A Farmer's Journey To Immortality-Chapter 486: Verdant Elder’s Pain Penance

Beastly Spirit cultivation had always been different from the cultivation practiced by humans and other intelligent races.

While Spirit cultivators had to study complex Spirit techniques, refine Spirit essence slowly inside their bodies, and master different Laws and Spirit spells, the path of demon beasts was far more straightforward.

They didn't read books or learn from scrolls. They didn't sit in meditation to comprehend Laws of nature. Instead, their way of cultivation was raw and primal.

They devoured.

Demon beasts grew stronger by feeding on others—whether it was other demon beasts or Spirit cultivators of humanoid races. The Spirit essence contained in their prey was absorbed directly into their own bodies. Their strength, their spells, even their understanding of Spirit power—it all came from their bloodline.

Each demon beast was born with certain instincts and Spirit spells. Or the Spirit spells would randomly awaken within their minds when they started their cultivation journey.

These were inherited traits, locked deep inside their blood. When the time was right, and their bodies reached the right stage, those powers would naturally awaken. There was no need for learning or practice. They simply grew stronger by surviving, hunting, and consuming.

The Verdant Elder was no different in this way. Like other beasts, he devoured his prey to grow stronger.

But unlike most demon beasts, there was something unusual about him. His growth was fast. Too fast.

When he was 80 years old, he had become a 2nd Order demon beast. That alone wasn't anything special.

But what shocked others—if they knew—was that he reached the late stage of the 2nd Order in just another 40 years. In total, it had only taken him 120 years to reach the peak of the 2nd Order and meet the requirements to break into the 3rd Order.

For demon beasts, that kind of progress was rare.

Normally, demon beasts lived longer than human Spirit cultivators. Their lifespans were longer, and their bodies tougher.

But because of their long lives, they were slower in cultivation. It often took them hundreds of years, sometimes more, to make breakthroughs. Patience and time were part of their path.

But the Verdant Elder had broken that rule. His pace had not slowed down as he went further. It had sped up.

This was because of the mutation he carried. No one knew how or why it had happened. Maybe it was something in his birth, or something he had devoured in the past.

But the result was clear—his body could absorb and process Spirit essence faster than others of his kind. His bloodline spells awakened quicker, and his mind was sharper than the average beast.

What made the Verdant Elder truly dangerous, however, was not just his speed of cultivation. It was the fact that he had also met the condition for evolution.

Demon beast evolution was a rare and powerful event. It didn't just make them stronger—it changed them.

Most beasts followed the path written in their blood. But evolution allowed a beast to stray from that path. It unlocked hidden traits in their bloodline, sometimes creating new forms, abilities, or strengths that didn't exist in their kind before.

Usually, such evolution only happened during the higher stages of Spirit cultivation, far beyond the 3rd Order. Yet, the Verdant Elder stood at the edge of that change now.

He was only stepping into the 3rd Order realm. Still, his bloodline had started to shift.

A rare beast. A fast cultivator. And now, one on the brink of evolution.

The Verdant Elder was becoming something more than just a high-ranked demon beast. He was becoming a threat far beyond what the forest had ever seen.

His Spirit essence, once calm and solid, now became sharp and burning. It no longer simply flowed through the ground and trees—it pierced the space around him like invisible spears.

The nearby plants bent slightly, as if pushed away by some unseen force.

Aksai, watching from a distance with half-lidded eyes, felt it. Even in his weakened state, he could feel the rising pressure from the beast.

The breakthrough had begun.

The Verdant Elder had met the requirement. The devoured bears had provided enough essence, enough spirit, enough life. The battle had pushed his body close to collapse, but he had survived. And now, he was changing.

His size increased slightly. Not much—but the change was there. His tail twitched. The snaketail hissed, flicking its tongue at the air as if it too was celebrating.

Even the winds seemed to stop as the first trial of the 3rd Order breakthrough began for the Verdant Elder.

The trees around him shivered slightly, sensing the change in the air. A deep, heavy force gathered around the demon beast, wrapping him in an invisible pressure that could crush mountains.

This was the first test—Pain Penance.

It was the trial of the body, something all Spirit cultivators and demon beasts had to go through when stepping into the 3rd Order.

Unlike the earlier realms that varied by race and path, the 3rd realm was universal. No matter the origin—human, elf, demon, or beast—one had to prove their worth by surviving these three brutal tests: Pain Penance, Dejection Demon, and Celestial Wrath.

And now, it was time for the Verdant Elder to face the first of them.

A sudden jolt of pain exploded through his massive body.

It wasn't just sharp or deep—it was endless. Every nerve, every vein, every drop of blood inside him screamed. His body shook violently, and the ground cracked beneath his thick limbs. He let out a monstrous roar, but it didn't lessen the pain.

His skin split open, bleeding from hundreds of places at once. Thick green blood poured out, burning the earth below. His vines curled and writhed like they were trying to escape the pain themselves. His shell, which had always been his pride and protection, began to tremble.

Then came the cracks.

Thin lines appeared on his back shell—small at first, but quickly growing wider. The sacred runes etched onto his armor-like skin flickered, as if they were struggling to stay intact. The pressure pressing down on him didn't let up. In fact, it grew heavier with every passing second.

Bones inside his body began to break. His legs buckled. His tail, once so strong and firm, slammed into the ground, twitching from the unbearable torment.

It was pain beyond anything he had ever felt. Worse than any battle. Worse than any wound. Worse than the day he had first awoken his Spirit sense and felt the cruelty of the world around him.

But this was the test. There was no enemy to fight. No prey to devour. No place to run.

The pain was the enemy. It was also an examiner.

The Verdant Elder's eyes glowed with fury and madness. He roared again, his voice shaking the nearby trees. Birds flew off in fright, and even the Spirit energy in the air seemed to tremble.

He was being torn apart from the inside. Yet, he refused to fall.

Somewhere deep in his instincts, he knew. If he passed this test, he would step into a whole new realm of power. If he failed, his body would be crushed, and his soul would fade.

But he was no ordinary beast. He had not come this far to die.

Even as more of his shell cracked and more of his blood spilled, the Verdant Elder stood his ground. His claws dug into the dirt. His breathing turned ragged. His vision turned red.

***

Aksai lay still on the forest floor, his body covered in blood. His breathing was shallow, and his chest barely moved. To anyone watching, he looked dead.

But his eyes were slightly open. Watching. Waiting.

The Verdant Elder was in the middle of the Pain Penance trial. The massive beast trembled and screamed as invisible pain tore through its body.

Blood spilled from its cracked shell, and its vines thrashed weakly across the ground. The demon beast was far too busy to notice anything else.

Aksai's lips curled into a small, strained smile.

Now!

This was the only chance he would get.

He slowly reached into his storage pouch with trembling fingers and pulled out a golden-red feather. The Phoenix Rebirth Feather glowed faintly in his hand, like it held a living flame inside. His hand was still shaking, and pain shot through his body every time he moved, but he gritted his teeth and held on.

He closed his eyes.

Aksai focused his mind and sent his will into the feather. freēwēbnovel.com

The change was instant.

The feather in his palm began to melt. But it didn't drip like wax.

It dissolved into soft green flames that rose around his body and wrapped him in a gentle, warm light.

The pain in his chest faded almost at once. His skin, once torn and burned, began to close and heal.

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AN: Trials for the 3rd Spirit cultivation realm were covered in chapter 313.