Huangxiu

Chapter 1104 Dragon Blood
Chu Zhiyuan glanced at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Li Hongzhao snorted. "I'm definitely going to help you."

If Chu Zhiyuan could truly become the sect leader, it would undoubtedly be immensely beneficial to her.

They will have more resources for spiritual practice, more say, and be able to take charge.

She believed in Chu Zhiyuan's wisdom and thought he was more suitable to be the sect leader than anyone else.

With him as the sect leader, the Heavenly Sword Sect will be able to make further progress.

Moreover, she felt that Chu Zhiyuan had a great chance.

With his qualifications and wisdom, he might just be able to break with convention and become the sect leader.

Since she herself cultivates the Phoenix Burning Heaven Scripture, she cannot be the sect leader, so she supports Chu Zhiyuan to be the sect leader.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "This matter needs to be handled slowly and patiently. We should focus on improving our cultivation first, at least to the ninth level."

“Nine Revolutions…” Li Hongzhao sighed.

Only after reaching the level of a Venerable One did I realize how long the Venerable One's cultivation process was.

The amount of experience required to advance from the first to the second job advancement is enormous.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "You have the bloodline, so you shouldn't be too slow, especially with the help of that divine statue."

Li Hongzhao smiled and said, "The statue can also increase my cultivation speed, so don't let me surpass you."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head.

If one can further open the ancestral aperture, the cultivation speed will be even faster.

Unfortunately, opening the ancestral aperture is not so easy. The current task is to absorb those merits and see if it can be opened.

……

In the early morning, Chu Zhiyuan got off his bed and came to the courtyard, stretching his body in the bright sunshine.

He looked haggard, as if he hadn't slept all night.

Given his current physical condition, even if he didn't sleep for three days and three nights, he would still be full of energy and show no signs of fatigue.

He looked haggard and exhausted.

However, this is due to the activation of the ancestral aperture.

Previously, he had been confined to an unfamiliar place with the Heavenly Sword hanging above his head, and dared not use the power of the Spirit Abyss at will.

Now, through the Little Heavenly Sword, he has gained a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Sword, knowing the source of its power and its range.

Therefore, he dared to use the power of the Spirit Abyss and fully cultivate the Heavenly Origin Technique.

Despite killing so many demons and accumulating so much merit, he still couldn't break through the ancestral aperture.

It must be said that the Heavenly Origin Technique is indeed the most difficult hurdle.

According to his current calculations, he would need at least two more such merits to master the Heavenly Origin Technique.

He cannot reach the third stage of cultivation in a short period of time, and therefore cannot go down the mountain to slay demons and gain merit.

Mastering the Heavenly Origin Technique is impossible in a short time.

This disappointed him greatly.

Footsteps sounded, followed by a knock on the door: "Junior Brother Chu, I'm from the Hall of Merit."

"Senior Sister Zhang, please come in," Chu Zhiyuan called out.

A slender young girl pushed open the courtyard gate, entered gracefully, clasped her hands in a fist and smiled: "Congratulations, Junior Brother Chu, on your trip down the mountain this time, you have earned a total of five hundred thousand merits."

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "So many?"

"There are merits from slaying demons, merits from guiding the way, and additional merits," the slender girl laughed. "It's quite a haul."

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "I really didn't expect that much."

The slender girl smiled and said, "That's how merits are; the more you have, the easier it is to obtain them. Junior Brother Chu, you must have made a great contribution this time to have such a distinguished achievement."

"Where are Elder Zhou and the others?"

"...Their merits are only over a hundred." The slender girl hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Junior brother, you mustn't tell anyone."

Chu Zhiyuan was surprised: "So little?"

"This time they acted rashly, and made mistakes without any merit... These more than one hundred medals are just a little bit of hard work, without any merit at all."

"Wasn't that a bit too harsh? Elder Zhou and the others killed quite a few demons, and didn't suffer any losses among their disciples..."

"Being trapped here, and needing the help of experts from three other sects," the slender girl gently shook her head, "is a huge loss of face." Chu Zhiyuan smiled wryly, "Elder Zhou and the others have so little merit, while I have so much..."

This can easily make you a target of public criticism.

Although he led the experts from the Moon Palace to rescue them and found them in time to help them escape, he was indeed indebted to them.

But what they care about most is probably that they have received so many merits, while they have only received a little.

The slender girl smiled and said, "Junior brother, don't worry. Merit will be rewarded handsomely. This is the rule of our sect, and they have nothing to say about it."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded and said no more, changing the subject: "Does Senior Sister have any recommendations for redeeming items?"

The slender girl smiled and said, "Junior brother, you're practicing the Heavenly Sword Manual, aren't you?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

The slender girl said, "Then why not choose a good sword, a sword suitable for practicing the Heavenly Sword?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior sister, I mostly use throwing knives."

The slender girl gently shook her head: "Junior brother, your Demon-Subduing Blade is naturally superb, but a good sword can help you comprehend the Heavenly Sword Scripture."

Chu Zhiyuan seemed to be deep in thought.

The slender girl said, "After some of our predecessors passed away, their personal swords were left in the sect. These swords all contain the sword intent and spirit of these predecessors."

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought: "Does Senior Sister have any recommended swords?"

If this sword truly has such wonderful uses, it's definitely worth exchanging for.

"The best one currently in the Sword Abyss is the Shadowless Sword, which was the treasured sword used by a certain sect leader before he ascended to the throne."

Chu Zhiyuan showed interest: "Do you have any elixirs that can increase cultivation level?"

The slender girl was taken aback, and asked in surprise, "Junior brother, you want to borrow the elixir to cultivate?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Once you reach the Venerable level, you can no longer use elixirs to cultivate?"

“As for what the Venerable One says… we need treasures, not elixirs.” The slender girl shook her head and said, “Such elixirs are not made anywhere in the world.”

"Why?"

“The advancement of a Venerable One relies not only on true essence, but also on divine will,” the slender girl said. “Spirit pills cannot contain divine will.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

The Venerable One's true essence is not pure true essence, but rather a fusion of true essence and spirit.

The spirit must concentrate within the true essence, transforming it into the true essence of a venerable one. This transformation requires time and effort, taking place little by little.

Ordinary elixirs can instantly transform into abundant true essence, but they cannot attach this true essence to the spirit.

Transforming this true essence requires time and effort, which is no different from self-cultivation.

Therefore, a higher-level elixir is needed.

However, according to what this senior sister Zhang Qionghua said, there is no such elixir, only treasures.

"As for treasures... there is one." Zhang Qionghua thought for a moment, "But do you really want to use it?"

What are the potential problems?

Zhang Qionghua nodded: "Using a treasure will inevitably impure your true essence, which will affect your future cultivation."

Chu Zhiyuan's spirits lifted: "What treasure is it?"

“Black Dragon Blood,” Zhang Qionghua said. “It is the blood of a thousand-year-old black dragon… It was a black dragon that a sect leader killed with a heavenly sword a thousand years ago, leaving behind a small bottle of dragon blood, which no one has used to this day.”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Isn't my record enough?"

Zhang Qionghua nodded: "No one has used this Black Dragon Blood, and the merit points it can be exchanged for are getting lower and lower. It's currently five thousand merit points."

“Then let’s change to this bottle of Black Dragon Blood,” Chu Zhiyuan said.

"Junior brother, have you thought this through?" Zhang Qionghua frowned and gently shook her head, saying, "It has potential problems, and quite a few at that."

"What other potential problems might arise?"

“There were nine bottles of Black Dragon Blood in total,” Zhang Qionghua said. “The users of the other eight bottles either went into qi deviation or their cultivation slowed down, which was more harmful than beneficial. It is said that this is because the dragon blood contains the dragon god, which is very difficult to suppress.”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I understand. I have my own way of controlling myself."

"...Alright then." Seeing his reaction and remembering that he possessed the Demon-Subduing Blade, Zhang Qionghua said no more.

That black dragon can also be considered a demon, and perhaps the dragon god contained in its blood can be restrained by it.

(End of this chapter)