The Sixth Layer

"Screech!"

Wracked by excruciating pain, the Mountain Carving began to fight back desperately. Its furious cries echoed through the dense forest, but Su Zhi, Su Yu, and the others had already retreated the moment they struck. Hit by the Ice Seal Talisman and not yet recovered, the Mountain Carving was simply too slow in its attempted counterattack.

Moreover, Su Zhi's mid-grade magical artifact flying sword was incomparably sharp. It pierced into the bloody hole created by the Cloud Breaking Arrow. Even though the Mountain Carving reacted and forcibly trapped the flying sword, that strike still inflicted grave injuries upon it.

Not to mention that all four of Su Yu's group had unleashed their magical artifacts, worsening the Mountain Carving's injuries still further.

And as the Mountain Carving furiously tried to retaliate, the effects of the Spirit Bewildering Liquid within its body took hold even faster.

It held out for fewer than a hundred breaths. As Su Zhi's group of five repeatedly blocked its escape, the Mountain Carving's massive body finally collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

Only after Su Zhi stepped forward and used her flying sword to sever the Mountain Carving's head did she finally let out a breath of relief.

Li Shinan and Chen Sisi clicked their tongues inwardly. Seeing that the Mountain Carving was dead, they each recalled their magical artifacts.

They felt somewhat dazed, yet also oddly unsatisfied.

They had killed the Mountain Carving that easily?

The instant that thought surfaced in Li Shinan and Chen Sisi's minds, both turned their gazes toward Su Yu and silently shook their heads.

The Mountain Carving had not died unjustly.

It truly had been powerful.

But faced with repeated attacks from High-grade Rank 1 Talismans, with Su Zhi, a Seventh Layer of Qi Refining cultivator, holding the field—

And with an exceptionally effective medicine like Spirit Bewildering Liquid added to the mix—

It would have been strange if the Mountain Carving had survived!

Strictly speaking, the Mountain Carving had not been killed by them. It had been crushed to death by money.

Four High-grade Rank 1 Talismans were worth nearly two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Talismans like the Ice Seal Talisman, with their exceptional effects, were especially expensive.

Adding the Spirit Bewildering Liquid, whose effect could not be underestimated either, a late-stage Rank 1 Mountain Carving was probably worth no more than that.

With its wings spread, the enormous Mountain Carving's corpse measured over ten zhang across. Its entire body was covered in black feathers that gleamed with a cold light like black iron.

Its talons, beak, feathers, and the rest were all excellent materials.

Yet the only thing Su Yu had his eye on was the late-stage Rank 1 demonic beast essence blood. The Mountain Carving contained sixty-three drops of essence blood, worth roughly one hundred sixty or seventy low-grade Spirit Stones.

Su Yu had originally intended to buy all of it with Spirit Stones, but Li Shinan, Chen Sisi, and Su Qingyi all refused, directly giving him the demonic beast essence blood.

In this hunt for the Mountain Carving, aside from Su Zhi, Su Yu had contributed the most.

After hearing the three of them out, Su Yu smiled. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

The remaining materials were handed over to Su Qingyi to handle, and would later be divided among Li Shinan and Chen Sisi.

Su Zhi put away the Mountain Carving's head and said happily, "I owe all of you a favor."

Then, looking at Su Yu, Su Zhi said, "Little Yu, those two Cloud Piercing Arrow Talismans are on me. You've already helped me tremendously."

This hunt for the Mountain Carving had indeed been unexpectedly easy.

However, such a hunting method was not advisable. The approach was simply too extravagant, and unless a mission required it, it was not worth the cost.

The group happily left the mountains and headed back toward the Cloud Sword Sect.

Not long afterward.

A figure appeared at the place where the five had hunted the Mountain Carving, his expression shifting uncertainly.

"A Mountain Carving whose aura was comparable to the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm was actually hunted down by those little brats in less than half an incense stick's time?"

"And they barely suffered any injuries or expended much energy."

When he had first noticed that Su Zhi and the others intended to hunt the Mountain Carving, he had been delighted.

He had planned to wait until Su Zhi's group of five and the Mountain Carving crippled each other, then swoop in like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and pick up a late-stage Rank 1 demonic beast for free.

Who could have imagined that Su Zhi and the others would be so frighteningly capable? In less than half an incense stick's time, they had taken down a Mountain Carving whose strength was far from weak.

And without getting hurt!

Watching such a scene had scared him badly enough. How could he dare show himself?

"Damn it."

Cursing under his breath, the man unwillingly watched the direction in which Su Zhi's group had departed and thought, I can only wait for another opportunity.

"That Su Zhi is quite strong. I can give up on her."

"But Su Yu is only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. As long as I seize one opportunity, I can take him down."

"Hmph."

Su Yu did not concern himself with how Su Zhi would submit her mission and advance to the inner sect.

After completing the Mountain Carving hunting mission and returning to the Alchemy Pavilion in the market district, Su Yu recalled the course of the hunt. His state of mind had never felt so clear and relaxed.

It felt utterly exhilarating.

First, bombard the enemy with talismans.

Then serve them some Spirit Bewildering Liquid.

Then send magical artifacts after them one by one.

The Mountain Carving had been utterly powerless to resist, and the group had easily hunted it down.

This mode of combat made Su Yu's eyes light up.

It was as though he had found the path he ought to follow from now on.

This mission had not been as difficult as he had imagined.

"The Ice Seal Talisman was immensely useful. With that in hand, whether I follow up with other talismans or attack with spells and magical artifacts, they won't even be able to dodge."

"Then use medicine to put them down. Perfect."

Su Yu praised it inwardly.

However—

After Su Yu came back to his senses from that state, he began to feel that something was off.

Why was he thinking like this?

With his current foundation and the Proficiency Panel, a plan that relied on all manner of treasures to finally kill an enemy should not have been his first choice.

The path he ought to take was to keep a low profile as much as possible, steadily grind away at his cultivation and body-refining strength day after day.

And in the end—

He should use absolute, crushing power to slap his opponent to death.

Just like the Mountain Carving this time. If he had been at the Foundation Establishment stage, or possessed second-rank body-refining cultivation comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage—

Then dealing with the Mountain Carving would have involved no danger or difficulty at all.

Shouldn't that have been what he pursued?

"That's how it should be. I nearly went down the crooked path." Su Yu's gaze narrowed slightly.

In that case, he needed to consider how to earn some resources next, so that he could maintain his peaceful days of cultivation in the market district.

After returning to the Alchemy Pavilion, Su Yu resumed his usual routine. Aside from methodically cultivating the Azure Wood Age Wheel Art, Body Refining Technique, and spells each day, he followed his master Su Yun in learning alchemy, practicing alchemy, and accumulating proficiency.

As for the seed he had brought from home, nourished each day by Su Yu's mana, it gradually became a little more plump, and its life aura grew slightly stronger.

Another month passed.

With the aid of late-stage Rank 1 demonic beast essence blood, Su Yu's Crocodile Demon's 108 Forms Body Refining Technique naturally broke through to the sixth layer.

After his Body Refining Technique broke through, Su Yu felt that the core where the Blood Whale Swallowing Moon Art's power had previously accumulated to fullness had emptied by a large portion again. He needed to replenish that power.

"Brother Yu, I know the whereabouts of a Jade Scale Python that has just broken through to the late stage of Rank 1. Want to take it down together?" Su Qingyi found Su Yu and asked in a low voice.

Su Yu shook his head as soon as he heard that. "No. I'm only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. How could I dare trouble a late-stage Rank 1 demonic beast?"

No matter how Su Qingyi tried to persuade him, he could not convince Su Yu to go out with him. In the end, he merely traded Su Yu for a little Spirit Bewildering Liquid, then went into the wilderness himself to prepare to hunt the Jade Scale Python.

His talent in alchemy was far inferior to Su Yu's. Recently, Su Qingyi had shifted his focus toward hunting demonic beasts.

He hoped to accumulate some cultivation resources to sustain his own cultivation.

Two days later.

Su Qingyi returned from the hunt. Though he had suffered minor injuries, he had successfully hunted the late-stage Rank 1 Jade Scale Python.

He gave half of the Jade Scale Python's essence blood to Su Yu.

Su Yu had originally thought that his days in the market district could remain peaceful forever. But half a month after breaking through to the sixth layer of the Body Refining Technique, he heard bad news.

Lin Danlang, the Lin Family's young master who had previously entered the Cloud Sword Sect, had married into the Maple City Bai Family and wed the Bai Family's second daughter, who weighed over four hundred jin, in exchange for the Maple City Bai Family's support.

The Maple City Bai Family was a cultivation force with two Foundation Establishment stage patriarchs.