novelraw Chapter 111
Chapter 111
The next day.
Wang Yu had already packed his belongings early. In fact, aside from that set of Blood Mist Concealment Formation flags, there was not much to pack, at most just a few pieces of furniture.
At the end of the Yin hour, when day and night were exchanging.
The number of disciples had been reduced by one-third, nearly half. At the square on the edge of the spiritual fields, disciples were gathering. When they had first arrived, there were more than eight hundred, now only a little over five hundred remained.
Most of them had died inside the Ghost Eye Cavern, becoming a delicacy for the little spiders. A few had disappeared, vanishing along the road to Heart Erosion City.
“Junior Brother Wang.”
“Senior Brother Situ.”
The two exchanged greetings, then casually chatted, or rather, it was a mixture of flattery and probing, which was more accurate.
“It has only been a short while, yet Junior Brother Wang has progressed so quickly in cultivation. When I went to Blackbone Mountain back then, I only managed to break through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining upon my return, and it took me nearly six years.”
Wang Yu revealed a bitter expression.“Senior Brother, you need not speak this way. You are of three spiritual roots, while I am of Wasted Spiritual Roots. You still have hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, but my lifespan is already limited. Never mind Foundation Establishment, even living past fifty is uncertain for me. How can I compare?”
Situ Hong gave an awkward smile and immediately changed the subject.
“This early return, is there any reason behind it? Do you need me to help find you another suitable task?”
“No need. I cannot trouble Senior Brother every time.”
“Helping once is helping, helping twice or thrice is still helping. There is no need to be so distant. You have also helped me before, your hands are swift and your actions decisive. There will be many times in the future where Senior Brother will need your support.”
Wang Yu still shook his head.
“Let me first repay the favors I owe. With so many people around, it would be better if Senior Brother did not stay too close to me right now.”
After speaking, he had already turned and walked to the edge of the crowd, blending in inconspicuously.
Situ Hong was slightly stunned, then his eyes caught the figure of that grand-disciple of Real Personage Red Cloud, and suddenly understood. So it was because this person had arrived.
Ever since Situ Hong had given him a savage beating, this man had become paranoid, constantly suspicious of those around him. He knew that it was Situ Hong’s doing. But the other mysterious figure with unfathomable cultivation and ruthless means had become a nightmare for him. Every time he thought of it, he felt as if his body were being shattered into pieces, his will completely crushed.
When the early morning hour arrived, a medium-sized flying treasure vessel approached from the horizon. Only then did the veiled female cultivator from Cold Blood Peak appear. The third-rank lower-grade Land-Walking Vessel she released was proof enough of Yan Ling’s identity.
Such an item was not something even ordinary Core Formation elders possessed. Only those of noble and wealthy background could afford it. Within the sphere of influence of Cold Blood Peak’s power, Yan Ling was the most likely.
To be honest, Wang Yu was a little envious of her Water-element Heavenly Spiritual Roots. If he could devour them through the Demonic Embryo Mysterious Origin Curse, the benefits would be... tsk tsk. Unfortunately, the two of them were not related by blood.
“All disciples board the vessel. Once the handover is complete, we depart and return to the sect.”
“Yes!”
Yan Ling’s voice was still cold, but Wang Yu could hear a hint of spirited pride in it.
……
……
One month later.
“Blood Reversal Sect, I have returned!”
On the first day back, after submitting his task at the various mission halls, Wang Yu received his reduced reward, which had been cut by forty percent. Without staying for long, he first went to the Alchemy Hall and exchanged contribution points for a pill formula that could enhance the strength of spirit beasts.
It was called Beast Nurturing Pill, a first-rank formula. After being stored for three months, it would reach perfection. In order to refine it into the supreme grade, Wang Yu even replaced the slot for Mysterious Yin Hand he had acquired, exchanging it for the formula.
Slot Four now was simply whatever could be put in would be put in. If there was nothing else, tossing in the Mysterious Yin Hand was still a safe bet.
The reason he cultivated the Snowjade Fox was firstly because it too was of the ice attribute, able to cooperate with Wang Yu and bring out effects greater than twofold.
The second reason was that the Snowjade Fox’s bloodline seemed to carry some significance. Even during its juvenile stage, it could already use a bloodline secret art known as Snowfall Technique, capable of making snow fall across an area.
After growing stronger, he would definitely awaken more bloodline secret arts. He planned to visit the Scripture Hall when he had time to investigate further.
Later that day, he contacted Huang Kai.
Years ago, this man had joined him in establishing the Alchemists’ Association. Among the four founders, only he and Wang Yu had survived. Now Huang Kai had cultivated to the sixth layer of Qi Refining, which was not considered slow progress.
Wang Yu judged that this man might have the potential for Foundation Establishment, so he began to deepen their ties. He entrusted Huang Kai with purchasing a batch of spiritual herbs for refining Beast-Nurturing Pills, then quickly returned to his cave dwelling in the Heavenly Corpse Market.
There was an important matter that required his attention.
Over ten years ago, he had perfected the first-rank Cold Blood Technique. Now, more than ten years later, this technique was ready to advance.
In truth, this technique should have advanced faster, but the later it went, the slower it became. At first, his speculation that two Idle Slots doubled efficiency was overturned.
It was like constructing a complex Luban Lock. When preparing parts, two people worked faster. But when assembling the final piece, one person was quicker.
He had encountered the same problem.
The Idle Slots were essentially equivalent to another self cultivating knowledge in the background. The basic conditions were the same, which had given him the illusion of doubled efficiency in the short term.
What ultimately determined speed, however, was his own comprehension, which decided the limit. Mysterious and profound.
He needed more time to study and test the Idle Slots, to find the most efficient method of using them.
Now, the judgment he had made a month ago happened to be confirmed at the end of the month.
Not long after, the information in Idle Slot one and two changed at the same time.
【Idle Slot 1: Cold Blood Spirit-Ascending Art (No further derivation possible)】
“Cold Blood Spirit-Ascending Art (0/100): 48 practices a day, master in 10 years.”
Unexpectedly, after the technique advanced, no further information was displayed. The words “No further derivation possible” showed that the Idle Slots could no longer extrapolate it.
No, it should be said that this technique had reached its limit.
There was no longer sufficient foundational theory to support a higher level. When he closed his eyes and felt it, there was almost no pause. The circulation of spiritual power in his meridians had already changed.
Everything flowed naturally, as if it were instinct.
It was as though he had been practicing this technique day and night for twenty years. He easily completed the transformation of the cultivation method.
Its grade had reached second-rank high-grade, enough to support him through the entire Foundation Establishment stage. Only after breaking through to Core Formation would he need to consider switching techniques again.
What was it like to cultivate in the Qi Refining stage with a perfected second-rank high-grade technique? Wang Yu felt like he was soaring.
A quick calculation showed that if one Idle Slot had previously been “2 wisps per day,” now it was “4 wisps per day.” With two Idle Slots working simultaneously, it became “8 wisps per day.”
Efficiency had doubled, no less than the benefit of upgrading his aptitude.
Moreover, with the new Cold Blood Spirit-Ascending Art, once he broke through Foundation Establishment, the transformation of his life level, combined with the technique’s own effect of enhancing aptitude, would allow him to evolve his mutated Yin-Ice Spiritual Root from four inches to nine inches, reaching the level of a triple spiritual root.
All roads led to Rome. He had now walked both paths, leaving no hidden worries.
To encounter such a joyous matter right after returning to the sect filled him with clarity and satisfaction, as though a weight had been lifted.
With the efficiency of Idle Slots improved, the timing of his breakthrough also needed recalculating. At most, supreme Cold Blood Pills could be used until the ninth layer of Qi Refining, at which point pill resistance would form. Then he would need to switch to Nether Heart Pills.
Even so, it would save him a great deal of time.
“Ten years… with pills, perhaps seven years, even six. The breakthrough time cut in half. Excellent.”
He murmured to himself. The changes brought by the advancement of his cultivation method were immediate. It would be hard to experience such a transformation again in the short term.
After that day, Wang Yu rested for three days. When Huang Kai delivered the herbs for Beast-Nurturing Pills, he set out again, mainly to search for a suitable recommender.
He also needed to tie up matters with Ice and Snow Pavilion and completely sever his ties with True Disciple Su.