The Reckless Wild Boar Demon

After refining a thread of spiritual energy, he completed the Spring Bloom Spiritual Vein and refined a Natal Spirit Talisman.

The True Qi within Chen Ganliu circulated, and he felt it flowing far more smoothly than before. He thought to himself, At last, I've improved my aptitude a little.

"So half a Spring Bloom Severed Vein was only enough to make me a Servant Disciple. Now I have a complete Spring Bloom Spiritual Vein..."

Chen Ganliu pondered for a moment. It seemed that in the Immortal Encounter Sect, possessing one spiritual vein still only made someone a Servant Disciple. Only after achieving some success in cultivation and reaching the Third Layer of Qi Condensation or above could one be transferred to a Registered Disciple.

Those born with two spiritual veins could be accepted directly as Registered Disciples, and their treatment was far better than that of people with only half a vein or one spiritual vein.

Chen Ganliu withdrew his cultivation method and was just wondering whether he should jump into the pool and take a bath first when he heard someone calling out. The female Daoist attendant had come to deliver his meal.

Chen Ganliu hurried out to greet her. The girl was carrying a food box and said, "My grandma prepared six cold dishes and six hot dishes for you, twelve dishes in all, along with a pot of fine wine and more than ten steamed buns. Please enjoy them. If you're still lacking anything, I can fetch it for you."

Chen Ganliu quickly thanked her. "This is more than enough. I won't trouble you any further, Sister."

He was still thinking about Qiu Sheng, so he asked, "How far is it from here to Plum Blossom Mountain?"

The girl replied, "It's another sixteen hundred li. If you travel by cloud, it will take one or two hours."

Chen Ganliu thanked the girl again. After she left, he carried the food box back into the cave. When he lifted the lid, he found three layers packed full of food.

He took a steamed bun and bit into it, secretly thinking, Although I haven't yet reached perfection in Condensing Qi into Apertures, after refining my Natal Spirit Talisman, my True Qi circulates more vigorously than before. I should be able to forcefully activate a magical treasure.

At the Second Layer of Qi Condensation, one couldn't truly activate a magical treasure. It was merely equivalent to a martial artist using a concealed weapon—throwing the magical treasure out. Although one could make use of the treasure's innate mystique to manipulate it slightly, the moment one's True Qi ran out, the treasure would fall to the ground, so it had to be recalled immediately after a single strike.

Only upon reaching the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, the realm of "Condensing Qi into Apertures," could one activate a magical treasure from afar.

Although Chen Ganliu had not yet reached perfection in Condensing Qi into Apertures, he had opened thirty apertures and refined a Natal Spirit Talisman. He was considerably stronger than others at the same realm.

He now had only the twelve magical treasures he had brought out of Blazing Light Cave. They had merely been selected because they could barely be used at the Second Layer of Qi Condensation, and their quality was not particularly high. Still, refining them would make things much more convenient.

Previously, he had either been busy fleeing or busy cultivating. Aside from the Talisman Black Donkey, he truly had not refined any of his other magical treasures.

As Chen Ganliu was pondering which one to refine, he suddenly remembered the Brocade Handkerchief Warrior Xie Zhanrou had given him. He thought, Among the magical treasures in my possession, the Brocade Handkerchief Warrior gifted by Senior Sister Xie is the finest. Why not try refining this first?

He casually took out the stack of brocade handkerchiefs. Every handkerchief was covered in layers upon layers of talismans—at least several hundred of them—forming an array. He knew that this must be an extremely profound art, one he could not yet learn.

He activated his Azure Emperor Jia Yi True Qi and felt it flow exceptionally smoothly into the brocade handkerchief. He understood a little and thought, So it's an art of the Immortal Encounter Sect.

If it had not been an art of the Immortal Encounter Sect, there was no way his Azure Emperor Jia Yi True Qi could have been infused so easily.

Chen Ganliu poured True Qi into it for the time it took half an incense stick to burn. His own True Qi was nearly exhausted, yet the brocade handkerchief still was not full. He was both shocked and delighted. What shocked him was that, judging by how much the handkerchief required, it would probably take him several days to fill a single one. What delighted him was that, since the handkerchief required such an enormous amount of True Qi, the Divine General it transformed into was bound to be extraordinary.

He cut off the flow of True Qi and tested the handkerchiefs one by one. He discovered that the very first one he had selected was indeed empty, without any stored True Qi, while the other eleven were all full.

Chen Ganliu used the Azure Emperor Jia Yi Art to refine them. Before Xie Zhanrou had given them to him, she had already removed her own imprint of magical power, so the process was effortless. He refined all twelve brocade handkerchiefs, then pulled out one and tossed it into the air.

A swirl of smoke rose, and a military general appeared in midair. He wore an embroidered battle robe as pure as newly fallen snow over a suit of ragged silver armor. His face was as fair as jade, with sword-shaped brows and bright, starry eyes.

The Divine General was tall and imposing, a full eighteen chi in height. He bore the weathering of countless battlefields and held a long spear whose tip was more than a chi and a half long, shaped like a dragon's tongue and honed on both sides. Cold light flashed from it, dazzling the eyes, as though the chill radiance of the moon flowed along its edge. A long sword hung across his back, its blade exceptionally broad and its hilt wrapped in red silk. An indistinct killing aura, like that of a thousand armies and ten thousand horses, coiled around his entire body.

The Divine General bowed slightly in salute but said nothing.

Chen Ganliu stood stunned for a long while before exclaiming inwardly, If he can fly, doesn't that mean his cultivation is at least at the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation, Essence and Qi Integration?

If all twelve brocade handkerchiefs are of this level, wouldn't I be without an opponent at the Qi Condensation level? Even if only this one Divine General is so powerful and the others are far weaker, this set of Brocade Handkerchief Warriors is still extremely precious.

Senior Sister Xie's gift is truly valuable.

Perhaps the Demonic Sect isn't quite as savage and overbearing as I thought.

Chen Ganliu could sense that in just this short while, one or two percent of the spiritual energy within the Brocade Handkerchief Warrior had already dissipated. At this rate, it could probably last only two or three ke. If it fought someone in Magical Combat, it would likely endure for even less time. Unwilling to waste it, he hurriedly formed a hand seal and recalled the Brocade Handkerchief Warrior.

Chen Ganliu carefully put the stack of brocade handkerchiefs away and thought, With this set of magical treasures, it doesn't matter if I never refine the others.

He continued eating with gusto. Once he was full, he went back to cultivating.

The next morning, Chen Ganliu was wondering whether he should go look for the two Senior Sisters when he heard a thunderous roar in the distance. He hurried out of the cave dwelling and took off running. Before long, he saw a Wild Boar Demon outside Pear Blossom Cave, wielding a thick iron cudgel and swaggering about as it flaunted its might.

This Wild Boar Demon should have been at the Sixth or Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation at most. It had not yet reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation, Qi Refining Transformation, so its human form was still incomplete. Its body looked human enough, with thick limbs, but atop its neck sat a pig's head. Its tusks jutted outward, giving it a ferocious appearance.

Pear Blossom Lady was still dressed in full battle armor. Carrying a pair of green-steel long swords, she had engaged the Wild Boar Demon in a fierce battle.

The monsters did not cultivate proper methods and had nowhere to learn orthodox arts, so they all excelled at martial skills. The Wild Boar Demon's iron cudgel whirled up and down with savage force, while Pear Blossom Lady's twin swords danced like clouds, spreading frost in all directions. The two battled fiercely for half an hour before someone inside Pear Blossom Cave called out, "Grandma Tie, let us sisters handle this."

A streak of yellow energy flew out. Within it was a golden rope that landed on the Wild Boar Demon, binding him tightly at once and sending him tumbling into the dust. He shouted curses, "Bitch! You dare use trickery and call for help to defeat me?"

"If you don't hurry up and let me stand, once I break free on my own, I'll eat you alive—raw! I'll eat you while listening to you wail, and only then will the hatred in my heart be appeased."