The next day, Harry spotted and chased a herd of Spotted Deer. He had seen these Magic Beasts a couple times before, but they always ran away and he was unable to catch up. Deer were Magic Beasts not suited for fighting. Instead, they excelled in speed and being able to run away from predators.
With his increased strength, things were different. Although they scattered in all directions and Harry was only able to catch one of them, the fact he was able to do so pleased him.
The next day, he fought a Brown Striped Badger. Magic Beasts grew larger as they got stronger. The badger had been the size of his torso, and weighed as much as he did. It was his first time seeing such a large badger, and in terms of physical strength, it was the strongest opponent he had faced.
With his progress on Strengthening Flesh, the battle had been tough but one-sided, even though his cultivation was lower. The badger's claws were unable to do any damage, while each of Harry's strikes had left their mark.
The next day, he cracked the shell of a Rocky Turtle in a single hit.
The next day, he reached Perfect Opening in his 5th Meridian, increasing his strength by another step. The Exalted Cat was speechless to the point where it couldn't even find the words to insult him.
With this, he was at the peak of the 5th level of the Body Tempering Realm. He could open his 6th Meridian, the Large Intestine Meridian, as soon as Slughorn concocted enough pills for him.
After just a week passed, Harry's bag had 25 middle-level Beast Cores, and even 2 high-level ones. He was nearly halfway done with his mission.
Nighttime. The stars twinkled in the sky and the Moon shone down onto a clearing, where a man and a cat were sitting. A campfire was blazing, and the carcass of a Magic Beast was hung over it, slowly cooking.
There was a certain charm about eating food that had been caught and cooked himself, Harry mused.
Two whole weeks had passed, and he now had 48 middle-level Beast Cores and 5 high-level ones. Magic Beasts at the high-level of the Body Tempering Realm were still difficult for Harry to defeat. The 5 high-level cores were obtained through strokes of luck and risking his life. But with the defensive strength from the Nameless Technique, no middle-level Magic Beast was a threat to him.
'Perhaps, after I advance to the 6th level, and absorb some more Wood Qi, I'll be able to easily fight against high-level Magic Beasts.'
For anyone else, getting from the 5th to 6th level of the Body Tempering Realm required around six middle-quality pills. In terms of high-quality pills, that was just two. But Slughorn estimated he would need 80 middle-quality pills, or around 25 high-quality ones. Thinking about how high this amount was, Harry wanted to curse. Even worse, he still didn't know the cause of his enormous consumption.
He was very lucky that he could refine Qi so quickly, and achieve Perfect Opening effortlessly. If his cultivation speed was as slow as the average, he didn't know how many months it would take to break through each level. Perhaps it would take him an entire year.
"Exalted Cat," Harry said while biting into his meal, "I want to ask you two things."
"What is it?"
"The first question is kind of strange. I'm not sure if you'll believe me."
"Boy, just spit it out."
"Ok, ok. You remember when Slughorn was diagnosing my Meridian Restriction, and used the Exquisite Pure Magnolia?"
"What about it?"
"Well, before that day, I had never heard of the Exquisite Pure Magnolia. But when Slughorn brought it out, I recognized it. The name just appeared in my mind, and I knew it could be used to detect poison."
"So? Maybe you saw it before, but then forgot."
"Right. That's what I thought too, so I didn't think about it much. Besides, I was more concerned about the poison. But then we came out to the Wyvern Woods, and you started picking Magic Plants for Slughorn. I realized that I was able to recognize each plant that you picked."
"For example, the other day, I saw you pick the Three Leaf Flower. I'm sure I've never seen that Magic Plant before. But when I saw it, I just knew its name. And the Water Chestnut Grass you picked a few days later. Even the Purple Qi Fruit, when I saw the digested fruit, I had no idea what it was. But when I saw the fruits on the tree, I recognized them. Same with the dozens of trees that I've hugged, as long as it's a Magic Plant, I just know its name. But for ordinary trees, like the ones around us now, I can't identify them. And it's not just their name, their characteristics and some other information appear in my mind. I don't know what's happening to me."
Harry said this all very quickly, as he was afraid the cat would call him crazy. But instead, it had a pensive look on its face.
"Interesting," the cat mused. "You're sure you've never seen them before?"
"Exalted Cat, I spent my whole life in the remote Crystal Mine City, mining Qi Crystals in a dark cave. Where would I learn about Magic Plants?"
"Do you recognize this plant?" Out of nowhere, a plant appeared on its paw.
The first time they met, the cat had pulled out a healing pill, seemingly out of thin air. Harry eventually asked the Exalted Cat how it did that, but his question was ignored. So, pushing his curiosity aside, Harry took a look at the plant. It was a black green stalk with thin bands of green rings traveling up the stem.
"Hanging Leek, an Ordinary Grade Magic Plant. It grows by winding up the trunk of a tree."
"Correct," the cat nodded. "What about this one?"
An entire bush appeared on the ground next to the cat. One moment there was empty space, and the next moment there was a shrub in its place.
"Island Geranium Bush, an Earth Grade Magic Plant," Harry responded immediately. "Exalted Cat, where are you getting these plants from? And why are you carrying these with you?"
The Exalted Cat ignored his questions, and instead continued displaying Magic Plant after Magic Plant. Harry was able to identify each one, causing both him and the Exalted Cat to become more and more surprised. Before long, a small pile of Ordinary and Earth Grade Magic Plants was on the ground.
"Well, if you can recognize this next one, I guess I have to believe you."
All the plants disappeared, and a flowerpot appeared on the cat's paw.
In it was a flower with a very unique appearance. The stem was transparent, like a piece of glass. Fourteen petals were arranged around the center, alternating in pure black and bright white. Within each white petal was a spot of black, within each black petal was a spot of white. The moment it appeared, the surroundings seemed to grow livelier, and the air was filled with rich Qi.
Just from being in its vicinity, Harry felt like the atmosphere had become richer. There was no doubt that this was a valuable and extraordinary Magic Plant.
There was also no doubt that Harry had never seen this flower before.
Yet, the moment he laid his eyes on it, its name appeared in his mind.
"Dual Crystal Spirit Soothing Flower," he said hesitantly. "It's a Spirit Grade plant, and has a low chance of growing naturally on Spirit Crystals. The stem should be a Spirit Crystal."
Then frowning, he asked, "What's the Spirit Grade? And what's a Spirit Crystal?"
As expected, his questions were ignored.
"This plant, as far as I know, cannot be found in our Scarlet Phoenix Empire. There is no way you could've known about it before. But since you could recognize my flower, there is something inexplicable going on. Did this happen before you saw the Exquisite Pure Magnolia?"
"I think that was the first time it happened. But I've never been around Magic Plants before."
He lived his whole life in Crystal Mine City, a poor and remote region where even the birds didn't shit. The only plants there were some random bushes and trees, along with whatever crops people tried to grow. There probably wasn't a single Magic Plant within 50 kilometers of that place.
"Well, my initial guess was that there are some Magic Spirits that bestow special abilities. Slughorn's spirit, for example, aids him in alchemy. It's possible that a spirit could identify plants, but, well, you're Spiritless. I really have no idea what it could be. When it comes to others, this Exalted Cat can easily see through them. But you are a different story."
'That was true,' Harry thought gloomily. The questions surrounding himself only grew and grew.
"Didn't you have a second question? Do you have another mysterious ability?"
"It's more of a philosophical question, I suppose. Do you think it's wrong to kill so many beasts? I must have killed over 100 already."
Harry didn't expect the Exalted Cat to start laughing.
"Boy, it's pointless to talk about wrong and right. In this world, whoever is strong is whoever is right. 'Might makes right', as some like to say. Since ancient times, it has been the strong who set the rules. Accordingly, it has been the strong who determine right and wrong. If you are worried about if your actions are right, just become the strongest. At that point, the only person who can judge you is yourself."
"But as for killing," the Exalted Cat sighed, as if reminiscing. "Of course, you cannot wantonly slaughter. Not only would you create too many enemies, it is not good for your character. But which cultivator has not killed their way to the top? Every peak character has stepped on the corpses of countless others to reach their position."
"This Exalted Cat has killed more people than you have seen in your life."
Harry gulped. He didn't doubt the Exalted Cat's words for a single moment. In the weeks that he had gotten to know the cat, the cat had never lied to him. It had a very straightforward personality. If there was a question it didn't want to answer, it didn't. But it had never lied.
"As for killing Magic Beasts, you shouldn't let that weigh on your conscience. Every few decades, the amount of Magic Beasts in the Wyvern Woods will reach the point where they cannot be contained in the forest. Hordes will rush out and assault Ox Ford City – we refer to these events as Beast Surges. For this reason, the Ox Ford Clan regularly sends hunting parties into the forest, to curb the beast population. If you didn't kill these beasts, someone else would. And if nobody killed them, they would overrun Ox Ford City, harming countless people with weak cultivation."
"Alright," Harry said. Knowing this put his mind more at ease.
"Besides, the Wyvern Woods are the largest woods in the empire. You haven't even encountered a hundredth of one percent of all the Magic Beasts in this forest. If you think you are causing a dent to their population, then you overestimate yourself."
A hundredth of a percent… thinking of the nearly 100 Magic Beasts he had killed, Harry's eyes widened. Wouldn't that be over a million beasts? If they all went charging out of the forest, how much destruction could they cause?
"That's right, our location can still only be considered the outskirts of the woods. The Magic Beasts here are the weakest, and rather sparse. Go deeper and you will find packs of beasts at the Qi Absorption Realm, go deeper and you will find even stronger packs. At the center of the woods, the rumor is that, well, let's just say that the Wyvern Woods are called that for a reason."
"Wyverns? How strong are they?" Harry wondered.
"Boy, it is too early for you to know these things. When –"
The cat suddenly stopped talking, and looked off to the side.
"Speak of the devil," it remarked. "We have company, arriving in a minute."
When there was a Magic Beast nearby, the cat would tell him to get ready for battle, not that there was company. Then, could it be that the arrivals weren't beasts? Were they humans?
Sure enough, a minute later, a group of people stepped out into the clearing.
They were five men, each slightly younger than Harry. They were dressed in the same robes, which had a picture of a charging ox stitched on the front, and carried weapons by their sides. It seemed like they were also out hunting Magic Beasts.
"They are at the 6th level of the Body Tempering Realm," the Exalted Cat whispered to him. "You are on your own."
Due to the far distance and dim lighting, they didn't notice that the cat had spoken.
One of them, clearly the leader, sneered as he looked at Harry and the cat.
'A chubby boy at the 5th level of the Body Tempering Realm, and his pet cat. He must be a fool to wander this deep in the Wyvern Woods,' he laughed to himself.
As the man stepped forwards and began walking towards them, Harry frowned. Since a young age, he had a sort of sixth sense for when he was in trouble. It was an innate feeling, developed over years of being bullied and targeted at the mines. It had especially been honed in the last couple of weeks in the woods, to the point where he had an acute sense of danger.
His instincts were yelling at him that these people were here to cause trouble.
Besides, the Exalted Cat said, 'you are on your own'. It only said those words when telling Harry to fight.
"Excuse me, my friends and I have been wandering around the Wyvern Woods all day, and we were looking for a place to rest when we noticed your campfire. Would it be alright if we rested here?"
"Sure," Harry shrugged.
"Thank you," the man said, then proceeded to call his friends over. They quickly ran over, warming themselves by the fire, while ignoring Harry and the cat.
"My name is Robert Oxford, and these are my friends Ralph, Richard, Roger, and Roy. We are disciples of the Ox Ford Sect."
The Ox Ford Sect – that must have been the sect established by the Ox Ford Clan. That also explained the image of the ox on their robes. If they were headed by one of the rulers of a Tier 2 City, then the sect must be quite powerful.
"I'm James," Harry said. "I'm a rogue cultivator."
The last part, at least, was true. Rogue cultivators were those who didn't join a clan or a sect. They relied on themselves to cultivate, without attaching themselves to any particular group.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, James," Robert smiled ominously. "I admire your courage, few would dare to wander this deep in the Wyvern Woods with just a 5th level Body Tempering Realm cultivation. My fellow disciples and I are at the 6th level, and only risked venturing out here because we are together."
Though his words sounded polite, Harry didn't miss the mockery contained within. It was plain as day that he was showing off his superior cultivation.
"Are you also training by killing Magic Beasts?"
"That's right," Harry nodded.
"Since we have met like this, why don't we team up? Would you like to travel with us? We would appreciate another cultivator helping us."
'Something is definitely off here,' Harry thought. He just wasn't quite able to put his finger on it.
"I'm not interested," Harry shook his head.
"You should think about that more carefully," Robert stated with an ominous undertone. "After all, there is safety in numbers."
'Safety in numbers? What bullshit, they're all at the 6th level, why would they want me?'
Obviously, they didn't know that Harry was actually much stronger than a typical 5th level Body Tempering Cultivator, or that he cultivated the Nameless Technique. To them, Harry just appeared to be a weaker cultivator. Why would they want to team up with him? Could it be that they were actually concerned for him, and wanted him to team up for his own protection?
Mistaking Harry's silence for consideration, Robert continued talking.
"Fellow cultivator James, you never know what sort of dangers you may run into. It is common knowledge that the Magic Beasts in the forest are very dangerous –"
It was his smile, Harry realized.
He had seen Robert's smile plenty of times before, on the face of Dudley.
It was an ugly smile. A smile of superiority, a smile of knowing that he was better than Harry. It was a smile that contained no friendliness or warmth in it. Whenever Dudley smiled like that, it was because he was going to beat Harry up.
And the smile wasn't just on Robert, it was present on all their faces. The other four of them were trying a bit too hard to not look at Harry, instead sneaking furtive glances then looking away.
That's what he had missed. They were trying too hard to appear innocent.
"- and quite fierce. Furthermore, the beasts aren't easy to find. Sometimes we walk for hours without spotting any. We need someone to b – I mean, having another team member would be helpful."
'Ah, that's what they want.'
"Do you really want me to work with you? Or do you just want to use me to lure the Magic Beasts?"
The five from the Ox Ford Sect dropped their languid appearances, and eyed Harry like how a predator would its prey.