Su Yu sat cross-legged on the bed, with three Beast Cores lined up in front of him.
He picked up a Tier 1 Mid-grade Wind Wolf Beast Core. The moment it rested in his palm, the Ancient Sword in his Soul World suddenly trembled violently!
What was this...?
A faint glow spread across the Beast Core's surface. Wisps of pale-blue Spiritual Qi flowed like a trickling stream through the meridians in his palm, straight toward the Ancient Sword deep within his soul.
In the span of ten breaths, the Beast Core, worth four thousand taels of gold, had turned into a dull gray stone.
That was it? Su Yu's eye twitched. Before, that much money would have covered two years of his cultivation expenses.
But the Ancient Sword still wasn't satisfied. Its blade kept trembling, as if urging him to feed it more.
Su Yu rubbed the second Beast Core, and a thought suddenly came to him: Since you can absorb the Spiritual Qi in Beast Cores... could I do it too?
On the Nine Heavens Continent, martial artists could indeed absorb the spiritual power in Beast Cores directly, but the ferocity of the Demon Beasts they contained would erode their meridians.
An ordinary martial artist needed at least several days to purge demonic energy after absorbing a Beast Core. The process was terribly inefficient.
Besides, Beast Cores were expensive. Few people could afford such extravagance.
Yet while the Ancient Sword had been absorbing the spiritual power just now, Su Yu had keenly sensed that the Spiritual Qi it filtered was unbelievably pure, without a trace of demonic energy left behind!
Listen! Su Yu spoke to the empty air, though in truth he was talking to the Ancient Sword in his Soul World.
I'll give you Beast Cores, but you have to return half the Spiritual Qi to me.
The sword jolted. Its trembling suddenly grew more violent, clearly displeased with the proposal.
You've been eating and drinking your fill inside me for five years, Su Yu sneered.
What's wrong with me collecting a little interest?
He deliberately stirred the glowing orb in his Soul World. Golden light flickered faintly.
Strangely, ever since the orb had appeared, the Ancient Sword had never absorbed his spiritual power again. It seemed rather wary of the orb.
Seeing that the sword had fallen silent, Su Yu continued, From now on, all the Beast Cores I hunt will be yours, but we split everything fifty-fifty. If you dare keep it all...
He pretended to put away the remaining Beast Core.
You won't get a single one!
The sword's trembling gradually subsided. At last, it gave a reluctant little chime, accepting the deal.
Su Yu's lips curled as he took out the second Beast Core.
This time, it absorbed the core at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it had crumbled to dust.
A moment later, an incredibly pure surge of spiritual power flowed back from the Soul World, pouring into his meridians like a hot spring.
What pure spiritual power!
Su Yu immediately circulated the Qi Nurturing Technique. Every pore on his body opened up.
The spiritual power circulated through his body three times before finally settling in his dantian.
When he looked inward, he found that his Qi Refining Level 6 cultivation had clearly advanced by a notch!
If I get a dozen or so more Beast Cores like these, I might be able to break through to Qi Refining Level 7... The thought made Su Yu's breathing quicken.
A cultivation speed like this was simply unheard of!
Without hesitation, he offered up the third Beast Core.
The Ancient Sword was even more cooperative this time. As soon as it finished absorbing the core, it returned the spiritual power—and even gave him a little extra. Su Yu's cultivation rose again.
In the Soul World, the Ancient Sword seemed quite pleased. Its blade trembled lightly, then settled into stillness.
Meanwhile, the pale-yellow orb floating beside it grew darker and more solid in color as Su Yu's cultivation advanced.
I'll head to the Monster Forest tomorrow. Su Yu clenched his fist, his eyes flashing.
He had a vague feeling that he might have stumbled upon a cultivation shortcut unlike any other.
The next morning, Su Yu walked through the dew to the southern market of Skywind City.
His money pouch held five thousand taels of gold, saved over five years. It was everything he owned.
The morning mist had yet to lift when Su Yu arrived at the entrance to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.
The three gilt characters on the wooden signboard gleamed in the rising sun, and the bronze wind chime hanging above the doorway rang in the morning breeze.
Twenty Spirit Replenishing Pills and ten bottles of Blood Replenishing Pills. The shopkeeper of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion worked his abacus.
That'll be four thousand eight hundred taels.
Su Yu didn't even furrow his brow as he handed over all his gold notes.
On the Nine Heavens Continent, cultivation determined one's lifespan. Those in the Qi Refining Realm lived to a hundred and fifty; those in the Spirit Condensation Realm could live two centuries; Essence Transformation Realm experts enjoyed three hundred years, while Sea Breaking Realm powerhouses had a long five centuries to their name.
It was said that Heaven Piercing Realm experts could live for a thousand years, but in the Great Xia Kingdom, such figures had long since become legends.
You're heading to the Monster Forest, sir? The shopkeeper finished packing the pills and offered a pointed warning.
Recently, quite a few Level 1 High Rank Demon Beasts have appeared around the forest's edge. Even a few seasoned hunters have fallen in there...
Su Yu thanked him for the warning, then went to a grain shop to buy enough provisions for half a month.
Martial artists in the Qi Refining Realm hadn't yet transcended the need for food. They still needed grains to sustain themselves.
Thinking of those Sea Breaking Realm powerhouses who spent years in seclusion—and even those who entered death retreats for decades to break through—filled him with longing.
One day... He clenched his fist, feeling the surging spiritual power within him.
His last stop was the Myriad Treasures Tower. He spent the remaining two hundred taels on a newly drawn map of the Monster Forest.
Several dangerous areas had been marked in vermilion on the map. The three characters Shadow Valley stood out in particular.
If you're going to Shadow Valley, you'd best bring some Detoxification Pills. The shopkeeper lowered his voice.
Last month, a hunting party ran into a Jade Scale Python there that was on the verge of advancing to Level 2...
Su Yu's heart tightened.
A Level 1 High Rank Demon Beast was equivalent to a martial artist at Qi Refining Level 7 to 9. As for a Level 2 Demon Beast, that was on par with someone in the Spirit Condensation Realm!
As he pondered this, the Ancient Sword in his Soul World suddenly trembled lightly, as if urging him to set out as soon as possible.
Su Yu gave his pack one last check, then set off for the Monster Forest.
By the time the sun had fully risen, his figure had appeared outside Skywind City's southern gate.
Ten li away, the Monster Forest lay crouched on the horizon like a colossal beast, waiting for a new adventurer to step into its territory.
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