Chapter 4: Blood Burning Technique

———"Blood-Burning Technique"!

This was the first-tier Qi Refining cultivation method issued by the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect. Even though Wang Yu had mentally prepared himself to pay any price, he was still shocked by it.

It was a purely shortcut-style demonic technique.

It burns the practitioner's essence and blood, converting them into the most primitive "Blood-Burning Spiritual Power." Essence represents the vitality and origin of the human body, while blood is closely linked to physical strength and health.

Deficiency in blood leads to premature graying, an aged appearance, and a weak, sickly constitution.

Deficiency in essence leads to organ failure, sagging skin, age spots, and a shortened lifespan.

In other words, it is trading lifespan for cultivation.

Three years of lifespan, regardless of talent, allows a practitioner to break through to the first level of Qi Refining in just one month. From that point on, they become a qualified "Spirit Slave."

It seems like a one-time transaction—giving up three years of life to achieve one's goal—and if one is ruthless enough, it can be done. The problem is that condensing spirit sand consumes cultivation base.

When cultivation falls, it must be cultivated back up, which means a continuous, long-term burning of lifespan.

The requirement of one or two taels of spirit sand per month is the real problem.

Can it even be condensed...?

After reading through the entire "Blood-Burning Technique," Wang Yu pondered for a moment before selecting it, placing it into his only cheat—the [Placement Slot].

[Placement Slot 1: Blood-Burning Technique]

"Blood-Burning Technique (0/100): Forty-eight cycles per day, completion in one year."

Wang Yu: "???"

This was the first time such a change had appeared in the Placement Slot; it had never happened before. It was highly likely related to the fact that this was a cultivation technique.

But this was a life-burning demonic technique—forty-eight cycles a day?

A cycle every half hour on average—wouldn't that drain him into a husk?!!

Just as Wang Yu was about to remove it, his thoughts wavered. This was his only chance to turn his life around.

"I'll try one cycle. I'll wait half an hour to see if there are any changes before making a decision."

Soon, half an hour passed.

Wang Yu felt no abnormalities in his body. Instead, a wealth of experience and insights regarding the "Blood-Burning Technique" appeared in his mind. A warm current suddenly emerged within his body, lasting for about three breaths before vanishing.

He hadn't lost any lifespan, nor had he experienced the effects of the rapid-success demonic technique.

This situation left him even more confused.

Based on the rules and usage he had figured out over the past sixteen years, Wang Yu flipped through the booklet recording common knowledge of the cultivation world, and a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind.

Rapid success through burning lifespan was a special effect of the Blood-Burning Technique; it didn't mean every practitioner was forced to use this effect. It could also be used to refine spiritual energy normally.

The warm current that appeared out of thin air in his body was likely the result of the Placement Slot running the Blood-Burning Technique.

The Placement Slot never tires and never stops; forty-eight cycles a day was perfectly normal for it.

A cultivator's talent has a huge impact on early cultivation. Spiritual roots not only represent affinity for spiritual energy but are also closely related to the conversion rate of that energy.

Normally, those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots are naturally attractive to spiritual energy of the same attribute. When practicing, spiritual energy of that attribute spontaneously pours into the body, being refined gently into the cultivator's spiritual power.

They refine as much as they absorb, which is why their cultivation progresses so rapidly.

Wang Yu's trash spiritual root talent possessed all five elements but lacked affinity. He had to expend mental energy to capture spiritual energy himself, and it felt violent and difficult to refine.

The conversion rate was terrifyingly low; if he could refine one strand out of ten absorbed, it was considered a success. Most of the time, he couldn't refine even a single strand. This was why it was so difficult for those with trash spiritual roots to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

The Anti-Spirit Blood Sect was built upon multiple fourth-tier spiritual veins. Even though most of the spiritual energy was concentrated on the Nine Peaks, the stone house area still had an amount of spiritual energy comparable to a first-tier high-grade spiritual vein.

The cultivation environment could be considered quite good.

Spiritual root talent and the spiritual vein environment were two of the three factors determining the speed of a cultivator's early progress. The third factor was related to the cultivator's meridians and spirit.

Running a cultivation technique through the body's "Great Circulation" is extremely draining on one's energy.

It requires total concentration. This impact only lessens after breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, when the divine sense leaves the body and the technique becomes instinctive.

A mortal body's meridians are weak. Even those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots cannot withstand twelve hours of continuous cultivation. Initially, being able to complete four Great Circulations a day is considered good.

In this regard, everyone stands at the same starting line, except for those born with spiritual bodies destined for the Nascent Soul stage.

As cultivation increases, the meridians become stronger and can withstand more spiritual energy. This process is where those with superior talent pull away from the rest.

Those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots cultivate faster and faster, while those with trash spiritual roots cultivate slower and slower. Within a year, the difference becomes like heaven and earth!

Only after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage do these various restrictions and difficulties in cultivation completely disappear.

The Placement Slot's forty-eight cycles a day could give Wang Yu a very obvious advantage during the Qi Refining stage, but his talent was still too poor.

The Placement Slot could not change his talent. Under the same conditions, running the technique forty-eight times a day would yield the same result, which was why the warm current he felt earlier only lasted for three breaths.

Even so, Wang Yu felt incredibly pleasantly surprised.

Being able to start was better than nothing. As long as he could step onto the path of cultivation and resolve his current predicament, there was hope for changing his talent in the future. As his base increased, the multiplier the Placement Slot could provide would skyrocket.

In fact, even without rare treasures to improve talent, a cultivator's talent would improve when breaking through major realms.

It was just that those with four or five spiritual roots usually died of old age before reaching that level; only those with mid-grade spiritual roots, like three spiritual roots, had hope of enjoying that benefit.

"Furthermore, the Placement Slot and my physical body do not interfere with each other. It's like an accessory; my body can still cultivate on its own."

Following this, Wang Yu continued to contemplate the technique. Every half hour, a segment of insight and cultivation experience regarding the "Blood-Burning Technique" would appear in his mind.

This was a huge help in opening up his situation. The spiritual energy that appeared in his body from time to time, even if he couldn't refine it all, brought many benefits.

Being nourished by spiritual energy was always different.

While experiencing the various effects of the Placement Slot, Wang Yu made another astonishing discovery: the Placement Slot not only didn't interfere with his body, but it also had no interaction with the outside world, including spiritual energy.

In other words, the spiritual energy brought to Wang Yu by the Placement Slot's operation appeared out of thin air. Heaven knows where it was absorbing it from.

This meant that even in places without spiritual veins, he could enjoy a twelve-hour, non-stop supply of spiritual energy. Aside from the small quantity, it had no drawbacks.

Although the conveniences brought by the Placement Slot were all minor auxiliary effects, when combined, they could provide him with immense help!

A day passed like this.

Wang Yu practiced passively even while sleeping at night, accepting the feedback and benefits brought by the Placement Slot. Intermittently, his understanding of the "Blood-Burning Technique" crossed an entire level.

Without the need for painstaking study and contemplation, the breakthrough might happen today.

(End of chapter)