"Wandering souls, where will you rest?"
"Three souls approach, seven spirits near..."
The two priestesses continued their somber chant, faces growing ever paler. Sweat-drenched bells chimed with their every movement.
Spirits fell in staggering numbers, defying belief.
"Willowbrook couldn't have lost so many lives in just three years," Oliver realized. "These spirits aren't all human. Some are from other creatures, maybe even naturally occurring!"
He faced off against a particularly potent vengeful spirit, sweat pouring as the pressure mounted.
This entity retained human form, its abdomen grotesquely split open, revealing an endless void within. Its power was immense.
Each time Oliver's Light Pearl Sword connected, bone-deep cold seeped into his body.
This was no foe to underestimate!
Though no combat prodigy, Oliver's situational awareness was keen. He had no intention of falling due to carelessness.
He tapped into his basic internal energy, preparing for a brief, intense burst.
"Demon Slash!" Oliver roared, unleashing three lightning-fast strikes.
Surging internal energy coursed through the Light Pearl Sword, striking the vengeful spirit's form. White vapor rose as the entity's presence dimmed slightly.
But this wasn't enough to destroy it. The spirit let out an unearthly, agonized laugh, reaching for Oliver.
Before its claws could make contact, they seemed to press against an invisible barrier.
"The distance... it's wrong," Oliver realized.
His grasp of precise distances was poor. Unable to dodge attacks by mere centimeters, he defaulted to maintaining significant space between himself and threats.
This vengeful spirit's attack seemed far enough to miss entirely.
Yet this inexplicable claw swipe set Oliver's instincts screaming. He leapt away.
In that instant, his shirt disintegrated. Clear scratches appeared on his chest, blood welling up immediately.
Terror gripped Oliver. Could this entity attack from afar?
He retreated explosively, abandoning any notion of prolonged combat. He turned his attention to lesser spirits.
With only five basic internal energy cores and sixty silk-like strands remaining – even with monster meat to replenish during battle – he was down to three basic cores.
Surviving until the ritual's end was paramount. There was no glory in falling to a powerful spirit!
"Wind-Chasing Arrow!" Quentin's voice rang out. Though he disdained Oliver's strength, he wasn't above capitalizing on others' efforts.
Bow drawn, arrow infused with internal energy, he let fly.
WHOOSH!
The arrow pierced the vengeful spirit's chest, causing it to explode.
Oliver's earlier efforts had weakened it significantly, allowing for this swift demise.
Oliver said nothing, silently resuming his spirit-slaying.
As the battle raged on, malevolent energy thickened. The captains' expressions grew grave.
Finally, with several bone-chilling roars, seven or eight truly evil spirits manifested. Several captains moved to engage them.
"Everyone, fall back!" Theodore Lee, clad in form-fitting attire, drew his sword. Intricate patterns adorned the blade, glowing as internal energy suffused it.
This weapon clearly outclassed the Light Pearl Swords, better suited for channeling powerful energies.
"Ha! Evil spirits – how terrifying!" Peter Zhang, the scarred captain of Team Three, rushed forward, eyes glinting with bloodlust.
Most hunters retreated swiftly.
The mere presence of these evil spirits left them trembling uncontrollably. Combat was out of the question!
The yin energy was overwhelmingly cold. Without at least the third level of Energy Cultivation, one lacked even the qualifications to participate!
"SLAY!" Luke fought valiantly, but lacked the strength to overwhelm the evil spirits. He sustained injuries in the process.
The intensity of the clash was blinding.
THUD.
At last, the two priestesses collapsed from exhaustion. The battle drew to a close.
"DESTROY!" William's voice thundered. The altar erupted in flames, unleashing another wave of incredible force.
The remaining spirits – even vengeful and evil ones – exploded instantly.
Seeing this, the hunters finally allowed themselves to relax.
Many simply collapsed where they stood, utterly spent.
The purification ritual had concluded!
"A pity. I failed to breakthrough again," Theodore Lee sighed, turning to leave.
He cast a meaningful glance at William as he departed.
Mastering the fourth level of Energy Cultivation opened the possibility of awakening spirit roots. But without specific methods, this could only occur through life-or-death crises.
William's repeated sweeping attacks might have saved the ordinary hunters, but they'd robbed Theodore of this opportunity.
...
With the purification ceremony complete, Oliver's hunter bronze medal gained another etched circle.
The ritual yielded three hundred contribution points.
Combined with his previous total, he now exceeded 400 – enough for third-level treatment.
His monthly stipend increased to 200 copper coins, 10 kilograms of meat, and 100 grams of monster meat. His monster meat purchase limit rose to 1.5 kilograms.
In the ceremony's wake, peace settled over the village.
Oliver couldn't help but recall the wolf's howl on that recent rainy night. Could that, too, have been the work of spirits?
"I hope this village's depths aren't too treacherous," he mused.
Oliver redoubled his Energy Cultivation efforts.
Hunting would resume in days. He also had farming duties during this period, hoping hunts wouldn't grow too frequent.
...
Six months passed in a blink. October arrived, bringing biting winds that froze the lake.
With new members, the four teams resumed regular hunting.
Successful outings occurred roughly every fortnight.
When empty-handed, they ventured out more frequently – perhaps every five or six days.
Quentin's archery prowess allowed them to easily take down large prey. They rarely returned without substantial hauls.
Under these circumstances, Oliver's cultivation progressed steadily. He'd forged his eleventh basic internal energy core.
"Only when internal energy flows like a torrent can it leave the body, striking through air," Oliver mused.
He sat cross-legged beneath a willow tree, sensing faint wisps of energy escaping his body, rustling his clothes.
With eleven basic cores, he verged on the third level of Energy Cultivation – the state where internal energy could permeate his entire being.
Perhaps due to increased internal pressure, the energy flow felt swifter and more violent than before.
After about twelve cores, a qualitative shift would occur – from steady stream to high-pressure jet.
Oliver summoned the Rebirth Codex interface:
◇
Ordinary Skills
Farming (Level 4: 160/600, yield increased by 50%)
Energy Cultivation (Level 4: 500/2000, practice speed increased by 100%)
◇
Over eight months of assisting both families with farming and harvesting had boosted his Farming experience to 160 points.
As for Energy Cultivation, near-daily meat consumption doubled his experience gain. He'd accumulated over 400 points.
Compared to Farming, Energy Cultivation demanded far more experience.
Even eating meat daily, reaching 2000 experience would take three years.
If his income were interrupted, advancing to level 5 might take five or six years. Farming, by contrast, offered stability. Even facing natural disasters, he'd earn his due experience.
Increased or decreased yields granted no additional points.