Chapter 137: My Life in Exchange for a Just Sky

Chapter 137: Chapter 137: My Life in Exchange for a Just Sky

’Now, I just need to see how many Contribution Points this Hidden Blade Technique costs,’ Chen Yue thought. He gently closed the main manual for the Hidden Blade Technique and placed it back in its original spot on the shelf.

He didn’t immediately ask about the exchange price. Instead, he turned and walked toward the corner Cheng Jue Peak had pointed out, the one where the Secret Techniques were kept.

As he drew closer, he saw that there were only three books on the shelves, each occupying its own tier.

Chen Yue casually picked up the one on the far left. Its cover was a dim brown and felt like rough sand to the touch. On it were written four words: the Life and Death Technique.

He opened it to the title page. The introduction was only a few short lines, but they made his eyelids twitch.

"Burn the vitality of one’s constitution in exchange for a fleeting, destructive surge in cultivation. Sacrifice future potential to remedy present deficiencies. Three months of practice can equal three years of hard cultivation. However, after three months, one’s constitution will be damaged and the path forward severed. Be warned! Be warned!"

Beneath the introduction, there was another line of even smaller text, which must have been an annotation added later:

"Cultivating this technique requires supplementary items like Soul-Stabilizing Grass and Vein-Protecting Pills to mitigate the backlash, but it is ultimately like drinking poison to quench thirst. Do not attempt unless in a truly desperate situation."

Chen Yue blinked. No wonder Cheng Jue Peak had said not to touch these things unless he had absolutely no intention of advancing to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm.

This Life and Death Technique wasn’t a Secret Technique for cultivation at all; it was a demonic Evil Skill that over-drafted one’s future and burned away one’s potential.

It exchanged damage to one’s Martial Dao constitution for a false prosperity in cultivation over a short period.

Perhaps someone in a desperate, dead-end situation might choose it, but for anyone with aspirations on the Martial Dao, it was undoubtedly a poison that would destroy their own future.

Chen Yue understood the wonders of a good constitution more clearly than anyone, having continuously consumed Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills.

It directly lowered the difficulty of cultivating almost all techniques and increased cultivation efficiency. It was one of the core manifestations of a Martial Artist’s potential and the cornerstone of their Martial Dao for their entire life.

And yet, this Life and Death Technique required one to actively burn this precious constitution in exchange for a short-term boost in cultivation?

Chen Yue almost immediately vetoed the option in his mind. ’If I really chose this Life and Death Technique, wouldn’t all the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills I’ve worked so hard to take, and even the more expensive Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pill, have been for nothing?’

That was a ridiculously bad deal.

’I wonder, if my constitution was burned and damaged, could taking a Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pill afterward repair it?’

The thought flashed through Chen Yue’s mind. After all, the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pill had the effect of Bone Marrow Cleansing, so it seemed capable of repairing and strengthening one’s foundation. But he immediately suppressed the idea.

He had no experience with such a thing, and he didn’t dare gamble on it.

He closed the rough cover of the Life and Death Technique and gently placed it back. Then, Chen Yue picked up the thinner Secret Manual next to it: the Life-Burning Technique.

As Chen Yue flipped through the pages, his brow gradually furrowed.

The Life and Death Technique burned one’s potential. This Life-Burning Technique, on the other hand, directly burned a Martial Artist’s lifespan.

Unless a Martial Artist broke through to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm, causing a qualitative transformation and sublimation of their life-level, their lifespan was not much different from that of an ordinary mortal.

In fact, due to hidden injuries accumulated from constant fighting and certain Secret Techniques that over-drafted their potential, many Martial Artists might actually have shorter lifespans than ordinary people.

This Life-Burning Technique used one’s own lifespan as fuel, converting it into the driving force for a massive surge in cultivation.

Its effect was indeed stronger and more direct than that described for the Life and Death Technique. At its advanced stages, one could burn several years or even decades of their life to gain a cultivation boost comparable to several years of hard training in a short time.

However, the price was even more devastating.

After one’s lifespan was burned, it wasn’t as simple as just living a few years less. The Cultivator’s body would immediately show signs of aging corresponding to the amount of life burned.

This was an irreversible injury to the body’s very Origin, trading future time for present power.

Chen Yue grimaced and placed the Life-Burning Technique back on the shelf.

Lifespan was the fundamental guarantee for a Martial Artist to charge toward higher realms and experience a wider world. It was the most precious resource that no amount of wealth or power could buy.

Sacrificing the future for a moment of strength was not worth it.

Chen Yue’s gaze fell upon the Secret Manual with the gray-white cover. He reached out and picked it up. It felt lighter than the previous two, but the cover had a strange warmth to it.

He slowly opened it.

As the words on the page entered his eyes, Chen Yue’s brow first furrowed subconsciously, then slowly relaxed. A strange light flashed in his eyes.

This manual, the Heart-Burning Record, was similar to the previous two, yet different.

It didn’t burn one’s constitution, nor did it burn one’s lifespan. It burned a Martial Artist’s Power of Heart and Spirit!

Using the Power of Heart and Spirit as kindling, it would ignite a Heart Fire capable of directly pushing through cultivation barriers. This fire would scorch bottlenecks, temper Qi Blood, and forcibly raise one’s Cultivation Realm.

"Power of Heart and Spirit..."

Chen Yue muttered to himself, his gaze lingering for a moment on the words "use the Heart Spirit as fuel to forge the foundation of one’s Cultivation."

The importance of the Power of Heart and Spirit was evident just by looking at how desperately Refining Organ Realm Martial Artists tried to nourish their Heart Spirit, and by the popularity and exorbitant price of the Nourishing Spirit Pill and the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill within the Sect.

It was fundamental for a Martial Artist to perceive the world, achieve clarity of mind, control their own vast Qi Blood, and, in the future, communicate with heaven and earth to break through to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm.

Its preciousness, in some respects, was no less than that of one’s constitution and lifespan, especially in the eyes of Martial Artists pursuing higher realms.

Chen Yue gently put the Heart-Burning Record down as well, his gaze sweeping over the three Secret Manuals lined up side-by-side.

No wonder this corner was so deserted and ignored.

What disciple who held even a sliver of hope or expectation for their Martial Dao future would choose such a heretical path, one that was no different from self-destruction?

Moreover, judging from the descriptions, even if one did choose it, the devastating price paid was completely disproportionate to the cultivation increase one could obtain.

It was highly likely to be a case of the gains not making up for the losses, or even ending in one’s death and the destruction of their Dao.

However, Chen Yue’s gaze returned to the Heart-Burning Record and stayed there for a long time.

Compared to the other two, this Heart-Burning Record suddenly sparked a different line of thought in his mind.

Once one’s constitution was burned and damaged, it would directly affect the speed and upper limit of all future cultivation, an almost permanent weakening. The cost was too great.

Lifespan was an even more non-renewable resource. Every bit burned was a bit gone forever, directly affecting how far one could walk on this path. It was an absolute bottom line that could not be touched.

But the Power of Heart and Spirit... that seemed to be different.

Compared to the near-irreparable damage to one’s constitution and the absolute limit of one’s lifespan, the Power of Heart and Spirit could, in theory, be restored and increased through cultivation and nourishment.

Although for the vast majority of Martial Artists, cultivating the Power of Heart and Spirit was slow and arduous, it at least possessed the potential to be regenerated. And in a way, this regeneration process was also a form of cultivation.

Most importantly, compared to the slow and difficult growth other Martial Artists of his level experienced, Chen Yue had an advantage in Heart Spirit cultivation that others could hardly imagine!

Back in Youlin County, his progress with the Heart Nourishing Technique had been quite fast.

After coming to the Panshi Sect, the Vast Heart Rock Skill, which fused the Heart Nourishing Technique and the Panshi Skill, was even more effective at Heart and Spirit Nourishment.

And now that he had integrated the Fifth Layer of the Panshi Skill today, the effect would only be better.

More importantly, his current Power of Heart and Spirit, which far exceeded that of his peers, was currently in a state of reinforcing his foundation.

It made his perception sharper, his cultivation more focused, and his ability to resist pressure stronger.

’The idea behind the Heart-Burning Record is to use the Heart Spirit as fuel to forcibly advance one’s cultivation... This is essentially a high-intensity application and consumption of the Power of Heart and Spirit.

If I cultivate it, I could burn a portion of my Power of Heart and Spirit to try and increase my cultivation speed, while closely monitoring its recovery.

As long as it can recover, and there’s no hidden damage left behind in the process, then this technique wouldn’t be poison to me. It would be an unparalleled Secret Technique!’

This thought grew clearer and clearer in Chen Yue’s mind. There were definitely risks. If his Power of Heart and Spirit couldn’t recover in time or was damaged, the consequences would be just as severe.

But compared to the other two techniques, which clearly led to a hopeless, severed future, this seemed like a dangerous path worth testing.

With this in mind, Chen Yue hesitated no longer. He turned and left the corner, walking toward the On-Duty Disciple at the entrance.

"Brother,"

Chen Yue arrived at the counter and asked, "I’d like to ask, how many Contribution Points does it take to exchange for the Hidden Blade Technique?"

The On-Duty Disciple heard him, looked down, and quickly flipped through a thick ledger in his hands. A moment later, he looked up. "The Hidden Blade Technique requires twenty Contribution Points for exchange."

Chen Yue’s expression flickered. Twenty Contribution Points for the Hidden Blade Technique? The price was slightly lower than he had expected.

It seemed the Panshi Sect didn’t set an overly high bar for exchanging for Cultivation Techniques. Or to be more precise, they didn’t intend to make things difficult for disciples when it came to the manuals themselves.

After all, Cultivation Technique Manuals were an unlimited resource. As long as the original wasn’t lost, they could be copied endlessly. Their value lay more in the knowledge itself rather than the material that carried it.

Of course, for a Saber Technique like the Hidden Blade Technique, which had extremely high requirements for the Cultivator, a price of twenty points was also a reasonable filter.

It both ensured that disciples who needed it could obtain it, while also preventing the exchange from being too easy, which could lead to disciples overreaching and exchanging for techniques indiscriminately.

Chen Yue looked at the On-Duty Disciple and continued, "Brother, what about the Heart-Burning Record? How many Contribution Points to exchange for it?"

Hearing this, a look of obvious surprise appeared on the On-Duty Disciple’s face. He looked at Chen Yue strangely.

Asking about the Hidden Blade Technique was understandable. It was a proper and powerful offensive technique. Although the cultivation conditions were harsh, its prospects were bright.

But the Heart-Burning Record... that was a notoriously heretical path, a poisonous technique that burned one’s Power of Heart and Spirit in exchange for cultivation!

How precious was the Power of Heart and Spirit? It was a near-essential power for any Martial Artist at the Refining Organ Realm or above, the very foundation for breaking through to higher realms.

He couldn’t help but scrutinize Chen Yue again, as if trying to figure out what he was thinking.

Was he young and arrogant, unaware of the depths? Or had his desire for quick success reached a point of desperation? Or was there some other reason?

However, the rule of the Hidden Skills Pavilion was that as long as a disciple had enough Contribution Points, they had the right to exchange for any Secret Manual not explicitly listed as a Forbidden Technique.

Although the On-Duty Disciple was baffled, and even felt a faint sense of pity, he didn’t offer any unsolicited advice.