Chapter 137 - 131: Qi Refining Ninth Heaven
"Yu Changsheng is the winner."
Elder Chen gave Yu Changsheng a deep look before deactivating the protective barrier and announcing the result.
This outcome surprised even Elder Chen. The disciples outside the arena stared at each other in disbelief.
"He... He won just like that?"
"But that’s Miao Wenlun! He has a Tier Two Spirit Beast, comparable to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator! And Yu Changsheng is only at the Qi Refining Realm. How could he possibly win?"
"All I can say is Yu Changsheng is a monster. Damn, can he let anyone else have a chance? It was bad enough that his talent for Alchemy is off the charts, but now he’s like this with Beast Taming, too."
No one had expected this outcome. They were all completely stunned.
Hearing the crowd’s chatter, Miao Wenlun’s expression darkened. He glanced at Yu Changsheng, sighed, and cupped his fist.
"My skills were inferior. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. You fully deserve first place!"
"I must also thank Senior Brother Miao for going easy on me," Yu Changsheng replied with a humble compliment.
Miao Wenlun shook his head without another word and was the first to leave, walking away from the crowd. He thought to himself,
’Later, I need to properly investigate this Yu Changsheng’s background...’
...
Watching Miao Wenlun’s retreating figure, Yu Changsheng smiled faintly. ’In the end, this was just a sect competition. If it were a life-or-death battle, Miao Wenlun would have lost even faster.’
A short while later, Elder Chen announced the end of the Spirit Beast competition and declared Yu Changsheng the winner, causing a huge uproar.
After this, the name Yu Changsheng became famous throughout the Outer Sect. Everyone knew who he was.
Afterward, Yu Changsheng received his prizes for first place: ten bottles of Tier One Elixirs, two thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, and most importantly, the right to choose the flesh and bloodline of any Demon Beast below Tier Three from the Beast Taming Peak’s Treasure Pavilion to nurture his Red Refining Snake!
...
"Did you hear? Yu Changsheng, the top alchemist, won the Beast Taming competition!"
"Yeah, that’s him! The Yu Changsheng who crushed Miao Wenlun and became the biggest dark horse!"
"What? The goddess Sun Shihan admitted her skills were inferior, threw herself at Yu Changsheng, and was brutally rejected after making eyes at him?"
...
For a time, conversations like these were happening everywhere.
The next day, the Demon Beast corpse Yu Changsheng had chosen was delivered to his residence.
A place as important as the Treasure Pavilion was naturally not somewhere Yu Changsheng could enter casually. You stated what you wanted in advance, and a disciple would be assigned to deliver it.
Yu Changsheng had chosen a Tier Two Peak Demon Beast, the Poison Blade Hook Snake.
Looking at the massive corpse the disciple delivered, Yu Changsheng confirmed it was the right one.
’Is this a Tier Two Peak Demon Beast!?’
’It’s already dead, yet just standing in front of it, I can feel its oppressive aura. How much stronger would a Tier Three Demon Beast be?’
Yu Changsheng stared at the Poison Blade Hook Snake in awe.
Its body wasn’t particularly large for a snake, but it was incredibly venomous. If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator were poisoned by a Tier Two Demon Beast and didn’t receive timely treatment, even they would meet their end.
The most important part of the corpse Yu Changsheng had redeemed was the Poison Blade Hook Snake’s tail. It was dark red, curving slightly upward like a hook. The very tip was hook-shaped and glinted with a cold light, from which faint wisps of black smoke continuously drifted.
[Devouring Bloodline]
[Red Refining Snake → Poison Blade Hook Snake]
[Upon successful Devouring, the snake’s tail will transform, gaining the characteristics of the Poison Blade Hook Snake. The tail will be strengthened and contain a potent venom. At the same time, its Realm limit will be unlocked.]
[Success Rate: 99%]
Reading the system message, Yu Changsheng pondered for a moment. He glanced at the Red Refining Snake beside him, which was staring at the corpse with intense longing. Without hesitation, he fed the flesh to it.
The Red Refining Snake’s eyes lit up, and it began to devour the flesh ravenously. It then affectionately nudged Yu Changsheng’s palm with its head.
[Devouring Bloodline. Consumed: 30,000 Essence.]
A moment later, the aura around the Red Refining Snake began to surge, and its tail started to transform.
Its tail gradually curved upward into the shape of a barb. At the same time, its color changed from red to dark red.
The barbed tip turned black, and an unnerving dark light flowed across its surface. No one would want to be hooked by that thing; they’d be sent straight to the underworld.
The Red Refining Snake flicked its tongue joyfully, twisting its head 180 degrees to admire its new tail with satisfaction.
With a light flick of its tail, it flashed with light and returned to its normal appearance.
At the same time, the Demon Power within the Red Refining Snake’s body began to rise.
Its eyes widened as its power surged, quickly reaching Tier One Ninth Layer. It continued to rise, stopping just shy of Tier One Peak.
As the Spirit Pet advanced, a feedback of Spiritual Power followed. Yu Changsheng felt a vast Magical Power well up inside him, and a sense of fullness spread throughout his body.
’Just a little more! I’ll use elixirs to solidify its Realm and push for the Qi Refining Ninth Heaven at the same time!’
Yu Changsheng clenched his fist. After a moment of thought, he quickly took out his remaining Qi Enhancement Pills and fed them to the Red Refining Snake.
Now that the Red Refining Snake had not only obtained the Poison Blade Hook Snake’s Talent Magic but also had a physical toughness equivalent to a Tier Two Demon Beast, Qi Enhancement Pills were clearly no longer enough for it. It needed elixirs specifically made for Demon Beasts.
[You have successfully fed a Red Refining Snake. Consumed: Qi Enhancement Pill x1. Reward: 300 Essence, a trace amount of Magical Power.]
After a few more Qi Enhancement Pills, the Red Refining Snake’s Realm stabilized.
Meanwhile, buoyed by the feedback of Magical Power, the Refining God Technique began to circulate automatically within Yu Changsheng. With every breath, nature’s spiritual energy flooded into his body, washing through his meridians.
All sorts of insights about the Refining God Technique surfaced in his mind naturally, as if he had circulated it for tens of millions of cycles. He intuitively understood how to channel his qi, how to control it, and all its various techniques became second nature.
Ever since his Refining God Technique had reached Minor Achievement, it had naturally loosened the bottleneck in his Cultivation. Since Yu Changsheng was already at the Peak of Qi Refining Eighth Layer, it only took him about half an hour to smoothly break through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
Opening his eyes, Yu Changsheng exhaled a puff of white mist. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as the surging Magical Power roiled within him. Every movement he made now carried immense strength.
[Name: Yu Changsheng]
[Realm: Qi Refining Ninth Heaven]
[Physique: Spirit Beast Affinity]
[Cultivation Technique: Chang Chun Technique (Proficient 5/10,000), Refining God Technique (Minor Achievement 120/5,000,000), Beast Taming Technique (Mastery 112/100,000), Three-coin Fire Refining Technique (Mastery 1,108/100,000)]
[Magic: Fireball Skill (Minor Achievement 835/100,000), Shadow Flash (Mastery 421/50,000), Wind Travel Skill (Mastery 337/10,000), Wood Shield Skill (Mastery 182/10,000), Rainwalking Skill (Beginner 10/100), Thousand Thoughts Slash (Proficient 102/100,000)]
[Skills: Tier One Spirit Plant (5/1,000), Tier Two Alchemy Dao (1,052/50,000)]
[Spirit Pet: Red Refining Snake, Golden-Winged Eagle, Colorful Star Deer]
[Remaining Essence: 5,210]
’I’m at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer now,’ Yu Changsheng mused. ’Next, it’s time to prepare for Foundation Establishment. I’m still missing a few materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill, but I should be able to gather them all soon.’
’If I’m going to make a Foundation Establishment Pill, it has to be a good one—one with Pill Patterns. That’s why I’ve been so particular about the age of the ingredients, having the First-Grade Medicine Hall continuously acquire them for me.’
’In a few more months, once I reach the Qi Refining Peak, I can begin the Alchemy process.’