Chapter 19 – Harvest and Aftermath
Hao Tian did not move from his resting spot for a long time.
The fight had ended, but the aftermath lingered in every part of his body. His chest still hurt when he breathed too deeply, and his back and shoulders felt as if they had been beaten with hammers. Even his hands trembled faintly from exhaustion.
He leaned against the stone wall of the den, closed his eyes, and took out one of the medicinal powders he had bought in town.
"…Good thing I didn't try to save money on this," he muttered.
The powder was not a miracle medicine, but for a body-refining cultivator, it was more than enough to accelerate recovery and stabilize internal injuries. He mixed it with a bit of water from his waterskin and drank it slowly, then applied some to the bruised and swollen areas of his body.
A gentle warmth spread through his limbs.
Not fast.
Not dramatic.
But steady.
He remained seated, breathing slowly, letting the medicine and his own recovery work together.
Time passed quietly.
The forest outside the den made its usual sounds—distant calls of beasts, rustling leaves, the wind moving through branches. But none of it came close.
This was still the territory of a sixth-stage beast.
No creature dared to approach.
After several hours, Hao Tian opened his eyes.
The pain was still there, but it had dulled to something manageable. His breathing was smoother. The tight, dangerous pressure in his chest had faded into a sore ache.
"…I can move properly again," he judged.
Not fully recovered.
But enough.
He stood up slowly, stretched his stiff limbs, and walked toward the bear's massive corpse.
Now came the real work.
Processing the beast.
He drew his sword and began carefully.
First, the hide.
The bear's skin was thick and tough, far tougher than ordinary beasts. It took him a long time to cut along the joints and edges properly, but he was patient. By the time he finished, he had a large, heavy piece of intact bear hide that could be used to make armor or sold for a good price.
Next, the claws and fangs.
Each claw was thick, curved, and sharp. The fangs were long and dense, with a faint metallic sheen to them. These were valuable materials—useful for forging weapons or crafting tools.
Then came the tendons.
He carefully extracted one tendon from each leg.
They were thick, elastic, and surprisingly resilient.
"…Four high-quality tendons," he murmured, satisfied.
Finally, he opened the beast's chest and searched inside.
After a bit of careful work, he found it.
A pseudo-core.
It was not a real beast core—those only formed in higher-level creatures—but it was still a condensed mass of energy and essence, valuable for alchemy and some crafting purposes.
He wiped it clean and stored it carefully.
When he finished, he looked at the pile of materials beside him.
Hide.
Claws.
Fangs.
Four tendons.
One pseudo-core.
Plus the herbs and silver he had already collected.
"…This alone is already worth a fortune compared to what I had before," he thought.
In fact, even without counting the herbs, this haul alone was already close to the total value of the fire crystals he had once risked his life for in the mountains.
And this time—
He was still alive.
He packed everything carefully, then sat down for a moment and considered his next move.
"…Going back immediately would be safe," he thought.
But—
He looked toward the entrance of the den.
"…This area was a sixth-stage beast's territory. Other creatures avoided it."
Which meant—
The surrounding area might be relatively undisturbed.
And possibly—
Rich in resources.
"I'll take a look around first," he decided. "Just the vicinity. If anything feels wrong, I leave immediately."
He did not want another desperate fight.
Not in his current condition.
He took only his sword and a few basic tools and stepped out of the den.
The forest around the den was quieter than most areas he had passed through before. The air felt heavier, and the vegetation was thicker in some places, as if lesser beasts had not dared to trample it often.
He moved carefully.
Slowly.
Alert to every sound.
After exploring for a while, he began to find signs of life again.
Smaller tracks.
Broken branches.
Claw marks on trees.
"…Seems the bigger predators kept most of the small ones away, but not all," he noted.
Then—
He heard movement.
Two shapes emerged from behind a cluster of rocks.
They looked like oversized wolves, but their bodies were thicker and their muscles more defined. Their eyes were sharp, and faint traces of Qi moved under their skin.
Fourth-stage body-refining beasts.
They noticed him at the same time.
They hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then they attacked.
Hao Tian did not retreat.
Compared to the bear, these two were nothing.
He stepped forward and met the first one head-on.
One clean slash.
The beast yelped and fell.
The second tried to circle around him.
He turned, avoided its lunge, and drove his sword into its neck.
The fight was over in moments.
He exhaled slowly.
"…So this is the difference real experience makes," he thought.
A few days ago, even a single fourth-stage beast would have made him cautious.
Now—
After surviving a battle with a sixth-stage bear—
These felt almost trivial.
He searched the surrounding area carefully.
Not far from where the beasts had appeared, he found herbs.
Two were good-quality mid-grade rank 1 herbs.
And several more were low-grade ones.
"…Not bad," he said quietly.
He harvested them and stored them away.
After that, he did not push his luck.
His body was still recovering.
He had already gained far more than he had expected.
So he turned back toward the den.
By the time he returned, the sky was beginning to darken.
He set up a simple resting spot inside, ate a little dried food, and leaned back against the stone wall.
Tomorrow—
He would return to town.
And for the first time—
He would return not as a poor scavenger—
But as a hunter who had truly brought something back from the forest.
.....
Hao Tian left the forest early the next morning.
The air was still cool, and a thin mist hung between the trees as he made his way back along the familiar path. His steps were slower than usual—not because he was weak, but because his pack was far heavier than before.
Inside it were the spoils of his first true hunt.
Bear hide.
Claws.
Fangs.
Four thick tendons.
A pseudo-core.
Several herbs.
And the silver he had recovered from the den.
Every step reminded him that this journey into the forest had changed something fundamental.
Not just in his cultivation.
But in his life.
When the outline of the town finally appeared in the distance, Hao Tian felt a strange sense of calm.
He did not rush.
He entered through the gates like any other hunter returning from the wilds.
But the guards at the gate still gave him a few extra looks.
Mostly because of the enormous rolled-up hide strapped to his pack.
"…Did this kid go hunting alone?"
"…Is that bear hide?"
"…That's too big…"
Hao Tian ignored the murmurs and went straight toward the market district.
His first stop was not a stall.
It was a proper materials shop.
One that specialized in beast parts.
The old shopkeeper inside was sorting herbs when Hao Tian walked in.
"What can I—"
The man stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes landed on the pack.
Then on the edge of the rolled hide.
Then slowly moved back to Hao Tian's face.
"…Young man," he said carefully, "what did you bring?"
Hao Tian did not answer.
He simply began taking things out.
The hide.
The claws.
The fangs.
The tendons.
The pseudo-core.
One by one, he laid them on the counter.
The shopkeeper's eyes widened.
Then widened more.
Then he stood up.
"…This…" He swallowed. "…This is from a sixth-stage beast."
Hao Tian nodded. "A bear-type."
The old man stared at him for a long moment, then laughed dryly.
"…Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable."
He picked up the hide and examined it carefully.
"High-quality. Almost no damage."
Then the tendons.
"Excellent elasticity."
Then the claws and fangs.
"Dense. Heavy. Good forging materials."
Then the pseudo-core.
His expression became even more serious.
"…You did very clean work."
He looked at Hao Tian again.
"…You didn't come here to show off. You want to sell."
"Yes."
The shopkeeper took a deep breath.
"Alright. Let's talk prices."
He thought for a moment, then began listing.
"Bear hide: 180 silver."
"Four tendons: 50 silver each. That's 200."
"Claws and fangs together: 120 silver."
"Pseudo-core: 160 silver."
He paused.
"That makes… 660 silver in total."
Hao Tian's heart skipped a beat.
660 silver.
That was more money than he had ever possessed in his life at once.
And this didn't even include the herbs and the silver he had already recovered.
"…Is that fair?" Hao Tian asked calmly.
The shopkeeper snorted. "Fair? That's the normal market price. If I tried to cheat you, you could walk to the next three shops and sell it instantly."
He hesitated, then added, "…If anything, you're lucky you came today. Demand for forging materials is high."
Hao Tian nodded. "Then I'll sell."
The transaction was completed quickly.
When the shopkeeper handed over the heavy pouch of silver, Hao Tian felt the weight of it in more ways than one.
Next, he sold the herbs.
Not at the same shop, but at a nearby herb pavilion.
The two mid-grade rank 1 herbs sold for 90 silver each.
The low-grade ones together sold for 30 silver.
That added another 210 silver.
Then he added the 146 silver he had recovered from the den.
By the time he finished counting everything in a quiet corner—
He had over 1,000 silver in total.
Hao Tian sat there for a long time.
Just staring at the pouch.
"…So this is what real hunting is like," he thought.
Then his expression hardened.
Money meant nothing if he didn't turn it into strength.
He went back into the market.
This time, not to sell.
But to buy.
First stop: a medicinal shop.
He bought;
Two more blood-condensing pills (low-grade mortal pills for body-refiners)
Two body-tempering medicinal bath mixture (made from crushed bones, herbs, and heating agents)
Several recovery powders and internal injury medicines
The shopkeeper looked at him strangely.
"…You planning to kill yourself cultivating?"
Hao Tian only smiled faintly.
The total cost: 420 silver.
Next, he bought:
Extra dried food
Fresh bandages
A better waterskin
Some basic field tools
Another 60 silver.
He considered buying a new weapon.
But his current sword was still good.
And he knew—
Right now, cultivation mattered more.
When he finally left the market, he still had over 500 silver left.
Which, to him, felt like a fortune.
He did not linger.
He returned to his dilapidated house.
The familiar broken door.
The cracked walls.
The old roof.
But this time—
It didn't feel as hopeless.
He cleaned himself, ate properly, and then carefully stored his newly bought resources.
He did not cultivate immediately.
His body was still tired from the forest and the journey back.
Instead, he lay down and slept.
Deeply.
Without dreams.
Tomorrow—
He would begin again.
Not as a desperate boy struggling to survive.
But as a cultivator who had finally taken his first real step forward.