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Translator: Tamon
Xu Hei had just left the area when a child ran over where the demon boar died. He pointed at the blood and shouted.
A farmer rolled his sleeves as he came over.
“Dad! Look, the demon boar that killed Mom is dead. The big snake ate it.” The child shouted with glee.
The farmer smacked the kid’s rump with his stick, making the boy yelp.
“And you come out? Get out of here before the Old Snake King eats you too!” The farmer snapped, taking the child away by the ear.
…
Xu Hei held the demon core in his mouth and flashed back into the woods at top speed. He still shivered despite how smoothly it all went.
“It only worked because I was cautious. If I had taken the demon boar head-on, who knew what would’ve happened?”
Xu Hei’s fear lingered, never imagining he’d meet a fellow demon.
He didn’t know what cultivation level it had, guessing they were around the same strength.
This proved once again how well caution served him. [You can never tell just how strong the other is.]
Turning into a large ball due to the hearty meal didn’t dull his speed in the slightest, having an easy time returning his now large body to his tree hollow.
It was his temporary home after repeated patrols in three kilometers around it to make sure no large creature roamed about.
Xu Hei lay down to digest the boar.
Demon meat was beyond nutritious, filled with energy and vitality. It staved off hunger for a long time. Even when morning came, he still had two-thirds left to digest.
Xu Hei felt he was closer to the 2nd layer of the Stage.
He took out the dark demon core.
From what he knew, the demon core, or Inner Core, contained the essence of a demon’s Spiritual Energy. It could be turned into pills, weapons, and talismans.
Swallowing the demon core came with great danger, breaking one’s meridians and dying from exploding. It was usually consumed after being processed into a pill.
“Human knowledge doesn’t always apply to me. It’s not like demons have a mind to care about such trifles.” Xu Hei pondered.
…
On the evening of the second day, Xu Hei digested the rest of the boar, feeling his body and meridians stuffed to the brim, like an overfilled bucket.
Xu Hei was certain. [I’m advancing!]
He bit on the demon core and swallowed, grinding his teeth.
A savage energy took him by storm as the demon core entered his body, rumbling as it smashed through his bones and meridians.
His body was in agony, but he endured it. [I just knew humans and demons have different constitutions.]
[Break!] Xu Hei thought.
The savage energy flooded his body until it broke, changing it under the naked eye. He was transforming!
The process went fast at first, but it slowed down at the end, keeping Xu Hei at the peak of the first layer.
Suddenly, the Demon God Cauldron shook inside him and absorbed the violent energy, releasing a thick mist of Spiritual Energy that compressed into a point.
Boom!
Xu Hei’s body spasmed as his aura grew higher and higher, slamming through the 1st layer’s wall and into the 2nd layer!
“Success!”
Xu Hei let out a long breath, joy filling his heart.
The Spiritual Energy mist compressed down to a single point inside the Demon God Cauldron, yet the power it released was incredible. Its quality changed.
His first attempt at advancing was a success, proving he was no slouch in the talent department, but Xu Hei wasn’t complacent.
He was still an early Awareness demon. Only in the 4th layer would one enter the mid-level. It was then that his body would transform, molded to use True Qi and learn basic magical arts.
Xu Hei had a long way ahead of him before reaching it.
“The hunt for boars is dangerous, but not without its reward.” Xu Hei thought.
Danger and reward went hand in hand. If not for the demon boar, it would’ve taken him close to five years to advance with normal food.
The more power he gained, the more he treasured his life.
…
The next day, Xu Hei revisited the watermelon patch.
It was a demon’s instinct at work, pushing him to patrol his territory. Only in case of extreme danger would a demon get forced out of its safe zone.
Xu Hei expected to meet another demon boar, despite knowing very well how impossible it was. Nevertheless, his paranoia made him stand guard just in case.
This wasn’t limited to Xu Hei, as many wild beasts had their territory.
The day passed with no boar in sight. It was the farmer who returned instead, spreading manure.
By evening, the half-sized human showed up holding a book, only to be called back by his father moments later.
Xu Hei had waited the entire day and not even a mouse appeared.
Gazing at the lush watermelon patch through the moonlight, his eyes shone.
“Boars eat watermelon, and I eat boars. Can’t I just skip a step and eat melons?” A crazy idea came to Xu Hei’s mind.
Xu Hei was not your average demon, taking things logically ever since he gained sentience. Like a newborn, his curiosity about the world was insatiable.
Eager to test it out, Xu Hei slithered over to a large melon and swallowed it whole.
It thumped as it entered his belly, and he flexed his muscles to crush it.
Xu Hei felt his energy replenished—just a hint.
“I can, though it’s no different than a mouse.” Xu Hei estimated.
Since melons were good, the same applied to potatoes, corn, and the like. He could digest a whole boar, bones and all. Plants were a cinch.
Eating plants was doable, but against his nature, feeling an instinctual disinclination.
“I hope I can get some meat today.”
In the dead of night, Xu Hei’s patience was rewarded with a badger.
He made sure it was no demon with his Divine Sense and lunged at it. He twisted around the badger and swallowed it whole.
The filled belly left Xu Hei satisfied.
“Time to split.”
Xu Hei slithered with a full belly.
But then, under the moonlight, he found himself face to face with the pitchfork-holding child. He stood there, staring at the snake, unmoving like a statue.
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