"Ding! The Eternal Sun Divine Art has been successfully replaced!"
For most cultivators, switching techniques would require them to disperse their previous spiritual energy before cultivating a new one.
But for Ling Yun, there were no such restrictions—his system took care of everything.
Boom!
The spiritual energy in his Dantian surged, repeatedly crashing against the blocked meridians, as if an invisible barrier was preventing a breakthrough.
"Ouch! This hurts like hell," Ling Yun gritted his teeth and continued his attempts.
At this point, the technique had fully integrated, and the spiritual energy began shifting from white to a brilliant golden hue.
Boom!
The golden spiritual energy surged violently, tearing through his meridians, but they quickly healed, stronger than before.
As expected, the golden energy broke through the blockages in his meridians the instant it made contact.
Ling Yun opened his eyes, and a unique aura belonging to the Foundation Establishment realm emanated from his body.
The Foundation Establishment stage was the cornerstone of a cultivator's path, the firmer the foundation, the stronger one was at the same level.
With his divine physique and the years he had been stuck at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, Ling Yun's foundation was extraordinary—one in a billion.
Moreover, after reaching Foundation Establishment, he could now wield magical treasures and learn secret arts.
"Right now, I feel like I could defeat ten of my past selves."
Ling Yun was thoroughly immersed in the pleasure of his newfound power.
He then took out the Venomous Needle that the system had gifted him and injected it with spiritual energy.
The needle wobbled in the air before rising. "Go!"
Ling Yun aimed at a rabbit grazing nearby and launched the needle.
Swish!
The needle pierced through the rabbit, leaving a tiny hole.
Squeak, squeak...
Within moments, the rabbit's body shriveled up before turning into a dried husk.
The Venomous Needle absorbed blood without a sound. The more blood it consumed, the faster it became and the more potent its poison.
"Not bad," Ling Yun thought, satisfied. This was the perfect tool for sneak attacks.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Escape from the Ling Residence. You have been awarded: 5,000 low-grade spirit stones, 10 medium-grade spirit stones, a mid-grade Earth-level technique—Nine Dragons Flame Art, and a mid-grade Earth-level sword technique—Sun Devouring Sword Technique."
Ling Yun was overjoyed. He had been lacking offensive techniques, and these rewards were just what he needed.
"Now, I'll master these techniques. Once I go outside, I'll be much safer."
...
Time flew by, and a month quickly passed.
In the forest, Ling Yun was running for his life, chased by a Foundation Establishment-level eighth-rank Wind Howling Wolf.
The wolf was silver-white, standing over three meters tall, the undisputed ruler of this area.
"Stop chasing me! I only took one of your pups. Here, take it back!"
Ling Yun hurled the wolf cub in his arms to the side and bolted without looking back.
Howl!
The Wind Howling Wolf glanced at the fleeing human, then at its cub. It ultimately chose to save its pup.
"Phew, that was close."
Ling Yun collapsed to the ground after running several more kilometers, confirming that the wolf wasn't pursuing him anymore.
Earlier that morning, after killing a few wild beasts, he had stumbled upon a den of wolf pups and couldn't resist stealing one.
Unfortunately, the mother wolf returned just in time to catch him, leading to the current chase.
"Stupid wolf, just wait and see," Ling Yun grumbled.
Standing up, he sensed something within himself, and a smile crept across his face.
Foundation Establishment, second level!
Over the past month, he had been constantly hunting beasts to hone his combat skills, accumulating a wealth of beast materials and spiritual plants along the way.
Luckily, with his system space, he never had to worry about storage.
"Since you're here, why don't you come out?" Ling Yun called out, looking at a nearby tree.
"Such a keen sense, little pretty boy," a voice cackled.
Five women emerged from behind the tree, all bare-chested. The leader, a one-eyed woman named Huang Li, was the strongest, at the third level of Foundation Establishment.
One other woman was at the first level of Foundation Establishment, while the other three were merely at the Qi Refinement stage.
"Who would've thought that in the depths of these mountains, we'd find such a fine-looking young man. Truly, the heavens are blessing me today!" Huang Li's gaze lingered hungrily on Ling Yun's long, slender legs, which were exposed thanks to his torn clothes.
"What brings you here, Sister Huang Li?" Ling Yun asked, knowing from their scars that they were not good company.
If he could avoid conflict, he would. But if not, they couldn't blame him for being ruthless.
"Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just that we ladies have been missing the company of a man. Would you keep us company?" Huang Li sneered.
In her mind, a delicate little man like Ling Yun couldn't possibly have any strength.
"Sure," Ling Yun said, patting his thigh.
"Alright, sisters, line up behind me," Huang Li ordered, laughing. She was never one to hog a feast all for herself, always sharing with her comrades.
Upon hearing her, the group chuckled mischievously and obediently lined up.
Swish!
Suddenly, a flash of black light streaked past, and before the four women knew what had happened, they lost consciousness.
Huang Li reacted quickly, dodging just in time to avoid the Venomous Needle.
"Thanks for lining up for me. You saved me a lot of trouble."
Ling Yun had never expected them to make it so easy by standing in a line for him.
Watching as her comrades turned into dried corpses, Huang Li's eyes widened in horror.
"Die, you monster!"
Huang Li swung her blade, sending a powerful slash at Ling Yun.
He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Boom!
The strike left a deep fissure in the ground.
Seeing her attack miss, Huang Li adjusted her stance and pursued him with another strike.
Each time, Ling Yun evaded her attacks at seemingly impossible angles.
"This damn pretty boy is using me for practice. I can't let this drag on any longer," Huang Li thought, recognizing Ling Yun's intentions.
"Sky Severing Slash!"
Huang Li gathered her energy and unleashed a white blade light, which shot toward Ling Yun at incredible speed.
"Too bad. I wanted to play a bit more," Ling Yun sighed.
"Nine Dragons Flame Art!"
A small, illusory fire dragon appeared, charging at Huang Li.
In the blink of an eye, the dragon shattered her blade light and continued toward her.
"Impossible!"
Huang Li's heart sank as she turned to flee, but it was too late.
The fire dragon crashed into her, engulfing her in flames.
"Ahhhh..."
Huang Li's agonizing screams lasted only a few seconds before fading.
To ensure she was truly dead, Ling Yun picked up a stone and smashed her skull.
Once he confirmed she was completely gone, he began searching her body for loot.
After a thorough search, all he found was a couple hundred low-grade spirit stones, some spiritual herbs, and a map.
"A bunch of broke nobodies," Ling Yun muttered.
As for the bodies, within a few hours, wild beasts would likely devour them, leaving nothing behind.
"It's about time to head out of here."