Chapter 67: Two She-Demons-Leveling Up My Cultivation on Stray Mountain(The Cat Dreaming in the Deep Sea)

As the first rays of autumn sunlight slipped into the stone cave, Lu Fei, surrounded by a halo of dark mist and seated cross-legged on a bed of supple animal hides, slowly awakened from his breathing meditation.

Exhaling deeply, Lu Fei opened his eyes. The black mist encircling his body immediately flowed back into him. He glanced around the empty cave. Though it lacked the lively clamor he once woke to each morning, there was now a new tranquility that he found quietly satisfying.

He had no particular objection to Crow, Redskin, and Huang Gui sleeping here. The trouble was their utter disregard for boundaries; they would often barge into his own cave to sleep. But ever since Lu Fei had become the leader, the three had simply never left, sleeping here night after night for nearly half a month—until he finally drove them out. This time, he decreed, they were not to return until they had slept in their own caves for at least seven days.

Lu Fei had no patience for boundaryless monsters. The current peace was much to his liking. Listening to the sweet chorus of birdsong filtering in from outside, Lu Fei stilled his mind.

One by one, pale, luminous script in the style of ink wash painting appeared before his eyes.

[Host: Lu Fei]
[Realm: Early Stage Demon General (79/2000)]
[Experience: 147/300]
[Soul Power: None]
[Technique: Demon Breathing Method (Minor Mastery) (88/1000)]
[Skills: Spearmanship (Beginner) (72/100); Archery (Beginner) (21/100); Harpoon Technique (Beginner) (26/100)]
[Divine Powers: Celestial Wolf Devours the Moon (Proficient) (199/500); Within a Square Inch (Beginner) (25/100); Ambush (Beginner) (61/100); Whisper (Beginner) (9/100); Earth Escape (Beginner) (8/100); Square Inch Step (Beginner) (5/100)]
[...]

“An increase of three points, just like yesterday…” Lu Fei remained impassive at the sight of the new cultivation gains in his progress bar.

It had been more than ten days since his breakthrough to the Demon General realm. After careful observation, Lu Fei had more or less deduced the efficiency of his current cultivation: the gains from solitary breathing meditation; from practicing under moonlight with the “Celestial Wolf Devours the Moon” buff; and from using spiritual medicines to boost progress.

Though slower than before his breakthrough, it was still quite respectable.

He calculated that, relying solely on pure meditation—no buffs, no medicines—he would need just over three years of focused effort to fill up the early-stage Demon General progress bar.

Three years might sound long, but compared to the other demon generals on Mount Wandering—whose youngest was over fifty or sixty, the oldest a hundred or even nearly two hundred—such a timespan was nothing. The difficulty of advancing for a demon general was clear.

Lu Fei was not greedy. The system’s support was already a tremendous advantage. He had no grounds for complaint.

Besides, those three years only accounted for the most basic, unaided cultivation. With some spiritual medicine, a spell of good weather, or a few full-moon nights to enable “Celestial Wolf Devours the Moon,” the time needed could be slashed dramatically.

He could hardly ask for more.

“Today, I’ll search that mountain again. I have a hunch there’s spiritual medicine there…”

Just then, Crow’s voice echoed from outside the cave. Lu Fei knew his three little brothers had arrived. Ever since he’d chased the boundaryless trio back to their own caves, they’d shown up punctually each morning at his cave entrance.

Without another thought, Lu Fei dismissed the virtual display and rose to his feet. Focusing his mind, a moment later, pieces of black armor flew out from his storage space, affixing themselves one by one to his chest, arms, abdomen, and thighs.

Soon, a complete suit of black iron armor—breastplate, arm guards, skirt armor, greaves—enveloped his tall, over-two-meter frame. The gleam of cold steel and his chilling, impassive gaze only deepened the aura that made lesser monsters keep their distance.

With each step, the heavy clang of metal plates scraping and colliding rang out, making Lu Fei appear all the more imposing, a true boss among monsters.

Almost without realizing it, he had grown into the very image of the bear leader he once most feared and despised—albeit with his own style.

As Lu Fei, fully armored, stepped out of the cave—

“Boss…”

The previously lounging trio—Crow, Redskin, and Huang Gui—immediately sprang to their feet, respectfully hailing him.

Though their tone was still warm, it was now laced with unmistakable respect.

“Let’s go,” Lu Fei nodded. Black mist swirled at his feet, lifting him as he flew down the mountainside.

Crow, Redskin, and Huang Gui instantly reverted to their true forms—a giant crow, a wild boar, and a yellow weasel—racing after him.

Before long, the four demons arrived at their usual gathering spot on the mountainside. After days of widening and leveling, the assembly ground was now broader and smoother than ever.

Lu Fei flew straight to the spot reserved for the leader, while Crow and the others, approaching the steps below his podium, were immediately greeted with enthusiasm by the other early-arriving little monsters under Lu Fei’s command.

“Brother Crow!”

“Brother Redskin!”

“Brother Huang Gui!”

As a sworn brother of the boss and a mid-level demon soldier, Crow was now entitled to a certain pride—not just among Lu Fei’s followers, but among all the little demons of Wandering Mountain.

Nodding in response to the greetings, Crow flung an arm around the shoulder of the pheasant demon, remarking casually, “You’re here early today, Kun…”

The pheasant demon grinned, “It’s good to be early… And I have to thank you, Brother Crow. That mountain you told me about the day before yesterday—I dug up a piece of spiritual medicine there yesterday.”

Crow’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You actually found spiritual medicine? You’re not joking?”

“Hehe, I wouldn’t dare joke with you, Brother Crow. I really have to thank you for the tip…”

Judging by his tone and expression, Crow finally believed him—and felt a surge of frustration. He’d thought that place had been picked clean by others; how could any spiritual medicine remain for this fool to find?

He was about to ask for a share when he caught sight of two female demons, one tall and one short, entering his field of view.

Female demons—two of them, no less. Just three days prior, Lu Fei’s ranks had been joined by two more little demons: a cat demon and a toad demon—both female.

Crow’s eyes lit up. He immediately abandoned the pheasant demon and hurried to the front of the crowd, just below the steps nearest the boss. Fixing his gaze on the tall, shapely cat demon, he said, “Sanniang, how about searching for spiritual medicine with me today? I just helped Kun find a stalk yesterday…”

The cat demon called Sanniang turned to glance at him, shook her head, and then looked away, her eyes fixed intently on the tall, imposing, and coldly handsome white wolf leader standing above.