Shen Han had just endured an intense battle with the assassins, exhausting most of his Mental Energy, and his physical strength was also nearly depleted.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, giving a bitter smile as he shook his head and muttered, 'As expected, it was still too much to handle. If it weren't for the Shadow Leopard drawing fire, a direct confrontation with a Peak Martial Spirit… I might not have escaped unscathed.'
He couldn't help but lament his lack of strength, secretly vowing to Cultivate diligently.
Shen Han took out a recovery potion from his in arms, regulated his breathing, and slowly drank it.
The medicinal power dissolved within his body, gradually nourishing his injured meridians and Sea of Consciousness.
After a brief rest, he looked around, dealing with the traces left by the battle. The Shadow Leopard's corpse on the ground, as well as the assassins' Storage Pouches, were all rare gains.
'This time, it wasn't a wasted trip after all,' he murmured softly.
He quickly put the Shadow Leopard's corpse into his Storage Ring, and with a wave of his hand, collected all of the assassins' Storage Pouches.
However, the air was already filled with the bloody scent of battle.
Shen Han frowned slightly, using his 'Sniff' Skill to detect several powerful exotic beasts rapidly approaching from a distance, clearly drawn by the scent of blood.
Unwilling to attract more trouble, he immediately retreated quietly, finding a secluded spot to hide for a while, preparing to tally his spoils.
Shen Han sat down cross-legged and took out the Shadow Leopard's beast core, his eyes showing a hint of joy.
The Shadow Leopard was an extremely rare Space Element exotic beast, and the Space Element energy contained within its beast core was especially precious to him.
'Devour—'
He gently grasped the beast core, activating his Devouring Skill. The beast core slowly melted, transforming into a pure Space Element energy that gradually flowed into his Sea of Consciousness, gathering towards the Space Element stars.
Shen Han focused intently on guiding the energy towards his 'Dimensional Space' Skill, continuously promoting its growth.
Soon, he felt the Space Element stars in his Sea of Consciousness tremble slightly, followed by a small expansion of his 'Dimensional Space,' increasing from the original 1 cubic meter to 2 cubic meters.
'Only 2 cubic meters… the improvement of the Space Element is a long and arduous Dao,' Shen Han couldn't help but sigh. Although this was a huge step forward, the path to improving Space Element Skills was indeed long.
He secretly resolved that once his strength advanced further, he would definitely seek out more Space Element exotic beasts to continuously enhance the power of his Space Element.
After absorbing the Shadow Leopard's beast core, Shen Han began to sort through the Storage Rings he had found on the 10 assassins.
In the Storage Rings of 8 of the assassin members, there was nothing but some daily sundries and a bit of loose change, with no items found that could prove their identity. Shen Han was feeling a bit disappointed when, suddenly, he unexpectedly found a Martial Skill scroll in the Storage Ring of one of the leaders.
'Hmm? Is this… Thunder Shadow Soul Slash?' Shen Han was slightly startled, then showed a look of surprise.
He opened the scroll and studied it carefully, discovering that it was a Profound Rank Martial Skill saber art called 'Thunder Shadow Soul Slash.'
This saber art Martial Skill cleverly combined Lightning and Dark Element powers, not only making the strikes swift and imbued with the penetrating and paralyzing effects of lightning, but also allowing it to be accompanied by the power of shadows, making the saber art unpredictable and doubling its destructive power. This saber art was secretive, swift, and the strikes were fierce, truly incredible.
'It seems this was the saber art that leader used when fighting the Shadow Leopard,' Shen Han nodded silently.
Such a Profound Rank Martial Skill would cost at least tens of thousands of academic credits if exchanged for.
Shen Han's lips curved into a slight smile: 'Good stuff. It's perfect for my combat style, as both my Lightning Element and Dark Element can utilize this set of saber techniques.'
'It's time to go back and turn in the mission,' Shen Han murmured softly, glancing at the gradually darkening Xishan Forest, a hint of vigilance rising in his heart. The dangers here were far more than just Shadow Leopards, and staying longer would be of no benefit.
This mission to hunt the Shadow Leopard would earn him 2000 academic credits, plus the unexpected 'Thunder Shadow Soul Slash,' ensuring his Cultivation resources for the next two months. His lips curved slightly upward as he turned and walked towards the path back… Upon returning to the school's mission hall, Shen Han handed over the Shadow Leopard's corpse to the person in charge of mission acceptance and successfully received 2000 academic credits.
Just as he was leaving, Lu Renjia, who was nearby, saw him return safely and showed an expression of disbelief, quickly reporting the news to Lu Yanlin.
'What? He not only completed the mission but also returned alive?' Lu Yanlin received the news and immediately became furious, letting out a cold snort, 'What are these people good for? They can't even handle such a small matter.'
In his anger, he immediately contacted the Family's branch in Mingzhu. The news that came back stunned him—everyone sent to intercept Shen Han had perished.
'Impossible! How could he, a mere Middle Stage Martial Spirit, possess such strength?' Lu Yanlin absolutely refused to believe it was Shen Han's doing. 'Did they encounter an exotic beast attack?'
Although he was unwilling, he had no choice but to suppress his anger. A cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he murmured, 'Hmph, you got lucky this time. You won't be so lucky next time.'
Mingzhu Martial Arts University New Student Dormitory
'Brother, where have you been these past two days? I haven't seen you. Did you go chasing after Liu Ruyan? You're not being fair! We agreed to pursue the Peak of the Martial Dao together, and you went and ate alone.' Li Tianhao grinned mischievously when he finally saw Shen Han.
Shen Han rolled his eyes at him helplessly: 'Get lost.'
'Not chasing Liu Ruyan?' Li Tianhao had an 'I don't believe you' expression.
'Really not,' Shen Han replied unequivocally, too lazy to explain further.
'So you're into Mu Bingyao, huh? Alright, alright, no need to explain, I understand!' Li Tianhao looked as if 'the truth had come out.'
Shen Han realized he couldn't communicate normally with this person; what was going on in his head all day?
All 2000 points were exchanged by Shen Han for [Divine Thought Crystals].
'Next, continue to improve Mental Energy.'
Two months later
Name: Shen Han
Mental Energy: 3911 / 4200 (Martial Spirit Eighth Rank)
Special Ability Rank: Chaos Element - SSS Rank, Lightning Element - SS Rank, Dark Element - S Rank, Fire Element - S Rank, Space Element - B Rank, Mental Element - SS Rank, Wood Element - SS Rank
After more than half a semester of arduous Cultivation, Shen Han had already raised his cultivation from Martial Spirit Fourth Rank to Martial Spirit Eighth Rank, a speed that was astonishing even in Mingzhu Martial Arts University, which was filled with Geniuses.
However, Shen Han knew that compared to truly top Prodigies, this speed was somewhat insufficient. His goal was the Peak of the Martial Dao; how could he be satisfied with such achievements?
During this period, he had also Cultivated the 'Thunder Shadow Soul Slash' he obtained from the assassin to Minor Achievement, now able to flexibly use this saber art that fused Lightning and Dark Element power, with hidden and swift moves, and extraordinary power.
But all of this was inseparable from a large amount of Cultivation resources. Shen Han knew that to maintain such a Cultivation speed, resources were like a bottomless pit, difficult to satisfy. His gaze swept over the Storage Pouch in his hand, and he sighed: 'It seems I'll have to take on more missions.'
Just as he was about to go to the mission center to check for missions, all Lightning Element new students received a message from their mentor, Chen Ziyang.
'All Lightning Element new students must gather at the training ground in three hours!'