Sanguine Whisper

Xue Yang still didn't have perfect control over his newfound ability.

Because of this, he decided to take the more painful and dangerous route.

While it wouldn't result in any severe damage, it would cause his progress to slow down.

This inheritance was the perfect place for Xue Yang to cultivate.

Unfortunately, he only had limited time to enjoy the benefits.

The longer he took, the more of the Qi in the blood would enter the air around him and become a part of the natural energy in the world.

He was no longer able to cultivate such energy, so, to him, it was like throwing time and money away.

The blood was previously stored within a storage space hidden within the ground.

Once the presence of someone entering the room was sensed by an array, another one, in turn, would activate and force blood to exit the storage space and fill the pool.

While in the storage space, it was in another mini dimension. The energy within the blood had nowhere to go and couldn't return to nature.

It was a similar concept to canned food but taken to an extreme. When canned, whatever is inside should last a long time. However, once opened, it only became a matter of time before it spoiled.

He began to control the energy travelling through his bloodstream by attaching to his blood cells.

Then he forced the cells together, turning the blood into tiny needles.

Using it, he forced it outwards, slicing and travelling through his muscles and skin.

As the blood travelled out, Xue Yang had to expand the stream and constantly force his blood to flow out so the wounds wouldn't heal.

This caused Xue Yang immense levels of pain.

Despite his face attempting to twist in pain, Xue Yang gritted his teeth and continued.

Simultaneously, he took control of the remaining blood in the pool and forced it into the hundreds of wounds on his body, soaking his robe entirely in blood.

Having done that, Xue Yang no longer had to force his blood outwards.

Now, he was taking in an insane amount of energy.

If cultivators in the upper heavens had seen this, they would have spared no effort to destroy Xue Yang right here and now.

It would only be a matter of time before someone who cultivated like that reached their level and potentially took them over.

Someone like that would never fall in line and could potentially cause an untold amount of trouble.

It was simpler to remove an unpredictable variable like that ahead of time.

Xue Yang cultivated at a lightning-fast speed, and a mere 12 hours later, he reached the peak of the Core Formation Realm.

Unfortunately, the test had finished. Xue Yang had taken in all the blood he potentially could have.

Xue Yang spent the next 2 hours consolidating his new cultivation tier.

After he was done, he got up and stretched himself properly.

He had been sitting like that for a few days now, and he was feeling a bit stiff.

"Ugh, that feels good," cracking his back, Xue Yang moaned.

Looking down at his left arm, he noticed it had finally regrown.

It was currently a highly bright pink colour and ultimately didn't match Xue Yang's white complexion.

It would soon return to normal, but it was a strange sight for now.

Jumping across the now empty pool, Xue Yang reached another door.

In it was an engraved palm print with a small but distinct spike.

Xue Yang forced his hand onto it, stabbing himself onto the spike and pushing it forward.

Blood flowed out of his palm and onto the mechanism, activating it and causing the door to open.

It was a unique array that only activated when the blood of someone who cultivated the Sanguine Path Technique touched it.

There was another trick to it and an essential part of this trial.

It would only be open to someone who had reached a certain realm and stage in their cultivation.

The Crimson Monk apparently didn't want someone untalented taking his inheritance, thanks to luck.

The door opened, revealing another spiral staircase.

Xue Yang travelled downstairs, reaching another passageway at the bottom.

He walked through it to find a surprisingly small treasure room.

There were around ten storage rings, each filled with life-saving treasures, medicine, gold and, most importantly, spirit stones.

"I guess I don't have to try and steal those orbs," Xue Yang chuckled.

While the wealth he just found paled compared to all the Spirit orbs on the wall, Xue Yang knew there was no reason to be greedy.

He did not need such wealth, and revealing he had one such orb would just paint a target on his back.

After collecting the rings and putting them on each thumb and finger, Xue Yang turned his attention to the edge of the room.

There, he noticed an unsheathed weapon which rested on a golden pedestal with a dragon design.

The weapon resembled a Japanese Katana.

It had a sanguine blade and a black core with black leather wrapping on the handle and a black hand guard.

Xue Yang became enchanted by the look of the sword, and he approached the weapon without realising it.

He wrapped his fingers around the handle and picked the weapon up.

Giving it a couple of test swings, Xue Yang could feel that it was a feat of craftsmanship.

He didn't know what tier this weapon was as he hadn't seen it before, but at the very least, he believed it would be of the Celestial Tier.

As he pondered the tier of the weapon, he felt pain in the palm of his hand.

He tried letting go of the weapon, yet his fingers didn't move.

He couldn't let go of the weapon for an unknown reason, as if he lost control of his body.

"What is this weapon?"

Xue Yang wasn't sure what was happening, but panicking wouldn't change his situation.

"I can feel master's soul in you, but you're not master…"

A voice resounded within Xue Yang's mind.

He knew the only possible source of the voice was in his hand, but he couldn't believe it.

The weapon had to be an ego weapon to speak to him like that.

A weapon that developed an ego thanks to a skilled craftsman, the correct environment, and the resources used to create it.

A mind of its own and the potential to become a weapon like no other.

This, however, surprised Xue Yang.

Ego weapons were so rare that Xue Yang was confident that he knew all of them.

Yet here in his hand was one that he was seeing for the first time.

Xue Yang decided to speak with the sword and asked it a question.

"Do you mean the Crimson Monk? And why did you mention his soul?"

"Master soul is within your body… Or should I say… Its remnants."

"Remnants of his soul? What happened between Yue Yin and the Crimson Monk?" Xue Yang asked himself, unaware he was about to get an answer to his question.

"He attempted to transfer his soul into your body, but from the looks of it, your soul strength overpowered his causing his demise."

As if a lightning bolt hit him, Xue Yang fully comprehended what this meant.

"So the Crimson Monk attempted to take over this body, but my appearance ruined his plans."

Xue Yang couldn't help but find this turn of events funny and laughed at the Crimson Monk's misfortune.

Thanks to everything he went through lately, from losing someone he had recently met because of his own hands to his body being torn apart and damaged multiple times, Xue Yang's sense of humour began to change.

He started to find the misfortune of others, especially those who seek him harm, to be amusing.

But he couldn't help but wonder why the Crimson Monk left such a weapon here to collect dust.

"So why are you here and not with your master?" He posed a question.

"I was a gift, yet my new master had no talent."

"Because of this, he chose to keep me here, waiting for his return in a body with enough talent to wield me."

Xue Yang knew this made sense. Such a sword wouldn't willingly serve anyone.

Not everyone would be able to wield it. In the wrong hands, it would become a sword that couldn't cut.

Completely worthless, and given that it was an ego weapon, many eyes would become fixated on it at first glance, just as Xue Yang was moments ago.

"So, what tier are you?" Xue Yang decided to ask the sword directly. 

He could find out through other means, but asking the weapon directly was ideal.

"I am a Soul weapon in the Forbidden Tier…"

"..."

"What?!"