Chapter 114 - Black Clouds from the South (Part III) (Patreon)

Lucian was in a dark room reading a booklet when he heard someone approaching. Then, he stood up and opened the door with one hand, holding a cultivation manual in the other, as the servant outside stopped abruptly.

Recomposing herself, the servant bowed and said, “Grand Cultivator, I was ordered to inform you that there was an issue contacting your follower, the merchant Wang Chen.”

“Tell me the issue,” Lucian said, his eyes not leaving the manual.

“He refused our invitation,” the servant muttered. “In fact, he ran away with several people after knocking unconscious those sent to bring him here.”

Smacking his lips lightly, Lucian remembered that Wang Chen still viewed the Merchant Chamber as an enemy and would not easily trust its people.

Realizing his mistake, Lucian clicked his tongue. “Bring me a mortal. A worker, fisherman, anyone.”

The servant nodded, bowed again, and closed the door.

Left alone in the darkness, Lucian returned to the cultivation manual.

Cultivation through enlightenment and cultivation through understanding are two different paths, Lucian analyzed inwardly while reading the text. There are also methods focused on reflecting about the self and observing the heavens, each guiding a cultivator forward.

While the manuals appeared simplistic by ordinary standards, to Lucian they represented an invaluable foundation of knowledge. Previously, he had learned through Xu Hua's memories about the four paths of cultivation, but only now did he grasp what they were.

For example, he learned that if he followed the common cultivation path during the Qi Gathering realm, he would spend Qi to gradually open the meridians, a process that demanded time and some special ritual.

After opening each meridian, as a reward from the heavens, he would be granted greater attunement to Qi, better control over it, and a deeper understanding of each meridian’s function.

As of now, aside from Qi perception and the ability to gather Qi, Lucian understood almost nothing of his meridians and attunement, mostly because he didn't cultivate a common path at all. In fact, he went against the natural flow!

Another discovery was that some cultivators studied the meridians and chakra points extensively before even beginning cultivation, allowing them to face fewer bottlenecks later on. 

Lucian assumed that the reason he had required far greater amounts of Qi during the later stages of the Qi Gathering realm was precisely that he was advancing blindly. In a sense, while ordinary cultivators patiently crafted keys to open each lock, Lucian kicked every door apart to move forward.

Unfortunately, most of these manuals and scrolls are missing their core sections or are far too shallow. Lucian sighed inwardly. It will take time to organize all of this.

While reading, he heard the servant return with another person. Without wasting time, he opened the door once more. Then, before either could speak, Lucian’s eyes flashed crimson as he activated the Rune of Lust.

Crimson fingers wrapped around the unaware worker’s neck for an instant, implanting commands into his mind.

“He will find and bring Wang Chen here,” Lucian said, deactivating the rune and closing the door.

The servant blinked in confusion as the random worker nodded with a smile and walked away.

Ignoring the sounds outside, Lucian returned to his studies. He wasn't too concerned about Wang Chen, as the latter would never leave without Bai Xiaomeng.

Here, I will have access to more war prisoners, which means I can replenish my Blood Essence more easily without interruptions, Lucian thought. However, should I continue cultivating by force?

It did not take him long to decide.

Yes, I should. Lucian decided. I can take time to study the meridians and chakra points later. Gathering, refining, and condensing Qi, and then building a foundation is the path I must prioritize for now.

Lucian understood that he would inevitably lose something by advancing this way, but he had no desire to waste time in the lower realms merely for the sake of enlightenment.

For him, cultivation was a path he should walk to no longer rely on the Seven Curses, and perhaps, one day, erase them.

Returning to his Castle, discovering who had brought him to this world, or uncovering the whereabouts of people he once knew no longer weighed as heavily on his mind as discovering whether cultivation could truly grant what he sought.

Having resolved himself, he left the room only long enough to order the servants to bring war prisoners downstairs before sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes.

Let’s begin, he thought while activating the Rune of Lust and using his intent to command Qi.

Flooding his twelve meridians with the surrounding Qi, Lucian directed it toward his Root Chakra before once again attempting to open the Sacral Chakra located in his lower abdomen.

Lucian entered a flow state where he continuously used Blood Essence to command Qi, expended Qi to force open the Sacral Chakra, and then replenished the spent Qi through intent.

Having deliberately left the door open and ordered the servants to throw the war prisoners inside, Lucian focused on himself, forgetting the outside world. Whenever his Blood Essence reserves became depleted, a crimson eye formed above his right hand and drifted on its own toward the chained war prisoners inside the room.

With a wet popping sound, their heads exploded. Then, their blood flowed into the crimson eye and was refined into Blood Essence.

Completely immersed in cultivation, Lucian failed to notice as more and more war prisoners were brought downstairs alongside bound individuals.

Unknowingly, he was being used to eliminate the remaining personnel of the East Bo Merchant Chamber who refused to cooperate with the merger. Grandmaster Miao noticed that Lucian's technique left no trace of Qi, and was happy to make use of it.

Had Lucian known, he would not have cared.

Time passed slowly, and after two days, every servant and worker within the warehouse understood that deep below the building existed a dark room filled with corpses, where anyone thrown inside would be silenced within seconds.

While they feared speaking about it, the one inside the room wore a satisfied smile as he sensed something within him finally breaking open.

Perceiving the Qi settling in his lower abdomen, Lucian thought, I finally opened the Sacral Chakra.

He was honestly impressed by the sheer amount of Qi required. His lack of talent and enlightenment had contributed heavily to the difficulty, and he had no idea how to make things move quicker.

Even so, he had no intention of stopping or changing his methods now.

Guiding the Qi to his upper abdomen through his meridians, Lucian immediately began attempting to unlock the Solar Plexus Chakra. The instant he did, he noticed his Qi flow accelerating, while his Qi perception sharpened.

Every alteration in Lucian’s body and senses was immediately obvious to him due to his inhuman control.

Smiling faintly, he returned to cultivation, completely indifferent to the growing mountain of corpses around him or the fact that Wang Chen still had not arrived after several days.

At that moment, his mind was consumed by the desire to cultivate.