Chapter 7: First Evil Technique

Night.

Yan Buji watched Yan Xirou return safely, smiling as he greeted her at the doorway.

"Father, I'm back!" Yan Xirou hopped down from the carriage, beaming.

"Hmm, how was today? Did you meet Mr. Zhou Hua?" Yan Buji asked hurriedly.

"Hmm!!"

Yan Xirou mentioned the apprenticeship ceremony, and Yan Buji sighed in relief: "Looks like Mr. Zhou Hua is also unbound by worldly conventions; he accepted you as his disciple right away, that's great."

"I also met some fellow female students, got along fine with them, and we had lunch together," Yan Xirou said with a smile.

"Alright, alright, we'll talk when you get back."

Yan Xirou chattered excitedly, recounting the knowledge she learned today at Lingshan Academy and the stories she discussed with her classmates.

It seemed Yan Xirou wasn't being treated differently at the academy, but Yan Buji still warned her:

"Those female students must have notable backgrounds; don't pry into their families when you interact with them. If they ask, don't reveal your identity lightly—just say you're a disciple of Mr. Zhou Hua."

"Is that so?" Yan Xirou looked at him, puzzled.

Yan Buji nodded: "This academy differs from other places; if you're truly talented, others will be jealous. Moreover, being taken on by a scholar as a disciple is a dream for many, even for a girl. They may treat you kindly, but you must never be completely open."

"Okay, I understand, Father."

"Fine, you go rest for now."

"Hmm!"

Watching Yan Xirou walk away, Yan Buji turned to the attendant maid and asked, "How was Rou Er at the academy today?"

"Master, the miss is kind to others; many penniless scholars tried to befriend her, but upon hearing she's Mr. Zhou Hua's disciple they left without saying much. Those few female students seemed to crowd around her, though she hasn't noticed yet," the maid said anxiously.

"Alright, you know what to do, right?"

"Understood, Master. You want the miss to experience some worldly hardships; suffering at the academy is far better than out there," the maid said with a smile.

Yan Buji looked remorseful: "Alas, if I could, I'd protect Rou Er for a lifetime. Unfortunately, us mortals don't live beyond a hundred years."

"You did well today; tomorrow go pay ten taels of silver to the account, then you may rest."

"Yes, Master," the maid replied, pleased, fully understanding a father's expectations and protection for his daughter.

Not to mention anything else, if she were also the master's daughter, how wonderful that would be.

The maid thought that, her envious gaze unmasked, and turned to leave.

Yan Buji walked back to his bedroom alone.

Night deepened, the courtyard outside the door filled with cicada chirps and frog croaks; moonlight like water bathed the window. The garden's faint glow paled before the bright moon.

He turned, lit a candlestick, and retrieved an ancient book from a hidden drawer beneath the desk. Though its cover was worn, it bore no dust, suggesting Yan Buji read it often.

Gazing at the three large characters on the ancient book, Yan Buji squinted:

"Blood Essence Skill, merely a mundane internal art; though its power is great and even combined with external techniques it could fend off a dozen armed strongmen, it still falls short of the immortal Dao. Hurry, hurry—if I can reach the Spring Literary Assembly and find that person…"

Yan Buji's gaze hardened, feeling the surge of Qi in his body, an internal current sprouting from his dantian, merging into his blood and vanishing unseen.

In an instant, Yan Buji felt revitalized, but moments later he was drenched in sweat and pale; he hurriedly fetched a medicine box from the drawer, took an old ginseng root, chewed it, and finally exhaled a long sigh.

After returning to normal, Yan Buji sat cross‑legged on the bed in meditation.

Discarding stray thoughts, after an hour he settled into deep concentration, sensing his Qi and blood had increased slightly.

"The Blood Essence Skill truly lives up to being the foremost mundane evil internal art of the Kun Dao Imperial Dynasty; it doesn't devour ordinary warriors' essence blood, yet my own internal force alone cannot curb this surging Qi. Fortunately, I've also acquired the external technique Tiger Roar Iron Cloth, which tempers my body with robust Qi, barely restraining the surge… but for today, I cannot continue practicing."

Yan Buji took a deep breath.

Though he sneered at these mundane martial arts, for the Spring Literary Assembly's plan to proceed smoothly, even becoming an heretical demon would be acceptable.

The origin of the Blood Essence Skill is rather fortuitous; twenty years ago, when Yan Buji was young and venturing alone toward the city, he happened upon two martial masters battling in the mountains, both exhausting themselves to death.

He rummaged through their belongings, finding silver coins, notes, and a token; the greatest find was the Blood Essence Skill!

After extensive inquiries, he learned the Blood Essence Skill is a secret of the notorious evil martial faction Blood Flow Sect within the Kun Dao Realm, missing for centuries.

Moreover, that token was extraordinary—it was an identity badge of the Imperial Guard 'Iron Tiger Guard' directly under the emperor. It is said the Iron Tiger Guard is the current sovereign's sharp blade; even within the empire, its name makes people pale, and officials outside tremble at hearing it.

In fact, the Iron Tiger Guard numbers only a hundred on the surface, yet each is a master‑level martial expert. Moreover, it commands countless intelligence networks, gathering information across the Kun Dao Realm for the emperor.

Thus the Kun Dao Realm proverb goes: "When the Iron Tiger slumbers, the world is tranquil; when its roar sounds, a hundred beasts quake."

"My practice of the Blood Essence Skill must never be known to the authorities. Fortunately, it's been lost for centuries; only the Iron Tiger Guard or other imperial elites could detect my abnormal Qi. Yet I can conceal it with the Tiger Roar Iron Cloth external training. There's no need to worry; a mere Spring Literary Assembly shouldn't attract the Iron Tiger Guard's attention."

Moreover, compared to the Iron Tiger Guard's top martial masters, that person is the real trouble!

The biggest difficulty in cultivating the Blood Essence Skill is the inability to generate enough internal Qi; lacking Qi means one's true strength remains unseen.

The Blood Essence Skill employs a unique internal Qi circulation, and the Qi it cultivates serves to amplify one's own blood and Qi, bearing a hint of external training rather than an orthodox internal method.

Upon realizing this, Yan Buji began gathering various external martial arts to strengthen himself, not only to expend the ever‑growing Qi but also to better conceal his internal art.

Yet even with the Blood Essence Skill and the external arts he learned, his strength left him unafraid even against true master‑level opponents.

However, no matter how many external skills he mastered, the vigor of his Qi and blood still prevented him from bypassing the Blood Essence Skill's biggest drawback.

He must devour other warriors' essence blood to balance his own, using the Blood Essence Skill's unique circulation to gradually transform their essence blood into his, mitigating the technique's adverse effects.

The better one practices the Blood Essence Skill, the more warrior essence blood is required; the more he absorbs, the stronger the skill becomes.

Hence it is dubbed the First Evil Technique by the Kun Dao martial world, causing great harm.

Moments later, Yan Buji calmed his turbulent Qi, feeling as if he were becoming a blood‑thirsty monster; without enough warrior essence blood, he cannot pass this hurdle.

Yan Buji inhaled deeply, walked to the wardrobe, and activated a hidden mechanism.

The wardrobe shuddered slightly, making little sound, and a passage opened below; Yan Buji stepped into it...