Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 13 – Plundering the essence of plants and trees

"Humph, humph, humph..."

A wild boar with bright red hair, standing over a meter tall and three meters long, was rampaging through the forest.

This type of beast was called a Red-Haired Wild Boar. Although it wasn't a first-level demonic beast, it was very close. Sometimes, even some weaker first-level demonic beasts would avoid provoking this creature.

There was a wound on the neck of this Red-Haired Wild Boar, bleeding profusely as it ran, leaving a trail of blood.

"This beast's hide is really tough." Luo Xiu leaped and landed on the branch of a large tree.

"Bang!"

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The Red-Haired Wild Boar, with blood-red eyes, charged fiercely at the tree, its sharp tusks piercing the bark and embedding into the trunk.

The tree shook, but Luo Xiu stood firm, unmoved.

"A beast is just a beast, stupid as hell."

Luo Xiu jumped down from the tree, raising his sword to slash at the wound on the boar's neck.

That wound was caused by his previous strike, but since his sword was just an ordinary weapon, it could injure the beast but not kill it in one blow.

"Slash!"

With the momentum of his fall, the sword cut down with great force, infused with inner qi, severing the boar's head, spilling blood everywhere.

The two most valuable tusks were stuck in the tree trunk, and Luo Xiu had to exert effort to pull them out. He then quickly collected a piece of pork and left swiftly.

The scent of blood could easily attract other beasts nearby, so it was wise to finish the fight quickly.

Unknowingly, night had fallen, and the dense foliage made the forest even darker.

"There aren't any dangerous beasts nearby."

In a certain part of the forest, Luo Xiu first sensed the surroundings before checking his gains for the day.

Throughout the day, he hadn't encountered any demonic beasts, only hunting regular beasts, most of which were comparable to Martial Apprentices at the sixth layer of Body Refining.

"Regular beasts don't have much valuable on them, but I managed to kill seven or eight today, which should fetch two to three thousand taels of silver." Luo Xiu smiled.

Though two to three thousand taels of silver was a drop in the bucket for cultivation, it was money he earned himself. He believed that as long as his strength grew, he could earn more resources.

"At night, visibility is poor, not suitable for hunting. Better find a place to rest."

Soon, Luo Xiu found a tree hollow. The space inside wasn't large, but it was enough. He had discovered it half an hour earlier; it was well-hidden and unlikely to be found.

Reluctantly, Luo Xiu placed his Azure Edge Sword aside, thinking, "Even though I've been using the sword to kill beasts all day, I've never actually practiced any sword techniques. If only I could get a sword technique manual to train with, that would be great."

Sitting cross-legged in the tree hollow, Luo Xiu began to practice the improved Muscle and Bone Transformation Art.

No matter the time or place, one's cultivation should never be neglected, a rule Luo Xiu set for himself.

In his cultivation state, Luo Xiu used the Life and Death Pearl to sense the surroundings. Even an ant crawling by would be detected by him, feeling the fluctuations of life.

Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi gathered, entering his body through his breath and pores, condensing into inner qi through the cultivation method, and then refining into his muscles and bones.

"Although I'm at the peak of the fifth layer of Body Refining, to break through to the sixth layer, at this rate, it'll take at least three days." Luo Xiu estimated. Since reaching the fifth layer, he noticed his cultivation speed slowing down.

The level of the cultivation method was secondary; the improved Grade-Two Internal Cultivation was sufficient for his current level. The main issue was the lack of enough Yuan Qi to absorb and refine.

"Besides using pills and formations, how can I obtain more Yuan Qi?" Luo Xiu was filled with longing, eager for his strength to increase faster.

"Buzz!..."

Suddenly, a faint tremor came from the Life and Death Pearl in his soul. Though weak, Luo Xiu sensed it clearly due to the subtle connection with the pearl.

Immediately, pure life energy began to converge towards him, entering his body through his cultivation, causing his cultivation level to rise rapidly!

"This is..." Luo Xiu was both surprised and delighted. Through his connection with the Life and Death Pearl, he received the message that he was absorbing the Essence of Life!

The Essence of Life was a type of Yuan Qi, but of much higher quality than ordinary Yuan Qi in the world, making its absorption and refinement far more effective.

"Crack!"

In just a moment, Luo Xiu's muscles and bones emitted a series of crisp sounds, and a stronger force surged through his body.

"Body Refining, sixth layer, I broke through to the sixth layer so quickly!"

Luo Xiu opened his eyes, filled with joy. The sixth layer of Body Refining was the final stage of refining muscles and bones. The next step would be refining internal organs at the seventh layer.

"Was I absorbing the Essence of Life from the nearby vegetation?"

At the same time, Luo Xiu noticed that the vitality of the vegetation within a hundred meters had significantly weakened.

"This is a cultivation method akin to plundering!"

Life and death are two extremes. Taking the life of other beings is essentially the power of death.

Luo Xiu knew that after merging with the Life and Death Pearl, he possessed the characteristics of both life and death.

Life is giving, offering, while death is destruction, deprivation!

"The Life and Death Pearl is a supreme treasure; it must be something extraordinary!" Luo Xiu didn't fully understand the concept of a supreme treasure, but when he first merged with the Life and Death Pearl, various pieces of information about it flooded his mind.

"No matter what, I can now rapidly enhance my strength through this method!" The increase in cultivation made Luo Xiu excited, finally solving a long-standing problem.

Moreover, he discovered that he could absorb the life force of everything within a hundred meters. During his cultivation, all life forms within this range would have their life force drawn towards him.

However, unlike vegetation, animals would panic and flee once they realized their life force was being taken. As long as they escaped beyond the hundred-meter range, they would be safe.

That night, the area within a hundred meters of Luo Xiu became a forbidden zone. Even the demonic beasts that roamed Shuiwu Mountain didn't dare approach.

Reaching the sixth layer of Body Refining meant Luo Xiu had completed the stages of refining skin, flesh, and bones.

He could clearly feel the Life and Death Extremes Qi within his skin and bones, subtly transforming his physique, undergoing a kind of metamorphosis.

In the following days, Luo Xiu hunted in the Shuiwu Mountain area. Whenever his bag was full, he'd return to Qingyun City to sell his spoils. In five days, he earned over ten thousand taels of silver.

"Indeed, it's easy for a martial artist to make money. If I were a Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist, hunting second-level demonic beasts would surely earn me more."

Luo Xiu sighed. Ten thousand taels of silver was unimaginable for an ordinary commoner.

"However, even though ten thousand taels is a lot, it's still not enough for cultivation."

In recent days, Luo Xiu absorbed the Essence of Life in Shuiwu Mountain, steadily increasing his cultivation. But breaking through to the seventh layer of Body Refining wasn't something achievable in the short term.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a beast's roar echoed through the forest, even from a distance, causing Luo Xiu's eardrums to buzz and his blood and qi to fluctuate.

"A demonic beast! And not an ordinary one!" Luo Xiu was taken aback.

Leaping forward, Luo Xiu quickly headed towards the source of the roar.

Soon, he saw a tiger beast with a body covered in alternating blue and white hair, standing nearly two meters tall and over four meters long.

The tiger beast's tail swung like steel, smashing nearby rocks to pieces.

"Iron-Tailed Demon Tiger!"

Recognizing the tiger beast, Luo Xiu's eyes narrowed.

Within the same level, both demonic beasts and martial artists had varying strengths. For instance, first-level demonic beasts were categorized into ordinary, intermediate, peak, and top tiers.

This Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon was a peak first-level demonic beast, and even a ninth-layer Body Refining practitioner would avoid it.

A top-tier first-level demonic beast could even rival a Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist.

In Luo Xiu's perception, the life force of this Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon was incredibly vigorous, burning like a torch.

At the same time, Luo Xiu noticed several people hiding nearby. Although they were well-concealed, they couldn't hide their life force, making them visible to Luo Xiu's perception.

"Whoosh!"

A black light shot through the air, accompanied by the twang of a bowstring.

Luo Xiu squinted, barely making out the black light as an arrow!

"These six people must be a hunting team, aiming to kill this Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon!" Luo Xiu thought.

"Thud!"

The arrow had strong penetration power, and the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon, unprepared, was pierced in the relatively vulnerable neck, blood splattering.

"Roar!"

The Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon roared in anger, its blood-red eyes scanning the surroundings, spotting the archer, and immediately charged.

"Beast, meet your end!"

At that moment, a burly man wielding twin axes charged out from a nearby bush, confronting the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon.

The others hidden nearby also emerged, launching an assault on the peak first-level tiger demon.

Five engaged in melee, while one shot arrows from a distance, a common hunting strategy for hunter teams.

"Bang!"

The tiger demon swung its tail, the steel-like appendage whipping through the air with a crackling sound.

The leading burly man, holding his twin axes, took the hit head-on but was sent flying, crashing into a tree, blood trickling from his mouth.

"Big brother!" Seeing their strongest member knocked back in one blow, the other four cried out in alarm.

"Brothers, watch out for this beast's tail!" The burly man shouted, charging at the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon again.

The burly man's strength was at the eighth layer of Body Refining, his twin axes clashing with the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon in a fierce battle.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..."

Blacklight arrows flew one after another, aiming for the vital points on the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon's neck.

However, the tiger demon was incredibly fast. Except for the first surprise attack, the other arrows either missed or failed to penetrate its tough hide.

"Thud!"

The tiger demon pounced in fury, pinning a martial artist to the ground, tearing him apart with claws and fangs, killing him instantly.

As for the other attacks, they were all deflected by its sweeping iron tail.

"A-Fei!"

The burly man and his companions were filled with rage and grief.