Gao Wu: I became the minor villain that the protagonist was about to destroy.

The scene shifts, and a bonfire is already blazing on the spot.

"Sizzle! Sizzle!"

"Crackling sounds..."

The already dying subspecies was now being roasted over a fire by Yujiro.

"The taste is not bad. All the subspecies taste like this. I really want to try what the purebred would be like."

Beside Yujiro stood a wooden barrel filled with scarlet blood, which, even after a long time, was still brimming with a rich life force.

After eating and drinking his fill, Yujiro scooped out a bowl of blood essence and drank it all in one gulp. In an instant, Yujiro felt an endless surge of evil thoughts welling up in his mind.

This is a subspecies of phoenix that injected its evil thoughts into its blood before it died. Anyone who consumes it will instantly lose their mind and become a monster that only knows how to kill.

Suddenly, a violent power surged from Yujiro's body; this aura was tyrannical and evil.

At this moment, Yujiro's veins were bulging and his muscles were bulging.

"Don't be so arrogant!!!"

"Whoosh—!"

"Bang--!!"

"Crack...crack..."

Centered on Yujiro, the ground within a 50-meter radius instantly caved in, and the violent aura gradually faded away.

Yujiro sensed the energy within his body, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"This is a breakthrough, isn't it? First level of the City Realm."

Each stage of the Awakening Realm tempers the physical body. Each breakthrough increases strength by 1,000 jin, and the breakthrough to the Extreme Realm increases strength by 2,000 jin. Breaking through to the peak of the 9th level, one can use the strength of one's own physical body in conjunction with external spiritual energy to open up the Qi Sea, so that the spiritual energy can be stored in oneself, and thus break through to the first level of the Village God. Ordinary strength increases by 10,000 jin, and extreme strength increases by 30,000 jin.

From then on, spiritual energy flowed through the meridians, making strength inexhaustible. As long as spiritual energy and strength continued, martial arts techniques could be unleashed.

Each breakthrough expands the Qi Sea, increases one's spiritual energy reserves, and enhances physical strength. A normal breakthrough increases strength by 5,000 jin, while an extreme breakthrough increases strength by 10,000 jin (Note: Only a strong physique can support the Qi Sea). There is a very small chance that one can expand one's meridians and improve one's talent.

Upon breaking through to the peak of the 9th level of the Village Qian Realm, one condenses spiritual energy and opens a spring within their own Qi Sea. From this point on, spiritual energy is inexhaustible, requiring no absorption by the individual. It can also automatically absorb external energy, albeit at a relatively slow pace. This is the Zhen Kun Realm, which normally increases strength by 30,000 jin, while at its peak, it increases strength by 60,000 jin. (The recovery speed is related to the level of one's meridians or special characteristics.)

The Zhenkun Realm is rich in spiritual energy. With each breakthrough, the spring doubles in size and increases strength by 30,000 jin. At the extreme level, it increases strength by 60,000 jin, enhancing spiritual energy storage. It can also separate spiritual energy from the body and condense it into a weapon for tempering. It can also release spiritual energy to form protective true qi, further strengthening itself.

Breaking through to the peak of the ninth level of the Zhenkun Realm, condensing the Qi Sea, forming spiritual liquid, and the Qi Sea spring will gush out spiritual energy droplets. Breaking through to the Xiankan Realm, possessing divine sense, the ordinary increase in strength is 100,000 jin, and the extreme increase in strength is 300,000 jin.

Each breakthrough in the county-level realm increases the number of Qi Sea springs and increases strength by 70,000 jin. Breaking through to the extreme realm increases strength by 150,000 jin. One can also use spiritual energy droplets to refine one's own growth characteristics, or refine one's own ordinary weapon or ordinary body.

Those who forge weapons can transform ordinary weapons into spiritual weapons. In battle, they can fight alongside the weapon spirit or merge with it.

(Ordinary weapons transform into spirit weapons, enhancing the strength of martial arts techniques performed using spirit weapons. Spirit weapons are divided into 5 tiers. Tier 1 spirit weapons can increase power by 3 times, Tier 2 spirit weapons by 5 times, Tier 3 spirit weapons by 7 times, Tier 4 spirit weapons by 10 times, and Tier 5 spirit weapons by 15 times.)

Note: Spiritual bodies and spiritual weapons will not improve upon breaking through to the next major realm. Tempering a spiritual body or spiritual weapon requires a massive amount of spiritual energy, with higher-level spirits requiring even more. They cannot be obtained by absorbing spiritual crystals because they contain impurities. Unless they are naturally pure spiritual crystals, they can only be obtained by absorbing external spiritual energy or by consuming rare and precious herbs.

Those who temper their physical bodies transform their mortal forms into spiritual ones.

(A mortal body transforms into a spiritual body. Spiritual bodies are divided into 5 tiers. A first-tier spiritual body enhances physical constitution by 10 times, a second-tier spiritual body by 20 times, a third-tier spiritual body by 30 times, a fourth-tier spiritual body by 50 times, and a fifth-tier spiritual body by 70 times.)

Upon breaking through to the peak of the 9th level of the County Kan Realm, one refines their own spiritual liquid into spiritual source. This breakthrough leads to the breakthrough to the City Li Realm. Normal strength is increased by 3 times, and extreme strength is increased by 6 times. Each breakthrough increases strength by 0.2 times, and the breakthrough to the extreme level increases strength by 0.6 times. The purity of spiritual source is improved. Upon breaking through to the peak of the 9th level, spiritual source is transformed into true spiritual source. The 9th level extreme level is divine spiritual source.

Spiritual Source can condense one's own spiritual weapon to produce a weapon spirit. At the peak of the 9th rank, it is a true weapon spirit, and at the extreme level of the 9th rank, it is a divine weapon spirit. It can also condense itself and its external body. At the peak of the 9th rank, it is a true body, and at the extreme level, it is a divine body.

the other side

As Baki and his companions stepped into the heart of the forest, the air was filled with the sweet, pungent scent of primeval vegetation. Leng Ruoxue, relying on her memories from her past life, meticulously collected all the rare and precious herbs that should have caused a sensation in Luoxia City.

Looking at the mountain of rare medicinal herbs before her, Hongye's eyes flashed with undisguised amazement. These herbs were brimming with spiritual energy and had strange shapes; some resembled flickering flames, while others looked like solidified ice.

Hongye exclaimed, "Miss Ruoxue is truly remarkable!"

Hongye's fingertips brushed against a seven-colored flower with petals that resembled ice crystals. "Any one of these medicinal herbs that falls into the outside world would be enough to make those alchemy masters fight tooth and nail for it. They are truly priceless treasures."

Leng Ruoxue calmly observed these rare and precious materials. "This was simply a matter of fate; I merely knew about it beforehand. It was just my duty."

"However, the next target, the Ice Spirit Crystal Source, will probably be a bit tricky."

She raised her wrist, and a pale blue light screen was projected from her watch. On the map of the forest, a coordinate located in the core area was flashing with a cold light.

"Ahead lies the territory of the Tree Demon. According to my memory, the environment there has changed because a rare mutant, the 'Ice Tree Demon,' was born there."

Its origin lies in the Ice Spirit Crystal Source, formed from the condensation of extremely cold spiritual energy. However, how it was formed is unknown, as this place is a forest of trees with extremely rich wood element. The previous life also failed to provide an explanation for its creation.

"I need that crystal to help me with my cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Baki raised an eyebrow with interest: "Ice Tree Demon? That sounds interesting. What level of being is it?"

"According to its initial appearance, it possesses the strength of a sixth-level county-level cultivator. However, at this point in time, it should not have fully matured yet, and its strength is estimated to be around the second level of the county-level cultivator."

Baki was not afraid at all because of the Tree Demon's level.

Hongye, standing to the side, frowned slightly and whispered a reminder: "Tree demons are always social creatures with extremely strong vitality and astonishing physical defense. None of the three of us have a powerful fire-attribute ability to counter them. If we are surrounded, a head-on confrontation will be quite disadvantageous."

"I understand," Baki replied, then squatted down and picked up a small, seemingly intact blade of grass covered in a thin layer of frost at his feet. With the slightest touch of his fingertips, the grass silently crumbled into crystalline dust.

"I'm just thinking about which method is the most efficient for cleaning."

He stood up, clapped his hands, and sharply turned his gaze towards the direction from which the cold air was coming.

The further we went in the direction marked on the map, the more the biting cold in the air increased at an alarming rate.

Breath turned to ice, and the ground beneath our feet gradually hardened. Strangely, the towering ancient trees all around remained lush and verdant, their branches and leaves flourishing, as if the frigid cold that could instantly freeze life had no effect on them, creating an extremely incongruous scene.

"We've arrived." Leng Ruoxue suddenly stopped, her voice grave.

The scene before us was nothing short of spectacular—the dense forest was abruptly divided by an invisible boundary. On one side, it was lush and vibrant green, like the height of summer; on the other side, it was a deathly, snow-covered landscape, with everything frozen in ice, as if two worlds had been forcibly spliced ​​together.

Hongye cautiously placed her palm on the trunk of a giant tree beside her that required several people to encircle, and a chill that penetrated to the bone immediately spread along the meridians of her arm.

With a slight exertion, his fingertips pierced the frozen wood as easily as stabbing into fragile ice shards.

"These trees... were frozen completely from the inside out in a single moment. This cold air is extraordinary, and those ice crystals are no ordinary objects either. Everyone, please be careful."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of sharp, piercing whooshing sounds suddenly rang out!

"Watch out!" Hongye cried out in alarm!

"Bang!"

[1x Strength (Enhances Personal Strength)]

[1x Agility (Increases movement speed by 0.7x and attack speed by 0.3x)]

[1x Constitution (Increases physical strength, power, agility, and spiritual energy by 0.3x, 0.3x, 0.2x, and 0.2x respectively)]

[1x Mental Strength (Increases Divine Sense Range by 0.2x, Willpower by 0.8x.)]

One point of physical strength can withstand 100,000 jin of force. The average adult has 0.01 points of physical strength (which can be increased through training). Becoming an Awakened increases it by 0.1 points, and breaking through to the Extreme Realm and becoming an Awakened increases it by 1 point. For every 10,000 jin of force gained, physical strength increases by 0.05 points.