Beside the dying embers of the bonfire, Lu Ye feasted heartily on a large snake, which was about ten feet long and as thick as an arm. The snake meat was tender and white, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth.
It had been half a month since his spirit pills ran out. During this time, his cultivation progress was naturally not as good as before, but it was better than he had estimated. At the current rate, he could break through the barrier of the ninth spirit aperture in another month.
The reason for this progress was mainly due to a discovery he made.
That was the efficiency of refining essence into qi was faster than absorbing spirit qi.
Where did the essence come from? Without blood qi pills, he could only eat!
When he ate the wolf meat earlier, he noticed something. Later, after hunting some other beasts, he found that the meat from the Spirit Stream Battlefield was very nourishing. The larger the beast, the more pronounced this effect was.
He was not skilled at absorbing spirit qi, perhaps due to his low talent, making it difficult for him to guide spirit qi into his body. However, the things he ate were different. As long as he could digest them, they could enhance his qi and blood. He then refined his qi and blood into spirit power, which could also strengthen his abilities.
So, in the past half month, the nearby beasts suffered. After opening his spirit apertures, Lu Ye's appetite had increased. Now, focusing on refining essence into qi, he ate even more.
This led to the area within a few miles of the cave being devoid of any beasts. Today, Lu Ye had to search for a while to find this large snake.
Halfway through his meal, the cave entrance darkened, and a pungent wind blew in.
Lu Ye looked up and saw a massive figure standing at the cave entrance, emitting a low roar.
Lu Ye quickly stood up, took out a long sword from his storage bag, and held a Fire Snake Talisman in his other hand, secretly channeling spirit power.
He had been living here for a month without encountering other cultivators or powerful beasts, thinking it was a peaceful place. However, today he was disturbed by an unexpected visitor.
Lu Ye had anticipated such a situation, so although he was surprised, he quickly made the right response.
The cave was narrow. If the opponent dared to charge in, the Fire Snake Talisman in his hand could give them a good lesson. If the Fire Snake Talisman failed, he had other spirit talismans. If that didn't work, he could use a Diamond Talisman on himself, and his long sword was not just for show.
Only then did Lu Ye clearly see what the unexpected visitor wasโa large tiger.
Its body was covered in pristine white fur, with a large "Wang" (king) mark on its forehead and two amber eyes that were soul-piercing.
When Lu Ye's eyes met the tiger's, his mind momentarily became hazy, realizing that he had encountered a formidable creature.
During this time, he had killed many beasts, some even larger than this tiger, but none had given him such a sense of oppression.
After all, he was now a cultivator with eight spirit apertures opened.
This was not an ordinary beast; it was likely a demon beast with some cultivation!
There was a difference between demon beasts and ordinary beasts. Demon beasts knew how to cultivate. According to legends, if some demon beasts opened certain key spirit apertures, they could transform into human form.
This was the origin of the saying in the Nine Provinces: "A demon without opened apertures cannot transform, a human without opened apertures cannot cultivate."
Many sects would also admit demon cultivator disciples because most demon cultivators were strong and robust, making them good candidates for physical cultivation.
Lu Ye did not know much about the cultivation world of the Nine Provinces and was unaware of this information.
He only knew that his current situation was troublesome. Trapped in the cave with the large tiger blocking the entrance, he had no way out unless he could fight his way out.
However, he did not know the tiger's strength.
The tiger roared at him, making Lu Ye even more nervous, almost triggering the Fire Snake Talisman in his hand!
"Boy, is it you who has been killing everywhere?" A voice like a thunderclap echoed in the cave, causing the surrounding rocks to tremble.
Lu Ye couldn't help but be stunned, looking at the tiger in surprise.
"It's this great king speaking, you ignorant brat!" The tiger seemed to notice Lu Ye's confusion and spoke again.
Lu Ye's heart sank. He had underestimated the tiger's strength. The fact that it could speak human language indicated that it was much more powerful than him.
"Great King, you asked me a question, why don't I answer?" The tiger's temper was not good, and it roared again, its throat emitting a threatening growl.
If it's fate, it's fate; if it's a disaster, it can't be avoided. Lu Ye could only tough it out, saying, "It wasn't me!"
The tiger raised its paw and slammed it on the ground, causing the earth to shake. "If it wasn't you, who else? In a thirty-mile radius, you are the only human!" It paced back and forth at the cave entrance, its eyes never leaving Lu Ye. "This is my territory. Without my permission, you dared to slaughter my food. It seems you don't want to live!"
Lu Ye's scalp tingled, feeling that his life hung by a thread.
However, he understood why the tiger had come. This place was its territory, and the beasts he had killed were its food. Over the past half month, Lu Ye had killed many, drawing the tiger's attention, which led it to track him down.
"Tell me, how do you plan to resolve this?" The tiger asked again.
At this point, Lu Ye was less panicked. Although it was strange to negotiate with a demon beast, it was better than the tiger attacking without a word.
He frowned and said, "I've already eaten them. How do you want to resolve this?"
The tiger stared at him and said, "Hand over your spirit pills, and we'll call it even. If you dare to say no, this place will be your grave!"
"I don't have any spirit pills." Lu Ye shook his head. If he had spirit pills, he wouldn't need to kill beasts for food.
The tiger said, "Spirit stones will do!"
"I don't have any spirit stones either."
The sect leader hadn't given him any spirit stones, perhaps thinking he didn't need them yet?
"You don't have this, you don't have that. I see you want to die!" The tiger was clearly losing patience.
Lu Ye sighed, "I really don't have them!"
"Then what do you have in your storage bag?" The tiger demanded.
"Some spirit talismans and a bottle of healing pills." Lu Ye answered truthfully.
"You're a pauper!" The tiger couldn't help but sneer. "Give me the healing pills, and we'll call it even."
"What do you need healing pills for?" Lu Ye's expression was strange.
"What's it to you? Give them to me quickly!"
"Alright..." Lu Ye reluctantly agreed, taking out the bottle of healing pills from his storage bag. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly placed it on the ground.
"Throw it over here!" The tiger ordered.
Lu Ye looked at it, "Why don't you come and get it yourself?"
"I told you to throw it over here!" Lu Ye's attitude clearly angered the tiger, which roared fiercely.
"Fine." Lu Ye kicked the bottle on the ground, and at the same time, he activated the Fire Snake Talisman in his hand. A surge of spirit power made the talisman glow red, transforming into a fire snake that lunged at the tiger.
This wasn't all. He stepped forward, his figure moving like lightning, and charged with his sword.