I Can Upgrade My Talent Infinitely

"With our sect's current resources, he could probably reach the peak of Core Formation in less than two hundred years."

Fang Yun made a quick calculation. He wasn't entirely sure if he could reach the peak of Core Formation within two hundred years, but he was absolutely certain that reaching the late-stage Core Formation was not a problem.

An Abnormal Spirit Root Cultivator could be groomed as a Core Formation Seed. With the Celestial Cloud Sect's current power, a Celestial Spirit Root Cultivator could absolutely be cultivated as a Nascent Soul seed.

As Fang Yun was reveling in his happiness, a beam of spiritual light appeared before them.

It was a message from the Elder who guarded the sect's treasure vault.

And it was more good news.

"What is it, my love?" Song Qiaoqiao asked.

"I've just received news about the Hidden Profound Wood, one of the last primary Spiritual Materials needed for my Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots. The Elder who found it is rushing back to the sect now."

"That means your Half-Hidden Spirit Boots can undergo their second Sacrificial Refinement!" Song Qiaoqiao was overjoyed at the news.

The Sacrificial Refinement of the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots meant an improvement in her husband's stealth abilities.

This was yet another boost to his overall strength.

「Less than half a month later.」

Fang Yun was in the Artifact Refining Room.

Once all the Spiritual Materials for the Sacrificial Refinement of the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots had been gathered, he couldn't wait to upgrade his second Lifebound Magical Treasure.

In the time since his Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Profound Jade Sword, had completed its second Sacrificial Refinement, he had refined two ordinary Magical Treasures with Three Prohibitions.

Bolstered by his Nine-star Artifact Refining Talent, the process of Refining two ordinary Magical Treasures with Three Prohibitions had significantly improved his skill.

This time, while the Sacrificial Refinement of the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots took quite a while, the process itself was incredibly smooth.

For the current Fang Yun, even Refining an ordinary Magical Treasure with four Prohibitions would be a relatively simple affair. However, he hadn't yet had the opportunity to refine a Magical Treasure of that caliber.

A Magical Treasure with four Prohibitions required Tier Four Spiritual Materials, and such treasures were typically used by Cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage or higher.

"Done!"

Fang Yun carefully examined the upgraded Half-Hidden Spirit Boots before quickly storing them away.

Having completed its second Sacrificial Refinement, the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots now possessed Three Prohibitions.

For Fang Yun, the Sacrificial Refinement of the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots was a twofold enhancement, boosting both his stealth and his speed.

'If I were to go back eleven years and infiltrate the Dragon Demon Palace now, I probably wouldn't be discovered.'

Fang Yun recalled the time he was discovered while infiltrating the Dragon Demon Palace.

Stealth and detection abilities were in a constant struggle, with the stronger of the two always holding the advantage.

Fang Yun had to respect the detection ability of that Black Dragon Hall Elder at the peak of Core Formation. Even a typical early-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator would have had trouble seeing through his stealth, which proved just how powerful that Elder's detection methods were.

Now, with his stealth further enhanced, he should be undetectable right up until the moment he ambushed an early-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator.

'If I can't kill an early-stage Nascent Soul Demon in a direct confrontation, a sneak attack should give me a very good chance.'

Fang Yun assessed his current overall strength.

With the dual boost to his stealth and speed, if he were pursued by a mid-stage Nascent Soul Demon—assuming the Demon was relatively average and lacked any specific counters to his abilities—they would find it incredibly difficult to catch and kill him.

Not long after completing the Sacrificial Refinement of the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots, Fang Yun returned to his cultivation.

For the time being, he couldn't find any early-stage Nascent Soul practitioners of Evil Demons and Crooked Paths to test his true strength on, not that he was in any hurry to encounter a Nascent Soul of the Evil Dao.

He had the strength now, but it was still best to delay an encounter with a Nascent Soul of the Evil Dao for as long as possible.

Before breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, there was still significant room for his power to grow.

For example, he could acquire more Combat Talent Points and upgrade his eight-star Combat Talent to Nine-star.

The sect's influence in the Qionglin Domain had now reached 20%, bringing his Talent Points bonus to 1600%. Killing a single Evil Dao practitioner at the peak of Core Formation would net him 1.36 billion Talent Points.

If he killed three cultivators at the peak of Core Formation and one at the mid-stage, he would have enough to upgrade his Combat Talent completely to Nine-star.

Fang Yun already had a plan.

If Star Moon Valley and the Vast Sea Sect requested aid, he would go into stealth and head straight for the Blood Dew Palace's headquarters.

With his newly enhanced stealth, it would be virtually impossible for him to be discovered while infiltrating the Blood Dew Palace.

Once inside, his objective would be to kill a few Core Formation Stage Blood Demons and finish upgrading his Combat Talent. As for whether the Blood Dew Palace would be destroyed, that would be up to Star Moon Valley and the Vast Sea Sect.

Based on Blood Dew Palace's current offensive against Star Moon Valley and the Vast Sea Sect, Fang Yun already suspected their true purpose was to lure out the mysterious Spirit Refiner.

And he, the mysterious Spirit Refiner in question, would naturally have to make his appearance at the most opportune moment.

Facing a top-tier Blood Demon Core Formation Influence like the Blood Dew Palace, he had to balance several things. Ideally, he could gain Talent Points without drawing the full attention of the Blood Spirit Sect. Furthermore, the fact that the mysterious Spirit Refiner was the Sect Leader of the Celestial Cloud Sect had to be kept secret for as long as possible.

Taking all this into account, it was best if Star Moon Valley and the Vast Sea Sect were the ones to break the Blood Dew Palace. His role would be to provide a powerful, supporting push.

After launching a massive assault two years ago, the Blood Dew Palace had quieted down for half a year, reverting to small-scale skirmishes.

Three years passed in a flash.

These three years were much like the previous eleven; the powers surrounding the Celestial Cloud Sect remained exceptionally quiet. Until today.

Bai Qinying came to Fang Yun, bearing the latest intelligence.

"Junior Brother, we have a new development."

"The Ghost Cultivator Influence or the Blood Demon Influence?" Fang Yun asked.

As the Supreme Elder in charge of the Evil Extermination Hall, the news she brought was almost always about external affairs.

"The Blood Red Sect, from the Blood Demon Influence."

"Oh?" Fang Yun was a little surprised.

When he heard Bai Qinying mention the Blood Demon Influence, he had assumed it was the Purple Blood Pavilion. He was surprised it was the Blood Red Sect.

Ever since they had eliminated the Demon Spirit Sect, the Purple Blood Pavilion shared a border with them.

To this day, the Purple Blood Pavilion had remained completely silent. He'd thought they were finally making a move.

"What are the specifics?" Fang Yun asked after his initial surprise.

"A Foundation Establishment Blood Demon from the Blood Red Sect appeared in our Earth Realm and was killed by one of our Elders."

"Are we sure the Blood Demon came from the Blood Red Sect?"

"It's been verified. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bringing you this news." Bai Qinying's expression was one of complete confidence in her work.

A Foundation Establishment Elder from the Blood Red Sect appearing in their Earth Realm at a time like this... that was a problem.

Fang Yun quickly made a decision.

"Dispatch more personnel immediately. I want the situation in the Blood Red Sect's territory monitored closely."

"No problem. I'll make the arrangements right away," Bai Qinying promised.

Fang Yun then asked Bai Qinying for the specific details concerning the Foundation Establishment Blood Demon from the Blood Red Sect.

An Elder from the Celestial Cloud Sect had captured the Foundation Establishment Blood Demon from the Blood Red Sect. The Elder had intended to interrogate the captive, but the Blood Demon committed suicide, giving them no opportunity whatsoever.

Unlike Demons, who are merely influenced by the Demon Beast bloodlines they transplant...

...Blood Demons cultivate an impure form of Blood Power that requires human blood, which tends to make them far more insane.

Of course, Blood Demons have ways to suppress their madness. A calm Blood Demon is usually a terrifyingly talented one.

"The Blood Red Sect's overall strength is only slightly greater than the Dragon Demon Palace's. If they dare to move against us, it must be on the Blood Spirit Sect's orders."

Blood Demons might be insane, but they weren't stupid.

The Celestial Cloud Sect's strength was immense, even just on the surface. The Blood Red Sect would never dream of acting against them on its own.

Without a directive from the Blood Spirit Sect, they would almost certainly have stayed on their best behavior.

"Junior Brother, what should we do now?"

"The Blood Spirit Sect isn't like the Black Dragon Hall. Their Nascent Soul experts might actually show up. The Blood Red Sect must have some sort of guarantee to be acting this boldly. For now, we just need to teach them a painful lesson. We don't need to annihilate them."