Chapter 16: You Picked The Wrong Birthday Party!
For the next month, John remained hidden within the cool, stone-walled shelter of his cave.
His days passed in silence and solitude, his body slowly mending from the brutal battle with the winged horned bear.
Though the wound across his chest had been deep and nearly fatal, his cultivation in the Bone Refining Realm accelerated the healing process.
What would take ordinary men several moons to recover from had almost completely healed within four weeks.
His skin had begun to knit together, the bruising faded, and though a long red scar now crossed his chest, it served as a badge of survival, a reminder that he had staked his life to claim this cave, and won.
He rarely left the cave during this time. Once, just once, he had stepped outside to fetch fresh water and hunt for food.
That had been enough.
In his current state, he couldn’t risk another confrontation with a wandering beast.
But luckily, at his cultivation level, he no longer needed to eat often.
Still, he preferred it.
The rich taste of cooked meat, especially from spirit beasts, gave him a sense of warmth and energy that even meditation couldn’t replicate.
More importantly, spirit beast meat subtly enhanced his cultivation speed, infusing his body with latent energy, reinforcing his bones, blood, and meridians.