Chapter 544: Ten-Rank Soldier Control Register

External tempering of the body, internal tempering of the spirit!

When martial cultivation reaches the Yuan He Yi Jing realm, it has already truly transcended the realm of man!

A martial artist who has achieved Great Accomplishment in Blood Exchange, if willing to pay a price, can twist their sinews and bones, recombining their tempered form to transform into a spirit beast, or even a spirit bird!

Before, Li Li Yuanzhong had also tried transforming into a young elephant, but he only possessed its shape!

But a Grand Master is different—at least the eight top-grade spirit beasts that the Heavenly Silkworm Daoist transformed into possessed both form and spirit; no matter how he looked, he could not spot the slightest flaw, as if they were real!

If this old Daoist left descendants in beast form, wouldn't the already extinct spirit beasts be a sin, a sin!

Li Li Yuanzhong's thoughts wandered for a moment, and he himself felt a chill. Such a thing was probably not something any Grand Master would want to try—at least he had never seen any record of it in any classic!

"Not right."

Li Li Yuanzhong's eyelid twitched, suddenly thinking of the Dragon Demon Daoist!

This person's manuscripts contained similar research; he had even dissected a Grand Master of the He Yi Jing realm for it, ultimately concluding that the spirit beasts transformed by He Yi Jing martial artists were just like the real thing!

At the time he hadn't thought much of it, but now mulling it over, he sensed something strange!

This old demon didn't shy away from dissecting Grand Masters—who's to say he hadn't conducted similar experiments!

Li Li Yuanzhong shivered, dismissing the thought rising in his heart, and instead picked up the jar to study it:

"Transforming into a spirit beast to drain blood seems to cause enormous consumption of vital energy. It's only because this old Daoist's life force is so vigorous—swap in another Grand Master, and they might not be able to drain eight kinds of blood from a single body!

My understanding of Grand Masters still isn't deep enough!

These are eight different kinds of blood—their color, smell, even viscosity are all different. If this blood hadn't been released by his own hand, he wouldn't dare believe it came from the same person's body!

"Hope the Ancestral Master isn't too picky an eater…"

Muttering to himself, Li Li Yuanzhong returned to his residence!

He now also lived in the rear mountain of Dragon Gate, just not opposite the small temple, but only seven or eight li away, in a secluded environment,

and a large area; being close to the cliff edge, it was shrouded in mist all day!

Squeak squeak sounds came from the courtyard. After Little Rat returned to Dragon Tiger Temple, the first thing he did was gather his old subordinates—about ten fat, big rats—to take back his lost Rat King throne!

Ignoring Little Rat who was currently berating his subordinates, Li Li Yuanzhong took the jar and went elsewhere!

This courtyard was where Long Xi Xiang had lived in his early years, covering more than ten mu. It had bamboo groves and rockeries, vegetable plots and mountain springs, dozens of rooms, and front and back gates!

Li Li Yuanzhong had just set down the jar when someone came to report!

"Brother Niu, this is the Hundred Gold Essence that Master himself ordered me to personally deliver!"

At the back gate, Xin Xin Wenhua had been waiting for a long time. He cupped his hands in greeting now, curiously sizing up the yellow-faced man Niu Gui before him, feeling quite astonished in his heart!

He knew very well how much his own Master valued the Hundred Gold Essence. Previously, when Junior Brother Li forged the Pure Yang Dragon-Tiger Sword for him, he only got about one liang!

Yet for this Niu Gui, he handed out fifteen liang straightaway—this was all the remaining Hundred Gold Essence he had!

"Many thanks to Brother Xin for the delivery, and also many thanks to Sect Leader Nie!"

Li Li Yuanzhong cupped his hands in thanks and solemnly reached out to take that piece of Hundred Gold Essence. This was something he had pestered Old Daoist Nie for many days, and only after agreeing to forge another top-grade divine armor for him did he barely manage to obtain it!

Counting what he got from Xinyi Sect and the Green Dragon Pavilion, the last material needed for the Soldier Control Register to advance to the tenth rank, "Hundred Gold Essence

fifty liang," was finally gathered!

"

This Hundred Gold Essence wasn't easy to come by. Brother Niu must remember to use it sparingly—Master himself doesn't even have one liang left in stock!

Xin Xin Wenhua reluctantly let go, feeling his own heart ache!

The wealth accumulated by his Xin family over twenty generations was still far from half of these fifteen liang of Hundred Gold Essence—and that's putting it generously. In fact, this stuff simply had a price but no market!

"Many thanks for the tip, Brother Xin."

Li Li Yuanzhong took the Hundred Gold Essence and also felt it was quite difficult!

If not for the great debt of gratitude owed to the Heavenly Silkworm Daoist and the Itchy-Head Chan Master—two old ancestors of the Weidao Sect—and his own promise afterward

to bring them into the Eight Directions Temple, the materials for the Soldier Control Register to advance to the tenth rank would have been hard to gather even in another fifty years!

Simply because this Hundred Gold Essence is too hard to obtain!

The gold mines of all the Daoist sects and prefectures of the Great Fortune combined might not produce two liang in a year. This was all accumulated over the years by the Daoist sects

bit by bit!

There was no more!

Xin takes his leave!

Xin Xin Wenhua didn't linger; he was afraid he might not be able to resist regretting it. Such a large amount of Hundred Gold Essence, giving it to Junior Brother Li would be one thing, but giving it to an outsider!

"Senior Brother Xin has also begun Blood Exchange, but he's not seeking speed but stability. That's right, stability is good!"

Li Li Yuanzhong watched him leave. During the better part of a year he had been down the mountain, quite a few things had happened at Dragon Tiger Temple!

Mainly, the various Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters were charging at the Gate of Dao Entry. Some rejoiced, some grieved. Half were still in closed-door cultivation; of the half who had emerged, only three successfully entered the Dao. The remaining few, though they had Dragon Tiger Nourishing Life Pills, were already drained in both qi and blood, and could no longer enter the

Dao!

"Enter the Dao!"

Li Li Yuanzhong muttered in his heart!

The transformation of talent affected every aspect, and the most immediate was naturally the speed of cultivation!

From Great Accomplishment in Blood Exchange to preparing for the Gate of Dao Entry, Dou Yue in those years prepared for over a decade, yet his own Great Accomplishment in Blood Exchange took only two months in total, and the heat was already nearly sufficient!

Once the Soldier Control Register is advanced, he can set about entering the Dao!

Li Li Yuanzhong took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart, closed the main gate, and returned to the rear courtyard.

In the great hall of the rear courtyard, the doors and windows were tightly shut!

Twelve thousand jin of yellow gold, nine thousand one hundred liang of red gold, two thousand liang of refined gold, fifty liang of Hundred Gold Essence!"

Li Li Yuanzhong was taking stock of the materials for the Soldier Control Register to advance to the tenth rank!

This was a sum that even for noble families and sects would be considered extremely large. Without relying on sect power, an individual could almost never

To have scraped together such a vast fortune!

After tossing the little mother dragon into the Soldier Register, Li Yuan took out the essence of a hundred gold, counted it carefully to confirm the quantity was correct, then lit the spirit incense one by one, and held a spirit pill in his mouth as well!

Once fully prepared, he sat cross-legged, extended his palm: "Advance."

Hum!

The instant a pile of gold materials vanished, the experienced Li Yuan's body trembled, his spirit instantly left his flesh, and the tremendous roar that seemed capable of tearing even souls apart followed!

Boom.

A tremendous roar exploded from nowhere!

Li Yuan felt his perception instantly ravaged by the violence, the searing pain twisting even his spirit!

Why is this tremendous roar fiercer each time?

Li Yuan groaned inwardly, feeling like a withered leaf swept up in a gale, on the verge of capsizing at any moment!

This tremendous roar pierced through the Register-receiving and the advancement, but at first, he remembered the sound had not been so violent!

Boom.

The tremendous roar echoed in his sea of consciousness, longer than any before, and in a daze, Li Yuan seemed to make out something!

This tremendous roar, is it the bellow of some unspeakable thing?

"Mm?"

With a shift of his mind, Li Yuan, relying on the augmentation of the nine bone ornaments, focused his spirit amid the agony and began to perceive this tremendous roar!

Hum!

Seemingly an instant, yet seemingly an eternity!

Li Yuan seemed to see a vast, boundless cosmic deep space, and saw "stars" lighting up one after another…

The tremendous roar faded, Li Zhou came back to himself and looked down, only to see blood spurting from the seven orifices of his body—a shocking sight!

"Hum!"

Li Yuan returned to his flesh, endured the intense pain, swallowed his pills, circulated his true qi, and only recovered after a long while!

"What was that stretch of deep space"

Casually wiping the blood from the corner of his eye, Li Yuan's mind kept replaying that fleeting glimpse he had caught while focusing his spirit!

Boundless deep space, stars lighting up in the darkness…

"Looks a bit like You Jing?"

Li Yuan recalled the Heavenly Market he had glimpsed that day from Zi You Jing

Wall, yet felt it wasn't quite right; he frowned in thought, but

alas he had only seen it for a moment, and could only guess wildly!

After a moment, he set aside his thoughts and finally perceived the Soldier Register!

【Ten-Tier Soldier Lord, Li Yuan】

【Number of Weapons Controllable: Ten】

【Activated: Divine Fire Weapon-Fusing Furnace (Ten-Tier), Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform (Ten-Tier), Xing Xing Tongyou (Activated)】

Advancement successful.

Li Yuan focused his spirit and entered the Soldier Space, looking around from the stone platform that had expanded several times over, now resembling a vast plaza!

The Soldier Register hung like a river of stars, ten stars twinkling, yet unable to illuminate the deep darkness all around!

"That deep space looks more like the abyss beyond the stone platform—could those stars be the Soldier Register?"

Li Yuan's mind wandered as he also took in the information following the Soldier Register's advancement!

Compared to the ninth tier, the tenth tier brought no qualitative change—on the empty stone platform stood only the Weapon-Fusing Furnace, the Weapon-Forging Platform, and Xing Xing Tongyou, which always lingered at the edge!

The Weapon-Fusing Furnace and the Weapon-Forging Platform showed no difference!

After a brief sensing, Li Yuan walked toward the edge of the stone platform; the sole change after the Soldier Register advanced to the tenth tier was that Xing Xing Tongyou!

"Xing Xing Tongyou…"

He tried to touch Xing Xing Tongyou and sensed fragmented information!

After focusing his spirit and analyzing for a long time, Li Yuan finally heard two characters—Yuan Huo—among them. His heart stirred, he drew over a wisp of incense fire, and tried bringing the incense fire close to Xing Xing Tongyou!

From the unranked tier up to the sixth tier, Xing Xing Tongyou showed no reaction whatsoever, until Li Yuan frowned… and drew over a wisp of seventh-tier incense fire, when a faint light burst forth on the arch of Xing Xing Tongyou!

Like a starving beast opening its great maw, it swallowed the incense fire whole in one gulp!

Hum!

Li Yuan stepped back a few paces, only to see various characters emerge along the edge of the arch—characters extremely strange, none of any kind he had ever seen!

Yet at a single glance, he could actually comprehend the meaning contained within those characters!

【Xing Xing Tongyou】

【Number of Traversals: 1】

【Enterable Strange Land Tier: First Heaven】

"This!"

Li Yuan felt a chill of dread!

The information contained in this line of text was vast, and it was not forcibly stuffed into him, but transmitted in a way he could not yet understand, allowing him to fully grasp its meaning!

Xing Xing Tongyou—as the name suggests, can lead to You Jing!

By paying Yuan Huo, one may traverse to You Jing, though the destination is entirely unknown, most likely a strange land!

As for First Heaven…

Strange lands actually have tiers of high and low?

Li Yuan digested the information about Xing Xing Tongyou, and his heart eased somewhat—earlier he had been worried that something eerie might come through from the other end of Xing Xing Tongyou!

"Still, is this First Layer Heaven high or low? How high is high, how low is low?"