It was the transition between spring and summer. Earth Qi filled the air, and wood Qi flourished in the forest.
The fresh scent of sprouting plants filled his nostrils, while insects chirped and birds called in the distance, making the place seem all the more secluded.
After entering the Rime Forest, Chen Shuangbai put himself on alert.
"No, searching aimlessly like this is like fishing for a needle at the bottom of the sea."
At that thought, Chen Shuangbai released the Pseudo-Divine Sense he had honed from his body.
It was called "pseudo" because Chen Shuangbai had yet to truly temper it, though it was still far stronger than the perception of an ordinary Third Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator.
Like invisible ripples, it spread outward from him in every direction, but only reached about ten zhang around him. Compared to that of the great cultivators of the Foundation Establishment Realm, it could only be called feeble.
Still, having it was better than having nothing.
For someone at the Qi Refining Stage to develop Divine Sense was impossible to begin with.
Besides, Chen Shuangbai had not come here solely to hunt boars, but also to seek out the heavenly materials and earthly treasures hidden in the forest.
With a bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills on him, Chen Shuangbai was in no hurry.
After roughly half a shichen, he found something.
His perception seemed to have been stirred, and Chen Shuangbai immediately leaped onto a tree, his figure disappearing into the lush foliage.
Not far away, in a level clearing in the woods, lay a pool of mud.
Several Azure-Backed Boars were in the mud pool.
Five burly Azure-Backed Boars were rooting around for the tubers of some plant.
Their coats were a glossy blue-black, their backs rose high, and their curved tusks gleamed coldly. They were a size larger than he had expected.
"Five... perfect timing!"
Chen Shuangbai surveyed his surroundings and, finding nothing amiss, struck without hesitation.
Using the dense foliage to conceal himself, Chen Shuangbai moved within casting range, formed a Method Formula with both hands, and cast a Law Technique.
"Cold Spring Guidance: Ice Thorn Array, rise!"
In an instant.
A sudden change swept over the area around the mud pool.
Dozens of sharp ice spikes gleaming with cold light burst from the earth within the mud pool, growing over two meters tall and trapping the five Azure-Backed Boars before they could react.
The sudden change frightened the five low-level Demon Beasts into a panic.
They charged wildly in every direction, trying to break through the ring of ice spikes.
But instead of smashing the spikes, they only battered themselves dizzy and staggered on their feet. Two of them were knocked unconscious on the spot.
Chen Shuangbai was slightly taken aback, but he did not hesitate. He formed another Method Formula, and the Cold Spring Sword flew out from behind him, turning into a streak of dim blue light that shot straight into the Ice Thorn Array.
A few swishes rang out.
The Cold Spring Sword, which could slice through iron as easily as mud, passed through the bodies of all five Azure-Backed Boars in succession, drawing great sprays of blood. The boars wailed a few times, then collapsed as they lost large amounts of blood.
Chen Shuangbai did not rush to dispel the ice spikes. He circulated his cultivation to regulate his breathing and restore his spiritual power, then waited a while before stepping forward to examine the carcasses.
All five Azure-Backed Boars were dead.
Chen Shuangbai stepped forward and looked at the cuts, smooth as mirrors, and the flesh and blood that had been completely frozen solid. He could not help feeling a little taken aback, and thought, Its power really is extraordinary.
The Cold Spring Sword shook in midair, flinging every trace of boar blood from its blade. It then butchered the five Azure-Backed Boar carcasses one by one, gathering all the useful materials, including the tusks, hides, and blood.
The ears in particular.
They were the Expenditure Hall's sole means of verifying whether disciples who had accepted the task had genuinely hunted Azure-Backed Boars.
Chen Shuangbai continued deeper in the direction of the Shattered Star River, where the air grew increasingly damp and the sound of the river became clearer.
As he went farther into the forest, Chen Shuangbai occasionally encountered fellow disciples from his own sect.
They greeted one another when they met, then promptly parted ways.
Over the course of half a day, Chen Shuangbai also found some spirit herbs and flowers.
Though they could not be called rare or uncommon, they still amounted to an income in merit points.
About half a day later.
Chen Shuangbai found traces of Azure-Backed Boars again.
This time, however, there were far more than before.
"One, two, three, four, five... fourteen. That's a herd of boars."
Azure-Backed Boars had a habit of living in groups.
Once their numbers grew large enough, a special existence would emerge among them: a leader boar.
The leader boar was usually a whole level above the other Azure-Backed Boars in both strength and size.
Just like the one before him!
It was nearly twice the size of an ordinary Azure-Backed Boar, its shoulders almost reaching his waist. The blue-black bristles along its back stood upright like steel needles, and its curved tusks were far larger than those of its kind. Most importantly, a layer of earthy yellow spiritual light flowed over its back.
"Its strength must be close to the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer, right?"
"And it's even awakened the earth element."
Chen Shuangbai's lips twitched slightly.
He himself was still only at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement. He had found an Azure-Backed Boar leader at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer; if he fought it head-on, he might be able to exchange blows with it, but it was surrounded by so many ordinary Azure-Backed Boars.
"I can't force my way through this."
Hidden beneath a large tree nearby, Chen Shuangbai swept a keen gaze over the entire herd. His mind began to work, and his Divine Sense gradually spread out to probe the strength of the ordinary Azure-Backed Boars.
Fortunately, most were only around the first or second layer of Qi Refinement, and taking them down with ease would be no problem.
"But enough ants can bite an elephant to death. I can't act rashly."
Soon, Chen Shuangbai noticed something unusual-
The Azure-Backed Boars were rooting around for a kind of woodland mushroom, grunting and snuffling as they ate...
"Wait, mushrooms!"
Chen Shuangbai pulled something from his storage space. It was a grayish-white mushroom, with distinctive, vivid purple patterns beneath its cap.
These mushrooms were also incredibly delicious, but eating them would make one drowsy for a while, so they could be considered poisonous.
He had seen a One-Horned Deer at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement eat one and promptly collapse into a deep sleep, so he had gathered quite a few, intending to see whether they might prove useful later. He had not expected to find a use for them so soon.
Chen Shuangbai looked at the Purple-Patterned Fungus in his hand, then at the herd of boars eating mushrooms with their heads lowered not far away, and could not help smiling.
"Since you love mushrooms so much, I'll prepare something big for you!"
He quietly retreated out of the herd's sight, took out several Purple-Patterned Fungi, and crushed them into powder. Then he found some woodland mushrooms and sprinkled the powder over them one by one.
But he was not done yet.
Spiritual light flashed in Chen Shuangbai's hand, and Cold Spring Guidance stirred silently, coating the woodland mushrooms in a thin layer of ice that masked the scent of the Purple-Patterned Fungus. Then he chose his moment and rolled them to a spot not far from several ordinary Azure-Backed Boars at the edge of the herd.
The Azure-Backed Boars clearly noticed nothing amiss. They kept rooting and snuffling, and soon found the "fresh" mushrooms. After sniffing them and detecting no strange odor, they swallowed them in a single gulp without hesitation!
After about half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, one of the Azure-Backed Boars that had eaten more began to slow down. Its head swayed, and its steps grew unsteady.
The other Azure-Backed Boars that had swallowed the mushrooms soon began to follow suit.
A few rumbling thuds rang out.
Five Azure-Backed Boars collapsed and lay motionless.