Spirit Beast Garden and Cultivation Technique Training

A week later...

"There are some out-of-control spirit beasts kept in the abandoned area of the Spirit Beast Garden," Luo Yue said, sitting in front of Yan Kui. "They have lost their value for domestication—some are too ferocious, some have already injured disciples, and some completely disobey orders. The sect plans to get rid of them, but sending people to clear them out is too wasteful. Your physical defense is invincible, and using these trash spirit beasts to hone your combat skills is just right. It can further temper your body."

There was a hidden meaning in Luo Yue's words.

Yan Kui heard him clearly. Ostensibly, it was "clearing out trash," but in reality, Luo Yue wanted to see how he would perform in a real fight.

This was an opportunity for him instead. Killing these spirit beasts that were to be executed would not violate sect rules; the sect would even thank him for saving them the trouble. More importantly, this was an efficient way to gain Origin Power.

"I'll go," Yan Kui agreed concisely.

Luo Yue's eyes flickered, and he nodded with satisfaction.

The Spirit Beast Garden was located in the back mountains of the Qingyun Sect, a secret forbidden area isolated by powerful formations. The moment Yan Kui was led inside, a suffocating, strange aura washed over him—this was not a suppression of cultivation, but a danger signal emanating from the environment itself.

A dim sky covered the entire Spirit Beast Garden. It was not a natural dusk, but some powerful formation that had forcibly distorted the light, keeping the area in a perpetual state of gloom. Distant, sporadic roars of beasts could be heard, each carrying a terrifying aura that could instantly suffocate an ordinary person.

"The abandoned area is over there," Luo Yue pointed to the west side of the Spirit Beast Garden. "They are fed regularly, but don't approach them too actively. Those spirit beasts are very ferocious; they will come to you themselves. Remember, they are the sect's trash, and their deaths are meaningless."

The implication was clear: use them however you pleased.

Yan Kui nodded and walked in alone.

The abandoned area was indeed true to its name. The environment here was even harsher—the stone walls were mottled and old, the ground was covered with claw marks and bloodstains, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of decay and wild beasts. The stone cages holding the spirit beasts were maintained by powerful formations, and the out-of-control spirit beasts inside continuously slammed against the cages, emitting ear-piercing roars.

Yan Kui walked past cage after cage. The spirit beasts in the cages became excited upon seeing him and lunged towards the cage doors. Some spat venom, some bared their fangs, and some frantically scraped the formation barriers with their sharp claws. These were all Qi Cultivation stage spirit beasts, maddened predators filled with violent energy.

"Open the cage of this one," Yan Kui pointed to a three-meter-long spirit snake.

The disciple guarding the formation was about to say something, but upon seeing Yan Kui's 2.5-meter-tall, dark red colossal body, his words got stuck in his throat. He didn't dare to refuse and directly adjusted the formation.

The spirit snake rushed out.

Its speed was astonishing, its body darting towards Yan Kui like lightning. Its sharp fangs and claws glinted coldly in the dim light, clearly indicating that this spirit beast was not only highly venomous but also possessed considerable defensive capabilities.

Yan Kui advanced instead of retreating.

The power of the Crimson Extreme Golden Body was fully displayed at this moment. His footsteps were heavy and powerful, each one leaving deep imprints on the ground. The spirit snake's fangs bit into his shoulder, making a "crackling" sound—the sound of hard scales colliding, with no sign of flesh being torn. The spirit snake's venom slid across his dark red skin, unable to penetrate at all, eventually dissipating into the air as wisps of smoke.

The spirit snake, terrified, tried to retreat, but it was too late.

Yan Kui grabbed its body. With a slight squeeze of his massive palm, the spirit snake's body emitted the sound of cracking bones. Without giving it any chance to react, Yan Kui directly lifted the three-meter-long spirit snake and slammed it fiercely onto the ground.

"Bang—"

The ground cracked. The spirit snake's body was completely shattered by this blow, its internal organs splattering everywhere, blood spraying all over. The entire spirit beast was brutally destroyed, leaving only a mangled corpse and the smell of blood filling the air.

[Killed Qi Cultivation Stage Spirit Beast · Spirit Snake]

[Origin Power: +2.0]

The second and third spirit beasts appeared in quick succession. Some were agile Spirit Cranes, others were tough-skinned Spirit Badgers. Yan Kui dealt with them in the same manner—his Crimson Extreme Golden Body's defense was invincible, and the spirit beasts' attacks couldn't harm him. The key was his advantage in strength and physique, allowing him to crush these creatures directly.

But problems gradually surfaced.

When the fourth spirit beast appeared, a Spirit Crane with exceptional agility spread its massive wings and circled overhead at extreme speed. Yan Kui leaped, trying to strike it, but his body was too heavy. He left deep footprints upon landing, while the Spirit Crane had already flown dozens of meters away.

Insufficient agility.

This was the Crimson Extreme Golden Body's only weakness—the price of a heavy physique. While power and defense reached their peak, agility and flexibility were severely weakened. Ordinary attacks were ineffective against spirit beasts, but if an enemy was agile enough, they could rely on speed and technique to maneuver.

Yan Kui calmly adjusted his strategy. He no longer pursued hitting his opponents directly. Instead, when the Spirit Crane lowered its altitude, he used brute force to smash a section of the area. The Spirit Crane was forced to land, and the moment it touched the ground, Yan Kui stomped it into a pulp.

"Roar—"

The fifth spirit beast charged out. It was a massive Spirit Badger, its body covered in hardened scales, its eyes flashing with savage light. It lowered its head, preparing to impale Yan Kui with its sharp tusks.

Yan Kui didn't dodge. He took the blow head-on with his body. The defense of the Crimson Extreme Golden Body was fully displayed—the tusks struck his chest, creating a massive explosion, but when the smoke cleared, Yan Kui's body was unharmed. The Spirit Badger let out a desperate roar; it was too late.

The subsequent battles became repetitive and monotonous. Three, four, five spirit beasts fell one after another under Yan Kui's crushing might. They were all Qi Cultivation stage spirit beasts, and no amount of defense could withstand the might of the Crimson Extreme Golden Body.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

[Killed Qi Cultivation Stage Spirit Beasts ×3]

[Origin Power: +5.0]

Night fell.

Yan Kui settled down in a cave within the Spirit Beast Garden. This was originally the lair of some powerful spirit beast, but he had cleared it out. Faint fluorescence flickered on the cave walls, the residual glow of some mineral.

He began to tally his gains for the day.

The corpses of the spirit beasts he had killed were scattered throughout the abandoned area. The spiritual energy contained within them had been absorbed by Yan Kui and converted into Origin Power. A warm energy flowed through his body, the feeling of power growth that cultivators dreamed of.

But more importantly, during the battle with an aged spirit snake, Yan Kui discovered a long-buried ancient manual in its nest. The manual was half-rotted, but the content was still clearly legible: Spirit Snake Steps.

A cultivation manual for movement techniques.

Yan Kui carefully flipped through it and found that the core of this manual lay in improving a cultivator's agility and footwork by learning the movement patterns of spirit snakes. Spirit snakes were known for their bizarre body contortions and agile movements, and those who studied this manual could gain similar advantages in movement.

He also found incomplete sections of Spirit Snake Silk Hand and Earth Fire Body Tempering in two other nests in the Spirit Beast Garden. These were all things he needed.

Although the Crimson Extreme Golden Body was powerful, he had now discovered its fatal weakness: a lack of agility. If he could integrate movement technique manuals like Spirit Snake Steps with the power and defense of the Crimson Extreme Golden Body, he could compensate for this deficiency.

That night, Yan Kui made his decision.

He sat down cross-legged in the cave and began to burn Origin Power.

The first cultivation session began with the basic Spirit Snake Steps. This was the first breakthrough he aimed for—to stop relying on overwhelming power in combat and instead learn a more flexible, efficient fighting style.

"Cultivating Spirit Snake Steps. Origin Power consumed: -3.0"

[Origin Power consumed: -3.0]

Boom—

A surge of heat erupted from his Dantian, flowing along his meridians to his limbs. Yan Kui's muscles began to adjust automatically—the thick muscle fibers, originally built for strength, now became more supple, capable of more complex twists and stretches.

His joints clicked and popped, their range of motion greatly increased under the influence of Origin Power. His spine loosened, segment by segment, as if transforming into a serpent's spine. The tearing pain that accompanied the growth of strength was nothing to Yan Kui, who had already endured the fusion of the Crimson Extreme Golden Body.

Five minutes later, the transformation was complete.

Yan Kui opened his eyes and tried to move his body. His steps became light, no longer the heavy thuds of before. When he moved quickly, his figure became somewhat elusive.

[Spirit Snake Steps · Novice]

[Obtained Special Effect: Agility Basic (Movement Speed +5%)]

Immediately after, he began cultivating the second technique—Spirit Snake Silk Hand. The core of this technique lay in using the body's coiling to restrain and control the enemy's movements.

[Cultivating Spirit Snake Silk Hand. Origin Power consumed: -2.0]

Origin Power condensed around his arms and torso, with snake-like energy patterns coiling around his body. He felt his muscles gain new flexibility, his joints capable of twists and stretches previously impossible.

[Spirit Snake Silk Hand · Novice]

[Obtained Special Effect: Entanglement Ability +10%]

After two cultivation sessions, Yan Kui's body had undergone a noticeable change. He was no longer a pure strength-based fighter but was beginning to master multi-dimensional combat skills.

At night, he lay in the cave, feeling the changes in his body. The day's hunting and cultivation had brought significant gains—Origin Power had increased by 10.0 points, with 5.0 points consumed by cultivation, for a net increase of 5.0 points. More importantly, he had found a direction to compensate for his agility shortcomings.

The beast roars outside continued to echo, but to Yan Kui, they were merely the sounds of food.

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[Crimson Modifier]

Host: Yan Kui

Origin Power: 31.7 → 36.7 (+10.0 Spirit Beast, -5.0 Cultivation)

Strength: 10.5

Agility: 3.0 → 3.3 ↑

Constitution: 12.0

Realm: Crimson Extreme Golden Body (First Order)

Learned Manuals: Crimson Extreme Golden Body, Spirit Snake Steps (Beginner), Spirit Snake Silk Hand (Beginner)

Obtained Special Effects: None

Hint: First day of hunting successfully completed.

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