After returning to Tianxing Island, Qin Sang made a trip to Xiang'an Auction House, but he did not see Alchemist Yi.
An attendant explained that not long ago, due to auction house affairs, Alchemist Yi had received an urgent summons and taken a teleportation formation to the Demon Sea alongside other alchemists and weapon refiners from the auction house.
Accompanying them was a large contingent of experts from the Three Great Merchant Alliances.
As it involved confidential matters, the attendant could not explain the reason.
Qin Sang had been in secluded cultivation comprehending his technique and had not noticed such a major movement by the merchant alliance. Having lost contact with the Qiongyu Guild, he now lacked any channels to gather information.
Having been with the Qiongyu Guild for many years, through what he had seen and heard, he could tell that the Three Great Merchant Alliances placed immense importance on the Demon Sea.
It was obvious upon reflection: in the Canglang Sea, the righteous and demonic paths stood like two towering mountains, with the Witch Clan eyeing them covetously and various factions forming an intricate web of power. For the Three Great Merchant Alliances to make their mark under the noses of both the righteous and demonic paths, the Demon Sea was an ideal location.
Given such a massive mobilization, something had likely happened in the Demon Sea.
Qin Sang was in no hurry. Taking his leave, he returned to his cave dwelling and resumed cultivating.
Time flew by.
Before he knew it, a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Qin Sang remained in Tianxing City and barely set foot off the island.
By day he cultivated the *Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter*, and by night he drew upon the astral energy of the heavenly circuit to temper his body. Every few days, he would go out for a stroll to mingle with other cultivators and inquire about Spirit Tortoise Island.
Another half a year slipped by. Late one night, Qin Sang, cultivating in the courtyard, awakened from his meditation.
"In just over a year, I've already reached the peak of the first tier! The reason I progressed so quickly has a lot to do with the foundation I built in the past. As my cultivation advances and that prior foundation levels out, my speed will gradually slow. Still, as long as I have the Star Spirit Net and the jade Buddha, it will never be too slow."
Qin Sang clenched his fist, brilliant light flickering in his eyes.
Even though it was only the first tier, he could already feel an astonishing transformation. He felt a surge of abundant power within his body, granting him substantial combat strength without even deploying true essence.
This sensation of physical might was completely different from dharma cultivation. Even if their magic treasures were destroyed and their true essence restricted, top-tier body cultivators still wielded formidable strength.
"Body cultivation truly isn't easy, though. The pain I endure during cultivation now is noticeably worse than a year ago, while the soothing sensation is growing fainter. Once I reach the second and third tiers, tempering my body with astral essence will likely inflict pain that penetrates to the marrow. The technique is far too overbearing. Demonic beasts possess innately hardy physiques and can bear it, but for a human, it is rather difficult. Without immense willpower, it would be hard to persevere. Perhaps in the future, I can supplement it with spirit medicines that strengthen the physical body..."
Qin Sang considered his own willpower acceptable, and not a hint of fear showed on his face.
Moreover, over the past year and more, the changes in the ebony sword had made him realize that no matter the hardship, he had to keep going down this path.
He had not interrupted his cultivation of the *Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter*, and thanks to the life-or-death battles in the Hall of Seven Kills, his progress had been swift. However, as his cultivation deepened, the ebony sword had finally begun to show signs of being unable to bear the killing talismans.
Originally, he had anticipated that the ebony sword could hold out until the sixth killing talisman was fully inscribed. Unfortunately, the technique was not the original version, placing far too great a strain on the ebony sword.
Once the ebony sword verged on collapse, even if Qin Sang comprehended the profound mysteries of the sixth killing talisman, he would be unable to inscribe it, and his cultivation would make no progress whatsoever.
And that day would not be far off.
Having spent so long on Tianxing Island, Qin Sang had abandoned hope of finding any of the Ten Great Divine Woods. The Canglang Sea did not even have rumors of them; it seemed that none of the Ten Great Divine Woods had ever appeared here, making it inferior in this regard even to a tiny place like the Lesser Cold Domain.
Cultivating *Heavenly Demon Form Refining*, pursuing dual cultivation of dharma and body, and forcibly boosting his strength to the late-stage peak was the only viable path before him.
At least before the next opening of the Hall of Seven Kills, Qin Sang had to treat *Heavenly Demon Form Refining* as his primary cultivation technique.
Qin Sang reined in his thoughts and looked up at the sky. "It's still early. I'll accumulate astral essence now and attempt the astral essence body infusion tonight to break through to the second tier!"
Mount Baogu had abundant spiritual energy, making it the best place for a breakthrough.
The Star Spirit Net rippled slightly, enshrouding the space around Qin Sang.
Qin Sang channeled his technique, drawing the astral energy of the heavenly circuit into his body, but instead of tempering his physique, he forced it straight out of his body. Restrained by the Star Spirit Net, it slowly accumulated.
For the entire night, Qin Sang prepared for the astral essence body infusion.
Dawn drew near.
The cave dwelling's courtyard shone brilliantly. Dazzling starlight enveloped Qin Sang's body like a radiant lamp, illuminating the entire courtyard. Had the restrictions not contained it, other cultivators would surely have been alerted to the phenomenon.
"It's time!"
Qin Sang's expression grew solemn. Silently reciting an incantation, he pointed toward the Star Spirit Net.
A vortex seemed to appear in the midst of the astral energy of the heavenly circuit, abruptly swirling inward and surging into Qin Sang's body with tyrannical force.
Spiritual energy surged in at the same time, nearly draining the courtyard empty.
Qin Sang let out a muffled groan, feeling as if struck by a heavy hammer, his face turning pale.
Astral essence and spiritual energy rampaged through him, wreaking havoc. This pain was far more violent than anything he had experienced in past cultivation sessions.
His body tensed up as he held his seated posture. Enduring the agony, he cast aside all stray thoughts and ran his technique with full force, guiding the energies to seek an opportunity for breakthrough.
The eastern sky gradually brightened into a fiery red.
Qin Sang remained sitting motionlessly until the sun rose.
Suddenly, Qin Sang let out a long cry and sprang to his feet. A series of pops rang out from his bones, and he shed a layer of dead skin, clinging with impurities that had been expelled from his body.
After shedding the skin, his flesh was translucent and lustrous. A light squeeze of his fist brimmed with explosive power.
"I succeeded! The second tier of *Heavenly Demon Form Refining*. Relying on my physical body alone, I can clash with Foundation Establishment cultivators without being at a disadvantage!"
After testing his physical strength, Qin Sang returned to his spot, retrieved the bone flute, and examined the cultivation method for the Heavenly Demon Transformation.
Mastering the Heavenly Demon Transformation would elevate his combat strength by another notch, but the scripture described it only in brief, scattered phrases, seemingly implying that the Heavenly Demon Transformation was closely bound to visualizing the heavenly demon.
Unable to make full sense of it, Qin Sang simply set those doubts aside and began cultivating directly.
Unexpectedly, the cultivation process went astonishingly smoothly.
Before long, Qin Sang opened his eyes and engaged in baffling behavior, looking down at his body one moment and raising his hands to inspect them the next.
During cultivation, Qin Sang had felt a peculiar and remarkable power emerge within his body. An epiphany dawned on him: the Heavenly Demon Transformation could drastically strengthen either his entire body or a specific part of it.
"Should I focus on my arms or temper my entire body...? I wonder if I can sprout a pair of wings from thin air?"
Qin Sang's heart stirred as he recalled the aquiline-nosed man.
That man had wings on his back, and his flight speed had surpassed Qin Sang's, making him the fastest Core Formation cultivator Qin Sang had ever encountered in his life.
A qingluan happened to be an immortal bird.
If he could do the same, combining it with the secret talisman and sword qi thunderous roar, he might surpass the Core Formation stage and attain an evasion technique rivaling that of a Nascent Soul Patriarch.
That would truly be an elite life-preserving secret art. Even if he provoked a powerful Nascent Soul enemy in the future, he would not be utterly helpless. By comparison, boosting his physical defense or tempering his hands was far less important.
Chapter 806