Living as a Mortal: Grinding Experience Starting from the Underworld

After returning to Huangtu Village, Zhang Feng resigned from his position in the demon-hunting team to focus on gaining experience.

For a month, Zhang Feng didn't dare to stop grinding for experience points.

He was obsessed with feeling his skill proficiency increase by 1 every day and the sense of progress he made.

Zhang Feng only stopped to check his condition after the Yinming Beast Crystals were completely exhausted.

[Cultivation Technique: Netherworld Body Refining Technique (Mastery 1/100)]

Having mastered the Netherworld Body Refining Technique and achieved great success in skin refining, Zhang Feng stepped into the second level of the technique, the flesh refining realm.

The Yin-Yang power generated by the beast crystal was hidden beneath Zhang Feng's skin, forming a solid protective layer that gradually seeped into his body.

Zhang Feng could freely manipulate this Yin energy, releasing it externally to form a black protective shield similar to a spiritual energy shield.

His body refinement strength has reached the third level of Qi Refining, so he can easily kill any ferocious beast he encounters.

Zhang Feng estimated that he now had some ability to protect himself, and even if a struggle broke out between immortals and mortals in Huangtu Village, he could remain unscathed.

Boom boom boom!

"Brother Zhang! I've come to see you!"

Huang Tianhe's voice came from outside the door.

Zhang Feng opened the door with a hint of helplessness; he was the most frequent visitor in the past month.

Every time she came, she would pull Zhang Feng aside and tell him about her longing and love for the cultivator named Xiao Cui, as well as their various interactions.

After each conversation, he would always ask Zhang Feng for advice on how to get along with female cultivators.

Zhang Feng himself had never been in a relationship in either of his two lifetimes, so how could he offer advice? He could only share his experiences of getting along with his junior sister over the years.

Fortunately, it was Huang Tianhe's first time doing this, so he had no doubts whatsoever.

"Brother Zhang! I've trained my legs now, and I can start my first hunt tomorrow!"

Huang Tianhe couldn't hide his excitement in his words.

"Oh, the village chief agreed?"

These days, Zhang Feng learned from Huang Tianhe that Huang Tiangu was his grandfather, his father Huang Ci handled miscellaneous affairs in the village, and his second uncle Huang Qing served as the captain of the mortal hunting team.

With this kinship involved, it's no wonder that Huangtian Valley wants to maintain the relationship between immortals and mortals.

"Yes, Grandpa agreed. Don't worry, Brother Zhang, I'm sure I'll be able to hunt down the Fire Kirin Beast and collect its beast crystals. I'll definitely give you an even bigger beast crystal in return."

Huang Tianhe still remembered the beast crystal Zhang Feng had given him, the one that had rapidly warmed up his relationship with Xiao Cui.

"This isn't urgent; safety is the most important thing."

Zhang Feng gave away the beast crystal simply to repay the boy's kindness, without expecting anything in return.

"No, no, it has to be paid back. My second uncle said that a person should keep their word."

Huang Tianhe quickly waved his hand.

Zhang Feng's admiration grew stronger; mortals valued promises more than some cultivators.

"By the way, how are things going between you and Xiao Cui?"

Seeing that Huang Tianhe wasn't talking about the cultivator Xiao Cui as usual, Zhang Feng couldn't help but ask.

"Hey~ Brother Zhang, we had a fight. For some reason, her skin suddenly turned black and started acting strangely."

I wanted to see her, but I was turned away at the door.

I wanted to ask my father to diagnose her, but she refused.

We had a huge fight about it, and afterwards she refused to see me again.

I wanted to apologize and ask for forgiveness, but Xiao Cui said that if I found another beast crystal and gave it to her, she wouldn't be angry anymore.

Huang Tianhe looked somewhat downcast as he spoke.

Zhang Feng understood. Although Huang Tianhe was young, naive, and impulsive, he was also quite perceptive. His youthful sensitivity made him realize something was amiss. He was unsure whether Xiao Cui's feelings were for him or for the beast crystal.

Zhang Feng, standing aside, could see clearly that Xiao Cui had definitely been lured by Village Chief Huang Tiangu into practicing the Netherworld Body Refining Technique.

I just don't know why he would set aside his dignity as a cultivator to deceive a mortal.

Some people are awful.

"Tianhe, act according to your heart! Be open-minded! There's nothing you can't let go of!"

Zhang Feng suddenly thought of his junior sister who had betrayed him, and couldn't help but say these words.

"Hmm~"

Huang Tianhe scratched his head. He didn't quite understand, but Brother Zhang was a cultivator, so what he said must make sense.

Huang Tianhe left a piece of salted fish and departed, as he needed to prepare weapons for tomorrow's hunt.

Zhang Feng ate the salted fish left by Huang Tianhe. This month, every time Zhang Feng stopped cultivating, he would find fish left by the boy at the door.

This warm and selfless young man always touched Zhang Feng's heart. If a conflict were to break out in Huangtu Village, he would do his best to save his life.

……

That night.

Thump~ thump~ thump~

Three bells rang in succession. Zhang Feng opened his eyes, quickly got up, put on his leather armor, and picked up Fei Ying.

"Help! The Netherworld Beast is attacking!"

The villagers lit torches and shouted.

Zhang Feng walked out of the stone house and ran to the earthen wall at the entrance of the village.

Village chief Huang Tiangu led a group of people to stand on the city wall and defend against hordes of fire-scaled beasts.

"Where are the elders? And what about the cultivator hunting team?"

Huang Tiangu asked the man beside him.

"Father, I've searched, but I can't find them anywhere in the village! And all the beast crystals that activated the protective array have disappeared!"

"Those despicable cultivators! They eat our food and use our resources all the time, but now that we need them, they've all disappeared!"

Even the usually composed Huang Qing couldn't suppress his anger.

"What?"

Huang Tiangu was both furious and incredulous.

"Father, without the magic array, we can't defend the village. We should let the elderly, women, and children escape quickly!"

Huang Qing planned to lead the mortal hunting team to the city wall to hold off the enemy and buy time for the villagers.

"No, the village is surrounded by Yinming Beasts. If they go out now, they'll be sitting ducks."

"Ci'er, rally the whole village to fight off the beast tide. It will recede by dawn."

"Qing'er, prepare to break through the encirclement and find some elders. You must get them to come back and rescue us!"

Huang Tiangu was organizing the villagers to prepare for a fight when he turned around and saw Zhang Feng not far away.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you're still staying in the village?"

Huang Tiangu was somewhat surprised, thinking that all the cultivators had disappeared.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Feng guessed that Huang Tiangu knew some inside information.

"What's wrong, Fellow Daoist Huang? Are you surprised that Zhang is here?"

"Alas, Fellow Daoist Zhang is a wise man. Since those people didn't take you away, you must not be one of them."

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Huang, are you certain that I am not an inside agent they left behind?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhang is joking. Knowing them as I do, if they intended to take action against Huangtu Village, why would they leave behind an inside agent?"

"Since Fellow Daoist Huang knows who the enemy is, why not just say so?"

"Alas, I never expected this..."

boom!

Dozens of huge bone spikes came hurtling through the air, but Zhang Feng dodged them with lightning speed.

"Hahaha, you old devil Huang, I've come to take your dog's life!"

Three ferocious beasts, each about ten feet in size, appeared outside the city.

Looking around, Zhang Feng saw the three elders of Huangtu Village sitting on the backs of three ferocious beasts.

Beast control techniques?

How can one command a Netherworld Beast without any spiritual power?

Cultivators truly keep their abilities hidden!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, the situation is urgent. If the city falls, I hope you will honor my entrustment. I have left something with Tianhe as an extra reward."

Huang Tiangu left behind a sentence and turned to confront the three elders.

"Old Ghost Li, Old Ghost Qin, and Old Ghost Liu, after all these decades, you finally couldn't hold back anymore?"

"Hmph, Old Ghost Huang, you've relied on your body-refining cultivation to enslave the three of us to hunt Yin-Nether Beast Crystals for you for decades, and even established this Yellow Earth Village, forcing us to merge with mortals!"

"We are cultivators. Even without spiritual power, we are still immortal cultivators. How can we eat and live with mortals?"

"That would be one thing, but your mortal son and grandson dared to defecate and urinate on our heads and even deduct our beast crystals."

"Today, we will avenge this humiliation! Attack, kill Old Ghost Huang, and reclaim the beast crystal that belongs to us!"

The three roared resentfully, urging the ferocious beast beneath them to charge forward.

Boom!

The tails of the three ferocious beasts split open like flowers, revealing dozens of bone spikes that shot fiercely towards the crowd standing on the city wall.

"Get out of the way!"

Huang Tiangu shouted.

Everyone quickly sought cover to hide.