Black Tiger Town is nestled against Black Tiger Ridge.

Thus, those who come and go from this town are mostly martial artists training at Black Tiger Ridge, including family warriors and hunters.

To the southeast of Black Tiger Ridge lie the Imperial Dao Sect and Azure Cloud Sect, whose disciples also frequent this town.

At this moment, after half a day's journey, Lu Ren, Qin Yu, and their group of four finally arrived at Black Tiger Town.

"Come and take a look! Freshly collected Shadow Cat demonic cores from Black Tiger Ridge, essential for crafting talismans, only ten thousand copper coins each!"

"First-Tier Spirit Herb, Spirit-Gathering Herb, eight thousand copper coins per plant, buy ten together for just sixty thousand copper coins!"

...

Before even entering Black Tiger Town, Lu Ren could hear the shouts from within.

Upon entering, Lu Ren saw the streets lined with various stalls, bustling with people haggling over prices, creating a lively atmosphere.

"This is the world of martial arts!" Lu Ren exclaimed.

Before coming, he had looked up information about Black Tiger Ridge in the "Disciple Rules."

The most detailed descriptions were about demonic beasts.

The strength of demonic beasts is ranked from low to high: First-Tier, Second-Tier, Third-Tier, Fourth-Tier, and so on.

Each tier is divided into low, mid, and high levels.

A First-Tier demonic beast corresponds to a martial artist at the Aperture Realm.

Shadow Cats, like those low-level First-Tier demonic beasts, are common in Black Tiger Ridge. As long as you kill one and extract the demonic core, you can sell it for ten thousand copper coins.

Ten thousand copper coins is a fortune for ordinary people, but for martial artists, it's just a matter of casually killing a demonic beast.

"Yu'er, I didn't expect you to come to Black Tiger Town too. Shall we team up?"

At that moment, a group of four approached them.

Leading the group was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, dressed in luxurious clothes. His appearance was ordinary, but he always looked at people askance, especially showing disdain when looking at Lu Ren and the others.

"No need!" Qin Yu replied, preparing to pass by the boy.

Seeing Qin Yu completely ignoring him, the boy was visibly angry and said, "Qin Yu, what are you so proud of? Sooner or later, you'll be mine, Ding Hai!"

Following behind Qin Yu, Lu Ren couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Wang Teng, who is this Ding Hai?"

Wang Teng whispered, "That Ding Hai is an outer disciple of the Imperial Dao Sect. He's opened six spirit apertures. I heard he's from the same city as Senior Sister Qin Yu. The Ding family, seeing Senior Sister Qin Yu's extraordinary talent, intends to match her with Ding Hai!"

"I see!" Lu Ren nodded.

However, Wang Teng was somewhat indignant and said, "But who does Ding Hai think he is? He dares to dream of marrying Senior Sister Qin Yu? Which one of us three isn't better than him?"

"Senior Brother Wang Teng, don't include me in this!" Lu Ren waved his hand.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, don't underestimate yourself. Even though you have a trash-grade bloodline, you are the only disciple accepted by the Saintess. A disciple's worth is elevated by their master!" Wang Teng said.

"Wang Teng, if you don't want to train, you can return to the sect now!" Qin Yu said coldly.

Wang Teng covered his mouth, not daring to say more.

Soon, Lu Ren, Qin Yu, and their group of four passed through Black Tiger Town and entered Black Tiger Ridge.

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Black Tiger Ridge was filled with towering ancient trees, each with a massive diameter that required three people to encircle.

Underneath the ancient trees, various vines grew, entwining with the shrubs. The faint sounds of demonic beasts could be heard.

Hearing these sounds, Lu Ren's expression became serious.

In contrast, Wang Teng and Zhang Sheng seemed unusually relaxed, as if they were on a leisurely tour rather than a training mission.

"Lu Ren, relax. With Senior Sister Qin Yu here, we're absolutely safe!" Zhang Sheng said leisurely.

Roar!

Suddenly, a giant tiger, its body as hard as granite, charged at them, glaring at Lu Ren and Qin Yu's group. Blood dripped from its ferocious mouth, still chewing on a human arm.

The gray-white eyes of the tiger locked onto Lu Ren's group, exuding a terrifying ferocity.

"This is a Flower Rock Tiger!" Lu Ren exclaimed, shocked.

In the "Disciple Rules" section on demonic beasts, there was an introduction to the Flower Rock Tiger, a high-level First-Tier demonic beast. Its body was as hard as granite, with incredible defense, comparable to a martial artist who had opened seven spirit apertures.

However, even martial artists who had opened seven spirit apertures wouldn't dare to confront a Flower Rock Tiger head-on.

"Lu Ren, it's just a Flower Rock Tiger, no need to be so alarmed." Wang Teng patted Lu Ren's shoulder, signaling him to relax.

Nonetheless, Lu Ren remained tense. This was his first time facing a demonic beast directly in this world, and it was far more ferocious than ordinary animals.

Roar!

The Flower Rock Tiger roared again, leaping towards Qin Yu. Its sharp claws sliced through the air, creating a series of whooshing sounds as it aimed fiercely at Qin Yu.

The attack was astonishing.

Qin Yu sidestepped, her body slightly tilted, skillfully dodging the Flower Rock Tiger's pounce.

The Flower Rock Tiger missed its target, crashing into an ancient tree and snapping it in half.

However, Qin Yu's feet moved gracefully, like a butterfly among flowers, as she approached the Flower Rock Tiger and delivered a powerful punch to its abdomen.

Boom!

What seemed like a gentle punch was filled with fierce, domineering power, instantly piercing through the Flower Rock Tiger's abdomen.

Howl!

The Flower Rock Tiger let out a miserable cry, then collapsed heavily to the ground, groaning and struggling.

Moments later, the Flower Rock Tiger lay still, dead beyond doubt.

At this moment, a massive bloody hole appeared in the Flower Rock Tiger's abdomen, with blood gushing out continuously.

"What a powerful punch, what an incredible technique," Lu Ren marveled.

"Senior Sister Qin Yu has mastered the Mortal Rank, High Grade Vajra Fist, and the Mortal Rank, Mid Grade Star Shadow Steps, of course she's formidable!" Wang Teng said nonchalantly.

"If I faced this Flower Rock Tiger alone, I could probably kill it too. If my Spirit Cat Steps were perfected, I might even be able to compete with Senior Sister Qin Yu!" Lu Ren thought to himself.

However, for this mission, Senior Sister Qin Yu probably wouldn't give them a chance to act, so he wasn't eager to make a move.

This time, he mainly came to gain experience and feel the power of demonic beasts.

After dealing with the Flower Rock Tiger, Wang Teng rushed over, took out a dagger, and extracted a fist-sized, granite-like crystal from its head.

This was the demonic core of the beast, worth at least ten thousand copper coins.

The three of them hadn't done anything, yet they could already split two thousand five hundred copper coins each.

Seeing the battlefield cleared, Qin Yu said, "My task this time is to find a Second-Tier Spirit Herb on the outskirts of Black Tiger Ridge. We'll encounter many First-Tier demonic beasts along the way, but don't worry, with me here, those beasts won't harm you. Let's move on!"

With that, Qin Yu continued forward, and Lu Ren and the others followed.

Along the way, Lu Ren, Qin Yu, and their group encountered numerous First-Tier demonic beasts, including the swift Gale Wolf and the powerful Vajra Ape.

But none of these beasts could withstand more than three moves from Qin Yu.

The four of them searched the outskirts of Black Tiger Ridge for three days and nights, slaying nearly twenty demonic beasts.

On the fourth day, Qin Yu finally spotted a verdant spirit herb beneath an ancient tree.

The herb resembled a small lantern, emitting a faint fragrance.

"Finally found it!" Qin Yu's eyes sparkled with excitement. With this Hundred-Aperture Herb, she might successfully open her eighth spirit aperture.

However, when she picked the Hundred-Aperture Herb, she noticed green poison seeping into her palm.

"How can the Hundred-Aperture Herb be poisonous?" Qin Yu's face changed.

"Senior Sister, what's happening?" Lu Ren stepped forward to ask.

"I'm poisoned. Someone must be targeting me!" Qin Yu frowned, trying to use the spiritual qi from her seven spirit apertures to expel the poison from her palm, but the poison spread rapidly.

"Hahaha, of course it was me!" At that moment, a voice came from afar, and four figures emerged from the distant forest—it was Ding Hai and his group.

Ding Hai approached Qin Yu, his eyes gleaming with malice, and said, "Qin Yu, I guessed you'd come to Black Tiger Ridge for the Hundred-Aperture Herb, so I sprinkled a little poison on it. But don't worry, this poison won't harm your body; it'll just leave you powerless. Hehehe!"