Haitin didn’t press for more details from Aksai.
Instead, he gave Aksai a long, thoughtful look, clearly intrigued.
“Now that I look at you, it all makes sense. So you’ve been practicing some strange techniques apart from Spirit cultivation,” Haitin mused aloud.
“I didn’t recognize the energy coursing through your body before. At first, I thought that it was some bloodline energy without any definitive roots. But it is indeed a bit different.”
A brief pause followed as Haitin considered the request seriously. Then, he finally spoke.
“Brother Aksai, my sect does indeed possess body cultivation techniques. And I dare say they are more complete and profound than anything held by the other two major demonic sects or even the Big Five Sects in the righteous faction.
After all, my clan has its roots in the regions beyond Shinayin Empire. Even though we didn’t bring much of our inheritance here, what we have is indeed a lot better than the cultivators here.”
He shifted slightly, glancing at Aksai with some doubt. “However, these techniques don’t rely on Spirit Essence. Instead, they use something known as Blood Force as their foundation. Do you still want them?”
Aksai’s curiosity piqued. Blood Force? He hadn’t heard of it before. Could it be the Qi energy? Or was it something similar to Qi but different? Aksai wasn’t sure.
In a world dominated by Spirit cultivation, where everyone focused on the same path to immortality, it wasn’t impossible for other forms of energy to exist, obscure and hidden. This was especially true for Dadangar world as a whole instead of just Dadangar Subcontinent.
This Blood Force sounded like an entirely new avenue for Aksai to explore. If it was similar to Qi energy, he would have a much easier time. The neural link fabric would be able to process the data more quickly, and within a few years, he could develop a suitable body cultivation technique to advance in the Argent Body Realm.
As for testing the derived technique? Aksai had no interest in using himself as a guinea pig. He could always return to Martial World Sharang and use the body practitioners there as test subjects.
Even if the techniques had nothing in common with Qi energy, Aksai wouldn’t mind. He could still utilize them to expand the neural link fabric’s database. Either way, he had little to lose.
“Blood Force, you say?” Aksai nodded thoughtfully. “If it can help me make progress, I’m willing to give it a shot.”
Haitin studied him for a moment before breaking into a grin. “You’re a bold one, brother Aksai. Most cultivators wouldn’t so readily jump into something as unconventional as Blood Force.” His tone carried approval, as though recognizing Aksai’s increasing alignment with the Heretic Dao.
Aksai smiled. “It’s not like I have many options at the moment,” he said lightly. “Besides, I’ve always believed that the more paths you explore, the better your chances of finding something that truly fits.”
Haitin paused, his eyes narrowing in thought before he spoke again, more frankly this time.
“Brother Aksai, I won’t try to undermine your reasoning, but I feel it’s only right to point out that what you’re suggesting may not be the best choice for Spirit cultivators like us. There’s a reason why these odd paths aren’t pursued by most Spirit cultivators.”
He leaned forward slightly, his expression serious yet calm.
“I wouldn’t discourage you if you were simply looking for body cultivation techniques based on Spirit essence. That makes sense—plenty of Spirit cultivators supplement their strength with such techniques.
But if you start delving into heretical techniques that rely on entirely different forms of energy, it could conflict with your Spirit cultivation path. And that’s something to seriously consider.”
Aksai remained quiet, listening intently. Haitin was obviously concerned and, though his tone was casual, Aksai could feel the weight of his words.
“You and I both know that the path of Spirit cultivation is profound and difficult,” Haitin continued.
“Even the most talented cultivators of our generation may never reach the late stage of the Foundation Building realm, let alone transcend the tribulation and become Core Formation Lords.
We’ve seen it happen, even with great potential, cultivators can stagnate. If I’m not wrong, you don’t have a particularly good Spirit Root. I’m surprised you managed to become a Foundation Building Expert at such an age despite your lack of talent.
Obviously, you have your own reasoning. You might also have fortuitous encounters in the past that made you think of these things.”
Haitin paused for a moment, letting that reality sink in. Then, with a careful tone, he added.
“But… we don’t know when our luck will run out. If you start practicing a deviant technique at the Foundation Building realm—especially one based on a completely different energy source like Blood Force—it could cause your Spirit cultivation base to stagnate.
You could lose precious years experimenting with something that may not yield the results you’re hoping for. Heretic Dao is also like that. You already have Heretic Dao to worry about. Don’t you think it would be too taxing for you to diverge at this point?”
Haitin’s gaze softened slightly as he observed Aksai, clearly invested in ensuring his point was made.
“I’ve invested in you because I believe you could be a strong practitioner of the Heretic Dao. I’m not saying this to dissuade you from trying new things, but I want you to fully understand the risks. If your Spirit cultivation stagnates, those lost years will be difficult—if not impossible—to recover.”
Aksai appreciated Haitin’s candor. He knew that the older cultivator wasn’t speaking out of selfish interest but out of a genuine desire to see him succeed—though, of course, success in this case also served Haitin’s long-term goals.
Still, there was an undeniable truth in what he was saying.
After a brief pause, Haitin finally asked.
“Are you certain this is how you want to use this opportunity? To obtain such techniques from me? I’d hate for you to make a choice you regret later.”
