My Arts Evolve When Perfected

THUD THUD THUD...

Jiang Qiu’s Fiery Flame Spirit Charm drained rapidly as he continuously used his Shadow Stepping Body Technique, like water pouring from an uncapped, inverted bottle.

He flitted past the dense pines, circling around a dozen humanoid demons as he sprinted madly onward. Following a general direction, he dashed for several kilometers before reaching a mountaintop, where he suddenly sensed a fluctuation of Spirit Charm and came to a halt.

VMM—

Looking down, he saw dozens of burly men in padded armor moving rapidly through a vast pine forest. They were fleeing for their lives from a horde of humanoid demons, like scattered beans before a tide of black ants.

’So there are people here after all.’

Jiang Qiu gripped his Chuyuan spear, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the scene.

Several hundred North Snow Wolves, ranging from the Transformation to the Spirit Communication level, were closing in from all sides. One among them was at the Ninth Realm of Spirit Communication and was particularly adept at wielding ice and snow.

’If I don’t intervene, their escape route will be cut off for sure, and finding someone who knows the coordinates for North Border City will become much more difficult.’

’What’s more, I can’t linger in the Northern Wilderness. I have to get to North Border City first. If Feng Li catches up, it’s all over.’

With his mind made up, Jiang Qiu’s figure vanished from the summit in a flash of embers, and he shot toward the group of men below.

"AWOOO—"

The lead North Snow Wolf snarled, baring its fangs. Even in its humanoid form, its lupine nature was unchanged. Like a rampaging werewolf, it swung its claws, conjuring one icy blade after another that shot with murderous intent toward the dozens of Human Race wretches ahead.

"AHH!"

A sudden scream of agony pierced the air. The burly man at the very back of the group stumbled and fell, his legs severed from his body. Blood gushed out as his eyes widened in terror. "Boss, save—"

He never finished. A dozen humanoid demons swarmed him, tearing him to pieces and devouring him, leaving little more than scraps stuck between their teeth.

HUFF! PUFF!

Tie Li, the leader of the mercenary company, sprinted at the very front. His formidable frame trembled with each ragged breath. In his right hand, he clutched a blood-soaked broadsword; in his left, he had a firm grip on a wolf-eared girl with flushed cheeks.

’Save him? I can barely save myself!’

The intermittent shouts from behind him abruptly ceased, fading into the distance like the squeal of a mouse pounced on by a leopard.

The dozen or so of his brothers still on his heels were all at the Bright Soul Realm or higher. They had mastered the art of sprinting through snow and were gradually pulling away from the wolf pack...

BANG!

Suddenly, the snow-covered ground trembled. A powerful surge of Soul Ice Spirit Charm erupted on their escape path, gathering the snow into a tidal wave that instantly solidified into ice, sealing their way forward!

"Motherfucker!"

Using his momentum, Tie Li roared and swung his broadsword with all his might. The impact rang out like crashing bronze bells, and the rebounding Soul Ice Spirit Charm sent him flying. The girl he’d been holding tumbled into the snow, covering her face and curling into a ball.

"Boss!"

"Boss, what do we do now?!"

The dozen men stopped in their tracks, trapped within a semicircular Ice Wall. Terror was etched on every face, and they trembled from head to toe.

THUD THUD THUD...

The pack of North Snow Wolves that had been chasing them finally caught up. Over a hundred of them, all at the Transformation Level or higher, bared their fangs, their eyes bloodshot. "You damn mutts! You actually stole one hundred and twenty-one of our fucking Ice Crystal Fruits!"

"Dammit! If you hadn’t stolen so many, Three Race Elders would never have even noticed there were thieves!"

Jiang Qiu, who had already flashed a hundred meters away, felt his heart lurch. ’One hundred and twenty-one Ice Crystal Fruits?!’ he thought in astonishment.

As a specialty Spirit Fruit of the Northern Wilderness, Ice Crystal Fruits grew in the inner sanctums of Medium-sized Secret Realms. They were typically guarded by an Ancestral Great Demon, and their yield was exceptionally low.

According to Xue Zhang, a single Ice Crystal Fruit brought back from the Northern Wilderness could be exchanged for upwards of ten thousand Contribution Points!

’How did these people have the guts to steal that many?’

Jiang Qiu’s mouth twitched. He focused his gaze on the dozen or so people trapped within the Ice Wall. The moment he activated his Dragon Eye, his brow furrowed. ’Why do they all have the aura of the Demon Race on them? Have they injected themselves with demon blood?’

In the City of Chaos North, a sound and complete Cultivation System was virtually nonexistent. Most inhabitants resorted to using the power of the Demon Race to alter their own bodies.

Naturally, they became tainted with the aura of the Demon Race, and their temperaments grew wild and crazed...

’Whatever. I’ll save them first,’ he decided. ’At the very least, I need to get the Coordinate Disc from them, or I’ll never make it to North Border City.’

The thought had barely passed when, with a sharp twist of his spear’s shaft, Jiang Qiu shot forward like a Flaming Cyan Dragon intent on the kill. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

With every swing of the spear’s Double Arc Blade, humanoid demons at the perimeter were decapitated. Blood mixed with roiling Flame, and their agonized howls, like thunderclaps, drew the attention of every North Snow Wolf within a several-hundred-meter radius.

"Three Race Elders, he has an accomplice!"

CLANG!

A North Snow Wolf at the Spiritual Great Demon level reacted, its claws tearing through the air as it lunged at Jiang Qiu. Its Soul Ice Spirit Charm condensed into a massive, sharp Ice Claw, which slammed squarely against his sweeping Flaming Blade.

KRAK—

The Ice Claw shattered like glass, and the Spiritual Great Demon was sent flying. Jiang Qiu’s heart skipped a beat, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. ’It didn’t die?!’

"GRRR—"

A hundred humanoid North Snow Wolves snarled, their eyes fixed on Jiang Qiu, who had already broken into their encirclement. They advanced on him, step by step. The muscles on the face of the aged-looking Three Race Elders were particularly taut. "Such audacity. Daring to charge in here to save people when you’ve only just entered the Bright Soul Realm?"

Flames surged from the tip of Jiang Qiu’s spear. He casually drew a semicircle on the ground, halting the advance of the humanoid North Snow Wolves who were about to step within a ten-pace radius.

More and more demons were swarming to encircle them. The number of Spiritual Great Demons alone was in the double digits. Countless green eyes, like lanterns, hung in the darkness over pair after pair of wicked claws.

Behind him, the dozen-odd survivors trapped by the Ice Wall stared, dumbfounded. "Boss, who is that?"

Tie Li stared intently at Jiang Qiu. A thought flashed through his mind, and he summoned his strength to shout, "Young brother! If you can get us out of here, we’ll split the Ice Crystal Fruits with you, fifty-fifty!"

"Insolent fools! Still daring to talk about splitting the Ice Crystal Fruits? You will all die!"

With a furious roar, Three Race Elders condensed Soul Ice Spirit Charm into his claw. In an instant, a massive Ice Claw, tens of meters wide, erupted from the ground and swatted down at Jiang Qiu and the others like a fly swatter.

Tie Li’s heart sank. ’Dammit! I’m the strongest in the squad, and I’m only at the Seventh Realm of the Bright Soul. This old bastard is a Great Demon at the Ninth Realm of Spirit Communication!’

In their haste, everyone channeled their respective Spirit Charms, raising their swords and weapons to resist. The colossal Ice Claw descended upon them, its chilling pressure making them break out in a cold sweat.

Jiang Qiu’s heart lurched as well. He gritted his teeth, forcibly circulated the Fiery Flame Spirit Charm in his body, and unleashed Furious Dragon Ascending to Heaven!

A Flaming Cyan Dragon instantly erupted from the tip of his Chuyuan spear and collided with the massive Ice Claw. The resulting inferno billowed out for tens of meters, like a Fire Lotus blooming in the darkness.

The surrounding North Snow Wolves stared in shock. "This kid can block Three Race Elders’ Ice Claw? What pure Fiery Flame Spirit Charm power!"

BOOM—

A cloud of steam from the clash of Flame and ice washed over Three Race Elders’ face. Amid his astonishment, he suddenly saw the silhouette of a Flaming Cyan Dragon flash once more.

BANG!

A huge hole had been smashed through the Ice Wall he had created!