Facing this treasure trove, Mo Fan wasn't blinded by joy.

  The heavy stench of blood in the ravine was like a lighthouse lit in the darkness; it wouldn't be long before other famished predators followed the scent here.

  "Mo Yan, carry it. We withdraw."

  Mo Fan quickly swept the battlefield, stuffing the snapped-in-half Summon No. 003 into his storage bag. He then commanded Mo Yan to shoulder the heavy Demonic Tiger corpse, melting into the night like ghosts, and rapidly returned to the hidden karst cave they had cleared out earlier.

  Inside the dark but safe karst cave, a campfire danced cheerfully, dispelling the damp chill unique to the bottom of the cliff.

  Holding his somewhat chipped dagger, Mo Fan squatted beside the Demonic Tiger's massive corpse, his eyes as focused as a surgeon performing a delicate operation.

  After his frantic grinding and dissecting at the cliff bottom previously, his understanding of Spirit Beast skeletal and muscular structure had long reached the point of mastery.

  There was no need for violent hacking; the tip of the blade glided along the muscle grains and fascial gaps as smoothly as a master butcher.

  [ Dissection Proficiency Increased. XP +1 ]

  [ Gathering Proficiency Increased. XP +1 ]

  As tiny notifications continuously popped up on his retina, the loot was categorized and archived.

  First was the perfectly intact tiger pelt with its dark black patterns.

  This thing had extreme defensive power and innate resistance to evil fire. Whether sold for a hefty sum in the market or kept to craft high-tier armor later, it was a premium item. Mo Fan carefully folded it and stuffed it into the storage bag.

  Second was the tiger meat.

  The flesh and blood of a tier-one high-grade Spirit Beast was rich in highly violent spiritual energy. Mo Fan's stomach had been touching his back from hunger for a while.

  He directly carved off a large chunk of the tenderest tenderloin, skewered it with a branch, and roasted it over the campfire until it sizzled with oil.

  Ignoring the scalding heat, Mo Fan feasted.

  The moment the violent flesh-and-blood Qi entered his stomach, he immediately circulated the breathing method of the Body Forging Record.

  His Qi and blood, damaged by the tiger's ramming, rapidly filled up under the nourishment of this massive energy. Even the bruises on his chest left by snapping the tree trunk faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

  Finally, the core loot—the tiger bones.

  When all the flesh and blood had been scraped clean, a skeleton gleaming with a black jade luster, thick and brimming with explosive power, was completely presented before Mo Fan's eyes.

  "What a perfect work of art."

  Mo Fan stroked the thick spine, his gaze involuntarily drifting to No. 003 (the leopard skeleton) lying broken in half nearby.

  A crazy thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

  "If I attach the Wind Falcon's wing skeleton to the Demonic Tiger's back, and splice on the Shadow Leopard's legs... could I build a mythical Qiongqi (Chimera)?"

  However, the moment this thought arose, a sharp, piercing pain shot from deep within his brain.

  [ System Warning: Heterogeneous Modification Failure Risk 99%! ]

  [ Insufficient Skill Authority. Forced modification will result in Soul Collapse! ]

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  "Alright, I can only do a homologous 'budget alternative' modification."

  Mo Fan rubbed his temples, dismissing that unrealistic "Frankenstein" fantasy. He was a pragmatic person; since he couldn't build a divine beast, he would just max out his current specs.

  He pulled out No. 003's fragile spine, which had been snapped by the tiger's tail, and discarded it.

  Then, he activated the [ Skeletal Armament ] skill. Using blue Mana, he softened both ends of the Demonic Tiger's thick spine—which still contained residual black evil aura—and embedded it perfectly into No. 003's torso.

  Immediately after, he dismantled No. 003's relatively slender front limbs and replaced them with the Demonic Tiger's massive, steel-hook-like front claws.

  As for the hind legs, he kept the Shadow Leopard's originally nimble hind limbs that had been reinforced by Demon-Eye Rabbit bones.

  Accompanied by the adhesion and reshaping of death energy, the all-new Summon No. 003 stood up.

  Its frame was a full size larger than before. Its front half possessed the terrifying tearing and swatting power of a fierce tiger, while its rear half retained the ultimate explosiveness and agility of a cheetah.

  This was a deformed aesthetic born purely for slaughter.

  But the price of this power was obvious.

  Mo Fan felt his brain sink heavily, like a person carrying a ten-pound brick suddenly having a twenty-pound lead block shoved into their pack.

  [ System Notification: Unit 003 carrier strength massively increased. Occupied Load: 10 ? 15. ]

  Mo Fan's current Soul Strength was 38. Mo Yan occupied 20, and the new No. 003 occupied 15. The total load reached 35.

  The burden on his soul had been squeezed to the limit, and his head began to throb with a dull ache.

  But he glanced at the Experience Bar on the System Panel—1525 / 1600—and didn't panic.

  "Just a tiny bit left."

  Mo Fan took a deep breath, concealed the traces of the karst cave, and led the "Heavy Armor Version" No. 003 and Mo Yan out of the cave.

  The next half hour was an utterly suspense-free curbstomp.

  While roaming the vicinity, they encountered a thick-skinned [ Rock Boar ] (tier-one mid-grade) and a flock of annoying [ Iron-Beak Birds ].

  There was no need for Mo Fan to micro-manage at all.

  The heavy-armor No. 003 launched from a standstill, its Demonic Tiger front claws directly smashing the Rock Boar's skull to pieces; meanwhile, Mo Yan's rusty sword kicked up a whirlwind of death among the flock of birds.

  As the last Iron-Beak Bird plummeted with a squawk, the long-absent golden light finally erupted from Mo Fan's body.

  [ Current XP: 1600 / 1600. Level Up! ]

  [ Current Realm: LV. 5 (Equivalent to Peak Mid-Stage Qi Condensation) ]

  The light of leveling up washed over his entire body like spring rain, instantly healing all remaining minor injuries inside him. His already full HP was completely hard-locked at max status.

  But the most important thing was the metamorphosis of his soul.

  The tight, throbbing pain in his head dissipated instantly. Mo Fan felt as if his soul space had been expanded twofold, incomparably cool and refreshing.

  [ Soul Strength (Permanent): 38 ? 40 ]

  "Phew... finally have room to breathe again."

  Mo Fan let out a long sigh of relief. With his computing power cap reaching 40, he barely had a comfortable 5 points of buffer space again.

  He had never followed the overwhelming "zerg rush" build, but rather a refined "elite strategy." Troops were valued for their quality, not quantity.

  And upon crossing into LV. 5—this crucial watershed—the fog over the fifth layer of the System Skill Tree finally dispersed, revealing several brand-new options.

  Mo Fan's gaze swept over those flashing icons: [ Bone Spear Toss ], [ Bloodlust Frenzy ], [ Grave Chill ]...

  He closed his eyes, rapidly reviewing the bloody battle with the Demonic Tiger in his mind just now.

  If it really came down to output, whether it was Mo Yan (Main Tank + Main DPS) or the current No. 003 (Sub-DPS + Assassin), the damage was definitely enough, perhaps even overflowing.

  So, hiding in the back, what was he most afraid of?

  He was afraid of the Demonic Tiger's near-death counterattack—ignoring the frontline and forcibly diving the backline while tanking damage!

  If he had possessed a hard CC or strong slow skill when the Demonic Tiger lunged at him just now, that big cat wouldn't have even touched the hem of his clothes before being shredded midway by Mo Yan and No. 003!

  "In high-speed combat, a fraction of a second's error leads to a fatal deviation."

  Mo Fan opened his eyes, incredibly clear. "No matter how high the DPS, if it misses, it's useless; no matter how fierce the enemy, if they can't move, they're just a walking target."

  Without any hesitation, he directly abandoned the [ Bone Spear Toss ], which looked like it had decent firepower, and decisively focused his consciousness on the gray, frosty skull icon, lighting it up.

  [ Skill Unlocked: Grave Chill ]

  [ Description: Instantly inject extreme, pure death energy into the target, causing severe necrotic stiffness in nerves and muscles. Reduces the target's Attack and Movement Speed by 30% - 50%. Duration depends on the difference in Soul Strength between both parties. Instant Cast. ]

  "This is the one."

  Mo Fan raised his right hand, moving his mind.

  Hum—

  A visible burst of ice-blue chill condensed in his palm instantly. The moisture in the surrounding air even condensed into fine ice crystals under this extremely cold death energy, falling with a rustle.

  This wasn't just physical cold; it was a law of death capable of freezing souls and muscles.

  Feeling that tyrannical, icy dominance in his palm, the corner of Mo Fan's mouth hooked into an extremely dangerous smile.