Wu Tao sighed and said to Xu Sheng, half explaining and half mocking, "With my talent, which Core Formation elder would be blind enough to take me in?"
Xu Sheng gave Wu Tao a look and directly exposed Wu Tao's innermost thoughts, immediately retorting, "What you're saying makes it seem like you're having a terrible time. You're only thirty-three and already have late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, not to mention an ancient inheritance."
"If you genuinely wanted to find a master, how could you still not have one by now?"
"Hmph, so hypocritical!"
Exposed, Wu Tao touched his nose and remained silent, tacitly admitting it.
Indeed, because he harbored too many secrets, he wasn't too interested in taking a master.
Coupled with his ancient sword cultivator inheritance, he wasn't lacking in cultivation techniques or secret arts for the time being.
...
After sending Xu Sheng off, Wu Tao's next task was to find time to refine the spiritual herbs and medicinal ingredients he had into pills.
Unfortunately, Wu Tao's talent in alchemy was even worse than his cultivation talent. He had exploded his furnace hundreds of times even when refining the simplest Grain Dispelling Pills and Clarity Pills with a low-grade alchemical furnace, costing him a large amount of spirit stones.
Infuriated, Wu Tao eventually sold the low-grade alchemical furnace at a loss and gave up on alchemy.
Having stayed in the Taiyi Immortal Sect for twenty to thirty years, Wu Tao suddenly had an urge to go out for some tempering.
After all, Wu Tao now possessed late-stage Foundation Establishment realm cultivation, making him a significant expert in the cultivation world.
Wu Tao packed all his belongings.
His storage bag contained numerous top-tier magical artifacts, the remaining four to five thousand spirit stones, and some healing pills.
There were big and small tempering expeditions. Small expeditions were usually conducted within Qing Province or neighboring countries, not venturing too far. They would return in a few months to half a year at most.
Large-scale expeditions were different, encompassing the cultivation worlds of the Nine Provinces and nearby regions.
Throughout the Taiyi Immortal Sect's tens of thousands of years of history, many individuals had chosen to go out for tempering, but most of them never returned.
Whether they were alive or dead, or perhaps unwilling to return from a distant land, was unknown.
The path of a cultivator seeking immortality was inherently fraught with uncertainty. How could one achieve greatness and aspire to longevity if they feared death?
Wu Tao decided to traverse Qing Province and temper himself in the western Liang Province, a place of life and death.
The Nine Provinces Continent was vast and boundless.
Spiritual lands, treasure lands, perilous lands, and fierce lands... were countless. Among these, the western Liang Province, the northern Ji Province, and the southern Huang Jing Province were particularly notorious for their perilous and fierce nature.
...
A blood moon hung high, and the wind howled!
The nights on the Wulatuosi Great Grasslands were always desolate and cold. For tens of thousands of miles, there was a scarcity of human life, only the presence of terrifying demonic beasts and their chilling roars!
For this tempering journey, Wu Tao's destination was Liang Province. To reach Liang Province, he had to cross most of Qing Province and traverse several extremely dangerous areas.
Otherwise, he would have to take a much longer route, and it would not achieve the desired tempering outcome.
...
A giant stone several zhang in size blocked the howling wind. In the center of the stone, a bonfire flickered, bringing a sliver of security to the desolate and cold night.
Wiping the grease from his lips, Wu Tao leaned against the giant stone, looking at the simple cave dwelling he had temporarily created. He muttered to himself, "Wild prairie sheep taste decent, but without seasoning, the gamey flavor is too strong, still hard to swallow."
Wild prairie sheep were merely ordinary creatures, not even demonic beasts. They were at the bottom of the food chain on the Wulatuosi Great Grasslands, serving as food for most other demonic beasts.
However, the reproductive capacity of wild prairie sheep was incredibly strong. One wild prairie ewe could give birth to over twenty lambs in a single litter and could have five litters a year. Since ancient times, they had been the dominant species on the Wulatuosi Great Grasslands.
If not for the constant hunting by humans and demonic beasts, the entire Wulatuosi Great Grasslands would face a sheep overpopulation crisis.
Fresh vegetation would not be enough for them to eat; even the roots would be dug up, eventually turning the land into a boundless, lifeless desert.
Using the fire poker in his hand, Wu Tao stirred the bonfire, making it burn brighter.
Wu Tao sat down cross-legged and began his daily, arduous cultivation.
...
As spiritual energy surged around his body, Wu Tao completed cycle after cycle of grand circulation, and the total amount of spiritual energy in his dantian gradually increased.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The wind howled, forcing the wild grass on the prairie to lie flat on the ground, unable to straighten up.
Faint roars of demonic beasts accompanied the wind, and scarlet eyes slowly approached Wu Tao's location.
Under the dim moonlight, a giant mutated three-headed lion could be seen. Its pair of blood-red eyes, devoid of any emotion, were fixed on the bonfire in the center of the giant stone.
Its luxuriant black fur danced in the wind.
Three-headed Black Flame Lion!
A peak late-stage Foundation Establishment异种 (mutated) demonic beast.
Three hundred meters!
One hundred meters!
Thirty meters!
At this point, the three-headed black flame lion could see Wu Tao's body. Seeing him meditating, a cruel glint flashed in its eyes.
Whoosh!
The three-headed black flame lion crouched low, then leaped into the air.
The next moment!
Its claws were less than three feet away from Wu Tao. With just a little more distance, it could tear Wu Tao apart and enjoy the delicious blood food.
Wu Tao opened his eyes, drew his sword with his right hand, and struck the three-headed black flame lion's claws with a follow-up move, devoid of any flourish.
A massive gash was instantly opened on the three-headed black flame lion's claws.
...
Wu Tao then burst out from behind the rock.
Sword light flashed, and sword energy crisscrossed the air. He did not hesitate to engage the three-headed black flame lion in a fierce battle.
On the Wulatuosi Great Grasslands, lion roars shook the heavens.
The strength of these roars was such that souls felt like they were about to depart from their bodies. All creatures quickly retreated, avoiding this terrifying battlefield.
Wu Tao battled the three-headed black flame lion, venturing into the depths of the Wulatuosi Great Grasslands, far from the magnificent giant stone. The battlefield's scope was vast, and the sounds of their combat were earth-shattering.
Sword light flashed, and sword energy crisscrossed the air. He went out to fight the three-headed black flame lion.
On the Wulatuosi Great Grasslands, lion roars shook the heavens, making souls feel like they were about to depart their bodies. All creatures quickly retreated, avoiding this terrifying battlefield.
Wu Tao battled the three-headed black flame lion, venturing into the depths of the Wulatuosi Great Grasslands, far from the magnificent giant stone. The battlefield's scope was vast, and the sounds of their combat were earth-shattering.
The three-headed black flame lion roared, all three heads hissing in unison. Three beams of destructive light could be clearly seen emanating from its heads, immensely destructive.
This was the innate divine ability of the three-headed black flame lion lineage.
With the emergence of the destructive light, the earth cracked, and countless massive pits were blasted open on the grassland, creating a terrifying spectacle.
Wu Tao's sword light flashed, as he fully resisted.
This man and beast fought to a fever pitch, charging forward, traversing dozens of li. The battlefield expanded with each passing moment.
The man and beast charged and maneuvered, constantly changing their battleground.
They encountered more giant stones in the grasslands, but under the destructive light, these stones were all shattered. Some even exploded and turned to dust.
The vast grassland, the lion king's roar!
The strong survive, the weak perish. The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, this is the reality of this world.
The three-headed black flame lion was stout and majestic. Its black claws were incredibly hard, like steel, clashing with Wu Tao's sword, sparks flying, and the sounds of metal clashing were incessant.
Wu Tao fought with ferocity, different from his usual self. For the first time, he felt such strain. His blood boiled, his eyes flared, and he was filled with heroic spirit.
"Kill!"
With a crisp crack, golden sword energy sliced through, severing a stone mountain. The upper half instantly collapsed, rumbling down and kicking up endless dust.
The three-headed black flame lion was in a sorry state. A large patch of its black mane was sliced off, and one of its heads was nearly split open, suffering a terrifying wound. Blood flowed, staining its eyes red.
...
After being heavily wounded, the three-headed black flame lion became even more frenzied, but its combat power had decreased significantly.
Subsequently, Wu Tao severed two of its heads with his sword. Blood gushed out, splashing three feet high.
"Ah..."
The three-headed black flame lion let out a heaven-shattering roar, filled with unwillingness and fear, and retreated rapidly, attempting to escape.
However, how could Wu Tao let his enemy go?
"Puff!!!"
Another sound of falling, and blood splattered three feet high.
The headless three-headed black flame lion fell to the ground, becoming a cold corpse.
...
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