I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

When Qin Yuan returned to Lava City, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

On the city wall, the traces of the fierce battle are still visible, but the corpses of the alien demons have been cleared away, and the damaged array patterns are being repaired.

Although the city-guarding cultivators were exhausted, their eyes held the relief of surviving a calamity, as well as an indescribable sense of exhilaration—last night, they had successfully defended this newly acquired city.

When Qin Yuan's dark golden light passed through the defensive light barrier and landed silently in the square in front of the city lord's mansion, Chu Wuyue, Yun Qingyao, Wen Ruohai and others who had been anxiously waiting there immediately surrounded him.

"Junior Brother Qin!" Chu Wuyue looked him up and down, and seeing that apart from some blackened dust on the hem of his robes, his aura was deep and unfathomable, and he showed no signs of injury, she breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're alright! That energy fluctuation last night..."

"It's nothing serious, just some unusual activity deep within the battlefield, which has already subsided," Qin Yuan said briefly, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "What's the situation inside the city?"

Yun Qingyao reported: "The demonic tide receded before dawn. Thirty-seven of the defending cultivators were killed or wounded, including eleven who perished. The seriously injured have been properly treated. The initial inventory of the warehouse is complete, and the resource list is here." She handed over a jade slip.

Wen Ruohai stepped forward, his expression a complex mix of admiration and concern: "Lord Qin, thanks to your timely intervention last night, you slew those general-level demons and stabilized the defenses. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The energy source that triggered the surge..."

"No immediate danger, but we must be wary of potential further fluctuations." Qin Yuan took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and nodded slightly. Lava City's reserves were indeed substantial, enough to sustain high-intensity consumption for a period of time. "Senior Wen, what about Bluestone City?"

"I have sent a message ordering them to strengthen their defenses. For the time being, there are no problems," Wen Ruohai replied. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Lord Qin, now that Lava City has fallen, according to the agreement, this city belongs to the Xuan Yuan Sect. Our Shu Jian Sect will keep its promise, and the necessary resources have been inventoried and transported. However... the Crimson Flame Sect has been operating in this area for many years. Although its main force has been defeated, there are bound to be remnants roaming around, or other forces allied with the Crimson Flame Sect coveting it. We still need to be careful."

"I understand," Qin Yuan nodded. A tall tree catches the wind; the sudden occupation of Lava City by the Xuan Yuan Sect would inevitably attract attention from all sides, and the days to come would not be peaceful.

He instructed Chu Wuyue, Yun Qingyao, and others to continue handling the aftermath and strengthening the city's defenses, while he himself turned and headed towards the newly established "Battle Merit Pavilion" branch in the city.

According to the rules of the Hundred Battlefields, every city that is officially occupied can apply to set up a battle merit exchange point, making it convenient for the cultivators under its command to exchange points for resources.

The War Merit Pavilion in Lava City was converted from a warehouse of the former Crimson Flame Sect. Although it was not as grand as the main pavilion on the main battlefield, it was still quite well-equipped.

When Qin Yuan stepped inside, there were already many cultivators browsing and exchanging items. Most of them were Xuan Yuan Sect disciples who had participated in the city defense the previous night and earned points, as well as some former Chi Yan Sect cultivators who had surrendered.

Upon seeing Qin Yuan enter, the previously noisy hall instantly fell silent. All the cultivators, regardless of their original sect affiliation, instinctively held their breath, their gazes fixed in awe on the gray figure.

The story of how he swept through the alien demons like a god last night on the city wall, and how he single-handedly defeated the main force of the Crimson Flame Sect and killed several Nascent Soul peak cultivators this morning, has already spread throughout the city.

Reverence for the strong, especially those who saved the city and brought victory, is instinctive.

Qin Yuan ignored this and walked straight to the area where high-end items were displayed.

There are very few people here, and the points required for each item are often tens of thousands.

His gaze swept over the earth-rank magic treasures, sixth-grade pills, and rare materials, finally settling on a dark red bone slip with a faint glow of blood.

The explanatory text next to the bone tablets came into view:

The Great Demon Disintegration Technique (Fragment)

Rank: Low-grade Heaven Rank (Fragmented)

Synopsis: An ancient forbidden demonic technique that sacrifices one's cultivation, lifespan, and even origin to gain a violent power boost for a short period. The greater the sacrifice, the stronger the boost. Only the first level, "Burning Origin," remains in this fragment.

Warning: This technique is extremely dangerous. At best, it will cause your cultivation to regress and your lifespan to be greatly shortened; at worst, it will deplete your vital essence, leading to death and the dissipation of your Dao. Only those in dire straits or with great perseverance and opportunity should not attempt it lightly.

Redemption Points: 88000

Qin Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly. Burning cultivation to gain power? His mind raced, and the Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Technique within his body quietly began to circulate, combining with the deduction data instantly provided by the system, he began to calculate rapidly.

With his current cultivation level at the peak of the fifth stage of the Nascent Soul realm, if he were to burn the spiritual energy he had accumulated over fifty years of arduous cultivation (for an ordinary peak Nascent Soul cultivator, fifty years of arduous cultivation is already an extremely heavy price), according to the description in this incomplete chapter and the system's deduction, he could obtain an instantaneous power boost of about three times. The duration would depend on the amount of "fuel" burned, and with fifty years of cultivation, he could maintain it for about thirty breaths.

The cost is that the burned cultivation will be permanently lost, requiring retraining to replenish it. Furthermore, it will place a significant burden on the nascent soul and meridians, and frequent use may damage the foundation of one's cultivation.

"Fifty years of cultivation, exchanged for thirty breaths of triple power..." Qin Yuan quickly weighed the options in his mind. To others, this was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst; fifty years of arduous cultivation was incredibly precious. But for him...

He looked at the system interface. Daily automatic cultivation gain: 80 years.

Eighty years' worth of internal energy gained in a single day! Burning for fifty years is merely half a day's worth of "natural growth".

Even if it burns out, a good night's sleep will restore most of it by the next day! And the instantaneous burst of three times the power is enough to turn the tide of battle at crucial moments, and even kill powerful enemies of higher levels!

"This is too good to pass up." A glint flashed in Qin Yuan's eyes. This incomplete copy of the "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique" was simply a trump card tailor-made for him! What others considered poison was sweet rain to him.

Without hesitation, he took out his points token. Last night's defense of the city, combined with his previous accumulation, had brought his points to over 120,000. Eighty-eight thousand points were deducted directly.

Amidst the astonished, regretful, and somewhat amused gaze of the old man in charge of the exchange, Qin Yuan accepted the dark red bone slip that felt warm to the touch yet subtly scorching.

Upon handling the bone scroll, a fierce, resolute yet strangely alluring aura emanated from it. Qin Yuan remained unmoved, storing it in his storage ring before turning and leaving the Hall of Merit.

Upon returning to the quiet room of the city lord's mansion, Qin Yuan immediately took out the bone slip and immersed his divine sense into it.

Obscure and ancient information flooded his mind; it was the complete incantation of the first level of the "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique," "Burning Essence." The incantation itself was not complicated; the key lay in how to precisely control the "degree" of burning and how to withstand the resulting backlash.

Under the influence of his enlightenment, Qin Yuan quickly grasped the concept and, based on his own circumstances, established several preset "burning models" in the system, ranging from burning ten years of cultivation for a brief burst of power to burning a hundred years of cultivation for a desperate fight, in preparation for any eventuality.