Within the Xiao Family territory, as usual, the number of young people to be seen was much greater than that of adults, especially around the four Combat and Training Arenas. In general, in this place, the only adults present were the teachers, who taught bodily combat and the right way to use Combat Techniques.

  However, almost every afternoon, an illustrious person of great importance within the Family appeared in the surroundings. And that was Xiao Chang, the 9th Elder.

  Today was no different. During the afternoon, Xiao Chang arrived at the young cultivators' training area. He stopped in front of the arena on the left and looked at a young girl with blue hair swinging a sword.

  "Water Blade: 5th Phase!" roared the girl, making a movement with her sword.

  Suddenly, three blades made of water, about a meter long and crescent-shaped, flew from the sword in her hands and split a wooden dummy used for training into three pieces, which fell to the ground without creating much fanfare.

  As soon as she finished making her move, she supported herself on her knees and began to gasp. One could see by the sweat on her forehead and the wet clothes that she had been doing that for some time. While preparing to launch another attack, the sound of clapping interrupted her.

  "Father!" she said, looking in the direction of the clapping. And then, she ran to meet the 9th Elder.

  "You are doing very well, Little Shui! You are almost mastering the fifth phase of the Nine Phases Water Blade," praised Xiao Chang with an affectionate smile.

  "Thank you, Father! I'm sure I'll complete this technique soon," thanked Xiao Shui, feeling happy and warmed by the praise.

  "Ahaha! I'm sure you will!" said Xiao Chang. "Hm..." He stopped and looked at his daughter's boots, who, the moment she noticed his gaze, tried to hide them by pulling her feet back. With a sterner expression, he questioned, "Did you go to Jade Mountain again?"

  Her father had already forbidden her many times from going to the Ancestral Jade Mountain. Therefore, when she realized he was looking at her dirt-stained boots, Xiao Shui tried to hide them. But it was no use; after all, how could it be possible for her to deceive someone at the 1st Layer of the Spirited Realm? And even more so when that someone was her father, whose scent for his daughter's disobedience was sharp.

  "But Father, I am already almost at the 7th Layer of the Mundane Realm, so..." Xiao Shui tried to justify herself but was abruptly interrupted.

  "Fool! Not even I dare venture there without proper support, let alone you," he scolded. It might seem he was being harsh with her, but he knew very well the dangers existing on the Ancestral Jade Mountain. "Never go there again without notifying me in advance, understand?" he reinforced a warning already preached many times.

  Xiao Shui lowered her head and babbled with a weak voice:

  "Yes."

  "Come, let's go home," called Xiao Chang, stroking his daughter's head as a form of comfort and apology. Even though his words were true, he felt bad seeing her downcast.

  When Xiao Shui was about to accompany him, she remembered something. She didn't know if she should speak or not, but she spoke anyway:

  "Father, when I was on the mountain, I saw that boy," she informed, with marked disgust in her tone of voice. If her father hadn't discovered her small infraction, she certainly wouldn't denounce herself in this manner. But since she had already been exposed, there were no reasons to keep secrets, especially knowing that the other party, weak and lazy, could get into a lot of trouble being unaccompanied in a dangerous place.

  "Hm, you saw Xiao Ning?" repeated Xiao Chang, not seeming very surprised. "What was he doing there? Sleeping as always?" He knew very well that his godson was always escaping to those parts in search of a quiet place to nap. For this reason, it wasn't unexpected for his daughter to have seen him.

  "No, he was looking for Malachi Grass."

  "What?" exclaimed Xiao Chang, showing surprise. "He only recently reached the 3rd Layer. If he encounters a Demonic Beast, he will be dead," he said in an urgent tone, with resolute certainty.

  Xiao Shui was somewhat astonished when she heard her father say that Xiao Ning had finally reached the 3rd Layer of the Mundane Realm, for it was common knowledge that he had been stuck at the 2nd Layer since he was thirteen. But this wasn't all that surprising, since even ten-year-old children possessed such a level.

  "I'd better go look for him." With this in mind, Xiao Chang prepared to leave. It was then that a wave of comments spread among the young people present.

  "Hey! Who is that?"

  "What is that he is carrying?"

  "Is that on his back a Demonic Beast?"

  "Ahaha! Is he carrying a Red-Haired Boar on his back? What kind of idiot does that?"

  "Is he trying to kill himself facing those things?"

  Comments were heard here and there. The scene of a boy carrying a whole boar on his back was unusual, not to mention hilarious.

  Hearing the whispers spreading, Xiao Shui and Xiao Chang looked in the direction everyone was pointing and saw a scrawny boy coming carrying a huge Red-Haired Boar on his back, as well as trying to balance a dirty cloth sack tied to the tip of a spear.

  The two, father and daughter, looked in shock at the boy and exclaimed in chorus:

  "Xiao Ning!"

  Xiao Ning walked at a slow pace, carrying the Red-Haired Boar he had killed, as well as his pillowcase containing the grass, while letting out some grumbles. He felt frustrated for not having been able to take the path he usually took, which was closer to the shack. And the reason for this was the fact that the shortcut was a slope, and if he tried to go down with all this weight on his back, he would surely end up taking a nice fall. Thus, he was forced to take the longer trail.

  As he walked, he heard people commenting, but he cared little about what they had to say. He only really stopped when he heard Xiao Chang call him:

  "Little Ning!"

  Hearing Uncle Chang's voice, he raised his head and saw the 9th Elder standing further ahead, looking at him with an uncertain expression of surprise and shock.

  "Uncle Chang." Upon approaching, he immediately let the Boar and the bag fall carelessly to the ground and then leaned his back backward, making his joints—little accustomed to carrying weights—release a loud noise of clemency. "Ah, you are here too, Xiao Shui," he greeted upon seeing her.

  But she simply ignored him.

  "Little Ning, where did you get this beast?" inquired Xiao Chang, unable to hide the astonishment in his voice.

  "I killed it!" replied Xiao Ning simply, as if it were no big deal.

  "You killed it?" he repeated, seeming not to believe it. "But this Demonic Beast is at the 5th Layer of the Mundane Realm."

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  "Ahaha! Uncle has a sharp Spiritual Sense," commented Ning in a relaxed manner.

  Xiao Chang cast a second look at Ning. He was finding it difficult to believe this story. Perhaps the boar had died of old age and he brought the body to show off. I mean, there was no apparent injury, apart from a bloody hole where the left eye should be. But that could very well have been a bird or any other animal taking advantage of the carcass. The only certainty was that Xiao Ning couldn't have defeated that Demonic Beast and come out in perfect condition. Or so he thought...

  It was then that he noticed:

  "Little Ning, did you reach the 4th Layer?" he screeched in disbelief. "It hasn't been two weeks since we saw each other, and you had just entered the 3rd Layer."

  It wasn't strange to reach the 4th Layer of the Mundane Realm at sixteen; even those devoid of talent achieved this. The surprising thing was that until a few days ago, Xiao Ning was still at the 2nd Layer, and in a few weeks, he was able to increase two levels, and that, not even the most talented achieved.

  Even in the Mundane Realm, the passage from one level to another was somewhat slow. From the first layer to the second, normal would be to take a few weeks. From the third to the fourth, five or six months, and from the sixth to the seventh, it wouldn't be strange to take two years or more.

  That was why most young people aged fifteen to seventeen in the Xiao Family were between the 5th and 6th Layer of the Mundane Realm. Only the most talented, the so-called geniuses, reached the 7th or the Awakening Realm.

  But for Xiao Ning, a proud slacker, this rapid evolution was unexpected. So much so that even Xiao Shui, who detested and despised him, was shocked and, although she denied it, impressed. She had an expression of astonishment on her face as her jaw fought not to drop. She herself took three months to reach the 4th Layer, and this slacker achieved it in a few weeks? It was unbelievable.

  "Ahaha! It's nothing much compared to Little Shui. I still have a long way to go to reach the Awakening."

  "Who are you calling 'Little Shui'?" protested Xiao Shui, whose astonishment was replaced by anger. How did that vagabond dare call her "Little" so casually? Since when were they intimate friends?

  "Don't mind the small things," asked Xiao Ning, waving his hands, telling her to relax. But he only managed to make her more irritated. "By the way, Uncle, what are you going to do tonight?"

  "Nothing, why?" questioned Xiao Chang, showing some curiosity.

  "In that case, why don't you and Little Shui come visit me? I will roast the boar," he added, leaning in and giving a demonstrative pat on the beast's body. "It will be delicious!" he guaranteed.

  "In that case, I will go!" Xiao Chang did not delay in confirming his presence. But the stubborn daughter said she wouldn't go, even if she were dragged.

  Be that as it may, Xiao Ning put the Red-Haired Boar back on his back, as well as the sack of cloths, and continued on his way toward the cabin.

  Watching him walk away, Xiao Chang still pondered the natural death of that Demonic Beast. Maybe a heart attack? Old age? He thought, trying to imagine possible non-infectious diseases capable of claiming a monster's life.

  Back at the shack, Xiao Ning wasted no time and immediately began preparations. If he was going to make the boar to eat that very night, he would need to start as soon as possible.

  Thus, the first thing he needed to do was arrange a place to roast it. So, he went into the cabin, grabbed a not-very-large knife—a bit oxidized on the edges, the size of a handspan—and began to cut the tall grass outside. Then, using a piece of wood—one of the logs reserved for the fire—he dug an oblong hole, moderately longer than the boar but not very deep. Finally, he stuck two forked branches, one at each end of the hole, facing each other.

  Now that the roasting pit was ready, Xiao Ning placed some firewood—thick logs of wood split in two—in the newly dug hole and lit them using his Flaming Palm. Finally, he let it burn, accumulating embers and heating the bottom of the earth.

  As soon as he finished preparing the fire, he turned his focus to the boar. It wouldn't be strange for someone to take hours to skin, remove organs, among other things, from such a large creature, but for him, it was as easy as sleeping.

  The first thing he did was find a strong tree that would support the monster's weight, and this was no problem since the woods next door were surrounded by them. Next, he tied the beast's hind legs in a very tight loop with a folded and refolded rope made of Ramie fiber, a very common native plant. And lastly, he hung the boar upside down so its body was completely above the ground.

  Having finished the initial preparations, using the spear, he pierced the creature's jugular at a point where the hide was somewhat thinner. Even so, he had to strike three times in the same spot before finally managing to pierce the epidermis. The instant a small hole caused by the Rocky Steel tip appeared on the Red-Haired Boar's neck, a dark red, viscous liquid began to flow, guided by gravity, and stain the ground. Without the heart to pump, the blood flowed slowly.

  Demonic Beasts possess a strange body, a peculiar system compared to other living beings. While humans show the first signs of rigor mortis around twelve hours after death, these monsters remain for days with blood still warm, as if they had died a short time ago. Their blood does not coagulate the moment it stops being pumped through the veins. It remains liquid and viscous, in its fullest vitality, for as long as the internal temperature manages to maintain itself. And decomposition only begins to occur months after death.

  While the blood finished draining, Xiao Ning took the rusty knife he had used to cut the tall grass around the cabin and tried to sharpen the edge on a stone he found lying on the ground, which had a rough and porous surface. In a motion of only going forward, alternating sides, he carefully sanded the metal to the point where the blade was capable of carving the fine, almost nonexistent hairs on his arm. Sharpening finished, he entered the shack and separated some old pots and leaky buckets that were there.

  A few minutes later, the blood had finally stopped flowing, indicating it was a propitious moment to finish the cleaning. First, Xiao Ning would have to open a firm and straight incision along the beast's belly, one of the softest and most vulnerable parts of its almost impenetrable defense. However, this was not an easy task, since although he had just sharpened it, the knife he held wasn't the most suitable tool for the job. For even dead, the boar's hide still proved a tough and resistant adversary to overcome. It was necessary to repeat the cut, without missing a single millimeter, six times before finally managing to expose the monster's entrails.

  Having managed to open a deep and revealing incision, he began to remove the organs: lungs; liver; heart; everything was removed with extreme care so as not to damage them. But what he took the most care in displacing was the intestine, for a hole in the wrong place would cause the waste accumulated there to leak, and that would contaminate the meat, ruining his dinner.

  Xiao Ning stored the organs he was going to sell in the old pots he had taken from inside the shack. The intestine and the useless rest, he threw in the bucket to discard later. And as for the spleen, which would be necessary to perform the Alchemical Composition, he left it separated in a very well-sealed pot.

  Finally, it was time to skin the beast. He would remove its skin with great care so as not to run the risk of ruining the leather. This type of material had various uses. It could be used to make armor, clothes, shields, among others. Therefore, preserving its primeval integrity was essential. Xiao Ning carefully sectioned the skin from the meat, passing the knife's edge without much haste, detaching the epidermis from the rest of the body.

  The whole procedure took some time, but in the end, Xiao Ning was very satisfied. He had acquired the ingredient he needed and would still get good money from the rest. The organs would undoubtedly be worth a few bronze coins. If he found an Alchemist, he would earn even more, for they were very well preserved. The skin, being in perfect condition, might earn him a silver coin. Or so he hoped, since he was unaware of the market value of the Red-Haired Boar.

  Now, only one thing was left to be removed, which were the tusks. But those would have to wait. After all, without the right tool, it would be impossible to break them. Even someone in the Awakening Realm would have difficulty using simple brute force.

  Anyway, now that the Red-Haired Boar had been cleaned, it was time to prepare it for roasting. Xiao Ning went to the fire and the wood he had set to burn. The wood had turned into embers, releasing a suffocating and, at the same time, comforting heat. He threw a few more pieces of firewood into the hole so as not to let the fire fade completely, and as a last touch, the final preparation, he placed a log, the thickness of an arm, transversely over the hole dug in the ground, supported by the two forks stuck at each end.

  Next, he released the Red-Haired Boar from the Ramie rope—now it was lighter compared to before, but still quite heavy—and carried it to the fire. Xiao Ning, with great difficulty, placed the entire carcass of the beast on the wooden log that was supported transversely on the two forks. Then, using the same rope used to hold it in the tree, he tied the boar around the log, securing it well to prevent it from falling to the ground.

  Just this small part gave him a lot of trouble, but it was still far from over. With great care, he sewed the creature's belly using frayed fibers from the rope. However, before closing it completely, handling two pieces of dry branches as if they were tongs, he threw some embers inside the Demonic Beast, along with a piece of the Thief Mushroom and some leaves of the condiments he had harvested on the Ancestral Jade Mountain.

  After he finished sewing the Red-Haired Boar, he put more firewood on the fire and let the fire burn, always watching so the flames wouldn't turn into uncontrolled blazes. And, as the final touch, he rubbed the seasoning leaves over the beast's meat. From then on, all he needed to do was wait.

  With the food roasting, Xiao Ning decided it was time to prepare the ingredients he would use in tomorrow's Alchemical Composition. But there wasn't much to be done other than storing them so they wouldn't end up exposed to something unwanted.

  Time passed. Night fell. In the meantime, Ning found two old logs fallen in the middle of the woods and placed them near the fire to be used as seats.

  Then, a few hours after nightfall, Xiao Chang finally arrived, along with a sulky Xiao Shui.

  "I didn't know what to expect, but the smell is delicious," commented Uncle Chang, who immediately entered and took a sniff of the rising smoke.

  "Sit down, Uncle! Let's eat!" invited Xiao Ning, with his usual relaxed smile.