Wang Fan slowly opened his eyes.
Deep within his Dantian, there were two faint flames, one as red as blood, the other emerald green.
They were the seeds of his supreme dual spirit roots.
He picked up the Jade Slip on the table.
"Flame Fire Art", a Core Formation stage Cultivation Technique.
His consciousness sank into the Jade Slip, a cool sensation instantly spreading throughout his Sea of Consciousness. Countless tiny runes flickered like fireflies, converging into an obscure and profound scripture.
"Flame Fire Art", a secret technique not passed down in the True Devil Sect, was indeed extraordinary.
Just the initial method of guiding Qi into the body was exquisite and far surpassed the mundane.
The Cultivation Technique elaborately explained how to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, how to circulate it through special Meridians, simultaneously absorb spiritual energy of both fire and wood attributes, refine them within the body, and finally transform them into "Flame Fire True Essence" for one's own use.
Within the scripture, it not only detailed the domineering and fierce nature of the Fire Attribute chapter but also emphasized the mysterious and gentle nature of the Wood Attribute chapter.
The Fire Attribute primarily focused on attack, burning all things. When cultivated to a profound level, it could incinerate the void and extinguish stars;
The Wood Attribute primarily focused on defense, endlessly regenerating. It could also devour and plunder, absorbing the vitality of all things and turning it into its own use.
The two complemented each other, their power multiplied, but the requirements for the Cultivator were also extremely stringent.
The Meridians must be tough enough, the Divine Sense must be strong enough, and the mental fortitude must be even more steadfast. A slight carelessness could lead to Qi Deviation and eternal damnation.
The Jade Slip even described without reservation the various crises that could occur when cultivating the "Flame Fire Art".
Spiritual energy rampage, Meridians snapping, inner demons breeding, self-inflicted backlash... every word was bloody, every sentence terrifying.
It warned every Cultivator that this was a perilous path full of thorns, where a slight misstep could result in complete annihilation.
Danger?
Wang Fan was already in a desperate situation.
Whether it was a demon's den or a perilous path, for him, there was no turning back.
To survive, to control his own destiny, he had to forge his own bloody path on this perilous journey!
He began to carefully study the method of guiding Qi into the body from the "Flame Fire Art". Every word, every diagram, was firmly imprinted in his mind.
Once, twice, thrice... until he had fully grasped and completely understood the entire scripture.
After confirming there were no omissions, Wang Fan's gaze finally fell upon the porcelain bottle.
Blood Coagulation Pill.
The "greeting gift" Mo Yan mentioned.
He pulled out the stopper and smelled the strong bloody scent again. It was even more pungent than before, almost nauseating.
The faintly moving worms on the surface of the pill also appeared even more bizarre.
This pill was definitely not simple.
Wang Fan was not in a hurry to consume it.
He took out the identity token. It felt heavy in his hand. The front was engraved with the three ancient characters "True Devil Sect", and the back had a small character "Where" (Fan) and a string of numbers.
The token's material was unknown, cold and hard, faintly emitting wisps of chilling energy.
The material and aura of the token were somewhat similar to that of the Blood Coagulation Pill.
This was the style of the Demon Sect: domineering, sinister, and unscrupulous.
He put away the token and his gaze fell upon the storage bag, which contained 100 Spirit Stones.
Was there any deeper meaning to this?
Spirit Stones, as currency, were naturally used for buying and selling items. What were the necessities of the Demon Sect?
Cultivation resources!
The resources of orthodox Sects might be spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines. For demonic Sects, all things were born to nourish humans, and humans were the greatest spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines!
Blood Coagulation Pill!
Mo Yan said this pill could help him quickly gather Qi sense and enter the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
Given the Demon Sect's style, the word "quickly" would likely come at a considerable price.
But, who said this pill was necessarily for him to consume?!
With this thought, Wang Fan sat cross-legged, circulated his Cultivation Technique, and quietly cultivated.
Red and green light spots appeared in the dimness, increasing in number, gradually transforming into a torrent.
In just a moment, Qi Refining first layer!
"This simple?"
Wang Fan was slightly surprised, then stopped thinking about it.
In just one night, he had crossed the seemingly insurmountable threshold between Mortals and Cultivators.
The exquisiteness of the "Flame Fire Art" and the dominance of his supreme spirit roots were fully revealed at this moment.
He stood up, put the Jade Slip and the pill into his storage bag. He hung the black identity token at his waist. Beneath his dark martial attire, the small character "Where" and the number were faintly visible in the shadows.
Pushing open the door of the pavilion, the slightly cool morning air carrying rich spiritual energy surged in. The exotic flowers and plants in the courtyard emitted a faint luster.
The Restrictions of Jingmu Residence isolated it from external prying eyes and most sounds, making it exceptionally quiet.
But this tranquility formed a stark contrast with the place he was about to go.
Wang Fan stepped out of Jingmu Residence and walked down the mountain path.
The further away from the core area, the thinner the spiritual energy in the air became, while the demonic energy became more mixed, and the buildings became rougher and more dilapidated.
The Outer Sect Disciples he occasionally encountered, upon seeing the token at his waist, all avoided him from a distance, fearing unprovoked disaster.
The status of a True Disciple was an invisible barrier and a symbol of privilege.
Soon, he arrived at the "Servant Quarters" marked on the Sect map.
Completely different from the exquisite and secluded core area, this place was more like a massive slum, or rather, a livestock shed.
The air was filled with the smell of sweat, filth, and an undiluted sense of despair.
Low, dirty shacks formed a continuous stretch. The ground was muddy and uneven. Everywhere, one could see ragged, emaciated figures working mechanically—carrying Ore, cleaning beast pens, handling various foul-smelling waste materials.
Most of them were children, their eyes vacant, their movements slow, as if their Souls had long been been extracted.
This was the destination for those children deemed to have "Low Grade spirit roots".
Servant slaves, their lives and deaths determined by fate.
"Crack!"
A crisp whip crack broke the oppressive air.
"Trash! Hurry up! You can't even move this bit of Ore, what use are you?!" A sharp and harsh voice rang out.
Wang Fan looked in the direction of the sound.
He saw a young man, dressed in Outer Sect Disciple attire, about twenty years old, with shifty eyes, wielding a water-soaked leather whip and savagely lashing the back of a scrawny boy.
The boy cried out in pain, stumbled, and fell to the ground, his back hurting intensely.
But! He dared not cry out, struggling desperately to get up.
The surrounding servants paid no heed to this, only working harder at their tasks, fearing they would be next.
The young man seemed quite satisfied with this effect, a cruel smile on his face. Just as he was about to crack the whip again, the corner of his eye caught sight of Wang Fan walking slowly towards him.
He was startled at first, then his gaze fell upon the token at Wang Fan's waist. The cruel smile on his face instantly froze, as if he had seen a ghost. The whip in his hand clattered to the ground.
"T-True... True Disciple... Senior Brother?"
A fawning, almost distorted smile quickly appeared on the young man's face. He scurried forward a few steps, bowing and scraping, wishing he could lower his head into the mud.
"Outer Sect Disciple Yuan Hong pays respects to Senior Brother True Disciple! I was unaware of Senior Brother's arrival at the Servant Quarters and failed to welcome you properly. I deserve death! I deserve death!"
As he spoke, he secretly raised his eyes to size up Wang Fan.
The young man before him looked no older than fifteen or sixteen. His face was stern, his eyes emotionless.
A faint spiritual energy fluctuation of the Qi Refining Stage subtly emanated from his body. Although weak, coupled with the True Disciple token that represented supreme status, it brought a suffocating pressure.
A newly promoted True Disciple?
I heard that a Genius with supreme dual spirit roots was tested yesterday. Could it be this person before me?
Yuan Hong's thoughts raced. The smile on his face became even more fawning.
"Senior Brother, why have you come here, and what are your instructions? As long as Senior Brother is capable of doing it, he will definitely go through fire and water, not shrink from it!"