Chapter 8: Medium-grade Spell Ice Sword Technique

"No—" Wang Yu shook his head.

"Serving the Sacred Sect and assisting Su Zhenchuan is a great honor for me, Wang Yu. I would gladly lay down my life and dedicate myself fully!"

"Very good. I see you're also at the second level of Qi Cultivation, which is enough to learn spells. I'll pass on this Ice Sword Art to you; it might be useful when recruiting people."

Wang Yu quickly took a thick booklet. It not only explained the mysteries of the art but also generally introduced the common knowledge and ranks of spells. He hadn't expected to actually benefit from this, which was quite a surprise. Seeing that Manager Duan had no intention of speaking further, he wisely took his leave. Only after returning to his stone house did he begin to study it.

Spells usable during the Qi Cultivation stage are all first-tier, categorized into low, mid, and high grades, corresponding to the early, mid, and late phases of the cultivation realm. Foundation Establishment corresponds to second-tier, Core Formation to third-tier, and so on. Secret techniques and secret arts are not part of the regular grade classification; their power is defined by their effects. Besides spells, there are other categories such as "treasure arts," "divine abilities," and "arcane arts." These are not basic knowledge and were not explained in detail.

The Ice Sword Art given by Manager Duan was somewhat unexpected for Wang Yu; it was actually a mid-grade spell. When cultivated to mastery, it could condense ten ice swords to face enemies, with power comparable to a high-grade spell. Wang Yu wasn't surprised, however. Knowledge-based techniques could be copied, so while they held value for higher-ups, it wasn't immense. For him, it was an invaluable ladder to change his fate. This also indicated that if he failed to meet Manager Duan's demands, he would surely die!

After a moment of thought, Wang Yu removed the Blood Incineration Art from his second slot and placed the Ice Sword Art there.

Slot 2: Ice Sword Art. "Ice Sword Art (0/100): 144 practices per day; mastery in 30 days."

Wang Yu murmured, "...144 practices? That's once every 10 minutes?" The word "beast" caught in his throat; he didn't dare think it.

When cultivators practice spells and cultivation techniques, those aligning with their spirit root attributes yield twice the results with half the the effort, while those that don't align are much less efficient. Spirit roots correspond to the Five Elements, which in turn evolve into all things. Although a waste spirit root is inferior, it can cultivate any attribute's cultivation technique or spell, at least at a normal speed, without holding one back. While Heavenly Spirit Roots offer excellent aptitude, their path is often fixed with little room for change. Of course, cultivating spells that don't match their spirit root attribute is still possible; they can learn them. It's simply a matter of speed.

"The Ice Sword Art can be mastered in thirty days, which means 4,320 repetitions. It seems my comprehension is much better than my spirit root aptitude." For a normal cultivator, understanding is just one step in practicing a spell; they also need to cast it repeatedly to get a feel for it. Qi Cultivation cultivators have limited spiritual power and restricted meridian strength. No one can practice non-stop like Wang Yu; this isn't asceticism, it's pure mechanical repetition!

Every ten minutes, a segment of insight and experience with the Ice Sword Art appeared in his mind, complete with the physical muscle memory for hand seals—mysterious and strange. Since there was no hope of breaking through to the third level of Qi Cultivation in the short term, Wang Yu decided to fully master the Ice Sword Art first. As his only offensive method, he had to become proficient in it.

Day twenty of his spirit slave life.

After Wang Yu stopped using the "Life-Burning Seal Art" of the Blood Incineration Art, only ten wisps of burning blood spiritual power remained in his body. Over these past eight days, his slot had generated four more wisps of pure spiritual power, slightly improving his cultivation.

Inside the stone house at that moment, Wang Yu's hand seals shifted, and the temperature within a zhang (approx. 3.3 meters) around him rapidly dropped. After three breaths, a four-foot-long, hiltless ice sword condensed into being.

"Swoosh—"

The ice sword quickly plunged into the stone house floor, leaving behind only faint wisps of white mist formed by evaporating ice energy. Its power was enough to cut through metal and jade, and its speed was no less than that of an arrow. However, the preparation time was a bit long, and it consumed a significant amount of spiritual power, draining him almost completely after a single use.

"It's still a bit lacking for actual combat. In two more days, it should be ready to be used as a trump card." Having made his assessment, Wang Yu quietly circulated the Blood Incineration Art to restore his spiritual power. To use it multiple times and sustain a full battle, he would at least need to break through to the third level of Qi Cultivation.

Another day, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), a lecture was held. Wang Yu officially began his plan, approaching his fellow villagers from Stone Lake City. These two had deliberately avoided learning to read, staying in the corner as mere observers. Such behavior was akin to waiting for death. When they were eventually required to hand over spirit sand, it would be their reckoning. Persuading them to join Manager Duan's faction would be challenging. After all, they weren't even willing to learn to read, precisely because they didn't want to end up like the other spirit slaves due to cultivation.

Wang Yu's act of recruiting them was actually paving his own way. His situation appeared better, but it was only temporary stability, bought with his lifespan. To escape his current predicament, what did it matter if he became a villain for once? It was better for others to die than for him!

"My two friends, do you recognize me?"

The two wary commoners from Stone Lake City, both about sixteen, were startled when they saw Wang Yu's appearance. They didn't recognize him by his face but by Manager Duan's highly publicized praise from the last time. The significance of this recognition was entirely different.

"You... you're Young Master Wang Yu of the Wang family from Stone Lake City?"

"It is I." Wang Yu sighed softly, patted one of them on the shoulder, and whispered, "I noticed you two quite a while ago."

The two grew tense, unable to guess what he intended. "This is the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect, located in the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain. Don't even think about escaping. Unless the Demonic Sect is destroyed tomorrow, you should accept your fate as soon as possible."

After saying this, Wang Yu paused, observing their reactions. Their daring behavior proved their stubborn willpower and reluctance to accept their fate, but their lack of broad understanding made them relatively easy to deceive. His Wang family had a considerable reputation in Stone Lake City, partly thanks to a few dissolute young masters from the main branch. His own reputation in Stone Lake City was also well-known, often associated with good deeds. In truth, he hadn't deliberately done anything special; it was simply that his modern worldview, combined with a sufficiently affluent living environment, had allowed him to maintain his principles.

Now, as a spirit slave, Wang Yu changed day by day. He had long been under severe survival pressure, and people in such circumstances were most prone to change. Among the spirit slaves in the stone house district of Cold Blood Peak, only this group from Stone Lake City was new. Their numbers met Wang Yu's requirements. The "old" spirit slaves had mostly pledged allegiance to the three managers, and he had no way to change that. The number given by Manager Duan perfectly matched the number of people from Stone Lake City. This was no coincidence but a deliberate act—to see if he could bring this group under his control.

In social interactions, it's best not to speak too deeply when relationships are shallow. Therefore, Wang Yu said no more. After exposing their little thoughts, he applied another layer of pressure.

"You have two months at most. This month, study the meaning of the words in the Blood Incineration Art and understand the principles of cultivation. If you cannot break through to the Qi Cultivation stage next month based on this, your fate will be..."