Inside the room, Du Tian, Zhao Feng, and Chu Dachuan all lay sprawled on the ground.
Every one of them was injured.
Chu Dachuan in particular had still been defeated, even after displaying a superior sword technique at the Great Accomplishment Realm.
Because Zhang Su's Nine Shadows Sword Technique had reached the Perfected Realm!
It was truly staggering.
The Nine Shadows Sword Technique was a superior sword technique.
Many martial artists cultivated superior sword techniques, and many could reach the Minor Accomplishment Realm, but reaching the Major Accomplishment Realm was exceedingly difficult.
Even a genius like Chu Dachuan, whose sword technique had reached the Major Accomplishment Realm in a year, was astonishingly gifted.
As for the Perfected Realm?
That was no longer something effort alone could achieve.
Only with sufficient talent, along with a flash of inspiration, could one possibly reach perfection.
Yet Zhang Su had done it.
With one sword casting nine shadows, Chu Dachuan had naturally lost.
He accepted his defeat wholeheartedly!
Step by step, Zhang Su walked over to the three of them.
Blood was still dripping from the Lengshuang Sword in his hand.
Du Tian trembled so badly that even his voice shook. "Y-you... what do you want?"
Zhang Su narrowed his eyes slightly.
Slap.
Zhang Su sheathed his sword.
He said calmly, "Over the past year, I gave you many things. Now, I want to take them all back. Ten Blood Replenishing Pills per person. No problem with that, right?"
The Guiyuan Sect did not permit disciples to privately transfer contribution points.
But if Zhang Su simply had them exchange their points for Blood Replenishing Pills, there would be no problem.
"What? Ten Blood Replenishing Pills? Why don't you just rob us?"
Du Tian became extremely agitated at those words.
What kind of joke was this? They could barely bear to take Blood Replenishing Pills themselves. Where were they supposed to find ten pills to give Zhang Su?
At fifty contribution points per Blood Replenishing Pill, ten pills meant five hundred contribution points.
That was equivalent to five hundred taels of silver.
How long would they have to spend doing missions to gather that much?
"If you can't gather the Blood Replenishing Pills, then we'll have to settle today's score properly..."
Zhao Feng sneered. "Zhang Su, there's no need for you to threaten us. The Guiyuan Sect's rules forbid disciples from killing one another. Do you really dare kill us?"
Zhang Su said evenly, "I won't kill you. But we live in the same room. If I want to spar with you, I can spar with you whenever I please."
"And when sparring, injuries are unavoidable, aren't they? By then, I'll just keep letting you recuperate..."
"You..."
Zhao Feng and the other two were furious upon hearing this.
But once their anger passed, they all fell silent.
If they were forever "recuperating," what martial arts could they possibly train?
After a long while, Chu Dachuan spoke. "Give us some time. We will gather the Blood Replenishing Pills."
"You only have ten days. Within ten days, you must gather a total of thirty Blood Replenishing Pills!"
After saying that, Zhang Su turned and returned to his bed.
He did not care how Chu Dachuan and the others would borrow them.
All he wanted were thirty Blood Replenishing Pills.
Thinking of the one sword nine shadows from earlier, Zhang Su immediately checked the System Panel.
Host: Zhang Su Cultivation Base: Blood Qi Realm Second Layer Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique: Compatibility Rate 91% (Major Accomplishment Realm) Nine Shadows Sword Technique: Compatibility Rate 93% (Perfected Realm) Triple Wave: Compatibility Rate 91% (Major Accomplishment Realm) Compatibility Points: 1
Sure enough, the Nine Shadows Sword Technique had already reached the Perfected Realm.
Moreover, his Compatibility Points had increased by one.
According to the System Panel's prompt, every technique that reached the Perfected Realm could provide one Compatibility Point.
And one Compatibility Point could increase a technique's Compatibility Rate by 10%.
Both the Triple Wave Sword Technique and the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique had Compatibility Rates above 90%. Once increased by another 10%, their Compatibility Rates would certainly reach 100%, and the techniques would definitely reach the Perfected Realm.
Then which technique should he use this Compatibility Point on?
Of course, there was another option: save it.
After all, whether it was the Triple Wave Sword Technique or the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique, both could wait. They might still reach the Perfected Realm on their own.
He could save up more Compatibility Points and use them at a critical moment in the future.
Zhang Su weighed the matter carefully.
In the end, he decided to use it on the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique immediately.
The reason was simple.
Cultivation Base was the foundation!
He was only at the Blood Qi Realm Second Layer now. As an overage disciple of the Guiyuan Sect, he had already spent a full year cultivating Blood Qi.
Time waited for no one.
He had to do everything in his power to raise his realm as quickly as possible.
And once the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique's Compatibility Rate reached 100%, it would certainly reach the Perfected Realm.
When that happened, the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique's efficiency would surely soar.
It would also allow him to better digest Blood Replenishing Pills.
With that thought, Zhang Su no longer hesitated.
He immediately focused his attention. The System Panel surfaced in his mind, and he directly added the Compatibility Point to the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique.
Buzz.
Zhang Su felt the information on the System Panel blur.
Then, the one Compatibility Point was consumed.
The Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique also changed.
Its Compatibility Rate rose directly from 91% to 100%.
Though it had only risen by a mere 9%, the effect was remarkable.
The change was simply enormous.
Zhang Su only felt as if he had instantly comprehended every mystery of the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique.
As he circulated the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique, he felt incomparably refreshed throughout his body with every cycle.
One hour, two hours, three hours...
Boom.
At a certain moment, Zhang Su felt the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique circulating through his body suddenly accelerate.
The rate at which his Blood Qi grew instantly surged as well!
"Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique: Compatibility Rate 100% (Perfected Realm)"
Zhang Su immediately checked the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique.
The moment he looked, his heart shook.
"It... reached the Perfected Realm already?"
Even Zhang Su himself was greatly stunned.
How long had it been?
Only a few hours.
And it had actually reached the Perfected Realm?
It was truly unbelievable.
But it was the truth!
Zhang Su recalled how the Nine Shadows Sword Technique had reached the Perfected Realm, as well as how the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique had reached the Perfected Realm.
Although both had reached perfection, they were actually different.
The Nine Shadows Sword Technique had reached perfection because he and Chu Dachuan had exchanged rapid strikes. In the midst of its execution, he had a flash of inspiration, seized the opportunity, and only then did the Nine Shadows Sword Technique reach the Perfected Realm.
In truth, that had been an accidental occurrence.
But what about the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique?
It had naturally fallen into place and reached perfection.
It had not needed any flash of inspiration at all, nor had it needed him to seize any opportunity.
"So even with a Compatibility Rate above 90%, a technique still needs some opportunity to reach the Perfected Realm. But at 100%, it needs no opportunity at all and will soon reach the Perfected Realm..."
Zhang Su understood completely.
The Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique had now reached the Perfected Realm.
Its blood-nourishing efficiency had risen to its utmost limit as well.
Zhang Su immediately began cultivating with all his strength.
He swallowed a Blood Replenishing Pill.
One day later, Zhang Su had refined a full two hundred threads of Blood Qi.
Previously, when the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique was at the Major Accomplishment Realm, even after swallowing a Blood Replenishing Pill, he could only refine one hundred and fifty threads of Blood Qi in a day.
The improvement was enormous!
One day, two days, three days...
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
Zhang Su cultivated two thousand threads of Blood Qi, equivalent to twenty wisps of Blood Qi.
Added to his original twenty wisps of Blood Qi.
That made forty wisps of Blood Qi.
And forty wisps of Blood Qi corresponded to the Blood Qi Realm Fourth Layer!
The Blood Qi Realm Second Layer required twenty wisps of Blood Qi, the Third Layer required thirty wisps, and the Fourth Layer required forty wisps... and so on. The Blood Qi Realm Ninth Layer required ninety wisps of Blood Qi!
In merely ten days, Zhang Su had risen from the Blood Qi Realm Second Layer to the Blood Qi Realm Fourth Layer.
This rate of improvement was simply godlike!
Host: Zhang Su Cultivation Base: Blood Qi Realm Fourth Layer Triple Wave: Compatibility Rate 91% (Major Accomplishment Realm) Compatibility Points: 1
With the Taotie Blood Nourishing Technique reaching the Perfected Realm, the System Panel had provided another Compatibility Point.
However, the Triple Wave Sword Technique remained only at the Major Accomplishment Realm.
Clearly, despite its 91% Compatibility Rate, it would not be so easy for the Triple Wave Sword Technique to reach the Perfected Realm.
Only a flash of inspiration, or the arrival of some opportunity, could possibly allow it to reach perfection.
"Hm?"
"Ten days have passed. Du Tian and the others still haven't gathered the Blood Replenishing Pills?"
Zhang Su frowned.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open.
Du Tian, Zhao Feng, and Chu Dachuan hurried in, all looking travel-worn.
The three bowed to Zhang Su. "Brother Zhang, we have not failed our mission. These are our Blood Replenishing Pills."
Chu Dachuan took out a wooden box.
Zhang Su accepted it. Inside the wooden box were exactly thirty Blood Replenishing Pills.
Zhang Su was very satisfied.
"Not bad. I keep my word. The grudges between us are wiped clean with a single stroke!"
As Zhang Su's words fell, the three did not look pleased. Instead, they exchanged glances, then all three dropped to their knees with a thud.
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