Chapter 9 - 5: Demon Qi
In the living room.
Silence reigned.
Only the occasional halo of a streetlight from outside cast long shadows across the floor.
Lin Yi opened his palm, and his Mosquito Avatar stood steadily in its center.
Man and mosquito faced each other in silence.
An indescribable, wondrous feeling instantly gripped Lin Yi.
This was no longer like controlling a simple tool; it was more like gazing at another version of himself.
He tentatively brushed a fingertip over the avatar’s dark, hard back.
BZZZ!
A clear tactile sensation was simultaneously fed back to his own body!
It was as if another, invisible hand was stroking his spine in sync.
’Touching myself... with myself...’
The bizarre dual perception made his scalp tingle, and a strange, unidentifiable feeling welled up from the bottom of his heart.
"...Tsk!"
He couldn’t help but let out a low grunt.
’This feeling is too... peculiar.’
’It’s like my senses have been forcibly copied and superimposed.’
’Hmm...’
’Only female mosquitoes suck blood, I think.’
’Hmm...’
’I heard that Demon Beasts can take human form when they reach an extremely high realm.’
’Hmm...’
’Double the... stimulation?!’
Lin Yi shook his head, casting aside the inappropriate, crooked thoughts, and refocused his attention on the avatar before him.
Now that the Mosquito Avatar had successfully advanced to Level 2, its size had undergone a world-shaking change!
It had skyrocketed from its previous, inconspicuous six millimeters to a shocking two centimeters in length!
Its menacing proboscis glinted with a cold light, and its slender legs looked as if they were forged from refined steel.
In the world of mosquitoes, this physique was enough to dominate a region.
What was even more striking was its new form.
Under the enhancement of the [Iron Body] skill, its entire body had taken on a deep, cold, metallic texture. It was no longer the color of flesh and blood; instead, it resembled a piece of iron tempered a thousand times over, exuding a grim chill.
But the most fundamental change was in its aura.
A faint yet exceptionally fierce and domineering aura was emanating, wisp by wisp, from this metallic mosquito body.
This aura was cold, violent, and carried a wild, oppressive feeling that didn’t belong to an ordinary life form.
Lin Yi’s heart tightened:
"This is..."
"Demon Qi!"
Ever since the Spiritual Energy Revival on Blue Star ushered in the era of the Martial Dao, humans weren’t the only ones to benefit.
Ordinary flora and fauna across the world, bathed in the omnipresent Spiritual Qi, also began to develop intelligence and embark on their own unique evolutionary paths, capable of evolving into Demon Beasts.
Fortunately, most of these nascent demonic creatures were still muddle-headed, lacking any civilizational systems or inheritance of Cultivation Techniques. Otherwise, with their terrifying numbers far exceeding that of humanity, a huge question mark would hang over whether humans could maintain their status as the "masters of all creation."
The Mosquito Avatar before him was Level 2, its life-form level already comparable to a junior Martial Disciple among humans.
This meant it had officially crossed the threshold of demonization, and its body had begun to nurture and emit this Demon Qi, a sign of life-form transformation!
Lin Yi carefully perceived every minute change in the avatar, like a craftsman examining his most prized work.
After confirming everything was in order, he began to inspect his own body after the surge in his Qi and Blood.
He stood up and slowly practiced his stance techniques within the small space.
He could clearly feel that after his Qi and Blood increased by 0.1, his body’s overall attributes had been enhanced considerably.
His muscles had become denser, his bones harder, his skin more resilient, and his endurance and explosive power had all seen significant improvement.
In fact, only a strong body could produce a high level of Qi and Blood.
Qi and Blood were never a source without a root; they were nurtured by the body.
It was just that the numerical value of Qi and Blood could more intuitively describe the body’s measure, which was why it was used to gauge a body’s strength.
Once he had fully understood all the changes in both himself and his avatar, Lin Yi’s thoughts became active once again.
With the Mosquito Avatar around, holing up for boring Cultivation was no longer an option.
With the time it took to cultivate, he might as well take his Mosquito Avatar out to hunt and suck blood.
’Where should I go for Blood Sucking next?’
Lin Yi’s gaze fell upon the deep night outside the window.
Even though it was already past ten o’clock at night, he didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy. On the contrary, his Spirit was unusually excited.
Holding a Cultivation cheat like the Mosquito Avatar in his hands, how could he possibly sleep?
A crazy yet tempting thought uncontrollably popped into his head:
’If I were ruthless enough, with the world’s population of tens of billions... if I hardened my heart and took just a tiny sip from everyone, the resulting torrent of Qi and Blood would probably let me achieve instant Sainthood, right?’
The thought made his heart race and his blood surge.
However, just a few seconds later, he forcefully extinguished this dangerous fantasy.
Being bitten by the mosquito and losing Qi and Blood was no small matter!
At best, one would suffer symptoms of malnutrition and anemia. At worst, they could be sucked dry and killed, just like that Tibetan Mastiff from before.
Take his classmates, for example. They worked hard every day just to raise their Qi and Blood by 0.01 to get into a good university. If he took a sip from them, a decade of arduous study would turn to nothing. That would be too cruel.
’I can’t make a move on ordinary people...’
This wasn’t just about the baseline of conscience that still existed deep within Lin Yi’s heart.
It was also because...
’Even if I’m going to suck blood, I absolutely cannot do it with a big fanfare!’
Frequent Blood Sucking incidents, once they caused a commotion and drew attention, could easily expose his tracks.
If it attracted the attention of the Martial Artists from the Public Security Bureau who specialized in dealing with abnormal incidents, the consequences would be unthinkable.
He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he currently had the ability to take on the world’s security forces all by himself!
’But...’
’Ordinary people are off-limits, but what about bad guys?’
’Should I go fleece some sheep at the prison? If I just take a tiny sip from each prisoner and stop before I go too far, so their bodies don’t show any major changes, it... probably wouldn’t be noticed, right?’
The more he thought about this plan, the more feasible it seemed.
Each prisoner losing a negligible amount of Qi and Blood would neither trigger a large-scale health alert and cause a panic, nor would it arouse excessive suspicion from the management.
It might even help the prison guards out by making these guys a little weaker and less energetic.
With his mind made up, Lin Yi no longer hesitated.
He decisively recalled his Mosquito Avatar, tucked it away securely against his body, and immediately headed downstairs.
There were two prisons in Yang City.
One was a regular prison for ordinary people and Martial Disciples, called the West Suburb Prison.
The other was a maximum-security prison exclusively for incarcerating criminal Martial Artists, named the East Suburb Prison.
The Mosquito Avatar’s current life-form level was only equivalent to a junior Martial Disciple, so Lin Yi naturally didn’t dare risk going to the maximum-security prison teeming with Martial Artists.
That would easily put the Mosquito Avatar in danger.
So he chose to head to the regular prison.
However, the prison was far away in the suburbs.
’Run there on my own two feet?’
’Too inefficient!’
Lin Yi didn’t have that kind of time to waste.
He quickly walked out of his residential complex and hailed a taxi by the roadside.
"Sir, to the west suburbs."
The taxi sped along, neon lights streaking past the window in a vibrant display.
「Half an hour later.」
The vehicle stopped at a quiet intersection, still two blocks away from the prison.
After paying and getting out, Lin Yi melted into the shadows by the roadside.
Making sure no one was watching, he opened his palm.
"Go!"
With a thought, the two-centimeter-long metallic black mosquito in his palm instantly took to the air!
It transformed into a black streak of light, almost impossible to track with the naked eye, silently tearing through the night sky as it shot toward the distant, brightly lit, and heavily guarded prison complex!
Using the shared "Tracking Perception" view from his avatar, Lin Yi’s vision instantly leaped across space.
Inside the prison, orbs of light representing the Qi and Blood of living beings lit up clearly in his perception!
Some were strong, some weak, but they were densely packed, like a field of sparks ignited in the night, full of temptation!
Lin Yi’s heartbeat suddenly quickened, and his throat felt a little dry.
’So many... even if I only take a tiny sliver from each person... the collected Qi and Blood will definitely let my strength skyrocket!’
The Mosquito Avatar was extremely fast. Its cold body cut through the air, and the prison’s high walls and chilling metal fences rapidly grew larger in its field of perception.
Seven hundred meters... six hundred meters... five hundred meters...
Just as it was only five hundred meters away from the prison’s outer fence,
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!!!!
A piercing, sharp, and urgent alarm suddenly exploded in the dead-silent night sky!
Atop the prison walls, rows of red alarm lights that had been dormant suddenly erupted with blinding crimson light, flashing and rotating wildly!
They bathed a large surrounding area in a blood-red glow!
Lin Yi’s pupils contracted abruptly, and the hair on his body stood on end!
"Damn it! It’s a Demonic Power detection device!"
A huge sense of crisis washed over him like a bucket of ice water!
"Retreat! Come back, now!!"
Lin Yi practically roared the mental command, his will acting like a tangible rope, violently yanking the speeding avatar backward!
The black streak of light came to an abrupt halt mid-air, then shot back even faster than it had come!
「A short while later.」
The Mosquito Avatar had landed steadily back in Lin Yi’s palm.
Without hesitation, he hid the avatar inside his shirt, turned, and walked away, hastily distancing himself from the dangerous area now bathed in the red glow of the alarms.
Only after walking two blocks and confirming he was far from the alarm’s range did Lin Yi slow his pace slightly, his expression so grim it looked like water could drip from it.
"They actually installed those things in the prison... I was too careless!"
Lin Yi was filled with regret.
"This is trouble!"
On the way back, his face was as gloomy as a stormy sky.
What truly made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles was not regret over the failure of his "all-you-can-eat buffet" plan at the prison.
It was a much more severe and fatal problem that now lay before him.
As the Mosquito Avatar advanced to Level 2 and developed Demon Qi, it had become almost impossible for it to move freely in this seemingly prosperous and safe modern city!
The Public Security Bureau’s vigilance and preventative measures against Demon Beasts had never slackened in the slightest.
After all, if those powerful and untamable Demon Beasts were to cause chaos in densely populated urban areas, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Therefore, almost all important public places, transportation hubs, and even high-traffic areas like schools and shopping malls had been secretly equipped with sensitive Demon Qi detection devices, weaving an invisible early-warning net across the city.
Just like his school, Yang City No. 1 High School, had them!
His old tube-shaped apartment building complex actually had them too!
However, it was an old residential complex with outdated equipment, and the Mosquito Avatar’s nascent Demon Qi was too weak, so it was lucky enough not to be detected.
For now, the Mosquito Avatar could still move about in most of the city’s non-sensitive areas.
But... what about the future?
As the avatar continued to level up and devour more Qi and Blood, its Level would keep rising, and the Demon Qi on its body would only grow denser and harder to conceal!
’By then...’
Just stepping into the city’s core area, or even passing a key intersection, would instantly trigger those damn alarms! An overwhelming force of Martial Artists from the Public Security Bureau would swarm in like sharks smelling blood and launch a merciless encirclement!
This was what Lin Yi truly needed to be wary of right now.
’The Mosquito Avatar’s concealment problem...’
’A large-scale, safe, and efficient source of blood bags...’
If he didn’t solve these two problems,
his shortcut to rapidly increasing his Qi and Blood and climbing to the peak of the Martial Dao by relying on his Mosquito Avatar would be completely cut off!