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

Slaying an adult Houtian Realm pig demon. Obtained 30 Demonic Essence.

Detected that the Pig Demon Tusk can be used for sacrifice. Please pick it up.

Detected that the "Blood Fiend Saber Art" can be used for cultivation. Please pick it up.

A series of prompts appeared before Han Zheng's eyes, catching him off guard.

He wasn't surprised that slaying a martial artist yielded Vitality Essence, or that slaying a demon yielded Demonic Essence.

But he hadn't expected that parts from a demon's body could also be used for sacrifice.

For Han Zheng, who possessed the Gluttonous Crucible, this demon truly was a treasure trove from head to toe.

He walked over to the pig demon's corpse and rummaged through it. By its loincloth was a small cloth pouch filled with odds and ends.

Inside were a bone fork and small spoon, some medicinal herbs, and a bloodstained book that should be the Blood Fiend Saber Art.

This saber art was likely something the pig demon had taken from a martial artist it killed. But why had it kept the technique? Could demons also practice martial arts?

Suppressing his curiosity, Han Zheng turned his back to the others and slipped the manual into his sleeve without a sound.

Then he pulled the Wild Goose Feather Saber from the pig demon's mouth and cut off its two sharp tusks.

He walked over to Li Sancheng and pulled him to his feet.

"Didn't I tell you? One slash on a demon, two holes. Believe me now?"

Li Sancheng clutched his chest, grimacing through clenched teeth. "Brother! You're my real brother!

I'm truly convinced. In that situation, you still dared to strike. Weren't you afraid the pig demon would poke two holes in you?"

That battle had been incredibly perilous.

The pig demon's strength far surpassed theirs, and its body was covered in a startlingly tough shell of armor, leaving them no opening to exploit.

Without Han Zheng's desperate strike to tear open the pig demon's belly and weaken its combat power, they wouldn't have had any hope of victory.

In the end, it was Han Zheng who delivered the killing blow and finished off the pig demon.

"The hall master taught us: in martial combat, always think of advancing, never of pausing.

In a life-or-death battle, it's only about whether you do it, not whether you dare."

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

Theory was theory, and practice was practice.

They all understood this principle, but who would dare to risk a desperate strike at a moment like that?

Li Sancheng watched Han Zheng holding the two tusks and asked curiously, "What are you going to do with those? Make soup?"

"Keep them as a souvenir of my first life-or-death fight."

Han Zheng returned to the merchant caravan and grinned at Steward Chen, who instinctively stepped back in fright.

The earlier slash that had ripped open the pig demon's belly had left Han Zheng drenched in demon blood, making him look utterly terrifying.

Now, with his grin revealing two rows of white teeth, he seemed almost eerie.

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

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

Young Han, you've worked hard. Go rest now."

Han Zheng said flatly, "Now's not the time to rest.

Don't forget, this pig demon said it still has a mother and a younger brother, and probably a father too. If we stay here and the whole demon family shows up, I won't be able to hold them off.

Everyone, push through the night. We should reach the Spiritual Field Estate before dawn."

Though Chen was the leader, Han Zheng returned with the momentum of having slain a demon, and the Shenghe Hall laborers looked at him differently now.

So Chen had no choice but to swallow his pride and follow Han Zheng's orders, directing the caravan to travel through the night toward the estate's spiritual fields.

Li Sancheng and Wang Bao were both injured, so Han Zheng had them ride in the cart to avoid aggravating their wounds.

Li Feng examined their injuries and found only internal shock and damage—nothing serious.

Once the estate had enough Spiritual Medicine, he could prescribe two doses of medicine, and they'd be fine after a few days of rest.

Perhaps it was the shock of encountering the demon.

The Shenghe Hall laborers seemed tireless, covering a day's journey in just three hours.

They reached the Spiritual Field Estate by midnight, startling the people inside, who thought bandits were attacking.

After learning they had encountered a demon, the estate staff quickly arranged food, lodging, and other miscellaneous matters.

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

He summoned the Gluttonous Crucible. In the item bar were 30 Demonic Essence.

At the same time, he took out the pig demon tusks. With a thought, the two tusks also appeared in the item bar.

Demonic Essence: Formed from the condensed power of a demon. Sacrifice to obtain 10 Satiety.

Pig Demon Tusk: The most powerful weapon on a pig demon's body, sharpened daily with Iron Ore to maintain its edge. Sacrificing it grants 100 Satiety.

"A full haul."

Han Zheng had been wondering what to sacrifice to the Gluttonous Crucible earlier. Now he had his answer.

Killing demons yielded far more than killing martial artists.

Though Demonic Essence and Vitality Essence were priced the same—10 Satiety each—

demons were larger, so they gave more Demonic Essence. Thirty whole Demonic Essences. Last time, killing Wang Xiong had only yielded a pitiful single Vitality Essence.

And the Pig Demon Tusk was worth 100 Satiety on its own.

Han Zheng sacrificed all the Demonic Essences and the Pig Demon Tusk in one go, and his Satiety instantly shot up to 400.

If he used it all to cultivate inside the Gluttonous Crucible, he was confident he could even break through to the Peak Acquired Stage.

But after a moment's thought, Han Zheng gave up on that idea.

For one, he still had to learn the White Ape Through-Arm Fist from Li Jingzhong when he got back, and Li Jingzhong would definitely check his cultivation.

Being one step ahead was talent. Being too far ahead was monstrous—it would invite unnecessary suspicion.

For another, he wanted to break through in the Iron Elephant Skill or the Vajra Fist first.

What he lacked wasn't just realm, but combat power to match.

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

They were fine against low-level martial artists like Wang Xiong, who scraped by in gangs.

But against same-realm martial artists with stronger Martial Skill inheritances, he'd easily get crushed.

This encounter with the pig demon made Han Zheng feel his foundation was severely lacking. He'd had to resort to risky tactics, relying on desperate gambles to kill it.

Entering the Gluttonous Crucible's interior, Han Zheng first checked his skill proficiency.

The Iron Elephant Skill was at 75%. The Vajra Fist, after the fierce battle with the pig demon, had surged to 95%, nearly complete.

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

After forty days of training inside the Gluttonous Crucible, costing 40 Satiety, both the Iron Elephant Skill and Vajra Fist finally reached full proficiency.

Exiting the Crucible's inner space, Han Zheng looked at the breakthrough options above the furnace.

Currently breakable skills:

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

Houtian Realm "Vajra Fist" breakthrough requires 100 Satiety.

Han Zheng frowned slightly.

The Satiety needed for breakthroughs was higher than he'd expected.

Especially for skills—they cost nearly double what Martial Skills did.

"Break through both skills!"

Fortunately, the pig demon had yielded a rich harvest. Even with the high cost, Han Zheng could still afford it.

The Gluttonous Dragon Pattern on the Crucible seemed to come alive again, its great mouth opening and writhing, before spitting out two light orbs that merged into Han Zheng's body.

Houtian Realm "Iron Elephant Skill" breaks through to Innate Realm "Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill," initial proficiency 10%.

Houtian Realm "Vajra Fist" breaks through to Innate Realm "Vajra Demon Subduing Seal," initial proficiency 10%.

Han Zheng sat cross-legged on the bed, two skills suddenly surfacing in his mind, along with fragments of memory from training them.

The skills broken through by the Gluttonous Crucible even came with a bonus 10% proficiency—an unexpected surprise.

10% wasn't much, but at least he could use the breakthrough skills right away.

Reviewing the skill content in his mind, even the usually composed Han Zheng couldn't hide his delighted expression.

Innate and Houtian—one word apart, worlds apart.

The same gap existed between Innate and Houtian skills.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was an Esoteric Guardian Divine Skill, divided into ten levels, each granting the power of one dragon and one elephant.

Its inner force was fierce, domineering, and unmatched in brutality—far stronger than the Iron Elephant Skill in every way.

Of course, the "one dragon's power" was an exaggeration, but one elephant's strength, enough to lift a thousand jun, was no problem.

At 10% proficiency, Han Zheng had already mastered the first level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

If he faced that pig demon again now, he definitely wouldn't get swatted away by its paw.

The Vajra Demon Subduing Seal was equally powerful, from the same lineage as the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill—a Buddhist sect seal technique.

Its Martial Intent was the Vajra Wrathful Glare, subduing demons and vanquishing evil, with an unmatched, fierce momentum and exquisitely explosive force.

Compared to it, the Vajra Fist wasn't even a starting stance.

Now Han Zheng understood why Li Jingzhong's White Ape Through-Arm Fist was so famous in Black Stone County, and why every martial arts disciple wanted to learn it.

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

And a White Ape Through-Arm Fist technique at the Innate Realm can't even be bought for three thousand taels.

Han Zheng then took out the "Blood Fiend Saber Art" he'd found on the Pig Demon.

He happened to be lacking a saber technique, so this came just in time.

But as he flipped through it, Han Zheng's frown grew deeper.

This saber art seemed to have some problems.

Some of the key parts didn't teach you how to channel force or unleash saber intent—instead, they taught you how to condense Killing Intent, and even methods for burning blood essence.

This thing didn't look like a proper path at all. Han Zheng thought it over for a moment and decided not to practice it, planning to take it back and let Li Jingzhong check if there were any other issues first.

Judging by its content, this saber art was far less refined than the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill or the Vajra Demon Subduing Seal, so it probably wasn't an Innate Realm technique. Han Zheng wasn't worried about Li Jingzhong getting any ideas and taking it for himself.

Besides, Li Jingzhong's character was still beyond reproach.

Over the years, he'd taught over a thousand disciples, and even those who'd been expelled midway had never spoken a bad word about him.

Han Zheng glanced at his remaining Satiety—still 80 points.

He thought for a moment, then consumed 50 points to continue training inside the Gluttonous Crucible.

The remaining 30 points were kept for emergencies, allowing him to boost a certain ability at a critical moment.

Thanks to the book friend "Regardless of Reason" for the leaderboard patron reward (^ω^) Congratulations on becoming the first leader of this book.