Medium-grade Spell [Ice Sword Technique]

"No—"

Wang Yu shook his head.

"To serve the Saint Sect and work for True Inheritor Su is an honor for Wang Yu. I only wish I could give my very life, spilling my heart and brains in service!"

"Very good. I see you also possess Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation, enough to study spells. I'll pass this [Ice Sword Technique] on to you; it may prove useful when recruiting people."

Wang Yu hurriedly accepted the thick booklet. Not only did it explain the mysteries of the technique, it also broadly introduced the common knowledge and classifications of spells.

He had not expected to actually receive the promised reward, which truly took him by surprise. Seeing that Steward Duan had no intention of saying anything further, he tactfully took his leave.

Only after returning to the Stone House did he begin studying it.

The spells usable during the Qi Refining Stage were all First Tier spells, divided into low, medium, and high grades, corresponding to the early, middle, and late stages of the realm.

The Foundation Establishment Stage corresponded to Second Tier, Core Formation to Third Tier, and so on.

Secret methods and secret arts did not fall under the usual grade classifications; their effects determined their supremacy.

Beyond spells, there were also different categories such as "Treasure Arts," "divine abilities," and "strange arts." These were no longer basic knowledge, so they were not explained in detail.

The Ice Sword Technique Steward Duan had given him was somewhat beyond Wang Yu's expectations. It was actually a medium-grade spell. Once cultivated to perfection, it could condense ten ice swords to fight the enemy, with power comparable to a High-grade spell.

Yet Wang Yu felt no delight. Knowledge could all be copied; it held value for those above, but not all that much.

For him, though, it was nothing less than a staircase that could change his fate—immeasurably precious.

This also showed that if he failed to meet Steward Duan's requirements, he would undoubtedly die!

After considering it for a moment.

Wang Yu removed the Blood Burning Art from Unit 2 and placed the Ice Sword Technique into it.

[Placement Slot 2: Ice Sword Technique]

"Ice Sword Technique (0/100): One hundred and forty-four practices per day; mastery can be achieved in thirty days."

Wang Yu: "...144 practices? One every ten minutes on average?"

The word "beast" caught in his heart, and he did not dare let himself think it.

When cultivators practiced spells or cultivation arts aligned with their Spiritual Root Aptitude, they could achieve twice the result with half the effort. Practicing things that did not align with their Spiritual Root Aptitude was far less efficient.

Spiritual Roots took the Five Elements as their forms, which in turn evolved into Myriad Things. Though Useless Spiritual Roots were terribly lacking, they could cultivate techniques and spells of any attribute. At worst, the speed would be normal; they would not drag one down.

Though Heavenly Spiritual Root Aptitude was excellent, one's path was often fixed, with little room for change. Of course, there was no issue with cultivating spells that did not align with one's Spiritual Root Aptitude; they could still be learned.

It was merely a matter of being faster or slower.

"The Ice Sword Technique can be mastered in thirty days—that means 4,320 repetitions. It seems my comprehension is much better than my Spiritual Root Aptitude."

For ordinary cultivators practicing arts and spells, comprehension was only one stage. They also needed to cast them over and over, feeling them out through repeated use.

Qi Refining Cultivators had limited spiritual power, and the strength of their meridians was also restricted. No one could practice without pause like Wang Yu. This was no longer ascetic cultivation—it was pure mechanical repetition!

Every ten minutes, a segment of insight and experience regarding the Ice Sword Technique would appear in his mind. Even his body had developed the muscular habits for forming the hand seals. It was mystical and strange.

Since there was no hope of breaking through to the Qi Refining Third Layer in the short term anyway, Wang Yu decided to leave the Ice Sword Technique in placement until it reached perfection. This was his only means of attack; he had to master it thoroughly.

The twentieth day of his life as a Spirit Slave.

After Wang Yu stopped using the Blood Burning Art's "Life Burning Seal Incantation," only ten strands of Blood Burning Spiritual Power remained within him. Over these eight days, the Placement Slot had produced another four strands of pure spiritual power, raising his cultivation ever so slightly.

At this moment, inside the Stone House.

Wang Yu's hand seals shifted. The temperature within three meters of him rapidly dropped, and after three breaths, a four-foot-long hiltless ice sword condensed into being.

Whoosh—

The ice sword swiftly plunged into the Stone House floor, leaving behind only wisps of white mist formed by rising icy vapor.

Its power was enough to slice through gold and sever jade, and it was no slower than an arrow. The only issue was that it took a bit too long to prepare and consumed rather too much spiritual power; after using it just once, he was nearly drained dry.

"It's still a little lacking for actual combat. In another two days, it should be usable as a trump card."

Having made his judgment in his heart, Wang Yu silently circulated the Blood Burning Art to restore his spiritual power. To use it repeatedly and sustain a complete battle, he would need to at least break through to the Qi Refining Third Layer.

Another day passed. At the hour of the rabbit, during the lecture.

Wang Yu formally began acting, seeking out his fellow townsmen from Stone Lake City. Back then, these two had deliberately refused to learn to read, and so had remained huddled in the corner as mere spectators.

Such behavior was no different from waiting to die. Once they were required to hand over Spirit Sand, the reckoning would come. Persuading them to join Steward Duan's faction would be somewhat difficult.

After all, their refusal even to learn words stemmed from not wanting to become like the other Spirit Slaves—ghostly figures because of cultivation.

Wang Yu's recruitment of them was, in truth, paving a road for himself. His circumstances looked better, but that was only temporary stability, bought with his lifespan.

If he wanted to escape his current situation, so what if he became the villain for once? Better a dead fellow cultivator than a dead poor Daoist!

"Do you two know me?"

The two Stone Lake City commoners looked wary. Both were sixteen years old. Upon seeing Wang Yu's appearance, they first froze. They had not recognized him by his features, but rather from Steward Duan's grand praise of him last time.

The meanings of the two were completely different.

"You... you're Young Master Wang Yu of the Wang Clan in Stone Lake City?"

"It's me."

Wang Yu let out a soft sigh, patted one of them on the shoulder, and whispered.

"I noticed you two a long time ago."

The two of them tensed, unable to guess what he intended to do.

"This is the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect, located in the Red Kite Demon Domain. Forget about running away. Unless the Demon Sect is destroyed tomorrow, you'd best resign yourselves to your fate as soon as possible."

After saying that, Wang Yu paused and watched their reactions.

Their willingness to take a risk proved that they had rather stubborn wills and would not easily accept their fate. Yet they lacked broader knowledge and perspective, which actually made them the easier sort to fool.

The Wang Clan was fairly well-known in Stone Lake City, thanks to several wastrel disciples from the main branch. Wang Yu himself was no stranger to fame in Stone Lake City either, and tales of his good name often spread through the city.

In truth, he had never deliberately done anything. He had merely retained the values of a modern man, aided by an environment rich enough to let those values endure.

Now that he had become a Spirit Slave, Wang Yu changed with each passing day. The harsh pressure of survival had long since settled upon him, and people were most prone to change under such circumstances.

Among the Spirit Slaves in the Stone House Area of Cold Blood Peak, only this batch from Stone Lake City had just arrived. Their numbers met the requirement, making them suitable for Wang Yu's purposes.

Those "old" Spirit Slaves had, for the most part, already sworn allegiance to the three stewards. There was nothing he could do to change that.

The number Steward Duan had given happened to match the number of people in this Stone Lake City batch exactly. That was no coincidence—it had been intentional.

It was a test of whether he could seize this group in hand.

In social dealings, the greatest taboo was speaking too deeply with shallow acquaintances. Thus, Wang Yu did not Say More. After exposing their little thoughts, he applied another round of pressure.

"You have two months at most.

"This month, learn the written meaning of the Blood Burning Art and comprehend the principles of cultivation. If you cannot use it to break through to the Qi Refining Stage next month, then your fate..."