No matter what, Wang Yu’s few sentences not only framed the others but also portrayed himself as a victim, playing up his own misery. He painted it all as being for the sake of the sect, positioning himself as someone being bullied.
However, the scene in front of everyone…
Had deviated a little too far. Three arms and three legs were lying on the ground, and none of them belonged to Wang Yu.
The surrounding Spirit Slaves were stunned speechless.
Steward Duan took a deep breath. He had just stood up for Wang Yu in front of everyone, and now that something had happened, he couldn’t simply distance himself.
"I understand. Get a few people to carry them away. Treat them well. Let them continue contributing to the Holy Sect in the future."
"Yes!"
Several people immediately stepped forward from the instructors’ group. Just as they began to lift the injured.
Another steward arrived. It was Steward Liu.
The three Spirit Slave stewards were all at the late stage of Qi Refining, with hopes of forming their Foundation. Their opportunities depended on the Core Disciples behind them.
The struggle for control over Spirit Slaves was also a struggle over their own paths of cultivation.
Steward Liu appeared younger, lean in build, with a goatee. He wore a purple robe of office and a tall official’s crown.
His gaze was cold as he looked toward Wang Yu.
"You did this?"
Wang Yu was just about to repeat his earlier excuse when he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could even get a word out, Steward Liu suddenly shouted:
"Still dare to deny it!"
Without another word, he brought his palms together into a blade shape and slashed out a blade force over three meters long.
Wang Yu, terrified, could only dive aside. The three ice swords earlier had already drained all his spiritual energy. If not for his deep mastery in spellcraft and precise control over his spiritual power, he wouldn’t have been able to cast them at all.
This outrageous reaction from Steward Liu was completely different from what Wang Yu had expected. He had no idea where his calculations had gone wrong.
Steward Duan’s face also changed drastically. He rushed forward to intervene.
But he was still one step too late.
Wang Yu dodged in time, avoiding a fatal blow to the torso. However, his left arm did not escape. As if history repeated itself, his arm fell to the ground and was shredded by the residual force of the strike.
There was no hope of reattaching it.
Where the blade force passed, even the bluestone floor was left with deep gashes. The entire area was a mess.
Steward Liu let out a cold snort.
"An eye for an eye."
"Let this serve as today’s lesson."
Wang Yu’s face turned grim. He stared at the pile of flesh and bone on the ground, hating Steward Liu so much he wished he could skin him alive, tear his tendons, and devour his flesh raw.
Steward Duan had been watching the whole time. He felt something was very wrong. Steward Liu was never this aggressive, especially not in front of him.
Now that it had come to this, the punishment Wang Yu suffered was too severe. His prestige was completely destroyed, and his recent efforts were nearly all in vain. To Steward Duan, he had become worthless.
Without another word, Steward Duan turned and quickly left the stone house area.
He had to make a trip to Cold Blood Peak to find out what was really going on before deciding what to do next.
On the bluestone square.
The Spirit Slaves looked on coldly. No one dared approach Wang Yu. After what just happened, it was clear to everyone. Compared to Steward Duan, Steward Liu was far more domineering. The choice was obvious.
Wang Yu used his remaining spiritual energy to stabilize the wound. He forcefully squeezed out some power. Though he could no longer form an ice sword, he could still freeze the remains of his severed arm completely. He cradled the frozen limb with his right arm and brought it back to his stone house to destroy it.
His heart was heavy.
This incident had taken many twists. He had come to fully realize the importance of power. This… was the demonic path.
Back in the stone house, Wang Yu sat and meditated to recover his spiritual energy. Inch by inch, he used the Ice Sword Technique to process the remains of his arm, tirelessly repeating the task.
Until they were ground to dust.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed. Today marked the forty-third day of Wang Yu’s life as a spirit slave.
[Idle Slot 2: Ice Sword Technique (Perfected)]
"Ice Sword Technique (100/100): Practice 144 times a day, Master in 3 years."
The description in the idle slot had changed. After reaching perfection, the original "Master in 30 days" had turned into "success in 3 years."
However, the technique was already perfected. As long as he had enough spiritual power, he could now simultaneously summon ten ice swords, with dramatically increased lethality.
This new change likely meant that the technique had exceeded its original grade limit and had ascended to the rank of an upper-grade spell.
"Three years, huh..."
It was good news, but Wang Yu was not as pleased as expected. After thinking for a while, he removed the Ice Sword Technique and replaced it with Blood-Burning Technique.
At this stage, the Ice Sword Technique was already sufficient for him. There was no need to keep it on idle. For a cultivator, realm advancement remained the primary goal.
A month's delay had allowed Idle Slot One to return 15 threads of spiritual energy cultivation. At present, his dantian capacity had only expanded to hold 21 threads, progressing extremely slowly.
This was because he had to consume 5 threads to refine spirit sand.
Though Steward Duan had abandoned him, Wang Yu still had to fulfill his duties as a spirit slave. Now, with two idle slots dedicated to cultivation, his efficiency had doubled.
"Three months and four days."
This was the time needed to break through to Qi Refining Layer 3, assuming he completely disregarded his body's active cultivation speed.
But this was far from enough. Without the help of a benefactor, it was nearly impossible to rise again in the short term.
Unless he could break through to Qi Refining Layer 4 and completely outpace the other spirit slaves. As for his secret being discovered—how would that even happen?
The idle slots were formless and intangible. He didn’t have a storage pouch and lived in the stone housing district with no privacy or secrecy whatsoever.
At most, others might suspect that he had a unique constitution, or perhaps that he had been cultivating using the “Life Burn Secret Technique.” But soul-searching? That was pure nonsense. The Technique was one of the demonic path's legendary secrets, and could only be practiced by Core Formation cultivators.
He was just a Qi Refining spirit slave. People of that level wouldn’t even look at him. Therefore, only by advancing his realm could he solve the root problem.
That day, something unexpected happened.
The very Steward Duan who had previously abandoned him sent someone to call for him again.
Beside the bluestone plaza stood a two-story elegant pavilion.
There, the plump Steward Duan sat smiling at Wang Yu.
“Still holding a grudge?”
Wang Yu quickly bowed in respect, nervous and sincere.
“Yu is but a humble spirit slave who has long surrendered body and mind to the Holy Sect and Master. I bear no resentment.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Steward Duan’s expression cooled. He tapped his index finger lightly on the table, exerting pressure. Wang Yu immediately changed his tone.
“If there is any resentment, it is only toward Steward Liu. The enmity of losing an arm is etched deep in my heart.”
“Now that’s more like it.”
Steward Duan chuckled and helped him up.
“Having a crippled limb doesn’t just hinder your daily life. If you ever hope to reach Foundation Establishment and cannot pass the blood and qi checkpoint, ninety percent of the reason will lie with that severed arm. That is a grudge that blocks your path—it surpasses even the hatred of killing one’s father or stealing one’s wife.”
Hearing this, Wang Yu felt tempted. He dearly wanted to learn the secrets of Foundation Establishment, but this clearly wasn’t the time to ask.
“Wang Yu is merely a lowly spirit slave, born with wasted spiritual roots. I dare not dream of reaching Foundation Establishment.”
“There’s no harm in dreaming. Every person should have some ambition.”
Steward Duan changed the topic, no longer emphasizing the grudge between Wang Yu and Steward Liu.
“What happened last time was truly a bit of an accident. I can tell you the truth—and maybe even find a way to restore your arm.”
Wang Yu’s heart stirred.
“What must I do?”
“No rush. Let’s talk slowly.”
Steward Duan poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip, unhurried.
Since his last visit to Cold Blood Peak to meet True Disciple Su, where he was reprimanded, his attitude toward Wang Yu had completely changed.