Fairy, I'm going to control you tightly!

After teaching the technique and instructing the little fox to take the pills on time, Ji Nanbei began to enjoy the bear paw.

Ah, what a delightful treat this roasted bear paw is!

It is said that bears lick their paws constantly during hibernation, causing saliva to seep into their paws, which makes the meat of bear paws exceptionally tender and delicious.

The black bear in front of them had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and its meat was not only of a higher quality but also contained a trace of spiritual energy, making it especially delicious.

Ji Nanbei took a bite and found the texture to be soft, chewy, and elastic, with a very fresh and mellow flavor.

In short, it's delicious.

The little fox and Ji Nanbei both let out satisfied sighs at the same time.

While eating, Ji Nanbei suddenly remembered something.

This Foundation Establishment stage demon beast... seems to be able to condense a demon core.

Thinking of this, Ji Nanbei quickly finished eating the bear paw in his claws, walked out of the cave, and came back to the black bear carcass.

After taking a Qi Refining Powder, Ji Nanbei's spiritual energy had been mostly restored, and after eating the bear paw, he showed faint signs of breaking through to the second level of Qi Refining.

He used the first move of "Nine Slashes of the Fox" again, slashing out and cutting a gash in the black bear's belly.

As soon as the wound was opened, Ji Nanbei saw a faint light shimmering within it.

Extending his claw, Ji Nanbei reached inside and pulled out a red bead the size of a jujube.

That was the demon core of the black bear.

Because this black bear had only recently entered the Foundation Establishment stage, its condensed demon core was not very large.

However, this was the first time Ji Nanbei had ever seen a demon core. Holding the bullet-like object, he pondered how to use it.

Just then, the little fox suddenly spoke:

"Swallow it."

Ji Nanbei was taken aback. Why did this little fox's tone sound a bit off?

"Su Qianxue?"

The ever-astute Ji Nanbei did not choose to swallow it immediately, but instead called out to the little fox.

"Hmm? What's wrong, senior?"

This time, the tone returned to normal.

Ji Nanbei frowned.

"Did you say anything just now, or did you have any other unusual feelings?"

"Huh? It seems like I've suddenly gained some more knowledge, but this has happened often before. Senior, it seems that this demon core can be swallowed directly and is beneficial to the body."

Ji Nanbei responded.

This little fox is indeed a bit strange. The tone and aura it exuded just now were completely different from what this little guy usually does.

One body, two souls? Or is it the reincarnation of a powerful being, gradually awakening?

Ji Nanbei thought of the routines he was familiar with.

Just then, the system panel popped up.

[To trigger this task, please select one of the following options to execute.]

Option 1: If you tell me to eat, I'll eat? Wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?! I'll detonate the demon core and perish together with this body. (Reward: One million Demonic Path Points, a Rank 7 Array "Sun and Moon Reversal Array".)

Option Two: You're letting me eat it, so I'll eat it. Why are you being so fierce? Swallow the demon core. (Reward: 5,000 Demon Path Points, Grade 3 Spiritual Treasure "Attracting Bees and Butterflies Pendant".)

Option 3: There must be something fishy about this. I would never be so easily fooled as to discard the demon core. (Reward: 5,000 Demonic Path Points, Grade 3 Poison "Liver and Intestine Severing Powder".)

This time the options are much more flexible. Apart from the obviously foolish option one, the rewards for either consuming the demon core or discarding it are roughly equal.

This means that no matter which option you choose, there won't be much risk.

In the end, Ji Nanbei swallowed the demon core.

It wasn't because the little fox said this thing was beneficial, but Ji Nanbei genuinely felt that this body instinctively craved this demon core.

The soul may be questionable, but the body's reactions are honest.

After swallowing the demon core, Ji Nanbei had only one feeling.

This stuff is so bitter.

It also had a fishy smell.

It tastes terrible.

[Gained 5,000 Demonic Path Points; the Grade 3 Spiritual Treasure "Summoning Bees and Butterflies Pendant" has been stored in the system space.]

Immediately, Ji Nanbei felt his whole body begin to heat up, as if he were being burned by flames.

It was extremely painful.

However, Ji Nanbei could sense that this burning sensation was similar to the previous infusion of spiritual energy into his body.

This is the tempering of the physical body.

So Ji Nanbei let things develop as they were, simply gritting his teeth and enduring it.

To Ji Nanbei's surprise, he thought Su Qianxue would scream in pain, but the little fox didn't utter a sound.

Ji Nanbei could sense through their mental connection that the other party was also suffering.

But the little fox didn't make a sound.

Clearly, this little fox, who doesn't even know how to hunt, is not as weak as it seems; on the contrary, it possesses an extremely strong resilience.

As the burning sensation gradually subsided, Ji Nanbei didn't even have time to give any more instructions before the time limit was up, and he returned to his original form.

This time, Ji Nanbei received not true qi, but a power of a different nature.

There was none of the pain from the previous body tempering; instead, it was very comfortable, like soaking in warm water, making the whole body feel relaxed.

Then, Ji Nanbei became infamous.

The body quenching process forced all impurities out of the body, leaving Ji Nanbei's skin covered with a layer of black grime.

As soon as the body tempering was over, Ji Nanbei rushed to the mountain stream and immersed himself in it.

It's to the point where you feel like you'll die on the spot if you delay even for a second longer.

In the stream, Ji Nanbei sensed the changes in his body, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. At this moment, Ji Nanbei realized that both his speed and strength had more than doubled.

This level of physical strength has exceeded the standard expected during the Qi Refining stage.

Human cultivators have always been known for their mastery of spiritual energy and weapon techniques, but their physical strength is their weakness.

Under the same level, cultivators are usually not as strong or fast as demonic beasts. They can only win by relying on their abundant true energy, profound techniques, and excellent weapons.

Aside from a few exceptionally gifted individuals who forge their own paths, comprehension is the orthodox way for human cultivation.

Ji Nanbei seems to be an exception.

He can use the body of a demon to complete body tempering!

In this way, although Ji Nanbei is a human cultivator, he can also possess a strong physique comparable to that of a demon.

This is undoubtedly an incredible opportunity.

With this in mind, Ji Nanbei immediately had a completely new perspective on Su Qianxue's body.

Previously, Ji Nanbei only thought that he could obtain a lot of techniques from Su Qianxue, and that these were secretive and easy-to-use demon techniques, so the value of Su Qianxue's body was ordinary.

But at this moment, Su Qianxue's importance to Ji Nanbei suddenly rose to almost the same level as Xiao Jingxi.

At least in terms of the physical benefits, that is the case.

After washing away all the grime, Ji Nanbei took out a robe from the system space.

That was a second-grade magic robe that I obtained when I completed the previous subjugation mission. It could ward off ordinary water and fire and also had the function of being clean and unstained.

It's quite convenient.

At the same time, Ji Nanbei recalled the magical treasure he had just obtained.

Retrieving it from the system space, it was a bright red jade pendant, in the shape of a ring, with an exquisite butterfly pendant hanging in the center, swaying slightly in the ring, like a lifelike butterfly in flight.

"Uh, this thing is a product of the second option, and its name isn't exactly respectable either. Could it be some kind of indecent object again?"

Ji Nanbei cast a suspicious glance at him.