The next morning, as the day broke, Chen Yang slowly opened his eyes from meditation.

Overnight, he had consumed five Pure Origin Pills in succession, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the third level of Qi refining, just a step away from breaking through to the fourth level.

However, he frowned, sensing a troublesome issue: as the number of pills consumed increased, their effectiveness was gradually diminishing.

Initially, a single Pure Origin Pill was enough to significantly advance his cultivation, but now, even after taking five, he still couldn't break through the bottleneck.

More troubling was that the spiritual fluid required to replicate the pills was also increasing exponentially.

Although the clay bowl could transform clear water into spiritual fluid, its speed was limited, producing at most the equivalent of ten low-grade Spirit Stones' worth of spiritual fluid overnight.

At this rate, it would take ten days to half a month to replicate enough pills for a breakthrough.

Chen Yang pondered for a long time and came up with three strategies.

First, he could go to the Sect's Pill Hall and buy a large quantity of pills.

But this was too risky.

As a servant disciple, where would he get the Spirit Stones to buy precious pills?

It would surely arouse suspicion.

If anyone noticed anything amiss, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Second, he could replicate other types of pills.

Unfortunately, he only had Pure Origin Pills and knew nothing about other pills.

Even these Pure Origin Pills were given to him as a "compensation" by Zhao Yanran.

Thinking of this, Chen Yang felt a pang in his heart.

Third, he could take an alternative path.

A few days ago, he overheard some old servants chatting about demonic beasts hidden deep in the Rear Mountain, whose inner cores were as effective as pills and could greatly benefit cultivation if obtained.

However, the depths of the Rear Mountain were fraught with danger, and ordinary disciples dared not venture there lightly.

After much deliberation, Chen Yang made up his mind. In the afternoon, he found Little Douzi, who was weeding in the Herb Garden.

"Douzi, have you heard about the demonic beasts in the Rear Mountain?" Chen Yang asked casually.

Little Douzi looked up, wiping his sweat: "Why is Brother Chen asking about that? The Rear Mountain is dangerous!"

"Just curious," Chen Yang smiled, "I heard some disciples go to hunt demonic beasts and use their inner cores for cultivation?"

Little Douzi's eyes widened: "That's something only inner disciples dare to do! The demonic beasts in the Rear Mountain are fierce. Even the Shadow Wolves on the outermost layer, though only first-rank, are equivalent to cultivators at the third level of Qi refining!"

He glanced around and lowered his voice: "I heard the Rear Mountain is divided into three layers. The outer layer mostly has Shadow Wolves and Iron Claw Bears, both first-rank demonic beasts. The middle layer has second-rank demonic beasts, equivalent to cultivators at the fifth or sixth level of Qi refining. The deepest part reportedly has third-rank demonic beasts, comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage!"

Chen Yang's heart stirred: "And the inner cores..."

"Inner cores are valuable!" Little Douzi's eyes lit up, "A first-rank demonic beast's inner core can sell for ten to twenty Spirit Stones! A second-rank one is worth over a hundred Spirit Stones! But..." He suddenly looked at Chen Yang suspiciously, "Brother Chen, you're not thinking of going to the Rear Mountain, are you?"

Chen Yang didn't answer, instead asking, "Are these inner cores useful for cultivation?"

"Of course they're useful!" Little Douzi nodded, "Inner cores contain the essence of a demonic beast's lifetime of cultivation, and absorbing them directly is much stronger than pills. But..." He lowered his voice, "I've heard that absorbing inner cores carries risks and might be influenced by the residual consciousness of the demonic beast."

Chen Yang seemed thoughtful.

Seeing this, Little Douzi hurriedly grabbed his sleeve: "Brother Chen, don't do anything rash! Last year, an outer disciple at the fourth level of Qi refining went to the Rear Mountain to hunt Shadow Wolves, full of confidence, and never returned!"

"I know my limits." Chen Yang patted Little Douzi's shoulder, "Just asking."

Over the next two days, Chen Yang continued to use the bowl to transform spiritual fluid while secretly preparing.

He consulted several old servants about the lowest-level techniques—Water Condensation Technique and Stone Shattering Technique.

Though basic spells, they were quite powerful when cast with a cultivation at the third level of Qi refining.

He also exchanged some Pure Origin Pill powder with a servant who often went down the mountain for a fine iron short sword and a few low-level talismans.

The servant, though curious about where Chen Yang got the pill powder, couldn't identify what pill it was but didn't ask further, seeing the powder was rich in spiritual energy.

On the third morning, before dawn, Chen Yang quietly got up.

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He hid the short sword in his robe, tucked the talismans into his sleeve pocket, and brought enough dry food and clear water.

Pushing open the door, the morning mist still lingered, and the Herb Garden was quiet, with only a few early-rising servants busy in the distance.

Chen Yang lowered his hat and walked along the path towards the Rear Mountain.

The further he went, the fewer people he encountered.

Ancient towering trees blocked out the sky, and a faint mist filled the forest.

The sound of birds gradually faded, replaced by the low growls of some unknown wild beasts.

Chen Yang gripped the short sword in his robe tightly and proceeded cautiously.

According to Little Douzi's description, Shadow Wolves usually roamed the dense forest on the outermost layer of the Rear Mountain, known for their speed and agility.

He searched the forest for about an hour and finally found a series of animal tracks in a mountain valley.

The tracks were plum blossom-shaped, with varying depths, characteristic of Shadow Wolves.

Chen Yang held his breath, following the tracks slowly.

The deeper he went into the valley, the thicker the mist became, reducing visibility to less than thirty meters.

He quietly circulated his spiritual power, ready to cast spells at any moment.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes on his left.

Chen Yang quickly turned, just in time to see a gray shadow pouncing at him like lightning!

He hurriedly sidestepped, the gray shadow brushing past his sleeve, bringing a gust of foul wind.

Upon closer inspection, it was a wolf the size of a calf, its eyes glowing green, fangs bared, drooling.

It was a first-rank demonic beast—a Shadow Wolf!

The Shadow Wolf missed its first strike and immediately turned to pounce again.

Its speed far exceeded Chen Yang's expectations.

Without thinking, Chen Yang instinctively cast the Water Condensation Technique.

Moisture in the air quickly condensed into a water arrow, shooting towards the Shadow Wolf.

However, the Shadow Wolf agilely dodged, the water arrow only grazing its hind leg, leaving a shallow mark.

The Shadow Wolf growled in pain, its attacks becoming fiercer.

Chen Yang retreated repeatedly, narrowly escaping danger.

Only then did he realize that although he had the cultivation of the third level of Qi refining, he had no combat experience.

In a critical moment, Chen Yang remembered the talismans in his robe.

He quickly took out a Fireball Talisman, infused it with spiritual power, and threw it forward.

The talisman ignited in the air, transforming into a fireball that hurled towards the Shadow Wolf.

The Shadow Wolf seemed quite afraid of the flames and hurriedly dodged to the side.

The fireball hit the ground, creating a small crater and sending dust flying.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Yang cast the Stone Shattering Technique.

Several fist-sized stones levitated and shot towards the Shadow Wolf.

The Shadow Wolf, having just dodged the fireball, couldn't evade in time and was struck heavily on the waist by the stones, letting out a miserable howl.

Seeing this, Chen Yang knew he couldn't miss the chance and lunged forward with his short sword.

The Shadow Wolf, severely injured, moved much slower but still ferociously lunged at Chen Yang's wrist.

Chen Yang narrowly avoided it, his short sword piercing the side of the Shadow Wolf's neck.

Warm blood gushed out, and the Shadow Wolf let out a piercing wail, struggled a few times, and finally fell motionless.

Chen Yang panted heavily, his sword hand trembling slightly.

This was his first time hunting a demonic beast, and he felt both terrified and exhilarated.

After a brief rest, he remembered his purpose for coming and used the short sword to cut open the Shadow Wolf's abdomen.

Sure enough, near the heart, he found a gray inner core the size of a pigeon egg, emitting a faint spiritual energy.

Just as he was collecting the inner core, he suddenly heard footsteps and voices in the distance.

Chen Yang's heart tightened, and he quickly hid behind a tree.

He saw two young men in inner disciple attire approaching, one holding a sword, the other a fan, both appearing to have the cultivation of the fifth or sixth level of Qi refining.

"I clearly heard something here just now, where did it go?" the sword-wielding disciple asked in confusion.

The fan-wielding disciple, with sharp eyes, spotted the Shadow Wolf's corpse on the ground: "Senior Brother, look! Someone got here first!"

The two examined the wolf's body, and the sword-wielding disciple frowned: "A clean throat cut, what a neat technique. Judging by the wound, it must have been done with a short sword."

The fan-wielding disciple pondered: "To kill a Shadow Wolf alone, they must be at least at the third level of Qi refining."

Chen Yang held his breath behind the tree, not daring to move.

If these two inner disciples discovered him, they would surely question his presence.

A servant disciple hunting demonic beasts alone in the Rear Mountain was suspicious in itself.

Fortunately, the two didn't stay long and soon left.

Chen Yang waited until they were far away before cautiously emerging from his hiding place.

Looking at the Shadow Wolf's inner core in his hand, he felt both joy and concern.

He was pleased to have found a way to quickly enhance his cultivation, but worried that the Rear Mountain was far more dangerous than he had imagined, with not only poisonous insects and fierce beasts but also the possibility of encountering other disciples.

Carefully storing the inner core, Chen Yang gazed towards the deeper parts of the mountain.