The inventory of techniques and secret arts concluded, Wang Yu turned his attention to the rest of the grey-robed elder's storage pouch. It contained fourteen thousand spirit stones, the second-grade high-tier artifact Glazed Soul Lantern, a second-grade low-tier artifact called the Earth Origin Cauldron, and various other sundries.
He could use both artifacts. The Earth Origin Cauldron was primarily for defense and had suppressing capabilities. Once he broke through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, he could refine and use it.
"What a generous 'Treasure Delivery Boy'," Wang Yu mused with a smirk.
With the spoils fully accounted for, he considered the third placement slot. After a moment's thought, he decided to put the Profound Yin Hand back in. It would only take five years to reach perfection, and it felt right to see it through to the end.
Shifting his position, he patted the head of the juvenile Tuolong he was leaning against and prepared to venture deeper into the swamp.
And so, another ten-plus days passed.
Having journeyed an unknown distance into the Withered Leaf Swamp, Wang Yu was following a general direction towards the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain when he spotted, on a muddy bank, a Tuolong whose body exceeded three zhang (ten meters) in length.
Wang Yu's eyes lit up. It seemed his recent luck was on an upswing.
"Second-grade early stage. You'll do nicely!"
He wasn't planning to use it to conceal his tracks, but to slaughter it.
Since breaking through to second-grade Body Cultivation, the daily feedback from the placement slots alone had resulted in excruciatingly slow progress. Now that he was in the Withered Leaf Swamp, the Tuolong, a draconic-type demonic beast and one of the local specialties, was a delicacy he couldn't pass up.
He intended to refine another batch of Dragon Blood Secret Medicine to enhance the foundation and potential of his Dragon Spine. Improving his Body Cultivation was just a side benefit. Only once he deduced a proper second-grade Body Cultivation method could he relax his efforts.
This Tuolong before him was only at the early second-grade stage, perfectly within his ability to handle.
He preferred battling demonic beasts. The visceral thrill of fist meeting flesh not only suited his strengths as a second-grade Body Cultivator but also honed his combat instincts.
*Fighting… feels good!*
The Tuolong, sleeping with its mouth agape, used its not-too-bright brain to ponder why this human insisted on disturbing its sunbathing.
"ROAR—!"
A dragon's roar echoed. Wang Yu struck first, his fist slamming into the Tuolong's body. The thick layer of scales protected it from harm; even a punch imbued with the form of the Yin Nether Demonic Python only sent it sliding several meters across the slippery mud of the bank.
The Tuolong roared in response, its massive tail whipping around and sending globs of mud flying, forming a large sphere of mire that blotted out the sun and enclosed both beast and man inside.
*A fair duel!*
Seeing this, Wang Yu was pleased; it saved him the spiritual power needed to use the Ice Coffin Curse to prevent the Tuolong from escaping. *What a belligerent species. Its first thought upon being ambushed isn't to flee, but to make sure I can't.*
"Again."
As a draconic beast with dual water and earth attributes, the Tuolong possessed not only a powerful physique but also formidable innate demonic arts inherited through its bloodline.
The mud and water churned, coalescing into a massive python head that enveloped the beast's own long, pointed snout. Jaws capable of crushing metal clamped down ferociously.
Wang Yu, in turn, covered his arms with the Profound Yin Hands. Two 3.3-meter grey-black iron fists met the attack head-on, one above and one below, straining to hold the Tuolong's upper and lower jaws apart.
He opened his mouth and exhaled.
A torrential cascade of frigid flame poured forth.
*Flame Spitting Art!*
This kind of combat reaction felt like an instinctual flash of inspiration to him, a perfect manifestation of his talent for battle.
The frigid flame poured into the Tuolong's stomach. Ice crystals formed rapidly inside its maw, its tender pink flesh scorched black. The beast was not happy. It suddenly pushed off with its hind legs, rising onto its hindquarters.
Its two front claws slashed out in a rapid, continuous flurry. Wang Yu was pummeled deep into the mire, sunk up to his waist in the mud. He could only protect his vital areas with his arms.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!—*
In the blink of an eye, countless spears of mud shot towards him. The Profound Yin Hands used for defense grew dim and translucent under the assault, gradually fading away. The mud spears left numerous wounds on his body, blood flowing freely.
Once this offensive wave ended, the time for counterattack arrived. Wang Yu unleashed the icy spiritual power within him, transforming the treacherous mudflat into frozen earth.
Bursting out of the ground, Wang Yu leaped high into the air. The Yin Nether Demonic Python coiled around his right leg, and with a sudden, explosive kick, he sent the Tuolong flying upwards. Seizing this perfect opportunity, the Golden Blade Whip rapidly extended, wrapping around the Tuolong tightly.
A slam to the left! A smash into the ground on the right!
He used the immense weight of the Tuolong like a sandbag, savagely slamming it over and over. As the beast was dazed by the impacts, the Golden Blade Whip constricted violently. Wang Yu pulled his left arm back, gathering strength to its absolute peak, and threw a final, devastating punch.
"ROAR!!!"
The Yin Nether Demonic Python Spine erupted with full force, augmented by the Divine Strength Corpse Arm.
*THUD!*
His fist pierced straight through the Tuolong's softest part—its underbelly. Wang Yu's hand closed around a fiercely beating, scorching-hot heart and yanked it out with brutal force.
The ultimate goal of his masterful 'Heart-Gouging Fist' was achieved.
Second-grade early stage Tuolong—DEAD!
After confirming the beast had lost all signs of life, Wang Yu swiftly stored the corpse in his storage pouch. The essence blood of this demonic beast would be used to refine second-grade Dragon Blood Secret Medicine. Its body could also be used to make Beast-Raising Pills to feed the Snow Jade Fox. The little creature, having been with him for several years now, had been fed only top-quality items. By the time Wang Yu broke through to Foundation Establishment, he estimated it would reach the late first-grade stage. Cultivating it to second-grade to fight alongside him would still require considerable time and resources.
Furthermore, his alchemy skills were becoming insufficient and needed urgent improvement.
But here was the problem.
The Frost Serpent Alchemy Art was a fragmented method derived from a third-grade art. To patch it up to the second-grade level would also require twenty years. He, Wang Yu, simply didn't have enough placement slots to spare, especially now with thirteen additional Soul Path legacies to consider.
It was a genuine dilemma. *Should I make my 'second brother' suffer a bit more? The Corpse Demon Secret Art doesn't seem that important after all...*
*Ahem!*
He shook his head vigorously, dispelling the chaotic thoughts. Wang Yu quickly left the area. He had what he came for; it was time to find a place to go into seclusion.
With this battle concluded, all his immediate objectives were met. He could now refine medicine and cultivate simultaneously, waiting for the day his Qi Refining reached the peak of the ninth layer.
It wouldn't be long now—just two and a half months away.
One day later, on the periphery of a territory belonging to a late second-grade Tuolong, Wang Yu sank directly into the swamp. Using his icy spiritual power, he solidified a small section of the muck, creating a tiny, temporary cave dwelling.
He sat in silent meditation to recover his state. After three days, he began refining the Dragon Blood Secret Medicine.
The difficulty of this medicine was relatively low, and it wasn't his first time refining it. He had long since mastered it to perfection. Now, he set about the familiar process with practiced ease.
The ingredients were: Demonic Beast Essence Blood (Second-grade, Draconic-type), Solomonseal Lotus, Spirit-Stabilizing Flower, Red Bramble Giant Knotweed, and Bloodvein Grass Seeds.
Five materials in total, with only the Tuolong blood being second-grade. This secret medicine didn't require pill formation. Instead, it involved refining with flame, simmering it nine times, and finally catalyzing it with spiritual power. The result was one batch of Dragon Blood Secret Medicine sufficient for nine uses.
It was far simpler than refining spirit pills and didn't cause much disturbance. Since the divine marvel of his Body Cultivation was the [Dragon Spine], it naturally required supplementation in this aspect. Materials from draconic-type beings and above—dragon blood, flood dragons, true dragons—all provided immense help to him. The higher the grade of his Dragon Spine, the stronger his power would be among Body Cultivators of the same level.
Therefore, even without a second-grade Body Cultivation method, he could still advance through this means.
(End of Chapter)