Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 78 A Terrifying Reputation (Part 7)

At night, underground.

Storage room.

It smelled terrible inside.

It has a huge horn about a meter long, claws and fangs like daggers, but most of all, it has scales the size of basketballs.

These are all special parts of the monster.

"How much are these worth?" Chen Li asked Zhou Hong.

"These are all natural artifact embryos, intentionally nurtured by the spiritual power of demonic beasts. Many of them even come with natural magic arrays. In the past, many merchants collected them. Just these materials from one demonic beast could sell for two or three mid-grade spirit stones. This pile should be worth about ten mid-grade spirit stones." She said with a smile as she carefully removed the tiny bits of flesh from a scale with a small knife.

"Now we can't sell them!" Chen Li said.

“They’ll sell eventually,” Zhou Hong said with a light laugh.

Chen Li helped deal with it for a while, but then lost patience and returned to the talisman-making room.

I picked up a copy of "A Rough Explanation of Battle Formations" and flipped through it again.

He has never been able to grasp the basics of tactical formations.

I flipped through it several times, and was defeated several times.

This book is exceptionally difficult to understand, like reading a book written in a foreign language.

The book is full of coded language and terminology.

That's not all.

It also involves a lot of knowledge that I haven't learned before.

For example, he had never even touched the Qi-observation technique to break through simple mazes and illusions. Without the Qi-observation technique, he wouldn't know the flow of magical power within the formation, and he would be completely clueless about how to break through mazes and illusions.

Fortunately, I managed to work through it little by little over the past few days.

Chen Li also gained a rough impression of the formation.

At least he knew that the arrangement of the formation was not as simple as Chen Li had imagined.

Most formations are quite cumbersome, relying on sets of special magical artifacts for deployment.

Not only are they extremely expensive, but they are also inconvenient to use.

The defensive array that Green River Fortress once had was an extremely complicated task to set up, involving dozens of large array bases. Such defensive arrays are also difficult to break through with clever tactics.

It's all about comparing defensive and offensive capabilities.

"Forget it, these things are too far removed from my life. I'll learn about them slowly. There's no rush. Besides, who in this shantytown has a magic array... Hmm, the Yu family probably does," Chen Li thought to himself.

Then he stopped thinking about it.

He tossed the book aside.

He stood up, picked up his sword, and went to the quiet room next door to practice his swordsmanship.

Soon, a sharp and eerie whistling sound filled the quiet room. As Chen Li thrust out his sword again and again, the sound became increasingly shrill, and the resistance from his arm grew stronger, as if he were stabbing an iron plate.

His eyes widened, veins bulged all over his body, muscles bulged, and with his toes gripping the ground, he nimbly swept past, using all his strength to thrust forward again.

The next moment, a fleeting wisp of mist burst forth from the tip of the sword.

With a loud "boom," a deafening explosion was heard.

The airflow in the enclosed, quiet room was turbulent.

The mud walls were slashed by the strong airflow.

Chen Li stopped, panting heavily, his expression excited.

I've been practicing swordsmanship for almost a year.

At this moment, they finally broke the sound barrier.

"No, strictly speaking, it's still a little short."

Chen Li thought back for a moment, and only then did a wisp of cloud appear at the tip of his sword.

And the air here is humid.

It is easier to generate sonic boom clouds than in normal environments.

"However, it's at least subsonic... I didn't expect that just a mortal sword technique would become so powerful after being optimized by the game panel."

His strength wasn't actually that great.

He can only lift 1.5 tons now. The key is the exquisite power generation techniques in swordsmanship, as well as the comprehensive control and integration of all the muscles in his body. He can often unleash five or six times the power in a single strike.

After several encounters with the enemy, Chen Li increasingly appreciated the usefulness of swordsmanship.

Fast speed and quick response.

Even a flick of spiritual power is far from enough.

And then add a good sword.

They were like fish in water. At close range, they were practically unstoppable.

Protective shields are useless; ordinary magical artifacts would probably shatter in a single blow against a second-tier magical sword.

……

There was a thunderstorm late last night.

The ground in the market was covered with mud mixed with all kinds of garbage.

However, the heavy rain washed away some of the stench, making the air here much fresher.

As Chen Li carried the monster meat into the market, the once bustling market fell slightly quiet. Several people walking in front quickly stepped aside to let Chen Li go first.

For a moment, it had a distinctly street-cleaning effect.

Chen Li seemed oblivious, taking heavy steps forward.

Choosing a slightly cleaner spot, he put down the heavy cloth bag on his back and placed it directly on the mud, splashing mud and water all over the ground.

There's nothing fancy about this place.

The sellers don't care about the quality of goods, and neither do the buyers.

Meat covered in mud can still be eaten after washing it.

The things had barely been put down when Zhao Lin arrived in a hurry with a group of people.

"Brother, these are all friends I've made before. Their cultivation and character are all decent, and they all want to work for you." Zhao Lin was extremely efficient; in just one day, he had gathered a group of people.

Upon hearing this, Chen Li glanced at the three men, each with a capable expression, clearly not a rabble: "Everyone, please sign in!"

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Chen. My name is Gu Mengqing, Qi Refining Level 6."

……

The individuals were Gu Mengqing, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Guo Wu, Qi Refining Level 5.

Han Zhihao, Qi Refining Level 4.

They were all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, especially Gu Mengqing, who made Chen Li take a second look.

This man was dressed in short clothes, with dark and rough skin. His resolute face bore a trace of sorrow, and his weathered appearance suggested he was in his forties or fifties, showing obvious signs of aging.

In this shantytown, the largest number of people are at the early stage of Qi Refining. The number of people at the middle stage of Qi Refining drops sharply, with less than one in five or six. As for the late stage of Qi Refining, they are extremely rare and are considered to be prominent figures.

As someone who was just one step away from the late stage of Qi Refining at the sixth level, he actually ended up in this state.

It is easy to imagine the difficult situation that ordinary cultivators are in nowadays.

After exchanging a few words, Chen Li took out a mid-grade magic artifact and handed it to Zhao Lin: "I don't care how you distribute the profits. It will still be 90/10 of the transaction price. Any problems?"

"Brother, no problem!" Zhao Lin quickly replied, "We already discussed it before we came."

"That's good!"

……

During this meat-selling process.

Chen Li noticed even more prying eyes on him.

This was within his expectations; it would have been strange if no one had spied on him.

The market town has always been a melting pot of all sorts of people, and it is the only no-man's-land in Green River Town, where various forces converge.

Located in the heart of Green River Village, this place sees a massive amount of spirit stones flowing through it every day.

Logically, this place should be a battleground for all the major gangs. However, the presence of various trading companies and the lingering influence of the sects have deterred any of the major gangs from taking the lead.

When the merchant's arrival was delayed, they thought it was an opportunity.

As a result, the Yu family, a Foundation Establishment clan, moved here, making these gangs even more hesitant to act rashly, which led to the current chaotic and dilapidated state of the market.

Right after selling the meat, Chen Li received invitations from various gangs, including the Yu family, but he rejected them all.

His pseudonym as a butcher is just a way to make money by showing his face in public.

As for those power games and useless social interactions, he has always avoided them.

To be honest, how much benefit could these gangs possibly offer him?
Only the Yu family had what they needed.

For example, various cultivation knowledge, spells, and various cultivation resources...

But it's not a necessity.

His spiritual practice is going smoothly now, and he's so busy every day that he almost doesn't want to sleep.

Moreover, the rampage of monsters is becoming increasingly severe, and the entire Green River Village is gradually declining. Many people die every day, and everyone lives in fear. It is unknown how many people will still exist in Green River Village by next summer.

Let's focus on increasing our strength and surviving first!

(End of this chapter)