Chapter 4: Burning Blood Technique

The Blood Burning Art!

This was the Tier 1 Qi Cultivation technique 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 an unadulterated, shortcut-oriented demonic art.

It involved burning a cultivator's vital essence and blood energy, transforming them into the most primordial Blood Burning Spiritual Energy. Vital essence represents a person's life force and origin, while blood energy is closely linked to physical strength and health.

Deficiency in blood energy can lead to premature graying, an aged appearance, and chronic illness.

Loss of vital essence can result in organ failure, sagging skin, age spots, and a shortened lifespan.

In other words, it traded lifespan for cultivation.

In exchange for three years of life, any cultivator, regardless of their innate talent, could break through to the first level of Qi Cultivation in just one month, becoming a qualified Spirit Slave.

While it seemed like a one-time transaction where sacrificing three years of life achieved the goal, and one could steel their heart and move past it, the real issue was that condensing spirit sand depleted one's cultivation.

A drop in cultivation meant having to cultivate again, which in turn implied a continuous, long-term burning of life force.

The requirement of one to two ounces of spirit sand per month was the actual problem.

Could he even condense it...?

After reading through the entire Blood Burning Art, Wang Yu pondered it before selecting it and placing it in his sole auxiliary slot.

Auxiliary Slot 1: Blood Burning Art

"Blood Burning Art (0/100): Forty-eight practices a day, achievable in one year."

Wang Yu: "???"

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

But this was a demonic art that burned lifespan! Forty-eight practices a day?!

An average of one practice every half hour—wouldn't that drain him completely dry?!!

Just as Wang Yu considered removing it, his resolve wavered again. This was his only chance to turn his situation around.

"I'll try one cycle and wait half an hour to see what changes, then decide. It won't be too late."

Soon, half an hour passed.

Wang Yu didn't feel any abnormality in his body. Instead, his mind gained a wealth of experience and understanding related to cultivating the Blood Burning Art. A warm current abruptly appeared within his body, lasting for about three breaths before disappearing.

He neither lost lifespan nor experienced the rapid effects of the demonic art.

This situation left him even more bewildered.

Based on the patterns and uses he had discerned over the past sixteen years, Wang Yu flipped through the booklet containing common cultivation knowledge. A flash of insight suddenly struck him.

The lifespan-burning rapid advancement was a special effect of the Blood Burning Art, not a mandatory feature for every cultivator. It could also absorb and refine spiritual energy normally.

The warm current that appeared out of nowhere in his body earlier was likely a manifestation of the auxiliary slot running one cycle of the Blood Burning Art.

Since the auxiliary slot never tired and never stopped, forty-eight practices a day seemed normal.

A cultivator's aptitude significantly affected early cultivation. Spiritual roots not only represented affinity for spiritual energy but were also closely related to spiritual energy conversion rates.

Normally, Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitudes inherently attracted spiritual energy of the same attribute. When cultivating, spiritual energy of the corresponding attribute would spontaneously flow into the body, being gently refined into the cultivator's spiritual power.

They refined as much as they absorbed, which was why their cultivation progressed so rapidly.

Wang Yu's Waste Spiritual Root aptitude, despite having all five elements, lacked affinity. He had to painstakingly capture spiritual energy himself, and the energy would feel violent and difficult to refine.

His conversion rate was terrifyingly low; successfully refining even one wisp out of ten absorbed was considered good. More often than not, he couldn't refine a single wisp of spiritual energy, which was why Waste Spiritual Roots found it so difficult to break through to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation.

The Anti-Spirit Blood Sect was built upon multiple Tier 4 spiritual veins. Even though most of the spiritual energy was concentrated on the nine peaks, the stone house area still had a spiritual energy density comparable to a high-grade Tier 1 spiritual vein.

The cultivation environment was considered quite good.

Spiritual root aptitude and spiritual vein environment accounted for two-thirds of the factors determining a cultivator's early cultivation speed. The third factor was related to the cultivator's meridians and spirit.

Performing a Grand Cycle of the cultivation technique within the body was extremely taxing on one's energy.

It required complete concentration. This intense focus would only lessen once a cultivator broke through to the mid-Qi Cultivation stage, when divine sense emerged from the body and the technique's operation became instinctive.

Mortal meridians were weak; even those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots could not withstand a full twenty-four hours of cultivation. Initially, being able to complete four Grand Cycles a day was considered good.

In this regard, everyone started at the same point, except for Nascent Soul seeds born with spiritual physiques.

As cultivation increased, meridians would grow stronger, capable of accommodating more spiritual energy. This process highlighted how those with superior aptitude widened the gap.

Heavenly Spiritual Roots cultivated faster and faster, while Waste Spiritual Roots cultivated slower and slower. The difference would become enormous within a year!

Only upon breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage would all these cultivation limitations and difficulties completely disappear.

It's like interviewing at Tsinghua University and asking, "Are you a Tsinghua University student?" "Yes." Then concluding that everyone there is a Tsinghua University student.

While forty-eight daily practices from the auxiliary slot would give Wang Yu a distinct advantage during the Qi Cultivation stage, his aptitude was simply too poor.

The auxiliary slot couldn't change his aptitude. Whatever his conditions were, running the technique forty-eight times a day yielded the same result, which was why the warm current he felt earlier only lasted for three breaths.

Even so, Wang Yu felt incredibly surprised and delighted.

Having it was better than not having it. As long as he could embark on the path of cultivation and resolve his current predicament, there was hope for improving his aptitude in the future. With a higher base, the amplification multiplier of the auxiliary slot would also increase dramatically.

In fact, even without rare treasures or elixirs to improve aptitude, a cultivator's aptitude would naturally increase upon breaking through major realms.

However, cultivators with four or five spiritual roots often aged and died before reaching that stage. Only those with middle-grade spiritual roots, like three-spiritual-roots or higher, had hope of benefiting from this.

"Furthermore, the auxiliary slot and my main body don't affect each other. It's like an attachment, and my main body can still cultivate independently."

Next, Wang Yu continued to comprehend the cultivation technique. Every half hour, a new insight and cultivation experience regarding the Blood Burning Art would appear in his mind.

This greatly helped him open up new possibilities. The spiritual energy that periodically appeared in his body, even if not fully refined, brought numerous benefits.

A body nourished by spiritual energy was simply different.

While experiencing the various effects of the auxiliary slot, Wang Yu made another astonishing discovery: not only did the auxiliary slot not affect his main body, but it also had no interaction with the outside world, including spiritual energy.

This meant that the spiritual energy the auxiliary slot generated for Wang Yu by running the technique appeared out of thin air. Heaven knew where it was absorbed from.

This implied that even in places without spiritual veins, he could enjoy a continuous, non-stop supply of spiritual energy for twenty-four hours a day. Apart from the relatively small quantity, there were no drawbacks.

Although the conveniences provided by the auxiliary slot were mostly minor supportive functions, when combined, they offered him immense help!

Thus, a day passed.

Wang Yu passively cultivated even while sleeping at night, intermittently receiving feedback and benefits from the auxiliary slot. His understanding of the Blood Burning Art completely surpassed its previous level.

Without needing to painstakingly study or experience it, a breakthrough might just happen today.