8 The Slaughter of the Crimson Shadow; Entering the Foundation Establishment Realm
"The Slaughter of the Crimson Shadow" manual allowed one to sense and strengthen themselves using a variation of Qi called "Shadow-Blood Qi".
The manual didn't have much information explaining the Shadow-Blood Qi and its usages in detail; however, it did have the standard techniques that every manual should include: cultivation techniques, a meditation technique, a movement technique, and other techniques.
Those other techniques involved techniques centered around poison, illusions, and also hiding oneself; it even included an aura-suppression technique.
It seemed like Xiao Ying would have to become proficient in both the art of poison and the art of illusions; he really had his work cut out for him.
To sense Shadow-Blood Qi, one must clear their minds before allowing thoughts of murder and slaughter to permeate their mind without losing their sanity. This technique would cause a temporary change in one's perception, allowing the cultivator to perceive the Shadow-Blood Qi until one lost focus.
On the surface, this technique sounds easy; however, it gets harder to allow the thoughts to permeate the mind without losing one's self as one starts to cultivate. Cultivating requires one's full focus and control over the Qi so as to not allow it to run amok in the body and destroy it. However, cultivating this technique requires one to simultaneously protect one's sanity, as well as their body.
'Wow, this is really risky. But I have to do it in order to get stronger. This system is here for a reason, after all. However, it seems as if my body still isn't strong enough. I need to get my stats up to 10 before I can attempt, or else the Qi could very well rip my body apart from the inside.' Xiao Ying realized.
'I guess I will sleep until midnight, in which at that time, I'll do the daily quest to get my rewards.'
Deciding to go to sleep, Xiao Ying laid on the bed and fell asleep very quickly. It seems as if he still wasn't used to the comfort of a bed after all the years he spent in the streets; or at least, his body still wasn't, anyways.
True to his plans, he slept all day like a log until it was the next day. He didn't wake up directly at midnight, but instead a few hours after it.
Again, he did his daily routine of workouts. Two hours later, he had finally completed the quest. During his workout, his strength stat and agility stat had increased by one as well. It seemed as if the requirements to increase his stats through working out doubled with each increase.
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Congratulations host for completing
the quest .
Quest Rewards generating...
Quest Rewards received....
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'One stat point to strength, intelligence, agility, and vitality' Xiao Ying ordered the system.
'Status panel'
Like magic, the corresponding panel appeared.
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Name: Xiao Ying
Age: 16
Status: Alive
Level: 2 (40/200)
Stat Points Available: 0
Absorption: 10
Perception: 10
Strength: 11
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 11
Vitality: 10
Cultivation: None
Skill Points Available: None
Skills:
Dagger Arts- level 1 (0/1)
Quests: 1
Item Shop: Unavailable
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'Finally, I can attempt cultivating that tyrannical technique.' Xiao Ying was determined.
Sitting down cross-legged, he followed the exact directions of the manual.
He cleared his mind. Then permeated it with thoughts of killing and slaughter. It wasn't hard; he just had to think of getting revenge on his killer in his past life.
Thoughts of those things filled his mind.
"Urrrgh!" Xiao Ying struggled to maintain the clarity of his mind.
On his forehead, veins were popping out as a testament to his struggle.
Following the manual's instructions, he extended his perception like it had taught him to.
In his perception, floated dark red motes of light; they were so dark that you couldn't tell whether it was red or black. This was the Shadow-Blood Qi he was trying to birth.
Doing as the manual explained, Xiao Ying used his perception to pull the Qi over to absorb it into his body. The process was neither fast nor slow.
As more and more mores of light was absorbed, he circulated it around his body according to the method.
Xiao Ying's body began to glow with a dark, bloody light as the Shadow-blood Qi circulated around his body again and again.
However, this process was incredibly taxing on his mind and psyche.
After circulating the Qi around his body for what felt like hundreds, if not thousands of times, his body emitted a bloody halo, causing a resounding boom to echo out. At this point, his mind felt like it was about to shatter and he was about to faint.
He quickly cleared his mind before falling into unconsciousness due to exhaustion. This whole process had lasted several hours; it had pushed his willpower to its limits.
Without his knowledge, two panels appeared once more.
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Congratulations host for completing
the quest .
Quest Rewards generating...
Quest Rewards received....
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Name: Xiao Ying
Age: 16
Status: Alive
Level: 2 (140/200)
Stat Points Available: 4
Absorption: 10
Perception: 10
Strength: 16
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 16
Vitality: 15
Cultivation:
Early Physique Tempering Phase of the Foundation Establishment Realm
Skill Points Available: 1
Skills:
Dagger Arts- level 1 (0/1)
Quests: 0
Item Shop: Unavailable
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Without commanding it, another panel appeared before disappearing.
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Host needs to keep host's stats balanced while cultivating to ensure that host inherits the mantle of "Master Assassin", as Master Crimson Shadow once did. "The Master Assassin Inheritance" System will help Host take up that mantle, surpass the late Master Crimson Shadow, and become the best Master Assassin there is; it is what Master Crimson Shadow would want.
Allocating one stat point to the stats absorption, perception, intelligence, and vitality respectively. Allocating one skill point to Dagger Arts.
Host will thank system later.
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Immediately after the panel disappeared, Xiao Ying's body began to twitch akin to the time he first acquired the Dagger Arts.
Simultaneously, his status appeared.
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Name: Xiao Ying
Age: 16
Status: Alive
Level: 2 (140/200)
Stat Points Available: 0
Absorption: 11
Perception: 16
Strength: 17
Intelligence: 11
Agility: 17
Vitality: 16
Cultivation:
Early Physique Tempering Phase of the Foundation Establishment Realm
Skill Points Available: 0
Skills:
Dagger Arts- level 2 (0/2)
Quests: 0
Item Shop: Unavailable
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