Maxing Out Proficiency, Grinding Into a Mortal Sword Immortal

A village that had once produced a cultivator would naturally have some methods to subdue Demonic Beasts; that was probably considered normal enough.

"Perhaps we did something foolish. They were the ones who provoked the Demonic Tiger, and we weren't just exterminating a demon; we were accomplices." Lin Yang led his horse, speaking as he walked in front.

Yun Shu led the other horse, and the two of them walked all the way back.

As for the tiger, they had dismantled it slightly without damaging the Tiger Skin, and it was being pulled by the two horses.

At first, the two horses trembled all over under the pressure of the Demonic Tiger, finding it difficult to move. Later, they found a sack to cover the Demonic Tiger's carcass so the horses couldn't see what it was, which made things much better.

This was the king of the jungle; even in death, it still kept all beasts in a state of panic.

"It has nothing to do with us. We simply completed a mission," Yun Shu said casually.

Lin Yang turned his head curiously, glanced at Yun Shu, and then shook his head. "Your temperament might be the most suited for the Dao."

"How so?"

"A heart of iron and stone. The Demonic Tiger was the one being bullied, yet we still killed it. Anyone else would feel a bit of guilt," Lin Yang said, spreading his hands.

Yun Shu chuckled softly. He hadn't expected Lin Yang to be quite so endearing.

He had never thought about it that way. To him, the Demonic Tiger mission was worth three Qi Nurturing Pills, so he went and completed it—that was all. As for Sacred Lake Village and the grievances within, they had no great connection to him.

If the other Demonic Tiger were still there, Yun Shu would, in all likelihood, kill it as well and trade it for cultivation resources.

In the cruel Cultivation World, if you want to gain a foothold, you must strive to climb higher.

Everyone is just trying to survive. There is no logic for the weak. Pitiful? Perhaps, but without strength, one is destined to be oppressed; it has been this way since ancient times.

If you want to obtain greater strength, then fight for it!

The path of humanity is vast and dim, the path of immortality is boundless and obscure.

If you are inferior in skill to me today and are killed by me, then it is simply your fate to end here.

If I am inferior in skill to someone tomorrow and die at their hands, I would gladly concede defeat.

This is how it is between people, let alone with Demonic Beasts.

Lin Yang did not see it clearly.

Perhaps he had experienced too little.

By the time the two of them returned to the Mountain Gate, it was already the middle of the night.

"Let's carry it over directly," Lin Yang said. "If too much time passes, the power in the Demonic Heart will dissipate, and it might not be worth as much. Let's exchange it first; there should be someone on duty at the Scripture Pavilion anyway."

"Alright," Yun Shu nodded.

The two of them carried the bag containing the Demonic Tiger and walked toward the Scripture Pavilion.

The Fat Steward was dozing off at the front desk when he was suddenly jolted awake by a sound. He gave a violent start and opened his bleary eyes.

"Who is it?"

He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and glanced at the token on the desk; it was the sound of this token hitting the wood that had woken him up.

"Oh, it's you two. Well? Was the mission completed?" The Fat Steward took the token and looked the pair over.

"Yes, this is the Demonic Tiger. It's already dead."

"Let me see." The Fat Steward pulled out a bamboo slip and carefully compared the shape of the Demonic Beast carcass before him with the illustration of the Demonic Tiger.

He sensed the fluctuations of power from the Demonic Tiger for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Not bad, this is indeed the Demonic Tiger. It is equivalent to the Body Refining Fifth Level of the Human Race."

"Here are six Qi Nurturing Pills, take them." The Fat Steward glanced at the two and handed a small bottle to Lin Yang. "Give me your Jade Tokens."

Both of them handed over their tokens. As the Fat Steward recorded their contribution points, he remarked, "One of you is a new initiate, and the other has just reached the Body Refining Fifth Level. I didn't think you would be able to complete it, yet you brought it back in just a single day."

"Alright, here are your tokens. The contribution points for a Grade Ding mission is one. I hope you will continue to work hard in the future," the Fat Steward said with a smile.

The Fat Steward seems like a decent person, was Yun Shu's first thought.

"What about the carcass of the Demonic Tiger?" Lin Yang asked.

The Fat Steward took a look and replied, "Are you looking to sell it to me? I can offer one Qi Nurturing Pill for the Tiger Skin, one for the Tiger Bone, and two for the Demonic Heart."

"The Tiger Skin would usually be worth two pills, but since it has a slash in it, the price has been discounted."

"Fine," Lin Yang nodded and said.

"Mm." The Fat Steward then took another small jade bottle from his drawer and handed it to them with a beaming smile. "If you have anything like this next time, just come find me. I'll give you the best price."

"In truth, if we went to the Trading Market at the foot of the mountain, we might have gotten a higher price—at least six pills," Lin Yang said after they walked out. "However, I don't have the qualifications to enter yet."

"Oh?" Yun Shu asked. "What qualifications are required?"

"A deposit of ten Qi Nurturing Pills is required to enter. They return it to you when you leave."

Yun Shu couldn't help but click his tongue. It seemed the market at the foot of the mountain was quite prosperous, but as things stood, their combined wealth was only enough for one person to enter.

"Junior Brother, keep this bottle of Qi Nurturing Pills. I'll be taking my leave," Lin Yang said, handing over one of the small bottles.

"Isn't there six in here?" Yun Shu smiled, then poured one out and handed it back to Lin Yang.

Lin Yang shook his head. "We were only able to complete this mission because of Junior Brother Yun's strength. In fact, I feel that Junior Brother Yun could have completed it alone without me; I was merely assisting. Four pills is already very generous."

"We agreed on half each." Yun Shu placed the Qi Nurturing Pills into Lin Yang's hand.

Yun Shu was short on Qi Nurturing Pills and was dirt poor, but he would not go back on his word.

Five Qi Nurturing Pills.

This was the first large sum of wealth Yun Shu had ever obtained, coming from an Outer Sect mission.

Just after returning to his room, Yun Shu took out the five bottles of Hundred Herbs Liquid previously issued by the sect, along with one Blood Coagulating Pill, and placed them together with the five Qi Nurturing Pills.

He hesitated for a moment; he did not intend to absorb the Blood Coagulating Pill. The Blood Coagulating Pill was not meant for supplementing cultivation, and besides, he might have a use for it later.

As for the rest, "Absorb!"

In the end, only one bottle of Hundred Herbs Liquid and one Blood Coagulating Pill remained; this was all the wealth Yun Shu currently possessed. Since a single bottle of Hundred Herbs Liquid wouldn't be of much use, Yun Shu did not absorb it.

His Energy Points had reached 16, which looked quite abundant.

At the very least, he didn't have to worry about points for the time being. Although it still wasn't quite enough, it was already much better than before.

The next day.

It was still dark, with moonlight casting a layer of frost over the ground, when Yun Shu arrived at the Training Ground.

There were only a few scattered figures on the Training Ground. Yun Shu paid them no mind and began practicing the Body Refining Technique off to the side.

The Body Refining Technique was the most basic cultivation method within the sect. Yun Shu had now obtained the complete Nine-Level Body Refining Technique; he only needed to master it thoroughly to continue his cultivation.

"Ding, you have practiced the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1."

"..."

"Ding, you have practiced the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1."

With every punch and kick, Yun Shu practiced with extreme focus. For him, there were no bottlenecks in his progress, but he needed time to integrate it all.

Especially since the insights gained from Proficiency were added directly; only by fully absorbing them could he truly make them his own.

He knew well that his aptitude was not particularly outstanding. Only by working harder than others could he reach the average standard of those excellent disciples.

In fact, even with the script in his hands and the help of the system, he wasn't certain he could match the cultivation speed of the Female Protagonist.

Furthermore, the Female Protagonist had already appeared, and her strength would surely advance by leaps and bounds from this moment on. This put enough pressure on him.

Compared to her, the achievements he had made were far too insignificant. Therefore, Yun Shu kept practicing diligently, earnestly contemplating the insights brought to him by the Proficiency.

The foundation was extremely important. Only when the foundation was solid could one build upon it.

As the Body Refining Technique continued to circulate, Yun Shu soon felt the Qi and blood in his body surging wildly.

Endless power surged continuously within his body.

Every punch and kick carried a thick aura of blood energy.

At a certain moment.

Bang.

Yun Shu threw a punch. A visible fist-wind formed from blood energy surged forward, causing the air to rumble and roar before dissipating far into the distance.

"Ding! You have practiced the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1. Proficiency is now 100. You have reached Great Success!"

Yun Shu could not help but be overjoyed. Great Success! To say nothing else, at the very least, being able to project blood energy outside the body was something that could only be achieved at the absolute peak of the Body Refining realm!

Although his current strength could not compare to a peak Body Refining expert, with the Body Refining Technique at Great Success, he would have no problem fighting those in the late Body Refining stage across levels!

Yun Shu pulled up his panel.

Name: Yun Shu Age: 16 Realm: Body Tempering Stage Six Technique Proficiency: Body Refining Technique Great Success (1/200), Sword Intent Tier 1 (0/100)