Advancement and Earth Fire Body Tempering

The second week at the Spirit Beast Garden, Luo Yue's arrangements became even clearer.

"That Spirit Eagle injured three disciples, so the sect has decided to execute it," Luo Yue said, standing on a stone platform in the Spirit Beast Garden and pointing to a cage isolated by a powerful formation in the distance. "It's a Foundation Establishment Early Stage spirit beast, and previous attempts at taming it failed. Using your physical defense is the best way to deal with it."

Yan Kui looked at the caged Spirit Eagle. It was three meters long, and its wingspan could block out the sun. Its sharp claws left scorch marks on the formation barrier of the cage – traces of Mana burning. The eagle's eyes flickered with madness, clearly having lost all control.

"No problem," Yan Kui replied concisely.

This week's hunt was different from the last. Yan Kui had acquired new movement techniques. When facing agile spirit beasts, he no longer stomped heavily on the ground. Instead, he could use his peculiar footwork to catch up to them – though it wasn't perfect yet, it was enough to threaten the spirit beasts' lives.

The first batch of spirit beasts was cleared out within a day. A swift Spirit Crane was confused by Yan Kui's evasive twists and turns, and was eventually stomped into a pulp on the ground. A Spirit Badger with a tough defense was entangled by the Spirit Snake Silk Hand, its movements restricted, and then violently smashed to pieces.

[Killed Qi Cultivation Stage Spirit Beasts ×3]

[Origin Power: +3.0]

The next day, Yan Kui continued to clear out the out-of-control spirit beasts. This time, Luo Yue did not come to observe. He merely instructed the disciples guarding the formation to feed them on time, preventing the spirit beasts from escaping. But Yan Kui could feel a faint gaze watching him from the shadows.

The number of spirit beasts in the abandoned area was greater than he had anticipated. The out-of-control spirit beasts, originally marked as "trash" by the sect, had accumulated in this dark area, numbering at least thirty. Most were at the Qi Cultivation stage, but there were a few stronger individuals.

A Spirit Fox was known for its speed. It could leave multiple afterimages in the air, posing the first real challenge to Yan Kui's Spirit Snake Steps. It took Yan Kui twenty minutes of constant suppression and pursuit to finally corner the fox-like creature. In the final collision, his body directly crushed the Spirit Fox's spine.

[Killed Qi Cultivation Stage Spirit Beasts ×5]

[Origin Power: +5.0]

As night fell, Yan Kui had been living in the Spirit Beast Garden for five days. The hunger signals from his physical body were growing stronger – not hunger for food, but a craving for energy during cultivation advancement. His initial mastery of the Spirit Snake Steps was reaching saturation, and he could feel that this movement technique Manual had deeper levels waiting to be unlocked.

Inside the cave, Yan Kui made a decision. He would advance the Spirit Snake Steps to the Minor Accomplishment stage.

"Merge Spirit Snake Steps, advance to Minor Accomplishment. Consume Origin Power: -5.0"

Boom--

The burning of Origin Power was more intense than last time. A stream of heat surged from his Dantian, sweeping through his entire body along his meridians. But this time, the sensation was different – not "adjustment," but "transformation."

Yan Kui's Muscle Fibers began a deeper reorganization. The muscles that had already achieved initial flexibility were now completely remodeled by Origin Power, becoming almost devoid of any "heaviness." Under the impact of Origin Power, each muscle gained faster contraction speed and stronger explosive power.

His nerve reaction speed increased dramatically with the infusion of Origin Power. The coordination between his brain and limbs reached a whole new level. When he attempted to move, his body seemed capable of changing direction in multiple ways instantaneously – no longer relying on clumsy turns, but truly "elusive."

Every part of his body was burning, but this was not the excruciating pain of the Iron Cloth Shirt era. It was a kind of pleasure of transformation. Yan Kui could feel his soul seeming to dance to the rhythm of the Origin Power.

Ten minutes later, the transformation was complete.

Yan Kui stood up and moved rapidly within the cave. The sound of his footsteps disappeared – not because they became lighter, but because his entire method of movement had changed. When he charged towards the cave wall at his fastest speed, his body left three clear afterimages.

[Spirit Snake Steps · Minor Accomplishment (Movement Speed +15%, Elusive Body, Can Leave Afterimages)]

He once again attempted to advance the Spirit Snake Silk Hand.

[Cultivating Spirit Snake Silk Hand, Advanced to Minor Accomplishment. Source Power Consumed: -3.0]

This fusion was even faster than before. The muscles in his arms began a complex reorganization, with every muscle fiber capable of finer coordination. Source Power condensed around his arms and torso, and the snake-like energy patterns became clearer, as if real spirit snakes were coiling around his limbs.

When Yan Kui swung his fists, his arms could twist in ways unimaginable to ordinary people. In the instant of coiling, he could feel himself locking onto any joint of an enemy of the same cultivation level.

[Spirit Snake Silk Hand · Minor Accomplishment (Entanglement Ability +25%, Can Restrain Enemies of the Same Level)]

For the next three days, Yan Kui continued to clear out rogue spirit beasts. The change in his combat style brought about by the breakthrough in his movement technique made these spirit beasts even more vulnerable before him. A spirit snake, originally known for its agility, was caught up by Yan Kui's high-speed movement using Spirit Snake Steps, then restrained with Spirit Snake Silk Hand, and finally smashed to death with brute force.

[Killed Qi Cultivation Stage Spirit Beasts × 4]

[Source Power: +4.0]

On the ninth day, Luo Yue issued a new order.

"There's a forbidden area in the Spirit Beast Garden," Luo Yue's tone was somewhat peculiar, "the Earth Fire Region. The temperature there is extreme; ordinary cultivators would turn to ash in an instant. But your Crimson Extreme Golden Body resonates with earth fire, so you don't need to worry. I heard there are some ancient texts left there. You can go explore it and check on the spirit beasts there."

The Earth Fire Region.

Yan Kui had heard legends of this place from other disciples' conversations. It was a forbidden zone in the Spirit Beast Garden—not because of any powerful spirit beasts, but because the environment itself was a symbol of death.

The moment he stepped into the Earth Fire Region, he could feel the temperature of the air itself. It wasn't ordinary heat, but a kind of burning with mana properties. An ordinary person would have their skin blackened after three seconds here, and their internal organs would turn to ash after ten seconds.

But for Yan Kui, it felt more like coming home. The Crimson Extreme Golden Body already possessed the characteristic of constant high temperature, so the earth fire temperature here posed no threat to him. Instead, he could feel the earth fire power within his body stirring in this environment, as if wanting to resonate with the surrounding earth fire.

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

The Earth Fire Region was a vast lava lake. In this environment, there was no vegetation, no spirit beasts, only rolling lava and occasional bursts of flame.

But at the edge of the lava lake, Yan Kui discovered an ancient cave.

This cave looked to be over a thousand years old. The entrance was protected by some powerful formation, but under the erosion of time, the formation was mostly damaged. Yan Kui broke through the last defense with his physical brute force and stepped into this mysterious space.

The temperature inside the cave was even more terrifying. But in such an environment, Yan Kui saw a half-rotted ancient book. The cover was inscribed with three large characters in ancient script—Earth Fire Body Tempering.

This was a complete cultivation manual, unlike the fragmented pieces he had found in the spirit snake's nest before. Although the paper had turned to dust over time, the content was still clearly legible.

Yan Kui took this ancient book back to the edge of the lava lake and sat down cross-legged on a stone slab that had been melted smooth by the intense fire.

He began cultivating Earth Fire Body Tempering.

[Cultivating Earth Fire Body Tempering · Entry Level. Source Power Consumed: -4.0]

This fusion was different from any before. When the Source Power burned within his body, it didn't radiate outwards but contracted inwards—drilling deep into Yan Kui's internal organs, bones, and blood.

The earth fire power poured into his five internal organs. Yan Kui could feel his liver burning, his lungs boiling, and his heart becoming a metallic organ with each beat. His bones began to absorb the earth fire power, and his bone density rapidly increased under the catalysis of Source Power.

His skin color began to change—not just the surface, but a transformation from the inside out. The original dark red became deeper, as if an unquenchable flame was burning beneath his skin.

This process was more intense than cultivating Spirit Snake Steps and Spirit Snake Silk Hand. Yan Kui's entire body felt like it was being reforged in hell. But when it was all over, he could feel a qualitative improvement in his Constitution. His body could now withstand any mortal flame—not just withstand it, but actively absorb these flames to strengthen himself.

[Earth Fire Body Tempering · Beginner (Constitution +0.5, Body releases constant high temperature +20%)]

Yan Kui opened his eyes from Meditation. His skin shimmered with an eerie glow under the reflection of the earth fire.

Just then, a voice interrupted his Meditation.

"Brother Yan Kui."

A figure walked out from the edge of the Earth Fire Region. It was Qin Shan—an Outer Disciple he had met a few times in the Spirit Snake Garden, a practitioner specializing in Spirit Snakes.

Qin Shan's expression was complicated. He looked at Yan Kui's current state—his muscles slightly flushed from cultivation, his eyes gleaming with a strange light—and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

"How... how long have you been in here?" Qin Shan's voice trembled slightly.

"Five days," Yan Kui replied concisely.

Qin Shan's face instantly turned pale. Five days. In just five days, this physically strong Outer Disciple had mastered Spirit Snake Steps to the Minor Accomplishment stage, cultivated Earth Fire Body Tempering, and in his aura, Qin Shan could feel a sense of pressure from his cultivation path—the kind of aura only a true Genius could exude.

"Elder... Elder Luo Yue asked me to check on you," Qin Shan stammered, "I heard you cleared out so many Spirit Beasts in the Spirit Beast Garden by yourself, and... you're planning to cultivate on your own?"

Yan Kui looked at Qin Shan, his gaze calm. "Does Elder Luo Yue have any specific thoughts?"

Qin Shan's eyes darted away. "No... no. It's just, your cultivation speed is very fast. A bit unusual."

After Qin Shan left, Yan Kui remained in place for a long time.

He recalled the days of hunting, and the occasional figure of Luo Yue appearing in the Spirit Beast Garden. Those eyes—greedy, calculating, filled with a twisted desire.

Luo Yue was observing him. Not just his combat ability, but some kind of "potential."

Yan Kui was now very sure of this.

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[Crimson Modifier]

Host: Yan Kui

Origin Power: 36.7 → 46.7 (+12.0 Spirit Beasts, -5.0 Spirit Snake Steps Minor Accomplishment, -3.0 Spirit Snake Silk Hand Minor Accomplishment, -4.0 Earth Fire Body Tempering Beginner)

Strength: 10.5

Agility: 3.3 → 4.0 ↑

Constitution: 12.0 → 12.5 ↑

Acquired Special Effects: Spirit Snake Absolute Shadow (Movement speed +15%, can leave behind triple afterimages), Spirit Snake Entanglement (Entanglement ability +25%, can restrain enemies of the same rank), Crimson Fire Burning Body (Body releases constant high temperature to burn, +20%)

Tip: Second week of hunting successfully completed.

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