Essence Accumulating Arm

Yuan Ming followed Hagon through forests and across streams for over half an hour before finally arriving at a hidden valley.

As soon as they reached the valley entrance, Yuan Ming wrinkled his nose and stopped.

"What's this strange smell?" he asked, covering his nose.

He detected a scent similar to sulfur, but actually more complex.

"It's the smell of Beast Repelling Powder. It can drive away some poisonous insects and fierce beasts, keeping them from approaching this place," Hagon explained, pointing to the red and white powder on the ground not far ahead.

"Can this stuff be bought inside?" Yuan Ming asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It can, but it's not very useful. While it's good for driving away some poisonous insects and fierce beasts, it also makes it easy to expose your hiding spot. Sometimes, people are more dangerous than fierce beasts," Hagon said.

The valley entrance was quite narrow, like a natural pass. However, once inside, it opened up considerably, becoming quite spacious, as if one had gone from a toad's mouth into its belly.

After entering the valley, the two men had only taken a few steps when several crudely built stone houses, made of piled stones, appeared before them.

The stone houses had no doors, only open, hollow entrances. Human figures could be vaguely seen inside.

Around these stone houses were people wearing animal skins, not many of them, with numb expressions and no discernible emotions on their faces.

Just as Yuan Ming was about to go closer to take a look, Hagon stopped him.

"Be careful what you say later. Don't provoke those registered disciples; most of them have pretty bad tempers," Hagon warned him.

Yuan Ming nodded silently at this.

He walked up to the first stone house and glanced inside. The interior was very simple, with only a wooden table and a lounge chair.

A young man in a green cloth robe was lounging on the chair, swaying leisurely. He held a paper book with a green cover, obscuring half his face, looking incredibly relaxed.

On the table in front of him stood a wooden sign with a piece of white paper attached, which read, "Buying spirit herbs of sufficient age, various ores."

It was a simple sentence, listing what was being bought and the required age, but nothing else.

In the adjacent stone house, there was also a table with a wooden sign attached to it, bearing the same white paper that read, "Buying spirit herbs, ores, beast bones, blood food."

The difference was that this room was empty, with no one inside.

The other two stone houses had similar arrangements, each with its own displays, but all appeared somewhat crude.

In the last stone house, Yuan Ming happened to see two Furred Beast Slaves trading with the registered disciple inside.

The disciple seemed impatient, scrutinizing two dark red ores and a plant that looked like ginseng but was wax yellow.

Finally, he dismissed the Furred Beast Slave with a small white porcelain bottle.

After profusely thanking him, the Furred Beast Slave left with the small bottle, his face full of joy.

"Two Fire Pattern Iron Ores and a Crimson Yellow Essence for just one bottle of Blood Replenishing Pill. These guys are getting greedier by the day," Hagon muttered beside Yuan Ming.

His voice was very soft, almost inaudible to anyone but himself.

Yuan Ming, however, heard him clearly.

But he didn't ask any questions there. Instead, he waited until he and Hagon had walked further away before asking:

"What, did that Furred Beast Slave get ripped off in that deal?"

"Getting ripped off is common, but this guy really drove the price down this time. Those two Fire Pattern Iron Ores alone are worth a bottle of Blood Replenishing Pill, and that Crimson Yellow Essence, given its thickness, looks at least fifty years old. It was practically given away for free," Hagon said, first surprised, then indignant.

Yuan Ming, not yet familiar with the ways of this place, asked Hagon for more information, learning from him the names and characteristics of the spirit medicines and ores that the registered disciples often collected.

"I'm quite surprised that Jade Luo Cave would allow this trading post to exist," Yuan Ming remarked with wonder.

"You'll know when you stay longer. Jade Luo Cave's management of these registered disciples is very lax. As long as they complete their sect missions, the sect doesn't interfere with anything else," Hagon said, twitching the corner of his mouth.

Yuan Ming felt that these matters were too far removed from what he was currently doing, so he didn't pay much attention.

After wandering around the valley, Yuan Ming bid farewell to Hagon and left on his own.

Hagon simply bid him farewell as well, and the two parted ways, neither mentioning whether they would meet again.

Time flew by, and more than three months passed.

It was noon, but the sky was overcast with dark clouds, the low-hanging sky pressing down on the ancient forest trees, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

In the dense mountain forest, a powerfully built White Ape stretched its long arms, swinging between the towering ancient trees. Each swing covered about thirty feet, and its speed was incredibly swift.

This was naturally not some wild ape of the mountains but Yuan Ming transformed using the Furring Technique.

At this moment, his entire body was soaked in sweat, and there were several shocking bloodstains on him. However, his eyes were bright, constantly scanning his surroundings vigilantly, and he occasionally glanced back.

Less than thirty feet behind him, the ground trembled, trees snapped, and dust clouds billowed up.

A black-haired wild boar, about ten feet long and six feet tall, was roaring, hot breath spewing from its nostrils as it madly charged at Yuan Ming.

On either side of its mouth grew a pair of white, sharp tusks like long halberds, gleaming with a chilling white light and incredibly sharp. Whenever they encountered obstructing trees, they would pierce straight through.

Simultaneously, an invisible light screen flickered between its two long tusks, like a triangular light shield covering its head. When it rammed into the trees pierced by its tusks, it could shatter them into pieces.

One of the wild boar fierce beast's eyes had been injured by Yuan Ming and was a bloody mess. The other eye was blood-red, filled with intense hatred and killing intent, determined to chase Yuan Ming down.

Although it was not slow and possessed terrifying strength, it was constantly hindered by the numerous ancient trees. After repeated charges, it was naturally difficult for it to catch up to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming seemed to have grasped this point and was not in a hurry to escape. Instead, he deliberately suppressed his speed, always maintaining a distance where the wild boar could see him.

He would even proactively stop and provoke the wild boar if it showed any signs of slacking, luring the fierce beast into continuously chasing him.

Yuan Ming wasn't simply idling around for amusement; he intended to use this method to wear down the wild boar's ferocity and deplete its stamina. Only when its strength weakened would he be confident in landing a killing blow.

Thus, the ape and the boar continued their chase in the forest for another half an hour.

Yuan Ming listened intently with his sensitive ears. He noticed that the wild boar's exhales had become rougher, its thundering footsteps were becoming disordered, and its speed in crashing into ancient trees had decreased. He knew the moment had arrived.

He hung from an ancient tree by one arm, also panting heavily, appearing as if he could no longer run.

Seeing this, the wild boar, which was already struggling to run, immediately perked up. It let out a fierce "Ooooh!" and charged at Yuan Ming with renewed vigor.

This time, Yuan Ming deliberately slowed his pace. When the wild boar was about four Zhang away, he swung his arm again, launched himself forward, and sharply changed direction, leaping towards the space between two other ancient trees.

As the wild boar pursued him, its center of gravity shifted abruptly. It made a sharp turn and charged in Yuan Ming's direction.

It spotted the two ancient trees growing side-by-side. With a leap, it intended to dash through the gap between them.

The distance between the two trees seemed as if it were tailor-made for it, neither too wide nor too narrow, just enough for the wild boar's body to pass through.

However, in reality, Yuan Ming had chosen these two trees specifically for it long ago.

As the wild boar leaped, Yuan Ming had already twisted his body and stopped.

He picked up a White Bone Dagger that he had placed there beforehand. The Nine Yuan Art circulated wildly within him, transforming his dantian's spiritual power into a warm current that surged upwards, flowing along his meridians to his right arm.

His right arm immediately bulged with prominent veins, its fur bristled, and its muscles swelled, visibly doubling in size and becoming a full circle larger than before.

This was the second minor divine ability derived from the White Ape's skin, which he had cultivated after entering the second level of Qi Refining through the Nine Yuan Art. He had personally named it the "Essence Accumulating Arm."

Once this divine ability was activated, his right arm would change its form, and the power it could unleash would instantly triple.

However, this burst of power was instantaneous and could not be maintained for long.

Yuan Ming had developed a method of charged throws for ranged attacks, taking advantage of this characteristic.

He gripped the dagger tightly in his palm, his arm tensing instantly as power continued to gather. As he swung his arm, he let out a fierce shout.

"Go!"

As the sound escaped his lips, the White Bone Dagger in his hand was thrown, emitting a whistling sound as it cut through the air.

The Fierce Beast, the wild boar, had just reached the space between the two ancient trees. Trapped between them, it had no way to dodge and could only rely on the light shield covering its head to face Yuan Ming's charged attack head-on.

It was like a duel between a spear and a shield, but the battle ended the moment they made contact.

With a "thwack," the White Bone Dagger pierced the invisible light barrier and embedded itself in the wild boar's head. It then passed through its entire body, emerging from its hindquarters.

The wild boar's body, suspended in mid-air, plummeted down, landing precisely between the two ancient trees.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming's face lit up with joy, both for successfully killing the fierce beast and for his satisfaction with the power of his Essence Accumulating Arm.

He quickly walked over, took a blood collection bag from his waist, and efficiently began collecting the wild boar's Blood Food.

After finishing the collection, Yuan Ming immediately retrieved the White Bone Dagger. He used its tip to cut open the wild boar's mouth on both sides, exposing the roots of its long tusks.

These tusks were also his target, as they contained a small amount of spiritual energy, which was one of the spiritual materials from fierce beasts that the disciples of Jade Luo Cave required.