Wolf Head Mercenary Group, He Meng

As the sun set, the forest was bathed in golden light, the leaves rustling softly.

High atop a towering tree, so large it would take two adults to embrace its trunk, Xiao Yan was harvesting the tenth ingredient needed to refine Bloodburn.

Looking at the crimson, fist-sized Crimson Fire Mushroom growing on the trunk, Old Yao smiled slightly, "Crimson Fire Mushroom. It only grows on trees that are over a hundred years old. I thought it would take some effort to find one, but you found it on the first day. You're quite lucky, young one."

Xiao Yan chuckled, but his keen senses suddenly detected a powerful aura approaching. His delicate face hardened, "A magical beast is coming, and it's at the Second Rank level."

Old Yao nodded approvingly at Xiao Yan's ability to remain vigilant in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"It's a Flame Tiger, and it's badly injured. You've obtained the most crucial Crimson Fire Mushroom, and you might also get a Second Rank Magical Core. That's why I said you're lucky."

Xiao Yan's physical constitution was too strong, and after careful consideration, Old Yao thought the Second Rank Fire Attribute magical beast's blood might not be the best.

Only the Magical Core would provide Xiao Yan with the best training effect.

Having put away the Crimson Fire Mushroom, Xiao Yan activated the Concealment Technique, further concealing his aura completely. His dark eyes focused on the area below, and Dou Qi slowly circulated within him, ready to strike at any moment.

Before long, a rather large Flame Tiger appeared in Xiao Yan's field of vision.

This magical beast had a terrifying head. Its eyes were as hot as lava, flickering with a heart-stopping light. Each time its four thick claws stepped down, they left a giant paw print on the ground, as if eroded by lava.

However, it had several sword and knife wounds on its body, from battles with mercenaries, no doubt.

Xiao Yan wasn't a saint. If he were to fight a fully-abled Second Rank magical beast right now, he'd have to use all his trump cards.

Magical Cores weren't something every magical beast possessed. He'd hunted five magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and only obtained one Fire Attribute Magical Core from the first one.

Things that were hard to come by should be conserved.

This injured Second Rank magical beast was perfect.

Take advantage of its weakness to finish it off!

Xiao Yan, having sprinted all the way here, saw that even a magical beast's incredibly robust body was losing its usual ferocity due to the blood loss.

After cautiously glancing around to ensure there were no threats, the Flame Tiger finally collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

After waiting for several breaths, and letting the Flame Tiger's guard drop to its lowest, Xiao Yan used force in his legs and suddenly leaped down from the towering ancient tree. He shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, charging towards the Flame Tiger.

Xiao Yan's fist was brimming with dense yellow Dou Qi, and he almost went all out with his first strike.

The Flame Tiger's reaction was not slow. It abruptly rose from the grass, its heart filled with fury, while its tiger eyes were filled with disbelief.

Despicable and cunning human! A thought flashed through the Flame Tiger's mind. Before it could react, a fist the size of a sandbag had already slammed fiercely onto the '王' character on its forehead: "Eight Extremes Collapse!"

A force like a tsunami instantly smashed the Flame Tiger's massive head into the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Following this, three consecutive dull thuds echoed in the Flame Tiger's mind. The terrifying hidden force exploded, instantly causing the Flame Tiger's brain to burst, resulting in its death with blood flowing from its seven orifices.

The massive body had only just risen before it collapsed weakly to the ground.

Dou Qi was severely depleted. Xiao Yan took a heavy breath, a look of barely concealed joy on his face as he looked at the Second Rank Flame Tiger, which he had easily dispatched.

Looking at the Flame Tiger's corpse, Old Yao chuckled, "It was already heavily wounded, and then you ambushed it. This Flame Tiger died a bit unjustly."

"Hopefully, there's a Magical Core," Xiao Yan said, reaching for the Black Heavy Ruler's handle and swinging it down with force towards the Flame Tiger's large body.

Although the Black Heavy Ruler was very flat and lacked a sharp edge, Xiao Yan was more than familiar with the skill of focusing power into a line, having learned the Eight Extremes Soaring Cannon from the Eight Extremes Collapse.

With a single strike, a crack suddenly appeared on the Flame Tiger's back, the flesh completely split open, revealing the Flame Tiger's white skeleton.

"You can use it to such a degree within a day... You are getting better at mastering the skills of using this heavy sword," Old Yao nodded in approval.

"Oh, I almost forgot, you've already named it the Black Heavy Ruler," Old Yao added.

"Lucky! There's a Magical Core!" Xiao Yan laughed, picking up the crimson Magical Core. "I'm looking forward to you teaching me about the powerful Dou Techniques related to this Black Heavy Ruler, teacher."

"Wait until your Dou Qi strength increases a few levels," Old Yao said with a smile. "Even if I taught it to you now, you wouldn't have the Dou Qi to use it."

Increase Dou Qi strength?

Although he couldn't upgrade his cultivation technique for now, who said he needed to increase his Dou Qi strength to have more Dou Qi?

After a "Possession", who even cared about his Dou Qi level?

Rubbing his nose, irritated by the strong smell of blood, Xiao Yan's understanding of expanding his own Dou Qi became clearer.

After putting away the Magical Core, Xiao Yan left the forest, intending to find some more medicinal herbs before nightfall.

After dark, the magical beasts became even more active, and the danger in the Magical Beast Mountain Range increased exponentially.

Old Yao would help him locate the medicinal herbs, but he wouldn't help him deal with those magical beasts.

After walking for a short while, Xiao Yan encountered a large group of mercenaries running towards him.

After a rough glance, there were about thirty mercenaries. Their strength was not bad, and they all wore the same badge on their chests.

The badge was engraved with a single-eyed wolf head.

Xiao Yan blinked. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group from three or four years ago?

For a young man like Xiao Yan, who came to the Magical Beast Mountain Range seeking opportunities with unknown hermits, they had seen many such individuals.

However, most of these young people ended up with broken arms and legs, or were buried in the bellies of magical beasts.

"Kid, did you see an injured Flame Tiger?" a mercenary with a sharp-chinned face asked.

Could it be that these guys had seriously injured the Flame Tiger? A flicker of doubt flashed through Xiao Yan's mind, and then he smiled silently. He was grateful to these guys.

However, Xiao Yan wouldn't tell the truth.

"No." Xiao Yan shook his head slightly, preparing to bypass these people.

"Wait!" Just as Xiao Yan was about to leave, a tall man, nearly two meters in height, among the mercenaries, called out in a low voice, "Leave the cloth bag containing the medicinal herbs you have at your waist."

As the third leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, He Meng was not only powerful, but also had excellent eyesight.

Just the Crimson Fire Mushroom at the mouth of the bag was worth more than three thousand gold coins. Dealing with a lucky young man was much simpler than dealing with a Second Rank magical beast.