Chapter 13

Outside the cave, Jing Yan glanced at the simple trap he had set up yesterday, and there were no signs of it being damaged.

"Since I entered the Blackstone Mountain Range, only five days have passed. I still have plenty of dry rations and water. It's too early to return to Donglin City."

"Now that I have just advanced to the Fifth Heaven of Martial Dao, I might as well venture deeper into the mountains. With my current strength, I should be able to kill a third-level spirit beast if I encounter one." Jing Yan's gaze shifted slightly, looking deeper into the mountains.

When he first entered the Blackstone Mountain Range, Jing Yan indeed planned to hunt some first-level spirit beasts in the outer region to exchange for spirit stones. However, after his first encounter with the spirit beast Fangya Wolf, he realized he had underestimated his own abilities. Killing a first-level spirit beast Fangya Wolf at the Fourth Heaven of Martial Dao was almost effortless.

The power of the First Divine Technique of the Azure Sky exceeded Jing Yan's expectations. With this technique, Jing Yan even killed the second-level spirit beast Fengying Wolf, which made many warriors shudder, and by sheer luck, he obtained a soul crystal that warriors dreamed of.

Now, having broken through to the Fifth Heaven of Martial Dao, Jing Yan's strength had increased several times compared to when he was at the Fourth Heaven. If he didn't go to hunt third-level spirit beasts, he would feel he was letting himself down and also letting down the First Divine Technique of the Azure Sky.

"Let's go!" Jing Yan's primordial energy condensed slightly.

"Whoosh!"

His figure darted like an arrow released from a bow, heading deep into the forest.

After stepping into the Fifth Heaven of Martial Dao, Jing Yan's speed had also increased significantly. His five senses had also improved greatly.

Rushing at full speed, half a day later, Jing Yan arrived at the central region of the Blackstone Mountain Range. In this area, he could already encounter many second-level and third-level spirit beasts.

Generally, a first-level spirit beast would not be worth more than ten spirit stones, while a second-level spirit beast could be worth several dozen spirit stones. Some stronger second-level spirit beasts could be worth over fifty spirit stones. As for a second-level spirit beast like the Fengying Wolf, it was extremely rare, and its value surpassed that of most third-level spirit beasts.

Most third-level spirit beasts were worth around a hundred spirit stones.

"Hmm?"

"Is that a Stone Spotted Tiger?"

"Ha ha, it seems my luck has been quite good lately. I just arrived in the central region, and I've already encountered a Stone Spotted Tiger!" Jing Yan's eyes fixed on a gray shadow about a hundred meters away.

The gray shadow was indeed a third-level spirit beast, the Stone Spotted Tiger. The Stone Spotted Tiger had grayish-brown fur, and at night, it was almost impossible to spot it even at close range. However, during the day, it was easier to detect.

The Stone Spotted Tiger's strength lay in its defense, which was extremely strong, and its attacks were also outstanding. It had sharp claws and teeth, and even its tail was extremely dangerous. Even ordinary warriors at the Fifth or Sixth Heaven of Martial Dao would not dare to withstand a blow from the Stone Spotted Tiger's tail with their bare bodies.

Of course, the Stone Spotted Tiger had its weaknesses, such as its poor agility and average speed. In terms of flexibility, even a first-level spirit beast like the Fangya Wolf was slightly superior to the Stone Spotted Tiger.

Hunting teams with good cooperation and strong overall strength often preferred to hunt spirit beasts like the Stone Spotted Tiger.

"Let's test my skills on you first!" Jing Yan's eyes flashed, and he stealthily approached the third-level spirit beast, the Stone Spotted Tiger.

"Whoosh!" A black sword light cut through the air with a whistling sound.

"Roar!" The Stone Spotted Tiger also noticed Jing Yan and immediately let out an angry roar, charging towards him with its massive body.

After a short while, the Stone Spotted Tiger lost its vitality, let out a mournful roar, and finally fell to the ground.

"Phew!" Jing Yan also panted slightly, then cut and collected the Stone Spotted Tiger's fur and a piece of meat from its chest.

Hunting the Stone Spotted Tiger was almost effortless for Jing Yan, thanks to his strong predictive abilities. Even the Fengying Wolf had died at the hands of Jing Yan when he was still at the Fourth Heaven. It was even easier to kill this Stone Spotted Tiger.

However, the Stone Spotted Tiger's defense was indeed astonishing. Even by continuously attacking its vital points, Jing Yan still took nearly the same amount of time to finally kill the Stone Spotted Tiger.

If it were an ordinary warrior, it would be hard to say how long it would take to kill it. Even a hunting team working together to surround and kill the Stone Spotted Tiger would not find it an easy task.

"A hundred spirit stones in hand." Jing Yan smiled slightly.

"Let's continue!" Then, Jing Yan's figure disappeared into the nearby forest.

The most valuable parts of the Stone Spotted Tiger were its fur and a piece of muscle from its chest. These two items were worth about a hundred spirit stones.

Time flew by, and another ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these ten days, Jing Yan had already hunted nearly twenty second-level and third-level spirit beasts. The bag of beast skins on his back was more than half full.

On this day, Jing Yan changed into a clean green robe, discarding the one he had been wearing.

"It's about time to return to Donglin City." Jing Yan patted the bag on his back.

This trip to the Blackstone Mountain Range had undoubtedly been very fruitful. Not to mention the soul crystal, the valuable items from the spirit beasts in this bag would make many mid-level and even high-level warriors envious.

With the bag almost full, Jing Yan needed to return and process these items, exchange them for a large number of spirit stones, and then focus on training to advance to the Sixth Heaven of Martial Dao as soon as possible.

"Let's go back to Donglin City!" Jing Yan's figure moved, and he was about to head towards Donglin City.

"Roar!"

At that moment, a huge roar echoed from a distance. The roar was incredibly explosive, as if the air itself was trembling.

Jing Yan, who had already started moving, suddenly stopped when he heard the roar. His eyes flashed, and he looked in the direction of the sound.

"Is that the roar of a Stone Spotted Tiger?"

"No, this is not an ordinary Stone Spotted Tiger!"

"This must be the King of the Stone Spotted Tigers." Jing Yan's eyes were exceptionally bright.

Among the many third-level spirit beasts, the Stone Spotted Tiger was a relatively special existence. In the Stone Spotted Tigers, there was a unique type that seemed to have undergone a mutation. Ordinary warriors referred to this type as the King of the Stone Spotted Tigers.

"It seems someone is fighting the King of the Stone Spotted Tigers." From the roar of the King of the Stone Spotted Tigers, Jing Yan could roughly deduce that someone was stealthily hunting this King of the Stone Spotted Tigers.

The King of the Stone Spotted Tigers was far stronger than an ordinary Stone Spotted Tiger, with strength almost approaching that of a fourth-level spirit beast. The value of the King of the Stone Spotted Tigers was also extraordinary, comparable to most fourth-level spirit beasts.

The most valuable part of the King of the Stone Spotted Tigers was a small, transparent horn that grew on its head. Ordinary Stone Spotted Tigers did not have this horn.