93: At the core of the secret realm, cultivation is sealed; candidate for deputy peak master.

Peak Master's Dao Field.

An Old Man in Red Robe with graying temples knelt on one knee, his posture appearing extremely respectful.

Ever since the young man returned, he hadn't spoken a word, nor had he even spared the old man a glance.

He felt that this Blood Spirit Secret Realm incident was definitely not that simple; if one were to follow Peak Master's explanation, although it was possible, the probability of someone fighting to the death to drag the opponent down with them was almost impossible.

"What do you think?" the young man asked.

"In my humble estimation, there is likely more to this matter than meets the eye," the Old Man in Red Robe replied.

The young man nodded and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. "Has that Medicinal Pill been refined properly?"

The Old Man in Red Robe said respectfully, "Reporting to the Saint, the Medicinal Pill will be finished in just over a month."

"Very well." The young man was satisfied, his tone indifferent. "In three days, I will have them cooperate with you to reconstruct the Blood Spirit Secret Realm."

"Yes, your subordinate will certainly see to it," the Old Man in Red Robe accepted the order.

"Notify Zhou Ling and Chen Jian to go to Blood Washing Peak. Tell Feng Xiaoyu to hold back some of his methods this time; I do not wish for another collapse in the Blood Spirit Secret Realm," the young man instructed.

"Saint, what about Su Chen?" the Old Man in Red Robe asked.

"He has some strength, but he has only been in the Sect for a short time. We will speak of it after he has served the Sect for four years," the young man said.

Hearing this, the Old Man in Red Robe gave a respectful bow and turned to leave the Dao Field.

To reach the core of the Blood Cloud Sect, strength alone was not enough; what they needed was loyalty to the Blood Cloud Sect. Only then would they feel at ease.

The next morning.

Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Finding himself back in his small courtyard, he finally relaxed.

"Master, you're finally awake." Yin Duo happily stepped forward to help Jiang Yan up.

At this moment, Jiang Yan felt sore all over, as if he had a severe cold.

"Lü Yue came by last night. After seeing you were still asleep, she left some things and said I should notify her as soon as you wake up," Yin Duo said.

Hearing this, Jiang Yan nodded slightly; he knew very well why Lü Yue had come looking for him.

Yin Duo continued, "Also, Blood Son Zhou and Blood Son Chen both sent people to check on you. They didn't leave any messages, just confirmed whether you were awake."

"Is there anyone else?" Jiang Yan asked.

"Yes, but I blocked all the others," Yin Duo replied.

Hearing Yin Duo's words, Jiang Yan understood. He was a Blood Son; as long as it wasn't another Blood Son sending someone, he would have Yin Duo block them. After all, he had no interest in dealing with trivial matters.

"Alright, you can go out now. Let me rest a bit longer." Jiang Yan waved his hand.

Yin Duo nodded and quickly left the room.

Jiang Yan took out a Medicinal Pill and swallowed it, then immediately began his breathing exercises.

But before he could even complete a single Great Circulation of his breathing, a hot surge of qi-blood energy faintly began to emerge from the depths of his Dantian.

"Pfft!"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Jiang Yan was completely stunned. Immediately after, he felt that sense of powerlessness return.

'Damn, what the hell is going on?'

He was truly panicked. Although he hadn't lost his cultivation, this feeling of being unable to sense his power was truly terrifying.

One must remember, he was in the Blood Cloud Sect!

The fate of a useless person there was utterly cruel.

Even if only a shred of flesh remained, they would find a way to make use of it.

Sitting cross-legged, he began to inspect his body internally. After finding no issues with his Meridians, he examined his Dantian.

When he saw his Dantian at that moment, he was completely dumbfounded.

'Damn, is this still a Dantian?'

The Dantian is the place where Essence and Qi are stored, considered the gathering point for Qi.

Normally, its appearance is clear above and bright below, like the distinction between the sun and the moon.

But now, Jiang Yan's Dantian was turbid above and clear below. That murky qi-blood power was exceptionally conspicuous. This qi-blood power did not belong to him; it was the power from the Blood Spirit Secret Realm.

'Is this the rhythm of becoming a cripple?'

Jiang Yan couldn't figure it out and hurriedly opened his personal panel.

[Host: Jiang Yan]

[Talent: Heaven Rewards the Diligent, Life Span Plunder, Sword Dao Growth]

[Rank: 27]

[Current Experience: 21.53%]

[life span: 22/27,635 years]

[life span: 103,776 years (Available life span can be used to strengthen proficiency in Cultivation Techniques, Spells, and Martial Skills)]

[Essence: 44.5]

[Spirit: 25]

[Realm: Dao Integration Foundation Establishment Level 10 (Cultivation Seal Countdown: 58 hours, 23 minutes, 15 seconds)]

[Dao: 72.1]

[Concept: Sword (Blunt Sword Strategy)]

[Talisman: Grandmaster Level]

[Cultivation Technique: Qi Refining Cultivation Technique Advanced Chapter (scratching the surface), Blood Coagulation Qi Refining Method Advanced Chapter (scratching the surface)]

[Spell: Thunderstorm Art (grasped), Breath Concealment Technique (grasped), Tiger Roar Sound Wave (mastery), Blood Shadow Ghost Evasion (mastery), Cloud Breaking Art (mastery), Hundred Refinements Divine Mechanism Art (grasped)]

[Martial Skill: Nine Dragons Sword (Legacy Rank, beginner), Sword Rain Art (grasped), Sword Breaking Method (mastery), Sword Shadow Art (mastery), Qi Blood Fiend Source Scripture (grasped)]

...Seeing his Cultivation Seal countdown, Jiang Yan was completely stunned.

'Damn, what's with the cultivation being sealed?'

He really couldn't understand why his cultivation was sealed, but seeing that there were still over fifty hours left, he felt relieved. After all, as long as it could be restored, it was fine.

'Forget it, I'll just play dead for the next few days.'

For things he couldn't figure out, Jiang Yan always chose not to think about them. After all, he didn't want to add to his worries.

"Yin Duo!"

"What are your orders, Master?" Yin Duo asked respectfully.

"For the next three days, I won't see anyone. Just tell them I need to go into seclusion," Jiang Yan instructed.

"Yes, Master." Yin Duo immediately agreed, but just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly thought of something. "Master, what if the Peak Master comes looking for you?"

Jiang Yan knew what Yin Duo meant. After all, the results of the Blood Son Battle hadn't come out yet, so one of the Peak Masters would definitely come out to announce the results in the next few days. If they found him absent, they would surely come to see him.

"Ignore it for now, just say I'm in seclusion," Jiang Yan waved his hand.

"Yes." Yin Duo bowed respectfully and slowly closed the door.

However, Jiang Yan and Yin Duo's concerns were completely unnecessary because that very afternoon, the results of the discussion between the Peak Masters and the Sect Master would be announced.

There were no rewards, but each of them was given a victory.

When Jiang Yan learned that the reward was just a victory, his eyes immediately lit up.

He was now an Eighth Victory Blood Disciple, and after reaching nine victories, he could take on the position of Peak Master!

Although this Peak Master was only a candidate, he could still sever the Soul Lamp. After all, being constantly watched was a very troublesome thing.

Without a second thought, Jiang Yan directly had Yin Duo register him to transfer to the position of Vice Peak Master Candidate.

Of course, there were conditions to becoming a Vice Peak Master Candidate: one had to complete three assassination missions and then bring back the corpses of two Fourth Realm Yao Beasts or the remains of Fourth Realm anomalies.

When the Servants under Jiang Yan learned that their Blood Son was going to serve as a Vice Peak Master Candidate, they were both happy and sad.

They were happy because they could escape their status as Servants, but sad because they might never encounter such a good Blood Son again.

When the Peak Masters learned the news, their faces showed looks of astonishment.

In their eyes, Su Chen was definitely the most potential Genius Blood Son. Someone like him should be pursuing something higher, so why would he want to be a Vice Peak Master?

The four Peak Masters couldn't understand Su Chen's actions, so they simply reported it upwards.

Decisions regarding Vice Peak Master Candidates were basically made by the Sect Master, as the Vice Peak Master was the lowest level among the upper echelons.

The young man didn't care about these things. In his eyes, Su Chen was just a lucky ant; as long as it didn't affect the operations of the Blood Cloud Sect, everything could proceed as normal.

Upon learning that the request was granted, Jiang Yan was very happy, but the unfortunate part was that he was to serve as the Vice Peak Master Candidate for Blood Sword Peak.

"Master, are you really leaving?" Yin Duo asked weakly.

"You little brat, you should be happy. After all, there will be no one to order you around anymore," Jiang Yan laughed.

Yin Duo was indeed happy, but also somewhat dejected. After all, the road ahead was now unknown.

"Alright, no need to act pitiful with me." Jiang Yan rubbed Yin Duo's small head. "Try not to cause trouble in the future; after all, some people can't bear to see you die."

Hearing Su Chen's words, Yin Duo's eyes lit up, and a trace of blush suddenly appeared on her face.

She felt that Su Chen must have been saying this to her.

Jiang Yan smiled and didn't explain anything; after all, Yin Duo would find out in the future.