Cultivation is Creation Chapter 337: Blood and Bargains

The morning sun entered through the windows of our small courtyard rooms, casting warm patterns across the simple wooden table where we shared breakfast. Wei Lin was practically glowing, not just from the sunlight, but from the unmistakable radiance of a successful breakthrough.

"Pass the congee, would you?" Lin i asked, her eyes never leaving Wei Lin as if he might vanish if she looked away. The events of last night had clearly left her shaken, though relief had replaced most of her earlier anger.

I slid the earthenware pot toward her, watching as Wei Lin casually floated a spoon through the air with a flick of his finger. Show-off.

"So," I said, breaking the comfortable silence, "how does it feel to be looking down at us lowly peasants from your lofty Ninth Stage heights?"

Wei Lin grinned, popping a slice of pickled radish into his mouth. "Honestly? Strange. I've spent so long planning each step of my cultivation that suddenly skipping ahead feels... unearned, sohow." He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing their reality. "I keep expecting to wake up and find it was just a dream."

"Nothing unearned about it," I countered. "You left the safety of the sect in search for the breakthrough; you nearly died for it."

"Ke Yin's right," Lin i added, her stern expression softening. "Though I still think you were reckless." She poked his arm with her chopsticks for emphasis.

Wei Lin caught her hand, his expression growing serious. "I know. And I'm sorry for worrying you. But I don't regret the outco." His gaze shifted to . "Both of us having Beyond Heaven-rank thods ans our paths are bound to be... unconventional."

I nodded, we shared sothing that set us apart from other disciples, cultivation thods that defied normal progression, that stretched the boundaries of what was possible.

"It's nice," I admitted, "having soone who won't get left behind." The mont the words left my mouth, I realized how arrogant they sounded. "That ca out wrong. I just ant—"

"No, I understand," Wei Lin laughed. "Most Beyond Heaven-rank cultivators end up isolated. Their peers can't keep up, and their seniors see them as threats." He raised his tea cup in a mock toast. "To abnormal cultivation paths and the friends who walk them."

Lin i rolled her eyes but smiled. "You two and your secret society of weird cultivation thods."

"Says the woman who combines herbalism and formation arts like nobody else," I replied. "Don't pretend you're normal either."

We continued breakfast, discussing the upcoming tournant at the sect and Wei Lin's plans for his ninth marketplace stall. The comfortable banter felt alien yet comforting, a slice of normality in the chaos of cultivation.

"What are your plans for today, Ke Yin?" Lin i asked, gathering the empty dishes. "We should head back to the sect by tomorrow at the latest. The tournant prelims start in a few days.”

I nodded, having already decided my course of action. "I have so ditation to catch up on.”

"We'll be in town gathering supplies," Wei Lin said. "Lin i wants to stock up on so rare herbs they sell here in the mountain markets."

"Perfect," I replied. "I'll et you for dinner, then?"

We agreed on a ti, and after helping clear the table, I retreated to my room. As soon as the sliding door closed behind , I activated a more comprehensive privacy formation than the one I'd used the previous night. This one would not only prevent sound from escaping but would also mask any spiritual fluctuations that might occur during the ritual I was about to attempt.

Taking a deep breath, I settled into a cross-legged position on the sleeping mat and closed my eyes, focusing my awareness inward to enter my inner world.

The Genesis Seed stood proud at the center, its roots spreading outward into the four distinct quadrants I'd so carefully constructed. And there, wrapped in those roots, was Ke Jun's blood statue, crimson and motionless, still under the influence of my Blue Sun calligraphy.

I approached cautiously, studying the statue's features. Even frozen, there was sothing unsettling about the blood-red sculpture of my supposed ancestor. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what he'd attempted to do to , or perhaps it was simply the unnatural stillness of sothing I knew to be animate.

With a gesture, I summoned a small portion of Blue Sun energy, forming it into a counter-symbol to the sleep character I'd inscribed on Ke Jun's forehead. The azure glyph hovered between my fingers for a mont before I sent it floating forward to rge with the original character.

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There was a flash of blue light, and the sleep symbol dissolved.

For several heartbeats, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the blood-red eyes of the statue opened, focusing imdiately on with unnerving intensity.

"That was unnecessary," Ke Jun said, his voice carrying a hint of annoyance. "And frankly, discourteous."

"Forgive for not extending the highest courtesies to soone who tried to possess my body," I replied dryly. "Consider it a reasonable precaution."

Ke Jun's expression shifted to one of mild amusent. "Fair enough, descendant. I see you've returned promptly. I take that to an you've secured what we need for the ritual?"

I nodded, producing the vial of Zhao Xun's blood, though only in spiritual form, a projection of the real vial I'd prepared in the physical world. "Demonic blood from a Stage Eight cultivator, as requested. Fresh enough that it still carries his spiritual essence."

Ke Jun's eyes widened slightly. "Impressive," he admitted. "I expected you to take much longer hunting a demonic beast. Where did you find a demonic cultivator?"

"He found us," I said simply. "He made the mistake of targeting my friend."

"Convenient timing," Ke Jun remarked. "The World Tree Sutra cultivators have always had remarkable luck. Perhaps it's not coincidence but so innate affinity for finding what you need across worlds."

I shrugged. "I've obtained the blood. Now tell exactly how this ritual works."

Ke Jun's lips curved into a thin smile. "Eager, aren't we? Very well." He shifted slightly within his restraints, the Genesis Seed's roots adjusting to maintain their grip. "The ritual requires three components: the physical setup in your external body's world, the spiritual connection to within your inner world, and the ethereal projection to the Nexus itself."

I settled cross-legged on the ground before him, prepared to absorb every detail. This wasn't the kind of technique where approximations would suffice.

"First," Ke Jun began, "you must prepare a space in the physical world, ideally circular, with the demonic blood placed at the center of a three-point formation. Use spirit stones at each of the three points to stabilize the energy flow. The formation doesn't need to be complex, just balanced."

"Simple enough," I nodded. "What next?"

"Once the physical formation is active, you'll enter ditation and return here, to your inner world. Then guide your spiritual sense to link with the demonic blood through , essentially using your connection to and my bloodline's connection to the demonic arts to create a bridge."

I frowned. "That sounds... intimate."

"Worried I'll try to possess you again?” Ke Jun laughed. “Don't be. The Genesis Seed has thoroughly contained, and this process creates a one-way channel only. Think of it as borrowing my knowledge rather than my influence."

I wasn't entirely convinced, but I nodded for him to continue.

"The final step is the most delicate," he said, his tone growing serious. "Once the bridge is established, channel the Ethereal Link technique. You'll need to execute it perfectly the first ti, there's no room for error when connecting to the Nexus."

"And if I make a mistake?" I asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Best case? Nothing happens, and we try again after you recover. Worst case?" His blood-red eyes glead. "Your consciousness gets lost between realms, leaving your body an empty shell. But don't worry, that is extrely rare, and your technique only needs to be ninety percent correct. I'll handle the rest."

"How comforting," I muttered.

Ke Jun continued as if he hadn't heard my sarcasm. "Once connected, your astral form will manifest within the Nexus. Because you're entering through , using demonic blood as a dium, you'll appear as a shadow figure, faceless, identityless, but unmistakably carrying the aura of a blood cultivator."

"Which should keep anyone from recognizing ," I nodded.

"Precisely. Even if you encountered soone from your sect, they would never connect the shadowy blood cultivator to the unassuming Ke Yin."

I considered this for a mont. "I'll need sothing to trade once I'm there. The Nexus operates on exchange, not charity."

"Yes, about that,” Ke Jun paused. “I can provide you with knowledge to trade, techniques and insights from my centuries of cultivation. They won't be my highest arts, mind you, but still valuable enough to secure what you need."

"Blood arts?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Among others," he admitted. "So combat techniques that don't rely on blood, so alchemical formulas, perhaps a formation or two. Fragnts, mostly, what this splinter of consciousness still retains clearly."

"Very well," I agreed. "But I choose which techniques to offer. I won't trade anything that might compromise my cultivation path or draw Heaven's Mandate's attention."

"Heaven’s Mandate has no jurisdiction in the Nexus, but there’s no harm in being safe, I guess," Ke Jun laughed. "Now, co closer. The transmission of these techniques requires proximity."

I approached cautiously until I stood just beyond arm's reach of the restrained statue. Ke Jun closed his eyes in concentration, and a mont later, I felt the familiar sensation of knowledge being imprinted directly into my spiritual sense, not words or images, but complete understanding flowing into like water into a vessel.

The techniques varied widely.

So were simple combat arts that used blood only as a dium for spiritual energy, while others were more complex rituals that required significant blood sacrifice. There were alchemical formulas that used blood as a catalyst, formations that incorporated blood as a binding agent, and even a few basic techniques for blood refinent that could purify tainted essence.

I sorted through them ntally. Techniques from a Civilisation Realm expert, Azure could analyze them later and draw so valuable insights. One in particular caught my interest, a technique for creating a blood-shadow clone that could operate independently for a limited ti.

"These should be enough," I said as the transmission completed. "Now, before I leave, there's sothing I've been wondering about."

Ke Jun raised an eyebrow, looking almost amused at my audacity in asking questions after he'd held up his end of the bargain. "Yes?"

"You recognized that I'm a World Tree Sutra cultivator imdiately, calling a 'world walker.' Yet my own master, Elder Chen Yong, a Life Realm expert, has never once ntioned this aspect of my cultivation thod. Why is that? Why don't more people seem to know about world walkers?"