"The Blood Qi Skill is a secret technique of Biluo Cave, and you are not to divulge it without sect permission," Elder Hu Huo warned after briefly noting several important points of attention during cultivation. "Violators will be skinned and have their souls extracted, remember this well."
"Yes," the three of them said in unison, their expressions solemn.
Elder Hu Huo nodded slightly, the severity in his eyes fading, as he took out a jade bottle from his bosom and poured out three light purple medicine pills, handing one to each of them:
"Take them."
Yuan Ming accepted the medicine pill but did not swallow it, his eyes glancing furtively at the others.
"Elder Hu Huo, what is this elixir?" asked the Fierce Tiger Beast Slave.
"Corrosive Heart Pill, a secret medicine of Biluo Cave. Once consumed, it will slowly invade the heart's meridians. You must take an antidote regularly every month to suppress the poison," Elder Hu Huo explained in an indifferent tone.
Upon hearing these words, the Fierce Tiger Beast Slave and the Wild Boar Beast Slave couldn't help but change their expressions.
Yuan Ming's brow furrowed as well; Biluo Cave intended to control them, the Fur Beast Slaves, with the Corrosive Heart Pill.
However, when you are under the eaves, you have no choice but to lower your head.
Without giving it much thought, he tossed back his head and swallowed the medicine pill. The Corrosive Heart Pill dissolved upon entering his stomach, spreading a cold sensation throughout his innards. It neared his heart and stopped there, as if an icy dagger was pressing against his heart, ready to plunge at any moment.
The other two, although with unsightly faces, also took the Corrosive Heart Pill under the indifferent gaze of Elder Hu Huo.
"Having passed the trial and being taught the Blood Qi Skill, you have become official Fur Beast Slaves of Biluo Cave. Henceforth, deliver five portions of Fierce Beast Essence Blood here every month, and you will receive the antidote for Corrosive Heart Pill," Elder Hu Huo said, quite satisfied with their demeanor.
"May I ask, Elder, what constitutes a Fierce Beast?" Yuan Ming inquired.
"A Fierce Beast is a wild animal capable of absorbing nature's spiritual energy. Their combat prowess is above those beasts you've previously hunted. Ten miles south of here is a gorge, and beyond the gorge in the forest, Fierce Beasts roam. That is provided you can cultivate the Blood Qi Skill, otherwise, I fear it will be a journey of no return," Elder Hu Huo warned, glancing southward.
Yuan Ming remained silent, yet his expression grew increasingly grave.
The Blood Qi Skill, at first hearing, seemed abstruse and complex. He had yet to carefully contemplate and comprehend it but knew that cultivating it would be no easy feat.
Even if he succeeded in cultivating the Blood Qi Skill, it would only enable him to manifest the Fur Cloak Skill, attaining the same level of combat ability he had before.
When he had previously hunted the Black Bear, he had narrowly escaped death to triumph, not to mention hunting stronger Fierce Beasts.
A shadow flickered deep in Yuan Ming's eyes. To Elder Hu Huo, or rather to Biluo Cave, the life and death of these low-talented Fur Beast Slaves were of little consequence; what mattered was their ability to be driven and utilized.
The other two also quickly grasped the implications and looked increasingly distressed.
"Remember, should you perform well, the future holds promise. I hope you conduct yourselves accordingly," Elder Hu Huo, having seen countless Fur Beast Slaves, saw through their thoughts immediately. He spoke indifferently while lightly patting his waist.
The giant eagle soared once more, lifting him off the ground and into the sky. Within a dozen yards, the airflow churned violently, kicking up a storm that made the surrounding trees shake and leaves flutter.
The three were buffeted about, struggling to steady themselves.
But after such a commotion, the heaviness in Yuan Ming and the other two's hearts dissipated somewhat.
"This Gray Eagle is far more formidable than any ordinary wild beast, and is likely a kind of Fierce Beast. That it has been tamed to this extent shows the profound heritage of Biluo Cave," Yuan Ming speculated inwardly, feeling an inadvertent admiration for Biluo Cave.
"The two of you, our gathering here today must be predestined. Why not get acquainted? My name is Wulu," said the Fierce Tiger Beast Slave, clasping his hands together.
"Yuan Ming." Yuan Ming picked up the White Ape Skin, returning the gesture.
"Just call me Lage," the Wild Boar Beast Slave introduced himself.
"It turns out to be Brother Yuan Ming and Brother Lage. You both must have experienced the fierceness of the wild beasts here. The task Elder Hu Huo just assigned is nearly impossible to achieve alone. He didn't explicitly say that we must act individually. By joining forces, what do you say?" Wulu glanced at Yuan Ming more intently as he spoke.
"Great idea! Together, we stand a good chance of hunting Fierce Beasts!" Lage's eyes lit up, immediately agreeing.
"Let's not rush into hunting Fierce Beasts for now. Our top priority is to find a safe place to cultivate the Blood Qi Skill. Now that our Fur Cloak Skill has been removed, we stand no chance against those wild beasts. It's safer to act together," Wulu suggested.
"Wulu has a far-sighted view. Indeed, we need to find a safe place first," Lage said, slightly startled, and then concurred.
"Brother Yuan Ming, what are your thoughts?" Wulu smiled, looking at Yuan Ming.
"I apologize, I am accustomed to working alone," Yuan Ming said after a moment of silence, shaking his head. He left without waiting for a further response.
He had already prepared a safe haven and had no trust in Wulu and Lage, whom he had just met. Constant worry would plague him if he stayed with them, so he preferred to act on his own.
"They say that Central Plains people always think of themselves as superior, part of the Heavenly Dynasty, and this seems to be more than just a rumor. It's impressive that you could pass the test with nothing more than a White Ape Beast Skin, which isn't all that powerful," Lage commented with a disdainful sneer.
"Let it be, everyone has their own aspirations. We shouldn't force it. Brother Lage, let's go. During these past few days of hunting, I've already found a safe place. The two of us working together should achieve something," Wulu picked up the Beast Skin and walked away with Lage in another direction.
Yuan Ming wrapped the Ape Skin around his waist and covered his body in mud to camouflage his scent, cautiously heading towards the cave he had previously sheltered in. At any slight movement of wind-blown grass, he would immediately take cover.
Without the support of the Fur Cloak Skill and lacking any handy weapons, he could not stand a chance against the wild beasts here, relying solely on his staff and spear techniques.
Fortunately, his luck wasn't bad. Although he encountered wild animals several times along the way, he managed to hide in time and arrived at the cave safely, without mishap.
He strained to move several large stones, blocking the cave entrance, and darkness enveloped the interior, with only faint rays of light seeping through the crevices.
Only then did Yuan Ming's taut nerves slightly relax. After cleaning off some of the mud from his body, he closed his eyes, recited the mnemonic of the Blood Qi Skill in his mind, and began to try to comprehend and cultivate it.
First, as Elder Hu Huo had described, he sat down cross-legged with his legs apart, assuming a posture with his heart facing upwards, and then silently recited the mnemonic in his mind.
"The earth's core harbors fire; it enters from the secluded springs, rising into the abdomen, blazing like a torch..."
As he recited, Yuan Ming felt a warm sensation suddenly rising from the ground beneath him, traveling upwards from the base of his spine and circulating throughout his body before gently converging in his lower abdomen.
He was delighted, about to stabilize the warm current in his abdomen as instructed, but in the next instant, the sensation of warmth abruptly vanished, leaving no trace of any special feeling.
"Eh, what's going on?"
Yuan Ming frowned in thought and, finding nothing wrong with his actions or his recitation of the mnemonic, tried again.
However, the result was no different this time; he could only feel a slight warmth in his lower abdomen and was unable to maintain the heat flow, helplessly watching it gather and then dissipate, vanishing into nothingness.
According to Elder Hu Huo's previous explanation, after running a full Grand Circulation, under normal circumstances, he should have been able to maintain this heat flow in his Dantian, turning it into a charcoal stove to heat his Qi-Blood throughout his body, making it lively and vigorous, and gradually nourishing and strengthening it. This would be a long process, depending on one's comprehension and natural aptitude.
Once the Qi-Blood was sufficiently fortified, during cultivation, one would feel a sensation of hair bristling. At this time, with the pores all over the body wide open, one could try to sense and absorb the elusive Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth.
Once the Spiritual Energy entered the body through the pores and was transformed by the Dantian, it could be turned into stored Mana. When enough Mana was accumulated, it could be used to activate the Fur Cloak Technique, animating the Beast Skin and merging it with one's flesh, allowing one to transform into a half-human, half-beast state and possess far greater strength than usual.
Yet Yuan Ming embarrassingly found himself stopped at the very first step of his cultivation.
Afterward, he tried several more times, but all ended in failure.
Yuan Ming was not discouraged by this; he had anticipated that cultivating the Blood Qi Skill would not be easy. If not today, then he would continue to explore tomorrow, believing he would ultimately succeed.
"Grumble..."
At this moment, a rumbling came from his belly—he was hungry.
Yuan Ming, rubbing his empty stomach, got up, cut off a piece of Black Bear Meat to swallow, drank two sips of water, and continued to cultivate the Blood Qi Skill.
Time flows differently in cultivation; in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
In the cave, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged, heart facing heaven.
The Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth slowly converged and followed the circulation path of the Blood Qi Skill for a complete cycle before sinking towards the Dantian.
The previous problem persisted, with the gathered Spiritual Energy rapidly dissipating. In an instant, ninety-nine percent vanished, leaving only a thread of Spiritual Power so faint it was barely perceptible, entering the Dantian and transforming into Mana.
"Still the same, it seems my natural aptitude is really lacking," Yuan Ming opened his eyes, his expression growing serious.
After half a month of arduous cultivation, he had made some progress, breaking through the bottleneck where Spiritual Power failed to enter his Dantian, managing to draw the Spiritual Energy of the world into it.
However, the problem of the Spiritual Power dissipating was still severe, hardly retaining one out of a hundred. With half a month of hard cultivation, his Dantian had gathered only a thread of Mana, far from enough to activate the Fur Cloak Technique. At his current rate of cultivation, it would take at least over half a year to accumulate sufficient Mana.
Yuan Ming shook his head with a wry smile. Let alone half a year, in one month he might succumb to poison and die.
Perhaps this Blood Qi Technique Manual was better suited for people from the Southern Border, and his Central Plains constitution was somewhat unacclimated?
He couldn't help contemplating this possibility.
What was more troublesome was that almost all food and water in the cave were running out, no longer allowing him the peace of mind to continue cultivating. If he went out hunting and came across the likes of Black Bears and Green Wolves, with his current flesh and blood, it would be a certain death.
"Am I really going to be trapped to death here? No, I still have time, I cannot give up!" Yuan Ming clenched his teeth, re-assumed the five hearts to heaven posture, and prepared to continue his arduous cultivation.
Other than continuing his cultivation, he seemed to have no other options; stopping meant a dead end, while continuing to try might still offer a glimmer of hope.
Yet, after another half day and dozens of Grand Circulations, the thread of Mana in his Dantian had hardly moved.
"Give me Mana... I want to return to the Central Plains!" A nameless rage rose in Yuan Ming's heart, his intense resolve growing even stronger.
The next moment, his vision suddenly darkened as he nearly passed out.
At the same time, his right arm warmed slightly, as if a scorching current had seeped in, only to vanish again immediately.