Just like that, he gained one full Slaughter Point from a double kill. If he could keep this up, not only Qi Refinement level 6, but the late stage of Qi Refinement might be able to open its doors for him today.
Li Ling pulled the buck out of the carp and jumped up the tree, tying its corpse up there. Then he came down to the bank and slashed the carp's sides, letting innards and blood flow downstream freely before returning to perch on another tree nearby.
Since the distance back to the encampment was further than before, and his cultivation rose too fast, he could not sell the corpses and he also could not eat so much as he was not cultivating Immortal Body Refining or Mortal Martial Arts, so he directly used them as bait to lure other demon beasts over.
The buck was to lure snakes, monkeys or panthers that traversed tree tops while the carp was to lure other water-type demon beasts, hopefully a weaker fish-type one like other carps and not the almighty croc. His spear was fine mortal steel weaponry, but piercing the hide of a demon beast croc… Li Ling was not sure.
Li Ling did not have to wait long. In just 30 minutes, the river was filled with different types of fish, all at least the size of a small table, rushing to feast on the carp's flesh. Unfortunately, most were Qi Refinement level 3 and even some level ones and twos.
There were only one or two level 4s and no level 5, but Li Ling was fine since he could use quantity to make up for quality. Here, he did not need to be as elaborate as he dove from above and thrust his spear out like lightning, piercing the fish like a seasoned fisherman, skewering them on his weapon.
And here, the reason why demon beasts were largely thought to be weaker than humans presented itself. These fish, despite being rapidly harvested and killed by Li Ling, did not flee nor stop their rapacious feeding, still tearing at the flesh eagerly as if death would be worth it if they could get one more bite.
Li Ling shook his head and cleared the entire school of fish out, harvesting over 5 Slaughter Points in one go just from the sheer number. He then tossed them onto the shore one by one, accumulating a small pile that was beginning to leak blood into the grass.
"Hmm, hope I can attract a bear with this." Li Ling muttered to himself, opening the Infinite Slaughter System.
｢Infinite Slaughter System
Owner: Li Ling
Status: Healthy.
Slaughter Points: 6
Cultivation Level: Qi Refinement level 5 (0/5)
Cultivation Technique: Qi Circulation Mantra
Skills:
1. Fireball Technique – Entry (0/1)
2. Li Family Spear Technique – Entry (0/1)
3. Qi Restraining Control – Advanced (0/15)
4. Qi Seeking Technique – Entry (0/1)｣
Li Ling naturally increased his cultivation on the spot. Yesterday, he only withheld his Slaughter Points until the end of the day because he was at the highest cultivation level of the first section, so he was not too worried about his safety.
But after entering the mid-level of Qi Refinement and tasting the difference, he did not dare take on a land-type level 6 Qi Refinement Demon Beast with a cultivation that was equal to his own.
The sixth level of Qi Refinement was easily reached, with a new strand being born that stood alongside the three from the mid-stage and then prompted a round of circulation, once again increasing his base strength by 20% of what he had at the fifth level.
Li Ling hummed and clenched his fists, feeling the increased strength and smiling. He glanced at his final remaining Slaughter Point for this period and hesitated, wondering whether to increase one of his skills.
Roughly speaking, the best path was to accumulate cultivation first, then use his high cultivation to perfect all his other skills until he was able to kill his way into possessing a suitable Foundation Establishment technique. However, it could also help to increase one of his functional skills, like the spear technique or the Qi Seeking Technique, to make his acquisition of Slaughter Points smoother.
If so, then which one to choose? The Li Family Spear Technique was his foundation for hunting and while it was a mortal art that could not directly utilize refined spiritual qi, having more proficiency would make him smoother and unlock new ways to execute his targets, especially when it came time to dealing with humans.
Then, the Qi Seeking Technique… this one would allow him to scout better and be more aware of the energy signatures in his surroundings without having to directly investigate or guess all the time.
Both of them were limited to the Qi Refinement level, as the spear technique would be replaced by daoist arts once his cultivation entered Foundation Establishment, with the seeking technique being the same, becoming obsolete at the next major realm since one would gain the ethereal 'spirit sense'.
So when it came down to it, it depended on the merits of each technique, its utility to the current him and how he preferred to go about things.
Did he want a combat power increase or did he want stronger perception abilities?
Hmm, when you put it like that, the answer was quite obvious, no?
Li Ling placed his final Slaughter Point into the Qi Seeking Technique, feeling a rush of knowledge in his brain as he became more adept at the technique like he had been practicing it for months on end, eventually attaining remarkable accomplishments in it.
When he opened his eyes after absorbing the knowledge, a blue light flashed in the depths of his pupils as he began to see the flow of energy around him, which was like being able to see the outline of the wind.
The entire world darkened in his sight, akin to using the wraith mode of that famous game with the nemesis system, with the refined spiritual qi of living and dead things being especially highlighted in his sight for up to about 50 meters in all directions.
It was because of this that Li Ling could notice the crouched spotted jaguar on the branch above him, watching his movements while absolutely still and waiting for the right time to pounce.