Chapter 1404: First Victory of the Battle

He looked around but found no trace of Poker or Ghost. Those two were likely diverted to other great halls, so there was no need to search for them. In the Star Palace, active collaboration was rare; most cultivators preferred to operate alone.

He had learned the various rules of the Star Palace from Poker and Ghost, but theoretical knowledge was one thing; he still needed to experience it firsthand.

Lu Ye walked directly to a gateway, ready to explore further.

By the embers of a burnt-out campfire, Lu Ye savored a meal of a large snake. The snake was a full ten feet long, as thick as an arm, and its meat was delicate and tender, leaving a delicious taste.

Half a month had passed since he ran out of spirit pills. While his cultivation progress during this period wasn't as rapid as before, it was better than he had anticipated. At this rate, he estimated he could break through the barrier of his ninth spirit aperture in another month.

The reason for this progress was a discovery he had made.

Refining essence into Qi was more efficient than absorbing spirit energy.

Where did essence come from? Without qi-blood pills, eating was the only option!

He had noticed this when he previously ate wolf meat. Later, after hunting other beasts, he discovered that the meat from creatures in the Spirit Stream Battlefield was highly nourishing, a fact more pronounced with larger beasts.

He wasn't proficient at absorbing spirit energy, perhaps due to low innate talent, finding it difficult to guide spiritual energy into his body. However, digested food was different; as long as he could process it, it supplemented his qi-blood power. He could then refine this qi-blood power into spirit energy, which still enhanced his strength.

Consequently, the local beasts had suffered over the past half-month. Lu Ye's appetite had already increased after opening his apertures, and now, focusing solely on refining essence into Qi, he ate even more.

This ravenous consumption had led to the disappearance of beasts within several miles of the cave. Lu Ye had to search for a long time today before finding this large snake.

Halfway through his meal, the cave entrance darkened, and a pungent wind swept in.

Lu Ye looked up to see a massive figure standing at the entrance, from which a low growl emanated.

Lu Ye quickly stood up, drew his long sword from his storage bag, holding the sword in one hand and clutching a Fire Snake Talisman in the other, subtly channeling spirit energy.

He had lived there for a month without encountering other cultivators or powerful beasts, believing it to be a peaceful place. He hadn't expected to be disturbed by an uninvited guest today. Lu Ye had anticipated such situations, so despite his surprise, he remained calm and quickly formulated a proper response.

The cave was narrow; if the creature dared to charge, the Fire Snake Talisman in his hand could give it a nasty surprise. If that failed, he had other spirit talismans. As a last resort, he could slap a Vajra Talisman on himself, and his long sword was not just for show.

It was only then that Lu Ye clearly saw what the uninvited guest was: a magnificent tiger with pristine white fur, a massive "King" character emblazoned on its forehead, and two mesmerizing amber eyes.

When Lu Ye's eyes met the tiger's, his mind involuntarily wavered, and he knew he had encountered a formidable beast.

He had killed many beasts recently, some even larger than this tiger, but none had exerted such a powerful sense of pressure on him.

One should remember that he was now an eighth-aperture cultivator.

This was no ordinary beast; it was likely a monster beast with cultivation!

Monster beasts differed from ordinary beasts because they understood cultivation. Legends said that if some monster beasts opened certain key spirit apertures, they could transform into human form.

This was the origin of the saying prevalent in the Nine Provinces: "Monsters without opened apertures struggle to transform; humans without opened apertures struggle to cultivate."

Many sects also accepted monster cultivators as disciples, as most monster cultivators were inherently robust and excellent candidates for body cultivation.

Lu Ye didn't know much about the cultivation world of the Nine Provinces yet, so he was naturally unaware of this information.

He only knew that his current situation was troublesome. Trapped in the narrow cave with the great tiger blocking the entrance, there was no way out unless he fought his way through.

But he didn't know the tiger's strength.

As they faced off, the great tiger roared at him, making Lu Ye even more nervous and almost causing him to activate the Fire Snake Talisman in his hand.

"Boy, are you the one killing everywhere?" A thunderous voice echoed in the cave, shaking rocks down from the surroundings.

Lu Ye couldn't help but freeze, staring at the great tiger in inexplicable astonishment.

"It is this Great King speaking, you ignorant brat!" The great tiger said again, as if discerning Lu Ye's confusion.

Lu Ye's heart sank. This was bad. He seemed to have underestimated the great tiger's strength; this creature could already speak human words, and he had no idea of its cultivation level, but it appeared to be much stronger than himself.

"This Great King is asking you a question, why aren't you speaking?" The great tiger's temper seemed short, and it roared again, a threatening growl rumbling in its throat.

What's done is done, and there was no escaping fate. Lu Ye could only brace himself and deny responsibility: "It wasn't me!"

The great tiger raised a paw and slammed it furiously onto the ground, making the earth seem to tremble. "If not you, then who? You're the only human within thirty miles!" It paced back and forth at the cave entrance, its tiger eyes fixed on Lu Ye. "This is this Great King's territory. You dare to slaughter my food without this Great King's permission? It seems you don't want to live!"

Lu Ye's scalp tingled, and he felt that life and death hung by a single thread.

He now understood why the great tiger had sought him out. This area was its territory, and the beasts he had killed were its food supply. Lu Ye had hunted too many over the past half-month, which had attracted the great tiger's attention, leading it to track him down using various clues.

"Tell me, how do you want to resolve this matter?" the great tiger asked again.

At this point, Lu Ye was less panicked than before. While it was strange to negotiate terms with a monster beast, it was certainly better than it silently attacking him.

He frowned and said, "It's already eaten. How do you propose to resolve this?"

The great tiger stared fixedly at him and said, "Hand over your spirit pills, and this matter will be settled. If you dare utter a single 'no,' this place will be your burial ground today!"

"I don't have any spirit pills," Lu Ye shook his head. If he had, why would he need to hunt beasts for food? The great tiger said, "Spirit stones will do too!"

"I don't have spirit stones either."

The sect leader hadn't prepared any spirit stones for him, perhaps thinking Lu Ye didn't need them yet?

"Neither this nor that? I think you want to die!" The great tiger was clearly growing impatient.

Lu Ye sighed, "I truly don't!"

"Then what's in your storage bag?" the great tiger demanded.

"Some spirit talismans, and a bottle of healing pills," Lu Ye answered truthfully.

"What a pauper!" The great tiger scoffed disdainfully. "Give me the healing pills, and this matter will be settled."

"What do you need healing pills for?" Lu Ye's expression was somewhat strange.

"What business is that of yours? Give them to me now!"

"Alright," Lu Ye grudgingly agreed, taking out the bottle of healing pills from his storage bag. After a slight hesitation, he slowly placed it on the ground.

"Throw it over!" the great tiger commanded.

Lu Ye looked at it. "Why don't you come and get it yourself?"

"I told you to throw it over!" Lu Ye's attitude undoubtedly angered the great tiger, and it roared fiercely.

"Fine," Lu Ye said, then lifted his foot and kicked the bottle across the ground. Simultaneously, he activated the Fire Snake Talisman in his hand; with spirit energy surging, the talisman transformed into a red light, striking the great tiger like a fiery snake.

That wasn't all. He stomped his foot, his body moving like lightning, and charged forward with his sword.

He gasped for fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and various other emotions flooded his mind.

Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu instinctively observed his surroundings, becoming even more bewildered.

A single-room dorm?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room now.

And his body... how could there be no injuries at all?

Puzzled, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting on a mirror by the head of the bed.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, and quite handsome.

But the problem was, this wasn't him!

His former self was a handsome young man in his twenties with a distinguished demeanor, who had been working for some time.

Now, this appearance looked like that of a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.

Don't tell him the surgery was a success...

His body and appearance had both changed; this wasn't just a matter of surgery, it was magic.

He had completely transformed into another person!

Could it be... he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror by the bed, which was clearly placed in a spot with bad feng shui, Shi Yu also found three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up, and the titles instantly silenced him.

"Beginner Beast Tamer's Essential Beast Rearing Handbook"

"Post-Natal Care for Pet Beasts"

"Guide to Appreciating Heteromorphic Beast-Eared Girls"

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles were normal enough, but what was with the last one?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Tamer?