Refining Escape Corpses

Zhou Yan looked at the zombie before him. Its black fur had almost entirely faded, leaving only a thin layer, and the corpse aura it radiated was intense and violent.

Under the nourishment of the Yin-Nurturing Coffin, the strength of the few zombies under his command had been improving rapidly.

This was the first Magic Zombie he had refined and the strongest among those under his command. It used a Yin-Nurturing Coffin crafted from the heartwood of a centuries-old locust tree, which was two to three times more effective than the other coffins.

Three months ago, under the nourishment of the Yin-Nurturing Coffin, this zombie had advanced to the late stage of Black Zombie.

Now, it was only one step away from advancing to a Hopping Zombie.

What he needed to do now was prepare to perform a secondary refinement on this zombie to propel it to the Hopping Zombie stage in one go.

By then, even if Zhou Yan's own cultivation had not advanced, his strength would be comparable to that of a Qi-Refining Realm cultivator.

Generally speaking, practitioners at the Essence Blood Realm are unable to refine a Hopping Zombie, let alone control one.

The consequence of forcing such control would likely be a backlash from the zombie, potentially leading to the practitioner becoming blood-food for the very creature they sought to command.

However, Zhou Yan was different. Relying on the system's assistance, he had pushed his Corpse Refining skill to the Minor Accomplishment stage and his Corpse Controlling skill to the Major Accomplishment stage.

With this, Zhou Yan had sufficient confidence in both refining and controlling a Hopping Zombie.

"Hopping Zombie!"

Zhou Yan's eyes burned with a hint of fervor.

If he could succeed in this refinement, he would no longer be at the very bottom of the cultivator hierarchy and would possess a preliminary level of self-preservation.

Combined with his other methods, his strength would be enough to rival a Qi-Refining Realm cultivator.

The Qi-Refining Realm, even within large sects, belongs to the elite disciples who are permitted to graduate, leave the mountain, and travel the world.

Zhou Yan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He had been preparing for this refinement for three months.

Three hundred years of Yin Soil, five hundred years of Face-Covering Paper, two bottles of Semi-Spiritual Blood, ten catties of six-hundred-year-old Locust Wood Shavings, a jar of Yin Bone Ash, thirteen drops of Ghost Tears, and more—all the necessary materials were ready.

Some of these items were purchased from Jin Mantang, while others he had accumulated himself.

A small portion of the more precious items, such as the Ghost Tears and Semi-Spiritual Blood, were not things Jin Mantang usually had access to.

But when he mentioned them to Steward Yue, they were delivered in less than ten days, and the quality was excellent.

This caused a slight tremor in Zhou Yan's heart, as he once again felt the power of a noble family.

I must have been lazy when I was reincarnating.

Zhou Yan teased himself in his heart before turning his gaze back to the zombie.

Although he could not decide his birth, he could decide his future.

[Corpse Refining proficiency +18]
[Corpse Refining proficiency +27]
[Corpse Refining proficiency +23]
...

As Zhou Yan began the secondary refinement of the zombie, his Corpse Refining proficiency began to skyrocket.

This was not like the initial refinement; the complexity and difficulty of a secondary refinement were significantly higher, and the corresponding increase in proficiency was also substantial.

Furthermore, since the resources used for the refinement were incredibly expensive, it was essentially using money to grind skills.

It is not easy for a zombie to advance.

For an ordinary wild zombie to advance from a Black Zombie to a Hopping Zombie, it requires at least decades of accumulation and the consumption of large amounts of human blood to have any chance of success.

However, because these evil entities defy the laws of heaven, their success rate is low.

Often, out of ten Black Zombies, only two or three can successfully advance to the Hopping Zombie stage.

As for a Hopping Zombie wanting to advance to a Flying Zombie, it requires at least several hundred or even a thousand years of accumulation, and fewer than one in a hundred succeeds; most perish directly under the tribulation of heaven and earth.

Zhou Yan was confident, but he would not be careless.

Beyond the difficulty of secondary refinement, the time required for the zombie to be nourished also increased, from forty-nine days to eighty-one days.

Fortunately, Zhou Yan was now relatively well-off. The two bottles of Semi-Spiritual Blood could increase the speed of the zombie's strength growth, and the Ghost Tears could shorten the time needed to condense large amounts of Yin energy.

With these two items, plus the Yin-Nurturing Coffin, he saved a great deal of time and trouble, reducing the nourishment period to just nine days.

[Corpse Refining proficiency +37]

Zhou Yan's mind jolted as his Corpse Refining skill reached the Major Accomplishment stage.

Suddenly, his already swift movements became more rhythmic, and minor flaws in the refinement process were corrected.

Now, Zhou Yan could be one hundred percent certain that he would be able to refine a Hopping Zombie.

Finally, as the zombie was placed into the Yin-Nurturing Coffin, Zhou Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

"In just nine days, I will have a Hopping Zombie to command, and an Escape Corpse at that," Zhou Yan thought to himself.

The Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique contained various methods for refining different types of zombies, such as Combat Zombies, Escape Zombies, Magic Zombies, and Armored Zombies.

As for the types of Corpse Controlling that can be refined, they are primarily determined by the corpse's natal destiny during its lifetime, followed by the materials used in the refinement.

Zhou Yan had originally intended to refine an Armored Zombie, but unfortunately, the natal destiny of this corpse leaned toward an Escape Corpse. For the sake of maximum security, he ultimately refined it into an Escape Corpse.

Even the materials used were those intended for refining an Escape Corpse.

After the entire refinement process, Zhou Yan felt exhausted throughout his body, and the Profound Yin Essence Blood within him had fallen into a withered state.

After all, he was only in the Essence Blood Realm; the mana in his body flowed entirely within his essence blood, making it not only difficult to circulate but also highly taxing.

If not for Zhou Yan's solid foundation, he likely would have lost a drop of essence blood.

He was no longer the novice he once was, who would act recklessly without understanding anything.

The Essence Blood Realm is the first stage for a cultivator and the best stage to lay a solid foundation.

If one uses too much essence blood, it will not only damage the body's vitality but also make it impossible to ever ascend to the Qi Induction Realm.

Many rogue cultivators do not understand this point and, for various reasons, use large amounts of essence blood while in the Essence Blood Realm, leading to irreversible consequences.

Even if they later find ways to recover their essence blood, the damage has already been done, and it becomes impossible to break through to the Qi Induction Realm.

This is why disciples of major sects are only responsible for cultivation while in the Essence Blood Realm and are never sent out to deal with evil spirits—all for fear of damaging their foundations.

Zhou Yan had originally planned to use another drop of essence blood once the second refinement was successful, but after reading about this, he immediately dismissed the idea.

Perhaps that drop of Profound Yin Essence Blood could enhance the power of the Corpse Controlling, but that would be trading his own potential and future for it, which would be a loss that outweighs the gain.

Zhou Yan sat cross-legged and began to practice the Mystic Yin Art, silently recovering.

The moonlight shone down upon Zhou Yan's face, making him appear increasingly cold and fair, as if carved from jade...