Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Having observed Liam for nearly 24 hours, this First Officer witnessed the boy fend off three groups of beasts and evade two outer disciples from other cities who crossed his path.

Liam was now hiding behind a small rock, watching from afar a creature he was interested in for its crystal.

As Liam readied himself for the quest, the First Officer paid no attention to the creature. He focused solely on the young man who had achieved five progresses within just three weeks.

'You'll be promoted to inner disciple in no time. At your current progress pace, it should happen in a few months... I'd better talk to the boss and prepare to let you join our group. Unfortunately, we won't be able to take advantage of your work as an outer disciple for long.'

The gray-haired man with a scar on his face watched Liam for a few more minutes until his identification badge vibrated, drawing his attention away from Liam.

'Damn, I'm going to leave you now.' He closed his eyes for a moment, recognizing the call. 'Just when things were getting interesting...' He looked south and saw a trio of women, each one of them at the end of the second realm.

He hadn't seen Liam in action against humans yet, so he was quite curious. But the matter at hand was more important, so the man regretted it, but still turned his back on the young man and left.

'I will ask one of my men to monitor you. Just don't die while I'm gone, Liam. Now I must join Amos. '

With that, Merlin left, disappearing into the forest without Liam or the three women of the Abyss Matriarchs noticing.

Liam watched the Night Worm, a creature of nocturnal habits, characterized by its negativity. This beast could devour the vitality of its targets and use it for its own growth. Classified as an Ancestor-grade, Middle-level being, the worm Liam was watching now could greatly aid Thal'Korr.

But conquering it would not be easy for Liam. The 2-meter-long, 40-centimeter-diameter, white-bodied creature that was devouring a red hawk was a powerful 9-Star Spirit Lord.

'Night worms exhibit greater strength at night compared to the daytime, but they are more manageable during the nocturnal hours. In the daytime, they retreat into a unique cocoon that enhances their natural power twofold. These subterranean creatures also pose a challenge to access during daylight hours.'

Liam observed his intended prey with utmost attentiveness.

'During the night, their most vulnerable moment occurs right after they have fed. It is at this time that they slacken, as they need to sleep in order to absorb the enhancements they have received. As a result, they have developed a habit of rushing back to their hiding places immediately after feeding.

This will be my moment to strike!'

He decided, clenching his fists, determined to continue the hunt for this disgusting looking, sticky, smelling creature.

The worm, while feeding on the life force of its enemy, would decompose the bodies of its prey and wrap itself in its deadly little tentacles, causing the flesh of its prey to rot.

Liam had completed his crystal hunting mission for the sect. Since leaving the cave with Thal'Korr, he had conducted three hunts, resulting in a total of 13 Middle-level King-grade Arcane Crystals and 9 High-level King-grade crystals.

He now had 32 Middle-level King-grade and 18 High-level King-grade crystals in his spatial ring.

According to his calculations, this should be enough to complete this month's and next month's missions.

But Liam didn't want to risk a mistake in his calculations. So before he left, he planned to look for a few more crystals to make sure that if he was wrong, there would be a surplus of crystals and not a shortage.

But before that, he wanted to find at least three more Ancestor-grade crystals so that Thal'Korr would have something to help him recover from future injuries.

Despite the chilly night air that sent shivers down his spine, Liam remained steadfast, waiting for any sign that the enemy's meal was complete. The night worm, its writhing form growing increasingly resistant to each meal, compelled Liam to bide his time and refrain from attacking.

In the darkness, he caught sight of the red bird's lifeless body slipping from the grasp of the white worm's small tentacles. The sight spurred Liam into action, silently summoning Thal'Korr, all while carefully masking his own cultivation.

He swiftly advanced, positioning himself at a 90-degree angle to Thal'Korr's assault, ready to counter from the opposite side.

With a silver spear in his hands, Liam raised his powers, delving deeper into the realm of shadows and manipulating them with a heightened intensity.

Thal'Korr synchronized his movements perfectly with his master, using Power Amplification and Shadow Suppression.

In less than five seconds, a chorus of shadow creatures materialized around the worm, launching a relentless assault on the white creature, rendering it immobile.

With a powerful leap, Liam soared through the air, his grip on the spear tightening as he aimed for the enemy's head, knowing that a well-aimed strike could swiftly bring an end to the fight.

With precision, Thal'Korr tracked the creature, his sharp claws attacking its small side tentacles, ensuring it couldn't drain their life force.

In a momentary pause, the creature's infrared sensors engaged, allowing it to analyze its enemy's heat signatures.

Another weakness of the Night Worm was its ability to see. This was a creature without eyes that used heat to understand its surroundings. The problem with that? Spirits consisted only of mana and elements. With rare exceptions, almost every Spirit looked like a cold creature, difficult to locate for a creature with infrared vision.

The creature turned its attention to the enemy attacking it from above, opened its mouth, and spat a green goo in Liam's direction.

It was a caustic spit, but Liam had no fear as he summoned the corpse of one of his last opponents.

As Liam fell against the white worm, a crocodile-like creature emerged, its massive abdomen dwarfing the size of a man's entire body.

The green spit landed on the corpse of the dead creature, sizzling and corroding the crocodile's tough scales in a matter of seconds.

Liam felt the dead creature he had used suddenly crumble to dust, but luckily he was already low to the ground when the corpse could no longer hold itself together and split in two.

At that precise moment, he reached the white worm, hearing its agonized cries for the first time. Thal'Korr skillfully sliced off half of the deadly protuberances, freeing others from its life-draining grasp.

The creature's agonizing scream filled the air, sending a chilling sensation down his spine as the dangerous energy radiated from its body. Meanwhile, the leaves and branches of the surrounding trees trembled in response to the presence of multiple creatures.

Liam didn't mind at first, unleashing his spear attack with a swift and precise motion, the sound of metal slicing through the air echoing around him.

When he touched the creature's head with his spear, Liam felt as if he had touched metal. But he continued to push against the enemy's resistant gelatinous shell.

When he pierced the enemy's body, the worm's agonized and strange screams ceased, along with the creature's complete paralysis.

Thal'Korr finished removing the last of the worm's tentacles, making sure the creature would not try to steal his master's life force.

But when he realized the enemy was dead, and they had won this battle, he felt a chill in his soul, sharing the same feeling as Liam as he looked around.

"Fuck!" Liam said in a low voice as he saw a group of smaller worms, similar to the 9-Star creature they had just killed, emerge from the ground and surround them.

These creatures were 3 to 5 stars weaker than the now dead enemy. But they surpassed 20 individuals as they stood with angry apparencies, reddened, while raising parts of their bodies like snakes would do when threatened.

"We have no choice but to defeat them." Liam said to Thal'Korr as he sensed the combined aura of the opponents.

Thal'Korr positioned himself with his back to his master, while Liam held his spear with both hands thoughtfully as he contemplated the challenge ahead.

"Attack!" He said after coordinating with his Spirit on how to divide the enemies.

They both ran towards the enemies and attacked them, this time paying more attention to the corrosive saliva of these creatures.

Even though they were weaker than them, they could certainly hurt and even kill them!