My Cultivation Techniques Upgrade Automatically

Chapter 134: Chapter 133: Even a Master Must Get a Taste

A mountain range shrouded in purple mist.

Atop a treacherous, steep cliff.

A figure darted and leaped, moving between the crags with the swiftness of the wind.

Flashes of a blade glinted around the figure, each slash cutting through the air with a piercing whistle.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!—

After countless slashes, the slender figure finally came to a slow stop.

Her chest heaved gently, and fine beads of sweat dotted her pale forehead.

’This blade technique is incredible!’

’It tempers every meridian in the body to the absolute limit, which in turn raises one’s cultivation realm.’

’And once my realm is higher, it feeds back into the blade technique, making its power completely different at each stage.’

’I can already feel myself becoming more adept with the blade. I’ll definitely be able to condense my ’Aura’ before the Blood Road trial!’

Xue Hongling let out a long breath and walked to a stone table. She picked up a damp cloth and gently wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

In the several months since she was abducted and brought to the sect, she had practiced the blade technique Wu Chen taught her to the point of Perfection. Her cultivation had also soared from the Realm One Lineage of the Meridian Passage Realm all the way to Five Meridians.

After wiping the sweat from her brow, she walked to the cliff’s edge and gazed at the boundless, dense forest in the distance.

Her expression remained unchanged, but a layer of worry quietly clouded her eyes.

’The mountains are high and the waters are far. The journey is filled with hardships and dangers. He probably can’t make it... but that’s for the best.’

As she said this, she hesitated, then mused aloud to herself:

”But with such clean killing techniques and the ability to survive an encounter with my master... a man like that must have a deep-seated pride.”

”It’s not certain that he won’t come...”

After being brought back to the sect, she had reflected on that day and suddenly realized that Wu Chen’s realm was likely the Jade Bone Realm.

He probably came from some prestigious, righteous sect and had a secret treasure on him. That must be why he was able to force her master to retreat during their fight.

’But in three months, no matter how hard he works, he could only reach the Mid Stage of the Jade Bone Realm, right?’

Xue Hongling gently shook her head.

In the path of Martial Arts, each major realm is harder to break through than the last.

To advance by a single minor realm within the Jade Bone Realm in just three months would make one a prodigy, a talent seen once in ten thousand.

But within the Blood Slaughter Sect, there were quite a few disciples at the fourth major realm of Martial Arts. While not a dime a dozen, there were still at least two hundred of them.

Then there were the managers, Stewards, and hall masters of various ranks rushing back from the different outposts, all of whom also possessed the strength of the Jade Bone Realm.

That was another hundred or so people.

Adding the two together, a rough estimate put the number of Jade Bone Realm experts entering the Blood Road trial at over three hundred. One could only imagine what a bloody slaughter that would be.

”And aside from the Jade Bone Realm experts, there are still Organ Refining Realm Elders in the sect...” Xue Hongling sighed softly and shook her head, a trace of despair flashing in her eyes.

So in her view, if Wu Chen really came to the Blood Slaughter Sect out of sheer pride, even if her master did nothing, he would face a situation of near-certain death just by entering the Blood Road trial!

’It’s because I’m useless that I’ve dragged someone else into this...’

’If my realm were higher, I wouldn’t have all these worries.’

Xue Hongling’s shoulders slumped, and she sighed softly.

If she were strong enough, she could fight her way out of this demonic land. The world would be hers to roam.

But unfortunately, her destiny was only to be refined into a great medicine.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and her expression grew increasingly listless.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

A set of familiar footsteps sounded from the stone path on the mountain.

In an instant, Xue Hongling’s eyes filled with disgust. She straightened up, her hand tightening around her scabbard, and her entire aura turned sharp and severe.

”Junior Sister.”

The newcomer was tall and had a kindly face. Sensing the abrupt change in the aura of the figure on the cliff’s edge, he stopped at an appropriate distance and called out softly,

”Junior Sister, are you looking into the distance because you’re still thinking of leaving the mountain?”

”Don’t blame your Senior Brother for being nosy, but it would be best for you to give up any thoughts of leaving for now.”

”I heard from Master and the others that many disciples who have gone out in recent months have not returned. The life tokens of several direct disciples have even shattered, so I fear they’ve met with disaster.”

”It’s clear there’s no place for people like us out there anymore.”

”Besides, the last time you went down the mountain, you were only able to return because Master risked her life to protect you. Master is busy with many things now. If you go down the mountain again, there will be no one to save you.”

The man’s expression was sincere, his tone filled with concern.

Xue Hongling said nothing, only sneering inwardly.

’If I go down the mountain, I’ll be hunted by the righteous path. If I stay, I’ll have to kill my own sect members.’

’This world is so vast, yet ridiculously, there’s no place for me to stand!’

”Whether you pay me any mind or not, as your Senior Brother, I can’t neglect my duty to look after you.”

The Senior Brother sighed lightly, his voice gentle as he said,

”The Blood Road trial is about to begin. It’s far from enough for you to just bitterly train your body.”

”I have some extra Body Nourishing Pills here. I hope you won’t refuse them. Consuming them to advance your realm and increase your strength is the proper path.”

With that, he placed three inch-sized wooden boxes that exuded a faint fragrance on the stone table.

Seeing that the figure by the cliff’s edge remained silent, he tactfully turned and left.

However, once he rounded a deserted corner of the mountain path, he tugged at the collar of his robes, his gentle expression twisting into impatience as he cursed viciously in his mind:

’Fucking hell, we’re all disciples of the Blood Slaughter Sect. Who are you trying to fool, acting all pure and chaste?’

’Master protects you when you’re outside, but that’s just to keep you ’clean’ for when you’re refined into a great medicine.’

’If we were in the Blood Road trial, hmph, forget you!’

’Even if Master herself dared to enter that secret realm, I’d have to strip her down and have a taste before anything else!’

Thinking of the impending Blood Road trial, he took a deep breath, suppressed his restless Qi and Blood, and left with a frustrated flick of his sleeve.

”...”

Only when the footsteps behind her had faded into the distance did Xue Hongling turn and walk to the stone table.

Looking at the wooden boxes on the table, she swung her scabbard without hesitation.

BAM!

A fierce gust of wind smashed down. The wooden boxes instantly shattered, and the pills disintegrated into dust, which was then swept away by the wind from her blade and sent tumbling off the cliff.

”The Blood Road trial... this is my chance too.”

Xue Hongling sat on a stone chair, her gaze cold, yet it couldn’t hide the sorrow within:

”But even if I use this opportunity to advance from the Meridian Passage Realm to the Jade Bone Realm, it’s still nearly impossible to escape from the hands of countless Elders, leave the Blood Slaughter Sect, and get away from the Purple Mist Mountain range.”

Just thinking about the methods of these Elders made her bones ache for no reason.

’It’s useless to think about this now. Practice the blade, practice the blade! I’ll worry about the rest after I enter the trial!’

Her black hair swayed as she shook off the useless thoughts. Her eyes hardened with resolve, and she rose to swing her blade once more.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!—

The piercing sound of the blade cutting through the air echoed on the cliff once again.

...

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Blood Road trial arrived.

In a huge clearing in a ravine on Purple Mist Mountain, several red-robed Elders held jade stones that glowed with a bloody light.

They walked to several pillars carved with the heads of various beasts and embedded the blood-colored jade into the beasts’ mouths.

RUMBLE!

As the blood-colored jade settled into the beasts’ mouths, the roars of wild animals seemed to echo from the ravine, causing the entire Purple Mist Mountain to tremble slightly.

Some already unstable rocks were affected and began to tumble down, crashing toward the crowd in the ravine preparing to enter the Blood Road trial.

The red-robed Elders had long anticipated this and had already spread out to stand at various points at the foot of the mountain.

Facing the massive boulders, some half the size of a person, that rolled toward them, the Elders merely flicked their sleeves. The boulders exploded into countless fragments, having no effect on the crowd in the ravine.

This naturally drew gasps of amazement from the Blood Slaughter disciples.

Standing in the crowd, Xue Hongling had no time to watch this. Her eyes continuously scanned the entrance to the ravine.

She prayed that familiar figure would not appear.

”What? You really think that guy will show up?”

A bewitching face drew close to the expressionless Xue Hongling. Mimicking her, the woman let her gaze drift over to the ravine’s entrance as well.

Countless Blood Slaughter disciples, who had rushed here from all over, were gathered there. After having their identity tokens verified, they could pass through unhindered into the ravine to prepare for the Blood Road trial.

”Don’t get your hopes up, you foolish girl.”

Xue Hanyan chuckled. ”That kid’s not without skill. He could easily make a name for himself and live a comfortable life out there. Isn’t it more enjoyable to have a woman in each arm? Why would he come looking for trouble at the Blood Slaughter Sect?”

Xue Hongling didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on the entrance.

Seeing no familiar figure appear, the heart that had been caught in her throat began to settle.

Unbothered by her disciple’s blatant disregard, Xue Hanyan didn’t get angry. She continued to speak to herself with a faint smile:

”My dear disciple, do you know why entering the Blood Evil trial seems so simple? Why anyone with a Blood Evil Jade Token can get in?”

After a few breaths passed without a response, she continued,

”Letting all these people of unknown origin come in so easily to participate in the trial... and then when they try to leave the Blood Slaughter Sect with all their loot, hehe...”

She chuckled, an expression on her face as if she were about to watch a good show.

”What he would face are fifty-two red-robed Elders, sixteen gray-robed Elders, and two black-robed Elders...”

”My dear disciple, tell me, if that young master of yours were to come, do you think he’d have any chance of walking out alive?”

Hearing this, a bitter smile touched the corners of Xue Hongling’s lips.

She knew very well that these Elders didn’t have the guts to enter the Blood Road trial themselves, but when it came to ganging up to murder someone, not only did they have the guts, but they had them in spades.

With these Elders standing guard, those who snuck in with Blood Slaughter Sect tokens, hoping to get a share of the opportunities from the Blood Road trial, would likely all be cut down one by one by the guarding Elders!

But gradually, the despair in Xue Hongling’s eyes deepened.

Wu Chen hadn’t come, so she naturally didn’t have to worry about him.

But she herself was trapped within the Blood Slaughter Sect.

Against such a force, forget reaching the Jade Bone Realm—even if she advanced to the Organ Refining Realm, she would still be helpless against nearly a hundred Elders.

Even with the strength of the Organ Refining Realm, the moment she stepped out of the Blood Road trial, she would be seized by the Elders and marked with the Blood Palace Seal.

She would become a true demon, through and through.