To acquire specific demon materials, one must purposefully gather them, a task not nearly as easy as randomly collecting any demon materials.
Unsure of how much the Eight-clawed Demonâs skin is worth, if it doesnât fetch enough, Iâll have to sell the thing to pay off debts, and then purchase the materials needed for the Two-Heart Lock.
Besides the Two-Heart Lock, other Cultivation Techniques also require parts of demons for cultivation.
This is the cost of unconventional Martial Arts, thereâs always some threshold to cross.
Fortunately, I only need to learn the beginning and improve the skill proficiency by +1, and then I wonât have to bother with demon materials anymore.
Upon leaving the Martial Hall, Fang Yu couldnât wait to reveal the Ice Blood Storm manual.
Applying the concoction, it wasnât long before text slowly began to emerge.
Fang Yu hurriedly began to read.
A few minutes later, he stopped.
Because.
The text.
Was gone.
An incomplete text, really just an incomplete text!
Fang Yu was astonished.
The manuscript was brutally incomplete.
It only provided the basic cultivation method; how to advance seemed to be abruptly cut off by someone, leaving no more content.
Luckily, the initial part of the Cultivation Method was given, which was enough to attempt it.
According to the description, besides the specific cultivation practice, an Ice Demonâs Crystal Core or similar is required to stimulate the blood for faster cultivation success.
Basically, something evolved and condensed from the entire body of an Ice Demon.
Fang Yu did possess such a thing...
It was... the Ice Sculpture Demonâs ice crystal.
However, in the battle at the docks, he had already used this thing.
Now, looking for it, he couldnât think of any place at the moment...
Wait a second!
Fang Yu suddenly thought of someone.
Or rather, a demon.
The Frost Order Demon.
This creature was previously captured by the Foolish Underworld and locked up in a high-security Prison.
After the jailbreak event, it was uncertain whether it was still alive or who had it now.
It definitely shouldnât be in the hands of demons like Yue Guang, otherwise, there would have been some noise by now.
So, with high probability, it was still in... Li Baizhenâs hands?
At least, Li Baizhen was definitely in possession of related intelligence.
"Letâs go, back home!"
Before, Fang Yu hadnât given a thought to whether the Frost Order Demon was dead or alive.
Even its existence had completely slipped his mind.
Only now, with the need for an Ice Crystal or similar, has he remembered that such a great demon was in the Foolish Underworldâs possession.
Originally, Martial Hall wasnât too far from Li Baizhenâs place.
Before long, Fang Yu arrived.
Compared to the previous hustle and bustle, the courtyard was now noticeably quieter.
Since he was a familiar face, the guards at the door didnât stop Fang Yu; they just sent someone to report to the inside.
Fang Yuâs return surprised Li Baizhen.
He had calmed his emotions and was ready to face his wifeâs âtorture.â
And then Fang Yu returned.
Could it be... he had some latest intelligence about the demons?
Upon asking,
Li Baizhen was momentarily speechless.
"The Frost Order Demon? Itâs probably dead."
"That guy, before the prison break event even occurred, had been moved to the Research Demon Mansion due to revealing no valuable intelligence."
"For specifics, youâd have to ask Ding Hui."
"Sheâs in the Research Demon Mansionâs Micro Department; Iâll write you a letter, and you present it to the guard at the gate, which should let you see Ding Hui."
Li Baizhen himself didnât have the time to accompany Fang Yu on the trip.
Holding the letter, Fang Yu immediately set off.
The Ice Blood Storm manual stated very clearly.
The better the quality of the Ice Crystal, the more effectively it improves the Cultivation Technique, allowing faster mastery.
Translated, it means a faster progress in achieving skill proficiency +1, which is quite important.
Of course, if itâs really not available,
He could only rely on earning merit points to visit the internal storehouse, search for Ice Crystals, and trade for them, which involves a bit of luck, and also requires a not insignificant amount of merit points.
Alternatively, one could use Silver Taels to seek out major powers, martial institutes, and purchase such items.
The last resort would be to try your luck on the streets, confronting demons to see if they are Ice Demons...
Research Demon Mansion, Foolish Underworld, and Pan Sheng Mansion, the Three Mansions stand united.
The three institutions are almost next to one another.
The Foolish Underworld is the largest, so it takes some time to get to the neighbouring Research Demon Mansion.
After a considerable walk, he finally reached the place.
Looking up, the people here were all dressed in scholarly attire, with a style leaning towards that of a student.
After asking around, I figured out the direction to go.
Fang Yu arrived in front of the Micro Department.
Handed over the letter.
In no time, Ding Hui herself actually came out.
"Diao Deyi!"
Although it was only a few days since I last saw her,
But upon seeing Ding Hui again, Fang Yu surprisingly felt that there was something different about her, though he couldnât quite pinpoint what it was.
[Ding Hui: 100/100.]
Hmm... At least her health bar seems normal.
Ding Hui herself was very enthusiastic.
Upon approaching, she reached out with both hands, as if she was about to cradle Fang Yuâs cheeks.
This level of familiarity??
Fang Yu hesitated whether to dodge or not.
Ding Huiâs fingers had already touched Fang Yuâs cheek.
In an instant.
Fang Yu suddenly experienced a sensation like an electric shock coursing through his body, frightening him into instinctively stepping back.
The next moment.
Drip drop.
A drop of black blood flowed from his nostril, dripping onto the ground.
Fang Yuâs pupils shrank.
This familiar sensation...
Looking up again, he saw Ding Huiâs faint smile.
"Your brain has been altered."
She didnât open her mouth.
The voice, came directly from the mind.
This damned familiar feeling!
Fang Yuâs expression darkened.
"Angry? Donât worry, I canât yet achieve reading minds like Shuang Xuyao does, I can still only sense emotions."
Saying this, the voice in his mind paused.
"Oh, and also, in these few days, Iâve developed the ability to inject sound directly into your mind through brainwave resonance."
Fang Yu opened his mouth, as if he had thought of something, then glanced at the guard.
"Hehehe, come on in, letâs talk somewhere else."
The two lingered at the door for a good few seconds, then Ding Hui suddenly turned around and led the way, with Fang Yu silently following behind.
Their movements were natural and in sync.
To outsiders, those unaware might think the two shared a close relationship.
When they reached a small pavilion, the two sat down.
"Why the sudden visit? Have you finally decided to seek me out to enhance your demonic talent?"
Ding Huiâs eyes smiled as she looked at Fang Yu, her voice directly arising in his mind.
"...Canât you speak with your mouth? Itâs pretty weird like this."
Ding Huiâs voice once again sounded directly in his mind.
"No can do, Iâm still researching this ability; itâs just a test using you as a sample. Donât worry, I canât keep it up for long."
"Compared to the innate demonic talents of Shuang Xuyao, my researched and modified ability is just a weaker version."
"However, the advantage is that there is still room for research and enhancement, unlike demons, for most of the time, the talent sets the limit."
Ding Hui chatted away in Fang Yuâs mind.
Perhaps because the voice was emanating directly inside his mind, Ding Hui wasnât filtering the topics of conversation.
After all, no one else could eavesdrop; itâs just between you and me.
That being the case, Fang Yu didnât beat around the bush.
Ding Huiâs research had made significant progress, true, but it didnât really involve him.
Fang Yu spoke directly.
"I want to know if Shuang Xuyao is dead? If itâs dead, can you give me its Ice Element crystals or other materials? Or you can keep them and Iâll exchange them when I earn enough merits."
Demon materials are often priceless and not available for purchase.
Itâs not assured you would find them even if you wanted to.
So, even if Ding Hui was just keeping the materials for him, it was a great help to him.
"Shuang Xuyao? You could say itâs alive, or you could say itâs dead."
...What kind of answer is this.
"A part of its brain is still being preserved by us, as for the rest, itâs been dissected for research."
"The Ice Crystals youâre talking about, though in our possession, donât really hold any research value to us."
"We at the Research Demon Mansion differ from you Martial Artists."
"To you, Ice Crystals and Demon Cores that can be transformed into combat power and cultivation resources are valuable; for us at the Research Demon Mansion, they are rather pointless."
"To us, whatâs truly valuable, has always been the demons themselves."
"If you want the Ice Crystals from Shuang Xuyao, I can just give them to you later..."