James Carter then cut off all the branches of these spirit woods, leaving only the hardest trunks.

The two of them held torches and carried these spirit woods, each over ten zhang long, back to the entrance of the cave.

The spirit woods were extremely heavy; the two mid-level martial artists could barely lift them together.

After moving all the spirit woods, Charles Black was so exhausted that she sat directly on the ground.

James Carter chopped the spirit woods, each over ten zhang long, into sections, then split them into stakes as thick as an arm. He drove them deep into the ground, building a spirit wood palisade wall outside the cave camp, leaving a small gate.

After finishing all this, the simplest spirit wood palisade defense was complete.

This circle of spirit wood palisade was as hard as iron; ordinary wild beasts and sea beasts could not break through it and rush in.

James Carter was certain that even if a juvenile demon crab appeared here now, it would not be able to break through the spirit wood palisade easily.

“We’ll just do this for today. Tomorrow, we’ll reinforce the spirit wood palisade!”

After finishing all this work, James Carter was also thoroughly exhausted.

He rested against the cave wall, and suddenly remembered he still had a seven-inch piece of red-blood vine unused.

“According to the 'Herbal Compendium of the Martial Kingdom', grade-seven red-blood vine is a body-tempering herb very suitable for high-level martial artists, and its body-tempering effect is also very noticeable for mid-level martial artists!”

James Carter took out a three-inch section of red-blood vine from his chest, used the Azure Edge Sword to cut off about an inch, and washed it clean in the clear water inside the cave.

Then, he sat cross-legged and began meditating, placing that inch-long piece of red-blood vine in his mouth and slowly chewing it.

“Eating it raw?”

Charles Black stared in surprise, her eyes wide.

She knew that red-blood vine, as a body-tempering herb, was extremely bitter. Normally, it had to be ground into powder and put into water, then decocted over a fire to remove the bitterness. Taken this way, although the medicinal effect was not much different, the bitterness was greatly reduced after being boiled.

Even so, red-blood vine was still known as one of the most bitter body-tempering herbs for martial artists.

“This nine-inch-long red-blood vine is at least a hundred years old. Doesn’t he find it bitter?”

Charles Black wondered in her heart. She gently broke off a piece as small as a fingernail and put it in her mouth. Immediately, she spat it out, unable to bear the intense spicy and bitter taste.

She found herself increasingly unable to see through James Carter, this commoner martial artist.

……

As soon as the herb entered his mouth, before even chewing, James Carter felt the intense bitterness.

James Carter endured the violent spicy and bitter taste, carefully and slowly chewing, swallowing every drop of the red juice.

The reason red-blood vine is considered a body-tempering herb very suitable for high-level martial artists is largely because it greatly enhances a martial artist’s physique and vital energy, and can also remove internal injuries and bruises left by intense training.

Red-blood vine’s medicinal properties are extremely yang and fierce.

After James Carter slowly swallowed it, he quickly felt a surge of fiery energy arise in his abdomen.

This energy spread through meridians of all sizes, flowing to every bone in his body.

After a short while, every bone in his body began to feel hot, as if being bitten by thousands of ants, tingling all over, and it seemed as if new vital energy was constantly being generated in his bone marrow.

“The body-tempering effect of this red-blood vine is indeed remarkable. No wonder it’s a grade-seven body-tempering herb! With this seven-inch red-blood vine, maybe I can soon break through to the seventh level of the Body Refining stage.”

James Carter was overjoyed.

There was more.

The water arrow from the juvenile demon crab last time had left a cold, sinister aura in his body, with a mass about half the size of a thumb still lingering inside him.

After the last impact of true qi, the cold mass seemed to have quieted down a lot.

James Carter knew that this cold aura was not truly quiet. If he were to be injured and weakened again, it would definitely flare up and deliver a fatal blow.

So today, no matter what, he had to completely eliminate it.

James Carter guided the fiery, blazing energy in his body toward the location of the cold aura, surrounding it with each breath. Almost instantly, the fiery energy devoured the remaining cold aura, erasing it completely.

James Carter had high expectations for the red-blood vine, but to eliminate the cold aura so quickly still made him gasp in surprise.

This blazing energy was many times stronger than the true qi in his body.

As the medicinal effect of the grade-seven red-blood vine gradually took hold, James Carter felt as if his whole body was wrapped in a warm current, extremely comfortable.

All the blood vessels in his body, and the tiny bruises caused by intense martial arts training, were slowly being repaired and cleared by the warm energy from the red-blood vine, making him feel indescribably comfortable.

After half an hour of absorption, James Carter felt that the medicinal power of that inch-long red-blood vine had been completely absorbed.

“If I take it a few more times, I should be able to reach the seventh level of the Body Refining stage!”

James Carter felt his vital energy was abundant, clearly increased by ten percent, and he seemed to have endless strength, his physique in peak condition.

However, he dared not take more; after consuming an inch, his body was already extremely hot.

Charles Black noticed that James Carter's complexion was rosy, as if he had been reborn.