Many minutes have passed since the middle-aged man rushed inside the Demonic Spider's Silent Cave to look for his daughter.
Meanwhile, Yuan and Xiao Hua waited for him outside.
'I wonder how much Qi I will gain by consuming the Demonic Spider's monster core.' Yuan thought to himself with the shiny monster core in his hands, preparing to pop it into his mouth like eating hard candy.
When Xiao Hua noticed Yuan staring at the Demonic Spider's monster core with craving eyes, she asked him, "Brother Yuan, are you going to eat the monster core…? Although Brother Yuan can eat Spirit Apprentice level monster cores without any problems, Xiao Hua is worried that Spirit Warrior level monster cores may contain too much Qi for you to consume..."
"We won't know that until I try it, right?" Yuan said.
"That is true, but…" Xiao Hua still wore a worried expression.
Yuan then said with a confident smile, "Don't worry, Xiao Hua. I have faith in my stomach!"
"But the Qi goes to your Dantian, not your stomach, Brother Yuan… It's not food, after all." Xiao Hua said to him with a dumbfounded face.
"What's the difference?" Yuan raised his eyebrows.
"The Dantian is every Cultivator's source of power and where you store your Qi. Without it, one cannot cultivate Qi. And any damage done to one's Dantian is incredibly hard to heal, that's why every Cultivator cares for their Dantian more than their own life because they rather die than live life as a cripple." Xiao Hua explained to him the importance of one's Dantian.
"If one cannot cultivate, they are considered a cripple in this world? And people would rather die than to live as a 'cripple'? That's bullshit!" Yuan looked at her with wide eyes filled with disbelief, even feeling slightly angry at Cultivators.
As a cripple himself, Yuan couldn't help but feel offended to hear that Cultivators would rather die than being a 'cripple'. In fact, he doesn't even consider people who cannot cultivate to be real cripples, even finding it incredibly disrespectful.
"So what if one cannot Cultivate? That does not mean they should die! These Cultivators truly live a luxurious life, worrying about such insignificant matters!" Yuan sighed loudly.
"..." Xiao Hua was speechless.
Although it may not be of any importance to Yuan who grew up in a world without any Cultivation and in a relatively peaceful world, in the Cultivation world, whether one can cultivate or not was a matter of life or death, because if one cannot cultivate they will remain weak forever and will eventually be consumed by the stronger people who can cultivate.
'Brother Yuan may not understand the importance of Cultivation now, but once he grows stronger and experiences more of the Cultivation world, he'll see the real ugliness of this world.' Xiao Hua pondered to herself.
And while Xiao Hua was thinking to herself, Yuan tossed the monster core in his mouth.
"Brother Yuan!" Xiao Hua's heart skipped a beat after seeing this. No matter how many times she has witnessed Yuan eating monster cores, she could not get used to such an abnormal scene and would always feel nervous afterward.
"Calm down, Xiao Hua. I am fine." Yuan said to her as he savored the sweet taste in his mouth. Just like Spirit Apprentice level monster cores, the Demonic Spider monster core melted into a sweet substance the moment it touched his tongue.
After swallowing the Demonic Spider's monster core, Yuan could feel an enormous power growing from within his body, causing his aura and cultivation to skyrocket.
«Heaven Refining Physique activated»
«153,840,000 Qi has been refined from the Demonic Spider's monster core»
38,460,000/38,460,000
«You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough»
«You have reached the Second Level Spirit Warrior»
«+1,500 Stats»
70,692,000/70,692,000
«You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough»
«You have reached the Third Level Spirit Warrior»
«+2,000 Stats»
153,840,000/153,840,000
«You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough»
«You have reached the Fourth Level Spirit Warrior»
«+2,500 Stats»
165,568,000/307,680,000
"B-B-Brother Yuan… you… you…" Xiao Hua glared at him with a terrified expression, as she has never seen anyone raise their cultivation by three levels in a single breath.
"See? I am fine even after consuming the monster core." Yuan said to her afterward with a bright smile on his face.
'What is going on?! How can Brother Yuan raise cultivation levels as easy as breathing? Could he be the Cultivation God's reincarnate?!' Xiao Hua cried inwardly.
However, Yuan obtained more than just Qi from consuming the Demonic Spider's monster core, as his Heavenly Refining Physique unexpectedly activated again.
«Heaven Refining Physique activated»
«You have gained 'Weak Poison Resistance' from consuming the Demonic Spider's monster core»
«Weak Poison Resistance»
«Description: Slightly increases your poison resistance»
"Xiao Hua, I also gained some resistance against poison after consuming the monster core, but this has never happened before." Yuan decided to ask her, who's still trying to recover from the earlier shock.
"Brother Yuan, what did you just say…?" Xiao Hua asked him with a dazed face.
"Uh… that I gained some poison resistance after consuming the monster core?" Yuan repeated himself.
"T-That's impossible!" Xiao Hua quickly shook her head, and she continued to speak in a shocked voice, "Xiao Hua has never heard of someone gaining something else besides Qi from consuming monster cores before!"
Yuan casually shrugged his shoulder and said, "There's a saying that there's always a first time for everything."
However, Xiao Hua was not convinced, as this would be an unprecedented event in the Cultivation world that has existed for countless millions of years!
'No… there is a story in the Upper Heavens that mentions an individual who has a similar ability… but that is only a legend from the ancient times…'