Chapter 227: Territory Blood Refining Technique

There was no hint of surprise.

After the afternoon class ended, Chen Shicheng's Lian Xi Technique learning progress reached 100%, and a new entry‑level skill appeared in the skill panel.

However, this skill is somewhat hard to explain in a word.

The skill learned from the jade tablet, at the initial stage, has unsatisfactory power and True Essence efficiency, but at least it can succeed this time.

Yet this self‑learned skill only succeeds twice out of ten casts, relying on the analogies of other Earth skills, and truly cannot be used as a permanent skill.

But that is not a problem for Chen Shicheng.

The moment the skill appeared on the panel, he left the lecture hall without looking back and hurried back to his dormitory.

"Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, activate!"

【Year 1: You hold a relic and begin incessantly practicing the Lian Xi Technique.】

【Year 3: With the relic enhancing comprehension and the aid of the other perfected Earth skills, your advancement is rapid, a constant stream of inspiration erupts in your mind, skill levels soar, and the Lian Xi Technique reaches the proficient level.】

【Year 10: You gradually notice something amiss—Point Earth into Steel (perfected), Draw Earth as Prison (perfected), Compress Earth to an Inch (perfected) and the Lian Xi Technique begin to overlap slightly, and even the Golden Light Divine Spell shows a faint connection; the tangled thoughts slow your cultivation speed.】

Feeling the memory feedback in his brain, Chen Shicheng immediately stopped investing Merit Points, and stared at the panel's prompt, falling into contemplation.

Long ago, he obtained the incomplete fragment of the Thirty‑Six Heavenly Gang Methods, "Point Earth into Steel"; at the time he considered completing this skill and even acquired the seldom‑used Draw Earth as Prison skill.

But after both skills reached full level, they did not complement each other as he hoped, and he subsequently discarded the idea.

Unexpectedly, the Lian Xi Technique, which lets him condense his breath into the earth, linked several completely unrelated skills together, giving his original plan a chance of success.

And who could tell him why a spatial Attribute skill like Compress Earth to an Inch, and the Daoist Eight Great Spells, would have any connection with Earth skills? Is it because one walks on the ground and the other's color resembles the earth? What a joke—there's absolutely no relation! Under the relic's influence, countless thoughts surged in Chen Shicheng's mind, making his temples throb.

Clearly, the skills have now split into two branches; one disregards any connections and simply pushes the Lian Xi Technique to full level, dealing with the copper piece matter first.

The other follows this inspiration, delving deeper until the exact link among the skills is uncovered.

But this way, the required Merit Points could become an astronomical figure.

With no clear benefit, Chen Shicheng cannot tell whether his investment is worthwhile, leaving him conflicted.

"Done. Merit Points on the panel are just numbers; they only become Merit Points when spent!"

Seeing over five hundred thousand Merit Points on the panel, Chen Shicheng gritted his teeth and directly intervened in the comprehension direction, raging forward on the unknown path.

【Year 173: After changing the comprehension direction, you seized a hint of inspiration, turning the Lian Xi Technique that merges your breath with the earth into a foundation, and Point Earth into Steel and Draw Earth as Prison into pillars, constructing a vague framework.】 After a blur, the three skills on the panel merged, but after a twist they instantly fell apart, as if he had not yet found the crucial node.

In that fleeting moment, Chen Shicheng felt a vast, boundless aura rise from the ground and envelop him, giving him an indescribably solid feeling.

There is a door!

His eyes lit up, and he quickly pressed the advantage.

【Year 564: After a simple insight, you, through long time, finally built a stable structure, and the new skill showed a glimmer of dawn.】

Just like before, the several skills on the panel blurred into one, forming a dizzying vortex that kept spinning, as if something was gestating within; a slight push could break the cocoon.

Chen Shicheng closed his eyes and carefully felt, then was surprised: this comprehension not only encompassed several Earth skills, but even the Golden Light Divine Spell became a lubricant between skills, and the newly acquired Dragon Elephant Stomping Earth Skill also became a cornerstone for the new skill.

Surprisingly, the combination of so many maxed‑level skills only gave the new skill a rough outline, still requiring further investment.

He hadn't forgotten how many Merit Points were spent to raise all those skills to the perfected level.

Now that they're all gathered, it's just a beginning; one can imagine that the subsequent stages will demand massive Merit Points to successfully hatch the new skill.

Still the same saying! If he quits now, the sunk cost isn't high and everything stays within an acceptable range, but if he keeps investing and the final skill turns out mediocre, the Merit Points will have gone down the drain, which would be a huge failure. Though he feels like giving up, looking at the skill about to be birthed on the panel makes Chen Shicheng frown.

He extended his right hand, and a faint Slaying Immortal Sword Intent slowly manifested.

In the feedback memory of the skill's formation moment, he once felt a wondrous aura; though it was fleeting, it left an extremely deep impression.

After all, the outward manifestation differs, yet its inner nature shares a striking similarity with the Slaying Immortal Sword Intent.

In other words, if this skill continues to be comprehended, it may grant him a true intent of the same rank as the Slaying Immortal Sword Intent, far stronger than the passive spatial true intent obtained from Compress Earth to an Inch.

Thinking of the power boost from the Slaying Immortal Sword Intent, Chen Shicheng licked his lips and resolutely kept investing Merit Points.

【Year 1900: The comprehension of the new skill hits a bottleneck; you must change methods and start re‑examining the skill from scratch.】

【Year 3422: With no recourse, you elevate the Lian Xi Technique to the Sublime level, and a new opportunity arises.】

【Year 7160: By chance, a heavy, warm energy merges into your body, and under the new skill's effect it is refined and absorbed by True Essence.】

【Year 16560: Through repeated effort, you finally perfect this skill that can absorb energy from the earth to temper yourself.】

【You have obtained the skill: Territory Blood Refining Technique (Entry)】 (End of chapter)