Chapter 558: Obtaining Ancestral Blood, Cultivation Advancement

After the spirit contract was signed, Lüqiu Qingfeng and her attendant Nangong Zhe did not hurry to leave Yunyang Island. Instead, she looked at Wei Tu and suggested he take her out for a stroll.

"A stroll?"

Wei Tu was slightly surprised, a little unused to the friendly signal Lüqiu Qingfeng was sending.

After all, before today, whenever she interacted with him, she practically had the words Ninth Princess carved on her forehead at every moment.

Even when she lowered herself to show courtesy, it was still just condescension, not treating him as an equal.

But now, this simple "accompany me for a stroll" clearly carried the posture of treating him as an equal.

Still, Wei Tu did not refuse.

At present, Lüqiu Qingfeng was the biggest patron funding his cultivation. So long as it did not go against his principles, humoring her with this little pastime in his spare time was no big matter.

He couldn’t possibly put on a cold face now and reject her attempt to build closer ties.

"This old man has matters to attend to, I’ll take my leave first."

Seeing this, the Second Mountain Lord tactfully excused himself, leaving private space for Wei Tu and Lüqiu Qingfeng.

He wasn’t foolish. He could tell that in Lüqiu Qingfeng’s eyes, his aged and weakened self was merely an add-on to her effort to win over Wei Tu.

At such a moment, there was naturally no need for him to force his presence.

…

They said they were out to see the sights.

But in truth, once they left the Flying Luan Immortal Lodge, Lüqiu Qingfeng’s gaze never strayed from Wei Tu.

Her eyes lingered on him, while she asked about his background and about the other people from "Kangshan’s Cave of Ghosts," almost like checking household records.

Yet, because her voice was melodious and Nangong Zhe chimed in smoothly, their conversation soon felt light, without stirring Wei Tu’s dislike.

As for his origins, Wei Tu stuck to the same cover—claiming he came from the Southern Yan Sea—and didn’t bother to explain further.

"Fellow Daoist Wei’s method of using others’ essence to alter appearance is clever," Lüqiu Qingfeng remarked with a smile halfway through their walk.

"But it can only fool ordinary cultivators. Against me, or cultivators skilled in eye techniques, there’s a real risk of exposure."

She was born with special eyes that pierced through falsehoods. The moment she met Wei Tu, she had already seen his true face beneath the Joyous Nuo Mask.

But to ensure smooth negotiations, she hadn’t exposed him then, and addressed him by his alias, "Daoist Fu."

Now that their cooperation was sealed, she had to give him this warning.

After all, Lüqiu Jinyuan’s bloodline was even purer than hers. He might also possess such vision, able to strip away Wei Tu’s disguise at a glance.

This warning was one of the reasons she had invited Wei Tu out.

"Exposure risk?"

Wei Tu nodded gravely, acknowledging he would take it seriously.

The Joyous Nuo Mask, a treasure of the Hehuan Sect, was primarily meant for dual cultivation, not disguise. The disguise was only a minor side function.

Back in the Ying Ding Tribe, he had already used the Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider’s ability to pierce through Yuwen Liangu’s disguise beneath the same mask.

So he had always been somewhat wary of this flaw.

Still, that didn’t lessen the weight of Lüqiu Qingfeng’s reminder. Without it, he might not have thought to guard specifically against Lüqiu Jinyuan.

Seeing Wei Tu respond humbly instead of arrogantly, Lüqiu Qingfeng nodded lightly, satisfaction showing in her eyes.

Character couldn’t determine the outcome of their plot, but it was certainly a key factor in victory or defeat.

In this regard, Wei Tu met the mark.

"This is two liang of Ancestral Blood. The rest will be delivered to you by Nangong Zhe within 10 years."

Lüqiu Qingfeng spoke after a pause.

Ancestral Blood was a vital resource for true spirit clans like the Lüqiu. Even she didn’t carry much at once—it had to be allocated gradually from the clan treasury.

10 years was the shortest time she could estimate.

Wei Tu accepted it without complaint.

Breaking through in body cultivation was never an overnight matter. Even with ample resources, it was near impossible to succeed within just 10 years.

Besides, the nurturing of his Yin-Yang Demon Corpse was also tied to his combat power.

Even if he reached mid-stage Tier Four in body cultivation within those years, he would still need to wait until the corpse was fully refined, his combat strength at its peak, before fulfilling his vow to slay Lüqiu Jinyuan.

Soon, the jade bottle containing the Ancestral Blood was sent into Wei Tu’s hands by Lüqiu Qingfeng with a wave of her magic power.

"Let’s hope everything goes smoothly."

At the moment she handed it over, a trace of complexity flashed in Lüqiu Qingfeng’s eyes as she whispered in her heart.

By funding Wei Tu’s cultivation so he could kill her cousin Lüqiu Jinyuan, she wasn’t only gambling away centuries’ worth of cultivation resources, but also staking the rest of her life’s fate.

To say she wasn’t worried would be a lie.

But now, there was nothing left except unconditional trust in Wei Tu.

…

Half a day later.

After their walk on Yunyang Island, Lüqiu Qingfeng parted from Wei Tu and returned to Yuanjun Island.

Wei Tu, with Ancestral Blood in hand, hurried straight back to Five Elder Mountain to carefully study this legendary treasure that belonged only to true spirit clans.

"This Ancestral Blood should be the preserved essence blood of their ancestors, stored through special methods of the true spirit clans."

The Ancestor Chilong drifted out from Wei Tu’s sleeve, clicking his tongue in amazement as he gazed at the jade-like crimson essence in the bottle.

"The divine blood of true spirits at the Divine Transformation stage… that little girl does have guts. Though it does look a bit like betraying her clan." Ancestor Chilong chuckled.

Sitting cross-legged in his secluded chamber, Wei Tu paid no mind to the old dragon’s teasing. Ever since he had married Wang Sutai, their relationship had become visibly closer, like teacher and friend.

"Divine Transformation blood with true spirit lineage…"

Wei Tu’s thoughts stirred. He tipped out a single drop of the ruby-like blood and gave it a slight sniff.

At once, he felt his whole body lighten, a soaring, almost transcendent sensation flooding him.

"A treasure for body cultivation!"

"It truly is a treasure for body cultivation!"

Wei Tu’s eyes widened with shock.

Before negotiating with Lüqiu Qingfeng, he had already guessed at its effects.

But he hadn’t expected its strengthening effect on the flesh to be so overwhelmingly strong.

He couldn’t help but feel glad for his decisiveness.

After all, if it had been someone else, even with his strength, few would dare rashly enter such cooperation, plotting to kill a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert of high standing.

‘Wealth comes with risk—it was worth it!’

He swallowed that drop and began refining its essence.

Soon, he clearly sensed his body strengthening, and the spirit within his "First Spirit Bone" suddenly surging.

It was as if jade marrow flowed through his meridians, making soft sounds like a bubbling spring.

His heart thundered like a war drum, pumping out powerful blood essence that tempered his limbs, bones, and acupoints.

"These two liang of Ancestral Blood are enough to push me past the peak of Tier Four early stage in body cultivation!" Wei Tu checked his inner body, his eyes shining, a broad smile spreading across his face.

Such exhilarating improvement—this was the first time he had felt it in all his centuries of cultivation.

One drop.

Two drops.

Three drops…

Wei Tu continued, one after another, swallowing the Ancestral Blood from the jade bottle, building his foundation and pushing against the unseen shackles of his body.

Time flowed on.

In the blink of an eye, 3 years passed.

That day, Wei Tu’s body burst out with light like a starry sky. Along his ribs, more of his bones, besides the "First Spirit Bone," began to take on the glimmer of spirituality.

The mark of Tier Four body cultivation was the birth of the First Spirit Bone.

The path forward at this stage was to keep imbuing more bones with spirit, until they matched the First Spirit Bone, and then… condense the "Spirit Body."

Once the Spirit Body was condensed, a body cultivator would advance to Tier Five and step into Divine Transformation.

Thus, the Spirit Body mirrored the "Heaven and Earth Manifestation" of Divine Transformation cultivators.

But unlike that enlarged form of mana, the Spirit Body was the extreme condensation of fleshly strength.

Once formed, the power of a body cultivator’s Spirit Body usually outstripped the Heaven and Earth Manifestation of ordinary Divine Transformation cultivators.

Now, Wei Tu’s breakthrough in body cultivation was also the gradual process of condensing his Spirit Body.

The First Spirit Bone was its foundation.