Sage of Humanity

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In the cavern, Lu Ye closed his eyes once more, quietly attuning himself to the sensations around him.

The Talent Tree was indeed within his Root Spiritual Orifice; when he concentrated, he could "see" this scene.

This was indeed different from before; when his focus was adequate, the Talent Tree used to appear within his sight, presenting itself as a phantom image.

Perhaps... the Talent Tree had always been in the Root Spiritual Orifice, but because he hadn't opened his orifice in the past, all he saw was the phantom in his vision?

After the orifice-opening, he could now perceive it more directly.

Since his arrival at the Spirit Stream battlefield, he had been constantly busy enhancing his cultivation, relentlessly committed to his rigorous practice, and had not taken the time to pay attention to the state of the Talent Tree until it had once again drawn in external power, prompting him to notice the changes.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

This was a good thing; he had always harbored a doubt that he couldn't clarify, which was that his cultivation through consuming elixirs seemed to come without any hidden dangers. He guessed it must be related to the Talent Tree, but the exact nature of this relationship was a mystery to him.

Now that he could perceive the existence of the Talent Tree directly, perhaps he could study it in detail when he had the time.

As he "watched" the two leaves of the Talent Tree burn brightly, even though Lu Ye knew those leaves were valuable, he couldn't help but recall some unpleasant memories...

Suppressing the urge to investigate further, Lu Ye went to the corpse of the snake demon, retrieved his weapon, and then chopped the body into more than a dozen pieces, packing them one by one into his storage sack.

The strength of this snake demon was much greater than that of the big tiger, and it could even breathe fire. The snake meat must be rich in spirit force and would provide a significant boost when consumed.

After he had finished with all this, Lu Ye looked around to ensure nothing was overlooked before leaving the cavern.

Half a Shichen later, Lu Ye met up with Yiyi and the big tiger who were waiting at the entrance of the cave. Noticing bloodstains on the shoulder of the big tiger, he took out a healing pill and administered it to the animal; the wound was inflicted during the earlier battle with the snake demon.

Lu Ye had also sustained a minor injury in the same shoulder area, having been struck by the snake's tail, but it was nothing serious.

A short while later, he mounted the big tiger, stroking its soft fur, and reminisced about the first time he met the big tiger and Yiyi. Back then, who would have thought that one day such a majestic demon beast would become his mount?

It must be said that riding on the back of the big tiger was quite a delightful experience, even making a Spirit Stream Level 2 cultivator like Lu Ye feel a surge of heroic pride as if commanding the world.

The big tiger was sturdy and broad-backed, making the ride quite comfortable.

"Where to?" Yiyi asked as she sat on the big tiger's head, turning to look at him.

Feeling the guidance of the war mark on his hand, Lu Ye pointed in a direction, "Follow this way, keep to the foot of the mountain!"

"Then let's set off!" Yiyi waved her little hand, clearly in high spirits.

With a low roar, the big tiger darted out like an arrow, and on that day, many low-level cultivators preparing to enter Qingyun Mountain to train caught a glimpse of a young man riding a snow-white big tiger, breezily sweeping by.

A drop of water falls into the sea, causing tiny ripples which will eventually stir up towering waves...

Night fell, and beneath a protruding, sloping cliff face, there was a recessed area at the base of the cliff, a natural harbor against the wind.

Yiyi, who had gone ahead to scout, stood there waving, "Lu Ye, over here, over here!"

Under the moonlight, Lu Ye walked forth with a majestic stride, one step at a time, full of grandeur.

Witnessing Lu Ye's peculiar walking style, Yiyi found it somewhat unbearable to watch, but in the end, she couldn't help herself and burst into laughter...

Lu Ye passed by her, giving her an intense glare.

He had thought that riding the big tiger would be a pleasant journey, yet just on the first day, he realized he had been naive.

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The chafing on the insides of his thighs was unbearable; Lu Ye was certain they were raw and bloody by now. Even at this moment, he still felt the jarring sensation of riding on the tiger's back. Throughout the journey, it would've been an achievement not to have been bounced unconscious, let alone to cultivate while riding.

"You'll get used to it," Yiyi said from behind him.

Entering the natural depression, Lu Ye nodded, recognizing it as a fine place to rest.

He found remnants of a bonfire within the hollow, likely left by travelers who had come before.

After a brief rest, Lu Ye collected some wood to reignite the fire, then he pulled out a section of snake meat. He skinned and gutted it, slicing off a hunk roughly twenty pounds in weight. The rest he tossed to the big tiger.

Embracing the substantial meal, the big tiger devoured the snake meat with gusto, eating to its heart's content.

As flames danced, the aroma began to fill the air, and the sizzle of fat hitting the fire made a crackling sound.

While cooking the snake meat, Lu Ye took out a Barrier-breaking Fruit from his storage sack and gestured to Yiyi.

Yiyi looked at him, puzzled.

"Two fruits make five," Lu Ye explained.

Yiyi shook her head, "That's useful to you, but Amber and I don't need it. Keep it for yourself."

Lu Ye considered for a moment, "Does Amber eat elixir pills?"

Yiyi nodded, "Amber also eats Spirit Stones."

Lu Ye was shocked, "Spirit Stones can be eaten?"

Yiyi explained, "Spirit Stones are condensed Spiritual Energy. Demon beasts can eat them, but people can't—they can't refine them."

Lu Ye realized he had learned something new, no wonder when Yiyi and big tiger had come to rob him before, they had asked for elixir pills, and when they could not get them, had asked for Spirit Stones instead.

"Then, I'll exchange your fruits for elixir pills..." Lu Ye was a bit troubled, "But I don't know the value of these fruits."

Yiyi smiled lightly, "Just give whatever you think is fair. Amber only needs to eat two elixir pills a day now."

"That's not too much," he said.

The snake meat was done quickly. Lu Ye sprinkled some salt on it for flavor and began to eat heartily. Suddenly, he looked up at Yiyi, who was gazing at him with eager eyes, and offered her the snake meat, "Do you want some?"

Yiyi shook her head, "I can't eat food."

Lu Ye continued eating.

The snake meat was indeed nourishing. Having consumed several pounds of it, Lu Ye felt a warm surge of energy throughout his body, revitalized. Even the flow of spirit force within him seemed faster.

While continuing Essence Refinement-Qi Conversion, Lu Ye took his sword to an open area, removed his shirt to reveal a muscular torso, and started to practice his sword strikes with serious focus.

His recent fight with the clean-looking cultivator made him realize his utter lack of combat skills. While he could enhance his cultivation by consuming pills, combat skills were not something that could be improved in the same way.

With no one to guide him, Lu Ye found a rudimentary solution: repeatedly swinging his sword. He wasn't sure if it would be effective, but it was the only method he could think of.

In the future, he was destined to face ever stronger enemies. In close combat, both cultivation level and combat skills were indispensable.

Under the moonlight, the young man practiced his swordplay with dedication, drenched in sweat. Not far off, the white big tiger lay on the ground, deeply asleep, enveloped in a white glow, while the black-haired girl with her knees hugged close, watched silently, the full moon high above providing a hazy and picturesque backdrop.