White Ape Integration

A moment later, Lin Sheng left the stall with a smile, carrying a clay jar sealed with oil paper.

The tall, thin stall owner wore the same smile as he waved at Lin Sheng.

"Little brother, come again next time. If you still want White Ape Blood, I'll save some for you."

He was in an excellent mood now, having seemingly discovered another path to riches.

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the White Ape in the cage, which had visibly grown far more listless. Unconcealed greed gleamed in his eyes.

On the other side, having successfully obtained the White Ape's blood, Lin Sheng did not linger long on Small Market Street and returned directly to his residence.

Once inside his room and with the door shut, Lin Sheng immediately opened the clay jar in his hand. A thick stench of blood instantly rushed into his nostrils.

He felt not the slightest disgust and reached his hand into the jar.

The instant the sticky blood submerged his palm, a string of information surfaced in his mind.

Beast name: White Ape (Common Grade)

A mountain-dwelling ape with white fur, long arms, and short legs. Skilled at swift movement and exceptionally nimble... it could be ranked among mid-tier Common Grade beasts.

Integration Requirement: None

Integration Effect: Agility Boost 2

"Just a mid-tier Common Grade beast?"

Seeing the Mountain Sea Scroll's description of the White Ape, Lin Sheng felt somewhat disappointed.

White Apes were not common beasts, and they seemed to be worth considerably more than creatures like Iron Yaks. He had originally thought it would be a high-tier Common Grade exotic beast, yet it still fell within the range of mid-tier Common Grade.

Still, the White Ape's integration effect seemed rather extreme. It lacked the Stamina Boost of the Rock Goat and Iron Yak, replaced instead by an Agility Boost that had reached 2.

"Integrate."

Even as the thought crossed his mind, his movements did not stop. With a shift of intent, he directly chose to integrate it.

Very soon, a pulling force came from his palm, and the blood inside the clay jar rapidly flowed into Lin Sheng's skin.

Unlike when he had integrated the Iron Yak, which had consumed nearly five pounds of blood, this time the integration was complete before even half the White Ape Blood in the jar had been used.

After all, a White Ape's size could not compare to that of an Iron Yak. Though Lin Sheng had repeatedly pressed the stall owner, the man had only given him a little over two pounds of blood before refusing to continue no matter what he said.

Lin Sheng had originally worried that around two pounds of White Ape Blood would not be enough, but it seemed he had overthought it.

Thinking it over carefully, it made sense. Aside from enormous beasts like Iron Yaks, many beasts were not large at all. House cats, certain birds, and the like probably did not even weigh several pounds in total, so how much blood could they possibly yield?

It seemed that the Mountain Sea Scroll's blood requirement for integration might be balanced according to the exotic beast's size.

With that thought, Lin Sheng secretly resolved to test it carefully later and determine exactly how the Mountain Sea Scroll divided the amount of blood needed for integration.

Setting the matter aside, Lin Sheng left his room and entered the courtyard.

In the next instant, his body moved like an ape's, darting, weaving, and shifting through the yard. He was not particularly fast, but he was exceedingly nimble and agile.

When he came to a stop, a fly passed before him, only for him to flick it away with a finger.

"So this is the effect of Agility Boost 2? It really is noticeably better than before."

Looking at the fly he had flicked into pieces with one finger, Lin Sheng murmured inwardly.

At that moment, the fly seemed to move in slow motion in his eyes, allowing him to strike it with ease. Even everything around him seemed to have slowed by a fraction.

He understood that this was the sensation brought about by his reflexes suddenly surging within a short time.

Compared with Agility Boost 1, Agility Boost 2 increased speed by roughly thirty percent, and reaction speed and flexibility had improved by about the same amount.

Such an increase in numbers might not seem like much, but when it actually fell upon his body, the changes were tremendous—especially when he erupted with full force.

The only fly in the ointment was the lack of Stamina Boost, leaving something to be desired in terms of endurance.

"Still, it isn't much of a problem. I can make up for it by switching the integrated beast."

After many experiments, he had already more or less figured out the rules for switching integrated beasts in the Mountain Sea Scroll.

After switching an integrated beast once within the void space, he had to wait about one shichen before he could switch again. However, he did not need to worry about this for the first switch.

He could normally choose to integrate the Iron Yak, then switch to the White Ape whenever he needed to travel, run, or pursue someone. For now, this combination was his optimal solution.

Of course, compared with the integration effects, what Lin Sheng valued more was the boost to cultivation talent.

The integration effects might be wondrous and mysterious, but advancing his realm was something solid and real. That was the foundation of everything.

At once, his movements changed. His legs bent slightly, his arms swung, and he began to move slowly. At first, his motions were rather sluggish and even somewhat awkward.

Yet in only a short while, his movements became fluid, and his speed grew faster and faster.

He had already read through the White Ape Leg Technique several times and had attempted to cultivate it before. Though this leg technique and the Raging Bull Fist were both third-rate martial arts, the former seemed somewhat more difficult than the latter.

After several training sessions, his progress had been far from obvious.

Still, parts of the manual's contents were missing, and unlike when he had cultivated the Raging Bull Fist, he did not have an expert like Tian Hu personally demonstrating and teaching it to him. Slower progress was only natural.

Truthfully speaking, his cultivation speed with this leg technique was not slow at all. It was even above average.

Although his aptitude and comprehension were only ordinary, he had experience cultivating the Raging Bull Fist and had already entered the Body Tempering realm. Now that he was turning back to cultivate the White Ape Leg Technique, even though one was a fist art and the other a leg technique, they still shared some common ground, naturally helping him get started.

It was merely that he had grown accustomed to the cultivation speed after integration, so he naturally felt that steadily cultivating the White Ape Leg Technique with his own aptitude and comprehension was too slow.

Now that he had integrated the White Ape, Lin Sheng felt as though he were a fish in water while cultivating the White Ape Leg Technique. It was indescribably effortless and nimble, as though this martial art had been tailor-made for him.

It was not until noon that Lin Sheng finally stopped moving.

He let out a long breath, a smile appearing on his face.

"The White Ape Leg Technique has reached the beginner level."

By all accounts, after integrating the White Ape, he had successfully reached the beginner level in this leg technique in just over one shichen. Such speed was truly beyond belief.

Grrr...

A rumble came from his stomach, followed by a wave of hunger.

Clearly, his rapid progress in cultivation had also consumed a great deal of energy. Fortunately, Lin Sheng had prepared beforehand. He returned to his room, took out some dried meat, and began chewing in large mouthfuls.

Only after three pounds of dried meat had gone down his stomach did the hunger finally fade.

After that came another round of cultivation. Having reached the beginner level, it was time to cultivate this leg technique to minor accomplishment.