Vajra Demon Subduing, Dragon Elephant Prajna (Thanks to reader Bu Guan Bu Gu Bu Li for the Alliance Leader reward)

Slaying an adult Houtian Realm Pig Demon granted 30 Demonic Essence.

Pig Demon Tusk detected as suitable for sacrifice. Please collect.

"Blood Fiend Saber Art" detected as suitable for cultivation. Please collect.

A string of prompts appeared before Han Zheng's eyes, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Han Zheng was not surprised that killing martial artists yielded Vitality Essence, while killing demons yielded Demonic Essence.

But he had not expected that parts from a demon's body could also be used as sacrifices.

To Han Zheng, who possessed the Gluttonous Crucible, demons really were treasures from head to toe.

He walked over to the Pig Demon's corpse and rummaged through it. Beside its loincloth was a small cloth pouch filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items.

There were bone forks and little spoons, as well as some herbs. Among them was a bloodstained book, which should have been the Blood Fiend Saber Art.

The Blood Fiend Saber Art was probably obtained after the Pig Demon killed some martial artist, but why had it kept a saber art? Could demons cultivate martial arts too?

Suppressing his doubts, Han Zheng turned his back to the others and calmly slipped the manual into his sleeve.

He then pulled the Wild Goose Feather Saber from the Pig Demon's mouth and cut off its two sharp tusks.

Walking over to Li Sancheng, Han Zheng helped him to his feet.

"I told you, demons get two holes from one slash too. Do you believe me now?"

Li Sancheng clutched his chest and grimaced. "Brother! You really are my own brother!

"I'm truly convinced by you. You still dared to strike in that situation just now? Weren't you afraid the Pig Demon would poke two holes in you?"

That battle had been unimaginably dangerous.

The Pig Demon was far stronger than them, and its body was covered in an astonishingly tough shell of armor. They could not find the slightest opening at all.

Had Han Zheng not risked his life to rip open the Pig Demon's belly and weaken its combat strength, they would not have had the slightest hope of winning.

In the end, it had also been Han Zheng's killing blow that finally slew the Pig Demon.

"The headmaster taught us that in martial combat, it is better to advance in a single thought than hesitate in a single thought.

"In a battle of life and death, there is only whether you do it or not. Where is there any question of daring or not daring?"

Wang Bao and Zhao Jinming also looked at Han Zheng with admiration in their eyes.

Theory was theory, actual combat was actual combat.

They both understood that principle, but who would dare to stake their life on a single strike at such a moment?

Seeing Han Zheng carrying the two tusks, Li Sancheng asked curiously, "What are you taking those for? Making soup?"

"I'll keep them as souvenirs from my first life-and-death battle."

Han Zheng returned to the merchant caravan and flashed Steward Chen a grin, frightening him into instinctively taking a step back.

That slash which tore open the Pig Demon's belly had drenched Han Zheng from head to toe in demon blood, making him look utterly terrifying.

Now, when he grinned and revealed two rows of pearly white teeth, he looked somewhat eerie instead.

"Steward Chen, do you still think Shenghe Hall's money has gone down the drain?"

Steward Chen forced out a smile. "No, no! Of course not!

"Brother Han, you've worked hard. Hurry and get some rest."

Han Zheng said indifferently, "Now is not the time to rest.

"Don't forget that the Pig Demon said it had a mother and a younger brother. It probably has a father too.

"If that whole Pig Demon family comes out while we remain here, I won't be able to stop them.

"Let's all work a little harder and travel through the night. We should reach the spiritual fields manor before dawn."

Although Steward Chen was the leader, Han Zheng had returned carrying the prestige of having slain a demon. The Shenghe Hall workers looked at him differently now.

Thus, Steward Chen could only swallow his pride and listen to Han Zheng's orders, having the caravan travel through the night toward the manor's spiritual fields.

Li Sancheng and Wang Bao were both injured, so Han Zheng had them ride in a carriage as well to prevent their wounds from worsening.

Li Feng examined their injuries. Their internal organs had merely been shaken and damaged; it was nothing serious.

Once they reached the manor and had sufficient Spiritual Medicine, he could prescribe two doses of medicine. A few days of rest would be enough.

Perhaps the shock of encountering a demon had been too great.

The Shenghe Hall workers seemed not to know fatigue at all. A day's journey took them only three hours.

By the time they arrived at the spiritual fields manor, it was already midnight. The Shenghe Hall people inside the manor had all been startled awake, thinking bandits had come attacking.

After learning they had encountered a demon, the people in the manor hurriedly arranged food, lodging, and all manner of other matters.

Half an hour later, Han Zheng had finally washed away the demon blood, changed into clean clothes, and lay down in a guest room.

Summoning the Gluttonous Crucible, he saw thirty Demonic Essence in its inventory.

At the same time, Han Zheng took out the Pig Demon Tusks. With a thought, the two tusks also appeared in the inventory.

Demonic Essence: Condensed from a demon's power. Sacrificing it grants 10 Satiety.

Pig Demon Tusk: The Pig Demon's strongest weapon. Polish daily with Iron Ore to maintain sharpness. Sacrificing it grants 100 Satiety.

"What a full haul."

Han Zheng had been worrying about what to sacrifice to the Gluttonous Crucible before. Now, did he not have exactly that?

The rewards for slaying demons were far greater than those for killing martial artists.

Although Demonic Essence and Vitality Essence were worth the same price, both providing ten points of Satiety.

Demons were larger, and they gave more Demonic Essence as well. He had obtained a full thirty Demonic Essence, while killing Wang Xiong last time had only given him one pitiful Vitality Essence.

And the Pig Demon Tusks were actually worth one hundred Satiety.

Han Zheng sacrificed all the Demonic Essence and Pig Demon Tusks in one go, and his Satiety instantly surged to four hundred points.

If he used it all to cultivate within the Gluttonous Crucible, Han Zheng was even confident he could advance to the Peak Acquired Stage.

But after considering it for a moment, Han Zheng still abandoned that idea.

For one thing, after returning, he still had to learn the White Ape Through-Arm Fist from Li Jingzhong, and Li Jingzhong would certainly inspect his cultivation.

Being one step ahead of others was talent. Being too many steps ahead made one a monster and would draw unnecessary suspicion.

The other reason was that Han Zheng wanted to first break through either the Iron Elephant Skill or the Vajra Fist.

What he lacked now was not merely realm, but combat power to match it.

The Iron Elephant Skill and Vajra Fist were still too low-grade.

They were sufficient when facing bottom-tier martial artists like Wang Xiong, who muddled along in gangs.

But when facing martial artists of the same realm who possessed other powerful martial arts inheritances, he could easily be beaten like a dog.

When he encountered the Pig Demon this time, Han Zheng had felt that his foundation was severely lacking. He could only take the road of danger and slay the Pig Demon by gambling with his life.

Entering the Gluttonous Crucible, Han Zheng first checked the proficiency of his cultivation methods.

The Iron Elephant Skill had reached 75% proficiency, while the Vajra Fist had soared to 95% after its fierce battle with the Pig Demon, nearing completion.

Sitting cross-legged in the void, Han Zheng began diligently cultivating the Vajra Fist and Iron Elephant Skill.

After cultivating within the Gluttonous Crucible for forty days and consuming forty Satiety, the proficiency of both the Iron Elephant Skill and Vajra Fist finally reached completion.

Exiting the Crucible's inner space, Han Zheng looked toward the breakthrough options above the crucible.

Cultivation methods currently available for breakthrough:

Houtian Realm "Iron Elephant Skill" breakthrough requires 180 Satiety.

Houtian Realm "Vajra Fist" breakthrough requires 100 Satiety.

Han Zheng frowned slightly.

The Satiety required for breakthroughs was greater than he had imagined.

Especially for cultivation methods, which required nearly twice as much as martial techniques.

"Break through both cultivation methods!"

Fortunately, he had gained much from slaying the Pig Demon this time. Though the consumption was high, Han Zheng could still afford it.

The Gluttonous Dragon Pattern on the Gluttonous Crucible seemed to come alive once more. Its great mouth opened and writhed continuously, before finally spitting out two balls of light that fused into Han Zheng's body.

Houtian Realm "Iron Elephant Skill" has broken through into Xiantian Realm "Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill". Initial proficiency: 10%.

Houtian Realm "Vajra Fist" has broken through into Xiantian Realm "Vajra Demon Subduing Seal". Initial proficiency: 10%.

Han Zheng sat cross-legged on the bed as two cultivation methods abruptly appeared in his mind, along with fragments of memories of himself cultivating them.

The cultivation methods advanced through the Gluttonous Crucible even came with an additional 10% proficiency. That was an unexpected delight.

Ten percent proficiency was not much, but at least he could use the advanced cultivation methods immediately.

As he examined the contents of the cultivation methods in his mind, even the normally composed Han Zheng could not help revealing a delighted expression.

Xiantian and Houtian—one word apart, yet as different as heaven and earth!

Likewise, Xiantian cultivation methods and Houtian cultivation methods were separated by the same gulf between heaven and earth.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was an Esoteric Guardian Divine Skill of the Buddhist sect. It had ten levels in total, and every level granted the strength of one dragon and one elephant.

Its internal force was tyrannical and overbearing, fierce and unmatched, countless times more powerful than the Iron Elephant Skill.

Of course, the strength of one dragon was an exaggerated description. But the strength of one elephant, enough to lift a thousand jun, was no problem at all.

With his current 10% proficiency, Han Zheng had already cultivated the first level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

If he fought that Pig Demon again now, he definitely would not be sent flying by a single slap from it.

The Vajra Demon Subduing Seal was likewise incomparably powerful. It shared the same origin as the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and belonged to the Buddhist sect's esoteric hand seals.

Its Martial Intent was Vajra Wrathful Glare: suppress demons and subdue devils. Its force was fierce and peerless, while the explosive release of its power was incomparably exquisite.

Compared to it, the Vajra Fist did not even qualify as an opening stance.

Han Zheng now understood why Li Jingzhong's White Ape Through-Arm Fist was so famous in Black Stone County, and why every disciple of the Martial Arts Academy wanted to learn it.

The Iron Elephant Skill and Vajra Fist were worth only three hundred taels.

Yet a Xiantian Realm cultivation method like the White Ape Through-Arm Fist could not be bought even for three thousand taels.

Han Zheng took out the Blood Fiend Saber Art he had found on the Pig Demon.

He happened to lack a saber art, and now he had one ready-made.

But after flipping through it, Han Zheng's brow furrowed higher and higher.

There seemed to be a problem with this saber art.

Some of its key sections did not teach how to exert force or unleash saber intent. Instead, they taught how to condense Killing Intent, and even contained methods for burning one's vitality.

No matter how he looked at it, this was not a proper path. After thinking it over for a moment, Han Zheng did not cultivate it. He planned to take it back and let Li Jingzhong see whether there were any other issues first.

Judging from its contents, this saber art was far less exquisite than the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and Vajra Demon Subduing Seal. It should not be a Xiantian-level cultivation method, so Han Zheng was not worried that Li Jingzhong would harbor other thoughts and seize it.

Besides, Li Jingzhong's character was beyond reproach.

Over the years, he had taught more than a thousand disciples. Yet even those disciples he had driven away midway had never spoken a single ill word about Li Jingzhong.

Han Zheng glanced at his remaining Satiety. He still had eighty points.

After thinking it over, Han Zheng spent fifty points to enter the Gluttonous Crucible and continue cultivating.

He kept the remaining thirty points for unforeseen circumstances, so he could raise one of his abilities at a critical moment.

Thanks to reader Bu Guan Bu Gu Bu Li for the Alliance Leader reward (^ω^). Congratulations on becoming this book's first Alliance Leader.