The Shadowstripe Leopard's warm blood splashed across Hillman's face, carrying a sweet, metallic scent. He leaned on his longsword, his ragged breathing distinctly audible in the silent woods. Looking down at the wounds on his body, several deep enough to expose bone, he saw a faint blue-black tinge spreading along their edges. The paralytic venom on the Shadowstripe Leopard's claws was quietly spreading, leaving a faint weakness in his limbs.
"I can't stay here." Hillman gritted his teeth and forced his numb body to stagger over to the Shadowstripe Leopard's corpse. Every part of an eighth-level magical beast's body was valuable: its claws could be forged into weapons, its hide made into tough leather armor, and its magic core, containing pure energy, was an excellent aid to cultivation. He drew the dagger at his waist and carefully cut open the leopard's abdomen. When his fingertips touched the pigeon-egg-sized magic core, which shimmered with faint black light, a cool sensation spread through his fingers, slightly easing the numbness in his body.
He carefully stowed the magic core, claws, and intact hide, then cut off several pieces of fresh leopard meat with his dagger-food was always a scarce resource in the Magical Beast Forest. Only after finishing all this did Hillman drag his heavy feet deeper into the dense woods. He had to find somewhere safe as quickly as possible to treat his wounds and neutralize the venom. Otherwise, the paralytic venom would bring him down before he even encountered another magical beast.
Fortunately, after traveling roughly a quarter of a kilometer, he discovered a narrow cave beneath a sheltered cliff, its entrance just wide enough for one person to pass through. Thick vines grew outside the cave, providing natural cover. Hillman cut through them with his longsword, stooped to squeeze inside, then reached back and pulled the vines over most of the entrance.
The cave was dry and warm, its floor covered in a thick layer of dry grass. A magical beast seemed to have lived there before. Hillman had no time to dwell on it. He immediately sat cross-legged and took a healing potion from his pack. Biting out the stopper, he poured the pale green potion onto his wounds. A fierce sting instantly swept through his body, drawing a muffled groan from him. Where the potion touched the venom, a faint sizzling sounded and wisps of white smoke rose. The blue-black discoloration around his wounds faded at a visible rate.
After treating his wounds, Hillman took out the Shadowstripe Leopard's magic core and held it in his palm. He closed his eyes and, following the battle qi cultivation method he had practiced for years, slowly guided the energy within the core into his body. Pure darkness-element energy flowed through his meridians, and wherever it passed, the battle qi depleted by the fierce battle gradually replenished.
About an hour later, the energy in the magic core had been completely absorbed, leaving a dull piece of stone. Hillman slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a stale breath. His whole body felt considerably better, and the numbness in his limbs had vanished completely. He flexed his wrists, sensing the battle qi filling his body once more, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
His battle with the Shadowstripe Leopard had seemed perilous, but it had also benefited him greatly. The leopard's extreme speed had forced him to push every movement to its limit. The speed of his sword draw, the angle of his slashes, and his evasive footwork had all improved slightly under the pressure of mortal danger.
"The barrier at the ninth-level peak is even sturdier than I imagined," Hillman murmured, his brows drawing together slightly. Although absorbing the Shadowstripe Leopard's magic core had replenished his battle qi, he still had not touched the barrier leading to the Saint level. He knew ordinary cultivation and fighting could hardly bring him any further progress.
He recalled a passage he had read before leaving, in the Dragonblood Secret Manual treasured by the Baruch Clan-a clan ancestor had once said that Earth Element mages could resonate with the earth and draw on earth power to cast magic; the warrior's path, too, could reach the same destination by a different route. If he could set aside his restlessness, quiet his mind to perceive the pulse of the earth, and draw its mighty power into tempering his body and battle qi, perhaps he could open the door to the Saint level.
The soil of the Magical Beast Forest had sustained the lives and witnessed the deaths of countless magical beasts. The earth power it contained was far richer and purer than that of the outside world. This was his opportunity to break through.
Hillman stood, walked to the cave entrance, and lifted the vines to look outside. Dusk had already fallen, and the sunset's lingering glow filtered through the dense branches and leaves, scattering patches of golden light. The forest soil gave off a damp, earthy smell. Faint tremors came from the rock beneath his feet-the pulse deep within the earth was beating.
He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the longsword at his waist, and resolutely stepped out of the cave.
Rather than venture farther into the forest, Hillman found an open clearing. He sat cross-legged, set his longsword beside him, and slowly closed his eyes, clearing away every distracting thought. First, he slowed his breathing, bringing his breath into rhythm with the wind in the woods and the grass on the ground. Then he gradually relaxed his limbs and pressed his palms against the cold soil.
At first, his fingertips felt only the damp chill and roughness of the soil, nothing unusual.
Hillman patiently guided the battle qi within his body. Instead of driving it forcefully as he had before, he let it become a gentle stream that seeped through his palms into the soil. Like feelers, his battle qi cautiously probed deep into the earth, touching tangled roots, hard layers of rock, and the slowly pulsing channels of energy hidden in the darkness.
He did not know how much time had passed when, at the instant his battle qi completely merged with the earth's channels, a mighty, weighty, boundless presence surged into him through his palms!
That power was far purer and more immense than the energy within a magical beast's core. It was not violent like a fierce gale, yet it carried an irresistible majesty, as though it were the will of this land, steady and resolute.
The instant the power poured into his meridians, Hillman's body shuddered violently. This earth power was far too weighty, well beyond anything he had ever endured. Waves of swelling pain coursed through his meridians, as though they would burst. He clenched his teeth and held his mind firmly steady, not daring to relax for even a moment as he guided the power to slowly wash through every part of his body.
This was an entirely different kind of tempering.
Previously, he had cultivated by nourishing his meridians with battle qi; now, he was using the power of the pulse of the earth to widen his meridians and strengthen his foundations. Wherever the earth power passed, the slight, hidden injuries left by years of fighting were gradually soothed away. Nourished by the mighty earth power, the battle qi within him became increasingly concentrated and substantial, while his formerly somewhat restless aura gained a measure of steadiness and weight.
Hillman could clearly feel a wondrous connection forming between his body and this land. He could "hear" the tremors in the rock beneath his feet, "sense" the faint movements of earthworms burrowing a hundred meters away, and "touch" the great river of energy flowing deep within the earth.
The sensation was mysterious and profound.
Night quietly fell. Insect calls rose and fell throughout the woods, and moonlight filtered through gaps in the foliage to spill over Hillman's motionless figure. He remained seated cross-legged, his palms against the ground, a faint earthen-yellow glow surrounding him. He merged with the earth around him, as though he had always been part of this land.
Tempered by earth power, the battle qi within him was gradually transforming. Under the impact of that mighty power, the ninth-level peak barrier that had obstructed him for so long actually began to show faint signs of loosening.
An unknown amount of time passed before the eastern sky turned pale.
The first ray of dawn pierced the darkness and fell upon Hillman. He slowly opened his eyes, and a weighty gleam, sharing the earth's radiance, flashed within them. As he rose, his bones gave a series of sharp cracks, like beans popping in a pan. He clenched his fists, feeling the surging yet steady power within him. The earth beneath his feet seemed to have become his firmest support, and with every breath, he could draw upon inexhaustible power.
He looked down at his palms. Traces of soil still clung to them, yet it seemed a portion of the earth's power had remained within his body forever.
Hillman picked up the longsword beside him, its blade gleaming coldly in the morning light. He gazed into the depths of the forest, where mist churned and danger lurked everywhere, yet opportunities also abounded.
He knew that perceiving the pulse of the earth was only the first step. The true trial had only just begun.
Gripping his longsword, Hillman walked deeper into the forest with steady steps. His retreating figure grew ever straighter in the morning light, and each footfall quietly resonated with the pulse of the earth.
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