Li Yi was awoken from his sleep by the noise outside. He opened the door to see Stone Yunfeng leading many of the hunting team members in a ritual before the willow tree. The entire Stone Village hunting team had set out early, much earlier than usual. Normally, they would leave when the sky was fully bright, around seven or eight in the morning, but today, it was barely five.
The early hour was chosen because, according to the book, many beasts in the mountains woke up at this time, making it the best time for hunting. In the past few days, the village women had gathered a significant amount of medicinal herbs, which had been mixed together. Some of the herbs needed to be fermented and prepared beforehand.
This time, everyone in the village was fully committed to hunting more beasts and ferocious creatures, using their blood and meat for training to enhance their strength. With more strength, they would be able to hunt more powerful beasts next time, further improving their abilities. The only concern was whether they might encroach on the hunting grounds of other villages.
Despite this worry, they weren’t too concerned because they knew there were no other villages for miles in most directions. The Great Wilderness was vast, and the villages were like isolated islands in the sea. If they were lucky, a few villages could be near each other, but in other cases, a village could be the only one for hundreds of miles.
The hunting team members disappeared into the vast mountains, their figures fading into the early morning mist. Li Yi was now wide awake. He opened his small cart to check what had refreshed today, but there was nothing of note—just some everyday items. He quickly set them aside as they weren’t important.
He took a solidifying pill and consumed it. Afterward, he began practicing the Wild Blood Moving Technique. This cultivation method, aside from body exercises, was particularly effective when combined with a medicinal bath. When in the medicinal cauldron, the technique would operate on its own, absorbing the medicinal energy to enhance the body, all while the body moved instinctively.
When the medicinal energy was exhausted, the automatic operation of the technique would slow down. Each time this happened, Li Yi felt himself grow stronger, although he hadn’t yet tested how far his power had increased. It was hard to quantify his strength exactly at this stage.
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The hunting team returned unusually early this time, still hours before sunset. They had already decided to stop hunting because bringing back more prey would surpass their ability to carry it. Stone Village's consumption of meat had skyrocketed, as nearly every person in the village was training and required more nourishment.
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Stone Yunfeng led the team in a ritual to the willow spirit, though they didn’t expect any response from the spirit, as it had never consumed their offerings. However, it continued to perform its role as protector of the village.
After the ritual, they brought large cauldrons to the village. This time, all of the cauldrons were filled with a mixture of beast blood, including both ferocious beasts and wild animals, along with medicinal herbs and water. The cauldrons emitted not a pure white steam, but a reddish hue, as if the blood itself was battling in the air. The atmosphere felt intense and charged, a sign of powerful energy gathering.
At that moment, the branches of the willow tree rustled, and the blood energy seemed to be pulled away, dispersing rapidly. Li Yi could feel that with the technique in operation, not only was he absorbing the energy from the blood faster, but the pain of it had diminished significantly.
Many villagers, including their children, joined in the medicinal bath, instinctively operating the technique to absorb the medicinal power. The cries of the children were fewer this time. Those who cried were quickly silenced by stern looks from their fathers, causing most to quiet down.
The adults felt the power increase within their bodies, growing rapidly. Years of accumulation were finally coming to fruition. Their strength soared in an instant, and by the next morning, they would likely find themselves much stronger than before.
The medicinal bath this time was short but highly effective. As the medicinal energy was nearly depleted, the blood mixture had turned a pale red and lost much of its potency. The once-strong beast blood had been absorbed to the last drop, and what remained was now useless for medicinal purposes. The energy from the blood had all been transferred into the villagers’ bodies.
After the bath, many of the men felt a surge of energy and no longer wanted to sleep. They immediately tested their newfound strength by running to the open area and lifting stones to test their newfound abilities.
Li Yi, having completed the technique, finally managed to get Shi Hao back into bed. Unlike last time when he was exhausted, this time he felt rejuvenated. Li Yi lay down on the bed, feeling a sense of fullness, not from eating but from the abundant energy within his body. The technique continued to work on its own, digesting the internal energy and nourishing his body.
It was a pleasant feeling, knowing that with each passing moment, he was growing stronger. This kind of progress was tangible, not a gamble. Many people avoided effort because success wasn’t guaranteed, but with such clear rewards, it was easy to stay motivated.
The next morning, Li Yi woke up feeling like a new person. It was as if he had shed a layer of skin, and his muscles and bones had significantly changed. He felt full of energy, his body continuously improving. Stepping outside, he found that there was no more beast blood left, only bones, skins, and tendons. The last of the beast blood had been consumed in the medicinal baths.