Fighter

He pulled out a small knife to dissect the Pillow Wood Marten, digging a magic core from its corpse—a rank one wood-attribute magic core.

It was a pity that magic cores could not be absorbed directly; the complex and violent energy within them was something even high-level experts dared not use recklessly.

However, while magic cores could not be absorbed directly, they were indispensable primary materials for alchemists. Once refined by an alchemist using secret techniques, the violent properties of the core would be neutralized by miraculous medicinal herbs, transforming it into various elixirs that countless people craved to boost their strength, causing its value to skyrocket instantly!

Furthermore, magic cores could be embedded into weapons. Weapons enhanced with a magic core not only gained superior destructive power but also possessed the alluring special effect of amplifying Dou Qi, making them highly sought after by the Dou Zhe class on the Dou Qi Continent.

Of course, besides weapons, magic cores could also be embedded into armor and other items, granting the owner formidable defensive capabilities and providing an extra layer of life insurance when facing danger.

With so many special effects, it was no wonder the magic core had become the most popular mainstream material on the Dou Qi Continent. Not only Dou Zhe, but even those noble alchemists often humbled themselves to scour the world for high-level magic cores to refine higher-grade medicinal pills.

The high cost of magic cores naturally created large numbers of mercenary groups who made a living by hunting magical beasts, yet obtaining a magic core was by no means an easy task.

Firstly, magical beasts were not only powerful but also exceptionally cunning. Due to their ferocious nature and unique attack methods, they were often slightly stronger than human experts of the same rank. Therefore, attempting to hunt a magical beast of the same rank alone without extraordinary strength was a recipe for disaster.

Secondly, not all magical beasts possessed such energy crystals within their bodies; it seemed to be a matter of random chance. Sometimes, a mercenary group might suffer half their members' casualties to kill a beast, only to end up empty-handed. Such occurrences were common on the Dou Qi Continent and not considered strange at all.

Consequently, the price of magic cores on the Dou Qi Continent had always remained high and in great demand.

Thus, Xiao Li's luck this time was considered quite good.

However, the magic core could not immediately increase Xiao Li's strength; the medicinal herb guarded by the Pillow Wood Marten was the most important thing at the moment.

Looking at the glistening white flower, Xiao Li did not dare to touch it carelessly. All kinds of Heavenly Treasures had their own habits, and it would be a disaster if it withered at a mere touch.

Taking the Complete Guide to Heavenly Treasures from his storage ring, Xiao Li began to study it earnestly. After all, the Xiao Clan had once been a great family with a Dou Wang, and its knowledge reserves were several times greater than those of ordinary small families.

The guide recorded hundreds of rank one and rank two Heavenly Treasures alone.

However, considering the Pillow Wood Marten was only a rank one magical beast, Xiao Li focused his search on rank one treasures.

The petals were crystal clear, white, and emitted waves of medicinal fragrance...

Without an artificial intelligence like Yao Lao, relying solely on books felt like an open-book exam in middle school—very difficult to navigate.

"Ah, found it!"

Xiao Li looked excitedly at the image in the book; the posture and description were exactly the same as the white flower before him.

"White Origin Flower, rank one medicinal herb, strengthens the foundation and cultivates the essence. The medicinal effect is mild, and the essence lies within the glowing leaves. It can be consumed by eating the leaves raw."

Seeing the explanation, Xiao Li did not hesitate. He pulled the White Origin Flower up by the roots and swallowed the flower head in one gulp.

Feeling the surge of energy within his body, Xiao Li did not delay. He found a cave devoid of living creatures and crawled inside, using weeds to cover the entrance.

Xiao Li had already reached the threshold of a nine-star Dou Zhe. Eating the White Origin Flower was the perfect catalyst to break through to the Dou Shi realm, which would make him a true expert in Green Mountain Town.

Sensing the rapidly surging energy between heaven and earth, Xiao Li hurriedly began to guide the energy from his surroundings into his body.

Although the volume of this energy was vast, it contained too many impurities. It had to be refined and purified through his meridians to be fully absorbed; otherwise, a mistake could potentially contaminate the Dou Qi he had worked so hard to cultivate.

Steady progress was the only way to build a solid foundation.

As Xiao Li entered his cultivation state, the energy surging from the heavens and earth became increasingly violent.

In the end, Xiao Li's body became like a black hole, continuously absorbing the energy that rushed into him frantically.

The White Origin Flower within his body also released waves of energy, which were purer than the energy absorbed from the heavens and earth, making it easier to refine.

Under Xiao Li's careful guidance, the energy that flowed into his body circulated through his meridians, was finally refined into pure Dou Qi, and was poured into his pale purple vortex.

The vortex, which had previously been rotating leisurely, suddenly began to spin at high speed with the influx of this wave of Dou Qi. As the rotation became more intense, a fierce suction force erupted from within it.

Lightning surged within the vortex, performing the final step of purifying the mottled energy, and drops of liquid-like lightning-attribute Dou Qi appeared.

The liquid energy was projected into the rapidly spinning purple vortex, instantly creating ripples of energy.

With the addition of each drop of liquid energy, the volume of the purple vortex actually began to shrink slowly.

The purple vortex grew smaller and smaller, yet Xiao Li was not overly worried, for he could perceive that although the volume was decreasing, the Dou Qi contained within was becoming increasingly dense.

Under the scouring of this heaven and earth energy, Xiao Li suddenly discovered that his meridians and bones were also becoming tougher and wider through this baptism.

Xiao Li could clearly feel his physical body gradually becoming tougher under the continuous waves of heaven and earth energy. This pleasure, akin to sublimation, almost made Xiao Li let out a sigh of relief.

After absorbing an unknown number of drops of pure liquid energy, the purple vortex was now less than the size of Xiao Li's palm. However, the purple lightning covering its surface was becoming more and more intense, showing no signs of weakening.

The rotation of the vortex lasted for a full ten minutes before slowly coming to a halt. As the rotation ceased, the violent suction force within Xiao Li's body began to weaken until it vanished.

The moment the suction disappeared, Xiao Li, sitting cross-legged in the cave, suddenly opened his eyes. In an instant, his black hair danced without wind, his clothes billowed, and a fierce aura, several times stronger than it had been a few hours ago, erupted from his body as if awakening!

"Breakthrough successful, Dou Shi expert!"