Void Cultivation

The prospective disciple would be taken to the peripheral region of the Corroded Region and left there for an entire week.

No one would accompany them.

No one would protect them.

No one would interfere.

For seven days, they would have to survive entirely on their own.

At the end of that week, the prospective disciple would either be dead, mutated beyond recognition, or successfully capture a Bizarre existence.

Grey’s expression became strange.

The description of the process recorded on the jade slip was vague and contained very little explanation. There were no details regarding exactly how the prospective disciples were expected to capture a Bizarre existence or how they were supposed to survive the environment.

But this was to be expected.

The Bizarre Broken Sect was a super sect in every sense of the word.

How could they possibly reveal the secrets of their cultivation method to outsiders?

Even the information recorded in Zayne’s jade slip was likely only what could be obtained through superficial investigation.

The true secrets of the Bizarre Broken Sect were undoubtedly hidden deep within the sect itself.

And quite frankly, no one in their right mind would willingly attempt to imitate what they did.

The initiation ritual alone was enough to make most cultivators give up.

According to the information recorded by Zayne, the mortality rate of those who underwent the ritual was less than four percent.

At first glance, this might not seem particularly frightening.

But when the numbers were placed into perspective, the reality became far more horrifying.

If one thousand people underwent the initiation ritual, only around twenty or fewer would successfully return alive.

The remaining nine hundred and eighty or more would either die within the Corroded Region, mutate into something no longer considered human, or disappear without a trace.

And surviving the initiation ritual was not even the hardest part.

The true nightmare began after becoming a disciple of the Bizarre Broken Sect.

Surviving within the sect itself was even more difficult.

The Bizarre Broken Sect was situated close to a Corroded Region, meaning the concentration of corrosive substance within the sect was far denser than anywhere in the outside world.

The environment could even be compared to a Corrosive Zone on the Dead Sea.

Just breathing the air for an extended period of time could cause serious problems.

The corrosive substance would constantly seep into one’s body, gradually corroding the flesh, bones, meridians, and even the soul.

And that was only one of the dangers.

If a disciple didn’t die from the corrosive substance, there were still countless other ways for them to lose their life.

They could be killed by their fellow disciples.

They could lose control of the Bizarre existence they had captured.

Or, perhaps most terrifyingly, the Bizarre existence within their body could eventually break free.

After all, the disciples of the Bizarre Broken Sect were essentially harboring terrifying existences within themselves.

The moment they lost control, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Thus, surviving within the Bizarre Broken Sect was an extremely difficult task.

Every single disciple who managed to remain there for a long period of time had undoubtedly experienced countless life-and-death situations.

It was precisely because of this that almost all of the disciples of the Bizarre Broken Sect possessed terrifying auras.

Their bodies were constantly surrounded by an invisible sense of danger.

Even when they stood completely still, there was an oppressive feeling that made others instinctively want to keep their distance.

It was as if they had spent their entire lives walking along the edge of death.

The constant exposure to corrosive substance and the presence of Bizarre existences within their bodies had also caused them to develop a unique aura.

A bleak and baleful aura.

An aura that seemed to carry the faint scent of death.

Anyone who encountered a disciple of the Bizarre Broken Sect could immediately tell that they were different from ordinary cultivators.

They had survived something that most people would not even dare to approach.

But there were always abnormalities.

There were always those who stood above their peers.

Kaien was precisely such a person.

Even among the already terrifying disciples of the Bizarre Broken Sect, Kaien had managed to grow far stronger than those of the same generation.

His talent was extraordinary.

His strength was terrifying.

And, most importantly, he had successfully sealed a Bizarre existence within his body.

For an ordinary disciple, merely surviving the presence of a Bizarre existence was already an incredible achievement.

But Kaien had gone even further.

He had managed to completely seal one within himself and use its power without losing control.

Such a person naturally possessed an extraordinary ability to survive.

For Kaien, the corrosive substance surrounding the Bizarre Broken Sect was not a significant issue.

He had already endured far worse.

And because he had successfully sealed a Bizarre existence within his body, he had also developed the decisiveness and ruthlessness necessary to survive in such a brutal environment.

The Bizarre Broken Sect was not a place where kindness or hesitation could keep someone alive.

If one hesitated for even a moment, they might lose their life.

If one was too weak, they would be devoured.

If one was not ruthless enough, they would eventually become prey.

Only the strongest and most decisive could survive for long.

Kaien was clearly one of those people.

However, even someone like him had to bear the harsh consequences of harboring a Bizarre existence within his body.

The power came with a price.

The stronger the Bizarre existence, the greater the burden placed upon its host.

There was no such thing as obtaining power without paying a price.

As Grey read through the jade slip, his expression gradually changed.

A look of understanding slowly appeared on his face.

"So that’s how it is..."

Grey’s fingers tightened slightly around the jade slip.

His thoughts immediately returned to the rusty nail hidden within his body.

The strange Ancient Technique.

The nourishment it required.

The Bizarre existence that had been devoured.

And Kaien.

All of these things were beginning to connect in Grey’s mind.

Perhaps the reason the rusty nail had reacted so violently to Kaien’s Bizarre existence was not because it was simply powerful.

Perhaps it was because of the unique nature of the Bizarre existence.

Or perhaps...

It was because of what Kaien had done to it.

The rusty nail had been silent for so long.

It had ignored every other Bizarre existence Grey had encountered.

Yet the moment it sensed the Bizarre existence within Kaien, it had finally reacted.

This was clearly not a coincidence.

Grey’s gaze became increasingly profound.

If he wanted to understand the rusty nail, he would have to understand Bizarre existences.

And if he wanted to understand Bizarre existences, the Bizarre Broken Sect might be the key.

For the first time, Grey felt that the strange sect he had previously considered nothing more than another super sect might be far more important to him than he had initially imagined.

He slowly closed the jade slip.

There were still many mysteries surrounding the Bizarre Broken Sect.

But at least now, Grey had finally found a direction to investigate.

And perhaps, if he could uncover the secret behind Kaien’s Bizarre existence...

He might finally understand why the rusty nail had chosen to devour it.