Night fell.
Daily settlement.
[Daily Settlement Panel Lv1 (20/100)]
[Daily Settlement!]
[Chanted the Corpse-Nurturing Incantation for one hour, practiced the Yinzhou Corpse-Nurturing Technique for one hour—Panel Experience +1, Yinzhou Corpse-Nurturing Incantation Experience +10, Yinzhou Corpse-Nurturing Technique Experience +1]
[Buried corpses in the land of death for six hours, continuously absorbing corpse energy and death energy—Panel Experience +1, Corpse Energy +6, Death Energy +6]
[Drew in Earth Fiend Yin Energy, supplemented with a large amount of cultivators' fresh blood to nurture corpses for two hours—Panel Experience +1, Mutated Corpse Experience +6, +1, Corpse Nurturer Experience +1, Blood Transformation Body Experience +1]
[Consumed one bowl of inferior spiritual rice and one piece of non-ranked demon beast meat—Body Refinement Experience +0.1]
"Not bad!"
Wen Jiu was overjoyed.
Two hours for 1 point of experience.
That meant six points in twelve hours.
Adding the six points from chanting the Corpse-Nurturing Incantation, that was twelve points a day.
In less than twenty days, his White Jiangshi would evolve into a Black Jiangshi!
At that point, he would truly step into the world of cultivation—because according to the Yinzhou Corpse-Nurturing Records, a Black Jiangshi could rival a cultivator.
After his excitement settled, Wen Jiu noticed something new in the daily settlement: the term "Blood Transformation Body."
"What is this Blood Transformation Body?"
Muttering to himself, Wen Jiu immediately opened his personal status panel.
[Wen Jiu]
[Age: 23]
[Lifespan: 23/73]
[Realm: None]
[Techniques: Yinzhou Corpse-Nurturing Technique (First Layer 55/1000)]+
[Lv1 Corpse Nurturer (6/100)]
[Secret Arts: Mutated Corpse]
[White Jiangshi—In Nurturing (7/200)]+
[White Jiangshi Skills: Blood Transformation Body (Beginner 1/100)]+
[Remaining Death Energy: 0]
[Remaining Corpse Energy: 6]
"So this is a corpse body technique?" Wen Jiu noticed a plus sign next to "Blood Transformation Body" and tapped it experimentally.
Corpse Energy -1.
Blood Transformation Body Experience +1.
"If it only takes 100 experience points to complete, I should focus on upgrading it first." Without hesitation, Wen Jiu allocated the remaining five points.
Blood Transformation Body Experience immediately rose to 7.
—
The next day.
Wen Jiu continued burying corpses.
No matter how exhausting or tedious it was, he didn't care. He saw those three disciples—each with talent far superior to his, practically guaranteed to become apprentices—and yet, he felt nothing.
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This world was never fair to begin with.
A little favoritism? Perfectly normal.
Just one night, and his mindset had completely changed.
So what if they had talent?
So what if they had connections?
He walked the path of the unorthodox.
No matter how fast they progressed, could they be faster than him?
Wen Jiu had figured it out. If he wanted to rise and become an apprentice, his best bet was to make an impression on Wang Nian. After all, Wang Nian had made his displeasure with those three quite clear yesterday.
Perhaps he could bypass the one-year assessment altogether.
After careful consideration, Wen Jiu decided to take the route of strategic display.
Hiding one's strength was necessary.
In the cultivation world, concealing one's abilities was a survival instinct.
But if he wanted to climb within the sect, if he wanted to secure a powerful backer, he couldn't just focus on staying hidden—at the right moment, he had to show his worth.
It was all about balance.
With this understanding, Wen Jiu began waiting for the right opportunity.
The opportunity never came. Instead, what arrived was a sudden surge of Yin energy.
Yesterday, when they were clearing away the remains of the corpses, the Yin energy in the area was only as faint as a thin mist—insignificant for ordinary people. But overnight, it had intensified by forty to fifty percent.
At this level, if the Yin energy entered one's body, the mildest consequence would be days of discomfort, while in severe cases, it could lead to a serious illness.
"Nobody move forward."
Wang Nian halted the group, his expression grave as he stepped ahead. Wherever he passed, the Yin energy seemed to instinctively retreat, as if something was blocking it. Wen Jiu looked carefully and saw that a swirling aura of spiritual energy surrounded Wang Nian, shielding him from the Yin energy.
A few breaths later, Wang Nian walked out of the denser Yin energy and reached into his robe, pulling out a small black cloth bag. Though no larger than a fist, he retrieved a long silver sword from within.
"Is this one of those legendary storage pouches that contain a miniature space and can hold countless items?" Wen Jiu stared in fascination.
If he could bring one of these to Blue Star for logistics… wouldn't that be an absolute goldmine?
As he was lost in thought, Wang Nian suddenly unsheathed the sword and tossed it into the air. With a single-handed gesture, the sword seemed to come alive, flying and dancing in midair.
Then, he took out a yellow talisman from the storage pouch and flicked it upward. The talisman landed precisely on the sword's blade. The next moment, the sword let out a resonant hum and, carrying the talisman, plunged into the Yin energy.
Boom!
A loud explosion erupted.
A wave of golden energy surged through the Yin mist, dispersing it completely within a thirty-zhang radius.
Watching this, Wen Jiu couldn't help but feel a storm of emotions—was this the power of cultivators?
"That was a damn waste of one of my Yin-Dissipating Talismans…" Wang Nian muttered irritably as he retrieved the sword back into his pouch. He then moved away as usual, unwilling to stay near, his face full of displeasure. "What are you all standing around for? Get to work!"
With that, the group hurried forward, fearing his wrath.
Wen Jiu followed slowly behind, sensing how the Yin energy had thinned significantly due to the talisman's effect. He couldn't help but feel a little regret.
But just then, a thought struck him. Without hesitation, he began sifting through the corpses, deliberately moving closer to the areas where the Yin energy was thickest.
Before long, he had cleared the section in front of him.
Taking advantage of Wang Nian's seated meditation, he quietly moved further into the dense Yin energy and continued working. In just a short while, he had cleared another area.
At that moment, Wang Nian emerged from his meditation.
He had initially intended to hurry the corpse collectors along, but as his gaze swept the scene, he suddenly noticed that someone had ventured into the area of heavy Yin energy.
"That fool?"
Wang Nian stood up immediately, his first instinct to reprimand.
But just as he was about to shout, he saw Wen Jiu effortlessly pushing a cart filled with corpse fragments out from the thick Yin mist.
For a brief moment, Wang Nian was stunned.
Then, his gaze shifted back to the dense Yin area, where Wen Jiu had actually managed to clear a sizable section. And yet, he himself showed no signs of discomfort—his face was still as vibrant as a young man's, his energy levels even surpassing that of the other corpse collectors.
Recognition dawned on Wang Nian. "I remember now… this is the kid who chose to cultivate an unorthodox path that day."
With that realization, Wang Nian chose to silently observe from a distance as if nothing had happened.
And so, the hours passed.
By dusk, Wen Jiu had spent an entire half-day working in the thick Yin energy. Yet, there wasn't a single abnormality on his face.
Wang Nian couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This kid may have a low-grade spiritual root, but he actually has a talent for the unorthodox path…
In just a few days, he had already reached a point where he was unaffected by Yin energy.
For the other corpse collectors, working in such conditions for half a day would guarantee at least two days of illness.
But Wen Jiu showed no reaction whatsoever.
Such an aptitude for unorthodox cultivation was exceedingly rare.
This kid… he might actually make something of himself in the unorthodox arts, Wang Nian mused.
Corpse-keepers may be part of an unorthodox path, but they were still cultivators.
And if one could achieve mastery…
At the very least, it would make Wang Nian's job a lot easier.
After all, the sudden surges in Yin energy were always caused by the corpses of cultivators who had been powerful in life.
If he could locate those bodies and have someone unaffected by Yin energy retrieve them, he wouldn't have to waste his Yin-Dissipating Talismans.
Each talisman cost a whole low-grade spirit stone.
Yet, his job as a corpse collector supervisor only paid thirty low-grade spirit stones a month.
Every single use of a talisman pained him.
But he had no choice.