「One year later.」

Yang Jing held a Jade Scroll in his hand. Within it was the cultivation technique he had painstakingly created.

It had gone through several revisions, and he had even scrapped it and started over twice to arrive at its current form.

This cultivation technique incorporated many of the techniques Yang Jing possessed, including the Profound Evil Beast Gathering Battle Body, the Black Death Seven Tribulations Scripture, the Supreme Nine Transformations of the Dragon Scripture, and the Inner Scenery Divine Transformation Demon Suppression Scripture. He had also consulted with his disciples at length before finally compiling it into a scripture. It could truly be called a labor of love from Yang Jing and his five disciples.

He was now waiting for an old acquaintance.

"Senior Brother Guo."

Seeing the visitor, Yang Jing immediately rose to greet him.

When Guo Chuanzhi saw Yang Jing stand to welcome him, he quickened his pace.

"Junior Brother Yang, you are now an esteemed Golden Core Cultivator. There’s no need for such formalities."

His gaze toward Yang Jing was somewhat complicated.

Although he had long been aware of Yang Jing’s talent, Guo Chuanzhi still hadn’t expected him to complete his Core Formation so quickly. As a stalwart Foundation Establishment Cultivator in their master-disciple lineage, he had used his Merit Points to redeem a Golden Core Pill from the Sect seven years ago. However, he had yet to attempt Core Formation, lacking the confidence to overcome the trial.

"Sit."

Yang Jing gestured for Guo Chuanzhi to sit across from him.

"Senior Brother Guo, are you still investigating the matter of the Profound Carp Association’s dealings with Demons?"

Yang Jing’s first words after they sat down startled Guo Chuanzhi.

"Junior Brother Yang, why do you say that?"

"Senior Brother Guo, given our friendship, I’ve been back in the Sect for so long, yet you’ve never once visited. Isn’t it because you wanted to avoid implicating me?"

Yang Jing had seen right through Guo Chuanzhi’s intentions.

After returning to the Sect, he had only passively heard bits and pieces about Guo Chuanzhi from others.

"Indeed, nothing escapes your eyes, Junior Brother."

Guo Chuanzhi slowly let out a breath.

"With your warning, Junior Brother, I have naturally been extremely cautious to avoid revealing any flaws to whoever is lurking in the shadows. But using my position in the General Affairs Hall, I’ve still uncovered a few clues. On the Western Continent, there are a total of twelve Nascent Soul True Monarchs whose lifespans are nearing their end. Of these, there is no news about five of them. However, the other seven have all obtained Longevity Elixirs within the last twenty years and extended their lives."

Even a divine tortoise, though long-lived, will see its end.

Even a winged serpent, riding the mists, will turn to dust and ash.

Even Nascent Soul True Monarchs, with their long lives, will eventually face their end. And those capable of reaching the Nascent Soul realm are never obscure figures on the Western Continent. Their approximate age and remaining lifespan are quite easy to deduce.

As leaders of a sect or clan, if a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s lifespan increases, most would choose to announce it to the Six Sects to maintain their Sect’s standing.

This is especially true for Immortal Cultivation Clans with only one Nascent Soul ancestor. If their old ancestor obtained a Longevity Elixir, they might even hold a grand banquet to announce it to the world.

This provided Guo Chuanzhi with a great deal of convenience for his investigation.

"Those with no news about them aren’t necessarily innocent, and those who obtained Longevity Elixirs aren’t necessarily the ones secretly controlling the Profound Carp Association," Yang Jing said, shaking his head. "Senior Brother Guo, while you investigate this, you must not leak any information, not even to your closest kin. If you sense danger, come find me."

Although Guo Chuanzhi nodded, he had no real intention of seeking Yang Jing’s protection if he encountered danger.

’After all, the mastermind behind the Profound Carp Association is a Nascent Soul True Monarch.’

’Yang Jing has a boundless future. How could I bring trouble to his doorstep?’

"I sought you out this time for another matter, Senior Brother Guo."

As Yang Jing spoke, he handed the Jade Scroll containing the cultivation technique he had compiled to Guo Chuanzhi.

"Senior Brother, this is a cultivation technique I created myself after a flash of inspiration. Since it’s just a first draft, it’s bound to have many imperfections. I’d like to have a few disciples practice it to help me refine the technique."

Although the cultivation technique was already largely perfected under Yang Jing’s deductions, as a technique, it naturally needed people to cultivate it to truly discover its problems.

"Junior Brother, you actually created your own cultivation technique?"

Guo Chuanzhi grew curious. After getting Yang Jing’s permission, he took the Jade Scroll and swept his Divine Sense across it.

The first thing he saw was the name of the cultivation technique.

"Blood Spirit Scripture?"

Suppressing his doubts, Guo Chuanzhi continued reading. By the time he finished, he found he was drenched in sweat, his back completely soaked.

"Junior Brother Yang... this... this is..."

"Does Senior Brother Guo feel that this technique resembles a Demon Sect Skill?"

Yang Jing said nonchalantly.

Guo Chuanzhi nodded repeatedly. If this technique hadn’t come from Yang Jing, he would have thought some Demon Cultivator from a Demon Sect was secretly spreading Demon Skills within the Sect.

"But... but..."

"Senior Brother, cultivating this technique doesn’t require one to banish Celestial Demons, nor does it require absorbing their Demonic Qi. The Magical Power comes entirely from absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spirit Mechanism. Although the resulting Blood God’s Magical Power is a bit strange, it is still orthodox Taoist Sect magical power."

Yang Jing explained.

Guo Chuanzhi was speechless. What Yang Jing said was indeed very reasonable.

But what orthodox Taoist Sect technique in the world required a cultivator to peel off their own skin, prick Restrictions into it with Golden Needles, refine it with True Fire, and then stick it back onto their body before they could continue cultivating?

Even Demon Skills didn’t have such a malevolent cultivation method.

According to the technique, after a cultivator of the Blood Spirit Scripture completed Foundation Establishment, their body could transform into a Blood Shadow, allowing them to use Blood Escape to come and go without a trace. It also had various other wondrous uses that were somewhat similar to the legendary Profound Yin Blood Demon.

With the original Profound Evil Beast Gathering Battle Body, the Restrictions were drawn on the skin like tattoos. If the Restrictions were even slightly damaged during Magical Combat, one’s Power would be greatly diminished.

Naturally, Yang Jing wouldn’t allow his technique to have such a major flaw. He blazed a new trail, choosing to prick the Restrictions onto the inside of the skin. If a cultivator of the Profound Evil Beast Gathering Battle Body tried this, the refined skin would be completely unable to stick back onto their body. But this technique was created in imitation of the Profound Yin Blood Demon. The cultivator’s Essence Blood possessed extraordinary vitality.

Because one had to peel off their skin and prick the Restrictions before they could officially begin cultivating, Yang Jing had decided to find a few disciples to try it out first, rather than directly skinning Chi Yu.

"I cannot make a decision on this matter. I need to consult Bai Shui True Monarch, who is in charge of the General Affairs Hall."

Guo Chuanzhi said solemnly.

"Of course."

「Seven days later.」

Guo Chuanzhi returned the Jade Scroll to Yang Jing. His expression was strange; he had never expected Ancestor Bai Shui to directly approve Yang Jing’s request. He even wanted Yang Jing to submit this malevolent cultivation technique to the Library Pavilion for all cultivators of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect to practice.

Yang Jing nodded.

He knew Ancestor Bai Guang had seen that this technique had a strong suppressive effect on Demons, which was why he supported it so strongly.

The Blood Shadow formed by cultivating the Blood Spirit Scripture feared neither sword nor fire; only Thunder Techniques could somewhat restrain it. However, it was exceptionally good at breaking through the Demon Qi of Demons and the Gang Qi of Body Refining Cultivators to absorb their Essence Blood.

"It’s just that, Junior Brother Yang, the cultivation method for this technique is too cruel, and it’s only a first draft. I’m afraid that even with your name attached, very few people will be willing to sign up to practice it."

Guo Chuanzhi said.

"It’s fine. I only intend to recruit nine people. If these nine choose to reach Foundation Establishment with the Blood Spirit Scripture, I will provide each of them with a Foundation Establishment Pill free of charge. Even if they get halfway through and want to switch to a different technique, I will provide three bottles of Tier One Five Elements Pills to help them restore their magical power from the Five Talisman Scripture."

Yang Jing said.

Guo Chuanzhi hadn’t expected Yang Jing to be so generous for this one cultivation technique. He nodded and said,

"With that, there should be no problems."

Soon, the General Affairs Hall issued a notice, stating that Yang Jing was recruiting disciples from the True Spirit Sect to test a cultivation technique and listing the offered conditions.

Such generous conditions immediately attracted a large number of Outer Disciples who eagerly signed up. There were even a few Inner Sect Disciples who came, drawn by Yang Jing’s reputation.

However, after Yang Jing listed the requirements for cultivating the Blood Spirit Scripture, most of them were immediately scared off. The women, in particular, all left without a single one remaining.

Women tend to value their appearance, and besides, they had only signed up to take an indirect route to get close to Yang Jing. But getting close to him didn’t mean they wanted him to peel off their skin.

As for the other Outer Disciples, in their minds, if it were an ordinary technique, it would be one thing. For a Foundation Establishment Pill, they could simply switch techniques after reaching Foundation Establishment. But the Blood Spirit Scripture was simply too bizarre. Once they used this technique to achieve Foundation Establishment, they would be unable to switch to any other cultivation technique.

They were unwilling to bind their cultivation path to such a malevolent technique with an uncertain future.

The Outer Disciples who remained were mostly former Independent Cultivators. Unlike disciples from clans, they had no safety net; even if they couldn’t achieve Foundation Establishment in the Sect, they could still obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill through their families.

Their aptitude was also merely average. If they didn’t seize this opportunity, they would likely never have another chance to reach Foundation Establishment.

Yang Jing screened the remaining disciples, eliminating those with weak wills who were acting on impulse, as well as those whose qi and blood were too frail.

The Blood Spirit Scripture drew heavily from the Supreme Nine Transformations of the Dragon Scripture, making it a technique that cultivated both Body Refinement and Qi Refining. Although it focused more on Qi Refining, having weak qi and blood would still be a significant hindrance.

Looking at the nine Outer Disciples standing before him—the youngest a boy of sixteen who was still wet behind the ears, the oldest a man in his fifties with a weather-beaten face—Yang Jing nodded.

With a surge of his Magical Power, nine Jade Scrolls shot out from his sleeves and landed in the hands of the Outer Disciples.

"This contains the Blood Spirit Scripture, from the Qi Refining Chapter to the Foundation Establishment Chapter. Study it well. If you have any questions about the technique, you can ask my disciple, Chi Yu. In one month, you will officially begin your cultivation of the Blood Spirit Scripture."

The nine Outer Disciples were startled to see that Chi Yu was just a mere child. However, with the prestige of Yang Jing as a Golden Core Cultivator, they didn’t dare to voice any doubts and boisterously agreed.

Yang Jing nodded in satisfaction. After making the nine of them swear a heart-demon oath not to leak the contents of the Blood Spirit Scripture, he dismissed them.