Chapter 7

Ye Xiwén didn't expect that his single palm strike would actually cause the notoriously tough-skinned porcupine beast to be torn to shreds. The Seventh Thunderhand was indeed formidable; the Fourth Thunderhand and the Seventh Thunderhand were incomparable in terms of power.

"Roar!"

The porcupine beast roared, unexpectedly not charging forward but turning to run. Although the intelligence of beasts was roughly on par with ordinary wild animals and far inferior to humans, they were more decisive in matters of life and death.

Unexpectedly, the porcupine beast chose to flee. The lower the level of the beast, the lower its intelligence, making this even more surprising.

Although the porcupine beast looked clumsy, it actually possessed agility that many people hadn't anticipated. In no time, its figure was about to disappear into the jungle.

How could Ye Xiwén let it escape? He gathered all his strength, his feet bursting with true qi, and his movements reached their peak. His figure seemed to flicker like a shadow in the cloud sea, and in a moment, he caught up with the porcupine beast.

Ye Xiwén followed the porcupine beast out of the forest to an open field. On one side of the field, a large rock jutted out from a cliff, and on it grew a three-inch-tall plant. The plant had six green leaves surrounding a bright red fruit, emitting a faint fragrance.

A fifty-year-old Heartland Fruit, growing in the spiritual soil where the essence of heaven and earth converged. Ye Xiwén recalled the records he had seen about this herb; it was the main ingredient for a pill that increased one's strength. Generally, a fifty-year-old Heartland Fruit could increase one's strength by five years, making it extremely valuable.

Ye Xiwén suddenly understood why the porcupine beast had been so hostile to him at first. It must have mistaken Ye Xiwén for someone trying to take the Heartland Fruit.

The value of natural treasures was known not only to humans but also to beasts, which, despite their low intelligence, were aware of it. Once the Heartland Fruit ripened, it would fall, and the porcupine beast had been waiting for a long time.

Ye Xiwén unfolded his Cloud Tracing Shadow technique and instantly caught up. In mid-air, he twisted his body and pressed down with a palm.

"Bang!"

The Cloud Covering Moon technique was used to its fullest extent by Ye Xiwén, each palm strike powerful enough to contend with a Fourth Rank martial artist. Even a Fourth Rank martial artist would be severely injured by one strike. It was a testament to the porcupine beast's tough skin and thick flesh that it could withstand such a blow, or it would have been killed outright by Ye Xiwén.

However, even so, the porcupine beast's spine was broken by Ye Xiwén's palm strike.

"Roar!" The porcupine beast let out a惨叫, its massive body crashing to the ground, convulsing. Ye Xiwén seized the opportunity and struck its skull, causing it to shatter, blood and brain matter splattering.

The porcupine beast's cries ceased as it died.

Ye Xiwén was somewhat incredulous. A Fourth Rank beast had been killed by his three palm strikes, something that was previously unimaginable. Generally, beasts were much more difficult to deal with than martial artists of the same level, but now they were no match for his three strikes. This gave him confidence for the clan competition in a month and a half.

Without hesitation, Ye Xiwén dissected the porcupine beast's massive body and extracted its beast core. This core, the essence of the beast's life, was extremely valuable. Although it was only a Fifth Rank beast core, it was worth at least twenty low-grade spirit stones.

Because of the value of beast cores, many people went to hunt beasts every year, but many of them ended up as beast food, buried in the jaws of beasts.

However, Ye Xiwén had no intention of selling the beast core. If he turned it over to the sect, he could exchange it for sect points. These points might be worthless outside, but they were extremely useful within the sect, allowing him to obtain excellent cultivation techniques, strength-increasing pills, and even personal guidance from an elder. These were far more important to Ye Xiwén than money.

In this world where strength was paramount, only having powerful strength was fundamental; everything else was fleeting!

Of course, other parts of the porcupine beast could also be sold for money, but Ye Xiwén couldn't carry them, so he had to abandon them.

After putting the beast core in his bag, Ye Xiwén began to climb the cliff. With his current progress in cultivation, his physical abilities had greatly improved, and he moved as freely as a monkey.

Ye Xiwén quickly climbed to the rock on the cliff, where the Heartland Fruit was right in front of him, trembling in the wind, its fragrance filling the air.

Ye Xiwén reached out to grab the Heartland Fruit. Although a fifty-year-old Heartland Fruit wasn't the most potent, it was perfect for his current state. It could increase his strength by five years, potentially pushing him to the peak of the Fourth Rank.

Suddenly, a commotion came from above, and a foul wind rushed toward him.

Ye Xiwén instinctively stepped back, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Focusing his gaze, he saw a large, colorful python with a blood-red mouth, its foul smell pervasive. The python was about half a person wide and about five to six meters long, clearly having some cultivation.

It was said that spiritual herbs were always guarded by strange beasts. Ye Xiwén had thought the porcupine beast was the guardian, so he had relaxed somewhat. Fortunately, his martial awareness, fused with Bu Jingyun's, had become almost instinctive.

Otherwise, he would have been bitten by the python, losing half his body.

The snake clearly had some cultivation, as the Heartland Fruit grew in areas rich in spiritual energy. After being nourished by this energy for a long time, the python had transformed from an ordinary beast into a beast, reaching the early Fifth Rank.

There was no longer any spiritual energy in the vicinity, indicating that it had all been absorbed by the Heartland Fruit.

"Hisss!" The colorful python, seeing its attack fail, immediately turned its head, opened its mouth, and lunged at Ye Xiwén.

The foul smell was overwhelming. Ye Xiwén's feet moved swiftly, using the Cloud Tracing Shadow technique to dodge the python's bite, and he struck back with a palm.

Thunder and Wind!

Ye Xiwén's palm moved extremely fast, striking the colorful python with great force.

"Bang!"

A metallic sound echoed, the colorful python's scales being harder than iron.

Ye Xiwén's strength was immense, and his palm strike sent the python flying several meters away.