Chapter 3: Fighting Master

He took out a small knife, dissected the pillow wood marten, dug out a magic core from the corpse, a first-rank wood-attribute magic core.

Unfortunately, the magic core cannot be directly absorbed; its mixed, violent power is not something even high-level experts dare to use casually.

However, although the magic core cannot be directly absorbed by people, it is an essential main material for alchemists when refining medicine; after being refined by alchemists using secret methods, the magic core will have its violent properties neutralized by some miraculous herbs, transforming into various spirit medicines that countless people crave to enhance their strength, and its value skyrockets instantly!

Moreover, magic cores can be embedded in weapons; weapons infused with a magic core not only have greater destructive power, but also possess the tempting effect of amplifying fighting qi, making them highly sought after by the fighter class of the Fighting Qi Continent.

Of course, besides weapons, magic cores can also be embedded in armor and other items, granting the owner formidable defensive power, giving them a greater guarantee of life when facing danger.

With so many effects, it is only natural that the magic core has rightfully become the most popular mainstream material on the Fighting Qi Continent; not only fighters, but even those noble alchemists often scour the world for high-rank magic cores to refine higher-grade pills.

The high cost of magic cores naturally gave rise to many mercenary groups that make a living by hunting magic beasts, but obtaining a magic core is far from easy.

First, magic beasts are not only powerful but also extraordinarily cunning; due to their ferocious nature and special attack methods, magic beasts are often somewhat stronger than human experts of the same rank, so attempting to solo hunt a magic beast of equal rank without exceptional strength often ends in failure, losing both the chicken and the rice.

Second, not all magic beasts possess such an energy crystal, the magic core, in their bodies; this seems to be a random probability—sometimes, when a mercenary squad kills a magic beast at the cost of half its members, they may end up empty-handed; such occurrences are commonplace on the Fighting Qi Continent and not at all rare…

Therefore, the value of magic cores on the Fighting Qi Continent has consistently remained at the top, extremely sought after.

So Xiao Li's luck this time was not bad.

However, the magic core cannot directly boost Xiao Li's strength right now; the medicinal herbs guarded by the pillow wood marten are what matter most at present.

Looking at the white little flower shimmering with crystal-clear color, Xiao Li dared not touch it carelessly, for all heavenly materials and earthly treasures have their own habits; if he accidentally touched it and it withered, that would be bad.

He took out the Compendium of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from his spatial ring and began to read it seriously; after all, the Xiao clan had once been a great family with a Fighting King presiding over it, so its knowledge reserves were several times those of ordinary small clans.

In the Compendium alone, the first- and second-rank heavenly materials and earthly treasures number in the hundreds.

However, considering that the pillow wood marten is only a first-rank magic beast, Xiao Li mainly looked at first-rank treasures.

The petals were crystal clear and white, exuding waves of medicinal fragrance…

Without someone like Yao Lao's artificial intelligence, relying solely on books is as difficult as trying to pass an open-book exam in middle school back then.

"Eh, I found it!"

Xiao Li excitedly looked at the illustration in the book; its posture and description matched the white little flower before him exactly.

"White Origin Flower, a first-rank medicinal herb, strengthens the foundation and nurtures the essence; its effect is mild, the essence lies in the glowing leaves, and one can simply eat the leaves raw."

Seeing the explanation above, Xiao Li no longer hesitated; he directly pulled up the White Origin Flower by the roots and swallowed the flower head in one gulp.

Feeling the surge of energy within his body, Xiao Li had no hesitation; he found a lifeless cave and darted inside, covering the entrance with weeds.

Xiao Li had already reached the threshold of a Nine-Star Fighter; consuming the White Origin Flower provided the perfect opportunity to break through to the Fighting Master realm, making him a strong figure in Green Mountain Town.

Sensing the rapidly surging energy of heaven and earth around him, Xiao Li's mind and spirit hurriedly began to guide those heavenly and earthly energies emanating from his surroundings.

Although these energies are vast in quantity, they contain too many impurities; they must be refined and purified through the meridians before they can be fully absorbed, otherwise a mishap might even taint the fighting qi he had painstakingly cultivated.

Only steady progress can solidify the foundation.

As Xiao Li entered the cultivation state, the surging heavenly and earthly energies around him became ever more violent.

In the end, Xiao Li's body almost became like a black hole, continuously absorbing the frantic heavenly and earthly energies rushing into him.

The White Origin Flower within his body also released streams of energy, somewhat purer than the heavenly and earthly energy absorbed, and refining it was even more smooth and effortless.

Under Xiao Li's careful guidance, the heavenly and earthly energy that entered his body circulated once through his meridians, finally being completely refined into pure fighting qi energy, which he then poured into that light purple vortex.

See, the vortex that had previously been leisurely spinning, upon the infusion of this wave of fighting qi energy, suddenly began to spin at high speed; as the rotation grew ever more violent, a ferocious suction burst forth from within it.

Lightning surged within the vortex, performing the final purification of the mottled heavenly and earthly energy, producing drop after drop of liquid lightning-attribute fighting qi.

The liquid energy shot into the rapidly spinning purple vortex, instantly stirring up ring after ring of energy ripples.

With each drop of liquid energy injected, the volume of the purple vortex actually began to gradually shrink.

Although the purple vortex's volume kept shrinking, Xiao Li did not worry too much, for he could also sense that, while the vortex's volume decreased, the fighting qi contained within it became ever richer.

Under this scouring of heavenly and earthly energy, Xiao Li suddenly discovered that his meridians and bones were also undergoing this cleansing, becoming increasingly tough and broad.

Xiao Li could clearly feel that his flesh was gradually becoming tough in this wave after wave of heavenly and earthly energy scouring; this near-transcendent pleasure almost made him let out a comfortable sound.

After absorbing an unknown number of drops of pure liquid energy, the purple vortex is now smaller than Xiao Li's palm, yet the purple lightning covering its surface grows ever denser, showing no sign of weakening.

The vortex spun for over ten minutes before gradually slowing down, and as its rotation waned, the ferocious suction within Xiao Li's body also began to fade, eventually disappearing.

At the instant the suction vanished, Xiao Li, sitting cross-legged in the cave, suddenly opened his eyes; in that moment, his black hair fluttered without wind, his clothes billowed without wind, and an aura several times more ferocious than his former self a few hours ago burst forth from within him as if awakening!

"Breakthrough successful, Fighting Master powerhouse!"

(End of chapter)