After the second Spiritual Power Vortex condensed, Li Xiang could still feel a great deal of medicinal power remaining in his body. He continued to use his Breathing Technique and Body Techniques to refine it, hoping to break through to the Third Tier.
However, he was soon met with slight disappointment. He stopped at the Extraordinary Middle Stage of Tier Two, as the medicinal power ran out.
âThis is actually pretty good. After all, Earth doesnât have Mysterious Particles yet.â
Because the system had "arrived early," the "Mutated Creatures" he had slain werenât true Mutated Creatures. They were animals that would only mutate after the Apocalypse descended in ten years. Only Li Xiang was a genuine Extraordinary Being.
With his Extraordinary body, he had slain the "Pseudo Tier Ten Wild Boar" in a single strike. If he were to encounter a real Tier Ten Black-Maned White-Toothed Beast, even a hundred of him at his current level wouldnât be enough to handle it.
Li Xiang composed himself and carefully examined his body. He noticed that after breaking through to Tier Two, a Rune had formed within the Spiritual Power Vortex in his right calf. It bobbed gently, and with a slight activation, his body shot out like a flash of lightning. His momentary burst of speed was two to three times faster than before.
âDivine Movement!â
He quickly figured out the nature of this Rune: "Divine Movement Technique x1." It enabled Wall-Climbing and Roof-Soaring and allowed him to tread on snow without leaving a trace. A short burst could reach 120 km/h, and covering 200 km a day on a long-distance run was well within his capabilities.
km/h was as fast as the swiftest cheetah. Converted to meters per second, that was 33.33 m/s.
He could cover twenty to thirty meters in the blink of an eye. Even an opponent with a gun wouldnât necessarily be able to hit him. It wasnât because his speed surpassed a bullet, but because it surpassed the enemyâs speed in aiming and pulling the trigger.
Within thirty meters, before you could even pull the trigger, he would be on you, snatching your gun and taking your head!
His short burst of speed was comparable to the fastest cheetah, but in a long-distance run, Li Xiangâs Endurance far surpassed the animalâs.
The 200 km per day figure was his most conservative estimate, achievable while running at a relaxed paceâlike a leisurely strollâwithout getting out of breath. This was for a run of no more than eight hours, maintaining peak condition without depleting his stamina or life force. If he ran for his life, he could certainly cover much more ground.
And in the Spiritual Power Vortex between his eyebrows, a Rune was also suspendedâhis previous Night Vision Technique. In addition, a pair of small White Fang Daggers bobbed gently within the vortex, just like the Rune.
Only Extraordinary Weapons could be integrated into the body; ordinary blades like the High-Density Blade, kitchen knives, and Three-pronged Steel Forks could not.
In his previous life, at Tier Five, Li Xiang had only used an Alloy Battle Saber. He never had the status or opportunity to obtain an Extraordinary Weapon, so he was quite fond of this pair of White Fang Daggers.
With a thought, the White Fang Daggers emerged from the Spiritual Power Vortex and appeared in his palm.
These were "drops" from a Tier Ten Demon Beast. The blades were as white as jade, smoother and more delicate than ivory. The handles were made of some unknown wood with beautiful grain.
Li Xiang aimed at a stone ten meters away and threw one of the White Fang Daggers.
SWISH!
In an instant, the White Fang Dagger sank into the stone.
There were no flying sparks, only a soft SSSSHH sound, like a sharp knife plunging into flesh.
"Damn, this is at least dozens of times sharper and more solid than the High-Density Blade!" Li Xiang couldnât help but exclaim.
His High-Density Chopping Knife, despite being forged from the special steel blade of a tunnel boring machine, was still a mundane object. Of course it couldnât compare to this pair of White Fang Daggers.
Li Xiang used the other White Fang Dagger to cut the stone open and pry out the one embedded inside. He examined the blade and tipânot a single scratch.
He caressed the White Fang Dagger and discovered that after being nourished by his Spiritual Power, he had established a subtle connection with it.
âCould it be a Flying Sword?â
Once the thought arose, Li Xiang couldnât contain his excitement and began to test it.
He threw the White Fang Dagger far out into an open area, testing it as it flew.
After a few tries, he discovered he could indeed guide the daggerâs direction during flight, even making it change course mid-air. However, the distance couldnât be too great; it became unresponsive beyond twenty meters. Moreover, he could only guide its general direction, not command it with the precision of his own limbs.
Of course, he couldnât fly on the sword like in cultivation novels, nor could he recall it out of thin air. But he could sense its presence within a certain rangeâabout a hundred metersâso he wasnât worried about losing it.
Li Xiang figured this was probably because his Realm was too low.
After receiving two 500-point rewards, Li Xiangâs Achievement Points balance was now plentiful. He felt it was time to redeem a Magic Skill for concealing his aura.
He had tried to "sweep the mountain" before while gathering Solomon and picking mushrooms. Unfortunately, the Mutant Creature Identification Function only covered a ten-meter radius around him. Most animals were extremely wary and would flee from dozens of meters away, long before he could get within ten meters.
Perhaps they sensed his powerful aura, realized he was not to be trifled with, and got scared off.
He figured only a reckless brute like a wild boar, especially one maddened by hunger, would actively attack him.
So it wasnât that he didnât want to sweep the mountain, but that his gains were minimal. He had only managed to take out an anthill and a nest of centipedes, since those small creatures couldnât run far.
Moreover, he figured that with more than nine years left until the "emergence of Mysterious Particles" that heralded the Apocalypse, very few of the current animals would live long enough to see it. This made "potential Extraordinaries" even rarer. Perhaps animals born a few years from now would have a greater chance of mutating.
Plants, especially trees, typically have long lifespans, but they are born with weak Spirituality, making it exceedingly difficult for them to become treants or vine-fiends. This made the grove of Golden Thunder Bamboo on the mountain behind Li Xiangâs house seem all the more precious.
Li Xiang browsed the system store and picked out an item called "Bright Pearl Darkens." It cost only 80 Achievement Points and could conceal his "radiance," making him seem like an ordinary person. However, it was only effective for Low Tier Extraordinary Beings.
If he ran into a Middle to High Tier Transcendent of Tier Six or higher, it probably wouldnât fool them.
Of course, the system also had advanced versions with more powerful concealment abilities, ones that even Tier Eighteen or Saint Tier beings couldnât see through. But those were far too expensive for him to afford right now.
"This is the one!" Li Xiang sent the final command with his thoughts. A moment later, a new Spell appeared in his mind. It wasnât very complex, and he mastered it after studying it for just a few minutes.
A dim, gray, mist-like aura enveloped him, instantly making his once-vibrant and radiant presence become restrained. He now looked just like an ordinary personâthe completely non-threatening kind.
He could deactivate this state at will.
Li Xiang decided to start sweeping the mountains, beginning with the one near his home to clear out any hidden dangers. He didnât want any more aggressive wild boars charging at his house.
As for the house itself, with the "Ice and Snow Great Wall" for protection, his grandmotherâs safety shouldnât be an issue.
Of course, he would livestream the mountain sweep. It was a good way to earn some money from donations and maintain his popularityâif he didnât post content for a while, heâd lose followers. But using a phone tripod was too inconvenient, so he planned to go into town and buy a camera helmetâthe common kind with a camera on top for a first-person view.