Night.
Within the private cultivation chamber of the estate, the heavy gate was sealed shut, preventing anyone from entering. The chamber was so sturdy that it was nearly impervious to any force below that of a demigod. Even a demigod would require multiple attempts to destroy it.
The chamber was twenty meters wide and long, with an empty, barren floor.
“Chi.” Dongbo Xueying placed ten fire crystal lamps within the chamber, instantly flooding it with brilliant light.
He then sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber’s bare floor. The ground was smooth and cold to the touch.
With a flick of his wrist, he produced a dull gray, palm-sized source stone weighing about a jin.
“Hua—”
As Dongbo Xueying began to channel energy, the primordial essence stored within the source stone for countless eons slowly began to flow into his body. In the beginning of creation, power had no elemental attributes—this was known as the Primordial Force. Absorbing this force placed minimal strain on the dantian sea of energy, and its growth rate far surpassed drawing power directly from the heavens.
From the weakest Flying-level Exalted to the mighty Demigods, source stones were the most vital and flawless resource for all. Potions and pills crafted by Exalted sorcerers could also accelerate the growth of one’s energy, but they came with drawbacks—greatly increasing the difficulty of breaking through future bottlenecks. Those with true aspirations either absorbed power directly from the heavens or relied solely on source stones.
Dongbo Xueying, a prodigy of such caliber, would be foolish to risk using potions or pills—he would only sabotage his own future.
“Starfire!”
Within his dantian sea of energy, countless flickering starfires of Exalted energy swirled and rose.
The starfires formed concentric layers.
As the Primordial Force surged in, it was immediately drawn toward the outermost layer of starfire energy, then pulled inward by the next layer, and so on. After passing through all layers, the Primordial Force was fully transformed into Exalted energy.
In fact, even without the Starfire Energy Technique, the transformation could still be forced. However, the process would be extremely slow and place heavy strain on the dantian. Using such a crude method to absorb energy from the heavens, even after eight hundred years of nonstop cultivation, one’s energy reserves still wouldn’t be enough to reach the Saintly level.
Thus, source stones were vital, and so were cultivation techniques.
…
The Exalted energy accumulated at an astonishing rate, growing denser by the moment. Within just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Dongbo Xueying felt his dantian sea begin to strain, and he immediately stopped.
“In just a short while, I’ve cultivated more energy than I could have in an entire month using that crude method before,” Dongbo Xueying marveled. Of course, this was also due to his lack of a proper cultivation method during that month. With the Starfire Energy Technique, using source stones, and drawing from the heavens, the energy gained would be about twenty times greater than before.
“Now it’s time to study secret techniques,” Dongbo Xueying muttered, producing a book titled *The Dragonblood Art*.
*The Dragonblood Art* was a supreme cultivation method passed down from the Divine Realm, only a single tier below true Divine-level techniques.
He flipped through the pages.
The method of purely absorbing Primordial Force to strengthen the body was relatively simple and easy to understand. However, the secret art *Dragonblood Might* was vastly more complex and difficult. There were many powerful secret techniques—such as the Divine-level assassination arts of the Blood Blade Inn, each one terrifying in its own right. If one could fully master a Divine-level assassination art, they would become a fearsome god of slaughter.
Yet, even entering such a technique was extremely difficult. How many could truly master a Divine-level secret art?
Even the *Dragonblood Might* in his hands was an extremely difficult art to fully master. Achieving perfection in it was nearly impossible.
“Weng.”
The golden parchment of the book immediately emitted a hazy glow, and above it, a three-dimensional sigil formed. Composed of tens of thousands of intricate threads, the sigil made Dongbo Xueying’s head spin just looking at it.
“This is only the first-tier Dragonblood Sigil?” Dongbo Xueying muttered in astonishment. “This should be something a sorcerer would study.”
The secret art *Dragonblood Might* required one to channel the power of the heavens to form ‘Dragonblood Sigils.’ As these sigils were gradually infused into the body, they would transform it, making it more adept at unleashing power. Even among sixth-tier magical beasts, the difference between a common and a rare variant was immense. Secret arts like this would gradually make Dongbo Xueying’s body unique and increasingly powerful.
These sigils were known as the Dragonblood Sigils. The simplest among them was the three-dimensional sigil before him.
As for the fifth-tier Dragonblood Sigil, it could directly amplify one’s physical strength sixfold. While the Dragonblood Sigils primarily enhanced strength, such a massive increase in power would also bring minor improvements in speed and resilience.
“This sigil is too difficult,” Dongbo Xueying muttered, though he still focused intently on studying it.
Tens of thousands of threads, so complex that even an Exalted sorcerer would be astounded.
Cultivating secret arts required one to continuously fuse these ‘Dragonblood Sigils’ into their body. It required the ability to instantly form each sigil with a single thought. There was no room for slow, methodical copying. One had to truly comprehend the art, capable of instantly conjuring the first-tier Dragonblood Sigil. Only then could one be considered to have mastered the first stage of the technique.
Minute by minute passed…
Dongbo Xueying focused intently on the three-dimensional Dragonblood Sigil before him. Gradually, his expression turned to one of excitement as he discovered that the tens of thousands of threads composing the first-tier Dragonblood Sigil contained profound mysteries—mysteries rooted in the fundamental principles of fire and flame! No wonder the book had mentioned that this secret art was best suited for those who had mastered the mysteries of fire.
“To think the mysteries of the heavens could be used in such a way?” Dongbo Xueying marveled. Before him, the sigil opened a whole new world.
The mysteries embedded in the first-tier Dragonblood Sigil were relatively shallow. Yet, with such simplicity, it formed a divine sigil capable of evolving the human body. How utterly incredible! Though Dongbo Xueying had already mastered the mysteries of water and fire, his application of them was still quite basic.
Still, he understood.
Even among the gods, few could create such a secret art. Those capable of crafting supreme secret arts were among the most powerful beings in the Divine Realm—only they could use such minimal mysteries to create a single, highly complex sigil. And as the mysteries deepened, the sigils would become increasingly intricate. There were second-tier, third-tier, fourth-tier, and even the ultimate fifth-tier Dragonblood Sigils.
“Though I’m nowhere near the level of the Divine Realm’s great beings,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly, “I can still learn from them, study their methods, and more effectively utilize the mysteries of water and fire to create an even more powerful spear technique!”
The sigil represented a new world.
A world Exalted beings could only gaze upon, but one they could gradually approach.
…
From then on, Dongbo Xueying ceased all distractions and focused solely on studying the first-tier Dragonblood Sigil. Though it took him three hours to grasp the mysteries of the tens of thousands of threads composing it, understanding them did not mean he could instantly form the sigil with a single thought.
He tried channeling external heavenly power.
Condensing countless threads into tens of thousands was something his powerful soul could achieve. However, arranging them with precision was like splitting his mind into tens of thousands of parts—utter chaos.
“It must be formed in an instant.”
“Hmm…”
“I must understand its essence.” Dongbo Xueying continued to ponder deeply.
Day by day passed.
Dongbo Xueying would occasionally walk around the estate, practice his spear techniques, or meet with friends. But most of his time was spent studying the Dragonblood Sigil.
Meanwhile—
The Ember Palace also announced to all Exalted beings that Dongbo Xueying would soon participate in the Exalted Life-and-Death Trial in six months!
“Dongbo Xueying will be entering the Exalted Life-and-Death Trial in six months?”
“He’s the youngest Exalted in a thousand years!”
The news spread quickly through the taverns and teahouses of Xiadu City. Many Named Exalted heard the news and began to spread it eagerly. Many Named Exalted were training and honing their skills in Xiadu City, and they were always excited to witness an Exalted Life-and-Death Trial. For them, watching the brutal, life-or-death battles of Exalted beings was a rare and thrilling experience.
The news spread far and wide.
In one of the smaller estates within Xiadu City, the size of the estate clearly marked it as belonging to a Named Exalted.
“Gugu.” Yu Jingqiu, dressed in a green robe, sat wearily in the garden. Her face was slightly pale from long hours of study. She took a large gulp from a glass of water, and as soon as she set it down, a servant quickly refilled it.
Yu Jingqiu rarely drank wine and preferred plain water.
“Master, Master!” Suddenly, a young girl ran into the garden, her face flushed with excitement.
“Why are you so excited, child?” Yu Jingqiu smiled.
“Master, I just heard something outside—Dongbo Xueying, the Exalted powerhouse, will be entering the ‘Exalted Life-and-Death Trial’ in six months! He’s the youngest Exalted in a thousand years!” the girl exclaimed, her face glowing with excitement.
Yu Jingqiu froze.
Dongbo Xueying?
He? He’s still alive?
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