Feeling the heat flowing through his arms, the blood coursing through, Ning Zheng felt incredibly comfortable.

"The hands are complete!"

The blood mist's glow around his arms gradually dimmed, returning to the appearance of ordinary flesh.

This is concealing blood.

A qualified cultivator must learn to hide their aura.

Because the Five Elements can be cultivated in no particular order.

Some people may first cultivate their legs, enabling them to run fast and attack with their legs.

Some may cultivate their arms first, giving them strong combat power and the ability to wield weapons offensively.

Normally, they hide their blood and energy, only releasing it in battle to probe which elements the opponent has cultivated.

Information is crucial!

Combat is an art of intricate probing.

Cultivating the head first allows them to chant spells, perform techniques, and use some small divine techniques within the sea of consciousness.

But if the realm is too low, how much damage can the spells do?

A few shots and the brain capacity is exhausted.

Surely you can't just go around headbutting people with an empty blue bar, right?

Thus, beyond the head, each additional element is a significant gap, unless one is extraordinarily talented, it's very difficult to battle across levels.

This logic is easy to understand.

You have two elements, they have three.

You have one arm, they have two, how could a one-armed hero defend against that?

It's the same with four or five elements.

With one or two extra legs, movement speed is extremely fast; you only cultivate your arms, standing still and getting hit, ordinary legs can't outrun, you realize how dangerous it can be.

Defeated in a few moves, without any power to resist!

A small realm, a small mountain, is no joke.

If Ning Zheng hadn't advanced so quickly in cultivation, he might have opted for a leg as his third element.

One arm and one leg, making him more agile, able to jump and fight.

But since there are no external threats right now, it doesn't matter, he directly cultivated his arms first, perfect for standing still and drawing a bow.

The bow might not be strong enough though, a new one needs to be made.

At the same time.

He's planning to accumulate some Qi Fortune Value for a few more days before beginning to cultivate his legs.

Aiming to cultivate four elements within a month, reaching Five-Body Realm Great Perfection.

Of course, this is because he has gathered the complete set of three items.

Especially his attribute spirit rice, which is crucial.

"This is too enjoyable, simply too delightful..."

He sighed, "If someone's luck is good enough, they can rival those powerful figures who reincarnate and practice again in cultivation speed!"

Pushing open the door, looking at the sky outside the courtyard.

Not speaking of the past life, in this life he's had a hard time, living in fear and hiding, it's only now that he feels such exhilaration.

The gloom within his heart is swept away, feeling like fish leaping in the vast sea, heroes arise from his generation!

So comfortable!

For a moment he wants to leave the manor, go out and fight the cultivators in the outside world, and see how much he's worth now.

But it was clearly the swelling feeling from his rapid power increase, quickly calming down:

"It's just that my realm is fast, but I don't have the corresponding spells."

"An empty realm makes me the weakest among the same tier."

"But maybe not necessarily? After all, even without other spells, just using one lifebound divine technique, remotely with archery, can make me nearly invincible against same realm opponents?"

Bullying loose cultivators should be enough.

A major sect might see through and target me.

If I'm killed, there's a high chance of being made into the celestial grade spiritual root's avatar divine artifact, turned into a meat field, becoming a scarecrow managing the meat field, being ridiculed and bullied by disciples who pass by to take meat daily.

Although at that time accumulating Qi Fortune Value might still work?

Then use the method of killing demon men from the manor, secretly cursing them to have internal strife, as a scarecrow on the meat field coldly watching them annihilate each other's sect, then seize their entire sect...

"Thus, outside Sword Casting Manor, I profit a new sect."

For an instant, he inexplicably felt tempted.

"Go out and fight, win, kill a talented enemy, lose, destroy an enemy sect."

Who let me have good luck after all.

But it's just a thought, can't play so thrilling, a gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall.

"Normal people wouldn't do this, only abnormal ones would..."

Ning Zheng suddenly thought of something, a flash of inspiration, his thoughts surging like a spring:

"Well, can try it later, anyway the enemy sect's meat field scarecrow or something... they should be happy?"

"Throwing them out as meat fields, it's a mental pollution wave against the enemy."

Bringing his thoughts flying to the sky back down.

Finally, Ning Zheng still decided to continue enhancing his realm first.

Fighting across levels?

All a joke.

In his life, Ning Zheng acts meticulously and steadily, always prefers fighting with an advantage, bullying the weak, and has trump cards, can anyone instantly defeat him?

"Today was really comfortable!"

With a relaxed mood, Ning Zheng stretched lazily, feeling his stomach growling.

Went to the cellar to cut some spiritual flesh, went to the kitchen to cook.

Ate a whole bowl of prepared spiritual flesh, walked out of the courtyard, and saw Ning Jiaojiao returning from the night market, carrying a chair to sit by the well fishing.

Who's the fish?

Naturally, it's Su Yuniang below.

Exploring the Dark River Maze requires two people, one pulling on the surface, one exploring below, otherwise without iron chains and ropes, if the River Demon bites, you're immediately pulled away, gone in an instant!

But this means that the exploration length is the length of the chain, recently she crafted an extended iron chain for fishing at the manor, attempting to explore further away in the maze.

And built a front-line barricade fortress in the small cave beside the well for defense.

These days, during the day Su Yuniang sets up stalls at the New Year Market, digs earth and eats soil at night, swims underwater, exploring the underground maze.

Meanwhile, everyone's busy rushing new products "dog series" weapons and accessories on the mountain these days, bustling energetically.

"Fishing again?"

Ning Zheng, who had been in closed cultivation breaking through realms these days, hadn't gone to the manor, now walked over, peeked into the well.

"Yes, this sister's so hardworking, haven't seen her sleep." Ning Jiaojiao looked full of admiration, recently accompanied fishing over twenty Fish Demons.

Ning Zheng sat in silence.

Could this be what they referred to as the perfect baby without any physiological sleep defect?

How life was, and how death would be.

There were indeed people who could play games for three days straight without sleeping!

With a splash, Su Yuniang was pulled up from the well, drenched all over, tossing her twin ponytails with flair,

"Pah! I've been up for three days and nights, setting up stalls by day, and selling myself by night, dancing, seducing, tantalizing those young lads among the River Demons, yet still no leader has appeared?"

Su Yuniang noticed Ning Zheng watching the moon nearby, and sweetly said, "Brother, what do you think is happening?"

Ning Zheng felt this person was really climbing the ladder, calling him brother straight away.

Ning Zheng shook his head, "I don't really understand either. Logically, a beast herd should naturally have a leader that's more intelligent than the average individual."

"Yes, and the oddities don't just stop there."

Su Yuniang thought for a while, "Based on the underwater ecosystem, I only found River Demons without any larger predators, as scavenger fish that eat everything, they should have already run amok."

Even crows could number in the tens of thousands, yet River Demons were so few.

Su Yuniang smiled, "Can I ask if there are other exits here, are there others fishing?"

Ning Zheng shook his head, "Our village doesn't have any; I don't know about other villages."

"Other villages don't have any either."

Su Yuniang said she had inquired, and that there were no well openings nearby, and those that had were blocked for unknown reasons.

Ning Zheng hadn't cared about these details, but hearing her analysis of River Demons, he frowned.

It was indeed strange.

Could it be that there's someone living on the outer edge of these villages, fishing and eating meat?

But that's not right either!

Ning Zheng knew better than anyone how ruthless these Demon Men could be.

Their domineering nature wouldn't allow for neighbors.

Ning Zheng had seen it with his own eyes.

Passing caravans were brought back to be forced into iron making.

Wolves and dog demon beasts that approached the mountains by accident were slapped twice and dragged away to be eaten.

There should be no one nearby.

Even neighboring Pingchang City, with many prominent families stationed, feared these Demon Cultivators from the manors outside the city, every time their family caravans passed through the teleportation array for trade, they were on edge.

Demon Men's sense of territory was extremely strong.

Describing this area as a forbidden zone was most fitting.

"That's strange, could this be a hidden plot? The River Demon's oddities, indeed this time is unusual, I'll explore further."

Su Yuniang went back underwater again.

"Too bad, the chain is too short, can't go far, or I'd feel I could find other well openings! I feel like there's definitely something eating the River Demons."

Seeing her dive, Ning Zheng suddenly felt his heart jump.

Before his eyes, a string of numbers rose and fell wildly.

Today's Qi Fortune Value:

500,

0,

1000,

Qi Fortune was fluctuating between these three values.

"Is this Great Calamity... accompanied by Great Fortune?"

"If I choose right, it's great opportunity, an immediate permanent addition of 500 Qi Fortune Value? If I choose wrong, it's total peril?"

He remained silent, his heart pounding.

If this opportunity was grasped, would he then have 1000 Qi Fortune Value daily by spending 500 each day? Would he really be...

His pupils dilated sharply.

Could this Dark River contain such an exaggerated opportunity connection?

"But if it goes wrong, it's super Great Calamity." He suddenly had Ning Jiaojiao pull Su Yuniang back, refusing to let her dive again; there must be tremendous terror below.

He had to think things over slowly first.

Yet when Su Yuniang was pulled back, the Qi Fortune Value still fluctuated and continued to decrease.

500

499

...

Ning Zheng frowned deeply again.

Sending Su Yuniang could bring either great fortune or great calamity.

If no one goes, wouldn't it inevitably be impending Great Calamity?

Could it be, was it really because he had done too many reprehensible things?

First had Ning Jiaojiao dance seductively, then had Su Yuniang act flirtatiously; two flirtatious demon girls kept leading away good lads, and now the River Demon Leader was completely losing patience?

"Is this source of calamity truly the River Demon disaster's leader?"

He felt that this time was clearly different from the Crow packs.

...

...

The night arose.

A courtyard was filled with large red lanterns.

The room was made of paper, the table made of paper, the floor made of paper, seemingly not a place for the living to dwell.

Yet, this paper seemed specially tough, extremely hard to damage.

Beautiful maidservants were pacing back and forth nearby.

"During the New Year, one must hang such colorful lanterns, festive."

Inside the Paper House's courtyard, a fierce-looking tall man in a black robe and Taoist attire was fishing at the well.

Next to him was a lively Meat Field, with a scarecrow planted in it.

The scarecrow's eyes twirled, exuding intense fear.

"Don't be impatient, I'll catch a few more clan members to join you."

The Taoist-attired man chuckled, scratched his unruly fiery hair, muttering, "But, strangely enough, there've been fewer River Demons in the well lately."

"Master," several Child attendants were slicing meat nearby.

The scarecrow on the Meat Field twitched with violent pain as the Meat Field was cut, appearing extremely eerie.

Yet the man appreciated the other's pain immensely, finding it conducive to appetite while eating meat.

He suddenly looked up at the distant Sword Casting Manor shrouded in thick fog, sighing:

"Those brats, during the New Year, why aren't they here to honor the ancestors yet? Are they courting death?"