Chapter 800: Foundations of Cultivation

The 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' technique draws power from the stars of the universe to temper the practitioner's body. According to the cultivation method, while channeling the starlight during practice, a sinister and chaotic energy is also drawn into the body. This energy, known as "Star Malevolence," coexists with the starlight. Any cultivator whose primordial spirit is invaded by Star Malevolence meets a terrible end: they fall into madness, completely lose their sentience, eventually transform into an indescribable entity, and die miserably. However, 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' allows practitioners to use the innate bloodline power of demonic beasts to refine Star Malevolence, purifying it into starlight for body tempering. Simultaneously, cultivators can turn this misfortune into a blessing, gradually refining their own bloodline during cultivation. This is the most crucial aspect of this cultivation method.

Immortal cultivators, lacking the bloodline inherent in demon cultivators, cannot refine Star Malevolence. For them, practicing this technique is tantamount to seeking their own demise. Yet, Qin Sang saw an opportunity. With the protection of the Jade Buddha, he believed he could resist Star Malevolence from invading his primordial spirit. The Jade Buddha had never disappointed him in his previous experiences.

When demon cultivators practice 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body', they must first activate their bloodline power to refine the Star Malevolence, ensuring not even a trace remains. Their cultivation speed is closely tied to the strength of their bloodline power, essentially their innate talent as a demon cultivator. Qin Sang, however, wouldn't need to divert his attention to refining Star Malevolence. This effectively made him equivalent to a demon cultivator with the highest innate talent, allowing his cultivation speed to be significantly faster than theirs. Of course, in his hands, 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' would become a purely body-tempering technique. But if his understanding of the method was correct, even as a standalone body-tempering art, it was still a top-tier technique—the finest Qin Sang had ever encountered in his life, truly living up to its "Heavenly Demon" name!

Upon realizing this, Qin Sang was naturally overjoyed. However, he didn't let excitement cloud his judgment. After all, this was a top-tier cultivation method created by a demon cultivator, with no precedent for human practitioners. While the Jade Buddha could resist the Star Malevolence invasion, the technique itself might have other unforeseen effects on the cultivator. For instance, upon initiating the technique, at the moment the mind connects with the stars, one must constantly visualize the form of a Heavenly Demon. Demon cultivators visualize their ancestors to define their path, but what would he visualize?

Furthermore, Qin Sang had only seen the first four layers of 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body'. If his understanding was correct, these layers corresponded precisely to the first four cultivation realms: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul. In his view, the fourth layer was already incredibly obscure and required careful contemplation. He was unsure if casually visualizing any demonic beast would lead to unforeseen complications. Qin Sang's understanding of demon script was rudimentary; he could barely decipher it. Therefore, his current comprehension might be inaccurate, and he dared not attempt cultivation rashly. Unfortunately, the later sections were shrouded in a mist, obscured from view. This indicated that the cultivation method was likely complete, but his current cultivation level prevented him from seeing through the mist. This made it even harder for Qin Sang to abandon the idea, as 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' might offer more than just a path to the Spirit Transformation realm!

Nevertheless, before deciding to practice 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body', he needed to learn demon script and thoroughly comprehend the entire technique. Otherwise, any mishap would lead to irreversible regret. Regardless, 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' indeed offered Qin Sang a glimmer of hope.

After obtaining the 'Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter', Qin Sang had encountered countless cultivation methods over the past century; Mount Shaohua alone housed over a hundred. However, aside from Wu Shang's 'Fiend-Slaying Pill' and the Witch Tribe's secret art of 'Life-Bound Gu Insects', very few were suitable for him. Coupled with his limited talent, he couldn't afford to be distracted by other pursuits. 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' might be another technique that perfectly suited him. Moreover, as a body-tempering method, it didn't conflict with the 'Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter' and could be cultivated concurrently.

The suitability of both these cultivation methods for him was largely due to the Jade Buddha. One could even say that his entire cultivation path was based on the Jade Buddha. The significance of 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' to him extended beyond just its compatibility.

As he had not yet found any news of the Ten Divine Woods, his Ebony Sword could not be enhanced, leaving Qin Sang's cultivation constantly on the brink of stagnation. Without increasing his strength, he wouldn't be able to pass the Sword Path trial. The Sword Path might lead to an ancient teleportation array, and if he couldn't find it, he wouldn't be able to return to the Minor Cold Domain to search for the Boundless Blood Mulberry. This would lead to a stalemate. Furthermore, magical treasures and Gu insects would be sealed within the Sword Path, meaning he had to rely solely on his own abilities. Body tempering was an excellent solution. Cultivating both magic and body would not just double his strength, but enhance it far beyond that. If he could reach the peak of even the third stage of 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body', he would possess the strength of a late-stage peak cultivator. This would give Qin Sang an alternative path, temporarily alleviating the urgent need to search for the Ten Divine Woods.

"I can find knowledgeable seniors on Tianxing Island to learn demon script, then study this technique meticulously. Since there's no precedent for this cultivation method, I'll have to explore it myself..."

Qin Sang put away the cultivation method, idly turning the bone flute in his hand. A sudden realization flashed through his mind, and he noticed something unusual. Undoubtedly, both 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' and 'Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter' were top-tier cultivation methods, even in ancient times, one belonging to demons and the other to humans. Yet, both shared a similar fate. He had only managed to gather the scattered pieces of the 'Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter' by chance after teleporting to the Canglang Sea. Otherwise, the three bone flute fragments might never have reunited.

A shiver suddenly ran down Qin Sang's spine. A question had always lingered in his mind: in both the Minor Cold Domain and the Canglang Sea, countless legends circulated about the ancient cultivation world, all pointing to the immense power of ancient cultivators, with many even speaking of ascensions to immortality. Yet, in the current cultivation world, cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage were considered top masters, while those at the Spirit Transformation stage were nowhere to be found, and cultivators of even higher realms existed only in legends. The path to immortality seemed severed, and all top-tier cultivation methods had been scattered. Was all this merely a coincidence? Or was it orchestrated?

Qin Sang lowered his head slightly, his thoughts swirling like a tide. However, his cultivation was still low, and his immediate goal was to form his Nascent Soul; overthinking would be pointless. Looking on the bright side, if the 'Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter' was also scattered in pieces rather than being incomplete, just like 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body', then he would have a glimmer of hope of reassembling the entire technique.

Tianxing Island.

After seeing the 'Heavenly Demon Forging Body' technique, Qin Sang eagerly set off for Tianxing Island. For the time being, Qin Sang planned to act as a rogue cultivator and rent a cave dwelling on Tianxing Island. He had many tasks to complete and needed to stay there to gather resources.

The Inner Sea was safer than the Demon Sea, so Qin Sang flew alone and arrived near Tianxing Island without any major incidents. He still possessed the token of the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce steward, which he certainly couldn't use now. Fortunately, he had anticipated this situation and had previously forged a rogue cultivator identity, which he had used for some time in the Demon Sea. It was now perfect for his current needs.

The Canglang Sea's area far surpassed that of the Minor Cold Domain, but since most of it was open water, islands with spiritual veins were largely controlled by major powers. After the war between the righteous and demonic factions ceased, they collaboratively controlled most of the sea, dividing it into four regions and establishing rules. Even factions outside the main righteous and demonic alliances found that their disciples encountered far fewer problems when they declared their identity while traveling.