In the valley, fierce purple sword energy gathered at the tip of Qin Yu's sword. His gaze was unwavering, and he didn't hesitate for a moment. With a twist of his wrist, he thrust the sword forward, driving it precisely into the wound in the Great Strength Demon Ape's chest and straight through its heart.
"Roar—!"
The Great Strength Demon Ape let out an utterly anguished howl. Its enormous body shuddered violently several times, and the light gradually faded from its bell-like eyes. The earth-element spiritual energy surrounding it dispersed, and it crashed to the ground, completely lifeless.
Qin Yu slowly withdrew his sword. A gust of Nebula True Qi swept across the blood on its blade, instantly clearing it away and restoring its original gleam. He breathed a little heavily, and the Nebula True Qi around him was somewhat disordered. Though this battle had been a trial for him, it had also consumed a considerable amount of his mental energy and true qi.
Black Feather swooped down with a flap of his wings and landed beside the Great Strength Demon Ape's corpse. He rubbed his head against the ape's body, his eyes shining with excitement, and sent a message through spiritual awareness: "Big brother, we won! This giant ape's body is so powerful. Its blood essence must be incredibly pure!"
Qin Yu smiled and nodded, then walked over and looked down at the Great Strength Demon Ape's corpse. "Yes. Killing it was quite the achievement. Its hide is as hard as steel and can be refined into defensive artifacts. Its bones can be used to forge weapons, and its Golden Core is even more valuable."
"Indeed. The Golden Core of this Great Strength Demon Ape came from a mid-stage Golden Core beast and contains pure spiritual energy. For you, it's an excellent resource for improving your cultivation." A gentle voice came from the entrance to the valley. Yun Ce stood with his hands behind his back as he slowly approached. He glanced over the Great Strength Demon Ape's corpse, his tone approving. "I saw the battle just now. You both fought very well, especially you, Yu'er. To slay a Great Strength Demon Ape comparable to a late-stage Golden Core cultivator while at the early Golden Core stage—your strength is already far beyond that of cultivators at the same level."
"Master!" Qin Yu hurriedly bowed, a hint of delight on his face. "It's all thanks to your guidance and the wonders of the Stellar Transformations technique. Otherwise, Xiao Hei and I would never have been a match for this Great Strength Demon Ape."
Black Feather came over to Yun Ce as well and gently rubbed his head against Yun Ce's arm. He sent a message through spiritual awareness: "Master, can I have this Great Strength Demon Ape's corpse? My inherited memories contain a devouring method. I can absorb its blood essence to improve my cultivation and strengthen my body!"
Yun Ce looked down at Black Feather and smiled. "You can. The Great Strength Demon Ape's blood essence is rich and contains a violent power, making it well suited to your devouring method. But be careful. After absorbing it, make sure to refine its essence thoroughly. Don't rush, or the violent power in the blood essence may turn against you."
"Thank you, Master!" Black Feather let out an excited cry and circled the Great Strength Demon Ape's corpse several times, his eyes full of anticipation.
Yun Ce turned to Qin Yu, his tone growing serious. "Yu'er, keep the Great Strength Demon Ape's Golden Core and refine it once we return. It contains pure earth-element spiritual energy. It will not only help stabilize your cultivation, but also nourish your body and help you break through to the Nebula Mid Stage sooner. More importantly, the earth-element energy is rich and robust. It can further strengthen your Stellar foundation and pave the way for you to cultivate higher realms in the future."
"Understood, Master!" Qin Yu nodded firmly and hurried forward. Carefully, he removed a completely black Golden Core from the Great Strength Demon Ape's dantian. It felt warm in his hand, and pure spiritual energy surged toward him. Just being near it made the Nebula True Qi in his body stir slightly.
Then Qin Yu put away the Great Strength Demon Ape's hide and bones. Black Feather used his own lightning-fire power to carefully extract the ape's blood essence, condensing it into a dark-red orb, which he stored in his own space. He didn't dare absorb it rashly, afraid of disregarding Yun Ce's warning.
Once they had finished gathering everything, Yun Ce waved a hand, surrounding Qin Yu and Black Feather with a gentle veil of Stellar True Essence. "Let's return to Thunder Mountain Residence. Refine what you've obtained and focus on your cultivation. Try to break through as soon as you can."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Ce wielded the power of space, using the pure Stellar True Essence within his body to drive it. He moved slightly, and the three of them vanished from the valley in an instant. When they reappeared, they were standing in the hall of Thunder Mountain Residence.
"You two will refine what you've obtained in the Cultivation Room. Remember, don't let your attention wander during the process. If you encounter a backlash, stop immediately and call for me," Yun Ce instructed.
"Yes, Master!" Qin Yu and Xiao Hei replied. They were both inwardly astonished. Master is unbelievably powerful! Thunder Mountain Residence is a thousand miles from that valley, yet he brought the two of us here in no time at all!
Qin Yu and Black Feather answered together, then turned and entered the Cultivation Room. They each found a place to sit cross-legged and prepare to refine their spoils. Qin Yu took out the Great Strength Demon Ape's Golden Core and held it in his hand, sensing the pure spiritual energy within. Black Feather took out the orb of blood essence and cautiously released a thread of spiritual awareness to examine its power.
Watching them focus on their cultivation, Yun Ce smiled faintly, then turned and went upstairs to the study Lei Wei had left behind. The study at Thunder Mountain Residence held countless cultivation manuals collected by Lei Wei in his day, including techniques from Hidden Dragon Continent, Earth, and even other universes. Yun Ce had previously been busy protecting Qin Yu and Black Feather and hadn't had time to look through them. Now that he finally had a moment to spare, he could study them—and perhaps gain deeper insight into the path of cultivation. He might also find more ways to support Qin Yu's future training, especially body-refining methods suited to the core principle of "Stellar Foundation" in the Stellar Transformations.
The upstairs study was lined with bookshelves, all filled with books. Yun Ce walked over and slowly scanned the shelves, then picked up a manual titled Heavenly Dipper Body Refining Art and flipped through it. The manual was a local cultivation technique from Hidden Dragon Continent, collected by Lei Wei. Though it wasn't as transcendent as the Stellar Transformations or the Hongmeng Stellar Art, it had its own unique strengths. It was specifically designed to temper the body, making it a useful reference for Qin Yu as he cultivated the Three Heaven-Reaching Charts and further strengthened the foundation of his Stellar body refinement.
As he read, Yun Ce reflected on what he was learning. At the same time, he silently worked through the cultivation methods of the Hongmeng Stellar Art, trying to gain even greater control over the power of space, refine the pure Stellar True Essence within him, and advance the evolution of the Mustard Seed World in his dantian—the embryonic form of his Inner Universe. He knew that though he had reached the early Void-Piercing Realm, he could not afford to slack off. Countless cultivators had gathered in this world, and powerful experts were everywhere. Only by continually growing stronger, refining his Stellar foundation, and advancing the evolution of his Inner Universe could he protect Qin Yu and let the two of them make their mark in this world.
Inside the Cultivation Room, Qin Yu and Black Feather had already entered a deep state of refinement.
Holding the Great Strength Demon Ape's Golden Core in his palm, Qin Yu sank his mind into his body and guided the Nebula vortex to turn slowly. At the same time, he circulated the Stellar Transformations, guiding the earth-element spiritual energy within the Golden Core into his Nebula True Qi. The earth-element energy was rich but violent. Qin Yu didn't dare rush, and could only refine it bit by bit with Stellar True Fire, turning it into his own Nebula True Qi. He used the energy to nourish his body and temper his muscles and bones, further stabilizing his Stellar foundation.
Nourished by the earth-element spiritual energy, the Nebula vortex in his dantian turned more and more smoothly. The purple Nebula True Qi grew increasingly condensed. His aura, which had only been at the Nebula Early Stage, gradually began to rise as the energy flowed in and was refined, steadily advancing toward the Nebula Mid Stage.
Black Feather followed the devouring method from his inherited memories, cautiously drawing the orb of blood essence into his body and guiding its power into his meridians and flesh. The Great Strength Demon Ape's blood essence contained a violent power. As Black Feather absorbed it, he used his own lightning-fire power to refine its volatile energy and convert it into his own strength. It nourished his eagle body, improved his cultivation and physical strength, and further condensed the lightning-fire and wind-element spiritual energy within him.
Time passed slowly. Thunder Mountain Residence was quiet, broken only by the faint sound of Yun Ce turning pages in the study and the fluctuations of energy as Qin Yu and Black Feather refined their spoils in the Cultivation Room.
Before they knew it, three days and three nights had passed.
In the Cultivation Room, Qin Yu abruptly opened his eyes. A brilliant purple light flashed through them, then faded. He slowly raised a hand, and Nebula True Qi far purer and more potent than before curled around his fingertips. The Nebula vortex in his dantian had also grown more solid and expanded in size. He had successfully reached the Nebula Mid Stage, equivalent to the mid-stage Golden Core level of ordinary cultivators! More importantly, refining the earth-element energy had further stabilized his Stellar foundation and strengthened his body.
"I finally broke through!" Qin Yu thought, elated. Feeling the surging power within him, he smiled with satisfaction. His strength had increased once again, and his body had grown tougher. Even against a late-stage Golden Core beast from the Great Wilderness, he could now stand his ground and fight.
Just as Qin Yu broke through, Black Feather abruptly opened his eagle eyes as well. A mingled red and golden light flashed in them, and the lightning-fire power and wind-element spiritual energy surrounding him had grown denser and more concentrated. He spread his enormous wings and beat them once. A powerful aura burst forth, and his cultivation settled firmly at the mid-stage Golden Core level. His physical strength had also increased, and the power of his lightning-fire abilities had grown with it.
"I broke through too! Big brother, I've reached the mid-stage Golden Core level!" Black Feather sent an excited message through spiritual awareness.
Qin Yu smiled and nodded, his eyes full of joy. "That's wonderful, Xiao Hei! We've both broken through. We're both much stronger now!"
They exchanged smiles, their hearts full of joy. This trial had not only won them a wealth of materials; through battle and refinement, they had also broken through and strengthened their foundations. It had been a bountiful experience.
In the upstairs study, Yun Ce heard the fluctuations of energy coming from the Cultivation Room and smiled knowingly. He slowly closed the manual in his hands. He could clearly sense that Qin Yu and Black Feather had both successfully reached the mid-stage Golden Core level, and that their Stellar foundations had grown more stable. He was genuinely happy for them.
His own cultivation had also advanced to the mid-stage Void-Piercing Realm as Qin Yu broke through to the Nebula Mid Stage!
Yun Ce was thrilled. The system really came through. This is just unreasonable!
"Excellent. My disciple and Black Feather really are making progress at an astonishing pace," Yun Ce murmured. He gazed out the window toward the depths of the Great Wilderness, anticipation flashing in his eyes. "Now that you've both reached the mid-stage Golden Core level and grown much stronger, and my Stellar foundation is sufficiently solid, we'll set out for the Undersea Beast World after a little more time. We'll see what that world, where countless demons gather, is like!" Yun Ce murmured.
Before you continue