Happy Birthday

The Vengeful Wolf King was merely a minor interlude in Yao Yan's daily life. Still, after venting for a while, much of the pent-up emotion in his heart had been released.

In this world without entertainment, violence seemed to be the only outlet.

In the past, he had merely been a bottom-tier small fry. Even the low-rank magical beasts of the Shennong Mountain Range could chase him around, and Yao Yan had not even been qualified to face them head-on. But now, he possessed a certain ability to protect himself. At the very least, when encountering low-rank magical beasts, running away was no longer the only thought in his mind.

Power in a fantasy world was like money in the modern world.

Once you possessed enough of it, you gained the confidence and assurance to live.

Half a month passed.

Every day, Yao Yan relentlessly tempered his body, stimulating the power of his Blood Qi to cultivate the Earth Rank Advanced Dou Technique Vajra Undying Body. He entered the technique with ease and reached the Minor Accomplishment stage of the first level. Once activated, his skin took on a dark yellow hue, while his strength and defense surged dramatically.

His battle with the wolf pack had also been meant to test what level his strength had reached.

Yao Yan estimated that, with the first level of the Vajra Undying Body at Minor Accomplishment, he could fight a Dou Spirit Level opponent head-on using only his physical body. Unless the opponent possessed some Powerful Dou Skill, they would not even be able to break through his defense.

This applied to all Dou Spirit Level opponents.

Whether they were One Star Dou Ling or Nine Star Dou Ling, as long as their level of power had not undergone a qualitative transformation, they could not pose much of a threat to him.

After all, the Vajra Undying Body was of a sufficiently high grade. The first level corresponded to Dou Wang, perhaps even Dou Emperor.

The second level corresponded to Dou Zong who controlled Space Power.

The third level could even contend with Dou Zun.

The gap between them was self-evident. It truly deserved to be called an Earth Rank Advanced Body Refining Dou Skill. It was terrifying indeed.

After returning to the waterfall cave,

Yao Yan first washed up, then soaked in the steaming Diamond Fruit juice and swallowed a Fifth Grade Body Tempering Pill. He allowed the medicinal power of both medicines to seep into his body. Feeling the soreness, numbness, and stabbing pain throughout his body, he was already able to remain indifferent. Compared to the bloodline modification Hun Xuzi had performed on him three years ago, this bit of pain was nothing.

Just as Hun Xuzi had said, if one wanted to become stronger, how could one avoid paying a price? There was no such good fortune in this world.

There were no shortcuts to becoming stronger.

Every shortcut carried enormous risks. It was like gambling; the difference was that gambling wagered money, while cultivation wagered one's life.

"These fangs are pretty good. They're snow-white and even come with a freezing effect. I won't have to worry about hot weather in the summer if I carry one around."

Yao Yan leaned against the edge of the bath and examined the spoils in his hand.

The Frost Wolf King's fangs were rather large and had to be held in Yao Yan's hand. They were about the size of his palm, snow-white in color, and incredibly cold, radiating a frigid aura. If his body were not strong enough, an ordinary person's arm would probably freeze stiff from holding one.

Besides that, there was also an ice-blue Magic Core.

As one of the Outstanding Ones among third-rank magical beasts, the Frost Wolf King naturally possessed something special in its most valuable parts.

After pondering for a moment,

Yao Yan directly covered the Frost Wolf King's fang with Illusory Gold Flame. He intended to forge an accessory from it. He had made that decision the day he fled.

Everyone had to leave something behind from their life experiences. Perhaps it would make looking back on them more interesting in the future.

"Fwoosh~"

The golden Illusory Gold Flame radiated scorching heat and instantly melted the Frost Wolf King's fang. In a short time, the impurities within it were refined into nothingness. Under Yao Yan's control, it transformed into an exquisite, delicate jade-colored magatama. At its center was embedded the Frost Wolf King's Magic Core, lending the jade-colored magatama a touch of azure and making it appear even more refined.

"Done."

Yao Yan looked at the Wolf King Magatama he had crafted, a satisfied smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

Compared to refining pills, crafting such a little trinket was not difficult at all and required no special technique. He only needed to preserve its original essence.

He then took a thin cord from his Storage Ring, threaded it through the Wolf King Magatama, and hung it around his neck. Looking at the pendant on his chest, he murmured, "Yao Yan, happy birthday!"

Today was Yao Yan's fifteenth birthday, and this was the gift he had given himself.

If no one else loved him, then he would love himself.

For once, Yao Yan emptied his mind. He lay lazily in the bath, staring at the cave ceiling above as memories flooded into his heart—those of his previous life and this one. Scene after scene flowed through his mind like a slideshow.

At that moment, the spirit crystal within his soul was like the brightest light, illuminating everything.

Without realizing it,

he gradually fell asleep.

Yet his body remained immersed in the Diamond Fruit juice. Together with the Fifth Grade Body Tempering Pill that had yet to be fully refined within him, it continued releasing medicinal power, transforming the young man's body and unleashing its potential at an incomparably terrifying speed.

With the young man's smooth, steady breathing, the energy between heaven and earth slowly gathered, turning into wisps of Miasma Qi that flowed into his body along with each breath.

The bones within his body glimmered with a jade-like sheen, making his skeleton appear as though it were carved from jade. Yet strange black-red patterns ran across that jade, slowly flickering with a halo of light and exuding an utterly sinister aura.

The Shennong Mountain Range had originally been a vast Magical Beast Mountain Range. It had only been named Shennong because of the Yao Clan. Many sects had been established within it, some of which maintained close ties with the Yao Clan. As a result, human cities were not scarce within the Shennong Mountain Range, and one could even see the figures of high-rank magical beasts there.

Most members of the Monster Beast Clan could assume human form after reaching the seventh rank. Besides that, they could also transform into humans through a seventh-grade Transformation Pill.

Transformation Pills had even become essential pills for some large Magical Beast Clans, used to nurture their younger generation.

Compared with the cultivation talent of magical beast bodies, human bodies clearly possessed greater cultivation talent. Therefore, most Magical Beast Clans were willing to let their descendants consume Transformation Pills and assume human form. This also made it easier for them to travel through human territories, or even join human sects and learn human knowledge.

Combined with the long lifespans of magical beasts, becoming a top-tier expert was only a matter of time.

After all, even a pig could become one of the continent's strongest beings if it cultivated for several thousand years. At that point, talent no longer mattered.

Thus, many large Magical Beast Clans maintained good relations with the Yao Clan and had even voluntarily pledged themselves to it. After all, the Yao Clan possessed the most alchemists in the world and controlled the vast Shennong Mountain Range. Compared to them, even Danta in the Central Plains seemed somewhat inferior.

That day, Yao Yan arrived at a city: Shennong City.