Qi Eater

Time flew by, and it had been over three months since Wu Tian awakened the Spirit of Wind. Winter had already descended upon the land.

Ever since Wu Tian awakened the Spirit of Wind, the hunting team's kills had become much easier. He could sense information from afar through the wind, allowing him to avoid danger and find suitable prey.

As a result, the village quickly accumulated enough food.

When a heavy snowfall arrived, the hunting team stopped going out. In such weather, it was difficult to achieve any significant results.

Meanwhile, Wu Tian was hiding in the tallest ancient tree in the village. His fur was glowing white, each strand as lustrous as jade, exuding an indescribable aura.

He gently closed his eyes, breathing rhythmically. In the cold weather, the warm air from his nostrils shot out like a spirit snake, quickly dissipating into the air.

In and out, there was a profound mystery.

He was practicing the Nine Forms of Snake Slaying. He had finally achieved an initial understanding of this saber technique over two months ago.

The Nine Forms of Snake Slaying was completely different from hunting skills. Hunting was the most suitable killing technique for the White Dog, while the core of the Nine Forms of Snake Slaying lay in breathing.

Through breathing, one could mobilize the body's strength, concentrating it into a single point. When the saber light was unleashed, the power condensed into a line, capable of severing even the tough yet flexible body of a snake.

The fundamental principle of the Nine Forms of Snake Slaying was to control one's strength with greater precision and subtlety through breathing.

As for the stances, they were designed to complement the breathing, an internal and external process that honed one's control over strength.

Wu Tian's other skills had all been cultivated to perfection, so he dedicated almost all his energy to the Nine Forms of Snake Slaying.

A month ago, he no longer stopped practicing the breathing technique, whether he was walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. He had almost integrated the breathing method into his every action.

After yesterday's heavy snowfall, he hadn't returned all night, as if he had fallen into enlightenment. Here, on this ancient tree, with each breath, he seemed to be merging with the wind.

At some point, the wind began to blow, scattering the accumulated snow from the trees and ruffling his fur. A chill swept over him.

However, Wu Tian felt no cold. Instead, he slowly opened his eyes, a look of joy appearing in his pupils.

Ding, system notification: Your skill Nine Forms of Snake Slaying has been upgraded to Perfection. You can awaken a talent. Please choose one from the following three talents.

Option 1: Sharp Claws. Your claws will become sharper, and you will gain a certain increase in strength.

Option 2: Iron Lungs. Your breathing will become more sustained, your stamina will be greatly increased, and your vitality will be enhanced to a certain extent.

Option 3: Qi Eater. You can absorb extremely sparse heaven and earth essence through breathing.

The first talent had been discovered before through the hunting skill. Clearly, some skills could lead to the same talent.

The second talent had some similarities to the regeneration talent but was more focused on stamina and endurance.

As for the third talent...

Wu Tian did not hesitate this time and directly chose Option 3. Whether in myths and legends or folk tales, whether it was the immortals of legend or the spirits in stories, they all shared a common characteristic.

That was Qi Eating!

Immortals ate qi to abstain from grains, and spirits absorbed the essence of the sun and moon to transform into demons.

In all legends, Qi Eating was the beginning of transcendence.

Wu Tian had never expected to discover such a talent through the Nine Forms of Snake Slaying. This was enough to put him on the path to transcendence.

With a thought, the system panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Wu Tian
Age: 2
Bloodline: Southern Border White Dog
Talents: Poison Devour 60% (Novice), Agility 30% (Novice), Spirit of Wind 30%, Qi Eater 1% (Novice)
Skills: Hunting 100%, Listening to the Wind 100%, Nine Forms of Snake Slaying 100%

With a total of four novice talents and three perfected skills, Wu Tian's strength had already caught up to Silver Frost.

"Silver Frost must have awakened the Sharp Claws and Agility talents, and has a basic understanding of sentience. Its Hunting and Listening to the Wind skills are also perfected."

"But now, I'm starting to surpass it..."

Wu Tian silently assessed his strength. The gap between him and Silver Frost was not large. It was the Spirit of Wind talent that had greatly improved his survival ability in the jungle.

"Silver Frost and I are basically on the same level, equivalent to spirits on the verge of sentience. Although we still can't compare to that Bear Demon, we've surpassed ordinary ferocious beasts."

During this time, he had used the Spirit of Wind talent to scout the environment around the village. He discovered that besides the Bear Demon by Black Fish Lake to the east, there was also a python spirit, a Purple-tailed Sable spirit, and over a dozen beasts nearing sentience.

"The people in the village classify the creatures in the wilderness into three tiers: ferocious beasts, spirits, and demons."

"Ferocious beasts, though terrifying, can be hunted with proper preparation."

"As for those creatures nearing sentience, the hunting team is unwilling to provoke them. Although they have the confidence to kill them, it would inevitably come at a great cost, possibly even leading to the deaths of tribe members."

"And for those that have become spirits, the hunting team must avoid them. If they are forced to encounter one, even the Jade Centipede can only make those spirits slightly wary."

"As for demons, they are beings that can completely slaughter ordinary humans. Even the Jade Centipede would be useless against them."

"My current strength is close to that of a spirit, but I'm still hovering outside the threshold. In other words, I haven't achieved sentience yet."

While contemplating, Wu Tian activated his newly acquired Qi Eater talent. As the talent circulated, he breathed in and out, and white mist coiled around his mouth and nose like a spirit snake.

After about fifteen minutes, he felt a wisp of cool energy enter through his mouth and nose, pass through his throat, and flow into his body.

The sensation was incredibly refreshing, and every strand of his fur felt a joy originating from his bloodline.

"This is Qi Eating?"

"That wisp of pure energy is the Heaven and Earth Essence described by the system interface?"

Wu Tian exhaled white mist, his mind immersed in immense joy. "As long as I keep eating Qi, sooner or later, I too can become a spirit, and then, step by step, become a demon..."

He didn't want to waste a single moment, continuously inhaling and exhaling. However, after about half an hour, he felt a pain between his eyebrows and involuntarily stopped eating Qi.

"It seems Qi Eating isn't simple breathing; it consumes mental energy. I need to rest for a while and recover before I can continue."

Just then, he heard a call from the wind.

"White Dragon, White Dragon, where are you?"

"It's Chili Mu's voice!" Wu Tian heard the little girl's voice and immediately leaped down from the ancient tree. As he neared the ground, his supple paws pushed off, absorbing the impact, and he landed lightly on the ground.

"Woof woof woof!"

He let out a few barks and then ran towards the direction of the little girl's cries.

In this world, only Chili Mu truly cared about him, even treating him as a companion, not a pet.

He hadn't returned all night, so the little girl must be worried sick.

Recalling Chili Mu's young, tender face, a soft spot in Wu Tian's heart was touched. He dashed through the snow like a white streak, moving at an extreme speed.

Soon, he found the little girl and, with a nimble leap, landed precisely in her arms.

"White Dragon, where did you run off to? Do you know how worried I was?"

"Ah, so cold, you naughty thing..."

"Hee hee!"

It turned out Wu Tian's fur, dusted with snow, had brushed against Chili Mu's fair neck. The icy sensation and the soft fur made the little girl let out a bell-like laugh.

"White Dragon, don't be mischievous. It's so cold outside, come home with me quickly."

Chili Mu hugged Wu Tian tightly, afraid he would get sick from the cold wind, but her own small hands and nose were already red from the cold.

"Let's go home quickly."

Wu Tian casually draped his tail over Chili Mu's hand, using his fur to bring her a bit of warmth.

"White Dragon, Clan Elder Grandpa said that after the snow melts in a few days, an envoy from Skull Mountain will come to the village."

"Then the envoy will check our aptitudes, and those chosen will become immortal children."

"Grandpa told me a lot and taught me many rules. Do you think I can be chosen?"

"But I don't want to leave the village. I can't bear to leave Grandpa, and I can't bear to leave you..."

The cold wind howled, whipping up the snow on the ground, gradually engulfing the person and the dog in the vast white expanse.