Outside the central pavilions, the dusty pathways connecting the Outer Disciple Quarters were abuzz with frantic, uncharacteristic noise.
"Hey, did you hear?! Old Ancestor just created five Half-Earth Rank Techniques!"
"Hiss—what?! Are you out of your mind? Stop pulling my leg!"
"Why would I lie to you?! The original manuals are currently floating inside the Sect Library right this second!"
"Tsk, so what if it's true?" an outer disciple muttered, leaning against a stone pillar with a bitter, defeated sneer. "Techniques of that level are meant for the Elders and the Sect Leader. Lowly Outer Sect Disciples like us won't even get to smell the ink on those pages. What's the point of dreaming?"
"You absolute idiot!" the first disciple cursed, slapping the back of his comrade's head. "Old Ancestor explicitly issued a strict command to Sect Leader Xue! Every single member of our sect—from the highest Elder down to the newest outer disciple—is required to visit the library, copy the original manuals, and cultivate them!"
The bitter disciple froze, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. "I... Is that for real?! We're actually allowed to copy and learn them?!"
"Damn it, the Inner Sect Disciples have already sprinted over there in droves! Why the hell are you standing here wasting my time?! Hurry up! I'm getting those Half-Earth Rank Arts today even if I have to break my legs!"
Amidst the rushing crowds of disciples, a nineteen-year-old youth dressed in a faded grey outer-sect robe stood quietly near the path.
His name was Cao Haoran, an ordinary youth originating from a humble mountain village near the foot of the Blood Devouring Demon Mountain.
It had been two full years since Cao Haoran joined the Blood Demon Sect. Yet, despite his hard work, his talent was mediocre at best; he was currently stuck at the humble 3rd Stage of Qi Refinement. In a brutal, dog-eat-dog environment like a demonic sect, being a low-stage outer disciple meant living in constant anxiety, depression, and fear of being used as cannon fodder.
Old Ancestor actually authorized outer disciples to learn Half-Earth Rank Arts? Cao Haoran thought, his heart pounding against his ribs like a war drum.
In a minor Tier-2 faction like the Blood Demon Sect, a single Half-Earth Rank art was considered a priceless, mountain-shaking heirloom. Traditional sects hoarded them strictly to enforce caste systems and maintain absolute authority over subordinates.
When did a demonic sect ancestor ever act this generous?
Shaking off his disbelief, Cao Haoran adjusted his robes and joined the surging tide of disciples heading toward the Sect Library.
The main floor of the library was packed to maximum capacity, yet it remained eerily silent. Rows of stone desks were filled with disciples hunched over blank leather scrolls, ink brushes moving with furious precision.
Floating quietly in mid-air near the center of the hall were five glowing leather scrolls. They were held aloft by minor floatation artifacts, radiating faint, breathtaking crimson runes that cast a soft glow across the darkened room. Because cultivators possessed far sharper vision than ordinary mortals, dozens of disciples sitting at various desks could easily read and copy every character from a distance.
Cao Haoran quickly found an empty seat, pulled out a fresh blank scroll, and began meticulously copying the runic characters of the Blood Refinement Art.
An hour later, Cao Haoran returned to the northern Outer Disciple Quarters—a series of dense, shared stone barracks located far behind the main hall.
Inside the crowded room, his bunkmates were already sitting cross-legged on their woven straw mats, completely immersed in deep meditation, their bodies surrounded by faint, rhythmic swirls of crimson light.
Suppressing his excitement, Cao Haoran climbed onto his bed, unfurled his newly copied scroll, and began analyzing the text.
The deeper he read, the more utterly speechless he became.
"This... this is unbelievable..." he whispered, his eyes scanning the lines in sheer awe.
The original blood-refining arts of the Blood Demon Sect were crude and dangerous. Disciples were taught to forcefully absorb external blood and refine it into raw, volatile power—a practice that contaminated their internal meridians, ruined their talent, and crippled their long-term prospects.
But the Blood Refinement Art created by Old Ancestor Ouyang Xian was fundamentally different!
Instead of devouring foreign blood, it guided ambient Spiritual Qi directly into the cultivator's bloodstream, systematically purging deep-seated impurities, nourishing vitality, and condensing internal Blood Qi. Over time, the cultivator's Blood Qi would grow exponentially denser, heavier, and purer!
Most miraculous of all, the text explicitly noted that fully mastering this technique would grant Qi Refinement cultivators a staggering sixty percent higher chance of successfully breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm! For existing Foundation Establishment experts, it paved a smooth path toward the Half-Golden Core threshold!
"Sixty percent?!" Cao Haoran sucked in a sharp breath, his hands trembling.
In the barren Wasteland Domain, ninety-nine out of a hundred Qi Refinement disciples failed their Foundation Establishment breakthrough, either dying from meridian rupture or wasting away as mortals. A technique that raised those odds by sixty percent was nothing short of a divine blessing!
Without wasting another second, Cao Haoran closed his eyes, assumed a lotus position, and began running his internal energy according to the new, pristine pathways.
Meanwhile, inside the Sect Leader's personal residence...
Sect Leader Xue Wuhen was sitting cross-legged on his cushion, carefully channeling his True Qi along the newly learned pathways of the Blood Refinement Art, feeling his internal blood essence grow noticeably purer with every breath.
Suddenly, a sharp, echoing voice sounded directly inside his brain, transmitted through his Communication Token:
"Xue Wuhen! Get your ass over here right now!"
Xue Wuhen jolted awake, nearly suffering an energy backlash. Recognizing the Old Ancestor's thunderous voice, he scrambled to his feet without hesitation. "Y-Yes, Old Ancestor! Junior is on his way!"
He sprinted out of his quarters, his body blurring into a streak of red light as he dashed toward the back of the mountain.
The Blood Demon Sect was established atop the vast Blood Devouring Demon Mountain. While the sect grounds were modest—housing roughly three hundred disciples, five Elders, and the Sect Leader—the area behind the main peak was designated as sacred ground: the Ancestral Immortal Cave.
Arriving at the heavy stone doors, Xue Wuhen dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. "Greetings, Old Ancestor! This junior awaits your orders!"
Rumble...
The stone door parted slightly, and two heavy leather spatial pouches flew through the air, landing firmly in Xue Wuhen's waiting hands.
Xue Wuhen blinked, staring at the two pouches in utter confusion. What is Old Ancestor up to now?
"The pouch on the left contains four hundred thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones," Ouyang Xian's authoritative, reverberating voice echoed from the depths of the cave. "Distribute one thousand Spirit Stones to each disciple. Give ten thousand Spirit Stones to each Elder, and keep fifty thousand for yourself."
"F-Four... four hundred thousand?!" Xue Wuhen's jaw nearly dropped off his face.
"Listen closely," Ouyang Xian continued coldly, ignoring Xue Wuhen's stupor. "With these resources combined with the new techniques, everyone will have more than enough support to cultivate without worry. Within six months, I expect to see at least one hundred disciples reach the Ninth Stage of Qi Refinement! All five Elders must reach at least the Fourth Stage of Foundation Establishment, and you, Xue Wuhen, must break through to the Seventh Stage!"
A heavy, chilling aura pressed against the stone door.
"If I do not see these exact results in six months... I will personally break your dog legs!"
"..."
Sect Leader Xue Wuhen stood completely frozen, his entire mind going numb.
Four hundred thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones?! Where on earth did the Old Ancestor get this much money?!
Did Old Ancestor casually stroll out and rob a Tier-3 Sect while everyone was asleep?! But a Tier-3 Sect possessed at least three Golden Core Ancestors—it was impossible to rob them without causing a domain-shaking war!
Yet, looking at the glowing pouches in his hands, Xue Wuhen's bewilderment rapidly melted into overwhelming, tearful emotion.
With a thousand Spirit Stones allocated to every single disciple alongside Half-Earth Rank Arts, the Blood Demon Sect wouldn't just produce one hundred 9th-Stage Qi Refinement members in six months... they would undoubtedly witness the birth of brand-new Foundation Establishment Core Disciples!
How many decades has it been since our Blood Demon Sect last saw a true Core Disciple? Xue Wuhen thought, tears welling up in his eyes.
He and the current five Elders were the absolute last survivors of the previous generation's Core Disciples. Over the years, the older generation of Elders had all perished—either cut down in regional wars or dying from Qi deviation. Only Old Ancestor Ouyang Xian had remained as a pillar to hold the faction together.
Without new Foundation Establishment talents, the sect was doomed to die out once the current Elders grew old. But now... Old Ancestor was single-handedly resurrecting the entire faction from the ashes!
"As for the second pouch," Ouyang Xian's voice cut through Xue Wuhen's emotional thoughts, "it contains Spirit Stones designated specifically for purchasing high-grade Array Materials. Furthermore, use the remaining funds to purchase as many Alchemical Pill Refining Herbs as you can find."
Pill refining resources? Xue Wuhen arched his brows in shock.
First Tier-3 Arrays... and now Alchemical Pill Refining?! Is Old Ancestor planning to become both a Grand Array Master and a Master Alchemist at the same time?!
Not daring to ask a single question, Xue Wuhen bowed forcefully until his forehead touched the stone. "Junior obeys Old Ancestor's divine decree! I will carry out these tasks immediately!"
Clutching the two spatial pouches tightly against his chest, Sect Leader Xue turned around and flew back toward the main hall with unprecedented speed and determination.
Inside the quiet, cavernous depths of the Immortal Cave...
Ouyang Xian sat atop his woven cushion, his four pupils flickering with brilliant, golden light. A wide, satisfied smirk spread across his face.
Floating in the air before him were complex, floating characters formed entirely out of condensed Spiritual Qi.
After months of grueling deduction using his Eye of Wisdom, Ouyang Xian was finally standing on the threshold of comprehending one of the most profound, fundamental principles of the universe—the Dao of Words!
"I can feel it..." Ouyang Xian murmured, his voice containing a strange, divine resonance that caused the surrounding air to vibrate with rhythmic power. "In less than six months, I will achieve Initiate Mastery in the Dao of Words."
He clenched his fist, extinguishing the floating golden characters in mid-air.
"And within a year and a half... I will use the supreme power of the Dao of Words to condense my absolute, flawless Golden Core!"