The Hidden Dangers of the Mysterious Yin Essence Condensation Art

The Hidden Danger of the Mysterious Yin Essence Condensation Art Zhao Hao held the blue jade bottle, his heart thundering wildly despite himself.

Back then, to trick Jia Ren, he had casually made up a line of nonsense. And now, a bottle containing what seemed to be spirit liquid had appeared right before his eyes.

This was far too ironic.

He carefully twisted the stopper open by a hair-thin crack.

In that single instant, an indescribably pure spiritual energy, mixed with a faint, sweet fragrance, surged out from the mouth of the bottle. The already dense spiritual energy inside the cave abode seemed to have had a soul injected into it, instantly becoming lively and nimble.

More importantly, under the nourishment of that aura, his liquid spiritual power, still somewhat unstable after his recent Foundation Establishment, had actually solidified by a visible sliver!

"Hiss—"

Zhao Hao sucked in a breath of cold air. His hand trembled, and he hurriedly pressed the stopper firmly back in.

It was absolutely spirit liquid! And its grade was definitely not low!

To him right now, this thing was not some flower added to brocade, but a life-saving straw that could stabilize his foundation and save him long years of bitter cultivation!

But he did not want to use it now.

From the classics in the Extreme Yin Sect's Scripture Repository, he had learned that heavenly treasures like spirit liquid were generally used by Golden Core cultivators in their cultivation. When Foundation Establishment cultivators used them, it was usually while breaking through bottlenecks, relying on their vast and pure spiritual energy to assist the breakthrough. Using it now would be far too much like burning a zither to cook a crane.

Forcefully suppressing the excitement in his heart, Zhao Hao solemnly plugged the jade bottle shut, then carefully placed it into his storage pouch. Only then did he turn his attention back to the pile of "spoils."

His divine sense landed on the jade slip engraved with the Mysterious Yin Essence Condensation Art.

This was the most urgent thing at present!

His divine sense probed inside, and a vast sea of information poured into his mind like a tide.

Unlike the crude Mysterious Yin Qi Absorption Art of the Qi Refining stage, this Foundation Establishment cultivation method was considerably more complex.

The core of the technique lay in condensing a special kind of spiritual power called "Yin Baleful Qi."

To cultivate it, one had to borrow yin-attribute energies from heaven and earth, such as yin energy, corpse energy, and baleful qi, fuse them with one's own spiritual power, and temper them into an extremely corrosive Yin Baleful power.

The proficiency of the cultivation method was also divided according to how much Yin Baleful Qi a cultivator could condense and control.

The more Zhao Hao read, the tighter his brows furrowed.

The jade slip clearly mentioned that if this cultivation method was cultivated to great completion, it could assist in condensing a product known as a "Yin Baleful Crystal."

This object was between liquid and solid spiritual power, and could greatly increase the success rate of a cultivator's magic power condensing into a Golden Core when they assaulted the Golden Core stage. It could raise the odds by a full ten percent!

Ten percent!

To any Foundation Establishment cultivator, this was a heaven-defying opportunity worth risking their life to fight over.

But that was precisely where the problem lay.

Once he condensed Yin Baleful Qi, it was equivalent to pasting the label "demonic cultivator" onto his forehead, never to be torn off again.

Because so-called Yin Baleful Qi, in the mouths of righteous-path cultivators, was a kind of "demonic cultivator magic power."

Leaving aside everything else, the jade slip mentioned that at the entrances of many righteous-path immortal cities and markets hung a type of magic treasure known as the Demon-Revealing Light Mirror.

As long as one carried Yin Baleful Qi, even if one concealed it perfectly with breath-concealing arts, beneath that mirror there would be nowhere to hide; one would be identified on the spot.

Zhao Hao's expression shifted between dark and clear.

In this world, the territory of the righteous sects was ultimately larger, and their resources were richer.

If, in the future, he was shouted at to be beaten and killed wherever he went, unable to even enter an immortal city, what damn immortal path would he be cultivating? His channels for obtaining resources would be cut off by more than half.

By contrast, cultivators who practiced normal cultivation methods could go to demonic-path markets or immortal cities without obstruction. After all, even in Demonic Sect territory, not everyone was qualified to cultivate this kind of superior technique that could increase the chance of forming a Core.

This Mysterious Yin Essence Condensation Art was fundamentally a "contract of sale" that looked incomparably tempting, but in truth came with lifelong overlord clauses attached!

"Fuck, it's a bottomless pit."

Zhao Hao cursed under his breath.

He did not want to, after finally finding a better cultivation method in the future, still have to painfully disperse all his cultivation and start over from scratch.

Yin Baleful magic power could not be transformed into magic power cultivated through normal means. The realm he cultivated during that period would be equivalent to a complete waste.

Having made up his mind, Zhao Hao decisively abandoned the thought of cultivating this method.

"The most urgent thing is still to get a sword-riding method first, then quickly leave the Extreme Yin Sect's sphere of influence."

Zhao Hao stood up and paced around the cave abode.

The Extreme Yin Sect's sphere of influence stretched over more than a hundred thousand li in every direction. Relying on two legs alone would be too slow and too stupid.

The Sword Control Technique was not only the best choice for Foundation Establishment cultivators to travel, but also a divine skill for pursuit and escape during magical combat.

If he could not win, and could not even outrun them, then wasn't that a dead end?

Moreover, if he wanted to kill someone to silence them, but though he could beat them, he could not catch them and could not get the spoils, that would be far too stupid!

At this thought, he hesitated no longer.

After briefly tidying up his cave residence, Zhao Hao pushed open the stone door and returned to the marketplace where fish and dragons mingled.

He walked down the street at an unhurried pace, but his divine sense swept over the shops on both sides in secret.

At last, his steps stopped before a three-story pavilion that looked rather imposing.

"Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

Zhao Hao straightened his robe, lifted his foot, and walked in.

The main hall on the first floor was spacious and bright. There were quite a few cultivators coming and going, but most of their cultivation was at the middle stage of Qi Refining. The shelves were also filled with ordinary materials and magic artifacts used by Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

No sooner had he entered than a middle-aged cultivator who looked like a steward, with cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining, came up to greet him.

The steward sized Zhao Hao up a few times. Seeing that he wore a mask and that his aura was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he asked politely, "Fellow Daoist, what do you need?"

Zhao Hao lowered his voice, making it sound somewhat deep and hoarse.

"Do you have a quiet room?"

The steward was startled, and the smile on his face immediately became a little more genuine. He hurriedly made an inviting gesture.

"Fellow Daoist, please come inside!"

Those who asked to enter a quiet room were never here for small business.

Inside the quiet room, the steward personally poured him a cup of clear tea wreathed in spiritual energy.

"Fellow Daoist, please enjoy. This is White Mist Spirit Tea, and it has the effect of calming the mind and stilling the qi."

Zhao Hao picked up the teacup but did not drink. He merely rubbed the wall of the cup lightly and went straight to the point.

"Do you have any methods of the Foundation Establishment Realm for sale here?"

"Foundation Establishment Realm?!"

The smile on the steward's face stiffened, and the look he gave Zhao Hao instantly turned alarmed and uncertain.

A cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining opening his mouth to buy a Foundation Establishment Realm method? Either he was handling affairs for an elder, or... he was making sport of him.

Zhao Hao took in his reaction, leisurely lifted the teacup, and took a light sip.

At the very instant the teacup was set down.

A heavy pressure far beyond the Qi Refining Realm silently enveloped the entire quiet room.

The steward, who had just been about to open his mouth to probe him, felt as if two great mountains had suddenly pressed down on his shoulders out of thin air. His legs went weak, and he nearly dropped straight to his knees!

The blood drained from his face with a whoosh. He no longer dared remain seated and scrambled to his feet in a fluster, then bowed to Zhao Hao with utmost respect in a ninety-degree salute, his voice trembling.

"T-this junior has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai! Greetings, Senior!"