Chapter 21: The Blood Essence Technique

“Good, very good.” In his shock, Jiang Dongliu immediately realized that this might be the true reason his master had sent him here.

To support a new Dragon Court was no simple matter. In the past, if not for the Supreme Daoist Order joining forces with many other sects and interfering in worldly dynasties, the Guliang clan would never have ascended the throne. If the Guliang had not become emperors, how could there be talk of imperial cavalry trampling the martial world? Such things had never happened in history. The court and the martial world had always been worlds apart, clearly separated. But ever since the rise of the Guliang royal family, the imperial cavalry of the Yuan Dynasty trampled the martial world, shattering the ancient order.

“The Abyss is like a prison. I know not what strange things dwell here,” Jiang Dongliu murmured. “But it matters not. Demons and monsters hunt humans for nothing but blood and souls. I shall see just how deep this abyss truly is—whether a sea of blood can fill it.”

A low, grim laugh escaped Jiang Dongliu. His ancestor was the illustrious founder of a renowned martial sect. Yet, the imperial cavalry of the Yuan Dynasty had crushed his sect, razed its temples, and slaughtered most of his family’s bloodline. The hatred of that massacre ran so deep it seeped into the very blood of the Jiang family, dooming them to an unending feud with the Great Yuan.

He bore no personal grudge against the Gongyang family, but their opposing stances made him Gongyang Yan’s inevitable adversary.

“A pity, really. I’ve heard Gongyang Yan is a rare beauty, and the Guliang royal family wishes to form an alliance through marriage with the Gongyang clan. For now, I need to select a Demon Suppression apprentice to serve as my eyes and ears in Eastshore City. If opportunity arises, I must meet Gongyang Yan in person.”

Jiang Dongliu quickly settled on a candidate: Luo Jinglin.

The sword Luo carried was from Jiang Dongliu’s own sect.

...

Inside the grand hall of the Demon Suppression Tower, thirty-two apprentices stood at attention.

A handsome young man with jade-like features faced them. He wore dark robes adorned with the three-clawed python dragon, dazzling and regal. His eyes, sharp as torches, swept across every youthful face, exerting a tremendous pressure.

“I am Ding Bo, a Class B Demon Suppressor of Eastshore City. For the next half-month, I will instruct you in the rules of our bureau and the dangers we face.”

Ding Bo stood with hands clasped behind his back, his presence enveloping the group.

The thirty-two apprentices dared not move a muscle, their postures rigid and upright, fearful of provoking this young instructor.

“First, let me introduce the internal ranks of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

“As apprentices, you are not yet true members. Only upon becoming Demon Suppressors do you truly belong to us.

“There are four ranks of Demon Suppressors: A, B, C, and D. A is the highest, D the lowest.

“Above Demon Suppressors are the Wardens. There are two types of Wardens: one by official title, distinguished as Warden and Deputy Wardens of the Left and Right; the other by grade—Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, with Heaven being the highest, Yellow the lowest.

“Above the Wardens are the Marshals, and above them, the Commanders.

“The entire bureau is led by the Supreme Commander of Demon Suppression.”

After finishing the explanation of the bureau’s hierarchy, Ding Bo began to explain the martial cultivation system.

“Refining blood, bone, marrow, viscera, apertures, and spirit—these are the Six Refinements. Mastering them forges the Primal Embryo.

“Only when you ignite true fire to temper your blood does your cultivation truly begin,” Ding Bo stated flatly.

Refine? Practice?

Baili Feihong frowned slightly. He had many questions, but his exposure to martial knowledge was limited. Relying on his Skill Tome, he had only been able to upgrade his abilities through repeated practice. That was his advantage. Aside from the Skill Tome, his understanding of martial arts was nearly nil.

“What are the Six Refinements? Refine essence into blood, condense energy within the blood, thread by thread, until all the blood in your body transforms. The Six Refinements begin with blood—blood flows throughout the body, fueling the bones, marrow, organs, apertures, and even your spirit and will.”

“The Nine-Blood Martial Art you’ve practiced merely imitates the essence of blood refinement; it’s a crude form of cultivation.”

A bright light flashed in Ding Bo’s eyes.

Many pursued the transformation from the ordinary to the extraordinary in their bones, but blood is the true foundation of the flesh. Many confuse training blood energy with blood refinement—they have it backwards.

“Therefore, you must cultivate the ‘Blood Origin Formula.’ Once you produce nine strands of blood energy, merge them into your blood, refine your vital blood, and let it penetrate your bones to temper them.”

“Again and again, until your blood becomes like mercury. Then refine essence into energy, letting it pervade bone, marrow, organs, apertures—only then do you reach the final step: refining energy into spirit.”

“Without sufficient vital blood, one cannot step into bone refinement.”

Ding Bo spoke briefly, caring little whether the apprentices understood. Teaching them was a task assigned by Lord Gongyang Yan; their success or failure was not his concern.

Baili Feihong listened with some confusion, but understood that after mastering the Nine-Blood Martial Art, the next step was not immediately bone refinement. Unfortunately, the young Demon Suppressor did not elaborate, merely stating things plainly, leaving the apprentices below gnashing their teeth in frustration, yet none daring to speak out and offend him.

Watching from afar, Zheng Yishan smiled faintly.

Ding Bo harbored resentment. The Warden had assigned him thirty-two apprentices as punishment for slaughtering nobles of the Faradi Empire.

“Six Refinements forge the mortal body, coalescing the Primal Embryo,” Zheng Yishan sighed. He had failed to grasp the subtleties of refining the spirit, stuck at that level for years. For bone, marrow, viscera, and aperture refinement, the bureau had already developed reliable methods for rapid progress. The only drawback was that each stage required vast quantities of specialized elixirs: Bone Tempering Pills, Marrow Cleansing Pills, Five Element Viscera Pills, and Star-Fixing Pills for aperture refinement.

But Spirit Refining Pills were scarce even within the bureau, reserved for only the most meritorious.

With Zheng Yishan’s abilities, obtaining a Spirit Refining Pill was nearly impossible.

“The Blood Origin Formula?”

To rebuild one’s blood energy from scratch!

This was Ding Bo’s first lesson for them. Baili Feihong did not hesitate. He had joined the bureau precisely to gain greater power. Though his seven-blood-level martial cultivation would diminish with the Blood Origin Formula, he would gain a far more complete method of blood refinement.

Blood Origin Formula: Uninitiated (0/200)

Baili Feihong frowned, but soon let it go.

The Blood Origin Formula was unlike other martial arts—it was a true cultivation method. The higher the method, the more efficiently one could convert energy into blood power. Without external energy, even if one mastered the formula, blood energy would grow very slowly.

One way was training—growing stronger as the method advanced.

The other was refining—achieving the conversion of essence into energy.

Cultivating the Blood Origin Formula was simple. Following Ding Bo’s instructions, one circulated the formula, transforming blood energy into blood origin, merging it into the blood, and refining it into vital blood.

But this was an immense undertaking.

If the Blood Origin Formula were only a method for refining essence into energy, it would not have enabled the bureau to reach its present heights. Its true brilliance lay in permitting multiple rounds of refinement—second, third, and even more.

After mastering the formula, one could proceed through Nine Refinements, Eighteen Refinements, Thirty-Six Refinements, and Seventy-Two Refinements.

There was once a prodigy in the bureau who focused solely on blood refinement, advancing through all nine stages in a single day to reach enlightenment. Bone, marrow, viscera, aperture, and spirit were all mastered naturally during the process.

That Warden of Blood possessed vital blood as brilliant as the sun, with blood energy blazing like noon. Merely releasing it would reduce all demons and monsters within a hundred miles to ashes.

Such is the path of body cultivation in martial arts. In theory, one could endlessly refine blood, bone, sinew, skin, organs, apertures, and spirit, forging an immortal body—a holy body of flesh.

For those at the Martial Saint level, their blood energy was even more terrifying than the Seventy-Two Refinements.

This is the path of martial arts, a divine way to manifest one's power across heaven and earth.

The Blood Origin Formula is easy in its early stages but becomes exceedingly difficult later. Yet its compatibility is immense, with limitless potential for growth. Most of the bureau’s secret martial arts are built upon this formula.

The Blood Origin Formula of the Demon Suppression Bureau could be called the foundation of myriad arts.