Chapter 25: Protective Jade Talisman

A jade talisman hung around the Young Hall Master's neck.

Currently, this jade talisman was slowly releasing spiritual energy, condensing into a barrier that blocked Chu Fengmian's sword tip.

"Is this... a Body-Protecting Jade Talisman?"

Seeing the talisman, Chu Fengmian's brow suddenly furrowed.

The Body-Protecting Jade Talisman was an extremely special spiritual tool, with a minimum grade of Profound-rank or higher.

They were crafted by high-level martial artists using high-grade spiritual jade infused with spiritual energy. Generally, they were given by elders of great families to their young geniuses for protection.

The barrier condensed by such a talisman could last for several hours at the very least. Unless one was a Body Tempering Realm martial artist, it would be impossible to break the barrier currently before him.

Chu Fengmian had not expected that the Young Hall Master would possess a Body-Protecting Jade Talisman.

"Kid, you won't kill me today!"

The Young Hall Master looked at the barrier appearing around him and laughed coldly.

"Once this Body-Protecting Jade Talisman is activated, my father will definitely know I am in danger. By the time the disciples of my Wuyan Hall arrive, it will be your death day!"

"Don't worry, I won't let you die so quickly! I will extract your soul and refine your spirit, making you die slowly!"

"I have no choice but to leave first."

Chu Fengmian glanced at the Young Hall Master, knowing he had no chance this time.

What the Young Hall Master said was correct; the Body-Protecting Jade Talisman contained the spiritual energy of a high-level martial artist. Once activated, that martial artist would certainly sense the danger.

Staying here was extremely perilous; his only option now was to retreat.

Without any hesitation, Chu Fengmian moved his body and sprinted toward the depths of the Desolate Mountain Range.

"I missed an opportunity, but this Desolate Mountain Range is vast. Even if the people from Wusheng Academy come, they won't find me for a while," Chu Fengmian thought to himself.

The Young Hall Master likely did not know his true identity, which would allow him to stall for some time.

"As long as you give me enough time, I will have the strength to contend not just with a small Wuyan Hall, but even Wusheng Academy itself," Chu Fengmian whispered inwardly as he continued running deeper into the mountains.

His realm had already broken through, so he could now seek out even more powerful demonic beasts to hunt.

With his strength having broken through to the eighth level of the Bone Tempering Realm and the simultaneous opening of a fourth spiritual vein, Chu Fengmian felt confident he could fight even a Body Tempering Realm demonic beast.

"I must increase my strength as quickly as possible!" Chu Fengmian thought.

Given the influence of Wusheng Academy, it wouldn't take long for them to uncover his identity. He had to increase his strength as much as possible before his identity was exposed.

Along the way, Chu Fengmian hunted and killed every eighth or ninth-level Bone Tempering Realm demonic beast he encountered.

One by one, demonic cores fell into his storage bags.

"Even though these middle-aged men from Wusheng Academy are just servants, they are all incredibly wealthy."

Inside a mountain cave, Chu Fengmian sat down and emptied the contents of the nine storage bags.

He pulled out nearly fifty jade bottles of various sizes in one go.

These bottles were filled with all kinds of medicinal pills, the most numerous being a white, dragon-eye-sized pill.

This type of pill occupied forty of the bottles, totaling about four or five hundred pieces.

"These should be the Qi Gathering Pills refined by Wusheng Academy."

Chu Fengmian picked up a Qi Gathering Pill and examined it.

The Qi Gathering Pill was a high-grade Yellow-rank pill, extremely rare in Linwu City.

Chu Fengmian had once seen them in the Lin Estate, where they were only given to true geniuses for cultivation.

The spiritual energy in a single Qi Gathering Pill was ten times that of a Body Tempering Pill and a hundred times that of a Bone Tempering Pill! In terms of value, one was worth several thousand Bone Tempering Pills.

When Chu Fengmian was the Great Steward of the Outer Estate in the Lin Estate, his monthly salary was worth at most two of these Qi Gathering Pills.

To harvest nearly five hundred at once was an immense fortune, equivalent to twenty years of his salary at the Lin Estate.

"A mere servant of Wusheng Academy has more assets than some of the genius disciples in the inner estate of the Lin Family."

Chu Fengmian couldn't help but shake his head.

The gap was too large. These middle-aged men weren't even true disciples of Wusheng Academy—just servants—yet their individual wealth made Chu Fengmian somewhat envious.

Compared to Wusheng Academy, even a thousand or ten thousand Lin Estates would likely be unable to compete.

This time, he had indeed stumbled upon a massive windfall.

"With this batch of Qi Gathering Pills, I won't lack medicine in the Desolate Mountain Range."

A smile appeared on Chu Fengmian's face.

These people from Wusheng Academy had delivered a great gift; the pills he had originally brought were completely exhausted, and this had fully replenished his stock.

"Let's go, continue hunting demonic beasts!"

Steadying his mind, Chu Fengmian stepped out once more.

With these Qi Gathering Pills, he no longer had to waste time recovering spiritual energy. Whenever his energy was low, he could simply refine a few pills to replenish his body.

His cultivation efficiency would now be more than twice what it was before.

"ROAR!!!"

Just as Chu Fengmian stepped out of the cave, a massive roar suddenly erupted from the opposite side of the dense forest.

"What kind of demonic beast makes a sound like that?"

The moment he heard the roar, Chu Fengmian felt a throbbing sensation in his head. He immediately moved, activating his Phantom Movement technique to cautiously navigate through the forest.

Beyond the dense trees lay a steep cliffside, where a giant bear stood tall, appearing to be five or six meters high.

The roar he had just heard came from it.

"A Rock Crag Savage Bear? And one that has already entered the Body Tempering Realm!"

Seeing the giant bear, Chu Fengmian thought to himself.

The Rock Crag Savage Bear was one of the most difficult demonic beasts to deal with in the outer reaches of the Desolate Mountains. They possessed massive bodies and immense strength, hundreds of times greater than that of a martial artist.

This particular Rock Crag Savage Bear was powerful enough to have reached the Body Tempering Realm; even four or five Body Tempering Realm martial artists might not necessarily be able to hunt it.

"Is someone actually trying to hunt this Rock Crag Savage Bear?"

Chu Fengmian's eyes flickered with surprise.

He saw five figures standing near the bear—three men and two women. They all appeared young, no more than twenty years old at most.

Their strength only ranged from the ninth level of the Bone Tempering Realm to the peak of the Bone Tempering Realm; none had reached the Body Tempering Realm.

Currently, these five were already at a disadvantage under the bear's attacks, and two of them had already sustained minor injuries.