Zar's brows furrowed in thought, the dirt on his face doing a good job of concealing the subtle improvements to his appearance. With advancements in cultivation came fundamental changes in a person's quality, which naturally included one's appearance.
This was also commonly termed the 'Way of the Aura-Farmer.'
Leaving his reverie, Zar looked out at all his Shadow Beasts. They had just finished massacring dozens of Demon Beasts; now, they stared at him, awaiting his next command.
Pondering for a second, Zar eventually ordered, "Like we've done before, you are to split up and spread out. Form teams of three and sweep this section of the forest. If you encounter anything above the 4th Layer of Qi Condensation, then retreat and report back to me."
Although such powerful Demon Beasts were very tough to find in this part of the Great Forest of Jargon, that didn't mean they were nonexistent. And whenever they came out of hiding near the only populated colony in the area, the Therians of Verndale would scramble to their feet.
However, even with the threat that Mid-Rank 2 and above Demon Beasts posed, Verndale had not once been overrun.
Then again, Zar suspected this was mostly because of the existence of that Core Formation Realm Therian's master.
With such a ridiculously strong powerhouse overseeing this isolated area of the Great Forest of Jargon, how could even Rank 3 Demon Beasts stand in his way?
As Zar's thoughts stirred, he picked a few of the recently fallen Early-Rank 2 Demon Beasts to turn into Shadow Beasts.
"Arise."
FWOOOM!
Purple-shaded wind blew about like a cyclone, accompanied by the pulling of the shadows of seven Early-Rank 2 Demon Beasts. A Sticky Spider, a Titan Orc, a Havoc Donkey, a Six-Legged Horse, a Silver-Maned Wolf, a Sonic Bat, and a Tree Hugger Aberration.
Those were the racial names of the new additions to Zar's Shadow Army, and feeling no need to change them, he skipped to the part of organizing them into two squads. Afterward, he ordered them to go out and do the same thing as the other Shadow Beasts.
Left alone in an open, war-torn field, Zar blurred, going on a hunt of his own.
With the fall of the season's first snow, winter blanketed the Great Forest of Jargon with thick sheets of white. The brilliance of the sun's rays reflected off the freshly laid snow, urging a slight squint on Zar's exquisitely carved face.
His clothes were still ragged, and his appearance was still reduced due to the presence of grime and dirt, but the constant progression in his cultivation made those two diminishers matter less and less.
[Qi Condensation (5th Layer) → Qi Condensation (7th Layer)]
[Ordinary Five Elements Spirit Roots → Better Five Elements Spirit Roots]
[Lifespan: 15/260]
Although his Lifespan was only decreasing more and more over time, Zar was content with how far he had come. However, even if he had to force himself to stop spending Lifespan once he neared 100, he still had some left for now, so why not use it?
His eyes fell on the Cultivation Technique section of his System Interface, prompting him to invest in the only technique he had.
[1 Year of Lifespan has been invested into cultivating the 'Wild Primal Art,' and with your Better Five Elements Spirit Roots, you managed to obtain slight comprehensions into the nature of Wilderness and Primal!]
[5 Years of Lifespan have been invested into cultivating the 'Wild Primal Art,' and with your Better Five Elements Spirit Roots, you managed to obtain moderate comprehensions into the nature of Wilderness and Primal! A sliver of Enlightenment has begun to form!]
[After 10 years of cultivating the 'Wild Primal Art,' you have achieved major comprehensions, upgrading your proficiency with the Cultivation Technique from 'Partially Mastered' to 'Mastered.']
[20 years of cultivating the 'Wild Primal Art' has flared the sliver of Enlightenment, bringing about the evolution of the technique!]
[Wild Primal Art (Low-Mortal) → Feral Essence Condenser (Mid-Mortal)]
[30 years of Lifespan have been invested into the 'Wild Primal Art' technique; you have attained great comprehensions!]
[Feral Essence Condenser (Mid-Mortal) (Unmastered) → (Partially Mastered)]
[After 50 years of cultivating the 'Wild Primal Art,' tremendous comprehensions have been attained, with the resonance of the elements of nature garnering you new understandings in Primal and Wilderness!]
[Feral Essence Condenser (Mid-Mortal) (Partially Mastered) → (Mastered)]
Afraid of being rung dry, Zar stopped investing Lifespan into his only Cultivation Technique. But with what he had acquired, he was put in a rather jubilant mood.
Wishing to see just how effective this newly mastered Cultivation Technique had become, Zar started investing his Lifespan into cultivation. This brought about many wondrous changes in his Sky Core and body.
[After arduously cultivating for 5 years, your Better Five Elements Spirit Roots and your Mastered Mid-Mortal 'Feral Essence Condenser' Technique have propelled your cultivation to the 7th Layer of Qi Condensation!]
[You have spent 15 years cultivating, and your connection with the world around you has increased!]
[Qi Condensation (7th Layer) → Qi Condensation (8th Layer)]
[With the act of continuously cultivating for 50 years, your Better Five Elements Spirit Roots and Mastered Mid-Mortal 'Feral Essence Condenser' Technique have dug up your hidden potential!]
[Qi Condensation (8th Layer) → Qi Condensation (9th Layer)]
Stopping the burning of Lifespan, Zar allowed himself a breather to digest the gains.
WAAA!
But with a sudden tremendous surge of aura from inside his Sky Core, Zar had no choice but to venture deeper into the Great Forest of Jargon. If he wasn't at least this careful, the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation Realm powerhouses inside the town of Verndale would surely sense the disturbance he was making.
Finding a quiet, faraway place to settle down, Zar got into a meditative position. Circulating all the refined Innate Energy seemingly appearing out of nowhere, he struggled.
It might have been a slight mistake using up so much Lifespan in one sitting…