A quarter of an hour later, at the entrance to the Thousand Beauties Pavilion.
A burly man appeared, dressed in a fitted gray outfit, with a full beard and a knife scar across his face.
Still looking drunk, the man braced himself against the door as he emerged, muttering under his breath.
"Damn, that saucy bitch nearly shook my back in two."
After leaving the Thousand Beauties Pavilion, the man headed west for over half a kilometer, arriving at a secluded alley entrance.
He discreetly glanced back toward the Thousand Beauties Pavilion.
"That presence didn't follow me. Looks like they didn't notice me leaving. That woman's disguise technique really is something."
The bearded man was, of course, Gu Chenfeng.
Thanks to the disguise technique Su Wanyue had performed using some kind of gu insect, Gu Chenfeng's appearance had changed drastically.
He had also used the Heaven-Opening Creation Art to seal away his aura completely.
He had even secretly circulated the Iron Elephant Art, making his body look a size larger and more muscular.
Inside and out, he had become an entirely different person.
Forget the person secretly following him-even his eldest sister would never recognize him if she brushed past him.
"It's still early. I need to reach Great Wilderness Ridge as soon as possible and return before the gates close for curfew."
Having made up his mind, Gu Chenfeng bought a swift horse in the city.
At a smithy, he also picked out a refined-iron spear that felt reasonably comfortable in his hands.
He brought some dry rations and medicines that might prove useful in the wilderness.
Then, alone on horseback with the spear on his back, he set off.
He left through the western gate and galloped straight toward Great Wilderness Ridge.
Great Wilderness Ridge lay only a few dozen kilometers from the Imperial Capital.
It took Gu Chenfeng just an hour to reach a way station near Great Wilderness Ridge.
Although Great Wilderness Ridge was dangerous, both its Origin Beasts and the spiritual materials growing there were worth a considerable sum.
Every day, numerous hunting parties entered it to explore and search for treasure.
The way station served as their supply point.
Gu Chenfeng left his horse at the way station, shouldered his pack, and headed into the mountains with his spear over his shoulder.
As he walked toward Great Wilderness Ridge alone, people watched him.
Quite a few people at the way station cast him surprised looks.
After all, anyone who dared venture alone into Great Wilderness Ridge was either a fool or a formidable character.
Before long, Gu Chenfeng stepped into Great Wilderness Ridge.
He dared enter Great Wilderness Ridge alone not only because he possessed nine-star Meridian-Opening Realm strength and practiced both Internal and External Cultivation.
More importantly, his spiritual perception was keen, and he could understand Beast Speech.
That would make him considerably safer.
Moreover, all the spiritual materials Gu Chenfeng sought on this trip grew on the outskirts of Great Wilderness Ridge.
Almost every Origin Beast active in the outer region was below the Source Qi Realm.
With his current strength, he could handle them all.
Unlike other humans, who immediately felt danger and unfamiliarity upon entering Great Wilderness Ridge, he felt differently.
The moment Gu Chenfeng entered the dense woods, all manner of lively voices rang out in his mind.
Some birds were discussing him. "What does that human want, coming in here alone?"
Nearby insects cried out in panic, "Run! Don't let that monster step on you!"
Gu Chenfeng smiled knowingly while silently circulating the Heaven-Opening Creation Art, allowing his long-dormant qi and blood to surge naturally.
He also extended his perception to its fullest reach.
The sensation of power flowing freely and his mind reaching outward felt wonderfully refreshing to Gu Chenfeng.
In the Imperial Capital and the chancellor's residence, he always had to conceal himself.
Here in this primeval forest, he could finally act without restraint.
Without wasting time, Gu Chenfeng began searching the moment he entered the dense woods.
He had already selected Pill Formulas for two first-grade pills from the library at the chancellor's residence.
The Essence Pill and the Spirit-Nourishing Pill.
The former could help Source Qi Realm martial artists replenish their source qi in an emergency.
The Spirit-Nourishing Pill worked similarly to the Clearheart Pill, restoring mental energy, but its effects were stronger.
He had memorized all the spiritual materials needed for both pills, but finding them was no easy task.
Who knew how many hunting parties had scoured the outskirts of Great Wilderness Ridge?
Those fellows would pluck feathers from a goose flying overhead; they had practically stripped the outskirts of Great Wilderness Ridge bare.
Fortunately, Gu Chenfeng's powers of observation were exceptional.
He could also obtain information through conversations between beasts.
An hour later.
He had found several spiritual materials in secluded places such as thickets and rocky caves.
His haul was fairly good, and he had encountered no danger whatsoever.
Great Wilderness Ridge did not seem as dangerous as he had imagined.
Yet scarcely had that thought crossed Gu Chenfeng's mind when something happened.
Rustle, rustle...
His ears twitched as he suddenly heard distant bushes rustling, while birds and beasts scattered around him.
"Run! What a terrifying monster!"
"It's charging over!"
Amid the frightened cries of birds and beasts, the rustling grew louder, rapidly drawing closer.
Gu Chenfeng's heart tightened as he vaguely made out something in the bushes ahead.
An enormous gray-black figure was charging straight toward him.
He also heard a series of excited roars.
"There's prey here! I'm going to eat it! Roar, roar, roar...!"
Before he could blink, the dark shape burst out of the dense forest.
It was a wild boar over half a man's height, weighing several hundred pounds, with bristling hair and protruding tusks.
Kicking up dust and fallen leaves, the boar hurtled fiercely toward Gu Chenfeng.
Although he had already braced himself mentally.
Actually seeing a pig-an enormous Second Brother weighing several hundred pounds-charging at him at full speed was another matter.
Gu Chenfeng could not help tensing, instinctively retreating a step.
At the same time, his qi and blood surged wildly, and he drove power through his heels.
That power traveled through his calves, thighs, waist, and spine... reaching his right arm in an instant.
"Hah...!"
Gu Chenfeng threw a punch with all his strength.
His entire right arm swelled a size larger, its skin turning silvery gray.
His lightning-fast fist slammed straight into the crown of the charging boar's head.
Bang...!
A dull impact erupted.
Gu Chenfeng felt his arm jolt.
Then the ferocious boar actually flew backward.
Its enormous body tumbled seven or eight times along the ground.
Then its neck twisted to one side, blood pouring from all seven facial orifices.
Without so much as a grunt, it died on the spot, its forehead caved in and its skull shattered.
Gu Chenfeng froze briefly, looking at his fist, then at the boar that had died so abruptly.
"Scared the hell out of me. Are wild boars all this fragile now?"
Of course, it was not that the boar was too fragile.
This wild boar was, after all, a Body Tempering Realm Origin Beast.
Unfortunately for it, Gu Chenfeng had not only reached the nine-star Meridian-Opening Realm.
He also practiced external cultivation, giving him a powerful physique that surpassed even savage beasts.
On top of that, cultivating on the Enlightenment Platform had unlocked his comprehension to its fullest.
Whether in internal cultivation or external cultivation, his training had produced practically perfect results and a solid foundation.
How could this boar withstand the punch he had unleashed in his startled response?
After this test, Gu Chenfeng began to realize something.
He seemed to have vastly underestimated his own combat strength.
Sure enough, as he continued searching the outskirts of Great Wilderness Ridge for spiritual materials.
He encountered several more Origin Beasts that attacked him first.
Among them was a gray wolf at Meridian-Opening Realm One Star.
Without exception, he killed every one of them with a single punch.
He never once used the spear on his back.
There was simply no suspense in battles like these.
Before sunset, Gu Chenfeng returned to the way station.
He sold some of the Origin Beast materials he had collected to the way station for several hundred taels.
He posed as a hunter who had gone into the mountains to hunt.
Then he hurried back toward the Imperial Capital.
His haul that day had been good: he had gathered over a quarter of the spiritual materials needed to refine the pills.
A few more days of this would be enough to collect everything.
More importantly, Gu Chenfeng had gained an opportunity for actual combat.
Even if it had been a one-sided slaughter.
After returning to the Imperial Capital, Gu Chenfeng went straight to the Thousand Beauties Pavilion.
Martial artists and hunters like him were a common sight in Thousand Beauties Pavilion.
Not only could they spend their hard-earned hunting money on wine and meat.
They could also support young women who had lost their way, helping them provide for their alcoholic fathers, school-age younger brothers, and paralyzed mothers.
Gu Chenfeng swaggered into the building.
He took a few liberties with the girls outside the entrance, provoking a chorus of coquettish protests.
Then, taking advantage of a trip to the privy, he transformed back into the Third Young Master of the Gu Family.
The Third Young Master rubbed his lower back and leaned against the door.
He looked as though he had spent the entire day laboring diligently in the Thousand Beauties Pavilion.
Collecting the guards from the chancellor's residence who had been waiting outside, he returned home with his entourage in grand procession.
Over the next several days.
Gu Chenfeng left early and returned late, dutifully checking in at the Thousand Beauties Pavilion.
To outsiders, Third Young Master Gu was diligently plowing Lady Su's fields every day.
In truth, he had spent several days exploring Great Wilderness Ridge alone and had fought numerous battles.
Today marked Gu Chenfeng's fourth consecutive day entering Great Wilderness Ridge.
After several days of gathering, only the final two principal ingredients for the Essence Pill and the Spirit-Nourishing Pill remained.
Both ingredients grew deeper within the outer region.
Gu Chenfeng had deliberately saved them for last.
Today, he headed straight into the depths of Great Wilderness Ridge's outer region and searched for nearly half a day.
At last, in a cave, he found the final principal ingredient for the Essence Pill: the blood-crest flower.
It was a Spiritual Materials shaped like an orchid, with a crown as red as blood.
Inside the dim cave, the instant Gu Chenfeng spotted the blood-crest flower.
Whoosh...
A rank wind suddenly rose!
A dark-red figure shot straight at his face, as fast as lightning.
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