Tempering Experience

A light drizzle was falling, and a Round-Horned Rabbit was sleeping among the dense Thorn Spirit Grass.

This kind of spiritual herb doesn't rely much on Spiritual Qi to grow and is very easy to cultivate; it can grow freely as long as there is a little spiritual soil.

Although it is not favored by cultivators and is of little use except for being used by the lowest-level cultivators to weave some production tools, it is the favorite food of the Round-Horned Rabbit clan.

Only a small number of these weak Demon Beast are lucky enough to advance to the First-Tier Lower-Grade after reaching adulthood. Therefore, these dense Thorn Spirit Grass not only provide them with abundant food, but also offer a sanctuary for this weak race.

A large foot stomped into the Thorn Spirit Grass, stepping down beside the sleeping Round-Horned Rabbit.

The poor little creature was instantly awakened. Its four chubby little legs kicked rapidly, carrying it through the dense vegetation and into its simple burrow.

"Ten thousand books are not as good as ten thousand miles of travel. The 'Introduction to Cold Crow Mountain Spirit Things' is indeed true. Although this Round-Horned Rabbit is weak, its speed is truly extraordinary. Without cultivating to the Middle Qi Refinement, it is difficult to catch up with it." The owner of Big Foot was handsome and dressed in the common attire of a Confucian scholar.

He said that Round-Horned Rabbit are hard to catch, but in reality, he watched the other person's departing figure without making a move.

At this moment, a handsome young man with a resolute face standing beside the Confucian scholar chimed in, "If they didn't have this much skill, they would have been caught long ago by those rogue cultivators outside who would break even a Rogue Cultivator of spirit into pieces."

No sooner had the young man finished speaking than a White-Collared Golden Owl swept across the clouds and flew over their heads.

It wasn't some pathetic Demon Beast like the Round-Horned Rabbit that only knew how to run away. The two immediately concealed their presence and only relaxed again after confirming that the White-Collared Golden Owl hadn't lingered.

The handsome young man said earnestly, "Junior Brother Pei, be careful, we're about to enter the Great Crow Ridge."

Pei Que also adopted a solemn expression and nodded in agreement.

The reason he and Han Yundao came to Great Crow Ridge next to Double Brightness Trade Market was because a Rogue Cultivator claimed that he had been Bandit Cultivator by a group of cultivators on his way to Double Brightness Trade Market in his beast-drawn carriage a day earlier.

According to the Rogue Cultivator, the group of Bandit Cultivator consisted of only four or five people. The leader, whose cultivation level was the highest, was only at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer, while the rest were just early-stage cultivators. They were all poor, and apart from the leader, none of the others even had a decent magic Law Artifact.

Simply put, this group of Bandit Cultivator who robbed the beast-drawn carriage were so poor they were practically dead. If they weren't in such dire straits, even a Rogue Cultivator like them would never have been able to single-handedly come out and file a complaint.

That's why Kang Dabao, who was busy recruiting members for the Thief-Catching Office along with Xu Yingshi, felt comfortable letting his two apprentices Han Yundao and Pei Que, come out alone.

Of course, Sect Leader Kang Da didn't have high hopes that his two inexperienced disciples could capture that group of thieving Bandit Cultivator.

These kinds of roving thieves are unpredictable and usually commit crimes while moving around. Even if you ask the old men of the Demon Correction Office to help, they might not be able to capture them, let alone two young boys.

The Sect Leader Kang Da sent his two disciples on this trip was actually just to give that whining rogue Rogue Cultivator an explanation.

Although a beast that hadn't yet reached the next level and a cartload of Orchid Spirit Charcoal weren't worth much in Kang Dabao's eyes, they represented most of the Rogue Cultivator's wealth, so it was no wonder the other person was crying.

It's probably impossible to catch them all; Cloud Horn Prefecture is such a large place, where would you even begin to arrest them?

But since they've come to him for help, Kang Dabao has to do something, and it's also a good opportunity for his two apprentices to gain some experience.

Sect Leader Kang Da cherished his disciples, he also understood the principle that "jade must be carved to become a useful object."

When Kang Dabao was their age, he had already fought countless times. Based on what the Rogue Cultivator said about the strength of the Bandit Cultivator, Han Yundao and Pei Que would definitely have no problem protecting themselves if they encountered him.

Han Yundao and Pei Que had no idea that their master looked down on them so much. The two were in the prime of their lives and were determined to capture the group of Bandit Cultivator.

However, it turned out that Sect Leader Kang Da at the time was reasonable. Han Yundao and Pei Que searched carefully in this desolate wilderness for two days, but they did not find any trace of the group of Bandit Cultivator.

During their search for the Bandit Cultivator, the two brothers, relying on their fairly solid knowledge of spiritual objects, discovered three or four rather useful spiritual herbs. After the two brothers picked them and sold them at Double Brightness Trade Market, splitting the profits 50/20, each of them could get seven or eight fragments of spiritual material, so they didn't come away empty-handed.

Suddenly, shouts of battle rang out from the woods. The two who had been searching for the Bandit Cultivator were prepared, but their faces showed no joy.

Pei Que raised his sword-like eyebrows, raised his hand, and a sharp metallic aura shot out from his fingertips, piercing through the heads of the two burly men in front of him, scattering blood everywhere.

"An immortal!"

"The leaders are all dead! Run!"

"Fine, fine, fine, so you arrested me to be a thief? Good riddance!"

Pei Que had no intention of chasing after the fleeing henchmen; he stopped after killing the two leaders.

Han Yundao shook his head repeatedly at the scene. This Great Dock Ridge was indeed a good place for murder and robbery. Although he had not found the gang of Bandit Cultivator these days, he had encountered three gangs of ordinary bandits.

Is the world really that hard these days?

It's already outrageous enough that ordinary people would dare to travel through this place where Demon Beast roam to do business, but it's even more unbelievable that ordinary bandits would risk being devoured by Demon Beast to commit crimes here.

Han Yundao suddenly remembered his father, a fat, wealthy man who wasn't even Skin Refining martial artist. Just last month, the Fat Squire Han had written a letter about taking a twenty-ninth concubine in his secluded paradise in Chongming City.

Compared to these ordinary bandits who risked their lives, the ordinary people living under the protection of the Chongming Sect were undoubtedly much happier.

Relatives of cultivators Fat Squire Han were among the happiest. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to do something as taboo as taking twenty-nine concubines.

It should be noted that not long ago, Sect Leader Kang Da ordered Ji Wuwu, who was stationed in Chongming City, to investigate the number of old men and young women in marriages. Mortals are the foundation of cultivators, and eugenics and more births can increase the probability of having children with immortal roots.

"Hoo." Han Yundao cleared his mind of all the jumbled emotions, then took a deep breath and turned to Pei Que, saying, "Junior Brother Pei, let's go back. Master said that after three days out, regardless of whether we find it or not, we must return to Double Brightness Trade Market to report."

Having finally been given a mission and gone out to complete it, Pei Que could not hide his disappointment and could only nod in agreement.

It was already late afternoon, so the two brothers quickened their pace.

Just as the two brothers were about to leave Great Dock Ridge, they saw a figure leap out of the bushes beside them.

The figure merely brushed past, and Han Yundao's gaze sharpened. Unable to make out clearly, he turned his attention to Pei Que. The latter had practiced the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes for a period of time under the Sect Leader Kang Da. Although he was far from mastering it, it had been of considerable help to his cultivation of other pupil techniques.

Kang Dabao chose another pupil technique for Pei Que to cultivate, named "Reflecting the Void," which was not of low rank, Desolate Rank, Supreme Grade.

Unlike the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, the Reflecting the Void Pupil Technique is not difficult to learn and master. Many predecessors of the Chongming Sect have made achievements in this pupil technique. Therefore, Pei Que has cultivated this pupil technique for less than three years and has already reached the rudimentary level. His eyesight is much better than Han Yundao's.

Han Yundao couldn't see the figure clearly, but Pei Que could.

The rabbit that brushed past the two brothers was also Round-Horned Rabbit they had seen before, but of a slightly higher grade, being one of the few First-Tier Middle-Grade in its kind.

Pei Que thought the Round-Horned Rabbit would soon disappear from his sight, but he was surprised to find that it had stopped to rest in a Thorn Spirit Grass.

Upon closer inspection, a white bone arrow was found embedded in the right leg of the Round-Horned Rabbit.

"No wonder this beast still dares to rest!" Pei Que muttered to himself, a thought forming in his mind.

The fighting skills of Demon Beast like the Round-Horned Rabbit are already terrible. Even if First-Tier Middle-Grade Round-Horned Rabbit were not injured, some Rogue Cultivator at the second or third level of Qi Refinement might dare to try fighting it one-on-one. Now that it is injured, Pei Que is even less afraid.

Not to mention that this Round-Horned Rabbit is now injured, and it can't use its original speed advantage.

After discussing it, the two brothers decided to capture the Round-Horned Rabbit and take it back. After all, they hadn't completed the task assigned by their master, and even if their master didn't reprimand them, the two young men felt it would be embarrassing for them.

If we could capture this Round-Horned Rabbit, even if the fur, bones, and blood of such a spirit beast were of little benefit, it would still be enough to provide our master with a treat, which would be a way for us two disciples to show our filial piety.

Without further ado, Han Yundao and Pei Que immediately turned around and began hunting Round-Horned Rabbit.

Pei Que activated his pupil technique, his two black pupils turning amber, and a chaotic spiritual light slowly emanated from them, reflecting onto the Round-Horned Rabbit lying in the Thorn Spirit Grass.

The beast suddenly felt its whole body stiffen and could no longer move. Having distinguished itself from its kind and reached the First-Tier Middle-Grade, it had experienced countless life-and-death situations in its life, so it naturally knew that it had been tricked by someone else.

Cold sweat immediately seeped from the Round-Horned Rabbit's thick fur, and a blazing Sword-Ray followed. The Round-Horned Rabbit immediately used all its spiritual power to try to break free from Pei Que's pupil technique.

Pei Que's pupil technique was still not fully mastered, and his cultivation level was much lower than that of the Round-Horned Rabbit. Under the latter's desperate struggle, the Reflecting the Void Pupil Technique only controlled the Round-Horned Rabbit for three or four breaths before it broke free.

Han Yundao's Sword-Ray thus veered off course; the Sword-Ray, originally aimed at the Round-Horned Rabbit's forehead, only struck the Round-Horned Rabbit horns.

Although it was off-center, it still scorched the two rounded corners, leaving them charred black. The pain was so intense that the Round-Horned Rabbit saw stars, and if it hadn't had a strong will to survive, it might have fainted from the pain on the spot.

The Round-Horned Rabbit's desperate escape did not have much effect. Although it was still much faster than Pei Que and Han Yundao, it already had an injury on its leg and was not in a clear mind. Not only did it fall several times, but the wound on its leg also became a bloody mess.

The bone arrow trembled incessantly as it remained embedded inside, causing about half of the Round-Horned Rabbit's blood to drain out. Its body gradually lost strength, and its limbs grew heavier and heavier until a short spear formed of sharp metallic energy pierced the Round-Horned Rabbit's head, finally ending its suffering.

"Tsk tsk, what a pity." Pei Que deftly peeled off the fur of the Round-Horned Rabbit, and with a flick of his wrist knife, he also removed the round horns that had been charred black by Han Yundao.

The most valuable part of the Round-Horned Rabbit is its pair of round horns, but unfortunately, its condition is too poor. Otherwise, First-Tier Middle-Grade round horn would be quite rare and could sell for at least four or five Spirit Stones.

"Hey, is that bone arrow still moving?!" Han Yundao exclaimed, looking at the white bone arrow that was deeply embedded in the flesh of the Round-Horned Rabbit leg and trembling incessantly.

"It's Talisman Artifact, the quality is alright, probably used by some poor rogue Rogue Cultivator." Pei Que removed the bone arrow, flicked his finger, and easily erased the only layer of restriction on the arrow.

"Rogue Cultivator," Han Yundao always kept the experience passed down by his teachers in mind, and even after the hunt ended, he hadn't completely relaxed. Before he could finish speaking, his spiritual sense moved and he noticed someone approaching.

The person walked very quickly, clearly in a great hurry, cursing as he went. "Which son of a bitch dares to steal my spiritual treasure?"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, neither showing any fear. If the owner of the bone arrow had indeed come looking for them, then there was really nothing to be afraid of.

Having cultivated together for so many years, the two brothers naturally had a tacit understanding. Hearing the approaching figure, Han Yundao guard beside the corpse of the Round-Horned Rabbit, sword in hand, while Pei Que prepared his concealment spell and hid in the Thorn Spirit Grass.

The newcomer was much weaker than the two brothers had imagined. Before he could finish his curse, Pei Que used the Reflecting the Void Eye Technique to freeze him in place, and Han Yundao's flying sword was immediately pressed against the short-bearded rogue Rogue Cultivator's throat.

The two brothers dealt with this Rogue Cultivator with even greater ease than when they captured the Round-Horned Rabbit earlier.

This short-bearded cultivator was clearly just a spineless coward, all bluster and no substance. Looking at the flying sword at his throat, his face turned as pale as the spirit tablets in Jin Shilun's basin.

"Grandpa, spare me! Grandpa, spare me! You can have this Round-Horned Rabbit, consider it a tribute from your juniors!" The short-bearded cultivator immediately burst into tears, his previous arrogance vanished in an instant, and he trembled like a leaf, wishing he could squeeze out a few drops of yellow liquid from between his legs to show his pitifulness.

"Hmph." Han Yundao ignored him, pinched his fingers into a sword shape, and spiritual light appeared at his fingertips. He pressed several major acupoints on the short-bearded rogue Rogue Cultivator, and after testing and completely imprisoning the latter's spiritual power, he took out his Storage Bag and began to take stock.

Han Yundao mastered the skills he learned from Sect Leader Kang Da with great proficiency. He then began to examine the contents of the short-bearded rogue Rogue Cultivator's Storage Bag together with Pei Que.

Although this short-bearded rogue Rogue Cultivator used Talisman Artifact, he also had a ten-square Storage Bag, which was considered a luxury among most lower-level cultivators who used two-square or four-square Storage Bag.

Upon closer inspection of the peach blossom mark on the Storage Bag, which seemed completely out of place with his demeanor, the two brothers quickly realized what kind of business he was in.

The Storage Bag contained few items: two or three Spirit Stones that had been used up in considerable quantities, a white bone bow, a small Talisman Artifact of white bone arrows, and a large sack of Orchid Spirit Charcoal. These constituted all the possessions of this short-bearded rogue Rogue Cultivator.

Pei Que frowned. "How come they don't even have a single hemostatic pill? They're truly destitute! Orchid Spirit Carbon is only good for alchemy and weapon crafting; we can only wait. Orchid Spirit Carbon?"

Han Yundao also turned his gaze over at this moment. As the saying goes, nothing goes unnoticed. The two brothers had been wandering around here for so long and doing so much useless work. Who would have thought that they would run into the main character while hunting rabbits!

Orchid Spirit Carbon is not actually made from orchids. Its main ingredient is a type of First-Tier Lower-Grade spirit bamboo called Elegant Orchid Bamboo. It gets its name from the orchid fragrance that comes with the charcoal after it is burned.

Not only is this type of spirit charcoal time-consuming and laborious to refine, yielding almost no profit, but it is also difficult to sell due to its poor efficacy, resulting in very little stock on the market. Even if an ordinary cultivator had some, they wouldn't have a whole large sack of it.

Even if this short-bearded rogue Rogue Cultivator wasn't one of those Bandit Cultivators, he should have had a close relationship with them to bring this Orchid Spirit Carbon to sell.

"That's great! We've captured the Bandit Cultivator, and we have a rabbit to celebrate with." Han Yundao was quite pleased. He grabbed the short-bearded Rogue Cultivator and ordered him to lead the way to the bandit's lair. This short-bearded Rogue Cultivator was now even willing to call him "grandfather," so how could he dare disobey with a flying sword pressed against his throat?

Unexpectedly, when the three of them arrived at the bandit's Swift Movement, the scene was a mess, with the bodies of several Bandit Cultivator scattered on the ground in pieces.

Before Han Yundao and Pei Que could even panic, a handsome scholar in plain clothes with bloodstains on his sleeves walked out from the depths of the bandit's den and looked at the three of them with piercing eyes.

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