Chapter 3

In the dense forest where Ling Daotian landed, the trees were towering and the wild grass was lush, reaching a peak of abundance. The patches of wild grass were even taller than a person, and while he didn't notice it from the tree, as soon as he landed, the dense grass immediately blocked his view, leaving only a small space above his head.

"Damn, this is forcing me to play 'Whack-a-Mole'!"

Walking through the lush grass, he relied on the observations he made from the tree. Holding the long spear with a new spearhead, he quietly parted the grass and slowly moved forward.

At this moment, Ling Daotian had a thorough understanding of the harsh environment of this world. After walking just over ten meters through the grass, he encountered a thick, wrist-sized venomous snake and a large, dog-sized venomous spider. Their massive, colorful bodies made him feel a chill down his spine.

Of course, the dangers were not limited to these. Although he was a shut-in with no practical experience in the wild, as a shut-in and a demon cultivator, he had a broad knowledge base thanks to the internet. He knew what kind of venomous insects and beasts could thrive in such an environment.

"Swish, swish!"

His right hand, holding the spear, skillfully flicked, and two points of cold light instantly pinned the two level-zero monsters to the ground. The Soul Devouring Blood Blade as the spearhead was not something these unranked monsters could defend against.

"Are these the prototypes of the legendary world's tigers, snakes, and venomous spiders? It makes sense. After all, this is a vast, real world, not a game where things respawn. The gradual evolution from weak to strong is more reasonable."

Looking at the dead level-zero monsters on the ground, Ling Daotian shook his head in regret. This kill brought no benefits. Clearly, although this world had a strange rule similar to "killing monsters to level up," this rule only applied to monsters with levels detected by the system. Or, more accurately, to monsters of similar strength to his own. Killing more level-zero monsters would bring no gains, not even soul points. This was likely because the level-zero monsters had not yet developed intelligence.

"What a bizarre world!"

Shaking his head, he dispelled the thoughts in his mind and continued to move forward. He was now less than ten meters away from his target—the strong scarecrow. According to the information provided by the detection skill, this monster was stronger than him in attack, with a large body and long vine whips that could attack from a distance or entangle in close combat. If he couldn't kill it with a surprise attack, he didn't think he could avoid making a commotion in the fight.

Ten meters!

Nine meters! ...

When he entered the range of his ten-foot spear, the large scarecrow still showed no reaction, still turning in place. Its massive head looked around aimlessly, and its human-like head with a "blood basin" mouth opened and closed as if it were eating something.

"Really stupid!"

Through the grass, Ling Daotian saw the foolish scarecrow and smiled, feeling relieved. Clearly, unlike in the legendary game, in the real world, scarecrows only attacked when they directly saw an enemy. Hidden enemies would only be noticed if they were discovered or attacked.

"But this gives me an opportunity! Die!"

With a stern cry, he tightly gripped the fine steel spear and threw it. The spear, which was over ten feet long, seemed weightless in his hands, moving like a dragon emerging from water, and it pierced the scarecrow's "abdomen" in a flash.

"Boom!"

The attack of the Soul Devouring Blood Blade was as powerful as expected. The blood blade only penetrated the scarecrow's body by less than an inch, but a faint explosion occurred, and the massive, ten-foot-tall scarecrow burst into flames, instantly turning to ashes on the spot.

At the same time, Ling Daotian felt a surge of heat throughout his body. The vibrant essence of grass and trees flowed through him, expanding, and he felt as if he were about to burst.

"Not good!"

Ling Daotian's face changed, and he quickly focused his mind. The Taiyin True Qi, which had been flowing calmly in his dantian and meridians, began to circulate rapidly. Cold, cool Taiyin True Qi quickly refined the essence of grass and trees, and his body, which had already increased in strength by nearly half, greedily absorbed most of the essence.

After a while, Ling Daotian finally absorbed and refined all the essence, opened his eyes, and his pupils sparkled with a fierce light, giving off a sense of overwhelming pressure.

"Is the greatest reward in this world from killing monsters above your level?"

Narrowing his eyes, Ling Daotian gathered the surging Taiyin True Qi back into his dantian and began to reflect on the situation.

In the short time it took to drink a cup of tea, his Taiyin True Qi and physical strength had increased by nearly a third. The Taiyin True Qi aside, his physical strength had hardly increased after killing the first ten scarecrows, but now, by killing a level-four strong scarecrow, he had gained an additional 800 pounds of strength. What did this mean?

Already approaching level four, he had gained such a reward by killing a monster only one level higher. This reality made him incredibly excited, his emotions surging like a volcanic eruption, unable to calm down for a long time.

"When I killed a monster of the same level, I could only gain about one-twentieth of its essence. But when I killed a monster one level higher, I gained nearly one-quarter of its essence. What about a monster five levels higher, ten levels higher, or even twenty levels higher?"

Ling Daotian stared straight at the ashes of the scarecrow, his eyes filled with boundless ambition and endless anticipation.

"Huh, what's that in the ashes?"

After a while, Ling Daotian returned to his senses and scanned the area. Just as he was about to look away, he noticed a faint, glowing light in the ashes. Curious, he stepped forward and used his steel spear to dig it out.

"This is? A ring?"

"Damn, the system is really obedient. This, this isn't a game world? What's with this ancient bronze ring? Although its appearance has changed a bit, the basic data is similar to the equipment in the legendary world!"

On the ground was an ancient bronze ring, slightly yellowish, with mysterious, faint patterns on its surface. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like a complete rune naturally engraved on it, exuding a sense of mystery and antiquity.

Ling Daotian stared at the ring for a moment, then bent down to pick it up and examined it closely, his heart surging.

Yes, it was an ancient bronze ring!

The lowest-level equipment in the legendary world!

And with his heightened perception, which was dozens of times more sensitive than an ordinary person's, he could feel the faint, elusive power fluctuating within the ring.

"The system master said this is one of the most special of the myriad worlds. Based on my experiences in the past two hours, it must refer to the equipment and the plundering nature of this world. But if even the lowest-level monsters in this world can produce a ring, what about me?"

Thinking about this, Ling Daotian's face changed. He focused his mind, and the Taiyin True Qi surged, instantly enveloping his entire body. "No, why is there an additional vortex of light in my dantian?"

After killing monsters in this world, Ling Daotian's mental strength had increased more than tenfold compared to when he first arrived. As his mental thoughts followed the circulation of the Taiyin True Qi through his body, he immediately noticed the mysterious changes within him.

In his lower abdomen, at the dantian point, there was a strange, pulsating light. When he probed it with his mental energy, he discovered it was a strange space.

"Is this? The inventory in the legendary game? No, this is clearly a space, though it's only about nine feet in all directions, it's a world apart from the legendary inventory."

Ling Daotian, a demon cultivator with the complete inheritance of the Heavenly Lust Sect, was only at the stage of guiding qi into the body, but he knew all the details about the demon path's ability to create inner realms.

This newly formed space, though only about nine feet in all directions, naturally exuded the aura of a newly created inner realm, leaving no doubt in his mind.

"Can we speculate that every species of monster, or every kind of living being, has its unique creation? For example, the scarecrow can produce an ancient bronze ring, and as a unique intelligent race, humans can create a space, and eventually a world, within their bodies. This is not strange."

"And this, I believe, is the reason the system master calls this the most unique of the myriad worlds!"

"The ability of demon cultivators to create inner realms using celestial treasures at the stage of returning to the void, in this world, is an innate ability. This fact is truly... amazing."

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