S-Class Cultivation Technique, Life-Stealing Heaven-Thieving

Jiang Li's slash was too fast—so fast that even Lu Dajun saw only an afterimage.

Lu Dajun was horrified. At once, he pushed his Talent Ability to its absolute limit.

B-Class Talent Ability: Metal Skin.

Then Lu Dajun fully circulated the Heaven-Stealing Divine Art, sending all the blood qi within his body surging into his hands.

Bzz!

He formed claws with both hands and forcibly blocked Jiang Li's blade head-on.

Yet his body leaned backward as he retreated, his feet stumbling step after step as though he could collapse at any moment.

Lu Dajun knew that if he fell, he would undoubtedly die.

"What a monster!"

Even in his dreams, he had never imagined that Jiang Li's mastery of martial arts and the strength of his Blood Qi Value could be so terrifying.

One had to know that his own Blood Qi Value had already broken through the shackles of the Seventh Grade, comparable to that of a martial artist newly entering the Sixth Grade.

Yet beneath this slash, he was utterly outmatched.

At the critical moment, Lu Dajun employed his Breathing Technique. He drew in a long breath, and his lungs seemed like bellows being pulled.

All his blood qi and strength converged into his hands and feet at that instant.

Boom!

At last, Lu Dajun steadied himself, his two claws locking tightly around the Black Horizontal Saber.

Thanks to his Talent Ability, his limbs and bones were comparable to weapons. Even though the Black Horizontal Saber was Seventh Grade, it could not completely shatter his defense.

After coming to a stop, Lu Dajun was drenched in sweat. In all his years as a wanted man, this was the first time he had felt so close to death.

And the one making him feel this way was an eighteen-year-old brat.

But just as he was about to say something, he saw Jiang Li's Talent Ability merge with Jiang Li himself.

Those icy eyes looked as though they were gazing upon a corpse.

"Not good!"

Lu Dajun screamed inwardly, but it was already too late.

Talent Ability, fully activated!

Martial Soul Protection!

His Blood Qi Value increased by five hundred percent. At the same time, white mist spilled from Jiang Li's mouth, and it seemed as though the sound of blood qi flowing could be heard within his arms.

Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber, final form.

Triple Thunderous Charge Saber!

With one slash, those metal-like palms were cleanly severed. At the same time, the strike was so swift that Lu Dajun could not even react before the blade swept across his throat.

Lu Dajun tried to touch his throat, only to discover that his hands were gone.

He staggered two steps back, turned to look at Jiang Li as if wanting to say something, then, with a dull thud, his corpse crashed onto the floor.

His Talent Ability vanished along with him. Jiang Li let out a breath.

"A Seventh Grade Peak martial artist is nothing more than this."

"But for Lu Dajun's Blood Qi Value to reach the level of a Sixth Grade martial artist—that truly is terrifying."

Jiang Li sheathed the Black Horizontal Saber, glanced sideways at those who still did not dare show themselves, and shook his head.

Opening the Yellow Book, Jiang Li could not help but glance over it.

[Killed one enemy, obtained 137 years of Cultivatable Lifespan]

[Killed one enemy, obtained 36 years of Cultivatable Lifespan]

The one above was the demon beast lifespan from Ying Li. Killing him alone was worth killing four Seventh Grade martial artists.

The one below belonged to Lu Dajun. His thirty-six years of lifespan were also a full seven years more than that of Li Shanjun, the Seventh Grade martial artist from Hua Tian Martial Arts Hall.

Jiang Li immediately sensed that something was wrong. "Lu Dajun looks around seventy years old, but with thirty-six years of cultivatable lifespan—even if he began practicing martial arts at seven, he should only be forty-two by now."

"A disguise technique!?"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to search him.

Although there was no Seventh Grade weapon, if he could learn the secret behind Lu Dajun's disguise, it would not be a wasted effort.

But after examining him, Jiang Li discovered that Lu Dajun was not disguised. This was his true appearance; at most, he had drawn a few wrinkles on his face.

"Strange!"

Jiang Li muttered. Then suddenly, the corner of his eye twitched as he spotted an old, ancient book at Lu Dajun's chest.

"What's this?"

Jiang Li casually took it. The four words Heaven-Stealing Divine Art were clear and distinct on its cover.

"It's actually an S-Class Cultivation Technique?"

Jiang Li stared in surprise at the S-Class Cultivation Technique emblem above. He opened the technique and flipped through it, but when he saw its description and method of cultivation, he froze.

As if entranced, he immediately read through the entire technique, only closing Heaven-Stealing Divine Art after a full ten minutes.

An expression of immense delight appeared on Jiang Li's face, because Heaven-Stealing Divine Art seemed as though it had been forged specifically for him.

The cultivation method of Heaven-Stealing Divine Art was very simple: use Blood Qi to strike open the twelve Heavenly Apertures throughout the body. Every major aperture successfully opened would not only allow the body to store more Blood Qi Value, but would also greatly strengthen one's physique.

Moreover, if all twelve Heavenly Apertures were opened, they would form an independent circulation. Internal force would circulate and true qi would flow, as though aided by the gods.

For others, circulating internal force and true qi might require temporary mobilization, like riding a bicycle.

But Jiang Li, after opening all twelve Heavenly Apertures, would be like riding a high-speed train—unmatched among those of the same realm.

Jiang Li did not know what the other S-Class Cultivation Techniques were like, but Heaven-Stealing Divine Art truly lived up to the words written at its beginning.

"Steal heaven's creation, forge man's mysterious pivot."

But Heaven-Stealing Divine Art did not bring only benefits. It also had drawbacks.

That was, one could not take Qi and Blood Pills while cultivating this technique. One could only burn one's lifespan.

That was why Lu Dajun, who by Jiang Li's estimation was only in his forties, possessed the aged body of a man nearing seventy.

Jiang Li closed Heaven-Stealing Divine Art and looked at Lu Dajun's corpse. He muttered to himself, "So the reason Lu Dajun went mad with murder, and still took the risk despite knowing Beihe City was under total lockdown, was because he couldn't afford to wait!"

"When a Seventh Grade martial artist breaks through to the Sixth Grade, their lifespan increases as well. So he wanted to kill people and absorb their Blood Qi to break through to the Sixth Grade."

Jiang Li thought about it. Wasn't this a low-spec version of the Yellow Book?

Burn lifespan to rapidly raise one's Blood Qi Value, then kill others and seize their Blood Qi Value to break through realms and extend one's lifespan.

Of course, Lu Dajun's cultivation method was like the light of a firefly compared to the sun and moon in the sky when measured against the Yellow Book. The difference was far too great.

But if he cultivated Heaven-Stealing Divine Art, there would be no problem at all.

Wasn't it just burning lifespan? He still had a full 1,300 years of lifespan remaining.

"This Heaven-Stealing Divine Art is simply a match made in heaven for me."

Just as Jiang Li was thinking, a figure rushed over at high speed.

Heaven-Stealing Divine Art was instantly snatched from Jiang Li's hand. Jiang Li reacted as well, but it was already too late.

He abruptly turned around, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes. But when he saw who had come, the chill on his face gradually faded.

"This kind of technique is forbidden. You'd better not entertain any thoughts of cultivating it."

When Yun Fei saw the four words "Heaven-Stealing Divine Art," her expression changed slightly.

"A forbidden technique?" Jiang Li thought about it and felt that made sense.

A technique that burned away one's lifespan was no different from a gambler at the card table.

Tempted by desire and power, many people would recklessly burn their lifespans to increase their strength.

If such a technique were spread, a great many martial artists would be affected by it.

"That's right!"

There were several more holes in Yun Fei's clothes now, exposing her tender, fair skin.

"I've heard of this Heaven-Stealing Divine Art. It can indeed rapidly increase one's Blood Qi Value, but from the time this technique appeared until now, no one has ever successfully cultivated it." Knowing that Jiang Li had certainly read its contents, Yun Fei warned, "A Third Grade Martial Venerable from Qingbei once studied this technique in detail. It is said that to cultivate it to completion would probably consume nearly a thousand years of lifespan."

"A thousand years of lifespan—never mind Seventh Grade and Eighth-grade Martial Artists like you and me, even the current number one in Great Xia, the Longevity Martial Emperor, has only just lived past a thousand years."

"So although this technique appears to be rated S-Class and is extremely powerful, cultivating it is no different from seeking death."

Jiang Li nodded upon hearing this. "Indeed. This kind of technique is simply a malignant tumor. For anyone else, cultivating it would be no different from courting death."

Hearing Jiang Li say this, Yun Fei could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Yet she did not know that Jiang Li had already made his decision.

"Right, where's Lu Dajun?" Seeing the empty villa district, Yun Fei frowned. "Did he already escape?"

The people who had originally been in the villa had long since vanished while Jiang Li was reading Heaven-Stealing Divine Art.

Jiang Li pointed at the corpse on the ground. "There. Lu Dajun's right here."

Yun Fei was taken aback and frowned. "That joke isn't funny, Jiang Li. Let's talk business."

Jiang Li showed a helpless expression. "He really is Lu Dajun."