Sharpening the Knives

Yuan Ming moved the large stone blocking the cave entrance, cast the Fur Transformation Technique to turn into a White Ape, and leaped out. He scrambled up a nearby large tree in a few moves.

Having stayed in the cave for nearly twenty days straight, breathing in the fresh air outside invigorated him, making him feel refreshed and clear-headed.

After taking a deep breath, Yuan Ming began to leap and bound between the trees, heading towards the direction of the river he had been to before.

Although he could now cast the Fur Transformation Technique on his own, hunting beasts was never an easy task. He planned to catch some piranhas to fill his stomach and regain some strength first.

When Yuan Ming reached a tree less than thirty feet from the river, he paused, concealing himself behind the dense foliage. He peered down through the gaps.

He saw a figure, half-human and half-tiger, thrashing about in the river not far away. Every time it surfaced, he could vaguely see it biting a fish, tilting its head back to swallow it before diving back into the water.

Yuan Ming recognized the person as Wulu. Lage, who had been traveling with him earlier, was nowhere to be seen.

"This guy actually managed to master the Fur Transformation Technique so quickly!" Yuan Ming was somewhat surprised.

He himself had struggled to grasp the Blood Qi Art, and only through the Nine Yuan Art had he finally succeeded in the Fur Transformation Technique today. Wulu, like him, only had Quad Spirit Root potential. He hadn't expected him to succeed already.

Yuan Ming remained hidden. After watching Wulu catch over a dozen piranhas and leave from a distance, he leaped down from the tree and went to the riverbank.

As before, he endured the pain and used his ape tail to fish out about ten piranhas. He wrapped them in a piece of bear hide and quickly left the water's edge.

He returned to the cave, started a fire, and roasted the fish.

After eating over a dozen piranhas, two of which contained the highly nutritious black roe in their bellies, Yuan Ming felt a significant boost in his spirit and energy, and his strength began to recover.

Having eaten his fill, he wiped his mouth and began to consider his next move.

With only ten days left until the one-month deadline, he needed to submit five portions of Fierce Beast essence blood to obtain the antidote. Although he could now cast the Fur Transformation Technique himself, his strength hadn't changed much compared to before. Hunting that Black Bear previously had been so difficult; how much harder would it be to hunt a Fierce Beast?

After a moment's thought, Yuan Ming decided to wait. He would spend a few days conditioning his body and accumulating more mana before attempting to hunt Fierce Beasts.

Elder Huohuo had told them that the stronger their mana, the more powerful the Fur Transformation Technique would be. He understood the principle that sharpening one's tools doesn't hinder the work.

He sat down cross-legged and continued to circulate the Nine Yuan Art, breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Another five days passed in the blink of an eye.

As Yuan Ming was quietly cultivating and resting in the cave, a ray of golden morning sun shone through a crack in the rocks, and crisp bird calls echoed from outside.

Yuan Ming opened his eyes, stopped cultivating, picked up a piece of cooled roasted meat from beside him, and devoured it in a few bites. He drank some water and stood up, stretching his limbs.

At this moment, his skin exuded a crystalline sheen from within. The haggard look on his face was long gone.

Old Daoist Jade Pot had been right; the Nine Yuan Art was remarkably effective at strengthening the foundation and conditioning the body. With ample food and the Nine Yuan Art's restorative effects, his body had completely recovered.

Moreover, after five days of diligent cultivation, his mana had grown considerably. A small ball of mana was slowly circulating within his dantian.

However, with only five days left until the one-month deadline, he had to set out to hunt!

With this thought, Yuan Ming left the cave, formed a hand seal, and cast the Fur Transformation Technique. The white ape hide around his waist unfurled, and a White Ape quickly appeared in the forest.

The White Ape's physique appeared slightly more robust than before, and its strength in every movement had increased by about half.

"As expected, the stronger the mana, the greater the power of the Fur Transformation Technique!" Yuan Ming nodded slightly and headed south.

After traveling for about half an hour, the view ahead suddenly opened up. The forest ended, and a vast canyon appeared before him.

The canyon was two to three li wide and of unknown length, stretching endlessly towards both sides until it disappeared from view.

White mist drifted within the canyon, which seemed bottomless, like a chasm separating the two banks.

"This must be the canyon Elder Huohuo mentioned," Yuan Ming murmured to himself.

Opposite the canyon was a dense mountain forest. It was said that the Fierce Beasts resided on the other side. To kill them and collect their blood, he needed to cross the canyon.

But the bottom of the canyon was filled with white mist; he didn't know how deep it was or if any Fierce Beasts lurked there.

He picked up a stone and threw it forcefully into the canyon's mist. After two or three breaths, he heard a faint sound of stones colliding.

Yuan Ming's eyes relaxed slightly. It seemed the canyon wasn't too deep.

After a slight hesitation, Yuan Ming moved forward. He found a gentler slope and slid down towards the canyon floor, soon entering its depths.

Here, mist permeated the air, limiting his vision to only a couple of zhang ahead. Beyond that, everything was swallowed by the white fog.

Perhaps because of the mist, the humidity at the bottom was dense, making everything damp. Sunlight never reached this place, and only moss grew here, forming a stark contrast to the vibrant forest above.

Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief. In such a desolate place, there shouldn't be any Fierce Beasts living.

He felt his way forward, marking the ground with every step to avoid getting lost.

He soon crossed the canyon floor and reached the mountain wall on the other side.

The White Ape was not only adept at climbing trees but also found climbing mountain walls no difficult. Yuan Ming used both hands and feet, quickly scaling the wall and reaching the forest on the opposite bank.

As soon as he entered this area, he immediately sensed a subtle change in his surroundings. The trees here were taller and denser, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be more concentrated. However, the mountain winds swirling here carried a bone-chilling cold. Even through the ape's hide, the hairs on his entire body stood on end.

Yuan Ming raised an eyebrow, thinking that this forest was indeed somewhat sinister.

He leaped onto a tree and headed deeper into the dense forest. He didn't go far before stopping. He walked slowly along the edge of the canyon, cautiously searching for traces of Fierce Beasts.

After all, he was still unsure of the Fierce Beasts' combat capabilities. Walking near the canyon was a safer bet; if he couldn't win, he could still jump into the canyon to escape.

As he advanced, the surroundings were eerily silent, with only occasional bird calls from a distance.

This deathly quiet environment made Yuan Ming's mouth feel dry, and his palms became clammy.

He wiped his palms and was about to continue when a strange cry erupted from the jungle ahead. It was sharp and piercing, like a baby's wail.

Yuan Ming's body trembled, and he quickly stopped his steps, hiding behind a patch of dense leaves. He looked towards the direction of the sound, but unfortunately, he couldn't see anything.

Just then, another beast roar echoed, very different from the previous scream.

The corners of his eyes twitched. He slowed his pace as much as possible, making no sound.

Not long after, Yuan Ming arrived at the source of the two roars.

Through the gaps in the leaves, he looked down.

The one letting out the sharp cry was a peculiar beast, half a zhang tall. Its head resembled a rat's, its chest and abdomen were covered in coarse, short yellow fur, and its back was protected by a thick layer of armor like a turtle shell, which looked exceptionally sturdy at first glance.

"Armadillo?" Yuan Ming guessed inwardly. However, armadillos weren't this large.

The yellow armadillo's two beady eyes emitted a fierce glow as it stared at the grass in front of it, where two green foxes were crouched.

These foxes had fur that was entirely green, and their eyes were also green, making them distinctly different from ordinary foxes. They were about a zhang long and three feet tall, with smooth, flowing body lines, suggesting they excelled in speed.

The green foxes' emerald eyes fixed on the yellow armadillo, and they also growled low.

The ferocity in the eyes of the three beasts intensified, and soon they all lunged forward simultaneously, clashing together.

Yuan Ming's expression became focused. These three strange-looking, large beasts were likely Fierce Beasts. It was a good opportunity to see their capabilities.

After watching for a while, his expression gradually turned solemn.

Both the yellow armadillo and the green foxes possessed combat power far beyond his expectations.

As Yuan Ming had guessed earlier, the green foxes were agile Fierce Beasts, their speed being more than double that of ordinary foxes, wolves, or other wild animals. Their sharp teeth and claws also delivered no small attacks.

The yellow armadillo was even more formidable. Its claws were like black iron hooks, easily scratching deep marks into stone. Its yellow armor was incredibly tough; the claws of the two green foxes only left white scratches on it.

The battle quickly became one-sided. The yellow armadillo, fighting two against one, still held a significant advantage. The two green foxes sustained more and more wounds, their fur becoming stained red with blood.

After another period of fierce fighting, the two green foxes finally couldn't endure it any longer and turned to flee.

The yellow armadillo did not pursue. It let out a few roars and burrowed into the nearby bushes.

Yuan Ming, perched in the tree, his eyes lit up. He darted through the trees, closely pursuing the two green foxes.

The green foxes were already injured, making them perfect prey!

The two green foxes were not lightly wounded, and one of them had injured its hind leg. Its speed was not fast, and it was soon caught up by Yuan Ming.

The rear green fox seemed to sense something amiss. It was the one with the injured leg. It turned its head to look back, but found nothing.

Yuan Ming was already above the green fox. He pushed off a tree and swooped down like a hunting eagle.

The green fox was greatly alarmed and hurriedly dodged to the side. However, its leg injury had significantly slowed its movements, and Yuan Ming pounced on it, pinning it to the ground.

The fox was a mixture of shock and anger. It opened its mouth to bite Yuan Ming's arm, but Yuan Ming reacted faster, bending his knees and forcefully pushing against the green fox's spine.

With pain that pierced to the bone, the green fox let out a miserable cry, its head involuntarily tilting upwards.

Yuan Ming's two thick ape arms took the opportunity to wrap around the green fox's neck, interlocking like a pair of nooses. The green fox's head immediately became unable to move.

The other green fox, sensing the situation behind it, immediately turned around and rushed over.

Yuan Ming glared and shouted, pushing the Fur Transformation Technique to its limit. The muscles in his arms rippled and expanded, instantly becoming a third thicker. He gave a fierce twist.

With a "crack," the crippled green fox's throat bone was snapped, its head hanging askew.

Just then, a foul, fetid wind assaulted him from behind. It was the other green fox lunging forward.

Yuan Ming quickly rolled to dodge, but his shoulder was still struck by the fox's claws. The tough ape hide was torn by several gashes, and blood gushed out.