Life-Spending Cultivation

Bi Changsheng had just practiced the Bi Family's inherited martial art, the Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng. It was a precious martial art that led 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 very foundation upon which the Bi Family stood.

The Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng was a fast sword technique. Once cultivated to the Great Accomplishment Realm, one could unleash thirteen consecutive strikes within a single breath, leaving enemies unable to fend them off. Its ferocity was unmatched.

Beginner, Minor Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment, Perfection...

These were the realms used to distinguish one's degree of mastery over a Martial Skill. The mark of entering the Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng was the ability to unleash three swords in a single breath.

Mastering the Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng in less than half an hour left Bi Changsheng utterly astonished. In the original owner's memories, his father, Bi Tiancheng, had said that it had taken 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 possessed exceptional comprehension, having read and understood virtually 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 opinions and insights on cultivation.

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

"Looks like my arrival has strengthened this body's talent, or perhaps allowed more of its talent to be unleashed?"

The instincts of a detective made Bi Changsheng begin to speculate inwardly.

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

Time slipped away unnoticed in the gaps between Bi Changsheng's sword practice.

At daybreak, Uncle Fu had just risen. The instant he opened his door, the sight of Bi Changsheng absorbed in sword practice stunned him into standing frozen on the spot. Yesterday, he had still been lying in bed, looking so frail that even the wind could knock him over. Now, he was practicing his sword with the vigor of a living dragon and a lively tiger.

His appearance had also returned to the image Uncle Fu remembered: bright eyes, white teeth, clear features, and the graceful bearing of a refined young noble.

Although Uncle Fu had never practiced martial arts, he had seen enough of the world to recognize something. Seeing the sharp flashes of Bi Changsheng's sword, he knew that Bi Changsheng had already cast off the bounds of ordinary people and stepped into the domain of martial artists. Otherwise, he could never wield such fierce sword light.

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

After his body recovered, Bi Changsheng had discovered that his hearing, vision, and all his other senses had been enhanced. Thus, he had noticed Uncle Fu opening the door the instant it happened.

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

"Uncle Fu, come over and 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 opened his mouth to ask,

"Young Master, this..."

Yet as soon as he spoke, fearing that what he wanted to ask might involve some secret, he ultimately did not voice the doubts in his heart.

"Uncle Fu, sit down first. Then we can talk."

Bi Changsheng could more or less guess Uncle Fu's questions, and he had long since prepared a way to deal with them.

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

Only after Uncle Fu sat down did Bi Changsheng slowly recount the excuse he had prepared in advance.

Uncle Fu's loyalty to the Bi Family was beyond question. Therefore, the moment he heard Bi Changsheng's words, he believed them without a shred of doubt. Delight filled his face as he said,

"This is truly wonderful! If the master learns of this, he will surely be overjoyed as well. It is only a pity that he cannot see it with his own eyes."

"Uncle Fu, I need this medicine to verify some of the thoughts in my heart. Go and get a batch for me."

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

"Yes, Young Master."

Uncle Fu accepted the prescription and looked it over. A trace of difficulty seemed to appear on his face, but he still answered Bi Changsheng firmly.

Uncle Fu returned to his room to fetch a few things before heading out. It did not take long for him to bring back the medicinal ingredients Bi Changsheng needed. After using the kitchen's existing tools to brew the medicinal soup, Bi Changsheng returned to his room and began testing the idea in his heart.

After discovering that the Cultivation Level the original owner had gained through a forbidden technique had not faded away with time, Bi Changsheng formed a conjecture: this body was not ordinary. It possessed something akin to 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 through other means, then even a temporary increase would not disappear once the effect ended.

As an avid fan of novels and games, Bi Changsheng immediately thought of several cultivation methods suitable for himself.

For example, pill-assisted cultivation: taking pills that forcibly raised one's Cultivation Level, then using the body's locking property to preserve that Cultivation Level. However, most pills that forcibly broke through realms came with severe side effects. All things considered, the losses outweighed the gains. As for breakthrough pills without side effects, they were far too rare and would certainly be exceedingly precious. In the end, he rejected this plan.

The other cultivation methods also had all kinds of flaws, and Bi Changsheng rejected them one by one. In the end, one method with extremely high feasibility remained: Life-Spending Cultivation. He would first use forbidden arts like the Body Burning Art, which burned life and potential to temporarily raise his Cultivation Level, then use his unique body to lock that Cultivation Level in place.

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—in truth, the body's energy. This meant Bi Changsheng could not raise his Cultivation Level continuously. After every increase, he needed to rest for a while and wait for his body to recover before raising it again. If he was not careful, he could even die from excessive depletion of his potential.

After all, he merely did not age; he was not immortal. When the original owner had activated the forbidden art before, the lifespan burned had been far from reaching its limit. Yet he had still died from excessive depletion of potential, which was why Bi Changsheng had arrived.

To deal with this, Bi Changsheng found a prescription in the original owner's memories called All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup. It could provide the body with immense energy and lessen the burden on the body when using forbidden arts to raise one's Cultivation Level. Not only could it provide him with powerful protection, it could also greatly shorten the intervals between his increases in Cultivation Level.

The medicinal ingredients Uncle Fu had just brought back were precisely those needed to brew the All-Inclusive Great Tonic Soup.

With everything ready, Bi Changsheng did not delay. He drank the entire 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 corner of him, as though they were about to burst him apart. He did not dare waste time and hurriedly activated the Body Burning Art, beginning to raise his Cultivation Level.

As the cultivation art circulated, Bi Changsheng could vaguely feel 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 released by the soup was also drawn out.

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

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

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 settled, he eagerly examined his current condition.