Chapter 6: Ten Years of Lifespan Burned Out in an Instant

It would only take half a year for this cultivation technique to reach perfection.

Of course, this did not mean he would break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining in half a year. The realm of a cultivation technique is similar to that of spells; the higher the realm, the more comprehensive one’s control over spiritual energy and the development of the body’s meridians.

Cultivating a technique to the perfection level could greatly mitigate the issue of Wang Yu’s inferior aptitude, using technique and experience to offset the problem of absorbing too little spiritual energy.

In essence, it was just another way to accelerate cultivation.

Generally speaking, complete cultivation techniques come with supporting spells, secret arts, and even complementary pill formulas or artifact blueprints.

The Blood Burning Technique only had one "Life-Burning Secret Art." This art combined with the cultivation technique to simultaneously enhance comprehension, and there were no prerequisites for Wang Yu to use it.

With both placement slots working simultaneously, he could refine a wisp of spiritual energy every day. At this rate, he would break through to the second level of Qi Refining in at most ten days. It seemed he needed to practice the Life-Burning Secret Art immediately to cover up the anomaly.

According to his plan, Wang Yu needed to burn ten years of his lifespan in a very short time so that the rapid loss of vital essence would cause visible changes in his physical appearance.

He was too young; burning it slowly wouldn't work. He had to burn it all at once.

"A Qi Refining cultivator has a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years. Even burning fifty years is worth it."

Comforting himself in his heart, Wang Yu steeled his resolve, formed the [Life-Burning Seal] with his hands, and operated the Blood Burning Technique at full power.

A faint red mist steamed from his pores, completely enveloping him. The scent of blood permeated the stone room, and his body felt waves of stinging pain, though it remained within a tolerable range.

Strictly speaking, this was his first time attempting to actively cultivate with the aptitude of his original body’s trash spirit root.

Although he had tried yesterday, he had failed at the very first step of "sensing spiritual energy," only reaching the threshold of entering the Dao thanks to the placement slots.

But the feeling of burning his lifespan this time was completely different.

There seemed to be tiny specks of five-colored spiritual light in the air. The blood-colored mist generated by burning his lifespan acted like a net, capturing all the spiritual energy within a ten-foot radius and slowly absorbing it into his body.

The circulation route of the Blood Burning Technique’s Great Heavenly Cycle also took on a layer of blood-red. After breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining, Wang Yu was able to perform internal vision—a very peculiar sensory ability.

Those blood-colored lights were all transformed from his lifespan, assisting in the refinement of spiritual energy with extremely high efficiency. Even though most of it escaped due to his poor aptitude, a small portion was thoroughly captured by Wang Yu.

Before long.

A new wisp of blood-red spiritual energy was born in his Dantian. This was a characteristic of activating the "Blood Burning Technique" secret art, distinct and clearly separated from the first wisp of normal spiritual energy.

The two did not merge.

This blood-burning spiritual energy would carry a unique blood-colored visual effect when casting spells. The spiritual energy would surge, which was most obvious when confronting others with realm pressure; this was also the evidence Wang Yu left for himself.

Something like: "I cultivated this spiritual energy by burning my lifespan, and you dare to suspect me? That is your fault."

When he awoke from his cultivation, Wang Yu subconsciously touched his face. A very conspicuous streak of white had appeared in his shoulder-length hair, looking quite jarring.

"One year of life for one wisp of spiritual energy..."

This terrifying consumption made his expression even uglier. According to the records in the booklet, the first level of Qi Refining only required having spiritual energy, the second level required ten wisps, and the third level required one hundred.

If he followed his current efficiency, he would be burned into a dried husk before even reaching the third level of Qi Refining, which perfectly matched his trash spirit root aptitude.

"Sigh..."

"If my spirit root aptitude is no good, does even the effect of a fast-track demonic technique diminish? Damn it!"

A sense of malice rose in his heart. Wang Yu knew this was caused by burning his lifespan too quickly; although he captured a lot of spiritual energy, it was difficult to refine it all.

He should reduce the amount of lifespan burned at once to avoid waste, but what he wanted was the change in physical appearance caused by the rapid loss of lifespan.

This would make it look like he had burned even more!

Wang Yu did not continue practicing the "Blood Burning Technique" afterward. Consuming too much lifespan in one day would cause his bodily functions to plummet off a cliff.

Even if he could live for one hundred and fifty years, burning thirty years at once would carry the risk of sudden death.

This was a symptom that could be caused by rapid physical imbalance. Having studied the "Mystical Scroll of Yellow Emperor" since childhood, he had a deep understanding of this and would never take such a risk.

With two strands of spiritual energy in his body, Wang Yu attempted to condense spiritual sand using the cultivation provided by the placement slots. This technique was not some profound art, but rather more like an instinct for cultivators.

Condensing spiritual sand required a carrier. Qi Refining cultivators did not yet have the ability to manipulate spiritual energy into a solid state. Generally, the carriers were the powder or fragments ground from depleted spirit stones.

The cloth bag delivered on the first day contained one tael of such material.

It was about the size of a medium egg. Wrapped in the cloth bag, Wang Yu took out half the amount and channeled his own cultivation into it.

In the end, he obtained two mace of spiritual sand.

One tael equals ten mace. One wisp of spiritual energy only condensed two mace of spiritual sand, meaning a spirit slave had to cultivate five wisps of spiritual energy every month just to meet the standard of one tael.

This was not difficult for those with three or two spirit roots, but for those with mixed or trash spirit roots, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven!

This meant that one had to sacrifice lifespan to meet the most basic requirements. If one agreed to the manager's enticements, they would have to add another four mace of spiritual sand on top of that.

If one wanted to improve their cultivation, they had to burn even more lifespan.

Stripped away from every angle, their lives grew shorter and shorter while the value they created grew higher and higher, until they finally died.

"A fine scheme!"

Weighing the spiritual sand in his hand, he realized that since things had reached this point, there was not much he could do. He laid his head down and fell asleep.

The two placement slots felt like "clones" to him, cultivating in places he couldn't see, practicing twenty-four hours a day without interruption.

This resulted in him completing 96 cultivation cycles every day, yet even so, he could only refine one wisp of pure spiritual energy.

A trash spirit root, truly terrifying!

The next day, Wang Yu skipped the lecture session at the hour of the Rabbit, immersing himself in cultivation and repeating the entire process at yesterday's rhythm.

In this way, he saved up one tael of spiritual sand by the fifth day. He had specifically experimented with the blood-burning spiritual energy; once the spiritual energy cultivated by burning lifespan was condensed into spiritual sand, Wang Yu's internal aura would dissipate after being left for a period of time.

It transformed from a blood-colored glowing appearance into pure spiritual sand.

This meant he didn't have to worry about flaws in the spiritual sand. Besides Manager Duan, two other managers had also passed notes to Wang Yu. There was no doubt they possessed even deeper backgrounds.

But for now, they were three Foundation Establishment stage inner disciples belonging to the Cold Blood Peak. The gap in status between the two sides was like mud and gold; it was best to just behave honestly.

The twelfth day since arriving at the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect.

Wang Yu, sitting cross-legged in the stone room, felt his aura fluctuate. The dense blood-burning spiritual energy steamed around his body, suddenly rising to a new level.

"Second level of Qi Refining!"

Wang Yu clenched his fists, a look of contemplation flashing in his eyes. Although the increase in cultivation was mainly about increasing the amount of spiritual energy, the changes to his physical body could not be underestimated.

(End of chapter)