Xia Li next went to the market district to purchase some medicinal herbs and talisman materials. He also bought several spirit robes and had a mask custom-made that just covered his right eye and nose before leaving.

  Then he went directly to an inn. Though he looked rough right now, as long as he could produce spirit stones, the cultivator inns in the city would still provide service.

  Inside the inn room.

  Xia Li soaked in a large bath. Before getting in, he'd poured some temporarily extracted medicinal liquid into the pool.

  "So comfortable..."

  Xia Li truly felt refreshed all over now. He'd cultivated bitterly for nearly half a year, persisting in walking out of the Desolate Continent on foot, cultivating almost every day.

  Tempering body by day, refining qi by night—this made his control over his own body skyrocket. Now even without relying on Spirit Cores, he could perfectly exert his Pseudo-Core realm strength.

  Yes, his cultivation had already advanced during the bitter training. If he wanted, he could break through to Golden Core right now.

  He could even form a Fifth-Grade Blazing Yang Golden Core.

  The Great Sun Golden Body Art truly deserved its reputation as a peak Heaven-grade body refinement technique. What he'd grasped might not even be the Great Sun Golden Body Art.

  Perhaps it was the Great Sun Vajra Scripture without divine powers—after all, he'd comprehended this path directly through training with the Vajras. Without seeing the actual Great Sun Golden Body Art, he couldn't be certain what technique he'd realized.

  Anyway, it was extremely profound.

  In this world, any technique capable of absorbing sun and moon essence and gathering stellar power could make up for innate deficiencies.

  "Pity the bathwater isn't hot enough—still lacking some intensity..."

  Xia Li retrieved the newly purchased medicinal herbs and talisman materials from his Phase Ring and began refining directly while soaking in the pool.

  He merely held the herbs in his hand, and activating his blood and qi power generated sufficient temperature to extract the medicinal liquid.

  Though his current blood and qi could only refine pills below Third Grade, it was enough.

  Besides pills, he could also use the Heaven Chip's multi-threading ability to refine pills and craft talismans simultaneously.

  "Thunder Roar Pill, Thunder Summoning Talisman... complete!"

  After refining the pills and talismans, Xia Li directly tossed them into the pool water.

  Before long...

  Bursts of lightning crackled through the pool. That tingling sensation was like a full-body massage, making Xia Li feel incredible.

  The dirty dead skin on his body began falling away. He was practically shedding like a snake, skin peeling off inch by inch to reveal new skin beneath.

  His new skin was white as jade, tender as an infant's and seemingly delicate—but actually incredibly hard, already copper skin and iron bones.

  His body refinement cultivation was still at Aperture Opening, but unlike the accelerated progress achieved through Spirit Cores before, the strength gained through bitter self-cultivation was extremely solid.

  After bathing and washing.

  Xia Li left the pool. He didn't even need to dry off—just slightly activating his blood and qi power directly evaporated the water droplets on his body.

  Putting on black spirit robes, Xia Li donned his mask.

  He no longer looked fearsome. Xia Li also restrained his blood and qi power, keeping his essence internal while continuously refining vital blood.

  This made his entire person look sickly and listless, but at least clean and fair, with a scholarly feeling. Combined with the mask and missing right hand.

  His aura could be described as full of mystery.

  After washing up, Xia Li left the inn and headed toward the teleportation array, continuing his journey to the Savage Continent.

  People often say cultivation knows no years. Xia Li hadn't felt this before—after all, he'd always relied on Heaven Chip and Spirit Core for rapid advancement. Why walk when you can fly?

  But settling down to cultivate seriously, Xia Li finally experienced that feeling of time flowing like a white steed passing a gap.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  True, why walk when you can fly?

  But if you mastered walking, when you flew again, you'd fly higher and farther.

  One and a half months later.

  Before the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Savage Continent.

  Xia Li arrived at the boundary of human territory. Beyond this point, there were no teleportation arrays for rapid travel—after all, the Savage Continent was disputed territory. Even if you spent heavily to set up a teleportation array, it might be destroyed by the demon tribe in a few days. Simply not worth it.

  Thus, entering the Savage Continent had two main routes: one was crossing the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the other was taking a high-grade flying spirit vessel across the Cloud Sea.

  Xia Li chose the second option.

  He didn't want to slaughter demon beasts—that wouldn't count as training for him. He wasn't some greenhorn cultivator lacking combat experience.

  Before the Hundred Thousand Mountains stood the Demon-Breaking Pass, a great barrier built by humans.

  A great wall was built almost around the mountains. This pass was called Demon-Breaking Pass—the frontline where humans and demons clashed.

  Within Demon-Breaking Pass was Demon-Breaking City, prosperous and complicated with various powers interweaving. But Xia Li had no desire to even enter the city, going directly to the landing platforms outside.

  Near the landing platforms, many flying artifacts awaited departure. Like the Desolate Continent, the Savage Continent was also an excellent training ground.

  However, training in the Savage Continent was more bloody and brutal. Humans killing demons earned battle merits—the same applied for demons.

  The great powers of both humans and demons treated the Savage Continent as a chessboard, using lower-realm cultivators as chess pieces. Neither side's great powers would personally intervene, using game results to divide interests and resolve conflicts between the two races.

  Xia Li began observing the waiting flying artifacts near the landing platforms. There were flying boats, floating palaces, even floating mountains.

  He ultimately chose a floating island.

  Though the floating island's fees were high, safety was also high. The island's owner would even provide spirit fruits, fine wines, and cultivation areas, letting passengers relax before reaching the Savage Continent.

  Before the floating island.

  A female cultivator was registering people.

  "Greetings, Daoist friend. I'd like to purchase an inner island residence."

  Xia Li walked up and directly produced spirit stones. A sign stood beside the female cultivator, clearly listing the prices.

  Outer island area: one thousand spirit stones. Inner island area: three thousand spirit stones. Island core area: five thousand spirit stones.

  A spirit vein had been refined into the island's underground. Cultivating on the floating island was equivalent to being inside a high-grade spirit gathering formation—normal cultivation alone could recover at least half the spirit stones spent.

  So this price wasn't expensive at all.

  "Here's your waist token. You may wander freely in the outer and inner island areas, but cannot enter the island core. Of course, if you really want to go, you can pay extra spirit stones."

  "Alright."

  "The token contains information about the island—market streets, restaurants, even pleasure quarters. Just treat this island as a small city."

  "When do we depart?"

  "We'll depart when full. Should be about three more days."

  "Mm."

  After receiving the waist token, Xia Li rode the wind up to the floating island. Quite a few people had already taken residence. This was practically like a cruise ship from Xia Li's era.

  Both transportation and entertainment venue.

  Walking along to the inner island area, Xia Li searched for his assigned residence when a familiar voice called from behind him.

  "Alchemist Xia... is that you?"

  The moment he heard that voice, Xia Li knew who it was.

  The only one who'd call him Alchemist Xia was an old acquaintance from Wind Crane City.