Qin Chu took out his small hunting knife and began to skin the bear, with Bai Yu also coming to help.
"Entering the Wildlands, danger is everywhere, so use your brain!" Qin Chu reprimanded Bai Yu while skinning the bear.
Bai Yu raised his head and looked at Qin Chu, "How was I supposed to know there was such a big guy here?"
"If a Brutal Bear is nesting here, there must be something unusual. Was there no musky smell? No bear droppings nearby? When I'm talking to you, just listen, don't talk back!" Qin Chu glared at Bai Yu.
Bai Yu fell silent, because he had indeed seen bear droppings, but hadn't thought anything of it.
High-grade Yao Beasts are treasures from head to toe. Qin Chu and Bai Yu worked for a while, collecting the bear's gall, heart blood, crystal core, and bear sinews.
The bear skin and sinews, which were difficult Materials to carry, Bai Yu slung over his back. He was the junior now, so there was nothing he could do!
"Three thousand Merit Points! We each get fifteen hundred from this battle, which is pretty good. High risk means high reward!" Qin Chu was very satisfied with this battle.
"I don't want it. You killed the Brutal Bear, it wouldn't be right for me to take the Merit Points," Bai Yu said. He knew in his heart that Qin Chu coming to save him in a dangerous situation was already a deep kindness.
"Since we came out together, there's no need to be so particular. You take half!" Qin Chu shook his head. He needed Merit Points, but there were some things he didn't want to do.
Finally, at Bai Yu's insistence, he only took one-third.
"Let's go! Get out of this cursed place quickly, it's too scary." Bai Yu tightened the bear skin on his back.
Slap!
Qin Chu slapped Bai Yu, "Don't you know that the nesting grounds of high-grade Yao Beasts always have good things? As the saying goes, a Phoenix doesn't land in a place without treasure. Let's search around here and see if there are any high-grade medicinal herbs."
Bai Yu was quite dejected from the slap, but he felt that Qin Chu made sense, so he could only follow Qin Chu to search the vicinity.
After searching for a quarter of an hour, Qin Chu found something good—specifically, a bear's den. Deep inside the den, there was a small green tree with two red fruits on it.
"Bai Yu, we've struck it rich! These are good things, Vermillion Fruits!" Qin Chu said, rubbing his hands.
"Boss, are you sure they're Vermillion Fruits?" Bai Yu looked at Qin Chu in surprise.
"I'm sure. The smell and the markings on these fruits are correct. The path we took this time was quite remote, and no Disciples from the Qingyun Sect have been here before, otherwise they would have been gone long ago," Qin Chu said to Bai Yu. When he lived in the mountains, his old man told him about all sorts of medicinal herbs; he was practically an encyclopedia of medicinal Materials himself.
"I know about Vermillion Fruits, but I don't recognize them. Vermillion Fruits are rare fourth-grade medicinal herbs. If there's someone in the Sect collecting Vermillion Fruits, we'll earn even more!" Bai Yu said to Qin Chu.
"We're not earning these Merit Points! We'll each eat one ourselves. We're not turning them in for any amount of Merit Points," Qin Chu interrupted Bai Yu.
Under Bai Yu's surprised gaze, Qin Chu explained why: Vermillion Fruits have the effect of boosting Qi and blood, and strengthening muscles and bones. The value of such things cannot be measured by Merit Points; they can greatly enhance one's own capabilities.
"We earn Merit Points by doing missions to exchange for Cultivation Techniques and weapons, to improve ourselves. The Vermillion Fruits are right in front of us; they can improve us, so why should we abandon the root for the branch?" Qin Chu lectured Bai Yu again.
Bai Yu nodded. He felt that Qin Chu made a lot of sense, with no flaws at all. He also realized that Qin Chu was powerful precisely because his body was so formidable.
Afterward, Qin Chu and Bai Yu each ate a Vermillion Fruit, then both sat down to Cultivate on the spot.
Qin Chu circulated the Nameless Skill, guiding the Vermillion Fruit's energy throughout his body. However, even with the Nameless Skill in operation, a portion of the Vermillion Fruit's energy entered his chest area. Qin Chu knew his secret: there was a drop of Saint Blood there.
Although he didn't know what the Saint Blood was all about, Qin Chu knew it must be very important, otherwise the old man wouldn't have cautioned him not to let others know, or it would lead to a fatal disaster.
Once the Vermillion Fruit's energy was refined, Qin Chu felt his entire body filled with strength. The Nameless Skill had already reached the Peak of the third layer and could not advance further.
When he opened his eyes, Qin Chu saw Bai Yu running in place, his face flushed red, as if he had been roasted by fire.
"Boss, my whole body feels like it's on fire, I can't take it!" Bai Yu shouted to Qin Chu.
"Run faster, punch the big tree, activate your Qi and blood, and absorb the Vermillion Fruit's energy to the maximum extent," Qin Chu told Bai Yu.
Bai Yu suffered greatly, toiling for most of the day before the energy contained within the Vermillion Fruit was finally digested.
"Oh, ah! Although I'm exhausted, my body is full of strength, and it feels good!" A now stable Bai Yu said to Qin Chu.
"If you're fine, then let's get to work quickly and earn Merit Points. I don't have an Origin Qi Cultivation Technique, so I can't Cultivate Origin Qi!" Qin Chu said, glancing at Bai Yu.
"Boss, you already have combat power close to the Peak of the third stage. Your physical strength must have reached the third stage. If you were classified among Yao Beasts, you'd be a third-stage Yao Beast. Besides, Cultivating Origin Qi doesn't necessarily require a Cultivation Technique. You can first gather Qi and nurture Qi, get your Origin Qi Cultivated first, and then when you have a Cultivation Technique, your Cultivation will be even faster," Bai Yu said to Qin Chu.
"If I knew how, what would I be saying? The point is, I don't know how!" Qin Chu gave Bai Yu an exasperated look. When he was in the mountains, the old man only let him Cultivate the Nameless Skill, which made him immensely strong, but he never mentioned how to Cultivate Origin Qi.
"You don't know, but I do!" Bai Yu smiled, realizing he was useful to Qin Chu.
Subsequently, while doing missions, Bai Yu told Qin Chu how to gather the energy of heaven and earth, how to gather Qi and nurture Qi!
It took three days for Qin Chu to lay the foundation. Origin Qi began to circulate within his Dantian. Although he didn't have a specific Cultivation Technique, he had officially embarked on the Cultivation of Origin Qi.
Over these past few days, Qin Chu and Bai Yu had also experienced about ten battles, big and small. The bundles on their backs were full, and they had collected all the items on their mission lists.
"Boss, the mountains ahead are high and the forest is dense. Should we go in?" Bai Yu said, looking at the dense forest ahead.
"Not really. The area ahead should be Miyun Mountain, which is a dangerous place. Our strength is relatively low, and we can't defeat a fourth-grade Yao Beast if we encounter one! Besides, we've completed all the tasks on our mission list. Let's go back first, stabilize ourselves, and then we'll come again!" Qin Chu made the decision.
Turning back and traveling for two days, Qin Chu and Bai Yu returned to Qingzhu Peak. They looked like wildmen, having gotten covered in blood when they killed the Brutal Bear, and their robes were torn by branches, making them a sorry sight. But one thing to note was that both of them had high spirits.
"We've returned with a full harvest. I'd like to see if those official Disciples still dare to look at us with disdain!" Bai Yu also puffed out his chest, mimicking Qin Chu.
"Being a Utility Disciple isn't shameful; not putting in effort is!" Qin Chu led the way, and the two walked towards the Merit Hall.