At the foot of Red Flower Mountain.
In the desolate wilderness, the fire pit at the encampment blazed fiercely, but the area it illuminated was gradually shrinking.
Fog was forming...
Yet, for heavy fog to appear in the mountains during midwinter was nothing unusual.
The county soldiers on patrol and the experts of the Li family on night watch paid it no mind.
Outside the tent in the center of the camp, Yaohua stood leaning on her spear, meditating with her eyes closed, as still as a statue of a goddess.
Inside the tent, Li Xuan was so engrossed in studying the panel before him that he couldn't contain his joy.
'When I was young, I used to train my body, dreaming of making a name for myself in this Otherworld.
But once I accompanied my father to the capital of Great Yin and saw that even the illustrious Grandmaster could only battle ten armored warriors at once, I found it unimpressive.
A person who could defeat over ten armored soldiers in a direct fight would surely perform even better on other battlefields.
This is certainly impressive.
But to become a Grandmaster, one needs to dedicate almost all their time to practicing martial arts.
To be reborn with wealth and prosperity at my fingertips and still have to struggle, isn't that foolish?
So, I became complacent, and my reactions dulled.
The agility of 5 probably reflects this.'
'However, I eat well and live well, family doctors regularly check on me, Martial Artists occasionally teach me some body-training tricks, and during the day I exhaust myself managing family businesses, and at night I play energetically with Rose and Yaohua.
Therefore, even without deliberate training, my body is rather robust.
Strength 6, Constitution 7, which is quite higher than agility.'
'But what exactly is the function of Spirit 6, I can't tell.'
After reviewing the attributes, Li Xuan's gaze fell upon the "Demon Points."
It was quite apparent that this "1 Demon Point" could be freely assigned to "Strength, Agility, Constitution, Spirit."
But that was tricky.
Because no matter where it's assigned, the practical use was minimal; when real danger struck, the outcome would still be the same.
A being capable of breaking through county soldiers and Li family cavalry and defeating Yaohua could easily kill him, and increasing attribute points wouldn't change that fact.
However, if such a being existed, why would it specifically target him?
So, most likely, if "disaster were imminent, he would flee first, then everyone else follows."
Thus, I don't need to outrun that being, just run faster than the others.
And if everyone were mounted, speed wouldn't rely on personal running, so faster reflexes would help me evade the crisis.
After some simple analysis, Li Xuan had a rough idea in mind.
Strength is for direct combat, but what reason would Eldest Young Master Li have to engage enemies head-on?
Agility determines my escape speed and reaction speed during a retreat, which is advantageous.
Constitution determines how long I can sustain a retreat, which is also good.
Spirit... Spirit... Forget it, let's not consider Spirit for now since it's unclear. If I have more points, I can experiment with it, but with few points, I must focus on practical gains.
'So, should I add to Agility or Constitution?'
Li Xuan really wanted to add to Agility.
After all, if a crisis struck and he couldn't withstand the first attack, what use is increased duration?
But his agility was indeed very low.
5 points in Agility is low.
6 points in Agility... still very low.
He hesitated for a moment, leaving the points unallocated, his gaze lingering on the word "Demon" in "Demon Points," his pupils suddenly contracting, then shifting his gaze below to the "Scarlet Grid."
While he had some understanding of "Attribute Points," he was entirely clueless about the "Scarlet Grid."
In the "Scarlet Grid," eight cells were dark, leaving only one illuminated.
In the illuminated cell was [Magic Blood (Incomplete, Awaiting Improvement)].
'It can be activated at any time and retracted at any time.'
'Why not give it a try?'
With a resolved heart, Li Xuan exhaled, lay back on the bedding, and fell asleep.
He glanced at his fingertips; the burning poison that tormented him all night had vanished.
It seemed that this thing activated his talent.
He needed to gather more of it in the future.
Li Xuan wrapped himself tighter in the bedding and gradually cleared his mind.
Fatigue slowly engulfed him.
...
...
"Ah..."
"Ah..."
"Ah!!!"
At dawn, suppressed screams resonated from within the tent.
A woman urgently called out, "Young Master, Young Master! Young Master!"
Li Xuan gradually opened his eyes, feeling a heavy pressure on his chest, his limbs stiff, and his hair drenched.
He struggled to discern faces until his gaze finally settled, recognizing Yaohua before him.
"Huff..."
"Huff..."
He took deep breaths, gasping for air.
He had... a nightmare.
The dream seemed to be a kind of omen, leaving him increasingly uneasy.
'Demon Points, fire poison, Half-Step Grandmaster drained of vitality, limbs extracted... This familiar land seems to be undergoing some terrifying change.'
Seeing Yaohua's worried expression and her beautiful face so close, Li Xuan felt a sudden stir in his heart and quickly raised his hand to hold her endearingly lovely cheek and give her a strong kiss.
Unfortunately, Yaohua reacted swiftly, lifting her face to effortlessly avoid Li Xuan's grasp, then turned to gently hold Li Xuan's hand, saying, "Young Master saw many fearsome scenes yesterday that you aren't accustomed to, so it led to nightmares, no need to worry."
As she spoke, she turned around, lifted her hips slightly, and kneeled at the corner of the tent, taking out a change of clothes from the luggage beside her. After throwing them to Li Xuan, she hurriedly ran out.
She wasn't Rose; even though she had completely surrendered to Li Xuan, she wouldn't attend to him dressing.
Li Xuan called out, "Did you rest well last night?"
Yaohua replied, "Don't worry, Young Master; I have my method of recovery. Sitting in meditation for a night is more than enough."
Li Xuan nodded and soon dressed himself.
Due to the nightmare, he woke up relatively early.
In the mountains, the mist was thin as a white veil, swirling layers over the land, covering the knees.
The sky had brightened, morning light pouring in, casting warm, golden hues on the veil.
Not far away, someone was preparing breakfast, smoke rising steadily.
The smell of cooking and the sunlight somewhat eased the unease in Li Xuan's heart.
He glanced at Yaohua and said, "Come with me."
With that, he headed towards a more secluded area.
Understanding, Yaohua knew he was going for relief and followed with her spear.
Li Xuan had already chosen a huge rock about a zhang long and approached it.
Making sure no one was around, he said across the rock, "It's a large relief."
Yaohua stomped her foot and said, "Just relieve yourself quietly, no need to tell me."
Li Xuan nodded.
The sound of water flowing came, and Yaohua blushed but stood her ground.
After his relief, Li Xuan focused on the "Magic Blood" in the "Scarlet Grid."
With a thought, the Magic Blood disappeared from the grid.
As it vanished, Li Xuan felt a surge of heat circulate through his veins, a terrifying power rapidly reshaping his physique.
A flash of ominous gleam passed in his eyes, and the fat and muscle on his body suddenly became solid, as if raw iron had been struck with a hammer until it displayed the fledgling form of a Hunter.
His senses became sharper, discerning sounds he previously ignored or found indistinct.
His gaze instinctively swept over, noticing that his attributes had changed.
The [Agility] column shifted from "[5/10]" to "[5+2/10]."
It's not much, but the future looks promising.