"Sure enough, I still have to rely on the Divine Profound Sect for the bulk of my sign-in rewards..."
Han Xuanji's thoughts continued to wander.
How could he live without the Divine Profound Sect?
After signing in, Han Xuanji rushed straight back to the Divine Profound Sect. His sign-in attempts then refreshed, and he signed in once more at the Soaring Cloud Palace.
[Congratulations, host. You have successfully signed in at the Soaring Cloud Palace and obtained a Formation Grandmaster's inheritance.]
Huh?
A Formation Grandmaster's inheritance?
Han Xuanji's heart stirred. This was no small thing.
He had signed in for rewards like this before. All he had to do was claim the reward, and he could master everything in the inheritance in a short time.
That meant he would soon be a Formation Grandmaster.
The auxiliary profession of formation master was quite an obscure one in the cultivation world, because it was too difficult and had an extremely high threshold.
Even ordinary formation masters could become honored guests of some sects, while Formation Grandmasters could be considered indispensable, highly skilled talents for major sects.
In a true comparison, a Formation Grandmaster's value was no less than that of a Body Integration Realm expert.
If a sect had a Formation Grandmaster holding the fort, few people would dare attack it.
As far as Han Xuanji knew, the Divine Profound Sect did have several formation masters, but none had reached the level of Formation Grandmaster.
"Once I become a Formation Grandmaster, I can upgrade the formations in my cave abode and study some new sword formations..."
With that thought, Han Xuanji was in no hurry to refine the Heavenly Devil Essence Blood. He immediately returned to his cave abode and entered seclusion to comprehend the Formation Grandmaster's inheritance.
He had already signed in for quite a few formation inheritances and was not far from becoming a formation master, so he made rapid progress in comprehending this Formation Grandmaster's inheritance.
In just a few days,
Han Xuanji had fully absorbed the inheritance. His Transcendent Comprehension made him exceptionally quick to take things in. No matter how abstruse the knowledge, he could generally put it to use after seeing it once.
Inside the cave abode,
Han Xuanji repeatedly traced patterns in the air with a raised hand. Ripples spread outward, and numerous supreme-grade Spirit Stones floated in the air. Before long, he had upgraded the many existing formations.
Their security had greatly improved, and the cultivation environment was even better.
"Being a Formation Grandmaster really does make a difference."
Seeing the result, Han Xuanji couldn't help showing a trace of delight.
His current skill with formations counted as strong even among Formation Grandmasters. Given enough time and resources, he could even lay down a heaven-shaking killing formation that would send a Body Integration Realm expert running.
Of course, the resources needed to lay down such a formation would be an astronomical amount.
After all, a cultivator's foundation was still his own realm. If he were in the Integrated Body Realm, laying down a seventh-tier killing formation would be much easier. He could even make a formation plate himself to assist him in battle.
"It's time to refine the Heavenly Devil Essence Blood."
Han Xuanji took a deep breath:
"Whew..."
The calming effect of the supreme-grade sandalwood incense in the cave abode soon took hold, quickly settling his mind.
Without hesitation, Han Xuanji took out the Heavenly Devil Essence Blood, placed it in his palm, and swallowed it.
In an instant:
"Boom!"
A scorching torrent surged from within his body like an erupting volcano. Powerful force spread through his limbs and bones, reaching every corner of his body.
At that moment, even Han Xuanji's physical body felt the pressure. It was as though he were being consumed by flames, and a piercing pain tore through him.
Is this elevating my bloodline?
Amid the agony, understanding suddenly dawned on Han Xuanji.
This drop of Heavenly Devil Essence Blood was a special system-provided version, so it naturally had no side effects. Nor did he need to worry about the blood's owner having left any tricks in it.
This was a leap in his level of life, and getting through it would bring him great benefits.
At that thought, Han Xuanji grunted, clenched his teeth, and silently endured the pain.
After enduring it for an hour,
Han Xuanji slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them:
"The nature of this Heavenly Devil Essence Blood is of an extremely high order. If my physique weren't so powerful, an ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivator probably wouldn't be able to refine it after swallowing it, and would instead be consumed by that power."
Thinking this, Han Xuanji looked at his panel.
[Host: Han Xuanji] [Cultivation: Spirit Transformation Realm Eighth Layer] [Cultivation methods: True Scripture of Ascension, Soaring Firmament Sword Instruction, Flying Immortal Sword Instruction, Undefeated Golden Body, Heaven-Treading Step...] [Divine abilities: Void-Penetrating Divine Eye, Myriad Tribulations Seal.] [Traits: Immortal's Aptitude, Transcendent Comprehension, Dao and Law Naturally Formed, Myriad Tribulations Thunder Body.]
His cultivation had impressively reached the Spirit Transformation Realm Eighth Layer.
"Awesome, it directly pushed my cultivation through two levels."
Han Xuanji was overjoyed.
The Spirit Transformation Realm Seventh Layer already counted as the Late Spirit Transformation Realm, so this increase in strength was no small matter.
The Late Spirit Transformation Devil Cultivator he had slain before, for example, had been at the Spirit Transformation Realm Seventh Layer. If Han Xuanji attacked now, his opponent wouldn't be able to withstand a single strike of his sword.
Moreover, after refining that drop of Heavenly Devil Essence Blood, his bloodline had risen to a higher level, and his cultivation speed had increased.
The time he had originally expected to need to break through to the Void Return Realm had also been greatly shortened.
"This time, I made a killing!"
Han Xuanji was delighted, his face wreathed in smiles.
Thanks to Lu Fan leading the way, he had obtained many of the Heavenly Devil Cult's treasures for free.
It seemed he could spend more time around children of fortune in the future.
"With my current strength, could the Peak Master and elders of Spirit Elegance Peak beat me if they joined forces?"
Han Xuanji pondered the question at his leisure.
Those who became Peak Masters and elders on Spirit Elegance Peak were naturally outstanding among their peers, and the cultivation methods they practiced were not weak.
But Han Xuanji was confident he could take them all down in one go.
After all, his talent and foundation were entirely beyond the reach of ordinary Spirit Transformation experts.
Their upper limit might be Void Return or Body Integration, while even becoming an immortal would be no great difficulty for him.
Of course,
Han Xuanji had not become so conceited as to think himself invincible.
The Nine Provinces Continent was incomparably vast. Leaving aside the hidden dragons and crouching tigers of ancient Central Province, Eastern Cang Province alone had many Void Return experts and quite a few in the Integrated Body Realm. An old monster could be lurking anywhere.
The next day,
Han Xuanji came to the service courtyard. By now, his apparent cultivation had broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and he had been promoted to an outer disciple.
He had come this time to see Li Shanhai and catch up with him.
After all, Han Xuanji had moved out of the service courtyard quite a while ago, and the two had not seen each other for a long time.
Li Shanhai looked at Han Xuanji, who had already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, with mixed feelings:
"What do you plan to do from now on?"
Seeing Han Xuanji again after such a long time, he had actually been struck by Han Xuanji's bearing. Han Xuanji had possessed an otherworldly bearing before, but he had never been as transcendent as he was now, looking for all the world like an immortal banished to the mortal realm.
If he had not been able to sense that Han Xuanji had only just entered Foundation Establishment, he would have suspected he had met some peerless heaven's chosen.
"What will I do?"
Han Xuanji pondered for a moment.
Only after becoming an outer disciple was one formally recognized by the sect, and the many functions of his jade token had also been unlocked for him.
Trading, bounties, missions, competitions...
For talented disciples with masters, things were usually arranged for them. They cultivated diligently in their daily lives, then took part in the sect's various competitions to make a name for themselves and earn decent rewards. This was the most standard way for a sect to nurture disciples.
Outer disciples of ordinary talent and without backing would generally form teams to carry out sect missions away from the sect.
These missions mainly involved dealing with demons, Devil Cultivators, Evil Cultivators, and the like causing trouble in the areas around the Divine Profound Sect...
The rewards for the missions were quite generous as well.
After Lu Fan became an outer disciple, he had often accepted missions alone and completed them efficiently, earning himself some renown.
But these missions were also dangerous, and a moment's carelessness could lead to failure.
Thus, if one had connections, one could also seek a position within the sect.
Foundation Establishment Realm disciples, for example, could serve as stewards in the service courtyard, or take charge of a medicinal herb garden or pill workshop.
But that applied to ordinary outer disciples, who would not have enough resources to cultivate without taking missions.
Han Xuanji lacked neither resources nor Spirit Stones, so why would he take sect missions?
As for sect competitions, he was even less likely to participate.
Naturally, he would sign in every day and lie low while cultivating.
Of course, he would not voice these private thoughts.
Han Xuanji smiled and said:
"I'll go into seclusion and cultivate diligently to consolidate my realm first. I'll worry about it when I'm short of Spirit Stones."
"Mm..."
Li Shanhai wanted to say something but stopped himself.
The two chatted for a while before parting.
Li Shanhai sighed, then a resolute look appeared in his eyes as he walked toward the Seclusion Chamber.