Fang Xuan grew increasingly astonished. During the Eastern Region Grand Competition, he had never truly crossed hands with Lin Dongxue. Now, fighting by her side, he finally realized just how formidable this girl's combat strength truly was. Together, they quickly probed out the weakness of the Giant-Tusk Elephant.

After about half an hour, under the combined efforts of the four, the two Giant-Tusk Elephants' massive bodies crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Since Fang Xuan and Wan Fei had already obtained a Star Value previously, the Star Values dropped by the Spirit Beasts this time went to Lin Dongxue and Du Shu.

"Tang Yan, how are you?" Having dealt with the Giant-Tusk Elephants, the four immediately gathered around him.

"It is nothing serious anymore." Tang Yan waved his hand. He estimated that his injuries would be fully healed after tonight.

"By the way, Beast Cores are of great use to me..."

"Since Brother Tang wants them, just take the Beast Cores." Fang Xuan made the decision directly.

"We have no objections." Du Shu and the other two nodded in agreement.

A warm current flowed through Tang Yan's heart. He smiled and said, "Even blood brothers must settle accounts clearly. How could I just take what you worked so hard to obtain for nothing?"

As Tang Yan finished speaking, a beam of light split into four portions and flew toward the center of the four people's brows. Meanwhile, the four Star Values Tang Yan originally possessed were cleared to zero.

Before the four could decline, Tang Yan immediately stopped them. "Fourth-Rank Beast Cores are highly valuable. Even doing it this way, I am taking a massive advantage. If you don't accept, how can my conscience be at ease?"

Hearing this, the four stopped standing on ceremony and accepted the Star Values.

Having just experienced a fierce battle, all four were extremely exhausted, so they sat on the ground to regulate their breathing.

Because he had obtained two Fourth-Rank Beast Cores, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron within his Dantian was now unusually active.

Tang Yan still did not know what effects these Fourth-Rank Beast Cores truly possessed. With a thought, he drew one Fourth-Rank Beast Core into the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.

"Buzz!"

With a slight vibration, the originally gray Beast Core was immediately decomposed into streams of Spiritual Qi upon entering the Pill Cauldron. He had assumed that, following the usual pattern, this Spiritual Qi would directly merge into the cauldron and become nutrients to nourish the spiritual herbs. Unexpectedly, this Spiritual Qi flowed right out from the cauldron and gathered toward his injured back.

A cooling sensation spread across his back. The originally burning wound was enveloped by a surge of vital energy. That cool, soothing feeling was so blissful it made him feel as if he were floating, and the wound immediately showed signs of healing.

Even his five viscera and six bowels, which had been shaken and rendered unstable by the Giant-Tusk Elephant's impact, gradually calmed under this cool breath of life.

Deep astonishment flashed through his eyes. When he first obtained the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron, he thought it could only assist in alchemy. But now that it was truly his, Tang Yan realized that the abilities it displayed were merely the tip of the iceberg.

The more he unearthed the Creation Cauldron's functions, the more fascinated Tang Yan became. But to truly unravel the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron, he not only needed a massive amount of Spiritual Qi, but he also needed to elevate his own strength!

He still needed power! Tang Yan's thirst to grow stronger burned ever more intensely.

Sensing that the wound on his back had already scabbed over, a hint of joy flashed through Tang Yan's heart.

As if knowing its mission was complete, that cool vital energy instantly dissipated within his body. Meanwhile, the garden inside the cauldron suddenly trembled. The remaining Spiritual Qi from the Fourth-Rank Beast Core began to transform into energy, nourishing that inner world.

According to past precedent, when an external source of Spiritual Qi entered the Creation Cauldron, the cauldron would absorb eighty percent of it, while the remaining twenty percent would feed back into him as spiritual power. However, this time, because it had helped repair his injuries and consumed a portion of the Spiritual Qi in the process, there was no excess left to assist his cultivation.

Tang Yan was also deeply puzzled. Why did the Creation Cauldron hoard the vast majority of the Spiritual Qi within that garden?

Did the Spiritual Qi storage capacity of this garden even have a limit?

When this thought surfaced in his mind, another crazy idea took root: he would fill it with Spiritual Qi!

This trial zone where the Azure Dragon Academy selected its students was teeming with Spirit Beasts-the density was even higher than on Cangyun Mountain. He could easily hunt for Beast Cores and continuously feed them into the Pill Cauldron.

He wanted to see just how much Spiritual Qi that chaotic space for cultivating spiritual herbs truly required!

Having made up his mind, Tang Yan hesitated no longer. He took out the remaining Beast Core and sent it straight into the Creation Cauldron.

"Buzz!" Another vibration sounded out. The moment the Beast Core entered the cauldron, it immediately transformed into streams of Spiritual Qi, converging toward that chaotic space where the spiritual herbs grew.

Stimulated by the sudden influx of Spiritual Qi, the spiritual herbs collectively shook their branches and leaves, appearing to have grown slightly.

And Tang Yan could sense that the Spiritual Qi in this chaotic space had increased by a fraction, but it was merely a drop in the ocean.

Tang Yan was not disappointed. Although reaching his goal would be arduous, if he wanted to deeply understand the Creation Cauldron, he had to persevere.

At this moment, a warm stream of Spiritual Qi overflowed from the Pill Cauldron and surged into Tang Yan's limbs and bones.

This Spiritual Qi, refined by the Creation Cauldron, was incredibly easy to absorb. Before long, Tang Yan had assimilated it entirely. His Dantian was now surging and turbulent. The Fourth-Rank Beast Core had brought him considerable benefits.

When Tang Yan woke from his cultivation, he saw that the other four had already roused as well. He chuckled softly. "Let's go. We will continue looking for Spirit Beasts."

"Tang Yan, rest for another two days. Heal your injuries first. We can wait for you," Lin Dongxue said with concern.

Fang Xuan and the others also nodded, indicating they were willing to wait.

A warmth filled Tang Yan's heart. He smiled and said, "It is but a minor injury, nothing serious. I have mostly recovered."

As he spoke, Tang Yan fiercely threw a punch forward. A nearby tree snapped with a crisp crack, breaking cleanly in half.

Seeing Tang Yan brimming with vitality, a hint of marvel flashed in everyone's eyes. Without further words, the group of five set off.

After advancing for three or four li, a tiger's roar resounded ahead. Not far away, a pack of tiger silhouettes came into view.

"Those are White-Spotted Tigers, Third-Rank Spirit Beasts. Their front claws are razor-sharp, their tails are like steel whips, and they boast tremendous speed and offensive power," Wan Fei immediately warned the group.

Looking at the seven fierce tigers before him, Tang Yan smiled. "Leave three for me. You all can divide the rest."

"Alright!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. The five then transformed into bolts of lightning, charging straight at the pack of White-Spotted Tigers.

Tang Yan was the fastest. By the time he crashed into the tiger pack, these Spirit Beasts had only just reacted. Taking advantage of their momentary daze, Tang Yan raised his sword and brought it down, cleanly slaying one White-Spotted Tiger on the spot.

"Roar!" The other White-Spotted Tigers finally reacted. Each let out a furious roar, intending to surround and rip Tang Yan apart. But Fang Xuan and the remaining three had already arrived, intercepting their respective targets.

A single Third-Rank Spirit Beast did not pose much of a threat to this group. By the time Tang Yan finished off his three White-Spotted Tigers, the others had just barely dispatched their own targets.

"What a freak!" Seeing Tang Yan's terrifying efficiency, Du Shu could not help but grumble.

Tang Yan smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.

Glancing at the seven White-Spotted Tiger corpses lying on the ground, Tang Yan retrieved four porcelain bottles from his Spatial Spirit Ring and said, "I want these Beast Cores as well.

As compensation, I have some Second-Rank Pills here called High Spirit Pills. Their actual medicinal efficacy is barely inferior to Third-Rank Pills.

Not only can they rapidly restore Spiritual Qi, but they can also bolster your cultivation. What do you say?"