No matter what, Wang Yu's words had skillfully framed the situation – painting himself as the victim who was being bullied while serving the Sect.
It was just that the scene itself...
Was a little off. Three arms and three legs lay on the ground, none of them belonging to Wang Yu.
The watching spirit slaves were stunned.
Steward Duan took a deep breath. He had publicly supported Wang Yu before, so he couldn't stay out of this now.
"I understand. Someone take them away and treat them properly. They will continue serving the Sacred Sect in the future."
"Yes!"
Several people immediately stepped forward from the teaching disciples and began carrying the injured away.
Just then, another steward arrived – Steward Liu.
"Stop."
The three spirit slave stewards were all at the late stage of Qi Refining, still hoping to build their foundations. Their opportunities lay in the hands of the true disciples they served.
The struggle for control over the spirit slaves was also a struggle for their own paths.
Steward Liu looked younger, with a lean build, a goatee, and wore a purple robe with a tall hat.
His gaze was cold as he stared at Wang Yu.
"Did you do this?"
Wang Yu was about to repeat his earlier explanation, but before he could utter a single word, Steward Liu suddenly shouted.
"You dare lie to me!"
Without another word, he formed his hand into a blade and slashed out, sending a three-meter-long blade of energy toward Wang Yu.
Shocked, Wang Yu could only dive to the side. The three ice swords earlier had drained all his spiritual power. If not for his high skill and good control, he couldn't have used the technique at all.
Steward Liu's wild aggression was completely different from what Wang Yu had expected. He didn't know what had gone wrong.
Steward Duan's expression also changed greatly, and he rushed forward to block the attack.
But he was a step too late.
Wang Yu dodged in time to avoid being hit in the body, but his left arm wasn't so lucky. Like a repeat of earlier, an arm fell to the ground and was shattered into pieces by the remaining force.
It could never be reattached!
The blade energy left deep marks in the stone ground where it passed, leaving a mess.
Steward Liu snorted coldly.
"An eye for an eye."
"Let this be a lesson for today!"
Wang Yu's face was dark as he stared at the bloody pulp on the ground. He wished he could skin Steward Liu alive and eat his flesh.
Steward Duan had watched the whole thing. He felt something was wrong – Steward Liu wasn't usually this aggressive, especially not in front of him!
As things stood, Wang Yu had been punished too severely and lost much face, wasting nearly all his recent efforts. To Steward Duan, he had lost his value.
Without staying any longer, Steward Duan quickly left the stone house area.
He needed to go to Coldblood Peak to find out what was happening before deciding what to do.
***
**Stone Plaza.**
The spirit slaves watched coldly. No one dared approach Wang Yu anymore. After what had just happened, it was clear Steward Liu was much stronger than Steward Duan. The choice was obvious.
Wang Yu used his spiritual power to stabilize the wound, forcing out some remaining energy. He couldn't form another ice sword, but he could freeze the "remains of his arm" completely. Holding it with his remaining right hand, he carried it back to his stone house to destroy it.
His heart was heavy.
This incident, with all its twists and turns, made him fully understand the importance of power. This was the demonic path...
Back in his stone house, Wang Yu sat in meditation to recover his spiritual power. He used the Ice Sword Art bit by bit to process the "arm remains," repeating the tedious task over and over.
Until it was completely turned to dust!
***
Time flew, and over ten days passed. It was now Wang Yu's forty-third day as a spirit slave.
**[Slot 2: Ice Sword Art (Perfected)]**
**[Ice Sword Art (100/100): One hundred forty-four practices per day. Mastery achievable in three years.]**
The description had changed. After reaching perfection, the original "thirty days" had become "three years."
But the art was already perfected. As long as he had enough spiritual power, he could now form ten ice swords at once, greatly increasing his power.
This new change likely meant it had surpassed its original grade and reached the level of a high-grade spell.
"Three years..."
It was good news, but Wang Yu wasn't as happy as he expected. After thinking for a long time, he still removed the Ice Sword Art and replaced it with the Bloodburn Art.
The Ice Sword Art was enough for him now. There was no need to keep training it further. For cultivators, realm was most important.
A month of delay had allowed Slot 1 to generate 15 strands of spiritual power. Currently, the limit of his dantian had only expanded to 21 strands – progress was extremely slow.
This was because he needed to use 5 strands each month to refine Spirit Sand.
Even though Steward Duan had given up on him, he still had to do his basic work as a spirit slave. Now with two slots working on cultivation, his efficiency had doubled.
"Three months and four days."
This was the time he needed to break through to the third layer of Qi Refining, not counting his own cultivation speed.
But it wasn't enough. Without a patron's help, it was almost impossible for him to turn things around in the short term.
Unless he reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining, completely surpassing the other slaves. As for his secret being discovered – how would they find out?
The placement slots had no physical form. He didn't have a storage bag and lived in the stone house area with no privacy or secrets at all.
At most, they might suspect he had a special physique or was using "lifespan-burning secrets" to cultivate. Soul-searching was out of the question – that was one of the legendary secret arts of the demonic path, something only Core Formation masters could practice.
A mere Qi Refining spirit slave like him wasn't worth that kind of attention. So, only increasing his realm could solve his fundamental problems.
***
That day, something unexpected happened.
Steward Duan, who had previously given up on Wang Yu, sent someone to find him.
**Second-floor pavilion, side of the stone plaza.**
The portly Steward Duan looked at Wang Yu with a smile.
"Do you hold a grudge?"
Wang Yu quickly bowed, appearing fearful. "This humble slave has already given his body and soul to the Sacred Sect and to you, sir. I hold no grudge."
"I don't believe you."
Steward Duan's face turned cold. He tapped his finger lightly on the table, applying constant pressure. Wang Yu immediately changed his answer.
"If I must have a grudge, Wang Yu only holds it against Steward Liu. The debt of a severed arm is carved in my heart."
"That's more like it."
Steward Duan smiled and helped him up. "Losing an arm doesn't just affect your daily life. When you build your foundation later, if you can't pass the blood and energy trial, ninety percent of the reason will be this severed arm. This is a debt that blocks your path – worse than killing your father or stealing your wife."
Hearing this, Wang Yu felt tempted. He really wanted to know more about building foundation, but now was clearly not the time to ask.
"Wang Yu is just a lowly spirit slave with poor talent. I wouldn't dare hope for Foundation Establishment."
"It's fine to dream. People should have some ambition."
Steward Duan changed the subject, no longer emphasizing Wang Yu's hatred for Steward Liu.
"What happened last time was actually due to an unexpected situation. I can tell you about it, and I might even find a way to restore your arm."
Wang Yu's heart stirred.
"What should I do?"
"No hurry, let's talk slowly."
Steward Duan poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip.
After his last visit to Coldblood Peak to see True Disciple Su, he had been scolded. His changed attitude toward Wang Yu stemmed from that.
(End of Chapter)