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The Jade Slip Shao Ke had given Luo Mu described several places teeming with demonic beasts. Blood-Colored Valley was one of them.

Luo Mu chose the valley for two reasons. First, it was the closest, so the round trip wouldn't take long. Second, compared with the other places, its demonic beasts were relatively weak. Most were low-level, and powerful ones were rarely encountered. That was why the valley had become one of the main hunting grounds for low-level cultivators.

Blood-Colored Valley stretched for hundreds of miles. No one knew when it had formed. The valley teemed with demonic beasts, and cultivators came in an unending stream to hunt them, yet they had never managed to wipe them all out.

Over the years, the number of demonic beasts in Blood-Colored Valley had not decreased. If anything, it seemed to be growing. No one knew why.

It was precisely because the valley held so many demonic beasts that many cultivators who had come to hunt them and make their fortunes had lost their lives, leaving their bones buried there. The beasts might be relatively weak individually, but their numbers made up for that shortcoming.

Luo Mu's purpose was simple: demonic beast meat! Any demonic beast meat, no matter its grade, was what he had come for.

The demonic wolf before him was three times the size of an ordinary wolf. Luo Mu furrowed his brows. From the aura it gave off, he could tell that the beast was at the early second level.

The first demonic beast he'd encountered upon entering the valley was already at the second level. Luo Mu cursed his rotten luck inwardly. An ordinary sixth-layer Qi Refining Stage cultivator would have panicked and groaned at the sight of such a wolf. But to Luo Mu, one demonic wolf was no great threat and wouldn't cause him any real trouble.

Calmly, he took out the Black Shield. After he infused it with spirit power, it instantly grew several times larger and floated in front of him, shielding his body as it slowly spun.

Luo Mu had only just brought out the shield when the demonic wolf howled and lunged at him with its jaws gaping, moving as fast as lightning. Luo Mu's heart jolted, but he stayed calm and quickly poured more spirit power into the shield. Its glow grew ever brighter, and it spun faster and faster.

Bang! As the wolf's massive body neared Luo Mu, the Black Shield seemed to sense it and darted in front of the beast on its own. With a thunderous crash, wolf and shield collided.

The Black Shield stopped the wolf without letting it so much as touch Luo Mu, but the tremendous force still sent him flying backward. His blood and qi churned.

The first attack had failed. The wolf's eyes gleamed fiercely as it pursued him, its sharp claws sweeping toward his face like steel blades. If they landed, Luo Mu's head would burst like a watermelon.

He slapped his Storage Bag, and the Black Iron Chain appeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it whipping toward the wolf like a venomous snake. At the same time, two Poison Fangs, glowing green, appeared in his hands.

The two were close, leaving the wolf no time to dodge the incoming chain. In desperation, it raised its claws to block it. Just then, Luo Mu rushed in, and the Poison Fangs in his hands turned into two streaks of green light, stabbing toward the wolf's eyes.

The Poison Fangs were mid-grade magical artifacts, and their sharpness went without saying. Saying they could slice through iron as easily as mud would hardly do them justice. The wolf, unable to dodge, felt a stab of pain in both eyes. Then all it could see was red; it could no longer make out anything else. A moment later, its neck went cold, and scalding blood spurted out.

A shrill howl burst from the wolf's mouth, echoing for several miles around. After a short while, the howling stopped. By then, the wolf was well and truly dead.

The wolf had been full of life only moments ago. Now, under the White Jade Ants' assault, it vanished in the blink of an eye, without even a scrap of bone left behind. Luo Mu shuddered, the corner of his mouth twitching.

He recalled the White Jade Ants, then the Iron Chain, and tucked the Poison Fangs into his sleeves. As for the Black Shield, he left it out to protect him. Blood-Colored Valley belonged to the demonic beasts, and danger lurked everywhere. With the shield deployed, Luo Mu felt more at ease.

He didn't linger. After putting away his other magical artifacts, he immediately left. The demonic wolf's dying howl had sounded pitiful, but Luo Mu knew it had been calling for help.

If he didn't hurry away, the wolf pack might come running at the sound. Then he would be as good as dead. Even releasing his spirit insects would be of little use; he would still meet his end.

Why hadn't Luo Mu simply sent out all his spirit insects to fight the wolf, sparing himself the risk? After all, he had been facing an early second-level demonic beast. One careless move could have left him badly wounded, if not dead.

Luo Mu had already made up his mind on the way there. During his time hunting demonic beasts in Blood-Colored Valley, he wouldn't use his spirit insects to fight unless the situation was exceptional. He would fight with his own hands to build experience in combat and strengthen his own abilities.

Only by tempering yourself in the fires of battle and winning time and again in life-or-death struggles could you become a true expert! Luo Mu understood that.

When he had just killed the demonic wolf, he hadn't relied on his spirit insects. The fight had been a little dangerous, but he had still killed the beast quickly. Skill had played a part, but the most important factor was the quality of his magical artifacts.

Not long after Luo Mu left, howls rang out one after another in the distance. From the sound of their running, the wolf pack was clearly sizable.

They were the pack that had come running at the sound. But by then, Luo Mu was long gone.

Time slipped quietly by. A month later, Luo Mu suddenly appeared outside his own shop. He looked travel-worn, and his face was etched with fatigue. Yet beneath those tired eyes lay deep satisfaction.

In a month, Luo Mu had hunted an enormous number of demonic beasts and collected a vast quantity of demonic beast meat and materials for refining artifacts. He had also gathered plenty of spirit herbs, along with poisonous herbs that were very useful to him!

How had he managed such an impressive haul? In the end, he had his spirit insects to thank.

After entering Blood-Colored Valley, Luo Mu had released the Plum Blossom Snake and White Jade Ants to scout ahead, so he wouldn't run into demonic beasts far stronger than himself. If they found a low-level beast, he would go over and practice against it, then take it down. If he sensed a high-level beast from far away, he would flee with his spirit insects.

That was how, over the course of a month, Luo Mu had amassed a truly astonishing haul. Countless low-level demonic beasts had died at his hands. He had never once let his spirit insects help him kill the low-level beasts, instead relying on his own strength and the magical artifacts in his hands. His combat techniques and skill with magical artifacts had improved considerably, giving him a deeper understanding. He had truly benefited enormously.

As for the spirit herbs and poisonous herbs, Luo Mu had the Octagonal Spike to thank. Its innate ability to sense the presence of deadly poison had helped him gather plenty of poisonous things, making him beam with delight. The spirit herbs, on the other hand, had come to him by chance, and he had far fewer of them than poisonous herbs.

Alongside hunting demonic beasts, Luo Mu had made sure to take the poisonous herbs he had left every day, while constantly studying the mysteries of the Poison Spirit Art. After a month, he had stabilized his foundation in its first layer.

After cultivating the Poison Spirit Art, Luo Mu could clearly feel that the poison in his Poison Spirit Power had grown stronger, which pleased him greatly. It was already showing results after only reaching the first layer. He eagerly anticipated what the later layers would bring.

Having accomplished his goal, Luo Mu hadn't lingered in Blood-Colored Valley. Instead, he had rushed straight back to Jinxiu City. Now he stood outside his little shop, looking travel-worn and exhausted.

On his way back, Luo Mu had noticed Jinxiu Academy students here and there throughout the streets and alleys of Jinxiu City, making their way toward the Academy. The new school year began tomorrow. Those who had gone home to visit family and friends, or traveled elsewhere, were all returning to the Academy.

Among ordinary people, those with the spiritual potential to cultivate were exceedingly rare. But over the years, Jinxiu Academy had gathered a great many low-level cultivators of all ages. Aside from the small number selected by Wanfa Sect, many students had yet to reach the level required to graduate, so they had no choice but to remain at the Academy and continue cultivating. This was why Jinxiu Academy had so many cultivators.

School didn't begin until tomorrow, yet Jinxiu Academy students could already be seen throughout the city. That alone showed just how many students the Academy had.

Luo Mu had kept the start of school firmly in mind. Besides, he had collected enough demonic beast meat to feed his spirit insects for a while, so he had returned today.

Exhausted in body and mind, he did nothing after returning to the shop. He lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep. His nerves had been stretched taut for so long that he was worn out. He had to report to the Academy tomorrow, so he needed to get himself back in shape first and be ready to face it refreshed.