Chapter 117: Blood Absorption

Blood Absorption Technique?

Mo Hua blinked in surprise, then asked Bai Zi Xi, "Is the Blood Absorption Technique hard to learn…?"

Bai Zi Xi shook his head. "Not hard to learn, but hard to use."

"The Blood Absorption Technique is a simplified form of Mind Control of Objects—it allows the mind to draw forth demonic blood. Mind Control of Objects is a capability of Foundation Establishment cultivators; Qi Condensation cultivators can barely use it, but cannot control objects at a distance, and it consumes immense mental energy," Bai Zi Xi explained.

If it were only a matter of high mental energy consumption, Mo Hua wouldn't mind—he wasn't strong in elemental roots or body cultivation, so his mind was his only advantage.

Mo Hua's dark, luminous eyes looked at Bai Zi Xi with anticipation.

Bai Zi Xi understood, sighed faintly, and pulled another book from his Phoenix-pattern storage pouch.

The book's cover bore the title: "Blood Absorption Technique."

"Absorbing blood is exhausting and drains the mind heavily; most cultivators won't bother learning it. Be careful yourself," Bai Zi Xi said.

"Got it!" Mo Hua said happily.

Then he took out a redwood food box from his own storage pouch; inside lay several pieces of jade-green cake and a flask of pear-blossom wine.

The jade-green cake was sweet and fragrant; the pear-blossom wine was light and sweet; together, they emitted a rich, intoxicating aroma.

"My mother made them fresh—try some."

Bai Zi Xi paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips; he didn't refuse Mo Hua, pinched a piece of jade-green cake between his slender fingers, and ate it slowly.

Perhaps the taste was good—his bright eyes slightly narrowed.

Bai Zisheng caught the scent, sat up abruptly, sniffed a few times, and turned to Mo Hua:

"Where's mine?"

"Aren't you still suffering from a headache?"

"It's gone now," Bai Zisheng said.

"You should rest more."

"I'll rest after eating."

Mo Hua shook his head and pulled out a plate of beef for him.

"It's cooked with spicy spices—it'll be even spicier."

Bai Zisheng grabbed several slices and shoved them into his mouth; instantly he gasped, "So spicy!"

After chewing a few times, he nodded. "Delicious!"

As he groaned "so spicy" and "so fragrant," the plate of beef vanished quickly; only then did he speak:

"What were you trying to ask just now?"

"I already asked."

"I can't eat your food for free—think of something else to ask!" Bai Zisheng insisted.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked:

"The Blood Absorption Technique is a simplified form of Mind Control of Objects… so what is Mind Control of Objects?"

Bai Zisheng frowned. "You don't know Mind Control of Objects? Every Foundation Establishment cultivator knows that."

"It's normal for a Qi Condensation cultivator like me not to know a Foundation Establishment cultivator's ability," Mo Hua said.

Bai Zisheng momentarily had no retort; he nodded and explained:

"Mind Control of Objects means using your mind to manipulate external objects from afar—like these small stone tables and stools—you can move them with your mind from a distance."

"That doesn't seem that impressive…"

"How could it not?" Bai Zisheng snorted. "Controlling tables and stools is nothing—but what about controlling a sword?"

Bai Zisheng's eyes gleamed. "Imagine—Mind Control of a Sword! From far away, a single thought, and the sword zips through the air, slaying your enemy a thousand li away! Isn't that amazing?"

"Really a thousand li?"

Bai Zisheng stared at him in disbelief. "Are you just arguing for the sake of it?"

"Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator's mind can't extend a thousand li," Mo Hua said matter-of-factly.

Bai Zisheng sighed in defeat. "Fine… ten or a hundred li would be impressive enough."

Mo Hua wore an expression of "I knew it."

"Cultivation must be precise—a hair's breadth off, and you're a thousand li astray. If you don't calculate accurately, you'll lose your life in battle," Mo Hua said, his young face solemn.

Bai Zisheng: "…"

"Besides, your 'sword control over a thousand li' is off by nearly ten or even a hundred times. Such a massive error—when you actually fight, you'll be dead!" Mo Hua added.

Bai Zisheng sighed. "Mind Control of a Sword—don't you get excited?"

"Swords are so expensive—I can't afford one. What's the point of getting excited?" Mo Hua said pragmatically.

Bai Zisheng: "…"

Mo Hua thought a moment, then asked Bai Zisheng: "You're a Body Cultivator, right?"

"Yes…"

"Do Body Cultivators use Mind Control of Swords?"

"Generally… no."

"You can't use Mind Control of Swords either—so why are you excited?" Mo Hua asked.

Bai Zisheng took a deep breath, a wave of helplessness washing over him.

He flopped onto the ground and looked at Mo Hua seriously:

"Mo Hua, someday someone will die of anger from the way you talk."

Mo Hua looked confused. "How could that happen? We're all cultivators—our Dao hearts are firm. How could mere words kill someone?"

"Don't worry—someone will."

Bai Zisheng declared firmly.

After parting ways with the Bai siblings, Mo Hua returned home and began learning the Blood-Siphoning Art.

The Blood-Siphoning Art is not truly a spell, nor even a proper secret technique—it is more akin to a cultivation craft, like herb-gathering, mining, or spirit-plant cultivation.

Some cultivators use this craft to siphon fresh demon blood and sell it to trading houses or other cultivators who need it.

The process of siphoning blood is not difficult, but it places a heavy burden on the spiritual sense and is quite exhausting.

Blood-siphoning cultivators resemble the physical cultivators who labor at the Spirit Transport Pier, hauling cargo—except those physical cultivators use brute strength to move goods, while blood-siphoners use their spiritual sense to move demon blood.

Physical strength recovers easily, but spiritual sense does not, so cultivators can only siphon a limited amount of demon blood each day, yielding low profits. At least near Xiancheng, few cultivators know the Blood-Siphoning Art.

Mo Hua speculated that some cultivators from other provinces might siphon vast quantities of demon blood and make a living from it; otherwise, rarity would drive up the price of the array-master's spirit ink considerably.

But this was only speculation—Mo Hua had limited experience in the cultivation world and could not be certain.

The Blood-Siphoning Art was not hard to learn; Mo Hua studied the manual, practiced a few times, and mastered it.

As Bai Zi Xi said, the Blood-Siphoning Art is a simplified version of spiritual sense object manipulation—but unlike normal manipulation, it cannot work at a distance. One must press the palm against the demon beast's hide, sense the flow of its blood, then use the spiritual sense to draw the blood out from its veins.

Xiancheng had no live or freshly dead demon beasts for Mo Hua to practice on.

Mo Hua had to ask Mo Shan to cut off a piece of hide from a wild ox demon, then pour water on it and, through the hide, use his spiritual sense to pull the water along.

Though vastly different from true blood-siphoning, it was better than nothing.

After practicing a few times, Mo Hua mastered the technique.

But the biggest problem remained: although he had learned the Blood-Siphoning Art, he had no demon beasts to siphon blood from.

Without demon blood, he could not mix spirit ink. The shortage of spirit ink remained unsolved.

Mo Hua thought for several days, and finally came up with only one solution:

Enter the mountains and hunt demons!

Find a way to enter Great Heishan, slay demon beasts, and while their blood was still fresh and uncoagulated, siphon the vital demon blood from their veins.

This was the only way to obtain demon blood reliably and in large quantities.

Mo Hua raised his head, his gaze crossing over the rooftops and streets of Xiancheng, fixed on the distant, dark, and profound Great Heishan.

The mountains were treacherous, thick with poisonous miasmas, shrouded in mist and clouds, saturated with demonic aura.

There, mighty demonic creatures dwelled—and for thousands of years, it had been the livelihood and final resting place of countless demon hunters from Xiancheng…