CHAPTER 899: A COMPLICATED PROCESS

A mechanical chime rang faintly in his mind:

[Draconic Essences increased by 100]

[Current Draconic Essences: 800]

[Current Dragon Scales: 800]

A slow smile formed on Max’s face as he clenched his fist, feeling the surge of hidden potential coiling inside his body. With eight hundred draconic essences and eight hundred dragon scales, he knew his raw physical strength alone was now enough to contend with peak Legend Rank experts.

He could stand toe-to-toe with enemies who once would have crushed him.

"Max, are you going to refine these two beast cores?" Blob’s calm, ethereal voice echoed in his body.

"Yes," Max replied without hesitation, his eyes gleaming. "Even though the restrictions of the secret domain won’t let me break through immediately, the energy won’t vanish. If I keep absorbing cores and treasures like this, then the moment I step into Champion Rank, I could jump straight to the second or even third level without a pause."

He looked down at the cores again. These weren’t ordinary spoils—they were eighth-level Legend Rank beast cores, the highest quality cores he had ever touched. The sheer energy packed inside them was staggering, enough to destroy a small city if mishandled.

And that wasn’t all—he had already fully devoured the corpse of the peak Legend Rank three-headed black dragon. That alone would have been enough to raise his strength by one or two levels under normal circumstances. Now, adding these two cores would push his hidden reserves beyond anything he had ever imagined.

Determined, Max rose and scouted the surrounding area before locating a secluded cave hidden behind thick vines and boulders. After ensuring no beasts or experts were nearby, he gestured to the little rat. "Guard the entrance. No one comes near." The little rat squeaked once, scurrying to the mouth of the cave and puffing out its tiny chest proudly.

Max sat cross-legged inside, placing the two cores before him. Closing his eyes, he began devouring the two beast cores, black flames faintly flickering around his body as he guided the energy within the cores into himself. Power surged through his meridians, flooding his body with pure vitality and raw force, but he focused calmly, letting it refine him slowly.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Max finally opened his eyes, the beast cores were gone, their power completely drained. Though he didn’t feel any immediate change in strength due to the secret domain’s suppression, he could sense it—like a coiled dragon resting deep within him, waiting to awaken.

"When I break through to Champion Rank..." he whispered to himself, clenching his fists as his eyes flashed like lightning, "I’ll rise straight to the top."

With a satisfied smile, Max drew out the storage ring belonging to the late Nell, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He sent his soul force inside, and the sight made him pause for a moment. Piled within were no fewer than three hundred thousand beast cores, each one radiating different elemental fluctuations, and neatly stacked to one side were more than thirty jade tablets of medicinal pills, each exuding a faint medicinal fragrance.

’This woman was really rich...’ Max thought to himself, shaking his head slightly. For an outer genius of the Void Soul Tower to carry such wealth was unusual, but then again, Nell had been cruel, ambitious, and clearly well-funded.

However, none of these treasures was what Max truly wanted. His gaze swept past them, searching with purpose. ’Where are they?’ he wondered, his soul force probing deeper and deeper into the ring.

Finally, hidden at the innermost section of the storage ring, he found a small, ruby-colored box that emitted a faint energy fluctuation. Carefully, Max brought it out, and when he opened the lid, his eyes lit up.

Inside the box lay more than a dozen dark-colored eggs, each one slightly translucent under the light, faint patterns resembling a spider’s web naturally etched into their shells.

They rested quietly, emanating a faint yet distinct aura of life. Max gently picked one up, holding it in his palm. The egg felt warm, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat, a clear sign that it was still alive.

A small grin tugged at his lips. "So, these really are Human-Faced Spider King eggs... and they’re alive."

Blob’s voice echoed inside his mind, tinged with both excitement and caution. "You are really lucky, Max. Fourteen Human-Faced Spider King eggs—this is something people would kill entire clans over. But hatching them won’t be easy."

Max’s brows furrowed slightly, his curiosity piqued. "Blob, how do I hatch them?"

The response came swiftly. "It’s not too complicated in principle but extremely taxing in practice. You must feed them with your own blood for three months straight, allowing them to recognize you as their master and form a spiritual connection. At the same time, you’ll need to nourish them regularly with the Liquid of Life Cold Spring water. If you do it properly, in as fast as one year, or as slow as two years, these spider kings will break out of their shells and accept you fully."

Max stared at the egg in silence for a moment before sighing, "That’s... complicated."

Blob chuckled lightly. "Of course it is. Do you think a beast whose mature form rivals a peak Mythic Rank existence can be hatched like a chicken egg? If it were easy, Human-Faced Spider Kings wouldn’t have nearly vanished from this world."

"Fair enough," Max muttered, placing the egg back into the box before storing all fourteen inside his Dimension of Spirit. He immediately tasked Tian to look after them with care. "We’ll handle the hatching once we’re out of this place."

Three days later, Max’s figure was seen stepping into a mountainous region. Towering peaks rose one after another, shrouded in mist, while the chilling winds whistled like ghosts through the jagged cliffs.

Deep within these mountains lay the infamous Black Dog Abyss, a place notorious for its strange energy fluctuations and dangerous beasts.

Max traveled steadily along the winding paths, and he wasn’t idle on the way. The little rat darted from bush to bush, searching for valuable herbs and spiritual medicines.