Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Hunting Demon Beasts

The swirling, dark cyan vortex of space slowly subsided, and the sensation of weightlessness receded like a tide.

Chu Bai opened his eyes to a vista of twisted greenery.

The trees here were almost pathologically tall, their bark a bleak, cyan-gray as if splashed with ink.

A strange, fresh fragrance permeated the air—a mix of decaying earth and dense Spiritual Qi. This was the Cyan Prison Little Spirit Realm, a pocket dimension forcibly maintained in the mortal world by an Array.

BUZZ—

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Lingxi Mark branded upon the Gray Talisman trembled slightly, and a line of illusory text appeared:

[Current Points: 0]

[Current Rank: None]

Chu Bai glanced at the rank, feeling completely calm.

’The competition has only just started, and the real hunt hasn’t yet begun. It’s only natural that there are no rankings yet.’

According to the rules announced by Dean Su, the Demon Beasts here were not physical entities, but rather simulations of Spiritual Power projected by the Daoist School’s Array.

They possessed a real sensation of pain, brutal instincts, and attack methods identical to their real counterparts. The only difference was that upon being killed, they would dissipate into pure Spiritual Qi, and their killer would receive corresponding points.

RUSTLE RUSTLE—

The bushes to his right suddenly shook violently, and three agile green shadows shot out like lightning.

They were three green-backed wolves, nearly ten feet long. Their streamlined bodies were filled with explosive power, their eyes glowed with an eerie green light, and they exuded a powerful aura.

They were still in the Qi-Introducing Stage, so they probably didn’t know any Demon Techniques, but their physical strength was far greater than that of ordinary beasts.

They didn’t attack immediately. Instead, they spread out in a triangular formation, letting out low growls from their throats, attempting to break their opponent’s will with pack-hunting tactics.

Chu Bai’s expression remained calm; he didn’t even summon his Guardian Shield.

The moment the three wolves criss-crossed and pounced, he simply sidestepped, his movements as light as a falling feather.

CRACK!

Chu Bai’s right hand blurred, smoothly parrying with his Formless Cloud Hand.

The lead wolf felt an irresistible, pliant force strike its back. Its entire spine snapped in an instant. With a pained cry, it dissipated into a puff of green smoke.

The other two wolves didn’t even see how their companion had vanished before Chu Bai was already upon them.

He struck with both palms. Seemingly soft and weak, his hands erupted with Guiyuan Magical Power the moment they touched the wolves’ heads.

[Current Points: 3]

[Current Rank: 281st]

”A Demon Beast at the Qi-Introducing Stage is only worth one point?”

Chu Bai furrowed his brow slightly.

’This is too inefficient.’

’If I want to break into the top ten and compete for a spot in the Spirit Pavilion, I have to hunt Qi Cultivation Demon Beasts.’

He didn’t linger, his agile form vanishing deep into the jungle.

Along the way, Chu Bai saw many sights that left a deep impression on him.

By a muddy swamp, he saw a Fire Cultivator from Class Two locked in a difficult battle.

The student’s Magical Power was abundant, and he fired off his Fire Bomb Technique in rapid succession, blasting several Water Demonic Beasts to pieces.

However, in this environment, his Magic Technique consumed far more power than usual, and the moisture within the Spirit Realm continuously suppressed the circulation of his Spiritual Power.

”Damn it, I’m burning through Spiritual Qi too quickly! I don’t have time to meditate and recover!”

The student roared in frustration and was forced to swallow an expensive Qi Recovery Pill. He then activated his mark, giving up on venturing any deeper.

Similar scenes played out continuously throughout the forest.

The environment of the Cyan Prison Spirit Realm was extremely harsh, with its Five Elements Attributes in chaos.

For students who practiced single-attribute Cultivation Techniques, this place was a nightmare.

Once their element was countered, they could only rely on Pills to tough it out.

Chu Bai, however, was an anomaly.

He circulated his Mastery Level Guiyuan Technique, which wasn’t picky about the environment and could convert the ambient energy accordingly.

Whether it was the damp moisture, the decaying Wood Qi, or the Earth Qi from below ground, once it entered his meridians, it was all quickly assimilated by the balanced and tranquil Guiyuan Technique, transforming into a gentle trickle that replenished his Dantian.

’No need for rest, no need for Pills.’ A glint appeared in Chu Bai’s eyes. ’This is the truly terrifying power of the Guiyuan Technique in a complex environment.’

「An hour later.」

Chu Bai arrived at a valley filled with jagged, strange rocks. The air was thick with dense, earth-elemental Spiritual Qi, and a herd of spike-backed porcupines roamed the area.

Each porcupine was the size of a millstone, and the quills on their backs gleamed with a dull metallic luster.

In the center of the herd lay a colossal porcupine king, its body the size of an elephant and its tusks like swords.

Qi Cultivation First Layer!

”Finally, a big one.”

Chu Bai paused. There was no fear in his eyes; instead, a spark of excitement ignited within them.

He no longer concealed his aura. The Spiritual Pressure of the Qi Cultivation Second Layer erupted from him without reservation, like a boulder plunging into a calm lake.

ROAR!

The porcupine king was jolted awake, letting out an earth-shattering roar of fury. The dozens of porcupines around it exploded into chaos, and hundreds of sharp quills shot toward Chu Bai like a volley of arrows.

Chu Bai let out a low shout.

A faint gray, circular shield of Magical Power instantly condensed. Under the fine control of his Divine Sense, the shield zipped through the air, leaving a trail of afterimages.

DING DING DANG DANG!

A dense clang of metal on metal rang out. The quills, sharp enough to pierce Refined Iron, struck the shield but failed to push Chu Bai back even half a step.

Braving the rain of quills that filled the sky, Chu Bai’s figure moved like lightning, charging directly into the herd.

Formless Cloud Hand, at full power!

His hands seemed to transform into two blurry masses of Cloud Qi. Every slap carried the heavy Power of his Guiyuan Technique. Whenever one of the smaller porcupines was hit, its organs were pulverized into paste, even though its hide remained unblemished.

Chu Bai weaved through the herd with grand, sweeping motions, his footwork shockingly precise.

Finally, the porcupine king could no longer hold back. Pawing at the ground, it charged toward Chu Bai like a mountain of flesh, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

An earthen-yellow glow emanated from its tusks; it had clearly activated some kind of Magic Technique to enhance its charge.

Facing this devastating blow, Chu Bai’s eyes turned cold.

Not only did he not dodge, but he actually charged forward to meet the king head-on.

In the instant before impact, Chu Bai ducked down with an uncanny movement. His Formless Cloud Hand became a conduit for Soft Force as he pressed it against the porcupine king’s jaw.

”Borrowing Force to Strike!”

The porcupine king felt a lifting force, and its massive center of gravity was instantly thrown off balance. The entire beast went flying, flipping right over Chu Bai’s head.

The moment the king was airborne, Chu Bai thrust out his right finger.

A crystal-clear Water Needle materialized and shot forth in an instant. Spinning at high speed, it created a visible white shockwave as it precisely pierced the most vulnerable spot at the base of the porcupine king’s ear.

BOOM!

Rampaging Magical Power exploded inside the king’s skull.

The elephant-sized porcupine king went rigid in mid-air for a moment before crashing heavily to the ground. It transformed into a current of Spiritual Qi so dense it was almost liquid, which flooded madly into Chu Bai’s Lingxi Mark.

[Current Points: 150]

[Current Rank: 98th]

Chu Bai let out a slow breath. Seeing his rank break into the top one hundred, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

’Demon Beasts are physically stronger than Cultivators of the same realm, but they’re weaker when it comes to Magic Techniques. As long as I’m careful from here on out, my rank should steadily increase.’