Chapter 40: Qi Refining Level Five

The cultivation speed of the Corpse Demon Secret Art was simply astonishing. What did 1,440 practices a day even mean?

One practice per minute!

As soon as Wang Yu began cultivating it, he immediately felt a significant change. Each minute, a surge of Yin Qi and Corpse Qi suddenly appeared within his body. The Yin Qi assimilated into his bloodstream, rapidly lowering his body temperature and giving him a subtle chilling sensation. The Corpse Qi merged into his bones, making his skin even paler, almost gaunt. His fingernails turned dark and hardened. His entire demeanor transformed into that of a proper demonic cultivator; he no longer looked like a good person.

His hair, which had previously grown an inch of black from the roots, turned entirely white once more. This change wasn't due to the erosion of his lifespan but rather a transformation induced by the Yin and Corpse Qi. A wealth of insights and experiences regarding the Corpse Demon Secret Art flooded his mind.

The ultimate goal of this secret art was to cultivate "Heavenly Yin Blood" and "Corpse Demon Bones." As this was only an incomplete technique, it could certainly not achieve that. Thus, this was merely the first stage of preliminary transformation. It granted Wang Yu traits such as a zombie's invulnerable skin and bones, along with immense strength. He also gained the innate chill of a Yin ghost, which would accelerate his cultivation of cold-attribute techniques and drastically increase the power of his Yin-cold attribute spells. It would even slightly enhance his divine sense.

Such body-modifying secret arts were exceedingly rare. If it were a complete secret art, its value would be incalculable! However, as only an incomplete version, its numerous accompanying side effects ensured that very few cultivators would choose to practice it. Wang Yu valued its unique ability to reattach severed limbs. Furthermore, the Heavenly Yin Blood seemed to simulate spiritual root aptitude, thereby enhancing his innate talent to some extent. When combined with the Cold Blood Art, it was highly likely to create a unique synergy. Both, after all, involved Yin-cold transformations of the blood.

Results would be evident within three months! Wang Yu swiftly returned to his residence, sealed it off, and commenced a prolonged period of secluded cultivation.

And so, it was April of his second year in the outer sect. Ninety days passed in the blink of an eye. In his dwelling in the Evil God District, Wang Yu, whose appearance had drastically transformed, stood before a man-sized ice mirror, examining his new self.

His eyes were a dark green, with the whites turned pure black, giving him a somewhat eerie appearance. Two sharp fangs protruded from his upper jaw, identical to those of a zombie. His skin was whiter than a corpse's, and his silver hair, tied in a high topknot, gave him a sleek, sharp look. His formerly delicate features, combined with his unsettling eyes, now exuded a hint of malevolence. These were the changes to his facial appearance. His fingernails and toenails had become dark and sharp, representing the most pronounced mutation.

His strength surged throughout his limbs and body, making him incredibly powerful. He could easily crush a man-sized bluestone. With his invulnerable skin and bones, he was impervious to blades, spears, water, and fire. Simultaneously, Wang Yu noticed he had become somewhat photophobic, preferring dark environments. He also felt a newfound bloodlust and a desire to devour wandering spirits.

These were all side effects of the Corpse Demon Secret Art. To some extent, his physique had been transformed to resemble a zombie or a Yin ghost, granting him the advantages of both but also their respective disadvantages. Wang Yu's body temperature had dropped to around 18-19 degrees Celsius, and his heart beat remarkably slowly. His blood had become Yin, with black rune particles circulating within it. His bones had become demonic, as Corpse Qi had deeply penetrated his bone marrow, forming a set of incomplete runes on his skeletal structure.

Slot 3: Corpse Demon Secret Art (Incomplete/Undergoing completion...)[Corpse Demon Secret Art (100/100): 1,440 practices per day, completion in twenty years.]

Wang Yu was profoundly surprised, then a realization dawned on him. The twenty years mentioned likely referred to the time required to complete it to the second stage. There would presumably be third and fourth stages later, corresponding to the Nascent Soul realm.

With his physical transformation complete, the Corpse Demon Secret Art stated that the next step was to condense a "Yin Blood Pill" within his body using Yin and Corpse Qi. This pill was crucial for reattaching severed limbs. Not only could it prevent organ rejection, but if he could cultivate three "Yin Blood Pills," he could even regrow a severed arm. However, this would require the art to be complete up to at least the third stage. The path ahead was indeed long and arduous.

As Wang Yu examined his body, he made another discovery: his aptitude had changed! The incomplete Heavenly Yin Blood and Corpse Demon Bones seemed to have bestowed upon him another kind of heterodox aptitude, akin to an acquired Yin spiritual root, which complemented his initially mutated "Ice Spiritual Root." The Yin-ice attribute mutation was entirely applied to his Water spiritual root, which suddenly grew from about an inch to nearly four inches in length. This was now almost comparable to a mixed spiritual root aptitude. This change brought Wang Yu immense joy; enduring so many side effects was precisely what he had sought.

After a day of tranquil cultivation, four additional wisps of refined Yin-cold spiritual energy appeared within him. This development meant his cultivation speed had doubled once more. Including the effects of the supreme-grade Cold Blood Pill, he would successfully break through to the fifth layer of Qi Condensation in at most 160 days, or approximately five and a half months. This marked a monumental and extraordinarily significant turning point in his entire cultivation journey.

From that day forward, time seemed to accelerate. Wang Yu's altered appearance didn't draw much attention. After all, this was the demonic path, where strange cultivators, neither fully human nor ghost-like, were common. His transformation was considered relatively normal, merely akin to a zombie. Only the Alchemist Guild, Zhao Shang, and a few others discerned the extraordinary nature of his secret art, but they refrained from asking further questions.

He continued earning spirit stones as usual, while also contacting inner sect disciples from Heavenly Corpse Peak in search of a refined corpse to mend his severed arm. Although Su Zhenchuan had promised him an arm from a second-tier Ice Corpse, he couldn't approach Duan Ping to inquire about it. Their lack of contact for such a long time already suggested underlying issues. If the delay extended for a few more years, further complications were bound to arise. Therefore, Wang Yu decided to search for one himself. He needed at least a peak first-tier corpse, but ideally, he wanted a remnant arm from a second-tier refined corpse. For Foundation Establishment cultivators of Heavenly Corpse Peak, there were likely many unrepairable second-tier refined corpses. Simply purchasing an arm should offer numerous opportunities.

Meanwhile, Wang Yu was also looking for a suitable high-grade magical artifact, preparing for his eventual departure from the sect.

And so, five and a half months elapsed in the blink of an eye. It was September of his second year in the outer sect. Wang Yu, sitting cross-legged, felt his aura surge, and his spiritual energy cultivation reached its current peak. A full three hundred wisps of Yin-cold spiritual energy swirled around him, causing a layer of frost to condense on the ground.

Qi Condensation Fifth Layer, achieved!

The original goal of three and a half years had been achieved in just over a year, a truly remarkable speed. As for breaking through to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, it would be a much longer process, requiring him to condense a full one thousand wisps of spiritual energy. At that point, he would face the bottleneck between the mid and late stages of Qi Condensation. He would need to undergo a second spiritual refinement, transforming the thousand wisps of spiritual energy into hundreds, with each 'strand' as a unit. One hundred strands of spiritual energy would signify the seventh layer of Qi Condensation! Following that would be the final accumulation phase, leading to the threshold of the third spiritual refinement, where spiritual energy would liquefy and transform into True Essence—one of the three crucial hurdles for Foundation Establishment.

At present, he needed to accumulate seven hundred wisps of spiritual energy to reach completion. Based on the estimated efficiency of his current two cultivation slots, it would take 1,750 days, or nearly five years. This was not slow, and if he factored in the supreme-grade Cold Blood Pill, he could likely break through in about three years.