Su Ming's Wrath

Su Ming pondered for a long time, yet he could never quite puzzle out the purpose of the Dust-Clearing Powder. In the memories he had acquired, there was only the method of refinement, with no mention of its specific utility.

Until midday, when the sun was quite scorching, Su Ming hesitated for a moment before leaving the spot.

He sped along the path, returning to his powder-refining site with Little Monkey. Little Monkey did not stay long, running off again shortly after their return.

Outside, Su Ming leaned against the wall, facing the mountain breeze. He held the cyan Medicine Stone in his hand and began to rack his brain.

"What on earth is its purpose... It's ineffective when taken internally, and ineffective when applied externally..." He furrowed his brows. Having finally refined this Medicine Stone only to find no use for it made Su Ming feel as though the past month or so had been a complete waste.

He stared at the Medicine Stone and suddenly gritted his teeth.

"Forget it, I must try it myself! I shall swallow this powder and experience it firsthand!" There was a streak of decisiveness in Su Ming's character. Once the decision was made, he did not hesitate, immediately placing the Dust-Clearing Powder from his hand into his mouth.

The Medicine Stone melted the moment it touched his tongue. A rich, medicinal fragrance permeated his mouth, seemingly forming a warm current that surged into his body, but it dissipated quickly, leaving no significant sensation.

Su Ming stood there, stunned. He hurriedly sat in meditation, attempting to condense his bloodline, but it was no different from usual; he still felt that familiar sense of his blood being insufficient.

He tugged at his hair vigorously, filled with frustration. This time, he truly felt a lingering sense that the past month had been wasted in vain.

"Impossible, there must be some other purpose!" Despite his disappointment, Su Ming did not give up. Yet, no matter how he pondered, he remained without a clue, and could only heave a long sigh, smiling bitterly.

After a while, the red shadow that was Little Monkey flashed in from the foot of the mountain. It quickly approached Su Ming, hopped a few times in front of him, tossed a large handful of wild fruits, and left once more.

Su Ming sighed inwardly. His stomach was empty, so he picked up the wild fruits and began to eat while continuing to think.

One, two, three...

Without realizing it, Su Ming let out a burp. He spat out a fruit pit, rubbed his stomach, and resumed his contemplation. As his gaze subconsciously drifted to the remaining fruits, he was about to look away when he suddenly froze.

"Full? Huh!!" Su Ming stared fixedly at the wild fruits, then immediately counted the pits he had spat out. There were fifteen in total.

He vaguely felt as though he had grasped something, his heart pounding.

"I've loved eating these wild fruits since I was a child, and Xiao Hong has often gathered them for me over the years... But I don't like eating too many at once. In the past, after eating ten or so, I would feel more than half full...

But just now, I only ate fifteen, and I'm actually full! Is my appetite smaller? Or... is it related to something else!" Su Ming licked his lips. He remembered that he had swallowed a grain of Dust-Clearing Powder earlier.

"Could it be that this Dust-Clearing Powder is a Medicine Stone that can replace food?" Su Ming's eyes showed signs of deep thought.

"Or perhaps, this Dust-Clearing Powder can increase the... effects of other things!!" Su Ming's heart raced. Amidst the pounding, he took a deep breath. He had racked his brains over the powder's purpose without a single clue, but now that he felt he had grasped something, he didn't care if it sounded absurd. He immediately turned and ducked into the small cave, quickly entering his refining site.

He remembered there was a small amount of Black Dragon Saliva left. It was a precious substance that could only be obtained on rainy days, so he had been reluctant to consume the remainder.

Returning quickly to the refining cave, Su Ming retrieved the small bottle containing the few drops of Black Dragon Saliva from his woven basket. He opened it and, without hesitation, brought it to his lips and drank it in one gulp.

Su Ming was extremely familiar with Black Dragon Saliva. Once these few drops entered his belly, a trace of coolness immediately radiated out, circulating through his entire body and gradually merging into his blood.

But at that moment, the cool sensation transformed by the Black Dragon Saliva strangely increased, by roughly ten percent. It didn't seem like much, but Su Ming felt it with absolute clarity.

After that steady stream of coolness merged with his blood, it turned into a boiling sensation, causing four blood-lines to appear on his body as he circulated his bloodline, emitting a blood-colored glow.

After a long while, Su Ming opened his eyes, exhaled a long, turbid breath, and his eyes filled with excitement.

"It really is like this! If this Dust-Clearing Powder is taken alone, it has no effect, but if consumed with other things, it can increase their inherent efficacy. It seems simple, but in reality, it is truly extraordinary!" Su Ming's spirits were greatly lifted; this art of powder-refining now gave him immense motivation.

"On the door where I obtained the refining method, there are fifteen small holes. Clearly, it requires me to place fifteen such Medicine Stones, but right now, I don't even have enough for myself..." Su Ming pondered briefly, and after a moment of hesitation, he decided to take it slow.

Having made up his mind, he rose and hurried to the Wild Cauldron, beginning to refine powder again with the remaining herbs.

Beyond refining, he had Little Monkey go out to find herbs. He collected large quantities of the plants that Grandpa always took, crushed them into juice using the tribe's method to drink, and supplemented them with the Dust-Clearing Powder. In this way, his cultivation speed immediately increased.

Time flew by, and another two months passed. During these two months, Su Ming had barely stepped out. The Fire Lava Cave had become his second home, and because its existence was not easily discovered, Su Ming could cultivate there with peace of mind.

In those two months, he refined quite a bit of Dust-Clearing Powder. By pairing it with the blood-nourishing medicinal juices, he gradually condensed a fifth blood-line on his body.

Even the sixth blood-line began to flicker in and out of existence, as if he would fully achieve it before long if he continued.

It was now winter outside. The surrounding mountain peaks were covered in snow, but only around Black Flame Peak did the snow melt before it could settle. However, this caused the area to be shrouded in mist, which looked quite strange from a distance.

If an outsider arrived for the first time, they would certainly be very interested in this place, but for Su Ming, who had grown up in the vicinity, he had long since become accustomed to the strangeness of this peak.

On this day, Su Ming sat cross-legged. The blood-glow on his body was quite intense, and the five thin lines coiled around him like living things, looking quite startling.

Blood-light continuously radiated out, and sweat beaded on Su Ming's body. His frame trembled slightly, but his expression was filled with determination. This was his third attempt in the past half-month to condense the sixth blood-line. Once this line was successfully condensed, he could become a Barbarian Warrior of the second level of the Blood Condensation Realm.

Most importantly, he would be able to perform his first-ever Barbarian Art—a technique belonging to their tribe called Spirit Devouring!

The Spirit Devouring Barbarian Art could not be performed out of thin air; it required the recently deceased corpse of a wild beast. By using the Barbarian Blood lines he had condensed, he could sense the spirit of the dead beast and extract it, which would temporarily increase a portion of his own abilities.

Only after mastering a Barbarian Art could one truly be called a Barbarian Warrior, which would set him apart from other tribesmen and make him several times stronger.

After a long while, Su Ming's body jolted. The blood-light surrounding him gradually dissipated, and the five blood-lines on his skin slowly faded. The attempt to condense the sixth blood-line had failed once again.

Su Ming exhaled deeply. After a moment of silence, he took out some medicinal juice, consumed it with the Dust-Clearing Powder, and began his cultivation anew.

Days turned into weeks, and in the blink of an eye, another month passed. The entire Wulong Mountain was covered in thick snow, and even the mist on Black Flame Peak had thickened, with even the heat seemingly showing signs of fading.

The coldest time of the year had arrived.

But for Su Ming, this was his most critical moment. Through his unremitting efforts, combined with sufficient herbs and Dust-Clearing Powder, his cultivation speed in the Blood Condensation Realm had been extremely fast. Now, the sixth blood-line had taken shape and was at a crucial juncture, on the verge of being condensed.

Little Monkey was unwilling to go out in this winter weather. Its fur was fiery red and far too conspicuous against the white snow, so it always grew quiet whenever winter arrived.

At this moment, it was squatting beside Su Ming, yawning while watching him with its eyes darting around. But just then, it suddenly turned its head sharply, its eyes flashing with a fierce intent as its ears twitched a few times.

Faintly, some sounds drifted in from the outside...

"Yu Chi, is the Sky Rock Grass you mentioned really growing here? We've been searching for ages and haven't found a thing. Did you make a mistake?" The voice was cold and chilling, causing Little Monkey to tremble as it reached his ears.

"That shouldn't be. I remember it was just a seedling when I first saw it, so I cast a Barbarian technique nearby to conceal it. Counting the days, it should be ripe by now. You must understand that only ordinary tribesmen come here to gather herbs; they couldn't possibly see through my Barbarian technique." The person who answered had a slightly sharp voice.

"Then let's search faster. If this Sky Rock Grass is truly here, it might allow me to break through the third layer quickly and step into the fourth. As for you, you should be able to enter the third layer as well."

"Don't be impatient, it should be right here. I can still feel the resonance of my Barbarian technique... If you can reach the fourth layer, you'll be able to join the Black Mountain Hunting Team. I heard that the prey this time was personally designated by Grandpa... whatever we manage to snatch will belong to us."

The voices of the two men drew closer and closer, sounding as if they were right outside. Little Monkey was so nervous he didn't dare to breathe, sensing vaguely that the two people outside posed a massive threat to him.

He turned his head repeatedly to look at Su Ming, but Su Ming's eyes remained tightly shut, his body trembling slightly. The blood-red light on his skin grew brighter and brighter, and that sixth blood line seemed ready to solidify at any moment.

But just then!

"Found it!! Eh? Look here, there's actually a hole, though it's a bit small!"

"Indeed, it is the Sky Rock Grass! As for this hole... this place used to be the land of the Fire Barbarians, so the area around this hole is scorching hot, and it should be hollow inside. Since we're here, we might as well go in and take a look. A mere hole won't stop me." The voices of the two men drifted in, and the content of their words made Little Monkey's expression change drastically.

In his anxiety, he gritted his teeth hard. After casting one last deep look at Su Ming, he bared his fangs and transformed into a red blur, charging directly into the small exit hole and flashing away along the tunnel.

Exclamations and sounds of excitement immediately erupted from the outside.

"It's a Fire Ape, and a juvenile one at that! Hahaha!!"

"This must be where it hides from the cold. Catch it! Its blood will be a great tonic for us, and its fur can be presented to Grandpa!"

Following a shrill, miserable cry, the voices outside gradually faded into the distance, but inside the karst cave, Su Ming's expression was twisted, and he was trembling violently.

"You... are courting death..." Su Ming suddenly raised his head and let out an angry roar.