"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"By no means!"
"Chen Fan, you are the most gifted martial artist I have ever seen. You are far stronger than those so-called talented prodigies of Dragon Abyss Prefecture. You must not destroy your own future!"
Lu Xuening immediately spoke up upon hearing this.
She had still been hoping that Chen Fan would become her master's disciple. With Chen Fan's talent and her master's guidance, he would surely make a name for himself throughout Dragon Abyss Prefecture and even all of Cloud Prefecture in the future.
But once Chen Fan cultivated the "Blood Fiend Art" and broke through to the Divine Aperture Realm, the bloodfiend power would enter his body like a parasite clinging to the bone. His martial path would be ruined.
Then only two paths would remain before him: cultivate the "Blood Fiend Art" to its limit, open thirty-six apertures, and have his martial path cut off from that point onward.
Or, like the once peerlessly brilliant Blood Demon, deduce the "Blood Fiend Art" to a higher level, then succumb to demonic corruption after the bloodfiend power within his body erupted completely, becoming another Blood Demon!
As for switching to another Divine Aperture Realm cultivation method, that was practically impossible—unless it was an extraordinary-grade cultivation method capable of suppressing the bloodfiend power and reversing the primary and secondary.
But such cultivation methods were scarce even in all of Cloud Prefecture, let alone Dragon Abyss Prefecture. Chen Fan had no right to obtain one, and even her master had no right to borrow one for reading.
As for cultivating another Divine Aperture Realm method alongside it, that was far too dangerous. Different true qi would tangle within the body; at best, one's martial path would be severed, and at worst, one would explode and die.
So once Chen Fan cultivated the "Blood Fiend Art" and entered the Divine Aperture Realm, he would be completely ruined—far worse than she had been.
Yet she would rather ruin herself than let Chen Fan destroy his future, because she believed Chen Fan was more talented than she was and more worthy of cultivation!
"My mind is made up. Say no more!"
Chen Fan gave Lu Xuening a deep look, then leaped up and landed once again atop the county office roof, where he began deducing the Divine Aperture Realm cultivation method—the Blood Fiend Art!
In the first year, you opened the beast-hide scroll containing the Divine Aperture Realm cultivation method, the "Blood Fiend Art." It felt both unfamiliar and familiar. Familiar, because you recognized every word; unfamiliar, because once the words were strung together, you had no idea what they meant. The Blood Fiend Art had not yet been initiated!
Chen Fan looked at the prompt on the Attribute Panel, and his face instantly darkened. What the hell was this?
His aptitude and comprehension really were worrying.
In the third year, you finally managed to understand the contents recorded in the "Blood Fiend Art." You learned that the prerequisite for cultivating it was finding a place of extreme yin, refining a wisp of Taiyin Power into your body, and initiating the Blood Fiend Art!
In the fifth year, because you had not found a place of extreme yin, the Blood Fiend Art had made no progress, and you had not opened a single aperture. Your current state could be considered half a step into the Divine Aperture Realm—or perhaps the weakest Divine Aperture Realm cultivator in history!
Chen Fan suddenly stopped cultivating and sighed. He knew that if he wanted to continue deducing the "Blood Fiend Art," he had to find a place of extreme yin, refine Taiyin Power into his body, connect with the primordial qi of heaven and earth, refine the essence blood of ten thousand spirits, and open bloodfiend divine apertures!
"How did Cao De initiate it back then?"
"Where did he find a place of extreme yin?"
"I've got it!"
"There must be a place of extreme yin within Cao De's residence. He always stayed at home. Other than a steward and several servants, there was no one else in the household."
"He was clearly entangled with the County Governor's favored concubine, yet he never brought a single woman home. Even his steward and servants were all men."
"That was because his household contained a place of extreme yin. Women were yin by nature; remaining in such a place for long would surely leave them plagued by illness and with little time to live."
"So, to avoid arousing suspicion, he fashioned himself into a martial arts maniac who kept away from women."
Once Chen Fan figured this out, he immediately sped toward Cao De's residence under the astonished gazes of Lu Xuening and Huang Chengyue.
"Could it be that this kid has changed his mind again?"
Huang Chengyue voiced his confusion.
Chen Fan had sounded so resolute that he and Lu Xuening had both been prepared to guard him and prevent anyone from interrupting his breakthrough into the Divine Aperture Realm. Yet before long, he had jumped down from the county office roof and run off.
"He must have initiated the 'Blood Fiend Art' and wants to find a place of extreme yin for his breakthrough. It has only been a moment, yet he has already initiated a Divine Aperture Realm cultivation method. He is truly monstrous!"
Lu Xuening gazed at Chen Fan's departing back and could not help sighing in admiration.
Chen Fan: Thanks a lot. It only took me five years to figure that out.
Cao De's residence had already been sealed off. Chen Fan directly vaulted over the wall and entered. The instant he stepped inside, an icy, sinister wind swept toward him. Relying on his extraordinary perception, he finally found the core of the place of extreme yin.
It was a study. A meditation cushion still lay inside, and it was obvious that Cao De often sat here to cultivate.
Chen Fan plopped down onto the cushion and began deducing once more:
In the tenth year, you found a place of extreme yin and began circulating the "Blood Fiend Art." You successfully captured the Taiyin Power drifting between heaven and earth and drew it into your body. Because you possessed an Innate Physique, you effortlessly established a connection with the primordial qi of heaven and earth, successfully drawing qi into your body!
In the thirtieth year, cultivation of the "Blood Fiend Art" required essence blood of ten thousand spirits. The higher its purity, the higher its grade, and the more singular its bloodline, the more powerful it was. Its effects were more pronounced, and its side effects fewer. But you were currently trapped within Ping An County and could not obtain essence blood of ten thousand spirits, so the Blood Fiend Art progressed slowly.
In the fiftieth year, the Blood Fiend Art continued to progress slowly. Through years of painstaking effort, you finally opened your first aperture. Your speed of connecting with the primordial qi of heaven and earth increased. Through the aperture, it traveled along the eight extraordinary meridians, and a wisp of Bloodfiend True Qi entered your body.
In the hundredth year, you gradually realized the importance of essence blood of ten thousand spirits to the "Blood Fiend Art." You began racking your brains over how to obtain high-quality essence blood. In the end, you looked at your physique, comparable to that of a young ferocious beast, and your eyes lit up. No matter how good another's essence blood was, it could not match your own in compatibility. You began drawing out the essence blood within your body to cultivate the "Blood Fiend Art." It was as though you had opened the door to a new world. Soon, you opened twelve apertures, and the Blood Fiend Art reached Minor Accomplishment!
In the three-hundredth year, as the "Blood Fiend Art" continued to improve, it required more and more essence blood. Although your blood was refined like mercury, your vital blood rose like wolf smoke, and your blood qi was vast as the sea, even you could not endure such torment forever. You could only recover your vital blood while drawing out essence blood to cultivate the "Blood Fiend Art." You created an entirely new approach to cultivating it. Three hundred years passed in the flick of a finger, and you finally opened twenty apertures. The Blood Fiend Art reached Major Accomplishment!
In the five-hundredth year, you cultivated the "Blood Fiend Art" as always. Your face grew paler and paler, and your body weaker and weaker, yet your strength continued to rise. One aperture after another was opened. You sensed the primordial qi of heaven and earth entering your body through your apertures and transforming into Bloodfiend True Qi. In the end, the Bloodfiend True Qi flowed into your dantian, dyeing it entirely blood-red. You understood that Bloodfiend Power was eroding your dantian, but you had no other choice!
In the eight-hundredth year, you were haggard and emaciated, looking as though you were at death's door. Yet your eyes grew brighter and brighter, while the Bloodfiend True Qi within your body became increasingly terrifying. Finally, one day, you opened all thirty-six apertures throughout your body and cultivated the "Blood Fiend Art" to perfection!
The Blood Fiend Art had reached perfection!
Chen Fan abruptly opened his eyes. A flash of crimson light flickered through them as the Bloodfiend True Qi within his body burst forth, surging like the endless waves of a mighty river. It directly blasted off the roof of Cao De's study, and the entire room collapsed completely!
Before you continue