Severed Arm

No matter how one looked at it, Wang Yu's words had both pinned a label on them and played up his own misery. He had done it for the sect, placing himself firmly in the position of the bullied.

It was just that the scene before them...

Was slightly, just a little, off. Three arms and three legs lay there, and not one belonged to Wang Yu.

The watching Spirit Slaves were Stunned as well.

Steward Duan drew a deep breath. He had publicly backed Wang Yu before; now that trouble had broken out, he could not stay out of it.

"I understand. Get a few people to carry them away and treat them properly. They are to continue contributing to the Saint Sect in the future."

"Yes!"

Several people immediately stepped out from the instructors' ranks and had just lifted them up.

When another steward arrived—Steward Liu.

"Stop."

The three Spirit Slave stewards were all at Qi Refining Late Stage, with hope still of Foundation Establishment. Their opportunities naturally rested in the hands of the True Inheritor Disciples Behind them.

The struggle over Spirit Slave interests was also a struggle over the Dao Paths of the three of them.

Steward Liu looked somewhat younger. Lean and wiry, with a Goatee, he wore a Purple Bestowed Robe and a Tall Crown.

His expression was icy as he Looked towards Wang Yu.

"You did this?"

Wang Yu was about to repeat the same line he had used earlier. He had only opened his mouth, not yet uttering a single word, when Steward Liu suddenly roared.

"And you still dare quibble!"

Without another word, he pressed his palms together into a blade and Slashed Out a Blade Aura over three meters long.

Amid his shock, Wang Yu could only dive aside. The three ice swords from before had already drained every scrap of his spiritual power. If not for his profound mastery of the technique and decent control over his spiritual power, he would never have been able to cast them at all.

Steward Liu was so overbearing, completely different from the attitude Wang Yu had anticipated. He had no idea where things had gone wrong.

Steward Duan's expression Changed drastically as well, and he hurried forward to stop him.

But he was ultimately one step too late.

Wang Yu dodged in time and was not struck in the torso, but his left hand did not escape. As if the scene had repeated itself, one arm fell to the ground and was shredded into fragments by the lingering force.

There was No longer any possibility of reattaching it!

Wherever the Blade Aura passed, it carved extremely deep Traces into the bluestone ground, leaving utter devastation in its wake.

Steward Liu snorted coldly.

"Use his own way to repay him in kind."

"Let today's matter serve as a warning!"

Wang Yu's face turned ugly. Staring at the puddle of mangled flesh and bone on the ground, he wanted nothing more than to skin Steward Liu alive, pull out his tendons, and devour his flesh raw.

Steward Duan had watched the entire affair. He kept feeling that something was wrong. Liu had never been this forceful normally, much less right in front of him!

Things had come to this. Wang Yu's punishment had been far too severe, and his prestige had suffered a tremendous blow, nearly rendering all his recent efforts wasted. To Steward Duan, he had completely lost his value.

He immediately stopped lingering and strode away from the Stone House Area.

He needed to make a trip to Cold Blood Peak, get to the bottom of the situation, and then make his decision.

Bluestone Plaza.

The Spirit Slaves watched coldly from the sidelines. No one dared approach Wang Yu again. They had all seen what had just happened with their own eyes; Steward Liu was far more forceful than Steward Duan. How they should choose was Self-evident.

Wang Yu used spiritual power to stabilize his wound, forcibly squeezing out some more. He could no longer condense ice swords, but he could thoroughly freeze his "arm remains." He held them against his chest with his remaining right hand, brought them back to the stone house, and destroyed them.

His heart was exceedingly heavy.

This incident had twisted and turned again and again. He had completely realized the importance of strength. This was the Demonic Path...

After returning to the stone house, Wang Yu sat in meditation and circulated his technique to restore his spiritual power. Inch by inch, he used the Ice Sword Technique to process the "arm remains," repeating the process tirelessly.

Until they had completely Transform into powder!

In the Blink of an Eye, more than ten days had passed. Today was the forty-third day of Wang Yu's life as a Spirit Slave.

[Placement Slot 2: Ice Sword Technique (Perfected)]

"Ice Sword Technique (100/100): Practice one hundred and forty-four times a day; it can be achieved in three years."

The information in the Placement Slot description had Changed. After reaching perfection, the original "achievable in thirty days" had become "achievable in three years."

But the technique had already reached perfection. As long as he had enough spiritual power, he could condense ten ice swords at once, and its killing power had Soared.

This new change would very likely allow it to surpass its original grade limit and reach the tier of a High-grade spell.

"Three years..."

It was good news, yet Wang Yu was not as happy as he had imagined. After pondering for a long time, he still removed the Ice Sword Technique and replaced it with the Blood Burning Art.

At this stage, the Ice Sword Technique was completely sufficient for his needs. There was No need to keep it in placement; for cultivators, cultivation realm still came first.

After a month's delay, Placement Slot One had fed back fifteen strands of spiritual power cultivation. At present, his dantian's limit had only expanded to twenty-one strands, and his progress was painfully slow.

This was because five wisps needed to be consumed to condense spirit sand.

Although Steward Duan had abandoned him, he still had to fulfill his duties as a Spirit Slave. Now that he had two Placement Slots devoted entirely to cultivation, his efficiency had doubled.

"Three months and four days."

Without considering his main body's cultivation speed, that was how long he would need to break through to the Qi Refining Third Layer.

But that was nowhere near enough. Without the help of a powerful patron, it was almost impossible for him to rise again in the short term.

Unless he broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer and completely widened the gap between himself and the other Spirit Slaves. As for his secret being discovered—how could it be discovered?

The Placement Slots were formless and intangible. He had no Storage Bag, and he lived in the Stone House Area, where he had no privacy or secrets whatsoever.

At most, they would suspect that his physique was unusual, or that he had been cultivating with the "Life Burning Secret Technique" all along. Soul Searching was even more absurd—it was one of the legendary secret techniques of the Demonic Path, and none but a Core Formation True Person could cultivate it.

A mere Qi Refining Spirit Slave like him would never catch the eye of such a figure. Therefore, only his cultivation realm could solve the fundamental problem.

This day, something unexpected happened.

Steward Duan, who had originally abandoned Wang Yu, sent someone to summon him again.

On one side of Bluestone Plaza, in a second-floor Elegant Pavilion.

The broad, fat Steward Duan looked at Wang Yu with a beaming smile.

"Do you harbor any resentment?"

Wang Yu hurriedly bowed, looking fearful and apprehensive.

"Yu is merely a lowly Spirit Slave. I gave my body and soul to the Saint Sect and to you long ago. I bear no resentment."

"I don't believe you."

Steward Duan's expression turned cold. His index finger lightly tapped the tabletop, applying pressure without pause. Wang Yu immediately changed his answer.

"If I must speak of resentment, then Wang Yu only resents Steward Liu. The grudge of my severed arm is etched into my heart."

"Now that's more like it."

Steward Duan chuckled and helped him up.

"Missing limbs will not only affect your daily life. In the future, if you cannot cross the Qi and Blood Barrier during Foundation Establishment, there is a ninety percent chance it will be because of that severed arm. This is a Dao-Blocking Grudge, greater than the hatred of murdering one's father or stealing one's wife."

Hearing this, Wang Yu was somewhat tempted. He dearly wished to learn the secrets of Foundation Establishment, but this was clearly not something he could ask about now.

"Wang Yu is only a lowly Spirit Slave, with poor aptitude. I would never dare hope to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage."

"You can at least think about it. A man ought to have some ambition."

Steward Duan changed the subject and no longer emphasized the grudge between Wang Yu and Steward Liu.

"What happened last time was truly due to an accident. I can tell you about it, and I may even find a way to restore this arm of yours."

Wang Yu's heart stirred.

"What must I do?"

"No rush. Let's talk slowly."

Steward Duan poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip.

After he had gone to Cold Blood Peak to meet True Inheritor Su last time, he had been reprimanded. That was why his attitude toward Wang Yu had changed.