“The Saint realm consumes far more resources than before. To advance from Early Saint to Mysterious Saint, you need six million Primal Moon Crystals. From Mysterious Saint to Heavenly Saint, it’s twelve million,” Old Black said.
“That much?” Lin Yun was stunned by the numbers.
For the current Lin Yun, this was an astonishing amount.
“Lieutenant Lin Yun, there’s something even more important I haven’t mentioned,” Old Black said.
“Oh? What’s that?” Lin Yun asked, intrigued.
“It’s about advancing from the Saint realm to the Tongtian realm,” Old Black replied.
Lin Yun looked puzzled. He had asked about advancing to Mysterious Saint and Heavenly Saint, so why was Old Black suddenly talking about the Tongtian realm?
Seeing Lin Yun’s confusion, Old Black chuckled, “You must be wondering, right? But what I’m about to say is crucial. It’s related to breaking through to Mysterious Saint and Heavenly Saint, and also to your future breakthrough to the Tongtian realm.”
This piqued Lin Yun’s curiosity. Could the process of advancing to Mysterious Saint and Heavenly Saint be connected to breaking through to the Tongtian realm later?
“Lieutenant Lin Yun, with enough Primal Moon Crystals, you can indeed advance to Mysterious Saint and Heavenly Saint in one go. But once you reach Heavenly Saint, advancing to the Tongtian realm will present a massive bottleneck,” Old Black explained.
“That’s true for every major realm,” Lin Yun nodded.
“In the ancestral land, there’s another method to advance through Mysterious Saint and Heavenly Saint. Using this method makes breaking through to the Tongtian realm later much easier,” Old Black said.
“Oh? What method?” Lin Yun asked eagerly.
“Demon hunting,” Old Black said, spitting out the two words.
“Demon hunting?” Lin Yun was taken aback.
“Demon hunting means killing members of the demon race. Each demon carries a demon crystal, which contains a very special energy. Absorbing it greatly benefits cultivation and realm advancement,” Old Black explained.
He continued, “If you advance to the peak of Heavenly Saint by absorbing demon crystals through demon hunting, breaking through to the Tongtian realm later will be much easier, thanks to the special energy in the crystals.”
“If that’s the case, demon crystals must be highly sought after and expensive on the market, right?” Lin Yun said, amazed.
“Once a demon is killed, the energy in its crystal starts dissipating. Within a day, it’s completely gone, making long-term storage impossible. So, buying demon crystals on the market isn’t feasible,” Old Black shook his head.
“So, to obtain demon crystals, you have to hunt demons yourself?” Lin Yun asked, surprised.
“Exactly. To boost cultivation through demon crystals, the best way is to go to the demon race’s border and hunt them yourself. But it’s extremely dangerous, so most cultivators rely on their own cultivation and Primal Moon Crystals to advance,” Old Black sighed.
“If demon hunting can boost cultivation, then the relationship between the human race and the demon race must be hostile,” Lin Yun remarked.
Old Black nodded, “Correct. The human and demon races are irreconcilable enemies. To demons, humans are a delicacy. Consuming humans, with the energy in their elixir seas, benefits them significantly too.”
“So, if I want to smoothly reach the Tongtian realm in the future, I’ll need to advance through demon hunting,” Lin Yun said, his gaze sharpening.
Lin Yun was definitely thinking long-term.
“Actually, few choose to advance through demon hunting because it’s too dangerous. Most opt for the safer route, even though the major bottleneck later is tough to overcome. But which major bottleneck isn’t tough?” Old Black said.
Despite those words, Lin Yun had already made his decision.
He would definitely choose demon hunting to advance. Cultivation was a long journey, and the higher you went, the more time it took.
“Since demon hunting has such benefits, the Skyfire Temple must organize members for it, right?” Lin Yun asked.
“Indeed. The Skyfire Temple has a dedicated demon-hunting team. Any member can volunteer to join and go to the border to hunt demons as a demon hunter. Because it’s so dangerous, the temple doesn’t mandate participation; it’s voluntary. From what I know, the death rate for the Skyfire Temple’s demon-hunting team at the border is as high as eighty percent,” Old Black explained.
“So, eighty percent don’t make it back?” Lin Yun said, astonished.
“Yes. The demon border is full of hunting teams, and besides hunting demons, you have to watch out for ambushes and theft from other teams. It’s too dangerous, so very few are willing to go,” Old Black sighed.
“Haha, sounds interesting!” Lin Yun licked his dry lips, his eyes burning with excitement.
Lin Yun could imagine it must be a thrilling place.
Seeing Lin Yun’s reaction, Old Black couldn’t help but marvel. Lin Yun was quite the oddity.
That place was a hellish nightmare most people feared, enough to make many pale at the mention, yet Lin Yun seemed so eager and excited?
“Old Black, I need to sign up for the demon-hunting team and go hunt demons!” Lin Yun said firmly.
“Lieutenant Lin Yun, think it over carefully. An eighty percent death rate isn’t a joke. Even among the twenty percent who return, most come back because they couldn’t handle it and quit. Advancing through demon hunting only makes the Tongtian realm bottleneck easier, not nonexistent,” Old Black urged.
“I’ve thought it through. I’m definitely going demon hunting!” Lin Yun said without hesitation.
Even if he chose to cultivate with Primal Moon Crystals, gathering that many would be no easy task, and he’d still face the Tongtian realm bottleneck, potentially stuck for who knows how long.
Lin Yun had experienced being stuck at bottlenecks many times, and it was an unpleasant feeling.
Rather than that, he’d choose demon hunting.
Plus, with his strong physical realm as a foundation, he wasn’t likely to die easily.
“Alright, Lieutenant. If you’re set on going, I must remind you: if it becomes too much, quit the demon-hunting team and come back. Don’t push yourself too far,” Old Black said.
“I understand. By the way, Old Black, after reaching the Tongtian realm, can demon hunting still boost cultivation?” Lin Yun asked curiously.
“Yes, but for the Tongtian realm, the quality and quantity of demon crystals required are much higher, so it’s even more challenging,” Old Black replied.
