"Woof!"

"Woof woof woof!"

At this moment, the barking of a dog echoed in the snow-white courtyard. A half-human tall black mastiff had a collar around its neck, the links of the collar chain as thick as an arm, and the other end was attached to a big iron stump.

Li Yuan glanced at the black mastiff and said, "It's snowing, are you happy too?"

The black mastiff looked at Li Yuan, its eyes showing a tame expression, its mouth opened as if it were "hehe" laughing, its blood-red tongue "sasha" flicking.

This was a small gain for Li Yuan from the black market.

The heavens don't always fulfill one's wishes.

He wanted to find a tank-like demon beast with a gentle temperament, good at reconnaissance, stealthy in its movements, could provide assistance and guard services...

Obviously, this was a daytime dream.

In the past six months, he hadn't seen a demon beast that matched more than two of these requirements.

And this black demon mastiff showed particular affection towards him when he passed by in his true form, prompting him to consider buying it.

Its movements aren't stealthy, its temperament isn't gentle, but at least it's good at reconnaissance and can provide guard services. Moreover, dogs as creatures are inherently associated with "loyalty," which partly compensates for the lack of "gentleness."

The term "guard dog" is not called in vain.

Thus, Li Yuan grit his teeth and spent 400 taels of silver to purchase it, with 100 taels directly taken from the lady boss and 300 taels from Senior Brother Ren's side.

This demon mastiff is named—Black Rock Demon Mastiff, it dislikes movement, likes to guard a place, so to speak, it loves to watch the house. It is extremely sensitive to "hostility," and its sense of smell has greatly improved compared to ordinary dogs.

Li Yuan once took it to hunt a bear on Xiao Mo Mountain. He first went to the cave to wake the bear, giving the bear half an hour to escape, then brought the Black Rock Demon Mastiff along, quickly retrieving the bear.

The comprehensive stats of this Black Rock Demon Mastiff upon arrival were "(10)20~(20)60," but after being nurtured in Li Yuan's home for a while, it nearly fully recovered.

Li Yuan gave it a name, "Xiaohai."

The reason it's locked isn't because Xiaohai is dangerous, nor because it harbors hostility towards Li Yuan's family.

In fact, Xiaohai has "completely pledged allegiance" to Li Yuan, it deeply knows Yan Yu and Xue Ning as its "mistresses," and in their presence, it behaves gently.

But here is the inner city, if the demon mastiff runs out, it'll either kill people or be killed by people, so it remains locked on regular days.

Because of this situation, he became slightly famous.

Others seeing this Ninth Grade demon beast gentle towards him also clicked their tongues in surprise.

Li Yuan just claimed it was due to some beast taming skills he acquired during his past hunting days, unexpectedly useful even for demon beasts.

Thus, the name "Young Master Li adept at beast taming" inexplicably spread.

Such minor things, Li Yuan does not mind, as after all, it's within his power range.

Apart from the Black Smoke Demon Mastiff, Li Yuan also acquired two skills and bought two weapons for the Seventh Grade phase, since an Eighth Grade weapon couldn't utilize the Seventh Grade's power.

The two weapons combined cost 96 taels of silver, a new Sleeve Blade, and a Beast Bone Bow.

And the two skills:

One is called "Tracking Technique," an Eighth Grade skill, a marginal skill that hung around for a long time without anyone buying it; the seller didn't even know where it came from.

This skill is a lone skill, requiring the practitioner first to reach the Eighth Grade realm and possess Ninth Grade or ordinary tracing system skills at the Grandmaster Level.

Such demands are totally absurd for normal cultivators.

Although mastering it wouldn't enhance one's strength itself, it would grant an unimaginable sense of smell, simply put... you would develop an excellent "dog nose."

Who leisurely learns this skill?

But Li Yuan saw value in it, haggling for half a day, reducing its high price from "300 taels of silver" to "100 taels of silver," then taking the skill.

The other is called "Wind-Seeking Willow Twelve Linked Arrows," an Eighth Grade lone skill.

It requires reaching the Eighth Grade realm and possessing Ninth Grade or ordinary shooting skills at the Grandmaster Level.

Unfortunately, in Shanbao County, swords and blades are more common, few actually used bows.

And even if someone used bows, achieving Grandmaster Level is virtually impossible.

Moreover, due to the "Wind-Seeking Willow Twelve Linked Arrows" lacking subsequent Seventh Grade skills, it stayed unsold for a long time.

So, considering certain factors, Li Yuan negotiated the price down from "400 taels of silver" to "150 taels of silver," then bought it.

This one demon beast, two skills, and two weapons were all Li Yuan's harvest other than "Eighth Grade Demon Beast Meat."

As for cultivation skills, he did come across them, but they lacked great follow-up and were incredibly pricey.

Li Yuan vaguely felt during cultivation that the "types of Shadow Blood coexistence" had an upper limit, definitely below five, but neither was it three since he could sense still having room inside his body. This coexistence limit should be either four or five.

Currently, there are already two types of Shadow Blood inside his body, one could enhance to Seventh Grade, the other stalled at Ninth Grade, while the remaining slots... he needed to use cautiously.

The third cultivation skill should at least lead to the Sixth Grade, then he would attempt to replace the Shadow Blood from "Willow Return Technique" using shadow blood of this Sixth Grade method.

If successful, it proves inner body Shadow Blood could be replaced, he wouldn't be so restricted when learning the next skill.

If unsuccessful, he could only patiently wait, leaving probably the last vacancy for skills with higher grade future cultivation methods.

This, in fact, reveals a cultivator's helplessness.

Without follow-up methods, don't hope to reach a higher realm.

Reaching the Seventh Grade, without Sixth Grade skills, if encountering another with Sixth Grade inherited skills, you can't re-learn since your Shadow Bone is set.

At the Eighth Grade, meeting another with Sixth Grade inherited skills, you'll have to start over, spending time, enduring pain, replacing Shadow Blood, then transitioning your cultivation.

In this world, aside from talent and diligence, birth and opportunity remain the decisive factors for one's ultimate achievements.

Those born into good families, inheriting high-grade skills, are walking on a path that doesn't require looking back.

But most people strive amidst searching, final achievement depending solely on their luck.

How unfair?

But isn't that how it is everywhere?

Li Yuan doesn't know if he can replace Shadow Blood, so can only proceed cautiously... dare not recklessly learn skills.

...

At this moment, he stood in the snow.

He wasn't holding the book of 'Soul-Throwing Technique' in his hands, as he had already memorized the cultivation skill thoroughly.

"The toad ascends to the heavens, gathering Qi like a mountain. The great river flows through the wilderness, forming the bow with the moon."

The last step to break into the Seventh Grade is to form the bow with the moon.

To throw the soul, one must first inhale.

Li Yuan looked at the snow falling in the courtyard, suddenly tore off his outer clothes, took off his outer pants, and switched to cheap cloth shirt and pants. Then he raised his head and took a deep breath, causing the wind and snow in all directions in the courtyard to swirl!

Countless long threads of white ice crystals were drawn by some powerful breath, drilling into Li Yuan's body.

The blood was compressed, starting to rush madly to every inch of his body. The power within the Eighth Grade Demon Beast Meat at this moment transformed into a kind of 'power', allowing this surge to expand further, reach farther places, filling his body with Shadow Blood.

Mortal Blood was slowly expelled in this process, causing a hint of blood-red to emerge on Li Yuan's body surface, which then stuck to the cheap cloth garment, turning it into a blood garment.

For the sake of breaking through to Seventh Grade, Li Yuan had no idea how many cloth garments he had exhausted.

But this time, it should be the last.

He held his breath, closed his eyes, the numerous fine trajectories in the Seventh Grade diagram in his mind were already proficiently operating automatically, starting to transport the Shadow Blood.

"Hmm..."

Two strands of white gas sprayed out of the nostrils like arrows, resembling the heat rising in the forging fire iron furnace and wind box.

After several times, Li Yuan inhaled again.

This time, he sank slowly, feeling as if there was a burning flame inside, the previously fragile Mortal Bone being tempered continuously by this fire, beginning to transform, and the first step...

"Ha!!"

Li Yuan burst out shouting, black hair wildly dancing, his eyes divine like the center of an electric cloud, sparkling with light, this breath was white steam boiling, akin to steam rising when a treasured sword emerges from the furnace and is quenched in water.

And at the moment of exhaling, Li Yuan felt his whole body's strength vastly increase, but after exhaling, the strength quickly fell back, evidently the Soul-Throwing Technique possesses a temporary power increase limit effect.

He glanced at the information:

[Name: Li Yuan]

[Add Points: 752 Points]

[Realm: Seventh Grade (Bone Refining)]

[Cultivation Skill: Willow Return Technique (100/100), Soul-Throwing Skill Seventh Grade (1/500)]

[Divine Techniques: Immortality]

[Equipment Bar: Unlocked]

And besides the original ones, the 'Skills' added [Grandmaster Level Breath Seeking Skill (1/160); Wind-Seeking Willow Twelve Linked Arrows (1/160)]

"Finally reached Seventh Grade, this breaking realm is really difficult."

"Now that I've broken into Seventh Grade, it's time to reach perfection."

Li Yuan directly clicked the '++' next to [Soul-Throwing Skill Seventh Grade (1/500)].

In an instant, he gained much memory, he ate a lot of Eighth Grade Demon Beast Meat, cultivated the skill, tirelessly devoted himself to cultivation, and after five years, finally felt the accumulation of Qi and blood reach the limit.

Under the tempering of the cultivation skill, under the nourishment of Shadow Blood, the Mortal Bone within his body had completely transformed.

Shadow Blood has gained a source, continuously generated from Shadow Bone, making Shadow Blood permanently reside in body, unable to be depleted.

The Shadow Blood from 'Willow Return Technique' was compressed, wrapped, forming a small blood drop, settling in his abdominal cavity, seemingly quietly sleeping, yet at his disposal.

Li Yuan closed his eyes, carefully sensing the changes.

After a long time, he smiled and opened his eyes, glanced at the information:

[Name: Li Yuan]

[Add Points: 251 Points]

[Realm: Seventh Grade (Bone Refining)]

[Cultivation Skill: Willow Return Technique (100/100), Soul-Throwing Skill Seventh Grade (500/500)]

"It's time to cultivate the third move of Spring and Autumn Blade [Leap Abyss], so that... I can exert my maximum strength."

...

...

Ten days later.

Li Yuan glanced at his own information.

[Name: Li Yuan]

[Add Points: 321 Points]

[Skills: Spring and Autumn Blade Seventh Grade—Leap Abyss (Basic) (1/10)]

"Max it."

Li Yuan clicked the '++' after the skill several times, directly crossing 'Basic', 'Intermediate', 'Advanced', 'Expert Level', reaching 'Grandmaster Level' perfection.

The points deducted instantly were 310 points, and the skill status turned into [Spring and Autumn Blade Seventh Grade—Leap Abyss (Grandmaster Level) (160/160)].

Li Yuan held the Sleeve Blade in his hand, glanced at his comprehensive strength: 180~278.

He slightly closed his eyes, thinking about Blood Saber Sect's strongest, Tie Sha.

Sect Leader Tie's strength seemed to be "215~235."

And the weapon Tie Sha uses must be better than this ordinary Seventh Grade weapon he scavenged.

Instantly, his sense of security increased a bit.

"It's time to see the teacher..."

Li Yuan put away his Sleeve Blade, patted Xiaohai's head, and said: "Watch the house, I'm going out for a bit."

Xiaohai whimpered coquettishly, looking at his master with admiration in his eyes.

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