Chapter 13

"Hmm..."

A wild boar with bright red fur, over a meter tall and three meters long, was running wildly through the jungle.

This beast is called a red-haired wild boar. Although it is not a first-class demonic beast, it is very close. Sometimes, even some weaker first-class demonic beasts are unwilling to provoke this creature.

There was a wound on the neck of this red-haired wild boar, which was currently bleeding profusely. As it ran, it left a trail of blood.

"This beast's skin is really tough." Luo Xiu leaped and landed on a branch of a large tree.

"Bang!"

The red-haired wild boar, with bloodshot eyes, fiercely charged at the tree, its two sharp tusks breaking through the bark and embedding into the trunk.

The tree shook, but Luo Xiu stood firm, not moving an inch.

"Beasts are just beasts, incredibly stupid."

Luo Xiu jumped down from the tree and swung his sword at the wound on the wild boar's neck.

The wound was originally caused by his previous strike, but because his sword was just a common weapon, it could only injure the beast, not kill it in one blow.

"Thud!"

This strike, with the added force of his fall and the infusion of inner energy, severed the boar's head, splattering blood everywhere.

The two most valuable tusks were stuck in the tree trunk, and Luo Xiu had to struggle to remove them. He then collected a piece of pork and quickly left.

The smell of blood can easily attract other beasts, so it was wise to end the fight quickly.

Unconsciously, the sky had already darkened, and the light in the forest became even dimmer due to the dense foliage.

"There are no dangerous beasts around here."

In a certain part of the forest, Luo Xiu first sensed the surroundings before starting to count his day's harvest.

Throughout the day, he had not encountered any demonic beasts, and the animals he hunted were mostly ordinary beasts, with strength comparable to a sixth-level Body Tempering Warrior.

Therefore, Luo Xiu did not use any special techniques, relying solely on his own strength to kill them, which also served as a form of self-cultivation.

Although directly damaging the life meridians allowed him to easily challenge higher-level opponents, fundamentally, his own strength was the most important.

Despite his young age, Luo Xiu understood more about survival due to his family background.

"Ordinary beasts don't have many valuable things, but I've killed about seven or eight today, which should fetch around two to three thousand silver taels." Luo Xiu's face showed a smile.

Although two to three thousand silver taels were a drop in the bucket for cultivation, this was money he had earned himself, and he believed that with greater strength, he could earn more resources.

"Hunting at night is not suitable due to poor visibility; I should find a place to rest."

A moment later, Luo Xiu found a tree hollow. The space inside was not large, but it was enough. He had discovered this place half an hour earlier, and it was relatively hidden, making it hard to be found.

He unsheathed his green saber and placed it beside him, somewhat reluctantly. He thought to himself, "Although I used the saber to kill beasts today, I haven't actually practiced sword techniques. If I could obtain a sword technique manual, that would be great."

Sitting cross-legged in the tree hollow, Luo Xiu began to practice the improved Yi Jing Forging Bone Technique.

No matter where or when, one must never slack off in cultivation. This was the rule Luo Xiu set for himself.

In his state of cultivation, Luo Xiu used the Life and Death Pearl to sense the surroundings. Even a tiny ant creeping by would be clearly detected by the life aura.

Heather energy gathered, entering his body through his breathing and pores, and under the influence of the technique, it condensed into inner energy, which was then refined into his tendons and bones.

"Although I am at the peak of the fifth level of Body Tempering, it will take at least three days to break through to the sixth level." Luo Xiu estimated. Since reaching the fifth level, he had noticed his cultivation speed slowing down.

The quality of the technique was secondary; the improved second-grade inner technique was sufficient for his current cultivation. The main issue was the lack of sufficient heather energy for absorption and refinement.

"Besides relying on elixirs and arrays, how can I obtain more heather energy?" Luo Xiu's heart was filled with longing, desiring to enhance his strength more quickly.

"Buzz..."

Suddenly, a faint tremor came from the Life and Death Pearl in his soul. Although it was weak, Luo Xiu, due to his subtle connection with the pearl, clearly sensed it.

Immediately, a pure life aura gathered towards him, entering his body with his cultivation, and his cultivation rapidly increased!

"This is..." Luo Xiu was both surprised and delighted. Through his connection with the Life and Death Pearl, he realized that he was absorbing life essence!

Life essence is a form of heather energy, but of higher quality than ordinary heather energy. The effects of absorption and refinement were incomparable.

"Crack!"

In just a moment, Luo Xiu's tendons and bones emitted a crisp sound, and a stronger force surged through his body.

"Sixth level of Body Tempering, I've actually broken through to the sixth level so quickly!"

Luo Xiu opened his eyes, his face filled with joy. The sixth level of Body Tempering is the final stage of tendon and bone refinement. The next step would be the seventh level, which involves refining the internal organs.

"Was I absorbing the life essence of the nearby plants?"

At the same time, Luo Xiu noticed that the vitality of the plants within a hundred meters had weakened significantly.

"This is a cultivation method akin to plundering!"

Life and death are two extremes. Depriving other living beings of their life is, in fact, the power of death.

Luo Xiu was well aware that after fusing with the Life and Death Pearl, he possessed the characteristics of both life and death.

Life is about giving and contributing, while death is about destruction and deprivation.

"Since the Life and Death Pearl is a supreme treasure, it must be something extraordinary!" Luo Xiu did not fully understand what a supreme treasure meant, but when he first fused with the Life and Death Pearl, various pieces of information about the pearl flooded his mind.

"Regardless, I can rapidly enhance my strength through this method!" The improvement in his cultivation made Luo Xiu very excited, and the long-standing problem was finally resolved.

Moreover, he discovered that he could absorb the life force of all living beings within a hundred meters. As long as they were within this range, their life force would be stripped and gathered towards him during his cultivation.

However, unlike plants, animals would panic and flee when they sensed their life being stripped. Once they escaped the hundred-meter range, they would be safe.

That night, the hundred-meter area around Luo Xiu became a no-go zone. Even the demonic beasts that roamed freely in the Water Dock Mountain dared not approach.

Reaching the sixth level of Body Tempering meant that Luo Xiu had completed the stages of refining his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.

He could clearly feel the life and death energies stored in his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, subtly changing his constitution and undergoing a transformation.

Over the next few days, Luo Xiu hunted in the Water Dock Mountain area. Whenever his bag was full, he would return to Green Cloud City to sell the goods. In five days, he earned over ten thousand silver taels.

"Indeed, warriors can earn money easily. If I were a Sea Qi Realm warrior, hunting second-level demonic beasts would be even more profitable."

Luo Xiu sighed. Ten thousand silver taels were unimaginable for ordinary civilians.

"However, even though ten thousand silver taels are a lot, they are not enough for cultivation."

Over these few days, Luo Xiu absorbed life essence in the Water Dock Mountain, steadily improving his cultivation. However, breaking through to the seventh level of Body Tempering would not be achieved in the short term.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a beast's roar echoed through the forest. Even from a distance, Luo Xiu's eardrums were shaken, and his blood churned.

"A demonic beast! And not an ordinary one!" Luo Xiu was somewhat surprised.

He leaped and quickly headed towards the direction of the roar.

A moment later, he saw a tiger-like beast with a mix of green and white fur, nearly two meters tall and over four meters long.

The tiger's tail, like steel, smashed the nearby rocks to pieces.

"Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger!"

Recognizing the beast, Luo Xiu's gaze turned serious.

At the same level, whether it was a demonic beast or a warrior, there were differences in strength. For example, first-level demonic beasts were divided into ordinary, medium, peak, and top-tier categories.

This Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger was a peak first-level demonic beast. Even a ninth-level Body Tempering warrior would retreat from it.

If it were a top-tier first-level demonic beast, its strength could rival that of a Sea Qi Realm warrior.

Moreover, Luo Xiu sensed that the life aura of this Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger was incredibly vigorous, like a blazing torch.

At the same time, Luo Xiu also detected several people hiding nearby. Although they were well-hidden, they could not conceal their life aura, which was clearly sensed by Luo Xiu.

"Whoosh!"

A dark light shot through the air, accompanied by the vibration of a bowstring.

Luo Xiu squinted, barely making out the dark light, which turned out to be an arrow!

"These six people must be a hunting team, trying to kill this Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger!" Luo Xiu thought.

"Thud!"

The arrow's penetration was strong, and the Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger, caught off guard, was pierced through its relatively weak neck, blood splattering.

"Roar!"

The Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger roared in anger, its bloodshot eyes scanning the area. It spotted the person who shot the arrow and immediately pounced.

"Die, beast!"

At that moment, a muscular man wielding two axes charged out from a nearby bush, confronting the Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger.

The others hidden nearby also emerged, surrounding the peak first-level tiger demon.

Five people surrounded it, while one provided long-range support with a bow and arrow, a common hunting strategy.

"Bang!"

The tiger's tail, like steel, whipped through the air, making a loud cracking sound.

The muscular man, wielding two axes, tried to block it but was sent flying, crashing into a tree and spitting blood.

"Brother!" Seeing their strongest member knocked back, the other four people cried out in alarm.

"Brothers, be careful of the beast's tail!" The muscular man shouted and charged at the Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger again.

This muscular man was at the eighth level of Body Tempering. His axes clashed with the tiger, engaging in a fierce battle.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..."

Arrows shot out, aiming for the tiger's neck.

However, the Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger was very fast. Except for the first arrow, which caught it off guard, the others either missed or failed to penetrate its tough hide.

"Thud!"

The tiger pounced, knocking a warrior to the ground. With a swipe of its claws, it tore the warrior to shreds, killing him instantly.

The other attacks were deflected by the tiger's tail.

"A Fei!"

The muscular man and others were enraged.