"I'm leaving these kittens in your care now."
Du ke directly shoved all the kittens into Yue Yun's arms. Forced to accept this task, Yue Yun could only make a sour face and say, "I understand, Cat Lord."
"Alright," Du ke nodded slightly, then looked towards the girl dressed in a large red wedding gown, "As for this lady, go call Qiu Shui and have her help look after her. Let me know when she wakes up."
"I understand."
"Alright, off you go!"
Du ke waved his paw at Yue Yun, who nodded, gathered up the Blood Replenishing Pills that Du ke had taken out earlier, and carried each of the kittens to his room one by one.
At the same time, Qiu Shui came in and took the girl in the red wedding gown away.
As Qiu Shui was leaving, Du ke instructed her, "Qiu Shui, remember to tell Yue Yun that the pills I gave him are made from condensed Blood Essence, so they are very potent. Tell him that when using them, he only needs to scrape off a bit of the pill powder and mix it into water before feeding it to the kittens."
"If he gives them too much at once, they might burst."
"This servant understands."
"Alright, off you go!"
"Yes!"
Watching Qiu Shui drag away the Rat King's new bride, Du ke also gave Thirteen a look. Thirteen, who was sprawled on the floor, noticed Du ke's gaze and immediately scampered over to shut the door forcefully.
After Thirteen closed the door, Du ke also set aside his smoking pot.
The Five Elemental Essences were becoming harder and harder for him to resist absorbing. Even after two rounds of refining, the enhanced effects still couldn't stop him from consuming them.
"It seems I need to procure another batch of the Five Elemental Essences."
As Du ke spoke, he opened up the Black Cauldron Space and immersed his spiritual sense within it.
At this moment, the flames in the Black Cauldron had calmed down, revealing a corner of an odd pill within.
Du ke raised his brow as he looked at the pill in the cauldron. This third refining in the Black Cauldron seemed to be very different from the first and second refinings!
Moreover, the consumption was far greater than the first and second refinings. Although Du ke's physical strength hadn't changed, his inner energy was almost completely depleted.
If it weren't for Du ke previously cultivating the Yin Character True Tenet and rotating his inner energy according to its methods while absorbing the Five Elemental Essences, he might have already collapsed onto the table, unable to move, while talking to Yue Yun due to his depleted inner energy.
"It seems the Yin Character True Tenet truly has a great effect on me. Even at the beginning stage, it has displayed the extraordinary power of this tenet. I need to diligently cultivate it further."
As Du ke pondered silently, the Black Cauldron suddenly shook with a booming sound, and a pill emitting scorching sword light flew out from the cauldron, embedding itself in the void.
The moment the pill flew out of the Black Cauldron, Du ke immediately caught it.
In his paw appeared a semi-transparent, sword-shaped pill.
Holding this pill that had changed shape in his paw, Du ke raised his brow again.
"The first two refinings in the Black Cauldron didn't alter the shape of the pills, but this third refining has brought the pill's shape closer to the form of its ingredients."
"I wonder if it will change the shapes of other ingredients as well?"
Du ke played with the sword pill in his palm, his thoughts wandering.
"The first refining condenses and purifies, the second compresses and strengthens, then what about the third refining...?"
"What is the actual effect of the third refining?"
Du ke stared at the sword pill cradled in his paw, and after a while, he felt his Sword Heart cultivated from the Selfless Sword Tenet start to tremble.
Sensing the change in his gaze from the trembling of his Sword Heart, Du ke licked his lips, "This sword pill seems to have quite an attraction for my Sword Heart. I might as well give it a try."
With that thought, Du ke unhesitatingly swallowed the sword pill.
At the instant the sword pill slid down Du ke's throat, his eyes suddenly widened.
It was because the moment the sword pill entered his throat, he felt an intense sword intent rushing to assault his spirit.
This sword intent was majestic and imposing, exerting an indescribable force on Du ke.
In just a brief moment, Du ke closed his eyes and silently circulated the Selfless Sword Tenet, guiding this sword intent towards his Sword Heart to temper it.
As Du ke tempered his Sword Heart, a nascent yet majestic sword intent began to emanate from his body.
With the release of this sword intent, the air around Du ke started to hum, and streaks of sword energy swirled around him.
Everything near Du ke suffered collateral damage from this sword energy.
Thirteen, who had been lying nearby, noticed Du ke's exposed sword intent and was just about to investigate when the table beneath Du ke suddenly had a deep sword mark gouged into it.
The errant sword energy sliced through the corner of the table, grazing Thirteen's face and leaving another sword mark on the floor.
Thirteen stared wide-eyed at the fur cut off by the passing sword energy and frantically scrabbled his four legs on the floor, trying to get away from Du ke.
The sword energy had not only cut through the floor but also sliced through the carpet laid on top of it.
So with Thirteen's frantic movements, the carpet became crumpled and deformed.
Just as Thirteen scrambled away from Du ke, the table beneath Du ke was immediately sliced open by streaks of sword energy.
Centered on Du ke, the sword energy left a pattern like a blooming flower on the table top.
As a result, Du ke's body also dropped down as the table collapsed.
Instinctively stabilizing his landing, Du ke continued to use that sword intent to temper his Sword Heart.
The commotion in his room also drew the attention of the maidservants Yun Shan and Su Qiluo.
"Commander! Commander! Commander!"
Su Qiluo pushed open the door to Du ke's room and rushed in shouting, "Are you alright?"
Yun Shan followed closely behind her, her eyes narrowing as she saw Du ke amidst the pile of broken table and chairs.
Holding Su Qiluo back, Yun Shan said solemnly, "Miss, don't be rash."
"But the Commander...!"
"I observe that the Commander's sword intent has erupted. He must be cultivating some formidable martial skill."
"We can only observe from afar, and must not approach him."
Yun Shan continued gravely, "If we approach carelessly, we might be accidentally struck down by the Commander in his cultivation state!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Thirteen nodded vigorously, the string of his tiger hat swinging, fully agreeing with Yun Shan's words.
At this moment, the Cat Lord could not be approached. Woof had nearly been slashed by him.
If they recklessly approached and were struck by a sword energy at close range, they would at the very least be seriously injured, or killed instantly in the worst case.
"I see." Su Qiluo nodded in understanding, but then clenched her little fists and cupped them over her heart, praising Du ke with utmost admiration, "As expected of the Commander, he's stronger than anyone else."
"Indeed, he is formidable." Yun Shan reflexively agreed, not just to pander to Su Qiluo, but truly praising Du ke in his current state.
Even as a martial artist born with innate talents, Yun Shan felt a chill down her spine facing Du ke's erupted sword intent.
She couldn't imagine what formidable martial skill Du ke had cultivated.
Any skill that could be called a 'formidable martial skill' was no ordinary technique. Even the most inferior formidable martial skill could allow one to slay enemy commanders and escape unscathed from a battlefield of thousands.
Slaughtering over a thousand eight hundred men would be no issue.
Yet observing Du ke's emanating sword intent and unconsciously leaking sword energy, this was undoubtedly a supreme formidable martial skill.
One that could exhibit formidable killing power from the very beginning, easily slaying those of higher realms, and reign supreme against peers of the same realm.
A supreme formidable martial skill of the highest order.
"Miss, let's retreat for now and not disturb the Commander."
"Alright," Su Qiluo readily agreed, "We won't disturb the Commander here any longer."
"Auntie Yun Shan, go arrange another room for the Commander... No, forget it, just book the entire place and evict the other guests!"
"This way, General, you'll be able to cultivate without being disturbed."
Facing Su Qiluo's request, Yun Shan hastily agreed.
However, in Yun Shan's view, it was impossible for Du ke to be disturbed. In his current state, even if the Jade Emperor himself came, Du ke would dare to strike him with a sword aura.
After Yun Shan had settled Su Qiluo and Thirteen, he went to book a private room from the innkeeper, while Du ke silently used the sword intent contained in the sword pill to temper himself.
Du ke cultivated until nightfall before finally coming out of his trance.
"Hah!"
Du ke let out a faint breath, expelling a sword aura flickering with icy spots. The sword aura silently sank into the floor and vanished without a trace.
The cat-like Du ke stepped forward, causing his bones and muscles to creak and pop as he moved his entire body.
"This sword pill has saved me several days of bitter cultivation. It seems that the effect of the third refinement should be a further sublimation based on the second refinement."
As he awoke, Du ke vaguely realized the effects of the third refinement.
It was likely that based on the second refinement, the pill underwent a further sublimation, targeting the effects of the pill itself and causing it to undergo a metamorphosis, resulting in an earth-shattering change.
"I just don't know what the external effects of this sword pill are!"
Thinking of this, Du ke looked at his remaining sword pills, wanting to try a third refinement on another one.
But considering his depleted inner force, which needed to be replenished through meditation, he gave up on the idea for the time being.
"I also don't know what the effects of third-refining other second-refined pills like the Day Essence Pill and Night Radiance Pill would be. Whether they would also undergo a qualitative change is something that needs to be experimented with slowly."
"However, what I need to focus on now is not just pill refinement and cultivation, but also the young lady's legitimate heir battle."
"I need to ask the young lady about the details of the legitimate heir battle. Previously, I only asked about it briefly. This time, I need to inquire thoroughly so I can help her formulate strategies and make plans."
"Besides that, I still need to attend the auction at the demon market."
"Time is running short!"
Thinking of this, Du ke expanded his spiritual aura to send a message to the young lady and the others.
Soon after, the young lady rushed into Du ke's room. Seeing that Du ke had finished cultivating, she opened her arms and charged towards him.
Seeing the young lady's action, Du ke's back felt a chill, and he quickly transmitted his voice: "Don't come over, don't come over. I haven't fully reined in my sword intent yet. If you approach recklessly, you might get hurt!"
As he spoke, Du ke quickly retreated, avoiding the young lady.
Seeing Du ke say this, the young lady pouted. At this moment, Yun Shan also entered the room.
Seeing Su Qiluo's expression, he immediately consoled her: "Young Miss, there's no need to be so impatient. You and the General still have many days together in the future!"
"Alright..."
The young lady pouted, very reluctantly replying with a single word.
Thirteen, who had come in with Yun Shan, also rolled her eyes. Being too clingy would only make one disliked.
On the other side, after maintaining a safe distance from the young lady, Du ke spoke up and asked:
"Young lady, let me ask you, what exactly is the first stage of the legitimate heir battle?"
"Is it just a matter of obtaining the seals and documents from the city lords of the various cities in Cloud State?"