"Hand it over—"
After Ye Huijian got the cultivation method, she held out her hand to Liu Chengfeng again.
"What?"
"The Short Spear. It's time you gave it back."
Thinking of the Short Spear's power, Liu Chengfeng didn't want to return it.
"Aren't we family? What's yours is mine."
"You shameless brat. Since when did what's mine become yours?"
Ye Huijian smiled, pressing her lips together.
"Enough, don't be naughty. With this thing in your hands, it could bring you a fatal calamity. That wouldn't be good."
"You're always taking advantage of me, but I never get anything out of it. I'm starting to think you're a fake martial aunt."
Liu Chengfeng muttered and returned the Short Spear to Ye Huijian.
"That's a good boy."
Ye Huijian tousled his hair, smoothing it back into place, then turned to leave.
"Try absorbing spiritual energy. Don't let it absorb your blood energy."
As she reached the doorway, Ye Huijian tossed out that parting remark.
Ye Huijian's words had awakened Liu Chengfeng to the answer.
He immediately urged the runes surrounding the World Tree. The cultivation method began to glow, radiant as divine light and immeasurably ancient.
As the Ancient Heart Method stirred, the World Tree rumbled and sent down branches, as if they were taking root in the earth.
Then it began to gulp down spiritual energy like a whale, greedily absorbing it from underground.
The spiritual energy beneath the Cloud Rising Sect had been accumulated through the Spirit Vein Dojo. After tens of thousands of years, it had condensed into liquid and become the Spirit Pool.
The World Tree absorbed it at a frenzied pace, and the spiritual liquid rapidly dwindled. The Cloud Rising Sect's spiritual energy was draining away just as fast.
The sight stunned every disciple in the Cloud Rising Sect. No one knew what was happening.
A moment ago, the sect had been brimming with spiritual energy, like the watery lands south of the Yangtze. In the next instant, it was vanishing at an alarming rate, leaving the place as dry as a desert.
"What's happening?"
Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders were so terrified their souls nearly fled their bodies. They thought some great demon had descended and was draining the Cloud Rising Sect dry.
When Nangong Renshe and the others came to their senses, alarms were ringing incessantly across the sect's grounds. All the spiritual energy was flowing in one direction—the Guest Peak.
"Don't tell me he's figured out some demonic art."
Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders hurried over to stop Liu Chengfeng.
"Is it really that serious?"
Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders' sudden arrival gave Liu Chengfeng quite a fright.
When he heard that the spiritual energy of the entire Cloud Rising Sect was about to be sucked dry, he was dumbfounded too.
"If you keep absorbing it, you won't just drain the spiritual energy from the dojo—you'll suck the entire Spirit Vein dry. Stop absorbing it!"
Nangong Renshe was frantic. If this kept up, the Cloud Rising Sect would be ruined.
At that point, Liu Chengfeng hardly dared to absorb another wisp. Fortunately, after taking in so much spiritual energy at once, the World Tree had actually grown larger.
It had become a towering tree, its branches and leaves rustling. Every leaf shimmered like a star in the sky.
"What are you cultivating?"
The Fourth Elder was baffled. A cultivator in the Blood Sea Divine Treasury was absorbing spiritual energy at such a terrifying rate. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was some great demon.
"I just had a sudden insight and wanted to test a way to break through my bottleneck."
After making such a commotion, nearly draining the Cloud Rising Sect dry, Liu Chengfeng couldn't help giving an awkward laugh.
"Don't go recklessly comprehending cultivation methods. If you accidentally create a demonic art, we'll be in serious trouble. Everyone in the Green Meng Realm will come to destroy us."
Nangong Renshe couldn't help wearing a pained expression.
A genius like this appeared once in ten thousand years. If he really comprehended some demonic art, it would bring disaster upon the entire sect.
"I won't. I won't do it again, absolutely not."
"Don't rush into comprehending cultivation methods just yet. We'll find a Sage Scroll for you to practice."
The Fourth Elder was also worried Liu Chengfeng might really come up with some demonic art, so he hurried to reassure him.
"Exactly. You can't rush cultivation or take shortcuts."
"And from now on, don't absorb spiritual energy so frantically when you're outside. The people of the world will take you for a member of the demonic path, and cultivators everywhere will hunt you down."
The other elders earnestly advised Liu Chengfeng. They were genuinely afraid he'd be in such a hurry to break through that he caused another earth-shaking disaster.
Seeing how frightened Nangong Renshe and the others were, Liu Chengfeng quickly promised that nothing like this would happen again.
After repeatedly warning him, Nangong Renshe and the others finally left, still somewhat uneasy.
Liu Chengfeng himself had been badly startled. He hadn't expected the World Tree to be so ferocious.
The Celestial Body could absorb spiritual energy too, but it did so gently.
The World Tree was different. It was brutally forceful, as if it meant to drain the Spirit Vein dry.
He'd better use the World Tree sparingly.
If it drained the Spirit Vein dry, not only would the creatures of the region suffer, but he'd become the great demon everyone in the Green Meng Realm wanted to hunt down.
Fortunately, once the World Tree had grown into a towering tree, it stopped absorbing blood energy and ceased growing, at least for the time being.
With the World Tree no longer absorbing blood energy, Liu Chengfeng continued cultivating. His blood energy recovered at an astonishing rate, and his Blood Sea surged with immense power. Even his divine blood seemed invigorated.
Day after day, it accumulated until his blood energy roared like a raging tide within the Blood Sea Divine Treasury.
The chance to attack the bottleneck had come again. Liu Chengfeng circulated the Mad Kui Heart Method, one cycle after another.
Urged on by the Innate Heart Method, his blood energy roared and surged skyward, striking Zhongfu in his chest.
Throughout the process of breaking through, his divine blood played the most vital role.
His divine blood roared upward like a True Dragon, radiating divine might as it carried twenty li of blood energy toward Zhongfu with unstoppable force.
After one attack after another, his entire Blood Sea went berserk.
A "crack" rang out inside Liu Chengfeng's body as the bottleneck of the Blood Sea shattered.
As his divine blood carried the full might of the Blood Sea into the assault, it struck open his second Divine Treasury.
The Treasure Mountain Divine Treasury: a mountain's root lay within the chest, while a majestic Treasure Mountain rose within. The body was like a pillar between heaven and earth, joining the two, absorbing spiritual energy, strengthening blood energy, and tempering the sinews and bones.
His work was done. Liu Chengfeng had broken through the bottleneck and entered the Treasure Mountain Divine Treasury.
"You've finally made it. We'll help you choose some cultivation methods."
When they heard Liu Chengfeng had entered the Treasure Mountain Divine Treasury, Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders were delighted. It felt as if they'd been waiting for this day forever.
Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders gathered to discuss which cultivation methods to choose.
After sorting through the options, Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders reached a decision.
They chose the Gold Knot Heart Method, a top-grade Human Scroll.
It was already the best heart method the Cloud Rising Sect had for the Treasure Mountain Divine Treasury realm. It was also the method practiced by generations of sect masters.
They selected two techniques: the Purple Cloud Technique and the Flying Sand Steps.
The Purple Cloud Technique was an upper-grade Human Scroll, a defensive technique. The Second Elder practiced it as well.
The Flying Sand Steps was an upper-grade Human Scroll and a movement technique, making it extraordinarily effective for escaping enemies.
The Flying Sand Steps was a technique only Jiang Yu, the senior disciple, was allowed to practice. Jiang Yu was the First Elder's personal disciple.
By choosing these three cultivation methods, the Cloud Rising Sect was giving Liu Chengfeng its very best. Though he was only a guest elder, they were raising him as the future sect master.
"Too much greed makes a meal indigestible. Have him practice these three first, and once he's mastered them, we'll teach him the others."
Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders agreed they couldn't pass every top cultivation method to Liu Chengfeng all at once. That would only hinder his cultivation.
"This child has such incredible talent. If only we had a Sage Scroll."
Nangong Renshe couldn't help feeling regretful.
Although the Cloud Rising Sect was a major sect in the Qiuchi Kingdom, it didn't even rank among the sects of the Green Meng Realm.
The most powerful cultivation method in the entire Cloud Rising Sect was the Golden Thunder Heart Method, practiced by Nangong Renshe. It was a lower-grade Sage Scroll, but it could only be practiced in the Reception Divine Treasury realm.
The best cultivation method for the Treasure Mountain Divine Treasury realm was the Gold Knot Heart Method, a top-grade Human Scroll.
At the mention of Sage Scrolls, the other elders all looked at the Fourth Elder in unison.
"Looking at me won't help. I can't pass on any of my cultivation methods, and you all know that."
The Fourth Elder could only spread his hands.
Among the Five Elders, setting aside the First Elder, who was their martial uncle, the Fourth Elder was the strongest.
That was because the Fourth Elder practiced the Imperial City Heart Method and the Imperial City Mad Monk Thirty-Six Pestles, both lower-grade Sage Scrolls.
The Fourth Elder was even reputed to have the strongest defenses in the Cloud Rising Sect.
"Could you discuss it with the royal family? If this child practiced a Sage Scroll, he might comprehend and combine it, and perhaps even create an Innate technique."
Nangong Renshe tried to persuade the Fourth Elder.
"Innate Sage Scroll—"
The Five Elders were all deeply shaken.
"An Innate Sage Scroll at the Treasure Mountain Divine Treasury realm? Even the Qiuchi Kingdom doesn't have one."
The Second Elder was so astonished she lost her composure. She was a woman, a graceful and beautiful matron.
"Forget the Qiuchi Kingdom—even the Ancient Kingdom Court would have a hard time finding one. Only a Divine Dynasty could produce something like that."
The mention of an Innate Sage Scroll deeply shook every elder.
"We really could try asking."
The First Elder and the others all turned to look at the Fourth Elder.
The Fourth Elder wasn't just an elder of the Cloud Rising Sect. He also came from the Qiuchi royal family.
Though he belonged to a collateral branch, after passing the examination, he had been allowed to practice the royal family's cultivation methods.
"I'll sound them out. This child deserves the chance to practice a Sage Scroll."
The Fourth Elder agreed it was worth trying. He would see if he could discuss it with his family.
Liu Chengfeng didn't mind which cultivation methods he practiced. As soon as he got one, he tossed it to the Celestial Body to smash apart and refine.
This time was different. As soon as he finished refining the Gold Knot Heart Method, his blood energy took a heavy hit. The Celestial Body absorbed a large amount of his blood energy and spirit power as compensation.
"Damn, isn't that a little too harsh?"
Before this, when he'd smashed and refined methods like the Angry Bear Mental Method, it hadn't needed to absorb his blood energy.
The Celestial Body ignored Liu Chengfeng, as if telling him that before, it had only been letting him try out its power. Now it was refining cultivation methods for him—for a price.
After being treated with such disdain by the Celestial Body, Liu Chengfeng had to admit it had a point. He couldn't keep expecting it to work for free.
After refining the Gold Knot Heart Method to top grade, Liu Chengfeng also smashed and refined the Purple Cloud Technique and the Flying Sand Steps to top grade.
The Celestial Body absorbed his blood energy and spirit power without mercy, leaving Liu Chengfeng utterly drained in an instant.
Fortunately, he still had the Blood Medicine given to him by the Cloud Rising Sect. He swallowed five or six portions at once before he finally recovered.
Then Liu Chengfeng tried to combine the Flying Sand Steps and the Purple Cloud Technique. With a "bang," the Celestial Body obligingly refined them together.
Of course, it absorbed more than half of Liu Chengfeng's blood energy in one go.
"You're charging way too much."
Liu Chengfeng gulped down the rest of his Second Refinement Blood Medicine before he finally came around.
After combining the Flying Sand Steps and the Purple Cloud Technique, Liu Chengfeng gave the new method a name: the Purple Mist Flying Waterfall Technique.
The Celestial Body charged him so steeply, but Liu Chengfeng still gritted his teeth.
He knocked two small black fragments off the black stone, then refined them directly with the Gold Knot Heart Method and the Purple Mist Flying Waterfall Technique.
The Gold Knot Heart Method and the Purple Mist Flying Waterfall Technique were upgraded to Human Scroll Innate.
This time, the Celestial Body was even more ruthless, draining Liu Chengfeng's blood energy to the last drop.
With a "thump," Liu Chengfeng collapsed onto the bed.
"Don't scare us like that! Are you trying to ruin yourself with cultivation?"
When they heard what had happened, Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders rushed over, fussing over him with concern.
Liu Chengfeng lay in bed, his face pale and his blood energy severely depleted.
Nangong Renshe and the Five Elders were dumbfounded. Who trained so hard they ended up like this?
"I finally created and combined three cultivation methods into Innate techniques."
Liu Chengfeng gave a weak smile.
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