Chapter 16: Reverse Blood Ten Workshop

A high-end residence featured floors paved in golden bricks and walls as white as snow.

The areas were divided according to the Nine Peaks. Outer and inner disciples resided together, while only true disciples and elders of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect were authorized to establish cave dwellings on the nine twisted peaks. Core disciples who had reached or were preparing for the Core Formation stage held vastly different statuses.

Steward Duan piloted a jade-fork-shaped flying artifact, taking Wang Yu to his new cave dwelling and explaining the situation at the base of the Nine Peaks.

"This place is officially known as the Ten Reverse Blood Districts. Nine of these districts correspond to the Nine Peaks, and the tenth district houses the sect's common facilities. The Hall of General Affairs, Hall of Missions, Library of Scriptures, Hall of Teachings, Hall of Lectures, Hall of Law Enforcement, Hall of Alchemy, Hall of Artifact Forging, the First-Grade Treasury, and all other buildings essential for the sect's operation are primarily located here.

"The place you're headed is the Ice Snow Tower, which belongs to True Disciple Su within the Cold Blood District. All disciples serving under him there are colleagues, and the competition among them is quite intense. As a spirit slave with wasted spiritual roots, it's inevitable that you'll face ostracization. True Disciple Su will not intervene on your behalf for minor issues, so keep that in mind."

Wang Yu understood the underlying message but scorned the corpulent man's pretense of power. His words, seemingly kind, were in fact a warning not to assume that a favor to a true disciple would be remembered. Contacting True Disciple Su was only possible through him; there was no bypassing him, and he would have to relay any messages. Offending him meant inviting trouble.

Regardless of his internal thoughts, Wang Yu consistently maintained a respectful demeanor. His deferential attitude greatly pleased the portly Steward Duan.

Upon truly entering the Cold Blood District, Wang Yu was pleasantly surprised to find the spiritual energy concentration comparable to that of a second-tier, mid-grade spiritual vein. The spiritual energy environment on the streets alone was sufficient for breakthroughs to the Foundation Establishment stage, which was remarkably rare.

Although he could rely on his unique cultivation method to overcome this major bottleneck, the necessary spiritual energy supply would undoubtedly be inadequate. Breaking through to a higher realm required a substantial influx of external spiritual energy to complete the transformation. Otherwise, he would need to consume a large number of spirit stones to satisfy the spiritual energy requirements. The cultivation gains from his method accumulated after cycles of major circulation, making it impossible to instantly satisfy a large demand for spiritual energy. Consequently, his method could only alleviate his daily spiritual energy needs for cultivation, not provide the transformative spiritual energy required for breaking through major realms.

Despite being a demonic sect, the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect offered an excellent environment.

The Cold Blood District contained ten towers, each representing the sphere of influence of one of the ten true disciples, with sizes varying greatly. The Ice Snow Tower, one of the tallest spiritual towers, had thirty-six stories, soaring into the clouds like a sky-reaching pagoda. It was equipped with protective arrays, making it quite luxurious.

Guided by Steward Duan, Wang Yu walked directly inside. Steward Duan seemed to be a notable figure in the Ice Snow Tower. At the first-floor counter, an inner disciple with a purple blood waist token proactively approached, grinning widely and bowing as he spoke.

"Brother Duan, what a pleasant surprise to see you!" His tone was respectful and fawning.

Steward Duan looked down on the disciple, his face practically parallel to the ceiling in his arrogance. "You are Zhao... Shang?"

"Yes, it's me. It's truly an honor that Brother Duan still remembers this humble junior."

"Let's skip the pleasantries. This is Wang Yu, personally appointed by True Disciple Su for promotion from spirit slave to outer disciple. Arrange accommodation for him; he will serve in the Ice Snow Tower from now on." The words "spirit slave" were emphasized with particular clarity.

Zhao Shang mused, glancing at Wang Yu's distinctive appearance before chuckling lightly. "Brother Wang, there's no need to feel inferior. While the promotion rate for spirit slaves on Cold Blood Peak isn't high, there are still quite a few fellow disciples from other peaks who have been promoted."

"Thank you for your kind words, Senior Brother Zhao."

"It's nothing." Zhao Shang waved his hand dismissively. "Since you've joined True Disciple Su's command, let me first introduce you to the Ice Snow Tower."

Steward Duan, however, abruptly interjected. "You handle Wang Yu's arrangements. I have other matters with the spirit slaves, so I'll be taking my leave."

"Understood."

As soon as he left, Zhao Shang quickly spat and cursed, "That trash, a mere fox parading as a tiger! What an idiot, damn it!" His blatant disregard for Wang Yu's presence utterly astonished the latter.

After his outburst, Zhao Shang finally turned to Wang Yu and spoke frankly. "I'll be frank. Duan Ping is a nepotist, leveraging his blood ties to True Disciple Su's maternal family. Otherwise, he wouldn't have secured the position of spirit slave steward."

Wang Yu offered a placating smile, refraining from any comment. This demeanor prompted Zhao Shang to nod subtly, and he then continued his explanation. "Normally, any newcomer, regardless of who sponsors them, must pay a substantial fee to secure a room in the Ice Snow Tower. Since you were personally appointed by True Disciple Su and come from a spirit slave background, I presume you don't possess many valuables. Therefore, you may reside in a cultivation chamber on the tenth floor."

Wang Yu nodded repeatedly. Zhao Shang then produced an ice-blue token, tapped it against Wang Yu's waist token, and handed him a small booklet. "The detailed rules and information about the Ten Reverse Blood Districts are all recorded in this booklet. You can study it on your own later; I, Zhao, will not accompany you further."

"Alright, thank you..." Before Wang Yu could finish speaking, Zhao Shang had already departed, returning to his seat behind the first-floor counter to close his eyes and rest, seemingly idling.

Wang Yu was not displeased. As he walked towards the stairs, he opened the booklet and began to study its contents.

The Ice Snow Tower had thirty-six floors. The topmost floor was True Disciple Su's personal chamber, though he rarely resided there. Instead, he frequently invited friends for banquets and sightseeing on that level. Floors two to nine served as grand banquet halls, capable of accommodating two thousand guests simultaneously. They were furnished with numerous tables and chairs, along with several private rooms and quiet chambers for conversation. Floors ten to thirty were designated as cultivation chambers for his subordinates, each equipped with two first-tier array formations: the "Spirit Gathering Array" and the "Mind Soothing Array." The former array gathered and purified the spiritual energy from heaven and earth, making it exceptionally docile for cultivators. The latter array calmed the mind, fortified the intellect, and rapidly restored vitality. This enabled Qi Condensation cultivators to complete more cycles of major circulation in their early training, leading to significantly faster cultivation progress over time compared to ordinary individuals.

To be fair, the benefits offered here were excellent. A total of twenty floors, each containing thirty cultivation chambers with identical effects. While the Ice Snow Tower was the core of True Disciple Su's influence, not everyone was permitted to reside within it. The surrounding dozen streets were also within his sphere of influence, inhabited by outer disciples, but nearly all who gained entry into the tower itself were inner disciples. This clearly indicated the high regard they held for Wang Yu.

As for floors thirty-one to thirty-five, these consisted of second-tier cultivation chambers, meticulously crafted by True Disciple Su, and were reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators. This tier had a limited number of chambers, with only two rooms per floor. Foundation Establishment cultivators had moved beyond the lowest ranks and were considered a significant, albeit lower-tier, backbone of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. They typically owned multiple properties, often including private cave dwellings within the Ten Reverse Blood Districts, and were eligible to serve as sect stewards.

This was the general layout of the Ice Snow Tower, but there was also a crucial regulation tied to contribution points. Specifically, the tower was authorized to issue missions, acting as a proxy for the Hall of Missions. However, a fifty percent commission would be deducted from the reward as a service fee for accepting a mission.