…...
"..."
Azmodeus watched the Direwolf tear away at skin and flesh as it ripped apart the innards of its prey. It served as a grim reminder of just what lay in store for those who weren't strong enough to fend for themselves in this merciless world.
'That used to be me at one point…'
He recalled a time not too long ago when he had been lying on the ground just as lifeless as the rabbit.
That memory about the helplessness he felt when he was in a similar situation was all it took for his gaze to harden.
His emotionless eyes locked onto the Direwolf, his stare that of a predator who had found its next prey and was now sizing it up. Then, his thin figure disappeared from sight and silently moved through the surrounding bushes, moving with silent precision.
'This is a world of survival of the fittest… And if I can't understand that even with this cheat that has accepted me to be its host, then I am a failure…'
His black eyes lit up as he whispered under his breath, "But I am no failure."
With his renewed self-reaffirmation, Azmodeus sped around to the far rear of the giant wolf before launching himself out of the bushes.
He didn't even give the wolf cub a moment to react. He circulated the strength within his body and directed it all to his fists before silently invoking his Tiger Barrage Fists.
"This is how the world works," he muttered with a cold glint in his eyes. "So just die and become my strength."
Spurt!
A hole exploded through the Direwolf's massive body as its organs and intestines were sent flying in every direction.
The Direwolf's blood splattered across Azmodeus's face; however, his natural expression never left his face as he drew a knife and started sawing off the wolf's ears.
While he was doing this work, a series of system notifications rang out in the background.
BLING!
[Ding! You have killed a Lowest-Ranked Minion Beast in the Late Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm!]
[You have gained 0.10 Evolution Essence!]
After these system notifications finished sounding, Azmodeus paused his butchery for a second and selected the option that would allot him stat points.
BLING!
[Ding! You have partially assimilated the stats of a Flesh Refining Realm Direwolf!]
[You have gained 0.5 stat points in every basic attribute!]
[Ding! Your overall combat power and cultivation have significantly improved!]
[Your combat power and cultivation have increased from the 'Peak Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm' to the 'Initial Stages of Viscera Training Small Success!']
After all these pop-ups finished appearing and the subsequent rewards were alloted, Azmodeus instantly felt his strength skyrocket!
"My punching strength is now around 900 kg…"
He could hardly believe it himself, but his strength and cultivation had already reached the ranks of the Viscera Training Stages!
The Viscera Training Small Success Stage.
It was the third realm within the Body Refinement Realm, where the cultivator would divert their focus from improving the resilience and strength of the body's muscles to improving the functionality of the organs.
This refinement was crucial to better support the future power the cultivator would attain.
After all, if one didn't even possess the basic modicum of balance within their very body, then it was highly likely that their organs would begin exploding due to the overwhelming stress.
The stress would be generated thanks to the immense power coursing within their physical form, leading to a catastrophic failure.
"If I have already achieved the Viscera Training Small Success Stage, this means that I'm one step closer to being able to qualify as an Entry-Level Disciple of the Yang Sect."
A small smile emerged on Azmodeus's facial features at this thought as he looked forward to seeing such a future.
However, after getting a good feel of his energy's current power, he turned his attention to his next target.
He placed the two fuzzy ears of the Direwolf inside a satchel before setting off toward the next set of spiritual beast tracks he had noticed earlier.
_____
Half an hour later, Azmodeus had successfully hunted a total of four Lowest Ranked Beast Minions. These included three more baby Direwolves and one mutated raccoon beast known as the 'Raccoon Terror.'
Among all the beasts one could find in the Strength Training and Flesh Refining Realms, the Raccoon Terror was definitely one that was feared the most. This was because these beasts were over two meters tall and would usually travel in packs, with all of the packs being notorious for their savageness when it came to battle prowess!
Luckily for Azmodeus, the Raccoon Terror he encountered was a light red colored one and had clearly been ostracized by the rest of its dark brown and white-colored pack members.
This eventually allowed Azmodeus to quickly dispatch the Peak Flesh Refining Beast. Afterwards, he took a moment to digest his recent gains while reviewing his system interface.
That was when a bright blue and golden light flashed.
BLING!
[Ding! You have killed a Lowest-Ranked Minion Beast of the Peak Stage Flesh Refining Realm!]
[You have gained 0.25 Evolution Essence!]
[Ding! You have leveled up!]
[Ding! You have reached Level 5!]
[You have obtained 0.5 points in all of your basic attribute stats!]
Azmodeus clicked the familiar, 'Choose to Absorb Stats' button as a few more system notifications appeared.
BLING!
[Ding! You have obtained 0.2 points in the Strength stat, 0.1 points in the Speed stat, 0.2 points in the Defense stat, 0.1 points in the Cultivation Talent stat, and 0.1 points in the Qi stat.]
[Ding! Your overall combat power and cultivation have significantly improved!]
[Your combat power and cultivation have advanced from the 'Middle Stages of the Viscera Training Small Success Realm' to the 'Late Stages of the Viscera Training Small Success Realm.']
[Your organs have been automatically refined to accommodate this strength gain. (A portion of the stats you absorb from beings will be stored within the system and used to fill in any gaps that may or may not appear in your cultivation.)]
[However, it is recommended that the host cultivate independently to fill in these gaps, all so as to not use up any potential stats points that may or may not be allotted to the host.]
.....