Hong Lianhua Devouring Technique

Xiao Ye packed some essentials and stored them in his Spatial Ring. He took his Wind Chaser Saber, as well as some Spiritual Herbs that he obtained.

Xiao Ye left his chamber and headed towards the gate of Qingfeng Village.

Xiao Ye reached the gate and saw two guards standing there. They recognized him as the Village Lord and saluted him respectfully.

Xiao Ye nodded at them and said, "I'm going out for a while. Don't let anyone cause a ruckus in the village."

The guards agreed and opened the gate for him. Xiao Ye walked out of the village and into the wilderness.

He soon arrived at the edge of the Hundred Beasts Forest, a vast and dangerous place that was home to countless Demonic Beasts.

Xiao Ye entered the forest without hesitation, as he was familiar with its terrain and dangers. He had lived here for more than four years.

Xiao Ye followed a simple but effective routine: kill, devour, kill, devour, kill, devour.

He slaughtered all the Demonic Beasts that crossed his path, regardless of their size or strength. He used his sword and dagger to slash and stab them, aiming for their vital points.

He then used his Blood Devouring Art to suck out their Blood Essence, leaving behind only dry corpses.

Xiao Ye felt a surge of energy and power in his body every time he devoured a Demonic Beast's Blood Essence. He could feel his cultivation improving gradually, but not enough to reach the peak of the fourth layer.

Xiao Ye sighed, "It's a pity that Demonic Beasts aren't that efficient, or else I would've probably achieved peak of the fourth layer by now."

A month passed by and Xiao Ye ventured deeper and deeper into the Hundred Beasts Forest. He reached the inner regions, where the Demonic Beasts were more powerful and rare.

He decided to observe them and learn from them. He wanted to create his own technique that he could use in combat.

He had heard that cultivators at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation could use techniques such as movement techniques, sword techniques, palm techniques, etc.

Xiao Ye wanted to develop such techniques for himself, but he didn't know where to start. He had no guidance or reference. He only had his own observation and experimentation.

He hoped that by studying the Demonic Beasts in the inner regions of the forest, he could gain some inspiration and insight.

...

Time flew by like an arrow. Three years had passed since Xiao Ye entered the Hundred Beasts Forest.

He was now sitting cross-legged in a secluded cave, cultivating diligently. He was trying to break through to the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, a realm that few people could reach at his age.

His Qi was like a raging river, flowing through his meridians and nourishing his body. He had killed and absorbed countless Demonic Beasts in the past three years, and his Qi had become tainted with a fierce killing intent that could make ordinary people tremble in fear.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy in his dantian. He opened his eyes and saw a bright light shining from his chest. He had successfully broken through to the fifth layer of Qi Condensation!

He let out a long breath and smiled. "Finally, I have made some progress. This place is truly a heaven for cultivators like me."

He stood up and stretched his muscles. He decided to go out and explore the forest.

He walked out of the cave and scanned his surroundings. He sensed a powerful aura nearby. It was a Silver Claw Bear, a Demonic Beast that could rival a third layer Qi Condensation cultivator.

Xiao Ye's eyes lit up. He wanted to observe it closely and see if he could learn something from it.

Xiao Ye watched with fascination as the Silver Claw Bear hunted its prey, mated with its partner, and enjoyed its life in the Hundred Beasts Forest.

"Creating my own technique is so hard. I've been here for three years, and I'm still stuck." He sighed.

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the forest. A Thunder Fang Tiger emerged from the bushes, its eyes fixed on the Silver Claw Bear. It gathered Qi in its mouth and unleashed a dazzling thunderbolt that crackled in the air.

Xiao Ye's eyes widened. "I can see it! I can see it now! Haha!" He exclaimed.

Ever since he reached the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, his perception had improved greatly. He could now see how the Qi was arranged in intricate patterns that formed powerful attacks.

The thunderbolt struck the Silver Claw Bear, sending jolts of pain through its body. It was caught off guard and had no time to react. The Thunder Fang Tiger seized the opportunity and pounced on it, sinking its fangs into its neck. The Silver Claw Bear let out a final groan and collapsed.

Xiao Ye drew his Wind Chaser Saber from his Spatial Ring and challenged the Thunder Fang Tiger. He wanted to study its technique more closely.

He appeared before the Thunder Fang Tiger.

His cultivation at the fifth layer gave him an edge over the fourth layer Demonic Beast. He could toy with it as he pleased.

The Thunder Fang Tiger shot another thunderbolt at him. Xiao Ye's eyes sparkled.

He dodged the thunderbolt with ease, making the Thunder Fang Tiger roar in fury.

Boom! Boom!

The ground trembled as the Thunder Fang Tiger leaped at him.

Xiao Ye shook his head. He had seen enough. He had memorized how the Qi was arranged in the thunderbolt attack. He decided to end the fight and kill the Thunder Fang Tiger.

Xiao Ye dragged the corpses of the Thunder Fang Tiger and the Silver Claw Bear into his cave. He wanted to think about the intricate arrangement of the thunderbolt attack.

He squinted his eyes and muttered. "It's not enough to know how the Qi is arranged. I have to arrange it like that myself. And that's not easy."

Xiao Ye also realized that the Thunder Fang Tiger's Lightning Qi was very domineering. His own Qi only had a strong killing intent because of his auxiliary cultivation method, the Blood Devouring Art.

He decided to work on two things: improving his Lianhua Breathing Technique and creating his own technique based on his observation of Demonic Beasts' attacks.

Xiao Ye's cultivation speed had slowed down as he progressed further. He needed to enhance his Lianhua Breathing Technique. He was confident that he could do that with the help of the Blood Devouring Art, a greater Yellow Grade technique.

Xiao Ye thought. "Using the advanced methods of refining Qi from the Blood Devouring Art, I can improve the Lianhua Breathing Technique even more."

He also examined how Demonic Beasts attacked. He found more similarities and insights into how they launched their abilities.

Xiao Ye used the Blood Devouring Art as reference in order to improve his Lianhua Breathing Technique.

...

Four years later…

Xiao Ye had created a new cultivation technique: the Hong Lianhua Devouring Technique. It was a fusion of the Lianhua Breathing Technique and the Blood Devouring Art.

He had succumbed to the temptation of merging the two techniques, despite the risks involved.

His cultivation level had also reached the peak of the fifth layer. He was only a step away from breaking through to the sixth layer.

"All I need is to devour a few more Demonic Beasts." He thought.

"Soon, my Bloodthirsty Claw technique will also be perfected."

He was also close to completing his own battle technique: the Bloodthirsty Claw technique. He had spent seven years on this project, observing and imitating various Demonic Beasts' attacks.

It was his masterpiece. He felt a surge of pride and excitement when he thought about it.

"I'm thirty-three years old, but my cultivation is soaring. I should be able to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"In Lijiang County, there are only a handful of cultivators at that level. They say that in the cities, there are lords who have achieved that realm."

"I'll go to a city when I reach the ninth layer of Qi Condensation. Only then will I be safe."

A month later, Xiao Ye broke through to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation.

…

Time flew by, and six years passed in a blink of an eye.

Xiao Ye was cultivating in his cave, when he felt a sudden surge of energy in his body. He had reached the seventh layer of Qi Condensation.

His eyes sparkled with joy.

"I've overcome another bottleneck. Now, I'm one step closer to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation."

"I've also finished my movement technique, the Wooden Monkey Steps. My speed and agility have improved greatly."

However, he didn't dare to venture deeper into the Hundred Beasts Forest. He knew that there were Tier 2 Demonic Beasts lurking there.

In the Blue Sky Mortal Realm, there were seven realms of cultivation: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Palace, Great Ocean, and Mortal Extremity.

Tier 1 Demonic Beasts were those that had reached the Qi Condensation Realm.

Tier 2 Demonic Beasts were those that had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm!

The gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation was like the gap between heaven and earth!

That's why Xiao Ye decided to stay in the inner region of the forest.

…

Another five years went by.

Xiao Ye's cultivation had reached the peak of the seventh layer of Qi Condensation.

"It's time to go back to Qingfeng Village. It's too hard to advance to the eighth layer here. I need to deepen my understanding of the Blood Devouring Art and the Lianhua Breathing Technique before I can break through."

His mastery of the Blood Devouring Art was at the Major Success stage, while his mastery of the Lianhua Breathing Technique was at the Profound Success stage.

The stages of mastery for techniques were: Rudimentary Understanding, Minor Success, Major Success, Profound Success, and Return to Origin.

He packed his belongings and left his cave. He made his way through the Hundred Beasts Forest and arrived at Qingfeng Village after a few days of travel.