Chapter 554: Paper-Folding Secret Technique

"Very good."

"Druids are indeed a transcendent heritage... capable of adapting to any system!"

"While I was cultivating the 'Elder Qingmu Art,' I was actually able to increase my druid experience points simultaneously..."

Fang Xing smiled slightly.

He knew there were many ways to increase his druid experience, such as planting trees, hunting, or communicating with animals and plants... any behavior interacting with nature had the potential to increase druid experience.

Alas... the environment didn't allow it now; he couldn't exactly plant a forest near his shed, could he?

Feeding mice and sparrows every day... was already the limit.

Fortunately, absorbing Vegetation Essence Qi was also a form of cultivation, and the experience points were added quite quickly!

"Very good... at this rate, within ten days or half a month, I will definitely be able to break through to Level 2 Druid and get the 【Wild Shape】 skill. Then, it will be 'the sea is wide for fish to leap, the sky is high for birds to fly'..."

After running the technique again and feeling the fatigue from all over his body, Fang Xing understood the principle of balancing work and rest.

He didn't run the 'Elder Qingmu Art' again, but instead looked at the 'Paper-Folding Secret Technique.'

The Blood Shadow Sect was famous in the region outside the territory for its two major secret techniques: 'Shadow Puppetry' and 'Paper-Folding.'

The 'Paper-Folding Secret Technique' here was, of course, not the full version, but the crudest introductory stage.

Even so, it was strange and peerless, making even Fang Xing's eyes light up.

"Paper-folding techniques can be performed with ordinary paper... but it's best to use special paper, such as human skin paper or blood paper..."

"This book of paper-folding secret techniques records three secret methods: 'Paper Crane,' 'Paper Soldier,' and 'Paper Kite'..."

"The truly powerful high-level secret techniques like 'Paper Armor,' 'Paper Beast,' 'Paper Person,' 'Paper General,' 'Paper Sedan,' 'Paper Substitute,' and 'Spirit Illusion Paper House Cave Heaven' are all absent."

"And..."

Fang Xing pondered for a while, his expression turning solemn: "To practice paper-folding techniques, one must still sacrifice lifespan... even cultivators are no exception; it's just that with magic power nourishment, the lifespan lost is much less than that of mortals..."

"Furthermore, using 'blood paper' can offset a portion of the lost lifespan."

"The most evil aspect of this 'Paper-Folding Technique' is that even a mortal, as long as they are willing to sacrifice essence blood and lifespan, can refine a 'Paper Crane' or 'Paper Soldier'..."

"And if a cultivator wants their own paper person's combat power to skyrocket, the best way is... to pay more lifespan and essence blood for refinement."

"And such paper people refined with one's own essence blood will have their combat power greatly reduced if manipulated by outsiders..."

"Therefore, the more profound a cultivator's paper-folding technique, the shorter their life actually is... Although breaking through to the Dao Foundation after nine levels of Qi-sensing can increase one's lifespan by at least a hundred years, experts of the Blood Shadow Sect's paper-folding lineage are considered long-lived if they live past a hundred..."

"I have an inexplicable feeling that this paper-folding technique is quite compatible with my druid 【Immortality】 talent... But to truly practice it to a profound level, I'll have to wait until I reach Level 15 and acquire the 【Ageless Body】 talent, otherwise, where would I get so much lifespan to squander?"

"That stall owner had bad intentions... Was he afraid I wouldn't die fast enough? But I've always liked to eat the candy and fire the cannonball back..."

Fang Xing studied the paper-folding secret technique carefully.

After all, he was a reincarnated cultivation tycoon, and his vision and knowledge were still there.

After pondering for a bit, he still discovered the flaws and weaknesses of ordinary paper people and paper beasts.

"Even if they are 'blood paper' creations, their essence is still paper... Although they can resist filth, Red Dragon, and evil Qi erosion... water and fire are still their natural enemies... Perhaps they can hold out a bit longer, but they cannot be maintained indefinitely..."

"Therefore, there are paper birds patrolling in the sky occasionally... but it's impossible to have 'paper fish' in the river all the time..."

"And..."

Fang Xing looked at the 'Paper Soldier Technique.' Although this Daoist technique sacrifices lifespan, it can also immediately increase combat power.

After entering the first level of the Qi-sensing realm, whether he was refining blood paper or practicing paper-folding secret techniques, the lifespan consumed was much less than that of ordinary people.

Perhaps he could practice one as a means of self-defense?

Paper cranes are mainly used for communication and surveillance, and paper kites for riding.

Among the three major secret techniques, the most suitable for him was this Paper Soldier Technique.

"The so-called paper soldier is 'cutting paper into soldiers,' using paper to make daggers and long swords... After sharpening, the sharpness far exceeds the so-called 'divine weapons' in the secular martial arts world..."

"This is also a secret technique that can be continuously promoted, such as equipping paper people with paper weapons and paper armor... to increase combat power and defensive ability."

"In the later stages, one can imitate the flying swords of sword cultivators, killing people with a flash of lightning... and because they are lighter and thinner, the speed is even faster, though they are somewhat lacking in lethality and siege capability..."

"To practice paper-folding techniques, one must first practice the hands... There is a training method here called 'Ten Thousand Perfect Hands.' It is said that 'even if you have the world's perfect hands, you can't fold a piece of white paper'... The Ten Thousand Perfect Hands have five stages: Two Perfect Hands, Ten Perfect Hands, Hundred Perfect Hands, Thousand Perfect Hands, Ten Thousand Perfect Hands... Only when reaching the 'Hundred Perfect' realm can the success rate of manufacturing paper soldiers be considered passable, otherwise, it's just wasting blood paper..."

"It doesn't feel like a task that can be accomplished in a day..."

"Of course, according to the usual nature of paper-folding secret techniques, if the level of the Two Perfect Hands is too low and the paper-folding is about to fail, one can perform a blood sacrifice, using one's own essence blood and lifespan to forcibly increase the success rate..."

Fang Xing read through it and confirmed that this paper-folding secret technique was an orthodox evil path method, aimed entirely at draining the practitioner's lifespan!

Half an hour later.

Chirp, chirp!

A sparrow suddenly flew to Fang Xing's side and began to chirp.

Fang Xing opened his eyes and sensed the sparrow's anxious emotions: "Someone..."

He rolled over and sat up, coming to the door.

Through the crack in the door, he could see a black shadow approaching sneakily.

"Squeak!"

Fang Xing's mind moved, and a mouse suddenly darted onto that person like a madman.

"Ah!"

The person, already feeling guilty, was startled.

"What is it? Get off!" He jumped and made a ruckus, drawing the attention of several nearby wooden huts.

"Who is it?"

"In the middle of the night, don't you let people sleep?"

The dissatisfied shouts of several paper slaves rang out, and some even lit candles.

"Disturbing people's dreams in the middle of the night! Bah..."

Fang Xing also began to curse loudly.

Not far away, several paper slaves were crowding around a man in the middle.

This big man was strong and powerful, but his steps were unsteady, and there was a black mole at the corner of his mouth, with a hair growing on it.

At this moment, he fiercely tugged at the hair on the mole: "Alright, let Old Four come back... Since we've already alerted the enemy, there's definitely no chance tonight!"

"I know."

A lackey immediately went to call the person.

This book was recently updated on ##!! update!

Xing San looked towards Fang Xing's wooden hut: "Are you sure this kid went to the market?"

"Of course, Boss. Ever since this kid got whipped, he's been going to the paper mill very diligently lately. I estimate he's hoarded at least this much..."

A youth with inverted triangular eyes beside him held out his right hand, comparing five fingers, and licked his lips: "If we pull off this job, we can save how much lifespan..."

Xing San's eyes flickered.

Lifespan! That was life itself!

He gritted his teeth: "We resort to trickery and robbery, only living a few months longer than other paper slaves... We must find a way out during this time!"

This Xing San was originally a bully in the city, with some schemes and means, and was even a gang leader.

Alas, when the Blood Shadow Sect abducted people, they didn't care about your wealth or status. Anyway, for practitioners, mortals were just crops in the field; after one harvest, as long as you wait a while, another will grow.

Therefore, even if Xing San had schemes, means, martial strength, and courage... without cultivation talent, he was just a slave in the Blood Shadow Sect!

No matter how talented or intelligent you are, if you don't have talent, you don't have talent!

By now, he could only rely on stealing and extorting blood paper from his peers to barely live a few more days.

Moreover, this failure in Xing San's view was just an accident by his subordinates; he accepted his bad luck and didn't think of Fang Xing at all.

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.

In the wooden hut, Fang Xing sat cross-legged, hands forming seals, practicing the 'Two Perfect Hands.'

Although the magic power of the first level of Qi-sensing was weak, it was magic power after all.

At this moment, under the nourishment of magic power, his hands became less rough than before, showing a trend of shedding calluses and growing fair, tender flesh.

Whoosh!

Fang Xing let out a long breath and glanced casually at the attribute bar:

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 16/24】

【Profession: Druid Level 1】

【Realm: Qi-sensing Level 1】

【Talent: Natural Affinity】

【Skill: Ten Thousand Perfect Hands (Introductory 28/100)】

"Vegetation Essence Qi is indeed wood-type primordial Qi. After breaking through to the first level of Qi-sensing, it added another four years of lifespan to me... I can go make a few sheets of blood paper and pretend I'm still working hard to complete the task..."

But Fang Xing clearly wouldn't hand in the blood paper, but was prepared to use it to practice the 'Cutting Paper into Soldiers' secret technique himself.

"And... have the Ten Thousand Perfect Hands formed a skill?"

Fang Xing's face showed joy. Although this wasn't his original golden finger, it didn't have the effect of forcibly increasing proficiency and breaking through.

But being able to intuitively see his state at every moment and knowing in which direction to progress was already pretty good.

"Now my Ten Thousand Perfect Hands are only at the introductory level, in the 'Two Perfect Hands' stage, and the paper-folding success rate is very low..."

"But as long as I'm willing to sacrifice lifespan, refining a 'Paper Soldier' shouldn't be a problem."

After thinking it through, Fang Xing picked up the paper-making net, walked out of the shed, and headed towards the paper mill.

Plop!

This time, when he inserted his hands into the pulp pool, he felt something different.

Although there was still some stinging pain, it was much milder than before.

'Sure enough, becoming a cultivator, plus the Two Perfect Hands... both have a certain defensive power.'

'But if I live in the valley for too long, it's easy to attract the attention of those above... The Blood Shadow Sect is full of experts, and even if someone causes trouble, they can easily suppress it, so they have the confidence...'

Fang Xing skillfully lifted the net, pressed it solid, and dried it...

By evening, he felt that the quality of the finished 'blood paper' in his hands exceeded all his previous works.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 555 =====