Stimulated by the scent of its own blood, the King Kong Bear let out another thunderous roar and charged forward with renewed fury.
Xiao Tian's two-meter-long sword danced in his hands with increasing proficiency. He executed upward thrusts, direct stabs, horizontal sweeps, and powerful vertical chops, seamlessly transitioning into hooks, pecks, locks, and slashes. The weapon moved like an extension of his body.
After another fierce clash, the two opponents separated once more.
Xiao Tian glanced down at his tattered clothes and the shallow wounds on his body, then looked at the King Kong Bear opposite him. Its golden fur was now drenched in blood, and its movements had grown sluggish.
A bored expression crossed his face.
In the next instant, he vanished from his spot and reappeared ten meters to the side. Before the heavily injured beast could react, Xiao Tian was already behind it. A flaming lotus shape rapidly condensed on his fist.
"Flaming Lotus!"
The blazing lotus struck the King Kong Bear's back with terrifying force, directly piercing through its heart. The massive beast let out a final pained roar before collapsing heavily to the ground, lifeless.
Xiao Tian wiped the blood from his hand and casually retrieved a Grade Two Blood Coagulation Pill and a Grade Three Qi Recovery Pill from his storage ring. He tossed both into his mouth. Almost instantly, his wounds began to scab over, and his depleted Dou Qi recovered significantly.
After slaying the King Kong Bear, Xiao Tian found a nearby stream and washed the blood from his body before changing into a fresh set of clothes. Not far from the water source, he discovered an abandoned cave. After a quick inspection and simple cleanup, he sat cross-legged inside and began cultivating, carefully digesting the gains from today's intense battle.
Early the next morning, Xiao Tian slowly opened his eyes. Sensing the powerful aura circulating within him, he clenched his fist tightly.
"I've finally broken through to Six-star Dou Practitioner."
Stretching his body with satisfaction, he stepped out of the cave, confirmed his direction, and continued forward at a leisurely pace.
"The timing should be about right," he murmured. "Little Fairy Doctor should be preparing to search for the treasure in that cave soon."
Although he could easily take everything inside the cave himself, there was nothing there that he desperately needed. His real purpose in coming to Qingshan Town was to complete the system check-in and to meet the Little Fairy Doctor. If she didn't personally explore the cave, the experience would lose much of its meaning.
Hehe… those who understand, understand.
"What do you want?!"
A furious female shout suddenly echoed through the forest.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Xiao Tian's eyes narrowed as he moved swiftly, covering ten meters in an instant. After a few more agile maneuvers, he arrived at the source of the commotion.
Perched on a sturdy tree branch, he looked down at the scene below.
"Isn't that the Little Fairy Doctor?"
At that moment, the veiled young woman was surrounded by a group of aggressive mercenaries led by a young man. More than twenty corpses lay scattered outside the encirclement — the remains of Little Fairy Doctor's protectors and members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. A fierce battle had clearly taken place, and all her guards had been slaughtered.
The young man stared at Little Fairy Doctor, who was leaning weakly against a tree, and sneered, "What do I want? Don't you already know in your heart? Where is the treasure? You've been wandering around these mountains for days. I've waited long enough. If you still refuse to speak, I'll kill you right here. Let's see how long that pretty mouth of yours can stay shut."
"How… how did you know?" Little Fairy Doctor asked, her voice trembling.
"Hahaha! Of course, it was that useless assistant of yours. A few sweet words and he spilled everything," the young man laughed wickedly. "If you still won't talk, then I can only…"
"Tsk tsk. Forcing a beautiful woman in broad daylight isn't very gentlemanly, is it?"
A calm voice suddenly rang out from above.
"Who?! Who dares meddle in the affairs of this Young Group Leader?!"
The young man whipped his head around and saw a handsome black-robed youth sitting casually on a tree branch not far away.
Little Fairy Doctor, who had been drowning in despair, lifted her head at the familiar voice. Her eyes widened slightly. "Is… is it you?"
"You don't need to know who I am," Xiao Tian said indifferently. His gaze shifted to the young man. "You must be Mu Li, the Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group?"
"That's right, it's me!" Mu Li snarled. "Go! Kill this brat and teach him what happens to those who meddle in my business!"
Leaving only two men to guard Little Fairy Doctor, Mu Li waved his hand. The rest of the mercenaries raised their weapons and charged toward Xiao Tian.
"Kid, keep your eyes open in your next life. Don't run into my blade again!" A five-star Dou Practitioner wielding a saber roared as he led the charge.
Xiao Tian remained expressionless. With a casual wave of his hand, a colorless flame condensed and shot forward like a streak of light.
Pfft!
In an instant, more than a dozen four- and five-star Dou Practitioners were engulfed by the flame. Their bodies burned to ashes before they could even scream.
"Young Group Leader Mu Li, it seems your subordinates aren't very capable," Xiao Tian said with a faint smile. "Now it's your turn."
Mu Li's face turned deathly pale. Realizing he had provoked someone far beyond his level, he immediately begged, "Sir, please spare me! I'll give you the Little Fairy Doctor. She knows where the treasure is! I also have money — I'll give you everything I have! Just let me live!"
Xiao Tian didn't bother replying.
In a blur of motion, he appeared before Mu Li and the remaining two mercenaries. The tip of his sword flashed across their throats with lightning speed.
Mu Li clutched his severed throat with one hand, his eyes filled with shock and unwillingness as he pointed at Xiao Tian with the other. Blood gushed endlessly from the wound. A moment later, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
"After killing you, won't everything belong to me anyway?" Xiao Tian said calmly.
The hellish scene left Little Fairy Doctor terrified. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. When Xiao Tian walked toward her, she closed her eyes in fear, expecting the worst.
But the pain never came.
She cautiously opened her eyes and saw Xiao Tian standing before her with his arms crossed, a gentle smile on his face.
"You're… not going to kill me?" she asked, still trembling.
"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have saved you," Xiao Tian replied.
After carefully studying his expression, Little Fairy Doctor finally believed him. She extended a slender, fair hand and said weakly, "Then… could you help me up? My legs are still too scared to move."
Xiao Tian glanced at her delicate hand — soft and smooth like congealed fat — before gently grasping it. With a light pull, he helped her to her feet.
Once she was standing, he released her hand. Little Fairy Doctor leaned against the tree for support, slowly regaining her composure.
A colorless flame appeared in Xiao Tian's palm. With a casual wave, it split into dozens of tiny wisps that landed on the surrounding corpses, instantly reducing them to ashes. He then flicked his sleeve, sending a gust of Dou Qi to scatter the ashes completely.
A Qi Recovery Pill appeared in his hand. "Here. It's much cleaner now. Take this."
Looking at the mysterious flame and the pill, Little Fairy Doctor couldn't help but ask, "You're… an alchemist?"
"Is that so strange?" Xiao Tian replied with a slightly smug smile.
Little Fairy Doctor ignored his triumphant expression, accepted the pill, and swallowed it directly.
After her Dou Qi had mostly recovered, she stood in front of him and asked curiously, "Why didn't you ask me about the treasure?"
"No need," Xiao Tian said lightly. "I already know where it is. Isn't it right below that cliff?"
He tilted his head toward the nearby cliff. Under the sunlight, the faint outline of a hidden cave dwelling could just barely be seen.
Little Fairy Doctor stared at him in disbelief. "You… you actually know?"
"There are many things I know," Xiao Tian said with a faint smile. "Let's go. We'll head down and take a look."
He walked straight to the edge of the cliff and looked down.
Behind him, Little Fairy Doctor stared at his back. A small bag of powder silently appeared in her hand.