In the jungle, a third-level Flame Tiger was slowly moving forward, its pair of blood-red eyes scanning the surroundings. Its fur was as red as hot coals, and its tail trailed behind it like a steel whip. Its body size was at least three times that of an ordinary tiger!

  In the Xiu Zhen world, it is customary to divide demon beasts into levels based on their strength. First-level demon beasts are equivalent to the Qi Refining stage, layers one to three; second-level demon beasts are equivalent to the Qi Refining stage, layers four to six; third-level demon beasts are equivalent to the Qi Refining stage, layers seven to nine. Fourth-level demon beasts are equivalent to the Foundation Building stage; fifth-level demon beasts are equivalent to the early Golden Core stage; sixth-level demon beasts are equivalent to the middle Golden Core stage; seventh-level demon beasts are equivalent to the late Golden Core stage; eighth-level demon beasts are equivalent to the early Nascent Soul stage. Ninth-level demon beasts are equivalent to the middle Nascent Soul stage, and tenth-level is equivalent to the late Nascent Soul stage. Demon beasts that have reached the Tribulation stage are collectively referred to as eleventh-level, and twelfth-level demon beasts are those in the Great Completion stage. When a demon beast reaches eighth level, it can transform into human form.

  The Scarlet Flame Tiger is the king of third-class demonic beasts, with actual strength equivalent to that of a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator!

  Suddenly, the Blazing Inferno Tiger stopped in its tracks, its flame-like fur standing on end, its steel-whip-like tail held high, its eyes scanning left and right with a look of being confronted by a great enemy.

  In the woods, a gust of wind suddenly appeared out of thin air and blew directly at this fiery tiger.

  "Roar!" The Blazing Inferno Tiger let out a loud bellow, like a thunderclap on the ground. Its hind legs pushed off the earth, and its body stood upright, its two front paws swiping forward with a "whooshing" sound. However, just as it was about to grab something, the tiger suddenly froze, then heavily fell to the ground, its massive corpse crashing onto the earth, sending up a cloud of dust. A narrow wound on its forehead gushed out fresh blood.

  Li Hui stood beside the corpse of Chi Yan Hu, his face expressionless as he grasped the Qing Ming sword. At this moment, Li Hui was dressed in a black robe, his hair casually draped over his shoulders, and not a hint of childishness could be seen on his face. His physique had reached that of an adult, lean and agile like a leopard.

  "It seems that the strength of this Scarlet Flame Tiger is nothing more than this! Master mentioned that only in a life-and-death struggle can one's swordsmanship be improved the fastest, but such opportunities are becoming increasingly rare." Li Hui shook his head with some helplessness.

  Currently, all demonic beasts below level three can't last a single round against Li Hui's sword. However, if he were to encounter a level four demonic beast, it's likely that the farther he runs, the better.

  The gap between the Refining Qi stage and the Building Foundation stage is almost insurmountable.

  It has been two years since Li Hui entered the mountain to collect medicine and accidentally obtained the Xianfu. Now, Li Hui's cultivation has reached the second rebirth of San Gong, reaching the eighth layer of Lian Qi!

  If we're talking about true strength, just in terms of spiritual power, it's probably already comparable to that of an ordinary 9th layer Qi Refining stage or even a Qi Refining stage Great Perfection.

  If you add Li Hui's physical strength and swordsmanship, it can be said that at this time, Li Hui is invincible below the foundation.

  At this moment, Li Hui, even if he didn't use his spiritual power, could probably kill any cultivator below the 7th layer of Qi Refining with just his physical strength and swordsmanship.

  At this time, Li Hui's skill in swordsmanship had finally reached the level where he could begin to cultivate the "Yu Jian Pian". At this point, he had already cultivated the thirty-six swords from simplicity to complexity.

  He put away the Qingming sword into his storage ring, and Li Hui continued to make his way through the forest. The spiritual energy in his body flowed freely, and his movements were as smooth as a gentle breeze passing through the trees, not even touching the branches that grew across his path. It was truly like walking through a field of flowers without a single petal sticking to him.

  Suddenly, Li Hui's swift figure stopped, like a spirit cat, quietly hiding behind a large tree with its arms around it. In front of this big tree, a group of iron-backed wolves were devouring the carcass of a silver-horned rhinoceros.

  Iron-backed wolves are sometimes gregarious, and sometimes solitary. Li Hui had encountered a lone iron-backed wolf many times before; the first time he almost lost his life to its jaws, but the second time he easily dispatched it.

  In these two years, Li Hui has been searching everywhere for demonic beasts to be his sparring partners for sword practice. He had killed many Iron-backed Wolves, but this was the first time he encountered a pack of them.

  Silver-horned rhinoceros as a third-level demon beast, facing a group of iron-backed wolves, still becomes food.

  Li Hui's face was filled with excitement and longing. One-on-one, third-level or lower demon beasts could no longer pose a threat to himself, and when facing fourth-level demon beasts, he had no chance of winning. This group of Ironback Wolves was just right for practicing his sword skills.

  This pack of iron-backed wolves had more than twenty heads, and they were lowering their heads to enjoy their own feast, without thinking that there were already hunters behind them who would make them the target of their hunt.

  "Hiss!"

  One Ironback Wolf had a sword sticking out of its forehead and was lying on the ground. The other Ironback Wolves hadn't even reacted yet when two more fell down.

  "Aooo!" A tall, wolf-like creature with an iron back let out a long howl towards the sky. The rest of the iron-backed wolves immediately lifted their heads and quickly formed a surrounding formation, trapping Li Hui in the center.

  At this time, five iron-backed wolves had fallen. The leading iron-backed wolf's eyes turned blood red as it looked at the corpses of its companions, filled with anger and grief. Another long howl sounded, and all the iron-backed wolves launched a simultaneous attack, pouncing on Li Hui in the middle.

  "Good shot!" Li Hui's face didn't show a hint of panic, his body suddenly transformed into a burst of green smoke, charging towards an empty space in the wolf pack.

  The wolf pack attacked, but didn't even touch a corner of Li Hui's clothes, yet two wolves were killed. However, the wolf pack quickly surrounded him again, and for a moment, there were wolves everywhere, with dozens of wolf claws swiping at Li Hui's body.

  Li Hui wielded the Qingming sword dance like a raging storm, and from afar, amidst a group of Ironback Wolves, flashes of blue light occasionally broke through, as one by one, the wolves fell to the ground.

  After half a stick of incense, all the iron-backed wolves fell to the ground. Li Hui's black robe was also stained with blood, and the Qingming sword was covered in a bloody red hue.

  "Great, great!" Li Hui felt extremely pleased. He glanced at the bloodstains on his clothes and furrowed his brow, injecting spiritual energy into the Thousand Fantasy Treasure Robe. In an instant, the Thousand Fantasy Treasure Robe transformed back into a pure black martial attire.

  After a brief rest, Li Hui set off again with Qing Ming Sword, searching for his next target.

  During this time, the Bi Xiao mountain range often transmitted the miserable howls of demonic beasts. Some demonic beasts with higher spiritual intelligence all hid in caves and did not dare to show their heads.

  Yuán Huáng Xiān Fǔ Zhōng -> The Original Heavenly Palace

  Li Hui sat in the Linshui Pavilion, holding a cup of spiritual tea in his hand and taking a light sip. This spiritual tea was also collected by Yuan Huan Zhenren, and drinking it not only had a fragrant aroma but could also slowly increase one's cultivation.

  But this is just a pastime item, if you really want to use this tea for cultivation, the effect is not as good as meditating for an hour or two.

  "It's no longer meaningful to stay in this mountain, and the elixirs for the Qi Refining stage have been almost completely consumed. Master has mentioned before that cultivation cannot be done by locking oneself up, one must travel tens of thousands of miles, accumulate experience, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve great success."

  As for this elixir, Li Hui couldn't help but smile wryly. In the past two years, he had been consuming the elixir like sugar beans, and his cultivation speed was naturally rapid, but the consumption of the elixir was also astonishing.

  "It seems it's time to head down the mountain and return to Ling Xiao City!" After a cup of spiritual tea, Li Hui had already made up his mind.

  West of Ling Xiao City

  Li Hui looked at the tall city gate, the monks coming and going, even the disciples of Bi Xiang Men who were responsible for guarding the city gate on duty were exceptionally kind.

  "Two years already!" Li Hui felt a sense of nostalgia. When he left, he was still a Qi Refining stage three-layer cultivator, struggling to survive as a small cultivator, but now he already possessed the power to sweep away anyone below the Foundation Building stage.

  At this time, Li Hui had already put the Qingming Sword and Storage Ring in the immortal mansion, and the Thousand Fantasy Treasure Robe on his body had turned into an ordinary black long shirt. He looked like a very ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, but the sharp aura that unintentionally emanated from his body still made him stand out.

  It's been two years, and Ling Xiao City seems to have changed very little... No, there is a bit of change after all. It seems that the number of cultivators entering and leaving the city gate has increased.

  "Could something big have happened in the city?" With a hint of puzzlement, Li Hui walked into Ling Xuan City.

  As soon as they entered the city, Li Hui was stunned. He saw people coming and going in the city, bustling about, and the empty space in front of the city gate was now filled with all sorts of small stalls. These monks, who normally did not indulge in worldly pleasures, were now acting like vendors at a secular temple fair, loudly hawking their wares and haggling over prices.

  Li Hui carefully made his way through the crowded throng, scanning the various small stalls on either side. Dan medicine, talismans, minerals... everything was available.

  This scene, in Li Hui's memory, had only appeared once five years ago when the Bi Xiao Gate opened its mountain gate and widely accepted disciples. Even then, it was not as lively as now.

  Dodging a monk who was running towards him with his head down, Li Hui shook his head and a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. In this sea of people, it was even more terrifying than being surrounded by Ironback Wolves.

  After great effort, Li Hui finally made his way through the crowded masses. He then discovered that it wasn't just the open space in front of the city gate that was bustling, but every street within the city was equally lively. Those usually quiet and deserted market streets were now having their doorsteps trampled.

  However, Li Hui also noticed a phenomenon that the monks who suddenly appeared in the city were mostly at the stage of refining their Qi.

  "Could it be that the Azure Sky Sect is really going to recruit disciples?" Li Hui furrowed his brow, unable to think of any other reason why so many low-level cultivators would gather in the city.

  After a while, Li Hui was no longer entangled and walked quickly towards a wine building.

  If it's said that people are numerous and words are complicated, news spreads quickly, then wine houses and tea houses must be counted as the most.

  __________________________

  The noon update is here, Li Hui's journey in the Xiu Zhen realm has just begun. Don't forget to collect and vote with red tickets. Two updates every day are a must.