C20 The Speed of the Pig Demon

Su Xiaoman's evolution was proceeding with meticulous orderliness.

After a brief period of banter with the artifact spirit, Su Bai resumed his meditative state.

As evening approached, Xiaoman's evolution came to a close. At the same time, Su Bai had a breakthrough with the cultivation technique, entering a state of deep cultivation.

The spiritual energy, drifting through the world, began to separate from the air and thread its way into Su Bai's body. The sensation was refreshing, akin to a cool breeze meandering through his entire being.

"Ah, my sister has finished evolving!"

Su Bai's eyes snapped open.

He glanced towards Xiaoman's rear and, sure enough, she had sprouted two new tails.

Standing up and exhaling a heavy breath, a smile graced Su Bai's face.

"How does it feel?"

Having grasped the cultivation technique, Su Bai's urgency had dissipated.

Xiaoman remained still, tuning into her new state, then gently shook her head.

"It feels the same as before!"

"Pfft!"

Su Bai couldn't help but snort out a laugh.

He cast an incredulous look at Xiaoman and then at Su Xiaomu. What was the deal with these siblings? Aside from the additional tail, their evolution seemed to have made no other changes.

"Could they have experienced a false evolution?"

In that moment, Su Bai felt a tinge of relief.

Regardless, each of his own evolutions brought a new skill, which was far superior to the demon fox siblings' apparent lack of progress.

"Well, if there's no change, there's no change. Let's keep moving!"

The party pressed on eastward.

They encountered no demonic beasts along the way, which puzzled Su Bai. He had hoped to encounter a few to devour.

Even though he could now cultivate by absorbing the Spiritual Qi from Heaven and Earth, the energy gained from devouring was much quicker. Clearly preferring this method over the tedium of seated meditation, Su Bai enjoyed evolving through devouring.

As they journeyed, pausing and probing, Su Bai began to discern some patterns in cultivation.

For instance, he noted that absorbing Spiritual Qi for about an hour would increase his energy by one point. Moreover, if he cultivated for over six hours straight, the absorption rate would slow, and he'd start feeling a pressure in his head.

After some quick math, Su Bai figured that even at a rate of one energy point per hour, a full day of uninterrupted cultivation could net him 24 energy points.

Su Bai needed approximately 10,000 energy points for his next evolution. This meant that even with a year and a half of non-stop cultivation, without eating or drinking, he would barely scrape together the necessary energy. Realizing this left Su Bai feeling quite helpless. Thankfully, he could accelerate his energy acquisition by devouring demonic beasts.

It was Su Bai's fourth day on Mount Fang when he finally came across a demonic creature. The beast was a level one demonic pig. While the pig couldn't detect Su Bai's strength, it was keenly aware of the power emanating from the two demonic foxes.

Consequently, the beast, which had painstakingly evolved from a mere wild boar, wasted no time in turning tail and fleeing, presenting Su Bai and his companions with nothing but a vanishing backside.

Su Bai, Su Xiaomu, and Su Xiaoman stood rooted to the spot, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Why didn't you two go after it?" Su Bai inquired.

"It's too fast; I can't catch up!" Su Xiaomu admitted candidly.

"I can't catch up either!" Su Xiaoman added.

"Well, never mind then. To be honest, I couldn't catch up either!" Su Bai said with a shrug.

And so, the trio continued on their way. Before long, they stumbled upon the demonic pig once again. Unaware of their presence, the beast was contentedly lying under a fruit tree, feasting on the rotten fruit that had fallen to the ground.

"This time, both of you attack together, and make sure it doesn't get away!" Su Bai tasked the fox siblings with capturing the creature.

The siblings nodded earnestly and tiptoed towards the demonic pig in a stealthy approach.

Su Bai lay hidden in the underbrush, observing the fox siblings. He was convinced that their evolution had granted them some new ability, but these two hadn't realized it yet. Su Bai watched silently from the rear, curious to discover what skill the siblings had acquired.

The demonic pig snorted with delight, thoroughly enjoying its meal. For this creature, which had evolved through sheer effort, eating was of paramount importance. Continuous feeding was the only way to further its evolution. Since feasting on energy-rich beasts was out of reach for such a low-level demon, it had to resort to consuming fruits and the like to gather energy.

Having survived countless battles and narrow escapes from numerous demonic beasts, he had honed a sharp sense of perception.

Just recently, he encountered three shape-shifting demon beasts. Without a moment's hesitation, he used his agility to flee at the first opportunity.

The fruit that fell from the tree was delicious, prompting the pig demon to indulge in a little more. Sated for now, there was no telling where the next meal would come from.

Oh no, it seems another demon is approaching.

The nimble pig demon immediately spotted the fox demon siblings upon their arrival.

Without a second thought, the pig demon bolted, utilizing the speed perfected over many years to vanish without a trace.

The fox demon siblings were left dumbfounded.

"Sister, are you sure that was a pig demon? How could it move so fast!"

"Yes, it definitely was a pig demon!"

Su Xiaoman nodded, speculating with a serious tone, "Perhaps it's a mutant variety of pig demon!"

The siblings returned to Su Bai, feeling somewhat sheepish as they hung their heads.

Su Bai was at a loss for words.

He was dumbfounded by the siblings' ineptitude and equally astonished by the pig demon's incredible speed.

It was unbelievably fast!

Su Bai doubted even he could have kept up.

"Let's just move on. Hopefully, we'll encounter something slower next time!"

Half an hour later, a Level-2 demonic beast, a Pangolin, appeared before Su Bai and his companions.

Pangolins were notorious for their thick skin and sluggish pace.

Upon spotting Su Bai and the others, the Pangolin attempted to flee, but its short legs were no match for the trio, who quickly caught up.

The Pangolin curled into a ball, tucking in its head and limbs.

"I'll leave this one to you two!"

Su Bai decided to let the siblings handle the Level-2 demonic beast Pangolin.

Su Xiaomu transformed into a fox and prodded the Pangolin, now a curled-up ball.

The Pangolin rolled a short distance away.

After catching up, Su Xiaomu prodded the Pangolin once more with his claws. Once he was sure it was safe, he picked up the Pangolin.

Holding the Pangolin in his hands, Su Xiaomu was momentarily perplexed.

What was he supposed to do with it?

He held it up to his mouth, but alas, he couldn't find a way to bite into it.

Su Xiaomu sprinted over to his sister and passed the pangolin to her.

Su Xiaoman examined the pangolin for a moment, then attempted to bite it with her teeth. Shaking her head, she handed it over to Su Bai.

Su Bai, holding the pangolin, was caught between laughter and tears.

But for Su Bai, who possessed the skill of Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth, the pangolin's defense was nothing more than child's play.