After several more months of cultivation, Li Mingfu finally succeeded.
His Thousand Thread Qi Weaving Art advanced to the Minor Stage.
The moment it broke through, new information flooded his mind.
The improvements were immediate.
His Qi threads became far more efficient.
Qi wastage during techniques decreased significantly.
The purity of his Qi increased again.
He could gather more Qi and increase the thickness of his Qi treads.
It caused his meridians to hurt more, resulting in shorter active cultivating time.
But the gains outweighed the losses.
Also, he didn't actively cultivate anyway; most of the time, his body was automatically cultivating.
With how slow it was, his meridians didn't hurt.
Others would cultivate for six hours at a time, but Li Mingfu cultivates for four hours a day.
His perception also sharpened.
Li Mingfu noticed that his senses had become extremely sensitive.
He could feel subtle air currents, faint vibrations in the ground, and even the presence of living beings nearby.
Sometimes he could even sense intent.
Not clearly, but enough to feel danger or hostility.
When he used Qi for Shadow Drift Steps, the technique became smoother than before.
His body moved more naturally, and Qi circulation through his legs required far less effort.
Satisfied with the improvements, Li Mingfu decided to test his strength.
He went to the forest.
Months earlier, he had discovered a Qi Refinement Stage 2 bear living there.
Now it was time to hunt it.
Li Mingfu approached the bear's cave slowly.
He decided not to use poison.
He planned to eat the bear meat.
Poison would ruin the meat.
So would have to kill it some other way.
He picked up a small rock and tossed it into the cave.
Clack.
No reaction.
He picked up a bigger rock and tossed it this time.
Clack.
Still no reaction.
"The bear is probably out hunting for food."
"Perfect! I will set up a trap for him, then kill him!"
LI Mingfu quietly prepared several traps.
Using thin silk wires, he tactically acquired from the training field.
He created multiple trip lines around the cave entrance.
They weren't strong enough to fully restrain the bear.
But the wires could slow it down or distract it enough for him to attack.
Then Li Mingfu hid in the shadows and waited.
Time passed.
The sky gradually darkened.
Darkness was his greatest ally.
The longer the wait, the more confident he became.
Eventually, Li Mingfu heard movements in the forest.
Heavy footsteps.
The bear appeared from the bushes.
Li Mingfu compressed his Qi and slowed his breathing.
Blending into the shadows like he was taught.
The bear approached the cave but suddenly stopped.
It sniffed the air.
Then it began pacing around cautiously.
Li Mingfu frowned.
This bear is smarter than I expected.
He hoped his scent wasn't too obvious.
After a moment, the bear moved forward again.
SNAP.
The bear stepped directly into one of the traps.
The silk wires instantly tangled around its legs.
Making him not able to move his legs freely.
The bear roared and struggled to tear the wires apart.
While the bear was distracted, Li Mingfu attacked as he had planned.
He rushed forward like a silent shadow.
Daggers flashed.
Draw.
Slash.
Sheathe.
His body passed by the bear in one smooth motion.
Then he disappeared into the darkness again.
The bear roared from the pain.
The bear looked around for who attacked him.
Seeing that it didn't find anymore.
It quickly tried to get rid of the wires around its legs.
After circling, Li Mingfu checked the wound.
A cut had appeared on the bear's neck.
Blood slowly flowed out.
But the wound was shallow.
Li Mingfu sighed internally.
Cheap daggers…
If his weapons were better, the wound would have been far deeper.
The bear roared furiously and gave up on the wires around its legs.
It looked around for its attacker again.
With the wires around its legs, it slowly walked around and searched the surrounding forest.
Li Mingfu remained perfectly still.
He waited patiently for the bleeding to weaken the beast.
When the bear walked by, its guard seemed to drop.
Li Mingfu attacked again.
A flash of steel.
Another strike across the neck.
This time, the cut was deeper.
Blood poured out more rapidly.
The wires continued tightening around the bear's legs; some strands were already beginning to snap.
Li Mingfu knew that if he didn't end it soon, the bear would be from the wires anytime soon.
He continued attacking.
Each strike left new wounds.
The bear's movements gradually slowed.
Feeling more confident, Li Mingfu increased his attack speed.
Instead of just one slash, he started weaving multiple strikes in a single pass.
For the next couple of attacks, everything flowed perfectly.
But during his next attack, the bear reacted faster than expected.
The bear swiped its claws toward him.
CLANG.
Li Mingfu crossed his daggers and barely managed to parry.
The force sent him flying sideways.
He flipped in midair and landed smoothly on his feet.
As he landed, the bear roared as it was finally free from the silk wires.
With another enraged roar, it charged directly toward him.
Li Mingfu also moved forward with Qi charged on his left hand.
At the last moment, he waved his left hand.
Using a small earth spell, he raised the ground slightly beneath the bear's front paw.
The bear stumbled.
Its massive body crashed and flew forward.
Li Mingfu leapt onto its back instantly.
Then he began stabbing with both daggers.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The daggers plunged repeatedly into the bear's neck until its struggles slowed.
Then stopped.
Even after the bear stopped moving, Li Mingfu stabbed a few more times to be sure.
Only when he was certain it was dead did he place his hand on the corpse and circulate Qi through it.
No heartbeat.
No signs of life.
Confirmed dead.
Li Mingfu stored the bear inside his spatial ring and immediately ran back toward the sect.
Back inside his villa, he took a long, hot bath.
While soaking in the tub, he reflected on the fight.
The traps had helped.
But his daggers were far too weak.
The wounds had been shallow.
Better weapons would greatly increase his killing efficiency.
Unfortunately, he lacked contribution points to buy better weapons.
Missions were currently too dangerous for him.
The internal sect tasks paid very little and consumed too much time.
And he still needed to focus on strengthening himself.
Li Mingfu could only sigh.
After leaving the bath, he changed into fresh clothes.
He didn't feel like cooking.
So he simply ate dried meat and some fruit before going to sleep.
The next morning, Li Mingfu returned to the sect library.
This time, he wanted to find a body refinement martial technique.
As usual, he grabbed books randomly and flipped a coin.
Heads meant he kept the book.
Tails meant he returned it.
Many disciples stared at him.
But the library elder was already used to it and didn't even react anymore.
After an entire day of searching, Li Mingfu still found nothing suitable.
Finally, he walked to the front desk.
He bowed respectfully.
"Elder, may I visit the second floor?"
The elder glanced at him.
"You already know the rules. Only disciples with enough contribution points, special permission, Foundation cultivators, or core disciple status may enter."
Li Mingfu frowned.
"But Elder… the techniques here aren't useful to me."
After a moment of silence, the elder sighed.
"Give me your identity card."
Li Mingfu handed it over.
The elder scanned it.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
Surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Did you accomplish something recently?"
"No," Li Mingfu replied honestly. "I've just been reading and training."
The elder looked at him again.
"How long have you been in the sect?"
"Around a year."
"What rank did you obtain in the newcomer competition?"
"First place."
Li Mingfu proceeded to show off his spatial ring proudly.
"Look. My prize ring. It's not very big, but it's still better than those pouches."
The elder nodded slowly.
Then he suddenly said:
"You're an idiot."
Li Mingfu blinked.
"Why?"
The elder shook his head.
"Didn't you listen when they explained the prizes for the top three winners?"
Li Mingfu scratched his head.
"No… I was busy playing with the ring."
"I thought the reward was just this ring and some contribution points."
The elder handed the identity card back.
"That's correct."
"But there's one more reward."
"You are allowed to enter the second floor of the library and choose one technique."
Li Mingfu froze.
He had completely ignored that part.
His mind had been entirely focused on the ring.
After a moment, Li Mingfu quickly bowed.
"Thank you, Elder!"
"I'll come back tomorrow!"
Then he ran out of the library filled with excitement.
The elder watched him leave.
He shook his head and muttered quietly.
"That child… always bowing and saying thank you. Then running away as if someone was trying to kill him..."
The elder shook his head again and calmly returned to reading his book.