Inside a private training room, Hu Qi sat cross-legged on the ground, a black, elongated object resting on his knees.
At this moment, the surroundings were dim and silent, with only a single incandescent lamp above his head emitting a faint white light, illuminating an area of less than two meters around him.
Hu Qi adjusted his breathing, cleared his mind of distractions, and entered an ethereal state, recalling the content of the Qi and Blood Skill, Ghost Killing Blade.
As its name suggested, this was a blade technique so fierce it could even slay ghosts.
Of course, there was some exaggeration in that statement.
However, it was true that this blade technique was incredibly powerful and destructive.
But despite its power, its Cultivation difficulty was extremely high.
To Cultivate this blade technique, one must harbor killing intent, wield the blade with killing intent, and then subdue it.
It sounded mystical, but in practice, it meant maintaining a state of wanting to kill while simultaneously retaining one's rationality; this alone was enough to deter most people.
If one had never taken a life, it would be impossible to experience that state.
Furthermore, after achieving Perfection, it consumed an immense amount of one's Qi and Blood Power.
This was also why Wang Luo's expression turned strange and he questioned Hu Qi if he was sure he wanted to learn this blade technique when he heard his choice.
But for Hu Qi, none of this mattered.
Both Lu Shi and the two Black Blood Species had died because of him.
Finding that state of taking a life was not difficult for him.
As for Qi and Blood consumption, Hu Qi considered it even less of an issue.
When encountering an enemy, life-or-death combat often occurred in an instant; if one couldn't kill the enemy, one would die.
Therefore, what he valued more was power.
Moreover, he possessed the characteristics formed from his previous combat skills and the powerful physique brought about by the Yang Yuan Breathing Method, making his own Qi and Blood Power quite strong and its recovery relatively fast.
Of course, there was another reason why he chose this blade technique.
Among the combat Qi and Blood Skills, there were only two blade techniques: one was the Gale Blade, known for its speed and continuous blade momentum, and the other was this Ghost Killing Blade.
And the person in the practice video recorded in the Ghost Killing Blade was someone he knew—Helinta.
At the same time, he also realized that the bloody, crimson longsword he had seen before was not a sword, but a blade.
The fact that Helinta, as the Sect Leader's direct disciple, could choose this blade technique was enough to prove its potential.
These factors combined led Hu Qi to choose this blade technique.
Time passed minute by minute.
Suddenly, Hu Qi picked up the black object resting horizontally on his knees, grasped one end, and slowly drew it out, revealing a pitch-black blade.
This was a horizontal blade, and under the light from the lamp above, it presented a water-patterned texture.
The blade was long and straight, similar to a longsword, but only sharpened on one side, gradually narrowing from the hilt to the tip, shaped like a willow leaf, light yet sharp.
As it swayed, the smooth blade reflected Hu Qi's face.
This was a sharpened blade.
While it looked good, its material was just ordinary pattern-welded steel.
It possessed good hardness and toughness.
As for better blades, Zhu Xi had them.
It wasn't that he didn't want them, but those cost hundreds of thousands, and some even required points, which he, a poor man, simply couldn't afford.
Swish!
With the long blade drawn, Hu Qi held it in one hand, and as his Qi and Blood circulated, his figure surged forward instantly, as if an invisible enemy stood before him.
Hu Qi thrust the long blade in his hand, the blade light flickering like a fierce storm, or like falling stars, forming dazzling streaks of light and shadow.
As his footsteps shifted, the blade followed his movements, transforming into a silver-white ray of light, at a strange and astonishing angle.
A few minutes later.
Hu Qi stopped, his chest heaving violently, sweat dripping down his forehead and cheeks, and a feeling of exhaustion spreading through his body, his internal Qi and Blood Power almost depleted.
“The consumption is indeed immense.”
Hu Qi felt his body's condition and looked at the panel.
------
【Ghost Killing Blade (Not Initiated)】
Hu Qi was not surprised by this; it was impossible to achieve initiation by simply practicing once.
After resting for a while, and once his physical strength and Qi and Blood Power had recovered somewhat, he practiced again.
After several repetitions, a feeling of exhaustion spread through his body, and even with his Dragon and Tiger Vigor characteristic, he found it difficult to sustain.
After practicing for a moment, he sheathed the blade, placed it in the sword bag, and slung it over his back, then walked towards the door on one side.
As a Martial Artist who had developed Qi and Blood, unlike ordinary students, a Martial Artist of the First Qi and Blood Transformation did not need to Cultivate stake exercises daily, had their own allocable time, and could even rent individual training rooms.
These training rooms were specially built for practicing Qi and Blood Skills and could simulate various environmental scenes, such as strong winds, rain, or the absolutely quiet scene he had just used for Cultivating the Ghost Killing Blade.
However, such training rooms were expensive, costing three hundred per hour.
…
Two days later, in the dormitory.
Hu Qi's figure moved slowly, his movements gentle, like the health-preserving boxing practiced by elderly people in a park, soft and powerless.
However, this was merely an appearance; if one could see through, they would discover a faint crimson thread circulating throughout Hu Qi's body.
Under these circumstances, his skin and bones were subtly strengthening under the nourishment of his Qi and Blood Power, a slow but definite improvement.
Hu Qi looked at the Scarlet Modifier panel, ignoring the skills that had already reached Perfection, and directly focused on the top of the skill list.
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【Snake Form Stake (Third Layer) △】
【Ghost Killing Blade (Not Initiated)】
…
【Modification Value: 1 (98%)】
After these two days of Cultivation, the Ghost Killing Blade was still not initiated and could not be upgraded.
Instead, the Snake Form Stake had increased in proficiency due to these days of practice, and now displayed the character indicating it could be modified.
“scarlet, modify, upgrade Snake Form Stake!”
Hu Qi had no intention of saving the modification value and proceeded directly with the upgrade.
The familiar sensation returned, his Qi and Blood Power expanded once again, reaching the thickness of chopsticks, and at the same time, the feeling of boiling Qi and Blood reappeared, his skin visibly turning crimson.
Having experienced this before, Hu Qi was not concerned about the situation.
He picked up the pre-prepared chocolate bar, put it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed it, then picked up a can of milk and guzzled it down.
At the same time.
The changes in his body gradually subsided, his skin color returned to normal, and a layer of grime reappeared on his body, though it was significantly less than the first time, only a thin layer.
This situation was also within Hu Qi's expectations; by the time of the Qi Blood Three Transformations, it would likely be even less.
------
【Snake Form Stake (Fourth Layer)】
…
Modification Value: 0
The fourth layer of Snake Form Stake signified entry into the Second Qi and Blood Transformation.
As for the third Qi and Blood transformation, it would only occur when the Snake Form Stake Breakthrough to the seventh layer.
But Hu Qi temporarily did not plan to reveal his Cultivation progress.
It would be best to wait a few more days.
Hu Qi wanted to go far on this Dao.
The best way was to disguise himself as a true Genius.
Where would a Genius and an ordinary person receive preferential treatment and attention?
This point, with his unparalleled, world-first powerful Aptitude, coupled with the assistance of the Scarlet Modifier, would not be difficult to achieve.
But in this process, he needed to grasp a certain degree.
Now, it had only been the tenth day since they officially began teaching them the Snake Form Stake.
Apart from him, among these hundreds of people, no one had yet been heard of developing Qi and Blood.
If he were to announce now that he had Breakthrough to the fourth layer of Snake Form Stake, entering the Second Qi and Blood Transformation, what might greet him might not be attention, but rather being apprehended and severely interrogated.
Although this probability was very small, one had to guard against the wickedness of human hearts.
He could not entrust his safety to others.
Therefore, this degree needed to be well-managed.
And he already had a plan in mind.
He walked to the table and picked up the basic information manual.
He flipped to one of its pages.