the county town.

What could happen in half an hour, nobody knows.

However, it's unrealistic to concentrate all people in the city.

Without agriculture, the city's huge consumption cannot be sustained.

Because of this, many people who want to live in the city can't afford the high house prices and shocking expenses, forcing them to go back to county towns and villages.

Furthermore, as every country is developing its county towns, integrating various villages into the county towns, advancing the integration of villages and county towns together, it creates an illusion for ordinary people that they are settled in county towns instead of villages, giving them some form of psychological comfort.

...

After the driver let one person report the situation here to the Liuchuan County Defense Bureau by phone, he quickly started the vehicle.

He looked at Li Pin, who was resting with his eyes closed, with reverence, and focused on driving the car smoothly while maintaining the speed.

Luckily, the location where the Cat Demon appeared was not far from Sanshun Town - just a few kilometers away.

In less than ten minutes, they arrived at Li Pin's home.

Once Li Pin got out of the van, all the passengers followed him, expressing their gratitude with a grateful bow.

They knew that if Li Pin hadn't been on the van, at least half of the dozen people would have been lost.

Li Pin waved his hand to signal them to leave.

Watching everyone go, he began to understand, at least to some extent, why the martial artists of this world hold such a status.

Why martial arts thrived in the countries of Gaia.

In a world where firearms are inefficient, becoming a Star Refiner relies on "talent" which occurs one in tens of thousands, martial arts practice...

It naturally becomes their only means of self-defense and salvation.