Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension

As the sun set, the forest was bathed in golden hues, with leaves swaying gently and emitting soft rustling sounds.

On a towering ancient tree, which required the embrace of two adults to encircle, Xiao Yan was plucking the tenth ingredient needed to refine the Burning Blood Pill.

Looking at the blood-red, fist-sized mushroom growing on the tree trunk, Yao Lao smiled slightly. "The Scarlet Fire Mushroom—only trees over a hundred years old are likely to grow it. I thought we'd have to put in quite some effort to find it, but we've gotten it on the first day. Kid, your luck isn't bad."

Xiao Yan chuckled, but his keen senses suddenly picked up a strong presence approaching rapidly. His delicate face grew serious. "A magical beast is coming—and it's at the second tier."

Yao Lao nodded approvingly at Xiao Yan's constant vigilance in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

"It's a second-tier Flame Demon Tiger, and it's quite severely injured. With the Scarlet Fire Mushroom already in our hands and the potential to acquire a second-tier magic core, I'd say your luck is exceptional."

Given Xiao Yan's exceptional physical qualities, Yao Lao speculated that the blood of a second-tier fire-attribute magical beast might not be potent enough. Only the magic core would yield the optimal training results for Xiao Yan.

Stowing away the Scarlet Fire Mushroom, Xiao Yan employed the "Concealment Technique," completely suppressing his aura. His pitch-black eyes focused intently below as he slowly circulated his Dou Qi, ready to strike at any moment.

Before long, a massive Flame Demon Tiger came into view.

This magical beast's head was terrifyingly ferocious, with eyes glowing like molten lava, exuding a menacing aura. Its four thick paws left deep imprints on the ground with every step, as if corroding it like magma.

However, its body bore numerous wounds from blades, spears, and swords, evidence of battles with mercenaries.

Xiao Yan wasn't exactly a saint. If he had to face a fully healthy second-tier magical beast, he'd have to rely on all his trump cards.

Magic cores weren't something every magical beast possessed. He'd hunted five magical beasts in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, and only the first one had yielded a fire-attribute magic core.

Such treasures were hard to come by, so he aimed to conserve his energy when possible.

Strike while the iron is hot, or, as the saying goes—kick them when they're down!

The Flame Demon Tiger sprinted frantically, but with the continuous loss of blood, even its robust body couldn't maintain its usual majesty.

Scanning its surroundings warily and confirming there were no threats, the tiger finally lay down on the ground, exhausted.

After several breaths of time, once the tiger's guard was at its lowest, Xiao Yan tensed his legs and leaped from the ancient tree like an arrow loosed from a bow, hurtling toward the Flame Demon Tiger.

His fist, glowing with rich yellow Dou Qi, struck with almost his full strength.

The Flame Demon Tiger reacted swiftly, scrambling to its feet. Its heart burned with fury, and its tiger eyes were filled with disbelief.

Despicable and cunning human! The thought flashed through the Flame Demon Tiger's mind, but before it could respond, a fist the size of a sandbag slammed directly onto the "king" character on its forehead.

"Eight Extremities Collapse!"

A mountain-crushing force smashed the tiger's massive head into the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three muffled explosions followed in the Flame Demon Tiger's skull as Xiao Yan's terrifying hidden force detonated. Its brain matter shattered, and blood poured from its seven orifices as it died instantly.

The massive body had just risen when it collapsed powerlessly to the ground once again.

With a significant amount of his Dou Qi consumed, Xiao Yan exhaled heavily, looking at the corpse of the second-tier Flame Demon Tiger lying before him, easily defeated. He couldn't hide his delight.

Glancing at the tiger's body, Yao Lao chuckled. "Already heavily injured and ambushed by you—this Flame Demon Tiger died rather unjustly."

"Let's hope there's a magic core," Xiao Yan said, gripping the handle of the Heavy Xuan Ruler. With a powerful swing, he struck the enormous Flame Demon Tiger.

Although the Heavy Xuan Ruler was flat and without a blade, Xiao Yan had mastered the technique of focusing force into a line after comprehending the Eight Extremities Collapsing Cannon.

With a single strike, a massive fissure appeared on the tiger's back, splitting flesh wide open and revealing its white skeleton.

To be able to wield the heavy ruler with such proficiency within a single day, Yao Lao nodded in approval. "You've grown increasingly adept at mastering the techniques for this heavy sword."

"Oh, I almost forgot—you've already named it the Heavy Xuan Ruler," Yao Lao added with a smile.

"Lucky! There's a magic core!" Xiao Yan said with a grin as he picked up the fiery red core. "I'm looking forward to Teacher teaching me some powerful Dou Techniques for the Heavy Xuan Ruler soon."

"Let's wait until your Dou Qi strength improves by a few more levels. Even if I taught you now, you wouldn't have enough Dou Qi to execute it," Yao Lao replied with a light smile.

Improve Dou Qi strength?

Although his current cultivation method couldn't be advanced at the moment, who said he must increase his Dou Qi strength to possess more Dou Qi?

After all, with Spirit Possession, who would even care about your Dou Qi level?

Rubbing his nose, irritated by the strong scent of blood, Xiao Yan's understanding of expanding his Dou Qi reservoir became increasingly clear.

After storing away the magic core, Xiao Yan left the forest, intending to gather more medicinal ingredients before nightfall.

Once night fell, magical beasts became far more rampant, and the danger in the Magic Beast Mountain Range increased exponentially.

While Yao Lao could assist in locating medicinal herbs, he wouldn't help Xiao Yan deal with magical beasts.

Not long after setting off, Xiao Yan encountered a large group of mercenaries rushing toward him.

With a quick glance, he estimated there were about thirty of them. They were clearly formidable, all wearing the same emblem on their chests.

The emblem depicted the head of a wolf with a single eye.

Xiao Yan blinked. Was this the Wolf Head Mercenary Group from three or four years ago?

For the mercenaries, youths like Xiao Yan venturing into the Magic Beast Mountain Range in search of hidden opportunities weren't uncommon.

Most of these young adventurers, however, either lost limbs or ended up as meals for magical beasts.

"Kid, have you seen an injured magic tiger around here?" one mercenary with a sharp face asked.

Could these guys be the ones who severely injured the Flame Demon Tiger? A hint of realization crossed Xiao Yan's mind before he smiled silently to himself. It seemed he owed them some thanks.

Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't about to tell the truth.

"No," he replied with a slight shake of his head, preparing to walk past the group.

"Wait!" a deep voice called out. Among the mercenaries, a towering man nearly two meters tall stopped him. "Leave behind that bag of medicinal ingredients at your waist."

Hemon, the third captain of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, was not only incredibly strong but also had a sharp eye.

Just from the mouth of Xiao Yan's bag, he had spotted the Scarlet Fire Mushroom, which was worth over 3,000 gold coins. Dealing with a lucky young man was far easier than fighting a second-tier magical beast.

(End of Chapter)

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