"Over a thousand spirit stones, at the very least all lower-grade spirit stones belonging to the five elements, and among them, there are even eight middle-grade spirit stones. If I were to exchange these for supply currency, I could get at least a million!"

　　Rubbing the middle-grade fire spirit crystal in his hand, Evan Parker felt the unique warmth of the middle-grade spirit crystal, making his whole body feel cozy and comfortable.

　　After the initial joy, Evan Parker began to worry. With such a huge amount of spirit stones, how was he supposed to take them all away?

　　As a self-taught cultivator with no formal background, Evan Parker didn't have any treasures like the spatial storage bags distributed by sects. All these spirit stones together weighed at least over a thousand jin; losing them was out of the question.

　　After thinking it over, Evan Parker nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth as he thought to himself, "The first time I entered this cave, the wild-horned cave python I encountered was definitely not the one I just killed. That means there is at least one more wild-horned cave python here, maybe even more. Rather than abandoning the spirit stones and rushing ahead recklessly, it's better to stay here and make use of them..."

　　"Besides, I can use these spirit stones to set traps and hunt other wild-horned cave pythons, to obtain their meat-horn spirit liquid. That's a great tonic for cultivators at the Innate Realm. The Innate Realm has nine levels, and I'm just starting out. I don't even need any cultivation techniques right now—just need to accumulate spiritual energy in my body. If I stay here to cultivate, with both meat-horn spirit liquid and a vast amount of spirit stones at my disposal, I really can't find a better place to train than this."

Chapter 6: The Nine Levels of the Innate Realm

　　The nine levels of the Innate Realm are a way to distinguish the strength among cultivators at the same stage, determined by the depth of true essence within the body.

　　If you come from a prestigious sect, reaching the ninth level of the Innate Realm from the initial stage might only require a few spirit pills. Of course, very few are lucky enough to have such opportunities.

　　Even for disciples of the Supreme Yuanyang Sect, it takes several years to go from the first to the ninth level of the Innate Realm. After all, this process doesn't require any special cultivation techniques or extraordinary talent—just a period of accumulation, absorbing large amounts of spiritual energy and converting it into one's own true essence.

　　In the blink of an eye, several months passed. During this time, besides the first wild-horned cave python that Evan Parker killed, he went on to take down seven more. With the experience from the first hunt, Evan Parker became more skilled, easily slaying these fierce beasts and making sure not to waste their meat-horn spirit liquid, which he enjoyed as a great tonic several times.

　　In addition, Evan Parker spent day and night consuming the spirit stones he had acquired. According to his calculations, during this period, he absorbed at least over two thousand lower-grade spirit stones.

　　With such a solid foundation and tireless cultivation, in just half a year, Evan Parker soared from the initial stage to the eighth level of the Innate Realm—a rate of progress that would make disciples of the nine great sects green with envy.

　　Not to mention rogue cultivators. Take the old shopkeeper who sold the "Three-Yuan Blazing Fire Technique" to Evan Parker as an example: after cultivating for most of his life, he only reached the fifth level of the Innate Realm, and that was because he held a good position in the local mine, with plenty of resources.

　　From the perspective of Evan Parker, a modern man from Earth—many times, cultivation is a game only the wealthy can play.

　　On Earth, if you have no money, forget about drinking '82 Lafite or smoking Cuban cigars; on Xuanyuan Star, if you have no spirit stones, forget about stepping onto the path of cultivation...

　　As his realm improved and the true essence in his body grew, Evan Parker could now kill a wild-horned cave python with a single strike of the "Blazing Fire Palm." Of course, to better harvest the meat-horn spirit liquid, Evan Parker still used his self-created "Blazing Flame Finger," an improved version of the "Blazing Fire Palm."

　　It had been over a month since a wild-horned cave python last appeared. The spirit stones he had gathered during this time were now exhausted, and the amount of spiritual energy needed to break through from the eighth to the ninth level of the Innate Realm was almost equal to the total required from the first to the eighth level. Evan Parker really had no reason to stay here any longer.

　　He carefully stored the sixty-four middle-grade spirit stones he had accumulated during this period. With the eye of an expert tomb raider, Evan Parker was certain that the unknown area ahead of the cave held even more surprises for him.

　　Surprises, and possibly danger. But after experiencing the thrill of rapid advancement, Evan Parker was now firmly committed to the idea that "fortune favors the bold."

　　Opportunities must be seized. As a self-taught cultivator, taking risks seemed to be the only way to quickly improve his strength.

　　On Xuanyuan Star, a planet with a million cultivators, strength is what matters most.

　　Just as Evan Parker had finished all his preparations and was about to venture deeper, an unexpected event forced him to stop.

　　The stone bead hanging around Evan Parker's neck suddenly lit up. Seeing this "culprit" that had brought him to Xuanyuan Star once again emit that unforgettable pure white light, Evan Parker was at a loss for words.

　　"This damn bead is activating again. Does this mean I'm about to be transported to another completely unfamiliar place? Or... could it send me back to Earth..."

　　At this moment, Evan Parker felt both excited and uneasy. Nervous, he carefully pinched the stone bead between his fingers, focusing intently on its changes.

　　"Where's the six-pointed star array? Why hasn't it appeared yet?"