The silence that descended upon the small clearing after the second wolf fled was heavy, broken only by the sound of Wei Shen's ragged, painful gasps. His body was a mass of pain and exhaustion, and blood – his own and that of the slain wolf – had stained his ragged clothes and the gray forest floor. But his eyes, despite the fatigue that nearly overwhelmed them, gleamed with a cold glint, the triumphant glint of a predator that had claimed precious prey after a bitter struggle.
"One… is better than nothing," Wei Shen rasped, looking at the massive wolf carcass lying before him.
There was no time for rest or even to fully assess his injuries. The scent of fresh blood, especially that of a second-level spiritual beast, was an open invitation to all other predators in the "Forest of Lost Souls," some of which could be far more dangerous than these two wolves.
"I must work quickly," he decided, forcing his exhausted body to move.
With hands that trembled slightly from exertion and pain, but with movements that now carried a practiced precision and efficiency acquired from his harsh experiences, Wei Shen began the process of gathering the spoils. His ivory daggers, crafted from the tusks of the "Wild Black Boar," were still sharp and strong, and had proven their effectiveness against the wolf's thick hide.
First and foremost, the blood. He took out the large leather waterskin he had made from the hide of the tough Rock Lizard and began to carefully collect the spiritual wolf's blood. The blood was heavier and darker. Wei Shen felt the concentrated spiritual energy within it, a wild and aggressive energy, as if carrying the very essence of the wolf's spirit. "Every drop of this… is precious fuel for the 'Blood-Devouring Stone'… and for my power," he thought as he watched the waterskin slowly fill with the dark crimson liquid.
After collecting as much blood as possible, he moved on to extracting the "beast core." Using his dagger with care and precision, he cut into the wolf's chest and searched among the tissues until he found it. It was about the size of a quail's egg, but it radiated a smoky gray light, interspersed with faint red flashes, and pulsed with clearly stronger and denser spiritual energy. "A second-level core… its energy should be enough to effect real change," Wei Shen muttered, carefully placing it in his small pouch.
He didn't forget the sharp fangs and some of the claws that looked as if they were made of black volcanic glass. He pried out the largest and sharpest, thinking of using them to enhance his primitive weapons or to craft new tools. "Every part of a strong spiritual beast holds potential value," was his cold logic. "Waste is not a trait of those who aspire to the summit."
As for the meat, he contented himself with cutting a few strips from the best parts of the thigh, those that seemed least contaminated by the poisonous ash the wolf had spewed. He wasn't sure if the meat of this spiritual beast was edible or had special benefits, but hunger was still his companion, and the need for energy was pressing.
When he finally finished gathering these precious spoils, Wei Shen's body was on the verge of collapse. His wounds were bleeding intermittently, and the pains of exhaustion and combat tore at every muscle and nerve.
"Return to the cave… now," he decided, carrying the heavy bloodskin, the core, and the claws, in addition to the few pieces of meat.
The journey back was like a long, painful nightmare. Every step required a colossal effort, and every rustle of leaves made him stop and prepare for any potential danger. He knew that the scent of blood emanating from him and his spoils was like a beacon for predators.
Several times he was forced to hide behind giant trees or among rocks when he heard strange sounds or sensed suspicious movement nearby. On one occasion, he glimpsed from afar the shadow of a huge bird circling in the sky, resembling the Storm Eagle warned about in sect legends, and his heart nearly stopped from terror before the bird flew away.
But his will, that steel-like will that knew no surrender, pushed him forward. The "Blood-Devouring Stone" was calling to him, promising power, advancement. And that promise was enough to make him ignore the pain, ignore the fear, and keep moving.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of suffering, he reached the familiar entrance of his cave. He collapsed to the ground for a few moments, catching his breath with difficulty, then dragged himself and his spoils inside, into the darkness and relative safety.
He didn't rest for long. After drinking some water and eating a small piece of raw wolf meat—he lacked the strength to make a fire—he approached the "Blood-Devouring Stone." The stone waited, silent, cold, thirsty.
Wei Shen began to present his offering. First, the blood of the "Poisonous Ash Wolf."
The moment this potent spiritual blood touched the stone's surface, the cave erupted with an almost blinding crimson light. The glow this time was different, more intense, more savage, as if a dormant volcano had suddenly erupted. The cave walls shook violently, and dust and small rocks fell from the ceiling. A deep, powerful hum, like the roar of a thousand tormented souls, filled the air and made Wei Shen's bones tremble to the marrow.
A wave of "Blood Qi," tainted, but now saturated with the essence of the second-level wolf, surged from the stone—immense, overwhelming, like a tsunami of dark red energy. It carried with it the wolf's power, its ferocity, its combat instinct, mingled with the demonic nature of the stone.
Then, Wei Shen placed the second-level "beast core" onto the surface of the glowing stone. The stone swallowed it immediately, its glow intensifying for moments, as if devouring the core's essence and converting it into more of that dark energy.
Wei Shen quickly sat in a meditative posture, ready to face this torrent of power. He knew this session would be the hardest and most dangerous yet.
He began to draw that immense energy into his body. It was like liquid fire, burning his Qi pathways, threatening to tear apart his Dantian. The pain was unbearable, surpassing anything he had ever felt before. But Wei Shen, with a will forged in a life of absolute dominance, did not flinch.
"More!" he screamed in his mind, forcing that savage energy to submit to his will. "I must absorb every drop! This is the price of true power!"
He was fighting, not against an external beast this time, but against the raw power he was trying to integrate into his being. Every second was a bitter struggle on the edge of consciousness.
And slowly, very slowly, that untamed energy began to calm slightly, to settle, to merge with his existing "Blood Qi," elevating it to an entirely new level. He felt his body being remolded from within, refined, strengthened. His wounds were healing with astonishing speed, and his strength was multiplying incredibly.
He reached the peak of the third level of Qi Condensation, then… he felt that barrier, that invisible wall separating him from the fourth level. It was still solid, but no longer as impregnable as it had been. He felt he could almost… touch it.
"An excellent offering… and a satisfactory result," Wei Shen thought as the last wave of energy receded, leaving him panting, sweat dripping from him like rain. "One second-level Ash Wolf… has brought me to the brink of breakthrough."
He looked at the silent stone. "But to reach the fourth level… I will need something… different. Something more powerful."
"Perhaps a more powerful beast."
A cold, dark thought began to form in the corners of his mind, a thought whispered by the stone, or perhaps… born of his own thirst for power.