Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Seventy-Six: The Journey Home

As the nourishing broth made from vital blood and flesh slid down his throat, Wang Jue felt as though his muscles—parched for ages—were suddenly revived by a long-awaited rain. The fatigue that had weighed upon him all day seemed to vanish, and a gentle warmth spread through his body, bringing exquisite comfort.

In the next instant, waves of surging spiritual energy flooded his entire being. Wang Jue immediately sat cross-legged, beginning to absorb and digest this torrent of power.

Nearby, Lan Yiyi and the others exchanged knowing smiles. This scene was all too familiar to them by now. So when they sensed that Wang Jue was using the starforce within the vital blood broth to cultivate, they left him to it and instead gathered around the fire, content to roast beast meat for themselves.

Meanwhile, Wang Jue’s skin flushed scarlet as the starforce from the broth burned within him like a raging fire, making him exceedingly uncomfortable. With no other choice, he quickly circulated his cultivation technique, guiding the wild energy to reinforce his foundation.

Half an hour later, the energy within him was spent. Wang Jue opened his eyes, excitement shining within them. Without hesitation, he poured himself another bowl. Were it not for concern over appearances, he would have happily drunk straight from the pot. Perhaps because he had delayed too long, much of the starforce in the broth had already dissipated. Compared to the first bowl, this one contained only half as much energy. Not willing to let any go to waste, Wang Jue simply picked up the pot and drained the remaining broth in one go before returning to his cultivation.

Lan Yiyi and the others, chewing on roasted meat, noted his actions and instantly guessed that Wang Jue was attempting a breakthrough with the help of the vital blood broth. Whether he would succeed, they could not say. As Wang Jue entered deep meditation, the group continued their lively conversation and meal, but each woman kept a part of her attention scanning the surroundings, alert for any starbeast foolish enough to interrupt his breakthrough.

Unaware of all this, Wang Jue remained absorbed in his cultivation.

An hour passed. Lan Yiyi and her companions, now sated, saw that Wang Jue was still engrossed in his breakthrough. After a brief discussion, they decided to make camp here for the night. Once the tents were pitched, no one rushed to sleep; instead, they sat by the fire, cross-legged, cultivating. Lan Yiyi assigned Lin Mu and Tian Yuan to stand watch nearby, while the others would rotate shifts as the night wore on.

Time flowed quietly by, and before long, three hours had slipped away. Lin Mu and Tian Yuan, having finished their watch, returned to the fire to cultivate, while Wen Da and Wei Lin had taken their places on guard.

At a certain moment, a surge of power—far surpassing the Body Tempering Realm—erupted from Wang Jue, who opened his eyes with a flash: “Eighth level of Body Tempering!”

Especially when he sensed that the starforce within him had at least tripled compared to the seventh level, he could not suppress his excitement. “I must admit, the starforce contained in the flesh and blood of a level-three starbeast is extraordinary. The effect is truly astonishing.”

Recalling the process of his breakthrough, Wang Jue could not help but marvel, “I was only trying to consolidate my foundation, yet I managed to break through to the eighth level.”

During this period, Wang Jue had focused entirely on consolidating his cultivation. He had not expected such an unplanned breakthrough, especially one achieved after thoroughly reinforcing his foundation, not in haste as before. When he found that much starforce remained within him after solidifying his realm, he decided to attempt a breakthrough—and succeeded beyond his expectations.

He was well aware, however, that if not for the latter portion of the broth, whose concentrated starforce burst through his bottleneck, it would have taken him several more days to achieve this breakthrough by absorbing energy from the world alone.

This hunting trip with Lan Yiyi and the others had yielded not only a breakthrough to the eighth level of Body Tempering, but also four star essence points and over a thousand experience points. Four star essence points could be exchanged for forty thousand star energy stones! Even if Lan Yiyi decided not to pay him this time, he would not complain—the promised five thousand wage was now insignificant in comparison. The value of the few bowls of vital blood broth he had consumed far exceeded that sum. He had made a tremendous profit!

With this thought, Wang Jue, still riding a wave of excitement, approached Lan Yiyi to thank her once more. After expressing his gratitude, seeing that it was late and not wishing to disturb the others’ rest, he volunteered to take the next watch, relieving Wen Da and Wei Lin.

After all, Wen Da and Wei Lin were far more useful than he was. He was, at best, a minor helper; rather than be a burden, it was better to quietly fulfill his own responsibilities. Besides, having just broken through, he was too exhilarated to sleep. It was better to let the others rest properly.

In truth, if Lan Yiyi had not brought him along and intentionally reserved several bowls of vital blood broth for him, he could never have consolidated his foundation and broken through so quickly. Previously, his overly rapid advancement had left his cultivation unstable, making it impossible to progress further. He had been forced to focus all his efforts on reinforcing his foundation.

Wang Jue understood the importance of building a solid foundation far better than most of his peers.

At the eighth level of Body Tempering, he was no match in reputation for prodigies like Lin Zifeng or Niu Meng, but in terms of actual strength, even before his breakthrough he did not fear them—let alone now.

The night passed in Wang Jue’s quiet excitement.

At dawn, Lan Yiyi and her companions woke, washed up quickly, roasted the remaining level-three beast meat from the night before, and set off once more into the depths of the forest.

Even after his breakthrough, Wang Jue remained the weakest among them. As they pressed deeper into the woods, the starbeasts they encountered grew ever stronger, leaving Wang Jue with no opportunity to hone his skills against weaker foes. He could only follow behind, dutifully acting as a porter and laborer.

Another day swiftly passed.

By the afternoon of the third day, as Lan Yiyi decided not to venture further and prepared for the return to the safe zone, they had hunted a total of twenty-seven starbeasts: twenty were level-two, and seven were level-three.

Normally, meat without preservation would spoil within a day or two, but starbeast flesh was different. Infused with starforce, it rarely spoiled in a few days; only after the energy dissipated did it become ordinary meat. This was why Lan Yiyi and the others could casually pile the processed starbeast corpses onto their iron cage cart.

The cart was now packed to the brim with over twenty starbeasts; there was scarcely any room left. Before his breakthrough, Wang Jue might have struggled, but now, with his body’s strength doubled, he could manage the burden. Otherwise, dragging such a heavy load along rugged mountain paths would have been impossible.

What frustrated Wang Jue was his lack of opportunity to hunt starbeasts and earn more star essence points. Still, as the saying goes, “A blessing in disguise.” Every mealtime, the team would drink vital blood broth, and Wang Jue, always eager, would slaughter the captured starbeasts brought back by Lin Mu and the others. This allowed him to accumulate star essence points effortlessly, increasing his total from 203 to 211 in three days—a gain of nine points, worth ninety thousand star energy stones. Had the team not decided to return home because they could no longer carry more spoils, Wang Jue might have earned four or five more points if they’d stayed another day. After all, they had eaten only roasted meat for breakfast, not capturing any more starbeasts; otherwise, his gains might have been double.

On the return journey, every face was lit with satisfaction—even the usually stoic Lan Yiyi was no exception. Their harvest this time was simply too great.

They had to abandon plans to capture any more level-two or level-three demon beasts they encountered on the way back, simply because the iron cage cart could hold no more.

Out of caution, they picked up their pace for the return journey, wary of encountering other adventuring teams. Having hunted so many starbeasts, they risked being targeted by groups who made a habit of robbing and killing. Not only could they lose everything, but their very lives might be forfeit.

Lan Yiyi and the others kept Wang Jue, who pushed the cart, in the center of their formation, moving swiftly but with undiminished vigilance—more alert, even, than before. Lan Yiyi specifically assigned Lin Mu and Wei Lin to scout ahead, and the routes she chose were always those that offered plenty of cover.

Despite these precautions, a tense atmosphere pervaded the group.

Passing through a valley, they inevitably encountered another team of six or seven. Fortunately, this party was not the sort that preyed on other adventurers, and their strength was unremarkable, lacking even a single Orange Star Realm warrior. Though they eyed Wang Jue’s cart of starbeast corpses with obvious envy, once they recognized Lan Yiyi’s formidable cultivation, they wisely chose to withdraw.

Only when the other party had completely disappeared from sight did Wang Jue and his companions finally relax, grateful that Lan Yiyi’s presence had deterred any conflict.

After that, the journey home was uneventful. The group returned safely to Peaceful Town.

Upon arrival, Wang Jue parted ways with Lan Yiyi, foregoing the sale of the starbeast meat to head straight home for a well-earned rest. For three days he had been on edge, fearing an attack at any moment from wayward starbeasts, and had barely slept. Now, at last, he could let down his guard.