C22 His Progress Was Rapid

Xu Ming's resolve deepened, but suddenly, his expression shifted as he murmured to himself, "Have I been going about this all wrong?"

"A Rank One Spirit Beast Inner Core can fetch anywhere from ten to twenty gold coins in the market, depending on its quality. And yet, those damaged Spirit Beast Inner Cores I bought before only cost me three gold coins in total. If I sell the Rank One Spirit Beast Inner Cores that I've hunted and use the proceeds to purchase damaged ones, wouldn't that be a smart move?"

Spirit Beast Inner Cores are nurtured within the heads of spirit beasts, which happen to be the most durable part of these creatures. Extracting a Spirit Beast Inner Core requires breaking through the beast's skull, a challenging task since the core clings tightly to the bone, encased within a specialized, sealed skeletal structure.

Successfully removing an undamaged Spirit Beast Inner Core is a formidable task. Over the past month, Xu Ming has hunted no fewer than fifty spirit beasts, yet only sixty to seventy percent of the Inner Cores he extracted were intact.

Perhaps Xu Ming's indifference to consuming even the damaged Spirit Beast Inner Cores was a testament to the arduous nature of their extraction. In the market, Spirit Beast Inner Cores must be flawless, without a single scratch – those with significant damage are virtually unsellable.

"Have I been squandering too many Spirit Beast Inner Cores?" he wondered. In the past month alone, Xu Ming had secured at least fifty Spirit Beast Inner Cores, with over thirty remaining intact. Selling them could be lucrative...

But realizing this now wasn't too late. Xu Ming's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "It's time for another breakthrough! Engaging in battle is indeed a fast track to enhancing one's strength. But before I advance, I must improve my Cultivation Method Level."

Xu Ming had swiftly departed after slaying the Flower-striped Leopard because he felt the bottleneck of his Martial Artist Grade Two status weakening. The cave, once the den of a Thunder Bear, had become his sanctuary after he vanquished the creature. Sealing the entrance with a large stone, Xu Ming ensured a secure place to rest and recuperate.

"Let's begin!"

Xu Ming called to mind the secret technique for upgrading his Cultivation Method Level. He activated his bloodline, directing it along the path of the Cultivation Method.

As the bloodline flowed into the Cultivation Method's path, Xu Ming sensed a slight decrease in his strength. His power remained constant, yet his Bloodline Level steadily declined.

Gene Points dwindled gradually until 10,000 points were depleted. Xu Ming resolutely severed the bloodline's flow, resisting the Cultivation Method's alluring pleasure and temptation. He was certain that without this decisive action, his bloodline would be utterly consumed by the Cultivation Method in no time.

"The temptation is indeed overwhelming!"

Xu Ming was shaken. The sensation of leveling up his Cultivation Method was irresistible, akin to being in a mystical realm where endless cultivation could lead to invincibility.

"Just at the cusp of the Acquired High Level. I need another 100,000 points, and then my Cultivation Method can ascend to the Innate Realm. That will suffice for a while."

A new and distinct route for circulating the Cultivation Method materialized in Xu Ming's mind. His lips curled into a slight smile as he instinctively began to practice along this new pathway.

Spiritual Energy flowed toward him like water.

Above Xu Ming's head, a Spiritual Energy Vortex took shape, resembling an upside-down funnel connecting heaven and earth, drawing in a ceaseless stream of Spiritual Energy into his body and through his meridians. As the Cultivation Method circulated, impurities were filtered out, leaving only the essence of the Spiritual Energy to be gathered into his dantian.

Within Xu Ming's dantian, a thumb-sized Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball emitted a gentle, crystalline glow and began to rotate slowly. Each strand of pure Spiritual Energy it absorbed was engulfed by the ball, which imperceptibly grew larger.

Upon closer inspection, the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball exhibited a faint pulsation, rhythmic like a beating heart. With each pulse, the ball expanded slightly, its rotation quickened, and more Spiritual Energy was drawn into the dantian.

"Advancing in my cultivation method has indeed brought unexpected benefits!" Xu Ming realized during his training that once his cultivation method reached the Acquired High Level, numerous new meridians had been opened. As Spiritual Energy flowed into these meridians, it was continuously purified along the path dictated by the cultivation method. The advantages of expanding the meridians became apparent: "Indeed, with more meridians opened, not only is the circulation speed unaffected, but it has actually increased. Moreover, the Spiritual Energy I refine now is even purer than when my method was at the Intermediate Level!"

The allure of a High Level Cultivation Method lies in its ability to accelerate the speed of cultivation, open more meridians, and purify Spiritual Energy to a greater extent.

The purity of the Spiritual Energy in the dantian is crucial to a Cultivator's future progress and achievements. The purer the Spiritual Energy, the more effortlessly martial skills can be executed. The purity of Spiritual Energy, which depends on the cultivation method, is essential for smooth operation and rapid advancement.

It's no wonder everyone is after High Level Cultivation Methods, going so far as to engage in life-or-death battles over a single technique. Now it all makes sense.

The Martial God Continent is a land of wonders, where those who discover them can gain extraordinary opportunities, whether it be a cultivation method, a pill, or Spiritual Material. Once a Cultivator reaches the Martial Sovereign Realm, they can create their own domain. Should a Martial Sovereign face an untimely demise or reach life's natural limit, they would use their life's energy to craft a space for their burial. This space remains hidden for a time, not emerging into the world. But once the energy within the domain is depleted, the remnants and burial sites of these great warriors are revealed for all to find.

Today, the practice of martial arts on the Martial God Continent has reached its zenith, with nearly everyone pursuing martial cultivation. Yet, High Level Cultivation Methods are becoming increasingly rare, either hoarded by aristocratic families and sects or lost with the passing of the mighty.

Therefore, whenever a High Level Cultivation Method or the remnants of a powerful being emerged on the Martial God Continent, it would inevitably draw innumerable individuals seeking their fortune.

For Xu Ming at the moment, this was irrelevant. It merely underscored the significance of the cultivation method and the importance of refining pure Spiritual Energy. At this critical point in Xu Ming's cultivation, the rate at which Spiritual Energy was absorbed into his body had increased significantly, producing a series of "swoosh" sounds within the cave. The influx of Spiritual Energy through Xu Ming's meridians and the operation of his cultivation method had reached their peak. The intricate meridian pathways acted like a sewage treatment plant, filtering repeatedly, layer by layer, discarding impurities and retaining increasingly pure Spiritual Energy.

Within the meridians, the Spiritual Energy, once the size of a thumb, became progressively finer as it was refined by the cultivation method. By the time it flowed into the dantian, it was only as thick as a strand of hair. This pure, unadulterated thread of Spiritual Energy then entered the dantian and merged with the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball.

"Thump, thump~"

As Xu Ming's cultivation deepened and time progressed, the rhythm of the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball began to synchronize with his heartbeat. The once thumb-sized Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball had grown significantly larger.

Xu Ming sat in meditation, his expression serene yet solemn.

After an indeterminate amount of time, when the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball within his dantian suddenly ceased pulsating and absorbing Spiritual Energy, Xu Ming furrowed his brow: "When I first broke through to Martial Artist Grade One, I condensed the Dantian Qi to its utmost before attempting the breakthrough. I'm not sure if this method will work for advancing to Martial Artist Grade Two."

Having benefited from this approach during his previous advancement, Xu Ming couldn't help but consider it once more.

He restrained the rotation of the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball and accelerated the operation of his cultivation technique, aiming to have the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball resume absorbing the Spiritual Energy in his dantian.

"Swoosh, swoosh~"

The Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball regained its maximum rotational speed. The previously ultra-pure Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball began to expel tiny impurities, and as a result, it suddenly contracted slightly.

"It really works!"

Xu Ming's heart swelled with joy as he once again entered a state of complete absorption, channeling spiritual energy, refining it, and incorporating it into the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball.

The previously diminished Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball, after an indeterminate amount of time, regained its original size, becoming crystal clear and glowing with a soft luminescence.

"It's reached the ultimate point of refinement."

After some time, Xu Ming's expression shifted; he could no longer hold back, and the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball ceased its rotation, causing a momentary halt in the flow of spiritual energy within him.

"Pop."

A faint sound emanated from his Dantian, and the once-still liquid ball began to rotate again, albeit at a much slower pace, and the rate at which it absorbed and devoured the spiritual energy also decreased.

"Hum."

Xu Ming's body shook, and he opened his eyes.

As Xu Ming's eyes snapped open, twin sparks of light flickered and then retracted back into his gaze. Simultaneously, the Spiritual Energy Vortex above his head abruptly shattered and dissipated.

"Martial Artist Grade Two Peak!" Xu Ming rose to his feet, his bones crackling with the movement, yet unable to mask the excitement in his voice or the surprise on his face: "With a bit more effort, I can break through again in less than a month!"

Xu Ming hadn't anticipated that by suppressing his breakthrough and repeatedly condensing the Spiritual Energy Liquid Ball in his Dantian until it was free of any impurities, he would be met with such a delightful surprise upon his next advancement.

"This could be a viable approach."

In that moment, Xu Ming had discovered his own path to cultivation, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of elation.

"The Spirit Beasts here no longer present a challenge worth pursuing. It seems I must delve deeper into the forest to hunt higher-level Spirit Beasts."

Approaching the cave entrance, Xu Ming extended his hand to push aside the massive boulder that served as a barrier.

He had taken over the dwelling of a Rank One Spirit Beast, making it his own. To avoid interruptions during his cultivation, Xu Ming had exerted considerable effort to find this boulder to seal the entrance securely. Moreover, he had taken care not to disturb the vegetation at the mouth of the cave. Without close inspection, one would never suspect that this place was a sanctuary.

Xu Ming, initially intent on pushing aside the massive boulder, abruptly halted. His ears twitched, and he remained motionless.