Chapter 345: Chapter 343: Synergy It has been more than three years since joining, and outer disciples are no longer restricted from leaving the sect, although they still need to report to the sect for extended periods. Lou Yi descended from Disciple Peak, accelerated once he left the mountain range of the Corpse-Driving Sect. He cast Wind Walking Technique on himself, activated the Swift Talent, and performed his Breathing Technique to unleash his Lightweight Skill. He transformed into a gray lightning bolt, with white air currents around him dispersing to the sides, resembling a long white smoke swirling about. In less than a hundred breaths, he reached an uninhabited mountain thirty miles away. He operated the Yellow Extreme Breathing Technique, with red True Strength flowing in his eyes, turning the world before him into a deathly gray. Living entities revealed themselves in vibrant yellow or red hues in his unobstructed sight after unblocking his Eye Acupoint, unable to hide. Lou Yi looked at the "Magic" section on the Attribute Panel, noting that the Blood Feeding Spirit Transformation Technique had progressed from "uninitiated" to "Minor Achievement." With a thought, a wound appeared at the center of his palm, the flesh parted on its own, and a faint blood shadow, only a few inches long, flew out. It flew straight to a toad quietly crouching in the field, enveloping it entirely. The toad didn’t even let out a cry before it dissolved into a pool of faint blood, while the size of the faint blood shadow increased slightly. After the toad, every beast and bird on the mountain met their demise. Whether wolves, tigers, leopards, or birds, insects, fish, or reptiles, all turned into pools of blood if targeted by Lou Yi. The blood shadow grew larger and larger. After several hours, it reached nearly the height of a normal person. The taller the blood shadow, the greater its power, the faster it dissolved foreign substances. "Let’s try its power." With a thought, Lou Yi split open his left palm, and the blood shadow swooshed back inside, becoming a pea-sized Blood Pearl within his palm. In the next moment, an invisible fiendish or resentful aura poured out from the Blood Pearl, traversed Lou Yi’s left arm meridians, and rushed into his mind. "Ah!" "Ow!" "Creak, creak!" Strange noises rang out in Lou Yi’s mind. If it were an ordinary person, they might think they were hallucinating and eventually become mentally unstable. But for Lou Yi... ’Screech!’ In his mind, the cry of an eagle erased all hallucinations, and the Blood Pearl in his palm stayed still, everything returned to normal. And it would never have the chance to move again. "Soul Devouring!" As Lou Yi used the advanced skill, the Blood Pearl melted like snow and ice, transforming into a surge of Blood Qi rushing into his chest and beginning to burn rapidly. His body became engorged and flushed, with an intense urge to release it. ’Whoosh!’ Riding this momentum, he threw a powerful punch. Ahead, massive amounts of air compressed and then exploded, white currents wildly dispersed, reducing the surrounding forest over ten zhang to mere fragments. Standing still, Lou Yi carefully savored the feeling of the punch he just executed. ’It stacked sixty to seventy thousand jin of force.’ ’Previously, when storing energy with Soul Devouring, it reached this level at its peak, perhaps even fell short.’ ’But this is far from the limits of the Blood Shadow, after all, it was just an afternoon’s work. What if storing for ten days, a month, or a year?’ ’What if it absorbed not the blood of ordinary beasts, but that of spirits and monsters?’ ’Of course, the body might not withstand it and disintegrate. But as long as my consciousness remains, with the backup of the Attribute Panel, it won’t be an issue.’ Lou Yi was very satisfied with the synergy between the Blood Feeding Spirit Transformation Technique and Soul Devouring Talent, which was entirely his own Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique. Next, he began testing a new weapon, a white-and-gray axe, with its axe-head and handle made from a single piece material. The axe weighed thirty to forty jin, even ten times heavier would be nothing for Lou Yi. ’Isn’t Mystic Iron Essence supposed to be gray? Why is the forged axe this color?’ A faint thought of doubt flashed by, and Lou Yi raised the axe. ’Whoosh!’ As he swung the axe, a faint blue arc appeared in the air. The axe was comparatively sharper, generating higher pressure than a fist, so its power was understandably greater. But Lou Yi felt something was amiss. With another thought, he infused his Spiritual Power. In the next instant, a layer of unfamiliar white aura emerged along the edge of the axe, filled with sharpness, severity, and coldness, causing his skin to chill and form goosebumps. ’Is this... Golden Iron Qi?’ Lou Yi had a vague guess and became excited. ’They must have added a significant amount of Geng Metal; this stuff is much more expensive than Mystic Iron Essence. But Geng Metal-induced Golden Iron Qi isn’t supposed to be white, is it?’ ’Either Bi Yaoyao or You Qingyi... ah, it’s hardest to repay beauty’s kindness, I’ll have to find a way to reciprocate.’ "Black Skin." "Petrification." "Golden Armor." "Yellow Extreme." Faced with the powerful Geng Metal Qi, which often accompanies flying swords, Lou Yi dared not be careless and activated four major defenses to test its power. The white Geng Metal Qi steadily sliced through the external Protective True Strength, overcoming the defense of Golden Armor with difficulty. Finally, it emitted intense friction noises on his Petrified skin, disappearing just as it was about to pierce through. It effectively pierced through Lou Yi’s three layers of defense. Though he still had Black Skin and the damage immunity of the Talent of Tenacity at his disposal, this was already terrifying enough. ’After all, my Spiritual Power is relatively weak; it might influence the quality of the Geng Metal Qi. In just this short span of testing, my Spiritual Power is exhausted.’> ’But this Geng Metal Qi is much sharper than I imagined. Previously, I’ve faced sword cultivators but didn’t encounter anything this fierce.’ ’The sword cultivators I faced before, like that female Daoist of the Five Elements Sect, if they could wield such Geng Metal Qi, I might not have survived back then.’ Lou Yi did not know about the distinction between ordinary Geng Metal and Taiyi Geng Gold; their power difference was worlds apart. But he was already aware of the vastness of the world, containing too many things beyond his grasp. Strength-wise, his current power was still far from adequate, and he had to find ways to progress further; otherwise, encountering these unknown powerful beings would leave him blind. ’Perhaps a trip to the Yan Kingdom is necessary,’ Lou Yi thought. In Yan Kingdom, there are many Blood Fusion Techniques for sale; he could find a way to purchase one. If he cannot find a suitable one, he will rely on Shi Caifeng for help. After all, she joined the True Blood Sect, a major cultivator sect in Yan Kingdom; acquiring a Martial Arts Secret Manual for him shouldn’t be a problem. Thinking of Shi Caifeng, Lou Yi felt a slight longing, having not seen her for a while—wondering how she has been. He returned to the sect and had just arrived at Disciple Peak. He saw Hall Master Zhang Li of the Four Seas Association waiting at the entrance of his cave dwelling. "I wondered why I heard magpies singing this morning; turns out it was because of your visit, Hall Master Zhang," Lou Yi teased. "Junior Brother Lou, your Spiritual Sense is indeed accurate," Zhang Li laughed, his shiny forehead reflecting light, "I have news on Feng Jiuyue for you." "Oh? Please come in and tell me, Hall Master," Lou Yi replied, feeling a jolt of joy. ...