The wilderness teems with vast resources. Countless individuals have stumbled upon heavenly treasures in the wild, soaring to unprecedented heights. Yet, more often, they perish in forgotten corners of the wilderness, their bodies devoured by fierce beasts, leaving not even a complete corpse. Despite the inherent dangers, humanity's yearning for the wilderness remains undimmed.
At this moment, Gu Yuan lay concealed behind a large tree, his gaze fixed on a pack of fierce beasts ahead. Information about these creatures flashed through his mind.
Wild Barbarian Bull: Tier 1 fierce beast, gregarious, with tough hide and a robust physique. Adults can weigh up to two tons and possess extremely strong territorial instincts.
Gu Yuan's current location was fifty li outside Tianyuan City.
Within the base cities of this world, a ten-kilometer radius beyond the city walls was generally considered a safe zone, patrolled by the city guards. Extending a hundred li outwards was the trial zone, where no Tier 2 fierce beasts would appear, as the city guards conducted regular sweeps to ensure its safety.
For the past few days, Gu Yuan had been leaving early and returning late, continuously hunting Tier 1 fierce beasts to hone his skills. He sold the slain beasts, reserving a portion of their essence for consumption to enhance his strength.
His cultivation realm had now stabilized at the peak of Body Tempering Ninefold, and he was continuously tempering his physical body with the energy derived from consuming fierce beast meat.
Several martial skills had also reached mastery through constant practice. The Tier 1 martial skills he cultivated were relatively simple; an ordinary person could master them with sufficient time, let alone Gu Yuan, whose martial talent had now improved.
Gu Yuan was currently focusing on the Tiger Fiend Saber Technique, striving to cultivate the intent of the Tiger Fiend.
The barbarian bull herd before him began to move. A mature barbarian bull, seemingly enticed by the fresh grass on the ground, gradually separated from the rest of the herd.
Gu Yuan knew his opportunity had arrived. He retrieved his alloy saber from his storage ring. Against such tough-skinned barbarian bulls, bare hands offered no advantage.
He channeled energy into his legs, activating the Flowing Wind Footwork.
Gu Yuan surged forward like the wind. Due to his footwork, the sound he made was minimal, allowing him to be detected only when he was within ten meters of the barbarian bull.
Moo!
The barbarian bull, spotting a human rapidly approaching, its eyes turned red. It stomped its front hooves and let out a bellow, charging towards Gu Yuan like a small truck.
Gu Yuan's expression was grim. Just as the barbarian bull was about to collide with him, his body moved as if boneless, dodging to the side. His saber flashed like lightning, its sharp edge carving a gaping wound in the barbarian bull's neck, from which blood gushed forth.
Moo!
The barbarian bull let out a pained roar, its cry reaching the departing herd, which began to turn back. Gu Yuan noticed this development.
Tiger Fiend.
His blood surged violently, and a shadowy tiger head materialized behind him, its gaping maw emitting a spirit-shattering roar.
A bolt of lightning streaked across.
Bang!
The massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Gu Yuan had no time to rest. He quickly stored the carcass in his storage ring and, employing the Flowing Wind Footwork, rapidly retreated from the battlefield.
The storage ring was a legacy from his deceased parents.
Upon arriving, the barbarian bull herd, seeing their kin's blood but not their kin, became agitated. This caused nearby humans and fierce beasts to flee in panic.
Gu Yuan was unaware of the ensuing chaos as he had already returned to the city.
The carcass of the barbarian bull was enough for him to consume for two to three days. He would also seek out qi essence and then head to the school for ranking to obtain more basic cultivation potions.
Upon returning home, he put away his belongings and went to a slaughterhouse. He rented a space, butchered the barbarian bull carcass, and took the meat home, freezing it in the large refrigerator.
He then stewed a piece of barbarian bull meat with body-tempering medicinal ingredients.
Gu Yuan cultivated the Primordial Chaos Technique while waiting for the barbarian bull meat to cook.
Half an hour later, the barbarian bull stew was thoroughly cooked. Gu Yuan ladled out a large bowl, unafraid of the heat, and gulped it down, immediately activating the Great Whale Technique to digest it into energy.
This process was repeated. Throughout the afternoon, he converted one hundred jin of barbarian bull meat into energy, nourishing his physique.
Gu Yuan spent the entire night practicing the Primordial Chaos Stance, digesting and absorbing the energy, using it to continuously strengthen his body.
The next morning, Gu Yuan made his way to the antique street, embarking on his free acquisition journey.
That's right, Gu Yuan intended to acquire qi essence for free by absorbing it directly from antique items containing it.
Although martial artists in this world could destroy cities and rivers, and cleave mountains and shatter land, not everyone could reach such heights. Some martial artists, unable to break through further, turned to academics, while others, even those who had sustained injuries, pursued fine art and antiques, leading to a highly developed antique industry in this world.
He hailed a taxi, and ten minutes later, they arrived at the antique street.
The antique street of Tianyuan City was renowned throughout the entire Jiangnan Province.
It offered an array of antiques, calligraphy, paintings, jade articles, and ceramics. There were even items for replicating ancient martial skills.
Upon entering, the street was bustling with people. Along the roadside, small stalls displayed various antiques and paintings. The buildings on either side housed exquisitely decorated shops catering to customers.
Gu Yuan stood on the street, observing the numerous stalls, feeling a momentary sense of being overwhelmed, unsure where to begin.
Hoo!
Gu Yuan took a deep breath, his mind connecting with the Dao Fortune Celestial Map. His field of vision began to show whether items contained qi essence.
Gu Yuan decided to start with the small stalls lining the street, his gaze sweeping across them.
His steps carried him forward, and his gaze settled. Gu Yuan approached a small stall and crouched down.
The stall owner, a middle-aged man, smiled and said, "Young friend, see if there's anything that catches your eye."
Gu Yuan nodded. A white light appeared in his vision. He was about to reach out and touch it when he suddenly remembered something and asked the middle-aged man, "May I touch it?"
The middle-aged man nodded, "Yes, but be careful. If it's damaged, you'll have to pay the full price."
Having received his answer, Gu Yuan extended his hand. He first touched the items around the antique containing white qi essence, then subtly reached for the antique itself. After a brief moment, having absorbed the qi essence completely, he shook his head, stood up, and left.
[White qi essence increased by fifty strands.]
The prompt from the Dao Fortune Celestial Map sounded, and a slight smile graced Gu Yuan's lips.
Subsequently, Gu Yuan followed the same method, absorbing white or gray qi essence repeatedly. He did not sense any higher levels of qi essence.
[White qi essence increased by five hundred and fifty strands.]
[Gray qi essence increased by three hundred and twenty strands.]
Content, Gu Yuan left the antique street and arrived at a shop.
Martial Pavilion. Gu Yuan gazed at the grandly decorated shop name before him.
The Martial Pavilion was a nationwide chain selling martial skills and cultivation techniques, renowned across the country for its vast selection of techniques and excellent reputation.
Gu Yuan had come here to purchase a body tempering martial skill. The energy gained from consuming fierce beast meat in the past few days was not something he was in a hurry to use to break through to the Meridian Condensation realm; he preferred to further refine his body before doing so.
However, the school did not offer body tempering martial skills, so he had to purchase one himself.
As soon as he entered, a beautiful lady in a form-fitting qipao greeted him and inquired.
Gu Yuan stated his needs, and the staff member led him to a section of the main hall.
On a bookshelf-like cabinet, glass cases were arranged, each with the name and cultivation effects of a martial skill written below.
Gu Yuan activated the Dao Fortune Celestial Map, checking if any qi essence was visible.
He hadn't held out much hope, but to his surprise, he saw qi essence present.
Gu Yuan approached a martial skill and examined its description.
"Fierce Demon Body": Smear the body with the essence blood of over a hundred types of fierce beasts, and absorb it through a special massage method. The pain is extremely intense, and those with weak willpower are advised to practice with caution. Upon successful cultivation, the physique will be comparable to that of a fierce beast.
A large mass of white qi essence continuously emitted a bright glow.
Gu Yuan pointed at the "Fierce Demon Body" and said to the sales lady, "I want this martial skill, but I have a request."
The sales lady smiled and asked, "Please tell me."
"I want to view a martial skill inside."
The sales lady showed no surprise, as she had heard even more outrageous requests before. The previous week, a man had even asked for the original author of a martial skill to personally instruct him.
"I'll go ask the supervisor. Please wait a moment."
Gu Yuan nodded and waited patiently.
Within a few minutes, the sales lady returned and said to Gu Yuan, "Hello, our supervisor has agreed. However, you can only view it here."
"Alright."
Gu Yuan paid the fee. This martial skill cost fifty thousand yuan and came with introductory materials and tutorials.
The sales lady produced a key, opened the glass case, and carefully handed the martial skill to Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan received it with great care and flipped through its pages, then returned it to the sales lady.
The moment he touched the martial skill, the Dao Fortune Celestial Map gave a prompt.
[White qi essence increased by one hundred strands.]
[Fierce Demon Body (White)]
[White qi essence: one hundred strands.]
[Upgradeable Destinies: Eight Fierce Body Calamity (Green), Extreme Demon Body (Green), Fiendish Beast Body (Green)]
Upon seeing this, an involuntary smile appeared on Gu Yuan's face.
He accepted a bag of items handed to him by the sales lady, glanced at it to confirm it was correct, and then immediately stored it in his storage ring.
He swiftly returned home and went into his bedroom, his consciousness entering the Dao Fortune Celestial Map.
He checked the destiny upgrades for the martial skill he had just acquired.
[Upgradeable Destinies: Eight Fierce Body Calamity (Green), Extreme Demon Body (Green), Fiendish Beast Body (Green)]