"It's about time to head back."

Wang Wu calculated the time. The one-month agreement was coming to an end and there wasn't enough time left for another round of intense refining.

Not to mention, he had to give Wolf Bu'er some respect.

So half a day later, he leisurely appeared in the river valley. Almost as soon as he emerged, Wolf Bu'er noticed him. However, contrary to Wang Wu's expectations, Wolf Bu'er looked calm and showed no anger, nor did it question where he had been these past days.

It simply nimbly jumped down from the ancient tree, tossed him two Ninth-Grade Ginseng Vitality Pills, and pointed to a small pile of black stones beneath the tree.

"These are this month's supplies for you, including the subsidy for using the Companion Demon Vine. Next month at this time, remember to come and collect them. I won't wait for you for half a month anymore."

"Thank you!"

Wang Wu sheepishly bowed his head, glanced around, and didn't see any sign of Yuan Bupu, Xiong Shiliu, or even Niu Xiaocao, Old Niu, or the Little Wild Boar.

"Stop looking around; no one is spying on you, and no one is idly scheming against you. Shiliu left the Forbidden Land for some urgent task and will return before winter. Unbreakable is keeping an eye on the Forbidden Land entrance. Your friends are now in a great moment of cultivation, so it's best not to disturb them."

"It's worth mentioning that Niu Huanxi's comprehension exceeded both mine and Unbreakable's expectations; turns out it was just lazy, not untalented."

"Even that pig is doing alright. With enough resources and proper guidance, it should be able to condense an Acupoint Opening Demon Pill before autumn and might even master a Demon Technique before winter. But you, when do you plan to condense an Acupoint Opening Demon Pill? Don't you know that's the basic path to mastering Demon Techniques?"

"Ah, I don't really understand that. Please enlighten me, Sister Bu'er."

Wang Wu immediately replied earnestly.

Wolf Bu'er's eyes instantly narrowed, staring at Wang Wu for a moment, seemingly thinking he was teasing her. However, seeing his sincere gaze, she was somewhat surprised and said, "This is the most basic knowledge. Why don't you know this? Didn't your parents ever mention it to you?"

Wang Wu shook his head with a bitter smile.

Wolf Bu'er seemed to understand, her gaze softened slightly, "The Acupoint Opening Demon Pill is the foundation for the cultivation of the Demon Race, just like the Spirit Root is for the Human Race."

"The difference is that Spirit Roots can directly absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, with much higher efficiency than a Demon Pill."

"A Demon Pill needs to first convert Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into Vital Qi Blood, and only through the circulation and refinement of Qi Blood can it be condensed."

"Hence, the techniques mastered by humans once they reach a certain mastery over their Spirit Roots are usually called Daoist Techniques."

"The Demon Race, on the other hand, needs to first condense a Demon Pill, and the techniques they master are called Demon Techniques."

"But the precursor knowledge for both Daoist and Demon Techniques is usually called 'techniques'—a collection of experiences and knowledge accumulated by the Human and Demon Races through countless years of daily hunting and battles. The Human Race refers to it as Martial Arts, while the Demon Race calls it Bloodline Secret Techniques."

"Should Daoist Techniques and Demon Techniques continue to progress and reach a certain level, they are collectively termed as Divine Techniques."

"Beyond Divine Techniques, there are supposedly Immortal Techniques, but this is essentially the extent of the knowledge we can access."

"All in all, I still suggest you condense an Acupoint Opening Demon Pill before autumn; we'll teach you a Demon Technique."

Saying this, Wolf Bu'er paused for a moment before adding, "Don't think just because you have the Companion Demon Vine you can act recklessly. Over at the Black Forest, dangers lurk everywhere. Not only are there attacks from the Companion Race of the Ancient Tree Race, but there's also in-fighting among other Demon Races. Among them are the finest hunting cultivators from the Human Race taking advantage of the chaos. It's said that over there, it has almost become a trial ground for testing outstanding disciples of major Human Cultivation Cities."

"Then why do we still have to go to the Black Forest?"

Wang Wu paused for a moment and hurriedly asked.

But this time, Wolf Bu'er snorted coldly, turned around, and walked away.

"Hey, didn't you want to continue enhancing the adaptability to the paralyzing poison?"

Wang Wu quickly called out, not forgetting the serious matter at hand.

Wolf Bu'er stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath, and slowly turned around.

"Are you prepared?"

"Of course."

Wolf Bu'er did not waste words, immediately flicking two Antidote Pills to Wang Wu, swallowing one herself. Only then did she nod with a cold expression. Though she appeared confident, she was likely very scared.

However, Wang Wu had now trained the Companion Demon Vine well, so no out-of-control incidents could happen. As he focused his mind, a not-so-menacing tendril of the Demon Vine slowly flew out, wrapping gently around Wolf Bu'er's neck. Half of its barbs remained closed while the rest slightly lifted, accurately injecting a dose of 100 points of mixed poison before retreating on its own.

This scene left Wolf Bu'er dumbfounded. Was this an attack or a courting gesture?

"Xiong Wu, I don't need your sympathy. I'm here to challenge my limits. Without reaching them, how can I enhance adaptability? Use as much strength as you have on me!"

Wolf Bu'er was furious, feeling insulted. Such a tiny amount of injected poison left her almost unfazed.

But Wang Wu watched her calmly, counting in his mind. When the ten-second countdown ended, Wolf Bu'er's expression suddenly changed, and she spewed a mouthful of pitch-black poisonous blood, her body weakening immediately.

The Antidote Pill could only temporarily calm the first stage of the poison, but it couldn't exempt the second stage of poison damage.

Or more accurately, unless there was a high-grade Spirit Pill equivalent to a Dimensional Strike, the poison injected by the Companion Demon Vine, regardless of its dosage, would inevitably lead to three stages of poison damage evolution, whether the symptoms were mild or severe.

Like a persistent disease, once it forms, medicine can only alleviate, not cure it.

"How… how…"

Wolf Bu'er could no longer speak. Although she wasn't foaming at the mouth, convulsing, or incontinent this time, she could distinctly feel the poison damaging her meridians, organs, and the foundation of her flesh and blood.

Like an invisible demon spreading through her bloodstream.

Wang Wu hurriedly stepped forward, feeding her another Antidote Pill, while shouting, "Old Niu! Old Niu! Come help quickly!"

"Shut up! You… I'd rather die…"

Wolf Bu'er, almost out of strength, couldn't help but grit her teeth and shout at this.

Of course it knew what Old Niu's healing method was. Soaking in cow dung, it would rather die!

"Then there's nothing to be done. It looks like three Antidote Pills aren't enough. Open your mouth—"

Wang Wu directly pinched Wolf Bu'er's jaw, and a tentacle of the Companion Demon Vine reluctantly flew out, drilling straight in.

"You—ugh..."

Wolf Bu'er struggled violently, and Wang Wu could only helplessly hold it down. Detoxification required the toxin possessor; this was the only way.

Meanwhile, the demon vine tentacle kept probing, scrubbing everything clean, washing the stomach, drawing out blood and toxins, busy without pause.

A dozen seconds later, the demon vine tentacle bounced back very unwillingly. It wanted to steal Wolf Bu'er's vitality while it had the chance, but was sternly stopped by Wang Wu.

What a joke!

This was an ally!

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Wolf Bu'er lay weakly on the ground, frantically coughing as if trying to vomit but unable to, even tears streamed out, as if having suffered inhuman abuse.

But the good news was that Wang Wu successfully halted the third stage evolution of the toxin injury.

"You rest well."

Wang Wu offered sincere blessings and quickly made a swift exit.

Alas, it seems next time I can only inject 50 points of poison. This Wolf Bu'er, despite being a Sixth-Grade Demon, really can't withstand much torment.

He was genuinely curious; if Wolf Bu'er also had an attribute bar, what would its values be? How could its health be so low?

Or is it that after its Companion Demon Vine advanced again, it became too powerful, creating a Dimensional Strike against Wolf Bu'er's internal Negative Resistance?

No matter, first receive the supplies.

Two Ninth-Grade Ginseng Vitality Pills, certainly not as good as one Eighth-Grade, but should provide at least 3000 points of vitality, which is quite good.

As for the five hundred jin of Profound Iron, it's actually not much, just that small pile, large and small, only eight pieces, and clearly raw ore, not even initially refined.

Wang Wu picked up a piece, sensed it with his right front paw, the Essence of Gold Qi inside was pitifully little.

If expressed in numerical terms, this piece weighs about forty jin, with an Essence of Gold Qi amount of about 1. In total calculation, the five hundred jin of Profound Iron Ore's Essence of Gold Qi won't exceed 15 points.

But that day underground in West Mountain, that Profound Iron Jar, not sure about the exact weight, but it's roughly estimated that each five hundred jin of weight contains over 30, maybe even up to 50 points of Essence of Gold Qi.

If compared with that Broken Sword, that's a massive difference. There's no need to even look at the weight; the Essence of Gold Qi inside starts at least 1000 points.

The two combined Broken Swords total over 2000.

Such a comparison makes the difference clear at glance.

But these Profound Iron Ores cannot be wasted.

Wang Wu directly swallowed a Ninth-Grade Ginseng Vitality Pill. Before long, a whole 1000 points of vitality surged in. He might have been pleasantly surprised in the past, but now it just warranted a wry smile. Ninth-Grade is indeed trash.

He handed over the Profound Iron Ore to his left front paw, just to cultivate this paw.

Otherwise, just with the sharpness of the current right front paw, the five hundred jin of Profound Iron Ore wouldn't last an hour of friction.

Always need to take into account the superior's face and pride, right?

If he can avoid troubling the leader, he absolutely will.

At this moment, he operated the Inner Breathing Technique, Qi and Blood Circulation running non-stop, dedicating himself to refining, piece by piece, allowing time to pass without noticing.

Until over forty jin of Profound Iron Ore silently turned to ash in his paw, raising his head already seeing the deep night, stars twinkling.

Meanwhile, Yuan Bupu was beside him, not knowing when he had arrived.

"Oh? It's Brother Yuan!"

"Younger Brother Xiong, no need for courtesy. I watched your refining process of the Profound Iron, truly admirable. As expected of the Ancient Blood Demon Race, a descendant of a prestigious line, within less than half a day, you could refine a Mortal Ninth-Grade Lifebound Demon Soldier. I'm truly unworthy."

"Brother Yuan overpraises, I don't deserve it."

Wang Wu cheerfully said. He too found it amazing. This refining of Profound Iron was much more satisfactory than before, akin to a fifth-grade student traversing to a first-grade exam.

At this point, Yuan Bupu suddenly said, "Younger Brother Xiong, as I watched you refine the Profound Iron, the Qi and Blood Circulation within you faintly thundered, indicating that you have the timing to condense the Acupoint Opening Demon Pill. I suggest you immediately close up, within a month, you're bound to advance to Seventh Grade, perhaps even surpassing Niu Huanxi."

"However, before that, I would like to ask Younger Brother Xiong a favor."

"Brother Yuan, please speak. We are already partners; as long as I can do it, I will not decline."

"Simple, use your Companion Demon Vine to poison me to death."

Yuan Bupu's words were simply stunning!

Wang Wu was taken aback for a moment but suddenly understood, so he tried asking, "Bu'er has advanced?"

"No, it has not advanced, but something even better than advancement. It says its Ancient Bloodline growth limit has slightly increased, you should know what this means, so Younger Brother Xiong, I beg you! From now on, I owe you a huge favor."

Yuan Bupu's eyes were fervent, sincere, eager, looking at Wang Wu as if seeing a treasure.

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