The Fang Beast's growls gradually weakened, and it stopped responding.
Yuan stood beside a tree, looking at the Fang Beast's corpse, its head nearly severed. The flow of blood had slowed, and it was clear that it had almost completely drained away.
After all, it had probably lost an entire bucket of blood just now.
"It's dead!" Yuan poured Genetic Origin Energy into his sword again, recalling what the villagers had told him about Fang Beasts a few days earlier.
Then, using his Origin Energy weapon, he sliced along the Fang Beast's head and removed its single horn. It was the most valuable part of the entire beast!
After ordering the other members of the hunting team to spread out and keep watch, Shenghui and Sijian landed beside Yuan with smiles on their faces.
The two of them spoke almost in unison. "Congratulations! You've mastered the practical application of the Light Artistic Conception!"
They exchanged a glance and burst out laughing again. Then Sijian said something that nearly sent Yuan into raptures.
"Based on our assessment, with the boost your Light Artistic Conception gives your Origin Energy weapon, combined with your Spiritual Force, you're already capable of fighting a Desolate Beast at the eighth level of the Earth Rank (Planet Rank) head-on!"
Yuan clenched his fists in secret! His hopes of returning home had grown even stronger!
He had feared Desolate Beasts only because he had never faced one before. Now that he had killed his first one with his own hands, Yuan even felt they weren't all that formidable!
The Earth Rank ninth-level boys and girls who had been dissatisfied with Shenghui's praise of Yuan's talent were now thoroughly convinced. What else could they do but accept it?
Yuan's strength, despite being only at the third level of the Earth Rank, was already close to their own. Just how strong would he become as he continued to improve?
After all, given the energy density on Dongyuan Planet, it was like Earthlings constantly staying in a sauna and replenishing their fluids.
They could absorb energy just through their daily activities, so advancing through the Earth Rank was relatively easy.
Without waiting for Shenghui to prompt them, the boys and girls gathered around Yuan again, asking him for advice on cultivating Conceptions.
Unfortunately, Yuan had acquired the Light Artistic Conception after passing out and waking up, and he couldn't explain how it had happened.
All he could say was that he had felt a powerful urge to control the light around him.
Everyone was just as puzzled after hearing that. They wanted to learn how Yuan sensed the light and comprehend the Conception corresponding to one of their own eight attributes, but none of them made any progress!
Although he had warned Yuan about it before, Sijian still cautioned him, "Let me remind you again: this is something you should only be able to do after entering the Domain stage."
"And you don't have a suitable cultivation manual right now. You should restrain yourself for the time being, so you don't run into trouble!"
Yuan readily agreed and stopped dwelling on it. After all, if he worked a little harder, he could reach the combat strength of an Earth Rank ninth-level fighter. That would give him enough strength to travel outside the wilderness, so there was no need to rush.
"Yuan, your performance just now was only barely passing," Shenghui said suddenly, his expression turning stern.
"Village Chief Shenghui?" Yuan looked over. "Please give me your guidance."
"Your movement technique and attack skills are both decent, but your efficiency is far too low," Shenghui said seriously. "In a moment, I'll find someone at the ninth level of the Earth Rank to show you how to kill a Desolate Beast!"
Leaving their current spot, the group continued deeper into the forest. Before long, they came across a Cixiao roaming alone at the ninth level of the Earth Rank.
Its body was covered in sharp steel quills. It looked like a vulture several times larger than normal, and was as robust as a calf. It was far more agile and vicious than the Fang Beast they had encountered earlier.
"Watch this," an Earth Rank ninth-level fighter said coldly. Without waiting for Shenghui to tell him to, he charged forward!
Whoosh! He carried a shield in his left hand and a curved blade in his right. The man rushed straight toward the Cixiao!
"Zong Cao? His physique is on par with this Cixiao Desolate Beast's. They're both at the ninth level of the Earth Rank." Yuan watched closely.
Zong Cao didn't dodge at all. He charged straight at the Cixiao. No—more precisely, just as the Cixiao roared and pounced, colliding with Zong Cao, he twisted to the side and struck it at an angle with his shield.
The angled collision threw the Cixiao Desolate Beast off balance, sending it lurching to one side.
"Pfft!" A streak of cold light skimmed past the shield from below and slashed across the soft part of the Cixiao's belly, exposed when it lost its balance.
Blood gushed out like water from a tap. Zong Cao quickly retreated, watching coldly as the Cixiao Desolate Beast cried out in pain, gradually lost its strength, and collapsed. It stopped breathing.
Zong Cao cut off the thickest steel quill near the Cixiao Desolate Beast's tail, removed one of its nearly transparent tendons, and put it in the backpack he carried. Then he walked back.
"Did you see that? I didn't need to use a movement technique at all. I used only a tenth of my strength, yet killed it with one move." Zong Cao looked at Yuan.
Yuan was a little shaken. The battle had indeed been decided in an instant, between life and death.
To kill the Fang Beast, he had dodged its attacks again and again, then struck at its neck. It had taken a great deal of effort to bring it down.
"Think it over carefully." Zong Cao didn't explain further, leaving Yuan to reflect on it by himself.
Yuan was utterly stunned. There was nothing particularly impressive about Zong Cao's speed or technique, yet he had achieved such an excellent result!
"The best way to kill a Desolate Beast is to target its weak points!" Zong Cao said indifferently. "For most four-legged Desolate Beasts, their weak points are the eyes, the anus, the throat, and the mouth."
"The next most vulnerable spot is the soft belly... The neck and back you slashed are weaker still."
Yuan nodded. He knew all that, but Desolate Beasts moved so fast that it was difficult to stab them in the eye!
And Fang Beasts and Cixiao usually kept their heads lowered, making it difficult to stab them in the throat. Attacking the belly was also hard. Slashing the neck and back was the easiest option.
"Attacking a weak point is difficult because the opportunity rarely presents itself. Desolate Beasts aren't stupid; they protect their weak points."
"But if there's no opportunity, you can create one!"
"For example, I used a sudden angled collision to throw the Cixiao Desolate Beast off balance, exposing the vulnerable part of its neck for an instant."
"Then I immediately thrust my curved blade beneath the shield and into its neck, killing it on the spot. I also struck from beneath the shield, so the Desolate Beast had no time to react!"
"Remember to make use of your strengths," Shenghui concluded. "Be as effective and concise as possible!"
"Your movement technique is excellent, but you don't have to show it off every time. When killing a Desolate Beast, everything you do should serve the ultimate goal of killing it as effectively as possible."
"Understood." Yuan nodded. Zong Cao, who had been serious the whole time, finally showed a faint smile.
Seeing that everyone had finished discussing the matter, Shenghui called out, "It's almost noon. Let's hurry and leave. We'll find a place to rest!"
The youths cheered...
The temporary campsite was a patch of soft, downy grass, and everyone sat right down on the ground.
Shenghui lightly brushed his ring and took out some food, placing it on the grass for everyone to share.
Although people at the Earth Rank didn't really need to eat and only needed the occasional supplement of organic matter, no one was going to pass up a chance to enjoy delicious food.
Watching Shenghui's magical-looking trick, Yuan felt a little envious. Shenghui had told him about it a long time ago: the legendary Space Ring!
They were practically impossible to buy in the Isis Race. Any portable storage device that appeared on the market would fetch an astronomical price at auction, and a Space Ring was an even greater symbol of a powerful person's status!
No one knew how much space Shenghui's Space Ring held. You could store any amount of Desolate Beast carcasses or mineral materials with him. Even that Action Mecha was inside!
Shenghui and Sijian each had one. The next best thing was a Storage Tag, which only a few powerful Flying Star Rank ninth-level fighters could afford. Its capacity was no more than a tiny three-meter cube.
Aside from working hard at cultivation, the greatest hope of the Earth Rank ninth-level fighters was to accumulate enough contributions to exchange with Shenghui for a Storage Tag.
Even if they couldn't get a Storage Tag, they would be delighted to trade for a Storage Belt...
Yuan also wanted to take part in the exchange, and of course Shenghui and the others readily agreed. If they hadn't had an entire village of tens of thousands of Starship Humans to support, Shenghui wouldn't even have minded giving Yuan one for free...
Naturally, Yuan's first priority wasn't a Storage Belt. He wanted to exchange for some mineral materials containing high-level energy and see if they could help the Purple Crystal in his Consciousness Sea recover faster.
The rest was to avoid the period around noon, when the Tuya Black Hole hung high in the sky, the gravitational tides were strongest, and Universe Energy was at its most violent.
Dongyuan Planet's powerful magnetic field and gravity kept ordinary creatures bound to the ground, but they also indirectly protected these fragile beings from the Tuya Black Hole's tremendously strong gravitational tides.
In the afternoon, while everyone was packing their gear, Shenghui called out to them, "Yuan picked up the Light Artistic Conception much faster than expected."
"So Sijian and I discussed it, and we've decided to let the Earth Rank fighters use the time we've freed up to hunt and earn contributions!"
"Long live!" All the Earth Rank ninth-level boys cheered!
The path to becoming a powerhouse required hardship, but the wilderness was full of powerful Desolate Beasts, and even the strong couldn't safely venture into it without protection!
But cultivation time was precious for the strong, too, so the time set aside for each outing to cultivate, hunt, and mine was strictly limited.
Thanks to the time Yuan had saved them, they now had a rare chance to hunt "without restraint" under the protection of Universe Rank powerhouses. This was an especially precious opportunity for the Earth Rank fighters!
Sijian smiled at Yuan. "You already have strength equivalent to an Earth Rank eighth-level fighter, so you can join in. I'll record your contributions!"
Once everyone had quieted down, Shenghui continued, "The Flying Star Rank (Star Rank) fighters will guard the perimeter, while Sijian and I keep watch from the air. Don't stray too far from the main group. Remember to bring back any extra materials instead of wasting them. Sijian and I will keep them safe..."
The youths scattered in a flurry, splitting into teams to hunt Earth Rank Desolate Beasts in all directions. Yuan joined one of the teams, using his Spiritual Force to control flying daggers and provide support from a distance.
When they occasionally ran into a lone Earth Rank ninth-level fighter, Yuan could land a couple of blows from the sidelines. The large group advanced, busy but orderly.
By chance, the group encountered a small cluster of Iron-Backed Hyena Rats wandering alone. Each one was as big as a cow!
A full Iron-Backed Hyena Rat pack was usually led by a Flying Star Rank Iron-Backed Hyena Rat King. They were extremely fast, cunning, and difficult to deal with, and they were highly vengeful.
On top of that, their meat was too rank and sour to eat. Their fur and bones were the only materials worth collecting for everyday use, so even powerful Desolate Beasts generally preferred not to provoke them.
Unlike most Desolate Beasts, the somewhat intelligent Iron-Backed Hyena Rats tried to retreat as soon as they realized things were going badly, only to be driven back by the Flying Star Rank humans surrounding them.
In the ensuing melee, Yuan faced a young Iron-Backed Hyena Rat at the sixth level of the Earth Rank. He no longer dragged things out like before. Every sword strike targeted a vital spot, and four or five strikes were enough to kill the young rat!
Shenghui, watching from the air, nodded repeatedly. Yuan had good comprehension.
After making sure no one nearby needed his help, Yuan dragged the cow-sized Iron-Backed Hyena Rat off to one side, took out a skinning knife, and began practicing how to skin and dissect it on his own.
He sealed his mouth and nose with Origin Energy so the rank, sour stench wouldn't bother him. His technique gradually improved. But when he reached the Iron-Backed Hyena Rat's belly, Yuan suddenly noticed a very neat, already-healed wound, stitched with strange white thread!
Puzzled, Yuan pulled out the white thread and set it aside. "Who injured it? With a Desolate Beast at the Earth Rank's recovery ability, why bother stitching it up?"
Curious, Yuan cut open the healed wound again. A silver-white ring, stained with blood, fell out. Why did it look so familiar...
Before you continue