23: Magic skills obtained

…

After changing directions several times, Lu Ming finally let out a long breath once he was far from the stall.

“Acting really is a skill…”

He muttered to himself.

All the anger and frustration he displayed in front of the small stall earlier were naturally feigned.

He had known for a long time that this person harbored ill intentions; a new name had appeared in the golden book when he was conversing with the yellow-robed Cultivator.

【Shen Lian】

However, Lu Ming’s goal was precisely this Cultivation Technique, so he naturally played along with the act.

If he had left calmly without any reaction, it would have seemed abnormal.

Lu Ming touched his Storage Pouch, sensing the blood-colored Jade Slip within, and the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than an AK.

“But this method of Cultivation, it really is…”

Excellent!

The full name of the Cultivation Technique was the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art, a Cultivation Technique that could be Cultivated to Perfection in Qi Refining.

Its function was to increase Cultivation and strength by absorbing the fresh blood of living beings.

Cultivators who nourished themselves with the blood Qi of all living things would not only go against the heavens, but their own magical power would also become impure, and their temperament would grow irritable and bloodthirsty as they Cultivated.

Ultimately, they would only become monsters dominated by blood.

Moreover, once Cultivated, the craving for blood could not be stopped; if insufficient blood was absorbed, the Cultivation Technique would backfire, forcibly using the Cultivator’s own vital blood as Cultivation resources.

Therefore, what Shen Lian said earlier was simply deceiving consumers.

However, he did not violate his Dao oath; he merely downplayed the severe consequences of the cost, which was why he was so confident.

But what Shen Lian didn’t know was that, for Lu Ming, this Demonic Technique was the most perfectly suited for him, especially when disregarding the cost.

Although Lu Ming had accidentally obtained his desired Cultivation Technique, this did not mean Shen Lian could deceive him!

If Lu Ming didn't have the golden book, he would have had no choice but to endure this silent loss, or even, if he had been foolish enough to Cultivate this Cultivation Technique, embark on a path of no return.

After all, the preciousness of one hundred Spirit Stones to a Loose Cultivator was imaginable, so…

“Since the Cultivation Technique was given by you, then you shall be the original soup and original food…”

Lu Ming had already made up his mind to make Shen Lian the first sacrifice for the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art.

Although the Cultivation Technique was in hand, Lu Ming was not in a hurry to leave; he planned to collect more such Cultivation Techniques.

These were usually not seen in the market, at least not openly; his current level couldn't reach the high-end circles.

Lu Ming’s figure weaved through various small stalls, but he didn't see any more Demonic Techniques; instead, he saw many Secret Techniques.

Among them was the Blood Burning Secret Technique that he Cultivated!

And this Blood Burning Secret Technique was the complete version, which also included an escape Spell, the Blood Burning Escape Technique.

By burning vital blood, one could gain several times their own speed, achieving rapid escape in a short time.

“Short time?”

Lu Ming smiled.

This escape technique was almost unlimited for him; he just didn't know how many Fellow Daoists it would consume per hundred kilometers.

And he also happened to need an escape Spell to enhance his life-saving ability; although he usually stayed in the market and didn't go out, he still needed to prepare the necessary means.

However, the complete version of the Blood Burning Secret Technique was not very useful to him; its effects were the same, but the cost was lower, making it like a chicken rib to him.

Unfortunately, the stall owner firmly refused to sell them separately.

Lu Ming could only spend sixty-five Spirit Stones to buy the complete version of the Blood Burning Secret Technique.

In the following hour, Lu Ming successively acquired three more Spells.

One Turtle Breath Qi Concealing Art, one Yin Thunder Palm, and one Three Yin Nether Fire.

The Turtle Breath Qi Concealing Art was nothing special; it was a Qi Concealing Secret Technique, which, when Cultivated to Perfection, could completely conceal one's aura and even vitality.

It could block prying eyes below Foundation Establishment, and even Foundation Establishment Cultivators would not detect the aura unless they carefully examined it.

Lu Ming’s Cultivation had increased somewhat quickly, so he still needed to be careful in the market.

However, there was one thing to note when Cultivating the Turtle Breath Qi Concealing Art: the time for the turtle breath to conceal vitality should not be too long, otherwise, you might truly become a dead person.

The Yin Thunder Palm, a First Grade High Grade Spell, condensed Yin Lightning in the palm to fight enemies, and could also activate magical power to release a giant Yin Thunder Palm; the higher the proficiency, the stronger the power.

Lu Ming carefully examined the Yin Thunder Palm and found that learning and mastering this Spell was quite difficult.

This Spell was designed for a lightning Spiritual Root, but it wasn't strictly necessary to have one to Cultivate it.

It was just that Cultivators with a lightning Spiritual Root found it easier to get started with the Yin Thunder Palm compared to Cultivators with other Spiritual Roots.

Other Spiritual Root Cultivators would also experience a certain degree of rejection in their magical power when Cultivating and casting it.

It was somewhat similar to the Sharp Gold Finger; the Cultivation process was extremely painful, and it was easy to accidentally injure oneself.

But Lu Ming didn't care and decisively bought this Spell.

And the last one, the Three Yin Nether Fire, was what Lu Ming was most excited about.

This was a Second Grade Spell, but it was an Evil Path Cultivation Technique, even more sinister than the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art.

It required the souls, vital blood, and bones of Cultivators as resources to condense the Three Yin Nether Fire; the more resources invested, the stronger the flame’s power.

However, the caster usually needed to nourish the flame with their own Dantian, and they themselves had to constantly endure the scorching of the Nether Fire.

Lu Ming spent nearly two hundred Spirit Stones to acquire this Cultivation Technique.

This trip to the black market was quite fruitful, not only did he buy five Cultivation Techniques, but also some rare Talismans and Medicinal Pills.

But correspondingly, his Spirit Stones were almost spent.

And…

【Shen Lian】 【Yang Hong】 【Yu Xia】 【…】

Lu Ming looked at the nearly ten names on the golden book, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

There were the owners who sold him Spells, Cultivators who had their eyes on his Storage Pouch, and some others who appeared from who knows where.

The group of Loose Cultivators really amused him.

Fortunately, the highest Cultivation among them were only two Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, Shen Lian and Yang Hong.

The others were all Early Stage and Middle Stage Cultivators.

Lu Ming decided not to leave yet; he would first properly digest what he had gained in the black market before departing.

The black market was open for ten days, but Cultivators were not necessarily driven out as soon as the time was up.

Those with fixed residences could stay in the black market for a long time, such as the shop owners.

Cultivators could also choose to stay in an inn and leave when the next black market opened.

So, Lu Ming needed to find a place to stay; he arrived at the entrance of an inn called ‘Xianke Lai’.

A First Layer Qi Refining attendant walked over, a warm smile on his face.

“Please come in, honored guest, are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?”

“Staying the night.”

“Alright, honored guest, our inn has Class A, B, and C rooms. May I ask which one you would like to stay in?”

“Class A rooms are equipped with a Spirit Gathering Formation and a Spirit Concealing Formation. If the honored guest needs to Breakthrough Cultivation, it is best to choose a Class A room. The Spiritual Qi inside reaches the effect of a First Grade High Grade Spiritual Vein, costing only ten Spirit Stones per day.”

“Class B only has a Spirit Gathering Formation, with internal Spiritual Qi reaching First Grade Medium Grade, costing three Spirit Stones per day.”

“Class C has no Formation, and the Spiritual Qi is no different from the outside, costing one Spirit Stone per day.”

“Furthermore, fighting is prohibited inside our inn, so guests can rest assured during their stay.”

Lu Ming chose a Class B room and paid for ten days of Spirit Stones.

He wasn't sure if he would leave the black market after ten days, so he decided to see about renewing the rent then.

Outside the Class B room, Lu Ming opened the door with a Restriction token and walked inside.

The surrounding Spiritual Qi was dense, subtly gathering into a thin mist.

He took a deep breath, feeling as if he were floating.

“Is this the effect of a Spirit Gathering Formation?”

“It would be great if I could master it; then I could set one up in my small courtyard in the market.”

His gaze quickly swept across the room; the furnishings were very simple, divided into a bedroom and a Cultivation room.

A quick glance revealed no apparent problems, but Lu Ming still planned to set things up.

He naturally wouldn’t believe what the attendant said so easily.

He still had to be on guard!

Lu Ming took out a Talisman from his Storage Pouch and activated it.

A divine sense talisman, a First Grade High Grade Talisman.

Its function was very simple: if anyone used Divine Sense or Divine Thought to probe, the divine sense talisman would generate fluctuations, making it most suitable for such occasions, at least preventing him from being targeted without any awareness.

Lu Ming had bought this in the black market.

After confirming that the divine sense talisman did not provide any feedback, Lu Ming took out a mist Formation Plate and began to set it up in the room.

Yes, he had dismantled the Formation in the small courtyard again; it was a fool-proof operation anyway, and he didn't need to understand the principles of Formations.

After setting it up, he embedded three Spirit Stones into the Formation Plate.

Upon activation, spiritual light flickered, a barrier appeared, and then a faint mist began to permeate the room.