The Undying Pearl

In the quiet room, Zhang Tie took a deep breath and slowly opened the porcelain cap of the Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood bottle.

A determined glint flashed in his eyes, and he opened his mouth, pouring in two drops.

According to Zhang Tie's calculations, he could absorb five drops of Grade 1 low-grade spirit beast blood at once. Moreover, his body had already been strengthened by the previous two bottles of low-grade spirit beast blood. Absorbing two drops of Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood at once should not be a problem.

However, as soon as the blood entered his abdomen, a violent surge of energy instantly expanded like a tidal wave. Its ferocity was more than ten times greater than that of the low-grade spirit beast blood he had consumed before.

Zhang Tie felt intense pain spread throughout his body. He endured the agony, desperately circulating the first turn of the Nine Revolutions Undying Body cultivation technique.

But the effect was extremely unsatisfactory. The violent energy rampaged within his body, completely out of control. If this continued, he would surely face a tragic end, his body exploding.

At this moment, Zhang Tie's veins bulged, and his body began to swell uncontrollably, growing larger and larger.

Immediately after, cracks like threads began to appear on his body. These cracks gradually spread, as if they were about to tear him apart.

"It's over..." Zhang Tie thought with despair. He was only ten years old, his life had just begun, and his path to cultivation had only just started to show promise. Yet now, everything was about to turn to dust.

Zhang Tie's consciousness gradually blurred. In that moment between life and death, he seemed to see a hunched figure. The figure was indistinct, and he couldn't be sure if it was his long-deceased great-grandmother.

Despair washed over Zhang Tie like a tide. He lay there with his eyes open, feeling the tearing pain throughout his body.

At this moment, he was in so much pain that he couldn't even utter a sound. All he could do was quietly await the arrival of death in this boundless despair.

But at this critical juncture, when he was on the verge of death, a sudden change occurred.

The green bead that had been quietly residing in his mind suddenly began to rotate slowly.

Wisps of pure green energy, like a clear spring, flowed from Zhang Tie's head and rapidly spread throughout his body.

His body, which had been uncontrollably expanding, began to slowly stop swelling under the effect of this green energy. The shocking cracks on his body also began to slowly heal and disappear.

Zhang Tie snapped back from his shock and immediately seized this sliver of hope, fully activating the first turn of the Nine Revolutions Undying Body.

Nourished by the green energy from the little green bead, his absorption rate of spirit beast blood was more than two to three times faster!

In less than the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep, Zhang Tie had completely absorbed these two drops of Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood.

At this moment, Zhang Tie was covered in blood. This blood had seeped out when his body had been expanding. From a distance, he looked like a blood-soaked man.

Zhang Tie slowly got out of bed and stepped into the wooden bucket filled with water.

"This is truly incredible," Zhang Tie muttered to himself, amazed that he had miraculously survived.

What exactly was this little green bead? He focused his consciousness on the little green bead in his mind and found that its color had become lighter compared to before.

He figured this must be due to the energy it expended to repair his body.

Zhang Tie began to carefully feel his body. He could clearly sense that his body's defensive capabilities and physical strength had both improved significantly compared to before.

With such a miraculous effect from the little green bead, he absolutely could not let anyone else know about it.

"I should give it a name," Zhang Tie mused. "It's a green bead, and it can repair the body and help me with body cultivation. Perhaps I should call it the 'Undying Pearl' from now on.

I hope it can help me refine the Nine Revolutions Undying Body to the third turn, allowing me to become a body cultivator comparable to a Golden Immortal."

Zhang Tie got out of the bucket. Since he now had the help of the Undying Pearl, he decided to strike while the iron was hot and refine the remaining spirit beast blood.

This time, Zhang Tie again swallowed two drops of Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood without hesitation.

Although his body still felt the sensation of swelling, it was no longer out of control like last time. Zhang Tie quickly circulated the first turn of the cultivation technique, accelerating the absorption of this Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood.

After about an hour, Zhang Tie stopped cultivating because the two drops of spirit beast blood had been completely absorbed by him.

This time, instead of carefully feeling the changes in his body as he usually did, he directly took out the porcelain bottle and swallowed the remaining five drops of spirit beast blood in one go.

Zhang Tie was gambling with his life, wanting to see just how effective and capable this Undying Pearl truly was.

As expected, the sensation of his body exploding reappeared. However, this time, Zhang Tie was much calmer than before. He continued to circulate the first turn of the cultivation technique with all his might, as if the swelling and painful body wasn't his own.

Just as fine cracks began to appear on his body again, the Undying Pearl, as he had hoped, began to emit wisps of pure green energy, starting to repair Zhang Tie's body.

About half an hour passed, and Zhang Tie slowly stopped cultivating. He remained still, his eyes closed, carefully sensing the changes in his body.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes abruptly, raised his hand, and clenched his fist tightly. In an instant, his entire fist seemed to be filled with boundless, wild power.

But this was not the most exciting part for Zhang Tie. He suddenly discovered with surprise that he had actually broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

What was going on? He could understand the increase in physical strength, after all, he had absorbed Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood, and spirit beasts were large, containing a high amount of energy.

However, the increase in his Qi Refining cultivation was something he couldn't understand for a moment. In the end, Zhang Tie could only attribute this situation to the miraculous effect of the Undying Pearl.

At this moment, the Undying Pearl had also undergone a transformation, changing from the small green bead it was to a ball of green light.

It was very similar to its appearance when it first entered Zhang Tie's mind, just much larger than the light mass back then.

Zhang Tie quickly sensed the spiritual energy within his body. As expected, the spiritual power within him had disappeared again. Zhang Tie seemed to understand something, and his heart felt a lot more at ease.

It seemed that the Undying Pearl was charged with spiritual power and then converted into energy to repair the physical body.

Night had deepened. After cleaning himself, Zhang Tie quietly went into the mountain forest behind the peak.

This area was where many spirit beasts were raised in the wild, usually used by inner sect disciples for combat practice. The reason Zhang Tie came here was to test his current strength and quickly master his suddenly increased power.

After all, for cultivators, the best practice method was actual combat.

The outer areas of the forest were relatively safe, mostly containing Grade 1 low-grade, and at most, mid-grade spirit beasts. For Zhang Tie now, there shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Zhang Tie walked cautiously and suddenly saw a pair of red eyes.

The moment Zhang Tie saw those eyes, he stomped his feet and lunged backward, narrowly dodging an attack from a spirit beast that resembled a wild boar.

This was a red-eyed wild boar, known for its extremely violent temper. Seeing its attack miss, it turned and charged again.

This time, Zhang Tie didn't choose to dodge. He stood his ground and, without hesitation, threw a punch straight at the charging red-eyed wild boar.

Two loud "bangs" echoed, interspersed with the sound of cracking bones.

Zhang Tie looked closely. The red-eyed wild boar, nearly three meters long, had been hit on the head by his punch. Its entire body was then sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily against the rocks behind it. The rocks instantly shattered, sending fragments flying everywhere.

"I'm already this strong?!" Zhang Tie muttered in disbelief, looking at the scene before him.

Unsure of his true strength, Zhang Tie had gone all out from the start. He waited a moment, and seeing that the red-eyed wild boar remained motionless, he walked directly towards it.

Upon closer inspection, the red-eyed wild boar's head had exploded. It couldn't have been more dead.

"This Grade 1 low-grade spirit beast wasn't even a match for one of my attacks. And Grade 1 low-grade spirit beasts are equivalent to the mid-stage of Qi Refining. It seems I can handle cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining with ease now," Zhang Tie mused to himself.

Just as Zhang Tie was contemplating his strength level, he suddenly heard the sound of wind whistling around his ears.

Relying on instinct, Zhang Tie dodged to the side. A massive figure flashed past his eyes.

Zhang Tie looked closely. It was a giant demon wolf. Its fur stood on end like steel needles, shimmering with a cold, sharp glint. Each strand of fur seemed to contain endless power.

Its taut muscles were as hard as rock, brimming with explosive strength.

Its pair of green eyes, like burning green flames, flickered with cruelty, cunning, and an endless desire for slaughter.

Its sharp fangs were like unsheathed blades, gleaming with a chilling luster in the deep night.

Zhang Tie's gaze sharpened, his pupils contracting suddenly. The muscles in his entire body tensed like a drawn bowstring. The power within him surged like a raging river, flowing rapidly to every limb and extremity, preparing him for a fight to the death.

The demon wolf attacked again, powerfully pushing off with its hind legs. Its body transformed into a ghostly afterimage, lunging at Zhang Tie with thunderous force.

Zhang Tie sidestepped, but the demon wolf's claws, like sharp sickles, grazed his clothes, creating a whistling sound.

Seeing its attack miss, the demon wolf landed, quickly turned, and propelled itself forward again like a cannonball. Zhang Tie's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, swinging his fist to meet the attack.

His fist collided fiercely with the demon wolf's claws, emitting a dull, thunderous sound. A powerful force rebounded like surging waves.

Zhang Tie's arm went slightly numb, while the demon wolf was also repelled by the immense force, sliding several steps on the ground.

The demon wolf stabilized itself, its eyes burning with rage like a raging inferno.

It opened its massive maw and spewed out a thick, ink-black mist. Zhang Tie, already prepared, retreated rapidly like a gust of wind, narrowly avoiding the black mist.

Taking advantage of Zhang Tie's full concentration on dodging the mist, the demon wolf lunged again like lightning, its speed so fast it was a blur.

Zhang Tie couldn't dodge in time. His shoulder was severely raked by the demon wolf's claws, like sharp blades. Blood instantly gushed out like a spring, staining half of his clothes red.

Zhang Tie cried out in pain and anger, lifting his leg and kicking the demon wolf's abdomen with immense force. Struck by the kick, the demon wolf tumbled several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

But the demon wolf instantly sprang back up, its fur standing on end like the quills of a porcupine. Its eyes turned blood-red, and it charged at Zhang Tie again with overwhelming force.

Zhang Tie did not retreat. He moved forward, engaging the demon wolf in close-quarters combat.

The demon wolf lunged again. Zhang Tie firmly grabbed the demon wolf's front paws with both hands, and the two engaged in a test of strength, locked in a stalemate.

At this moment, the demon wolf suddenly raised its head and opened its mouth, as if brewing some attack. Zhang Tie knew something was wrong and, with all his might, kicked the demon wolf's abdomen with the force of splitting mountains and cracking rocks.

The demon wolf cried out in pain, releasing its paws. The attack it was about to unleash was interrupted. Zhang Tie seized the opportunity, rolled away, and created some distance between himself and the demon wolf.

The two faced each other, both panting heavily, their chests heaving like bellows. Both were covered in wounds and bloodstains.

Zhang Tie now had a basic understanding of his strength. This demon wolf was a Grade 1 high-grade spirit beast.

This meant that at the Qi Refining stage, he already possessed basic self-preservation capabilities.

His objective for the night had been largely achieved, and he was injured.

With these thoughts, Zhang Tie decided not to fight further. He turned and ran towards the edge of the forest. After a few flashes, his figure disappeared into the night.