Chapter 96: A Beautiful Encounter by the River

Over these ten days, although the number of third-stage magical beasts Jian Chen hunted was not as many as those he had hunted at the Kagas Academy, his harvest was still substantial. On average, he would obtain about twenty third-stage magical cores a day, along with a small number of second-stage cores. Considering that Jian Chen needed three third-stage magical cores for his daily cultivation, the harvest of a single day could support his cultivation for seven days.

What Jian Chen did not know was that, due to his solitary journey through the magical beast mountain range, he had a much higher chance of encountering magical beasts compared to the mercenary groups that entered in large numbers. Many of these magical beasts had a naturally keen sense of smell and alertness, and being born in the jungle, they were also very skilled at hiding. Once they detected a powerful and numerous group, they would either cautiously hide or immediately run far away. Although these magical beasts lacked intelligence, the survival instincts that allowed them to live in the magical beast mountain range were deeply ingrained in their minds.

If they encountered someone who was not very powerful and was alone, and if they believed they could take them down, these hidden magical beasts would often actively seek them out, eliminating the need for the person to deliberately search for them. This was why Jian Chen could encounter so many magical beasts in such a vast mountain range in just one day.

If it were not for Jian Chen's "Divine Sense" being very powerful and able to finely detect the surrounding environment, he would have been ambushed and injured by magical beasts long ago.

The next morning, Jian Chen, who had been sitting cross-legged under a large tree cultivating, slowly opened his eyes. He then stood up, brushed off the dust that had fallen on his body, and checked the magical cores in his spatial waist belt. Over this period, he had accumulated quite a number of magical cores from hunting in the magical beast forest, and even after accounting for the ones he had used for cultivation, he still had a considerable stockpile left.

"Still over fifty second-stage magical cores and more than a hundred and twenty third-stage magical cores." After counting the cores in his spatial waist belt, Jian Chen nodded in satisfaction. He now needed about twenty second-stage magical cores for a night's cultivation, and the cores in his spatial waist belt were enough for two nights. The more than a hundred and twenty third-stage magical cores were enough for forty nights of cultivation. Of course, if he were to continuously absorb the energy from the cores without stopping, they would only last him about ten days.

"Also, there are two fourth-stage magical cores. One was a prize from the Kagas Academy, and the other was a gift from my father before I left. The energy in a fourth-stage magical core is much higher than that in a third-stage core. I wonder how long one fourth-stage core will last me." Jian Chen thought to himself. Unbeknownst to him, the magical cores he now possessed would be a huge fortune for any mercenary. However, to Jian Chen, they were merely enough to sustain his cultivation for a little over ten days.

Jian Chen looked up at the fiery red sun slowly rising in the sky, determined his direction, and set off on his journey without having breakfast, carefully making his way towards the outer regions of the magical beast mountain range.

Jian Chen had been in the magical beast mountain range for a considerable amount of time, and the magical cores in his spatial ring were enough to last him for a while. However, after the recent consumption, his supplies were running low. Therefore, Jian Chen needed to return to Waker City to restock. More importantly, he needed to deal with the Golden Silk Silver Line Snake he had stored in his spatial ring. If left for too long, unpredictable situations might arise, such as the body decaying. Since he had not found any information about this in books, Jian Chen decided to handle the snake as soon as possible.

The magical beast mountain range was filled with magical beasts, and the scent of blood was particularly sensitive to them. Handling the Golden Silk Silver Line Snake in the mountain range would be unwise, so Jian Chen planned to deal with it after returning to Waker City.

The undergrowth in the magical beast mountain range was dense, and many swamps were hidden beneath the grass, making them difficult to spot from the surface. Therefore, Jian Chen had to be extremely cautious while walking. During this time, he had fallen into swamps several times but managed to escape each time.

With the sun in the sky to guide him, Jian Chen did not deviate from his path while leaving the magical beast mountain range. After two days of walking, he successfully exited the mountain range and arrived at a plain outside the forest. During these two days, he had also obtained some first and second-stage magical cores.

Taking deep breaths of the fresh air, which was completely different from that in the magical beast mountain range, Jian Chen looked down at the clothes made entirely of animal skins and his body, which reeked of sweat. A bitter smile appeared on his face. His current appearance was even worse than that of a beggar. Unfortunately, there were not many water sources in the magical beast mountain range, so Jian Chen had no way to wash off the sweat.

Not far from the edge of the magical beast forest, there was a river. Jian Chen quickly found it and immediately stripped off his animal skin clothes, diving into the rapidly flowing river to wash himself.

The amount of sweat that had accumulated on his body over these days had almost formed a layer of armor. Every movement made him feel extremely uncomfortable, and the slippery, sticky sensation on his skin was very unpleasant. However, he had endured it in the magical beast mountain range. Seeing the river, he could not resist diving in.

Jian Chen wrapped his spatial waist belt around his neck and submerged himself in the water, happily scrubbing his body. As he scrubbed, the water around him turned black.

After thoroughly cleaning himself, Jian Chen did not leave the river. Instead, he lay lazily in the water, closing his eyes and allowing the rushing water to wash over his body. His mind relaxed, and he enjoyed the cool, refreshing sensation of the water. The constant vigilance he had maintained in the magical beast mountain range had left him mentally exhausted, and the relaxation now made him feel a deep sense of comfort, making him want to sleep soundly.

Jian Chen lay on the water, eyes closed, basking in the warm sunlight. His naked body moved with the waves, slowly drifting downstream.

The river flowed in the direction of Waker City, so Jian Chen treated it like a ride, both traveling and enjoying the journey.

Jian Chen completely lost track of time, not knowing how far his body had drifted with the current. Suddenly, he felt his head bump into something soft. The sensation made him realize that the object had moved slightly, as if it were alive.

"Alive!" Jian Chen's drowsy mind instantly became alert, and his "Divine Sense" became active. He quickly became highly focused, and his eyes, which had been half-closed, snapped open. Two faint rays of divine light flashed from his eyes, and he immediately flipped over, standing up in the water with only his upper body above the surface.

However, as soon as he did this, a face appeared right in front of him. It was a woman's face, stunningly beautiful, with flawless features. Her skin was as white and tender as sheep's fat, and her delicate features were perfectly proportioned, leaving no room for criticism, as if she were a celestial being.

From her stunning beauty, she appeared to be in her late teens. Her large, black, and bright eyes were wide open, and she stared at Jian Chen with a nearly dazed expression. Her ample chest was exposed to the air, only a short distance from Jian Chen's chest.

"Oh no, there's a woman bathing here." Jian Chen immediately realized the situation, and his face turned dark. His extensive experience from his previous life instantly made him understand what was happening.

He had never expected that, while drifting downstream to rest and relieve the mental strain from his time in the magical beast mountain range, he would be carried by the current to a place where a woman was bathing.

"Ah!"

Just as Jian Chen realized this, the woman, who had been staring at him with wide eyes, also suddenly came to her senses. She let out a shrill scream.

"You dirty pervert!"

Her previously dazed eyes were now filled with intense anger and humiliation. She shouted and immediately struck Jian Chen's chest with a palm, moving as fast as lightning.

"Bang!"

Before Jian Chen could react, the woman's palm had already struck his chest. With a dull thud, Jian Chen's body was sent flying out of the water. In mid-air, he could not hold back a mouthful of blood, which spurted out.