Inside the Goldheart Family Estate Training Grounds...
The growth of trees inside this place that resembled a miniature forest was rather sparse. Ample sunlight reached the lush green grass under Caelum's feet.
There were plenty of clearings for human beings to maneuver and fight – a perfect place for beginners to hone their skills without worrying too much about hostile terrain.
"Young Master, what are we doing here? In my humble opinion, it is far too early for you to be fighting magical beasts. You've only just started cultivating," Saya said, her tone laced with concern.
Did her Young Master have a habit of constantly overestimating himself? First the bet with Boros, and now this. Saya couldn't help but grow increasingly worried about what the future might hold for them both.
Hunting magical beasts was a dangerous endeavor. Unlike a training dummy, a magical beast could and would fight back. Most magical beasts either possessed far superior physical strength or innate abilities, making them significantly more powerful than a human cultivator at the same cultivation realm.
Naturally, Caelum ignored Saya's words of caution and outlined his plan. "Saya, I need you to scout for some beasts and lead me to them. We'll start with the weakest ones."
He paused before adding, "Leave the fighting to me. Only interfere if you determine that I am at risk of suffering a serious injury or dying."
Saya's cultivation had reached the high stages of the Qi Condensation Realm, making her vastly stronger than both Caelum and the low-level magical beasts in the training grounds. She had only been permitted to enter despite being over the age limit because Caelum had successfully convinced the gatekeeper that her role was solely to act as his protector and not to hunt beasts herself.
With this arrangement in place, the likelihood of something truly disastrous happening to Caelum was quite low.
Saya reluctantly agreed to Caelum's plan, suppressing a sigh. 'Maybe Young Master will realize how futile this is and return to proper cultivation.'
With that thought, she extended her Qi outward to detect nearby lifeforms. Before long, she located a suitable target and led Caelum toward it.
A minute later, Caelum found himself face-to-face with his first true fight in this world: a horned rabbit—a pseudo-magical beast.
Much like how Body Tempering Realm cultivators were not considered true cultivators, magical beasts incapable of using Qi were classified as pseudo-magical beasts. Their strength was comparable to humans in the Body Tempering Realm.
The creature resembled an ordinary rabbit, except for its size, the horn on its head, and the unusual color of its fur.
Even without the horn, its height reached Caelum's waist when it stood on its hind legs. Including the horn, it stood nearly chest-high. Its pale pink fur appeared rough rather than soft and fluffy, giving it a rugged and intimidating presence.
After a brief staredown, the fight began. Following Caelum's instructions, Saya concealed her presence and refrained from interfering.
Unfortunately for Caelum, the battle did not go well and shortly after the fight had begun, Saya had to step in to prevent him from being skewered by the beast's horn. She ended the rabbit's life in a single stroke of her sword.
Even the weakest magical beasts were a challenge for someone who had only just begun cultivating.
"See, Young Master? There's no need to rush. With enough time and cultivation, you'll easily handle beasts like this," Saya said, her tone soft and encouraging. She believed Caelum was discouraged by his poor performance.
However, Saya's assumption was wrong. Caelum wasn't disheartened by the fight's outcome. His mind was consumed by entirely different thoughts as he processed the encounter.
"Bear with me for a little while longer, Saya. Can you look for another beast? I would prefer if it was a horned rabbit too."
"Alright, Young Master." Saya nodded, her tone free of complaint. Since Caelum had explicitly said it would only be for a little while longer, she chose not to protest. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel slightly curious about what exactly he was trying to accomplish.
Some time later, Saya located another horned rabbit and led Caelum toward it. As they moved, Caelum focused intently, analyzing his previous failure and strategizing for the upcoming fight.
'The main problem was how mobile it was,' he thought. 'Considering its size, it moved much faster than I expected.'
He continued his analysis, 'However, it doesn't use its limbs to attack. Offensively, I only need to worry about its horn and teeth. Its limbs are purely for mobility, and it's not too heavy.'
Caelum's mind entered a heightened state of focus. Thoughts flowed freely, and countless simulations of the upcoming combat played out in his head. His grip on his sword tightened, and an aura of cool confidence began to radiate from him.
Soon, he was face-to-face with the second horned rabbit. As before, Saya concealed herself, ready to step in if necessary. This time, however, the confrontation unfolded very differently.
Man and beast charged at each other. The rabbit's horn was aimed straight at Caelum like a lance. As the distance closed, Caelum sidestepped gracefully, evading the rabbit's charge.
The rabbit skidded to a halt, its powerful limbs propelling it into a swift turn. But before it could regain the offensive, Caelum stepped forward, closing the gap between them. With precision, he brought his sword down in an overhead chop rather than a slash.
The move was deliberate—Caelum wasn't aiming for a killing blow, since he knew he wouldn't be able to get one. Instead, he sought to provoke a specific reaction from the rabbit.
The horned rabbit, ultimately a creature with limited intelligence, reacted exactly as Caelum had anticipated. With lightning-fast reflexes, it sidestepped Caelum's attack. Using its powerful hind legs, it lunged forward, aiming to gouge him and end the fight decisively.
Saya tensed, ready to intervene. However, something unexpected occurred. Caelum's chop was a feint!
Prepared for the rabbit's counterattack, Caelum swiftly adjusted his sword, deflecting the beast's horn with a calculated strike. It was worth noting that Caelum outweighed the rabbit, and the force of his deflection sent its head and horn jerking backward mid-air.
But Caelum didn't stop there. He followed up by using his free hand to deliver an uppercut to the rabbit's chin, propelling it higher into the air where it lost control of its body. The brief airtime gave Caelum the opportunity to recover from his previous movement. With precision, he finished his combo, and the fight, with a horizontal slash, severing the horned rabbit's head from its body.
From an onlooker's perspective, the fight concluded in under ten seconds. The swift and decisive exchange left no room for hesitation or error.
Saya froze in her movements, stunned by the display. To her, it felt as though the person who had fumbled against the first horned rabbit had been replaced by someone entirely different.
'How did he improve so quickly? Is this what they call beginner's luck?' she thought, unable to accept the fluidity of Caelum's movements could be displayed by a beginner.
Meanwhile, Caelum remained oblivious to Saya's shock. Without hesitation, he touched the fallen beast's body and activated [Devour].
A warm, comfortable sensation surged through Caelum. It was far better than the partial success he had experienced when devouring the mortal woman in the dungeon. Once again, his clear blue eyes shimmered faintly with extremely tiny specks of gold.
[You have successfully devoured your target.]
[Your Strength has increased by 2.]
[Your Speed has increased by 4.]
[Your Defense has increased by 1.]
[Your cultivation has increased.]
[You have accumulated Madness.]
After he was done being bombarded with these notifications, Caelum opened the system interface to take a look at his current stats.
***[Basic Stats]***
[Cultivation]:
[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm
[Stage]: Muscle Refinement stage
[Progress]: 7.8% (0.6 -> 7.8)
[Health]: OK
[Qi]: 0 / 0
[Strength]: 11 (9 -> 11)
[Speed]: 14 (9 -> 13)
[Defense]: 9 (8 -> 9)
[Dexterity]: 11
[Regeneration]: 1
[Qi Regeneration]: 0
[Dao Comprehension Talent]: 60.0 (max 100)
[Devourer's Madness]: 1.0% (0 -> 1)
[Madness deterioration rate]: 1.0% / day
'As expected, the increase in my strength is much greater compared to the partial devouring yesterday. The relative strength of the target and combat contribution must have played a significant role in these results,' he thought.
'But I must say, being able to feel the increase in my strength in real time like this is quite fun… and addictive.'
While Caelum and Saya were lost in their own thoughts, a faint rustling came from the bushes ahead of him. The sound was subtle enough to be mistaken for the wind.