“Hmm”

With her eyes opening, the jet-black demonic girl shifted in her seated position on the ancient tome as anger surfaced on her face.

“I really can't count on any of you”. Her voice dripped with contempt as she addressed the robed figures who stood before her. They flinched under the weight of her gaze, their eyes avoiding direct contact with her fiery red eyes.

"I entrusted you with a simple task, yet you failed me," she continued, her tone laced with disappointment. "Thirteen blood seals, they extinguished just now, if you only send that little then how am I supposed to trust you to carry out my ultimate plan?"

The robed figures exchanged nervous glances, their hushed whispers filling the grand hall. the only one who dared to speak was again the tall man with the glimmering staff.

"My Lady, sending more than 15 would cause the Ancient Tome to become unstable, thus interfering with your arrival," he pleaded, his voice trembling. "It was my mistake, I believed 13 to be enough but I was wrong, I shall personally go there.”

The demonic girl's eyes narrowed, her patience wearing thin. ‘No, I can't allow my only heaven-grade talisman master to come to harm, I need him here just in case the Ancient tome is attacked’. “You know your purpose” she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "I will personally take action, whoever it is will not escape my wrath."

The blacked-robed figures bowed their heads, their bodies trembling with fear.

The demonic girl composed herself, her anger simmering beneath a mask of icy calmness. She knew she had to take matters into her own hands if she wanted the outcome she desired.

With a flick of her wrist, she turned her attention to the tome underneath her, ‘I can't do anything big so I'll have to strike right when the next tainted blood is plucked, until then I have to create a strong phantom’ The demonic girl gritted her teeth as a dark miasma began to emerge from her body.
****

“Haa”

Meng Lin exhaled one last time as she finished her final circulation of the Black Tortoise Essence Art, her qi had returned to how it was before and she even felt that it had increased even more.

“System”

[Meng Lin]

[special physique: Brute Qi physique]

[Gold Core Stage (Middle)]

[Experience points: 32%]

System coin: 3034

Taoist Gacha wheel: available 6x

Spiritual Roots: [Water>Fire>Gold>Wood>Earth]

Variant Elemental Qi: [Mud] [Erosion] [Water]

Main Cultivation Method: [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 5th Layer]

Side Cultivation Methods: [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation Method] [Brute Vortex Cultivation Method]

Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Hundred Unity Techniques] [Wrath of Thunder] [Physique Cleansing Sutra] [Vital Essence Exchange]

Ancient Spirit Seals: ~Black Tortoises~, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.

[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy]

Meng Lin's heart swelled with excitement as she saw a 15% increase in her experience, it seems that intense battles really do exponentially increase her experience.

“I've gotten strong but it's still not enough” Meng Lin muttered to herself, her eyes narrowing with determination as she set her sights on getting stronger now more than ever.

Meng Lin‘s eyes flickered as she took out a fruit, it was the Spiritual Fruit, ‘it contains a trace of demonic qi within it but it should be alright’ Meng Lin thought as she opened her mouth to take a bite, utilizing the second cycle of the Black Tortoise Essence Art to the utmost use.

Meng Lin focused as all the auras of the fruit, both demonic and natural converged within her stomach as she refined them before turning them into pure energy that coursed through her spiritual gains.

A few minutes later she opened her eyes, feeling the last bit of energy turning into pure qi.

Opening her system panel once more she saw that her percentage increased by 4%, going from 32 to 36.

It was not a big jump but Meng Lin found the next items more important to her growth, swiping across her storage ring she retrieved a small black pill.

The pill’s surging aura makes the fruit feel almost insignificant, Meng Lin knows that this one will be a challenge, but it only makes her excited at the results afterward.

Preparing herself, Meng Lin closed her eyes and her mind was focused. She placed the pill on her tongue, feeling its icy coolness against her skin. She swallowed it down, and it dissolved Instantly.

Boom!

Meng Lin felt a surge of energy explodes within her. It was like a volcano erupting, the energy rushing through her stomach like molten lava. She could feel every inch of her body vibrating with power, the energy so intense that it was almost painful.

But she was prepared. She activated the Black Tortoise Essence Art, and the energy within her started to circulate in a specific pattern. The violent energy was gradually tamed, becoming a powerful wave that flowed through her body, strengthening her from the inside. It was a grueling process, the battle between her and the pill's energy raging on for what seemed like an eternity.

When she finally opened her eyes, Meng Lin felt a sense of exhaustion wash over her. But along with it came a sense of exhilaration. She could feel the power coursing through her veins, her body feeling lighter and stronger than ever.

"System"

[Meng Lin]

[Gold Core Stage (Middle)]

[Experience points: 56%]

System coin: 3034

Taoist Gacha wheel: available 6x

Spiritual Roots: [Water>Fire>Gold>Wood>Earth]

Variant Elemental Qi: [Mud] [Erosion] [Water]

Main Cultivation Method: [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 5th Layer]

Side Cultivation Methods: [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation Method] [Brute Vortex Cultivation Method]

Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Hundred Unity Techniques] [Wrath of Thunder] [Physique Cleansing Sutra] [Vital Essence Exchange]

Ancient Spirit Seals: ~Black Tortoises~, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.

[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy]

Meng Lin's eyes sparkled as she saw the 20% increase in her experience. It was way more than the intense fights.

It was a risk worth taking. Meng Lin couldn't help but smile at her success but she wasn't done yet.

Taking out a crystallized bead Meng Lin opened her mouth and swallowed it in one swift motion.

The bead didn't dissolve like the pill, rather it released an ethereal energy that filled her senses. It was pure and cleansing like a clear water had covered her entire body. It flowed through her body, washing away the remnants of the pill's violent energy, soothing her aching muscles, and rejuvenating her tired mind.

Meng Lin felt a blissful serenity envelop her, a feeling of peace that she hadn't felt in a long time. The bead's energy was gentle, unlike the pill's fierce power, but it was not as potent.

Minutes passed in a blink and when Meng Lin finally opened her eyes, they were shining with a renewed vigor. She felt calmer, colder, and more connected to her water elemental qi than ever before.

She quickly accessed her system panel to check her progress and saw an increase of 14%, more than she was expecting.

And just like that she reached 70% in her realm, but that wasn't the end. Finally taking out the demonic core Meng Lin took a deep breath before activating a partial transformation as a snake tail emerged from her back, it opened it's mouth before swallowing the fist-sized demonic orb.

Boom!!

Her body started shaking violently as the demonic core's energy rushed into her stomach.

Unlike the pill, this energy was more wild and untamed, like a raging river trying to break its banks. It was raw power, the likes of which Meng Lin had never experienced before.

She gritted her teeth, her body soaked in sweat as she struggled to control the influx of energy. She activated the Black Tortoise Essence Art once again, trying to circulate the violent energy.

It was a grueling process, her body swelled to three times its size as the influx of power threatened to explode her body. She felt as if she was walking on a tightrope, one mistake and she could lose control over the energy.

But Meng Lin was not one to back down. She had faced countless trials and tribulations in her journey, each one making her stronger and more resilient. This was just another hurdle for her to overcome.

With a determined look on her face, she focused her mind, her willpower shaky but not broken. She tamed the violent energy bit by bit, gradually molding it to her will. The process was slow and painful, but she didn't falter, her resolve unwavering.

Finally, after a whole hour, the violent energy wave started to calm more and the energy started to flow in a distinct pattern, integrating with her qi.

Boom!

Meng Lin felt an explosion in her head as her Gold Core doubled in size and with it, drew even more qi towards it, however, the qi from the demonic core seemed unending as Meng Lin felt her core becoming full with even more energy to spare.

Opening her eyes Meng Lin exhaled as she once again uttered the words system.

[Meng Lin]

[Gold Core Stage (Late)]

[Experience points: 7%]

System coin: 3034

Taoist Gacha wheel: available 6x

Spiritual Roots: [Water>Fire>Gold>Wood>Earth]

Variant Elemental Qi: [Mud] [Erosion] [Water]

Main Cultivation Method: [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 5th Layer]

Side Cultivation Methods: [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation Method] [Brute Vortex Cultivation Method]

Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Hundred Unity Techniques] [Wrath of Thunder] [Physique Cleansing Sutra] [Vital Essence Exchange]

Ancient Spirit Seals: ~Black Tortoises~, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.

[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy]