"My blood energy has increased, my skin is tougher, and a protective layer of blood energy now surrounds my body. My strength is over two to three thousand jin. Even with my solid foundation, Great Accomplishment is truly powerful."
Feeling the power surge from his spine, spreading through his blood energy to every part of his body, Su Yan experienced the exhilarating joy of a complete transformation.
The natural transformation of life is an innate pursuit, and the feeling of mastering strength is indeed captivating.
Su Yan (Protagonist) gradually calmed down after a long while, focusing his perception on his condition.
[First-Order Bug Master: 23/100][Bug Realm: 1 cubic meter][Body Forging Realm: Skin Refining 5/400 (Great Accomplishment)][Golden Ape Stance Skill : 2/400 (Great Accomplishment)][Ape Fist : 1/400 (Great Accomplishment)][Mountain-Trekking: 134/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Basic Archery: 15/400 (Great Accomplishment)][Herbology: 91/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Dark Water Centipede : 195/200 (Growth Stage)][Velvet Fire Scorpion Bug : 76/200 (Growth Stage)]
He was already at the critical edge of breakthrough. Without the Bronze Fox Ape, a simple standing stance would have led to the breakthrough in a day or two. Now, the Bronze Fox Ape had simply arrived at the perfect time, delivering a huge gift.
Su Yan summoned the Dark Water Centipede, which was also nearing its own breakthrough. He immediately commanded it to consume the Bronze Fox Ape's heart.
The forearm-thick Dark Water Centipede followed the order, crawling up the ape's body to its chest. Its mouthparts, like scimitars, crunched through the flesh and ribs, pulling out the Bronze Fox Ape's heart to devour it. The heart, being the center of blood energy in the animal, provided an intense supply of energy. The centipede, already close to breaking through, received a constant energy supply, and its growth rapidly increased.
196, 197, 198, 199...
Finally, upon finishing the consumption, it reared up, subtly twisting its body, seemingly absorbing the surrounding air. It's hard carapace began to crack. A dark-purple new carapace was revealed. Its size remained the same, but its shell was like armor, its limbs like spears, its antennae like whips, and its jaws like knives. It now looked like a cold-blooded weapon, its aura formidable.
Su Yan ordered it to continue feeding to recover its deficit. It quickly tore off and consumed a large portion of the Bronze Fox Ape's arm. After ten minutes of consumption, its deficit was finally replenished.
'The heart and flesh have no poison. It seems the Bronze Fox Ape meat is safe to eat, though the taste might not be good.' Seeing no toxic substances during the centipede's consumption, Su Yan was relieved.
He didn't plan to sell the Bronze Fox Ape. First, the Bronze Fox Ape was not an ordinary wild beast but a Desolate Beast. Hunting a ferocious tiger and then a Desolate Beast back-to-back would be too much. Such a constant, brazen display would likely attract too much attention from capable martial artists. Second, he needed the resources. Both he and his Dark Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Bug required massive resources, and Desolate Beast meat was a high-value, cost-effective supplement. He still had other game and mountain goods to sell for silver.
He tossed the remaining Bronze Fox Ape arm to the Velvet Fire Scorpion Bug. Su Yan began clearing the area, preparing to descend the mountain the next day. The black bear and leopard alone would fetch a good price, plus the body of the formidable Wolf King.
"Hiss, hiss!" The Dark Water Centipede suddenly made a sound, quickly crawling toward the rock wall. Su Yan's expression shifted. He quickly followed. Could it have found something else? In the past, this behavior meant the Dark Water Centipede had discovered useful mountain goods. Was there another treasure in this wolf den?
He hurried forward to the rock wall. Under the moonlight, he saw that the rock face, covered with vines, concealed a cave. The cave was deep, and the moonlight couldn't penetrate it. Even Su Yan couldn't see inside.
Su Yan took out his flint and steel, lit a torch, and illuminated the cave. The Dark Water Centipede scouted ahead, and Su Yan followed, broadsword in hand.
Inside the cave, the light revealed a rustling sound and faint wolf howls. Su Yan's expression became serious. He looked down and saw balls of fluff moving about five paces away—a litter of wolf cubs, their eyes glowing faintly.
"One, two, three, four... seven wolf cubs. They look less than two months old. No wonder the Wolf King fought so desperately to protect them." Live wolf cubs were valuable. Whether trained by the city's wealthy youth as pets or by mountain experts as hunting assistants, they fetched a higher price than usual—about two to three taels of silver each. This litter alone could bring him ten to twenty taels of profit.
His gaze swept past the wolf den and suddenly fixed on a spot.
'The Blood Vein Flower !?'
Deep inside the wolf den, covered by vines on the rock wall, amidst bones and dried meat—the food the wolves fed their young—four or five crimson flowers were growing. The petals were thick and deep red, some with three petals, others with four. Su Yan stepped forward, flipping a petal over. The back of the petal had shallow, vein-like patterns. It was indeed the Blood Vein Flower.
"I searched high and low but found nothing, only to stumble upon it here in this wolf den." Su Yan had promised Song Qi he would search for the flower, yet after days of searching the mountain, he found it here.
He immediately harvested the four or five flowers, placing them in the Bug Realm space. He didn't bother to leave the roots. Without the wolves' blood to nourish it, even he couldn't regrow it quickly, so he took some of the vines as well.
The small wolf cubs instinctively tried to nip at him as he knelt. He flicked a finger, sending the palm-sized cub tumbling several times. He retrieved his basket and carefully placed the young wolves inside one by one.
Su Yan worked for a while, confirming there were no other valuable items around the den. He then took his sharp knife and returned to the Bronze Fox Ape's carcass to begin butchering. The ape was two to three meters tall, thick-skinned, and had a massive skeletal structure. If he didn't butcher it, it wouldn't fit into the Bug Realm space.
Su Yan thought the butchery would be easy, but his boning knife and broadsword only lasted until dawn. His blades were chipped, and he barely managed to divide the Bronze Fox Ape into large chunks. He discarded the organs, letting the Dark Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Bug consume them.
He packed the best cuts of the Bronze Fox Ape and the Wolf King into the Bug Realm space. Su Yan then returned to his initial spot, tied the black bear and leopard to himself with vines, hoisted them onto his shoulder, and strode down the mountain.
As before, Su Yan made no attempt to conceal his haul. He walked quickly for several li until he reached the Mountain Market Town. Carrying such a large black bear on his shoulder naturally drew attention. However, compared to the first time, the black bear was less impressive than the tiger, and since the two events were so close, fewer people dared to make a scene.
Su Yan ignored the crowds and headed straight for Manager Yang.
"Well, well, young man. You hunted a tiger the other day, killed a bear today, and the leopard looks broken-backed too. Are you specifically hunting beasts in the mountains to practice your fist techniques?" Manager Yang knew Su Yan was a new disciple at the Golden Ape Martial Academy, but he was shocked by his bravery. Poor people who joined the martial path did so for wealth and status. Many were willing to endure hardship, but few dared to train with such reckless disregard for life. Manager Yang, who had trained apprentices at the Pan Family Restaurant, had rarely seen such ferocity in all his years.
"Senior Manager Yang, you flatter me. I just ran into them while trekking."
Manager Yang smiled: "You say what you like; I see what I see." He touched the bear and the leopard: "They've been dead for a while and took a lot of pounding, so I'll have to deduct some from the price. Do you want to sell them separately or as a whole?"
"As a whole."
"In that case, I'll give you 30 taels for the black bear and 20 taels for the leopard. The price is lower because bear meat is coarse, heavy with musk, and doesn't have the benefits of tiger meat."
"The price is fair, sir. That price is acceptable."
After settling the payment, Su Yan didn't wait for Manager Yang to process the carcasses. He took the silver and headed straight for the Hundred Herb Hall shop.
"Go find Master Gu quickly!" Niu Dang and Niu Daqi rushed out of the crowd, eager to find Gu Hong. They had waited for ages, and finally, Su Yan had returned to the Mountain Market Town. They couldn't miss this opportunity. If Su Yan left again, Gu Hong might take his frustration out on them.