The Secret of Secret Blood

Outside the window, a gigantic eyeball filled the entire frame, staring at him without the slightest emotion.

The instant He Zhao saw it, a chill surged from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. It was as though he had been struck by a Rooting Technique, unable to move even a finger.

That cold, indifferent gaze made his very soul tremble.

And that was only one eyeball, yet it rivaled a window half a man's height tall and two men wide. One could only imagine how enormous its true body was.

[Spiritual Vision: You can see things ordinary people cannot. (Warning: This talent is the key to entering certain special worlds, but please be extremely careful. Seeing means touching.)]

You called this thing a thing?

"ROAR—"

The furious bellow ruptured He Zhao's eardrums, blood spraying from all seven orifices.

"BOOM!"

Then, the monster outside the room smashed through the wall and burrowed inside.

"???"

He Zhao's head buzzed. A colossal pig head!!

He had no time to think and immediately dispersed the Spirit Power from his eyes. Seeing meant touching—didn't that mean if he couldn't see it, it wouldn't be able to harm him?

His mind spun quickly, but not as quickly as the pig head. Its gaping, bloody maw opened and bit down viciously at He Zhao.

"CRUNCH!"

The gray, defeated colors around him swiftly gave way to all manner of hues. Ruthless He Zhao returned to the Inn, escaping that special world.

Unfortunately, only his lower body made it back.

His upper body had been devoured by the pig head as an appetizer.

"Thud!"

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground rang out, and the stench of blood spread through the room.

"Creak!"

The burly man who had been guarding the door all this time caught the scent and inwardly cursed. He hurriedly pushed the door open and rushed inside.

"Damn it!"

The Lesser Mystic, who had only just recovered, was now left with half a body. His upper half had vanished without a trace.

[Congratulations, you survived for 2.5 hours. In the past, Buddha cut flesh from his body to feed an eagle; today, the player delivered himself to the Pig Woman as an appetizer.]

[Rating: 0.]

[Reward: None.]

[My Wallet: 345 Simulation Coins]

[Would you like to replay your simulated life?]

"Simulator, you motherf—"

This was the first time He Zhao had encountered a ruthless opponent that had actually eaten him. Indomitable Through Hundred Deaths exerted its power to resist death, leaving him painfully and lucidly aware as the Pig Woman chewed him to pieces and swallowed him into her belly, bite by bite.

"Boom—"

The Gray Fire Seed between his brows burned fiercely. Ruthless He Zhao forcibly swallowed the curse that had reached his lips, then sat down cross-legged and examined his spiritual world inwardly.

The Ember of No Fire remained behind, transforming into Spirit Power that flowed into every part of his body.

"This is clearly the power I cultivated in the simulation world! I actually brought it out?"

Mental accumulation and cultivation required no special method at all—they could directly feed back into his own body.

"Simulator, you are forever the god."

Daily face-changing: 1/1 (√).

"Let me sort through the memories."

This previous life had belonged to an Unusual Scholar from Hetu Dao, a local force in Wancheng. Fifteen years ago, he had been an utterly ordinary man, recruited because of his Spiritual Vision talent and taken in by the Old Man for cultivation.

A few days ago, news arrived from the Bureau of Peculiar Individuals: two hundred soldiers of the Profound Armor Elite Regiment had been wiped out in Qinghe Town. They suspected Ghosts were haunting the town, so they dispatched them to investigate.

All Unusual Scholar factions within Great Xuan fell under its command.

Wouldn't obey?

Fine. They would simply destroy your lineage.

"Damn that Gan Ping! Didn't you say your father was the Earl of Qingning of Great Xuan? That there wasn't an organization you didn't know about!"

So the Bureau of Peculiar Individuals had not been established five years later. It had existed long ago, wielding immense influence, only kept hidden from public knowledge.

"Though that death was a little stifling, I only went there to obtain means of fighting the supernatural, not to subdue demons. Now that I have the Burning Rage Method, I should figure out how to obtain a way to become a Secret Blood Warrior."

From the brief memories, He Zhao learned what Instructor Wu and the others were called.

Secret Blood Warriors!

Just as the Demon Eater had said, they absorbed and refined the blood of Aberrations, transforming their flesh toward the origin of that blood and gaining strength beyond humanity.

However, the method was extremely dangerous. Fewer than one in ten succeeded. Most Secret Blood Warriors turned into one Aberration after another during the absorption process—neither human nor ghost.

"But if I succeed, how am I supposed to bring it out of the Simulation Scenario?"

Secret blood was not like the Burning Rage Method. This stuff worked on the physical body.

Surely he couldn't count on drawing it through the Infinity Sign?

"Forget it. I'll do it first and talk later."

Everything was difficult at the beginning, difficult in the middle, and difficult at the end.

If he did nothing, difficulty would only pile upon difficulty.

[Life After Life, Endless Joy!]

[.]

[Have a pleasant game!]

"Zhao'er, wake up!"

He Zhao woke from the darkness. The moment he opened his eyes, he once again saw the kind-faced Old Man staring at him with an anxious expression.

"Master?"

After responding, he swiftly sensed his entire body.

Spirit Power eleven times stronger than the original owner's filled his flesh.

A warm current rose from his Dantian, driving away wind-chill and illness.

"Send someone to brew medicine."

"Yes!"

One of the burly men respectfully acknowledged the order and left, while the other remained behind as a door guardian.

When the old man saw the sweat covering his head, he immediately stepped forward to take his pulse.

"How strange! How bizarre!"

He had recovered without medicine.

Before the old man could speak, He Zhao asked first.

"Master, how does one become a Secret Blood Warrior?"

That's right, he was going straight in!

Ruthless He Zhao had no time to probe slowly. They were all Unusual Scholars of Hetu Dao anyway; there was no need to beat around the bush.

"Weren't you never interested in the path of secret blood?"

"I don't want to get sick again."

Old Man: "."

What a damn practical reason!

The Secret Blood Warrior responsible for protecting the two of them at the doorway especially wanted to hit someone after hearing that.

We risked our lives nine times out of ten for power, while you wanted it just so you wouldn't get sick?

What a freak!

"Hehe, secret blood sounds mysterious, but the method is actually very simple. You need to take the Heart Blood of an Aberration, mix it with Golden Powder, and draw formation markings over the body. Then use a Jade Dagger to pierce the heart and absorb the Mutated Blood.

"The Golden Powder and Jade Dagger are meant to suppress the powerful Heart Blood of the Aberration. Together, they can greatly reduce the chance of mutation. Of course, even so, it is still a nine-deaths-one-life ordeal.

"As for you? First, you lack a tough body. Second, you lack an Impenetrable will.

"So stop overthinking it and obediently cultivate the Burning Rage Method with your master. Anyway, A'da and A'er are here to protect us. Even if you became a Secret Blood Warrior, wouldn't you still die with hatred if you encountered a Ghost?"

Secret Blood Warriors were powerful against corporeal Aberrations. They could even be called the backbone of Great Xuan.

But if they encountered illusory, incorporeal Ghosts, they would still drop to their knees all the same.

Likewise, Unusual Scholars like his Master would not get far if they encountered corporeal Aberrations before being chewed up in two or three bites.

That was why Secret Blood Warriors from another small faction in Wancheng had been assigned to protect the master and disciple, allowing both sides to make up for the other's weaknesses.

"Master, I want to learn."

Seeing the pitiful look in He Zhao's eyes, the Old Man's heart softened.

"Fine, fine. I'll teach you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and gave A'da a look, signaling him to step forward.

"Strip."

A'da: "."

Neither master nor disciple was any good.

The formation markings mentioned by Cheap Master were not particularly profound.

They were merely a pattern resembling a spiderweb, with the beginning of every line converging at the heart.

Once he left the Simulation Scenario, he only needed to repeatedly watch the replay and practice more.

"Sigh, having connections in court really makes things easier."

After the two left the room, he let out a sigh.

If He Zhao's current identity had not been an Unusual Scholar of Hetu Dao, and if he had not had Cheap Master's connections, he likely would have faced countless hardships before obtaining the method to become a Secret Blood Warrior.

Heart Blood from Aberrations, Golden Powder, and a Jade Dagger—beyond those three things, he also needed a tough body and Impenetrable willpower.

He Zhao: "."

Of the five things, it seemed he had none at all.

No, that wasn't right. His willpower was actually pretty good. After all, not everyone could endure over a hundred deaths and still take pleasure in continuing to suffer.

"I'll take it one step at a time."

Having a good beginning was far better than wandering around like a headless fly.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Come in."

A'er pushed open the door and entered. Seeing this, A'da, who had been guarding the doorway, immediately left to stand watch outside Cheap Master's room.

"Lesser Mystic, please drink your medicine."

For some reason, He Zhao found A'er's tone strangely familiar.

Yet the Sixth Sense from Hundred Battles Elite gave no warning of danger.

Had he died too many times and developed Delusion Disorder?

He Zhao shook his head with a self-mocking smile, accepted the bowl, and drained it in one gulp.

Cheap Master had ordered it. Even though his pulse was steady, one could never be too cautious. Drinking some medicine to consolidate his recovery was certainly a good thing.

"Pfft!"

As he tipped back his head to drink the medicine, an arm instantly pierced through his heart. At the same time, another large hand clamped tightly over his mouth, preventing him from making the slightest sound.