To reach the Spirit Gathering Realm, one must condense Qi into a cyclone in the dantian. For humans, this requires meditation and breathing exercises.
For a Spirit Beast, it requires evolution.
He needed to eat the "Beast Core" of a Stage 2 Spirit Beast. Equivalent to Human Spirit Gathering Realm.
"The map Gu Yan had," Tian Wudi pulled out the parchment while walking. "It points to a cave in the 'Black Wind Valley'. It says there is a 'Blood Spirit Flower' guarded by a Twin-Headed Python."
A Twin-Headed Python. A beast known for its deadly poison and immense strength.
Tian Wudi grinned.
"Snake meat tastes like chicken. And a Blood Spirit Flower creates strong Yang energy. Perfect for refining my kidneys."
He sped up. His fat body moved with surprising agility, disappearing into the forest.
However, he did not know that his actions had caused waves far beyond the small Gu Clan.
High in the sky, hidden above the clouds, a flying boat was passing by.
On the boat stood a woman in blue robes. She held a compass artifact. The needle of the compass was spinning wildly, pointing down at the small town Tian Wudi just left.
"Senior Sister!" a disciple girl called out. "The artifact detected a massive surge of 'Divine Spirit Beast' bloodline fluctuation! Just for a second!"
The woman in blue frowned. "A Divine Beast? Here in this backwater Lower Realm? Impossible. It must be a glitch."
"But the reading was stronger than the Sect Guardian Dragon!"
"Probably just an old relic resurfacing," the woman dismissed it, but her eyes lingered on the forest below. "We have no time. The 'Secret Mystic Realm' opens in three months. We must hurry."
The flying boat accelerated, leaving traces of rainbows.
Tian Wudi looked up. He sensed the fluctuation of power from the sky.
"Hmm," he squinted his pig eyes. "Some grand sect? So they are sniffing around?"
He spat on the ground.
"Just wait. Once I regain my strength or even before that... I will pay your sect a visit. I am hungry for more 'Yin Body'. Last night was very tasty."
He licked his lips and dived into the dark woods of the mountain range.
—----
The Desolate Beast Mountain Range was a vast, primitive ocean of trees that stretched for thousands of miles, separating the Mortal Empires from the darker, untamed wilderness.
Here, the trees were as tall as city towers, blocking out the sun, and the air was thick with the scent of rotting leaves and fresh blood, because in this place, there was no law, only the strong eating the weak.
For any normal human cultivator at the Body Tempering Realm, walking in here was suicide. The beasts here had thick hides that broke normal swords, and they had instincts sharper than any trained soldier.
However, to Tian Wudi, this was not a danger zone.
It was a buffet.
Snap. Crunch.
A large bush was crushed under his heavy trotters. Also he was munching on a sweet thick root.
Tian Wudi waddled through the dense ferns. His pig body was now clean and tough, radiating a faint metallic luster because he had successfully digested the 'Blue Wave Sword' yesterday. His skin was no longer soft pink flesh.
It felt like leather stretched over steel plates.
Still pink, adorable pink but no longer soft or rather if he wants he can make it soft for the ladies.
He had the parchment map in his chubby hand.
"According to Gu Yan's map," Tian Wudi muttered, squinting at the ink drawing, "The 'Black Wind Valley' is fifty miles north. That Gu Yan was truly an idiot. He marked the location of the 'Blood Spirit Flower' but didn't retrieve it. Why?"
Tian Wudi knew the answer because his nose told him everything.
Sniff. Sniff.
The air carried a faint trace of sulfur and venom.
"Because the Guardian Beast is awake," Tian Wudi smirked, showing his glistening white teeth. "Gu Yan, at the peak of Body Tempering, sensed the beast's aura and got scared. He ran away like a coward, hoping to come back when he reached the Spirit Gathering Realm. But he waited too long. Now, the flower is ripe, and I am the one holding the spoon."
As he analyzed the situation, a shadow suddenly loomed over him.
A massive creature stepped out from behind an ancient oak tree. It was a Wild Boar. But this was no ordinary farm pig. It was an 'Iron-Hide Boar', a Stage 2 Mortal Beast. It was the size of a cow, with bristles like needles and two yellow tusks covered in dried mud.
The Iron-Hide Boar looked at Tian Wudi. Its red eyes were full of aggression. It saw another pig, but a weird one that walked on two legs and smelled like tasty human food.
"GWAAARGH!"
The Iron-Hide Boar roared, pawing the ground, preparing to charge.
Tian Wudi stopped looking at the map. He looked at his distant, savage cousin with pity.
"Brother," Tian Wudi sighed, shaking his head. "We are of the same species. Why the violence? Is it because I am handsome and you are ugly?"
The Iron-Hide Boar froze mid-charge. It skidded to a halt, kicking up dirt. It looked confused. It had never heard such high-class, grammatical Pig Language before.
"Grunt? Squeal?" [You... speak High Tongue? You... Noble of Deep Forest?]
The beast was stunned. In the beast world, usually only high-level Spirit Beasts with ancient bloodlines could articulate such complex grunts.
Tian Wudi smirked, crossing his arms behind his back.
"Hrrnk-Gwa-Oink."
[Indeed. I am the Sovereign. You look tasty, Kneel, and I might grant you a quick death.]
"ROAAAAR!" [You mock me! Noble or not, if you are planning to eat me then I will eat you first!]
It charged again.
"In my past life," Tian Wudi started boasting about his previous life, "I fought the Heaven Devouring Boar Emperor. His charge could shatter planets. Compared to him, your charge is just a baby crawling to its mother."
When the beast was only three feet away, Tian Wudi simply opened his mouth.
Not to bite or attack. Instead, he released his Aura.
A specific aura. The 'Sovereign's Pressure'.
Although his body was currently weak, his Soul was Eternal. He projected a sliver of his Soul Force.
"KNEEL…ARGHHH!"
However, instead of a wave of power, Tian Wudi felt a sudden, blinding pain out of nowhere.