One month later.

Chen Tianyi finally understood. He was not a genius. After cultivating for a full month, his progress was as slow as a snail.

This left him deeply puzzled. Why had he been able to break through a minor realm in a single month before, yet now he might not advance even after an entire year?

"That crow hasn't come back in a long time either," he muttered.

Chen Tianyi suspected he might be ill. He was actually starting to miss the crow he had hated so bitterly. Guarding the spiritual rice fields was simply too boring.

Suddenly, a black figure flew in from the distance. Familiar, yet somehow different.

"It's that crow! It's back!"

Chen Tianyi's face lit up with surprise. But he quickly noticed something unusual. The crow's feathers had undergone a strange transformation, gleaming like black steel embedded across its body.

"Has that crow… become a demon beast?"

A month ago, it had been an ordinary crow with no cultivation. Now it had become a demon beast. Even the weakest one represented an enormous gap. The demon race valued bloodline above all. For an ordinary beast to transform into a demon beast without any demon bloodline was incredibly difficult—it required heaven-defying fortune.

This time, the crow did not eat any spiritual rice. And Chen Tianyi did not attack it either. He watched as the crow circled once above his head and then flew off in a certain direction.

"Is it telling me to follow? Could this crow have gained intelligence?"

Hesitating for only a moment, Chen Tianyi hurried after it.

At the Green Mist Sect's entrance, the gatekeeping disciples saw Chen Tianyi chasing after a crow once again.

"Does Chen Tianyi have a special fondness for crows?"

They stared oddly at his departing figure.

...

"This kid isn't completely stupid."

Su Chen led Chen Tianyi to a secluded spot deep in the forest. After a month of cautious development, his cultivation had finally reached the third layer of Spirit Awakening. Even so, this speed was still far too slow for him. Yet even this pace—which Su Chen considered sluggish—far surpassed the fastest genius in the Green Mist Sect.

Simply hunting and devouring low-level demon beasts could no longer satisfy him. He began searching for precious spiritual herbs. In his previous life as a Great Emperor, he had also been one of the greatest alchemists in the world. Finding spiritual items posed no challenge to his knowledge.

The real problem was how to obtain them. Most heavenly treasures were guarded by powerful demon beasts. In this life, he was merely an ordinary crow without a strong bloodline or even basic Qi. Many of his techniques were unusable. Trying to cross a major realm to fight powerful demon beasts would be nothing but a fool's dream.

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After pondering the issue, Su Chen had a sudden idea. He remembered Chen Tianyi—the human he had interacted with the most in this life.

Looking at the dazed young man standing there, Su Chen helplessly stretched out one wing and pointed in a certain direction.

Chen Tianyi followed the gesture and saw a tall thicket. Pushing through it, he discovered a cliff with a waterfall. On the other side of the waterfall stood a large tree bearing six bright, vibrant fruits.

Chen Tianyi recognized them immediately.

Blood Origin Fruits. These were formed from the condensed essence blood of powerful demon beasts after death. Consuming them greatly benefited cultivators. Higher-grade ones could even improve one's talent.

The fruits before him were only first-grade, but even so, each one was extremely valuable, worth several years of his salary. Using them for cultivation would bring enormous benefits and save him months of hard work.

Chen Tianyi said excitedly, "Crow… no, Brother Crow! From now on, you're my brother, Chen Tianyi. Feel free to eat all the spiritual rice in the fields!"

Su Chen showed a look of disdain and pointed at three of the fruits on the tree. His meaning was obvious: Don't try to fool me with spiritual rice. No deal.

Three first-grade Blood Origin Fruits were his true goal.

Chen Tianyi's face twisted bitterly. Blood Origin Fruits were extremely valuable—far beyond what spiritual rice could compare to. After struggling internally for a moment, he said firmly, "If Brother Crow wants three Blood Origin Fruits, then after taking them, you cannot keep eating the spiritual rice."

Su Chen let out two disdainful "caws."

Chen Tianyi's expression grew serious. He knew that since these spiritual fruits had not been picked yet, a guardian demon beast must be nearby—and a powerful one at that.

"Although I am a slacker, I'm still a slacker with dreams!"

Chen Tianyi shouted loudly, drew a large treasured blade, and charged forward without hesitation.

Su Chen was slightly surprised when he saw the blade Chen Tianyi pulled out.

"This kid actually has some background."

The blade in Chen Tianyi's hand was no ordinary weapon—it was a Profound Artifact.

Sensing someone trying to steal its guarded treasure, a massive figure crushed through the grass on the other side. An enormous snake as thick as an adult's arm appeared, coiling its body. It was also a Spirit Gathering realm demon beast.

Yet Chen Tianyi showed no fear. He felt his blood burning with excitement. He saw hope—hope of breaking through and escaping his fate as an ordinary disciple of the Chen family.

Without hesitation, Chen Tianyi fought the giant snake in a desperate battle. His fearless determination earned Su Chen's slight admiration. One could lack talent, but one must never lack a martial heart.

Chen Tianyi finally killed the snake demon after a hard-fought battle. He collapsed to the ground, laughing. He had only wanted to live an easy, idle life. Never had he imagined he would one day slay a giant snake all by himself.

Unfortunately, there was no one around to share his joy with. Only a crow.

"Brother Crow, did you see that? I killed a Spirit Gathering realm demon snake!"

Chen Tianyi could not help sharing his excitement with the crow.

Su Chen glanced at him from the corner of his eye, ignored the comment, flew straight to the tree, swallowed the three Blood Origin Fruits in succession, and flew away. He needed to find a quiet place to digest them properly.

Watching the departing crow, Chen Tianyi gave a bitter smile.

"Right… It's just a crow that gained some fortune and a bit of intelligence. How could it understand human feelings?"

Chen Tianyi picked the remaining three Blood Origin Fruits. This was an enormous opportunity. With these fruits, he could quickly break through to the third or even fourth layer of Spirit Gathering in a short time.

...

Two weeks later.

Su Chen opened his eyes on a remote cliff.

"Seventh layer of Spirit Awakening…"

His current physical body had reached the strength of the seventh layer of Spirit Awakening.

The demon race's cultivation speed was inherently slower than that of humans, especially for those with weak bloodlines. For an ordinary crow, simply becoming a demon beast in its lifetime was already a stroke of luck. Yet Su Chen had gone from an ordinary beast to a seventh-layer Spirit Awakening demon beast in just two and a half months. This speed surpassed many human geniuses.

"It's time to search for the next opportunity…"