The Direwolf immediately retreated or counterattacked aggressively.
Its instincts prevented him from fully utilizing his Body Cultivation advantage. At the same time, ordinary attacks were barely enough to seriously injure it. The beast's fur and muscle density greatly reduced the effectiveness of standard strikes.
Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "I'll need to use them."
Darkness Qi quietly circulated through his meridians. The Direwolf charged once more, faster than before.
But this time—
Li Yan's body suddenly became strangely silent.
The fluctuations around him diminished sharply as Umbral Step Art activated.
First Move.
Shadow Drift.
His footsteps became nearly soundless as his presence blurred against the forest shadows themselves.
The Direwolf hesitated for the briefest moment.
That moment was enough. Li Yan vanished sideways instantly. The beast's claws tore through empty air.
Before it could react, Li Yan appeared beside its flank with sword already descending. Darkness Qi condensed sharply along the blade.
Shadow Fang Severance.
First Move—Fang Slash.
SHING!
The sword cut deeply across the Direwolf's side, slicing through fur and flesh simultaneously. Black Darkness Qi invaded the wound, spreading corrosive energy through its muscles.
The Direwolf roared violently in pain.
But instead of collapsing, the beast twisted ferociously and slammed its massive body directly toward Li Yan.
The impact caught him partially off guard.
BANG!
Li Yan was thrown backward several meters before stabilizing himself against a tree trunk. Pain spread through his shoulder and ribs where the beast had struck him.
Not a deep injury—
But a heavy bruise from pure physical force, enough to remind him how dangerous Tier-3 beasts truly were.
His expression hardened. "So this is the raw strength of a Tier-3 beast…"
A thin line of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. Li Yan wiped it away calmly while staring at the beast. Without Body Cultivation, several ribs likely would've already shattered from that impact alone.
The Direwolf growled lowly, circling him without rushing immediately this time. Its instincts were sharp enough to recognize that Li Yan was dangerous.
Li Yan slowly adjusted his breathing. At the same time, Li Yan noticed something else.
His Qi consumption.
Just using the first moves of the two Mortal-Tier Mid-Level techniques had consumed noticeably more Qi than he expected.
His expression became serious. "So this is the burden of Mid-Level techniques…"
If not for Li Yan's three elements and a Superior-Level Darkness affinity, which expanded his Qi Core and Qi Reserves a few times more than anyone at his cultivation level, these two moves would already have emptied his Qi Reserves.
The Direwolf growled again, though its movements had slowed slightly due to the lingering Darkness Qi corroding the wound internally.
Li Yan exhaled slowly and tightened his grip on the sword.
The battle wasn't over yet.
The beast charged once more despite its injuries. This time, Li Yan moved first. Darkness Qi erupted beneath his feet.
Umbral Step Art.
Second Move—Darkflash Step.
His figure burst forward in a sudden acceleration far faster than Phantom Dash could achieve. The Direwolf's eyes widened instinctively.
Before it could fully react—
Li Yan appeared directly beside its neck.
Shadow Fang Severance activated once more.
The sword flashed like black lightning. The first slash disrupted the beast's balance instantly.
Then—
A second strike followed from an impossible angle.
Second Move—Shadow Pursuit.
A dark afterimage lingered briefly behind Li Yan as his blade pierced directly through the Direwolf's throat.
Blood sprayed across the forest floor. The beast staggered several steps before collapsing heavily against the ground.
Silence slowly returned afterward.
Li Yan remained standing quietly, breathing somewhat heavier than before. He glanced toward the Direwolf's corpse thoughtfully. "If I relied on Mortal-Tier Low-Level Techniques…"
"This fight would've become far more dangerous."
Still—
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He had won.
His first true battle against a Tier-3 Magical Beast was finally complete.
Li Yan stood silently among the broken trees and scattered bloodstains, the bruise along his ribs still throbbed faintly beneath his robes where the Direwolf's body had slammed into him earlier.
Without delay, he summoned a jade bottle from his storage ring and poured out a Tier-4 Healing Pill.
The medicinal fragrance wafted through the air as Li Yan consumed it.
Warm medicinal energy spread through his meridians almost instantly. The soreness around his ribs gradually faded as the pill repaired the internal damage caused by the Direwolf's raw strength.
Several moments later, Li Yan exhaled softly.
The pain faded almost completely.
Li Yan lowered his gaze toward the Direwolf afterward.
His brows narrowed slightly. "No beast core…"
Although Tier-3 Magical Beasts possessed roughly a fifty percent chance of producing beast cores, it was still not guaranteed.
This one simply lacked one.
Li Yan exhaled slowly. "Hard fight. No beast core."
The result left him thoughtful rather than frustrated.
"This fight consumed too much Qi," he thought inwardly.
Especially the Mortal-Tier Mid-Level techniques.
The moment he used Umbral Step Art and Shadow Fang Severance together, the burden on his Qi reserves became obvious immediately.
Tier-3 Magical Beasts were completely different from Tier-2 beasts.
They were faster.
Smarter.
More dangerous.
And far harder to overpower directly with raw physical strength alone.
Li Yan silently reflected on every exchange from the earlier battle.
The Direwolf had pressured him continuously from beginning to end. Without the new techniques, the fight could have dragged on much longer, perhaps even become dangerous.
The conclusion formed quickly afterward. "My current strength is enough to fight Tier-3 beasts…"
"But not efficiently."
Winning was possible. Yet the cost remained too high. Especially considering the task ahead. Ten thousand Tier-3 beast cores.
If every battle consumed this much Qi and concentration, progress would become painfully slow.
Li Yan's gaze sharpened slightly. "I need another comparison."
With that conclusion, Li Yan stored the Direwolf's corpse inside his storage ring and moved forward into the Hunting Ground once more.
The forest around him gradually grew denser.
Ancient trees towered overhead, their enormous branches blocking most of the sunlight. The ground beneath his feet was uneven and damp, covered with thick roots and moss-covered stones.
Several minutes later—
Li Yan found his second target.
A massive horned beast resembling a black-scaled panther rested near a shallow river cutting through the rocky terrain.
Its body measured nearly five meters long, with jagged, bone-like spikes protruding along its spine.
Tier-3 Magical Beast.
Blackthorn River Panther.
This time—
Li Yan attacked first.
Phantom Dash erupted beneath his feet while his sword slashed downward toward the beast's exposed flank.
SHING!
The panther reacted instantly, but Li Yan's strike still carved a shallow wound across its side before it retreated backward with a furious roar.
The battle began immediately afterward.
Unlike the Direwolf, this beast specialized less in raw strength and more in speed and ambush tactics. Its movements were swift and erratic, while the terrain near the river gave it countless angles from which to attack.
Several clashes followed rapidly.
Again—
Li Yan quickly realized ordinary Low-Level techniques alone weren't enough. However, this time, he remained calmer.
More prepared.
At the perfect moment, he activated Umbral Step Art once more.
First Move—
Shadow Drift.
Almost instantly, his movements became quieter and more deceptive.
The panther's attacks began missing by increasingly smaller margins while Li Yan used concealment and footwork to manipulate the beast's perception repeatedly.
The flow of battle gradually shifted afterward.
Several exchanges later—
An opening finally appeared.
Shadow Fang Severance activated instantly.
First Move—
Fang Slash.
Darkness Qi exploded along the blade before tearing directly through the panther's shoulder and into its chest.
The beast roared violently, stumbling backward as corrosive darkness rapidly spread through the wound.
This time—
Li Yan didn't allow recovery.
He pressed forward immediately.
Several more exchanges followed before the panther finally collapsed beside the riverbank with a heavy splash of blood across the stones.
Silence returned slowly afterward. Li Yan exhaled quietly while lowering his sword. Compared to the first battle—
Compared to the first fight, this battle had gone noticeably better. His Qi consumption was still high, but at least this time he had avoided injury. His control over the new techniques had already improved slightly through real combat.
Soon afterward, a faint blue glow emerged from within the beast's chest.
Li Yan's eyes brightened slightly.
His first Tier-3 Beast Core.
Li Yan held the translucent core quietly in his hand while dense beast Qi pulsed faintly within it like a condensed Qi Stone.
A faint smile finally surfaced across his face. "So this is a Tier-3 beast core…"
But the satisfaction didn't last long before practicality returned. Li Yan's expression gradually became thoughtful again. "If I continue hunting like this…"
"My combat skills will improve steadily."
He paused. "But my speed in collecting Beast Cores is too slow."
Two difficult battles had already consumed considerable time and Qi. At this pace, completing the task of collecting ten thousand Tier-3 Beast Cores would take far too long.
Li Yan's gaze gradually sharpened with decision. "There's only one solution."
"I need more strength first." With his mind made up, Li Yan immediately returned toward the teleportation portal
Soon afterward—
He left the Tier-3 Hunting Ground entirely. However, after returning to the sect, Li Yan didn't head toward his residence.
Instead—
He went directly toward the Fire Mine.
Hours quietly passed afterward.
Deep within the scorching heat of the Fire Mine, Li Yan cultivated continuously while absorbing dense Fire Qi to strengthen his cultivation rapidly.
When Li Yan finally emerged from the Fire Mine once more—
Compared to before, the aura around him had clearly grown denser and heavier.
His Qi Cultivation had advanced from the Qi Refining Realm (Stage-4) to the Qi Refining Realm (Stage-6).
Li Yan exhaled slowly beneath the open sky outside the mine.
Then his purple eyes lifted calmly toward the teleportation portal leading to the Tier-3 Hunting Ground.
This time—
He stepped forward with far greater confidence.
The moment Li Yan returned to the Tier-3 Hunting Ground, he immediately began searching for his next targets without hesitation. The dense wilderness stretched endlessly ahead, wrapped in layers of mist, with ancient trees towering like silent guardians.
The pressure here no longer felt entirely unfamiliar.
Instead—
It felt like a battlefield he needed to conquer.
His first encounter after breaking through occurred near a rocky valley scattered with shattered stone pillars and dried riverbeds carved into the earth over countless years.
There—
A Tier-3 Ironhide Earth Wolf emerged from behind a massive boulder.
Its stone-like fur reflected dull bronze light beneath the canopy while thick earthen Qi pulsed faintly beneath its hide. Heavy claws dug into the ground as the golden beast's eyes locked directly onto Li Yan.
Then it attacked.
BOOM!
The wolf crossed nearly twenty meters instantly.
Its speed surprised even Li Yan slightly.
Their first collision erupted violently as claw met sword.
A shockwave burst outward while Li Yan's feet slid backward across the ground several meters before he stabilized himself forcefully.
"Fast…"
"And heavy."
The beast's strength exceeded that of the earlier Direwolf noticeably.
The Ironhide Earth Wolf attacked relentlessly afterward.
Its claws smashed through stone while its hardened hide resisted ordinary strikes almost completely. Several exchanges forced Li Yan backward repeatedly before he gradually adapted to the creature's rhythm.
This time, however—
The difference in cultivation showed clearly.
Qi Refining Realm (Stage-6) granted him significantly greater reserves, stronger physical reinforcement, and improved reaction speed.
The battle still carried pressure.
But unlike before—
He no longer felt overwhelmed.
As the fight continued, Li Yan's movements gradually became sharper and more controlled. He began reading the wolf's attack patterns, predicting the direction of its lunges before they fully developed.
Then the opening appeared.
Darkness Qi condensed instantly along his blade.
Shadow Fang Severance.
First Move—
Fang Slash.
SHING!
Darkness Qi burst across the blade as the sword pierced through the weaker section beneath the wolf's hardened fur.
Blood sprayed across the forest floor, and the Ironhide Earth Wolf collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Li Yan exhaled slowly while regulating his breathing. Even with his increased cultivation, the fight had still been somewhat difficult.
But compared to the first two battles before entering the Fire Mine—
The difference was obvious.