Demon-Rearing Record

Zhu Yu froze for a moment. Deep in his mind, memories that had once been blurry surfaced one by one.

The time it took to drink a cup of tea passed.

"What an evil Inheritance Jade Slip..."

Having learned of those earlier memories, Zhu Yu warily tossed the cloth bag onto the table beside him. With a stir of thought, he received the cultivation art information recorded by the True Sight Eye.

Boom...

A vast torrent of memories surged from the depths of Zhu Yu's mind.

Along with countless words came an image: within a boundless, dark ocean lurked a colossal beast with the head of a flood dragon and the body of a fish. Its single brilliant golden eye radiated blazing light, like a candle flame in the sea.

[Target: Demon-Rearing Record, recorded...]

[Grade: Unknown.]

[Art: Ghost Candle Visualization Diagram]

[Techniques: Demon Attraction, Soul Snatching, Scale Parasitism, Candle Spirit, Abyssal Abyss]

A short while later.

"Phew..."

After digesting the memories, Zhu Yu vigorously rubbed his swollen temples. Once the pain eased somewhat, he let out a light breath, then said absentmindedly, "The Demon-Rearing Record is actually an inheritance containing an advanced Visualization Diagram and its supporting techniques..."

Ever since breaking through Qi Refining and registering as an outer disciple, he had learned this.

The Basic Visualization Diagram was merely a foundational cultivation art used to condense soul particles. To glimpse the Foundation Establishment Realm, one had to cultivate an advanced Visualization Diagram.

If the immortal path were compared to a great tree—

Then the Basic Visualization Diagram was its roots, while the advanced Visualization Diagram was its trunk.

Within the unfathomable Divine Sea, one used the ring condensed through the Basic Visualization Diagram to draw—or rather, construct—the advanced Visualization Diagram. Once it took shape, it would refine a special kind of spirit qi, independent of the five elements and yin and yang, yet encompassing certain attributes.

For instance, the Divine Radiance in the Starry Corridor.

Only such a foundation of Spiritual Power could continuously strengthen and transform a cultivator's soul and physique. Only then could the trunk grow luxuriant branches and green leaves, allowing one to glimpse the realm of Foundation Establishment.

Techniques, too, were a source for strengthening one's foundation.

If one cultivated only the advanced Visualization Diagram without its supporting techniques, instead practicing other techniques, then when those techniques fused with the foundation, a different sort of mutation would most likely occur.

It might make the foundation better, more stable, and stronger—but more likely, it would make it worse...

After all, every inheritance had been formed through the exploration, trial, and summation of countless predecessors over who knew how many years. Its supporting techniques might not be the best, but they would certainly be the most suitable.

"Hiss..."

Zhu Yu's thoughts churned without end. He drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his head. When he came back to himself, his expression was complicated and conflicted.

After a long while, he sighed.

"Unfortunately, this inheritance doesn't suit me..."

According to the Demon-Rearing Record—

The path to Foundation Establishment not only required an advanced inheritance, but also involved a cultivator's innate fate.

For example, his innate fate, the Underworld Yin-Nurturing Locust Tree.

One could tell from the name that its nature was yin. It used yin to nurture and combine the dual attributes of wood and earth. Furthermore, his innate fate manifested as a yin locust tree and a Graveyard Mound. The advanced Visualization Diagrams most compatible with him were those of the corpse and soul paths.

The Demon-Rearing Record, however, possessed a water nature and used water to reflect yang. The special Spiritual Power it cultivated would transform a human body into a demonic body and Demon Cave, raising and nurturing ten thousand demons.

It was most suitable for cultivators whose innate fates manifested as demon beasts. Next came innate fates manifesting as lakes or bodies of water, followed by those manifesting as the sun, light, or fire...

The Demon-Rearing Record was not completely opposed to his innate fate, but it did not match it in the slightest.

"What a pity..."

Zhu Yu sighed again. An inheritance that pointed directly to the Foundation Establishment Realm—just thinking about it was enough to know how precious it was.

Unfortunately, this treasure was fated to meet him, but not fated to belong to him.

"Once my cultivation reaches Late Qi Refining, I'll exchange it at the Dharma Repository..."

For an unrestricted Foundation Establishment inheritance, Zhu Yu felt that trading it with the Sect was the safest option. He might suffer a slight loss, but at least the Sect would not cheat its own disciples.

And so, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

Although Zhu Yu could not cultivate the Demon-Rearing Record, that did not prevent him from drawing useful knowledge from it—for example, its experience in raising demon beasts, especially spirit fish, as well as its cultivation formulas...

And its techniques...

If the Ghost Candle Visualization Diagram was the framework of a house, then the techniques Demon Attraction, Soul Snatching, Scale Parasitism, Candle Spirit, and Abyssal Abyss were the materials that filled the house and decorated it into something more splendid and beautiful.

Only together could they be called magnificent and resplendent.

The Demon-Rearing Record.

It had truly opened Zhu Yu's eyes and broadened his horizons.

Once Zhu Yu began reading, he became immersed in it. Two full days passed. Had someone outside the house not awakened him, he might have continued studying until his physique was damaged before coming to his senses.

Outside the wooden house—

A middle-aged man stood there in a black robe embroidered across the chest with undulating mountain ranges.

Zhu Yu stepped outside. The instant he saw the man's attire, he knew that he had come to deliver the spiritual materials for constructing the Corpse Control Art. His face lit up, and he hurried forward to greet him.

"Zhu Yu greets Senior Brother."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and said sparingly, "Identity Jade Token."

Zhu Yu hurriedly took out his identity jade slip. Immediately afterward, he felt Divine Sense sweep over him, no weaker than that of the two law enforcement disciples from before.

"Late Qi Refining..."

"Cultivate well."

After confirming his identity, the middle-aged man took a bundle from a small cloth bag and handed it to him. He glanced at the three mu of Corpse Field not far away, left behind those words, then turned and took a step. His figure became an afterimage and vanished.

"Take care, Senior Brother..."

Zhu Yu watched him leave, then picked up the bundle and eagerly returned to the wooden house.

He opened the bundle.

Several Jade Boxes and jade bottles came into view.

Zhu Yu picked up one of the larger Jade Boxes and opened it. A chill spilled out. Inside, frozen in ice, was a pair of blackish-brown compound eyes roughly the size of little fingernails and oval in shape.

The moment he met their gaze, his vision blurred for an instant, and a ferocious jet-black insect vaguely appeared before his eyes.

But this illusion was far inferior to the Inheritance Jade Slip of the Demon-Rearing Record. With a stir of Divine Sense, Zhu Yu scattered it. He examined the Corpse Beetle's compound eyes a few times, confirmed they were undamaged, and carefully put them away.

He then picked up the other Jade Boxes and bottles and inspected them one by one.

A Soul-Parasite Insect's shed shell, Dream-Catching Butterfly wings, Spirit Spring water... each entered his sight.

"Corpse Control Art..."

Zhu Yu put away the spiritual materials needed to construct the technique one by one. Rather than cultivate immediately, he rose and headed for the kitchen.

Before long, wisps of cooking smoke rose.

Only after eating three jin of Blood Tooth Spirit Rice did he make up for the losses his body had suffered over the past three days. He then chopped up Little Black's cultivation food—Firefly Petals, Snake-Thread Grass Leaves, and Ghost-Faced Carp bones and spines—mixed them together, carried out the bowl, and stepped outside.

When he reached the Corpse Field—

Three days had passed.

The Corpse Field, which had originally lain bare with a black-red, oily sheen, was now covered by plants three inches tall. Their stems were slender and covered in fine thorns, while their leaves had serrated edges. They were none other than the low-grade spirit food, Corpse Taro.

"They're all Spirit Stones..."

Seeing the Corpse Taro growing so lushly, a smile spread across Zhu Yu's face. He set the bowl before the crawling Little Black, then walked to the small Graveyard Mound at the center of the Corpse Field. He crouched down, reached out to touch it, and stared intently.

[Target: Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed]

[Race: Tiger]

[Bloodline: Contains a trace of an unknown tiger-type demon beast bloodline "Unawakened"]

[Unranked: 32%]

[Effects: Tough Hide, Hard Bones, Coarse Flesh]

[Status: Spirituality recovering...]

Three days had passed. The Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed's cultivation had not changed, but its status had changed from its former dormancy to spirituality recovering. Under the stimulation of Yin Baleful Spirit Qi, it had begun gathering its remaining spirituality.

Once its spirituality recovered, it could absorb Yin Baleful Spirit Qi to temper itself. Until, at a certain moment, it drew in Yin Baleful Spirit Qi and transformed it into its own power. At that point, it would become a Living Corpse comparable to a Qi Refining cultivator...

"Soon..."

Zhu Yu dismissed the panel, looked around, then turned and returned to the wooden house.

"Next, I'll focus on cultivating the Corpse Control Art..."