C2 First Trial

Yang Ying made his way back to the dormitory at a leisurely pace. By the time he arrived, dusk had settled in. He noticed someone seated right at his dorm room door.

Upon seeing him, the figure rose and quickly stepped forward to steady him. "Senior Brother Yang! You're injured, and yet you're still out and about? I've been so worried about you!"

"Oh, it's Junior Brother Wang. What brings you here?" Yang Ying leaned on Junior Brother Wang for support as they moved toward the dormitory.

The young man was Wang Mingxuan, whom Yang Ying had met shortly after joining the outer court, and they had known each other for four years now.

Wang Mingxuan assisted Yang Ying to a seat before grabbing a cup from the table, filling it with water, and handing it to him. "Senior Brother Yang, your injuries are quite serious!"

He then stood up, gripping Yang Ying's arm. "Come on! We need to see Chancellor Wang! We can't let Lu Chenghua and his cronies get away with this!"

"Sit down for a moment, Junior Brother Wang," Yang Ying gestured for Wang Mingxuan to take a seat, pausing to take a deep breath before adding, "Lu Chenghua has always been a vile character. Rest assured, I will have my revenge."

It took some effort, but Yang Ying managed to calm Wang Mingxuan down.

"I can't believe I forgot!" Wang Mingxuan exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "Senior Brother Yang, here's some Revival Powder. You should take it right away!"

"Revival Powder? But that's a medicinal pill!" Yang Ying hastily refused, recognizing the name. Revival Powder was a healing elixir, renowned alongside the Qi Replenishing Pill. He continued to decline, "Junior Brother Wang, that's far too extravagant. I'm in good shape; a simple healing medicine will suffice. See?" He punctuated his point by thumping his chest, but the motion brought on a sharp pain, prompting him to bow his head and feign a sip of water.

Wang Mingxuan caught the pained expression. With his Seventh Level Qi Refining cultivation, Yang Ying's subtle ploy was transparent to him.

Without calling him out, he simply said, "Senior Brother Yang, there's no need for modesty. I've already gotten the pills, and there's no returning them now. Besides, your injuries will take at least a fortnight to heal properly."

Yang Ying was acutely aware that his injuries might not fully heal within half a month.

Time was of the essence for him, so without further hesitation, he pushed himself up from the table, bowed, and expressed his gratitude, "Junior Brother Wang, thank you!"

"There's no need for that. We've been friends for so long, formality isn't necessary!" Wang Mingxuan promptly stood and reciprocated the bow. He then stepped forward to assist Yang Ying back into his seat.

Yang Ying took the Revival Powder, his first encounter with such a remedy. Its surface was smooth and rounded, and as he held it, the scent of its medicinal properties filled his nostrils. It appeared to be quite valuable, undoubtedly worth more than the two Qi Replenishing Pills Yang Ying received monthly.

Could this be a medium grade Revival Powder?

Observing Yang Ying's interest in the powder, Wang Mingxuan offered, "Senior Brother Yang, I purchased this with a low grade Spirit Stone. Please, take it now!" He even went so far as to offer to feed it to Yang Ying himself.

Seeing Wang's earnestness, Yang Ying ceased his contemplation, swallowed the Revival Powder, and quickly washed it down with water.

No sooner had the pill been ingested than a potent medicinal force burst from his chest, radiating to his limbs. The intensity of the medicine nearly overwhelmed him, but gradually, as it circulated, his injuries began to mend.

"Senior Brother Yang, make sure to rest. I'll come check on you tomorrow!" Wang Mingxuan, noticing the fading scars on Yang Ying's skin, rose to take his leave.

Dawn was breaking as Yang Ying concluded a night of meditation. His body, having healed substantially overnight, felt renewed.

He rose and sprinted towards the cliff's edge, a secluded spot discovered by the body's former owner. Recognizing the privacy it offered, Yang Ying adopted this location for daily sword practice, turning it into his personal Martial Arts Practice Field.

Upon arrival, Yang Ying commenced with the Basic Sword Arts.

A quarter of an hour later, the long sword began to glow faintly. Suddenly, it moved with the speed of lightning, its blade casting a continuous arc of light.

Yang Ying swiftly completed his practice of the Basic Sword Arts. Sheathing his sword, he glanced at the system interface, only to find the Origin Strength still at zero.

"Seems like sword practice won't cut it. I guess I have no choice but to give Back Mountain a shot," Yang Ying murmured with a resigned sigh. "I'll just have to proceed with caution."

Stepping into the Mission Hall, Yang Ying found it bustling with disciples browsing various missions. The hall housed a magic weapon and served as a hub where one could seek medicinal herbs, request item retrieval, commission the hunting of demonic beasts, or sign up to watch over the Pill Furnace.

The staff of the Mission Hall meticulously categorized and organized the missions and their rewards, displaying them on the mission board for all to see.

Disciples of the sect were encouraged to peruse these missions, selecting those they felt confident in completing to earn the promised rewards.

Yang Ying approached the mission board, scanning the array of tasks. It was a diverse list: some required the gathering of spiritual medicine, others the safeguarding of medicinal gardens, and still others the collection of spiritual beasts.

After some deliberation, he pinpointed two feasible missions:

- Collect two Heaven Herbs for a reward of one low-grade Spirit Stone.

- Collect six fangs from Gray-back Wild Boars for a reward of two low-grade Spirit Stones.

The Gray-back Wild Boar, a first-grade demonic beast, roamed the outer areas of Back Mountain, the same region where one could find the low-grade medicinal herb, Heaven Herb.

Typically, demonic beasts, due to their formidable physical strength, posed a greater challenge to cultivators of the same realm. As a rule of thumb, Qi Refining cultivators were usually only able to tackle demonic beasts a level below their own. For instance, a cultivator at the Second level of Qi Refining would generally face first-level demonic beasts, while one at the Third level would confront second-level beasts.

However, this was the norm, not the rule. Yang Ying recalled texts that spoke of prodigies from prestigious sects who could not only face off against demonic beasts of their own level but also dared to challenge those beyond.

Considering his own capabilities, Yang Ying cast aside any lingering doubts and accepted the two missions.

Yang Ying tidied up his dormitory before setting off for Back Mountain.

Soon, he reached the mountain's entrance. Pausing to take in the sight, Yang Ying tightened his grip on his long sword and patted the backpack slung over his shoulder.

He then stepped forward, respectfully greeting the two senior brothers standing guard. After a brief assessment, they allowed him to proceed into the depths of Back Mountain.

It was Yang Ying's inaugural visit, so he trod carefully, not venturing too far and instead skirting the mountain's edge.

About half an hour into his walk, Yang Ying spotted a fiery red figure ahead. On closer inspection, he realized it was a Fire Rabbit nibbling on some tender grass.

Yang Ying gathered his energy and quickly advanced, then with a swift leap, he closed in on the rabbit. The Fire Rabbit, sensing the disturbance, looked up and prepared to flee upon noticing Yang Ying's approach.

But Yang Ying was already at its side. With a swift thrust of his sword, he pierced the Fire Rabbit's chest.

The creature scrambled backward and then sprang into the bushes. Yang Ying, in a panic, pursued and delivered several more stabs.

The Fire Rabbit succumbed to its wounds and perished.

"Congratulations, you have slain a level one demonic beast, the Fire Rabbit, and have been awarded 10 points of Origin Strength."

"I really did gain Origin Strength! Now I can level up!" Yang Ying thought, elated by the prospect. He indulged in daydreams of grandeur for a moment before snapping back to reality, wiping drool from his mouth as he eyed the fallen Fire Rabbit.

As a modern youth of the 21st century and a novice in the world of demon hunting, the triumph of his first endeavor was a significant morale booster.

"Still, I should've struck the Fire Rabbit one more time after it was wounded. I was a bit too nervous. Lucky for me, it was more focused on escaping," Yang Ying mused, shaking off the lingering thoughts.

Regaining his composure, Yang Ying set about skinning the Fire Rabbit.

Yang Ying gazed at the worn Fire Rabbit pelt in his hand and chuckled ruefully. "Seems I've got a lot more to learn. How great it would be if this were like a game."

"It's time to go. I've lingered too long. If other demonic beasts catch the scent of blood, I might not stand a chance against them with my current strength."

With that thought, Yang Ying quickly rose to his feet and continued to make his way along the outskirts.

As he moved, he silently cheered himself on, "Keep it up, just four more rabbits and I'll advance to the Third level of Qi Refining!"

Over an hour later, Yang Ying found himself staring blankly at a groundhog before him, its size on par with a small dog from his past life.

Collecting himself, Yang Ying slowly drew his sword and sprinted forward. The groundhog, alerted by the noise, glanced at Yang Ying before charging at him.

As the groundhog leaped toward him, Yang Ying swiftly positioned his sword in front of his chest. The impact sent a surge of force through the blade, causing his blood to boil and a trickle of blood to escape from the corner of his mouth.

The groundhog, having landed, rolled and leapt up once more, its jaws agape, revealing razor-sharp teeth that glinted in the sunlight.

A chill ran down Yang Ying's spine at the sight. He quickly sidestepped, swinging his sword upward in a swift arc. A splash of blood streaked before his eyes—the groundhog was wounded.

Despite the pain, the groundhog lunged at Yang Ying again. Ignoring the rush of True Qi, Yang Ying thrust his sword forward, piercing the groundhog's chest.

The creature collapsed, motionless. Yang Ying, relieved, wiped the sweat from his brow.

But then, a dark blur darted before his eyes. Instinctively, he twisted his body. His reflexes were quick, yet not quick enough to prevent the groundhog from slashing his arm.

Turning back, Yang Ying looked at the groundhog lying still on the ground.

Bearing the pain, Yang Ying advanced and infused his True Qi into his sword, plunging it fiercely into the groundhog's skull.

[Ding! Congratulations on hunting a level 1 demonic beast, the Earth Squirrel. You have gained 10 points of Origin Strength.]

"Even though they're both level 1 demonic beasts, there's still a significant disparity in their strengths," Yang Ying remarked as he retrieved some healing medicine and applied it to his wounds. He then ripped a strip from his long robe, biting one end of the fabric and skillfully bandaging the wound on his left hand with it.

He used the back of his hand to wipe away the blood at the corner of his mouth. After taking a short rest and allowing his True Qi to settle, he resumed his journey forward.