Wang Hao grinned as he surveyed their haul. There were only three magical artifacts: two intermediate-grade knives (First Order) and the high-grade long whip used by the black-faced man. Wang Hao had no skill with a whip, so it was useless to him—perfectly saleable for nearly two hundred spirit stones, even at a low price!
The rest were mundane: some low-level pills and talismans. The cultivation manuals carried by the three were equally basic—worth handing in to the clan for contribution points.
Their greatest prize, however, lay in two secret techniques. The first was a Body-Strengthening Art called Jade Flesh & Ice Muscle Technique, with six levels, taking one to the peak of Foundation Establishment. Mastery would greatly boost one's physical strength and raise the success chance of Foundation Establishment by 20%, since a tougher body better endures the torrent of spirit energy at that crucial stage. Wang Hao was delighted—pill cultivation always strained his body and meridians; a stronger physique would let him take more pills with fewer breaks, accelerating his progress.
A secondary benefit? Firmer, smoother skin. Since Wang Hao already had a handsome face, this was purely cosmetic.
The Jade Flesh & Ice Muscle Technique also came with herbal-bath and pill-refinement recipes. Qi Refiners bathed in herb cauldrons; Foundation Establishers refined pills. Wang Hao checked the ingredients—he had all the Refinement-stage herbs, but lacked several rare ones for the Foundation pill recipes. No wonder few chose Body-Strengthening: the costs were staggering. A single beginner bath cost 30 stones, intermediate 50, advanced 80, and each bath lasted only three to five days. Bathing year-round would cost 3,000–4,000 spirit stones—beyond most Qi Refiners' means!
To someone like Wang Hao, for whom pills were candy, it was just another expense. Most practitioners used those herb baths only at critical moments, relying mainly on physical training.
The second secret was Piercing Insight, a Technique that let the user spot an enemy's weaknesses—vital for both reconnaissance and combat.
Neither scroll was common, but both were extremely useful. This Broken-Source Mountain escapade had shown Wang Hao how narrow his combat options still were. With a stronger body and more techniques, he'd be far better prepared next time.
He copied both secrets and handed them to Wang Yanfeng:
"Eighth Uncle, these two arts are valuable. Please submit them to the clan for contribution credit."
The clan could trade points for Foundation Elixirs, and Wang Hao wanted enough credit to avoid embarrassment later.
Wang Yanfeng examined the scrolls, smiling slyly at Wang Hao:
"You plan to cultivate those? To go seducing hearts again?"
"Eighth Uncle, is that your impression of me?" Wang Hao was speechless. "I want the increased Foundation-success rate. With my five roots, even with pills, I only have a 60% chance. That's far too low!"
"I see…" Wang Yanfeng mused. After a moment, he murmured, "Maybe I should cultivate that art myself."
"Tsk tsk— and they say I am the woman-chaser!" Wang Hao muttered. In any case, the scrolls were now clan property: anyone willing to pay the cost could practice.
"Forget it—I already feel guilty taking two pills at once. With those herb baths, I'd never save a dowry for marriage!" Wang Yanfeng shook his head, regretful.
Wang Hao couldn't resist a jab:
"Eighth Uncle, look on the bright side: if you mastered Jade Flesh & Ice Muscle, maybe a Foundation-level cultivator would finally be impressed—and you'd wed and grow wealthy!"
"You brat! A Wang clan gentleman wouldn't marry for profit!" But his eyes did glint with temptation—over thirty years old, perhaps it was time to settle down. A stronger body might indeed win a bride…
They remained hidden underground all night. The next morning, Wang Hao noticed one skull icon on his map blink out of existence—and thought:
"Someone died?"
Whenever a minimal-level beast lay within the map's range, it appeared as a skull. Now one had vanished—presumably slain in the fray.
The two remaining skulls still lingered, and Wang Hao could not resist:
"Shall we check it out, Eighth Uncle?"
"Hm, there's no movement now," Wang Yanfeng said after a cautious scan. "Let's go—but be quick!"
Half an hour later, they arrived at a five-li radius of devastation: twisted trees, craters gouged into the earth, and blood slick on every rock. Wang Yanfeng's face turned grim:
"Those Second-Level demons have passed through…but this blood stench will draw others. We must gather valuables swiftly!"
Together they collected debris. The fallen beast was a demon bear—only half a carcass remained, yet its pelt, claws, and skull were worth roughly 1,500 spirit stones!
Examining blood trails in the dirt, Wang Hao said:
"Eighth Uncle, by these tracks the other two beasts are gravely wounded. Pick one and follow?"
"Better not," Wang Yanfeng replied prudently. "We've already gained a great haul. Let's leave before things get worse."
Wang Hao teased him:
"Not boasting, but I fought that Second-Level White Tiger myself and escaped badly wounded. It's heading toward the city anyway—and we'll pass that way. Why not see it through? If we secure the full carcass, we'll gain the technique much faster!"
Wang Yanfeng hesitated: this was more than just stones—our entire cultivation path, even our future partnerships, were at stake. Finally, he nodded:
"Alright, but if things go south, you promise not to act on impulse!"
"Me? I value my life too much!" Wang Hao laughed.
They divided the bear remains and concealed them in their rings, then trailed the White Tiger's bloody path. Their pace was slow—just a hundred li per day. Two thousand li still lay between them and the mountain's edge, in territory rife with danger.
The bloodstains grew ever fainter as the tiger slowed, until at last it halted near a rocky hill.
Climbing the narrow path, they found the tiger's den carved between giant boulders.
"Eighth Uncle?" Wang Hao looked to him for guidance.
"It must be dying—it didn't notice us just now. Let's move carefully," Wang Yanfeng advised.
They readied talismans and artifacts and entered. The tunnel stretched ten meters before opening into a cavern dozens of acres wide.
Above, a twenty-meter opening let daylight in. Spirit herbs grew on the stones—some even rare.
As the pair emerged, the White Tiger gave a final, ragged roar that shook the cavern walls. Their hearts leapt.
Panicked, they unleashed talismans and retreated via Light-Body.
But it never pursued. Weak from mortal wounds, it simply bared its teeth and panted in warning. With a nod to each other, they reentered the cavern.
Indeed, the tiger lay grievously injured—its roar had been a last gasp. It could only attempt to frighten them.
Silently, Wang Hao and Wang Yanfeng approached to claim their ultimate bounty.