Lu Yuan answered honestly, "S-class Body Tempering Art: Profound Nether Ice Soul Body."
"An S-class Body Tempering Art!" Xia Qingyin drew in a sharp breath, then asked instinctively, "H-how did you manage that?"
"I'm not really sure, either. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe I have a knack for it."
Lu Yuan put it that way.
He couldn't exactly tell Xia Qingyin outright that killing ferocious beasts earned him Evolution Points, which he could use to skip the entire cultivation process with a single tap...
The astonishment on Xia Qingyin's pretty face didn't fade in the slightest!
She was now certain of one thing: the title "genius" no longer did Lu Yuan justice. Only the word "monster" could describe him.
They spent the remaining half-day hunting.
Although they didn't find another Second Order Upper Rank ferocious beast like the Gale Demon Wolf, Lu Yuan still ran into nearly ten Second Order Lower Rank beasts like the Purple Fang Snake.
[You killed the Second Order Lower Rank ferocious beast Leaf Monkey. Evolution Points +120!]
[You killed the Second Order Lower Rank ferocious beast Little Yellow Bear. Evolution Points +140!]
[...]
That evening, Lu Yuan opened his status panel to check his total gains.
[Name: Lu Yuan]
[Evolution Points: 2050]
[...]
Unfortunately, even with his Evolution Points now up to 2050, Lu Yuan still couldn't break through to the next level.
So instead, he raised the proficiency of his "Ice Shard Ring Body" skill from Beginner to Intermediate.
It was a skill book Director Li had given him earlier, and he'd been able to improve its proficiency for quite some time.
[Evolution Points -200!]
[Ice Shard Ring Body (D) (Beginner) → Ice Shard Ring Body (D) (Intermediate)]
Breaking through a skill was much easier than advancing a Body Tempering Art.
First, a flood of memories poured into his mind. Then all he had to do was absorb them.
Once he'd absorbed the memories, Lu Yuan drew on the Primal Energy within his body and released "Ice Shard Ring Body" once more.
He found that the number of ice shards produced by "Ice Shard Ring Body" had increased from three to four. Aside from that, the shards were just a tiny bit bigger, and the boost to his ice abilities was slightly stronger.
But when he thought about it, it made sense. It was only a D-class skill, after all. What more could he expect?
But...
Lu Yuan noticed that even after "Ice Shard Ring Body" reached Intermediate proficiency,
[Ice Shard Ring Body (D) (Intermediate) ↑]
the "↑" still remained beside it on the panel.
That meant he could still use his remaining 1900 Evolution Points to raise "Ice Shard Ring Body" from Intermediate to Advanced proficiency.
Save where it made sense, spend where it counted.
Of course, Lu Yuan wasn't about to pour a large number of Evolution Points into a D-class skill like "Ice Shard Ring Body."
That evening.
Xia Qingyin and the Deepwater Demon Dragon Cub were nibbling at the food they'd brought with them.
Lu Yuan, meanwhile, gathered some dead branches nearby and lit a campfire.
Boom, boom, boom~
The flames blazed, warming everyone's hearts.
Then Lu Yuan used thin branches as skewers and threaded them with meat from the ferocious beasts they'd hunted that day.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
The moment the meat touched the fire, thick smoke rose into the air.
Then he sprinkled on a handful of cumin and other seasonings!
The aroma was simply incredible!
Naturally, the thick smoke drifted into the noses of Xia Qingyin and Little Blue beside him.
"Master, I want some meat~"
As Xia Qingyin's Companion Beast, Little Blue spoke to her telepathically.
Its mouth was practically watering.
As if he'd predicted this, Lu Yuan approached the girl and her beast with several freshly cooked skewers in hand.
With a smile, he asked, "Classmate Xia Qingyin, Little Blue, would you like some?"
Little Blue was already drooling shamelessly. It asked eagerly, "Yes! Yes! I want some!"
Xia Qingyin smiled. She didn't refuse Lu Yuan's kindness.
"Thank you, Lu Yuan."
Lu Yuan waved his hand. "Don't mention it. We're classmates, after all. You help me, I help you. It's only natural."
Xia Qingyin gave a small nod. "Mm."
She took a small bite of the skewer. The meat was cooked just right, and the seasoning had soaked in beautifully.
There was no denying it: these skewers were delicious.
As for Little Blue—
Its little body held a tremendous amount of energy!
Xia Qingyin had barely eaten a few bites before Little Blue had already finished all its skewers!
"I want more! I want more!"
Little Blue said, sticking out its tongue.
"You really are a greedy little dragon."
Xia Qingyin flicked her Companion Beast on the forehead.
Little Blue winced. It rubbed its head with its tiny claws, looking as if it were about to cry.
"Here."
Lu Yuan handed Little Blue another freshly cooked skewer while eating the ones he had left.
The evening passed in a pleasant atmosphere.
Since Xia Qingyin had the S-class supernatural ability "Natural Spirit Dew," she possessed an extraordinary sense of awareness. Detecting the approach of ferocious beasts was no problem for her.
That ability worked even while she was asleep!
So Lu Yuan didn't need to take a watch shift, either.
Back when he'd been with the other members of the Fire Fox Team,
nightfall came at six in the evening, dinner lasted from six to eight, and bedtime was from eight in the evening until six in the morning.
Ten hours in total.
There were five people in the Fire Fox Team, and the watch shifts were divided evenly among them. That meant each person had to stand watch for two hours.
Before you continue