Chapter 2: My Mission
Under the thick night fog, I could not clearly see the other person’s face. But from his build I immediately knew he was a Behemoth. Who could it be?
There was no time to think. Survival was what mattered. If his punch landed, with my half-trained Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique against his strength, the result would only be one thing—I would be smashed into pulp.
There was no choice. I had to gamble.
I channeled the small amount of dark power I possessed into my hands. A faint black aura appeared around them. Using the same method as before—direct collision—I slammed both fists toward his incoming punch.
(Later, after suffering greatly in many battles because of blindly believing that overwhelming strength could defeat everything, I finally understood the importance of technique.)
When the dark power flowed into my hands, I discovered that the meridians injured from the previous blow had already recovered sixty to seventy percent.
“Boom—!”
My entire body felt as if it had split apart. The opponent’s overwhelming strength sent me flying through the air. I spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed heavily onto the ground five meters away.
If I had not used dark power, that single punch alone would have taken half my life.
For some reason, my opponent did not continue the attack. If he had followed up with another punch, I would have had no chance of survival.
I struggled to climb to my feet, staggered, and barely managed to stand. Another mouthful of blood escaped my lips.
My opponent let out a surprised “Eh.”
I raised my head with difficulty and focused my eyes on him.
I froze.
The powerful enemy who had nearly taken my life was actually my father—Lei Ao.
I asked with difficulty, “Father? Why is it you?”
A satisfied smile appeared on Father’s face.
“I didn’t expect you to withstand two of my punches. Now I can rest assured and send you to complete a mission.”
A mission?
My heart filled with confusion.
Father continued, “My first punch used only ten percent of my strength. The second added another ten percent. I thought you wouldn’t even be able to stand up, but you’re still standing. It seems you’ve been training hard lately.”
That must have been the reason for his surprise.
Inside, I smiled bitterly.
Was this really my father?
He had completely ignored whether his own son lived or died. If my strength had been slightly weaker, I would probably have already gone to the underworld to accompany Grandma.
“What was that black aura on your hands just now?” Father asked.
I was secretly startled. Grandma had warned me never to let Father know about the Heavenly Demon Art.
Pretending confusion, I replied, “Black aura? What black aura? Maybe you saw it wrong. Perhaps it was too dark.”
My father, simple-minded as always, did not think much about it. He merely frowned slightly.
“Fine. Go back. Come see me tomorrow morning. I have a mission for you.”
I nodded and said calmly, “Alright.”
Then I dragged my aching body back.
The Behemoth body was indeed incredibly sturdy. Combined with the fact that I had already completed the first stage of Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique—the rebirth and transformation process—my injuries recovered seventy to eighty percent after just one night.
What mission did Father want me to complete?
Leading troops into battle? Impossible. Both of my brothers were still here. There was no reason to send a battlefield novice like me.
Then what kind of mission could it be?
Aside from warfare, with Father’s prestige among the Beastmen Race, most matters could be solved with a single command. Why would he need me?
With a mixture of anxiety and curiosity, I arrived outside Father’s door and knocked lightly.
His deep voice sounded from inside.
“Who is it?”
“Father, it’s me. Lei Xiang.”
“Come in.”
I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Father sat upright in a tall-backed chair, narrowing his eyes as he looked at me.
I stood calmly in front of him, completely unmoved by his sharp gaze.
“Lei Xiang, you’ve grown up. I once thought you were the most useless coward among my sons. But since you underwent Berserk Transformation four years ago, your performance has satisfied me greatly. Although you don’t have the same powerful physique as your brothers, your strength is not inferior to theirs. In fact, your potential surpasses them.
“The Beastmen King has entrusted me with a very important mission, and I intend to send you to complete it.”
So it was a mission assigned by the Beastmen King.
My expression did not change. In a calm voice, I asked, “What mission? Give it to me. I will definitely complete it.”
No matter what difficulties awaited, I would overcome them. I would become a peerless powerhouse and prove it to Father.
At the thought of Grandma’s death, a flash of hatred passed through my eyes.
Ever since Grandma died, I had learned to hide my heart. No one could see my true thoughts anymore. I would never reveal my hatred for Father before I became strong enough.
But the seed of hatred had already been buried deep within my heart.
Grandma’s death—
I would avenge it.
“Good. Worthy of being my son.”
Father continued.
“The Beastmen King wants me to send someone to infiltrate the human lands as a spy. As you know, our Beastmen Race has always been the weakest among the Three Great Races.
“Why?
“First, because we cannot use magic.
“Second, because most Beastmen lack intelligence. We do not have as many outstanding generals as humans.
“Your mission is to infiltrate the human world and steal their military strategies and magical knowledge.”
“Infiltrate the human world as a spy?”
“That’s right. You are only sixteen years old. More importantly, you have human blood in you. With your human appearance, you can easily blend into human society.
“I will give you five to ten years. Learn everything you can from them. After that, we will spend another ten years training our army.
“Then the entire continent will belong to the Beastmen Race.
“You should understand how important this mission is. If you complete it successfully, the position of Behemoth King will belong to you in the future.”
What Father said was indeed true. It seemed the Beastmen King was not foolish. At least he understood the weaknesses of our race.
It was a good strategy.
But whether it would succeed depended on me.
For me, this was also an excellent opportunity. Learning human knowledge would undoubtedly be the best way to strengthen myself.
Moreover, I carried the blood of the Beastmen Race. Strengthening the Beastmen was also something I wished to see.
I answered firmly, “Father, don’t worry. I will not disappoint you.”
Father nodded with satisfaction.
“Good. Tomorrow I will take you to meet the Beastmen King. Then a merchant familiar with human society will train you for three months. After that, you can depart.”
“Yes, Father. I will take my leave.”
After receiving Father’s permission, I left his room.
As I walked back, waves surged through my heart. For the first time in four years, I felt such excitement.
Humans?
People who looked just like me?
Lei Xiang was coming.
When I returned to my room, my heart was still restless. I might as well practice.
I changed into training clothes and went to the courtyard. First, I circulated the Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique through my entire body. Then I shouted loudly and began practicing the Eighteen Heavenly Thunder Fists my father had taught me.
This set of punches was designed purely for battlefield assault. The movements were broad and powerful, perfectly suited for Behemoths. My father had created it only two years ago.
Every punch carried unstoppable momentum—pure, straightforward force colliding head-on with the enemy.
It was as if the air itself were my enemy. With every punch, I gathered the full strength of my body. Boom, boom, boom, boom—the sound of my fists striking echoed repeatedly as dust rose everywhere in the courtyard under my blows.
Only when my strength was completely exhausted did I stop. Sweat drenched my entire body, yet I felt indescribably comfortable.
It was my first time coming to the Beastmen King’s palace. I curiously looked at the towering buildings around me. Although the craftsmanship was rough, everything radiated powerful momentum. All the buildings were constructed from enormous blocks of granite, making them appear exceptionally solid and imposing.
My father and I stopped in front of the largest building. The leopard-man guard at the entrance recognized my father and respectfully said, “King Lei Ao, greetings.”
Father responded with a brief acknowledgment and said, “Announce my arrival.”
The guard bowed and replied, “Yes.”
He then turned around and shouted loudly, “Behemoth King Lei Ao requests an audience!”
The announcement echoed wave after wave deeper into the palace. Before long, another leopard-man guard came out from inside and respectfully said to my father, “King Lei Ao, His Majesty invites you in.”
After speaking, he turned and led the way.
My father and I followed him into the most magnificent structure I had ever seen.
The Beastmen King’s audience hall stood nearly twenty meters high. Massive granite pillars one meter in diameter lined both sides to support the ceiling. Compared to them, my two-meter height seemed insignificant.
While I was still looking around in amazement, my father tugged at me. Then I heard him say:
“Your subject Lei Ao, together with my son Lei Xiang, greets Your Majesty.”
I hurriedly knelt on the ground and shouted together with my father, “Long live our King! Long live! Long live forever!”
A deep and steady voice came from directly ahead.
“Rise. Between brothers we need not stand on such ceremony.”
My father and I stood up together. Only then did I finally see the king of our Beastmen Race.
The Beastmen King was a lion-man. Sitting there, it was impossible to determine his exact height, but he was certainly larger than I was, probably around the same age as my father. His powerful body was dressed in a python-patterned robe with a jade belt, and on his head rested a golden crown that glittered brightly.
He was also observing me.
The sharp light in his eyes told me immediately that his strength was absolutely no weaker than my father’s. His wise gaze was something I had never seen before.
No wonder he could rule the Beastmen—he truly possessed extraordinary qualities.
“Lei Ao, this is your youngest son? If you hadn’t said so, I would have thought he was a human.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. My son’s mother was human. He inherited the strength of our Behemoth clan, and at the same time he inherited his mother’s appearance.”
The Beastmen King nodded with admiration.
“No wonder you said your youngest son is the best candidate for infiltration. Humans would never recognize that he carries the blood of the Beastmen Race.
“Child, the future rise or fall of the Beastmen Race rests upon you. Do not disappoint me or your father.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your subject will devote everything until death.”
(Because I was the Vice Commander of the Behemoth Legion, I also addressed myself as ‘your subject.’)
“Good. Brother Lei Ao, how is your son’s martial skill?”
Father laughed loudly.
“Your Majesty, you can rest assured. He can already withstand thirty percent of my strength in a strike.”
(In truth, Father exaggerated for the sake of his pride. Even with twenty percent of his strength, I would have struggled.)
“Although his physique does not resemble our Behemoth clan, his strength absolutely matches that of a Behemoth.”
The Beastmen King did not doubt Father’s words and said happily, “Truly a hero emerges in youth. Very well. It is settled. Lei Xiang will infiltrate the Dragon God Empire.”
“This matter is extremely confidential. You must not reveal it to anyone. Even our allies, the Demon Race, have not been informed.
“Lei Xiang, you may face tremendous difficulties. But this mission must succeed. Failure will not be tolerated, or I will show no mercy.
“If you complete this mission, I will appoint you as your father’s successor—the next Behemoth King.”
The Beastmen King was clearly combining reward and threat at the same time. It also showed how important this mission was to him.
I immediately knelt again.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your subject will not fail the trust you have placed in me.”
The Beastmen King then turned to my father.
“Very well, that will be all. Tomorrow I will send carefully selected merchants to your residence. They will teach Lei Xiang human etiquette and other necessary matters.”
Father replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. Then your subject will take my son and withdraw.”
After leaving the palace, Father unexpectedly patted my shoulder warmly and said happily, “Son, you must bring honor to our Behemoth clan. This opportunity is extremely valuable. His Majesty thinks highly of you.”
I replied calmly, “Yes, Father.”
Starting the day after meeting the Beastmen King, I began learning human etiquette from merchants who had traveled to the Dragon God Empire.
My memory and ability to imitate far exceeded their expectations. What was originally planned to be three months of training ended after only one month—they had nothing left to teach me.
After learning human etiquette and listening to stories about the human world, my interest in the human lands grew even stronger.
After all, I carried half human blood.
What kind of place was my mother’s homeland?
A deep voice suddenly came from outside.
“Lei Xiang, Father is looking for you.”
It was my eldest brother, Lei Long. Of my two brothers, only he treated me with some friendliness. The second brother looked down on me completely. If he simply refrained from bullying me, that was already good enough.
I walked out of the room. The bright sunlight warmed my entire body. My elder brother’s powerful figure stood before me. Walking beside him made me seem incredibly small.
“Brother, why did you come personally? You could have just sent a messenger.”
I spoke calmly.
He laughed.
“I happened to be with Father, so I came by to see you. I heard you’ll be leaving on a secret mission. We probably won’t see each other for quite a while.”
I nodded but said nothing.
My brother was already used to my quiet nature and did not find it strange.
“Well, we’re here. Go in yourself. I’ll leave now.”
“Alright. Goodbye.”
After answering, I walked directly into Father’s room.
Father sat behind his large desk, holding a stack of papers and reading them.
“Father, I’m here.”
Father raised his head, looked at me, then handed the papers to me.
“Take a look. This is the identity information you’ll use during your infiltration. Memorize it on the way. The merchants told me you’ve already mastered everything they taught you.
“This matter should not be delayed. Tomorrow, pack your belongings and depart quietly on your own.”
I took the papers and read them.
Name: Lei Xiang
Origin: Luomu Village, near Aika City of the Dragon God Empire
Father: Lei Fu, craftsman
Mother: Sha Die, artisan
Since childhood he loved martial arts. His father died of illness when he was ten years old, and his mother died when he was thirteen. He has wandered the continent alone for three years since then. Personality: introverted…
The rest contained extremely detailed information about the identity.
From the documents, it was clear that everything had been prepared flawlessly, without the slightest loophole.
I knew very well that the real person with this name must already have been killed by my father’s subordinates.
That was always Father’s way.
He never left even the slightest opportunity for an enemy.
I turned back and took one last deep look at the city where I had lived for sixteen years. After taking a deep breath, I began the journey to complete my mission.
Father arranged for me to go directly to the capital of the Dragon God Empire—Dragon City. There stood one of the four great academies of the human world, Tianshou Academy. My mission was to study there and learn as much knowledge as possible.
It was now May, and Tianshou Academy would begin admissions in August. Therefore, I had to reach Dragon City before August and take the entrance examination.
The weather today was excellent. The blue sky stretched endlessly without a cloud. From time to time, crisp birdsong echoed from the trees along the road.
Leaving the cage where I had lived for sixteen years, my mood opened up like the clear sky above.
I wore a warrior’s outfit and a large bamboo hat on my head. A three-foot-long veil hung down from the hat, preventing anyone from seeing my face.
This was still the territory of the Beastmen Race, and humans were not welcome here. I had no choice but to conceal my human appearance to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Before leaving home, I went to see my mother.
She was the same as always—her eyes empty, rarely speaking. When I went to see her, she barely acknowledged me.
“Mother, I’m going on a long journey. I probably won’t be back for quite some time.”
She only glanced at me once, then turned her head away.
It seemed my life or death meant nothing to her.
After so many years, I had long become numb. Other than Grandma, no one had ever given me warmth.
But she was still my mother. Even though she had never raised me, I was still born from her.
I sighed deeply and said, “Mother, I’m going to the Dragon God Empire.”
When she heard those words, her entire body trembled. She turned back to look at me.
“Really? You’re going to the Dragon God Empire?”
For the first time, her eyes were no longer completely cold. There was a trace of human emotion in them.
I nodded firmly.
“Yes. I’m going there to carry out a secret mission.”
My mother staggered to her feet from the bed. I hurried forward to support her.
She muttered softly, “The Empire… the Empire… Father… Father… A Feng… A Feng…”
“Lei Xiang, can you do something for me?”
I nodded.
“Tell me. As long as it’s within my ability, I will definitely do it.”
My mother took out a small bell from beneath the mattress. She shook it gently, producing a crisp ringing sound.
The bell seemed to be made from some special material, emitting a faint blue glow.
Her expression was complicated—sometimes gentle, sometimes angry, sometimes helpless. Reluctantly, she placed the bell in my hand.
A crystal tear fell onto the bell.
“When you reach the Dragon God Empire, find a man named Lin Feng. Give this bell to him and tell him… tell him Lingling is sorry.”
After saying this, tears burst from her eyes like a flood, and she collapsed onto the bed.
I stood there holding the bell, not knowing what to do.
After a while, my mother seemed to cry herself out. She took out a necklace from her clothing.
It was made of small silver beads threaded together, with a delicate purple crystal dragon hanging from it.
She silently looked at me once and placed the necklace around my neck.
“I have never taken care of you for even a single day. If you complete this task for me, consider this necklace your payment.”
Her words were as cold as ever.
I clenched the purple crystal dragon tightly in my hand, suppressing the endless sorrow inside me. The sharp crystal pierced my palm, but I did not let go.
Taking a deep breath to calm my turbulent emotions, I said,
“Alright. I will deliver it.”
Without turning back, I left the mother who had given birth to me yet hated me.
However, before leaving, I still asked my eldest brother Lei Long to look after her.
By the time I had traveled far from the Beastmen capital, my mood gradually improved. Having never traveled far before, everything I saw felt fresh and fascinating.
The sun had already climbed to its highest point in the sky. Although it was only May, the sunlight had become scorching.
After walking all morning, I felt somewhat tired.
Looking up, I noticed a simple roadside shelter to the right of the road. It probably sold some food.
I walked over quickly.
Sure enough, it was a fruit stall. The vendor was an older wolf-woman who appeared to be around fifty years old.
When she saw me approach, she asked,
“What kind of fruit would you like? These are all grown by me personally. They’re absolutely fresh.”
I tossed her a silver coin and said coldly,
“A little of each kind.”
Seeing my unfriendly attitude, she did not dare say more. She quickly packed some of each fruit and handed them to me.
It was a huge bundle—enough for ten people. There was no way I could eat that much.
“That’s too much. Take out three quarters. I’ll keep the rest.”
The old woman looked troubled.
“But I don’t have change for you.”
I thought to myself—she couldn’t even make change for a single silver coin?
Were the lives of Beastmen really this difficult?
I asked, “Is life really that hard? Don’t worry about the change. Just remove the extra fruit.”
As she took the fruit back, she sighed helplessly.
“You’re a good person. With war happening year after year, life is difficult everywhere. It’s still better here since we’re close to the capital. The civilians in the war zones suffer even more.
“For us Beastmen, only soldiers or those with strong power can earn food. Someone like me who can’t fight is already fortunate just to survive.
“Is this amount enough?”
I accepted the fruit she handed back. I couldn’t help feeling a trace of sympathy.
In war, the ones who suffer are always the common people. It must be the same in every country.
I picked up the fruit and turned to leave.
Just then, a sinister voice spoke from behind me.
“Kid, leave behind everything valuable you’ve got. Otherwise… heh heh… you’ll become dinner for us tonight.”
I turned around.
Three figures had already surrounded me from behind—a bear-man, a fox-man, and a wolf-man.
The one speaking was probably the fox-man. Among the Beastmen Race, fox-men were known as the most cunning.
They were nothing but ordinary thugs.
I snorted coldly.
“Robbery?”
The three of them burst into laughter.
The bear-man sneered.
“Of course it’s robbery. Why else would we stop you? Don’t make us repeat ourselves. Hand over your valuables, or tonight we’ll braise you and drink with your meat.”
I asked calmly,
“Do you often rob and eat travelers?”
This time the wolf-man answered.
“That’s right. This world is ruled by the strong devouring the weak. The weak can only become food or prey for the strong. Don’t you even understand such a simple truth?”
I glanced at the three of them.
“I see. Thank you for the lesson.”
I stepped forward heavily and threw a punch straight at the strongest among them—the bear-man.
They clearly had not expected me to fight back.
The wolf-man swung his knife, and the fox-man slashed with his sword at the same time.
I ignored them completely and continued punching directly toward the bear-man.
The bear-man was roughly my size, though much thicker and heavier. Seeing my attack, he did not hesitate. His massive bear paw reached out to grab my fist.
If I had not been wearing the bamboo hat, they would have seen the faint smile curling at the corner of my mouth.
The first one to suffer misfortune was the bear-man.
When fist and palm collided, a dull sound echoed. Both the bear-man and I clearly heard the sound of his bones shattering. Before he could even scream, his large body was already blasted more than five meters away by my punch. I had great confidence in the strength of my hand—I knew that if he wanted to rob again, he would have to wait until his next life.
At the same time the bear-man was sent flying, the two weapons also struck me simultaneously—one on my left shoulder and the other on my right back.
The wolf-man and fox-man felt as if they had not struck a person but a steel plate. Their blade and sword were both jolted upward by the impact. They had not even managed to cut through my clothes.
I turned halfway and kicked the fox-man in the chest. The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible. Like the bear-man, he was sent flying far away and crashed heavily onto the ground. Blood gushed wildly from his seven orifices. It was obvious he would not survive.
The wolf-man was stunned by what he had just seen. The knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
With a terrified howl, he turned and ran.
I smiled coldly. With a flick of my foot, I kicked the knife he had dropped into the air. Then, spinning, I kicked it again. The blade shot forward like lightning and accurately struck the wolf-man in the center of his back.
With a dull pfft, the blade pierced straight through to the hilt and pinned him to a nearby tree.
I slowly walked up to the wolf-man and said coldly,
“It was you who told me the rule of the strong devouring the weak. I hope you learn to be smarter in your next life.”
The wolf-man groaned weakly.
“You… you… so… cruel…”
With those words, he breathed his last.
The old woman at the fruit stall had long since curled up in terror, trembling violently.
I walked back to the stall, picked up the fruit I had bought earlier, and tossed her a gold coin.
“Bury them.”
After saying that, I turned and walked away.
I felt no sadness over killing people.
Since childhood, Father had taught me that among the Beastmen Race, only strength gave one the right to speak. No one would sympathize with the weak. When facing enemies, one must never show mercy. The goal was to kill with a single strike and leave the opponent no chance to retaliate.
Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses its full strength.
No matter what methods were required, the enemy had to be killed.
Once I left the capital’s territory, I realized that the fruit stall incident had only been the beginning of my journey of slaughter.
Beastmen bandits and thieves were everywhere. Except for large towns guarded by soldiers, murder, arson, robbery, and plunder could be seen everywhere.
No wonder the Beastmen, despite having natural physical advantages over both Humans and the Demon Race, ranked last among the Three Great Races.
With such social conditions, everyone lived in fear. How could a powerful nation ever develop like that?
Since I was here, I might as well help His Majesty the Beastmen King clean things up a bit.
Describing my journey through the Beastmen Kingdom as cutting a path through blood would not be an exaggeration.
Any bandits or robbers who encountered me were eliminated with thunderous methods.
Eventually, I no longer knew how many people I had killed. I had long since become numb to it.
During this journey, I also came to understand why the Beastmen could not defeat the humans.
Although Beastmen were naturally brave and powerful, true experts were extremely rare. Among the hundreds of people I slaughtered, not a single one could withstand even a single exchange.
With the inherited strength of my Behemoth bloodline, wherever I went was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
At last, I arrived at the border between the Beastmen Kingdom and the Dragon God Empire.
The Stru Fortress of the Dragon God Empire stood between the two nations, its towering walls blocking the path of the Beastmen.
I approached the city gate and shouted upward,
“Generals, please open the gate and let me in!”
A human officer standing on the wall looked down and shouted,
“Who are you?”
Following the story I had prepared in advance, I replied,
“I’m a merchant who went to the orc lands to do business. Our caravan was attacked by orc bandits, and I’m the only one who escaped alive. Look—I’m human.”
I removed the bamboo hat I had worn for more than a month.
The officer first looked toward the distance. Seeing that I was indeed alone and that I was human, his tone softened.
“Those damned orc bandits. You merchants too—why do you keep going there to trade? Losing your life isn’t worth it. Guards, open the gate a little and let him in.”
After a short while, the gate opened slightly, and several soldiers escorted me inside.
The officer from the wall was among them. Seeing my handsome face and tall figure, he seemed to immediately take a liking to me.
“Did you lose a lot?”
I pretended to sigh.
“Don’t even mention it. Being able to come back alive is already a blessing. General, you don’t know how terrifying those orc bandits are. They kill anyone they see and rob everything they can.”
The officer said,
“Alright, don’t be too upset. Don’t worry—our Dragon God Empire will wipe them all out sooner or later. Go on. Enter the city and rest a bit. Now that you’re in human territory, there’s nothing to fear.”
I thanked him repeatedly while secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
Stru Fortress was built upon the foundation of Stru City.
It was my first time entering a human city, and everything felt new and fascinating.
It was indeed far more prosperous than the orc lands. The streets were bustling with people. Trade was conducted openly, creating a scene of flourishing prosperity.
Following the instructions taught to me by the merchant instructors, I first found a relatively clean inn and checked in.
I planned to rest for one night before continuing my journey to Dragon City tomorrow.
Now that I was in human territory, there was no longer any need to wear the bamboo hat.
Seeing so many people who looked similar to me for the first time made me somewhat excited.
Among the Behemoths, I was the smallest. But here, almost no one could match my height. Walking through the streets gave me the feeling of a crane standing among chickens.
Many women passing by cast curious or unusual glances at me.
Their gazes made my face flush repeatedly.
When the merchant instructors had taught me, they mentioned that my appearance would be considered very handsome among humans. They even said that once I arrived in the Dragon God Empire, many girls would likely be attracted to me.
But I had never expected the women here to be this bold.
Perhaps taking off the bamboo hat had been a mistake.
Still, human women looked much more pleasing than female Beastmen. Perhaps that was because they resembled me more closely. I silently told myself this.
This city showed no signs of war. People interacted with each other peacefully.
I wandered around the streets for a while, bought some food, and then returned to the inn.
Night had already fallen.
I took out a map of the Dragon God Empire from my pack.
There were still more than 3,900 kilometers between here and Dragon City.
That was quite a distance.
Tomorrow morning I would set out early. The sooner I arrived, the more time I would have to prepare for the entrance examination.
Putting the map away, I sat cross-legged on the bed and began practicing according to the methods of the Heavenly Demon Art.
The cool, penetrating sensation gradually spread throughout my body.
Recently, I had felt that my Heavenly Demon Art was advancing very quickly. Although I had only practiced the second layer for a little more than half a year, I could already use some intermediate dark magic.
My integration of dark power with the Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique had also improved compared to before.
Could it be because I had killed so many people recently?
What I did not realize was that the Heavenly Demon Art was the highest-level cultivation method of the Demon Race—a martial–magic hybrid technique.
Its foundational stage leaned heavily toward slaughter, darkness, and cold ruthlessness.
Because I had killed so many bandits, my actions perfectly matched the nature required by the Heavenly Demon Art.
That was why my progress had become so rapid.