27 Beast Core Looting (1/2)
As the lower valley was currently empty, the sect's training grounds were naturally full.
Thankfully the area that made them up was much bigger than the valleys, therefore all disciples could train without bothering each other.
After the announcement the day before, everyone had left in a quest of power, be it meditation training or fighting training.
The latter was what Shin Sumi was after, too.
As she closed in on the red border, the sound of disciples fighting grew more and more distant. Shin Sumi passed close to the area where she had fought the three Affairs Pavilion disciples just a few days before.
At that time she had thought she was already past the red border but for some reason the red border extended a bit more in that direction.
”How strange, it is also the direction to the dark chasm. Although the ravine should be past the orange border too.”
Shin Sumi had planned on having her training near her second home in the sect, the always dark chasm filled with poisonous snakes. She hoped that no disciple would adventure themselves near that area.
The fact was that with her green identification medallion, she had never felt the limitations as to where she could go and thus didn't know for sure where the colored borders were located.
All along the way, the little nut was more silent than usual.
”It must be because all the spirit beasts are either in hiding or fighting disciples for their lives” she thought.
The spirit beasts were indeed hiding away. Usually they would be more protective of their domain and attack every disciple that traveled a bit too close to their territory but for a reason their limited intelligence couldn't understand, the forest now swarmed with bright colored robes.
Shin Sumi made her way silently, evading every sound of battle in the direction indicated by the nut.
Her goal was to reach the other side of the dark chasm, where virtually no disciple should be present. The immense scar on the earth that was the ravine was dissuading enough with its mysterious absence of light and sound.
When she was sure that nobody was close, Shin Sumi stopped for a second. She was standing on a big rock in the shape of a skull. Scanning the dense forest with her eyes, she inhaled deeply.
The sound of birds, the writhing of insects on the ground, the drops of dew on the leaves of the canopy, she embraced it all.
”This location will be good enough” she said out loud.
A shine from her bag of holding later, the Gold Tyrant Flying piece of metal appeared in her small hand.
Although the dull blade was really heavy, Shin Sumi was not too bothered by it. Recently she had started to realize how much her body had changed from that of a mortal. She was already half a step into the cultivation world.
As much as she hated to admit it, her recent fight where she, for the first time, had killed a human being had improved her skills a lot.
At least confidence wise, now Shin Sumi knew that she could hold her own ground and that in all probability no red disciple could ever be a threat to her.
She wondered how she would compare to a spirit beast though.
With a rotating movement of the sword to give her more momentum, Shin Sumi jumped. Her leg muscles were already powerful enough to cover a few meter with one burst, but the added momentum propelled her about eight meters vertically.
Slamming down with all her might, the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword chopped down at the skull rock below.
A deafening noise rang out, followed by a high pitched hissing.
”I can't use my divine sense to track down spirit beasts yet, but I can make use of my knowledge!”
The newcomer's book served as a guideline for the recently arrived disciples, providing all sorts of information. One passage that Shin Sumi remembered well was about common spirit animals around the sect borders.
A big chunk of the skull shaped rock exploded under the impact, revealing the hollow structure inside. A rounded ball of grey spikes with purplish tips was hissing inside the rock.
”Purple Devil Hedgehog” she whispered.
Under the spiky armor, the creature was looking at her with invisible eyes. It was normally a peaceful spirit beast that relied on dissuasion to ward off potential threats. It was notorious for its carved habitat that acted as a repellent.
Shin Sumi had recognized the skull shape of the rock instantly. Although the Purple Devil Hedgehog could not be considered as a fighter beast, once it was out in the open it would give its all to get rid of any attacker.
The ball of spikes was roughly as tall as Shin Sumi's knee, and it's tips started oozing purple goo.
”Poison” thought Shin Sumi. Wielding the sword, she took on a fighting stance, preparing for combat.
The Purple Devil Hedgehog never stopped hissing, until the last moment. Rolling on the ground, its speed greatly shocked Shin Sumi who nearly failed to evade the first collision.
The dangerous ball of spikes stopped a few meters past her. A few leaves that were previously on the ground had been stabbed and were hanging from the purplish grey tips.
Shin Sumi once again leveled her weapon horizontally. Before the Purple Devil Hedgehog attacked a second time, she saw the impaled leaves darken and turn black before disintegrating completely.
That showed how potent the purple poison seeping from the beast's armor was.
The beast attacked again, never once revealing a weakness. That was its tactics. By attacking with a rolling motion, it always kept its soft belly hidden. There were only a few species that were able to deal with the attack and defense combo of the Purple Devil Hedgehog.
Unfortunately for it, human cultivators and their weapons were one such species.
The second time around, Shin Sumi met the attack with her sword. A vertical blow powered by all her strength completely crushed a dozen spikes before ripping the skin open underneath.
The hedgehog cried with a high pitched sound that resembled a whistle.
Shin Sumi's sword didn't cut, it crushed. The lower half of the beast had been turned into a bloody pulp. A mix of poison and blood started forming a dark pool under the unfurling creature.
Seeing how the meter long beast couldn't roll and hide, Shin Sumi was suddenly caught by the distress of the creature.
With a secondary blow, Shin Sumi decapitated the Purple Devil Hedgehog swiftly by crushing its neck.
The earth and leaves under its carcass were turning black and showing signs of rot by the effect of the poison.
Shin Sumi stood there, feeling her heart calm down to a normal rhythm again.
”This Purple Devil Hedgehog didn't ask for anything and yet I disturbed it to kill it.”
Shin Sumi was frightened to realize that she actually didn't care that much. The mentality of cultivators was as such. Once again, the law of the strong had spoken.
The Gold Tyrant Flying Sword hummed imperceptibly for a second. Without her realizing, all the blood that covered its dull blade disappeared.
Shin Sumi put her sword away and kneeled near the dead creature. Using the dagger she had taken from the dead Chao Long, she carefully cut open the belly of the hedgehog.
A dark red crystal was there, reflecting a bloody light on her face.
”A beast core!” she gasped.
Shin Sumi knew what a beast core was thanks to what disciples had told her. She also knew it was the reason why the snakes in the dark chasm pounded on every animal that fell to their death.
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It was the source of every spirit beast's strength. Comparable to a human cultivator's dantian, the beast core evolution showed how potent a spirit beast was.
With a dark red shine, Shin Sumi knew instantly that the Purple Devil Hedgehog was comparable in strength to a red robed disciple.
”It was so easy...” Shin Sumi thought. ”Although I was surprised by the speed of the first attack. I have to be more careful and ready next time.”
Pocketing her loot, she left, a hard look barring her face.
Training had just begun.
Deep in that part of the forest, no disciples other than Shin Sumi were present. If some had been, it would have been mindblowing for them to see a red robed young girl so far from the red border. The speed at which the young girl progressed was frightening.
After three days, Shin Sumi still hadn't rested, not even for a minute.
Relentless, she was seeking spirit beasts, slaying them with a unsurpassed efficiency every time, taking their beast cores before leaving in search for another prey.