Chapter 45: Experience

One early morning, Li Zhirui set sail from Great Banyan Island on a sea vessel. He was not alone, however; Da Qing accompanied him.

To conserve spiritual power, the vessel did not travel at high speed. Of course, the ship was never particularly fast to begin with, but its large surface area and sturdy construction made it convenient for cultivators to engage in combat with water demons.

Several dozen miles away from Great Banyan Island, Li Zhirui encountered a fish demon in the early stages of Qi Refinement. Before the creature could even react, a water blade appeared and sliced it in half, instantly staining the surrounding seawater crimson with blood.

"Damn!" Li Zhirui’s expression shifted slightly upon seeing this. He had only been thinking about dealing with the fish demon as quickly as possible, forgetting that its blood would diffuse into the ocean and attract ferocious water demons.

Not daring to linger, Li Zhirui hurriedly increased the vessel's speed to avoid being surrounded by water demons.

Shortly after Li Zhirui departed, a large number of water demons arrived at the site, the strongest among them being two fish demons in the late stages of Qi Refinement.

The empty waters infuriated these two fish demons. To vent their rage, or perhaps to satisfy their hunger, they turned around and began devouring other water demons.

Amidst the chaotic slaughter, countless water demons perished. As the number of dead grew, the surrounding blood qi became thick enough to be visible to the naked eye, yet no water demon dared to approach the area.

The ability of water demons to seek profit and avoid danger was far greater than that of humans; in the face of such an anomaly, how would they dare approach?

By this time, Li Zhirui was also encountering trouble. In the direction he was traveling, he unexpectedly ran straight into a fish demon in the late stages of Qi Refinement.

*Roar!*

The fish demon swung its massive body, kicking up a giant wave that crashed toward the sea vessel, before retreating into the depths to wait for an opportunity.

"Da Qing, steady the waves!" Encountering this situation for the first time, Da Qing’s reaction was a beat slow, even with Li Zhirui's warning.

Because of that momentary hesitation, the giant wave slammed heavily against the vessel. Despite Da Qing's best efforts to compensate, the ship was still caught in the surge.

Li Zhirui forced himself to remain calm and poured a large amount of spirit stones into the vessel's core, activating the defensive spiritual light to its maximum. Combined with the ship's inherent sturdiness, it should not be destroyed.

At this moment, Da Qing's spell took effect. The waves gradually subsided, and the fish demon's massive body was suddenly exposed before Li Zhirui.

Li Zhirui's fingers moved like dancing butterflies. As a point of spiritual light emerged from his fingertips, he pointed at the fish demon. Under the influence of the spell, the surrounding seawater instantly condensed into dark blue water ropes, binding the demon tightly. The ropes were pulled by immense force from both ends; though they looked as if they might break with a single struggle, they were incredibly resilient and were slowly embedding themselves into the fish demon's flesh.

*Roar!*

The fish demon let out a pained roar, thrashing its body wildly in an attempt to break free from the water ropes.

Li Zhirui gritted his teeth. The power of the Water Rope Technique was significant, especially with the enhancement provided by the seabed, but its drawback was also obvious: the caster would enter a contest of wills with the target. The fish demon's frantic struggling meant Li Zhirui had to focus entirely on containing it, leaving him unable to do anything else.

"Da Qing!" Li Zhirui shouted, "Kill it!"

*Ji!*

Although Da Qing had been practicing defensive and control spells lately, his offensive spells had grown considerably stronger as his spiritual power became more profound.

A water arrow instantly formed and, with lightning speed, pierced directly into the fish demon's head, claiming its life.

"Well done!" Li Zhirui praised Da Qing. He quickly manipulated his spells to haul the fish demon out of the sea. Without taking the time to butcher the carcass, he steered the vessel away.

On the way, Li Zhirui and Da Qing encountered several more water demons, but none were as strong as the previous one. With the combined efforts of the man and the turtle, they successfully killed them all.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Zhirui led Da Qing to a small deserted island, intending to rest for the night before continuing his training the next day.

*Ji!*

Da Qing let out a weak cry, appearing quite dejected.

Li Zhirui could tell immediately that the turtle felt guilty about the day's battle. Feeling a warmth in his heart, he said softly, "We are fine, aren't we? Besides, it was the first time. Just don't make the same mistake next time."

*Ji ji ji!*

Da Qing promised repeatedly, indicating that he would certainly not repeat today's mistake and would absolutely protect Li Zhirui to ensure he never fell into danger again.

"Mhm, I believe in you!"

Afterward, Li Zhirui and Da Qing summarized today's battle, identified the existing problems, and thought of ways to solve them.

By the time they finished their review, the sky had darkened completely, and stars and the moon filled the sky, bringing flecks of light to the pitch-black night.

Li Zhirui touched Da Qing's increasingly dark shell and muttered, "Why is the color of your shell getting even greener?"

The Azure Profound Turtle clan indeed had green shells, but Da Qing's color was several times deeper than his kin. If an ordinary Azure Profound Turtle was sky-blue, Da Qing was dark indigo.

Li Zhirui had asked Da Qing about it before; the turtle felt nothing wrong with his body and had no other enhancements. Thus, Li Zhirui could only treat this as a harmless, non-beneficial mutation.

"You worked hard today. Get some rest." Li Zhirui activated a first-grade Thick Earth Array and simultaneously set up a warning array a short distance away before quietly closing his eyes to cultivate.

"Roar—"

About one or two hours later, Li Zhirui's eyes snapped open as he looked toward the demon beast that had let out a loud roar, startled by the warning array.

He had assumed there were no large creatures on this small deserted island, but to his surprise, there was not only one, but a Black Bear Demon in the late stages of Qi Refinement!

The black bear stood three zhang tall with a massive girth. Its fur stood up like steel needles, and its blood-red maw was filled with sharp teeth, looking incredibly ferocious.

Li Zhirui's expression became exceptionally solemn, for this Black Bear Demon's cultivation was higher than his own—it had likely reached the ninth layer of Qi Refinement!

"Da Qing, Entangling Roots, trap him!" Since they had the Thick Earth Array, Da Qing didn't need to defend; instead, he should entangle the bear as much as possible to buy Li Zhirui an opportunity to attack.

Sensing the aura emitted by the Black Bear Demon, a flicker of fear flashed in Da Qing's small eyes. But remembering his recent promise, he let out a loud roar to bolster his courage and immediately activated the spell he had practiced countless times.

*Bang, bang, bang!* Countless tree roots and grass roots erupted from the ground, reaching for the Black Bear Demon and wrapping around its limbs and body.

*Roar!*

The Black Bear Demon roared at the sky. A flash of black light flickered across its body, and an extremely terrifying strength surged forth, instantly tearing a large number of roots to shreds and scattering them on the ground.

Fortunately, there were many trees nearby; otherwise, with the bear's immense strength, it wouldn't be long before it broke free.

Simultaneously, Li Zhirui formed hand seals, but his spell was delayed. Instead, he activated the Azure Wood Sword. A flash of green light streaked out, instantly striking the Black Bear Demon's neck.

*Clang!*

The sound of metal striking stone rang out. Not only did Li Zhirui's attack fail to harm the opponent, but the immense force also completely enraged the Black Bear Demon. Its eyes turned red, and with a roar, its body forcibly doubled in size.

"This..."

Li Zhirui's eyes were filled with horror. Was this truly a wild demon beast? How could it possess a "Giantization" spell!

Li Zhirui dared not delay further. He immediately released his spells, sending a rain of countless needles whistling toward the bear before it could fully break free from the restraints.

At the same time, a speck of green light blended into the sky-filling needle rain. This was the first-grade high-quality magical tool Li Zhirui had purchased from his clan: the Wood Pine Needles!

The needle rain might not be able to pierce the Black Bear Demon's fur, but the sharpness of the Wood Pine Needles was several times that of the regular needles, and they carried the power to break spells. If the Black Bear Demon did not deliberately defend against them, it would certainly be unable to withstand the strike!