Qi-Blood Self-Generation

After the noon patrol ended, Li Yuan did not head straight back to his residence. Instead, he turned toward the northwest corner of the market district.

There stood a two-story stone tower, with the words "Hidden Merit Pavilion" hanging above its entrance. It was where the Wang Family stored its cultivation methods.

Outer cultivators who had signed contracts could use Contribution Points to exchange for cultivation methods inside. Everything from immortal techniques to mundane martial arts was available. The selection was not especially abundant, but it had most of what one would need.

The original owner had come here several times before, but each time, he had gone straight for the shelves of cultivation methods, never sparing the mundane techniques so much as a glance.

That was only natural. To the original owner, spending Contribution Points on a mundane technique was nothing but a waste.

Li Yuan pushed open the stone tower's door, and a faint scent of wood rushed toward him.

The first floor was a modest hall. A desk stood to the left, behind which sat a guarding cultivator in his thirties. He was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer and was resting with his eyes closed.

Hearing the footsteps, the man opened his eyes, glanced at the Deputy Captain badge at Li Yuan's waist, and gave a slight nod.

"Browsing or exchanging?"

"Just browsing for now."

"Go on up."

Li Yuan followed the wooden stairs to the second floor.

The second floor was much more spacious than the first. Bookshelves lined all four walls, neatly stacked with booklets and scrolls.

The several rows on the left held cultivation methods and spells. Their booklets were in good condition and arranged neatly. In front of each one stood a small wooden plaque listing the method's name, grade, and required Contribution Points.

The three rows on the right were noticeably more deserted. There were less than half as many booklets, and their arrangement was far less meticulous. A few had even been shoved in sideways.

Mundane techniques.

Li Yuan walked to the first bookshelf on the right. His gaze swept from left to right as his fingers casually passed over the spines of the booklets.

Body Nourishing Art, Stone Splitting Palm, Bronze Skin Technique, Eight Brocades...

There were quite a few names, but most were common Entry Level techniques, little different from what was sold at the stalls outside.

Li Yuan did not rush to flip through them. Instead, he lightly placed his palm on the edge of the first bookshelf and slowly moved it forward.

The System Panel showed no reaction.

Li Yuan placed his hand on the second row.

Still nothing.

When he reached the third bookshelf, the instant his hand touched it, a line of translucent text flashed before his eyes.

[Detected equippable items (multiple)]

There it was.

Li Yuan withdrew his hand from the shelf and began touching the books one by one.

There were just over twenty mundane techniques across the three rows of shelves. Li Yuan touched each one in turn. Most of the booklets showed no reaction, but three of them triggered the System Panel when he touched them.

The first was Cloud-Parting Palm.

[Detected equippable item: Cloud-Parting Palm (Complete)]

[Item Affix Grade: White]

[Note: Item does not belong to the host. Cannot equip. Cannot view detailed information.]

Li Yuan looked at the wooden plaque in front of the booklet. It read: Cloud-Parting Palm, mundane technique, four Contribution Points.

The second was Nurturing Origin Technique.

[Detected equippable item: Nurturing Origin Technique (Complete)]

[Item Affix Grade: White]

[Note: Item does not belong to the host. Cannot equip. Cannot view detailed information.]

The wooden plaque read: Nurturing Origin Technique, mundane technique, seven Contribution Points.

The third was Mystic Turtle Body.

[Detected equippable item: Mystic Turtle Body (Complete)]

[Item Affix Grade: Green]

[Note: Item does not belong to the host. Cannot equip. Cannot view detailed information.]

A Green Trait. Li Yuan's gaze lingered on the booklet for a moment longer before shifting to the plaque—

Mystic Turtle Body, mundane technique, thirty Contribution Points.

Thirty points. He could not afford it.

Li Yuan returned Mystic Turtle Body to the shelf, his gaze moving back and forth between Cloud-Parting Palm and Nurturing Origin Technique twice.

Both were White Traits. Cloud-Parting Palm was cheaper, requiring only four Contribution Points; Nurturing Origin Technique was considerably more expensive, requiring seven.

When the original owner had sold off his belongings to buy a Breakthrough Pill, he had not spent all his Contribution Points and still had five left. With the three points issued this month, he had eight points in total.

Cloud-Parting Palm could be bought for four points, saving money.

But while Nurturing Origin Technique cost seven points, he could still afford it.

The price difference was nearly double, but he preferred Nurturing Origin Technique.

After thinking it over, Li Yuan picked up the small booklet beside Nurturing Origin Technique. It contained an introduction to the technique.

Naturally, mundane techniques could not possibly use restrictions. Thus, the entire Nurturing Origin Technique had been wrapped in specially made paper and could only be unsealed after purchase.

Nurturing Origin Technique: a mundane Vital Blood technique. It contained five forms. After cultivation, it could strengthen the physique and enhance Vital Blood. Long-term practice could make one's Vital Blood abundant and one's constitution sturdy. This technique also possessed a Yangyuan effect. Once practiced to a certain level, the Vital Blood within the body could naturally nurture injuries, or be actively consumed to hasten recovery.

Li Yuan closed the booklet, then picked up the introduction to Cloud-Parting Palm and flipped through it.

Cloud-Parting Palm was an offensive palm technique. It should not have been placed here, because no matter how formidable a mundane martial technique was, it could not withstand a Fireball.

However, it had been improved by cultivators. Its advantage was that it could circulate spiritual power and Vital Blood for attacks.

But offensive means were not what he wanted right now.

Putting down the booklet, Li Yuan took Nurturing Origin Technique in hand and went downstairs.

The guarding cultivator on the first floor opened his eyes and looked at the booklet in Li Yuan's hand.

"Nurturing Origin Technique, seven points."

Li Yuan handed over his badge. "Exchange it."

The guard accepted the badge, pulled out a register from beneath the desk, found Li Yuan's name, and checked his Contribution Point balance.

"Eight points. Deducting seven. One remaining."

The guard wrote a few strokes in the register, stamped the booklet's cover with a small seal, and handed the badge back.

"Once the technique is taken, it cannot be returned. If the booklet is lost, it will not be replaced."

Li Yuan nodded, put his things away, and left the Hidden Merit Pavilion.

After returning to his residence, Li Yuan slid the bolt into place, sat by the bed, took out Nurturing Origin Technique, and unsealed it.

The paper was much thicker than the one for Iron Ox Technique. The writing was neat, and each form came with a simple illustration.

At that moment, translucent text appeared as well:

[Detected equippable item: Nurturing Origin Technique (Complete)]

[Affix Preview: Qi-Blood Self-Generation (White)—Vital Blood recovery speed increased by fifty percent; healing speed for external and internal injuries increased]

[Permanentization Conditions: Practice this technique to Perfection, then accumulate twenty-four shichen of cultivation while in a state of Qi-Blood Fullness]

[Current Equipment Slot (2/2). Replace current equipment?]

Qi-Blood Self-Generation.

Vital Blood recovery speed increased by fifty percent, and it could also accelerate the healing of injuries.

This Affix differed from the Viscera Strengthening of Iron Ox Technique—Viscera Strengthening focused on one's upper limit of endurance, while Qi-Blood Self-Generation focused on recovery.

One let him take a beating; the other restored his health.

However, its permanentization conditions were more complicated than those of Iron Ox Technique.

Not only did the technique have to be cultivated to Perfection, he also had to accumulate twenty-four shichen of cultivation while in a state of Qi-Blood Fullness.

Twenty-four shichen was not a short time, and cultivating in a state of Qi-Blood Fullness was not easy either. Still, it was not some absurd condition. He only had to accumulate it slowly.

More importantly, Iron Ox Technique required two mundane techniques to be cultivated to Perfection before Viscera Strengthening could be made permanent.

Now that he had Nurturing Origin Technique, he had gathered the second one.

As long as both Iron Ox Technique and Nurturing Origin Technique reached Perfection, Viscera Strengthening could be made permanent.

Then he could make Nurturing Origin Technique permanent as well, locking in both White Traits for good—rapid Vital Blood recovery and viscera tough enough to endure, benefiting both cultivation and battle.