Yang Wei fanned himself leisurely, observing the path of destruction left by the monstrous eagle through the forest. At the end of the trail lay the battered two-headed creature, its wings broken but still clinging to life.
Hmm, my Blood Fist attack didn't kill it, but I guess that's to be expected from a Core Formation level creature. With my current cultivation realm, it's not easy to take down something like that. Still, I've completely transformed my Spiritual Domain, and in my current state, I could even match Spirit-Gathering cultivators at the 6th level, so that's good progress...
but I haven't fully broken through to the Spirit-Gathering Realm yet.
"Hiss~"
"Hiss~"
Bai Suzhen slithered back to the thinking Yang Wei.
She wrapped herself around him in her snake form before shifting back into her human form and embracing him tightly from behind—her arms across his chest and her thin legs tied around his waist.
"Your Blood Arts are improving," she complimented him. "At this rate, you should be able to transform it."
Yang Wei raised an eyebrow at the mention of "transforming". Initially, he had thought that by refining his blood Qi to perfection, his Blood Arts would evolve as his cultivation level increased. But Bai Suzhen's words piqued his interest.
"What do you mean by transforming it?" he asked.
Bai Suzhen wore her smug face and sighed dramatically as she said, "What would you do without me~?"
"Don't start this.." Yang Wei sighed; evidently exhausted. For the past month, Bai Suzhen would flex about her blood Qi cultivation knowledge and prowess any small chance she got. So, now was no different.
Blinking flirtatiously at him, she said, "Beg me, and maybe I'll tell you~" a small mischiveous giggle followed after.
"Suzhen..." he sternly called her name.
"Okay, okay. Jeez, you're no fun." Bai Suzhen gave him a small side-eye before she explained, "Blood Arts is just the foundational aspect of cultivating with blood Qi. As demonic cultivators master Blood Arts, some can fully manifest their innate Blood Spirit and develop their own unique form of Blood Martial Arts."
Yang Wei nodded, recalling a conversation they had a week ago. "So, successful comprehension of blood Qi cultivation will bring about the manifestation of an innate spirit in the form of blood, and cultivating that will help me transform my Blood Arts," he summarized.
Bai Suzhen nodded in agreement. "Exactly. In your case, you're close to fully comprehending it. With a few more weeks or at most a month of hard work, you should be able to manifest your own Blood Spirit."
Yang Wei continued to fan himself as he pondered the implications. Finally, a smile spread across his face as he nodded approvingly.
Bai Suzhen gently rubbed his chest and advised, "Don't worry about it for now~~ Focus on consuming enough blood pills. Eventually, you'll know when it's time for a breakthrough in your blood Qi cultivation."
As soon as she consumed the beast core, Bai Suzhen's entire body surged with intense red energy, undergoing a drastic transformation. When she landed back on the ground, she resembled a gruesomely huge serpent, adorned with several black spikes and glowing blue eyes flowing with spiritual energy.
Her cultivation base immediately increased.
Yang Wei and Liu Yan hurried after Bai Suzhen, and when they caught up to her, Yang Wei covered his face with his hand in frustration. "I didn't know you were such an idiot! Why would she eat the one thing we need to pass this trial?" he lamented, albeit calmly.
"I don't think it's a significant issue," Liu Yan finally spoke after her momentary silence. Her chin was rested on her hand as she observed Bai Suzhen's new appearance.
"Wait, really?" Yang Wei and Bai Suzhen exchanged puzzled glances.
Liu Yan met their gaze, and then she nodded. "Considering the collective strength we possess, this forest is more or less a hunting ground for us. Dispatching every beast here would be effortless."
Yang Wei snapped his fingers, easily following up on the point she was making. "Oh yeah, I get it! This place is teeming with an endless number of monsters, which also means a large supply of beast cores which could substantially enhance Suzhen's cultivation, as well as our own."
Soon after, Bai Suzhen reverted to her human form. "And, you'd still have a surplus of beast cores to excel in the trial with top scores." She clapped her hands gently; as if she was the one who came up with the plan. "Brilliant thinking everyone."
Yang Wei strolled past them confidently, hands clasped behind his back. Liu Yan followed his figure until she saw him standing before the mangled corpse of the eagle and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Hm?" Yang Wei looked back at her, then explained, "The parts of this creature should have significant monetary value, especially since it's at the Core Formation Realm. Selling its feathers, meat, and bones would fetch a handsome price."
Liu Yan raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I didn't peg you as the type that's driven by monetary gain, considering the amount of resources you receive from the sect."
Yang Wei nodded, acknowledging her observation. "True, but I intend to use the money from selling these as a gift for a special someone."
Liu Yan's eyebrow arched further, intrigued.
A special someone... who could that be?
She watched Yang Wei bring out his storage pouch and suck in the entire corpse of the Two-Headed Beast Eagle, almost like a vacuum cleaner.
Bai Suzhen teased Liu Yan, nudging her playfully. "Are you perhaps envious~?"
Liu Yan replied calmly, denying the notion. "Absolutely not. That's painfully ridiculous." She then turned her attention back to Yang Wei.
Does he have a special woman in his life?