Living as a Mortal: Grinding Experience Starting from the Underworld

Ningcui Island is a relatively distant island in the outer sea that can be reached by the Star Palace teleportation array.

Furthermore, the surrounding area has already been cleared by cultivators who came to hunt demonic beasts, so there is little danger.

Zhang Feng arrived here via a teleportation array and decided to settle on this island temporarily.

Finding a place rich in spiritual energy, Zhang Feng used his newly acquired Shadow Sword to carve out a cave dwelling and set up the "Minor Three Talents" protective array and the "Azure Mist Sea" concealment array outside.

Only after sitting down in the newly opened cave dwelling did Zhang Feng find a moment of peace.

The outer sea was still too dangerous for him, who was only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Even the cultivators who came to Ningcui Island to hunt monsters were mostly in the middle and late stages of Foundation Establishment, and there were even some Core Formation cultivators.

First, survive and improve your cultivation and various skills, then consider hunting monsters and acquiring resources.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Feng looked at the panel in his mind:

Name: Zhang Feng

【灵根天赋：水（40/100）、火（20/100）、土（25/100）、木（25/100）】

【修为：筑基初期（1/2000）二阶炼体初期（1/2000）二阶炼魂（1/2000）】

[Cultivation Techniques: Langshui True Essence Technique (Perfected), Netherworld Body Refining Technique (Great Success 1/100), Demon Soul Undying Technique (Great Success 1/100)]

【技艺：渔猎（熟练32/100）水遁术（熟练9/100）驱物术（熟练3/100）】

Pills for improving cultivation are too expensive for Zhang Feng to afford, and without taking pills, his cultivation cannot be improved quickly given his pseudo-spiritual root aptitude.

Therefore, Zhang Feng focused his attention on body refinement and soul refinement, but soul refinement requires a large amount of yin energy, which can only be improved quickly in the Yin and Netherworld.

After careful consideration, only body refinement remained as a path to improvement.

Then there's nothing more to say, let's get to work!

Zhang Feng began to circulate the Netherworld Body Refining Technique, and the familiar sound of progress, accompanied by the pain of body refining, began to ring out.

Proficiency +1 +1 +1...

A year later, Zhang Feng opened his tired eyes. The experience of training was indeed exciting, but the pain of training his body made him particularly exhausted.

[Netherworld Body Refining Technique (Perfect 1/100)]

However, the result was encouraging. He had mastered the cultivation technique to perfection and his body refinement had reached the mid-stage of the second-tier body refinement (1/5000).

Not enough, still not enough. In terms of strength alone, the mid-stage of the second-order Body Refinement is only equivalent to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

It's not enough in the outer sea; you need to reach at least the late stage of the second-tier body refinement, which is the late stage of foundation building.

After a day of relaxation, Zhang Feng once again entered "workaholic" mode. The physical pain had begun to subside, and the mental fatigue could be relieved with just one day of rest.

Two years later, Zhang Feng opened his bloodshot eyes again.

[Netherworld Body Refining Technique (Perfect)]

With his cultivation technique fully perfected and his body refinement reaching the late stage of the second level, Zhang Feng finally gained a sliver of self-protection and the ability to acquire resources.

After perfecting his cultivation technique, Zhang Feng had a hunch that once he also perfected the Undying Demon Soul Technique, the two techniques might automatically merge into the Underworld King Technique. Perhaps, if he perfected the Underworld King Technique, its accompanying techniques and supernatural abilities would appear.

Of course, this was just Zhang Feng's guess about his own panel capabilities.

Three years later, Zhang Feng is thirty-three years old and has the basic skills to go hunting at sea.

After that, you can start training your skills. Zhang Feng previously possessed three skills: fishing and hunting, water escape, and object manipulation.

He relied on these three things to hunt small, low-level monsters on Suihan Island and complete various missions.

However, liver-related skills require hands-on practice.

Therefore, Zhang Feng planned to go to the commercial street in the middle of Ningcui Island, use his remaining spirit stones to rent a fishing boat, and go out to sea to hunt first and second-tier monsters.

You can hone your skills and hunt monsters for resources at the same time, achieving two goals at once.

That night!

Zhang Feng transformed into Li Keng and arrived alone at Ningcui Island's commercial street. Although it was called a commercial street, it was far less prosperous than Black Stone City on Qiyuan Island; it consisted of only two rows of simple stone houses.

Each stone house has a sign hanging in front of it, indicating what it sells.

There was also a small open window where a group of lazy monks were leaning over to receive guests.

But Zhang Feng dared not underestimate them in the slightest, as these cultivators were at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

After wandering around twice without finding a single shop offering fishing boat rentals, Zhang Feng had no choice but to walk into a general store inn to try his luck.

The inn is named "Hao Ke Lai" and is built underground; the stone house above is just for decoration.

As Zhang Feng entered, he immediately felt at least four or five late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators' divine senses sweep over him, probing his cultivation level before dissipating on their own.

The shop was simply furnished, with cages randomly placed inside holding various level three and four monsters.

There was even a level-five demon beast, the infant carp beast, imprisoned below the main hall.

A middle-aged cultivator with a burly face and a cunning expression was teasing the infant carp beast, holding a piece of bloody demon beast meat in his hand.

"Hey~ Fellow Daoist, you look unfamiliar! Are you here to hunt demonic beasts in the outer sea?"

The middle-aged cultivator threw away the piece of meat in his hand and turned to Zhang Feng.

"My name is Li Keng. I'd like to rent a spirit ship to hunt some low-level demonic beasts!"

Zhang Feng bowed respectfully.

"Oh~ hunting some low-level monsters?"

"Hahaha~"

Zhang Feng's answer drew laughter from the middle-aged cultivator.

"Fellow Daoists, you're saying we've all risked our lives at sea? How can we possibly hunt low-level demonic beasts?"

The middle-aged cultivator shouted loudly, causing a burst of laughter from the other cultivators in the shop.

Zhang Feng remained unmoved upon hearing this. At present, hunting low-level monsters to hone his skills was the safest and best option.

As for belittling and mocking him, he, with his pseudo-spiritual root, had already heard it countless times, so there was no need for him to get angry.

Seeing that Zhang Feng remained unmoved, the middle-aged cultivator stopped smiling, and his expression turned slightly serious:

"Fellow Daoist, hunting low-level demonic beasts yields no profit. Teaming up to hunt high-level demonic beasts here is the only way to succeed!"

"If you are interested, I can introduce you to a high-profit demon-hunting team."

Team up to hunt high-level monsters?

Zhang Feng thought for a moment and decisively refused. Teaming up in this place was extremely risky, as these cultivators were ruthless characters who would devour people without spitting out the bones.

The chances of attacking a stranger from behind are almost 100%.

"Thank you for the suggestion, fellow Daoist, but my strength is too weak to form a team to hunt high-level demonic beasts!"

After speaking, Zhang Feng prepared to leave. Without a spirit ship, he would simply ride his flying sword to hunt demons, though it would be less efficient, but much safer than teaming up.

"Fellow Daoist Li, please wait. I have a spirit boat that I can rent to you. Please come up to the second floor for a chat."

A divine sense transmission reached Zhang Feng's ear, and he stopped and looked up at the second floor.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Feng decided to go and strolled up to the second floor.

Seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator did not speak to stop him, as the voice transmission from the cultivator on the second floor made him dare not intervene.

In a private room on the second floor, Zhang Feng saw a familiar figure in red.

"Young friend Zhang, how have you been?"

Her words were somewhat friendly, but her voice was clear and ethereal. Wan Qing, wearing a red veil, sat quietly by the Eight Immortals table, her eyes filled with a slight smile.

"Greetings, Senior Wan!"

Zhang Feng's heart tightened, but he smiled back and bowed in greeting.

He could now clearly sense Wan Qing's cultivation level—early Core Formation stage—making killing him incredibly easy.

"I never expected to meet you here, young friend Zhang, and I never expected you to succeed in establishing your foundation with a pseudo-spiritual root. I congratulate you."

The more friendly Wan Qing's words were, the more nervous Zhang Feng became.

This person probably wasn't waiting for me here on purpose!