“Spirit Root Refining Art?”

Han Yu stood quietly behind Senior Sister Li and Hua Qi, listening.

Yesterday, Pig Third had sold the Spirit Root Refining Art to Bai Lingyun. That transaction had caught Elder Bai’s attention, leading to Pig Third’s immediate punishment.

But why did the sect report this technique and ban its practice?

“Deacon Lu,” Senior Sister Li asked, “Is the Spirit Root Refining Art a demonic cultivation method, similar to the Blood Refining Technique? What signs should we look for when investigating disciples?”

“There is no need to investigate, and there are no signs to watch for,” Deacon Lu replied coldly. “Practicing this secret art guarantees a violent death.”

He kicked Pig Third, who was groveling on the ground, with palpable anger. “The sect forbids it to save your lives, not because the art has any merit. This scoundrel… selling it to Rogue Cultivators in the Green Grain Market was bad enough. But to peddle such a suicidal, calamitous trap within the sect? You are utterly despicable!”

Suicidal? Calamitous?

Deacon Lu’s intense reaction surprised Senior Sister Li, Hua Qi, and the ten Outer Disciples standing nearby.

What kind of secret art was so vicious?

Seeing their curiosity, Deacon Lu didn’t bother explaining the benefits of refining spirit roots. He only listed the consequences.

“Practicing the Spirit Root Refining Art destroys your innate foundation.”

“First, it slashes your lifespan. Second, it leaves your body frail and riddled with disease. Most practitioners suffer a sudden, violent death within a few years. And even if you survive the initial years, you must reach Foundation Establishment within thirty years. Fail, and you die from lifespan exhaustion.”

He paused, letting the gravity sink in.

“Furthermore, the requirements are absurdly high.”

“You need exceptional spell talent and supreme body refining aptitude. You need enough resources to push a normal cultivator to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, plus a separate mountain of resources for body refining. Only if all four conditions are met simultaneously is there a sliver of hope for success. And even then… life and death remain a toss-up!”

Senior Sister Li, Hua Qi, and the disciples gasped in horror.

What a twisted art.

It demanded genius-level talent and a fortune in resources, only to offer a gamble with death? Who with that much talent and wealth would ruin themselves like that?

It was practically suicide.

“Nothing this Pig Third touches can be trusted,” Deacon Lu announced to the group. “From now on, if you catch him trying to do business, report him immediately. You will be awarded one Minor Merit. The sect will cripple his cultivation and strip him of even his Laborer Disciple status.”

Cold sweat poured down Pig Third’s face. He pressed his forehead into the dirt.

“Deacon Lu, this disciple knows his crimes!”

“I will cultivate honestly! No more business! I will never harm my fellow disciples again! The sect has given me a chance to reform, and I will cherish it with my life!”

“I hope you mean that,” Deacon Lu said. “All the items you sold will be confiscated and destroyed. If we find anyone in the sect suffering from pill toxins or practicing the Spirit Root Refining Art, the blame will fall on your head!”

“This disciple understands! I will turn over a new leaf!” Pig Third swore frantically.

Having delivered his warning, Deacon Lu mounted his Magical Artifact and flew away from the Spirit Field Department.

Pig Third collapsed onto the ground, his body going limp. His eyes stared blankly at the sky.

“I… I survived.”

The recent demonic cultivator raid had killed several Laborer Disciples in the Spirit Field Department, leaving many fields vacant.

Han Yu, Senior Sister Li, and Hua Qi assigned ten mu of spirit fields to each of the ten new Outer Disciples. They also assigned five mu to Pig Third.

After a brief discussion, the three stewards decided to take advantage of the situation. Senior Sister Li claimed ten mu for herself, Hua Qi took ten, and Han Yu—who already managed five mu—added another five to his workload.

It was a necessary move; the fields were ownerless and needed tending.

But more importantly, these fields would yield Green Grain Spirit Rice in two or three months.

Once harvested, Inner and Outer Disciples could keep fifty percent of the yield. Ten mu would produce roughly two hundred and fifty jin of rice, plus a reward of ten Minor Merits.

With such lucrative returns, even the reserved Senior Sister Li couldn’t resist.

The sect’s “recovery” order was effective. Driven by the generous rewards, disciples flooded into the production departments. By the next day, there wasn’t a single vacant plot left in the Spirit Field Department.

Within a few days, even the Medicine Garden, which had been nearly wiped out, was teeming with Inner and Outer Disciples.

Amidst the bustle of restoration, Wanchun Valley gradually calmed. The panic and pain of the invasion began to fade.

There were no further signs of the Demon Blood Sect. Meanwhile, the Spirit Beast Sect, Little Sky Net Sect, and Mystic One Sect had become even more reclusive than Wanchun Valley. They kept their gates shut tight, terrified that Ye Guxing might come knocking if they dared to step out.

As the sect stabilized, Han Yu’s life returned to a quiet rhythm.

His days were spent inspecting his fields and fulfilling his steward duties. The rest of his time was dedicated to cultivation. He consumed Qi Gathering Pills to practice the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method and ate Mystic Heart Fruits to grind his spell proficiency.

He focused on the Sharp Gold Technique, Wind Blade Technique, Ice Condensation Technique, Beast Taming Technique, and the Thousand Illusions Secret Art.

His proficiency with the offensive spells grew steadily. The Beast Taming Technique also improved, making his mental connection with the large crow smoother and more intuitive.

But it was the Thousand Illusions Secret Art that surprised him the most.

The deeper he delved, the more profound it became. Under the enhancement of the secret art, his Phantom Body Technique evolved. He could now summon anywhere from one to three phantoms at will, making his movements impossible to predict.

The disguise aspect—altering one’s face, cultivation level, and aura—was robust enough to fool Foundation Establishment cultivators, provided they didn’t attack or actively probe him with mana.

Beyond that, Han Yu mastered the art of “Deception.”

It was similar to a disguise but applied differently. Disguising a Storage Bag as a piece of clothing was a visual alteration. But “Deception” could make the Storage Bag seem invisible, causing the observer’s eye to slide right past it as if it weren’t there.

As Han Yu deepened his understanding, he realized he could use this to mask his presence in combat. Combining this stealth with the visual chaos of his phantoms would allow him to manipulate the enemy’s perception—mixing truth and falsehood to turn the tide of battle.

However, the environment had changed.

The Spirit Field Department was now crowded with new disciples, and Deacons inspected the area frequently. Living so close to Senior Sister Li and Hua Qi added another layer of risk.

Han Yu didn’t dare practice the Beast Heart Psychic Pact, Blood Escape Technique, or Blood Mist Technique. Even his daily practice of the Blood Refining Technique had to be scaled back. He only replicated two drops of essence blood daily, allowing his “replication power” to accumulate unused.

Time slipped away. Two months passed.

His two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills were down to the last couple of pellets. He had accumulated over ten days’ worth of replication power.

His Sharp Gold, Wind Blade, and Ice Condensation techniques were now highly proficient.

In his dantian, the Spirit Breath nurtured by the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method was vibrant. The sprout was swaying, on the verge of unfurling a full leaf.

He was close to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

But deeper inside, at his Tanzhong acupoint, the blood talisman told a different story.

Four distinct patterns had fully formed.

He had reached the fourth layer of Blood Refining.