Chapter 14: Grinding a knife with a whetstone
Yuan Ming moved away the large stone at the entrance of the cave, used the "Fur Transformation Technique" to transform into a white ape, and leaped out of the cave in a few jumps, climbing up a nearby big tree.
Having stayed in the cave for nearly twenty days, day and night, breathing in the fresh air outside made him feel refreshed and clear-headed.
After taking a deep breath, Yuan Ming began to jump and move from tree to tree towards the direction of the river he had seen before.
Although he could now use the "Fur Transformation Technique" on his own, hunting wild beasts was not an easy task. He planned to catch some man-eating fish to fill his stomach, recover some strength, and then continue hunting.
When Yuan Ming arrived at a big tree less than thirty feet away from the river, he paused and hid himself behind the dense leaves, peering down through a gap.
He saw a figure that looked half-human and half-tiger in the nearby river, constantly thrashing about. Every time it stood up, it would have a fish in its mouth, which it would swallow before diving back into the water.
Yuan Ming recognized this person as Wu Lu, who had previously traveled with Lago but was now nowhere to be seen.
"This guy has also mastered the ’Fur Transformation Technique’ so quickly!" Yuan Ming was surprised.
He had been struggling to master the "Blood Qi Technique" all along and had only just achieved the "Fur Transformation Technique" today with the help of the "Nine Elements Formula." Wu Lu, who had the same four spiritual roots as him, had actually succeeded as well?
Yuan Ming did not reveal himself and watched Wu Lu catch more than ten man-eating fish before leaving. He then jumped down from the tree and went to the riverbank.As before, he used his monkey tail to catch ten or so man-eating fish, held them in a bear skin, and quickly left the water’s edge.
He returned to the cave, lit a fire, and roasted the fish.
After eating more than ten man-eating fish, two of which had many black fish eggs that could replenish his vitality, Yuan Ming felt his energy and strength had recovered significantly.
After eating and drinking his fill, he wiped his mouth and thought about his next strategy.
Now, with only ten days left until the one-month deadline, he needed to pay five doses of beast blood to get the antidote. Although he could now use the "Fur Transformation Technique" on his own, his strength had not improved much compared to before. Hunting that black bear had been so difficult, let alone a fierce beast.
After some consideration, Yuan Ming decided to wait a few more days to adjust his body while accumulating some magical power before going to hunt the fierce beasts.
Elder Hu Huo had told them that the stronger their magical power, the greater the power of the "Fur Transformation Technique." He understood the saying "Sharpening the knife does not hinder the work of cutting wood."
He sat cross-legged and continued to practice the "Nine Elements Formula," breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
In the blink of an eye, five more days had passed.
While Yuan Ming was quietly practicing and recovering his energy in the cave, a ray of golden sunlight shone through the crack in the stone, and the crisp sound of birdsong came from outside.Yuan Ming opened his eyes and stopped his cultivation. He picked up a piece of cold barbecue meat next to him, took a few bites, drank some water, and stood up to stretch his muscles.
At this moment, a sparkling glow emanated from his skin, and the haggardness on his face had disappeared.
As Jade Flask Old Dao had said, the Nine Elements Technique was effective in cultivating the body. With sufficient food and the regulation of the Nine Elements Technique, his body had completely recovered.
After five days of hard cultivation, his magical power had also greatly increased, and a small amount of magical power was slowly flowing in his dantian.
But with only five days left until the deadline of one month, he had to set out to hunt beasts!
With this thought in mind, Yuan Ming left the cave, performed the Fur Coat Technique with a hand gesture, and the white ape skin around his waist rolled up, revealing a white ape that quickly appeared in the forest.
The white ape’s figure seemed to have grown a bit stronger, and its strength had also increased by about half.
"Indeed, the stronger the magical power, the greater the power of the Fur Coat Technique!" Yuan Ming nodded slightly and ran towards the south.
After half an hour of running, his field of vision suddenly widened, and the forest came to an end. A huge canyon appeared in front of him.
The canyon was about two or three miles wide and of unknown length, extending to both sides and reaching the end of the field of vision.
White mist drifted inside the canyon, deep and bottomless, like a barrier that separated the two sides.
"This must be the canyon that Elder Hu Huo mentioned." Yuan Ming muttered to himself.
The opposite side of the canyon was also a dense forest where the ferocious beasts were said to be. He needed to cross the canyon to kill the beasts and obtain their blood.
However, the white mist in the canyon was dense, and he didn’t know how deep it was or if there were any ferocious beasts lurking inside.
He picked up a stone and threw it with force into the misty canyon. After two or three breaths, he heard the faint sound of the stone colliding.
Yuan Ming’s eyes relaxed a bit. It seemed that the canyon was not too deep.
After a brief hesitation, Yuan Ming still moved forward, looking for a place with a gentle slope and sliding down towards the bottom of the canyon. He quickly entered the bottom of the canyon.
The mist was thick here, and he could only see one or two zhang ahead. Perhaps because of the white mist, the bottom of the canyon was damp and humid. It never saw the sunlight, and only some moss grew here, forming a sharp contrast with the lush forest above.
Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. There should be no ferocious beasts living in such a desolate place.
He groped forward, leaving a mark on the ground with each step to prevent himself from getting lost.
He soon passed through the bottom of the canyon and came to the other side of the mountain wall.
The white ape was not only good at climbing trees but also climbing mountain walls. Yuan Ming used both his hands and feet to climb up the mountain wall and quickly arrived at the forest on the opposite side.As soon as he entered this place, he immediately noticed a slight change in the surrounding environment. The trees here were taller and denser, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be more abundant. However, the mountain wind hovering here carried a piercing chill, and even with the white ape skin separating him, his body hair stood on end.
Yuan Ming raised his eyebrows and thought to himself that this forest was indeed a bit strange. He jumped onto a tree and headed towards the depths of the dense forest. He stopped not far in and walked slowly along the edge of the canyon, carefully searching for traces of ferocious beasts.
After all, he was not sure how powerful the ferocious beasts were. Walking near the canyon was more appropriate. If he couldn’t defeat them, he could jump into the canyon to escape.
During the journey, the surroundings were silent, with only occasional bird calls in the distance. This dead silence made Yuan Ming a little dry-mouthed and his palms became slightly sweaty.
He wiped his palms and was about to continue forward when a strange cry came from the forest ahead, sharp and piercing, like a baby crying. Yuan Ming’s body shook, and he quickly stopped and hid behind a dense leaf, looking towards the direction of the sound, but unfortunately he could not see anything.
At this moment, another beast roar came, completely different from the previous scream. Yuan Ming’s eyebrows moved, and he slowed down his pace as much as possible, trying not to make any noise.
Soon, Yuan Ming arrived at the source of the two beast roars. Through the gap in the leaves, he looked down.
The strange wild beast that made the sharp cry was half a zhang tall, with a head like a mouse, covered in thick yellow short hair on its chest and abdomen, and a thick turtle shell-like armor on its back, which was obviously extremely strong.
"Armadillo?" Yuan Ming guessed secretly, but armadillos were not this big.
The yellow armadillo’s two green bean eyes emitted fierce light, looking towards the grass ahead where two green foxes were crawling.
This fox’s fur was all blue-green, and its eyes were also blue, completely different from ordinary foxes. It was about a zhang long and three chi tall, with a smooth arc body, giving the impression of being very fast.
The green fox stared fiercely at the yellow armadillo and growled low in its mouth.
The fierce light in the eyes of the three beasts became stronger and stronger, and soon they all rushed out and fought together.
Yuan Ming’s face showed a concentrated expression. These three strange and large beasts were probably ferocious beasts, and he wanted to see their abilities.
After watching for a while, his face gradually became serious. Whether it was the yellow armadillo or the green fox, their strength far exceeded his expectations. The green fox was indeed an agile type of ferocious beast, with a speed twice as fast as ordinary foxes, wolves, and other wild beasts, and its attacks with sharp teeth and claws were also not to be underestimated.The yellow Armadillo was even more powerful, its claws like black iron hooks that could easily scratch deep marks on stones. The yellow armor on its back was extremely sturdy, and the claws of the two green foxes could only leave white marks on it.
The battle situation quickly became clear. The yellow Armadillo fought against two opponents and still had the upper hand. The two green foxes had more and more wounds on their bodies, and their fur was dyed red with blood.
After a fierce battle for a while, the two green foxes finally couldn’t withstand it and turned to flee.
The yellow Armadillo didn’t pursue them, instead, it roared a few times and burrowed into the nearby bushes.
Yuan Ming, who was in the tree, had his eyes brightened. He swiftly moved through the trees, chasing after the two green foxes.
The green foxes were already injured, making them perfect prey!
The two green foxes were severely injured, one of them even had a wounded hind leg, and they were not fast. Yuan Ming quickly caught up with them.
The green fox behind seemed to notice something amiss, especially the one with the injured leg. It turned its head back to look but found nothing.
At this moment, Yuan Ming had already reached above the green fox’s head. He pushed off the tree with his foot and swooped down like a hunting eagle.
The green fox was startled and hurriedly dodged to the side. However, its leg injury slowed its movement, and it was knocked down by Yuan Ming.
The fox was both frightened and angry, opening its mouth to bite Yuan Ming’s arm. But Yuan Ming reacted faster, bending his knee and slamming it hard into the fox’s spine.
The intense pain that penetrated its bones made the green fox scream, and it couldn’t help but raise its head.
Yuan Ming’s thick ape-like arms took the opportunity to wrap around the green fox’s neck, intertwining like two ropes, rendering the fox’s head immobile.
The other green fox noticed the situation behind it and immediately turned around, rushing over.
Yuan Ming glared and shouted, pushing the power of his fur technique to the extreme. His arm muscles wriggled and swelled, instantly becoming three times thicker. He twisted fiercely.
With a "crack" sound, the throat bone of the lame green fox was twisted and broken, its head slumped to the side.
At this moment, a foul-smelling wind came from behind, as the other green fox pounced.
Yuan Ming hurriedly turned to avoid it, but his shoulder was still hit by the fox’s claw. The tough ape skin was slashed with several wounds, and blood gushed out.