Vampire Cultivation Notes

Alchemy room.

The new alchemy furnace was placed on the ground.

Li Jieqing added blood bamboo charcoal and sat in meditation for half an hour, not in a hurry to switch to the new practice method of "Blood Heart Freedom Secret Record".

Once a cultivator changes their cultivation method, the microcosmic orbit circulating within their body must also change. This is a major undertaking and cannot be taken lightly.

It's best to slowly comprehend the new cultivation method and wait until the monster tide recedes before taking action and officially switching to cultivation.

Based on experience, the commotion has been going on for half a year, and the raging beast tide should subside in a while.

He exhaled a breath of stale air.

When Li Jieqing opened his eyes again, the alchemy furnace was already heated up.

He was an old pro at tending fires, and even with a different furnace, the degree of error in controlling the flames was only a fraction of a millimeter.

Perfect timing! A kind person just sponsored the raw materials for the Qi-Nourishing Pill. Let's see what this new alchemy furnace can do.

"A century-old ginseng root's entire body has turned to wood, making it extremely incompatible with fire..."

Having acquired a century-old ginseng, Li Jieqing held it in his hand for a moment, then peeled off the ginseng skin. He then used his magic to pull up a cup of Morning Sun Jade Dew, soaked the ginseng in it, and then put it into the alchemy furnace.

A ginseng root that has been in the wood for a hundred years will have its medicinal properties locked inside. If it is thrown directly into the alchemy furnace, it will be burned to ashes in an instant, and no medicinal properties will be left behind.

Only by soaking and protecting it with the morning dew can the medicinal power be brought out, and at the same time, the fire of the alchemy furnace and the moisture of the morning dew can be combined to completely refine the century-old ginseng.

While working at the alchemy workshop, Li Jieqing had already learned all the steps and had also figured out most of the underlying principles.

"Buzzing~~"

A wisp of smoke rose up.

The furnace body moved slightly, and inside the cavity, the morning dew was directly suppressed by the fire gathered by the new furnace, while the hundred-year-old ginseng was not yet fully refined.

"What a fine stove! What a fierce fire!"

Li Jieqing exclaimed in admiration, "This proper magical furnace is really powerful to operate."

I didn't expect that one box of Chaoyang Jade Dew wouldn't be enough to burn. It seems I really need to buy more expensive Jade Dew next time.

Adding another dose of Morning Sun Jade Dew, Li Jieqing calmed his mind and continued refining the elixir.

The red fruit has a subtle fragrance. Peel it, remove the fibers, mix it with ginseng extract, then add two ounces of purple-gold flower stamens and three drops of stalactite...

Before we knew it, the night had passed.

As the sun rose, its rays shone down, but were blocked by the alchemy room.

Li Jieqing kept the alchemy furnace unmoved until a certain moment when it was opened wide.

The blood bamboo charcoal extinguished, and the remaining embers were guided to transform into two fire snakes that retreated from the furnace, circling once before disappearing.

Two perfectly round pills shot up from the bottom of the furnace, filling the room with a subtle fragrance.

"Brother Jiang, it seems Heaven intends for you to stay!"

Li Jieqing held two mid-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills in one hand, feeling very satisfied.

Originally, I was thinking about what to do to lure Jiang Wei and his wife if the alchemy failed, so that they wouldn't leave because Taiping Market was too difficult to make a living and never come back, and the plan would fall apart.

Unexpectedly, once he mastered the skill, he was able to make a living by relying on the Qi-Nourishing Pill.

It seems that the small, broken furnace was hindering its performance.

Li Jieqing casually put away the two Qi-Nourishing Pills, stood up, and used his magic to clear away the dust accumulated from refining pills all night.

Turning around, I saw fragments of a small black furnace in a jade box in a corner of the alchemy room.

Li Jieqing stretched, walked over and closed the jade box, then wrapped himself in a black robe and went out to his bedroom for a nap, avoiding the morning sun.

"My mana, which is at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, is always so easily depleted. I'll go and look at the new cultivation technique for a while and try to understand and learn it as soon as possible."

-

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Blood Heart...at ease?"

On the futon, Li Jieqing, dressed in a moon-white robe, muttered to himself as he put down the jade slip containing the cultivation technique that was pressed against his forehead.

After studying the new exercise method for several days, I've finally figured out some of its tricks.

In short, it means opening the ventricle and condensing a 'blood heart'.

This blood heart can accumulate magical power like a dantian, connecting to one's own microcosmic orbit. Once mastered, it almost doubles one's magical power and also increases cultivation speed considerably.

At the same time, the various secret techniques attached to the new technique are also used in conjunction with the Blood Heart, and their power far surpasses that of the minor Five Elements techniques circulating in the market.

"According to the description, opening the heart chamber is not much different from opening the dantian, so it shouldn't be difficult. The only difficulty is accumulating one's own essence and blood to condense the blood heart. It is time-consuming, energy-consuming, and easy to damage the body. Generally speaking, it takes the late stage of Qi Refining to succeed... But luckily, I am a vampire."

According to contemporary cultivators, the so-called free circulation of essence and blood in the human body is an important and indispensable part of the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit.

If one's own essence and blood are extracted, one's vital energy will be severely damaged, and the practice will not be completed.

In severe cases, excessive loss of essence and blood cannot be replenished, and shortening one's lifespan or even leading to death is not uncommon.

The Blood Heart Freedom Secret Record includes a spell that forcibly extracts the essence blood of demonic beasts at close range. This spell is extremely deadly, harming both the enemy and the user, and is simply against the natural order.

Li Jieqing carefully read through the annotations and discovered that the spell could indeed be used on humans as well. He couldn't help but write it down with a serious critical thought.

In short, the importance of essence and blood to humans and all living beings needs no further explanation.

Therefore, ordinary cultivators must be very careful when practicing the "Blood Heart Freedom Secret Record". They must extract their own essence blood like peeling away layers of an onion, and stop after extracting a little bit, waiting for their bodies to recover before continuing their cultivation.

In this respect, the vampire's physique actually gives them an advantage.

With its strong recovery ability, as long as it eats enough, the withdrawal and accumulation of essence and blood can be greatly accelerated.

"Now that I understand the difficult parts, let's find an auspicious day to officially begin the new course!"

Li Jieqing held the jade slip containing the cultivation method with great affection.

If he had just broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining at the tavern, it would have taken him at least five or six years, or even ten, to cultivate to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

However, with the accumulation of spirit stones, the availability of Qi-Nourishing Pills, and the assistance of the new cultivation technique after switching to a different method, this time can be shortened to between one and two years!

"Buzzing~"

The courtyard key hanging from his waist belt flickered and glowed.

As Li Jieqing held the jade slip, a thought struck him, and his magic enveloped the key, causing it to detach from his belt and float up, unfolding a curtain of light before his eyes.

On the bluestone path at the entrance of the courtyard, several cultivators dressed differently but carrying similar magical swords turned their heads to look. There were men, women, young and old among them.

The announcement of knocking on the door was also broadcast.

"—Yu Mingli, a third-generation member of the Yu family, pays his respects. The host, please come outside to meet him!"

The voice was deep and resonant, and as expected, it was the middle-aged man who was leading the conversation outside the door.

Li Jieqing waved to turn off the light screen, put down the jade slip, stood up, took the black robe from the rack, and stepped out the door fully clothed.

"A breeze begins with a ripple on the water, and a wave is formed from a gentle ripple."

Li Jieqing had somewhat anticipated the arrival of the Yu family.

Unfortunately... it was a bit too late.

The courtyard is wide open.

Li Jieqing stepped out of the threshold, his robes fluttering in the wind, and stood on the small steps.

"Your words are quite harsh; what are your thoughts?"

"I've come specifically for a thief named Jiang Wei!"

The leader stepped forward, revealing his late-stage Qi Refining Realm true energy, and his neat clothes fluttered even without wind.

Beside him, another member of the Yu family spoke up: "This villain is ruthless, greedy, and insatiable. He killed my Yu family member first, and then committed all sorts of acts of robbing cultivators. He is despicable in the eyes of all cultivators!"