Li Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed, slowly concluding his cultivation.

Outside, the sky was already bright. Morning light squeezed through the cracks in the window, drawing a thin line across the floor.

He rose and stretched his limbs, then pushed the door open and walked out of his residence, heading toward the outskirts of the market.

To the west, near the foot of the mountain, there was a Chaotic Stone Beach—a good place to test his skills.

Li Yuan came to a stop, facing a rock that was about half a man’s height.

Spiritual Power gathered in his palm as the Spell for the Fireball Technique circulated in his mind.

A crimson flame condensed in his palm. Compared to before, it now had an extra, faint layer of dark patterns, like a deeper color hiding in the heart of the fire.

Li Yuan pushed the Fireball forward. It smashed against the rock and exploded with a BOOM.

Shattered stone flew everywhere. A black pit was scorched into the rock’s surface, and the stone around its edge cracked. The cracks extended a little further than they had before.

Li Yuan walked over and squatted down to examine the depth and scope of the pit.

It was a bit deeper than before, but the difference wasn’t huge.

He stepped back to his original position and launched three more Fireballs in succession, carefully observing the scorch marks and the extent of the damage each time.

The results were all similar. The power had indeed increased by just over ten percent. It was noticeable, but far from a qualitative leap.

’That makes sense,’ he thought. ’The status panel clearly stated that the increase in power is cumulative, based on the number of Fire Element Magic techniques cultivated. Since I only know the Fireball Technique, ten percent is the lowest tier.’

Li Yuan dusted the limestone off his hands and turned back toward the market.

There were many Loose Cultivators in the market selling Demon Beast Flesh, but there were also dedicated meat stalls. These stalls had connections with demon-hunting teams. The Demon Beast Flesh they sold wasn’t cheap, but it was always fairly priced.

Arriving at a meat stall, he saw the owner was a burly man with a thick beard. When the man saw Li Yuan approach, he jutted his chin.

"How much Tier One Low Grade Demon Beast Flesh do you have, and what’s the price?"

"The price varies by the Demon Beast. What kind are you looking for?"

"It’s my first time. Just want to try it."

"For a first-timer, I recommend this. It’s cheap, nourishing, and gentle. These two pieces are hind leg meat from an Iron-horned Antelope. Tier One Low Grade. Each piece is about seven or eight pounds." The stall owner patted an oilcloth-wrapped package.

"Two Spirit Stones per piece."

Li Yuan hefted the two pieces of meat, confirming their weight was about what the owner had said.

"I’ll take both hind leg pieces."

The owner deftly grabbed a cloth sack, packed the two pieces of meat inside, and handed it to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan paid with Spirit Stones and returned to his residence, carrying the beast flesh.

He closed the door and took out his Spirit Stones to count them.

Twenty-eight.

He still owed Fang He twenty for the hide-tanning apprenticeship, which would leave him with only eight.

Eight Spirit Stones wouldn’t get you much in the market. The forty-eight-stone windfall he’d gotten earlier was almost gone.

Li Yuan placed the meat on the table and sliced off a piece.

The Iron-horned Antelope’s flesh was firm with a coarse grain. The knife met noticeable resistance as it cut, much tougher than ordinary pork or mutton.

He then used his Spiritual Power to start a fire and roast it. The savory aroma of meat instantly filled the room.

The moment he swallowed the first bite, he felt a reaction in his stomach.

A faint stream of heat spread from his stomach to his limbs. It wasn’t the sense of fullness from an ordinary meal, but a fine warmth seeping into his meridians.

It started from his internal organs and surged outward along his meridians. The heat wasn’t intense, similar to the feeling after taking an Evil Essence Pill, but it was more prolonged and gentle, lacking the short, powerful burst of medicinal efficacy.

Li Yuan took two more bites, savoring the sensation.

The stream of heat continued to surge. He felt as if his meridians were being soaked in warm water. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he could clearly perceive his Qi Blood accelerating.

After finishing a pound of meat, the warm current was still flowing slowly through his body, not fading away immediately.

Li Yuan closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate the Nourishing Essence Skill.

Guided by the Cultivation Technique, his Qi Blood circulated along a specific path. The warm current from the Demon Beast Flesh was swept along with it, moving a notch faster than usual.

As the warm current passed through his entire body, his muscles and fascia felt a subtle, sore pressure, as if something was pushing outward from within.

It wasn’t the swelling sensation of being filled with Spiritual Power, but a purely physical change—his muscles and bones were being strengthened, bit by bit.

After one full cycle, most of the warm current had dissipated. The remainder seeped into his flesh and bone, dissolving completely.

Li Yuan opened his eyes, clenched his fist, and carefully assessed the feeling.

The effect wasn’t significant, but it was definitely there.

’The effect should be more obvious if I eat more Demon Beast Flesh,’ he mused. ’And this is just a Tier One Low Grade Iron-horned Antelope. Meat from a higher-level Demon Beast should be even better.’

Li Yuan re-wrapped the remaining meat in the coarse cloth and placed it in a cool spot.

’No need to eat it all at once. If I eat too much, the accumulated heat will be wasted if my body can’t absorb it in time.’

That afternoon, while Li Yuan was in his residence cultivating the Nourishing Essence Skill, there was a knock on the door.

Li Yuan stopped his cultivation, rose, and unlatched the door.

Sun Liang was standing outside, holding a cloth sack. He was alone.

"Captain Wang sent me to tell you that the mountain business is finished. It’s time to give out the rewards."

Sun Liang handed over the sack.

"Here are five Spirit Stones. Captain Wang also said you’re getting twenty Contribution Points. He said it’s mainly a reward for that tracking mission you did before, Deputy Li. Guiding them up the mountain didn’t contribute much."

Li Yuan took the sack, felt its weight, and put it away.

’Guiding them up the mountain wasn’t very dangerous, strictly speaking,’ Li Yuan thought. ’It’s expected that it wouldn’t be worth much in contributions.’

"Did Captain Wang say anything else?"

"He said it’s likely you’ll be heading into the mountains again, Deputy Li. And it’ll be more dangerous this time." Sun Liang leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "He didn’t say what it was, specifically."

They exchanged a few more words. Sun Liang didn’t stay long and left.

Li Yuan closed the door, securing his new Spirit Stones and Contribution Points.

With five more Spirit Stones in his possession, he had a little more breathing room, but only a little.

In the evening, Fang He came knocking.

After entering, he pulled a thin booklet from his robes and handed it over. It had a cover of rough beast hide with slightly worn edges.

"It’s nothing precious, just the basic steps and key points of hide-tanning. Have a look first."

Li Yuan took it and felt it. No status panel popped up.

The booklet wasn’t thick, only about ten pages in total. The handwriting was messy, but the instructions were fairly clear. From skinning the Demon Beast hide, soaking, degreasing, and pressing it, to the final cutting—every step was briefly explained. A few crude diagrams were drawn next to some of the steps.

"I have the day off the day after tomorrow. Come find me then, and I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step." Fang He leaned against the table, casually picking up the water pot on it to pour himself a cup.

"Alright."

After finishing his water, Fang He didn’t linger. He dusted himself off and left.

Li Yuan placed the booklet by his bedside. He didn’t read it right away, choosing to first finish the rest of his cultivation for the day.

After nightfall, Li Yuan cut another pound of Demon Beast Flesh, roasted it, and ate it. He then sat cross-legged, circulated his Nourishing Essence Skill, and guided the warm current into his meridians.

The warmth from the Demon Beast Flesh was swept up by his Qi Blood, circulating over and over as it slowly seeped into his muscles and bones.

He completed one cycle and continued to a second.

His Qi Blood flowed along its fixed path with almost no obstruction in his meridians. It was as if he had traveled this road a thousand times.

Halfway through the second cycle, the rhythm of his Qi Blood suddenly changed.

It didn’t get faster; it grew heavier. Several strands of Qi Blood that had been flowing separately converged at a certain node, their momentum becoming long and powerful. This combined force pushed the residual heat in his meridians forward.

A very faint cracking sound came from the seams of his bones. It didn’t hurt; it felt more like his joints were being slowly stretched open and then closed. Heat spread from his spine to his limbs. The muscles in its path tensed slightly before relaxing, becoming even looser than before. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It was as if his body had tuned its own strings, tightening the loose ones and loosening the taut ones, until every single one was in its proper place.

The last trace of heat sank into his flesh and bone, and his Qi Blood stabilized.

He no longer needed to consciously guide the Cultivation Technique’s circulation. Every part of the Nourishing Essence Skill now interlocked on its own, as natural as breathing.

Li Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and clenched his fist.

As his fingers closed, the feedback from his tendons felt a fraction sharper than before.

[Cultivation Technique: Nourishing Essence Skill - Minor Achievement (0/1600)]