Chapter 90: Refining the Spiritual Liquid, Body Forging with Evil Qi
Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Refining the Spiritual Liquid, Body Forging with Evil Qi
’It’s a shame about Song Xinghai’s hairpin, and that Protective Jade Pendant from before. They must be bound to his bloodline, so I can’t just take them. Otherwise, they’d be part of my haul too.’
’Thankfully, even without those two, this was still a bountiful harvest.’
’And now that I have plenty of Spirit Stones, it’s time to upgrade the Eye of the Spirit Spring.’
It was the dead of night. In his cave abode beneath the Earth Fire Hall, Zhang Chi quickly processed and completed the Refinement of the Magical Artifacts. Then, he tossed a large quantity of Spirit Stones directly into the Eye of the Spirit Spring.
In truth, Spirit Stones had many uses for him; raising Corpse Puppets was one.
He also wanted to secretly acquire the Tier Two inheritances for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Talisman Making from the Inheritance Hall.
But compared to all that, upgrading the Eye of the Spirit Spring was clearly the most important priority.
This was because it would directly increase his Cultivation speed.
Besides, it would be a long time before his skills in Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Talisman Making were ready for another breakthrough. He was confident he could earn more Spirit Stones in the meantime.
CLINK, CLINK, CLINK...
The large number of Spirit Stones vanished the moment they fell into the spring’s eye. In an instant, the Eye of the Spirit Spring took a great leap toward Tier Two, and the Spiritual Qi it emitted grew far more abundant.
’This thing really burns through money. It’s more cost-effective to just buy Earth Milk Spirit Liquid. But the Eye of the Spirit Spring is a long-term investment. Once you consume the Earth Milk Spirit Liquid, it’s gone. Since their effects can stack, I guess it’s not a waste.’
’With this large investment of Spirit Stones, it will take another 100,000 at most for the Eye of the Spirit Spring to reach Tier Two. But for now, this is more than enough for my needs.’
Zhang Chi assessed the changes, feeling both the sting of the expense and a surge of excitement.
Just like that, he was left with barely any Spirit Stones.
Fortunately, with his crafting skills, he wasn’t worried about a lack of income.
After that, he carefully took out a single drop of Earth Milk Spirit Liquid and swallowed it.
The Spiritual Liquid tasted sweet, but it wasn’t digested like food. Instead, guided by the flow of his Spiritual Power, it instantly descended into his Dantian. There, it hovered silently, continuously emitting fine streams of Pure Spiritual Qi.
This was not an instantaneous process. It would continue until the vast Spiritual Qi contained within the liquid was completely absorbed through Refinement.
The drop of Spiritual Liquid would shrink throughout this process until it vanished completely.
An ordinary Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Cultivator, even one as powerful as Song Xinghai, would need at least a year to complete the Refinement of this single drop.
Five drops would take them at least five years to refine.
But Zhang Chi’s Divine Thought was powerful, and with the help of his nine Blood Flames, it would likely only take him half a year.
Factoring in the Eye of the Spirit Spring, Elixirs, and other aids, he estimated he could reach the absolute limit of Qi Cultivation in a year and a half at most.
If his Cultivation of the Celestial Net Evil Body went smoothly, that timeline would be shortened even further—a single year might be enough.
This body of his was eighteen. In another year, he would still be not yet twenty.
When he successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, he wouldn’t be the slightest bit inferior to the likes of Yu Wan and Xiao Yunhong.
Even Chen Bufan, hailed for his Innate Sword Bone, would be left completely in his dust.
’It’s a shame my Spirit Root is only average, and I have far too many secrets. Plus, I just killed Song Xinghai. If my true Cultivation level is exposed, it will definitely arouse suspicion. Otherwise, even if I couldn’t be a Nascent Soul Seed, I’d be solid Golden Core material for sure.’
’Still, with no background, staying low-key is a good thing. It doesn’t affect my Cultivation, anyway—at most, it just adds a few more challenges,’ Zhang Chi thought.
He had actually considered finding an excuse to reveal his Cultivation, like claiming he had extraordinary Comprehension but had simply hidden his talent when he first joined the Sect.
In the end, however, he dismissed the idea.
For one, the mere existence of something like Possession in the Immortal Cultivation Realm was enough to make him wary of being too high-profile.
He had no family backing him. If he displayed monstrous talent, he might be targeted by some old monsters in the Sect whose Lifespans were running out. That would be a huge problem.
Of course, the possibility was slim.
After all, no matter what top-tier Immortal Sects did in private, they had to maintain appearances publicly. If news spread that one of their elders had used Possession on a junior, the consequences would be severe.
But it was better to be safe than sorry.
He couldn’t guarantee that his Jade Pendant would provide immunity to Possession.
Besides, no matter how good his excuse, a Cultivation speed comparable to a Nascent Soul Seed would be nearly impossible to explain away.
——
After finishing his Cultivation, Zhang Chi could clearly feel a slight improvement in his Spiritual Power.
Afterwards, he took out the Jade Scroll for the Celestial Net Evil Body Technique, pressed it to his forehead, and began to study it in detail.
As he studied it, he couldn’t help but admire the creator’s ingenuity. He finally understood why this Cultivation Technique, which so few could practice, was classified as Upper Grade.
The concept alone was extraordinary, to say nothing of the rest.
The crucial part was that this concept had been successfully implemented, transformed into a practical and effective Body Refining Method.
Furthermore, the Cultivation Technique itself wasn’t profound. The main difficulty lay in resisting the damage the Evil Qi inflicted on one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
For Zhang Chi, who was protected by the Jade Pendant, this was practically tailor-made for him. Once he got started, his progress would surely be incredibly fast.
Zhang Chi then set aside time each day to study it. In just three days, he fully comprehended the Cultivation Technique and officially began his practice.
’Should I choose Corpse Evil or Demonic Qi?’
That night, Zhang Chi stared at the two small vials before him, feeling torn.
The vials contained the Corpse Evil and Demonic Qi he had collected beforehand from the Black Coffin Corpse Puppet and the Demon Snake Spine while waiting for Song Xinghai to take the bait.
’Forget it. Only children make choices; I’ll take both. I have the Jade Pendant to protect me, so no harm will come from trying. If it really doesn’t work out, it won’t be too late to pick just one.’
Very quickly, Zhang Chi made up his mind.
He immediately opened the vial of Corpse Evil, inhaled a single wisp, and then assumed a stance to begin Body Refining.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...
As he performed a series of profound, powerful Body Refining movements, the wisp of Corpse Evil was quickly absorbed by his body.
His physical body immediately began to undergo a transformation.
At the same time, he felt an excruciating, soul-tearing pain.
His body, Magical Power, and Divine Soul were instantly assaulted by the corrupting negative energy within the Corpse Evil.
But the Jade Pendant flashed, and the corruption vanished in an instant.
All that remained was the pure pain and the tempering energy that could be used to strengthen his physical body.
The pain was maddening, but it wasn’t the kind that could actually kill you.
’Good. Again!’
After a good while, the wisp of Corpse Evil was finally refined. Zhang Chi could clearly feel that his body had grown a bit stronger.
Furthermore, thanks to his foundation from the Bright Jade Body Forging Technique, his Cultivation of the Celestial Net Evil Body went very smoothly.
Next, Zhang Chi absorbed a wisp of Demonic Qi and found that, just like the Corpse Evil, this Demonic Qi—or Demon Fiend, rather—also had a significant strengthening effect.
He then tried using both types of Evil Qi at once. The effect doubled, but so, of course, did the pain.
But for the sake of getting stronger, he gritted his teeth and endured.
In truth, he could have used the Jade Pendant to absorb the Evil Qi directly, which would have saved him from any pain.
But if he did that, the Evil Qi couldn’t be used for Body Refining.
Fortunately, the pain couldn’t kill him, and it even served to temper his willpower, so he didn’t mind it.
’It really works!’
After an hour of Cultivation, a sweat-drenched Zhang Chi stopped his practice and stood. He exhaled a sharp, arrow-like plume of white air, then inspected his condition and couldn’t help but nod slightly.
The Celestial Net Evil Body Technique was divided into four tiers, with each tier corresponding to a major Cultivation Realm. For example, Tier One corresponded to Qi Cultivation, and Tier Two corresponded to Foundation Establishment. Each tier was further divided into Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, and Peak.
He had only practiced it once, yet his mastery of the Celestial Net Evil Body Technique was already on the verge of reaching Tier One Early Stage. The progress was even faster than when he first started the Bright Jade Body Refining Technique!