Fang Hong Cultivated very diligently, and in just half a year, he had Cultivated the Qi Condensation Skill to the third layer.
He had already skillfully mastered the six low-level Spells recorded in the Cultivation Technique, such as the Fireball Spell, Golden Bell Technique, and Thunderbolt Technique, and was becoming more and more proficient in casting them.
Early this morning, before dawn, a thin layer of mist hung in the air, and Fang Hong went up the mountain alone.
At this time, he was already a third-layer Qi Refining Cultivator, having mastered Spells and possessing a certain degree of self-preservation, easily able to deal with ordinary wild beasts.
To make his Cultivation progress faster, he had to make good use of the demon gourd's effects.
This required more Spirit Pills to aid his Cultivation, and these Spirit Pills could only be produced by refining them with the demon gourd.
Bamboo Forest Village, where Fang Hong resided, was backed by Baiyun Mountain, which was over a thousand zhang tall.
The mountain was densely forested, with many jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, venomous snakes, and fierce beasts inhabiting it.
On weekdays, the village hunters would organize small teams to hunt in the mountains, but they only dared to operate in safe areas and did not venture deep.
However, Fang Hong intended to go deep into the mountain forest today to explore those unknown areas.
Upon arriving at the mountain, Fang Hong's face was full of anticipation.
This was his first time truly going up the mountain; previously, he only dared to fish by the river at the foot of the mountain.
Fang Hong walked cautiously through the mountain forest, his steps light, his gaze curiously surveying his surroundings.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a beast's roar came from a distance.
Fang Hong's heart tightened, and he immediately stopped, his gaze vigilantly looking in the direction of the sound.
He saw a large black panther jump down from a tree, its posture agile, landing steadily in front of him.
This large black panther was completely black, with large, round eyes, baring sharp fangs, and drooling greedily, looking exceptionally fierce.
The large black panther glared at Fang Hong, then immediately pounced on him, moving very quickly.
Fang Hong remained calm in the face of danger, silently reciting the incantation, and the Golden Bell Technique instantly expanded.
A layer of golden light emerged from around his body, forming a sturdy golden bell that firmly protected him within!
The large black panther pounced on the golden bell, letting out a muffled "bang," baring its fangs and claws, constantly tearing and biting, but the golden bell remained motionless.
Fang Hong looked at the large black panther in this state and smiled; its actions at this moment looked very foolish…
Immediately after, Fang Hong gently raised his hand, a blue electric arc danced at his fingertips, and then he cast a Thunderbolt Technique.
"Zzz!" The Thunderbolt Technique instantly shot through the large black panther's head.
The large black panther's body stiffened abruptly, falling heavily to the ground, its limbs twitching a few times before it became completely still.
After easily dealing with the large black panther, Fang Hong did not relax his vigilance; he squatted beside the large black panther's corpse, his gaze vigilantly sweeping his surroundings.
Only after confirming there were no other dangers did he quietly pull out the demon gourd from his pocket.
Injecting magical power into his fingertips, the demon gourd trembled slightly, emitting a suction force that slowly drew the black panther's corpse inside.
After dealing with the large black panther, Fang Hong did not linger and continued deeper into the mountain forest…
His first time in the mountains was an eye-opener for Fang Hong.
Along the way, he indeed encountered many jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.
If it were him from before, without any Cultivation, he would probably have been torn to shreds by these beasts long ago.
But now, he was a Cultivator, with Spells to protect him, and these ordinary beasts posed no threat to him at all.
Every time he encountered a beast, he only needed one encounter, casting a Spell to kill them.
Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, it was afternoon.
Fang Hong was sitting cross-legged beside a hidden tree hollow, closing his eyes to recover his magical power.
From morning to afternoon, he had already fed the demon gourd hundreds of beasts, and thinking about how the demon gourd would spit out Spirit Pills one by one after he returned, his heart was filled with anticipation.
"Bang, bang, bang…"
Just as Fang Hong was meditating to recover his magical power, several loud explosions came from not far away!
Fang Hong was startled awake, immediately opening his eyes, as he keenly sensed spiritual power fluctuations not far away.
"Could there be a Cultivator here?" Fang Hong secretly guessed in his heart.
Out of curiosity, Fang Hong quietly snuck in the direction of the spiritual power fluctuations, wanting to see what was happening…
Fang Hong moved stealthily, weaving through the mountain forest.
By the time he reached the source of the explosions, the fight seemed to have ended.
The scene before him was a mess, with the surrounding trees bearing traces of Spell burns, emitting wisps of green smoke.
A man lay on the ground, already lifeless.
Opposite the man, a woman in green lay prostrate on the ground, covered in blood, with blood continuously gushing from her wounds, staining her clothes crimson, appearing to be severely injured.
The woman in green heard footsteps, struggled to raise her head, and seeing Fang Hong approaching, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
The woman in green spoke with difficulty: "Fellow Daoist, please lend a hand; this humble one will surely repay you handsomely!"
At this moment, her situation was very dire; she had no healing medicine on her, and if not treated in time, her life would probably be in danger.
Fang Hong walked to her side, and suddenly, he raised his hand and cast a Thunderbolt Technique, "Zzzz…" Blue electric arcs instantly shot towards the woman in green.
"Ah ah ah!!" The woman in green was terrified, continuously letting out shrill screams.
In less than a few breaths, the woman in green was electrocuted by Fang Hong!
The woman in green never dreamed that this handsome, seemingly harmless young man would be so vicious, killing her without a word!
Fang Hong looked at the woman in green's corpse, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
The reason he struck and killed this woman was because he coveted the flying dagger beside her.
The flying dagger was about three inches long, faintly shimmering with spiritual light, and Fang Hong guessed that this should be the Magical Artifact mentioned in the "Object Manipulation Spell."
Fang Hong circulated magical power at his fingertips, attempting to use the Object Manipulation Spell to control this flying dagger.
Upon sensing his magical power, the flying dagger trembled slightly, then slowly flew to his side and began to circle.
Fang Hong's face lit up with joy; he took the flying dagger back into his hand, gently caressing it, considering himself a Cultivator with a Magical Artifact.
Afterward, Fang Hong began to search the woman in green's body, wondering if he could find any other valuable items…