Chapter 839: Chapter 839: One Qi Blood Pill.

Inside the cave, time flowed like molten lead—slow, heavy, suffocating.

A year had passed.

The cultivation chambers that had once housed hundreds of participants now stood mostly empty.

Over the months, those who had grasped even the most basic understanding of the Nine-Slaughter Blood Meridian Technique had eagerly abandoned their chambers, venturing deeper into the cave toward the second trial.

They thought themselves clever. Thought that getting ahead would give them an advantage.

They did not realize the mistake they had made and how big of an opportunity they had let slip by.

The technique was not meant to be rushed. Without proper understanding, using it in battle was reckless to say the least.

Those who rushed ahead with only surface-level understanding would find their blood and qi unstable, their meridians prone to rupture, their bodies gradually breaking down from the inside.

But they didn’t know this. Or perhaps they didn’t care, driven by ambition and fear in equal measure.

Now, on the final day of the year, only a handful of participants remained in the chambers.

Yuan Ming did not compete with Noah and settled himself in the cave next to his, no longer trying to overly hide his presence since he had learned from his mistakes.

Many tried to attack him and take the cave from him at the start, some even aiming for his life. But he managed to fend them off easily.

Since he was trained by Shisan, the master assassin elder, no one beside Noah was powerful enough to take him on.

After he revealed his strength, no one challenged him again.

Throughout the year, he and Noah fought to keep appearances, but in reality, it was just him learning from Noah, who had already grasped the technique faster than him.

Even after learning the technique to the beginner stage, they stayed behind to hone it further.

As the supervisor had hinted at the start, the cave was the best place to cultivate the technique.

Those who left early missed a big opportunity to advance because they wanted to rush out of the cave.

On the last day, right before the hour prior to the deadline, Yuan Ming stepped out of his cave only to see Noah practicing some sword techniques.

"You are out." Noah paused his actions and sheathed his sword. "Are there any injuries?"

Yuan Ming looked different than he had a year ago.

The dirty vagrant disguise was gone, abandoned months earlier on Noah’s advice. Instead, he wore simple but clean robes—not ornate, but not deliberately shabby either. His hair was tied back neatly.

His cultivation was still sealed, but the aura he gave off was more dangerous than before.

The weights on his limbs remained, as did the seal on his cultivation. But his body had adapted over the year, growing stronger through constant resistance training even without access to his full power.

His body was riddled with what appeared to be minor injuries—small cuts, bruises, areas of discolored skin where blood vessels had ruptured during cultivation.

These were the expected signs of practicing the Nine-Slaughter Blood Meridian Technique. Anyone who emerged without such marks would be immediately suspicious.

He had been careful to cultivate just enough to avoid suspicion, but not so much that the demonic technique would permanently corrupt his foundation.

Still, his body was powerful enough to withstand some of the effects.

Noah, on the other hand, seemed to have only surface wounds. His arms and legs had minor injuries.

Every few months, they would get out of their rooms and go to the healing pond and recover before continuing the efforts.

"There are some. I need to heal first." Yuan Ming nodded after glancing over Noah’s body. "Let’s go together since today is the last day."

Noah paused as if he were contemplating his offer. Then he nodded and followed along Yuan Ming to visit the healing pond one last time.

They began moving together, walking through the now-empty cultivation area toward the central chamber where the healing pond waited.

Over the year, the cave had changed quite a bit.

The pond, which was freely accessible to everyone, was now claimed by a group of delinquents.

About fifteen of them, arranged in a loose perimeter around the glowing green water.

They had claimed it as their territory.

Yuan Ming recognized some of them from the first day. They were among those who had stayed the full year, but not because they understood the hidden meaning behind the first trial.

Rather, they had realized early on that controlling the healing pond gave them power over the others.

Anyone who wanted to heal their cultivation injuries before facing the second trial would need to pass through them.

And they had set a price.

One of them, a broad-shouldered youth with a cruel face, spotted Yuan Ming approaching. "Stop right there."

Yuan Ming paused, his expression carefully neutral.

"The pond is occupied," the youth continued. "If you want to use it, you’ll need to pay the toll."

"What toll?" Yuan Ming asked, even though he knew what it was. He had already beaten the group quite a few times, but since they were asking it again even though they knew who he was, it meant that they were confident in facing him now. "Do you still remember what happened the last time you pulled a shit like this?"

"One Blood Qi Pill," another guard answered—a thin woman with predatory eyes. "There is no need to escalate things. Such a small price must be nothing for you."

Unlike the Blood Pill, the Blood Qi pill was made from blood ginseng and qi-gathering herbs and did not need any bloody sacrifices from others to make them.

Before Yuan Ming could say something, Noah stepped out from the shadow, his face cold as frost.

Seeing him, the group tensed up as if they had seen a dragon who came to claim their lives.

"Stop!" not to mention Yuan Ming, the group even dared to stop Noah and demand a toll from him even when they knew how ruthless he was.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming became more curious about what made them so confident.