Chapter 57: On the Road

Account:

Password:

Inside the cave, Lu Ye closed his eyes again, focusing his mind.

The Talent Tree was indeed within his Origin Spirit Aperture. When he concentrated, he could "see" it.

This was different from before. Previously, when he focused intently, the Talent Tree would appear in his vision as a translucent projection.

Perhaps the Talent Tree was always in his Origin Spirit Aperture, and he just hadn't awakened to it before, so he only saw a projection in his vision?

After awakening, he could perceive it more directly.

Since arriving at the Spirit Stream Battlefield, he had been busy improving his cultivation, diligently training without pause, and hadn't paid much attention to the Talent Tree until it absorbed external energy again, revealing these changes.

This was a good thing. He had always been puzzled by why his pill-fueled cultivation seemed to have no side effects. He suspected it was related to the Talent Tree, but the exact nature of that relationship remained unknown.

Now that he could directly perceive the Talent Tree's existence, he might be able to study it in detail when he had time.

"Looking" at the two fiercely burning leaves on the Talent Tree, Lu Ye knew they were valuable, but he couldn't help recalling some unpleasant memories.

Suppressing the urge to investigate, Lu Ye walked over to the snake demon's corpse, retrieved his weapon, and then sliced the snake demon's body into more than a dozen sections, storing each one in his storage bag.

This snake demon was much stronger than Dahun and could breathe fire. Its snake meat was surely rich in spiritual energy, making it highly nourishing when consumed.

After finishing, Lu Ye surveyed his surroundings to ensure nothing was left behind before exiting the cave.

About half an hour later, Lu Ye reunited with Yiyi and Dahun, who were waiting at the cave entrance. Seeing bloodstains on Dahun's shoulder blade, he took out a healing pill for Dahun to take. This wound was from being bitten by the snake demon during the previous battle.

Lu Ye also sustained some minor injuries, also on his shoulder blade, from being whipped by the snake's tail, but they were not serious.

A moment later, he mounted Dahun, stroking its soft fur. He recalled the first time he met Dahun and Yiyi; who would have thought that such a majestic demon beast would one day become his mount?

It had to be said, riding on Dahun's back was a pleasant experience, making even a mere second-layer Spirit Stream realm cultivator like Lu Ye feel an urge to command the world.

Dahun's physique was robust, and its back was spacious, so riding on it wasn't uncomfortable.

"Where to?" Yiyi, perched on Dahun's head, turned and asked.

Lu Ye felt the guidance of his War Mark on the back of his hand and pointed in a direction: "Along this way, close to the base of the mountain!"

"Let's go then!" Yiyi waved her small hand, her mood clearly joyful.

Dahun let out a low growl, and its snow-white form shot forth like an arrow. That day, many low-level cultivators preparing to train in Qingyun Mountain saw a young man riding a large snow-white tiger casually pass by.

A droplet falls into the ocean, creating a tiny ripple, yet that ripple will eventually unleash a monstrous wave...

Night fell. Beneath a cliff that jutted outwards and slanted downwards, there was a natural shelter formed by an inward indentation at the base of the cliff.

Yiyi, who had gone ahead to scout, stood there waving: "Lu Ye, over here, over here!"

Under the moonlight, Lu Ye walked with a mighty stride, imposing and resolute, approaching step by step.

Looking at Lu Ye's strange walking posture, Yiyi couldn't bear to watch, but in the end, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Lu Ye walked past her, glaring fiercely.

He had initially thought that traveling on Dahun would be a very pleasant experience, but on just the first day, he realized how naive he had been.

Mainly, his inner thighs were chafed beyond endurance. Lu Ye was certain his inner thighs were now probably raw and bloody, and even at this moment, he could still feel the jolting sensation of riding on the tiger's back. Throughout the journey, let alone cultivating on the tiger's back, it was a miracle he hadn't been shaken unconscious.

"You'll get used to it," Yiyi said, following him.

Entering the natural hollow, Lu Ye nodded. This spot was quite good for resting.

There were traces of a burnt-out campfire inside the hollow, apparently left by previous travelers.

Lu Ye rested for a moment, then got up to find some firewood and lit it. He then took out a section of snake body, skinned and gutted it, and cut off a large piece of snake meat, about ten catties. The rest he gave to Dahun.

Dahun embraced the dozens of catties of snake meat, devouring it with great relish, clearly enjoying the meal.

Flames flickered, and a delicious aroma gradually spread. Hot oil dripped onto the fire, making sizzling sounds.

While roasting the snake meat, Lu Ye took out a Barrier-Breaking Fruit from his storage bag and gestured to Yiyi.

Yiyi looked at him in confusion.

"Two fruits, we'll split them evenly," Lu Ye explained.

Yiyi shook her head: "These are only useful for you. Amber and I don't need them. You should keep them."

Lu Ye thought for a moment and asked, "Does Amber eat spiritual pills?"

Yiyi nodded: "It eats spirit stones too."

Lu Ye was astonished: "It can eat spirit stones?"

Yiyi explained: "Spirit stones are condensed spiritual energy. Demon beasts can eat them, but humans cannot; they can't refine them."

Lu Ye realized he had learned something new. No wonder when Yiyi and Dahun had tried to rob him before, they had asked for spirit stones when they couldn't get spiritual pills.

"Then your share of the fruits can be converted into spiritual pills..." Lu Ye felt a bit stumped. "But I don't know how much these fruits are worth."

Yiyi pursed her lips and smiled: "Just give whatever you think is fair. Amber only needs two spiritual pills a day now."

"That's not much, then."

The snake meat was soon roasted. Lu Ye sprinkled some salt for seasoning and began to eat heartily. He suddenly looked up at Yiyi, who was staring at him expectantly, and offered the snake meat in his hand: "Do you want some?"

Yiyi shook her head: "I can't eat solid food."

Lu Ye continued to eat.

The snake meat was indeed highly nourishing. After consuming a few catties, Lu Ye felt warmth throughout his body and extreme energy. Even the flow of his spiritual power seemed faster.

While refining essence into qi, he took out his saber and walked to an open space nearby. He took off his upper garment, revealing his muscular torso, and began to diligently practice chopping with his saber, one stroke at a time.

His earlier fight with the clean-faced cultivator made him realize how terrible his combat skills were. He could improve his cultivation with pills, but combat skills couldn't be enhanced that way.

Moreover, there was no one to guide him at the moment, so Lu Ye thought of a crude method: constantly swinging and chopping with his saber. He didn't know if this would be effective, but it was the only method he could think of.

In the future, he was destined to face increasingly powerful enemies. In close-quarters combat, cultivation strength and combat skills were both indispensable.

Under the moonlight, the young man diligently chopped, covered in sweat. Not far away, the large snow-white tiger lay on the ground, sound asleep, enveloped in white light. The black-haired girl, with her hands clasped around her knees, watched silently. The full moon, high in the sky, served as a backdrop, creating a hazy, picturesque scene.