Soon, after half an hour of lying in wait, Yao Xuan finally spotted another lone prey!
In the forest in the distance, a lone Green Mane Wolf strode along. Its aura was weak; it didn't seem to be a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, but a Ten-Year Soul Beast.
With a thought, Yao Xuan used [Eye of Detection] on it!
[Target: Green Mane Wolf]
[ cultivation: 35 years]
[Description: An ordinary wolf-type Soul Beast with sharp claws and teeth. Be careful not to get hurt.]
[Devour Reward: 10 days of cultivation]
As Yao Xuan focused, an Attribute Box appeared.
"I can hunt it! But I'll only get 10 days of cultivation after devouring it. That's far too little!"
"At this rate, it'll take quite a while to break through to Ten-Year Soul Beast!"
Looking at the description in the Attribute Box, Yao Xuan felt a little helpless.
After claiming his quest reward, his cultivation had already reached six years and one month.
For an ordinary Soul Beast, that was equivalent to roughly 60 years of cultivation.
And because of the nature of the system ability [Devour Evolution], whenever the target's cultivation was below 60 years and it wasn't a special Soul Beast such as a Man Faced Demon Spider or a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, the cultivation he gained from devouring it would be greatly reduced.
For example, if Yao Xuan devoured the Pink-Horned Wild Boar from before again, he might gain at most one day of cultivation—perhaps even less.
And if Yao Xuan kept getting stronger, the cultivation he gained from hunting Ten-Year Soul Beasts would grow smaller and smaller.
"It looks like even with the system, getting stronger won't be easy!"
"But I'd rather improve slowly than get reckless. Better to play it safe!"
"After all, even though I have a Bloodline Awakening Card, I don't have an unlimited supply. I have to cherish them!"
Although he was a little dissatisfied with how slowly his cultivation was increasing, Yao Xuan didn't let it go to his head. Instead, he silently made up his mind.
Then he fixed his gaze on the Green Mane Wolf in the distance and quietly gathered his strength. With a sudden push from both legs, he swung his sharp claws and lunged at the wolf's head!
Compared with the Pink-Horned Wild Boar, the Green Mane Wolf was a wolf-type Soul Beast, with considerably faster reflexes and greater strength.
Faced with Yao Xuan's ambush, the Green Mane Wolf hurriedly raised its claws, trying to block his sudden attack.
But—
Although the Green Mane Wolf had time to react, it was no match for Yao Xuan, the Emperor Auspicious Beast, in either strength or physical prowess.
Crack!
With a crisp snap, Yao Xuan swatted one of the Green Mane Wolf's arms and broke it.
Then his sharp claws slammed into the wolf's head.
Wolf-type Soul Beasts were known for having "copper skin, iron bones, and a tofu waist," but against overwhelming strength, even the Green Mane Wolf's hard head was useless.
Thud!
With a muffled impact, the Green Mane Wolf's head burst beneath Yao Xuan's blow!
Blood and flesh flew everywhere!
Its body collapsed limply to the ground!
"Devour!"
Looking at the Green Mane Wolf's corpse, Yao Xuan mercilessly activated the system ability [Devour Evolution]!
The next moment, a red glow enveloped the wolf's corpse!
As the corpse disappeared, a surge of warmth flowed into Yao Xuan's body!
As his cultivation increased, Yao Xuan's cultivation silently rose by ten days!
It went from six years and one month to six years, one month, and ten days!
"Let's keep going! This time, I can take on even somewhat stronger Soul Beasts! As long as it isn't a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, I shouldn't have any trouble with my strength!"
Licking his lips and savoring the thrill of getting stronger, Yao Xuan continued on his way!
Three days passed in the blink of an eye!
Thanks to the system ability [Devour Evolution], Yao Xuan received cultivation each time he devoured an enemy. So even though he hunted continuously, he wasn't tired at all!
After three days and three nights of hunting, Yao Xuan's cultivation finally reached nine years and eleven months!
He was just one final step away from breaking through to Ten-Year Soul Beast!
Once he made the breakthrough, Yao Xuan would not only receive a new system reward, but his strength would also soar with the major advancement.
By then, he would be able to hunt Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
His cultivation would increase at an entirely new pace!
"You're the one! Become the fuel for my evolution!"
After waiting in ambush for a while longer, Yao Xuan finally spotted a suitable opponent!
An Iron-Backed Ape with 90 years of cultivation!
Without hesitation, Yao Xuan gathered his strength and swung his razor-sharp dragon claws, viciously raking at the Iron-Backed Ape's neck!
Overwhelmed by Yao Xuan's superior strength, the Iron-Backed Ape couldn't put up any resistance!
In just one exchange, Yao Xuan broke its neck, killing it instantly!
"Devour!"
A flash of delight crossed his eyes as Yao Xuan activated the system ability [Devour Evolution] without hesitation!
The next moment, the Iron-Backed Ape's corpse vanished in a red glow!
A surge of potent Bloodline Power flowed into Yao Xuan's body!
As this Bloodline Power flooded into him, Yao Xuan's cultivation soared once more, finally breaking through the ten-year bottleneck!
From this moment on, Yao Xuan had successfully advanced to Ten-Year Soul Beast!
It might seem that this time, Yao Xuan's cultivation had increased by only one month.
But going from a Soul Beast with single-digit years of cultivation to a Ten-Year Soul Beast was still a qualitative change!
As soon as he broke through, Yao Xuan felt that his overall abilities had doubled, and his strength had surged once again!
Not only that, but when his cultivation reached ten years, all kinds of inherited Bloodline Power also emerged within his bloodline!
Having assimilated the combat techniques inherited through his bloodline, Yao Xuan felt that he had become much better at fighting.
He would have no trouble dealing with Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
At the same time, he awakened his first Bloodline Ability—Intimidation!
In other words, he could use the power of the Emperor Auspicious Beast's bloodline to briefly intimidate his enemies.
Ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beasts would briefly lose their ability to fight under the power of Intimidation.
As for weaker Ten-Year Soul Beasts, they probably wouldn't dare resist at all.
With this ability, Yao Xuan no longer had to focus on a single Soul Beast at a time.
Even against a group of Soul Beasts, he could activate Intimidation, ignore the cannon fodder, and go straight for the leader!
Of course, Intimidation worked not only on Soul Beasts, but on humans as well.
It was an extremely useful system ability.
It could also help Yao Xuan hunt and evolve faster.
[Ding! Congratulations on successfully advancing to Ten-Year Soul Beast. As a reward for your bravery, the system has prepared a prize for you. Would you like to claim it?]
Just then, the system notification sounded in Yao Xuan's ears once more.
"Of course I'll claim it!"
Hearing the system notification, Yao Xuan silently answered in his mind without hesitation.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have received the system abilities "Goddess Affinity" and "Storage Space," along with five system items: "Selection Treasure Chest"!]
Before you continue