24: Practice in a hotel

Lu Ming entered the Cultivation Chamber.

He sat cross-legged on the futon and took out a blood-red Jade Slip.

He decided to first Cultivate the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art, as the other Spells couldn't be mastered in a short period.

Moreover, those few Spells leaned towards the Yin attribute, so switching to the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art would be a better fit.

Lu Ming carefully examined the Cultivation method within the Jade Slip.

When he switched to this Cultivation Technique, he didn't need to dispel the magical power he had Cultivated with the Five Elements Origin Convergence Art.

He only needed to slowly convert it, and during this period, he could use Medicinal Pills to accelerate the process, then use the Blood Burning Secret Technique to forcefully raise his Cultivation and refine the medicinal power.

It took Lu Ming the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to read everything, and he understood how to Cultivate.

Although the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art was only First-Order, it could be Cultivated to Qi Refining Perfection at most.

But compared to common Cultivation Techniques like the Five Elements Origin Convergence Art, it was much more profound.

However, as a Demonic Path Cultivation Technique, it was easy to learn but difficult to master, mainly because of its significant hidden dangers, making it rare for anyone to Cultivate it to the end.

As for how to obtain the fresh blood of living beings needed for Cultivation...

What fresh blood of a Cultivator or living being could be more suitable than his own essence blood?

"When I get ruthless, I even absorb myself!"

Having figured out how to Cultivate, Lu Ming opened the golden book.

Heh, absorbing himself was impossible.

However, looking at the lines of names on it, Lu Ming fell into a dilemma of choice.

"Shen Lian must be chosen!"

"Chang Wei, I almost forgot him."

"Li Yu, maybe add him too."

"Yang Hong, this is the old guy who sold me the Three Yin Nether Fire!"

"Yu Xia, still charming..."

"..."

"What the hell, I'll take them all!"

This time, switching Cultivation Techniques would likely require a huge amount of essence blood, and Lu Ming was worried that one or two wouldn't be enough.

Unity is strength; if they all bore the cost together, the price would be much smaller.

After selecting all of them, Lu Ming first swallowed a bottle of waste Medicinal Pills, closed his eyes, and began to Cultivate according to the circulation path of the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art.

After completing one cycle of circulation.

Lu Ming's face turned pale; he felt a powerful devouring force coming from his Dantian, drawing out his Qi and blood like a whale.

It backfired!

This was the result of not having external blood Qi to replenish it, forcing him to backfire on himself to compensate.

"Energy conservation, Fellow Daoists, help me!"

The next moment.

The Cultivators on the golden book seemed to respond to Lu Ming; their names trembled slightly and began to gradually dim.

"Hoo~!"

Exhaling a breath, Lu Ming's complexion regained its rosy glow, and his entire state was better than ever before.

And the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art circulated faster and faster; the magical power within Lu Ming's body gradually transformed from five-colored to a crimson red...

...

At the same time.

Whether it was Li Yu and Ding Yu in the Talisman Cultivator Alliance of Green Bamboo Market, or the several Cultivators on the Black Market of Lake Heart Island.

They all felt a pang of fear, then their faces turned pale, and they simultaneously clutched their chests.

Their Cultivation levels varied, but they could all vaguely sense something belonging to them beginning to drain away.

However, they couldn't see or touch it; they only felt a great disaster looming, a calamity about to descend!

Shen Lian was in the same state at this moment, not even bothering with the Fellow Daoist he had already swayed in front of him, he casually rolled up his stall on the ground and ran towards his residence in the Black Market.

"Hey, Fellow Daoist, you dropped your Spirit Stones!"

The Fellow Daoist's shouts faintly came from behind, but Shen Lian, running wildly, couldn't care less about these things.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on!"

Shen Lian roared in his heart; as a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, he was even more aware of the abnormality in his body.

This was a sign of essence blood loss leading to a decline in Lifespan.

Running all the way back to his residence, Shen Lian conjured a water mirror in front of him.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, a few strands of hair at his temples had started to turn white at some point.

Although not particularly obvious yet, the initial signs were appearing, which was not a good thing!

Shen Lian's trembling fingers caressed the few white hairs, his heart filled with dread.

He was only in his forties, still more than ten years away from the decline of Qi and blood at sixty, so such a phenomenon shouldn't and couldn't appear.

Since it wasn't his own reason, then it had to be an external factor.

"Witchcraft... or a curse..."

As a Loose Cultivator, Shen Lian was naturally well-informed; he knew that some Cultivators in the Cultivation world were skilled in strange Gu and witchcraft, capable of harming people from a distance or even cursing them to death.

But he had never encountered it before, and he shouldn't have provoked such people.

Although he was a bit cunning in business, who in the Black Market wasn't like that?

The feeling of dread continued, and Shen Lian quickly took out Medicinal Pills to replenish Qi and blood and began to consume them.

Shen Lian was no longer as panicked as before.

Although his essence blood was still draining, it wasn't as terrifying as he had imagined; at least for now, it was still within his tolerance.

He had struggled at the bottom of the Cultivation world for decades; what intrigues, betrayals, and bloody storms hadn't he seen?

Although his life was not as good as those of aristocratic families or Sect Disciples.

His state of mind was not comparable to those useless people in greenhouses.

Shen Lian's eyes gradually became sinister, and he swore in his heart that after this was over, he would definitely find the culprit.

He didn't believe that such a curse came without a price; the other party must also be enduring corresponding pain.

...

"Ah~ so good!"

Lu Ming, in Cultivation, let out a joyful cry.

This Cultivation speed, unique to a Genius, he also barely felt.

Cultivating at this speed, he estimated that he could Break through another realm in one or two months!

This speed was quite exaggerated; it had only been half a year since his Transmigration, and he had already Broken through from Third-Stage Qi Refining to Fifth-Stage Qi Refining.

His Cultivation speed was no slower than those dual Spiritual Root Geniuses.

After nearly ten days of Cultivation, Lu Ming had successfully switched to the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art.

The magical power in his body surged in his Dantian like a sea of blood, and the magical power in his Meridians flowed endlessly like a torrent of blood from a broken dam.

As Lu Ming raised his hand, a curved blade condensed from fresh blood appeared in his hand.

The blade was entirely crimson, covered with sharpness and malevolent Qi, and even a slight proximity to the skin caused a stinging sensation.

"Is this the Blood Transformation Demonic Blade? Its power is no less than the 'dark light blade'!"

Lu Ming muttered to himself.

However, he didn't foolishly try to release it in the Cultivation Chamber.

Damaging private property would incur compensation.

But he could feel the power contained within it, which had already subtly surpassed the Middle Stage Qi Refining level.

This was without him activating the Blood Burning Secret Technique.

Once activated, he would officially possess the combat power of a Seventh-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator!

"I also have the strength to fight beyond my level!"

However, that was just a thought; if he really had to choose, he would still prefer to defeat a First-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator with Late-Stage Qi Refining strength.

But Lu Ming frowned again, looking at himself with some helplessness.

After Cultivating the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art, his whole body was now shrouded in Yin Qi, and when he activated his magical power, there were flashes of blood, making him look like anything but a good person!

He wouldn't dare return to the Market looking like this; anyone not blind would know he had a problem.

"It seems I can't leave for now; I must first achieve initial mastery of the Turtle Breath Qi Concealing Art, at least so that I still look like the honest child I used to be on the surface."

Lu Ming pondered.

Then he withdrew his magical power and stood up, and the Blood Transformation Demonic Blade, having lost its magical power, automatically disintegrated into blood-colored mist and re-entered his body.

The Black Market was about to close; since he was staying, he had to go and renew his rent to avoid being kicked out.