Chapter 60: Cultivation Progress

Mount Xuangu.

Wang Yu returned to his temporary residence on Mount Xuangu Number Three. With all the late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators having departed, only minor practitioners were left in the three Xuangu mountains.

From his vantage point, a significant number of individuals remained with Situ Hong and Liu Jinxian’s factions, a minority of whom were still consolidating the benefits from the Profound Essence Flowers.

Most were repairing their residences or patrolling the Bone-Wood Forest.

No one noticed his sudden return.

Gu Zhengshun’s position, however, remained shrouded in black mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

After deploying the Blood Mist Concealment Array, he immediately began cultivating to recover from his injuries. A substantial amount of Yin spiritual power, primarily acquired through the Corpse Demon Secret Art, was channeled almost entirely into his left arm, gradually healing the severed limb.

The healing process was merely slow.

The six individuals he subsequently killed also brought him an income of approximately three thousand spirit stones, along with numerous low-grade first-tier pills and spiritual materials.

Few of these were useful to him, primarily regarding magic artifacts.

From the extensive collection, he selected two items for refinement: the Golden Blade Whip, obtained from a fellow sect member, which could serve as a substitute for his Nether Spirit Iron Chain.

The other item was freely provided by one of the three individuals guarding the retreat: the Black Scale Shield, a high-grade magic artifact. Its defensive capabilities surpassed those of the Bronze Bell, although its defensive angle was somewhat limited.

The inability to provide all-around protection was a minor issue.

The most significant financial gain, however, came from the Profound Essence Flowers. The quantity of first-tier Profound Essence Flowers surpassed a thousand, potentially even two thousand.

There were nearly two hundred second-tier Profound Essence Flowers.

Such a vast quantity meant that even with his poor spirit root aptitude, he could accumulate enough resources to achieve a state of “semi-true essence spiritual power.”

Furthermore, his personal assets had for the first time surpassed ten thousand spirit stones. If he could process the corpses and miscellaneous items, he might acquire an additional three thousand spirit stones.

He had amassed such a fortune in such a short time since leaving.

Of course, this was also due to the fact that he had only killed late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators. Individuals who reach this realm, to varying degrees, yearn for Foundation Establishment and thus unconsciously save and accumulate resources.

Killing mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators would not yield such gains.

For such cultivators, their bodies were the most valuable asset!

After three days of recuperation.

With no activity detected underground and no one having returned, Wang Yu cast the Night Concealment Spell and departed Mount Xuangu, seeking refuge in a natural cave near the edge of the spiritual vein.

This measure was to prevent Liu Jinxian and others from suddenly emerging from underground while he was engrossed in cultivation and unable to notice immediately.

If he were to be surrounded by hundreds of people, not being proficient in speed, he would face mortal danger. Therefore, he chose to remain far from Mount Xuangu, quietly cultivating while keeping watch from the periphery.

Only after breaking through to Qi Condensation Layer Six and then using the power of the Profound Essence Flowers to reach the late-stage Qi Condensation realm would it be the opportune moment for him to descend into the underground palace again.

Offline cultivation via the “placement slot” had no environmental requirements.

Wang Yu’s main body cultivated at an alarmingly slow pace, making it almost meaningless.

Therefore, apart from needing to circulate his cultivation during the daily refinement of the Supreme Cold Blood Pill, his reliance on spiritual veins was quite low.

The rest of his time was spent utilizing "Yin Marrow Liquid" to cultivate the Profound Yin Hand, a high-grade second-tier spell, which was extremely difficult to master.

Fortunately, with the aid of treasures and the physical modification from the Corpse Demon Secret Art, his talent in Yin-cold attributes had increased somewhat.

Mastering this spell was divided into three stages.

In the first stage, he could only condense a fist about three meters long, based on his own arm, which could not detach from his body.

In the second stage, he could condense two grayish-black giant fists that could detach from his body and be freely controlled within a hundred-meter range.

Su Qingshan was currently in this second stage, considered a "minor accomplishment"!

In the third stage, the Profound Yin Hand would truly reach "great accomplishment." At this point, not only fists but also forearms could be condensed, ranging in size from roughly three to nine meters. They could be formed and used anywhere within the range of his divine sense and maneuvered with utmost flexibility.

Conventionally, reaching the "great accomplishment" stage signified the completion of a spell's cultivation.

To achieve "perfection" and rival the realm of the spell’s creator, one would require exceptional comprehension, which was exceedingly difficult!

Wang Yu was aware of the advantages and convenience of perfect spells.

That feeling of seamless mastery, allowing for secondary development and the derivation of various practical combat applications, was truly wonderful.

He greatly valued this spell, but unfortunately, he had no empty placement slots available.

Next was his second significant gain.

The divine sense jade slip he had seized from the Foundation Establishment Corpse Demon contained a profound eye technique secret art.

—The Lunar Specter Eye!

Like the Corpse Demon Secret Art, it was also a body-modifying secret art, though more focused, affecting only the eyes.

Furthermore, it was a legacy jade slip, containing a total of four layers.

Given Wang Yu’s current cultivation realm, he could only unlock the content of the first layer.

Needless to say, after observing it, he immediately placed it in a placement slot for examination.

Placement Slot 3: Lunar Specter Eye"Lunar Specter Eye (0/100): With twenty-four hours of practice per day, it can be mastered in one year."

One year was not a short time.

Among all the first-tier spells Wang Yu had practiced, this one required the most time. Cultivating this eye technique was essentially a modification of his eyes.

It required the aid of a special treasure called Vast Cold Dew, one drop per month. Furthermore, it necessitated drawing in true to nourish his eyes.

The Lunar Essence dispersed across the human realm from the Lunar Star was also a high-grade essence of heaven and earth. Simply meditating and absorbing it directly was ineffective, unless one possessed a corresponding cultivation method or used a special array for assistance.

Therefore, Wang Yu could only rely on the placement slot to cultivate it.

On the other hand, since the Corpse Demon Secret Art could only attract Yin spiritual power, it indicated that this secret art might be superior to it! This was merely the first layer; the four layers might correspond to the four major realms of cultivators.

At the very least, it was a Nascent Soul-level secret art. Trading a divine power corpse arm for it was an incredibly profitable exchange!

Currently, the Corpse Demon Secret Art, which had already reached "perfection," had been cultivating in a placement slot for one year and one month, with nineteen more years needed to complete a further stage.

After a moment of hesitation, Wang Yu decided that since he had no immediate need for the continued intensive training of his "second brother" technique (referring to the Corpse Demon Secret Art), he would simply place the Lunar Specter Eye in Slot 3.

This eye technique aligned well with him, and its described effects were quite mystical. Only by experiencing it firsthand could he truly understand its power.

Thus, Wang Yu entered a state of secluded cultivation.

He refined the power of pills, cultivated the Profound Yin Hand, and observed his daily transformations.

Half a year later, which marked the end of his first year since arriving at Mount Xuangu.

In the eleventh month of his third year in the outer sect, the remaining half of the Supreme Cold Blood Pill was completely refined. His spiritual power increased by fifty units, and the effect of the placement slot increased by sixty units.

His personal cultivation increased by three units. This portion stemmed from his frequent short-term battles, which seemed to accelerate his cultivation speed somewhat, though barely.

His accumulated spiritual power cultivation had now reached 536 units.

After consuming a new Supreme Cold Blood Pill, he would still need two and a half years of arduous effort to reach the breakthrough point.

The path ahead was long and arduous.

If he could consume a third Supreme Cold Blood Pill midway, his cultivation would advance by an estimated two years, which was not a slow pace.

However, given the situation at Mount Xuangu, his current strength was indeed somewhat insufficient.