The following afternoon, a large crowd of Outer Sect Disciples and Servant Disciples gathered in the central square of Wutong District.
Zhou Er had gone out for a stroll. When he saw so many people gathered there, he went over to take a look. There was Li Wuya, riding a tiger that had been beaten black and blue and was as docile as a cat, swaggering through the streets.
Behind him followed the members of his Hunting Team, carrying the prey from their latest hunt. Even dead, those beasts gave off a far more imposing presence than the Sick Tiger beneath Li Wuya.
"Fellow senior and junior brothers, please make way. This Fierce Tiger hasn't been fully tamed yet, so be careful it doesn't hurt you."
Li Wuya waved for the disciples who had gathered to watch to clear a path.
Suddenly, he spotted Zhou Er in the crowd. He patted the Sick Tiger's head, came over to Zhou Er, and asked:
"Junior Brother Zhou, this Fierce Tiger weighs seven hundred pounds. Are you satisfied?"
"Of course I am."
Zhou Er smiled and nodded, then followed Li Wuya to his residence.
The other members of Li Wuya's Hunting Team casually dropped the prey they had been carrying and took a short rest. In a little while, they would sell everything to the sect's designated buyer of Demonic Beast carcasses.
"Junior Brother Zhou, I forgot to ask earlier. What do you want the Fierce Tiger for? Are you thinking of keeping it as a pet? Fierce Tigers are hard to tame. You have to beat one until it's scared of you before it'll stop baring its teeth. They're not a good choice for pets or Spirit Pets."
As he spoke, Li Wuya patted the tiger's head, then suddenly forced it down to the ground with all his strength. He didn't climb off until the tiger was too afraid to raise its head.
"That's right, Junior Brother Zhou! Don't keep a Fierce Tiger just because you think it'd be fun. These tigers are a handful."
A burly man from Li Wuya's Hunting Team also tried to dissuade him.
"Senior Brother, I understand. I want the tiger because I'd like to eat its liver. I came across a tome that said eating the organs of the Five Animals could strengthen the body."
Zhou Er smiled as he explained.
"So it's Medicinal Cuisine."
Li Wuya nodded.
He practiced Body Tempering and knew that Medicinal Cuisine involved all kinds of strange recipes. It was no surprise that one of them called for tiger liver.
"Junior Brother Zhou, if all you need is the tiger liver, I'll kill the Fierce Tiger and get it for you!"
As he spoke, Li Wuya signaled to his teammates. They immediately came forward to hold the tiger down, while someone else got a basin ready to catch its blood.
Once everything was prepared, Li Wuya brought his blade down without hesitation. Hot blood gushed from the tiger's neck and poured into the basin.
The tiger was held down firmly, unable to struggle.
At the sight, Zhou Er felt a pang of sorrow.
It wasn't that he pitied the tiger. He was thinking that it had been a king of the forest, ruling over a territory stretching more than ten miles in every direction. It had been free to lord over the other animals there and kill them at will.
But in the hands of Cultivators, it was no different from the animals it had pounced on and devoured, or from cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
If you don't stand at the summit, even a Fierce Tiger is nothing more than meat on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.
Zhou Er's desire to grow stronger grew ever more urgent.
He might be safe for now, but in this perilous, dog-eat-dog Cultivation World, there might still be some mysterious great expert who took a fancy to something on him and struck him down.
So Zhou Er wanted to grow strong—strong enough to handle whatever came, should that day arrive, instead of ending up like the tiger before him, unable to escape even after bowing its head and begging for mercy.
Of course, he knew he was the one ultimately responsible, and felt a twinge of remorse.
But just as a Fierce Tiger didn't care what the cattle and sheep felt, he could sympathize with them without blaming himself too much. More than anything, he needed to stay vigilant even in times of peace.
After draining the blood, Li Wuya cut out the tiger liver, threaded a grass cord through it, and handed it to Zhou Er.
"Junior Brother Zhou, here's your tiger liver."
Zhou Er accepted the enormous liver and took out the Spirit Stones he had prepared earlier, handing them to Li Wuya.
"These are the Spirit Stones I promised you, Senior Brother."
Li Wuya didn't refuse. He took the Spirit Stones with his bloody hand and said with a smile:
"If you need us again, Junior Brother Zhou, just let us know."
"If I do, I'll come find you, Senior Brother."
Zhou Er said his farewells, then carried the tiger liver to the Spirit Restaurant.
The Spirit Restaurant not only served meals, but also let customers bring in ingredients for the kitchen to cook. They only had to pay a little for seasonings and preparation.
"Senior Brother, we can turn this tiger liver into three dishes and a soup, and throw in a bowl of Spirit Bamboo Rice. It'll cost just one Low-grade Spirit Stone."
The waiter at the Spirit Restaurant explained.
"Then let's do that."
Zhou Er nodded.
"Coming right up!"
The waiter took the ingredients to the kitchen. Half an hour later, three dishes, a soup, and a bowl of Spirit Bamboo Rice were laid out on Zhou Er's table.
The chefs at the Spirit Restaurant had studied their craft extensively. Even an unusual ingredient like tiger liver became a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate in their hands.
Zhou Er ate so much that one bowl of rice wasn't enough. He indulged himself and ordered three more.
Each bowl of Spirit Bamboo Rice cost one Spirit Fragment, so Zhou Er paid an extra three Spirit Fragments.
It had cost a bit much, but with the Taotie Attribute, none of the food he ate would go to waste. It would all be converted into strength.
It was just a shame Lin Shiyu was still watching Elder He's furnace. Otherwise, Zhou Er would have invited her to eat with him.
[Longevity: Lifespan increased by 10 years.]
[Solidification Condition: Consume the organs of five animals: tiger liver, deer kidney, bear spleen, ape heart, and bird lung. (5/5)]
[The Longevity Attribute and Five Animals Health Technique (Perfected) have been solidified.]
At last, Zhou Er had solidified the Longevity Attribute. He could safely remove the Five Animals Health Technique and equip something else.
Of course, the best Attribute for Zhou Er was the Condensing Essence Attribute from the Purple Spirit Pill. Its effect could increase his Cultivation Speed by fifty percent—an astonishing boost.
And unlike taking pills, its effect didn't come with the side effect of Pill Poison building up. It was all benefit and no drawback.
But Zhou Er didn't have a Purple Spirit Pill on hand, so he could only equip Talisman Making Insights and use the Rune Mastery Attribute to make talismans for now.
When Lin Shiyu got off work, Zhou Er found her.
"Junior Sister, I have a favor to ask."
"Go ahead, Senior Brother."
Lin Shiyu looked at Zhou Er earnestly.
"It's about the Purple Spirit Pill. Could you help me find another one? I don't have any Spirit Stones on me right now, but I'll pay you back in a little while."
Zhou Er explained.
"It's all right. I'm happy to help you, Senior Brother. There's no rush to pay me back."
Lin Shiyu said with a smile.
"Then I owe you one, Junior Sister. By the way, how are your alchemy studies going?"
Zhou Er realized he couldn't only seek Lin Shiyu out when he needed something, so he made a little small talk.
"I'm still practicing fire control. The cost of firing up a cauldron is too high, and I don't have the confidence yet."
Ordinary people needed three to five years of practice just to make a Bigu Pill, if they could manage it at all.
Lin Shiyu wasn't sure of herself either, so she could only keep preparing.
"Don't worry, Junior Sister. Take your time."
Zhou Er knew not everyone had Attributes to help them succeed on the first try, so he didn't offer any further opinions.
After chatting briefly, Zhou Er didn't keep her.
Back in his room, Zhou Er cultivated for a while, then stopped once he'd had enough.
As he closed his eyes to meditate, he thought about how he had gotten pretty good at making Fireball Talismans. He couldn't stay stuck in one place; it was time to practice making other talismans too.
[Godspeed Talisman: When activated, increases walking speed, allowing you to travel a thousand miles in a single night.]
[Equipped Attribute: High-speed Reaction.]
[High-speed Reaction: Reaction speed increased by ten percent.]
[Solidification Condition: Travel Ten Thousand Miles.]
[Equip?]
The Godspeed Talisman looked quite good, and the Godly Travel Technique was also very practical.
With this technique, Zhou Er would have a much easier time going home to visit his family in the future.
High-speed Reaction was an especially useful Attribute too. It could improve Zhou Er's reflexes.
Faster reflexes meant he could be a step quicker at whatever he did, greatly boosting his efficiency.
After some thought, Zhou Er decided that starting the next day, he would make regular exercise a habit and go running, so he could fulfill the solidification condition of traveling ten thousand miles sooner.
At the same time, he would seek out a senior who knew the Godly Travel Technique and ask for guidance.
The next day, after cultivating, Zhou Er removed Talisman Making Insights, equipped the Godspeed Talisman, and began running around the sect.
Conditions that involved tracking distance only started counting once the relevant item was equipped.
Zhou Er had barely stepped outside, eager to get started, when he saw Lin Shiyu heading out to work as well.
"Senior Brother, what are you going out for today?"
Lin Shiyu asked curiously.
"I'm going for a run to get some exercise and strengthen my body."
Zhou Er replied with a smile.
"Then you can run with me to Elder He's Cave Mansion. I'll give you the Purple Spirit Pill there."
Lin Shiyu said.
She always arrived a quarter of an hour early so she could hand over her duties to the previous Fire Control Attendant.
"Sounds good!"
Zhou Er didn't have a destination in mind anyway. He was just trying to rack up progress on "Travel Ten Thousand Miles."
When they reached Elder He's Cave Mansion, Zhou Er paused to wait. Before long, Lin Shiyu came out carrying a small box containing a Purple Spirit Pill.
"Here you go, Senior Brother!"
Lin Shiyu handed the box to Zhou Er.
"Thank you, Junior Sister!"
Zhou Er took the box, said goodbye, and continued running around the sect.
He ran for half an hour, covering about sixty miles, then returned to his courtyard.
After cultivating, Zhou Er's body had indeed been getting stronger little by little.
He could run a kilometer in under two and a half minutes—an astonishing pace, even compared to elite distance runners. And he could maintain that speed for a long time.
[High-speed Reaction: Reaction speed increased by ten percent.]
[Solidification Condition: Travel Ten Thousand Miles. (61/10000)]
"If I cover sixty miles a day, I should be able to solidify this Attribute in a little over a hundred days."
After checking his progress, Zhou Er removed the Godspeed Talisman, equipped Talisman Making Insights, and began preparing to make talismans.
Only after he had used up all his Mana did Zhou Er put away his talisman-making tools and the three Fireball Talismans he had made. He removed Talisman Making Insights from the Equipment Slot, equipped the Purple Spirit Pill, sat down cross-legged, and began recovering his Spirit Energy.
The process took far too long. Zhou Er realized that if he could increase his recovery speed, it would boost his efficiency in making talismans and in everything else.
Using Spirit Stones to recover Spirit Energy was a very quick method, but first, the energy inside them was too harsh. Absorbing too much at once would damage the body.
Second, it was far too extravagant. His profit margins were already low, and if he spent Spirit Stones to recover his Spirit Energy, they would shrink even further. It was practically paying to work, which was awkward in the extreme.
So ideally, he would get an Attribute that automatically replenished his Spirit Energy. It would save Spirit Stones, improve his efficiency, and benefit him permanently.
He just hadn't come across such an Attribute yet. He would have to wait and see if he found one someday.
For now, Zhou Er decided to focus on cultivating and learning the Godly Travel Technique.
Over the next few days, Zhou Er first went to the Scripture Pavilion and borrowed a manual on the Godly Travel Technique for one Spirit Stone, then studied it on his own.
After that, he looked to see if any Elders or senior brothers from the Inner Sect were giving lectures about the Godly Travel Technique at the Lecture Platform.
If all else failed, he would ask a senior brother he knew, like hiring a private tutor.
Zhu Shunyang was busy every day, so Zhou Er couldn't possibly bother him over such a small matter.
So Zhou Er asked around among several people he knew.
Lin Shiyu didn't know the Godly Travel Technique. The last time she went home, she had bought a Godspeed Talisman, so she couldn't help.
In the end, Zhou Er learned that Li Wuya was proficient in the technique and was happy to teach him, as long as Zhou Er was willing to pay.
The price was rather steep: one Spirit Stone per hour.
Zhou Er was eager to learn, so he couldn't quibble over one or two Spirit Stones. Besides, he only planned to take one or two lessons.
Li Wuya pocketed the Spirit Stones and cheerfully led Zhou Er to the Dojo.
"Junior Brother Zhou, the key to the Godly Travel Technique is to gather your Mana in your legs, doubling your speed while letting you travel a thousand miles without tiring."
Li Wuya explained patiently and answered every question Zhou Er asked.
After all, he'd taken Zhou Er's Spirit Stones. If he didn't teach him properly, he'd only sour the relationship between fellow disciples.
Li Wuya wasn't the sort to hold back, either.
After one two-hour private lesson, Zhou Er had worked through the difficult parts and finally managed to use the Godly Travel Technique.
He couldn't sustain it for long yet, and its effect wasn't particularly impressive, but with diligent practice, he would get the hang of it.
After that, Zhou Er slowed down his talisman-making and devoted more time to practicing the Godly Travel Technique.
As it happened, practicing the Godly Travel Technique also increased the solidification progress of his High-speed Reaction Attribute.
His pace of earning Spirit Stones had slowed for the time being, but his own strength had improved considerably.
Naturally, the number of Fireball Talismans he supplied to the Fu Family Talisman Shop also decreased.
Fu Qiu even asked Zhou Er with concern whether something had happened. When he learned that Zhou Er was focusing on practicing a technique, he didn't say anything, but offered his support.
After all, plenty of Talisman Masters supplied talismans to the Fu Family Talisman Shop. They didn't need Zhou Er alone.
Maintaining a good relationship with him mattered more.
And so Zhou Er practiced diligently every day, braving wind and rain as time flew by.
One month later.
Zhou Er raced down the road, his legs moving like pistons, his speed reaching an astonishing sixty or seventy kilometers per hour—on par with a cheetah or an antelope.
And as long as his Spirit Energy held out, he could keep running at that speed, unlike a cheetah, which couldn't maintain its pace for long.
With Zhou Er's current Mana Limit, he could run for a full day and night without any trouble.
Today, Zhou Er ran a little farther than usual.
[High-speed Reaction: Reaction speed increased by ten percent.]
[Solidification Condition: Travel Ten Thousand Miles. (9996/10000)]
The reason was simple: the solidification condition for High-speed Reaction was almost complete.
The last four miles would bring him right back to his own courtyard.
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