One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

This brand-new underground chamber was conical in shape, with a somewhat rounded top, which at a glance resembled the grand cathedrals of the classical era in the West. Black shiny pillars stood on both sides to reinforce the structure, with black chains hanging down from the dome.

There were no candles in the room; the light came from various luminous crystals embedded in the walls.

It was thirty meters in height and more than fifty meters in diameter. Even if Su Heng were to release his true form right here, this space would more than suffice to accommodate him without feeling too cramped.

However, Su Heng had a premonition.

This cultivation chamber, meticulously constructed at great expense, would not be used for much longer.

With the Mythical Battlefield about to open, and a trip to Dragon Abyss planned before that, his rate of growth during this period would be unbelievably fast. By then, as his size increased and his true form manifested, the chances that this chamber would fully contain him were slim.

"But there’s no need to think about that now," Su Heng thought, reining in his wandering thoughts.

Not only was this Su Heng’s place for secluded cultivation, but it also acted as a cold storage, holding a vast array of resources transported from many places. Some of them were even exquisite items that immortal sects and noble families had slowly accumulated over hundreds of years. Even sealed away, Su Heng’s acute senses could detect the luscious scent of the medicinal herbs tantalizing his heart and spleen.

Gulp!

Looking around, a hidden door in the wall opened, revealing a large amount of resources. They poured out like water, laid before Su Heng. Though the gravitational control he now wielded was somewhat inadequate against enemies, it was more than sufficient for aiding in such trivial tasks.

Click!

A wooden box about two meters tall in front of him opened.

Inside were jars and jars of ointment, from which Su Heng took out a jar and lifted the lid, releasing a rich, fragrant aroma that filled the air.

The jar was black, and the ointment within was an emerald green.

It looked like some kind of solidified animal fat, but when tasted in its frozen state, it was as creamy as ice cream.

"Mmm, the taste is surprisingly good," thought Su Heng, who had previously been in the habit of pinning demons to the ground and eating them raw. Trying something different now, he found that the flavor offered a unique experience. Holding the jar, he devoured it to the last bit of residue, feeling like a bear stealing honey.

"This seems to be the Inkwood Paste from the Shang Family, I’ve heard Qin Shunying mention it before. Among the upper echelon of martial artists in the Jiang E region, such a medicine is very popular."

Tossing the empty jar aside carelessly, Su Heng opened another.

He could taste the flavor of demon flesh in the ointment, probably enhanced with some herbs. This addition not only softened the taste but also made the nutrients more absorbable. Considering the quantity, these noble families must have reliable means of producing demon flesh.

That wasn’t surprising, since back when Su Heng had just joined the Demon Suppression Tower,

He had already learned to turn demons into flesh farms using fungal spores. It would be more astonishing if these centuries-old immortal sects and noble families didn’t have similar cultivation methods.

Sampling just a few mouthfuls of each medicine to assess its flavor, he found that most of them were quite exceptional, each with their unique nuances. But this slow pace was not suitable due to the pressing circumstances; he needed to accelerate the process.

With a sigh, Su Heng sat down cross-legged.

Holding his hands in front of his lower abdomen, as if cupping his Dantian, Su Heng opened his mouth and drew in a breath, operating the Bright Sun Divine Skill.

A powerful suction emanated from him. A wealth of nutrients, partially refined, was promptly consumed. This was, after all, the accumulation of centuries by immortal sects and noble families, and even though it was only the first batch, the quantity was excessive.

Even with Taotie’s Stomach, after forcibly swallowing half,

A mild sensation of fullness followed.

While continuing to operate the Bright Sun Divine Skill to accelerate the absorption of nutrients and convert them into attribute points, Su Heng also multitasked, recalling the Sword Refining Technique obtained from the sword sect. This secret technique required visualization in the mind, treating one’s own strength as the sword embryo, with the spirit acting as the hammer.

The two clashed repeatedly.

The ultimate effect was the unification of spiritual power and strength.

When that moment arrived, a single thought could unleash a supremely dominant sword strike.

Take Meng Huan, for instance. No matter where he went, he was accompanied by a divine sword of considerable power.

In reality, the number of times the sword was actually drawn for battle was countable on one hand. The sword served as a feint, a means to draw the enemy’s attention. Most adversaries were defeated by the heart sword—forged of condensed strength and spirit—before Meng Huan even unsheathed his actual sword.

Furthermore, because the Sword Qi contained spiritual power, the Sword Refining Technique could even inflict considerable damage on Earth Immortals.

The Sword Refining Technique consisted of ten levels.

Each level represented a complete integration of 10% of one’s strength and spiritual power.

With abundant resources at his disposal and past successful experiences, Su Heng didn’t give it much thought and invested all the attribute points he had just digested directly into this technique. As a result, after more than ten days had passed, an unexpected situation occurred, and the practice of the Sword Refining Technique was abruptly halted.

"This..."

In the underground dome chamber, a faint aqua light cascaded from the crystal lamps.

Su Heng, staring at the mountains of wooden and porcelain packaging before him, wore an expression of reluctant acceptance.

Muscles, bones, flesh, blood, organs.

In each previous realm, Su Heng had pushed himself to the extreme.

Such unprecedented growth was unlikely to see another in the future. With such profound foundations, it meant that Su Heng’s total strength had reached incredible heights, so much so that even he lacked a clear understanding of it.

His entire spiritual power had already fully merged with his physical strength, but in the end, the refinement only managed a bare thirty percent completion.

When spiritual power was completely exhausted, even if he had numerous attribute points, there was no way to artificially elevate the realm of his Sword Refining Technique.

Moreover, this was after practicing the Heavenly Demon Transformation Technique and refining the divine statue to achieve improvement.

If it weren’t for the Seed of Destruction, and the Heavenly Demon Transformation Technique he learned from the monastery, Su Heng felt that even reaching the second layer of the Sword Refining Technique would be difficult. Fortunately, after this fusion of spiritual power and physical strength, it did not simply disappear but was enhanced into a different form.

The combination of spiritual power and physical strength is the foundation of Divine Skills.

Using spiritual power to form Divine Power Marks in the brain, and tightly connecting these marks with one’s own physical strength. By reaching this step, the Divine Skills can be considered to have fully taken shape.

Although he had not cultivated the Sword Refining Technique to perfection.

But in terms of realm, Su Heng was genuinely at the third step of Heavenly Deceit and had the qualifications to practice Divine Skills.

"Although there are some differences from what I had initially envisioned, all things considered, it’s still fairly good," he said.

After a thorough examination, Su Heng gradually understood his current situation.

He was not ready to end his retreat just yet.

Instead, he planned to make a sustained effort to form the remaining Divine Power Marks. Since the attribute panel could even enhance the level of demonic corpses, then Divine Power Marks should also be able to be further strengthened with attribute points. After digesting all these resources and elevating all aspects to their peak.

It would not be too late to end the retreat then.

Furthermore, Su Heng guessed that after this retreat ended, it would be difficult to have a lengthy period to organize his system again.

Because what awaited him would be back-to-back, endless wars. That’s why he must lay a solid foundation before the major events arrived, so as to have no worries for the future.

He first glanced at the sword scabbard lying next to him, which had no messages coming through.

This meant that the situation outside was largely still within controllable limits. Su Heng set his mind at ease, closed his eyes, and began to mobilize his spiritual power, gathering his scattered thoughts.

Crackle!

A slight friction sound came from within Su Heng’s body.

His skin writhed for a moment and then darkened, becoming rough and rising.

Before long, a layer of coarse black armor appeared on Su Heng’s body. This was not the empowerment of some secret technique, but rather an increase in defensive strength brought about by the "Skeleton Dragon Armor."

Since it was a fixed boon, this bit of defensive strength was almost like wearing a layer of tissue paper to the present Su Heng.

Although the defense was weak, the certain rule contained within the "Skeleton Dragon Armor" had a significant use.

Hiss!

Trails of black smoke rose from Su Heng’s body.

The ferocious "Skeleton Dragon Armor" seemed to be digested and disintegrated, gradually disappearing from Su Heng’s body.

And almost at the same time, within Su Heng’s consciousness, strange dark black runes quietly emerged, coalescing and interlocking to form a complete symbol resembling a black hillock, intricate and complex. Stay connected with

As this special symbol rotated slightly in his consciousness, an instinctual throbbing emerged in Su Heng’s heart.

"The first Divine Power Mark has taken shape!" A look of joy appeared on Su Heng’s face.

...

...

...

Skull Plain, Hundred Buddha Temple.

At the edge of the glittering Buddhist temple, in an inconspicuous corner, within a leveled and dilapidated monk’s cell, an aged monk in grey robes opened the window, allowing the golden sunlight tinged with the scent of decay and moisture to spill inside.

From the shelf behind, the chirping of a bird came through—it was a parrot with colorful feathers.

The old monk’s face bore a tranquil smile as he fetched some highland barley and clean water to feed the parrot. These provisions were originally meant for the monastery’s high priests to enjoy.

But by now, nearly all of them had been slaughtered by the barbarian king, Solban, leaving the food to mold in the kitchen. The old monk decided it was better to feed it to the birds and give it to the nearby serfs and common folk.

After the parrot had its fill, the old monk set aside the remaining highland barley.

He picked up a cloth, dipped it in water, and carefully wiped a brass Buddha statue on the windowsill. This statue, left by the previous generation of janitors, had a history of five to six hundred years. But under the meticulous care of the old monk, it shone brightly, bearing no traces of the centuries that had passed.

With his hands together, he devoutly bowed to the Buddha statue on the windowsill.

Only then did the old monk straighten his worn monk’s robe and step out of the room.

On the stone-paved ground outside, where weeds grew, two young lamas dressed in bright red robes suddenly knelt before him, one with a suntanned face covered with golden Sanskrit script—a doubtless sign of a devout ascetic. However, the young lama’s face was filled with pain and desperation.

"Venerable unnamed monk, I am Yong Zhen from the Esteemed Law Monastery. My fellow apprentice Yong Ku and I have traversed mountains and rivers, braved perils and hardships to come here, in hopes of receiving your aid."