Chapter 111: Small Spirit Beast's Ability

Jiang Fan faced the giant boulder and, with a seemingly casual flick of his finger, pointed at it. Subtle, mysterious patterns swirled around his finger.

The incredibly hard boulder was pierced through like tofu under this single touch. Moreover, the force continued, quickly punching a hole clear through the half-meter-thick stone.

Even though they had never seen an Earth-tier cultivation technique before, it was clear to the master and disciple that this was certainly not a Profound-tier finger technique.

"E-Earth-tier cultivation technique?" Yuan Zhiyu gasped sharply.

Gong Caiyi was deeply stirred. No one in the entire Azure Cloud Sect had ever successfully comprehended an Earth-tier finger technique. Yet, Jiang Fan, on his very first attempt, without any prior instruction, had managed to comprehend it from the Mahaka Stone Wall.

What kind of monstrous talent was this?

"This young man must be taken as a disciple!" Gong Caiyi's breath caught in her throat. All hesitation vanished! With such extraordinary talent, who cared about the rules set by the patriarch?

Yuan Zhiyu covered her mouth, her previous biases completely gone. Such a talent was impossible to poach, and gender was utterly irrelevant.

"But Master," Yuan Zhiyu suddenly remarked, a wry smile on her face, "he's a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. If you wish to take him, you'll need Sect Master Liu's permission first." Is poaching another sect's disciple really that simple?

Gong Caiyi paused, a slight frown of concern appearing. "Indeed, taking such an exceptional disciple away won't be easy. We'll have to plan this carefully."

Unaware of their discussion, Jiang Fan gazed at the deep hole with satisfaction. "The power of an Earth-tier finger technique is truly remarkable. Unfortunately, it's just a single move. It can only be used to catch an opponent off guard."

Muttering to himself, Jiang Fan turned and re-entered his room. However, what he saw inside made Jiang Fan livid. The room was a mess: claw marks everywhere, the tea table and chairs gnawed, the bedcovers tossed aside, and clothes torn. He knew without asking that the highly vindictive little spirit beast was responsible.

"You little menace! Just wait until I get my hands on you!"

He rushed down the mountain to purchase medicinal herbs, then returned to his room and locked the door to begin refining.

Soon after, in his palm lay a dozen strikingly beautiful, fiery-red, jade-like pills, each the size of a soybean. They emitted an almost unbearable allure, making one want to take a bite. But these weren't meant for casual consumption. These were "Three-Step Drunk" pills, specifically formulated for demonic beasts. Just one pill would render a demonic beast unconscious instantly.

After a moment's thought, he placed the Three-Step Drunk pills into a small jade bottle. He then subtly uncorked the bottle slightly, making it appear as though it hadn't been sealed properly, and tucked it under his pillow. The little spirit beast was exceedingly cunning. If he simply left them lying around, it would surely become suspicious. Only by 'discovering' them itself would it feel it had stumbled upon a lucky find.

With everything set, he took out a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, swallowed it, and immediately began cultivating the *Dragon-Seeking Scripture*, drawing in the potent spiritual energy from the pill. He cultivated until midnight.

He couldn't help but inwardly click his tongue, muttering, "A single supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill barely boosts my cultivation by a tenth. Reaching the Foundation Establishment realm makes advancement incredibly difficult! And this was with a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill; an ordinary Foundation Establishment Pill would have an even more negligible effect."

With a trace of reluctance, he took out the Earth Phoenix Grass juice given to him by Gong Caiyi and swallowed it in one gulp. This was a specialty product of the Spirit Beast Sect, extremely rare and valuable. Its effects were astonishing; the incomparably potent medicinal power transformed into boundless spiritual energy. For an ordinary person, such a sudden influx of spiritual energy would be difficult to absorb entirely at once, and at least half would be wasted. But with his Limitless Spirit Root and Profound-tier High-level Cultivation Method, not a single wisp of this spiritual energy could escape.

As dawn broke, Jiang Fan slowly opened his eyes. Energy currents swirled around him; he had unmistakably reached the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment realm!

"The Earth Phoenix Grass juice lives up to its reputation," Jiang Fan exclaimed in surprise. "If only I could get another bottle!" Remembering Gong Caiyi's promise that she might give him another bottle upon her departure, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

The following day, early in the morning, Jiang Fan resumed guiding Gong Caiyi on a tour of the Azure Cloud Sect. What struck Jiang Fan as odd was that this time, Yuan Zhiyu wasn't the only disciple accompanying them; several of the female disciples he had met before were also present. Moreover, at each mountain peak, the disciples would scatter.

"Sect Master Gong," Jiang Fan inquired, "are you perhaps searching for something?" Even Jiang Fan, usually oblivious, could discern their objective.

Gong Caiyi's eyes flickered. "You're overthinking it," she replied. Seeing her reluctance to disclose, Jiang Fan naturally didn't press the issue. He trusted the sect was aware of their activities and would handle the matter itself. His only role was to be a good guide.

As evening approached, Jiang Fan returned to his cave dwelling, feeling rather weary. Upon seeing the messy state of his room, a surge of delight filled him. The little spirit beast had returned!

He opened the door to peer inside. Sure enough, the little spirit beast was sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep and emitting long snores. All around it, the "Three-Step Drunk" pills were scattered on the floor.

"You little rascal! Finally, you're back in my grasp, aren't you?" He took out the prepared Profound Iron steel rope and tied the creature up securely. This time, no matter how sharp its teeth, it wouldn't be able to bite through the rope.

Some time later, the little spirit beast groggily opened its distinct black and white eyes, the sound of knife sharpening reaching its ears. It instantly became alert. It focused its gaze, only to see Jiang Fan sharpening a cleaver. Beside him, a pot of rich broth was simmering. Then it looked at itself: completely bound, unable to move an inch.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!" It shrieked in panic, desperately trying to gnaw through the steel rope, nearly breaking its teeth in the process.

Jiang Fan turned around, holding the cleaver and miming a cut across its plump belly. "Should I slice it horizontally, or vertically? I wonder if the meat will be gamey. Will it be better steamed for fragrance, or stir-fried for flavor?"

The little spirit beast understood perfectly, rolling on the ground in terror and wailing loudly. It sounded like it was cursing rather profusely.

Jiang Fan chuckled. "Still stubborn, eh? Fine, then it's soup for you!" He grabbed the little spirit beast by one leg and dangled it over the cauldron of boiling water. One release, and it would plunge right into the boiling water.

This utterly terrified the little spirit beast. It looked at Jiang Fan with pleading, terrified eyes.

"Finally afraid, are we?" Jiang Fan lifted it up. "Still, I'm at a loss as to what to do with you. If I release you, you'll just keep causing mischief. But if I don't, you're not particularly useful. Perhaps I should just kill you." As he spoke, he made to drop it back into the cauldron.

The little spirit beast trembled uncontrollably in fear, and suddenly, a shimmering layer of white light enveloped its body. The next moment, it vanished into thin air, along with the steel rope binding it.

Jiang Fan's hand closed on empty space. He froze in astonishment.

Thump—

Following the sound, he saw the little spirit beast, still bound by the steel rope, fall from where it had bumped into the door.

"What was that just now?" Jiang Fan was filled with surprise and doubt. He watched as the little spirit beast attempted the same trick again. This time, Jiang Fan saw clearly: the little spirit beast vanished from its spot and reappeared against a different wall. It was attempting to pass through the wall. However, the steel rope binding it prevented it from fully phasing through. That's why it was blocked and fell back.

"Spatial ability?" Jiang Fan gasped.