Embers ignited, and the three Firetail Foxes circled rapidly, their yips echoing as their gazes never left Feng Han.

  Feng Han rolled to the side as one pounced, flames whipping across the bedrock where he had stood. The beast barked, a high-pitched sound, bristling with hostility as it snapped its teeth.

  "What? Did you think you'd get me so easily?" Feng Han chuckled, ignoring the sweat trailing down his back. His senses detected the beasts' cultivation, an instinct that had awakened after his reforging. Two at the fifth layer, one at the sixth, and... one at the seventh prowling in the back. Not simple. And there must be at least one or two more lurking in the shadows.

  Firetail Foxes weren't the most clever beasts, always hunting in relatively small packs. They loved the glades because of the fireproofed terrain forged by the countless firestorms that swept through it in the past. It's part of why the Flamecrest Kingdom was as developed as it was. Anyone cultivating fire qi would be hard-pressed not to find benefits in its vicinity.

  Feng Han didn't know whether he could rely on his cultivation, not really, but what he did know was that he'd always known how take down bigger and stronger men. Those who acted just as viciously and just as stupidly as any beast.

  Could beasts be any worse than man? Feng Han didn't believe so.

  The foxes shifted around, gauging Feng Han as they sensed his cultivation up close. His qi pulsed from his body with the violent force of someone at the ninth layer of body forging, despite him being only in the sixth layer in reality.

  After all, a Godsin cultivator could not be judged by mortal means.

  Feng Han stared at the foxes with mild caution, following their swift steps as they circled him.

  "Are you coming or what?" Feng Han asked, feeling like he was trapped in a whirlpool from their endless circling. He stepped forward, and the foxes responded, pouncing toward him.

  Two of the Firetail Foxes leaped high off the ground toward him, but Feng Han ducked beneath them before pivoting off his backfoot and tackling a third fox. He wrapped his arm around its neck and flexed, snapping it like a twig. His eyes widened, and a pleased smile crossed his face, but he couldn't spare it a thought just yet.

  He grabbed the corpse by its hind leg and flung it at the fourth fox before it could strike, sending both rolling across the bedrock.

  Everything happened so quickly. It left Feng Han with little time to think, but with plenty of time to enjoy. Was this how cultivators fought?

  The flow of qi, the beasts' breath, and the twitching of their muscles. Feng Han's eyes seemed to see far more than he ever had. He had to keep his reactions instant, a brief moment before each attack struck.

  Feng Han gritted his teeth as the first two foxes lunged off the gravelly terrain and snapped at his ankles before he could dodge. Blood trickled down, but with the durability of his body, it was mere droplets compared to the bloodied gashes that should've been.

  He punched down, letting qi envelop his palms as he struck the foxes' skulls with all the force he could muster. Their skulls shattered, a brief whimper before their voices cut out.

  Holy shit. What the hell is going on with my body? Are Baoshi's methods this amazing? It feels as if they don't even have cultivation...

  Feng Han stared at the fourth fox with eyes filled more with confusion than animosity. He was perplexed by the situation, not angry. He stepped forward once, causing the beast to step back in fright.

  It was then that a pained wail spread out from the distance, far behind the clutter of trees at the fox's back. It bled with desperation and fear, a sharp, piercing scream torn from the throat of a frilly, naive youth.

  Firetail Foxes were said to be master mimics... a child couldn't possibly be in the Beast Glades alone. It had to be the rest of the pack, right? A trap? Surely... but what if?

  "No, Feng Han... You have your own problems to deal with," Feng Han muttered, his eyes locked onto the remaining fox. "Think of Yue'er and Xue'er..."

  The sounds died down, then came again. This time, more fearful than last. The raw tenderness in each wail was unmistakably human.

  Feng Han knew the beasts were clever and capable. But could they possibly mimic something so real and emotional?

  He calmed down, his eyes fierce as he pounced toward the last fox. The beast leaped back, racing toward the screams as fast as its pawed limbs could take it.

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  Feng Han clicked his tongue, mildly annoyed as the beast escaped. It meant one more thing to think about. Whether it was a trap or not, he didn't like the variable. Still, seeing how the foxes barely wounded him when they bit down on his ankles, he wanted to take a risk.

  If there were a child trapped in the glades, he wouldn't let them die miserably. He may not have been a hero, but he wasn't a coward either.

  He just needed to endure. Ten minutes, maybe fifteen, as long as he was quick, he'd be able to see the source of the noise and head to Serene Willow City after without regrets.

  Fine, let's hunt it down and see what the clever beasts have planned.

  Feng Han took a step forward when Baoshi's voice slammed loudly into his mind like a roaring tide, causing him to jolt his hands toward his head with a pained grimace.

  [You foolish boy. Don't throw away such good nourishment by rushing pointlessly.]

  [Use the Heaven Devouring Art on the corpses. Absorb the lifeblood and grow. If you're not eating enough, how will you change and become stronger? Do you wish to be mediocre for the rest of your life?]

  "Baoshi... you're too loud."

  [So what? You need to learn! A trash cultivator that remains stuck forging his body for the rest of his life is not someone who can be of any benefit to me. Have you understood me?]

  "Yes," Feng Han said. Despite the pain, he was excited to feel the chalice's presence again. Even if her words were vicious, it felt comforting, almost caring, how she guided him. "I'll try!"

  He had so many questions he still wanted to ask Baoshi; however, since time was limited, he quickly focused on the techniques swirling in his mind instead.

  "Heaven Devouring Art..." Feng Han muttered, his eyes closed as the motions flickered through his mind. It was excruciating, but short-lived. As if clouds were parting in the sky above, clarity came soon after. The technique flowed into him, grotesque, overpowering, and bloody.

  "Blood... the lifeblood of all living beings."

  Feng Han nearly retched once the technique finished playing out in his mind, like a performance of death. "Devouring Heaven is to devour the lifeblood of all living obstacles. For some, it is a sin, but for us, it is the path to pursue..."

  "Wouldn't the corpses be counterintuitive?" Feng Han asked.

  [Do you think lifeblood turns cold that fast? If it was counterintuitive, would I bother wasting my energy to remind you?]

  "Right..." Feng Han couldn't deny her logic. In general, Baoshi was right. He needed strength. Whether to live or to protect. Even if the technique made him feel sick seeing those scenes flickering in his mind, he had to trust it.

  He quickly collected the Firetail Foxes and placed them at his feet before kneeling down and digging his fingertips firmly against their bodies. The Heaven Devouring Art flashed across his mind as he exhaled and let his qi follow the path depicted in the technique.

  From Feng Han's fingers, a thin thread of qi pierced into the corpses. It tore through the beasts' bodies, mincing their insides with an unreasonable force that belied the size of the qi threads. All that remained was a slush of bloody gore and a pitiful shell of a carcass that contained it.

  He pulled his fingers upward, reeling in the threaded qi and letting the crimson mush within squirt into the air unnaturally, before it curved into Feng Han's mouth. Before he could retch, it streamed down his throat with a thunderous might that instead satiated a hunger he didn't even know he had.

  It wasn't as sweet as when Feng Han drank directly from the chalice, but it was still an irresistible feeling that mellowed his taut nerves and the worries in his heart.

  ...should it be so blissful? The thought gnawed in the back of his mind, but feeling the qi surging and filling his body after the battle with the Firetail Foxes put the thought further in the back of his mind. There was a sense of guilt, but not enough to overpower the desire for strength.

  [Not so bad, is it? Never leave food wasted. Your life depends on it. Lifeblood can stay pure for only so long. If you miss out on your opportunity, it'll be wasted.]

  [Now, go, chase after the last creature, and continue your hunting. Can't have a meal without dessert.]

  "Alright, you don't have to tell me twice, Baoshi," Feng Han said, chuckling lightly as he felt the power coursing through his meridians. Strangely, it felt as if he could break through again just by consuming the few Firetail Foxes.

  Since his fate was now tied with Baoshi, whether he liked it or not, he had to trust her guidance more.

  Feng Han took off, pursuing the final fox, and the crying sounds that periodically broke through the distant overgrowth. Whether it was a trap or not, he would do what he had to do.

  Fortunately, he had long since grown accustomed to biding his time. There was never space for a slumborn's impatience when desperately trying to survive. Wallowing in uncertainties was for the blessed. For people like him, he had to make the most of every moment and opportunity, for the sake of his future, and for his sisters.

  Feng Han struggled with that mentality deep down. He worried about their safety more than anything, but he couldn't deny Baoshi or her reasoning.

  Without sufficient strength, he would never contend against the world.

  While nobody knew about Feng Yue and Feng Xue, he would rise as quickly as possible.

  Just wait. You cornered a powerless mortal, but you're gonna get chewed up by a cultivator greater than anything you could've imagined.

  Feng Han smiled, a cold glint flashing across his eyes. He was confident that his siblings had reached Serene Willow City by now. Whether or not he could follow them immediately to the city made little difference.

  As long as they were safe, and he had enough strength to contend against the pursuing cultivators after, it wouldn't be too late to follow them.

  After all, no matter how insane the cultivators were because of his theft, surely they couldn't implicate the whole kingdom in their madness.