One more catty, one more attribute point

As a seasoned sovereign, King Qingyang had a rich foundation.

After an exchange, Su Heng gained Enlightenment Tea and a large supply of Potential Secret Medicine that could enhance spiritual power from King Qingyang, while King Qingyang obtained an amount equivalent to one-tenth of the remaining True Dragon Remains from Su Heng.

Both were very satisfied with the outcome.

While Su Heng's physical strength had already reached its limit, his spiritual power had somewhat fallen behind.

As for King Qingyang, his physical body was far inferior to Su Heng's. Even with just that bit of dragon remains, he would be able to fully recover from his injuries and even make some progress in strength.

Over these days of exchange and discussion, both had validated their past cultivation experiences against each other's.

They both felt they had profited tremendously.

King Qingyang began to seclude himself, refining the dragon remains to heal his injuries.

Su Heng, however, tried to create a new cultivation technique based on his current foundation.

Solban had returned to Skull Plain and sent a message. The situation around the Jiang E region was stable for the time being, with no major changes arising. However, as Su Heng's reputation continued to grow, some martial artists within the empire began moving towards Jiang E.

Regarding the matter of the Mythical Battlefield, it was not a secret.

With the opening of the Mythical Battlefield on Skull Plain and a massive outflow of resources, a rapid development period was inevitable.

For many Loose Cultivators, this was an exceptional opportunity.

And for the local cultivators in Jiang E,

the ability to open their doors and exchange with martial artists from the outside world was certainly more competitive, yet in the verification with each other, many detours could be avoided. Overall, this was a good thing.

Su Heng always believed in the principle of the survival of the fittest, natural selection. Thus, he naturally encouraged the development of these events.

However, with the increase in numbers, there inevitably arose a mix of good and bad.

Amongst the cultivators who came to Jiang E State, some harbored ill intentions.

They were wanted criminals from the outside world, and now, with Su Heng's reputation as the "Northern Border Demon Dragon" soaring, common forces truly didn't dare to act recklessly within Jiang E territory. Consequently, for these individuals, the seven provinces of Jiang E were undoubtedly a natural shelter.

So far, this trend was still somewhat obscure, but signs were emerging.

Solban made special mention of it when he sent the message through his flying sword.

Su Heng instructed him to increase supervision, and as for the rest, he would handle it after he returned.

...

Su Heng began his secluded cultivation. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire

The purpose of this seclusion was unlike any before.

Previously, he secluded himself to refine vast amounts of demon flesh, using the attribute panel to deduce certain cultivation techniques to the peak, or even surpassing the peak, reaching an unprecedented level.

But in this world, the martial path had at best a history of four to five thousand years.

As Su Heng's physique became increasingly powerful and his realm higher, the cultivation techniques and experience left by predecessors were less conspicuously helpful to him. Sometimes they would even confine him within a cage, acting as a complete reversal to his future development.

Take, for example, the Earth Immortal's indestructibility.

This talent was quite intimidating when first encountered.

But as Su Heng gained experience through combat, he gradually realized that it was, in fact, not a big deal.

Even Earth Immortals like Solban and Meng Huan, who had completely fused spirit and body, tapping into life's potential, were not truly indestructible. After being injured multiple times in battle, their recovery speed would diminish, and it was possible for them to be worn down to death.

And strategies emphasizing attacks at the cellular level and within the Spiritual Domain were extensively researched and developed.

Therefore, in battles at the same realm,

indestructibility indeed increased the fault tolerance for human strongmen, but it didn't create a fundamental change. Instead, some cultivators, in their eagerness to break through quickly, regarded the body as a shackle, focusing solely on cultivation in the Spiritual Domain. Even if they successfully ascended to Earth Immortal, their combat effectiveness was of concern.

Su Heng thought this approach was incorrect.

Spirit and body depended on and complemented each other. They needed to advance in harmony.

To reach the pinnacle of the Dao, both aspects of cultivation needed to be perfected. It should not happen that one are neglected at Su Heng's expense.

The cultivation of the Spiritual Domain mainly relied on devouring secret medicines.

This had been the path followed by everyone over the years, and now Su Heng was doing the same, with no real shortcuts available.

As for the physical aspect,

though Su Heng's physique had become almost freakish after merging with the dragon remains,

he still believed there was significant room for improvement on this path.

"Then, this cultivation technique I am creating should focus on strengthening the physical body." Su Heng stroked his chin, pondering seriously, "Body and spirit nourish each other. As long as the body is sufficiently strong, it can later nourish the spirit and achieve a doubly effective outcome."

These views were obtained through mutual verification with King Qingyang during their discussions.

Su Heng felt that it was basically not bad.

After determining the direction, Su Heng began to implement specific action steps.

Previously, his cultivation allocation had brought his Cultivation Technique to its pinnacle, akin to walking an existing path smoothly, encountering hardly any unexpected hurdles.

But now it was different; creating his own Cultivation Technique was like forging a new route across a treacherous sea, extremely risky and highly uncertain, requiring even more attribute points.

After integrating with half of the dragon remains, Su Heng's body weight soared.

Although he had amassed a vast amount of attribute points, counted by the millions, Su Heng wasn't really sure about creating his own Cultivation Technique. To prevent getting stuck midway during cultivation, neither advancing nor retreating,

Su Heng planned to accumulate more attribute points first.

He spent some time first refining the rest of the dragon remains and all the resources he had exchanged with King Qingyang, and then he went to plunder the Hunxi Mountain.

Hunxi Mountain was the natural barrier of Dragon Abyss, its origins unknown.

But such a harsh environment was certainly related to the battle that eradicated the Demon Descendants thousands of years ago.

Inside dwelled numerous powerful demons, and even gods were suppressed there. Previously, King Qingyang had carved out a difficult path to Dragon Abyss on Hunxi Mountain. After many fierce battles, the difficulty of dealing with these gods was evident.

But now they were in deep trouble; as demons, being targeted by Su Heng meant having no good fortune.

Every demon whose presence was detected by Su Heng was captured and used as food for drinking. The weaker demons saw the great trees above their heads uprooted entirely. They didn't understand what was happening, just feeling as though a black hole had appeared in their home.

Wherever he went, the demons along the way vanished without a trace, almost like a ghost story.

It was too damn scary for the demons!

Sensing imminent disaster, they didn't dare stay any longer; they frantically scattered, wishing they had grown two more legs when they came out of their mother's womb.

Hunxi Mountain was originally a notoriously dangerous demonic mountain, far worse than the Demon Country of old days.

It was only mildly better with King Qingyang in charge of North Yuezhou.

At least the civilians in the borderlands had a way to live, not being kept as livestock for food. But within a short few days after Su Heng's arrival, the locals found that the skies, once darkened by clouds, cleared and even the scorching, red mountains began to regain a hint of verdant vitality.

...

"Burp!"

Su Heng deliberately let out a satisfied belch and then pulled out a piece of animal skin from his bosom to wipe the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Inside Hunxi Mountain was desolate, the ground barren without a blade of grass and strewn with rubble and stones.

Su Heng was currently in one of the remote valleys.

The place used to be a demon god's lair, but its original master was now inside Su Heng's belly. Su Heng had taken over the area and used it as a temporary retreat for cultivation. He digested the demon flesh and blood while contemplating the broad framework of his technique.

During his discussions with King Qingyang, Su Heng had already formed some ideas in his mind.

But these ideas were vague.

There was still a distance before they could transform into a true path that was passable.

After several days of contemplation, Su Heng still didn't have any particularly good ideas. He truly needed a spark of inspiration on this matter, which often could stall a Martial Artist for many years. Although he could use attribute points to forcibly deduce, quality steel should be used on the blade's edge.

Without hesitation,

Su Heng spread his fingers open, and the ice ball enveloping the Enlightenment Tea appeared in his palm.

Having the Blood Furnace as a storage space made things much more convenient. Immediately afterward, Su Heng took out a full set of teacups and tea utensils and began to heat the furnace. He then burned incense to clear the blood scent from his body before sitting down earnestly cross-legged.

"Gurgle, gurgle!"

The tea quickly began to boil, turning amber.

Wisps of white smoke emerged from the jade spout of the kettle, rising gently, not dispersing but vaguely forming a beautiful mountain and river landscape. Just by smelling the faint scent of the tea, he felt as if all distractions in his mind were being forgotten, calming down inexplicably.

Su Heng calculated with his fingers.

Until the temperature was just right, perfectly stimulating the spirituality within the Enlightenment Tea.

This Enlightenment Tea was extremely precious, and it was reserved for his consumption. Su Heng drank down the tea without hesitation.

In an instant, it felt as though a ray of light flashed through the dark space. Many thoughts and inspirations emerged in Su Heng's mind, corroborating one another, developing from points to lines, eventually weaving into a net. The rough outline of this brand-new Cultivation Technique gradually took shape.

Su Heng's ambition was vast.

This technique should encompass everything, with tremendous potential, and be able to continually enhance the essence of life, to the point of rivaling a star.

After fusing with the True Dragon Remains, Su Heng had become akin to a humanoid tyrannosaur.

In terms of physical strength alone, he was already on par with most divine beasts.

Yet, even with such a formidable body, it was just the most basic realm in this technique. Each transformation afterward would bring about a strengthening, until full completion was achieved in all aspects, reaching the realm of the "ultimate creature" as Su Heng envisioned.