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Chapter 10: A Merchant's Disguise This Night

As evening fell, I sat alone in the newly constructed tent within Icefall Village, studying the "Azure Starfall" scroll that Shaman Romeo had bestowed upon me. I immersed myself in the cultivation of Celestial Star Aura.

During the day, we had welcomed back the remaining villagers of Icefall and allowed them to identify their deceased loved ones. We then wrapped the recovered furs around the bodies and cremated them. After the funeral, the assembled werewolf youths didn't disperse, as they still had nearly two thousand orc captives and over fifty human prisoners to oversee.

Yesterday, the disciples who had stayed behind put on a display of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw before all the orc captives. They hung the heads of orcs, each pierced with five bloody holes, on hundreds of wooden poles, using them to command the orcs to clear the ruins and rebuild the village. I left all these miscellaneous tasks to Antar, using my injuries as an excuse to seclude myself in the tent and delve into the secrets of Aura.

As a gift from the second son of the Heavenly Wolf Chief, the scroll undoubtedly contained a top-tier Aura cultivation method – not just the "Azure Starfall." It seemed that, originally intended for the young Shaman Romeo, it also included the basic Aura cultivation techniques. These fundamental methods were not only superior to the "War Wolf Aura" practiced in the village but also perfectly harmonized with the "Azure Starfall," enabling the full potential of the technique to be unleashed. Fortunately, I hadn't previously cultivated ordinary Aura, or I would have been at a disadvantage.

The innate essence within my body has already been refined into inner strength by me. There's absolutely no chance of succeeding in cultivating according to the scroll's method. However, the genuine energy of the Nine Yin Manual is profound and pure, surpassing ordinary innate essence. The fundamental principle of battle aura is to infuse innate essence into every muscle and blood vessel, then strengthen it through constant refinement. Without the limitations of meridians, its power is naturally immense, but due to the lack of storage and nurturing in the dantian and circulation through the pericardium, it cannot last long. If I can rely on the Nine Yin Manual as my foundation, I believe my battle aura can combine the advantages of both approaches.

Comparing the scroll's records, I carefully recalled that a decade ago, the first wisp of innate essence emerged from my navel. No wonder, the weakness of my Golden Bell Shield lies precisely there, known as the gate of qi. If the innate essence was inherently hidden there, its activation would naturally be effortless.

Gently drawing a faint thread of Nine Yin genuine energy from my dantian, I slowly introduced it to my navel. Then, following the scroll's method for cultivating battle aura, I imagined it spreading through my veins and into my entire body. It seems that the life structure in this world is indeed different from my previous life. Whether it's the retention of innate essence within the body or its dispersion from the navel, these abilities surpass what was possible before.

Feeling that my body, trained by the Golden Bell Shield, had no issue with this level of genuine energy input, I gradually increased the influx of innate essence. Fortunately, my navel has always served as the gate of qi and, after the perfection of the Golden Bell Shield, it has been greatly strengthened. It is now more resilient than other areas, fully capable of withstanding the massive infusion of genuine energy. The channels connecting the blood vessels also gradually expanded, transitioning from sporadic drips to a continuous, abundant source.

The Nine Yin Manual truly lives up to its reputation as an immortal classic. With the innate essence circulating on its own, once it depletes, it naturally replenishes itself. Thus, despite continuously injecting genuine energy into my body to temper the battle aura, the genuine energy in my dantian remains neither excessive nor deficient, vibrant and agile.

Perhaps, apart from me, there's no one else in this world who could provide such an immense and pure amount of Aura during cultivation. Moreover, my body has been fortified by the Golden Bell Shield, allowing my innate True Qi, originating from the same source, to blend seamlessly with it. In a short span of time, my Aura cultivation has surpassed that of others who have trained for over a decade, growing at an astonishing pace.

With a sense of satisfaction, I gazed at the shimmering silver-blue aura hovering in my left hand; it was a testament to the accomplishment of condensing Celestial Aura within my body. In the entire Xinghai Continent, achieving this feat of mastering Stellar Battle Aura within such a short span of hours might well be an unprecedented milestone.

However, my progress might slow down from now on. After reaching the Starry Aura realm, since my aura has been compressed to its limits, infusing more Primordial Energy won't help me advance further. Only by following the orthodox cultivation method will I see any progress. But with the constant replenishment from the Nine Yin Manual, I can undergo more intense and prolonged training than others, naturally leading to quicker advancement and longer-lasting battles.

Late into the night, within the tents where human prisoners were held captive in the village of Icetide, the captured human mercenaries were drifting off to sleep. Outside, the young Werewolf on watch duty also gradually let his guard down, for they had not yet reached maturity and were untrained in formal military disciplines. Amidst the profound silence of the hour, a faint whisper suddenly wafted into their ears. But just as they were about to turn and investigate, a paralyzing numbness seeped deep into their bones, rendering them incapacitated in an instant. Their eyes refused to open; they could only sit stiffly in place.

Then, several dark silhouettes stealthily emerged from the tents. Under the eerie glow of the blue moon, one could discern key figures among the humans: Mage Hai Ruo, Priestess Bai Lanling, Half-Elf Aivelle, Sword Master Lanster, and his four attendants.

"Sister Bai Lanling, is it really alright for us to leave Captain Hake behind like this?" It wasn't until they had left the Icy River Village that the half-elf, Avril, mustered the courage to speak up.

"Avery, you must understand that there are times when certain sacrifices must be made. As the Old Captain himself said, he couldn't abandon his comrades to save himself alone. With limited horses, none of them would have escaped the pursuit of the Werewolves had they all attempted to flee together. It was the Old Captain's decision to stay behind; he must have had another means to ensure his safety." Though equally pained, the Priestess could only console her companion with these words.

"Yet..." Despite her actual age spanning over a century, the half-elf's emotional maturity had not yet reached a point where she could calmly accept sacrifices. Her spirits dampened, she lost her usual vivacity, becoming hesitant and vulnerable.

"Avril, it was not us who harmed the old commander, but those damn werewolves," Lanster said with a somewhat despondent expression. The young Sword Master, who had always been invincible, had never suffered such a blow, and naturally harbored a deep hatred for that despicable werewolf. "As soon as we return to the human world, I promise, I will immediately mobilize all forces to gather a vast army, completely flatten all the lairs of the werewolves, and rescue Old Hake."