Half a month later, Lu Ye appeared in front of a canyon, looking much more composed compared to the awkwardness of riding the large tiger earlier.
On the first day of riding the large tiger, he was almost disintegrated by the jolts, and the insides of his thighs were rubbed raw. In that state, he couldn't practice at all.
By now, he had achieved his initial goal: to practice and take elixirs while riding the large tiger. Although the efficiency wasn't as high as in a normal state, it was better than wasting time.
Over the past half month, he had opened three more spirit orifices. Now, he was a cultivator with twenty-five spirit orifices, just two away from the third level of the Spirit Stream Realm!
At this rate, in another six to seven days, he would be able to perfect the Golden Cicada Freedom Technique.
Not only had his strength grown, but the large tiger had also become noticeably stronger.
The snake meat in his storage bag had been divided between him and the large tiger, with about eighty percent going to the large tiger. The snake meat was extremely beneficial to the large tiger, a demonic beast, and Lu Ye also gave it two Spirit Nourishing Pills every day.
In just half a month, the large tiger's size seemed to have increased by a circle, becoming even more robust.
Lu Ye couldn't judge the large tiger's current strength, but he estimated that even if he fought the large tiger without using spirit talismans or spirit patterns, he wouldn't have much of an advantage.
Yi Yi, the large tiger's spirit companion, would also grow stronger as the large tiger grew stronger.
So, although the average strength of the group of one person, one tiger, and one spirit wasn't very high, their combined power was not to be underestimated.
This increased Lu Ye's capital for traveling in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, and he felt more and more that bringing the large tiger and Yi Yi was a wise decision.
On the way, Lu Ye passed through a neutral market town. He rested there for a night, sold two pieces of Primordial Magnetic Ore, and got some spirit stones.
Now, he had more than two hundred spirit stones.
He was just a little short, and by the time he reached the next branch of the Heavenly Opportunity Merchant Alliance, it should be about right.
Jumping off the tiger's back, Lu Ye examined the canyon ahead, comparing it with the map.
This was a place called Sky Splitting Canyon, with steep terrain and thousand-foot cliffs on both sides. According to the map, to the left of Sky Splitting Canyon was the Nine Star Sect, affiliated with the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, and to the right was the Mystic Sect, affiliated with the Vast Heaven Alliance.
Sky Splitting Canyon was located in the middle of these two sects, slightly closer to the Nine Star Sect.
The ranks of these two sects were not high: the Mystic Sect was a ninth-rank sect, and the Nine Star Sect was an eighth-rank sect. Such ranks were common in the outer regions of the battlefield. Moreover, the route Lu Ye planned was an arc, almost hugging the edge of the battlefield. So, although he had passed through the territories of several sects, they were all eighth or ninth-rank sects.
He wouldn't rashly enter the territories of higher-rank sects, even if they were affiliated with the Vast Heaven Alliance. Before entering the Spirit Stream Battlefield, the final words of the sect leader still echoed in his ears. He didn't dare to reveal his identity as a Blood Jade Sect disciple, even though he didn't know what the consequences would be.
It was getting dark, and Lu Ye didn't plan to enter the canyon now. After a day of travel, he decided to rest for the night and go in the next day.
"Yi Yi!" Lu Ye called out.
"Got it." Yi Yi's voice came, and she immediately floated out from the large tiger's head and drifted away.
She was checking the surroundings.
Over these days, they had developed some默契 (mutual understanding). Before resting, Yi Yi would always check the surroundings to avoid any hidden dangers.
As a spirit, she could come and go without a trace, making this task convenient. Several times, it was because of her that they avoided potential crises.
However, she and the large tiger had a symbiotic relationship, so she couldn't stay too far from the large tiger. According to Yi Yi, she could be up to ten miles away without any problems, but if she went beyond that, she would quickly weaken. If this state persisted for too long, she might dissipate.
Lu Ye looked for a suitable place to spend the night nearby.
After more than half a month of wandering, he was already experienced in this. A suitable place to spend the night should be easy to enter and exit, sufficiently hidden, and able to shelter from the wind and rain.
After searching for a while, Lu Ye and the large tiger came to a rocky area. Although the location wasn't ideal, there was no better place nearby. The weather didn't seem like it would rain, so spending the night there would be fine.
Lu Ye took out firewood from his storage bag and lit a fire. He then took out a large piece of beast meat to roast and gave an even larger piece to the large tiger, who pounced to the side and began to devour it.
Watching the large tiger eat ferociously, Lu Ye felt a bit worried. He had thought the Spirit Nourishing Pills he had saved would be enough to get him to the third level of the Spirit Stream Realm with some to spare, but now it seemed they were just enough.
The large tiger consumed two Spirit Nourishing Pills daily, and it took about eleven or twelve pills to open one spirit orifice. Now, he only had about thirty pills left.
By the time he opened his twenty-seventh spirit orifice, these pills would likely be used up.
Moreover, he had a feeling that as the large tiger's strength increased, its consumption of Spirit Nourishing Pills would also increase.
It was worrying! But this was the price he had to pay for bringing the large tiger and Yi Yi along. At least, he could still practice while traveling, saving a lot of time.
For a low-level cultivator like him, the early stages of cultivation were precious.
The roasted meat on the fire dripped with oil, sizzling. The large tiger, who was eating raw meat, suddenly looked up in a certain direction and growled.
Then it suddenly darted out, rushing in that direction.
Lu Ye was initially stunned, but then he realized Yi Yi was in trouble!
Yi Yi was the large tiger's spirit companion, and they had a very close connection. Any unexpected situation on Yi Yi's side would be felt by the large tiger.
The large tiger was very fast, and even with Lu Ye infusing his legs with spirit power, he could only follow behind, eating dust. In a hurry, he shouted, "Amber, don't be impulsive!"
He didn't know what Yi Yi had encountered, and rushing in rashly wasn't a good strategy.
The large tiger, understandingly, slowed down a bit. Lu Ye caught up and climbed onto its back, and the large tiger then sped up.
Shortly, a firelight appeared behind a large rock.
A group of cultivators were gathered there, with a campfire lit. They seemed to be preparing to spend the night. In front of them was a large bell-like object, with spirit light flowing over it and complex, mysterious patterns forming a rotating pattern around the bell.
Inside the bell, there were faint sounds of impact.
Yi Yi was trapped inside!
Seeing this, Lu Ye understood what had happened. Yi Yi was a spirit, and ordinary means couldn't confine her. The large bell was clearly a spirit artifact!
Fortunately, the large tiger, after being reminded by Lu Ye, could now control its impulsive nature and didn't rush in immediately.
Lu Ye gathered spirit power in his eyes to examine the spirit light of the cultivators.
There were four cultivators: one at the second level of the Spirit Stream Realm, two at the third level, and one at the fourth level!