Life-Spending Cultivation

What Bi Changsheng had just practiced was the Bi Family's inherited martial art, the "Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng." It was a precious martial art that could lead directly to the Qi and Blood Realm, and it included both the sword technique of the same name and the movement technique, Qingfeng Sword Steps. It was the foundation upon which the Bi Family stood.

The Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng was a fast sword technique. Upon reaching the Great Accomplishment Realm, one could unleash thirteen consecutive strikes within a single breath, leaving enemies unable to parry. Its ferocity was incomparable.

Beginner, Lesser Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment, Perfection...

These were the realms that measured one's mastery of a martial skill. For the Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng, the sign of reaching the Beginner stage was being able to strike three times within a single breath.

That he had entered the Beginner stage of the Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng in less than half an hour astonished Bi Changsheng. In the original owner's memories, his father, Bi Tiancheng, had said that it took him nearly half a year to bring this sword technique to the Beginner stage, and he had often taken great pride in it.

Although the original owner in his memories had possessed extraordinary comprehension, having read and understood nearly all the cultivation manuals, secret texts, and miscellaneous books in the Bi Family's Scripture Pavilion, he could even occasionally offer Bi Tiancheng quite a few suggestions and insights regarding cultivation.

Even so, it would have been impossible for the original owner to enter the Beginner stage of the Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng in less than half an hour.

"It seems my arrival has strengthened this body's talent, or perhaps it has unleashed more of this body's talent?"

His detective instincts made Bi Changsheng begin to speculate inwardly.

Unable to reach an answer, Bi Changsheng simply stopped thinking about it and struck while the iron was hot, continuing to practice his swordsmanship.

Time slipped away unnoticed between Bi Changsheng's intervals of sword practice.

As dawn brightened the sky, Uncle Fu had just gotten out of bed. The moment he opened his door, the sight of Bi Changsheng immersed in sword practice stunned him rigid. Yesterday, he had still been someone so frail that a gust of wind could knock him over; now, he was vigorously practicing his sword.

His appearance had also returned to that of the refined young nobleman Uncle Fu remembered, with bright eyes, pearly teeth, and handsome features.

Although Uncle Fu had never practiced martial arts, he had seen enough of the world. Seeing the fierce gleam of Bi Changsheng's sword, he knew that Bi Changsheng had already stepped beyond the bounds of an ordinary person and entered the domain of martial artists. Otherwise, he could not possibly wield such sharp sword light.

This was what shocked Uncle Fu most. Though the news that the Bi Family's eldest young master could not cultivate due to his body was not known to every household in Lin'an County Town, as a trusted confidant of the Bi Family, Uncle Fu certainly knew it.

After recovering, Bi Changsheng discovered that his hearing, vision, and every other aspect had been enhanced. Thus, he had noticed Uncle Fu the instant he opened the door.

Bi Changsheng sheathed his sword. Seeing Uncle Fu still standing there in a daze, he roughly guessed what he was thinking. He walked to the reclining chair beneath the locust tree, sat down, and called to Uncle Fu with a smile:

"Uncle Fu, come sit for a while."

Only after hearing Bi Changsheng's call did Uncle Fu come back to himself. He quickly walked over, first bowed to Bi Changsheng, then asked:

"Young Master, this..."

Yet as soon as he opened his mouth, fearing that what he wished to ask might involve some secret, he ultimately did not voice the question in his heart.

"Uncle Fu, sit down first. We'll talk after."

Bi Changsheng could more or less guess Uncle Fu's doubts, and he had long since prepared a response.

"I previously took a precious medicinal pill Father had prepared for me. Its effects finally began to take hold yesterday. Not only did it resolve my inability to cultivate, it also completely restored my body."

Only after Uncle Fu sat down did Bi Changsheng slowly tell him the excuse he had prepared beforehand.

Uncle Fu's loyalty to the Bi Family was beyond doubt. Therefore, upon hearing Bi Changsheng's words, he did not question them in the slightest. Joy spread across his face as he said:

"That is wonderful! I am sure the master will be overjoyed when he learns of it. It is only a pity that he cannot see it with his own eyes."

"Uncle Fu, I need this medicine to verify some thoughts of mine. Please go buy a batch for me."

After Uncle Fu's emotions had settled, Bi Changsheng went into his room, wrote out a prescription, and handed it to Uncle Fu.

"Yes, Young Master."

Uncle Fu accepted the prescription and looked it over. His expression briefly showed some difficulty, but he still answered Bi Changsheng firmly.

Uncle Fu returned to his room to collect a few things before heading out. Not long afterward, he brought back the medicinal ingredients Bi Changsheng needed. After using the kitchen's existing equipment to brew the medicinal soup, Bi Changsheng returned to his room and began testing the idea in his heart.

Life-Spending Cultivation!

After discovering that the original owner's cultivation level, raised through a forbidden technique, had not dissipated with time, Bi Changsheng formed a conjecture. This body was not ordinary; it possessed something like a game's attribute-locking function—once certified, forever certified.

Although this body could not cultivate through conventional methods, if its cultivation level could be raised by other means, then even if the increase was only temporary, the cultivation level would not dissipate once the effect ended.

As a fanatic lover of novels and games, Bi Changsheng immediately thought of several cultivation methods suited to himself.

For instance, pill-taking cultivation: using medicinal pills that forcibly raised one's cultivation level, then relying on the body's fixation trait to retain it. However, most pills that forcibly broke through realms carried severe side effects, making the gains not worth the losses. As for breakthrough pills without side effects, they were far too rare and surely extremely precious. In the end, he rejected this plan.

The other cultivation methods also had all sorts of flaws, and Bi Changsheng rejected them one by one. In the end, one highly feasible method remained: Life-Spending Cultivation. He would first use forbidden arts such as the Body Burning Art to temporarily raise his cultivation level by burning his lifespan and potential, then use his body's fixation to preserve that cultivation level.

The only thing he needed to watch out for was that while the Body Burning Art burned lifespan, it also burned the body's potential—essentially, the body's energy. This meant Bi Changsheng could not raise his cultivation level continuously. After each increase, he needed to rest for a period and wait for his body to recover before increasing it again. If he was not careful, he could even die from excessive depletion of potential.

After all, he was merely immortal and ageless, not immortal and indestructible. When the original owner had previously activated the forbidden art, the lifespan burned had been far from the limit, yet he had still died from excessive depletion of potential. That was how Bi Changsheng came to be here.

To address this, Bi Changsheng found a prescription in the original owner's memories called the "All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup." It could provide the body with immense energy and reduce the strain on the body when using forbidden arts to raise one's cultivation level. Not only could it offer him powerful protection, it could also greatly shorten the intervals between each increase in cultivation level.

What he had just asked Uncle Fu to bring back were the ingredients for brewing the All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup.

With everything ready, Bi Changsheng did not hesitate. He downed the bowl of All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup in one gulp.

In an instant, Bi Changsheng felt his blood and qi surge throughout his body. Waves of scorching heat spread from his stomach to every limb, as though they were about to burst him apart. Bi Changsheng did not dare delay and quickly activated the Body Burning Art, beginning to raise his cultivation level.

As the cultivation art circulated, Bi Changsheng could vaguely sense his lifespan being drawn away. However, the lifespan taken was instantly replenished by the Longevity Dao Fruit, causing him no harm whatsoever. At the same time, the medicinal power continuously emitted by the soup was also being drawn out.

Under the effects of the Body Burning Art, the extracted lifespan and medicinal power mingled together in a miraculous manner and began to "burn." They then formed a stream of mysterious energy that carried a faint aura of the essence of life. The moment this mysterious energy appeared, it actively merged into Bi Changsheng's body.

After absorbing this mysterious energy, Bi Changsheng's body began to strengthen in every aspect. His skin and muscles in particular rapidly became tougher and more powerful.

Before long, when the extracted lifespan had reached roughly ten years, the medicinal power of the All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup had nearly been exhausted.

Seeing this, Bi Changsheng began to stop circulating the Body Burning Art.

Once everything had calmed down, he impatiently began examining his current condition.