The Exotic Beast Meat sold on the market is almost exclusively killed by Exotic Beast Hunters out in the wild.
From the moment an Exotic Beast Hunter kills a Mutant Beast, the meat has to be transported from the dangerous wilds into the city, then distributed to the various butcher shops. Even at the absolute fastest speeds, the whole process takes at least six hours.
It's utterly impossible for a shop at the market to acquire Exotic Beast Meat that is less than an hour old.
Unless…
"The only way to get meat that's less than an hour old is if I go out into the wild and kill a Mutant Beast myself," Lin Li muttered, his mind racing.
After staring at the Magical Little Tree for a moment, Lin Li made up his mind.
He bent down, picked up the Exotic Beast Meat from the ground, and placed it in a bag. With a single thought, he withdrew from the Mysterious Small Island and returned to the real world.
"FLUSH!"
The moment he returned to the real world from the Mysterious Small Island, Lin Li heard the sound of rushing water from the stall next to him.
He immediately opened the stall door and left the restroom. As he walked out, two older women who were out for their morning exercises happened to pass by.
When they saw Lin Li emerge from the restroom carrying a bag of meat, they shot him a baffled look.
"Why would that young man take a bag of meat in there?"
Ignoring the hushed discussion behind him, Lin Li quickened his pace, left the park, and headed for home.
......
At ten in the morning, Lin Li arrived at the official government agency that specialized in testing cultivation levels. He planned to find out what his current level was and, at the same time, register his status as a Cultivator.
Over a decade ago, the government had issued a regulation: citizens who became Cultivators were strongly encouraged to voluntarily register their status at a government agency.
Of course, one could choose not to register. However, if they were later discovered to be a Cultivator who had failed to do so, the government would levy a substantial fine.
This regulation was enacted to facilitate the overall management of Cultivators and their extraordinary abilities, which was critical to the city's stability and prosperity. No reasonable person would object.
"Hello, I'd like to register as a Cultivator," Lin Li said to the staff member at the front desk after walking into the government agency's main hall.
"Of course. Please fill out this form," the staff member said, handing Lin Li a form and a pen.
Name, address, phone number, ID number…
After filling out his information, Lin Li handed the form back to the staff member, who then led him toward the cultivation testing area.
There were quite a few people in the testing area, all waiting in line to be assessed.
The person in charge of testing everyone was a middle-aged man in his early forties. He was 1.75 meters tall and well-built, but the black-framed glasses on his face gave him a scholarly and refined air.
"Channel the Spiritual Energy in your body," the middle-aged man said to the seventeen-year-old high school student in front of him, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Okay." The young man, still in high school, was likely here to test his cultivation for the first time. He nodded nervously in response to the man's instruction, then began to channel the Spiritual Energy within his body.
"First Rank Initial Stage. Very good. To have the strength of a First Rank Initial Stage at your age, your cultivation aptitude is quite decent... Keep up the hard work, and aim to break through to the First Rank High Stage before you graduate from college," the middle-aged man said, encouraging the high school student with a smile.
"Yes, I'll work hard on my cultivation from now on." After learning he was already a First Rank Initial Stage Cultivator, the high school student's face flushed with excitement.
After the ecstatic high school student left, a man in his early thirties came before the examiner. He didn't need to be told what to do and immediately began to channel the Spiritual Energy in his body.
"The intensity of your Spiritual Energy Wave doesn't yet meet the standard for the First Rank Initial Stage," the middle-aged man said, shaking his head.
Upon learning he hadn't met the standard, a flicker of disappointment flashed in the eyes of the man, who was in his early thirties. It had been almost sixteen years since he had Awakened his Spirituality at fifteen, and he still hadn't managed to become a Cultivator.
Standing at the end of the line, Lin Li watched the man leave the testing room with a downcast expression and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
'If my own cheat hadn't activated, I'd probably be just like that man... No, maybe even worse.'
'If that guy keeps at it, he'll probably become a Cultivator eventually. But with my pathetic aptitude from before, I wouldn't have had a hope of becoming a Cultivator in this lifetime, no matter how hard I tried.'
"First Rank Initial Stage."
"First Rank Initial Stage."
"Below standard."
"First Rank Initial Stage."
"Below standard."
The middle-aged man was very efficient, and before long, it was Lin Li's turn.
Having watched the people in line ahead of him, Lin Li knew what to do when his turn came without needing to be told.
As Lin Li channeled the Spiritual Energy in his body, a Spiritual Energy Wave far more powerful than anyone before him emanated from his body.
The middle-aged examiner was holding a cup of water and was just about to take a drink. Upon perceiving the Spiritual Energy Wave radiating from Lin Li, his hand froze in place.
"First Rank High Stage."
When the middle-aged man announced the "First Rank High Stage" result with a look of astonishment, it wasn't just Lin Li who was stunned—so was everyone else waiting to be tested.
"What? This guy is actually at the First Rank High Stage?!!" After a few seconds of silence, the others waiting to be tested let out a collective gasp, their faces filled with utter disbelief.
After all, everyone who came here for testing either ended up "below standard" or, at best, "First Rank Initial Stage." A result like "First Rank High Stage" had never appeared before.
After all, once you knew you had become a First Rank Initial Stage Cultivator, you had no reason to come back here for another test.
That was because once a Cultivator reached the First Rank Initial Stage, they could naturally sense their own progress and know their cultivation level based on the changes in their body's Spiritual Energy.
'That little red fruit is incredible! It actually boosted me directly to a First Rank High Stage Cultivator?!!'
Lin Li himself was in utter disbelief. Before coming for the test, he had thought he would be a First Rank Initial Stage Cultivator at best. He never in a million years expected this result.
At the same time, he was practically bursting with elation. A single, tiny fruit from that unremarkable little tree had caused his cultivation to take such a massive leap.
'If I ate dozens or even hundreds of them, wouldn't I quickly become a powerful Cultivator, invincible in this world?'
'Calm down, calm down. This is just the beginning. There will be plenty of time to celebrate once I'm truly an invincible Cultivator.'
Lin Li kept repeating this to himself, but even as he tried his hardest to contain his elation, the corners of his mouth kept turning up into an irrepressible grin. The joy on his face was impossible to hide.
......