Spirit Roots are the very foundation of cultivation.

The higher the grade of the Spirit Root, the faster one can absorb the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and naturally, the faster one’s cultivation progresses.

Spirit Roots are divided into ten grades: from First to Ninth Grade, and above them all, the Grandmaster Divine Grade.

However, Han Lie possessed only half a Spirit Root. It was so pathetic that it couldn’t even be classified as First Grade.

This was the primary reason his parents had sold him to the Heavenly Void Sect to become a servant.

A person’s Spirit Roots are almost entirely determined by fate at birth. Of course, there are methods to artificially expand or upgrade one’s Spirit Roots, but the cost is astronomical and the conditions extremely harsh. It is not a luxury that ordinary people can enjoy.

Even if Ye Qingxuan were willing to spend a fortune to upgrade Han Lie’s aptitude, given his physical condition and advanced age, the improvement would be negligible. He simply couldn’t survive the process.

This was exactly why Han Lie had little interest in resuming cultivation.

“I truly cannot fathom this demoness’s train of thought. Couldn’t she just give me a quick death?”

In the past, when he was greedy for life and afraid of death, he had to tread carefully, exhausting every ounce of energy just to survive in this sect. Now that he actually wanted to die, Ye Qingxuan refused to kill him.

Where was the justice in that?

Grumbling to himself, Han Lie returned to his dwelling—a small wooden hut located on the grassy field to the right of the Violet Sky Palace.

The hut was small, only about ten square meters, but it had all the necessary living facilities.

The sun had just risen. Standing on the grass in front of his door, bathed in the warmth of the morning sun, Han Lie felt a cozy heat spreading through his body. Suddenly, a flicker of desire to live ignited within his heart.

“I am like a dying candle flickering in the wind. If I could burn brightly once more… that wouldn’t be so bad. But alas…”

“Miracles do not favor the wretched.”

With a soft sigh, Han Lie dragged his hunched, weary body back into the hut.

He unrolled the Yang Scroll of the Yin-Yang Demonic Art that Ye Qingxuan had given him.

Rows of profound, obscure characters and diagrams came into view. They detailed the cultivation methods, precautions, and the pros and cons of the technique.

Strangely, with Han Lie’s trash aptitude—less than a First Grade Spirit Root—and his mediocre comprehension, he actually understood this top-tier demonic technique!

And he understood it without any obstacles!

“Wait… what is happening? Is this something I should be able to understand?”

Han Lie was stunned.

Realizing something, he immediately sank his consciousness inward to check his Spirit Roots.

However, there were no surprises there. He still only had half a Spirit Root. His cultivation was still stuck at the Second Level of Qi Condensation.

“Hold on…!”

Although his Spirit Roots hadn’t changed, Han Lie noticed that the Yang energy within his body was exceptionally vigorous!

Not only that, but his meridians and bones seemed to be faintly radiating a scorching heat, like the sun itself.

Combining this physical anomaly with the unprecedented fact that he could easily comprehend the Yin-Yang Demonic Art, Han Lie arrived at a bold, ecstatic conclusion.

“Could it be… have I activated the Pure Yang Sacred Body?!”

Han Lie’s eyes snapped open. Those muddy eyes, filled with the vicissitudes of a century of hardship, suddenly became clear and sharp. His body trembled with excitement.

Over the past hundred years, because his aptitude was trash, Han Lie hadn’t spent much time cultivating. Instead, he had read books. A lot of them.

It was no exaggeration to say he had read almost every book in Ye Qingxuan’s library.

One of them described the various special constitutions of the continent.

According to the text, there is a supreme, masculine constitution known as the Pure Yang Sacred Body. It is a recessive constitution that has a microscopic chance of activating only when subjected to a massive shock of Yin energy.

The probability is less than one in a billion.

You have a higher chance of getting struck by lightning while walking on a sunny day.

“No wonder I wasn’t drained dry after battling that demoness all night! It turns out that during my ‘battle’ with Ye Qingxuan, I accidentally activated the Pure Yang Sacred Body!”

It all made sense now!

“Heh… Hehehe… Hahahaha! Heaven has eyes!”

Han Lie’s pupils dilated, and he laughed maniacally, making no attempt to hide his thrill and ecstasy.

Just moments ago, he was sighing that miracles don’t favor the wretched. He didn’t expect the boomerang of fate to hit him so quickly.

According to the books, the Pure Yang Sacred Body not only grants a cultivation speed as terrifying as a dragon drinking water, but it also bestows peerless talent and comprehension.

Furthermore, those who awaken this body possess incredibly vigorous masculine energy, constantly radiating a unique charm and pheromones.

Han Lie, who had no lingering attachments to this world, suddenly felt the flames of ambition reignite.

With the Pure Yang Sacred Body, his dream of “a salted fish turning over” (a loser making a comeback) was no longer a fool’s fantasy.

Wasting no time, Han Lie immediately began to study the Yin-Yang Demonic Art.

With the heaven-defying comprehension granted by his new physique, the technique—which would be obscure and difficult for ordinary cultivators—appeared to Han Lie as a broad, illuminated path.

Following the instructions on the scroll, it took Han Lie only a few days to master the basics of the Yang Scroll.

Cultivation techniques are like the foundation of a building. The stronger the foundation, the higher the skyscraper.

Since the Yin-Yang Demonic Art was a top-tier technique, Han Lie didn’t care if it was “evil” or not. Power was power.

“Huh…?”

Just as he was about to put the scroll away, Han Lie noticed a line of hidden text at the very end.

Out of curiosity, he probed the jade scroll with his consciousness again.

An ancient voice suddenly echoed in his ears:

“To the future cultivator of this art… Congratulations, you’ve fallen into a pit.”

“?”

A question mark practically popped out of Han Lie’s eyes. What did that mean?

“I am the creator of this art, the Emperor of Demonic Arts. The Yin-Yang Demonic Art is the world’s premier Dual Cultivation technique, sought after by billions of evil cultivators.”

“However, forced by my Dao Companion (wife), This Seat had to make a… small modification to the technique.”

“Once you cultivate this art, the Yin-Yang Demonic Art will bind itself to the Yin or Yang energy of your very first Dual Cultivation partner.”

“If you change partners in the future and absorb a different type of Yin or Yang energy, the technique will trigger a backlash.”

“At best, your cultivation will drop. At worst, your foundation will be shattered, leaving irreversible damage, ensuring you never advance again.”

“???”