29 White mantis

[We ran! Why?] Li Chen bellowed.

"To avoid getting killed, Those sects had always loathed me. Now that I have killed some of their elders, I'll be on their list." 

[Why are you going to do it?]

"The jokes on them. Before they find me, I'll be long dead! Hahaha!" 

Ignoring the old man's laughter, Li Chen prepared his bed and laid down. He stared at the starry skies, recalling the brilliance Old Li displayed.

He was like a true master then.

'How's Tiger Yi and Pig Yun doing? Has Xiu Ying dealt with the betrayer? Is there really more than one? ...'

Thoughts like these ran through his mind for a while before he thought of Autumn Haven's sect. 

He recalled listing the sect in his plans. It was a peak mortal-grade sect with countless disciples. Even the prince of the Northern Dynasty would have to attend to gain access to geniuses.

The next morning,

Li Chen fetched water, boiled tea for the old man and ventured into the forest. 

RUSTLE —! 

RUSTLE —!

Running through the forest, a tall man garbed in a black robe tightened his grip around his sword's sheath while scanning his surroundings.

Bamboo trees surrounded him. Their dense gathering hid the skies. Sunlight could only leak through the gaps.

Sensing something, Li Chen unsheathed his sword and slashed while turning back. The radiance cut through trees but the beast he sensed had vanished.

'Is it a praying mantis?' He thought. 

Time passed and Li Chen kept hunting and killing mantises. Slowly, his attack pattern matched that of a mantis—quick, precise, and lethal.

Exhausted, he assumed a lotus posture and joined his fists. Having grown used to cultivating, Li Chen discovered it was best to absorb energy when his body was in this state.

THWACK —!

Although it was mild, Li Chen's eyes snapped open at lightning speed, and he caught something white!

'It's been after me all this while. What is that?' He thought, looking around. 

Unbeknownst to him, a porcelain white creature as tall as an average human gazed at him from behind a bamboo tree. 

It was a variant 20-star-immortal human-level beast!

It's large black eyes revealed Li Chen in an enlarged picture. Even the grass looked vibrant and every tiny bit was clearly visible.

After looking around for a while, Li Chen closed his eyes but couldn't cultivate since he knew something was watching him.

Frustrated, he got up and was about to move when a stunningly beautiful mantis appeared twenty meters away. It tilted its white head and blinked.

Stunned by the beautiful sight, his naivety about the real world took over. [I won't hurt you,] he whispered, approaching the creature.

It went back and suddenly shot forward. Before Li Chen could react, his chest was ripped open! 

'What a fool I've been,' he sighed. Pain blasted his consciousness but he knew succumbing would mean his demise.

SHING—!

Unsheathing his sword, a piercing aura shot out and he turned back. Thick bloodlust billowed off him.

The mantis swooshed out again and he slashed it. However, it moved around him, leaving another gruesome cut on his forearm. It slashed his back again before flickering to his right and slashing at his face.

CLANG —!

"Crescent Slash"!

His sword radiance cut down trees but the mantis evaded it. It was fast. So fast that he seemed predictable!

If it weren't for his body technique, he would have died from the first attack and lost his arm to the second.

Having seen his blood flowing to the ground, Li Chen staggered and held a bamboo tree. As the mantis swooshed toward him, he divided into three!

Two were formed from his darkness and smoke billowed off them. 

Evading the strike, he swung his sword but it barely cut deep into the mantis. Furious, it kept slashing, and he deflected.

While the high-intensity battle continued, Li Chen felt his strength leaving him. Death has never been so close. 

[You wild beast! I'll chop you into a million pieces!] He yelled, flickered to the right and raised his sword above his head.

"Mountain Slash"! 

A heavy strike slashed off the mantis's right scythe, causing it to screech. It kept stabbing him with the left but got silenced when Li Chen's sword pierced through its head.

Green blood stained the silver blade.

Still blinded by rage, Li Chen chopped the corpse while yelling. He kept cutting until his arms grew weary. 

THUD —!

He fell on his knees and lowered his head. Suddenly, a soothing current gushed into his meridians. His tendons and muscles wriggled, creating a sensation that made Li Chen feel like scratching his wounds.

"A breakthrough. You're such a lucky brat." Old Li landed and walked toward him.

[I almost died.]

"The battle of life and death is crucial for growth. Yours was fleeting but you've broken through in your comprehension. I'm actually looking at the first cultivator to achieve 'beyond perfection' in a 10-star-mortal-grade technique in such a short duration." 

Chuckling, he took the core of the mantis, lifted Li Chen, and soared to the treetop. He covered a distance of three hundred meters in what Li Chen would call a blink of an eye!

****

"So, what did you learn from your experience?" Old Li asked Li Chen, who had bandages all over. 

[Beauty hides a great threat.] He spat venomously. 

Old Li laughed. Since Li Chen was on his bed, he went outside to get tea and brought it back in. 

"You'll heal fast. The selection is close. Focus on increasing your constellation of stars." 

After spending three weeks boosting his level to nine stars, Li Chen decided it was time to return and consolidate his level.

He bowed before Old Li and stood straight. Just as he was about to speak, Old Li shook his head.

"Go. You've been disturbing my peace for too long." 

[I'll be back.] 

Li Chen said so solemnly and descended the mountain. 

He drew a horse and began his journey to Windflower City. He reached it at nightfall.

Riding through the entrance, market, and even the famous Ma Dong's restaurant, Li Chen dragged his hawkish gaze through the prospering business towards the other side.

Eventually arriving at the bottom of the short mountain, which was technically a hill, Li Chen's eyes dilated when he perceived a foul smell.

Suddenly, a burning sensation made him roll up his sleeves, only to see the phoenix mark glowing!

'What's going on?!'