Chapter 16: The Tenth Workshop of Reverse Blood

A high-end residence with golden brick flooring and walls as white as snow.

The area was divided into different zones according to the Nine Peaks. Outer and inner disciples lived mixed together, while the nine twisted peaks of the Spirit-Reversing Blood Sect were reserved for cultivators at the True Disciple or Elder level to establish their cave dwellings.

For the sect's direct lineage, those already at the Core Formation stage or preparing for it, the difference in status was worlds apart.

Manager Duan, riding a flying magic tool shaped like a jade pitchfork, led Wang Yu toward his new residence while introducing him to the situation at the base of the Nine Peaks.

"The formal name for this place is the [Ten Workshops of Reversing Blood]. Each of the nine peaks corresponds to one workshop, and the extra workshop contains the sect's public buildings.

"The Affairs Hall, Mission Hall, Library, Dharma Hall, Lecture Hall, Law Enforcement Hall, Alchemy Hall, Weapon Refinement Hall, First-Tier Treasury... and so on. Basically, all the buildings required to maintain the sect's operations are located here.

"The place you are going to is the [Cold Blood Workshop], specifically the 'Ice and Snow Pavilion' under True Disciple Su. Everyone there is a disciple serving the Lord; you are colleagues, but the competition is quite fierce.

"As a mere Spirit Slave with a wasted spiritual root, being ostracized is inevitable. True Disciple Su will not stand up for you over trivial matters. Remember that."

Wang Yu understood perfectly, yet he felt nothing but disdain for the fat man's posturing. The words seemed caring but were actually a warning: do not think that helping a True Disciple once would make you memorable.

Only through him could one contact True Disciple Su; no matter what, he was an unavoidable link. One had to go through him to pass a message.

Offend him, and you could expect nothing but suffering.

Of course, regardless of his inner thoughts, Wang Yu maintained a perfect facade. He adopted an expression of having learned a valuable lesson, which made Fat Man Duan feel quite satisfied.

Upon truly entering the Cold Blood Workshop area, Wang Yu was pleasantly surprised to find the spiritual energy concentration comparable to a mid-grade Second-Tier spiritual vein.

To find an environment capable of supporting a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage just on the streets was incredibly rare.

Although he could use his "Placement Slots" to bridge this chasm, the spiritual energy supply would still be insufficient. Breaking through a major realm required a massive influx of external spiritual energy to complete the transformation.

Otherwise, he would have to rely on vast amounts of spirit stones to meet the demand.

The feedback from the Placement Slots came in cycles of completed Great Circulation runs; they could not instantaneously satisfy a massive demand for spiritual energy.

Therefore, the Placement Slots could only help him bypass the daily requirements of cultivation, not the bone-deep metamorphosis required during a major realm breakthrough.

Though the Spirit-Reversing Blood Sect was a demonic power, its living conditions were by no means poor.

There were ten buildings in the Cold Blood Workshop, representing the spheres of influence of ten different True Disciples, varying in scale.

The Ice and Snow Pavilion was one of the tallest spiritual towers among them. It stood thirty-six stories high, piercing the clouds like a celestial tower, and was equipped with protective formations—a rather luxurious setup.

With Manager Duan leading the way, Wang Yu walked straight in.

He seemed to be a celebrity in the Ice and Snow Pavilion. At the first-floor counter, an inner disciple wearing a purple-blood waist token stepped forward proactively. His grin nearly reached his ears as he bowed and scraped.

"Brother Duan, what wind blew you here?"

His respect was laced with flattery.

Manager Duan looked down his nose at him, his face nearly parallel to the ceiling.

"Are you Zhao... Shang?"

"It is I. It is rare that Brother Duan still remembers this junior."

"Let's skip the pleasantries. This is Wang Yu. He was personally selected by True Disciple Su to be promoted from a Spirit Slave to an outer disciple. Arrange a place for him; he will be serving in the Ice and Snow Pavilion from now on."

He emphasized the words "Spirit Slave" with particular clarity.

Zhao Shang looked thoughtful. He glanced at Wang Yu's distinctive appearance and chuckled softly.

"Brother Wang, there is no need for inferiority. Although the proportion of Spirit Slaves promoted in Cold Blood Peak is low, there are still some from other peaks."

"Thank you for your consolation, Senior Brother Zhao."

"Think nothing of it." Zhao Shang waved his hand. "Since you have joined True Disciple Su's command, let me introduce the Ice and Snow Pavilion to you."

Manager Duan abruptly interrupted.

"You arrange Wang Yu. I have matters to attend to regarding the Spirit Slaves. I'm leaving."

"Alright—"

Once he left, Zhao Shang quickly spat on the ground and cursed, "What a piece of trash, acting all high and mighty. Dammit!"

His complete disregard for Wang Yu's presence was enough to leave him stunned.

Only after cursing did Zhao Shang turn to Wang Yu and get straight to the point.

"I'll be blunt. Duan Ping is a nepotism hire. He relies on blood ties from True Disciple Su's maternal clan; otherwise, the position of Spirit Slave Manager wouldn't have fallen to him."

Wang Yu maintained a polite, smiling expression, offering no comment.

This behavior made Zhao Shang nod inwardly, allowing him to continue.

"Normally, regardless of who sends a newcomer, a sufficient gift fee must be paid to secure a room in the Ice and Snow Pavilion.

"Since you were personally selected by True Disciple Su and come from a Spirit Slave background, I assume you don't have much wealth on you. Just go live in the Essence Qi Rooms on the tenth floor."

Wang Yu nodded repeatedly. Next, Zhao Shang took an ice-blue token and tapped it against Wang Yu's waist token, then handed him a small booklet.

"The rules, details, and the situation of the Ten Workshops of Reversing Blood are all recorded in there. Study it yourself later. I won't accompany you further."

"Understood, thank you..."

Before Wang Yu could even ask, Zhao Shang had already departed, returning to sit behind the first-floor counter with his eyes closed, looking like he was slacking off.

Wang Yu was not annoyed. As he walked toward the stairs, he opened the booklet and began to study.

The Ice and Snow Pavilion had thirty-six floors. The top floor was True Disciple Su's private quarters; he rarely stayed there, but frequently invited friends to hold banquets and enjoy the view from the summit.

The second through ninth floors were grand banquet halls, capable of accommodating two thousand people at once, filled with tables and chairs, as well as several private boxes and quiet rooms for discussion.

The tenth through thirtieth floors were the [Essence Qi Rooms] prepared for his subordinates. These were equipped with two types of first-tier formations: the "Spirit Gathering Formation" and the "Soul Soothing Formation."

The former could gather and purify the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, delivering it to the cultivator in a highly refined state. The latter could soothe the mind and nourish the brain, rapidly restoring energy.

This allowed Qi Refinement cultivators to complete more cycles of the Great Circulation during their early cultivation stages, making their cultivation speed much faster than average over time.

To be fair, the benefits here were quite excellent.

Across twenty full floors, each floor had thirty [Essence Qi Rooms] with identical effects. The Ice and Snow Pavilion was the core of True Disciple Su's power, but not everyone could live here.

The surrounding dozen or so streets were within his sphere of influence, inhabited by outer disciples, while almost everyone who could enter the tower was an inner disciple.

This alone was enough to show how much the master valued Wang Yu.

As for the thirty-first to thirty-fifth floors, they were the [Second-Tier Essence Qi Rooms] that True Disciple Su had spent a fortune to create. These were occupied by Foundation Establishment cultivators. There were fewer of these, with only two rooms per floor.

Foundation Establishment cultivators had moved beyond the bottom tier and were considered the lower-middle backbone of the Spirit-Reversing Blood Sect. They possessed multiple assets and often held private cave dwellings within the Ten Workshops, making them eligible to serve as sect deacons.

This was the general layout of the Ice and Snow Pavilion, but there was one more regulation closely related to contribution points

The Pavilion had the authority to issue missions on behalf of the Mission Hall. However, it would take a fifty percent cut of the reward as a processing fee.