"Roar!"
With its front paw severed, the leopard demon let out a scream even more pitiful than its initial charge.
But.
That scream did not instill fear in Lin Li.
On the contrary!
The blood was being absorbed by the black sword in his hand, and then, streams of incredibly pure energy surged into his body!
For as long as Lin Li could remember, he had been plagued by an unknown curse, making it nearly impossible to cultivate effectively. Most of the spiritual energy he gathered during cultivation would dissipate, leaving his progress painfully slow. But now, for the first time, he experienced an unparalleled sensation of euphoria!
He had merely killed one leopard demon and severed the paw of another, yet the energy returned to him by the blood-drinking sword was unlike anything he had ever felt before!
Although the amount of energy wasn't enormous, it was enough to make Lin Li tremble with excitement from the depths of his soul!
Because.
In just a few short moments, he had absorbed more energy from the magic sword than he could usually gather in days of cultivation.
And now.
Looking ahead.
There were countless leopard demons!
Although the other outer disciples of Xuantian Sect were panicking, overwhelmed by fear and confusion—
Even Luo Zhiyuan, the inner disciple at the late stage of Foundation Establishment leading the group, was sweating under immense pressure—
Lin Li, however, felt no fear!
"This... this is an opportunity!"
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
The curse that had accompanied him since childhood had crushed any possibility of him becoming stronger.
But ever since he obtained this magic sword, its demonic nature had suppressed the curse, allowing him to cultivate normally again.
That alone had been a great fortune!
But now, Lin Li suddenly realized that the sword's greatest power was not just its ability to suppress the curse. Instead, it was—
A bloodthirsty, strength-enhancing force!
With blood splattered over his head, Lin Li felt even more invigorated, teetering on the edge of madness!
Having been tormented by the curse for so long and belittled by others due to his slow cultivation progress, Lin Li finally felt the thrill of unrestrained power!
His gaze grew fierce as he locked onto the wounded leopard demon.
Usually, it was the beasts hunting the cultivators, striking fear into their hearts.
But now, the situation had completely flipped.
Lin Li's lips curled into a cruel, bloodthirsty smile as he thought to himself, "Today, let the blood of these demons bear witness to my rise!"
On the other side, the previously ferocious leopard demon, now missing a paw, let out a whimper of fear, its roars turning into frightened cries.
Before the demon could react further, Lin Li, now fueled by the energy from the magic sword, surged forward with enhanced speed!
Slash—!
A gleaming arc of the sword flashed through the air!
The leopard demon's head was severed from its body!
[Killed a Fourth-Grade Leopard Demon. Gained 500 Evolution Points.]
[Absorbed the blood of a Fourth-Grade Leopard Demon. Gained 5 Energy Points.]
"What?!"
Lin Li's eyes widened in shock!
This was unbelievable!
The first leopard demon he killed had been heavily wounded and paralyzed by Luo Zhiyuan's lightning talisman, allowing him to deliver the final blow.
But this leopard demon—he had killed it entirely with his own strength!
"Normally, facing an opponent of this level would require an intense battle,"
Lin Li thought to himself, "but it seems the energy returned to me by the magic sword has greatly boosted my combat power!"
"Excellent!"
In that moment, Lin Li's entire outlook changed!
Instead of simply trying to survive the leopard demons' attacks, he now saw himself as the hunter—
Out to kill the demons!
In truth, his overall strength hadn't fundamentally changed; it had only increased slightly.
But!
The shift in his mentality was profound, and his combat style became more aggressive and deadly!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Lin Li's figure darted between the leopard demons, moving with deadly precision!
Several outer disciples of Xuantian Sect, who had been paralyzed by fear during the chaotic battle, were saved by Lin Li's timely interventions!
In a short span of time, the number of leopard demons killed by Lin Li surpassed five!
Although Ye Fan's current state required 100,000 evolution points to advance, the 2,000 or 3,000 points Lin Li had gained from killing the demons were at least a small start.
But for Lin Li, still at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, these gains were monumental!
In the world of cultivation, before ascending to the Immortal Realm, the realms were divided into: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Soul Condensation, Unity, Great Success, and Tribulation.
After surviving the Tribulation, one could ascend to the heavens and become an immortal!
Each major realm was further divided into nine stages, with the final being the stage of perfection.
The first three stages were considered early-stage.
The middle three stages were mid-stage.
The last three stages were late-stage.
As a newly-accepted outer disciple of Xuantian Sect, Lin Li had only just reached the fourth level of the Qi Refinement stage, the early mid-stage.
However.
In just a short time.
By killing the leopard demons and absorbing the energy returned to him by the magic sword, Lin Li's dantian was now full to the brim!
"I... am about to break through?!"
Lin Li's heart pounded, and his breathing grew heavy!
Unbelievable!
It had taken him more than ten years of cultivation to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, just barely qualifying him to enter Xuantian Sect.
And the further one advanced in cultivation, the harder the breakthroughs became.
For Lin Li, it had taken more than a decade to advance to the fourth level. On average, each small stage of progress had taken him three or four years!
But now.
He had barely reached the fourth level of Qi Refinement half a year ago, and yet—
He was about to break through again!
And he knew!
That the minimal progress he had made over the past six months was now completely overshadowed by the energy returned to him by the magic sword!
In the cultivation world, breaking through major realms was difficult, often requiring one to reach perfection and then undergo closed-door cultivation.
However, breakthroughs within small stages were much easier to achieve.
While advancing from early to mid-stage could be challenging, progressing from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Refinement was a natural and smooth process.
It could even happen in the midst of battle!
As more and more energy flowed into him from the magic sword, his limbs and bones were infused with spiritual power!
The flow of spiritual energy through his meridians became smoother!
And the amount of energy within him increased due to the sword's power!
Pop!
With a subtle sound, as if a barrier within his body had been broken—
Lin Li's strength surged dramatically in an instant!
At the same time, his cultivation level broke through to the fifth level of Qi Refinement!
Just as he was celebrating this breakthrough, a piercing scream suddenly rang out!
Turning his head, Lin Li saw one of his fellow disciples surrounded by three leopard demons, their claws tearing into his body as he screamed in agony.