The morning sun shone through the dilapidated window of the crumbling house. Lin Feng sat cross-legged on his hard bed, his eyes no longer showing fatigue but rather sharpness and determination. He had spent a sleepless night, not out of fear or worry, but from intense excitement. The Omni-Extraction System, the Devouring Art, Spirit Stones, and new skills... it all felt like a dream, yet it was incredibly real.
He looked at his status panel. Qi Condensation Realm Initial Stage, spiritual power 10/100. The ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones were depleted. To continue cultivating, he needed spiritual energy. But Spirit Stones were a luxury, not something every mortal could acquire.
"Devouring Art... absorb spiritual energy from all things," Lin Feng murmured. This was the crux of this cultivation technique. Not just Spirit Stones, but "all things" could be sources of spiritual energy. But what did "all things" mean? A tree? A pebble? Or... a living creature?
Lin Feng stood up and walked out into the yard. He looked around. A wild weed growing by the wall, a scattered pebble. He reached out and touched the wild weed.
[Detected: Common Weed (Grade: Common). Can be extracted.]
[Extraction successful! Received: Vitality (0.01), Plant Essence (0.005).]
An extremely tiny surge of energy flowed into his body. Too little. Weeds were not an efficient source of spiritual energy.
Lin Feng frowned. He needed a larger source of spiritual energy, but not Spirit Stones. He suddenly remembered the Black Panther Demon Fur and Demonic Aura he had extracted from the demon beast last night. Those weren't pure spiritual energy, but he had still been able to "synthesize" them into a Spiritual Artifact. So, could he "devour" them?
He reached out and touched the Black Panther Cloak he was wearing.
[Detected: Black Panther Cloak (Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact). Cannot be directly extracted.]
The System didn't allow direct extraction of spiritual energy from a "synthesized" Spiritual Artifact. This made sense. But what about things that hadn't been synthesized yet? Lin Feng recalled. He still had Black Panther Demon Fur (1) and Demonic Aura (0.5) in his System inventory.
"Devour... Black Panther Demon Fur!" Lin Feng tried to command.
[Devouring... Success!] [Consumed: Black Panther Demon Fur (1). Received: Spiritual Power +5.]
A much stronger surge of spiritual power than from the weed flooded Lin Feng's dantian. His spiritual power increased from 10 to 15.
"Excellent!" Lin Feng's eyes gleamed with excitement. Demon beasts! Exactly! Demon beasts not only provided items for extraction, but their very bodies, the parts that couldn't be extracted for attributes, could still be "devoured" for spiritual power!
[Devouring... Demonic Aura (0.5).] [Consumed: Demonic Aura (0.5). Received: Spiritual Power +2.5. Minor impurities detected. Refined by Devouring Art.]
His spiritual power increased to 17.5. Although there were impurities, the Devouring Art had handled them. This meant Lin Feng didn't need to worry about absorbing tainted energy from demon beasts. He could become a massive "devouring" machine!
Lin Feng stood up. He knew what he had to do. He needed to hunt demon beasts. Not just to extract attributes, but also to "devour" them for spiritual power.
"Shadowmist Mountain Range... I'm coming back!" Lin Feng murmured, his eyes glinting with the coldness of a predator.
While Lin Feng was planning his first "hunt," news of his change had already reached the ears of the powerful figures in Qingfeng Town.
In the main hall of the Hu Family, one of the three largest cultivation families in town, Elder Hu was respectfully reporting to a dignified middle-aged man. This man was Hu Tian, the Hu Family Patriarch, a cultivator at the High Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, with a powerful aura.
"Patriarch, it is as I reported. Lin Feng, that spiritual root-less mortal brat, returned from the Shadowmist Mountain Range last night. His demeanor is completely different, and this old man could sense a faint spiritual power within his body," Elder Hu recounted the details of the encounter at the town gate.
Hu Tian frowned, his eyes sharp. "Are you certain? A spiritual root-less mortal can cultivate? And he dared to defy Ma Dai, yet you did not punish him?"
"This old man cannot be certain of his cultivation realm, but the spiritual power is real. And the black cloak he wore... this old man could not see through it. Perhaps it is a spiritual artifact capable of concealing aura," Elder Hu replied. "This old man believes he encountered some heaven-defdefying fortuitous opportunity in the Shadowmist Mountain Range."
Hu Tian pondered. In the cultivation world, fortuitous opportunities were the most unpredictable things. It wasn't unheard of for a wretch to suddenly transform into a dragon. But for a spiritual root-less mortal to cultivate, this was simply too unbelievable.
"Hu Lei!" Hu Tian called out.
A handsome youth, dressed in a cyan brocade robe, emerged from the corner of the main hall. This was Hu Lei, Hu Tian's eldest son, a remarkably talented individual who had already reached the Intermediate Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm at eighteen. He was the pride of the Hu Family, and also one who frequently mocked and scorned Lin Feng in the past.
"Father, what are your orders?" Hu Lei asked respectfully, his eyes filled with arrogance.
"You are to investigate Lin Feng. Find out what fortuitous opportunity he truly encountered. If he has indeed cultivated, find a way to draw him into the Hu Family. If not... then eliminate the potential threat." Hu Tian commanded coldly. A sudden rise in power, not under the family's control, was always a potential danger.
Hu Lei sneered. "Does a wretch like Lin Feng even require my personal investigation, Father? You overestimate him. Perhaps he merely picked up some useless low-grade elixirs." Despite his words, Hu Lei felt a flicker of curiosity. He clearly remembered Lin Feng as a timid, weak individual, incapable of defying Ma Dai as Elder Hu described.
"Do not underestimate him," Hu Tian warned. "Heaven-defying fortuitous opportunities can turn a wretch into a genius. Be careful."
"Yes, Father," Hu Lei replied, but he already had his own plan. He would personally confront Lin Feng, to see just how "arrogant" that wretch had become.
Lin Feng was completely unaware of the schemes being woven around him. He had returned to the Shadowmist Mountain Range, this time not to flee, but to hunt.
The Black Panther Cloak concealed his figure, and Speed Boost allowed him to move like a ghost through the dense forest. He wasn't searching for Spirit Stones, but for demon beasts. His targets were low-level demon beasts, easy to deal with, yet still capable of providing spiritual power and extractable items.
After some searching, Lin Feng spotted a Dirt Wolf Demon lurking for prey. It had earthy-colored fur, yellowish eyes, and sharp fangs. Its cultivation was equivalent to the Qi Condensation Realm Initial Stage, on par with Lin Feng.
"My first prey," Lin Feng murmured, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
He didn't charge in directly. He hid behind a large rock, observing the Dirt Wolf Demon. He recalled his combat experience from last night. He had no weapons, but he had the Heavy Stone (Basic) and the ability to extract.
[Detected: Dirt Wolf Demon (Grade: Common). Can be extracted.]
Lin Feng focused his thoughts. He wanted to extract something that could help him attack. Strength? Fangs? Or Speed?
He decided to extract its Fangs. If he could synthesize something sharp, he would have a weapon.
[Extraction successful! Received: Sharp Fangs (0.7), Dirt Wolf Demon Fur (1), Demonic Aura (0.4).]
Lin Feng didn't attack immediately. He wanted to test his synthesis ability.
"Synthesize... Sharp Fangs!"
[Synthesizing... Success!] [Consumed: Sharp Fangs (0.7). Received: Bone Blade (Basic) - A small, sharp blade made from bone, capable of dealing cutting damage.]
A small, razor-sharp blade, made of bone, appeared in Lin Feng's hand. He felt its keenness. This was his first weapon, created by the System itself!
Lin Feng smirked. The predator now had a weapon.
The Dirt Wolf Demon was still focused on its prey. Lin Feng moved, as light as a shadow, circling behind the demon beast. With Speed Boost (Basic), he lunged forward.
The Dirt Wolf Demon startled, turning its head. But it was too late. Lin Feng swung the Bone Blade, aiming straight for its throat.
Swish!
The sharp blade cleanly cut through the Dirt Wolf Demon's hide. The demon beast roared in pain, fresh blood spurting out. It thrashed, trying to bite back, but Lin Feng quickly retreated.
[Bone Blade (Basic) dealt (20) damage.]
The Dirt Wolf Demon was severely wounded; it knew it was no match. It turned and fled. But Lin Feng wouldn't let his prey escape. He was a predator.
"Devour!" Lin Feng lunged, reaching out to touch the fleeing demon beast.
[Devouring... Dirt Wolf Demon...] [Devour successful! Consumed: Dirt Wolf Demon (1). Received: Spiritual Power +30. Experience +50.]
The Dirt Wolf Demon let out a final whimper, its body shriveled, turning into a lifeless husk, all its spiritual energy and essence completely drained by the Devouring Art.
[Experience increased! Host Level increased! Current Level: 2.]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Realm (Intermediate Stage).]
Lin Feng felt the spiritual power in his dantian surge even more powerfully. He had leveled up! And his cultivation had reached the Qi Condensation Realm Intermediate Stage!
He looked at the shriveled corpse of the Dirt Wolf Demon, his eyes cold. This was his first prey. And it would not be his last.
Lin Feng checked his status panel once more.
[Host: Lin Feng] [Level: 2 (EXP: 50/300)] [Cultivation: Qi Condensation Realm (Intermediate Stage)] [Spiritual Power: 47.5/200] [Attributes:]
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Physique: 5
Spirit: 7 [Skills:]
Flesh Reinforcement (Intermediate): Reduces 10% physical damage.
Speed Boost (Basic): Increases movement and reaction speed by 10%.
Devouring Art (Basic): Absorbs spiritual energy from all things, converts it into spiritual power. [Extracted Items:]
Dirt Wolf Demon Fur (1)
Demonic Aura (0.4) [Synthesized Items:]
Heavy Stone (Basic) (1)
Black Panther Cloak (Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact) (1)
Bone Blade (Basic) (1) [System Points: 0]
Lin Feng smirked. He was much stronger than just a few hours ago. He had a weapon, the ability to self-supply spiritual power, and most importantly, he had a clearer understanding of how the Omni-Extraction System worked.