Chapter 75: Successive Gains, Joy Arrives
Fang Shu stood quietly at the bottom of the well, his heart calm, not as dazed as during the last Tribulation.
But within his body and mind, there was still a serene joy filling it.
“Second Tribulation success, passing the Third Tribulation before age eighteen—for me, this is no delusion, but a feasible plan.”
Fang Shu pondered silently in his heart.
This also meant that he was one step closer to joining an Immortal Sect!
He immersed himself for a long time in this feeling of the Immortal Path being within reach, as if he could grasp the future with a stretch of the hand.
After coming back to his senses, Fang Shu turned his thoughts to the Dao Talisman, checking his physical body status through the Dao Talisman:
【Talisman Master: Fang Shu】
【Lifespan: Currently seventeen, natural lifespan one hundred twenty】
【Realm: Second Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal】
【Spiritual Root: Upper Upper】
……
He checked carefully and confirmed that during the Tribulation process, he had not injured his organs or left any hidden dangers, so his mind immediately relaxed greatly.
Among them, noticing the Spiritual Root entry in the Dao Talisman, a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
After the Mountain Lord banquet, his Spiritual Root had risen to “Upper Middle”; now, after this Tribulation and Marrow Refining, bolstered by the remaining medicinal power and Secret Refinement of mercury, his Spiritual Root had impressively risen again, becoming the “Upper Upper” among mortal Spiritual Roots.
Such a Spiritual Root was only inferior to the “Spiritual Root” mentioned by Du Shi.
Fang Shu’s spirit lifted, thinking to himself that his cultivation speed would be even faster than he had just estimated.
Besides the surprise of the cultivation breakthrough, there seemed to be another piece of good news this time.
Immediately, his attention fell on another part of the Dao Talisman:
【Existing Dragon Qi: Usable】
He saw that all the Dragon Qi absorbed into the Dao Talisman had been refined and purified, turning into the so-called “pure Dragon Qi,” with all Yin Evil removed.
Moreover, the current state of the Dao Talisman after this update was different from the previous update.
Fang Shu examined the words “Usable” on the Dragon Qi, his gaze shifting, soon falling on the Magic entry.
A subtle feeling from the Dao Talisman conveyed to him the method of using the Dragon Qi.
Thus, Fang Shu targeted the newly acquired Saber Technique—《Red Snake Bloodline Fire Saber Technique》, placing it in the Dao Talisman’s Analysis position, then directing his thought to infuse it with Dragon Qi!
Buzz buzz! The Dao Talisman trembled lightly, lines of text flowing past:
【Analyzing… Consuming Dragon Qi to analyze… Estimated time one hundred thirty-eight days… one hundred thirty-seven days… one hundred thirty-one days…
Estimated time seventy-two days.】
Dragon Qi could surprisingly be infused into the Dao Talisman as consumption, allowing the Dao Talisman to rapidly analyze Secret Scripts and comprehend Cultivation Methods!
Fang Shu had just tried it, pushing the Saber Technique’s Analysis progress over halfway in one go.
At this moment, he came back to his senses and carefully savored the Analysis content transmitted by the Dao Talisman, checking if it differed from the previous slow Analysis.
The result was obvious: apart from the Analysis speed, the content analyzed by the Dao Talisman before and after was the same, both allowing Fang Shu to gain sudden understanding and master the analyzed Secret Scripts thoroughly.
Immediately, his eyes shone brightly as he inwardly called out again: “Analysis!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Dragon Qi surged in the Dao Talisman, immediately driving it to reduce the Analysis time required for the Fire Blade Technique day by day.
In the end, Fang Shu reserved one-fifth of the Dragon Qi as backup, infusing the rest into the Saber Technique, reducing the remaining Analysis time to single digits.
【《Red Snake Bloodline Fire Saber Technique》 Analyzing… Estimated time four and a half days】
With Dragon Qi as aid, in just a few breaths, what originally took four or five months to analyze became merely four or five days.
For Fang Shu, this was truly great news!
He pondered in his heart: “So this is the wonder of Dragon Qi; it can rapidly boost Analysis intensity in one go—truly marvelous!”
Involuntarily, his thoughts churned and drifted.
If there was enough Dragon Qi, could he not then learn Cultivation Methods and Magic at will, mastering them instantly without waiting for time-consuming Analysis?
After fantasizing a bit, Fang Shu immediately reined in his thoughts, suppressing the urge to exit seclusion right away.
“Four or five days— I can wait.” He thought to himself.
Immediately, Fang Shu continued sitting cross-legged in the Quiet Room flooded with mercury, polishing his Qi and Blood throughout his body.
But when he circulated the Qi and Blood after Metamorphosis, the Dao Talisman trembled again, producing yet another change:
【Second Tribulation Qi and Blood recorded, Dao Talisman updating…】
“Hm?” Fang Shu was surprised.
He looked closely and found that this update was due to his own Realm advancement; the Dao Talisman had received Nourishment from Second Tribulation Qi and Blood, triggering another update.
Moreover, the aspect of this update was extremely similar to the one after slaughtering Cheng Guanzi last time.
Streams of pure Second Tribulation Qi and Blood poured into the Dao Talisman, constantly scouring and refining it like Sacrifice and Refining a Magic Tool, making its connection to Fang Shu even tighter and its own structure more exquisite and marvelous.
The overall change from this update was that the Fire Blade Technique, which originally needed four or five days to analyze, now required even less time.
And this update was much faster, completing in half a day.
Fang Shu checked the Dao Talisman again and found that the estimated Analysis time for the Fire Blade Technique had impressively become just two days.
Not only the Fire Blade Technique; when he listed his other Magic one by one in the Dao Talisman, their required Analysis times were all reduced by more than half.
This situation excited him even more.
With a thought, he tested using Dragon Qi on the Dao Talisman after the second update. Unfortunately, the promotional effect of Dragon Qi remained constant and did not increase.
But this did not dampen the joy in his heart.
Fang Shu paced in the Quiet Room, feeling an impulse to let out a long howl.
Just one fortuitous encounter had brought him successive pieces of good news; aside from this encounter being extraordinary, it was also due to his own accumulation bursting forth—truly delightful.
Riding this joy from successive gains, Fang Shu steadied his mind, sitting in the Quiet Room, silently awaiting the full Comprehension of the Fire Blade Technique.
Two days later, the Dao Talisman trembled lightly again:
【Magic: 《Red Snake Bloodline Fire Saber Technique（ Complete）》】
Clang!
Fang Shu suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them. He leaped up, swiped his right hand across his lips, and the Long Tongue Sword shook out.
《Red Snake Bloodline Fire Saber Technique》 is a Magic that requires no specific Magic Tool; after learning it, the cultivator can practice with the sword while Sacrifice and Refining it into the Long Tongue Sword. However, its difficulty lies in the challenging Comprehension and stringent demands on the cultivator’s Qi and Blood control.
Thus, after Fang Shu swung the sword a few times with swishes, he immediately circulated his own Qi and Blood, letting it flow over the Long Tongue Sword, attempting to condense Saber Technique Secret Scripts one by one.
Several days later.
He succeeded in testing the sword; the entire Long Tongue Sword glowed red, Fang Shu’s Qi and Blood transforming into blood-like flames on it, emanating a scorching heat.
He swung the Sword again, the Long Tongue Sword slicing through the air, faintly emitting a hissing sound like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Sizzle sizzle!
He lightly slashed the sword blade against the rock wall of the Quiet Room, and the dark greenish hard stone was cut like Tofu, leaving a charred incision as if burned by fire.
With such power, if it struck another Immortal Cultivator, it might not graze to maim or touch to kill, but on hit, the opponent would suffer limb damage along with burns from the Fire Blade Technique, even poisoning.
Because the Fire Blade Technique, besides transforming Qi and Blood into bloodfire, could also use the cultivator’s blood to Sacrifice and Refine the sword, temporarily unleashing greater power.
And Fang Shu’s blood was laced with gu poison and mercury poison; with his blood Sacrifice and Refining the sword, the Saber Technique unleashed was not mere fire damage, but fire-poison injury, inflicting a festering sore on the opponent!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Fang Shu, in high spirits, danced the Tongue Sword even more fiercely in the Quiet Room.
At first, he was not very familiar, the sword light chaotic; later, as he grew more accustomed, his body seemed to roll with a blood-red fireball, wind and thunder roaring.
The mercury pooled on the ground was evaporated again into mercury vapor.
Hiss!
Vaguely, at the bottom of Du Gu Guan’s Quiet Room well, it was as if a giant snake lurked, flicking its tongue at the moon, laughing to itself.
Finally, after Fang Shu finished practicing, he held the sword to his mouth and retracted the tongue into its sheath.
The Quiet Room at the well bottom looked as if ravaged by a giant beast, battered and revealing the gold-iron steel pillars deeply embedded in the surrounding rock walls.
Fang Shu’s own complexion was also flushed, filled with a demonic hue, his eyes strikingly bright, emanating a fierce aura!
In this Seclusion, not only had his cultivation broken through and Dao Talisman advanced, but he had also preliminarily mastered a formidable killing Magic.
With his current early Second Tribulation cultivation unleashing it, the First Tribulation Long Tongue Sword overlaid with Fire Blade Technique equated to a quasi-Third Tribulation Magic power, allowing him to fear no veteran Second Tribulation Immortal Cultivator.
If he practiced the Magic more proficiently and upgraded the Long Tongue Sword’s quality, its power would directly enter Third Tribulation, and even fiercer!
At this moment, Fang Shu’s heart was full of joy, feeling greatly ambitious—he could exit seclusion.
Note: Sorry, late. Busy yesterday and today; upon returning home last night, I wrote, and there’s one more chapter, to be posted later.
