Chapter 62: Vitality


    With outsiders present, Han Ming hadn''t dared to examine the contents of the animal skin over the past few days. Nor had he practiced his cultivation. He merely meditated occasionally, familiarizing himself with the magical core within his body.


    Han Ming had once wondered: since humans could also form cores, could these cores be absorbed by other mages like magical beast cores? If so, what would be extracted? For magical beasts, it was their beast souls. For humans, would it be... human souls?


    The thought horrified Han Ming, and he quickly dismissed it. It was too far-fetched. Besides, if it were possible to absorb human cores, someone would have done it by now. He had never heard of anyone possessing a human soul. Presumably, humans couldn''t absorb cores from their own kind, perhaps due to the principle of like repelling like. After all, two tigers cannot share one mountain.


    One evening, after dinner, Bai Kai took the two younger women deep into the grass for some intimate fun. Before leaving, he glanced at the tall woman beside Han Ming, then at Han Ming himself, a playful smirk on his face.


    The tall woman''s cheeks flushed, and she silently sat beside Han Ming, saying nothing.


    Han Ming closed his eyes, pretending not to notice.


    Seeing Bai Kai and the two women leave, the tall woman remained silent. She glanced at Han Ming, who was meditating with his eyes closed, and a complex expression crossed her face. Finally, as if making a decision, she bit her lip and walked over to Han Ming, reaching to undo her clothes.


    "Go back and sit down," Han Ming said calmly, his eyes still closed.


    The tall woman sighed softly and returned to her spot, sitting quietly without further action.


    Han Ming, sensing her stillness, refocused his attention on the core within his body.


    The small, faint blue light points orbited slowly around the central core. Han Ming drew magical energy from the small crystal in his hand, channeling it into the swirling vortex of blue light. The vortex spun, refining the energy before transferring it to the central core.


    The core absorbed the energy continuously, but no significant changes were visible.


    Suddenly, Han Ming had an idea. What if he increased the rate at which he absorbed energy from the crystal? He had tried this before, but each time, he ended up with a splitting headache. Moreover, he hadn''t observed the changes in the magical vortex during those attempts. Currently, his limit was absorbing the energy of nearly two and a half small crystals per day. Of course, if he used magic, the consumption would increase.


    With intense concentration, Han Ming could sense every movement around him. The water elements in the air conveyed even the slightest changes to his perception. In the distance, he could hear the faint gasps and rustling sounds of the two women.


    Han Ming ignored these distractions, focusing entirely on the vortex within his core. He began to increase the rate at which he absorbed water-attribute magical energy from the crystal.


    A flood of faint blue light points flowed from the crystal into the vortex in his body. Immediately, the familiar headache returned. But this time, he didn''t stop. He carefully observed the state of the vortex.


    The energy from the crystal flowed from his arm into the vortex in his dantian. Along the way, much of it dissipated into tiny specks of light, swirling around his body before fading away. Han Ming guessed this was due to his unique constitution, which caused some energy to be wasted.


    The remaining energy entered the vortex. As the vortex absorbed the influx of energy, it struggled momentarily before suddenly spinning faster, nearly doubling its usual speed.


    At that moment, Han Ming noticed something astonishing. A tiny, almost imperceptible strand of energy deviated from the core and flowed upward. It split into two even finer strands. One dispersed into countless threads, spreading throughout his body. The other unexpectedly flowed toward his waist, struggled briefly at the edge, and then passed through his body.


    Han Ming focused intently, tracking the strand of energy. To his shock, he discovered it had entered the small pouch at his waist.


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    Han Ming''s eyes snapped open, disbelief and excitement flooding his face.


    The pouch contained the seven eggs of the Destruction Butterfly.


    Could it be...?


    Han Ming nearly jumped up in excitement. He had a vague idea of what was happening. The two strands of energy that had deviated from the core—one had dispersed into his body, likely absorbed by the Seed of Life within him. His water-attribute magical energy, refined by the vortex, had become purer.


    If his body was like a giant human-shaped Seed of Life, then this energy was being absorbed by the seed. Just as plants need water to grow, the Seed of Life required energy to thrive. The Tree of Life was the source of all living things, and the Seed of Life could naturally generate vitality. This meant that the water-attribute energy absorbed by his body was being converted into vitality, some of which was now flowing into the seven eggs of the Destruction Butterfly.


    This implied that as his magical power grew and he absorbed more energy, the amount of vitality he could generate would also increase. In time, he might be able to hatch the eggs using his own vitality.


    The thought thrilled Han Ming. The problem of hatching the eggs, which had troubled him for days, was now solved. It was like stumbling upon a treasure trove without even looking. He could now nurture the eggs of the Destruction Butterfly himself.


    Just then, Bai Kai returned with the two women. Seeing Han Ming sitting motionless, he glanced inquiringly at the tall woman.


    Noticing her lowered head and silence, Bai Kai''s face briefly showed displeasure, but he said nothing. The two women had already laid out a white fur blanket on the ground. Bai Kai gave the tall woman another meaningful look before lying down with the two women to sleep.


    Excited by the realization that he could nurture the eggs, Han Ming no longer cared about his headache. He began absorbing energy from the crystal at an even faster rate, watching as the faint strands of vitality passed through his body into the eggs. The sight filled him with exhilaration.


    He sat like this the entire night.


    By dawn, when Bai Kai announced it was time to move on, Han Ming finally stopped absorbing energy. He quickly ate a few bites of food and rejoined the group.


    Bai Kai noticed Han Ming''s pale complexion and found it odd. When one''s strength reached a certain level, sleep was unnecessary. A bit of meditation was enough to restore energy. Even if one wasn''t at their peak, they shouldn''t look as exhausted as Han Ming did. But this was a personal matter, and Bai Kai couldn''t bring himself to ask.


    He had no way of knowing that Han Ming''s fatigue was due to over-absorbing magical energy. Most people wouldn''t do this, as it was counterproductive to cultivation. If absorbing more energy meant faster progress, everyone would do it. Cultivation would become easy. But absorbing too much only added to one''s burden. Once the limit was reached, the excess energy would simply overflow, wasted.


    Han Ming, however, didn''t care about the waste.


    As they traveled, Han Ming became even more reserved. Bai Kai occasionally observed him, noticing how Han Ming would sometimes frown and other times smile warmly. Bai Kai was curious but hesitated to ask.


    The deeper they ventured into the wilderness, the more magical beasts they encountered. Han Ming ignored the first and second-tier beasts, but whenever a third-tier beast appeared, he would eagerly engage it, paying no heed to Bai Kai''s increasingly cold expression. Han Ming never revealed his magical abilities, relying solely on physical attacks without using any combat energy. This made Bai Kai both wary and intrigued. How could someone be so powerful without using combat energy? Bai Kai felt both fear and a flicker of excitement, though he hid it well.


    If you want to play the gentleman, fine. I''ll play the brute. I won''t hold back when there''s gain to be had, Han Ming thought.


    Half a month passed. The deeper they went, the more challenging the journey became. Strange creatures constantly blocked their path. At one point, Han Ming was surprised to see a horse.


    But this horse was bizarre. It had wings on its back and was the size of a rabbit. Its appearance was the most cartoonish of any magical beast Han Ming had ever seen. Its strength was also lacking; it fled at the sight of people, likely only a first-tier beast.


    This was the first time Han Ming had seen such a creature.


    "A first-tier wind-attribute magical beast, the Snow Colt. Quite rare, with astonishing speed but weak strength. It holds little value for us, but noblewomen and princesses adore it. However, it''s extremely hard to find on the market because it''s so difficult to catch. Experts wouldn''t waste their time chasing something with only ornamental value. I certainly couldn''t catch one," Bai Kai explained casually, noticing Han Ming''s curiosity. He had been trying to get closer to Han Ming, but Han Ming remained aloof.


    Seeing such a whimsical creature lifted Han Ming''s spirits, dispelling the frustration of over-absorbing energy. He stepped lightly toward the adorable Snow Colt.


    If even Han Ming was tempted, the women were even more so. All three stared at the Snow Colt with longing, even the usually reserved tall woman showing interest.


    The Snow Colt flapped its snow-white wings, munching on leaves from a tree while keeping a wary eye on its surroundings. Seeing Han Ming approach nonchalantly, it immediately turned and fled.


    Han Ming''s attempt to deceive the creature had failed. Embarrassed, he dropped his battle axe and dashed into the forest after the Snow Colt.


    "Overestimating yourself. The Snow Colt isn''t something you can catch. Strength is useless here; speed is what matters," Bai Kai sneered as Han Ming disappeared into the distance, dropping his usual genteel demeanor.


    The two women, seeing Han Ming leave his massive battle axe behind, approached it with curiosity. One of them bent down, grabbed the handle, and tried to lift it. The axe didn''t budge.


    Frustrated, she channeled her combat energy and tried again, but the result was the same. She stomped her foot in annoyance.


    The other woman also tried and failed.


    Bai Kai chuckled. "This axe is extraordinary. Despite its size, Han Ming wields it with ease. It''s not something you women can lift."