Chapter 291: The Side Effects of the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill

When Xu Jin left Danxia Palace, his emotions were complex, and a line from his past life suddenly surfaced in his mind.

You treat me as a national treasure; I shall repay you as a national treasure.

The Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao paid a price of a second-rank star domain to purchase a third-rank upper Lei Yuanxing pattern from the Wood Spirit Palace.

More precisely, a second-rank star domain plus ten percent of the celestial and terrestrial star will of that domain.

Because to control a star domain, besides conquering the target domain, one must also acquire at least ten percent of the celestial and terrestrial star will.

This way, when entering with that celestial and terrestrial star will, one will not be rejected by the current domain but naturally integrate into it—immensely significant.

Its value is priceless!

Xu Jin had recently acquired much celestial and terrestrial star will, so he knew perfectly well the value of these star wills!

Priceless!

Exchanging a priceless treasure for a third-rank upper Lei Yuanxing pattern—whether it was a profit or a loss was hard to say.

But it was certain that, had Xu Jin not needed it, the Grand Master would most likely not have made the exchange.

For a star force lineage to form combat power, merely having the source star patterns is insufficient.

Thus, when Peng Lao negotiated with the Wood Spirit Palace, he secured some extras.

Linked Star Patterns.

A relatively powerful auxiliary star pattern, best suited for Thunder and Wood star arts.

In short, a third-rank upper Linked Star Pattern allows a single Thunder star art to split into two branches.

What is launched as one is actually three.

The thunderlight unleashed can be called Linked Lightning.

It is also highly practical.

If pushed to the high-rank level, this star pattern's effect becomes terrifying.

It enables area attacks and concentrated fire.

But typically, very few people spend enormous costs on a third-rank upper auxiliary star pattern.

As for investing Golden Stars to push it to sixth or seventh rank or higher, it was unprecedented—there weren't even enough main combat star patterns to push properly.

Xu Jin had no such plans for now; he would use it as-is.

There was too much to do, and too many star patterns needed pushing.

But there were only so many Golden Stars and Brilliant Stars.

When he returned to his small courtyard, Xu Jin examined the fifth jade tablet.

The fifth jade tablet contained two sections of content.

One was an authorization seal issued by the Wood Spirit Palace.

The holder of this authorization seal could produce and publicly sell first-rank Star Healing patterns without being investigated by the Wood Spirit Palace.

After the authorization seal came a warning.

Anyone selling first-rank Star Healing patterns without the authorization seal would face eternal enmity from the Wood Spirit Palace, and the palace would sever all trade ties with the seller's affiliated faction, including trade of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-rank Star Healing patterns.

Anyone who sold Star Healing patterns obtained from the Wood Spirit Palace to a faction the palace had issued a warrant for would immediately have all ties and trade severed!

Xu Jin stared in shock.

This was nothing but a pure monopoly declaration!

The Wood Spirit Palace was this powerful!

Once you learned the first-rank Star Healing, with enough will, you could spread it everywhere.

Punishing one or two was easy; punishing ten, twenty, a thousand, ten thousand—wouldn't that be extremely difficult?

Theoretically, such a monopoly was unworkable.

Yet Peng Lao had solemnly handed him this jade tablet and instructed him to carry it always; if Wood Spirit Palace disciples ever checked his first-rank Star Healing sales, he could present it.

This meant the monopoly was recognized by all major factions.

Then.

With a mindset of decryption, Xu Jin sank his spirit into the jade tablet recording the first-rank Star Healing.

The instant he sank in, Xu Jin froze.

This.

First, a green screen appeared before him, with text floating upon it.

The text was the usage instructions for this first-rank Star Healing jade tablet.

The Wood Spirit Palace called this first-rank Star Healing jade tablet the Mother Seal.

When using it, sink your spirit force into the Mother Seal, then draw forth the Wood Source force within it and guide it into a third- or fourth-rank jade tablet possessing Wood star force, allowing it to flow naturally—the engraver need only continuously input spirit force to guide it.

Two cinnamons' time suffices to complete the seal.

After five uses, the Mother Seal requires one fourth-rank Wood-affiliated jade tablet to replenish its star force.

If used continuously more than five times without replenishing Wood star force, the Mother Seal will be damaged due to depleted star force.

If the Mother Seal is damaged or lost, the Wood Spirit Palace will not replace it—you must purchase a new one.

This entire set of instructions made Xu Jin's teeth ache and filled him with astonishment.

If these instructions were true.

Then this Mother Seal from the Wood Spirit Palace was nothing less than a photocopier from his past life!

The so-called seal-making merely required a Wood-affiliated base seal and continuous spirit force guidance.

The Wood-affiliated base seal could be understood as photocopy paper, the continuous spirit force guidance as toner, and the Mother Seal as the photocopier plus original—directly a star-force photocopier.

This was no simple monopoly.

It was technological monopoly backed by hegemony.

Xu Jin now understood why the Wood Spirit Palace's monopoly had succeeded.

Technology first, hegemony after—there was no choice but to accept it.

Yet Xu Jin felt resentful; he was already an expert in seal research.

He refused to believe he couldn't decipher the star patterns within the Mother Seal.

If he could decipher them, wouldn't he be able to replicate them directly?

Xu Jin already possessed third- and fourth-rank Wood-affiliated jade tablets—he had acquired them in the third-rank Prosperous Flower Star Domain.

Immediately, Xu Jin crafted a third-rank Wood-affiliated base seal in the shortest possible time.

Then, following the earlier instructions, he sank his spirit into the Star Healing Mother Seal and began production.

This time, Xu Jin approached the production with the intent of learning and exploring.

But after sinking his spirit in and examining it, he was utterly baffled.

It truly was. Technological monopoly!

Even after two cinnamons' time, when the first-rank Star Healing seal was completed, Xu Jin still could not discern its mechanism.

Previously, the third-, fourth-, and even fifth-rank seals Xu Jin had crafted were all formed by encoding learned star arts into jade tablets through specific star pattern linkages, so that when activated, the stored star force would erupt.

But this first-rank Star Healing seal from the Wood Spirit Palace—he could not make sense of it at all.

It was as if all relevant star patterns had been blended together, indistinguishable.

Like grinding rice, millet, sorghum, and buckwheat completely into powder, then mixing with water into a lump.

You knew it was composed of several different star patterns.

But you could not separate them out.

This left Xu Jin deeply impressed.

The Wood Spirit Palace truly had skill.

The technical depth contained within this Star Healing Mother Seal was truly extraordinary.

This technology—you could only submit to it!

It had successfully sparked his interest in the Wood Spirit Palace.

If he ever had the chance, perhaps he could engage more deeply with them.

In addition, Xu Jin could use his spirit force to activate the Star Healing Mother Seal and then cast the Star Healing technique to treat a target—but again, he would need a Wood Source jade tablet to replenish the Mother Seal's consumption.

After studying these, Xu Jin began re-planning his goals for the next few days.

Because obtaining the Lei Yuanxing pattern had slightly altered his plans.

Currently, in Xu Jin's combat system, Lei Yi was a vital combat method, offering exceptional short-range mobility.

Previously, he had relied solely on the mid-rank Lei Yi Core and two fifth-rank upper Lei Ling star cores to provide the protective star patterns.

Now that he had the Lei Yuanxing pattern, the power of his Lei Yi and Thunder star arts could be greatly enhanced.

The Grand Master had only pushed the Lei Yuanxing pattern to mid-fourth rank; if Xu Jin pushed it further, to fifth rank, it would become immensely useful and greatly boost Lei Yi's power.

Thus, he needed to designate one star core to engrave Thunder star patterns.

But in his current plan, the second star core of the Middle Star Palace was Earth-affiliated, and the second star core of the Lower Star Palace was sixth-rank Object Manipulation star art: Void Piercing.

There was no room left for star cores.

But this did not deter Xu Jin.

Xu Jin's cultivation in the Middle Star Palace had already reached fourth-rank first stage, Peak Star Condensation—he could break through with some time.

His cultivation in the Lower Star Palace had also reached fourth-rank first stage, Late Star Condensation—he could break through with some time too.

But breakthroughs did require time.

Worth noting: in the current era, once cultivators break through to fourth rank, the role of elixirs in cultivation plummets dramatically.

Fourth rank is where talent truly begins to matter—there are no elixirs in the current era that can rapidly boost cultivation in Star Condensation.

It's not that no one has studied it.

Countless alchemy masters have studied it; whoever succeeds will be revered by all factions.

The main reason is that after a cultivator breaks through to the Fourth Stage, Star Condensation, due to having at least two star cores within their body, their rate of absorbing stellar energy from the heavens and earth has multiplied.

With each increase in cultivation level, each additional star core causes the cultivator's rate of acquiring stellar energy to increase exponentially.

Previously, the stellar energy provided by many masters' Fourth Stage Star Condensation Pills was far slower than what a cultivator could absorb naturally, yet the cost was extremely high, making them terribly inefficient.

If one enters a Fourth or Fifth Stage stellar energy secret realm within a Star Gathering Array or the Star-Picking Tower, the absorption speed becomes even faster.

In Xu Jin's understanding, it's only a prototype—no mass-produced version exists.

Of course, there is a pay-to-win method.

That is, cultivating with purified star cores or star jade tablets.

This is not something an ordinary person can afford.

Whether Fourth Stage star cores or Fourth Stage star jade tablets, they are not only expensive but must also be purified by a specialist before absorption.

Thus, starting from the Fourth Stage and above, it's truly a test of talent.

The higher the cultivation level, the more talent matters.

Because by the Fifth or even Sixth Stage, there simply isn't enough Sixth Stage star core material available for you to absorb and raise your cultivation.

However, Xu Jin has his own ideas about advancing his cultivation.

After breaking through to the Fourth Stage, Star Condensation, the Superior Star Refining Pills are useless to Xu Jin.

But a Single-Infused Superior Star Refining Pill, compared to an ordinary one, has doubled potency and still holds some use.

A Double-Infused Superior Star Refining Pill has triple the potency of an ordinary one and should be able to raise his cultivation.

As for Triple-Infused Superior Star Refining Pills, their potency is six times that of an ordinary one—definitely capable of accelerating Xu Jin's cultivation speed.

But the infusion cycle of Triple-Infused Superior Star Refining Pills is a major problem.

To achieve Triple Infusion, a pill requires at least fourteen days.

Xu Jin currently has four star lamps, capable of infusing at most sixteen Superior Star Refining Pills at once, with a fourteen-day cycle.

He can no longer rely on swallowing pills as he did before.

He can only hoard them for a while, then cultivate on his own for a while.

But Xu Jin believes his innate cultivation talent is no worse than anyone else's.

Nine Body Tempering, Superb Star Forging, the Flawless Primordial Star Body—all were prepared for this moment!

These, however, all require time.

Currently, the best choice for Xu Jin to break through in the shortest possible time is the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill.

The Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill is perfectly suited for breaking through major and minor cultivation bottlenecks.

But when he received the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills, Headmaster Dong Zhao warned Xu Jin: never take them excessively, especially not consecutively.

Headmaster Dong Zhao did not know the specific side effects.

But according to Dong Zhao, high-ranking members of the Blood God Sect often act madly and engage in numerous strange practices.

The reason is unknown.

But Dong Zhao's master—the former Grand National Master—speculated it must be related to the Blood God Sect's Blood Secret Art, especially the initial Blood Soul Guide and the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills used to raise cultivation.

The Spirit Era Star Palace once had an Eighth Stage Elder who was extremely enthusiastic about exterminating the Blood God Sect, seizing vast quantities of Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills, and his cultivation advanced at an astonishing rate; it is said his breakthrough to Eighth Stage was aided by the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills.

But after breaking through to Eighth Stage, he frequently acted madly: by day he was himself, by night he loved dressing as a woman, and occasionally spoke like a child.

Later, during a great battle, he suddenly went mad and was killed by the Heavenly Sun Star Palace.

He became a cautionary tale.

Of course, this refers to excessive use.

According to Dong Zhao, not only the Spirit Era Star Palace, but other Star Palaces as well, seized large quantities of Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills during their extermination campaigns against the Blood God Sect.

They roughly deduced a safe dosage.

Consuming a total amount equivalent to one Eighth Stage Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill will inevitably cause serious problems.

Dosages below Seventh Stage Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills are generally safe.

One Seventh Stage Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill is equivalent to at least ten Sixth Stage pills, or one hundred Fifth Stage pills, or one thousand Fourth Stage pills.

As long as you don't exceed this amount, it's safe.

Of course, this safety margin varies by individual.

In short, if obtained, use them only occasionally to break bottlenecks—never take them regularly.

From Dong Zhao's instructions, Xu Jin currently has over thirty Fourth Stage Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills and three Fifth Stage ones; even if he consumed them all, it should still be safe.

Therefore, after considering his current needs, he must break through to Fourth Stage, Star Condensation, Second Layer in the shortest possible time, then inscribe Thunder Star Patterns.

Inside the meditation chamber, Xu Jin placed a Fourth Stage Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill into his mouth.

There was no bloody taste as he expected—instead, a faint fragrance; the pill dissolved instantly upon contact, transforming into a vast surge of stellar energy.

The next instant, Xu Jin's spiritual soul surged, directly channeling this immense stellar energy into his Central Star Palace.

The Central Star Palace, already at the peak of Fourth Stage, First Layer, immediately began swirling with stellar energy.

Xu Jin, long familiar with the process, instantly guided the energy to forge his third star.

With a massive influx of stellar energy, the third star was completed within half a quarter-hour, built upon the Great Star Gathering Pattern.

With the aid of one Fourth Stage Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill, Xu Jin's cultivation broke through to Fourth Stage, Second Layer within half a quarter-hour.

But the potency contained within this Fourth Stage Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill was far greater than Xu Jin had imagined.

Only one-third was used to break through to Fourth Stage, Second Layer.

Two-thirds remained.

The next instant, Xu Jin's mind shifted, directing the remaining vast stellar energy into his Lower Star Palace, injecting it into the Lower Star Palace's second star.

Quickly, the Lower Star Palace's cultivation surged to the peak of Fourth Stage, First Layer.

And one-third of the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill's stellar energy remained.

Xu Jin effortlessly guided this one-third of the immense stellar power, thereby breaking through to the fourth realm, second stage in the Lower Star Palace.

The Lower Star Palace's third star was forged.

Yet, even after all the stellar energy was consumed, Xu Jin's Lower Star Palace cultivation was barely at Fourth Stage, Second Layer—far from even reaching the early phase of Fourth Stage, Second Layer.

But the moment Xu Jin finished absorbing it, a streak of bloodlight shot straight into his spiritual soul, triggering an instinctive sense of nausea.

The bloodlight surged directly into his Upper Star Palace, staining it with a faint reddish hue.

If Xu Jin sank his awareness into this redness, he would hear the murmurs of thousands upon thousands of voices.

But currently, it was faint.

Unless he paid attention, he wouldn't notice it.

Yet this still made Xu Jin's expression change.

Side effect.

This is the side effect of the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pill.

He didn't know if there would ever be a way to eliminate it.

Otherwise, using Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills for cultivation would truly require caution!

The sensation of ten thousand murmurs in his mind just now made him feel deeply uncomfortable, nauseous and on the verge of vomiting.

After several breaths, Xu Jin focused his awareness on his Upper Star Palace, ignoring the bloodlight, and regained his composure.

Xu Jin roughly estimated the dosage: about two Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills should raise his cultivation by one layer.

For example, the Central Star Palace, if he consumed two Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pills consecutively, could break from Fourth Stage, Second Layer to Fourth Stage, Third Layer.

The thirty-plus pills he had weren't few.

Unfortunately, the side effect of just one pill made Xu Jin feel so unwell that he dared not take them consecutively.

He could only observe slowly, to see if the effect might fade naturally.

Or perhaps later, he could ask the Grand National Master if there was a way to eliminate it.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the meditation chamber—it was Jiang Er.

"Brother, Ying Ge, Master Ying, has come to visit. Do you want to see him?" Jiang Er asked.

"Yes."

Xu Jin had planned to visit Ying Ge these days; he didn't expect Ying Ge to come first.

(End of Chapter)