Adrian heaved a sigh of relief after viewing the damage that he had caused. His face was a bit pale, and his breathing was ragged. It was clear that the last attack took a toll on him.
The 'Sword of Flames', which he had just used, was a Silver rank martial skill. A high grade one at that. It had depleted about a third of his qi, which is why he was tired.
High-grade martial skills were rare on the Floating Cloud continent. Most cultivators wouldn't be able to get their hands on one. Only disciples of powerful sects or members of large clans would be able to have one.
Rogue cultivators could only dream of them. It wasn't a matter of price. One wouldn't even be able to find it for sale. Even if one miraculously turned up for sale, it would be immediately snatched up by those powerful clans and sects.
Rogue cultivators had to settle for martial skills of low grade, or those that were even a rank lower than their power level.
In a high-level battle, martial skills could be said to be the game-changer. In a battle between two cultivators of similar strength, the one with the martial skill would undoubtedly come on top.
This factor was another reason why Rogue cultivators were generally weaker than cultivators from clans or sects. They would be stuck fighting with weapons while their opponents launched earth-shattering supernatural attacks at them.
They simply couldn't catch a break. Adrian calmed himself down as he went towards the alpha.
Its breathing was already weak, and it was losing a lot of blood. It was evident that it wouldn't survive.
Adrian arrived next to it and swiftly dispatched it to put it out of its misery.
"Hahh," Adrian sighed in relief. He was already exhausted. Even though his realm was higher, dealing with so many beasts was still very taxing.
Adrian stored the bodies of the wolves in his storage rings. Their bodies were still valuable and could be sold for a decent price.
Since they were only Rank 1 and 2 beasts, they didn't have magic cores. They were not powerful enough to condense it. They were only good for food.
He also started searching the area. Even though the chances were unlikely, there was a probability that the wolves were in that area for a reason.
There were a few reasons for magical beasts to linger around an area, one of which was that they had found a treasure.
Adrian's luck was quite good because, after a few minutes, he found a small flower growing out of the rocks in a secluded corner.
He was excited to find that it was a rank 3 flower known as the Earth flower.
The Earth flower was not a rare resource, but what made them peculiar was the amount of energy contained within them. The flower absorbed the essence of the earth in order to bloom, which makes it contain far more energy than other herbs at the same rank.
Furthermore, the earth flower was an all-purpose flower. It could be useful at any cultivation level. One just had to find a flower to match their realm.
The number of petals on the flower depicted its rank. One leaf meant a Rank 1 flower. Two leaves meant rank 2. Three leaves meant rank 3, and you get the picture.
Adrian wondered why the flower was still there and why the wolf hadn't eaten it.
The only conclusion that he could come up with was that the wolf was waiting for the flower to increase in rank.
Magical beasts require much more energy to advance than humans. This was why they hunted down both humans and other magical beasts. Compared to a human, their energy intake was enormous.
However, the Heavens were fair. The astronomical amount of energy usually meant that the strength of magical beasts was no joke. A magical beast would defeat an average human cultivator if they were on the same level.
Adrian carefully uprooted the flower and stored it in a box before putting it into his storage ring. His newfound knowledge allowed him to be able to store the herb correctly without damaging it.
Adrian looked around him and saw that it was around mid-afternoon. He planned to start looking for shelter soon. There were a lot of things for him to do, and finding the flower had just helped him kickstart his body cultivation journey.
The Misty Mountains were vast, covering an unknown amount of area. The different regions within the mountain range meant that all sorts of scenarios were possible.
Someone venturing into the Misty Mountains for the first time would think that his decision was too early. However, that was one of the reasons why the Misty Mountains were a danger zone.
The fog became thicker as night fell, and it hindered people's senses.
Being out in the open in such a situation was tantamount to a suicide attempt. The Misty Mountains were more dangerous at night, as that was when creatures that had adapted to the fog usually roamed free.
He was currently in a forest in the mountain range. The tall trees blocked out the sun, making visibility harder.
Adrian started running even deeper into the forest. His excitement could barely be contained as he was thinking about his upcoming upgrade. After running for about two hours nonstop, Adrian finally found a cave that was inhabited by a bear.
The bear was at the initial stage of the first rank, so he swiftly dealt with it. He then sealed the entrance of the cave just as night fell.
Adrian brought out a small crystal from his storage ring, which shone brightly and illuminated the cave. He then sat down in a corner in order to rest and recover his energy. He also brought out some dried meat and slowly munched on it to satisfy his hunger.
What he was going to do next required him to be in his optimum state.