Next, the Teacher began to cover the subject of beast cores and their usage.

Every spirit beast contains a core inside their body. A beast core is a highly valuable item, and depending on the beast's rank, a core can sell for hundreds and thousands of gold.

The reason the cores are so valuable is because they do not only assist practitioners with advancing cultivation rapidly, they are also extremely beneficial for those who are experiencing a halt in their advancement, a term often referred to as a bottleneck.

Every cultivator must pass through a series of stages before advancing to the next level. Once he or she reaches the peak of their current stage, it is not uncommon for them to experience a bottleneck and find themselves suddenly unable to ascend further. Some cultivators are not gifted with the talent to rise in ranks and resort to seeking other means to upgrade. For those unfortunate individuals, the beast cores are the perfect solution.

The demand for beast cores is one of the main reasons that spirit beasts were being aggressively hunted these days.

Li Meirong had brought a few empty parchments with her, and she made sure to write down everything Teacher Tian said. Yet she felt unsettled as she kept listening. An irrational part of her dearly wished to immediately rush back home and hug her companions, just to make sure they were safe.

As the day progressed, she learned about the various ways of coaxing spirits and demonic beasts in order to capture them with more ease. The teacher had also provided each disciple with a sample of herbs classified as a type of drug.

"These are called the half moon lilies, named after their unique shape. These herbs are considered to be intoxicating for certain beasts. Using them could allow you to easily ambush an unsuspecting target. Do note, it only works for mammals. You may take the samples with you and test them out for yourself."

As the mentor finished her instructions, Li Meirong took the batch of lilies and placed them inside her sleeve.

"Psst! Hey, don't you have a storage bag?" The female disciple by Li Meirong's side scooted slightly closer and asked in a whisper.

Up until that point she hadn't made eye contact with any of her fellow classmates. She kept her sight set on the ground or on her notes, avoiding looking at anyone for fear of seeming rude or somehow drawing attention to herself.

And so, when she turned to look at the girl who whispered to her, she was astonished to discover how truly breathtakingly beautiful she was.

The first thing she noticed was the stunning, aquamarine colour of her laughing eyes. There was a distinctly exotic quality to her features, with a slim build, slightly darker skin and expressive eyebrows. Her long black hair, tied up in a high ponytail, had a blue sheen to it, corresponding with the hue of her eyes. If Li Meirong were back in her previous life, she'd have thought the girl was of mixed heritage. As it was, she was curious about how she got to have such an outstanding appearance.

When she was done gawking at the exotic looking disciple, she realized that she had also been writing down notes, just like herself.

"Oh, I have a bag. I'll just store the herbs later on…" Li Meirong subconsciously scratched the back of her neck as she replied in a hushed tone. She didn't know how to access her dimension without meditating, so she couldn't very well send the herbs into her spatial dimension with a snap of her fingers.

The exotic girl arched an eyebrow, clearly skeptical of her response. Her long slanted eyes curved into crescents as she fished out a green fabric bag from the side of her robe.

"Here, take it. I have an extra one. My name is Xiong Mei, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you!"