Vessel of Worlds

Even as the two shouted their warnings, they hurled their defensive artifacts—a shield and a bronze plate—flying to block in front of the girl. In that instant, the motionless shark's tail whipped toward her with savage speed.

Two heavy cracks rang out as both shield and bronze plate were batted away—but the tail's strike had been delayed a fraction of a moment. That fraction was enough: the girl had already deployed a gauze-scarf artifact, which billowed to two or three zhang across and wrapped her completely.

The tail struck the gauze without a sound and sent it—girl and all—hurtling five or six zhang through the air.

Xun San's blue halberd came down on the beast's gaping wound and severed its head entirely. This time, the shark was finally, unquestionably dead.

The girl picked herself up off the ground, coughed out a mouthful of blood, and met the concerned looks of her companions with an embarrassed smile. "It's nothing. A little rest and I'll be fine!"

"Mm. Use a Life-Restoring Talisman to shore yourself up," Xi Feng said. "That fight cost all of us a great deal of spiritual power. Everyone rest and meditate a while." With that, he drew a long saber artifact and worked along the wound, removing the shark's layer of exceptionally fine, dense scales in a single intact sheet. Then he probed around inside its skull and drew out a blood-red orb about a cun across—the Blood Shark's rank-five core. Without pausing, he pried loose the shark's razor teeth one by one and stored them away, then finally took out a deep green bottle and gathered in the beast's soul with the Soul-Drawing Technique.

Andy watched him work with great interest. Xi Feng was clearly the member of the group most familiar with beast materials—which parts held value, how each should be harvested, he knew it all cold—so the collection of spoils always fell to him.

"This kill we owe to Fifth Brother's needle ambush—the chief merit is his. The Blood Shark's rank-five core, soul, and materials come to roughly six thousand spirit stones. Fifth Brother takes thirty percent; the rest of us split the remainder evenly." As was his habit, Xi Feng apportioned the shares as soon as the carcass was processed.

When all five brought a beast down together, the split was even. When one member carried the main effort, that person took thirty percent and the others divided the rest. Even someone who contributed nothing at all still received ten percent, with the remainder shared among the rest.

The arrangement was long-established, and Xi Feng administered it with scrupulous fairness—no one ever objected.

A day later, fully recovered, the five rose into the air again and continued east in search of their next quarry.

...

More than two years later, on a barren islet only a few hundred zhang across, within a concealment formation—modest in size and unremarkable in defense, but excellent at sealing off spiritual power and spiritual sense—Xi Feng and the other four sat gathered around a pile of beast materials, conferring in low voices.

"Are we really going back? The five of us are on a roll! Not even three years and we've taken down thirty or forty beasts—four of them rank-five! At this pace, another four or five years and we'd be rich beyond question!" Xun San's voice was heavy with regret.

Xi Feng sighed. "We have no choice. Twice in the past half year we've crossed paths with Core Formation cultivators. We were lucky both times—they were traveling alone and neither was the cruel, bloodthirsty sort. Otherwise, whether all five of us would still be standing here today is anyone's guess."

"Are Core Formation cultivators truly that fearsome? Big Brother Xi is late-stage Foundation Establishment—only the barest step below. With the four of us besides, could we really not put up a fight against an early-stage Core Formation senior?" the girl Hongchen asked doubtfully.

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"We could not. Decades ago, Di Er and I witnessed a battle between Core Formation cultivators with our own eyes. It blotted out sky and earth—terrifying beyond description. However fine a Foundation Establishment cultivator's artifacts, before a Core Formation senior's dharma treasures they crumple at a touch. And a Core Formation cultivator's flight speed is tremendous—even running would be impossible."

Xi Feng paused, then went on: "Great numbers of cultivators perish in these Outer Star Sea waters every year. Some die in the jaws of beasts—but more are marked by higher-ranked cultivators and murdered for their goods. In ordinary times, Core Formation cultivators do their hunting around Island Six and beyond. But now, with the beast tide approaching and beast density soaring, plenty of them have come to Island Five's waters to hunt rank-four beasts. The value per kill is lower, but volume makes up for it. And to a Core Formation cultivator, these waters around Island Five might as well be his private domain. If one of them takes a liking to your storage pouch, you're most likely a dead man."

"I also vote we go back and regroup." Andy, who rarely spoke up in these discussions and kept a determinedly low profile, suddenly offered his view. "Big Brother Xi is right—there will be other days. Our haul this trip is already substantial, enough to fuel everyone's cultivation for a good while. Better to digest these gains first, then return to the Outer Star Sea for more. Besides, the more we accumulate, the more we tempt the greed of high-ranked cultivators. The longer we stay, the greater the danger."

Andy's words came partly from genuine caution—but he had his own private motive as well. Nearly three years of this hunter's life at sea had given him a deep store of experience in tracking and killing beasts, and the plan taking shape in his mind—to hunt alone—had grown more and more complete. With a little preparation back home, he was confident he could hunt beasts with ease, at an efficiency surpassing even a five-man team.

Since his most important goal—experience—was achieved, there was no point risking himself further in these peril-riddled, expert-crowded waters.

In truth, even had Xi Feng not raised the matter, he would have brought it up himself.

With opinion split two against two, all eyes turned to Di Er, who had yet to say a word.

After a moment, Di Er said expressionlessly: "Back!"

Xi Feng nodded. "Second Brother says so too. Back we go, then. But before we leave, let's divide the materials and cores. This haul is no small one—my storage pouch is nearly bursting. Each of you knows the total in spirit stones you're owed; deduct the teleportation fees, and simply take materials matching the remaining value. Fifth Brother—though this was your first hunt with us, your performance was outstanding. You choose first from the cores and materials. But your big brother will speak one selfish word: at your current cultivation, the pills refined from rank-three cores are all you need. There's no call for you to use rank-five cores. There are only a few of them, after all, and all four of us want them badly. Still—if you insist on a rank-five core, you're certainly entitled to one."

Andy smiled slightly. "I understand Big Brother's reasoning perfectly well. Rank-three cores only benefit cultivators below mid-stage Foundation Establishment, so I'll take all of those. The rest of my share I'll convert into beast materials. As for the rank-four and rank-five cores—they'd be wasted on me. Divide them among yourselves."

High-ranked cores were the treasure every cultivator prized above all else, and Andy's gesture left the other four deeply gratified—almost sheepish. So when the time came for him to choose materials, they pointedly let him take extra.

Andy didn't stand on ceremony, claiming a good portion of the materials from several rank-four and rank-five beasts—all raw stock he could use for forging artifacts and spirit tools. Certain rank-five materials, precious as they were, he passed over entirely, having no idea how to work them.

Then Hongchen, Xun San, and Di Er each selected several rank-four cores and various materials, while Xi Feng took all four rank-five cores along with what remained.

When everyone had finished choosing, Xi Feng dismantled the concealment formation, swept it and the leftover materials into his storage pouch, and said with utmost sincerity: "Brothers, Fourth Sister—you deliberately left the rank-five cores for me. And I truly do need them to refine Essence-Consolidating Pills in preparation for my attempt at Core Formation. So this once, I won't decline. If the day comes that I succeed in forming my core, I will not forget the kindness you've all shown me today!"

Hongchen smiled brightly. "If Big Brother reaches Core Formation, then hunting rank-five beasts in these Outer Star Sea waters with us in tow will be child's play. What would a few rank-five cores matter then? Besides, little sister and the others have all these rank-four cores and valuable materials—our cultivation will advance nicely as it is."