“Oh! I didn’t know that you have a ‘loved one’ despite being so young. I wish to know who she is…” Jin Xiao Chai’s eyes lit-up as she asked.

　　“This… ” Shi Mu became hesitant.

　　“Why do you look so indecisive? Is it possible that you’re saying this to deceive me?” Jin Xiao Chai’s complexion turned cold, and her smile disappeared.

　　“This disciple will never dare to deceive you.” Shi Mu became frightened; so much so that he got goose-bumps.

　　“Well… then, tell me about her… I won’t embarrass you… if it’s true… ” Jin Xiao Chai’s tone softened a bit.

　　She moved a bit away from him. There was now a little distance between Shi Mu and her. Shi Mu heaved a sigh of relief.

　　“She’s a beautiful Demon Witch from the Tian Yin Sect.” Shi Mu’s eyes became firm. He didn’t intend to hide anything now.

　　“Demon Witch? I didn’t hear it wrong, did I? Do you know that she’s a rare genius from the Tian Yin Sect? Such a skillful warrior can only be seen once in a century. She stepped into the realm of Xian Tian warriors at the young age of twenty. Moreover, she’s the only disciple of Elder Gong Sun Yu – an earth-ranked Master of the Tian Yin Sect,” The charming expression on Jin Xiao Chai’s face vanished. She looked at Shi Mu as if he was a fool.

　　The trace of a strange look flashed through her eyes. But, it couldn’t be detected since she hid it quickly.

　　“The Demon Witch has an agreement with this young disciple… that… I can go to Wan Long Mountains and meet her if I become a Xian Tian warrior before reaching the age of thirty…” Shi Mu wasn’t affected by the sudden change in Jin Xiao Chai’s language.

　　“Hehehehehe…”

　　Jin Xiao Chai started to laugh as she heard these words… as if it was the funniest thing in the world. Her delicate laughter made it seem as if the blossoming plants had started to sway in the breeze. She rubbed her belly and bowed; and, she continued to laugh for a long time.

　　Then, she turned around and walked away without even casting a glance at Shi Mu.

　　It would’ve looked like a dream if it wasn’t for her fragrance that still lingered in the air.

　　Shi Mu’s eyes flickered. He looked at the departing figure of Jin Xiao Chai, and clenched his fists tightly.

　　He had confronted Jin Xiao Chai only a moment ago. And, he had felt powerless in front of this Xian Tian warrior. The contemptuous laughter that Jin Xiao Chai had displayed before she had left had made an unforgettable impression on Shi Mu’s heart.

　　He knew that Jin Xiao Chai’s intentions weren’t good even though he didn’t know the reason why she had approached him over and over again.

　　Therefore, it had suddenly become extremely important for him to enhance his strength as soon as possible. He had to become even stronger.

　　He had to honor the commitment he had made to his mother. Moreover, he had to reduce the gap between him and the Demon Witch.

　　Shi Mu once again looked in the direction of the disappearing figure of Jin Xiao Chai. He then turned around, and started to walk towards his room.

　　Shi Mu sat on the stone bed as soon as he reached his stone chamber. He spent more than the usual time in order to calm down his chaotic mind.

　　Then, he closed his eyes, and continued to recall the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape until he was satisfied that he was doing it correctly. Then, he stood-up and started to practice the first level of the art.

　　Shi Mu started to absorb the spiritual energies from his surroundings along with the revolution of the cultivation technique. It was different from the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants. And, these energies didn’t go into his veins and arteries in a smooth manner. Instead, they went inwards in the same manner a snowflake drops into the water. Then, they blended into Shi Mu’s body. Moreover, he could feel their up and down movement under his skin.

　　These spiritual energies rushed and stimulated the movement of the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape. Then, they got transformed into small crystal grains. And, these crystal grains were so small that they couldn’t be observed with naked eyes. These grains then got stored in Shi Mu’s body. Several hundreds of these crystal grains passed through him within the next few minutes.

　　Shi Mu felt extremely happy. The Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape was indeed an effective cultivation technique. Moreover, it was easy to practice. In addition, the progress made by this technique seemed to be exceptionally fast.

　　Three hours later…

　　Shi Mu’s body shook slightly. He then opened his eyes as he stopped his practice. He practically fell onto his bed in a paralyzed state.

　　Suddenly, his hands moved, and he lowered himself to the ground. He then closed his eyes, and started to practice the art once again.

　　He felt a little difference in his body; but he wasn’t sure.

　　Shi Mu smiled.

　　The circulation of energy in his veins was sluggish since he possessed the wasted blood of stone monkey. So, Shi Mu’s progression in the Hou Tian arts was much slower than Bai Shi and the other disciples’.

　　However, the flow of real Qi in his veins had nothing to do with it because the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape was meant to assist one’s cultivation techniques. So, it was only meant for cultivating one’s physical strength. Shi Mu was carefree because he hadn’t encountered any obstacle while practicing this technique.

　　Shi Mu rejoiced in his heart. He felt lucky that he had picked the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape. This art had proved to be the most suitable for the cultivation of Hou Tian arts.

　　Shi Mu lived in seclusion for around a month after that. He spent some of his time to complete the tasks assigned by the union. And, he continued to torture himself in the cultivation of the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape with the rest of his time.

　　Therefore, he reached the consummate stage of the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape’s first layer in a short period of time. And, the time had finally arrived for the first ‘Blood and Marrow’ cleansing process.

　　Shi Mu sat on his bed in his stone chamber. He sized-up the bottles in front of him with a frightened expression on his face. One of the bottles had a metallic luster on its surface; it was as big as a human-palm. It was made-up of blue copper. The size of the other three white porcelain bottles was also the same.

　　He picked-up the blue copper bottle in his left hand. He then opened the lid of the bottle with his right hand, and shook it several times. Suddenly, a cloud of black fog-gas floated out of the mouth of the bottle.

　　The cloud of black fog got diffused into the atmosphere; as if it had come in contact with an uncomfortable environment. Suddenly, it started to wring in a restless manner. Then, it started to descend rapidly, and fell straight to the ground. It seemed as if a snowflake had fallen gently on the surface of water. Then, it disappeared in a blink of an eye.

　　Shi Mu nodded. Demon Qi was a special kind of energy that was produced on an evil and filthy piece of land. Therefore, it strongly repelled the spiritual energy of the nature. It was generally found in the depths of some abyss.

　　He pondered for a while. Then, he opened one of the three white porcelain bottles. A smell of blood came floating out it. It was the essence of the blood of apes and monkeys.

　　He opened the lid of the copper bottle. Suddenly, a ray of blood flashed. Shi Mu then poured the entire essence of the blood of ape and monkey into the copper bottle.

　　The essence of the blood of ape and monkey transformed into a blood flame as soon as it was poured into the bottle; in the same manner as the oil is poured into the fire. A black fog appeared and fluctuated… as if a black python had appeared in the fog. It swallowed the entire blood flame, and started to hover wildly inside the bottle.

　　The blood flame became smaller and smaller with the passage of time. It seemed as if the black python had slowly digested the flames.

　　The evil spirit of the black python transformed into black fog as soon as the blood flames disappeared. A red light could be seen penetrating through the fog.

　　Shi Mu repeated the entire process with the other bottles. The two remaining bottles that contained the essence of the blood of ape and monkey were quickly swallowed by the evil spirit. And, the black fog accumulated brighter and more distinct blood-colored lights inside it.

　　There was a look of satisfaction in Shi Mu’s eyes. He put the lid on the copper bottle, and kept it aside.

　　After that, Shi Mu exhibited a meditative posture. He then adjusted his breathing, and started to meditate.

　　Shi Mu’s heart moved after a moment. Then, the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape started to work slowly. Countless crystal grains started to appear within Shi Mu’s body. However, nothing could be seen from the outside. But, the spirit energy seemed to have been held back by something. It didn’t seem capable of entering Shi Mu’s body.

　　Shi Mu picked-up the blue copper bottle in his right hand. He then opened the bottle’s lid, and poured its content into his body without any hesitation.

　　A large cloud of black fog came out flying from the copper bottle. A red light flashed in the midst of the black fog. It seemed to have activated something. It was about to start descending when it changed its course, and started to move in Shi Mu’s direction. Then, it wrapped Shi Mu’s body tightly.

　　Shi Mu’s complexion turned white. And, cold sweat started to come out of his body.

　　The Demon Qi reached his body in a flash. He felt as if every part of his body was being pierced by several needles at the same time. He felt an indescribable pain.

　　Shi Mu felt as if his skin was being torn-off his body.

　　Shi Mu clenched his teeth tightly. His heart was beating like a drum, and his entire body was trembling.

　　The Demon Qi had plunged within his body, and had started to conflict with the tiny crystal grains that had been formed by the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape. And, the crystals got shattered after they came in contact with the Demon Qi. Then, every crystal transformed into an invisible form of strange energy. After that, the energy and the Demon Qi got entangled.

　　There wasn’t a single part of Shi Mu’s body that wasn’t aching with the shattering of those crystals inside his body. Even his mind seemed to have been teared apart with sharp pain.

　　His facial features had been distorted. Suddenly, a thick blue vein stuck out of his forehead and neck. The pulse started to throb, and his muscles began to twitch in an uncontrollable manner.

　　Shi Mu had never felt such a severe pain before. In fact, it would’ve been better to die than to bear this pain. Shi Mu couldn’t think of anything else.

　　The Demon Qi entered into every pore of the Shi Mu’s body. It then invaded his internal organs and bones.

　　Shi Mu’s pain was becoming more severe with each passing moment. He felt an unspeakable pain as the Demon Qi entered into his bone marrow.

　　Then, the crystals transformed into a strange energy. This energy also entered every part of Shi Mu’s body along with the Demon Qi. It was getting absorbed by his body in a continuous manner. His physique was slowly being transformed.

　　The Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape was affecting his corporeal body with the support of Demon Qi in order to attain the results of the ‘Blood and Marrow Cleansing’ process.

　　The real Qi also started to revolve in Shi Mu’s body at the same time. But, it was resisting the invasion of Demon Qi in a continuous manner. And, it was trying to protect his vital meridians.

　　However, Shi Mu hadn’t purchased an ordinary Demon Qi; it was a high-quality, and the purest form of the Yin Demon Qi. The Negative Qi of the Yin-attribute Demon Qi also integrated with Shi Mu’s Real Qi with the help of the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape.

　　After an hour…

　　The black fog wrapped around Shi Mu’s body finally dissipated. The strength of the Demon Qi had finally got exhausted. Shi Mu had successfully undergone his first Blood and Marrow Cleansing Process of the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape.

　　The Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape had stopped working. Shi Mu’s body finally loosened up. Suddenly, his body got paralyzed, and he collapsed on his bed like a dead fish.

　　His expressions were slackened, and his lips were pale. His entire body was covered in sweat, and some kind of a dirty liquid. He felt sticky and extremely unwell.

　　He restored his physical strength after he had rested for half-an-hour. He then washed his body with clean water. And, his renewed spirit started to resonate in a flash.

　　Shi Mu observed his body. He then moved his limbs. He felt happy to discover that his body had become unreasonably strong.

　　His speed and strength had increased by bounds. Moreover, the quality of his skin had also improved. Its toughness and the defensive strength had enhanced to the level beyond one’s imagination.

　　Suddenly, he felt an ice-cold aura in his abdomen. So, Shi Mu thought of the situation when he had tempered his body. He stood-up and muttered something to himself.

　　The Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephant and his real Qi started to revolve within his body as he raised the tip of his brow.

　　He stood-up in excitement after a short while.

　　He noticed that the strength of Yin energy was now under his command. It had successfully blended with his real Qi in his lower abdomen.

　　He stroked his fist… as if he was boxing with the wind. Suddenly, a cold air erupted, and flit through the air at a high speed like a gale of cold wind.

　　Shi Mu was ecstatic. The strength of his Yin energy was extremely weak at present. But, Shi Mu was sure that his Yin energy would enough to severely injure his enemies — in its incorporeal form — once he had reached the fifth level of the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape.

　　However, he still felt a fear as he thought about the Blood and Marrow Cleansing process.

　　But, the fear was soon replaced with a determined look on his face.

　　The Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape had the capacity to surpass Shi Mu’s imagination. It could unexpectedly integrate the Yin energy of the Demon Qi with his real Qi.

　　So, Shi Mu would never give up.