Chapter 4

With a *pu* sound!

As the blade flashed, the giant rat charging at Ye Zhen was split in two. The moment the stinky rat blood splashed over him, Ye Zhen rolled to the side, and with a swift upward slash of the firewood axe in his hand, he accurately gutted another giant rat that was charging from the side.

This slash and upward cut were as smooth as flowing clouds, without any hesitation.

The axe in his hand was a thick-backed firewood axe issued by the Qi Yun Sect to the miscellaneous disciples. Under Ye Zhen's daily sharpening, it was incredibly sharp.

Since the first time he was attacked by this pair of giant rats, Ye Zhen always brought his firewood axe whenever he came here.

The axe technique was the firewood chopping technique.

Ye Zhen practiced the Pine Splitting Axe Technique every day while working as a miscellaneous disciple in the Qi Yun Sect, which was sharp and direct, without any fancy moves.

Moreover, although the fierce beasts and demonic beasts within the Qi Yun Sect's territory had long been exterminated, ordinary wild animals still existed.

Over the past year, no fewer than ten wild boars and other fierce beasts had been killed by Ye Zhen's firewood axe. Slaying these two mutated giant rats was truly a piece of cake.

However, if another one or two years passed and these two giant rats grew into fierce beasts, the outcome of tonight's battle might be different.

The smell of blood stimulated Ye Zhen's nerves, making him tremble with excitement. The scent of blood after slaying a target was enough to excite any man.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Zhen casually tore a vine leaf from the mountain wall and extended it below the crystal-clear stalactite, where droplets of water were already gathering at the tip of the stalactite.

Soon, the crystal-clear stalactite dripped two drops of stone-blue liquid, and the light around the stalactite gradually dimmed.

Looking at the two drops of green stone marrow spirit liquid on the vine leaf, which emitted a strange fragrance, Ye Zhen felt a bit excited. This was a natural treasure.

Ye Zhen had also read the Qi Yun Sect's herbal books, but most of the entries were about identifying herbs or long-aged spirit medicines, with few mentions of natural treasures.

However, from conversations with his fellow disciples, Ye Zhen could confirm that any substance similar to stone marrow spirit liquid, regardless of its type, was an excellent treasure.

The only concern Ye Zhen had now was that the grade of this stone marrow spirit liquid might be too high, and the power it contained might be too strong, causing him to burst after consuming it.

A senior disciple had once said that natural treasures were good things, but some of the highest-grade natural treasures contained such terrifying energy that if consumed by someone with low cultivation, the consumer might burst.

However, since ordinary rats could grow into giant rats by consuming this green stone marrow spirit liquid, Ye Zhen, a human being much larger than a rat, should not burst after consuming it.

Without hesitation, Ye Zhen swallowed the two drops of stone marrow spirit liquid, along with the vine leaf.

The strange fragrance filled his mouth, and the stone marrow spirit liquid immediately transformed into boundless heat, spreading throughout his limbs and body.

Instinctively, Ye Zhen sat cross-legged and began to circulate the Blood Qi Technique passed down by the Qi Yun Sect, starting to move his blood and qi to refine and absorb the powerful medicinal power of the stone marrow spirit liquid.

The powerful medicinal power contained in the stone marrow spirit liquid allowed Ye Zhen to clearly sense the path of the blood and qi circulating in his body.

However, just as the Blood Qi Technique began to circulate to his chest, Ye Zhen's brows unexpectedly furrowed.

When the Blood Qi Technique moved the medicinal power transformed from the stone marrow spirit liquid to his chest, a mysterious suction force appeared, drawing away a small part of the blood and qi passing through this area.

This discovery greatly surprised Ye Zhen, and he quickly focused his attention to investigate.

Upon closer inspection, Ye Zhen made an even more astonishing discovery.

He found that when the Blood Qi Technique moved the blood and qi through his chest, a portion of the surging blood and qi would be drawn away by the mysterious suction force.

The amount of blood and qi drawn away was as high as 20%.

After carefully sensing, Ye Zhen was surprised to find that the source of the suction force that drew away 20% of his blood and qi was the pigeon-egg-sized bead hanging on his chest.

The 20% of blood and qi drawn away was completely absorbed by the bead on his chest.

This strange change reminded Ye Zhen of the origin of the bead on his chest.

The bead, made of a special material, was called the Peace Bead by Ye Zhen.

It was passed down to Ye Zhen by his grandfather before he died, said to be a treasure passed down from the Ye family's ancestors for several generations.

It had been in Ye Zhen's possession for about seven or eight years. Although it was not considered a treasure, Ye Zhen always treated it as a family heirloom.

Now, the sudden occurrence of this strange phenomenon of absorbing blood and qi greatly surprised Ye Zhen.

Instinctively, Ye Zhen wanted to take off the Peace Bead that was absorbing his blood and qi.

When his hand touched the cold Peace Bead, Ye Zhen suddenly paused, a series of associations flashing through his mind.

A few months ago, Ye Zhen had been injured in the chest, and a large amount of blood had flowed out, staining the Peace Bead.

However, when the blood touched the Peace Bead, it was absorbed like it had seeped into sand, leaving no trace of blood.

At the time, Ye Zhen did not pay much attention, thinking it was just a special material.

Now, upon careful reflection, it seemed that all the changes in Ye Zhen's body were related to that injury and the Peace Bead absorbing blood.

It was also after the Peace Bead absorbed blood that Ye Zhen's cultivation progress suddenly slowed down.

Before that, Ye Zhen's cultivation speed was among the top few among the new miscellaneous disciples on Pine Peak.

Among the hundred miscellaneous disciples who joined Pine Peak at the same time, Ye Zhen's cultivation speed could rank in the top five.

However, after the Peace Bead absorbed blood, Ye Zhen's cultivation speed sharply declined, and no matter how hard he tried, his cultivation improvement was very slow.

Now, thinking about it, it seemed that the reason for the slow improvement in his cultivation was due to the Peace Bead absorbing blood and qi.

The Peace Bead absorbed 20% of his blood and qi every time he cultivated, but because Ye Zhen's blood and qi were weak, he could not notice the loss.

This time, after consuming the stone marrow spirit liquid, his blood and qi surged, and the 20% of blood and qi absorbed by the Peace Bead became a significant amount, allowing Ye Zhen to discover this secret.

Not only that, Ye Zhen also thought of another matter—his ability to understand animal language, which he discovered by chance after the Peace Bead absorbed blood.

"Could it be that this family heirloom, the Peace Bead, is really a treasure?" A thought that made Ye Zhen's heart race suddenly arose in his mind.

This thought sparked an intense curiosity in Ye Zhen.

His left hand, which was on the Peace Bead, involuntarily loosened.

Ye Zhen wanted to see what would happen if the Peace Bead absorbed enough blood and qi.

Since he had just consumed the stone marrow spirit liquid, his blood and qi had surged to the point of almost being unable to contain, so letting it absorb a part would be fine.

Under Ye Zhen's urging, the Blood Qi Technique continuously circulated, and with each cycle, Ye Zhen felt his blood and qi grow stronger.

The powerful blood and qi flowed through his entire body, nourishing every bone, every piece of flesh, and even his internal organs, which began to subtly grow.

The suction force grew stronger, and the originally cold Peace Bead began to heat up and become hot. The originally pale red Peace Bead turned blood red, emitting a faint red glow.

At the moment the red glow from the Peace Bead reached its peak, a dazzling red glow suddenly burst forth, and Ye Zhen felt a shock like a lightning strike in his chest. A fiery heat suddenly drilled into his chest.

The pain was so intense that Ye Zhen's eyes rolled back, and he fainted without even a cry.

...

Ye Zhen was awakened by a foul smell.

The source of the foul smell was his own body, which was sticky and covered in a layer of black, greasy dirt, emitting a foul odor.

"Disappeared?" The moment he woke up, Ye Zhen instinctively looked at his chest.

Before he fainted, something unusual happened to the Peace Bead on his chest, so he wanted to see what had changed.

However, at this moment, only an empty leather cord remained on his chest, and the Peace Bead was nowhere to be seen. But on his chest, there was a mark, almost identical to the Peace Bead.

The moment his eyes fell on the mark, a force that made Ye Zhen feel dizzy suddenly came from the mark, and a series of bizarre scenes began to appear before Ye Zhen.