11: Conquer the Black Bear

Seeing this, Wei Xun's heart stirred with the idea of escaping.

According to the Cultivation Techniques he currently possessed, Shadowless Step and Earth Escape Technique would allow him to slip away.

However, Wei Xun did not choose to escape; instead, he wanted to test his current strength.

"Roar!" Facing the charging Black Bear, Wei Xun opened his mouth wide and unleashed the Demon Qi Roar, a Cultivation Technique he had just acquired.

Wei Xun, who could only make Jiji sounds, actually let out a deep roar after using Demon Qi Roar; it sounded no weaker in Aura than the Black Bear, and it carried a pressure that the bear's roar lacked.

After this roar impacted the Black Bear, the Black Bear actually stopped directly, and its originally fierce gaze now became somewhat fearful, shrinking its neck as if facing a formidable enemy.

Wei Xun knew he had guessed correctly upon seeing this situation; this Black Bear was merely in the Spirit Beast Realm, and by its Aura, it had probably only just entered the Spirit Beast Realm recently.

And such a Spirit Beast was indeed no match for a Yao Beast; even if he was a mouse and it was a Black Bear, he could still suppress the opponent through his cultivation.

"little one!" Wei Xun smiled at the corner of his mouth, then directly walked towards the Black Bear.

When the Black Bear saw Wei Xun approaching, it turned and tried to run.

But just as it lifted its foot and hadn't run many steps, Wei Xun used Shadowless Step, becoming extremely fast, and directly circled in front of the Black Bear.

The Black Bear was startled to see Wei Xun suddenly appear before its eyes and immediately turned to run in another direction.

However, Wei Xun used Shadowless Step again to block the Black Bear, and his tail, like a snake, was held high, its tip, like a snake's head, aimed at the Black Bear's head, as if ready to strike at any moment.

Seeing this, the Black Bear knew there was no escape; it could only lie down, lower its head, and show fear, as if expressing submission, not daring to move an inch.

Wei Xun did not strike a killing blow in this situation; since the Black Bear was willing to submit, it could perfectly be used as a mount.

It would be much more convenient to continue roaming this Mountain Forest in the future.

So Wei Xun walked forward, straightened his body, and then reached out to stroke the Black Bear's head, expressing his acceptance of the Black Bear's submission.

After all, the Black Bear was a Spirit Beast that had gained sentience, so it naturally understood Wei Xun's meaning at this moment—it was sparing its bear life.

"Little Black Bear, since you are willing to submit to me, from now on, you will be my little follower!" Wei Xun Jiji-ed a few words at the Black Bear, and without caring if the Black Bear understood, he leaped directly onto the Black Bear's back.

The Black Bear's back was very broad and elastic, like a warm and comfortable leather sofa.

The only drawback was that the Black Bear seemed to have not bathed for a long time, and its entire body had a foul odor.

So Wei Xun Jiji-ed two more times at the Black Bear and pointed to the nearby Creek Pond, indicating for the Black Bear to go in and take a bath.

The Black Bear was very smart and immediately understood, so it walked to the Creek Pond and jumped in.

Wei Xun took the opportunity to get off the Black Bear's back and stood by the Creek Pond, quietly watching the Black Bear clean its fur inside.

However, although he had temporarily subdued the Black Bear, Wei Xun was still a bit uneasy, somewhat worried about whether the Black Bear was truly submissive to him.

Currently, he relied on the suppression of his cultivation to force the Black Bear to submit; if they truly fought to the death, even if he could kill the Black Bear, he certainly wouldn't win too easily.

If the Black Bear ever took the opportunity to bite him back, given his size, it would only take two or three bites from the Black Bear.

Thinking of this, Wei Xun had an idea.

Wei Xun spit out half a ginseng root from his mouth, held it between his fingertips, and dangled it in front of the Black Bear.

The Black Bear noticed the movement, turned its head, and immediately discovered the item in Wei Xun's hand.

Spirit Beasts like the Black Bear, who have always lived in the Mountain Forest, are very sensitive to the Spiritual Plants hidden in the forest and immediately perceived the profundity of this ginseng root.

So, its eyes lit up, and it moved closer to Wei Xun, lowering its huge head, waiting quietly.

"Black fellow, it's your fortune from several lifetimes to meet your Rat Big Brother; as long as you are obedient enough in the future, your Rat Big Brother guarantees to take you to Cultivate into a demon together."

Wei Xun Jiji-ed twice at the Black Bear, then placed the ginseng root on a stone at his feet.

The Black Bear seemed to understand Wei Xun's meaning, a gleam flashed in its eyes, and then it nodded frantically.

Only after Wei Xun's nod of approval did the Black Bear extend its head and its long tongue to lick the ginseng root from the stone into its belly.

After the Black Bear washed the dirt from its body, it also took the opportunity to catch two large fish from the Creek Pond and respectfully placed them beside Wei Xun.

Seeing how sensible the Black Bear was, Wei Xun knew that his method of combining kindness and coercion had indeed subdued the Black Bear; as long as he occasionally gave it some benefits, the Black Bear would remain loyal to him.

Thus, a Black Bear that should have dominated the Mountain Forest became Wei Xun's subordinate and mount; when there was nothing to do, Wei Xun would ride the Black Bear all over the Mountain Forest, relying on his keen sense of smell and Spiritual Qi perception to search for the Immortal Plants hidden within the Mountain Forest.

These things could all increase cultivation; although they couldn't compare to the ginseng he secretly hoarded, they were still good items.

To avoid exploding and dying, Wei Xun only consumed two or three ginseng roots daily, increasing his cultivation by about ten thousand points, and then stopped.

Because on the Demon Cultivation Mind Technique, several large characters were specifically emphasized: Haste makes waste.

Although consuming Spiritual Plants could greatly accelerate the speed of Cultivation, too much speed would prevent the Foundation from being built solidly, and subsequent Cultivation would be extremely unstable, like building a tower.

Furthermore, while consuming ginseng roots, Wei Xun also began to cooperate with the Qi swallowing and exhaling Cultivation method from the Demon Cultivation Mind Technique, drawing the Spiritual Qi hidden in the air into his demon core, and then transforming it into his meridians, which could strengthen his Physique, reinforce his physical body, and temper his demon core.

Thus, each time a cycle was completed, the progress bar within his body would also increase.

Although this growth rate was far slower than that achieved by consuming ginseng roots, the advantage of doing so was that it allowed him to lay a solid Foundation, preventing his cultivation from becoming a castle in the air.

And the Black Bear, who followed him, could also feel the Spiritual Qi fluctuations on Wei Xun's body every time he Cultivated, something that a Spirit Beast like it could not yet do.

So every time it saw Wei Xun Cultivate, it was filled with longing and curiosity, and it admired its Mouse Dage even more from the bottom of its heart.

Nine days passed in a flash, and Wei Xun finally managed to fill his internal progress bar to 100,000 points using both methods, successfully Breaking Through to the second layer of the Yao Beast Realm.

At the same time, five more Innate Skill options appeared in his mind.

Throat Refining Skill: Can speak human words.

Gigantification: Body becomes larger, increasing life and food consumption.

Rock Armor: Skin hardens and strengthens, increasing defense.

Quick Cut Claws: Grows sharp claws like fast blades, extendable and retractable at will.

Spirit Seeking Eyes: Can visualize Spiritual Qi, clearly seeing its concentration.