Ascension Channel

Yuan Ming sighed and casually set down the azure incense burner. Coincidentally, one of the burner's handles touched the White Ape hide wrapped around his waist.

A flash of azure light pulsed from the burner's surface, and a warm airflow escaped, quickly integrating into the White Ape hide.

The White Ape hide trembled, a faint golden light appearing on its surface. Then, with a rustle, it unfurled and draped itself over Yuan Ming.

Before Yuan Ming could understand what was happening, his dantian's spiritual power suddenly surged, flowing outward and continuously infusing into the White Ape hide, which began to merge with his body.

The sensation was just like the first time Elder Huohuo had used the Fur Transformation Technique to cover him with fur.

The White Ape hide writhed as if alive, its surface bulging with bumps, as if countless rats were burrowing within.

Startled, Yuan Ming instinctively tried to stabilize the spiritual power in his dantian, preventing it from continuing to flow out, but it was useless.

Not only his internal spiritual power but even the spiritual energy of the surrounding air seemed to be drawn by an unseen force, converging into the White Ape hide.

A scene that made Yuan Ming's jaw drop unfolded.

As spiritual energy continuously poured into the White Ape hide, its once grayish-white, dry fur visibly became lustrous and white. Bald patches regrew with white down, which rapidly thickened and lengthened.

Simultaneously, a white ape phantom emerged from within the white ape hide, covering his body.

"What is this?" Yuan Ming exclaimed, his hands and feet uncontrollably scratching his ears and cheeks. The faint sound of ape cries seemed to echo in his ears.

Before he could react, a chilling sensation suddenly arose in his mind, causing his brow to throb with pain. It felt as if a dagger had been forcefully driven into it, piercing his skull!

Yuan Ming's mouth gaped open, but he couldn't utter a sound. The world spun, and he nearly lost consciousness.

Even though his will was usually firm, and he endured this inhuman torment, his consciousness was on the verge of collapse. His ears could hear nothing, and his eyes saw no light.

In a daze, Yuan Ming's mind conjured an image of a tall, robust white ape standing proudly against the wind atop a towering peak. In the midst of a storm, it pounded its chest with clenched fists and roared at the sky.

Then, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

After an unknown period, Yuan Ming's consciousness slowly returned, and his five senses gradually recovered.

He shook his slightly swollen head, feeling that the ape hide on his body had stopped writhing and was no longer absorbing his spiritual power. However, his dantian felt hollow; all his spiritual power had been completely drained.

The once grayish-white ape hide was now completely white and lustrous, its surface gleaming as if freshly peeled, with faint golden light emanating from it.

"What just happened? Why did this White Ape hide seem to come alive? Right, that white ape, could it be..." Yuan Ming frowned, pondering silently.

Although there was no evidence, he instinctively felt that the white ape appearing in his mind was the owner of the ape hide on his body.

"Bang," "Bang," "Bang."

A series of powerful heartbeats suddenly sounded near his ears, making Yuan Ming's heart jolt and pulling him from his chaotic thoughts.

"Ah!"

In the next moment, he felt a piercing pain from the tips of his fingers. Bloody, bone-white claws pierced his flesh and forced their way out, causing his entire body to tremble as he fell to the ground, clutching his hands and groaning in agony.

It took a full quarter of an hour for the claws to stop growing, and the excruciating pain subsided.

Yuan Ming caught his breath, his body almost drenched in sweat. His head was buzzing, and he felt as if he were about to faint.

However, the commotion he had just caused was quite significant, and he wondered if any wild beasts might have heard it and come investigating. He forced himself to sit up cross-legged, circulating the Nine Yuan Art to regulate his breathing.

About half an hour later, Yuan Ming opened his eyes. His complexion had eased slightly, and his internal spiritual power had recovered a little.

He looked at his hands. The claws that had grown from his fingertips were half a foot long, curved like dragon claws, and appeared to be forged from steel, looking utterly indestructible.

"Although I don't know exactly what happened, it seems the White Ape hide underwent some kind of evolution due to the mysterious incense burner? This incense burner is truly a rare treasure!" Yuan Ming thought to himself.

He cast a spell to put away the incense burner, then moved his arm and casually clawed at the wall of the cave.

The cave wall was easily scored with five deep marks. The solid earth wall felt like tofu before the claws, offering almost no resistance.

"So sharp!" Yuan Ming exclaimed in admiration.

The original White Ape was known for its arm strength and agility in traversing the forest. Compared to jackals, tigers, and leopards, it didn't have much of an offensive advantage. However, with these claws, everything was different.

Take, for instance, the Armadillo Fierce Beast that wasn't afraid of the Green Fox's pincer attack. With its incredibly tough armor, it often remained undefeated. With his current strength, he could defeat it through brute force, but it would be very taxing. With the aid of these claws, he could easily break through its defenses, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

"No matter how much my strength increases, as long as I don't get the true antidote for the Heart Rot Pill, I can't leave this area. Returning to the Central Plains is still a distant prospect." Yuan Ming felt a wave of despair at the thought of the potent poison administered by the Jade Luo Cave.

"Since the incense burner cannot be lit for now, perhaps I can try to get some information from there?" His thoughts shifted, and he looked towards the south.

Over the past few months, he had managed to have some exchanges with Elder Huohuo during each submission of fierce beast essence blood.

Although the elder always came and went like the wind and was reluctant to say much, on one occasion, whether intentionally or not, he mentioned that the Jade Luo Cave had a large number of Furred Beast Slaves under its jurisdiction, deployed in various areas of the Hundred Thousand Mountains and managed by different elders. He personally oversaw twenty to thirty such areas.

Yuan Ming believed that these beast slaves were all "seniors" to him and would surely know more about the Jade Luo Cave or these Hundred Thousand Mountains than he did. Perhaps by seeking them out and contacting them, he might be able to obtain some useful information.

With this plan in mind, Yuan Ming did not set out immediately to find other beast slaves. The next submission of essence blood was only two days away. It wouldn't be too late to set out after submitting this month's fierce beast essence blood.

Two days later, Yuan Ming arrived at the giant stone boundary marker with the essence blood he had prepared.

Elder Huohuo was already waiting there this time, but Wulu was nowhere to be seen.

"Elder Huohuo, please check this month's fierce beast essence blood," Yuan Ming said, taking out the blood storage bag and handing it over.

"These five portions of essence blood have similar color and aura; were they collected in one day?" Elder Huohuo took the blood storage bag, glanced at it, his brows twitching, and looked up at Yuan Ming, asking.

"The Elder has truly sharp eyes! Your disciple happened to discover a nest of Green Fox fierce beasts and was fortunate enough to collect five portions of essence blood within a single day." Yuan Ming did not understand the meaning behind Elder Huohuo's words but did not lie.

"Killing five Green Foxes in one day, not bad. Has your cultivation broken through to Qi Refining Layer One?" Elder Huohuo sized Yuan Ming up and asked.

"I had a moment of enlightenment a few days ago and was fortunate enough to break through," Yuan Ming replied after a slight hesitation.

"Breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining within half a year is not bad. It's barely enough qualification," Elder Huohuo nodded.

"May I ask what the Elder means by that?" Yuan Ming asked with surprise.

"You Furred Beast Slaves generally have Quad Spirit Root aptitude. According to the cultivation world's standards, this is considered a 'pseudo-spirit root.' Without special opportunities or exceptionally strong willpower, it's difficult to achieve greatness. Our Jade Luo Cave has always valued talent. Establishing the Furred Beast Slave system was meant as a trial. For those who can break through to the first level of Qi Refining within half a year, we can provide a path for advancement. Whether you succeed or not will depend on your perseverance," Elder Huohuo said, lifting his chin and speaking kindly.

"Please, Elder, enlighten me." Yuan Ming, having a vague idea of what was meant, felt a flicker of excitement.

"As long as you can submit a certain amount of Fierce Beast essence blood within three years, you can shed your Furred Beast Slave identity, be taken in as an outer disciple by our Jade Luo Cave, and learn true Immortal Magic and Secret Arts," Elder Huohuo continued, seemingly pleased with Yuan Ming's reaction.

"To be accepted into Jade Luo Cave! Is that true?" Yuan Ming's spirits lifted, and he blurted out the question.

"I, Huohuo, hold some status within Jade Luo Cave. When have I ever spoken falsely?" Elder Huohuo's expression turned slightly stern.

"Please forgive me, Elder. I was momentarily overcome with emotion and spoke improperly. May I ask how much essence blood needs to be submitted within three years?" Yuan Ming apologized quickly, changing the subject.

"One thousand portions."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming's eyes widened, as if he couldn't quite believe what he had heard.

"If you can't even gather a mere thousand portions of essence blood, then I advise you to give up on the idea of cultivation as soon as possible. I find you somewhat agreeable, so I'll give you a tip: to complete the task, it's best to hunt higher-level Fierce Beasts. According to regulations, the essence blood of one mid-level Tier 1 Fierce Beast is equivalent to ten portions of low-level Fierce Beast essence blood, and the essence blood of a high-level Tier 1 Fierce Beast is equivalent to one hundred portions of low-level Fierce Beast essence blood," Elder Huohuo said, glancing at Yuan Ming.

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder. I understand," Yuan Ming replied respectfully, his heart tightening.

Last month, when this Elder Huohuo was collecting essence blood, he had mentioned this to Yuan Ming and Wulu. The term "low-level Tier 1" referred to the strength classification of Tier 1 Fierce Beasts. Above that were "mid-level Tier 1" and "high-level Tier 1."

The Green Fox and Armadillo he had encountered previously were both low-level Tier 1 Fierce Beasts, roughly equivalent in strength to cultivators at the first to fourth levels of Qi Refining. Mid-level Tier 1 Fierce Beasts, which resided deeper in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, were equivalent to cultivators at the fifth to eighth levels of Qi Refining, their strength naturally incomparable.

As for high-level Tier 1 Fierce Beasts, they were even more terrifying, far surpassing mid-level Fierce Beasts. If one's strength was insufficient, encountering them would result in instant death.

Of course, due to the low intelligence of Fierce Beasts, most cultivators, even if their actual cultivation was inferior, could attempt to hunt them across levels by using certain methods. However, this was not a universal rule.

In short, with his current cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining, he had no confidence in escaping unscathed from a mid-level Tier 1 Fierce Beast.

This meant that to gather one thousand portions of Fierce Beast essence blood, unless his cultivation could advance further, he could only continue to diligently hunt one thousand low-level Tier 1 Fierce Beasts.

Just as Yuan Ming was about to ask Elder Huohuo for the antidote and take his leave, a disturbance came from the nearby jungle, with faint sounds of footsteps approaching.

Yuan Ming turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw Wulu limping towards them.