James laid beside the body of the beast, his watch made a 'Ting' sound registering the kill. He moved with difficulty and took out his healing ointment. He had to treat his wounds quickly.

If he hadn't tried back then, even if the bear hadn't attacked and watched him, he would still have died due to excessive blood loss.

He applied the ointment as much as he could to his shoulder and chest, finishing the small bottle. It started to take effect in an instant slowly healing his wounds.

James felt pain in every part of his body, he needed a good rest. Looking at the corpse of the Fanged Bear, he took out his sword from the socket and started opening the inside of the beast from below.

After a short while he reached the beast's heart and found a small core beside. It had an uneven round shape with an Azure colour to it. He took it out and laid on the ground observing the core.

It was a Beast Core. Every spirit beast has a core inside them similar to a human and as they advance to the next realm the color of the core also changes matching their realm.

Beast Cores had a lot of value for a cultivator. It could be sold off or consumed as desired. It could be preserved as well for future use. The prices of such Beast Cores depended on its quality and the realm.

It also depended on the stage of the beast as a peak stage spirit beast would have a more valuable energy rich core compared to an early stage beast.

Generally Azure realm beast cores weren't that expensive as they weren't that difficult to hunt. Prices of Beast Cores start shooting up from mid stage Emerald realm cores which were hard to get.

The general population of cultivators were in the Azure realm while many were in the Emerald realm. However, Carmine realm experts were hard to come by in any part of the world.

There were many but their numbers were still not enough as the road of cultivation was difficult to tread on and continue. It required passion and diligence which many lacked or lost during this long journey.

The core in James's hand was of a peak stage spirit beast. It had a good value in the market but it was even more valuable to James currently. The tournament was starting soon and this core will be beneficial to him in his breakthrough to the mid stage of Azure realm.

He planned on consuming it instead of selling. Consuming it effectively required a certain qi flow method to gain the maximum amount of energy possible.

They weren't taught this method nor did they have proper knowledge about these cores during the first few months in the academy. This caused both James and Gus to lose out on the benefits of the beast cores from the early stage Azure realm beasts they had hunted earlier.

Later on in their ' Qi and it's uses' classes they were taught how qi could be used to bring changes in their body, like stopping blood flow, absorbing cores efficiently etc.

Looking at the core now, James wanted to consume it quickly. He couldn't wait to breakthrough and was pretty excited. But, his condition was not great.

Suddenly he heard the flapping of wings above. His pupils constricted when he looked up to see the creature.

It was a mid stage Azure realm spirit beast, the Scrounge Vulture. A beast known for its strength in its claws and beak.

It was a common scavenger found in these parts, however, it was not something James wanted to see currently. For him, this encounter is equivalent to death itself as he didn't have the strength to battle and the beast was a stage above his own.

The vulture looked towards James and the corpse of the Fanged Bear beside. It could tell that a fight had occurred and the human won, but seeing it's present condition, the vulture was confident in gaining two meals today.

With a sharp cry it flew down with its claws aiming for James. James tried to sprint but he was too slow. He lacked qi inside his body and his legs lacked the energy to move quickly.

The vulture came down and as it was about to strike, a loud 'Bang' was heard and blood splattered all over James.

The vulture's head blew up and it fell lifelessly leaving a dazed James looking at its body. The bushes rustled nearby and a person came out wearing the academy uniform.

"Not bad, a Scrounge Vulture. The core will get me some money at least " said the person.

James looked over to see a guy who looked slightly older to him. He looked well built, with short black hair and sharp features. Seeing the academy uniform, James concluded that it must be a senior.

In the youth's hand was a gun which meant he was a gunner. But, his gun looked different from the standard one given by the academy. It was black in colour with a unique design on its barrel.

" Oh it's a customized gun, you won't find it on sale generally. It's quite expensive but quite capable as well " said the youth who noticed James's gaze on it.

" Ah I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look. Thank you for saving me senior, may I know your name?" replied James embarrassingly.

" Haha don't worry about it. My name is Ritz Hall. " said the youth.

James was surprised on hearing the name. Ritz Hall was a famous 3rd year student in the academy who was known for his exceptional Gunner skills.

He is said to be the best Gunner in his batch and a genius cultivator at the peak stage of Azure realm. Even then to have killed the mid stage Azure beast, Scrounge Vulture in one shot, what power does this senior possesses, wondered James.

" Looking at your expression, it seems you have heard about me. " smiled Ritz

" Senior is very well known in the academy. " said James.

" Forget about me what's your name? You haven't introduced yourself yet. "

" Ah sorry! My name is James Walter. A first year student. "

" A first year huh. To think you defeated a peak stage beast with an early stage cultivation base. It seems it won't be the first time I will be hearing your name. " said Ritz as he looked over James with keen eyes.

" I was just lucky that's all. " replied James.

" I saw your fight, well the ending of it actually. I was moving around this area when I heard the sound of a battle. "

" What you did was exceptionally brave and stupid. It seems you made a breakthrough in your movement technique at the end, you might have not survived if you hadn't. "

" I hope you learn to challenge opponents you are fit to. Fighting way above your bracket isn't the smartest idea to live. "

" I didn't know it would turn out to be this difficult even though it's one of the weakest peak stage beast."

" My greed for a breakthrough nearly cost me my life. I will keep your advice in mind senior. " replied James.

He knew what he attempted today was not something he should have done. If he didn't have his breakthrough he would have died miserably.

" Well don't stay put in one place for long after hunting. You see this forest is filled with scavengers like that vulture over there. The scent of blood travels far attracting many such creatures. "

" Even if a scavenger doesn't arrive another strong beast will. Since the Fanged Bear is dead, the area which it controlled is now vacant without an owner. "

" There will be beasts who will aim to extend their reach by claiming this area as theirs. So be careful as there are many dangers nearby. "

" I thank the senior again for his help. I wouldn't have survived if the vulture had attacked. " said James while giving a short bow.

" Don't worry about it. We are from the fellow students after all. Don't call me senior just call me Ritz. "

" Thank you brother Ritz. "

" Well let's get out of here quickly. Who knows what beast might come out. You look pretty battered up. Absorb the core back at the base or in the academy. Don't stay here. "

" I'll help you to get back to the base. " said Ritz. He went over and took out the beast core from the body of the vulture. He then helped James up by supporting him from his right and they left for the base.

Back at the base James thanked Ritz again and went to the sick room to rest while Ritz left for the forest. The next day, he felt rejuvenated although his left shoulder still hadn't properly recovered.

He decided to consume the beast core before heading back to the academy. Taking it out of his ring, he looked at it, it still had an Azure luster around it.

He placed it in both of his palms and sat in a lotus position. With a deep breath, he concentrated his qi and let it out towards the core interacting with it. As the qi connected with the core, a massive amount of qi flew from it towards James.

He controlled the output of the qi from the core and absorbed it, channeling it to his core. The core absorbed the qi and distributed it around his body, strengthening it.

After absorbing it completely, the beast core on his palm lost its Azure luster and even a lot of its form. It now looked like an ordinary piece of rock.

James sat and meditated. He was at a crucial stage currently. The qi inside his core surged as it tried to push around violently. It molded the core, slowly evolving it.

After a brief moment with a bang, the energy inside him surged rapidly. He felt a qualitative leap in his physique, from his bones to his muscles, to his skin. Inside him the core now had a deeper Azure aura around it.

James smiled contentedly at the change. He had successfully broken through to the mid stage of Azure realm. Now, he couldn't wait for the tournament to begin.

-------------------------

Notes - Here is today's chapter! I hope you all enjoy it. The next chap will be posted tomorrow. I will be starting the tournament arc now. I hope I write it well lol.

Just finished this one so if you find any mistakes please inform with a comment. Enjoy :)