Chapter 5: Unit 2

The next day.

Early Mao hour.

The second day since arriving at the Soul-Reversing Blood Sect to become a spirit slave.

Before the sky had even brightened, the bars at the door were opened. Wang Yu rose on time and followed the flow of people into the bluestone square in front of the stone house district.

At this moment, twenty cultivators stood on a small platform, gazing indifferently at the crowd.

In the square, besides the group from Stone Lake City that had arrived yesterday, there were many others from different places who possessed miscellaneous or waste spiritual roots. At a glance, there were at least several thousand people.

Wang Yu did not know the difference between the Taihu and Chiyuan regions, but the stone house district was certainly not home to all the spirit slaves of the Soul-Reversing Blood Sect; it was likely that a batch was kept at the foot of each of the nine peaks.

Among them were many spirit slaves with graying hair and aged appearances—they were all their predecessors...

The overturned cart ahead is a warning to the one behind; he must never fall to such a state!

The twenty outer sect disciples of the Soul-Reversing Blood Sect did not delay in the slightest, immediately beginning to explain the principles of cultivation.

There was no need to understand the *Blood-Burning Technique* in its entirety; they only needed to explain the principles of spiritual energy, meridians, and the circulation of the heavenly cycle so that these spirit slaves could comprehend the cultivation method.

As for the illiterate spirit slaves, they were to listen first. Only after the hour-long explanation would the Q&A session begin, where five cultivators would be specifically assigned to teach literacy.

Not everyone would get the chance to have their questions answered; one had to fight and scramble for it!

Among his fellow townsmen from Stone Lake City, Wang Yu noticed a few from poor farming backgrounds who were deliberately avoiding the literacy lessons, playing at being clever.

They could not understand the two booklets handed out yesterday, so they would not know the rules here. If they could produce results, it would be fine, but if they couldn't, the outcome was self-evident.

Death would be a mercy; a fate worse than death was the true torment.

Only after creating value far exceeding their own worth would there be hope of obtaining the release of death.

The two-hour explanation concluded.

The crowd returned to their stone houses one after another. No one made noise, no one spoke, and certainly no one took the opportunity to escape. Everything felt oppressive and silent.

Wang Yu returned to Stone House No. 83. Not long after he sat down, a cloth bag was tossed in through the window, containing water and food, the same as yesterday.

However, there was one extra item.

"A note?"

Unfolding it, Wang Yu was both surprised and found it reasonable. Wherever there are people, there is society—there are status gaps, closeness and distance, and conflicts of interest.

Not to mention a group of spirit slaves like them, who could generate profit yet lacked sovereignty.

The third peak of the Soul-Reversing Blood Sect was called [Cold Blood Peak].

The wealth created by spirit slaves was public property of the sect. Assuming a count of three thousand people, with each producing 12 spirit stones per year, that would be 360,000 low-grade spirit stones over ten years—not a small sum.

The ample profit meant the background was filled with all sorts of scheming and contention. The note came from Steward Duan, who was responsible for managing the spirit slaves; there was more than one steward in the stone house district.

In total, there were three, each representing the interests of different factions on Cold Blood Peak. Beyond establishing his background, the content of the note was primarily to dangle a carrot and give Wang Yu instructions.

It told him that after breaking through to the Qi Refining stage, he was to hand over one tael and four mace of spirit sand to Steward Duan every month. The extra four mace would be recorded, and could be exchanged at Steward Duan’s for spirit pills, spells, and medicinal soups to nourish the body.

If one spent a certain amount, they could even obtain a spot as an outer sect disciple ahead of schedule.

This carrot dangled before him was enough to make even Wang Yu, who had been tempered by modern society, feel a bit dizzy. Wouldn't everyone else work themselves to death to refine spirit sand?!!

The Demonic Path truly understood human nature; profit and desire were always the root causes driving people to work hard. You want it? Then work harder and strive desperately to fulfill your duties as a spirit slave.

Setting the note aside, he began to ponder.

Suddenly, a change occurred within his body. A wisp of spiritual energy, different from anything before, appeared within him.

"Is this the spiritual power of the Qi Refining stage?"

Wang Yu felt this unique, gentle force and drove it to flow out from his dantian. Wherever it passed, his limbs and bones felt warm, his spirit was refreshed, and his strength surged!

Under normal circumstances, one should circulate through the meridians before reaching the dantian. Wang Yu’s situation was the reverse; due to the unique nature of the placement slot, this wisp of spiritual power appeared directly in his dantian.

It skipped the process of opening the dantian, moving from point to surface, rather than the normal surface to point.

The sensation was incredibly marvelous.

Qi Refining Level 1, achieved!

There were no cumbersome prerequisites, not even much understanding of the cultivation method, yet he had broken through directly. It was truly absurd.

According to the aptitude of a waste spiritual root, sensing spiritual energy, circulating the technique, refining the energy... each step was a hurdle, and it would be normal to spend three to five years. Now, all of that was skipped.

The placement slot ensured he could absorb a wisp of spiritual energy every half hour. This was the first time it had truly channeled and refined cultivation into spiritual power, assisting him in breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining.

According to the description of the *Blood-Burning Technique* regarding the Qi Refining realm

As long as one accumulates ten wisps of spiritual power, one can break through to the second level of Qi Refining, opening up more cultivation nodes in the body, allowing for more and purer spiritual power to be refined!

The wisp of spiritual power currently in his body could be recovered on its own even if consumed; it belonged to him completely.

If he were to refine it into spirit sand, it would be a permanent loss, so he was naturally reluctant.

"At the normal speed, even with someone to answer questions, the breakthrough speed is still too fast, unless I use the special effect of the *Blood-Burning Technique*."

Wang Yu was unwilling; he did not want to damage his lifespan, yet he worried that his cultivation level could not be hidden. If what the note said was true, he had to exchange for a spell that could conceal his realm.

"No, for a mere spirit slave to exchange for such a spell would be a dead giveaway."

If he were to damage his own cultivation to reduce his unreasonable realm and store it as tangible spirit sand, such an operation would be akin to having a brain clot.

Wang Yu knew clearly that power was his only way to change his current situation. The higher his realm, the greater the chance he could become an outer sect disciple.

He actually only had one path: to activate the effect of the *Blood-Burning Technique* to conceal it. He didn't need to use much, just enough to look like the other spirit slaves. Only then could he explain the anomaly in his cultivation and the amount of spirit sand.

Only by burning his life would it be fast, and only then would it be logical.

He had to cultivate it.

Just as he was preparing to activate the life-burning cultivation with his main body, Wang Yu suddenly discovered that his cheat had changed, perhaps because he had broken through to the first level of Qi Refining and transformed from a mortal into a cultivator.

[Placement Slot 1: Blood-Burning Technique]

[Placement Slot 2: None]

"This—"

Wang Yu’s eyes darted. He didn't know for the moment if it was caused by the breakthrough in his realm or some other reason. Once he broke through to the second level of Qi Refining, he would be able to get some answers.

Unfortunately, he had nothing else on hand to place.

After a long sigh, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. He attempted to place the *Blood-Burning Technique* into the second slot.

"It worked!"

[Placement Slot 2: Blood-Burning Technique]

"Blood-Burning Technique (1/100): Forty-eight sessions a day, success in one year."

Although the description hadn't changed, the progress was shared between both sides.