Secluded Cultivation

"Friend, the tables have turned!"

Wang Sheng chuckled lightly, extending his right hand and clenching it in the air. A muffled explosion rang out like a giant firecracker, startling the awakened residents nearby into trembling fear, daring not to disturb.

Although the Dark Energy Martial Artist was masked, his face was already incredibly grim.

As a Martial Artist, he had been pushed to this point by another Martial Artist, and this one had come to him willingly!

"You're courting death!"

"If you push me too hard, you won't survive either!"

The Dark Energy Martial Artist's tone was chilling, as if he were threatening Wang Sheng.

After a moment's thought, one could tell that this Dark Energy Martial Artist had already compromised, provided Wang Sheng didn't ask for too much.

"Don't worry, I don't want anything else. I just need a complete set of techniques that leads directly to Transforming Energy."

Wang Sheng nodded and said.

"There isn't any!"

The Dark Energy Martial Artist replied coldly. Fearing Wang Sheng wouldn't believe him, he added, "There are no techniques in the entire black market that lead directly to Transforming Energy. Such techniques, which can influence the rule of those Transforming Energy experts, are strictly controlled by them and would never be allowed to fall into outside hands."

"If any Transforming Energy techniques were circulating in the martial world, these great Transforming Energy experts would immediately unite to seize or destroy them."

Wang Sheng mused, "So, they've reached Transforming Energy and then cut off the path for those who come after. Unless you pledge allegiance to them, there's only a slim chance of receiving a reward."

"Then what use are you?"

"I won't eat the pills in your hand. And you definitely can't give me much money."

Wang Sheng frowned, looking at the Dark Energy Martial Artist with a hint of disdain.

"Damn it!"

The Dark Energy Martial Artist was furious. He had never heard such nonsense as a Dark Energy Martial Artist being useless.

"I have a Green Jade Heart here. It can detoxify, remove odor, and nourish the body. It's worth hundreds of taels."

The Dark Energy Martial Artist endured it, then revealed the treasure he had on him.

"Fine!"

Wang Sheng nodded. "I also want two techniques that lead directly to the peak of Dark Energy!"

"One!"

"Deal!"

Half a day later.

Wang Sheng took a long detour to avoid being followed before returning to Loach Street.

The sky was already faintly brightening, and the air was heavy with moisture.

When Wang Sheng returned home, his clothes were already covered in dew.

In the room, Wang Sheng examined his haul.

"Green Jade Heart!"

Wang Sheng had wrapped it in layers of cloth. Only after checking that it was non-toxic did he dare to handle it.

Although called jade, it was actually the heart of a demon tree with a hard, jade-like texture and a warm feel, presenting a vibrant green color.

"It can nourish the body, so I'll let mother wear it."

After playing with it for a while, Wang Sheng put it in a brocade pouch, planning to let his mother, Madam Han, wear it later.

"White Dragon Sword Technique! What a name!"

Wang Sheng examined the technique that led directly to the peak of Dark Energy, obtained from the Dark Energy Martial Artist. He wanted to complain about the name but felt a strange sense of something unnamable.

After a brief perusal, he was somewhat surprised by the extraordinary complexity of this sword technique!

This meant that the quality of this technique was very high, not just something Wang Sheng had thought was included to make up the numbers.

Excluding those legendary, unfathomably profound divine skills, most techniques were more complex and led to greater strength upon mastery. Of course, this sometimes varied from person to person.

The Great Tablet Shattering Hand had seventy-two forms, which was already considered good.

This White Dragon Sword Technique, however, had one hundred and eight forms. Thirty-six of them were the Heavenly Dipper Dragon Slaying forms, and seventy-two were the Earthly Fiend Soul Severing forms.

During the cultivation process, it also required "slaying snakes to absorb fiendish energy" to minimize the difficulty of cultivation. A technique like this was clearly extraordinary, definitely a profound martial art for the Dark Energy realm!

"Could it be that they deliberately gave me a difficult technique to cultivate, hoping I wouldn't be able to practice it and waste my time!"

Wang Sheng pondered, roughly guessing the Dark Energy Martial Artist's intentions.

However, if anyone else encountered the White Dragon Sword Technique, they might truly end up wasting both time and talent.

After all, the more complex the technique, the higher the required comprehension. If no one guides you, the comprehension needed would have to be ridiculously high, so most geniuses would likely shy away from the White Dragon Sword Technique.

It's just that Wang Sheng had his own talent, "Heaven Rewards Diligence." He only needed to work hard, and everything else would be left to his talent.

"It seems I need to manage my cultivation time well from now on. I'll primarily focus on the Forging Gold Technique to break through to Dark Energy as soon as possible and improve my overall strength. Simultaneously, I'll supplementarily practice the White Dragon Sword Technique and the Blood Stacking Technique!"

Wang Sheng estimated that eight hours a day cultivating the Forging Gold Technique would be more than enough. Afterward, he would need to relax his muscles and allow his body to recover. He couldn't keep his physical body in a constant state of tension to prevent internal injuries.

As for the White Dragon Sword Technique, he could practice it slowly, just like Tai Chi sword in his previous life. Practicing it slowly would also achieve the goal of the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" on his status panel.

"Great Heaven Supplement Pill, Bone Strengthening Pill. It looks like I need to go all out with my cultivation from now on."

Wang Sheng muttered to himself.

And so, Wang Sheng spent half a day finishing up some miscellaneous matters.

He handed the Green Jade Heart and one hundred taels of silver to his mother, Madam Han, for household expenses.

Then, he went to the Martial Academy to inform his Master and several Senior Brothers that he would be going into seclusion.

"Seclusion? What kind of seclusion at a time like this! Junior Brother, it's not that I want to lecture you, but the rebel army is amassing troops on the border of Jiangling Prefecture, and the barbarians from Han Country are about to descend. Everyone is looking for a way out and a retreat. If you go into seclusion to cultivate now, you won't have much time left!"

Luo Zhengwen advised.

"Senior Brother, my mind is made up. I would just trouble you to send someone to notify me if anything major happens."

Wang Sheng said calmly.

"Sigh! Alright. By the way, I heard that the Demonic Cult, the Heavenly Teaching, behind the rebel army, has sent people disguised as locals into various cities to sow discord. You should be careful."

Luo Zhengwen said helplessly.

"Yes, thank you, Senior Brother."

Wang Sheng nodded.

Loach Street, Wang Family Residence.

In a specially prepared room for seclusion, Wang Sheng spent his days in isolation.

He consumed two Bone Strengthening Pills. Then, he took one Great Heaven Supplement Pill every four days.

According to his plan, he cultivated the Forging Gold Technique for eight hours daily. Afterward, besides sleeping, he allocated the remaining time to the Blood Stacking Technique and the White Dragon Sword Technique.

His meals were delivered to the door daily by Li Xuan and Wang Qinshi.

Time passed day by day.

With the effect of the two Bone Strengthening Pills, Wang Sheng's progress in the Forging Gold Technique increased by 230 and 110 points respectively.

Although the effect of the Bone Strengthening Pills decreased drastically, Wang Sheng's energy in the Forging Gold Technique advanced from the mid-stage of Bright Energy to the peak of the mid-stage of Bright Energy [Forging Gold Technique: Minor Accomplishment (656/1000)].

Then, after taking the Great Heaven Supplement Pill on the first day, his progress increased by another 88 points in one day, directly breaking through to the late stage of Bright Energy [Forging Gold Technique: Minor Accomplishment (744/1000)].

This, combined with the Great Tablet Shattering Hand, meant Wang Sheng had double the power of the late stage of Bright Energy. With a layer of the Blood Stacking Technique's burst, he could almost push aside most martial artists at the Bright Energy stage.

The second layer of the Blood Stacking Technique was steadily progressing. As long as he mastered multiple meridian nodes and became proficient, it would be fine.

The difficulty of the Blood Stacking Technique still lay in physical strength. Once his physical strength increased, cultivation would become very fast.

The White Dragon Sword Technique was also progressing at a rate of 30 points per day.

On the third day of taking the Great Heaven Supplement Pill, Wang Sheng had already entered the introductory stage of the White Dragon Sword Technique.

On the fourth day of taking the Great Heaven Supplement Pill, which was when the first Great Heaven Supplement Pill was fully digested, Wang Sheng's cultivation in the Forging Gold Technique reached the perfection of Bright Energy, i.e., Minor Accomplishment (999/1000).

"Dark Energy, I've achieved it!"

Wang Sheng sat cross-legged on the ground. After taking the second Great Heaven Supplement Pill, it took less than a quarter of an hour for Wang Sheng's aura to change. Innumerable invisible streams of energy flowed through his meridians.

At this moment, Wang Sheng exuded a sharp, formidable aura.

For individuals like Li Hu and Wei Yu, who had been stuck at the bottleneck of Dark Energy for several years without breaking through, Wang Sheng, excluding the days he had no cultivation method, was actually stuck for less than a quarter of an hour.

His status panel also changed.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence: Diligent study yields results.]
[Cultivation: Early Dark Energy]
[Great Tablet Shattering Hand: Minor Accomplishment (999/1000)]
[Forging Gold Technique: Minor Accomplishment (1/3000)]
[White Dragon Sword Technique: Introductory (32/300)]
[Blood Stacking Technique: Second Layer]
[Stone Stance Technique: Minor Accomplishment (999/1000)]