C90 Devouring Weapons

As he flipped open the chest, a surge of Spiritual Energy burst forth into the heavens.

Luckily, Yu Kun had attained the Soul Refining Stage, allowing him to quickly find his footing.

"What in the world is this? The Little Prince has truly given me a magnificent gift!"

With his eyes sparkling, Yu Kun eagerly dashed forward to uncover the mystery within.

Once the radiant glow from within the chest faded, Yu Kun could make out a dagger lying there. It was sheathed, its scabbard unadorned.

Drawing the dagger, a burst of cold light radiated in all directions.

Yu Kun, though no expert in weaponry, recognized the exceptional nature of this blade.

But as he was about to test the dagger's might, it vanished into thin air, along with the Spiritual Energy that had been present moments before.

Yu Kun stood there, momentarily stunned, then realization dawned on him.

"You've gobbled up my stuff again!"

With a lament, Yu Kun quickly checked on the baby Leviathan within his Qi Sea.

As expected, the dagger had been consumed by the creature.

Yu Kun exhaled a resigned sigh, his heart coming to terms with the reality.

Any object brimming with Spiritual Energy seemed to be beyond his reach.

"I once thought you were my pet, that I'd feed you whatever you fancied. But now it's clear, I'm the one being kept!"

Muttering to himself, Yu Kun resignedly waited for the baby Leviathan to digest the dagger.

Traditionally, he knew that the creature would likely regurgitate something after its meal.

Impatient as he was, Yu Kun had no choice but to bide his time until the baby Leviathan finished with the dagger.

"Captain! I sense a surge of Spiritual Energy ahead, as if some treasure has emerged from the earth!"

Within the Cold Moon Mountain Range, a hundred miles from Yu Kun, a mutated beast reported to its leader, kneeling before it.

Behind them, nearly a hundred ordinary mutated beasts stood, their gazes vacant, seemingly devoid of sentience.

Upon hearing the report, the captain's eyes flickered with intrigue.

"As a member of the cunning clan of mutated beasts, you excel at detecting Spiritual Energy! It appears a treasure is indeed nearby!"

The captain was a mutated beast as well, but an unusual one—half-human, half-snake, his appearance was unsettling. Anyone well-versed in the world who laid eyes on him would be taken aback, for he was on the cusp of transforming into a demonic beast.

The leap from mutated beast to demonic beast was immense!

At that moment, the Human-snake Captain spoke deliberately, "This time, our king was gravely wounded by those accursed members of the Human Clan. He has commanded us to scour for treasures to aid his recovery. We've trailed the Cold Moon Mountain Range to no avail, but at last, we've discovered a treasure brimming with Spiritual Energy! It doesn't matter who holds it; we will seize it immediately!"

The mutated beast that had detected the Spiritual Energy let out a thunderous roar, prompting the others to rise and bellow their own rallying cries.

Under the Human-snake Captain's lead, the throng of mutated beasts surged towards the source of the Spiritual Energy.

Yu Kun had been waiting for what felt like an eternity when he finally witnessed the baby Leviathan finish devouring the dagger. The creature let out a satisfied belch afterward.

Anticipation surged within Yu Kun. "I'm so thrilled! What will the baby Leviathan regurgitate this time? How can I act as though it's my first time receiving a treasure?"

While Yu Kun was lost in thought, the baby Leviathan simply rolled over and fell asleep, leaving him stunned.

"You're becoming increasingly intolerable! I've let it slide when you casually consume my possessions, because you used to cough up something in return. But what's your plan now? To give me nothing?" Yu Kun grumbled. He considered making a threat but soon realized he was out of options.

"What choice do I have? In the end, I'll forgive you just like my father did!" Yu Kun cried out in despair, resigning himself to the fact that the baby Leviathan had greedily consumed his found dagger and offered nothing in return.

"Let it be. Perhaps the baby Leviathan isn't sated yet. I'll just have to wait until next time." With that thought, Yu Kun approached the chest once more. Inside, aside from the sheathed dagger, lay a collection of battered weapons. Their quality was poor; many were rusted and seemed beyond use.

"It looks like a Refiner must have buried his crafted weapon here in a rush after some mishap. But then again, didn't the Refiner have a Space Ring?"

While Yu Kun pondered this, a thunderous sound erupted from within his Qi Sea.

Startled, Yu Kun's surprise quickly turned to elation.

"Fantastic! I knew you wouldn't just freeload off the dagger I found! You're bound to repay me after your meal!"

Yu Kun eagerly inspected his Qi Sea and witnessed the baby Leviathan belch a massive burp that coalesced into a bubble. This bubble then gently wafted out of the Qi Sea and merged into Yu Kun's body.

Though Yu Kun was clueless about the nature of the bubble, he surmised it was no ordinary thing.

"There's got to be some advantage to this! I'm curious about the benefits the baby Leviathan has granted me for consuming the dagger. The system won't clue me in, so it's up to me to figure it out."

Yu Kun decided to test it by channeling his Astral Energy.

After initiating the flow of Astral Energy, he executed the Stunning Steps. His speed remained unchanged, indicating the treasure hadn't enhanced his agility.

Next, Yu Kun attempted the Great Vajra Palm, yet no discernible change was evident.

"Traditionally, this bubble in my body wouldn't be without effect; I must have gained some enhancement, even if it's not apparent right now. No use dwelling on it, though. The system is still processing, and for the moment, I can't depend on absorbing Spiritual Energy to advance my stage. Now that I'm here in the Cloud Connecting Mountain Range, it's the perfect opportunity to hunt demonic beasts and elevate my stage. Once I reach the Intermediate Rank Soul Refining Stage, things should be less perilous!"