Chen Yang returned to the medicine garden clutching the Shadow Wolf's demon core, his mind already turning over a plan.
Rather than swallowing it immediately, he retrieved the clay bowl and placed the demon core at the bottom.
He poured clear spring water into the bowl, and a faint spiritual glow gradually rose from the liquid.
Chen Yang watched intently as the demon core slowly rotated within the spirit liquid, drawing in its essence.
After a short while, the spirit liquid in the bowl was fully consumed — and lying at the bottom were two identical Shadow Wolf demon cores.
"It really can duplicate them." A flash of delight crossed Chen Yang's eyes.
He repeated the process, using the spirit liquid to duplicate three more demon cores.
Five ashen demon cores lay before him, radiating dense Spiritual Energy.
Chen Yang picked one up and swallowed it.
The demon core dissolved the moment it entered his stomach, and a surge of violent spiritual energy immediately rampaged through his meridians.
The sensation was nothing like taking a Pure Origin Pill. The pill's medicinal power was gentle and sustained, whereas the spiritual energy of a demon core was fierce and domineering.
Fortunately, Chen Yang already possessed a cultivation at the peak of the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm, just barely enough to keep the force under control.
The spiritual energy circulated through three Circulation Cycles within his body before gradually settling.
He could clearly feel his cultivation had advanced a notch — the effect was noticeably better than the Pure Origin Pills he currently had access to.
"One more." Chen Yang swallowed another demon core.
This time, the spiritual energy surged even more violently.
His dantian felt swollen, and his meridians ached with a dull, persistent pain.
The barrier of the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm began to loosen under the onslaught of spiritual energy, as though one final push would be enough to break through.
Chen Yang's heart leapt with excitement. He was just about to take out the third demon core when a sudden wave of dizziness struck him.
A vision seemed to flash before his eyes — a Shadow Wolf lunging at prey — and the metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils.
He even found himself involuntarily staring at the chickens pecking outside the window, his throat bobbing as a savage urge to devour their raw flesh welled up inside him.
"Not good!" Chen Yang snapped back to his senses, remembering Xiaodouzi's warning.
He hurriedly activated the Mind-Clearing Art, suppressing the dark impulses rising in his heart.
It was a long while before the bloodthirsty urge slowly faded.
"That was close." Cold sweat dripped down Chen Yang's back. "And that was only a first-rank demon beast's core. If it were a higher-ranked one, I might truly lose my mind."
He carefully put away the remaining demon cores, resolving to be far more cautious when consuming them in the future.
Over the following days, Chen Yang set out for the back mountains every morning.
No longer content with hunting Shadow Wolves, he began seeking out more powerful demon beasts.
With his cultivation at the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, his confidence had grown considerably — ordinary first-rank demon beasts were no longer a match for him.
His haul over those few days was substantial: one Iron Claw Bear demon core, two Venomous Python demon cores, and a variety of other demon beast materials.
After each hunt, he would use the clay bowl to duplicate the demon cores, though he was always extremely careful when consuming them — stopping immediately the moment he felt his mind begin to waver.
After consuming three Iron Claw Bear demon cores in succession, Chen Yang finally broke through to the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
Feeling the surging spiritual energy within him, he was overjoyed — yet he kept up the appearance of an ordinary laborer on the surface, going about his daily chores as usual so as not to arouse anyone's suspicion.
One morning, Chen Yang ventured into the back mountains once again.
Unlike his previous trips, this time he had a clear target.
A second-rank demon beast — the Blazing Flame Tiger!
He had been tracking this Blazing Flame Tiger for several days.
Word had it that the beast had made its lair in a cave on the eastern side of the back mountains, frequently ambushing passing cultivators and demon beasts alike.
Chen Yang had caught a distant glimpse of it once — its massive frame, scarlet fur, and the flames it breathed from its maw had all left a deep impression on him.
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If he could obtain its demon core and duplicate it before consuming it, he might be able to break through to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm in one fell swoop.
At that point, even facing Zhao Yanran's three Senior Brothers wouldn't leave him in too sorry a state.
Chen Yang tightened his grip on the short sword tucked against his chest, a few Fireball Talismans and Vajra Talismans hidden up his sleeve.
These talismans had also been duplicated using the clay bowl, consuming a fair amount of spirit liquid — but to deal with the Blazing Flame Tiger, it was worth it.
The further east he traveled, the sparser the trees became, and the air grew thick with the smell of sulfur.
This was the telltale sign of the Blazing Flame Tiger's territory — ordinary demon beasts dared not approach.
Chen Yang lightened his footsteps and advanced with great care.
After roughly thirty minutes, he heard the soft sound of trickling water ahead.
Following the sound, he discovered a hidden cave with a small stream running past its entrance.
Scattered around the cave mouth were numerous animal bones, some of them still fresh.
From within the cave came the faint sound of heavy breathing — the Blazing Flame Tiger was resting inside.
Chen Yang deliberated for a short while and decided against charging into the cave.
He set about making preparations near the cave entrance, scattering the Realgar Powder he had brought in a wide circle. This was a folk remedy he had learned from an old laborer — supposedly, the substance could weaken the Blazing Flame Tiger's ferocity.
Once everything was in place, he tossed a piece of raw meat he had prepared in advance into the center of the circle.
Then he ducked behind a large boulder and waited in silence.
Time crept by. The breathing from within the cave gradually grew heavier.
Suddenly, a low, rumbling roar erupted from the cave, so powerful it made Chen Yang's eardrums throb with pain.
A massive scarlet tiger slowly emerged from the cave entrance.
It was nearly three meters long, its coat blazing like fire, its eyes burning like twin torches, its fangs bared and gleaming — radiating an aura that sent a chill through the heart.
The Blazing Flame Tiger had clearly caught the scent of the raw meat, but it was wary, and did not approach immediately. Instead, it swept its gaze around the surroundings as if checking for danger.
Chen Yang held his breath and dared not move a muscle. The tiger's presence far exceeded his expectations — it was likely more than just the equivalent of the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
The Blazing Flame Tiger surveyed the area for a moment, then finally moved toward the raw meat.
The instant it stepped into the ring of Realgar Powder, Chen Yang hurled the Fireball Talismans!
Three fireballs screamed toward the Blazing Flame Tiger.
But to Chen Yang's shock, the tiger neither dodged nor flinched — instead, it opened its maw and inhaled, swallowing all three fireballs whole!
"Terrible!" Chen Yang's heart lurched. The Blazing Flame Tiger was immune to fire!
Enraged, the Blazing Flame Tiger let out a earth-shaking roar and lunged straight at the boulder where Chen Yang was hiding.
Its speed was far beyond what Chen Yang had anticipated.
Chen Yang hurriedly activated the Wind-Riding Technique and leapt aside.
Boom! The boulder shattered under the tiger's claws, sending fragments of rock flying in all directions.
Missing its first strike, the Blazing Flame Tiger lunged again, spewing a torrent of scarlet flame from its jaws.
Chen Yang quickly activated the Water Condensation Art, condensing a water shield in front of himself.
Water and fire collided with a sharp hiss, and the water shield evaporated rapidly.
A wave of scorching heat washed over Chen Yang's face, and he leapt backward in a hurry.
And so the battle raged — man and tiger locked in fierce combat before the cave.
Though Chen Yang's cultivation was a reasonable match, his lack of combat experience began to show, and he gradually fell at a disadvantage.
Several times he nearly took a direct hit from the tiger's claws, saved only by his Vajra Talismans each time.
This couldn't go on. Chen Yang's mind raced, and a risky idea suddenly came to him.
He deliberately left an opening, luring the Blazing Flame Tiger into a lunge.
At the very instant the tiger's claws were about to reach him, he threw himself sideways — and simultaneously slapped his last Vajra Talisman onto his own body.
The Blazing Flame Tiger's lunge hit nothing but air. Before it could turn around, Chen Yang did the unexpected — instead of retreating, he charged directly beneath the tiger's belly!
This was the Blazing Flame Tiger's blind spot.
Chen Yang drove his short sword upward in a swift thrust, striking the soft flesh of the tiger's underbelly.
Though the short sword was no magical weapon, infused with spiritual energy it became razor-sharp, sinking in half a foot.
The Blazing Flame Tiger let out an agonized roar and rolled violently, trying to crush the human who had wounded it.
Chen Yang had anticipated this — he withdrew immediately after landing the blow, but still caught a sweep of the tiger's tail across his chest.
A tremendous force slammed into him. His throat went sweet, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Wounded, the Blazing Flame Tiger grew even more frenzied, charging at him again without regard for its bleeding wound.
But this charge was noticeably slower than before.
Chen Yang gritted his teeth against the pain, waited for the right moment, and activated the Water Condensation Art once more.
This time, instead of forming a water shield, he condensed the water vapor into several long needles and fired them straight at the Blazing Flame Tiger's eyes!
At such close range, the tiger had no time to dodge. The needles struck both eyes dead on!
It let out a piercing, wretched howl and began crashing about wildly in all directions.
Chen Yang seized the opportunity to retreat to a safe distance and drew out his last Fireball Talisman.
But he didn't use it immediately — he waited for the perfect moment.
The blinded Blazing Flame Tiger thrashed and stumbled, and at last blundered a paw into the ring of Realgar Powder.
In the instant it hesitated, repelled by the substance, Chen Yang hurled the Fireball Talisman!
The fireball shot precisely into the tiger's open maw and detonated inside its body!
The Blazing Flame Tiger went rigid all over, then crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom, convulsed a few times, and went still.
Chen Yang let out a long, slow breath, feeling utterly drained.
He dragged his battered body over to the tiger's carcass and used his short sword to cut open its belly, retrieving a scarlet demon core the size of a pigeon's egg. It was warm to the touch and radiated a powerful fire-attributed spiritual energy.
Just as he was pocketing the demon core, he suddenly heard the sound of something cutting through the air in the distance. Chen Yang's heart tensed, and he quickly ducked behind a tree.
Two streaks of sword light descended from the sky and landed beside the tiger's carcass.
The arrivals were two young men dressed in inner disciple robes — one with a sword on his back, the other holding a folding fan. They were the same two he had encountered a few days prior.
"Senior Brother, look! It's that Blazing Flame Tiger!" the fan-wielding disciple exclaimed. "Someone's killed it!"
The sword-bearing disciple examined the carcass, his expression grave. "Impressive technique. First, they blinded it, then a fireball detonated inside its body. From the wound, it looks like a short sword was used."
The fan-wielding disciple frowned. "This method... it seems like the same person who killed the Shadow Wolves a few days ago. Who could it be?"
The two began searching the area. Behind his tree, Chen Yang held his breath and dared not move.
Just then, the fan-wielding disciple noticed something on the ground. "Senior Brother — there's blood here! The person must be injured. They can't have gone far!"
Chen Yang's heart lurched. Instinctively, he pressed his hand over the wound that was still seeping blood.
The sword-bearing disciple followed the trail of blood with his gaze, his eyes sharp as a blade. "Friend — since you're already here, why not come out and show yourself?"