Cultivation: I Can Steal Lifespan from Spirit Beasts

Chapter 163: Jade Dew Spiritual Power

Three days later.

Wang Ba sat cross-legged within the hollow of a tree. With the assistance of the Lifespan Panel, the last grain of Metal Spiritual Iron Sand before him had been completely consumed.

Simultaneously, his practice of the Golden Wind Swift Arrow Art had smoothly reached the state of Perfection.

Perfection did not imply a static ceiling of power; rather, it meant that the technique’s efficiency had been maximized. Under the same output of Spiritual Energy, the technique’s structural integrity could no longer be improved. Naturally, casting it with Golden Core cultivation would yield far greater destruction than at the Foundation Establishment realm, but that would be a function of the fuel, not the engine.

“Next, I must use the Golden Wind Jade Dew Art to transmute my metal-attribute Spiritual Energy—now infused with the Metal Spiritual Iron Sand—into the Second-Order Water-Attribute Jade Dew Spiritual Power.”

Wang Ba retrieved the scroll for the Golden Wind Jade Dew Art and studied it with clinical precision.

Soon, the corresponding entry materialized on his vision.

[Target: “Golden Wind Jade Dew Art” Spiritual Energy Conversion] [Calculation based on Aptitude, Root Bone, and Cultivation Realm.] [Cost: 27 Years of Lifespan.]

“As expected of a potent Second-Order technique… even with my current foundation, it demands 27 years of hard labor to master.”

Wang Ba raised an eyebrow.

27 years was a drop in the ocean for him, but for a standard Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose total lifespan hovered around 200 years, it was a staggering cost.

200 years sounded like an eternity to mortals, but for a cultivator, the schedule was brutal. Reaching Foundation Establishment before 80 was considered a triumph. From there, navigating the Early, Middle, and Late stages took at least 20 years each, assuming no bottlenecks.

By the time one reached the peak, the grave was already yawning open.

If one factored in the inevitable plateaus between stages, that two-century limit felt suffocatingly tight. And that was the ideal scenario. Most low-level cultivators spent decades just scraping together resources, extending their timelines indefinitely.

This economic reality meant that mastering a Second-Order powerhouse technique required either freakish natural talent or immense wealth to buy time-saving resources.

Wang Ba possessed neither talent nor wealth. He had only time itself.

Just as he prepared to burn his lifespan to bridge the gap, a transmission talisman zipped through the air.

Liu Yaodong requests an audience?

Wang Ba scanned the message, puzzled. He checked the integrity of his Yin Spirit technique; it was still active, masking his true aura. After a moment of calculation, he allowed the entry.

Moments later, Liu Yaodong entered, bowing low.

“Senior, this Junior has an urgent matter to report.”

“Speak.”

“Yes. A short while ago, the City Lord of Golden River City personally visited this Junior…”

At the mention of Golden River City, Wang Ba’s eyes narrowed. The image of Zhu Jianyi, the man he had killed, flashed through his mind.

Trouble.

Liu Yaodong continued, unaware of the internal shift. “He provided a portrait and several transmission talismans, ordering me to report immediately if I sighted the man in the drawing. When I looked at it… I realized the person depicted was you, Senior. I felt something was amiss, so I came straight here.”

He pulled a scroll from his sleeve and unfurled it. Wang Ba glanced at the ink wash. It was undeniably him.

His heart sank. He didn’t know where the leak had sprung, but this was undoubtedly the work of Zhu Jianyi’s master, True Cultivator Lin (Lin Xiwen).

Wang Ba analyzed the threat.

He felt zero pressure dealing with Qi Refining cultivators. But a Foundation Establishment adversary? That was uncharted territory. Since his breakthrough, his only combat experience at this level was a brief, inconclusive clash with Song Buping.

He had no data on whether his spirit beasts could suppress a veteran like True Cultivator Lin.

“However… if he is merely Early Foundation Establishment, I should be safe.”

Wang Ba weighed the odds. But based on Zhu Jianyi’s memories, Lin Xiwen was a Mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. In terms of raw Spiritual Energy volume and density, the man likely far outstripped Wang Ba.

Caution won out.

Two more days. I will visit the Luofu and Nixia Ghost Markets to liquidate my stock and acquire necessities, then immediately retreat to the Heavenly Gate Sect.

He would hole up in the Sword Billow Garrison and let the storm pass. His harvest from this expedition was already substantial; there was no need to gamble his life on a confrontation.

While he could use techniques to alter his facial structure, he couldn’t guarantee Lin Xiwen didn’t possess some esoteric tracking art. In a strange land, flight was the superior tactic.

He dismissed Liu Yaodong and immediately initiated the conversion process.

Half a day later.

Wang Ba exhaled slowly, sensing the change within his dantian. Half of his water-attribute Spiritual Energy had been refined. It was no longer fluid and yielding; it had become viscous, heavy, and carried a latent, metallic sharpness.

This was Jade Dew Spiritual Power.

He stepped out of the tree hollow.

With a thought, droplets of water, resembling pristine jade beads, levitated into the air. Suddenly, they accelerated, whistling down like a meteor shower.

Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.

A portion of the droplets grew supernaturally heavy. Upon contact with the earth, they didn’t splash—they punched deep, bottomless boreholes into the rock and soil.

Another cluster of droplets shifted under Wang Ba’s mental command. They coalesced into a single, shimmering puddle in mid-air, then dropped.

BOOM!

The impact sounded like a collapsing building. The “puddle” hit with the weight of a mountain, shaking the ground and sending a shockwave through his feet.

Then, the water dispersed. The droplets elongated, turning into razor-thin liquid blades. They swept outward, slicing through every tree trunk within a 300-meter radius as if they were cutting through tofu.

Wang Ba nodded, satisfied.

Although his Early Foundation Establishment reserves limited the technique’s full majesty, its raw destructive potential was only slightly inferior to the Iris Formless Needle.

This was an exceptional result. Generally, Magical Artifacts far outclassed techniques in raw power. But techniques offered versatility and fluidity that solid matter could not match.

“What if…” Wang Ba mused, “I were to conceal the Iris Formless Needle inside these heavy Jade Dew droplets?”

He immediately began the experiment.

It was awkward at first. Integrating a solid artifact into a fluid technique required splitting his focus. But having learned the technique through direct infusion of knowledge via the Lifespan Panel, his grasp of the technique’s mechanics was absolute.

Within hours, he mastered the synchronization.

An enemy would focus on blocking the crushing weight of the Jade Dew. The moment their defense held against the water, the hidden Iris Formless Needle would pierce through the gap.

“A pity I lack potent poisons effective against cultivators,” Wang Ba noted with regret. “Even the Heavenly Gate Sect’s inventory is lacking in that department. Coating the needle would ensure lethality.”

With time remaining, he turned his attention to the Spirit-Entrusting Candle.

Perhaps because it involved the ethereal nature of the soul, the complexity rivaled the Golden Wind Jade Dew Art. Yet, under the brute force of lifespan consumption, the intricacies unraveled quickly.

He mastered the technique, but a logistical hurdle remained.

“The candle required for the technique must be crafted from the wax of the Hundred Fragrance Bee. It’s only a First-Order spirit insect, but they are elusive.”

He would have to scour the upcoming Ghost Markets for the materials.

Two days later.

The opening day for the Luofu and Nixia Ghost Markets arrived.

Luofu Ghost Market.

Located on a mist-shrouded peak in the northwest of the Yan Country, it was second only to Nixia in scale, surpassing even the Exquisite Ghost Market near Wang Ba’s home turf.

Without a guide, the entrance was invisible within the cloud layer.

A slightly plump old man stood waiting on a precipice. It was Li Qu.

After he performed a specific sequence of hand seals, the mist parted. A cultivator in gray robes, radiating the aura of Foundation Establishment, stepped out of the white void.

Seeing the fat man, the gray-robed cultivator looked surprised.

“Fellow Daoist Li? You are here early today.”

“Hehe, I come on behalf of another, to trouble Fellow Daoist Zhang with a request.” Li Qu smiled ingratiatingly.

Cultivator Zhang didn’t commit. “Fellow Daoist Li, your strength is considerable. If even you cannot resolve this matter, I fear I…”

“It is not a matter of violence, nor will it compromise you,” Li Qu interrupted smoothly. “This is a request from Fellow Daoist Lin Xiwen of Golden River City. His disciple was murdered by a rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator. Fellow Daoist Lin merely wishes to apprehend the killer to assuage his grief.”

Cultivator Zhang frowned. “This has little to do with me. You know Luofu Ghost Market remains neutral. We do not intervene in vendettas. Even as a manager, I dare not break this taboo.”

“No, no, no.” Li Qu waved his hands, his expression confident. “You misunderstand. Fellow Daoist Lin simply asks that if this person appears in Luofu, and if you happen to see him, you merely send a transmission. We will absolutely not engage him inside the market. You will face no blowback.”

Li Qu lowered his voice. “As a Return, Fellow Daoist Lin has recently refined a batch of Stone Fire True Essence Pills. He is willing to gift you a bottle.”

“Stone Fire True Essence Pills?!”

Zhang’s composure cracked.

This was a Second-Order pill, famous for loosening the bottleneck between Early and Mid-Foundation Establishment. He had been stuck at this threshold for years. A bottle of those pills could save him decades of bitter cultivation.

And the cost? Just sending a message.

Assuming the target even showed up.

After a brief internal struggle, greed won. “What does he look like? What is his cultivation?”

Li Qu suppressed a smirk. He knew exactly which lever to pull.

He handed over Wang Ba’s portrait and a dossier of their gathered intelligence. Cultivator Zhang scanned the documents, nodded once, and retreated silently into the mist.

Li Qu flicked his sleeve, vanishing from the peak.

Meanwhile. Near Canglan City.

Outside the tree hollow.

“Senior, shall we head to Luofu Ghost Market first, or…” Liu Yaodong asked, bowing respectfully.

“Luofu first,” Wang Ba said instinctively.

Liu Yaodong nodded and turned to make arrangements.

“Wait.” Wang Ba paused. “Which one is closer?”

“Ah… naturally, it is the Nixia Ghost Market,” Liu Yaodong replied after a moment’s thought. “Nixia is to our north, right on the border of Yan and Song. Luofu is to the southeast, a fair distance away.”

Wang Ba considered the geography. Efficiency was paramount.

“Then we go to Nixia Ghost Market first.”