Half a month later, a travel-worn Leaf Gray appeared before a gorge. Compared to the initial awkwardness of riding the big tiger, he was undoubtedly much more composed now.

On the first day riding the big tiger, he was jolted almost to pieces, and the inner sides of his thighs were rubbed raw and bloody. In that state, he simply couldn't cultivate.

By now, he had achieved his initial plan: to take pills and cultivate while riding the big tiger. Although the efficiency wasn't as good as in a normal state, it was better than wasting time.

Over half a month, he had opened three more apertures. Now he was a cultivator with twenty-five opened apertures, just two apertures away from the third level of the Spirit Creek Realm!

At this rate, in another six or seven days, he could cultivate Cicada's Transcendent Metamorphosis to completion.

Not only had his own strength grown, but the big tiger had also clearly become stronger.

The snake meat in the storage bag had been shared between him and the big tiger, with eighty percent ending up in the tiger's stomach. That snake meat was greatly beneficial for a demon beast like the big tiger, not to mention Leaf Gray fed it two Spirit Nurturing Pills daily.

In just half a month, the big tiger's physique seemed to have grown larger, becoming even more majestic.

Leaf Gray couldn't judge the big tiger's current strength level, but he estimated that even if he fought the big tiger himself, without using talismans or spirit patterns, he wouldn't gain any advantage.

And Evie was the big tiger's wraith spirit. As the big tiger grew stronger, she would also become stronger.

So, although the average strength of their party – one human, one tiger, one spirit – wasn't very high, if they joined forces, the power they could unleash was not to be underestimated.

This increased Leaf Gray's capital for traveling through the Spirit Creek Battlefield. He felt more and more that bringing the big tiger and Evie along was a wise decision.

Along the way, Leaf Gray passed through another neutral market. There, he rested for a night and sold two pieces of Metamagnetic Ore, gaining some spirit stones.

He now had over two hundred spirit stones on hand.

Just a bit more. By the next branch of the Providentia Merchant Alliance, it should be enough.

Dismounting from the tiger's back, Leaf Gray surveyed the gorge ahead and took out the Ten-Point Map to check.

This was a place called Rift Sky Gorge, with treacherous terrain and sheer cliffs rising thousands of ren on both sides. According to the map, to the left of Rift Sky Gorge was the headquarters of a sect called The Ennead Star Sect, belonging to The Ophidian Covenant. To the right was the headquarters of The Arcaneum Gate, belonging to The Firmament Palace.

Rift Sky Gorge was situated in the intermediate zone between these two headquarters, positioned slightly closer to The Ennead Star Sect.

The grades of both sects weren't high. The Arcaneum Gate was ninth-grade, The Ennead Star Sect was eighth-grade. Such grades were common in the outer circles of the battlefield. Moreover, the route Leaf Gray planned was an arc, almost skirting the edge of the battlefield. So, along the way, although he passed through the territories of several sect headquarters, they were all eighth or ninth grade.

He wouldn't rashly enter the territory of higher-grade sect headquarters, even if that sect belonged to The Firmament Palace. The Sect Leader's final warning before entering the Spirit Creek Battlefield still echoed in his ears. He didn't dare casually expose his identity as a disciple of The Vermilion Guild, even though he didn't know what the consequences would be.

Dusk was approaching. Leaf Gray didn't plan to enter the gorge now. Having traveled all day, it was fine to rest overnight and cross tomorrow.

"Evie!" Leaf Gray called out.

"Understood," Evie's voice came out. Then she floated out from the big tiger's head and drifted into the distance.

She was going to scout the surrounding environment.

Over the years, they had developed a tacit understanding. Before each rest, Evie would check the surroundings to prevent any hidden dangers.

She was a spirit body, coming and going without a trace, making this task very convenient. Several times, thanks to her, they avoided potential hidden dangers in advance.

However, she and the big tiger had a symbiotic relationship, so she couldn't go too far from the big tiger. According to Evie, within ten li was no problem. Once she went beyond ten li from the big tiger, she would rapidly weaken. If this state lasted too long, she could very well dissipate.

Leaf Gray then searched nearby for a suitable place to spend the night.

Having traveled extensively for over half a month, he was already quite accustomed to this routine. An ideal campsite needed to meet three key criteria: first, it had to offer both accessibility and defensibility; second, it needed to be sufficiently concealed; and third, it should provide adequate shelter from wind and rain.

After searching for a while, Leaf Gray brought the big tiger to an area among scattered rocks. Although this spot wasn't ideal, there was no better place nearby. Judging by the sky today, it didn't look like rain, so making do for one night was fine.

Leaf Gray took out the firewood he had prepared in advance from his storage bag, lit it, then took out a large piece of beast meat and set it to roast over the fire. He threw an even larger piece to the big tiger, which pounced on it and started devouring it ravenously.

Watching the big tiger's fierce eating manner, Leaf Gray felt somewhat worried. He originally thought the Spirit Nurturing Pills he had saved earlier would be more than enough for him to reach the third level of Spirit Creek Realm. But now it seemed they would barely suffice.

The big tiger consumed two Spirit Nurturing Pills daily. He needed about eleven or twelve pills to open one aperture. Now, he only had a little over thirty Spirit Nurturing Pills left.

By the time he opened the twenty-seventh aperture, these Spirit Nurturing Pills would probably be completely used up.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that as the big tiger's strength increased, its consumption of Spirit Nurturing Pills would grow larger and larger.

Worrying! But this was also the necessary cost of bringing the big tiger and Evie along. At the very least, he could still cultivate while traveling now, saving a lot of time.

For a low-level cultivator like him, time for cultivation in the early stages was precious.

The beast meat roasting over the campfire dripped grease, making sizzling sounds. The big tiger, eating the raw meat, suddenly raised its head and looked in a certain direction, a low growl rumbling in its throat.

Then it suddenly dashed out, charging in that direction.

Leaf Gray was stunned for a moment, then reacted – something had happened to Evie!

Evie was the wraith spirit transformed by the big tiger; they had an extremely close connection. So, if anything unexpected happened to Evie, the big tiger could sense it.

The big tiger was very fast. Even with Leaf Gray channeling spiritual power into his legs, he could only eat its dust. In his anxiety, he could only shout, "Amber, don't be rash!"

He still didn't know what exactly Evie had encountered. Charging in recklessly wasn't a good strategy.

The big tiger, quite understanding of human nature, slowed down a bit. Leaf Gray caught up, mounted it, and only then did the tiger pick up speed again.

A short while later, behind a large rock, the glow of a fire came into view.

Several cultivators were gathered there, having lit a campfire, apparently planning to spend the night. In front of the cultivators was an upside-down object resembling a large bell. Spiritual light flowed over the bell, with complex and profound patterns converging into an image that slowly rotated around it.

Faint sounds of impact came from inside the bell.

Evie was trapped inside!

Seeing this, Leaf Gray understood what was happening. Evie was a spirit body; ordinary means couldn't possibly trap her. That large bell was actually a spirit artifact!

Fortunately, reminded by Leaf Gray earlier, the big tiger could now suppress its bestial impulses and didn't pounce forward immediately.

Leaf Gray channeled spiritual power to his eyes, observing the spiritual glow on the cultivators.

Four cultivators: one at the second level of Spirit Creek, two at the third level, and one at the fourth level!