"Later, it wanted to escape, so I chased it for seven days and seven nights, wearing it down to exhaustion…"

 

"After I forced it into that mountain valley, it had no way to continue fleeing."

 

Listening quietly to Xu Taiping's account of the Fairy Lingyue, although his face remained calm, the shock in his heart was no less than when he had witnessed his master slaying a dragon with a single hand.

 

"Far beyond the perseverance of an ordinary person, comparable to the patience of a demon hunter. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that this was a young boy who had just turned eleven."

 

In the original plan of Fairy Lingyue, after Xu Taiping mastered the Frost Breath Technique she taught him, he would be able to have the strength to fight the Tiger Demon, and with the support of the Green Bamboo Residence's barrier, he would have no problem lasting for a period of time. By then, she would have awakened and could assist him in slaying the Tiger Demon.

 

She never expected that Xu Taiping would be able to slay the Tiger Demon single-handedly.

 

Although part of the credit belonged to those disciples, it must be noted that this Tiger Demon was not just a simple Demon King-level demon beast, but a Tiger Demon with the bloodline of the ferocious beast, the Shuofeng Tiger, and the Shuofeng Demon Pearl in its possession.

 

Amidst her astonishment, Fairy Lingyue's gaze gradually fell on the various wounds on Xu Taiping's body.

 

Although Xu Taiping was now at the Opening Realm and had a recovery ability far beyond that of an ordinary person, the wounds covered in scabs, large and small, still made people feel heartbroken.

 

For no reason, Fairy Lingyue felt a bit of a sourness in her nose.

 

"Little Taiping, are you tired?"

 

She touched the wounds on Xu Taiping's face with her hand and asked with some emotion.

 

"No, not at all."

 

Xu Taiping shook his head firmly.

 

"Very good, you did very well, even better than what sister expected. Sister did not misjudge you."

 

At this moment, Fairy Lingyue also nodded firmly.

 

Just as Xu Taiping's unwavering heart for cultivation, at this moment, Fairy Lingyue had also firmly made up her mind to join forces with this young boy to return to the world of cultivation.

 

"Sister, look, this is the Shuofeng Pearl."

 

Xu Taiping happily handed the demon pearl to Fairy Lingyue.

 

Although he had not checked the things stored in the Tiger Demon's mouth, he was certain that this Shuofeng Pearl was his biggest gain after slaying the tiger.

 

"This Shuofeng Pearl… is actually a condensed demon pearl from the Shuofeng Tiger, with an excessive amount of evil energy that is not suitable for human cultivators to use. Keeping it by your side for a long time is harmful and of no benefit."

 

Fairy Lingyue hesitated for a moment, but ultimately told Xu Taiping the truth.

 

"I see…"

 

Xu Taiping couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

 

"But you don't need to be too disappointed. At the moment, it is indeed useless, but if you use the Shuofeng Pearl as nourishment for the Earth Fruit, you might be able to produce a good weapon."

 

Fairy Lingyue comforted Xu Taiping with a smile.

 

"The Earth Fruit undergoes twelve changes, and each time it is burned, it undergoes a transformation. After the second transformation, it can absorb the demon power from the demon beast and its demon core to nurture the fruit."

 

Fairy Lingyue nodded.

 

"Burning… right!"

 

When Xu Taiping mentioned burning, he suddenly thought of something, and immediately turned around to the side of the tiger's head, lifting it up and pouring out a pile of merit coins and precious jewels.

 

"The merit coins on this Tiger Demon's body are worth at least three thousand, enough for us to buy a True Fire Talisman."

 

Xu Taiping picked up a handful of merit coins from the ground and looked at Fairy Lingyue with excitement.

 

The treasures stored in the Tiger Demon's mouth were mainly gold and silver, with not many merit coins. In addition to this, Xu Taiping also saw martial arts secret books and magical tools and talisman scrolls.

 

"Well, with the True Fire Talisman, we can burn and make the Earth Fruit undergo the second transformation."

 

Fairy Lingyue's eyes also showed a hint of hope.

 

There was one thing she hadn't told Xu Taiping, and that was after the Earth Fruit underwent the second transformation, she would be able to use the power of the Earth Fruit to further advance her soul, reaching the point where she could use someone else's body to perform magical techniques.

 

By then, if she encountered a demon like the Tiger Demon again, she would be able to crush it.

 

The reason she didn't tell Xu Taiping was because she was worried that he would rely too much on himself, which would have a detrimental effect on his future cultivation.

 

"Taiping, come, before exchanging for the True Fire Talisman, let's count the treasures hidden by this Tiger Demon together. Perhaps we can find something useful for your cultivation."

 

Fairy Lingyue's spiritual shadow drifted to the side of the pile of treasures, her face filled with excitement as she pointed to the treasures.

 

…

 

Late at night.

 

"Six hundred taels of gold, thirteen hundred taels of silver, two thousand three hundred merit coins, three Jade Scrolls of Transmitting Techniques, six magical tools, eight talisman scrolls, a leather armor made from the hide of a demon beast Fire Rhino, and two demon pearls other than the Shuofeng Pearl."

 

After all the things in the Tiger Demon's mouth were sorted out, Fairy Lingyue scanned them one by one, her eyes unable to conceal her disappointment.

 

To her, the most valuable things inside were the few demon cores.

 

"There's also a map marked with the location of the 300-year Fire Lingzhi."

 

Xu Taiping handed the beast skin map to Fairy Lingyue.

 

Unlike a cultivator like Fairy Lingyue, Xu Taiping had never seen so much gold and silver in his life, let alone ten or so magical tools and talisman scrolls worth over a thousand merit coins each.

 

"This Fire Lingzhi should be left by the Tiger Demon for its own breakthrough."Fairy Lingyue took the beast skin map and glanced at it.

 

The map was crudely drawn, with only a few terrains outlined and the approximate location of the three-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Ganoderma. It was very likely drawn by the demon tiger itself.

 

"This location, it seems to be the very valley where I caught up with it that day. Could it be that it was running there to get this Fire Spirit Ganoderma?"

 

Xu Taiping couldn't help but feel a chill.

 

Had he not pursued it, or had he been a step too late, allowing the demon tiger to obtain the Fire Spirit Ganoderma, the outcome might have been quite different.

 

"Is this Fire Spirit Ganoderma of any use to me?"

 

Xu Taiping asked with wide, curious eyes.

 

"Its medicinal power is too strong for you; not only would it be of no benefit if you took it, but it could also be harmful. However…"

 

Fairy Lingyue first shook her head, then furrowed her brows, seemingly hesitant to continue.

 

"However, what?"

 

Xu Taiping pressed on.

 

"However, it can also be used as fertilizer for earth fruits. With some luck, it might even nurture an item that could increase the speed of your cultivation."

 

Seeing the curiosity written all over Xu Taiping's eyes, Fairy Lingyue ultimately decided to tell him the truth.

 

"But the problem is, Fire Spirit Ganoderma that has aged over three hundred years is often guarded by a Fire Python. If you don't know how to avoid the Fire Python and try to harvest it, it's very dangerous."

 

Before Xu Taiping could start to feel excited, Fairy Lingyue added another piece of information.