Group Confrontation

"Huh? Can't absorb anymore?" After swallowing a Spirit Core from a Spirit Beast, Lin Chuan immediately realized that the spiritual energy contained within was not dispersing into his flesh and blood as it had before. Instead, it was being expelled directly from the acupuncture points all over his body, dissipating into the air.

This was within Lin Chuan's expectations, so he felt little surprise. Long before he began consuming the cores, he knew this absorption process could not continue indefinitely; otherwise, he would have already absorbed the Fruit of the God Tree and would not have needed to go through all this trouble.

It seems I have to wait for my body to finish absorbing this portion of spiritual energy before I can take another Spirit Core! Lin Chuan thought to himself.

A Spirit Beast's Spirit Core actually contains more than just the pure spiritual energy it cultivated; it also holds the power of the beast's own flesh and blood. It is precisely because of this physical energy that Lin Chuan is able to devour the cores to strengthen his own physique.

Lin Chuan had once experimented with directly dispersing his own cultivated spiritual energy into his flesh to strengthen his body, but he found the results were poor. More importantly, doing so affected his spiritual cultivation, which was vastly different from simply eating a Spirit Core.

"As my cultivation improves and my physique continues to strengthen, the quality and quantity of the Spirit Cores I require will only increase. I need to plan ahead!" Lin Chuan frowned.

The day passed with Lin Chuan continuously devouring Spirit Cores. Once night fell and things grew quiet, Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi slept in trepidation. Fearing that Lin Chuan might suddenly explode, neither of them slept soundly; they would wake up from time to time to glance at Lin Chuan, who was keeping watch, and only return to sleep once they saw nothing unusual.

When the third day arrived, Lin Chuan woke the two of them early to begin their so-called training. Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi both sported dark circles under their eyes, looking at Lin Chuan with immense resentment.

"Today's goal is to hunt five Spirit Beasts at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Stage. The task is quite easy, don't you think?" Ignoring their expressions, Lin Chuan spoke to himself.

After exchanging a glance, Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi dragged their exhausted bodies onto the road, completely beyond the point of complaining.

Under the search of the Byakugan, Lin Chuan soon discovered a suitable Spirit Beast: a One-Horned White Rhino at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Stage. This type of Spirit Beast has a massive body and thick defenses, but it is very slow and its attack power is not particularly strong, making it perfect for practice.

After bringing Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang before the Spirit Beast, Lin Chuan continued to sit on the sidelines to watch the show.

Having previously coordinated to deal with Spirit Beasts at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage, the two were already quite adept. Now, facing a beast at the fourth level, although they struggled, they were by no means without the power to fight back, and the back-and-forth battle was quite lively.

As time passed and the fight reached its final stages, Lin Chuan, who was observing the surroundings with his Byakugan, felt his gaze sharpen. A group of three people was heading in their direction: two at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage and one at the second level!

After practicing with Spirit Beasts for so long, it's time to let them try their hand against another group! Lin Chuan thought. He did not take the two away, but instead prepared to let Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi use this group of self-delivered opponents for practice.

Although the group of three was still some distance away, judging by their direction, this was their only path, making a confrontation almost inevitable.

"There seems to be the sound of fighting over there. Should we go take a look?" one of the three said.

"Let's go check it out, but be careful. If the other side is strong, we leave immediately. If they aren't as strong as us, then..."

"If we snatch the Spirit Cores from this group, our chances of passing the assessment will increase significantly."

The three talked as they walked, moving cautiously toward the source of the sound. However, they did not know that no matter how cautious they were, their every movement could not escape Lin Chuan's Byakugan, and even the words they spoke were read by Lin Chuan, word for word.

"Hmph, daring to set your sights on me? Then don't blame me for playing dirty!" Lin Chuan let out a cold snort and dashed out with a whoosh.

Chakra and the spiritual energy in his Dantian began to slowly fuse, then were released from the acupuncture points in his hands. Under the Byakugan, the meridians of the One-Horned White Rhino were clearly visible. The next moment, Lin Chuan struck fiercely, unleashing the Hyuga Gentle Fist against the rhino. With every strike, Sage Chakra was driven into the beast's body. Even with the One-Horned White Rhino's powerful defenses, it could not withstand Lin Chuan's method of attacking the internal organs directly. It held on for only a moment before collapsing, unable to get back up.

"Take a short rest. Someone is coming, get ready for battle!" Lin Chuan said, looking at the panting Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi.

"There are three of them: one at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage and two at the third. Do you have the confidence to defeat them without me intervening?" Lin Chuan put away his lazy expression and said seriously.

"No problem, just watch from the side!" Qin Lang said, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Two days of continuous training had greatly improved his strength. He had been looking for someone to test himself against, and now someone had delivered themselves to his doorstep. Qin Lang was overjoyed! Sweeping away his previous resentment toward fighting Spirit Beasts, he began to fully recover the spiritual energy in his body.

Bu Lianshi also nodded seriously. Even though she was a girl, she did not want to hide behind others forever. This was a battle that belonged to her, and she would absolutely not give up.

Seeing their expressions, Lin Chuan smiled slightly and nodded in satisfaction.

Cultivators are not like ninjas; the spiritual energy they use is entirely natural energy from the outside world. Once consumed, it can be continuously absorbed, even during the process of battle.

But ninjas are different. Once the chakra that comes from the body is exhausted, it takes a lot of time to recover. Not everyone is like Naruto, possessing abundant physical strength and a massive amount of chakra. This is where cultivators are stronger than ninjas.

"One at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage, one at the second, and one at the third. With strength like that, I really don't know how they made it here. It's a miracle they weren't eaten by the Spirit Beasts here!"

The group of three cultivators soon arrived. When they discovered that their opponents were so weak, they abandoned all thoughts of hiding and walked out brazenly, immediately resorting to sarcasm.

"Hand over the Spirit Cores you have. Don't make us do it ourselves, or it won't just be about the Spirit Cores!" one of the youths threatened coldly.

"If you want the Spirit Cores, come and take them yourselves!" Qin Lang said without flinching, sneering at the three people opposite him. He and Bu Lianshi could handle a fourth-level Spirit Beast together; how could they be afraid of these three?

"Hmph, refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Kill them!" Following the order of one of them, the three charged forward simultaneously, heading straight for Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang. As for Lin Chuan, in their eyes, he was nothing more than a decoration, clearly the one dragging the group down. Once the boy and girl in front of them were dealt with, the entire group would be finished.