Bai Yuan gazed at the increased strengthening points on his panel and nodded with satisfaction.

He had finally found that familiar feeling of grinding monsters again.

Fire Armor Rhinoceros Beetles were valuable treasures, not to be wasted. He bent down, picked up the beetle’s corpse from the ground, then turned and left the cave.

He didn’t stay on the sixth level of the Holy Fire Pit for too long.

The temperature here was terrifying, already approaching sixty degrees Celsius. An ordinary person would have long since died of dehydration. If not for the protection of his inner energy, he too would have succumbed long ago.

Even so, slaying four Fire Armor Rhinoceros Beetles in a row had consumed a great deal of his stamina, and he had reached his limit.

Bai Yuan walked out of the rock cave, then leaped up to the fifth level.

Before long, he emerged above the Holy Fire Pit. The mountain breeze blowing from the distance felt incredibly cool against his skin.

Today’s haul had been good. He headed down the mountain in high spirits.

Just as he reached the halfway point, he happened to run into You Shengnan.

"Junior Brother Bai, it seems you still need to train more in the Holy Fire Pit."

You Shengnan said meaningfully, her gaze fixed on Bai Yuan, who was drenched in sweat and looking a little disheveled.

Although it was common for Inner Sect Disciples to have a rough time on their first visit to the Holy Fire Pit, it was never to the extent of Bai Yuan’s current state.

She guessed that Bai Yuan hadn’t listened to her and had rashly descended to the fifth level.

Bai Yuan smiled faintly. "I’ll be coming here often from now on."

’At today’s rate, I can get over four hundred strengthening points in a single day. The efficiency is far greater than taking Demon Hunting missions from the Merit Hall. Of course I have to come here often!’

...

Wisps of blue smoke, carrying a peculiar fragrance, drifted up from the small courtyard on the mountainside of Wan Jun Peak.

A large iron pot sat on a brick stove, its meaty broth bubbling continuously—or to be precise, it was an insect broth.

"It’s about ready."

Bai Yuan carefully observed the changes in the broth. When he saw it turn from white to red, he tossed a pre-prepared packet of herbs into the soup.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

The once-boiling soup instantly grew calm, and the water level dropped at a visible rate... until it was dry.

In the end, only a few small, crimson crystals remained at the bottom of the pot. They looked very similar to the Water Spirits from before; these were the Fire Spirits extracted from the Fire Armor Rhinoceros Beetles.

Killing Fire Armor Rhinoceros Beetles not only yielded strengthening points but also allowed for the extraction of Fire Spirits. They were truly treasures through and through.

Bai Yuan contentedly tucked the Fire Spirits into his robes.

Once he bought the remaining ingredients from the main peak’s Herb Hall, he could cook a pot of Fire Spirit Soup.

He looked at his panel.

[You have practiced Hundred Mechanisms for six years. You are gradually able to create hidden weapon launchers independently.]

...

[You have practiced Hundred Mechanisms for twenty-five years and have finally reached the Proficient level.]

...

[You have practiced the Hundred Poison Hand for five years. Your technique grows more refined.]

...

[You have practiced the Hundred Poison Hand for twenty-three years and have finally reached the Proficient level.]

...

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Class: Demon Hunter, Ghostwriter, Boxer, Spirit Cooker]

[Skills: Cooking (Legendary), Night Wanderer Step (Proficient), Hundred Mechanisms (Proficient), Hundred Poison Hand (Proficient), Tiger-Crane Form (Master), Blood Tiger Saber (Master)...]

[Strengthening Points: 0]

Bai Yuan had used his points to raise the three Cultivation Techniques he just obtained all to the Proficient level in one go. These three techniques finally had practical combat value. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Otherwise, at the entry level, they would have been almost completely ineffective against a Strong Internal Martial Artist.

Now, if he were to face Dao Ji again, he would make sure to give him a taste of Devil’s Pepper no matter what.

’I also need to prepare things like flying needles and darts,’ Bai Yuan mused to himself.

’These are all valuable tools for dealing with enemies; I can’t underestimate them.’

’If I coat the needles with Xiaoqing’s venom... tsk tsk, a single touch would be fatal.’

...

"Junior Brother Bai, you’re going to the Holy Fire Pit again?"

You Shengnan watched Bai Yuan with a strange expression.

This junior brother of hers had gone to the Holy Fire Pit for seven consecutive days. Although the Holy Fire Pit was indeed beneficial for training, there was no need to go so frequently.

’Could it be that my words from before hurt him?’

You Shengnan couldn’t help but wonder if she had spoken too harshly that day, causing Bai Yuan to become so obsessive.

Bai Yuan nodded.

"Senior Sister, I’ll be on my way."

Seeing Bai Yuan run off, You Shengnan opened her mouth to say something but stopped, ultimately giving up.

The Fire Armor Rhinoceros Beetles of the Holy Fire Pit were hidden deep within. Very few people ever came to the sixth level to train, so almost no one knew of their existence.

Because Bai Yuan possessed an Adept-level Demon-Finding skill, he was able to easily locate the rock caves where the Fire Armor Rhinoceros Beetles hid.

「Half an hour later.」

He crawled out of a rock cave, his face covered in dust, looking quite disheveled.

His eyes, however, were exceptionally bright.

This time, he had slain six Fire Armor Rhinoceros Beetles in one go—the most in several days.

The strengthening points he obtained were enough to directly raise both his Night Wanderer Step and Hundred Poison Hand to the Adept level.

Even a genius like Dong Wanjun had taken a full three years to barely reach the Adept level in these two Cultivation Techniques. Yet, Bai Yuan had done it in a mere seven days. If Old Dong were to see such progress, even he would have to bow in deference.

Bai Yuan felt an unbearable, scorching heat.

He leaped up to the platform of the fifth level.

Just as he made his way up to the second level, he happened upon an old acquaintance—Dao Ji.

Dao Ji looked at Bai Yuan with some surprise.

He had personally seen Bai Yuan come up from the third level, which meant it was highly likely Bai Yuan had been training there!

The third level was a place only the Blood Refining Elders dared to set foot in.

’So it wasn’t an unfair loss...’

Dao Ji suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Unlike the self-important disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect, he had always been keenly aware of his own aptitude and comprehension. He never compared himself to others and could easily accept the fact that he was inferior to them.

A Ghostwriter’s only purpose is to kill. Comparisons only get you killed faster; they serve no purpose.

Bai Yuan merely glanced at Dao Ji and said nothing.

The two of them really had nothing to talk about.

But just as he was about to leave the Holy Fire Pit, Dao Ji suddenly spoke up. "Have you been to the South City Blacksmith Shop?"

Bai Yuan’s brow furrowed.

He hadn’t expected Dao Ji to know he had been a Ghostwriter.

’Did that middle-aged Blacksmith leak my secret?’

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He watched Dao Ji warily, his right hand already gripping the hilt of his Blood Tiger Scimitar.

’This is the Holy Fire Pit.’

’If I kill Dao Ji and throw his body into the lava, no one should ever find out...’

He was mentally calculating his chances of killing Dao Ji without a trace.

’After dealing with Dao Ji, I’ll kill that Blacksmith too. That way, no one will know I was a Ghostwriter.’

’Some secrets should never be known by anyone.’

’One strike?’

’That should be enough.’

Dao Ji felt the hair on his body stand on end. He never imagined the young man before him could possess such terrifying killing intent.

He was a Ghostwriter; he had seen plenty of ferocious individuals, but none of them compared to the Bai Yuan before him.

"I’m also a broker for that shop. You can rest assured, I won’t tell anyone about this."

"And besides, I think we can cooperate."