Jing Qian rubbed his hands together, and countless fine threads spun out from his palms, weaving themselves into a talismanic pattern.
With the aid of [Worldly Insight], the [Rune Imprinting Technique] was successfully activated in less than fifteen minutes. A fresh [White Fang Life Essence] quietly condensed, replenishing his depleted reserves of power.
He then poured out all of his remaining strength, condensing it into an even larger, more radiant jade-white lotus seed, and cast it toward [Sumeru].
"Snap!"
"Peh!"
Once again, the lotus seed was effortlessly shattered and even spat upon for good measure.
Limited by his cultivation, this life technique clearly wasn't something he could successfully plant onto [Sumeru] so easily.
Jing Qian had no choice but to temporarily abandon the idea of mastering the [Lotus Planting Technique].
After a short rest, he descended once more into the stele-space, turning his blade against the Snow Maiden's soul.
Having suffered repeated deaths, the reborn Snow Maiden's aura was clearly several grades weaker. Even the circulation of her Dharma Pattern grew sluggish, riddled with flaws.
Meanwhile, the might of Jing Qian's [Sword Fang] had nearly doubled, and his strength once again ascended.
With one side declining and the other surging, the Snow Maiden had entered a fast lane toward annihilation.
Jing Qian wielded the tiger-fang swordlet, launching a merciless slaughter.
Under the edge of [Sword Fang], each thrust was a killing strike, capable of completely cutting her down.
Her resistance grew ever more feeble, her figure weaker and slower until finally, she was destroyed.
This was his first time fully slaying a cultivator at the Great Dragon-Elephant Realm. The harvest, naturally, was immense!
Another bundle of memory surfaced, dismantled, and absorbed by [Worldly Insight].
Within it lay the experience of how Ao Li had tempered [White Fang Life Essences] step by step into [Azure Wing Life Essences], a treasure trove of guidance for Jing Qian's own cultivation.
Beyond that, he gazed at the changes etched upon the stele:
Host: Jing Qian
Lifespan: 195 years
Life Essences: 20.13 (White Fang)
Life Patterns: Sumeru (Golden Root), Worldly Insight (Golden Root), Tidal Surge (Blue Blood 1.3/10), Soulweaver (Azure Wing), Sword Fang (Azure Wing 3/10), Longevity (White Fang, 1 quarter)
Life Arts: Dragon Swimming Technique, Rune Imprinting Technique
Life-Casting Opportunities: 3
In addition to the massive increase in Life Essences, the Snow Maiden had gifted him three new Life-Casting Opportunities, an incredible windfall.
Exiting the space, Jing Qian seized three more forged sword embryos and gnawed them down in succession, until his jaw ached with pain.
The advancement of his [Sword Fang] leapt forward by three whole steps!
After reforging his Sword Fang, he returned once more to the stele-space. Twirling the little sword between his fingers, he gazed beyond the safety zone.
Now, only the Crocodile Dragon's soul remained.
It was time to replenish his stock of soul rations.
But now, with the Snow Maiden defeated, his Sword Fang enhanced, and his power peaking at a new height, his confidence soared.
He fixed his gaze upon the looming Crocodile Dragon soul. With a sudden leap, he pierced through the dimensional void, charging toward it.
It was time to test himself against this great beast of the Blue Blood rank!
Under the vision of [Worldly Insight], the Crocodile Dragon's body radiated thick, seamless spiritual light, flowing as one.
Yet within that body, he caught the faint trace of a single circulation node.
Locking onto the spot inside the creature's right claw, Jing Qian made his move.
With a flash of [Sumeru's] power, he slipped out of the void. The tiger-fang swordlet in his hand gleamed with a sharp, unmatched aura as it thrust straight toward the beast.
The Crocodile Dragon lay coiled and motionless, seemingly unaware of his presence, letting him strike at will.
The swordlet, empowered by ten [White Fang Life Essences], pierced directly through the weak point in its aura, stabbing deep into the joint of its leg.
"Puff!"
The spirit blade sank easily into flesh, carrying Jing Qian's entire hand with it, smearing his skin with the Crocodile Dragon's glowing azure blood.
Across the beast's massive body, this was its only lingering hidden wound, unable to heal, yet plainly revealed to [Worldly Insight]!
Having struck true, Jing Qian quickly stirred [Sumeru], preparing to slip back into the void.
But then the Crocodile Dragon's murky eyes suddenly glowed red. From the pierced wound burst a strange suction force.
Jing Qian's hand began to crystallize, as blue blood surged backward through his meridians, eating away at him from within.
This beast was exchanging its wound… for his life!
At the very moment the Crocodile Dragon was wounded, a muddled yet violent storm of spiritual power erupted from its body.
That storm swept across the entire space like a raging tide, pulverizing everything it touched into dust
including Jing Qian's avatar.
Without a Dharma Pattern to shield him, facing the raw might of a Seventh-Rank Great Beast was certain death.
In his carelessness, Jing Qian paid the price, shedding his first drop of blood.
When he revived again within the safe zone, the sheer terror of skirting the line between life and death struck deep into his mind, lingering, refusing to fade.
Once he finally calmed himself and looked again at the information inscribed upon the Stele, he noticed that two entries had changed:
Lifespan: 1/194.99 years
Life-Casting Opportunities: 1
One death had damaged his soul, reducing his life by a single day.
Yet in return, it had granted him one Life-Casting Opportunity.
Could suicide be traded for Life-Casting Opportunities?
Jing Qian stared into his Sea of Consciousness, eyes fixed upon that strange [Longevity] Life Pattern, and fell into deep thought.
The [Longevity] Life Pattern was utterly unique, unlike the four great categories of Beast, Spirit, Mountain-Sea, or Treasure, it stood apart, belonging to a class all its own.
Every passing day, it would generate a thread of peculiar vital essence, extending his lifespan by a quarter of an hour.
But if the [Longevity] Life Pattern could itself be reforged and elevated, then that daily increase would grow.
Until now, Life-Casting Opportunities had been scarce, difficult to obtain, yet consumed in staggering amounts.
His need for reforging Life Patterns was nearly endless!
To raise a single [White Fang] Life Pattern all the way to the [Golden Root] tier required 11,109 Life-Casting Opportunities, an almost impossible figure.
Before this revelation, Jing Qian had doubted even his chances of pushing [Tidal Surge] or [Sword Fang] to the Blue Blood tier, let alone dreaming of Golden Root.
But now, if lifespan itself could be exchanged for Life-Casting Opportunities, then a brand-new path had opened before him.
One day of lifespan for one Opportunity.
One Golden Root pattern for just over thirty years.
The first that must be reforged was clearly [Longevity]!
The stronger the [Longevity] Life Pattern grew, the more lifespan it would accumulate.
And the more lifespan he had, the more Opportunities he could convert.
As this cycle continued, once the [Longevity] Life Pattern was refined to the [Violet Eye] tier, granting him the status of a true immortal, a qualitative transformation would occur.
Each day, his lifespan increase would exceed a single day. The surplus would accumulate, and Jing Qian would never again lack for Life-Casting Opportunities.
Under the blessing of [Longevity], lifespan itself had become a self-sustaining cultivation resource.
Thus, the urgency and importance of strengthening [Longevity] soared beyond question.
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