Unrestricted Dao Lord

After taking the Blood Replenishing Pill, Zhang Su cultivated for an entire night before he completely refined it.

Yesterday, Zhang Su had generated Qi Blood, but only a single, meager wisp of it.

And now?

A full one hundred wisps!

Moreover, these one hundred wisps of Qi Blood had already condensed into a single strand.

One hundred wisps of Qi Blood formed one strand, and with twenty strands, one could break through to the Second Layer of the Qi Blood Realm.

Zhang Su had lived with Du Tian and the other two for a year, so he had a general idea of their cultivation progress.

Under normal circumstances, Du Tian and the others were considered geniuses.

They could cultivate anywhere from a few to ten wisps of Qi Blood a day, and that was pretty much their limit.

Even at the maximum rate of ten wisps of Qi Blood per day, that would be three hundred wisps a month, which could be condensed into three strands.

At that rate, it would take about seven months to break through to the Second Layer of the Qi Blood Realm.

Of course, if one had medicinal foods, herbal baths, or other potent supplements to aid their cultivation, the speed could be even faster.

And yet, in a single day, Zhang Su had managed to nourish one hundred wisps of Qi Blood.

Ten times what Du Tian and the others could manage!

Of course, this wasn’t because Zhang Su’s talent was particularly high.

It was thanks to the Blood Replenishing Pill.

’A single Blood Replenishing Pill is equivalent to the Qi Blood Du Tian and the others nourish through ten days of hard work. No wonder they were green with envy when they saw the pills. They really are a potent supplement for Qi Blood Realm Martial Artists.’

’If I take one Blood Replenishing Pill every day, then I’ll only need twenty days to advance to the Second Layer of the Qi Blood Realm...’

Twenty days!

That speed was simply miraculous!

Of course, his Taotie Nourishing Blood Technique was currently only at the entry-level.

Once the Taotie Nourishing Blood Technique reached Minor Achievement and then Great Success, its efficiency would be even higher.

At that point, it might only take ten days to break through to the Second Layer of the Qi Blood Realm.

However, whether it took ten days or twenty, there was one key factor: the Blood Replenishing Pills.

Zhang Su had to ensure he had one Blood Replenishing Pill per day.

Zhang Su immediately opened the Wooden Box.

He carefully counted the Blood Replenishing Pills inside.

There were fourteen Blood Replenishing Pills left in the Wooden Box.

To guarantee a daily supply, he would need thirty Blood Replenishing Pills for a month.

’I remember the Guiyuan Sect sells Blood Replenishing Pills, but I hear they’re pretty expensive.’

Zhang Su thought for a moment.

He decided it was best to use up these pills first before worrying about it.

And so, Zhang Su stayed in his room.

Every day, he took a Blood Replenishing Pill and cultivated.

Occasionally, he would also practice his two swordsmanship techniques.

The days passed one by one.

As his Taotie Nourishing Blood Technique improved, his efficiency at refining the Blood Replenishing Pills also increased.

The amount of Qi Blood he gained each day grew larger and larger.

However, Du Tian and the other two seemed to be growing more and more frustrated.

They had originally planned to use the conflict between Wang Hai and Zhang Su to teach Zhang Su a lesson.

But as it turned out, Zhang Su didn’t leave his room at all.

How was Wang Hai supposed to teach Zhang Su a lesson now?

This deeply frustrated the three of them.

"Zhang Su, Elder Gu is giving a public demonstration of Top Martial Techniques today. Aren’t you going to watch?"

Du Tian asked.

Zhang Su shook his head. "Top Martial Techniques are not something I can cultivate. I’ll pass."

A few more days passed, and Zhao Feng spoke up. "Zhang Su, two of our Outer Sect’s Famous Disciples, Senior Sister Jiang and Senior Brother Liu, are having a sparring match. It’s drawn a huge crowd. Aren’t you going to watch?"

"Not going! Both of them are at the Ninth Layer of the Qi Blood Realm, just one step away from generating Inner Strength. They’re too far beyond me. It would be a waste of time to go watch."

Zhang Su still wouldn’t go.

Du Tian and the other two frowned.

During this time, they had used all sorts of excuses to try and persuade Zhang Su to go out.

But Zhang Su hadn’t gone out once.

Judging by their expressions, all three of them were deeply disappointed.

"You guys... really want me to go out?"

Zhang Su’s words startled the three of them.

Du Tian hurriedly said, "Zhang Su, we’re just worried you’re working too hard on your martial arts. The Elders always say that practice requires a balance between exertion and rest. You can’t just train bitterly all the time."

Zhang Su looked thoughtful.

"No need. My foundation is too poor. I just have to work twice as hard to catch up."

After speaking, Zhang Su continued to take Blood Replenishing Pills and cultivate his Qi Blood.

The three exchanged a look, speechless.

’Zhang Su is constantly taking Blood Replenishing Pills to cultivate. Once he runs out, he’ll have to go out. Let’s just wait patiently.’

Since Zhang Su refused to go out no matter what, they could only give up for now.

They refused to believe that Zhang Su could keep cultivating indefinitely.

The days passed one by one.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Zhang Su, who had stayed in his room every day, popped the last Blood Replenishing Pill into his mouth.

It then dissolved into wisp after wisp of Qi Blood.

When the amount of his Qi Blood reached a certain point...

BOOM.

Zhang Su felt a tremor run through his entire body’s Qi Blood.

’I’ve done it, Second Layer of the Qi Blood Realm! It only took fifteen days, even faster than I expected...’

Zhang Su slowly opened his eyes.

He immediately checked his status panel.

Host: Zhang Su

Cultivation: Second Layer of the Qi Blood Realm

Taotie Nourishing Blood Technique: Compatibility 91% (Great Success)

Nine Shadows Sword Technique: Compatibility 93% (Great Success)

Triple Wave: Compatibility 91% (Great Success)

Compatibility Value: 0

After half a month of bitter cultivation, both of his Swordsmanship techniques and his Taotie Nourishing Blood Technique had reached Great Success.

At the Great Success stage, the Taotie Nourishing Blood Technique was extremely efficient.

Previously, one Blood Replenishing Pill only allowed him to cultivate one hundred wisps of Qi Blood per day.

Now, a single pill allowed him to cultivate one hundred and fifty wisps per day.

That was an efficiency increase of fifty percent!

However, Zhang Su could also sense that for Cultivation Techniques with a Compatibility of over 90%, it was relatively easy to go from entry-level to Great Success.

But going from Great Success to Perfection was not so simple.

Even if he could reach Perfection, it would probably take a significant amount of time.

’Half a month... and I’m out of Blood Replenishing Pills. Perfect timing. I can go check the price of the pills sold by the Guiyuan Sect.’

Zhang Su immediately got up, ready to leave.

"Huh? Zhang Su, you’re going out?"

At that moment, Du Tian and the other two noticed Zhang Su’s movements and asked.

"Yeah, going for a walk."

With that, Zhang Su pushed the door open and walked straight out.

Du Tian and the other two exchanged a glance, a trace of excitement flashing in their eyes.

"He finally couldn’t sit still any longer. Let’s go, quick, go inform Wang Hai."

"Wang Hai has been wanting to teach Zhang Su a lesson for a while. He didn’t dare act recklessly while Zhang Su was hiding in the room, but now that he’s out, it’ll be easy."

"Let’s go."

And so, the three of them also hurried away.

Zhang Su paid no mind to the movements of Du Tian and his friends.

He headed straight for the Guiyuan Sect’s Trading Hall.

Here, the Sect sold all sorts of supplies.

Of course, the Sect also bought certain supplies.

However, the discounts varied between different types of disciples.

Outer Disciples received no discount at all.

Inner Sect Disciples received a 20% discount on all supplies.

True Disciples received a 50% discount on all supplies.

From these discount rules, one could see that in the Guiyuan Sect, only Inner Sect and True Disciples were considered true disciples in the real sense of the word.

They were the ones worth the Sect’s resources to cultivate.

As for Outer Disciples?

They were treated like Gu-bugs, left to fight amongst themselves until only the strongest survived.

Only those who stood out and were promoted to the Inner Sect were deemed worthy of the Sect’s cultivation.

Outer Disciples came and went in waves; the Guiyuan Sect didn’t care about them in the slightest.

Zhang Su arrived at the Trading Hall and inquired about the price of Blood Replenishing Pills.

’One Blood Replenishing Pill for fifty contribution points?’

That was equivalent to fifty taels of silver for a single pill.

It was indeed very expensive.

No wonder Elder Guan had said his big brother had gone through great trouble to get the Blood Replenishing Pills.

However, Zhang Su wasn’t short on contribution points at the moment.

He immediately exchanged points for thirty Blood Replenishing Pills, a month’s supply. Just like that, the equivalent of one thousand five hundred taels of silver was gone.

No wonder people said, "Scholarship for the poor, martial arts for the rich." Zhang Su was now feeling this deeply.

Of course, unless one came from an incredibly wealthy family, it was impossible to eat Blood Replenishing Pills like they were candy.

Zhang Su had originally planned to leave right away.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted some weapons.

Zhang Su had been practicing the sword recently, so a good sword was essential.

Although the Sect provided standard-issue longswords, their quality was very average.

And in a duel between Martial Artists, a good weapon could undoubtedly increase one’s combat effectiveness.

Otherwise, if your opponent had a superior weapon and you clashed, they could shatter your sword with a single strike.

What would be the point of fighting then?

Zhang Su went to the weapon area and began to carefully browse the Treasure Swords.

There were several Stewards in the weapon area.

Zhang Su walked straight up to one and asked, "Excuse me, Steward, how should a disciple go about choosing a Treasure Sword?"

The Steward glanced at Zhang Su and asked, "What Swordsmanship style do you primarily practice?"

"The Nine Shadows Sword Technique and Triple Wave."

Zhang Su answered honestly.

"Oh? The Nine Shadows Sword Technique focuses on ’speed,’ while the Triple Wave Sword Technique focuses on ’power.’ Most people would only focus on one, yet you practice both... In that case, this Cold Frost Sword would be perfect for you."

"The Cold Frost Sword is tough and durable, unafraid of heavy clashes, which makes it suitable for your Triple Wave Sword Technique. Moreover, it isn’t heavy. When infused with Qi Blood, it emits gusts of cold wind, which would complement your Nine Shadows Sword Technique like adding wings to a tiger."

"Its only drawback is the price!"

Zhang Su reached out and gripped the hilt of the Cold Frost Sword.

Instantly, a cool sensation traveled up from the hilt.

SHING.

Zhang Su drew the sword, and it did indeed have a chilling feel to it.

He was very satisfied.

"What’s the price?"

"One thousand contribution points."

Even Zhang Su couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

That was equivalent to one thousand taels of silver!

’But a good sword could sometimes save my life.’

One thousand taels of silver was certainly expensive, but it was worth the price!

Besides, he wasn’t short on that kind of silver right now.

"Alright, I’ll exchange for the Cold Frost Sword!"

Another one thousand contribution points were deducted from Zhang Su’s Identity Token.

Added to the one thousand five hundred points for the Blood Replenishing Pills, he now only had two thousand six hundred contribution points left on his Identity Token.

Zhang Su tucked away the thirty Blood Replenishing Pills.

Holding the Cold Frost Sword, he walked out of the Trading Hall.

He couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

’It feels good to have money!’

If he had no money, he might have been like most Outer Disciples, desperately trying to complete sect missions to earn contribution points or silver.

How could he have cultivated with peace of mind then?

Zhang Su hadn’t walked far.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

Because he saw a figure standing before him.

The person was holding a sword, their gaze fixed squarely on him.

"Zhang Su, I originally thought you had some backbone, but I see you’re just like your brother, shamelessly spending the silver your live-in son-in-law brother scammed from the Su Family."

"No, you’re even more of a waste than your brother. At least he knows how to sweet-talk and deceive Zhenzhen. But you? It took you a whole year just to generate Qi Blood. You’re the trash of all trash!"

Zhang Su recognized this person holding the sword.

It was Wang Hai, an Outer Disciple at the Third Layer of the Qi Blood Realm!

He had another identity: the direct heir of the Wang Family.

He was also his older brother’s former "rival in love."

He had unsuccessfully pursued the young lady of the Su Family—who was now Zhang Su’s sister-in-law.

Wang Hai couldn’t do anything to Zhang Su’s older brother.

So he often came to cause trouble for Zhang Su instead.

However, in the past, it had always been Zhang Su’s "companions"—Du Tian and the others—who had come to his rescue.

But now?

Where were Du Tian and the others?