Dao of The Demonic Cultivator

To advance to the Foundation Establishment stage, orthodox cultivators nearly always require a Foundation Establishment Pill, with only a rare few gifted enough to liquefy Spiritual Qi independently and ascend without one. However, these pills are exceedingly difficult to procure.

The primary ingredient for the pill is a Foundation Establishment stage spiritual medicine known as the "Dao Caltrop Flower," which alone costs ten medium spiritual stones.

Depending on the specific pill recipe of each sect, an additional seven to twelve Qi Refining stage spiritual medicines are also required. Even with these ingredients, a successful pill concoction is not guaranteed.

Generally, a skilled alchemist achieving success in four out of ten attempts is considered quite adept.

Demonic cultivators, however, have forged a different path by substituting the Dao Caltrop Flower with the Life Soul Flower, a peculiar bloom that emerges from the vital soul of powerful beings. They also replace the rare Qi Refining stage spiritual medicines with more readily available alternatives, significantly reducing the cost of crafting Foundation Pills. These altered pills are known by demon cultivators as Foundation Establishment Blood Pills.

Lacking the resources to gather the traditional ingredients, Chu Xuan had long been prepared to concoct the Foundation Establishment Blood Pill.

"Continue cultivating!" Chu Xuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and resumed refining the large blood beads.

Time flew swiftly, a month had passed in a blink.

Sitting on the rooftop of the Haotai Hotel, Chu Xuan could not yet avoid food, so he had to pause after absorbing each large blood bead to eat. He had nearly depleted the food reserves stored in the Spirit Hounds's warehouse.

With a constant supply of large blood beads fueling his cultivation over the month, Chu Xuan's realm had improved dramatically, now peaking at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

He was just a thin barrier away from the ninth level, but despite having only one large blood bead left, there had been no signs of breaking through this final barrier.

"Break for me!" Chu Xuan began absorbing the last large blood bead. Vital energy surged into his body. He roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

A cultivator's personal will can significantly propel their practice. Perhaps it was Chu Xuan's intense determination, or perhaps the potent destiny surrounding him, but the bottleneck between the eighth and ninth levels of Qi Refining shattered at that moment.

Boom!

His aura exploded, dust swirling. In an instant, the rooftop of the hotel was swept clean, and spotless.

Bao, along with the six corpse puppets, was guarding the rooftop. Usually silent, they stood still. The surging aura around Chu Xuan so startled Bao that it couldn't help but roar in terror, while the other six corpse puppets prostrated themselves, too frightened to lift their heads. It was only after Chu Xuan's aura had receded considerably that they tentatively stood up, casting curious glances his way, like inquisitive children.

Chu Xuan exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes. "The ninth level of Qi Refining!" he declared. Now, all I need is to fill my dantian completely to prepare for the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage." A smile spread across his face.

From afar, the roar of a corpse echoed, followed by sounds that grew louder as they approached. Within moments, Long and Hu appeared on the rooftop, each carrying a spiritual hound.

Upon seeing Chu Xuan, Hu immediately bowed his head in respect. Daho and Erho did the same. Although they had not formally acknowledged Chu Xuan as their master, they recognized him as such from the depths of their being.

Long hesitated, not bowing immediately. Chu Xuan's gaze turned icy as he looked at it. After a moment, he scoffed, "No wonder you hesitate, having reached the eighth level. Think you've grown strong enough to defy me?"

With a snort, Chu Xuan's Spiritual Qi surged, pressing down on Long like a mountain. Unable to withstand the immense pressure, Long immediately knelt, the sound of its kneecaps cracking filling the air.

Long screamed in agony but dared not rise, still kneeling. It had realized that its master's strength far surpassed its own and that resistance would be foolish.

"Humph, rebellious one," Chu Xuan said coldly. Corpse puppets were not emotionless killing machines; they typically retained some of the personality traits of their former lives. Clearly, Long was naturally defiant.

"Hu is now a Level Seven Corpse Soldier, well done. This is your reward," Chu Xuan said. He flicked his finger, sending a blood bead flying toward Hu, who caught it eagerly in his mouth. Direct consumption of flesh was inefficient for corpse puppets; they preferred blood beads refined by Chu Xuan's technique.

Hu then reached out and tugged at the hem of Chu Xuan's robe, seemingly eager to communicate something. Chu Xuan felt a stirring in his heart and immediately connected with Hu through his thoughts. After a brief exchange, he understood what Hu wanted to convey.

"You've discovered a den of giant wolves, and they are gathering to ambush you?" Chu Xuan was immediately intrigued.

Humans had withstood the baptism of Psionic energy, transforming into Superhumans. Animals and plants might also endure the suction of Psionic energy, evolving into extraordinary creatures and flora.

The intelligence of those giant wolves, evident from their understanding of ambush tactics, was clearly not low. It was likely that the Psionic energy had accelerated their development. This was not good news for the human survivors of East Lake City.

However, for Chu Xuan, it was an extraordinary opportunity. The wolves were intelligent and strong. Perhaps they could serve as a nurturing ground for the Life Soul Flowers.

"Before returning to the Mystic Azure Realm, prepare the nurturing ground for the Life Soul Flowers. By the time I return from the Realm, the Life Soul Flowers should be mature." Chu Xuan thought.

"Where is the territory of those giant wolves?" he asked.

Hu roared a few times, pointing towards a small hill to the north. Chu Xuan nodded, "Long, Hu, and the other six, follow me; Bao stays to guard the home."

The three zombie beasts roared. Only Bao seemed a bit aggrieved.

"Let Daho and Erho stay as well, to keep Bao company," Chu Xuan gestured dismissively. Bao immediately cheered up, much like a child finding a playmate of the same age.

Chu Xuan collected Long, Hu, and the other corpse puppets into the corpse nurturing tower and then sped towards the north on his flying sword.

...

At the Black Blade Security Company, Wang Gangjian was not playing games today but sat in the manager's office, frowning in distress.

Wang Yong was also sitting on the sofa in front of him, similarly troubled. "I called you here to think of solutions, not to frown along with me!"

Wang Gangjian scolded. Wang Yong gave an awkward smile, "It's difficult. A monster that a six-person squad from the Linjiang army couldn't handle, and our Black Blade only has four Superhumans, all at level one..."

Wang Gangjian became even angrier upon hearing this, "I told you to crush the Psionic core and eat it, but you wouldn't. With your talent, if you were a level two Superhuman, would Black Blade be so devoid of solutions?!"

Wang Yong's smile grew more strained. Eating a Psionic core directly—success, failure, or no effect—each had about a one-third chance of occurring, depending largely on one's physical constitution. If one's body was strong enough, consuming a Psionic core directly was feasible. But he truly dared not.