The Blood-Thorn Panther was a nightmare of biological excess. Its fur didn't just grow; it was interlaced with jagged, obsidian-like briars that pulsed with a rhythmic, sickly crimson light. Every step it took left a footprint of scorched, black earth.
"Han Feng, get back!" Su Yue screamed, her Jade Rapier trembling. "That beast is at the peak of Qi Condensation! Its thorns carry a necrotizing toxin that even a Nascent Soul Elder would fear!"
Han Feng didn't retreat. Instead, he felt a strange, cold clarity. The Purification Mirror against his chest was no longer just humming; it was screaming with an insatiable hunger. It didn't want the panther's flesh. It wanted the source of the beast's madness.
Roar!
The panther lunged. It was a blur of black and crimson.
Han Feng's Body Tempering: Stage 5 reflexes kicked in. He spun to the side, the wind of the beast's passage tearing his sleeve. But he wasn't just dodging. As the panther swept past, Han Feng reached out—not with his sword, but with his open palm.
"Refine!"
The moment his skin brushed the panther's tainted fur, the world seemed to stutter.
The Extraction
A violent, spiraling vortex of white light erupted from Han Feng's hand. The panther, which should have shredded him into ribbons, suddenly froze mid-air. It let out a sound that wasn't a roar, but a high-pitched, agonizing shriek.
Su Yue watched, her jaw dropping.
Black, oily smoke began to pour out of the panther's eyes, ears, and mouth. This was the Miasma of the Fallen Phoenix—the concentrated corruption that turned regular animals into mindless killing machines.
The mirror was drinking it.
The obsidian thorns on the panther's back began to turn white, then brittle, crumbling into dust. Its glowing red eyes faded, revealing a terrified, golden animal iris beneath.
"What... what are you doing to it?" Su Yue gasped, her sword lowering. She felt a wave of pure, holy energy radiating from Han Feng—an energy so ancient it felt like it predated the very stars.
"I'm giving it back its soul," Han Feng gritted out through clenched teeth.
The strain was immense. His Stage 5 body was like a narrow pipe trying to channel a raging river. His veins bulged, and blood began to leak from his nose.
CRACK.
The last of the corruption was ripped from the beast. The panther collapsed onto the forest floor, no longer a monster, but a sleek, trembling mountain cat. It looked up at Han Feng, let out a low, submissive purr, and vanished into the undergrowth.
The Beast Soul Bead
In the center of the clearing, a single, thumb-sized orb floated where the panther's chest had been.
It was a Beast Soul Bead, but unlike the dark, jagged ones usually found in the realm, this one was a perfect, translucent sapphire. It contained the pure essence of a Rank 2 Spirit Beast, completely stripped of its violent impulses.
Han Feng grabbed it. The moment his fingers touched the bead, the Purification Mirror pulsed one last time.
[System Notification: Refinement Successful.]
[Reward: Rank 2 Purified Beast Essence.]
[Current Status: Body Tempering Stage 5 → Peak.]
Han Feng felt his bones densify until they were as heavy as lead and as strong as diamond. He was now at the absolute limit of the Mortal Foundation. One more step, and he would reach Qi Condensation—the realm of true cultivators.
The Price of a Secret
"Who are you?"
Su Yue was standing five feet away, her rapier now pointed directly at Han Feng's throat. Her hand was shaking, but her eyes were hard.
"That wasn't a martial technique," she whispered. "I've seen the Sect Leader perform the Cloud-Mist Purification Rite. It takes twelve Elders and three days to cleanse a single Rank 1 beast. You did it in seconds. With your bare hand."
Han Feng wiped the blood from his lip. He looked at the beautiful inner disciple. In a 5,000-chapter story, this was the crossroads: Do you kill the witness, or do you make an ally?
"I am a man who is tired of breathing filth, Senior Sister," Han Feng said, his voice cold. "If you want to report me to the Elders, go ahead. But ask yourself: Do you want to be the one who handed a 'God-Tier Artifact' to Elder Li? Because we both know he won't use it to save the sect. He'll use it to become a tyrant."
Su Yue hesitated. She thought of her own struggling cultivation, the "Tainted Qi" that made every breakthrough a gamble with death. She looked at the clear, pure air surrounding Han Feng.
"I won't tell them," she said, slowly sheathing her blade. "But in exchange... you're going to help me reach the Second Stage of Qi Condensation before this week is over."
Han Feng smiled—a sharp, dangerous expression. "Only the Second Stage? Senior Sister, you lack ambition."
He held out the Sapphire Beast Bead. "Eat this. And prepare yourself. The 'Gods' of this realm are going to notice a patch of clean air sooner or later."