To Cultivate This Art, One Must First...

... "I'm going back to make hotpot. Should I invite Bing Jian along?" Ziyuan Daxue asked enthusiastically. "Don't..." After some thought, Qi Yuan still refused. Resting? Resting was out of the question for now. The threat of Taihuang Palace remained pressing. "I need to go see if any other moles pop up." Qi Yuan planned to continue visiting the other Yang Gods to sniff out traitors. Ziyuan Xiaolu blinked. "Senior Brother Blood Robe, how do you tell who the moles are?" She was still thoroughly perplexed. How could Blood Robe know who was suspicious just by asking a few questions? "Because of... sincerity," Qi Yuan pondered. "Perhaps because I've always been sincere and never tell lies, the heavens blessed me with a superpower: I can tell whether the words spoken by anyone in this world are true or false." "Tsk, if you're going to make something up, why not make it sound believable? We're cultivating immortality here, yet you bring up superpowers! Why not... say you cultivated some divine ability or Daoist technique that distinguishes truth from falsehood?" As always, Ziyuan Daxue loved shooting people down, like a reborn professional contrarian. That said, Ziyuan Daxue paused, looking Qi Yuan up and down. "Ordinary divine abilities wouldn't have such an effect either, unless it's... an Ultimate Principle, and not a low-grade one at that." A flicker of suspicion crept into her eyes. If what Blood Robe said was true, only a Supreme Ultimate Principle could likely achieve such an effect. Furthermore, Blood Robe had emerged from the region guarded by the Black Demon Abyss's Heavenly Venerable Mochi. There was a faint aura of strangeness about the whole thing. "It's a superpower, not a Supreme Ultimate Principle," Qi Yuan rejected her theory. His Supreme Ultimate Principles were Absolute Adaptation and Do As One Pleases. "Really?" Ziyuan Daxue scrutinized Qi Yuan from head to toe, snuffing out her previous suspicion. Heavenly Venerable Mochi was so hideous, while Blood Robe was so ethereal and refined. How could they possibly be the same person? ... Within Demon Pass, clouds and mist curled and drifted. Bing Jian stood atop ten-thousand-year glacial ice, eyes half-closed, breathing in and out the celestial spiritual qi. Interweaving rays of light cast an ethereal, enigmatic aura. After about ten breaths, Bing Jian swallowed the rosy dawn glow into his belly. He flicked the sleeves of his flowing white robe, looking like a banished immortal. "Junior Sister Cai Lin, what brings you to me?" A well-behaved girl covered in large tattoos appeared. Looking at Bing Jian, she stammered, "Senior Brother Bing Jian, I heard you... have some good treasures here. I'd like to buy some." "Oh? What would you like to buy?" Bing Jian asked curiously. Lately, he had been focused purely on his cultivation, paying no heed to worldly affairs. "Ice... eggs!" Cai Lin looked at Bing Jian with anticipation. Bing Jian froze, an ominous premonition seizing his heart. "What is that?" Cai Lin hastily replied, "Isn't that what Senior Brother Bing Jian laid? Over the past few days, Blood Robe and Ziyuan Daxue have been carrying ice eggs around as gifts to visit the Yang God Heavenly Venerables. Word has it that these ice eggs are wonderful treasures capable of beautifying the face and nourishing the skin..." As Cai Lin spoke, she even stole an extra glance at Bing Jian's backside. Black lines popped up on Bing Jian's forehead. "How many Yang God Heavenly Venerables did they visit?" "Dozens! Every single one of them!" Hearing this, Bing Jian took a deep, shuddering breath. Endure. He had to endure! He couldn't retaliate yet! If he retaliated, he suspected he wouldn't just be laying eggs next time—he'd be having explosive diarrhea! Right then, a clear, bright voice called out: "Is Bing Jian there? I'm looking for you on some private business." Upon hearing this voice, Bing Jian's expression shifted drastically, as if he had just seen the god of plagues. Cai Lin's eyes widened. Is that Senior Brother Blood Robe? Could he be here to ask for eggs? The ice eggs are real? Senior Brother Bing Jian hid this so deep—just because our relationship isn't that close, he wouldn't sell an egg to me? "Since you have business, Senior Brother, this junior sister takes her leave!" Cai Lin gave a slight bow, and her figure vanished. Atop the glacial ice, Bing Jian looked at the abruptly appearing Blood Robe, his eyes brimming with profound helplessness. "May I ask what brings Senior Brother here?" He was truly exhausted. "I'm here to collaborate with you," Qi Yuan said seriously. This solemn atmosphere felt completely surreal to Bing Jian. Reflecting on how Blood Robe had escaped from a Yang God, his strength was undoubtedly extraordinary. Though he was unreliable at times, he remained the foremost prodigy second only to Hei Jian. Putting aside their grievances, Bing Jian asked softly, "Collaborate how?" "Here's the deal: I'm planning to hunt down some prodigies of Guiyu Heaven, and I want to borrow your name." "Huh?" Bing Jian was taken aback, completely baffled. "I have a grandly small plan titled Disciples Encircling Yang Gods. I'm going to kill a few prodigies from Guiyu Heaven," Qi Yuan explained solemnly. The grand plan was to hunt Yang Gods. The grandly small plan was to slaughter disciples. Once he killed a Yang God, Qi Yuan would likely attract the attention of numerous powerhouses, making it difficult to pick off those disciples at will. Mosquito legs were still meat. Those Guiyu Heaven disciples had immense audacity, running all over the place carrying what Qi Yuan considered his Human Sovereign Banners. It made him feel like he was being cuckolded. Thus, he decided to carry out the grandly small plan first before executing the grand plan. "Could you elaborate?" Bing Jian asked. As for merit, he was quite short on it as well. "It goes like this: isn't the ice egg the hottest topic in Demon Pass lately?" "...And then?" Dark lines formed on Bing Jian's forehead. "Lately, the rumors have been multiplying like crazy—claims that this ice egg rivals a Creation Treasure, that eating one expands your Divine Domain, that it enhances beauty... all sorts of nonsense." Qi Yuan was speaking the truth. He had merely gifted ice eggs to the Yang Gods, yet a flood of wild rumors had spread outside. Namely, that the ice eggs were wondrous treasures with all manner of miraculous effects. "So, I added fuel to the fire and tacked on some more rumors: that this ice egg... is the supreme soul emissary for a Ten Thousand Soul Banner!" Qi Yuan's eyes flashed with sharpness. "This... rumors are rumors after all. They'll be shattered eventually," Bing Jian stammered. "Haven't you heard of the Book of Ages? As long as everyone repeats it, everyone will believe it. Besides, who says it's a rumor? The ice eggs in the past might have been ordinary, but the ones I modified... are ridiculously awesome!" With so many rumors flying around, he took the opportunity to release some of his own and fish in troubled waters. As Qi Yuan spoke, he took out a translucent, crystalline ice egg. Bing Jian cast his eyes on the ice egg, and his gaze instantly turned solemn. "What an immense... divine soul aura!" He sensed that the ice egg before him seemed to possess life yet also resembled primordial chaos, all while exuding a concentrated aura of the divine soul. A treasure like this was indeed the finest soul emissary! "Specially modified by yours truly," Qi Yuan said smugly. To deal with Guiyu Heaven, he had deliberately made a trip back to the Gate of Ultimate Principle to study the Ultimate Principle of Guiyu Heaven's Abyss Master. That Abyss Master's Ultimate Principle was intimately tied to the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner. And so, utilizing the hidden information revealed by his eyes along with his Supreme Ultimate Principle, Qi Yuan created an ice egg intricately linked to the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner. Once this ice egg was put out there, those Guiyu Heaven disciples would go absolutely wild for it. "I plan to use this ice egg as bait to lure Guiyu Heaven's disciples out and wipe them all out in one fell swoop!" Qi Yuan stated with utter seriousness. Bing Jian swallowed hard. This method was actually feasible. Only... "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with me. Why... do you want to collaborate with me?" "After all, I'm using your eggs. If I don't collaborate with you... my conscience would bother me." Qi Yuan was a good person and would never implicate the innocent. Of course, he also knew he was blunt and prone to hurting people unintentionally. Like that Booger-Picking Fairy. "These... aren't my eggs," Bing Jian said with great difficulty. "When we hunt down those Guiyu Heaven disciples, ninety percent of the merit goes to you!" Qi Yuan offered generously. Ordinary merit was useless to him. At these words, Bing Jian's breathing grew rapid. Given Blood Robe's power coupled with this scheme, the merit earned was bound to be staggering. On one hand was tantalizing merit; on the other was his dignity. In the end, he took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "They... can be my eggs." He had already lost all face anyway! If he didn't collaborate with Blood Robe, not only would he gain nothing, but he would also keep losing face. Better to swallow his pride and bag the merit. That way, it wouldn't be a total loss. "To make this plan more convincing, I specially customized an Ancestral Blood Art for you. Cultivating this version will allow you to genuinely lay eggs!" Qi Yuan brought out a jade slip. The Book of Ages on Blue Star was formidable, but Qi Yuan's methods weren't weak either—directly turning fiction into reality. "Ancestral Blood Art?" Bing Jian blinked, confused. The Ancestral Blood Art was the foundational art upon which the Black Demon Abyss stood. It could be said that even experts of the Great Ultimate Principle cultivated this art. No one had ever been able to modify it. Or rather, any modified version fell short of the original. Even the Abyss Master had once mentioned that the current Ancestral Blood Art was already perfected. Hence, hearing Blood Robe claim he had adapted the Ancestral Blood Art, Bing Jian inwardly dismissed it. Still, he accepted the jade slip. "I'll take a look when I have free time." "Try to look at it sooner rather than later. Not only can it alter your constitution into an egg-laying-prone physique, but every egg can also cultivate the Ancestral Blood Art on your behalf. The more eggs you have, the stronger you become." Having said his piece, Qi Yuan waved goodbye and sauntered off, not taking away a single wisp of cloud. Bing Jian stared at the spot where Qi Yuan had vanished, completely at a loss. "This guy... just like Hei Jian, he's impossible to figure out," Bing Jian sighed. Among the younger generation, Hei Jian and Blood Robe were the only two he could never see through. Yet the ways they were unfathomable were night and day. With that thought, he brought out the Ancestral Blood Art to have a look. Deep down, he was curious how Blood Robe had adapted it. He also wanted to gauge the depths of Blood Robe's ability through this modified technique. "To cultivate this art, one must first lay an egg..." The opening lines immediately broke Bing Jian's composure. He continued reading, and the further he read, the graver his expression became, until bright light flared in his eyes. "This... this... Blood Robe was actually telling the truth!" "If I cultivate this version of the Ancestral Blood Art, my cultivation speed will increase by at least double!" "How could such a genius concept even exist?!" "Impossible!" "This is simply incredible!" The more Bing Jian read, the more he felt the terrifying brilliance of this technique. It was utterly astonishing. Roughly half an hour later, Bing Jian sat withered on the glacial rock, his expression weighed down by deep defeat. "Prodigy... that's probably just the threshold to even stand before him." All along, he had known Blood Robe was strong, but he had lacked a concrete grasp of how much stronger Blood Robe was compared to him. Yet now, this casually adapted Ancestral Blood Art laid bare the frightening chasm between them. "The stronger one becomes, the more one realizes one's own insignificance," Bing Jian sighed softly. "This art... I'll cultivate it." "Isn't it just laying eggs? Compared to gaining strength, what does that matter?" Bing Jian didn't care about such trivialities in the slightest. This adapted Ancestral Blood Art not only boosted cultivation speed, but also purified and elevated one's bloodline. If a technique like this were leaked, even Great Ultimate Principle masters would probably secretly lay eggs. What was wrong with him laying an egg or two? "Why do I feel like... ever since Blood Robe arrived, the general vibe of the Black Demon Abyss... has gotten totally skewed?" Every major faction had its own overarching style. In the past, the Black Demon Abyss was somber and profound. Nowadays... it felt somewhat fantastical, full of ridiculous banter and bizarre absurdity that defied all reason. "It seems Old Ancestor Ziyuan Heaven holding Blood Robe in high esteem wasn't without good reason. This Blood Robe might be eccentric, but his talent... is probably even higher than Hei Jian's!" Bing Jian thought to himself. Hei Jian was terrifying, most notably for his bloodline, while his talent was also top-tier. Blood Robe's bloodline couldn't surpass Hei Jian's, but his talent might. "I wonder if I'll ever get to witness two Honored Exalted emerge from the Black Demon Abyss at the same time!" Bing Jian marveled. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Should I... offer this art to the Old Ancestor?" After all, anyone could see how powerful this technique was. More importantly, if the Old Ancestor cultivated it as well, he wouldn't have any psychological burden whatsoever. After all, if everyone laid eggs, it was equivalent to him never having laid any. "Senior Brother Blood Robe, may I offer this art to others?" Thinking this through, Bing Jian sent a voice transmission through his communication jade slip to Qi Yuan. He felt a sense of duty, but he had his own selfish motives too; even if he offered it up, he wouldn't do so right away. "Do as you like, but try not to leak it before our grandly small plan succeeds!"