"Later, it tried to escape, so I chased it for seven days and seven nights, until I wore it out completely..."
"After I cornered it in that valley, it couldn't run any farther."
Fairy Lingyue listened quietly to Xu Taiping's account. Though her expression remained calm, the shock in her heart was no less than when she had witnessed her master slay a dragon single-handedly all those years ago.
Perseverance far beyond ordinary people, patience to rival a demon hunter's. If I hadn't seen it myself, I would never believe this was a boy who had only just turned eleven.
In Fairy Lingyue's original plan, once Xu Taiping mastered the Ice Breath Art she had taught him, he would be able to put up a fight against the Demon Tiger. With the barrier around the Green Bamboo Abode supporting him, holding out for a while would certainly be no problem. By then, she would have awakened and could help him kill the Demon Tiger.
She had never imagined that Xu Taiping would actually slay the Demon Tiger by his own strength.
Although those disciples deserved some of the credit, this Demon Tiger was not merely a Demon Lord-level demonic beast. It was a Tiger Demon with the bloodline of the savage Northwind Tiger, and it possessed a Northwind Pearl.
As her surprise subsided, Fairy Lingyue's gaze gradually settled on the wounds, large and small, covering Xu Taiping's body.
Although Xu Taiping was now in the Gate Opening Realm, with recuperative powers far beyond those of ordinary people, those wounds covered in bloody scabs were still shocking to behold.
For no apparent reason, Fairy Lingyue felt a sting in her nose.
"Little Taiping, was it hard on you?"
She touched the wound on Xu Taiping's face and asked, her voice filled with emotion.
"No, not at all."
Xu Taiping shook his head with unwavering conviction.
"Good. You did very well, even better than I expected. I was right about you."
Fairy Lingyue nodded with equal conviction.
Just as Xu Taiping's resolve to pursue cultivation was as firm as a boulder, Fairy Lingyue had now firmly resolved in her heart to join hands with this young boy and return to the cultivation world.
"Sister, look. This is the Northwind Pearl."
Xu Taiping happily held the demonic pearl out to Fairy Lingyue.
Although he had yet to examine the things stored in the Tiger Demon's mouth, he was certain that this Northwind Pearl was his greatest gain from slaying the tiger.
"This Northwind Pearl... is actually a demonic pearl condensed inside a savage Northwind Tiger. The vicious, baleful energy within it is too intense for human cultivators to use. Keeping it near you for long periods would do harm rather than good."
Fairy Lingyue hesitated, but ultimately told Xu Taiping the truth.
"I see..."
Xu Taiping could not help feeling disappointed.
"But you needn't be too disappointed. It is indeed useless to you for now, but if we use this Northwind Pearl as nourishment for the Earth Fruit, it might produce a fine weapon."
Fairy Lingyue smiled as she comforted Xu Taiping.
"The Northwind Pearl can be used to nourish the Earth Fruit?"
Xu Taiping was a little surprised.
"The Earth Fruit has twelve transformations, and each Seed Burning brings about a transformation. After the second transformation, it can absorb demonic power from demonic beasts and their Demon Cores to nurture its fruit."
Fairy Lingyue nodded.
"Seed Burning... right!"
At the mention of Seed Burning, Xu Taiping suddenly remembered something. He immediately turned and walked over to the tiger's head, hoisted it up, and poured out a heap of Merit Coins, gold, silver, jewels, and other valuables.
"This Tiger Demon had at least three thousand Merit Coins. That's enough for us to buy a True Fire Talisman."
Xu Taiping scooped up a handful of Merit Coins from the ground and looked at Fairy Lingyue excitedly.
Most of the treasures stored in the Tiger Demon's mouth were gold and silver; there were actually not many Merit Coins. Apart from those, Xu Taiping also spotted cultivation manuals, magic artifacts, talismans, and similar items.
"Yes. With a True Fire Talisman, we can perform Seed Burning and bring the Earth Fruit to its second transformation."
A glimmer of hope also appeared in Fairy Lingyue's eyes.
There was one thing she had not told Xu Taiping: after the Earth Fruit's second transformation, she would be able to draw on its power to advance her Divine Soul further, reaching the point where she could borrow another person's body to cast spells and wield divine abilities.
Then, if they encountered another demonic creature like the Tiger Demon, she would be able to crush it.
She had not told Xu Taiping because she feared he would rely on her too much, which would adversely affect his future cultivation.
"Taiping, come. Before we exchange the coins for a True Fire Talisman, let's take stock of the treasures this Tiger Demon hid away. Perhaps we'll find something useful for your cultivation."
Fairy Lingyue's spectral soul drifted beside the heap of treasures, and she pointed at them excitedly.
Late at night.
"Six hundred taels of gold, thirteen hundred taels of silver, twenty-three hundred Merit Coins, three Cultivation Transmission Jade Slips, six magic artifacts, eight talismans, one suit of leather armor made from the hide of a Fire Rhinoceros demonic beast, and two demonic pearls besides the Northwind Pearl."
After everything from the Tiger Demon's mouth had been sorted, Fairy Lingyue looked over the items one by one, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes.
To her, the most valuable things here were merely those few Demon Cores.
"There's also a map marking the location of a three-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Mushroom."
Xu Taiping handed Fairy Lingyue a hide map.
Unlike Fairy Lingyue, a cultivator who had seen much of the world, Xu Taiping had never seen this much gold and silver in his life, let alone a dozen or so magic artifacts and talismans each worth over a thousand Merit Coins.
"That Tiger Demon probably kept this Fire Spirit Mushroom for its own breakthrough."
Fairy Lingyue took the hide map and glanced at it.
The map was exceedingly crude, with only a few features of the terrain sketched out and the approximate location of the three-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Mushroom marked. It was very likely drawn by the Demon Tiger itself.
"This spot looks like the valley where I caught up with it that day. Could it have been running there to get this Fire Spirit Mushroom?"
Xu Taiping could not help feeling a chill of belated fear.
If he had not pursued it then, or had arrived a moment too late and allowed the Demon Tiger to obtain the Fire Spirit Mushroom, the final outcome might have been very different.
"Would this Fire Spirit Mushroom be useful to me?"
Xu Taiping asked curiously, his large eyes wide.
"Its medicinal potency is too strong for you. Taking it would do you harm rather than good. However..."
Fairy Lingyue first shook her head, then furrowed her brow, seemingly uncertain whether to mention something.
"However, what?"
Xu Taiping pressed.
"However, it can also be used to nourish the Earth Fruit. If we're lucky, it might produce a treasure that can speed up your cultivation."
Looking into Xu Taiping's eyes, which were brimming with curiosity, Fairy Lingyue ultimately decided to tell him the truth.
"But the problem is that a Fire Spirit Mushroom more than three hundred years old is usually guarded by a Fire Python. If you try to harvest it without knowing how to avoid the Fire Python, it will be very dangerous."
Before Xu Taiping could begin to celebrate, Fairy Lingyue added that warning.
Before you continue