Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Day after day, two years passed in the blink of an eye.

Gou An's alchemy skills also began to improve rapidly!

Although the pills recorded in the Hundred Pills Records are not of high grade, they are simple and stable.

Gou An did not casually consume these refined pills.

After all, all elixirs contain toxic substances.

Taking too many pills can lead to the accumulation of erysipelas in the body.

It takes a lot of time to expel the toxic substances, otherwise they will block the meridians and hinder cultivation.

Therefore, Gou An often only consumes the perfect pills he refines himself, minimizing the accumulation of pill poison.

Gou An fed the slightly flawed pills to the little mice in his cave.

These rats were initially quite afraid of Gou An, but after eating the dregs and defective pills that Gou An fed them, they all became Gou An's pets.

Although they were just ordinary rats, after eating the discarded elixirs, they all grew plump and strong.

Several of them even turned into demonic beasts. Although they were only at the first level, their large numbers made up for it.

Moreover, they are obedient and can even help Gou An go out to find materials and keep watch over the surroundings.

During this period, Gou An's demonic power increased slowly but steadily, and he accumulated a considerable reserve of medicinal pills.

That day.

After seeing that his demonic power was finally about to reach 200,000, Gou An prepared to go into seclusion to break through.

Then, all the demon rats in the cave were released to go out and keep watch.

When a demon beast breaks through its limits, its demonic aura cannot be concealed.

This is the time when it is easiest to attract the attention of other demonic beasts or human cultivators.

After making preparations, Gou An swallowed a Qi Gathering Pill that he had refined himself!

With the Qi Gathering Pill being digested, Gou An finally replenished the last two hundred-plus points of demonic power he was short of.

[Current Realm: Eighth Rank Demon Beast]

[Demon Power Value: 58/1000000]

The joy of the breakthrough was not over yet, but Gou An was stunned when he saw the latest realm panel.

After carefully counting the zeros several times and confirming that this breakthrough required one million points of demonic power, Gou An felt a strong urge to destroy everything.

The 200,000 demonic power needed to break through from the seventh to the eighth rank would have required nearly ten years of diligent accumulation without the Blood Essence Pearl providing most of it.

There are no treasures that can quickly increase demonic power right now; relying solely on these ordinary pills, it will probably take twenty or thirty years.

And this is considered fast!

This doesn't even take into account the time it takes to expel the accumulated erysipelas, or the body developing drug resistance from consuming too many of the same pills, which leads to a decrease in the amount of demonic energy provided.

A million demonic powers is simply unattainable.

And most importantly, this is only the breakthrough from the eighth rank to the ninth rank.

Once I break through to the ninth rank, wouldn't it cost five million to break through to the tenth rank?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Gou An immediately shut his mouth.

Gou An discovered that he was always guessing too much, but in the end, he was always guessing too little.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Gou An went to check the new content on the panel.

[Congratulations on breaking through to the eighth rank of demon beast! You have gained twenty new demon magic points.]

The following magical arts can be exchanged using magical points.

[Advanced Transformation: Allows for a more perfect human form, lasting longer and consuming less demonic energy. (Exchangeable for 20 demonic points)]

[Soaring Through the Clouds: The physical body breaks free from the earth's constraints, allowing for aerial strides and short-term flight; speed increases with one's demonic power. (Exchangeable for 18 Demonic Points)]

[Demon Aura Missile: Use demonic energy to gather energy projectiles and control the attack at will. (Exchange for Demon Points: 11 points)]

[Giant Beast Body: Increases size, strength, and defense. (Exchanges for 9 Demon Points)]

[Hair Needle Shot: After using the Hair Needle Protection spell, you can shoot your body hair out as flying needles. (Exchange for 8 Demon Points)]

[Chosen Dog King: Has a stronger deterrent effect on its own kind whose cultivation level is lower than its own. (Exchangeable for Demon Points: 4 points)]

[Male Dog Reproduction: Increases stamina and attractiveness to female dogs, allowing for rapid breeding of the dog population (Exchangeable for Demon Points: 2 points)]

[Carrion Eater: Consuming rotten flesh, feces, and other similar items grants more Demon Power. (Exchangeable for 1 Demon Point)]

Gou An discovered that as his cultivation level increased, the option to exchange for low-level demonic arts no longer appeared.

This advanced transformation technique that appeared this time tempted Gou An, but it required a full twenty points.

In other words, once you choose it, you cannot choose other sorcery.

Although Gou An can now transform into human form, it is too crude.

Normally, it looks like a dog that walks upright, except that it has human hands and feet, and there is not much difference between it and a human.

To achieve a more perfect transformation, one must channel more demonic power into that form.

However, this state cannot last long and will be very uncomfortable.

But now there's a problem: why bother with such a perfect transformation at this stage?

He hid deep within the Monster Mountain Range, slowly accumulating cultivation and strength. His transformation technique could neither provide combat power nor a means of survival.

It's definitely not the first choice.

So, after weighing the pros and cons, Gou An chose the giant monster body and the demonic energy missile.

One allows for a stronger burst of power, and the other gives you more offensive options.

Now that I'm at the eighth rank, I have a greater reserve of demonic energy, so I'm not afraid that these demonic arts will consume too much of my energy.

After all, there are too many powerful beings deep within the Monster Mountain Range.

If I continue with the same methods as before, they won't be enough.

Breakthrough achieved.

Gou An felt his strength rise to a new level, and his whole body was filled with power.

Gou An then transformed back into his original form and used the demonic arts he had just mastered.

A colossal monster!

As the sorcery was activated, Gou An's body began to grow rapidly.

After the transformation finally stopped, Gou An felt that the alchemy furnace in front of him had shrunk considerably.

Originally, Gou An was just a large, robust dog, but now, with his monster body, he is as big as an adult elephant.

At the same time, Gou An gathered demonic energy missiles.

Clusters of black energy blasts instantly gathered around him, poised to be unleashed at a mere thought from Gou An.

Gou An aimed at a stone pillar in the stone chamber and immediately fired a missile.

The missile shattered the stone pillar instantly.

Gou An was very satisfied with the result.

This was just a casual strike, yet it possessed such power.

But at that moment, a first-tier rat that was originally responsible for guarding outside the cave broke through and ran in.

It started chattering incoherently at Gou An.

After spending this time together, Gou An could tell from his reaction that danger was approaching.

Gou An knew that the danger must have come from the demonic energy fluctuations he generated during his breakthrough.

However, unaware of any other information about the enemy, Gou An immediately reverted to his original form, concealed his demonic aura, and rushed out of the cave.

Not long after Gou An left, a figure landed near the cave entrance from the air.

He was completely covered by a large cloak, making it impossible to see his face.

At this moment, Gou An hid in the distance, silently watching the approaching person.

Soon after, the visitor seemed to discover the cave entrance, so he removed the cover and went inside.