Chương 343: A Life Realm's Desperate Deal

I decided to play my role with cold indifference. With a dismissive scoff, I glanced down at the bowing Life Realm cultivator as if his existence barely registered.

"Watch where you're going," I said flatly, making my voice deeper and lacing it with contempt. Without waiting for a response, I turned and began walking away, adopting the unhurried pace of someone who feared nothing in this realm or any other. My shadowy form trailed wisps of blood-red essence behind me, completing the image of a powerful blood cultivator who considered everyone beneath his notice.

"Master, that was convincingly arrogant," Azure commented in my mind.

"Though perhaps a bit mild for a Civilization Realm blood cultivator. They tend to be more... explosive in their displeasure."

"Better to underplay than overdo it," I replied silently.

"The last thing we need is to offend someone." To my surprise, I heard hurried footsteps behind me. The Life Realm blood cultivator was actually following me. The audacity was impressive, especially considering I was supposed to be someone who could destroy him with a casual gesture.

"Respected senior," he called out, his voice carefully balanced between deference and urgency.

"This junior wonders if you might spare a moment of your valuable time?" I stopped abruptly and turned, fixing my gaze on him with what I hoped was the weight of centuries of cultivation. The blood cultivator halted immediately, maintaining a respectful distance.

"You test my patience," I said coldly.

"What could you possibly offer that would be worth my attention?" Despite the harshness of my words, I was genuinely curious. What would drive a Life Realm cultivator, someone powerful enough to be considered a living legend in most regions, to approach a blood cultivator a major realm his senior? The cultivator bowed again, though not as deeply as before.

"This junior has been developing a technique, a Bloodfiend Clone method that simulates death. However, it remains incomplete despite years of research." His crimson form seemed to pulse with tension.

"When I sensed senior's profound mastery of blood arts, I wondered if you might possess knowledge that could complete my work." My mind immediately connected to what he was asking. Among the techniques Ke Jun had transmitted to me was something called the "Blood Shadow Clone Method", a sophisticated blood art capable of creating perfect duplicates that could fool even high-level cultivators. It seemed like exactly what this cultivator was searching for. I contemplated the situation carefully.

This was an unexpected opportunity. The technique wasn't particularly useful to me personally, I had no intention of fully embracing blood cultivation, but as a trading chip, it could be invaluable.

"I might possess something along those lines," I replied after a deliberately long pause, my tone nonchalant.

"Though I question why a Life Realm cultivator would need a death simulation technique of such caliber." The Life Realm cultivator's form flickered slightly.

"Personal... circumstances make it necessary," he replied cautiously.

"A matter of sect politics that has grown... complicated." In other words, he wanted to fake his death to escape his sect. Interesting, but ultimately not my concern. The politics of blood cultivation sects were their own quagmire, and I had no desire to become entangled in them.

"I see," I said, allowing a note of boredom to enter my voice.

"And what do you offer in exchange for such valuable knowledge?" Excitement vibrated through the crimson silhouette. He straightened, opening his spiritual projection's hands as if preparing to list offerings.

"This junior possesses several rare blood cultivation resources," he began eagerly.

"Including essence from spiritual beasts of the—" I raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"I have no interest in blood cultivation resources." The blood projection froze, then slowly closed what passed for its mouth. The brief silence that followed seemed pregnant with realization. From his perspective, what could he, a mere Life Realm blood cultivator, possibly offer someone already at the Civilization Realm? Any resources or techniques he possessed would likely be trivial to someone of my supposed stature.

"Of course," he murmured, his tone subdued.

"Forgive my presumption." He seemed to consider for a moment, then his form brightened slightly with what I interpreted as renewed hope.

"Perhaps the Temporal Hourglass would interest the senior?" he suggested.

"It's a time manipulation treasure capable of accelerating internal time flow by a factor of two within an inner world." My interest immediately piqued, though I carefully maintained my impassive demeanor. Time treasures were incredibly valuable, allowing cultivators to effectively double their practice time. Inside my inner world, I could spend two days cultivating while only one passed in the external world. The advantages were obvious and substantial.

Nearly every cultivator at the Life Realm and above possessed some form of time treasure: either to accelerate or slow time in their inner world as needed. Some could even freeze time briefly in small areas, though such treasures were extraordinarily rare. It was something I'd been acutely aware of lacking. Still, I couldn't appear too eager. A Civilization Realm cultivator would likely have multiple time treasures already.

"Time manipulation?" I responded with feigned disinterest.

"Basic utility at best. I already possess superior versions." The blood cultivator's form dimmed slightly, but he recovered quickly.

"Then perhaps the junior could add a Minor Spirit Vein to the offer? It's a fully formed underground qi channel capable of releasing abundant spiritual energy into the surrounding area. When integrated into an inner world, it provides a permanent, self-sustaining source of cultivation energy." I mentally calculated the value of such a treasure. A spirit vein, even a minor one, would be extraordinary for my inner world.

It would create a constant flow of spiritual energy throughout the four quadrants, nourishing the Genesis Seed and accelerating the growth of spiritual plants. Combined with the Primordial Wellspring I'd already acquired, it would create ideal cultivation conditions.

"Azure, what do you think?" I asked silently.

"The combination would be exceptional, Master," Azure responded in my mind.

"The spirit vein would provide raw spiritual energy, while the Wellspring would establish fundamental Water Law. Together, they would dramatically improve your inner world's development." Still, I maintained my facade of disinterest.

"Moderately useful," I said aloud, "but still insufficient for a technique of such caliber." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The crimson silhouette rippled with what might have been frustration before settling into determination. He seemed to hesitate, then made a decision.

"I could also offer... a created being from my inner world," he said, his tone suggesting this was a significant concession.

"I have no interest in blood-derived life forms," I replied immediately, genuinely disinterested in anything that might corrupt my inner world.

"It's not—" the cultivator began, then stopped himself. His form contracted slightly, as if gathering courage.

"The truth is, esteemed senior, my inner world is... changing." That caught my attention.

"Changing? How so?"

"For centuries, my inner world was a Crimson Sea, a vast ocean of blood essence," he explained, his voice taking on an almost confessional quality.

"But recently, it has begun transforming. Areas of pure water have appeared at the edges, gradually expanding inward. The blood-based life forms are either dying or evolving into water-based entities." I found myself genuinely intrigued.

"Your inner world is spontaneously changing its fundamental element?"

"Yes," the blood cultivator confirmed.

"The life form I offer comes from the transitional zone where blood and water meet. It's a hybrid creature, but its essence is primarily water now, with only traces of its blood origin remaining."

"Azure," I thought silently, "is this possible? Can inner worlds change their elemental affinity?"

"It's extremely rare but not unprecedented," Azure replied, his tone thoughtful.

"There are two primary scenarios where this occurs. First, in cultivators whose dao has been fundamentally challenged or altered, causing instability in their inner world. Second, in cultivators who intentionally change their cultivation method, forcing their inner world to adapt to the new path."

"So, his dao might be changing?" I mused.

"That sounds... dangerous."

"Extremely," Azure confirmed.

"Most cultivators who experience such transitions suffer qi deviation or worse. The fact that he's managing it suggests either exceptional talent or desperate determination." This reminded me again how much I still had to learn about inner worlds and cultivation. The textbooks and resources available to outer disciples barely scratched the surface of these advanced topics.

It wasn't just a matter of linear progression through cultivation stages; there were entire realms of possibility and danger I had yet to explore.

"You've caught my interest," I said to the Life Realm cultivator.

"Show me this transitional life form." The cultivator nodded eagerly. His spiritual projection made a series of gestures, as if reaching into a pocket dimension. A moment later, a small sphere of light appeared between his hands. As the light faded, I could see what appeared to be a crystal vial containing something that resembled a tiny, translucent fish. Its body was primarily clear like water, but traces of red could be seen in its delicate fins, as if blood had been diluted to near-transparency.

"This is a Dawn Ripple," the cultivator explained.

"It formed spontaneously in the boundary zone of my inner world, where blood meets water. It requires only clean water to survive, and it produces a small amount of purified spiritual essence as it swims. Not particularly powerful, but it represents the first truly new creation in my inner world in over a century." I studied the creature carefully. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have considered acquiring spiritual beasts or life forms for my inner world, not yet, anyway.

Every creature required specific environmental conditions and sustenance to survive, and my inner world, despite its rapid development, simply wasn't habitable for most beings. The ecosystems weren't mature enough, the spiritual energy wasn't stable enough, and the terrain was still too raw. But this creature was different. It needed only clean water, something I was about to have in abundance once I integrated the Primordial Wellspring.

"How does it reproduce?" I asked, leaning closer to examine the fish-like being.

"Would I need to acquire more for it to propagate?" The crimson form brightened slightly.

"That's another remarkable feature. The Dawn Ripple reproduces asexually, once it absorbs enough spiritual energy from its environment, it simply splits into two identical beings. No mate required. It's a slow process, perhaps once every lunar cycle depending on the spiritual density of the water, but given enough time, a single Dawn Ripple could populate an entire lake." That was ideal, a self-sustaining, self-replicating life form.

I turned the possibilities over in my mind, considering how it would fit into my developing inner world.

"Azure, what do you think?" I asked silently.

"The benefits would be substantial, Master," Azure replied thoughtfully.

"Living entities play a crucial role in inner world maturation. They circulate spiritual energy, preventing stagnation. They transform raw qi into refined essence through their natural processes. Most importantly, they add a crucial element of vitality that accelerates world law formation." He was right. The cultivation texts I'd studied all emphasized that inner worlds followed a development pattern similar to actual planets, they needed balanced ecosystems, not just terrain.

"When multiple Dawn Ripples exist in proximity," the cultivator added, sensing my interest, "they naturally form schools that generate small currents of spiritual energy. These currents help distribute nutrients throughout the water system and gradually refine the quality of spiritual essence in their environment. In my inner world, areas where several Dawn Ripples gather have shown a twenty percent increase in water element affinity." That sealed my decision.

This wasn't just a curiosity, it was a genuine cultivation resource that could help establish the foundations for more complex life forms in the future.

"The Temporal Hourglass, the Minor Spirit Vein, and this Dawn Ripple," I stated.

"For those three treasures, I will provide you with the Blood Shadow Clone Method." The cultivator's form brightened noticeably.

"The Blood Shadow Clone Method? I've heard only rumors of its existence, but it's said to create perfect duplicates that can fool even Civilisation Realm elders."

"The rumors understate its capabilities," I replied with calculated arrogance.

"When properly executed, it can create a blood duplicate capable of simulating death so convincingly that even those specialized in blood essence detection cannot discern the truth." His crimson silhouette seemed to vibrate with excitement.

"This junior accepts the exchange with profound gratitude."