Chapter 105
This Heaven Burning Blood Technique was not unfamiliar to most of the cultivators in the Blue River Region; in fact, it could even be described as famous.
Or more accurately, notorious. Several months ago, Daoist Master Zhifeng was defeated at the Spirit Sword Mountain and sent back with tail between his legs. Although the two sects both had concealed the details in order to save face, the negative assessment of the Heaven Burning Blood Technique was actually slipped through.
First, this technique was denounced as a big evil technique by the Spirit Sword Sect Elder. However, the fact that Daoist Master Zhifeng had used this Heaven Burning Blood Technique to develop a large number of low-level cultivators at White Moon Country became widely known. Later on, the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals sent a large number of cultivators to form a research team. Using the information that they gathered from Zhifeng and the remnant of the Thousand Spirit Sect’s confession, they conducted a comprehensive study of that improved technique.
However, the group could only sigh because the result of this comprehensive study of the Heaven Burning Blood Technique actually supported the inference of the Spirit Sword Sect Elder: at its present form, the technique had too many defects.
The Spirit Sword Sect Elder explanation of the defect which consisted of something about it shaking the cultivator’s Dao Heart, becoming just an observer, was like trying to see the peak of the mountain that was shrouded in mist; it was difficult to see its true meaning. However, a simpler explanation was available: this Heaven Burning Blood Technique could not really help someone’s cultivation. It was like having an erotic dream that felt really real; it was extremely comfortable, yet it could not change any of the actual things.
The basic principle of the Heaven Burning Blood Technique was to burn the most valuable thing in a person—their lifespan—in exchange for a large amount of magical power, which could be used to advance one’s cultivation. However, magical power was, by no means, the sole contributor to the cultivation advancement; exchanging this alone wasn’t enough. As a simple example, after arduously training for thirty years, a cultivator with Six Harmonies Spirit Root could reach a high-level Qi Cultivating Stage. If that cultivator used the Heaven Burning Blood Technique, the amount of time needed to reach the same stage could be shortened by, perhaps, several years. However, in exchange to that, that cultivator’s lifespan was shortened by more than sixty years. If there was the slightest bit of carelessness, the lifespan could be burned so intensely that it would lead to sudden death. Zhifeng had tried to improve this technique, but what he was able to achieve was just to avoid the risk of sudden death, and slightly decreased the burning of the lifespan from sixty years to… fifty-nine years. Essentially speaking, it didn’t change at all.
This was too ridiculous. By Zhifeng’s words, this improved version of Heaven Burning Blood Technique could be regarded as a big turning point that could give everybody the opportunity to become Immortal Cultivators, while in essence, this technique actually blocked people’s future cultivation development. If a cultivator with man-made spirit root like Six Harmonies Spirit arduously trained for one hundred years, he would ultimately succeed in reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage. However, if he had instead used the Heaven Burning Blood Technique, that cultivator would’ve burned his lifespan just to reach, at most, high-level Qi Cultivating Stage. Moreover, because the cultivation progressed too quick, the cultivation would be like a sand castle, unable to withstand a single blow.
If there were any positive use, this Heaven Burning Blood Technique was only good if one used it to make a breakthrough. For example, one was stuck in a bottleneck because of the lack of aptitude, unable to make a breakthrough to the next stage, one could use one’s lifespan to gamble with the Heaven Burning Blood Technique to obtain some breakthrough and then regain back some of his lifespans; this could only be used as a last resort trick. However, if this technique were to be proliferated around the world as the magical weapon to speed up the cultivation, then that would be too ridiculous.
If this were still in the Age of Chaos thousands of years ago, no one would bat an eye if such an ignorant technique spread around. However, now there were already the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, so the Immortal Cultivation World could never tolerate the widespread use of this opportunistic technique. If everyone resorted to burning their lifespan every time they encountered difficulties in the hope of achieving a breakthrough, then the Immortal Cultivation World would have no future at all.
Therefore, when Wang Lu proposed this plan, he was immediately challenged.
“Are you having a brain cramp? How could you even think about using this? Aren’t you afraid your Master would grab you back and beat you up?”
“Ridiculous, why would she come to look me for trouble? It’s not like we won’t share the levied intelligence tax with her…”
“You know she hates that Heaven Burning Blood Technique.”
“On the contrary, I don’t think so.”
Speaking to this, Wang Lu somewhat asked a question in jest, “Sister Ling, have you ever thought from where I learned this Heaven Burning Blood Technique?”
Little Ling’Er was stunned. “From where?”
“Even if I am a top student, I’m not born with knowledge. It has to come from somewhere. Even the most knowledgeable person in the sect, Martial Uncle Liu Xian, didn’t know about this improved version of Heaven Burning Blood Technique… Can you guess from where I learned it?”
“… You’re kidding me, right!? That’s impossible!” Speaking to this, it slowly dawned on little Ling’Er that the one who imparted the technique was Wang Wu herself!
“It’s not so much as my Master hates the Heaven Burning Blood Technique, but rather she hates it when people use it as a shortcut in cultivation, and I agree with her: All retards shall die. However, the Heaven Burning Blood Technique itself is innocent. Not to mention even if it’s shit, as long as it has its use, it has its utility. That’s why I use this Heaven Burning Blood Technique not to take shortcuts.”
“… So, you’re using it for fun?”
“It has nothing to do with fun or not; it’s the step that needs to be taken for the Wisdom Sect to develop. Think about it, what kind of people are we developing? They’re penniless, aptitude-less, and perception-less wastes! Such people, in my Master’s words, need to stay home and eat sh*t; they have nothing to do with Immortal Cultivation! The only good point that they have is their lifespan, so, if they really want to cultivate, what else could they do besides going all out?”
The Holy Maiden was puzzled. “So what if they go all out? Using the Heaven Burning Blood Technique is still not worth it…”
“How is it not worth it? Indeed with Six Harmonies Spirit Root, one could reach the Foundation Establishment Stage after one hundred years of painstaking effort, so how could these ordinary people have the one hundred years of free time to spend? In a sect within Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, a disciple doesn’t need to worry about food and clothing; all they have to do is to cultivate with single-hearted devotion, something that the rest of the living things could not afford. If they don’t farm, they will starve to death. If they don’t weave their clothes, they would have no clothes to wear; there are too many trivial matters that divert their attention. Moreover, I don’t have the time to wait for them to cultivate; the experiential learning this time only last for one year! If I want to fully squeeze the labor force, of course, I have to use the Heaven Burning Blood Technique to whip out their cultivation speed. The sooner they succeed in their cultivation, the sooner they can contribute to the Wisdom Sect’s development. The Wisdom Sect is in the early stage of development; if we can take a step quicker, the sooner we’ll reach the development target.”
“But these people burn their lifespan for that, wouldn’t they suffer a huge loss?”
Wang Lu coldly snorted. “Sister Ling, when did you become so sweet? If we didn’t have the people before us who suffered in planting the trees, how could we now enjoy the tree shade? Now the Wisdom Sect is rapidly expanding, and it’s all thanks to this group of people who succeeded in reaching the Qi Cultivating Stage. On the one hand, they act as the sect’s advertisement, on the other hand, they become the laborer in constructing sect’s constructions. The auxiliary altar in the Wang Family Village, the Spirit Grass Garden, the Spirit Temple… Do we need to personally build them all? Without these facilities, how could the Wisdom Sect attract those top-rank talents to join? Last week, there are three highly talented Qi Cultivating Stage loose cultivators who stated their interest in joining the Wisdom Sect… If we wait for the wastes here to slowly cultivate, don’t expect the Wisdom Sect to ever develop in our lifetime.”
Speaking to this, Wang Lu somewhat emotionally said, “The early stage of a sect development requires the accumulation of capital, which is bloody and inhuman. Sister Ling, you have to learn to adapt to this.”
“In the end, all of your righteous words is just to amass money, right?” Little Ling’Er was obviously still somewhat indignant.
“Tsk, you look down on me, Sister Ling. So far, from all of the intelligence tax that the Intelligence Revenue Service had levied, I invested it back to the sect for its construction and development; not even one bit had entered my pockets.”
Wang Lu’s argument was quite a novelty to little Ling’Er. The Wisdom Sect’s development was swift and expansive, yet even now, only Wang Lu alone knew the total income and investment. He had the accounting book in his mind, but he never shared it with anyone.
“Are you really that selfless?” Little Ling’Er was extremely suspicious.
Wang Lu shrugged. “This has nothing to do with selflessness, but the basic quality of a professional adventurer is to recognize the goal and focus on it. I went down the mountain to do experiential learning, not to make a fortune, and the establishment of this sect is for managing the intelligence tax, not to keep it in my pocket. My goals have been very clear, that’s all.”
“Tsk, tsk, your righteous face really makes people unhappy.”
However, no matter how Little Ling’Er find him not pleasing to her eyes, under Wang Lu’s leadership, this rapidly developing and prosperous sect at the Dog Ear Mountain was already beyond many people’s imagination.
Three months later, when the Seven Stars Sect finally ready to enter the Dog Ear Mountain, what they faced wasn’t that fledgling, can-only-rely-on-the-two-Foundation-Establishment-traitors fragile sect, but a colossus with the sphere of influence spread across multiple counties.
At the grass root level, in these short three months, the Wisdom Sect’s influence has reached sixty percent of that of Seven Stars Sect. Moreover, because of the novel theory and rapid development, the sect has attracted several loose cultivators to join. Although none of them has high cultivation level, there were about a dozen highly talented of assorted low-level Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivating Stage cultivators, which, if not compared to top level sect, was already a good lineup.
Therefore, before the Seven Stars Sect’s vanguard entered the Dog Ear Mountain for half a day, they were already ganged up and scared shitless. They had no choice but to flee with their tails tucked between their legs to a barren hilltop and sullenly give their report.
The Seven Stars Sect had a fright. Although the Sect Leader had expected for things to be worse, he never thought the situation would turn so badly like this! The Seven Stars Sect had developed for many years in the Great Ming Country and was quite familiar with several nearby larger sects. This time, before their departure, they intentionally prodded the Dog Ear Mountain and confirmed that the Wisdom Sect was not some big on the surface but weak in the inside kind of sect, but instead a truly fierce not-easy-to-deal-with sect!
More than ten Qi Cultivating Stage and about four or five Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators; in the Great Ming Country, this was already a force not to be trifled with. Although there was still a large gap in power when compared to the Seven Stars Sect, the other side still yet to open all of their cards. At the same time, the Seven Stars Sect could not easily muster up all of their cards to fight it out with the other side.
Once they started a war, even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Therefore, without any other choice, the Seven Stars Sect’s Sect Leader could only suppress the anger in his heart.
“Talk about it.”
Indeed, they should’ve talked about it. However, at this time, the Seven Stars Sect finally realized that they didn’t know anything about their opponent. Who exactly was the other party? Where did they come from? What was their intention? All of the answers to these questions were unknown to them!
So, who should they talk to? Of course, it would be Xie Chi and He Yun. The two defected without any rhyme nor reason, therefore, even if the Seven Stars Sect didn’t investigate, in their hearts, they should still feel ashamed. Moreover, from the other sect, they were also the two people that the Seven Stars Sect had the most convenience to contact with.
Two days later, the Seven Stars Sect’s Sect Leader made an appointment with Xie Chi. Certainly, this was a secret meeting. For that Elder that he personally recruited with great effort several years ago, he still harbored some hope.
However, when they met, Xie Chi wryly smiled. “Sect Leader… I sincerely advise you this sentence, please go back. This is not an opponent that you can cope with.”