You Haven't Learned Your Lesson

Chapter 12 - You Haven't Learned Your Lesson, Have You?

Everything went smoothly, as Qin Yang was already extremely familiar with how to make Xuan Chengzi operate according to the predetermined course.

As expected, he was once again forced to take a Qi Condensing Pill and a Soul Locking Pill.

Finally, he also received a Water Spirit Pill to test.

Gulp.

The Water Spirit Pill went down his throat, its spiritual power dissolving.

The next moment, Qin Yang felt as if an invisible barrier within his body had been broken. A powerful force spread throughout him, a significant improvement from before.

This was because his cultivation had advanced to the Qi Refining Realm Second Layer!

"After restarting three lifetimes, I didn't expect to break through to the Qi Refining Realm Second Layer just by relying on the Water Spirit Pills I obtained!"

Qin Yang was overjoyed. The speed of his breakthrough was faster than he had anticipated.

At the very least, he could consistently obtain a Water Spirit Pill at the start of each life, which served as a fixed cultivation resource.

However, the main event now was the Earth Spirit Pearl in Xiabai Town!

"For the next period, you will go with Bai Feng to gather herbs."

Xuan Chengzi's voice rang out, and Qin Yang obediently left.

As anticipated, not long after Bai Feng led him out of the cave dwelling, he began to subtly inquire if Qin Yang wanted to escape his clutches.

"Please guide me, Senior Brother Bai. As long as I can escape this demon's lair, I am willing to pay any price."

Qin Yang quickly expressed his intentions, eager to skip the conversation.

Bai Feng was overjoyed.

"Good, good, good! Your words are enough, Junior Brother. Follow me!"

With that, he immediately led the way.

Having gained experience from the previous life, Qin Yang found it even easier to knock Bai Feng on the head this time. Furthermore, with his improved cultivation, his spiritual power provided a greater boost to his physical strength. Two stones were enough to make Bai Feng sway precariously, unable to stand steadily.

"You haven't learned your lesson, have you? I already told you to wear a helmet when you go out."

Qin Yang tutted.

Although he had succeeded in a surprise attack, he could still tell that Bai Feng wouldn't be killed so easily. Therefore, he decisively fled.

"It seems Bai Feng's strength is even greater. He's at least at the Qi Refining Realm Third Layer cultivation."

"Once I obtain the Earth Spirit Pearl and improve my cultivation, I won't need to ambush him next life; I'll just beat him to death directly!"

Qin Yang mused as he ran.

Behind him, Bai Feng roared furiously, vowing to kill him.

With the experience from his previous life, Qin Yang ran down the mountain towards the east and, as expected, arrived at Xiabai Town near dusk.

Ignoring his hunger and fatigue, he headed straight for the location of the Earth Spirit Pearl, guided by his memory.

Returning to the marshland, Qin Yang became quite nervous.

"That Azure Blood Crocodile has the strength of the Qi Refining Realm First Layer. Although my cultivation has improved slightly, I don't have any techniques, so it will likely be quite troublesome."

Thinking this, Qin Yang made preparations.

He broke off several branches as thick as his arm to serve as spears and gathered a considerable number of stones.

With everything ready, he approached the Azure Blood Crocodile's habitat.

ROAR!

The sky darkened, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The Azure Blood Crocodile's roar echoed throughout the marshy forest, startling birds and beasts.

A fierce battle began.

Only then did Qin Yang realize that the Azure Blood Crocodile before him was even more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

Despite its strength being only at the Qi Refining Realm First Layer, its physical power was astonishingly immense, and its scales were incredibly thick and difficult to penetrate.

After a stalemate lasting half an hour, Qin Yang could do nothing against the Azure Blood Crocodile.

"It's actually this troublesome."

"Fortunately, I arrived immediately. If I had waited until tomorrow, those three Yunqing Sect disciples would have gotten involved, and there would be no place for me."

"I still have the entire night."

Qin Yang gasped for air.

His sprint down the mountain had already exhausted him completely. Facing the Azure Blood Crocodile in its prime state made it difficult to defeat easily.

Fortunately, the Azure Blood Crocodile was just a beast without sentience, and Qin Yang continuously wore down its stamina.

You chase, I run. You run, I chase.

After a battle of attrition, it took Qin Yang a full two hours to exhaust the Azure Blood Crocodile, allowing him to begin the harvest.

It was already the latter half of the night.

Qin Yang was completely relying on sheer willpower to sustain his spirit and energy!

"Today, it's either you die or I die. Come on!"

Qin Yang used his last breath, and with the wooden stick in his hand, he poked out the Azure Blood Crocodile's eyes. However, he paid the price with an arm.

About half an hour later, the Azure Blood Crocodile began its death throes.

Of course, it was the Azure Blood Crocodile that died.

Qin Yang, after all, had a cultivation of Qi Refining Second Layer. His strength, amplified by his spiritual power, was not insignificant, possessing at least six to seven hundred jin of force, which completely shattered the Azure Blood Crocodile's skull.

"I, I finally did it!"

"It's really not easy to obtain the Earth Spirit Pearl here as seed capital."

He panted, exhausted like a dog.

Looking towards the horizon, the dawn was already breaking, and day was about to arrive.

All of this was worth it.

Qin Yang successfully retrieved the Earth Spirit Pearl from the Azure Blood Crocodile's lair. It was earthy brown all over and felt heavy, but the spiritual energy contained within it was so potent that even he could clearly sense it – it was incredibly dense and pure!

"Speaking of which, how should I use this Earth Spirit Pearl for cultivation?"

Holding the Earth Spirit Pearl in his hand, Qin Yang was stumped.

He only knew that the Earth Spirit Pearl was very precious and could aid in cultivation, but he had no idea how to use it, making him scratch his head in frustration.

Finally, an idea flashed through Qin Yang's mind, and he thought of the most brute-force method.

"This Earth Spirit Pearl is only slightly larger than a pill, I'll just try consuming it directly!"

As the thought arose, he unhesitatingly threw the Earth Spirit Pearl into his mouth.

The Earth Spirit Pearl dissolved upon entering his mouth.

At first, it was fine. The pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth dispersed within his body, seeping into his meridians and circulating in his dantian.

But it wasn't long before things started to go wrong.

After the Earth Spirit Pearl completely dissolved, the dense spiritual energy became incredibly violent, far exceeding the limit of Qin Yang's physical body.

In just a moment, his body visibly began to swell, like a balloon!

"This is bad!"

"The spiritual energy of this Earth Spirit Pearl is too concentrated; I can't swallow it directly!"

Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets.

In Qin Yang's terrified gaze, his body exploded, truly opening his chest wide.

Of course, he wasn't without gains.

At the very least, the pure spiritual energy released when the Earth Spirit Pearl first dissolved caused his cultivation to break through continuously, reaching the Qi Refining Realm Fourth Layer!

This was the only piece of good news.

After his body exploded, Qin Yang felt a surge of frustration, and his consciousness began to blur.

And just as he was about to die, he caught a glimpse of Ye Cheng and two others who had just arrived.

"How could this be?!"

"The Earth Spirit Pearl... someone took it before us?!"

The three of them looked at the scene of devastation and were instantly greatly alarmed.