Dong! Dong! Dong!
The morning bell resounded throughout the entire Infinite Demon Sect, signaling the disciples that it was time to rise from bed.
The rising sun cast its endless brilliance upon the Infinite Demon Sect. The sect walls stood tall, their corners covered in green moss.
Jang Yue slowly opened his eyes. He had barely slept when the morning bell echoed in his ears.
"Five more minutes."
Jang Yue muttered before drifting back to sleep.
Hours later, the day grew clearer. Clouds drifted slowly and steadily across the sky.
Jang Yue finally stood up and stretched.
[Good morning, Host! ]
"Morning, BA. Do you know what time it is?"
[According to my analysis, it is around 10 a.m. ]
"10 what?!"
Jang Yue jolted upright and rushed outside.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! I'm late…"
He had even forgotten to wear his cloak.
The moment he stepped outside, the scorching heat of the sun made his body weak. He could not even lift a muscle.
He had no choice but to crawl back into his hut, grab his cloak, and head out again.
"Cursed flaw."
He muttered as he ran toward the spirit farm as fast as he could.
Along the way, other outer disciples greeted him warmly. He had to stop and respond due to sect etiquette.
By the time Jang Yue arrived at the spiritual farm, the Elder and the other trial disciples had already finished their work.
"Sleep, why?!"
He cried in protest, but there was nothing he could do. He could only hope that some other area still needed sweeping so he could at least perform manual labor.
But no, there was nowhere left for him to work.
With no choice, he returned sadly to his hut.
Inside, he prepared some spirit rice and filled his stomach before heading out once more.
This time, he was not going to do manual sect labor.
No.
His destination was the Heaven Connection Array of the outer sect.
He walked out carrying several cores. After about an incense stick's worth of time, Jang Yue arrived at the cultivation grounds of the outer sect.
Thousands of outer disciples were cultivating there, using the Heaven Connection Array.
"BA, the Heaven Connection Array draws more Qi to this area for cultivation, right?"
[Yes. But that is not its only function. It is called the Heaven Connection Array because it can connect a person's soul to the heavens to break through comprehension. It can also be referred to as a spirit vein, a naturally formed phenomenon of heaven and earth. That is why it possesses the power to connect a person to the heavens. However, this is only based on my analysis. It could be incorrect. ]
"So what we're going to do is create a blood root and connect it to heaven, right?"
[ Yes, Host! ]
"Alright."
Jang Yue approached the senior outer Elder and bowed before speaking.
"Good morning, Elder. I wish to cultivate in the outer sect grounds."
"That will be ten sect points."
The Elder replied without even looking at Jang Yue.
'Ten points? That's too much. I cannot wait to become an outer disciple. Things will be much easier then.'
Jang Yue took out his jade slip and handed it to the Elder.
"How long do you plan to stay?"
The Elder asked in a stern voice.
As if the Blood Assistant had read Jang Yue's thoughts, a message appeared.
[ Two hours should be sufficient for the Host! ]
"Two hours."
"Two hours will cost twenty sect points."
The Elder said coldly.
'Twenty sect points? That's blatant extortion.'
Jang Yue felt disbelief rise in his heart, but he quickly remembered where he was.
This was not a righteous or holy sect. This was the Infinite Demon Sect, where laws meant nothing unless one was strong enough to ignore them.
In the end, Jang Yue agreed. It should have been two points, but the Elder turned it into twenty without hesitation.
"Go over there," the Elder said, pointing to the left. "The very last spot."
With that, he returned to his post.
Moments later, Jang Yue sat down at the final position.
He took out the beast cores and blood containers.
He glanced left and right to see if anyone was paying attention to him, but surprisingly, no one was. In fact, the disciples appeared more focused than usual, as if they were trying to break through in preparation for some sect competition.
The Heaven Connection Array was a massive circular marking carved into the ground. However, it was more than just a marking. It enriched the Qi of the entire outer sect cultivation area.
Although Jang Yue could not yet sense Qi, he could tell that the disciples were absorbing and condensing energy within their cores.
"Alright, let's begin. What do I do, BA?"
[ First, use the blood of the beasts to grind the cores into dust. ]
'If we were going to grind them, you should have told me earlier.'
[You did not ask. ]
Jang Yue felt agitated, but he quickly calmed himself and got to work.
He opened the blood jar and began controlling the Demonic Flame Lion's blood.
He solidified it smoothly around the core and began grinding it down in silence.
After some time, the core was completely pulverized and mixed with the blood.
He repeated the process with the Abyssal Serpent's blood and core. However, the hardest core to grind was the Thunderbone Iron Qilin's.
Perhaps it was because it contained two attributes at once.
"All done. What's next?"
[ Control the blood and shape it into a six-rooted small tree. Make sure the attributes do not mix. ]
Jang Yue grew curious.
"What happens if the attributes mix?"
[ An explosion. ]
'Terrifying.'
He glanced around once more. Just like before, no one was paying attention to him. After all, he was only a trial disciple.
He briefly wondered why no one sensed the smell of blood, but he dismissed the thought and continued.
He carefully guided the blood, separating each attribute with extreme precision.
This process alone took nearly an hour.
Eventually, the blood roots were formed.
A crimson tree with six small branches, each no longer than nine inches. Four of the branches were already occupied, leaving two empty.
The four attributes were as follows.
Yang attribute from the Demonic Flame Lion.
Dark attribute from the Abyssal Serpent.
Lightning and metal attributes from the Thunderbone Iron Qilin.
"How do I place it into the aperture you prepared, BA?"
At this moment, what Jang Yue held in his hands was a treasure.
It would later become known as the Primordial Blood Roots.
[ Leave that to me, Host! ]
In an instant, the tree was absorbed into Jang Yue's abdomen and implanted into his aperture.
He sensed that his aperture was infinitely vast, yet paradoxically small.
How the Blood Assistant had created such a thing using his own blood was beyond his understanding.
Then something snapped.
Pain erupted throughout his entire body.
It felt as if his flesh, bones, and blood were all reacting violently to the roots within him.
[ Do not fall unconscious, Host! ]
[ Sense the energy of the Heaven Connection Array around you. ]
The Blood Assistant warned.
Jang Yue closed his eyes and focused.
He tried to sense the supernatural energy of the world.
Soon enough, he felt it. The energy he had never been able to perceive before was slowly being drawn toward him.
But that was not all.
The energy surrounding the entire outer sect suddenly began condensing toward Jang Yue.
[ Condensing blood roots in progress… ]
[ Condensation progress 10% ]
[ Condensation progress 20% ]
At this point, Jang Yue had no idea what else to do.
Desperate to reduce the pain, he took out a spirit root pill and swallowed it in haste.
Instead of relief, the pain intensified, and the supernatural energy rushing through his body accelerated.
[ Using the Heaven Connection Array… ]
[ Condensation progress 63% ]
'So painful.'
Jang Yue groaned.
Meanwhile, several disciples were forced to stop cultivating as they could no longer condense Qi.
"What kind of demonic technique is he cultivating?"
"Look at his face. He's in terrible pain."
"I'm curious what technique that is."
The Elder's attention was drawn as well. He slowly walked toward Jang Yue to observe.
It was taboo to touch a cultivator who was in a state of comprehension.
Thus, the Elder did not make contact and instead stopped inches away.
"What kind of phenomenon is this?"
Suddenly, the disciples shouted in shock.
"Everyone, look at the sky!"
Celestial bodies appeared within the clear daylight sky, as if the heavens themselves were welcoming an entirely new concept.
Dumm!
Dumm!
Dumm!
"It's a Dao tone!"
The Elder immediately recognized it and shouted.
"What are you all doing, fools? Sit down and try to break through!"
Disciples and elders across the sect quickly sat in lotus positions, attempting to comprehend the Dao tone and force a breakthrough.
Jang Yue, on the other hand, began to crack like fragile glass.
His skin peeled away as his blood petals reacted to the Dao tone, condensing his blood roots at terrifying speed.
This was the true power of the Heaven Connection Array, also known as a spirit vein.
[Blood roots condensation progress 97% ]
'Painful. So painful. What's happening?'
At this point, the pain surpassed agony. It felt as though long spears were piercing his body from his feet to his hair.
His body cracked, then suddenly burst into golden light.
[ Blood roots condensation complete… ]