Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Demon Crystal Stone

Jiang Buyue turned and walked away.

The Enforcement Bureau was a full ten kilometers from his residential complex, yet Jiang Buyue chose not to take the bus—instead, he decided to run home.

Bai Ruixue silently watched Jiang Buyue’s figure jogging away. “Fool!” she murmured.

Upon arriving at the complex, Jiang Buyue noted that he had covered the ten kilometers in just eighteen minutes. Stretching his body, he could distinctly feel the changes within himself.

He quickly summoned the system panel to check his attributes.

[Name: Jiang Buyue]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: Quasi-Warrior Stage 5 (9%)]
[Martial Skills: Gale Slash (Beginner: 60%), Chaos Devouring Sky Technique (Beginner: 11%), Shadowstep (Proficient: 33%)]
[Attributes: Strength 46, Constitution 28, Agility 30, Spirit 7]

His constitution had increased by 2 points, and agility by 1 point. The progress in Shadowstep had jumped directly to 33%.

The advancement in Shadowstep was noticeably faster than that of Gale Slash and Chaos Devouring Sky Technique—could it be due to the long-distance running?

With this thought, Jiang Buyue sat cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and actively began to cultivate using the Chaos Devouring Sky Technique.

In an instant, the once calm surroundings seemed stirred. The thin spiritual energy in the air appeared summoned, rushing wildly toward Jiang Buyue.

The spiritual energy surged like a tide, gathering around him at an astonishing speed. It formed a visible vortex, spinning and swirling continuously.

As time passed, the vortex grew larger, centered precisely where Jiang Buyue sat cross-legged.

He could clearly feel the spiritual energy penetrating his pores, flowing along his meridians into the sea of spiritual energy within.

A strong sense of hunger forced Jiang Buyue to cease cultivating the Chaos Devouring Sky Technique.

[Ding! Feel the bond with certain martial skills! Chaos Devouring Sky Technique proficiency has broken through to Mastery (28%)]
[Ding! Your cultivation has advanced to Quasi-Warrior Stage 6 (22%)]
[Name: Jiang Buyue]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: Quasi-Warrior Stage 6 (22%)]
[Martial Skills: Gale Slash (Beginner: 88%), Chaos Devouring Sky Technique (Mastery: 28%), Shadowstep (Proficient: 45%)]
[Attributes: Strength 56, Constitution 38, Agility 40, Spirit 8]

Jiang Buyue’s heart leapt with joy.

His guess had not been wrong; after attempting to cultivate using the Chaos Devouring Sky Technique, his proficiency advanced significantly.

Rumble—

The hunger returned once more.

With his cultivation level rising and the Chaos Devouring Sky Technique running nonstop for 24 hours, ordinary food couldn’t meet his daily energy needs.

Only energy bars, vegetables rich in spiritual energy, and demon beast meat could sustain him.

An energy bar cost 500 Huaxia coins each—not to mention the highly valuable demon beast meat, which was far beyond his means.

This was the stark reality of being poor in knowledge yet rich in martial talent.

Every aspect of a warrior’s life demanded considerable expense.

A blood-stained dagger, a brick smeared with blood—Jiang Buyue’s gaze suddenly sharpened, recalling something.

Didn’t he bring something back last night?

…His backpack!

Jiang Buyue retrieved the blood-stained gray backpack from his spatial ring.

“This is the apostle’s backpack from the God-Eater Cult. Could it possibly contain those magic crystal stones?” he pondered anxiously, a dreadful feeling rising within him.

He unzipped the backpack—

Jiang Buyue froze.

Inside were three energy bars, a thick stack of Huaxia coins, and three magic crystal stones about the size of eggs.

The three magic crystals radiated a dark red hue, resembling coagulated blood, emitting an eerie crimson glow that sent chills down his spine.

Jiang Buyue’s heart trembled violently, and instinctively he flung the backpack hard to the side.

Magic crystal stones!

His eyes widened in shock.

He hastily pulled out his phone, fingers swiping swiftly to dial the Enforcement Bureau.

Yet, just as he was about to press call, an unusual sensation surged within his body.

It felt as though a raging beast inside his meridians was breaking free, thrashing wildly.

The Chaos Devouring Sky Technique went berserk, ravenously absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

Jiang Buyue was stunned, his pupils dilating as he watched incredulously.

The three magic crystal stones inside the backpack seemed drawn by some force, pulverizing into powder and merging into his body.

“How could this be?” Jiang Buyue’s face turned pale, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

After fully absorbing the three magic crystal stones, the Chaos Devouring Sky Technique finally fell silent.

The hunger vanished completely, replaced by waves of heat, excitement, and inexhaustible strength coursing through his body.

[Ding! Successfully absorbed magic crystal stones. Strength +7, Agility +7, Constitution +7, Spirit +3]
[Ding! Cultivation advanced to Quasi-Warrior Stage 7 (1%)]
[Name: Jiang Buyue]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: Quasi-Warrior Stage 7 (2%)]
[Martial Skills: Gale Slash (Beginner: 89%), Chaos Devouring Sky Technique (Mastery: 29%), Shadowstep (Proficient: 46%)]
[Attributes: Strength 63, Constitution 45, Agility 47, Spirit 11]

“Damn it! What a joke! Am I turning into an addict?” Jiang Buyue sat cross-legged, marveling at his limbs and bones.

???

After a while, Jiang Buyue breathed a sigh of relief.

His body showed no trace of the magic crystal energy; it was as if the Chaos Devouring Sky Technique had devoured them, rather than the crystals integrating directly into his body.

…

Time passed gradually; two or three hours slipped by in the blink of an eye.

During those three hours, Jiang Buyue completed three hundred push-ups and six hundred squats.

Once the excitement and heat faded and drenched in sweat, he stopped and summoned the system panel.

[Attributes: Strength 65, Constitution 47, Agility 47, Spirit 11]

Jiang Buyue picked up the backpack from the floor, taking out the three energy bars and ten thousand Huaxia coins.

His heart lifted—ten thousand Huaxia coins would solve his immediate problems.

Though his savings remained modest, it was enough to support his living expenses for the coming week.

What if he ran out of money afterward? Jiang Buyue didn’t worry—once his strength improved, earning money would be no problem.

In this world, warriors were the wealthiest.

Slaying even the lowest-tier demon beast could fetch several thousand Huaxia coins.

The sky darkened gradually.

Returning home, Jiang Buyue painfully carried a bag of meat.

He knew demon beast meat was expensive, but he hadn’t expected it to be so exorbitant.

A pound of low-grade demon beast meat cost two hundred Huaxia coins; a single apple rich in spiritual energy sold for three hundred Huaxia coins.

These were merely the cheapest ingredients; high-grade demon beast meat could cost as much as fifteen hundred Huaxia coins per pound.